McGraw-Hill | AR Arerecs teoing fetecoionlPobtahert BETTER ENGLISHLANGUAGEESL Improve Your Writing Skills at Your Own Pace Writing in any language can be a tricky skill to acquire; writing in a second language can be even more difficult. As an ESL student, you need to have a solid understanding of grammar basics, vocabulary, and tense usage. Now, Writing Better English helps you improve your writing skills with a series of easy-to-follow exercises and practical writing activities that allow you to apply what you've learned and keep track of your progress. You'll begin by assessing your readiness to write, working with basic grammatical structures such as verb tenses, conjunctions, and pronouns. Then you'll move on to sentence writing, where you'll complete sentences with original phrases. You'll prac- tice the various concepts with review exercises, repeating any section until you're com- fortable. As you develop and enhance your skills, you'll learn how to: www.ZabanBook.com Write natural-sounding sentences Compose personal and business letters Cot elated Increase your proficiency in vocabulary usage You can use the answer key not only to check your work but also to find suggestions for writing appropriate sentences for any of the exercises. So whether you're looking to supplement your classroom work or studying on your own, Writing Better English has all the tools you need to develop practical writing skills and communicate with confidence. ED SWICK has taught German, Russian, and ESL for thirty years. During this time, he has written numerous literary and textbook materials on these subjects. 2QN-33: 978-0-07-342b43-5 $9.95 USA ‘Visit us at: www.books.megraw-hill.com $14.95 CAN 780071 42643 £6.99 UKWRITING ISISUU Leln ENGLISH! AN ESL WORKBOOK Ed Swick McGraw-Hill ‘New York Chicago San Francisco Lisbon London Madrid Mexico City Milan New Delhi San juan Seoul Singapore Sydney TorontoContents Introduction v Preparing to Write 1 Verb Tenses 2 ‘Auxiliaries 12 The Passive Voice 21 The Subjunctive Mode 24 Conjunctions 30 Pronouns 36 Possessives and Plurals 50 The Comparative and Superlative 55 Beginning to Write 61 Sentence Completion 61 Writing Original Sentences 71 ‘Understanding the Format 71 ‘Writing According to the Format 72 Story Completion 91 Understanding the Format 91 ‘Completing Stories with Original Phrases 91 Writing Letters 127 The Friendly Letter 127 The Business Letter 133 Writing Original Themes 143 Appendix: Irregular Verbs in the Past Tense and Past Participle 149 Answer Key 153Introduction Writing in any language is a difficult skill to acquire. Therefore, as an ESL stu- dent you should approach writing in English carefully. In order to write well, you want to first have an understanding of grammatical structures, vocabulary, and tense usage. You practice those concepts until you can use them with rela tive ease, Then you are ready to practice writing original material. This book does two things: 1, It gives you an abundant review of basic structures. 2. It provides various forms of writing practice within a controlled program that focuses on improving the skills needed to write accurately. In Chapter 1 you will have the opportunity to learn or review grammar basics. By checking the Answer Key at the end of this book, you can find the correct or example answers to the exercises. If you have an English-speaking friend, you might ask him or her to check your work. If you wish, you can follow your progress by using a very simple method. After each exercise, count every word that you have written—even little words like the, a, and, or but. Then count every error you have made in spelling, tense, word order, missing words, or any other potential mistake. Divide the number of words you have written (W) by the number of errors (E) you have made. The result is a number (N) that you can compare after every exercise you write: W+E=N If you wrote sixty words and made twelve errors, you would come up with: 60+12=5 If the number is getting larger, you are making progress.vi Introduction After completing the review exercises, you will be ready to begin Chapter 2. In this chapter you will complete sentences with your original phrases, and you will use your own ideas as you write. You will see a sentence similar to this: John borrowed _____ to get to work. You might write something like this: John borrowed __his father’s new car _ to get to work. For each exercise in Chapter 3 you will compose ten short, original sen- tences while using a phrase as the specific element in each sentence. For example: ‘Sample phrase: The new car Used as the subject: The new car is in the garage. Used as the direct object: Mary loved the new car. Used after the preposition to: A man came up to the new car. You may, of course, use dictionaries and grammar books as aids in order to write as correctly as possible. You could give yourself a time limit (fifteen min- utes or thirty minutes) for writing the exercise, but use the same number of minutes each time you write. In Chapter 4 you will fill in the missing phrases or sentences in a story. They can be any phrases or sentences that you wish, but they must conform to the plot of the story. For example: The Diamond Ring ‘The robber crept into the hallway of the dark house and turned on the light. On the desk he saw a beautiful silver box holding a diamond ring, Which he put in his pocket. Then he opened the window, jumped to the ground, and fled down the street. Chapter 5 deals with letter writing. Each letter can be written within the same framework of time (fifteen minutes, thirty minutes, or longer). There is a difference between “friendly” letters and “business” letters. This part of the writing program will help you to write both types of letters.Introduction In Chapter 6 you will write original stories. The stories are to be based on the assigned topic. and they should include the grammar structures indicated. For example: Sample title: Lost in the Desert Include these structures: the relative pronoun which the past perfect tense the conjunction if You would then write a story about someone lost and roaming the desert. You would probably write of heat and thirst and of the difficulties of finding a way to safety. And somewhere in your story you would have three sentences similar to these (which include the required sample structures): She believed she saw a lake, which, unfortunately, was only a mirage. She had often wanted to climb a sand dune. If she found water, she knew she would survive. If you feel you have not done well enough in any chapter of this book, do not go on to the next chapter. Instead, repeat the chapter that needs improve- ment. Set a standard of quality for yourself and conform to it. Use the Answer Key not only to check your work but also to find suggestions for how to write appropriate sentences for any of the exercises. vii(4) Preparing to Write In order to write well in English, you should understand the basics of the lan- guage. Probably the most difficult area for students learning English is verbs. Although English verbs are used in complicated ways, they do not have com- plicated conjugations with a different ending for each pronoun like other lan- guages might. GERMAN SPANISH ich fahre yo hablo du fahrst tu hablas er fahrt el habla wir fahren nosotros hablamos ir fart vosotros habldis sie fahren ellos hablan RUSSIAN ‘a mrpaio Tu urpaews (oH urpaer mut urpaem Bu urpaere ‘on wrpaor With most English verbs there is only one ending (-s or es) in the third per- son singular of the present tense. The only exception to that rule is the verb to be: TO SPEAK TO BE Ispeak lam you speak you are he speaks heis we speak we are you speak you are they speak they are TSa Sos BY But English has other complexities. For example, there are three ways to express the present tense: ‘The simple conjugation of the verb means that the action of the verb is a habit or is repeated. For example: “We speak.”‘Writine BETTER ENGLISH + When the verb is conjugated with a form of to be (am, is, are, was, were), the verb will have an -ing ending. It means that the action is continuing or not yet completed. For example: “We are speaking,” + The third present tense form uses a conjugation of to do (do, does) with the verb and has three uses: (1) It is used to ask a question with most verbs except fo be or certain auxiliaries (can, must, should, and so on). (2) It is used as an emphatic response. (3) It is used to negate the verb with not, Let's look at some examples with the verb to speak: | speak English. (This is my habit. ! speak English all the time.) am speaking English. (I usually speak Spanish. At the moment | am speaking English.) Do you speak English? (A question with the verb to speak.) | do speak English. (This is your emphatic response to someone who has just said, "You don't speak English.”) | do not speak English. (Negation of the verb to speak with not) Conjugating English verbs is not difficult. But choosing the correct tense form from the three just described requires practice. The exercises that follow will help you to use English verb forms and tenses with accuracy. Verb Tenses Study the following examples, which show how verbs change in the various tenses. Some tenses require a form of to be and a present participle. Present par- ticiples have an -ing ending: is going, were singing. Other tenses require a past participle. Regular verbs form the past tense and past participle in the same way—just add -ed: worked, have worked. Use the appendix of irregular verbs in the past tense and past participle to see how they are formed. ‘The perfect tenses of both regular and irregular verbs are a combination of a form of to have plus a past participle: I have worked. She has seen. You had bro- ken. Tom will have discovered. In the exercises that follow you will be making similar tense changes. TO SPEAK—a habit or repeated action Present She speaks well. Past She spoke well.Preparing to Write Present Perfect shehas spoken well. www. ZabanBook com Past Perfect ‘She had spoken well. Ss, 5 Future She will speak well. Qo) Future Perfect She will have spoken well. « ¢ TO BE SPEAKING—a continuous action Present ‘Who is speaking? Past ‘Who was speaking? Present Perfect Who has been speaking? Past Perfect Who had been speaking? Future Who will be speaking? Future Perfect Who will have been speaking? DO YOU SPEAK?—a question with a form of to do Present Do you speak Spanish? Past Did you speak Spanish? Present Perfect Have you spoken Spanish? Past Perfect Had you spoken Spanish? Future Will you speak Spanish? Future Perfect Will you have spoken Spanish? (Because the perfect and future tenses in the preceding example have an auxil- iary verb [have, had, will] in the question, a form of to do is not necessary.) SHE DOESN'T SPEAK—negation of the verb with a form of todo Present She doesn't speak French. Past She didn’t speak French. Present Perfect She hasn't spoken French. Past Perfect She hadn't spoken French. Future She won't speak French. Future Perfect She won't have spoken French. (Because the perfect and future tenses in the preceding example have an auxil- iary verb [hasn't, hadn't, won't] in the sentence, a form of to do is not necessary.) 3WRITING BeTTER ENGLISH 1.1. Rewrite the following sentences in the tenses given. Use the exam- ples given previously to help you maintain accuracy. L Present Her brother looksforue Past Past Perfect Future Present Past _Wereyou-looking for your wallet? Present Perfect Past Perfect Future Present Past Present Perfect Past Perfect Future Will she help Tom? Present Past Present Perfect it filled out the Past Perfect Future Present Dothey play soccer? OE cen Present Perfect Past Perfect Future Present Past Present Perfect Past Perfect Future _Hevoill be making agood salary |Preparing to Write 7. Present Past Present Perfect Future Perfect 8. Present Past _she carried the child to her bed. — Present Perfect Past Perfect Future 9, Present _My sister often dates Michael. Past Present Perfect Past Perfect Future 10. Present Past Present Perfect _They have hired. hun, Past Perfect Future Exercise 1.2 Rewrite the following sentences in the tenses given. Use the exam- ples to help you maintain accuracy. 1. Present _Her brother is very rich. Past Past Perfect Future 2. Present Past _Were the children-good? 7 Wrote perce Past Perfect FutureWriting BerTer ENGLISH 3. Present Past Present Perfect Past Perfect Future Wil shebei? 4, Present Past Present Perfect Ihave at all, Past Perfect Future 5. Present _Doyou-go there often? Past Present Perfect Past Perfect Future 6. Present Past Present Perfect Past Perfect Future What willyoudoe 7. Present Past Present Perfect Past Perfect Thegirlshadhadabadday, 9 9 a Future Perfect 8. Present Past _Adaria had ten dollars. Present Perfect Past Perfect Future 9, Present _My bre ing all, Past Present PerfectPreparing to Write Past Perfect Future 10. Present Past Present Perfect _They haven't gone to the movies. Past Perfect Future Exercise 1.3 Rewrite the following sentences in the tenses given. Use the exam- ples to help you maintain accuracy. Notice that you will be dealing with a wider variety of verbs here. 1. Present _Mark likes the new girt. Past Past Perfect Future 2. Present _Her boss is trying to understand, Past Present Perfect Past Perfect Future 3. Present Past The letter carriers went into the office, Present Perfect Past Perfect Future Future Perfect 4, Present Past _Were vou talking to Richard? Present Perfect Past Perfect Future Present Past Present Perfect _Hés son has broken a window:‘Writine Berrer ENGLISH 10. . Present Past Perfect Future Present Past Present Perfect _The secretary has beew writing letters, Past Perfect Future Present Past __ Present Perfect Past Perfect Future _Wowt you sing, too? Present Past Present Perfect Past Perfect Future wow't be going s Past Present Perfect Past Perfect Future Future Perfect _Carlos will have gotten, up before dawt, Present Past Present Perfect Past Perfect Future Future Perfect —Byseven-thirty hewilhave lefeforhome,Preparing to Write Exercise 1.4 Rewrite the following sentences in the tenses given, but change the subject of each sentence to a different pronoun (I, you, he, she, it, we, they, or who). Present He sees you. Past | saw you. Present Perfect She has seen you. Past Perfect They had seen you. Future We will see you. L. Present _Areyow ontime? Past Present Perfect Past Perfect Future 2, Present Past _Di Past Perfect Future 3. Present Past OO Present Perfect have been driving very slowly Past Perfect Future 4. Present Past Present Perfect eee Past Perfect _We had found him just imtime, Raters es Future Perfect . Present Past Present Perfect ___ Past Perfect e10 Writine Betrer ENGLISH Future ALVANGE t| her. Future Perfect 6. Present Past Present Perfect Past Perfect Future Future Perfect _He will have brought it home by noon. 7. Present _Yoweat too much, Past Present Perfect Past Perfect Future Bi Pregernt a Past put the tools back before lunch, in Present Perfect Past Perfect Future Future Perfect 9. Present _she cuts out the dress before bedtinve, Past Present Perfect Past Perfect Future Future Perfect 10. Present Past Past Perfect Future Future Perfect He will have stolen the money by midnight, You have been forming the future tense by using wili with a verb (I will go, she will sing, they will be taking). The auxiliary shall is often used in the first person singular and plural (I and we). But in casual English will is used nearly all the time,wwx. ZabanBook.com Sqme) J Preparing to Write FORMAL CASUAL | shall visit my uncle. | will visit my uncle. We shall borrow some money. We will borrow some money. The future tense meaning is also expressed with the phrase to be going to (I am going to, you are going to, he is going to). It means the same thing as will and can replace it. WiLL TO BE GOING TO They will buy a new car. They are going to buy a new car. Will you help me? Are you going to help me? ‘The phrase to be going to can be conjugated in the past tense. Then it means that this was something that someone planned to do in the future. They were going to buy a new car. Were you going to help me? Exercise 1.5 Rewrite the following future tense sentences by changing will to 10 be going to. 1. Will they bring some dessert along? I'll be home at midnight. 3. The janitor will sweep the offices after closing time. 4, He won't return the money e borrowed. 5. This movie will be very exciting. "www. ZabanBook.com Warrine Berrer ENGLISH Sq—(0) CBY ¢ ¢ 6. The party will be held at Maria's house. 7. Will Martin apply for a new job? 8. She will probably spend the night at Mary’s apartment. 9. Will you order a hamburger or a hot dog? 10. The boys will clean the kitchen for you. Auxiliaries It's very common to use fo have or to be as auxiliaries or helping verbs. For example: + Have you seen that film? (a form of to have plus a past participle) + Thaven't had a chance to go to the store today. (a form of to have plus a past participle) + Are you learning a lot of new words? (a form of to be plus a present participle) + She isn’t studying for her exams. (a form of to be plus a present participle) But there are other auxiliary verbs that are used with infinitives (to go, to run, to help, to find, and so on). Note that many of these special verbs cannot be used in all tenses. And in some cases, you have to change to a different verb to form a specific tense. The examples that follow will be conjugated with the third person pronoun he.San Cd IQ) TO BE ABLE TO Present is able to Past was able to Present Perfect has been able to Past Perfect had been able to Future will be able to Future Perfect _ will have been able to CAN Present can Past could or was able to Present Perfect has been able to Past Perfect had been able to Future will be able to Future Perfect _will have been able to MAY Present may Past might Present Perfect = — Past Perfect - Future - Future Perfect = — OUGHT TO Present ‘ought to Past - Present Perfect = — Past Perfect = Future - Future Perfect = — TO WANT Present wants Past wanted Present Perfect has wanted Past Perfect had wanted Future will want Future Perfect —_will have wanted Preparing to Write 13 TO BE SUPPOSED TO is supposed to was supposed to has been supposed to had been supposed to will be supposed to will have been supposed to TO HAVE TO has to had to has had to had had to will have to will have had to MusT must had to has had to had had to will have to will have had to SHOULD should TO NEED TO needs to needed to has needed to had needed to will need to will have needed to