ANEXO 4

Countable Nouns
Countable nouns are easy to recognize. They are things that we can count. For
example: "pen". We can count pens. We can have one, two, three or more pens. Here
are some more countable nouns:

dog, cat, animal, man, person

bottle, box, litre
coin, note, dollar
cup, plate, fork
table, chair, suitcase, bag

Countable nouns can be singular or plural:

My dog is playing.
My dogs are hungry.

We can use the indefinite article a/an with countable nouns:

A dog is an animal.

When a countable noun is singular, we must use a word like a/the/my/this with it:

I want an orange. (not I want orange.)

Where is my bottle? (not Where is bottle?)

When a countable noun is plural, we can use it alone:

I like oranges.
Bottles can break.

We can use some and any with countable nouns:

I've got some dollars.

Have you got any pens?

We can use a few and many with countable nouns:

I've got a few dollars.

I haven't got many pens.

"People" is countable. "People" is the plural of "person". We can count people:

There is one person here.
There are three people here.

Uncountable Nouns
Uncountable nouns are substances, concepts etc that we cannot divide into separate
elements. We cannot "count" them. For example, we cannot count "milk". We can
count "bottles of milk" or "litres of milk", but we cannot count "milk" itself. Here are
some more uncountable nouns:

music, art, love, happiness

advice, information, news
furniture, luggage
rice, sugar, butter, water
electricity, gas, power
money, currency

We usually treat uncountable nouns as singular. We use a singular verb. For example:

This news is very important.

Your luggage looks heavy.

We do not usually use the indefinite article a/an with uncountable nouns. We cannot
say "an information" or "a music". But we can say a something of:

a piece of news
a bottle of water
a grain of rice

We can use some and any with uncountable nouns:

I've got some money.

Have you got any rice?

We can use a little and much with uncountable nouns:

I've got a little money.

I haven't got much rice.

Here are some more examples of countable and uncountable nouns:

Countable

Uncountable

Dollar

Money

Song

Music

suitcase

Luggage

Table

Furniture

Battery

Electricity

Bottle

Wine

Report

Information

Tip

Advice

Journey

Travel

Job

Work

View

Scenery

When you learn a new word, it's a good idea to learn whether it's countable
or uncountable.

Write c for countable and u for uncountable:

time -

books -

chairs -

meat -

fingers -

sugar butter -

flour -

cheese -

cream -

apples -

milk pencils -

hair -

bread -

oil -

rice -

honey -

pens jam -

cars -

tea -

friends -

salt -

games -

houses
tomatoes -

carrots -

a) a / an + singular countable noun ( a pen, an apple) some + plural countable nouns positive sentences ( There are some cars)
some + uncountable nouns - positive sentences ( There is some oil)
any - we use any in negative sentences and in most questions.(countable and uncountable
nouns) I don't have any pens. There isn't any salt.
Do you have any sisters?
2. Choose a, an, some or any
a) It is
c) I bought
e) There is

dog.

b) Have you got

milk.

orange on the table.

d) Linda has not got

f) Tim eats

friends?
pets.
cheese every day.

g) We don't have

bread.

h) My brother found

i) My sister found

pen.

j) Do you have

k) There are

students in the classroom.

l) Is there

money.
eggs?
pencil on the desk?

Modal Verbs (Ability) can, could, be able to

I can ski / puedo esquiar

Una de las funciones del verbo modal can es para expresar habilidad.
Podemos utilizar el can si decidimos ahora que vamos hacer en el futuro.
Ej) I can have lunch with you tomorrow. / Puedo almorzar contigo maana.
I cant see you this weekend. / No puedo verte esta fin de semana.

Nota:
Despus del can ponemos el infinitivo sin to
... can play tennis
... can't go tomorrow
La forma negativa completa se escribe como una sola palabra; cannot.
En otros casos, para expresar habilidad en el futuro utilizamos will be able to.
Ej) Do you think England will be able to win the World Cup one day?
Piensas que Inglaterra pueda ganar el Mundial algun da?
El pasado de can y cant por habilidad es could y couldnt
Ej) When I was young I could drink 10 or 12 pints of lager in one night.
Cuando era joven, poda beber 10 o 12 pintas de cerveza en una sola noche.
El can y el could tambin se utiliza para pedir a las personas que hagan algo.
Ej) can/could you give me your phone number?
El Condicional

Podemos utilizar el could para decir podra (would be able to)

Ej) We could get a new car next year if we didnt have a holiday this summer.
Podramos comprarnos un nuevo coche si no tomamos vacaciones este verano.

EJERCICIOS
Elije can o cant si es posible. Si no, elige could o will be able to.
1. Im sorry, I
take you to the airport in the morning because Ive got
a business meeting at 9 oclock.
2. I think I

pass my driving test before my 50th birthday.

3. One day in the future I think we

4. If we left now, we

live on the moon.

before the shops close.

5. Im not working this weekend so we

6. I

go cycling on Sunday.

meet you for coffee at 11, but Ill only have fifteen minutes.

7. Ill do the washing and the ironing, but I

do the shopping.

8. If we worked together, we

finish it before the film starts.

9. She was bad after the accident, but I think she

next week.
10. Its not possible yet, but I think computers
us in a few years.

go back to work
do the housework for

11. I
wont have time.

go for a run this evening. My parents are coming to visit and I

12. I

do your job. Its so complicated and stressful.

Obligation
Have to and must are both used to express obligation. There is a slight difference
between the way they are used.
Have to shows us that the obligation comes from somebody else. Its a law or a rule
and the speaker cant change it.

Do you have to wear a uniform at your school?

John cant come because he has to work tomorrow.

In Britain you have to buy a TV licence every year.

Must shows us that the obligation comes from the speaker. It isnt a law or a rule.

I must call my dad tonight.

You must hand in your homework on Tuesday or your mark will be zero.

You must come and visit us the next time you come to London.
No obligation
We use dont have to to show that there is no obligation. You can do something if you
want to but its not compulsory.

You dont have to wear a tie in our office. You can wear a tie if you want to but
its OK if you dont.

Itll be nice if you do but you dont have to come with me if you dont want to.

You dont have to dress up for the party. Wear whatever you feel comfortable
in.

EXERCISE 1. Fill in the blanks with MUST / MUST NOT / HAVE TO / DONT
HAVE TO
1. Ronaldo can go to Brazil next week because he ________________ attend the training.
2. You ______________ buy that CD. We have got so many Cds at home.
3. Look at my car. Its really dirty. I ____________ wash it as soon as possible.

4. I have just ordered some pizza. You ____________ cook anything tonight.
5. Since Alex de Souza was injured in the middle of the match, he ___________ leave the
pitch.

6. You ___________ remember what I said to you. Its very important.

7. You ___________ put the chains on the wheels. Its going to be snowy.

8. Tayfun ___________ buy a new CD player. He can use mine.

9. In Turkey all men _____________ do military service.
10. You __________ prepare an impressive CV before applying a job.

EXERCISE 2. Fill in the blanks with MUST / MUST NOT / CAN / CANT / HAVE
TO / DONT HAVE TO
1. My mother has told me to buy some batteries. I ___________ forget to buy some.
2. The old lady is sleeping. You _____________ turn down the volume.

3. You ____________ walk on the grass. Its forbidden.

4. Im sorry I couldnt come yesterday. I _____________ visit a very important client.

5. Weve got a lot of time. You ____________ hurry.

Asking for, information phrases

1. Can you tell me?
Could you tell me?
This is the most common way to ask for information. You can use either can or
could. Can is probably a little more informal.
Could you tell me how to get to the train station?
2. Can anyone tell me? / Could anyone tell me?
Use these phrases when you are addressing a group of people, not an individual.
Can anyone tell me what time the bank opens?
3. Do you know?
Use this phrase if youre not sure whether or not the person youre speaking to
knows the answer.
Do you know how long the movie is?
4. Do you have any idea?
Do you happen to know?
These phrases, like #3, are used if its possible the person doesnt know the
answer.
Do you have any idea why todays class was cancelled?
5. I wonder if you could tell me
This phrase is the most indirect.

I wonder if you could tell me who I need to contact to talk about job
openings.
Practice: In pairs write a dialogue using some of the phrases above mentioned to
ask for information.
Transport - vocabulary
Match the name with the right picture.
aeroplane
bicycle
boat
carriage
cruiser
double-decker
motor boat
motorbike
roller-skates
spaceship
steamer
submarine

bus
helicopter
scooter
train

cable car
hot-air balloon
skis
tram

______________ ________________ ______________ _____________

__________

_____________

____________ _______________

car
lorry
sleigh
Underground

____________

__________________

_____________ ____________ ______________ _________________ ___________________

__________________

___________________

__________________

_______________

The Simple Past of the Verb "to be"

The simple past tense of the verb to be:
This page will present the simple past tense of the verb to be:

its form
and its use.

The affirmative form:

I, he, she, it was.
you, we,
they

were.

Examples:

I was in London in 1999.

Pam was in London in 1999, too.
We were together.
She was my girlfriend.

The interrogative form:

Was

I, he, she, it?

Were

you, we,
they?

Examples:

Were you in London last year?

Was Pam with you?

Were you together?

The negative form:

I, you, he, was not.
she
wasn't.
were not.

You, we,
they

weren't.

Examples:

I wasn't in Paris in 1999.

Pam wasn't in Paris in 1999.
We weren't in Paris.

Rememeber:
1. wasn't is the short form of was not. You can say either:

I was not in Paris, or

I wasn't in Paris.

2. weren't is the short form of were not. You can say either:

we were not in Paris, or

we weren't in Paris.

Put the verb "to be" into the simple past:

1. I

in Canada last summer holiday.

2. My sister

with me.

3. We

in Montreal.

4. She

very happy.

5. I

happy, too

WAS OR WERE

were

I ___ at the cinema yesterday.

You ___ at school last week.

was

were

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We ___ in Italy last summer.

was

were

He ___ on holiday in summer.

was

were

You ___ in the USA in January.

was
She ___ ill last week.

was

was

were

were

PLACES, SIMPLE PRESENT, SIMPLE PAST

1. Write the names: (shop, park, swimming-pool, cinema, museum, restaurant, library, hospital)

2. Complete the sentences using the simple present (am - is - are):

11

They

at the

You

at the

We

at the

at the

She

at the

He

at the

They

We

at the

at the

3. Complete the sentences using the simple past (was - were):

They

at the

She

at the

12

at the

They

at the

You

at the

We

He

at the

at the

WASNT WERENT
I / he / she / it wasn't......
you / we / they weren't......
1. Peter

(not be) very happy. He had too much homework to do.

2. The children didn't like their rooms because they

3. Nobody ate their lunch because it
4. We
5. I

(not be) what they wanted.

(not be) allowed to talk in class yesterday.

(not be) very happy because I had so much to do.

6. We had to buy some bread because there

7. There

(not be) big enough.

(not be) any left.

(not be) a good film on at the cinema yesterday, so we went home.

8. I tried to ring you up last night, but you

(not be) at home.

Was/Were Questions
Type Was or Were in the boxes below.
1.

you there last night?

13

We

at the

2.

the movie good?

3.

you at school yesterday?

4.

the doors closed?

5.

it very windy?

6.

the weather cold?

7.

she angry with you?

8.

Bill and Fred at the restaurant?

9.

you thirsty after the walk?

10.

the umbrella in the car?

The Simple Past

The simple past tense
This page will present the simple past tense:

its form
and its use.

Before you continue the lesson read the following passage and try to see how
the verbs are formed and used.
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was an Austrian musician and
composer. He lived from 1756 to 1791. He started
composing at the age of five years old and wrote more
than 600 pieces of music. He was only 35 years old when
he died.
The verbs "was, lived,started, wrote, died" are in the simple past tense.
Notice that:

lived, started,died are regular past forms.

was, wrote are irregular past forms.

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Regular verbs:
The verbs "lived, started, died" are regular past forms. The rule is the
following:
Verb + ed

Examples:
The infinitive

The simple past

live

Lived

start

Started

die

Died

visit

Visited

play

Played

watch

Watched

phone

Phoned

marry

Married

For the spelling of the -ed forms click here.

Irregular verbs:
The verbs "was, wrote" are irregular past forms. "Was" is the simple past of
"to be"; "wrote" is the simple past of "write".
More on the simple past of "to be" here.
There is no rule for these verbs. You should learn them by heart.
The
infinitive

The simple
past

be

was/were

write

Wrote

15

come

Came

do

Did

meet

Met

speak

Spoke

As you can see we can not predict the simple past forms of these verbs. They
are irregular. You should learn them by heart. Here is a list of irregular verbs.

The forms of the simple past:

The Affirmative form of the simple past:
I, you, he, she, it, we,
they

played.
wrote
did.

Examples:

I played tennis with my friends yesterday.

I finished lunch and I did my homework.

The interrogative form of the simple past:

Did I, you, he, she, it, we,
they

Play?
write
do?

Examples:

Did you play basketball yesterday?

Did you watch television?
Did you do the homework?

The negative form of the simple past:

I, you, he, she, it, we,
they

did
not/didn't

play
write
do

I didn't like the food in the wedding last Saturday.

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I didn't eat it.

Remember:
didn't is the short form of did not. You can say either:

I did not play basketball, or

I didn't play basketball.

WHO IS J.K. ROWLING

Reading /Complete the story using the Past Simple.

J.K. Rowling is the author of the Harry Potter books.

J. K.'s name is Joanne Kathleen.
She________ ( be) born in 1965 in a small town near Bristol, England.
Joanne____________ (live) with her parents and her sister.
The Rowling family was not rich. Joanne___________ (not go ) to special
schools.
She was a quiet child. She_____________ (love) to read and write stories.
Joanne___________ (go) to Exeter University, and she_______________ (finish)
in 1987.
She___________ (work) in different offices. In her free time, she_________
(write) stories.

In 1990, Joanne's mother_______(die). Joanne______(is) sad, and

she_________(want) to leave England.
She________(see) a job in the newspaper for an English teacher. The job was in
Portugal.
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She _______ (have) an interview, and she______ (get) the job. In Portugal,
Joanne______(marry) a Portuguese man.
The next year, Joanne had a daughter, but she _________(be) happy in her
marriage.
She _________ (leave) Portugal with her daughter and ______(go) to live to
Edinburgh, Scotland, near her sister.

Life was difficult for Joanne. She___________ (take) care of her

daughter.
She_________ (be) alone and nobody________ (help) her. She______ (have) no
money and no job.
She
(live) in a small apartment and ___________ (begin) to write
stories again.
Joanne first_____________ (think) about the Harry Potter story many years
ago
on a train. Joanne liked to go a coffee shop to write. She_______ (sit) there
for many hours.
She___________ (drink) coffee and____________ (write). Her
daughter____________ (sleep) beside her.

After five years, Joanne____________(finish) writing the first

Harry Potter book.
She__________ (send) it to many publishers.
They all_______(say) that they didn't like it.
Finally, a publisher _________(like) it, but the publisher said," This is a
children's book.
Adults won't read. You won't make a lot of money."
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer'Stone was in the bookstores.
J.K.Rowling _____ (be) very happy. Her dream to publish her book________
(come) true.
The book was famous all over the world.

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Now Harry Potter book is in forty-two languages.

The publisher was wrong about one thing: Everyone loves Harry Potterchildren and adults.
Over 100 million books were sold in 1999.Then two Harry Potter
books__________ (become) movies.
J.K.Rowling ________ (write) three more Harry Potter books after that.
People all over the world want more Harry Potter. And what is J.K.Rowling
doing now?
She is writing another book!
Words and Meanings/ Choose the correct word.

1. Good things happened to Joanne.All her____________

came true.

2. J.K.Rowling is an_______________. She writes books.

3. Joanne was not a noisy child. She was_______________.

4. Joanne lived_____________.She didn't live with another

person.

5. Joanne had a meeting about a new job. She had

all over the an_______________.
world
6. People of all ages like Harry Potter: children
and________________.
7. Harry Potter is famous in every country.
It is famous ______________________________________

quiet
author
adults
alone
interview
dreams

Comprehension/ True or False?:.

1. Joanne was an English teacher in Portugal ______

2. Joanne married an English man in Portugal _______
3. Joanne left her daughter in Portugal _________
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4. Joanne finished writing the first Harry Potter book after five years _____
5. Every publisher liked the book _________
6. Harry Potter is in twenty-four languages _________

The past continuous / progressive

The past continuous:
The past continuous, also called past progressive, is used to refer to an
action that was continuous (i.e. an action that was going on) at a particular
time in the past.
This page will present the form and the use of the past continuous
(progressive.)
(More on the present continuous / progressive)
Before you continue the lesson, read the following passage and try to see how
the verbs in bold are formed and used.
Yesterday, Liza and Jim played tennis. They began at 10:00 and
finished at 11:30.
So at 11:00, they were playing tennis.
They were playing="they were in the middle of playing." They had not
finished yet.
Was/were playing is the past continuous.

The form of the past continuous:

The past continuous is formed as follows:
to be in the simple
past

+
+ ing
verb

20

The affirmative form:

I, he, she, it Was playing.
you, we,
they

were

Examples:

Yesterday evening I was watching a film, when someone knocked on

the door.
This morning I was revising my lessons when my father came in.
Jim and Liza were playing tennis yesterday at 11:00.

The interrogative form:

Was

I, he, she, it Playing?

were you, we,

they
Examples:

What were you doing yesterday evening?

And what was your mother doing?
Where were you going, this morning at 7:30?
What were Jim and Liza doing?

The negative form:

I, he, she, it was not / wasn't playing.
you, we,
they

were not /
weren't

Examples:

I wasn't reading a book yesterday evening; I was watching a film.

My mother wasn't preparing dinner; she was working on the computer.
We weren't playing cards.

The use of the past continuous:

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We use the past continuous to say that somebody was in the middle of
doing something at a certain time in the past.
Example:
"This time yesterday, I was doing my homework."
We use the past continuous to say that something happened in the
middle of something else:
Example:
"Bob burnt his hand when he was cooking dinner yesterday"
"While I was working in the garden, I hurt my back."

Remember:

"Wasn't playing" and "weren't playing" are the short forms of "was not
playing" and "were not playing"

Put the verbs into the correct form (past progressive).

1. When I phoned my friends, they (play)
2. Yesterday at six I (prepare)
3. The kids (play)

monopoly.
dinner.

in the garden when it suddenly began to rain.

4. I (practice)

the guitar when he came home.

5. We (not / cycle)

all day.

6. While Alan (work)

in his room, his friends (swim)

in the pool.
7. I tried to tell them the truth but they (not / listen )
8. What (you / do)

yesterday?

9. Most of the time we (sit)

10.I (listen)

in the park.

to the radio while my sister (watch)

11.When I arrived, They (play)

12.We (study)

cards.

English yesterday at 4:00 pm .

22

TV.

PAST CONTINUOUS-DESCRIBING PAST EVENTS

Put the verbs in the Past Continuous tense.

Last night was hard. There was a blackout as well as a robbery. People in Smithville were
upset. But what were they doing when the lights went out? A man
dishes while his wife

( give) her baby a bath. A blonde woman

(wash) her clothes. Another woman

children

(wash) the

(watch) TV with her husband and their

(do) their homework. A young man didn't realise the lights went out

because he
(listen) to music on his mp3 player. But why did the lights go out?
The director of the power company claims that there was a blackout because it
(rain) heavily but it is said that they

(have) a party and they

(not watch) the controls. One of the reporters, Bob,

the dishes and Dorris, his wife,

(wash)

(have) a bath. Jackie, Bob's colleague,

(work) in the building.

Now let's talk about the robbery. Burglars broke into all the apartments in the building when
all the tenants were out. But what

(they/do)? One of the tenants

(wash) his clothes and a woman

(have) a picnic at the beach and a man

(visit) a friend. Another woman

(play) tennis in the park.

Two men
(attend) a football game and a blonde woman
her grandchildren. What a night!

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(visit)