Booklet 1

Introductory Course 2014 – Booklet 1
UNIVERSIDAD NACIONAL DEL COMAHUE - FACULTAD DE LENGUAS
Profesorado y Traductorado en Inglés
CUADERNILLO DE CÁTEDRA 1
Introducción a la Lengua
Inglesa
Equipo de Cátedra
Lengua Inglesa
Prof. Ma. de los Ángeles Guglielmone Prof. Gonzalo Eduardo Espinosa

Prof. Mg. Ma. del Mar Valcarce Prof. Verónica Rojas
Prof. Ma. Adela García Álvarez Prof. Carla Valls
Prof. José Andrés Sobrino Prof. Lic. Mariela Mondaca
Prof. Ma. Jesús Luna Prof. Nadia Fernández
Gramática Inglesa
Prof. Mg. Ma. Fernanda Casares
Prof. Ma. Teresa Araya
Prof. Ma. del Rosario Tartaglia
Prof. Ma. Candela Contreras
2014
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
SECTION A: READING COMPREHENSION………………………………………………………… 2
One small step for man …………………………………………………..……3
A Ghost Story: The Helper from beyond the Grave………………….….…5
You can’t avoid your fate …………………………………………………..……6
The Regent Hotel Robbery …………………………………………………..……8
SECTION B: USE OF ENGLISH……………………………………………………………….…………10
Common errors exercises ……………………………………………………………29
Verb patterns ………………………………………………………………………………31
Possessives …………………………………………………………………………………34
SECTION C: VOCABULARY………………………………………………………………………………36
SECTION D: GUIDED WRITING…………………………………………………………….….………55
Error Correction Code……………………………………………………………….…56
Writing biographies ………………………………………………………………….…58
Narrating ………………………………………………………………………………….…61
The simple past …………………………………………………………………………..64
Conjunctions and connecting words ………………………………………..…65
Writing tasks …………………………………………………………………………….…67
Prompts for writing ………………………………………………………………..……69
Sample compositions……………………………………………………………………70
SECTION E: SPEAKING PRACTICE ……………………………………………………………………73
SECTION F: SONGS, VIDEOCLIPS & STORIES .………………………………………………….82
SECTION G: TESTS from Life (Elementary) ………………………………………………..……98
SECTION H: English Grammar Module …………………………………………………………117
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Reading 1
A. Answer these questions.
1. What do you know about Neil Armstrong?

2. Would you like to be an astronaut? Why/ Why not?
B. Read the text and answer these questions. Choose a, b or c.
1. What kind of text is this? 2. Which is the best title for this text?
a. A biography a. The world’s best pilot
b. A short story b. A war hero
c. An advertisement for NASA c. The first man on the moon
One small step for man …

Neil Armstrong was born in Ohio, USA, in 1930. He became a pilot at the age of sixteen,
before he could even drive a car! He was calm and sensible, especially in difficult situations.
Neil Armstrong fought in the Korean war and took part in many dangerous air battles.
In 1962 Armstrong joined NASA and started training as an astronaut. His first space mission
was Gemini 8 in 1966. Three years later he became commander of the Apollo 11 mission
which landed on the Moon. The other two astronauts on the mission were Edwin “Buzz” Aldrin
and Michael Collins.
NASA launched Apollo 11 on July 16, 1969. Four

days later, a small spaceship called Eagle
landed on the Moon and Neil Armstrong stepped
out of it. Millions of people on Earth watched him
on TV as he took his first steps on the Moon and
said his famous words: “That’s one small step for
man and one giant leap for mankind.”
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Source: Reading communication Plus extra. Beginners. Moutsou & Parker (2002). MMpublications.
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Reading 2: A Ghost Story: The Helper from beyond the Grave

8.1 Do you believe in ghosts? Why? Why not?
………………………………………..………………………………………………………………………………………
Now read the following story:
th
It was late in the evening of December 16 1878. Doctor Charles Blunden, a well-known Liverpool doctor, was still in
his surgery. At about 9 p.m. somebody 1.………………………. at the door. On the doorstep, there was a boy of about twelve
wearing dirty trousers and no shoes. There was a dark blue scarf around his neck. “Doctor!” he 2. ……………………..”Please come
with me! My mother’s ill! I think she’s dying.”
The doctor 3. ………………………the boy to a street near the surgery. The boy 4. ……………… to a woman on the ground.
She was unconscious. The doctor 5. ………………….. at the woman and then 6. …………………... a passing horse and a cab. The
doctor and the boy 7. ……………….. the woman into the cab. At the hospital, the doctor treated the woman for pneumonia and
luckily she 8. …………… completely.
Some weeks later, the woman 9. ……………….. Doctor Blunden for saving her life. He 10. ………….. and said that the real
person to thank was the woman’s son. “My son?” she said. “No, not my son!” and she 11. ………………... to cry. “My son 12.
……………….. from fever two years ago.”
Doctor Blunden was amazed. The woman continued “This is all I have to remember him by.” She 13. ………………a dark
blue scarf around her neck. “It was his. I always wear it in winter.” Doctor Blunden 14. ………………. it immediately. It was the
barefoot boy’s scarf.
Source: Johnston, O. (2002). In Focus 3. Longman.
8.2 Complete the story with these past tenses.

*died *pulled *started *thanked *recovered *cried *smiled *pointed *knocked *recognized *lifted *looked *stopped *followed
8.3 Put the verbs in brackets into the past simple to complete the sentences. Then, put sentences b-g in the correct
order.
a) _1_One evening, a boy wearing a blue scarf knocked at the door of Dr Blunden’s surgery.
b) ___The woman (thank) …………………………the doctor.
c) ___The boy and the doctor (walk) …………………….to a nearby street.
d) ___The boy (point) ………………………to his mother who was unconscious.
e) ___The doctor (explain) …………………that the person to thank was the woman’s son.
f) ___The boy (ask) ………………………..the doctor to help his mother.
g) ___The doctor (treat) …………………….the woman in hospital and (save) ……………her life.
h) _8_The woman said that her son had died two years ago and showed the doctor the boy’s scarf.
4. Vocabulary Work: Highlight the following words in the story and then translate them according to the
meaning they have in the text.
a. well-known (adj.) ………………………… f. unconscious (adj.) ………………………..

b. surgery (noun) …………………………… g. cab (n.) ………………………..
c. doorstep (n.) ……………………….. h. luckily (adverb) ………………………..
d. scarf (n.) ………………………….. i. amazed (adj.) ………………………..
e. ground (n.) ……………………………. j. barefoot (adj.) ………………………..
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Source: Reading communication Plus extra. Elementary. Moutsou & Parker (2002). MMpublications.
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Source: Reading communication Plus extra. Elementary. Moutsou & Parker (2002). MMpublications.
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Source: Trouble with verbs? Bolton & Goodey (1999). Practice Exercises. Delta Publishing
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a. Fill in the gaps with the verbs in the suitable tenses or forms: 
Dear Mary,
Well, here we are in Rio de Janeiro at last! We (1) ……………… (stay) at a wonderful hotel. I
(2) ……………… (think) it´s the most expensive hotel in the city. The rooms are big and the food
is great. We (3) ……………… (eat) all kinds of tropical fruits for breakfast. Then we (4) ………………
(go) to the beach, where we are right now: the children (5) ……………… (surf) and Mike (6)
……………… (play) volleyball.
We (7) ……………… (leave) Birmingham a week ago. The flight (8) …………. (be) O.K. but we (9)
……………… (not - sleep) much; all the same we (10) ……………… (feel) very happy. On the way to the
hotel we (11) ……………… (hear) samba played on the radio and we also (12) ……………… (see) some
kids dancing in the street.
We (13) ……………… (fly) back to England in a week. My parents (14) ……………… (meet) us at the
airport. I really (15) ……………… (not - want) these holidays to end because they are the best
I´ve had in years.
Love,
Emma
b. Fill in the gaps with the verbs in the suitable tenses or forms: 
Néstor Kirchner (1) ……………… (be) elected president of Argentina in 2003. He (2)
……………… (be) from Santa Cruz but he (3) ……………… (study) law at the
University of La Plata, where he (4) ……………… (meet) his wife, Cristina. They (5)
………………. (get) married on March 9th, 1975 and they (6) …………… (have) two
children, Máximo and Florencia.
Kirchner (7) ……………… (become) governor of Santa Cruz in 1991 and ten years
later he looked forward to (8) ……………… (become) president of our country. Some (9)
……………… (feel) that his rapid success was due in part to the influence of the
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governor of Buenos Aires. But some others (10) ……………… (think) that he (11)
……………… (win) the election because the people just (12) ……………… (like) him.
Now Kirchner is more popular than during his campaign and he (13) ………………
(have) important plans for Argentina. As regards education, he (14) ……………… (try) to
reduce the number of dropouts and (15) ……………… (encourage) scientific and
technological research.
c. Complete with the correct preposition where necessary: 
Susan attends (1) ……… a day school (2) ……… Manchester. The headmistress
is very kind (3) ……… all the students but Susan’s teacher isn’t. One day the
teacher told (4) ……… the students that she was going to ask some questions (5)
……… a very difficult lesson. (6) ……… that moment Susan’s heart stopped. The
teacher wrote the students´ names (7) ……… the board and she called the name that
was (8) ……… the top of the board. It was Susan’s! She was afraid (9) ……… the
teacher but the teacher was good (10) ……… her and she only asked (11) ………
Susan three questions. All the students listened (12) ……… the answers attentively
and when she finished she sat (13) ……… . (14) ……… midday she went (15) ………
home tired but happy.
d. Complete with the correct preposition where necessary: 
(1) ……… New Year’s Eve a famous film director invited many actors and
actresses (2) ……… a big party (3) ……… Hollywood. There were people (4)
……… many countries but (5) ……… that moment they were all working (6)
……… America.
Julia Roberts was one (7) ……… the guests. She was born (8) ……… the east
coast of the United States but she is living (9) ……… California (10) ……… present.
Michael Jackson was there, too. He lives (11) ……… a farm (12) ……… Los Angeles.
(13) ……… midnight, a man (14) ……… a black suit called out “Happy New Year!”;
then the music started and they all began to dance with a broad smile (15) ………
their faces.
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e. Complete the following story with a suitable word: 
Dear Tony,
Thanks a lot (1) …………… your letter. I’m sorry (2) ……… hear you were ill (3)
…………… Sunday. We’re fine; Ann’s very busy and I’m working really (4) ……………
Ann’s mother is staying (5) …………… us for a week. You know, I (6) …………… like
her very much because she talks (7) …………… people behind their backs all (8)
…………… time and that makes me (9) ……………, but this time we’re getting on
better (10) ……………the last time she stayed here.
I (11) …………… you can come to visit us soon. I look (12) …………… to seeing
you again, so please let me (12) …………… when you are arriving. Once you are
here, we can (14) …………… to a lake that is not far (15) …………… my house.
Please, write soon.
Best wishes,
Peter
Adapted from: Swan M. and C. Walter (1992). The New Cambridge English Course 1. Cambridge: C.U.P.
f. Complete the following story with a suitable word: 
(1) …………… small Italian island of Stromboli is (2) …………… the coast of
Sicily; it is (3) …………… because it has (4) …………… active volcano. The sand of the
beaches is black (5) …………… the volcano erupts every ten minutes, (6) ……………
this is not dangerous.
(7) …………… the south of the island, there is a small village (8) ……………
Ginostra. People say (9) …………… this village is (10) …………… smallest port in (11)
…………… world.
Most visitors come to look at the volcano, (12) …………… has a big crater. They
reach (13) …………… after walking (14) …………… the side of the mountain (15)
…………… three or four hours.
Adapted from: Doff A. and C. Jones (1992). Language in Use. Pre-Intermediate. Self-Study Workbook A. Cambridge:
C.U.P.
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g. Use should / shouldn't / mustn't
1. We ______invite the Nortons to our party. They are nice people.

2. Very young children______stay at home on their own.
3. Before you go to the dentist's, you _______brush your teeth.
4. You_______ smoke in bed!
5. You_______ shut the windows because it is raining.
6. You________ forget her birthday again.
7. You______ go to the theatre when you are in Vienna. It's great.
8. They _____ tell her about John's accident. She could break down.
9. You ______cross the street when the traffic lights are red.
10. The doctor told Charlie that he ______drink too much alcohol.
11. My mum thinks I _______ spend so much money on clothes.
12. "Twilight" is a really great book. You ______read it soon.
13. The teacher said to me,"You ______ get up earlier because you are late again!"
14. You ______tell lies!
15. You ______ drive the car. You are only thirteen!
h. Read the sentences carefully and choose the correct modal verb:
CAN CAN'T MUST MUSTN'T
ability, request or lack of ability, certainty necessity, obligation, prohibition

possibility/permission that something is certainty that something
impossible, lack of is true. "You mustn't exceed the
"I can jump high!" (ability) permission.
speed limit"
"You must study if you
"Can I go to the toilet, "She can't speak want to pass the exams"
please?"(request) Japanese" (lack of ability) (necessity)
"You can eat in the "He can't be home so "You must follow the
canteen" early" (certainty that rules" (obligation)
(possibility/permission) something is impossible)
"It's ten o'clock, so James
"You can't go to the toilet must be home."
now" (lack of permission) (certainty that something
is true)
a) David is 14 years old. He______ have a driving licence.

b) You __________ respect other people's opinions.
c)________ you pass me the butter, please?
d) If you have a problem with one of your classmates, you _____ ask for help.
e) Jane is so intelligent! She _______ speak five languages.
f) Students _______wear a uniform at Eton College, which is a famous private school in England.
g) Kelly, you _______clean you room before going out with your friends!
h) You _______ smoke in hospitals. It's totally forbidden!
i)How ______ I get to Oxford Street from here, please?
j) What she told me ________ be true. I'm certain it is false.
l) Anne always arrives home at 9 o'clock. It's 9:30 now, so she _______ be home.
m) Alex always arrives home at 8 o'clock. It's 7:15 now, so he ________ be home.
n) These are the house rules: You _________ listen to loud music. You _______ stay out of your
bedroom after midnight. You ______ keep your bedroom clean.You _______ be home before
ten in the evening. These rules are strict!
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Common errors exercises

Activity 1: Spot the mistakes in the following sentences.
1. -I also would like to pratise my english.

2. -It sounds interesting to make a penfriend from other country.
3. -On holiday, I love going there to sunbathing or swimming.
4. -I don’t like doing homeworks.
5. -I’m living with my brothers on an apartment.
6. -How you’re doing with your new job?
7. -The people is very nice, there’s a lot of places to visit.
8. -I’m interest on having a penfriend.
9. -I’m studying to be a translator.
10. -I like too listen to music and watch movies.
11. -Please talk me about yourself.
12. -I like listening to music, I like phoning with my family and talk to them.
13. -He works in a oil company.
14. -There is an small zoo in a hotel …, you could visiting it and know some animals from my region.
15. -We travelled to other cities for played matches.
16. -The Crown Casino have karaoke nights.
17. -My friends and I love dance.
18. -I first breakfast and go to university.
19. -Yesterday, I met a very interesnting boy in my friend’s house. I went there because we have to do homework and
when I ....
20. -For practise I listen to English band an try to follow the lyrics.
21. -Althought I was so tired, when I arrived home late in the evening, my mom .
22. -There are many differents ski runs like the one in ...
23. -In addition, you have lot of options for walks.
24. -It is one of the most beautiful and peaceful place in the hole continent.
25. -She has got black hair and pale skin so everybody sais that she looks like a vampire.
26. -I’m studing English at the moment, because I want to be an english translator.
27. -You never know who are you going to meet!!
28. -He enjoys going out at night and drink some beers.
29. -There’s an historical lighthouse which ....
30. -In her free times, she loves wacthing TV.
31. -You can do others activities like fishing, sailing, trekking, etc.
32. -I’m not used to do the housework, but sometimes I do the washing up.
33. -I pay attention to all that the teacher says.
34. -She is kinda model as she does some kind of sales promotion.
35. -He uses to buy food for all of us.
36. -They will make this year one of the bests years of my life.
37. -Everything tend to embarras her.
38. -It is considered one of the world favourite place to visit.
39. -Also,you can practice different sports.
40. -I’ve got some CD’s for listening to practice.
41. -She weights 55 kilos.
42. -After that, my mother and I went to the shopping.
43. -The activity she likes most it is to dance Brazilian music.
44. -I have got some CDs for listening practice and I listen to when I chat with my friends.
45. -She is funny and she smile all the time.
46. -She is honest, always tells the truth, I like it.
47. -I like talk with her because she listen to me.
48. -I would like to meet her more.
49. -There is a beautiful and interesting discos, pubs, etc.
50. -If you wish have a good holidays, you should to visit Last Grutas!
51. -I like talk with her because she listen tome when I tell something and always she bring me a smile.
52. -At weekends, I like go dancing and go for a ride.
53. -They can listening music all the day there because there are a lot of radios of ther favourites bands.
54. -They are not near to the entertainment places.
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Activity 2: Correct the mistakes you find. DO NOT WRITE THE COMPLETE TEXT
AGAIN. CROSS OUT THE WRONG WORDS AND WRITE THE CORRECT VERSION.
1- The first thing that Tom and Ben did when they got to home was to sleep
for twelve hours. When they got up everybody wanted to ask they questions.
Ben’s father asked them, “How much did you spent on the trip?”
Ben answered, “Not many money; we have about 200 dollars with us and with that
money we’re going to take English lessons.”
Tom’s mother said, “I’d like to know how long you’re going to attend English
lessons.”
Tom and Ben replied, “Five times a week. We want to learn quickly.”
2- The differents football teams are playing the World Cup 2010 on
South Africa. Two planes from Argentina arrived at that country full of
fans, but the police didn’t accepted all of them and ten people had to fly
to home as soon as they arrived there. The captain of the team,
Mascherano, said the journalists that they expected to win the first match
and they did! Congratulations Argentina!!
The next match will be in Thursday 17th and the people will watch it on
TV or will listen it on the radio. Messi was the better player last Saturday
and Maradona explained the Press that Lio had played wonderfully.
3- The last Monday was a terrible day for Jane and in the evening things got
worst. While she was making a sandwich in the kitchen, she heard a noise. She
was really frightened because there was anybody in the house, so she ran to the
phone to call to her mom, which was at her grandmother’s house. Jane’s mother
said her that she was busy and the phone-call it was over. Two hours after, Jane’s
father arrived at home and found Jane crying. She explained him everything and he
hugged her.
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VERB PATTERNS
By the end of the year you are expected to know the correct use of the following verb patterns. Try to
add as many examples as possible for each of them. Include new verbs.
VERBS + PHRASES
1. VERB + NOUN PHRASE
 Begin + sth
 Believe + sby /sth
 Call + sby
 Enter + (a place)
 Find + sth + (somewhere)
 Hear + sth
 Leave + a place (origin)/leave FOR a place (destination)
 Marry + sby
 Pay + sth / sby
 Return + home
 Rob + sby / a place
 See + sth / sby
 Start + sth
 Telephone + sby / a place
 Trust + sby
 Want + sth
 Attend+ lessons/mass/church/a meeting/an
appointment/ a party/a funeral/a seminar/university
2. VERB + NOUN PHRASE + NOUN PHRASE

 Ask + sby + sth
 Give + sby + sth
 Tell + sby + sth
3. VERB + NOUN PHRASE + PREPOSITIONAL PHRASE

 Explain + sth + to sby
 Give + sth + to sby
 Tell + sth + to sby
4. VERB + PREPOSITIONAL PHRASE + NOUN PHRASE

 Say + to sby + sth
 Explain + sth +to sby
 Live + at + 257 Tucumán St.
 Live+ in + Tucumán St. (ON Am E)
 Live + on+ a farm / an island
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VERBS + CLAUSES
1. VERB + “THAT” CLAUSE

 Believe + that….
 Find + that…
 Say + that…
 Decide+that…
 Suggest +that +sbdy (should) do sth
2. VERB + TO INFINITIVE
 Agree + to do sth
 Begin + to…
 Decide + to…
 Promise + to…
 Start + to …
 Want + to …
 Would like/ would love + to ...
 Pretend+to…
3. VERB + -ING CLAUSE

 Begin + -ing
 Feel like + -ing
 Finish + -ing
 Like/love/hate/enjoy/dislike -ing
 Start + -ing
 Avoid
 Suggest
VERBS + PHRASES + CLAUSES
1. VERB + NOUN PHRASE + (TO) INFINITIVE

 Advice + sby + to do sth
 Help+ sbdy + to do sth
 Expect +sbdy+to do sth
 Want +sbdy+to do sth
 Encourage +sbdy+to do sth
 Ask +sbdy+to do sth
 Tell +sbdy+to do sth
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2. VERB + NOUN PHRASE + -ING CLAUSE

 Hear + sby + doing sth
 See + sby + doing sth
3. VERB + NOUN PHRASE + BARE INFINITIVE

 See sby do sth
 Help +sbdy do sth
5. VERB + NOUN PHRASE + THAT CLAUSE

 Promise + sby + that…
 Promise + myself + that/to…
 Would rather+ bare inf.+ than
VERB + FIXED PREPOSITION
 Agree about sth

 Agree with sby
 Arrive in (continents, countries, cities)/ + at (smaller
places)/ + on (a farm, island)/ + home
 Believe in God
 Fall in love I wth sby
 Listen to sby/sth
 Look at sth/sby
 Leave for a place (destination)
 Pay for sth
 Return to a place
 Rob sby of sth
 Steal sth from sby
 Suceed in doing sth
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POSSESSIVES
Possessive noun + ‘s
1) Spelling:
We use the ‘s structure most often to talk about:
-possessions: That’s my father’s house (not …the house of my father)
-relationships: My sister’s husband (not …the husband of my sister)
-physical characteristics: the cat’s ear (not …the ear of the cat)
All these uses take place especially when the first noun refers to a person or an
animal, or to a country (Scotland’s climate is getting warmer), organization (What is
your opinion about the company’s management?) or other groups of living creatures.
We also use this structure to talk about things that people produce.
Eg: I didn’t believe the girl’s story.
What are Norway’s main exports?
Have you read John’s letter?
With some words for people’s actions, we can use either ‘s or an of-structure.
Eg: The Queen’s arrival or the arrival of the Queen.
When the possessing expression is very long, an of-structure is preferred.

My sister’s husband
The husband of the woman who sent you that strange letter.
2) ‘s not used: the name of the street

With nouns which are not the name of people, animals, countries, etc. ‘s is less
common, and a structure with a preposition (usually of) is more normal.
The name of the street (not …the street’s name)
The back of the room (not… the room’s back)
There are some particular expressions in which ‘s or an of-structure are possible, eg.
The earth’s gravity or the gravity of the earth.
3) The ‘s structure or (the plural with s’)

The ‘s structure or (the plural with s’) is often used to say how long things particular
moments and events last.
a day’s journey
yesterday’s news
Last Sunday’s match
Noun + noun structures are also possible in expressions with numbers.

E.g. A three-hour journey
4) Spelling
Singular noun + ‘s E.g. My father’s car
Plural noun + s’ E.g. My parents’ house
Irregular plural + ‘s E.g. The children’s room
5) Possessive ’s and other determiners
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A noun cannot normally have an article or other determiner with

it as well as a possessive word. We don’t use possessives when
definite articles are used.
E.g. John’s car not the John’s car
6) Uses
We can use a possessive to talk about shops, churches, and people’s houses if the
meaning is clear.
There was a party at Mary’s (house).
John and Mary’s son was at Peter’s (house)
They got married at St. Joseph’s (church).
In modern English, expressions like the doctor, the dentist, the hairdresser, the
butcher are often used without ‘s.
Alice is at the hairdresser = Alice is at the hairdresser’s.
Yesterday, I went to the doctor = Yesterday, I went to the doctor’s.
Possessives my, your, etc. My, your, his, her, its, our and their are determiners and
are used at the beginning of noun phrases.
My younger brother your phone number their plans
Although they always go before a noun, they are not adjectives.

However, they are sometimes called possessive adjectives in older
grammar and dictionaries.
My, your, etc. are not used with other determiners like the, a/an, or
this.
She’s lost her keys. (not …the her keys)
If we want to use a/an or this, that, etc. with a possessive, we use the
‘…of mine’ structure.
A friend of mine has just invited me to Italy. (not … A my friend)
Possessives: mine yours . Mine, yours, his, hers, ours and theirs are used without
following nouns. Compare: That is my coat. / That coat is mine.
Whose can be used with a following noun or without:

Whose car is that? Whose is that car?
Noun + Noun: Basic Information

The first noun modifies or describes the second one. For example, milk
chocolate (a kind of chocolate), chocolate milk (a kind of milk).
Noun + noun expressions can often be changed into structures where
the second noun becomes a subject and the first an object.
E.g. An oil well (= a well that produces oil)
Sheepdog (= a dog that looks after sheep)
The first noun is usually singular in form, even if it has a plural

meaning.
A shoe shop (= a shop which sells shoes)
A tooth brush (= a brush for teeth)
Mg. María del Mar Valcarce. Prof. María Adela García Álvarez. Prof. José Andrés Sobrino
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Error Correction Code

Symbol Meaning Example Corrected Version
^ or ۷ A word is missing She is a responsible۷. It is a beautiful day.
She talked ۷me. She talked to me.
Punc Punctuation/Capit Hes learning english at bettys He's learning English at Betty's
alization/ lower Institute. Punc institute.
case
Sp Spelling I'm writting to say thank I'm writing to say thank you.
you.Sp
ww wrong word I opened my carpet and I opened my folder and started
started to write. Ww to write.
This is the town which I used
to live in. Ww/ Rel Cl This is the town where I used to
(Relative Clause) live.
He told me that he was
hurried.Ww / Exp
(Expression) He told me he was in a hurry.
It was a high budget film.
Ww/Coll (collocation)
It was a big budget film.
WO Word order She likes very much learning She likes learning English very
English.WO much.
It’s a car blue. WO It’s a blue car.
I know what is your phone. I know what your phone is.
WO
Det Determiner She's ۷ teacher. Det She's a teacher.
VF Verb form Without to go/ I have saw... Without going/ I have seen...
VF
If I saw him, I will ask him.
VF/Cond If I saw him, I would ask him.
VP Verb pattern I want go there. VP I want to go there.

I enjoy to read. VP I enjoy reading.
Pass Passive The bridge built in 2001. The bridge was built in 2001
Pass
VT Verb tense She lives in B.A. since 2010. She has lived in B.A. since
VT 2010.
Rep Sp Reported Speech She said she is fat as a child. She said she was fat as a child.
Rep Sp / VT
I told him if he was happy. I asked him if he was happy.
Rep Sp
Mod Modal Eventually he could reach the Eventually he was able to reach
coast. Mod the coast.
You don’t have to smoke in You mustn’t smoke in the
the hospital. Mod hospital.
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Agr Agreement This books. Agr These books.

María live in Rosario. Agr María lives in Rosario.
Link Linking I don't like coffee and tea. I don't like coffee or tea.
expression / Link
Connector
// New paragraph
WCat Word category She isn't worry. WCat She isn't worried.
Prep Prep I'm interested on cars. I'm interested in cars.
They are sitting in the They are sitting on the balcony.
balcony. They went into the house.
They went in the house. Prep
Poss Possessive case My parent house. Poss My parents’ house.
Adj Adjective He's more small than her. He's smaller than her.
(comparative, Adj/Comp My dad is the most handsome
superlative) My dad is the handsomest man I know.
man I know. Adj/Sup
Pron Pronoun Mary is my friend; I went to Mary is my friend; I went to the
the cinema with him. I like cinema with her. I like her.
he. Pron
DoubSubj Double Subject She is the girl who she likes She is the girl who likes Mozart.
Mozart. DS
MSubj Missing subject ...because ۷ likes opera.MS ...because she likes opera.
DoubObj Double object Did you see it the movie? DO Did you see the movie?
DoubNeg Double negative Nobody doesn't like that. DN Nobody likes that.
Run on I like that house it is spacious I like that house. It is spacious
and modern. Run on and modern.
Frag Fragment I went home yesterday. I went home yesterday because
Because it was stormy and it was stormy and dark.
dark. Frag
I met him yesterday. While I I met him yesterday while I was
was walking in the park. walking in the park.
Frag.
Reg Register Everything was OK. I’m Everything was all right. I’m
gonna call you this afternoon. going to call you this afternoon.
Reg
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Writing Biographies
A biography is a written chronological account of someone’s life. Below are

some frequently used phrases and expressions.
- He was born / educated / brought up / sent to
- She first... / last ...
- He became / grew / turned...
- She became engaged / got married / had a child / got divorced / retired /
died...
The sequencing of biographical information is commonly achieved by stating actual

dates:
- In 1978 .......
- On the 4th March, 1965............
- During the next ten years..........
Sequencing by reference to events before, after, or at the same time as other events
is the same as in other kinds of past reporting.
1. Julia is going to write a composition about her mother. Match her notes with
the headings in her plan.
1 Introduction b
2 Childhood ............
3 Early career ............
4 Married life ............
5 Conclusion ............
a. With UN 5 years – met dad. Married & back to England. Emily 1978, me 1980. Full-
time mum. Back to work in 1987.
b. Composition subject : mother. Important person.
c. Mum very kind, good example. Would like family and career too.
d. Born 1951. Eldest of 4. Father a diplomat, travelled a lot. China etc. Good at
languages.
e. University at 18 (Cambridge). Chinese. Finished in 1973. Wanted to live abroad.

Joined UN as interpreter. Lived in Switzerland, travelled to lots of other places.
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2. Read Julia’s composition. Write the missing paragraph using the notes.
An important person
In this composition I am going to write about my mother,

because she is the most important person in my life.
She was born in London in 1951, and she was the oldest of
four children. Her father was a diplomat, so they travelled
all over the world. My mother went to school in China, India
and Poland. As a result, she learned a lot of languages and
learned a lot about different people.
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
She worked with the UN for five years before meeting my

father. They got married and they came back to England.
My sister Emily was born in 1978. I was born two years
later. My mother looked after us, but when I started
school, she went back to work.
My mother is a very kind and loving person. She has taught

us everything we know, and when I am older, I would like to
have a family and a good job too.
Source: Whitney N. (2001). Open Doors 3. Workbook. Oxford: O.U.P. p.56.
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3. Take notes to write a famous person’s biography.
Introduction
........................................................................................................
........................................................................................................
..................................................................…………………………………………
Childhood
........................................................................................................
........................................................................................................
........................................................................................................
........................................................................................................
....................................................………………………………………………….......
Later life
........................................................................................................
........................................................................................................
........................................................................................................
........................................................................................................
....................................................……………………………………………………………
Conclusion
........................................................................................................
........................................................................................................
........................................................................…………………………………………
……………………......................................
4. Now write the biography in full.
................................................................................................................
................................................................................................................
................................................................................................................
................................................................................................................
................................................................................................................
................................................................................................................
................................................................................................................
................................................................................................................
.......................................................................................
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Narrating
A narrative is usually thought of as a piece of writing that tells a complete ‘story’. But
this kind of writing includes a number of different types.
First of all there is factual writing, which includes historical and biographical
accounts, as well as real life reports. Secondly, there is fictional writing: novels, short
and long stories, jokes and fictional anecdotes.
Even when it is impossible to predict all the language you will need to write a
complete narrative, this genre usually involves expressing what happens in time, so
the following areas of language are very important:
a) tense and time
‘they almost turned back’ (completed past action)
‘he was serving a jail sentence’ (incomplete past action)
‘determined to keep the promise they had made’ (completed action
before a time in the past)
‘she had been crying when he first saw her’ (unfinished action before a
time in the past)
b) sequencing links
first / at first / right from the start / at the beginning
before long / previously
then / after that / next
It was then that...
The next thing was that... to...
That was when...
Finally / in the end / Eventually
c) time-relation links
when / once / as soon as / immediately
after / before
while / as
d) structural links
‘Left alone, she panicked.’
‘Waving goodbye to his hometown, Philip felt sick at heart.’
e) time reference
on (a day) in (a year / week / month) at (weekend / Festival)
at (clock time) during (year / month)
about / around (clock time)
last week / one day / on one occasion
Remember!!!! A good story should have the following features:

o an interesting beginning, which attracts the reader’s attention and
makes him want to read on.
o a well thought–out development. Events should follow each other in a
logical order. Start a new paragraph for each new stage in the story.
o a good ending. Always leave yourself plenty of time for this – there is
nothing worse than reading an exciting story which just stops in mid-air!
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1. Before you read the text answer these questions:

 Would you like to climb Mt Everest? Why / Why not?
 What problems do mountain climbers sometimes have?
2. Read the text. Four sentences are missing. Complete the blanks 1–4 with sentences a–d
below.
a. The wind became stronger and it started snowing heavily.
b. However, things went terribly wrong.
c. Jerry Taylor managed to find base camp the next day
d. It was getting dark and the cold was getting worse.
The survivor
Last summer, a team of ten climbers decided to climb to the top of the world’s highest mountain,
Mt Everest. 1______________ Nine of them died and only Jerry Taylor survived. This is his story.
“We left base camp early in the morning,“ says Jerry. “The way up was really exciting, but not
easy. However, we were all doing well until the weather changed. We were climbing the
Southeast Ridge and were not very far from the top, when clouds suddenly appeared. 2
____________________ It was a really bad snowstorm, so our leader ordered us to return to base
camp. An hour later, all ten of us were lost.”
“I walked and walked.” Jerry adds, “but I couldn’t find the others
or the camp. 3________________________ So, I sat down for a
minute and then … nothing. I woke up a few hours later. I was
lying in the snow and my hands were frozen. I thought I was
dying. So, I got up and started walking again.”
4_______________________ He was the lucky one.
Source: Mitchell H.Q. and J. Scott (2000). Say Yes! to English 2. London: MM Publications.
3. Read the text again. Are the sentences 1 – 5 below True or False?
1. It was snowing when the climber left the base camp.
2. The climber didn’t get to the top of the mountain.
3. The climbers got lost because it was dark.
4. Jerry fell asleep in the snow.
5. Nine of the climbers found base camp the next day.
4. This story is divided into four paragraphs. Which stage of the events is covered in each
of these paragraphs?
5. Do you think the first paragraph provides a good introduction to the story? Why / Why
not?
6. Word Search. Find the words in the text which correspond to the following:
- to be successful - to snow intensely - not standing or sitting
- to continue to exist - to succeed in doing something difficult - very cold-
- unable to find your way to be in a horizontal position - to become even more
- unpleasant or difficult
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 NARRATIVE TENSES
THE PAST CONTINUOUS TENSE (WAS/WERE – ing)
1 Look back to the story and notice how the writer uses the Past Continuous tense
(WAS/WERE – ing) to describe what was happening before anything unusual was
noticed. (We were all doing well. / It was getting dark.)
2 Study the picture below. It shows the scene on a beach just before a shark attack.
Complete the paragraph. It describes what was going on before the shark was
seen. Use the Past Continuous tense where possible. Use the vocabulary in the box
on the left to help you.
USEFUL VOCABULARY
to fish
to make sandcastles
to paddle
to relax
to sunbathe
to swim
a bucket and spade
a motor boat
rockpools
rocks Adapted from: Stephens M. (1986). Practise Writing. London: Longman.
seaweed
I remember everything vividly. It was just an ordinary summer afternoon and the beach was
a swimmer
crowded. People ............................ some very small children ............................ while
their parents looked on. Other children ................................. or .......................... Off
shallow deep water
shore, some young people ....................... while a short distance away
............................ Then we heard the scream!
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THE SIMPLE PAST
1. Look back again to the story The Survivor and focus on how the writer
uses, mainly in the last part, the Simple Past tense. Notice that the use
of short sentences makes the story even more dramatic.
2. Study the beach scene again and imagine that the shark has just appeared.
Complete the next paragraph of the story. It describes what happened after the
shark was seen. Use the Simple Past tense where possible. Use the vocabulary in
the box to help you.
Useful vocabulary
to dash – to point to – to scream in panic – to shout
to stare/gaze in horror/desperately
At first everything seemed to go very quiet. Then, everyone jumped to their

feet. They ..................... at the black fin, now clearly visible. The people in
the water ..................... . On the beach, mothers and fathers
..................... . The children who had been playing on the beach
..................... . Seconds later, a coastguard ..................... and
..................... . The shark ..................... . Everybody held their breath.
 LINKING EVENTS
They were just bringing round the duty –free goods when the plane began to shake.
At first we thought we had hit bad weather. Then, the front of the plane began to
dip. Seconds/minutes later, we realised we were speeding towards the ground.
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WRITING TASKS
Activity 1: In the stories below, events are in the wrong order. Read them carefully,
and put them in the correct order. Then write short paragraphs, linking the events in
the way shown in the box above.
A ROAD ACCIDENT
Another motorist arrived and ran to phone for an ambulance.

He just stared at them in shock, wondering what to do.
He pulled himself together and ran to check that nobody was seriously injured.
John was standing at the corner when he saw the cars crash into each other.
A BURGLARY
She thought the cat had knocked something over downstairs.

Mrs Thomson was trying to get to sleep when she heard the sound of breaking glass.
She realised there was someone moving about in the kitchen, below her.
She heard the sound of footsteps on the stairs.
Activity 2: Use the prompts below to build up a narrative about a hotel fire.
Last year / I / spend / summer holidays / popular resort / Mediterranean coast. Hotel
/ be / modern / comfortable / and / Weather / perfect. I / have marvellous / holiday
- until / fire!
It / be / Saturday evening / and / everybody / relax / in / lounge /or / discotheque

/ tired / after / long day / beach. The disco / be /ground floor / hotel / and / drink.
Disk jockey / play / old Beatles hits / from / 60s / and / people / sing along / and /
generally / have / good time. Then / suddenly / we / smell / smoke!
First / only / few people / notice / fire/. Then / as clouds / black smoke / begin /
fill / room / everybody / start / shout / scream / panic. People / race / exits. One
fire door / be / locked / and / people / turn back / frantically / and / join / crowds /
other exits. Everyone / begin / cough / choke.
Then / just as / we / think / we / never / escape / help / arrive. Firemen / fight /

way / into / room / and / soon / everyone / be / safely / Out of / building. Luckily /
nobody / be / seriously / hurt. Holiday company / offer us / rooms / another hotel /
nearby / but / my holiday / be / spoilt / and I / fly / home / next day. I / not be /
inside / discotheque / since then. It / be / most frightening experience / my life!
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Activity 3: Think about an experience that was terrifying to you and make notes about
it considering the following prompts:
a- The background. (What was happening before the incident.)

When / happen? Where / be / you? Anyone / with you?
What / you /do /at the time? And the other people?
b- The event
What / happen? How / you / feel? What / you / do next?
What / other people / do? What / happen / afterwards?
c- Later developments
Your feelings / when / remember / incident? It/ change / your life /
in any way?
MY
MOST TERRIFYING
EXPERIENCE LATER
DEVELOPMENTS
THE
BACKGROUND
THE EVENT
Activity 4: Change your notes into a narrative entitled ‘The most frightening
experience of my life.’
*Remember to start new paragraphs for the background, for the event itself, and for describing later
developments*
..............................................................................................................
..............................................................................................................
..............................................................................................................
..............................................................................................................
..............................................................................................................
..............................................................................................................
............................................................................................................
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Prompts for writing compositions
1) The Gifford’s Circus travels around small villages in England. There are acrobats, strongmen, dancers, clowns and
Nell Giggord, who joined the circus when she was eighteen. Her story started when …
2) When the judge delivered the verdict of not guilty, ………………………………..could not believe his/her ears and half of
the packed courtroom clapped enthusiastically.
3) Mr. Beates was sitting at a table in a posh restaurant on Oxford St. when a beautiful woman walked by his table
and handed him a napkin discreetly. He opened up the napkin and it said …
4) A woman was jogging down the street, when Lucy smiled at her and continued down the road. The woman
stopped jogging and shouted a warning to Lucy. She couldn’t hear that well because of the traffic, so she asked
the woman to repeat it …
5) The phone woke Mary at 4:30 in the morning. She listened to the voice for a minute and then jumped out of bed
..........
8) Outside a cold wind blew without stopping, bringing snow against his bedroom window. XXX was sitting next to it,
remembering the events of the last four days……..
9) Last Saturday night, I went with my friends to see the new Brad Pitt film. We were standing outside the cinema
when suddenly a man came up …
10) As we grow and change, friendships that worked well in the past don’t always continue to be good for us.
11)It was a terrible winter. I had to travel 500km. and it was a cold and foggy morning …
12) …The holidays were coming and I had a lot of plans for them …
13) Judy Hammer was the first female police chief in Richmond, a city in the south of the United States. When she
took charge of the Police Department …
14) … .Finally, ……………………..realized that what had happened to him/her/them had helped him/her/them to grow
up.
15) When she was sixteen, things started to go wrong again. She had arguments with her mother about her
boyfriend …………
16) Queuing, however, isn’t always a problem. I met one of my best friends in a queue.
17) She looked back at her experience with amazing maturity and she concluded that at times she might have
behaved badly, but it was just normal teenage stuff.
18) One night last summer, while three of my friends and I were camping in the woods, something frightening
happened. We had spent two hours telling ghost stories and, as it was quite late, we decided to go to bed …
19) Elizabeth, an eighteen-year-old student at St Martin’s High School, loved learning about new places. On
September 9th she attended a welcome party given to an exchange student from a small African country and it
was at that party that her life started to change …
20) Steve was crazy about aliens and UFOs. Once he met a scientist who showed him a truly cool machine he had
invented and that could take him anywhere in the Galaxy. Here is the story of what happened to Steve …
21) …Henry had thought that Pamela was a true friend, but after all that happened during that week, he came to the
conclusion that Pam had betrayed his trust…
22)…and they finally reached that foot of the mountain. But just a few minutes later the ground where they were
standing started to move and the volcano erupted…
24) When I started going out with Tom/Claire, I thought I was just infatuated with him/her. Before long we both
realized we had fallen in love and here is our story …
25) It was a terribly hot day, quite unsuitable for travelling by bus, but I had no choice if I wanted to visit my family. I
arrived at the bus station at 10 a.m. …
26) After we had decided to keep the money for ourselves, we found out that it belonged to a taxi driver and we had
to give it back.
27) ….I stared at the creature in amazement as it disappeared beneath the surface of the lake. My first trip to Loch
Ness was definitely going to be an ‘unforgettable’ experience.
28) The three teenagers- Peter, Tom and Henry- had been walking all day in the woods. Feeling exhausted, they
stopped in order to rest. Everything was quiet and while they were listening to the silence of the forest, they saw
two yellowish green eyes watching them from the dense vegetation just a few metres from them …
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Sample compositions
Dying for Love
Last Saturday morning, Steve came down to have breakfast in his large dining-
room. Just then the phone rang and a husky voice said: "I am waiting for you. I hope
you have slept well. Breakfast is ready, come and meet me as soon as you have
finished". It was his wife, Anna, who was already at the office. Steve didn't want to
work on Saturdays but they had some arrangements with a few business clients, and
they had to work hard and take advantage now that the business was going better
than a few months before.
When Steve arrived at the office, it was full of papers everywhere, his wife
wasn't there and there was blood on the floor. He was frightened so he didn't know
what to do. When he was about to phone the police, he found a picture next to the
phone which was written on the other side: "Your wife will be safe if you bring us
$10.000 before midnight. Put the money in a blue bag and leave it in the office. Don't
call the police!" He did what the note said, wishing that the kidnapers didn't hurt
Anna, and waited in the dark dining-room until the phone rang again. He heard his
wife's voice: "I'm okay. You will find me tomorrow in the office".
The next day, Steve drank a coffee and drove to the office as quickly as he
could. It was eight o’clock when he entered the office and found his dead wife, lying
on the floor. The pale and sad man called the ambulance while tears ran down his
face. Later, the police questioned him, but he knew nothing about the kidnapers. The
only thing he could say to the police was that those men had stolen the best and most
beautiful thing he had ever had in his life. He could not say any other word, any
information to be said to the police. A few days later, a neighbour found Steve in his
dining-room, lying on the sofa. He had killed himself holding a picture of his beloved
wife.
Rubiolo, Mariana (2009)
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A Love Story Which Couldn’t Be

Elizabeth, an eighteen-year-old student at St. Martin’s High School, loved learning about new
places. On September 9th she attended a welcome party given to an exchange-student from a small
African country and it was at that party that her life started to change.
The exchange-student was called Tsotsi and he was Muslim. He had been studying at a Muslim
school for ten years, and he was the most responsible boy in his class. His culture taught their kids to be
strong and be always good husbands and fathers. He had to be the man of the house.
Elizabeth and Tsotsi started to see each other. Elizabeth loved listening to the stories of Tsotsi’s
country. He seemed very proud when he was talking about his town, his family, his teachers and friends.
Elizabeth liked seeing him happy with that way of life, but she didn’t agree with many rules. For example,
women always had to cover themselves from head to foot, and they couldn’t do anything without men’s
permission. Anyway, they accepted each other in spite of all the differences. They loved talking, staring at
each other and touching each other. Elizabeth loved Tsotsi’s plump lips and his sweet-tasting kisses. Tsotsi
loved Elizabeth’s voice and listening to her talking for hours and hours.
At the end of the year, Tsotsi had to go back to his country. But they were in love and didn’t want
to break up. So, Tsotsi asked Elizabeth to marry him. At first, she felt good because she loved him and that
was a romantic proposal. But then, she realized that marriage meant to become a Muslim, and she didn’t
want that. So, she answered that it couldn’t be possible because although she loved him, she was sure
about her way of thinking and she respected his.
Eventually, Tsotsi returned to Africa. They were both very sad and sorry for their separation. But
there was no regret. They both knew that that was the best. So, they started a friendship at distance. They
sent letters to each other every week because they loved writing.
Castillo, Ailén (2009)
The Last Trip
Randy and Mike have been friends since they were kids. They liked almost the same
things. One day, they decided to go on an excursion to the mountains. Randy had much more
experience than Mike as a guide. Mike was a photographer and he was always looking around
instead of at the path.
So they got up very early and started their trip. First, they got into the woods. It was
beautiful. Mike was having a great time with his brand new camera that he had bought the
previous day. There were a lot of animals. Deer and birds could be found all over the place.
As it was getting dark, they had to camp in the middle of the woods near a river. Mike
put up the tent while Randy went to look for some sticks so they could make a fire. When he
got back to the camp, Mike wasn’t there. But he wasn’t worried about that because Mike knew
lots of things about nature and dangerous animals such as bears and snakes. By the time Mike
returned, the fire was already lit so they cooked the trout he had caught during his walk. They
had a wonderful meal and then they went to bed.
The next morning, they packed everything and went on with their trip. Some hours
later, they were at the top of a mountain. They stayed there for a few minutes, until they saw
some animals leaving the place, running away as if something bad was about to happen. They
looked really scared. So, they realized they had to leave the place. They walked down the
mountain as fast as they could and they finally reached the foot of the mountain. But just a
few minutes later, the ground where they were standing started to move and the volcano
erupted. But they also had to leave the forest which was about to start burning because of the
magma. So they dropped their bags and stated to run very fast.
Finally, they got out of the forest. Fortunately, there were a lot of firemen who helped
them. The two friends were exhausted but alive. They decided not to go on a trip anymore.
Valenzuela, Agustin (2009)
71
The Unforgettable Party
Elizabeth, an eighteen-year old student at St. Martin’s High School, loved
learning about new places. On September 9th she attended a welcome party given to
an exchange-student from a small African country and it was at that party that her
life started to change.
That day Elizabeth woke up in a really bad mood because she had had terrible
nightmares. Despite this, she remembered the party that she was going to have and
immediately, she felt happy again. She was very excited to meet the new student.
Everybody at school was talking about him, but she had never had the opportunity to
meet him. She was very interested in talking with him because she wanted to learn
everything about Africa, the country she loved the most.
Once at the party, she managed to talk to the boy. The boy, whose name was
Naombi, was taller than her and very handsome. It was love at first sight. Elizabeth
asked Naombi about his life in Africa, about his culture and friends. Naombi did the
same. After a while, he asked Elizabeth to dance. Jokes, compliments and questions
about each other were made.
The party was over. Everybody was staring at the couple that had been together
all night. It was time to go home, but before that, Naombi looked at her in the eyes
and asked “if I traveled to Africa tomorrow, would you come with me? The answer
was “yes”. However, Naombi didn’t have to travel the next day. He stayed with
Elizabeth for over a year and they are planning to get married in a few weeks.
Yáñez, Sonia (2009)
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+ Videoclips & Stories
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Four Weddings and a Funeral

1. Before watching the film, say who these characters are. What is the relationship with the
other characters in the story?
Charlie: __________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
Gareth: __________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
Laura: __________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
Henrietta: __________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
Hamish: __________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
Fiona: __________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
Scarlett: __________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
2. As you watch the film, write down some notes about the weddings and the funeral in this
story:
Wedding 1 Wedding 2 Wedding 3 Funeral Wedding 4
Main
characters
involved
Main events
Extra events
related to
main events
83
3. Watch the final scene of the film and complete these sentences
Carrie was
wearing..............................................................................................
I think she was

feeling..............................because...................................................
As regards the weather, it

was.................................................................................
Charles's face was bruised

because...........................................................................
I think he
felt.....................................................................................................
In the end, the

couple...........................................................................................
4. Who says what? Write “C” for Carrie or “CH” for Charles.
1) Hi! You are soaking wet.
2) No, I'm fine.
3) There comes a point when you're so wet you can't get any wetter.
4) I just wanted to check you were O.K.
5) But you are fine.
6) It was all my fault.
7) I'm the bastard here.
8) The first time in my life I realized I was totally and utterly in love with one
person, and it wasn't the person standing next to me.
9) Is it still raining? I hadn't noticed.
10) I might drown.
11) Do you think not being married to me might maybe... be something you'd
consider doing for the rest of your life?
12) I do.
5. Tell us your opinion:
Which of the love stories in the film did you like the most? Why?
_____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________
_______________________
The main song in the soundtrack of the film is ‘Love is All Around’ by Wet
Wet Wet. Do you think love is all around you/us at this time of the year?
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Why? Why not?

_____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________
_______________________
6. Error correction: Find ten mistakes in form and five mistakes in

meaning:
Four Weddings and a Funeral is a British comedy which centres on the

intermittent romance between a charming Englishman and a beautiful
American woman. During the film, Charles and his friends wonder if
they will ever find true love and married.
The group of friends were always attending weddings but were never
the bride or groom. With the exception of gay couple Gareth and
Mathew, all of them were looked love.
At the beginning of the film, the group of friends were at the wedding of
Angus and Laura, and Charles was acting as groom. Charles (Hugh
Grant) and Susie (Andie McDowell) ran into themselves there. Indeed,
they connected immediately. For Charles, it was in love at first sight.
She was attracted to him too. They spent a memorable morning
together, but then each one continued with his own life.
The romance was reborn several months late, when they unexpectedly
meet at other wedding. Unfortunately, however, Susie had married
another man, a fact that complicated matters for they both. Over four
more weddings and a funeral, something always seemed to prevent the
two of them from get together.
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Rain Man
(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RW1qHA5Hqwc&NR=1)
1) a) Before you watch, answer the following questions:

What is an autistic person like? Find a definition of autism.
What are Charlie’s first feelings towards Raymond?
b) Consider the following key words and say in what way they are important in
the story:
money – relationship – death – mental hospital – lawyers
2) In pairs, discuss the following and take notes of your discussion.

What does Charlie notice in Raymond when they are in the restaurant?
Describe Charlie’s attitudes; do you think it’s OK to benefit from Raymond’s
skills?
3) How does the story end? Write a short description of Charlie and Raymond’s
relationship at the beginning and the end of the story.
Summary
1) Put the following ten main events in order.

2) Put the verbs in brackets in the correct tense.
3) Write a summary (180-200 words). Include an introduction, development
and conclusion. You can add more ideas.
a) ____Raymond (to be) ________ autistic. He (can/not) ___________

feel things the same way that other people (do) ___________.
b) ____Charlie Babbit (receive) ___________ news of his father’s
death.
c) __1__Charlie’s business (to be) ___________ in trouble and he
(need) ___________ money badly.
d) ____Charlie (take) ___________ Raymond to Las Vegas.
e) ____Charlie (not want) ___________ the money anymore and he
(want) ___________ to visit his dear brother.
f) ____Charlie (realise) ___________ that Raymond ( to be) _____
‘Rain Man’; his secret friend (to be) ___________ actually his
brother.
g) ____Charlie and Raymond (drive) ___________ across the United
States to Los Angeles.
h) ____Charlie (discover) ___________ that Raymond (have)
___________ extraordinary skills.
i) ____Charlie’s father (leave) ___________ all his money to his older
brother Raymond.
j) ____Charlie’s father (leave) ___________ him only his 1949 Buick
and his roses.
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3) Write a summary (180-200). Include an introduction, development and
conclusion. You can add more ideas.
a. ______ Marion’s boss (ask) ________________ her to take $ 40,000 to the

bank, and she (decide/steal) _____________________ it to pay her lover’s
debts.
b. ______ Marion and Norman (have) ________________ dinner together. He
(tell) ________________ her about his mad mother.
c. ______ On her journey to Fairvale she (find) ________________ a place to stay
–the Bates Motel. Marion (see) ________________ a large old house behind
the motel. Norman (come down) ___________________ to the motel and (give)
________________ Marion a room.
d. ___1__ Marion Crane from Phoenix, Arizona (have) a ________________
secret relationship with Sam Loomis, who (live) ________________ in Fairvale.
She (want/marry) ____________ ____________ him, but he (want/pay off)
________________ his father’s debts first.
e. ______ Lila and Sam (find out) ________________ Norman’s mother had died
ten years before. They (go) ________________ to the motel. Sam (talk)
________________ with Norman. Lila (search) ________________ his
mother’s house. She (find) ________________ the body of an old woman in the
cellar.
f. ______ Arbogast (phone) ________________ Lila and (tell)
________________her about his conversation with Norman. Somebody (kill)
________________ Arbogast.
g. ______ Marion (decide/return) ____________________ the money. While she
(have) ____________ a shower, someone (attack) ____________ and (kill)
_____________ her.
h. ______ A week later, Marion’s sister Lila, and a detective called Arbogast
(start/look for) ________________ Marion. The detective (find)
________________ the Bates Motel and (ask) ________________ Norman
questions about Marion.
i. ______ Sam and Lila (find out) ________________ the truth. Norman (to be)
________________ the killer. He (have) ________________ a split-personality
disorder. He had killed his mother and lover ten years before.
Anne Frank - The Diary of a Young Girl

3) Write a summary (180-200). Include an introduction, development and
conclusion. You can add more ideas.
a. ____ In the secret annexe, the group (live)_______ in fear and poor
conditions. Every day they (hear)______________ sad news about their friends being killed
in concentration camps.
b. ____ Anne (begin)_____________ to visit Peter, a boy who (live) ___________ in the attic,
and (start) ____________ writing about him in her diary.
c. __1__ Anne Frank, a Jewish girl, (receive) ___________ a diary for her birthday and (start)
_____________ writing about her family and friends in it.
d. ____ The Germans (arrive)____________ in Holland, so the Franks and another family, the
Van Daans, (go)___________ into hiding.
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e. ____ Anne’s father (survive)____________ and (spend)____________ his life sharing the
message of her daughter’s diary.
f. ____ The Franks (move)____________ from Germany to Holland to escape Nazi
persecution.
g. ____ Anne and Peter (kiss) ____________ , but she soon (begin)__________ to feel less
close to him.
h. ____ On 4 August 1944 the German Police (arrest) ___________ eight people who (live)
______________ in the annexe and (send)____________ them to a concentration camp.
i. ____ A break-in (take)____________ place at the house but the secret annexe was not
discovered.
j. ____ Anne (continue)_________ writing in her diary. She (write) ___________ about the
Jewish experience of suffering, their lack of food and her feelings about growing up.
Romeo and Juliet

3) Write a summary (180-200). Include an introduction,
development and conclusion. You can add more ideas.
a. _____ The Prince of Verona ___________ (banish)

Romeo to punish him and Romeo and Juliet
___________ (meet) that night in secret.
b. _____ When the Capulets and the Montagues ___________ (see)
them dead, they ___________ (put) aside their hate and ___________
(become) friends.
c. _____ Romeo ___________ (receive) only the news of Juliet’s death
and ___________ (go) to the Capulets’ vault where he ___________
(meet) and ___________ (kill) Paris and then ___________ (kill)
himself with a powerful poison.
d. _____ Romeo _____________ (not want) to fight with any Capulets but
he ___________ (argue)with Tybalt and ___________ (kill) him.
e. _____ Tybalt, Juliet’s cousin, ___________ (kill) Romeo’s friend,
Mercutio, in a fight in the town square and Romeo
______________________ (can not stop) him.
f. _____ Lord Capulet, Juliet’s father, ___________ (tell) Juliet to marry
Paris, so Juliet ___________ (go) to see the Friar to help her escape
and be with Romeo.
g. _____ Juliet ___________ (take) Friar Laurence’s medicine and
___________ (look) as if she were dead, meanwhile the Friar
___________ (send) a messenger to Romeo explaining Juliet’s plan.
h. __1__ Romeo and Benvolio ___________ (go) to the Capulets’ party
uninvited and there, Romeo ___________ (meet) Juliet, they
_____________ (fall) in love at first sight and ___________ (agree) to
get married knowing that their families are enemies.
i. _____ Juliet ___________ (wake up) and when she ___________
(see) Romeo dead, she ___________ (kill) herself with his knife.
j. _____ Friar Laurence ___________ (marry) Romeo and Juliet and her
nurse ___________ (help) them to hide.
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MANIAC MONDAY - BANGLES - 1986

A. Pre-listening
1. Complete the following sentences about you.
-I feel ……………………..on Mondays because
……………………………
-On Mondays, I
…………………………………………………………………………… (routine).
-My favourite day of the week is ………………………………………because
…………………………………………………………………………………………………
2. Read the first stanza and the chorus and choose the correct determiner. In some cases,
you may have no determiner.
3. Read the second stanza and complete the blanks with the correct determiner where
appropriate. In some cases, you may have no determiner.
Six o'clock already

I was just in the/a middle of a/the dream
I was kissin' Valentino
By a/the crystal blue Italian stream C. Post Listening
But I can't be late
'Cause then I guess I just won't get paid 1. Read the song and find words in the text that
These are the/a days mean:
When you wish your bed was already made
-give food: …………………………………
CHORUS:
It's just another manic Monday -choose: ……………………………………
I wish it was a/zero Sunday
'Cause that's my fun day -wonder: ……………………………………
My I don't have to the/zero run day
It's just another manic Monday -small river: …………………………………
Have to catch ………………… early train -frenzied: ……………………………………

Have to be to work by nine
And if I had ………………….. air-o-plane -to have a job: ………………………………
I still couldn't make it on time
'Cause it takes me so long
Just to figure out what I'm gonna wear
Blame it on ………………………. train 2. Read the song and answer the questions.
But ……………………………. boss is already there
B. While-listening
1. Now listen to the song and check exercises 2 and 3. -What is the singer’s routine on Monday?
CHORUS -What’s her favourite day? Why?

2. Listen to the third stanza and complete the blanks with the correct word.
All of the ___________________ -Why can’t she be late for work? Why?
Why did my _________________ have to pick down nights
last night to get _______________ -What was she dreaming about?
Doesn't it _______________ feed
That I have to _______________ the both of us
Employment's down lover bedroom
He tells me in his _________________ voice Prof. Ma. Adela García Álvarez
C'mon honey, let's go make some __________________
fun
________________ it goes so fast Prof. José Andrés Sobrino
When you're having ________________ time matter
noise
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Warning Sign - Coldplay

BEFORE LISTENING
1. Write down the names of four famous people who sing love songs.
2. Answer the following questions.

a. Do you like love songs?
b. What love songs do you like?
3. Match each word with the corresponding definition.

a. crawl 1. to break/explode
b. haunt 2. something that suggests that a good or bad thing will happen in the future
c. burst 3. to walk on your hands and knees or with you body close to the ground
d. warning sign 4. to continue to cause problems for a person
WHILE LISTENING
1. Listen to the song and write a tick or a cross next to the words that the singer mentions.
truth girl discover island love people bubble tired excuses life
2.Listen to the first stanza and complete the gaps with the following verbs in the Past Simple: start(x3)
miss(1) realize(2) pass(1) be(2)
I …………… the good part and I ……………… 2. Complete a part of Coldplay’s history with the
I ………….... looking and the bubble burst
I …………... looking for excuses verbs in the Past Simple.
Come on in, I’ve got to tell you what a state I’m in
I’ve got to tell you in my loudest tones
That I ……….…. looking for a warning sign
When the truth is
The group is composed of four young men who
I miss you
Yeah the truth is …………(form) a band because they ………….(want) to
That I miss you so
A warning sign write great songs to make music with real honesty and
You came back to haunt me and I …………….. passion. 'We …………(try) to show that there is an
That you ………….…. an island and I …………….. you by
When you ……..…. an island to discover alternative in music, that is, we ………..(want) to be a
reaction to soulless rubbish. But not all of us
3. Listen to the second stanza and put the lines in the correct
order. ………..(be) ready for this alternative.' ..........(say) the
__And I’m tired
__Come on in, I’ve got to tell you what a state I’m in singer of the band. Coldplay’s debut album
__That I started looking for a warning sign ……………(be) ‘Parachutes’. It …………(be) a collection of
__When the truth is
__I’ve got to tell you in my loudest tones soulful, utterly beautiful songs. Almost overnight, the
__Yeah the truth is
band …………(move) from playing in small pubs to
__I miss you
__I should not have let you go giving important concerts. They ............(meet) in
__That I miss you so
London, when they ………….(be) students at University
4. Listen to the last stanza and complete the gaps with these College London and quickly ...............(become) friends.
words: crawl (x4) yes(2) and(1) so(1) arms(4)
All of them …………..(share) a passion for music. From
…… I ………. back into your open ………
………I ………. back into your open ……… the start, they …………..(rehearse) almost every night.
………I ……….. back into your open …….. They …………(play) in bathrooms, the basement, even
………I ……….. back into your open ………
in the parks.
AFTER LISTENING
1. Read these sentences about the song and write true, false, or don’t know. (Prof. José Andrés Sobrino)
a. The singer and the girl are together now. b. She remembers him.
c. He wants to be with her. d. She loves another man. e. They weren’t a couple
before.
90
REVOLUTION
A. Pre-listening:
1. Complete the mind map with words related to the title of the song.
REVOLUTION
B. Pre and while-listening:
1. Match the beginnings to the endings. Then, listen and check.
You say ___________________________ - to change the world

Well you know
We all want ________________________ - to change the world
You tell ___________________________
Well you know - you want a revolution
We all want ________________________
But when you talk ____________________ - you can count me out
Don’t you know ______________________
Don’t you know it’s gonna be alright, alright, alright. - me that it’s evolution
- about destruction
2. Order the words in each line. Then listen and check.
A / real / you / got / contribution / say / you

_______________________________________________
Know / you / well
_______________________________________________
See / love / plan / we / to / the / don’t
_______________________________________________
Solution / me / ask / for / a / you
_______________________________________________
You / well / know
_______________________________________________
What / can / we / we’re / doing
_______________________________________________
Minds / hate / if / people / want / you / with / that / but/ for / money
_______________________________________________
Brother / you / tell / I / have / all / to / wait / can / is / you
_______________________________________________
know it’s gonna be Don’t you all right, all right, all right.
_______________________________________________
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3. Choose the correct word. Then listen and check.
You say you’ll change the evolution/constitution

Well you no/know
We all want to change your head/hair
You tell me it’s the institution/contribution
Well you know/no
You better free/leave your mind instead
You ain’t going to fake/make it with anyone anyhow
Don’t you know it’s gonna be all right, all right, all right.
C. Post-listening:
1. Did any of the words in the mind map appear in the song? Which one(s)?
___________________________________________________________________
____________
2. Read the song again and say who the pronouns refer to:
You (line 1) ____________________ We (line 16) ____________________
Me (line 24) ____________________ I (line 18) ______________________
3. Ask questions for these answers:
a. ___________________________________________________ ?
To change the world
b. ___________________________________________________ ?
What we can
c. ___________________________________________________ ?
The Constitution
d. ___________________________________________________ ?
A solution
e. ___________________________________________________ ?
It’s evolution
4. Say if the sentences are True or False:

a. ____ The singer wants to change the world by destroying it.
b. ____ The singer doesn’t want people to be influenced by political ideas.
c. ____ The singer is in favour of supporting Chairman Mao
5. Let’s reflect upon the song:
1. What type of revolution does the singer propose?

___________________________________________________________________
_______________
2. Why does he say that everything is going to be all right?
___________________________________________________________________
_______________
This was the first overtly political Beatles song. It was John Lennon's response to the
Vietnam War. John's song "Revolution" on the Beatles' White Album is a reflection of
such discussions. It famously says that "you can count me out," but this is a comment on
tactics--specifically, the role of violence in the struggle.
www.songfacts.com
Prof. José Andrés Sobrino
Prof. María Adela García Álvarez
92
Someone like you - Adele

1. Fill in the blanks with the Simple Past of one of the verbs
below. There is an extra verb.
5. Correct the wrong words.
2. Listen to the song and order the statements.
You know how the bird flies,
GIVE – COME – SLEEP - NOT GIVE
Only yesterday was the best of our lives,
HEAR (X2) - FIND
We were born and raised in a winter haze,
____I ……….…….… that your dreams …………..……. true,
Bound by the surprise of our glory life,
____That you …………..….. a girl and you're married now,
I love to turn up out of the blue uninvited,
____Ain't like you to hold back or hide from the light,
But I couldn't stay away, I couldn't help it,
____I …………………. that you're settled down,
I had hoped you'd see my heart,
____Old friend, why are you so shy?
And that you'd be reminded that for you it isn't over,
____Guess she …………………you things I …………………..to you,
3. Match the two halves.

(CHORUS)
1. I hate to turn up __that for me it isn't over,
2. But I couldn't stay away, __you'd see my face, 6. Circle the correct option
3. I had hoped __I couldn't fight it,
4. And that you'd be reminded __out of the blue uninvited,
Nobody dares/Nothing compares,
4. Listen and fill in the gap with the missing word. No dreams/worries or cares/nightmares,
CHORUS: Regrets/quarrels and mistakes, they're memories

made/grey,
Never mind, I'll ……………… someone like you,
7. READING COMPREHENSION
Who would have known/thought how bittersweet this
I wish ………………… but the best for you, too,
would be/taste?
Don't ……………………me, I beg,
A) Read the song and discuss:
I ……………………….you said,
CHORUS (x2)
1. Do you like the song? Why?
"…………………….. it lasts in love,
2. How does the girl feel? Why? Sometimes it lasts in love,
3. Is she singing
But sometimes it …………………. instead,"to someone in particular? Who? Justify
But sometimes it hurts instead.
…………………… lasts in love, ……………………………………………………………………………………………….

B) Find the phrases that correspond to the following descriptions:
1. When you
But sometimes it …………………. achieve your objectives: ……………………………………………………
instead
2. Timid, reserved ………………………………………………..
3. Suddenly, all of a sudden ………………………………………..
4. To arrive at a place unexpectedly …………………………………………..
5. Do not care or pay attention! …………………………………….
6. Not to remember someone/ something……………………………………….
7. Time goes by very quickly …………………………………………
8. To be educated by a family ………………………………………….
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C) In groups, discuss:
a. Do you think the singer’s referring to an ex-boyfriend? Why?
D) Read the prompt below adapted from the song and write a 200-word composition.
“I heard he has finally settled down and that he is married now. Apparently, he
has found the right girl to marry. I met X…”
Famous as :
Soul/Jazz singer
Birth Name :
Adele Laurie Blue Adkins
Birth Date :
May 05, 1988
Birth Place :
Tottenham, London, UK
Adele has broken through the music industry at a relatively young age, particularly
owing it to her distinctive voice. She was born Adele Laurie Blue Adkins on May 5, 1988
in Enfield, North London. She came from a non-musical family but a very supportive one.
Adele said that her mother used to set up a stage show for her in their own home with
Adele being the performer and her mother's friends being the audience.
"As soon as I got a microphone in my hand, when I was about 14, I realized I wanted to
do this," she later on recalled. "Most people don't like the way their voice sounds when
it's recorded. I was just so excited by the whole thing that I wasn't bothered what it
sounded like."
Adele released her debut album, "19", in U.K. in January 2008. In 2009, she was
nominated for four Grammys and won two of them; Best New Artist and Best Female
Pop Vocal Performance. Two years later, she dropped a second album "21" on January
19 in the U.K. "I'm very excited, nervous, eager, anxious but chuffed to announce my
new album!” she said.
E) True or False?
1. European singer Adele played the singer when she was a child.______
2. She realized she wanted to be a singer at the age of 14._____
3. She did not like the way her voice sounded when it was recorded._____
4. By 2009, two of her albums had been released._______
5. She received four Grammy awards._______
F) In pairs, think of seven questions to interview Adele.
G) Role-play: take turns to be student “A” or “B”
Student A: you are Adele. Answer the interviewer’s questions.

Student B: Interview Adele.
PROJECT
1. Choose a song you like.
2. Write two paragraphs on the reasons why you have chosen the song.
3. Describe four things you have learnt from it.
4. Study some information about the singer (or one of the singers in case it’s a
band) and get ready to present it to the class and answer some questions.
Prof. Carla Valls
94
Ready 2 Go
by Martin Solveig
1) Listen and put the following lines in order.
_And I know
_I'm ready to go
_I turn it on, I set the tone
_And I knew you were ready to go
_Tonight, I'm a different guy
_I can see you coming whole
_Forget about the things you know
_And if you wanna do it, we can do it right
_I saw you waking up against the wall
2) Listen and complete with the following words:
time – something - you – ready – go out - change -yes – go – no – show
Cause I'm ……………….. to go

Is that a ………………… or …………………?
Cause I'm ready to …………………
I'm ready to go
If …………………. say so (4x)
Tell me………………, we're out of ……………….
……………. me this is it, don't ……………. your mind
(low, ………………, say...)
95
Killing me softly with his song

Roberta Flack
BEFORE LISTENING
1) How do you say this in English?
1 2 3 4 5
2) Match each word with the corresponding definition.
a. despair (noun) 1. The feeling you have when a part of your body hurts.
b. strum (verb) 2. One of the four long parts on your hand.
c. finger (noun) 3. To move something up and down.
d. pain (noun) 4. A feeling that you have no hope for the future.
WHILE LISTENING
1) Listen to the first stanza and complete the blanks with the correct word.
CHORUS:
Strumming my 1___________with his 2___________, song – fingers – life –

Singing my life with his 3______________, softly – words –
Killing me 4__________ with his song, killing - pain
5____________ me softly with his song,
Telling my whole 6__________ with his words,
Killing me softly with his 7_______________ …
2) Listen to the second stanza and match the lines.
a. I heard he sang a good song, 1. to listen for a while.

b. And so I came to see him 2. a stranger to my eyes.
c. And there he was this young boy, 3. I heard he had a style.
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CHORUS
3) Listen to the song and unscramble the words in bold.

I ftle _________ all flushed with fever
Embarassed by the dworc __________
I felt he found my lttesre ____________
And rdae __________each one out loud
I praedy that he would hfiins___________
But he jstu__________ kept right on
4) The underlined words are in the wrong place. Listen and put them in the correct place.
He sang as if he kept ________me
In all my clear ________despair
And then he looked right there ________me
As if I wasn't through __________
And he just knew _________on singing
Singing dark __________ and strong
CHORUS
AFTER LISTENING
1) Read Roberta Flack´s biography and put the verbs in the correct tense.
Roberta Flack _________(be) born on February 10, 1973 in the USA. Her father __________
(encourage) her to begin playing the piano at a young age. She __________ (win) a scholarship to
Howard University, and she ___________ (study) there for some time. Roberta ________ (teach)
music for some years and after that, she ___________ (begin) singing in local clubs. She soon
___________(become) very famous. Her first two albums ___________ (be) “First Take” and “Chapter
Two”. In 1972, Roberta Flack ____________ (start) working with vocalist Donny Hathaway. They
___________ (produce) number 1 hits such as “Where is love” (1972) and “Killing me softly with his
song” (1973). Tragically, Donny Hathaway ___________ (commit) suicide in 1979. Next, she
____________ (record) some songs such as “Tonight I celebrate my love”. In 1991, Robeta Flack
___________(have) another Top-10 single with “Set the night to music”. She also __________(give)
some live performances with the Fugees.
Prof. José Andrés Sobrino
97
Tests from Life_Elementary
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INTRODUCCIÓN a la LENGUA INGLESA
MÓDULO de GRAMÁTICA
INGLESA
Mgtr. María Fernanda Casares
Prof. María Teresa Araya
Prof. María del Rosario Tartaglia
Prof. María Candela Contreras
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A) THE IMMEDIATE CONSTITUENTS OF A SENTENCE:

SUBJECT and PREDICATE
A sentence is an independent structure; it is not part of a larger unit. The minimal

structure of a sentence is made up of two main parts or constituents:
 The subject: It denotes the most important participant in the event

described by the verb and it represents what the sentence is about.
 The predicate: It generally contains a verb which describes an event.
(1) SUBJECT [My children] PREDICATE [have studied English].
The subject of the sentence precedes the verb and it agrees in number and person
with it. It is obligatory and explicit in finite sentences in English. Compare:
(2) Peter is sleeping. *Is sleeping.
‘Pedro está durmiendo’. ‘Está durmiendo’.
(3) It is raining. *Is raining.
‘Está lloviendo’.
The subject in (3) is realized by an expletive pronoun which has no meaning.

Even though this pronoun is semantically empty, it is an obligatory constituent in
this type of sentences in English, because it must fulfil a syntactic function:
subject.
What follows the subject is what is said about it. The structure that follows the
subject is the predicate. The predicate contains a verb – as in (4) - or verbal group
– as in (5) and (6). This verb or verbal group may appear alone or be followed by
other phrases.
(4) Mary goes to her office by bus every Monday.
(5) Paul is working.
(6) Paul has studied English for ten years.
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B) GRAMMATICAL CATEGORIES – WORD CLASSES
Words can be grouped according to the characteristics they have in common into
the following classes:
CATEGORY MAIN CHARACTERISTICS EXAMPLES
NOUNS They inflect for number: singular and plural. cat, dog, house
PRONOUNS They replace nominal structures. she, him, nobody
DETERMINERS They precede and specify nouns. the, this, my
QUANTIFIERS They precede and quantify nouns. many, two, first, each
They modify nouns or they can be placed after happy, short,

ADJECTIVES link verbs. important
ADVERBS They modify verbs or sentences. quickly, immediately
They appear on their own in the study, live, smell,

Full
predicate. write, know
They precede other verbs. They

can’t appear on their own. They be, have, do
Auxiliaries are used to form questions and
VERBS
negative sentences.
They express modality: ability, must, can, should,

Modals obligation, suggestion, etc. They will
precede other verbs.
They relate entities. They typically take a NP

PREPOSITIONS in, on, under, with
complement.
Table 1: Typical characteristics of word classes
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1. NOUNS
Nouns may be preceded by determiners (i-ii) and quantifiers (iii-iv). These words
specify the nouns they precede.
i. the cat ii. that boy
iii. some flowers iv. three students
Nouns can also be preceded by adjectives, for example difficult, strong,

abdominal. Adjectives qualify or classify the nouns they precede (v-vi).
v. beautiful girls vi. financial help
Grammatical Properties of Nouns: Number

Most nouns inflect for number, they have the grammatical property of forming
the plural by the addition of the suffix “–s”: cat  cats. These nouns are regular
nouns. However there is a group of nouns which do not take “-s” to form the
plural. There is a change in the form of the word: mouse-mice, tooth-teeth, louse-
lice child-children. These nouns are called irregular nouns. Some nouns have the
same form for the singular and for the plural: sheep, fish. These nouns are called
invariable nouns.
RULE SINGULAR PLURAL

N  -s table tables
boy boys
N ending in ch, sh, s, ss or o  -es church churches
brush brushes
bus buses
class classes
tomato tomatoes
N ending in y (preceded by a consonant)  -ies party parties
family families
N ending in f /fe  -ves knife knives
leaf leaves
life lives
Internal vowel change mouse mice
tooth teeth
woman women
A different word person people
child children
Invariable sheep sheep
fish fish
Table 2 – Rules to form Plural Nouns
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2. DETERMINERS
Determiners precede and specify nouns. Words like the, my, this, a/an, belong to
this group. Some examples include: the book, my dictionary, this article, his
pencil.
In some grammars, especially older school grammars, words such as my and this
in phrases like my family and this dictionary are called adjectives because they
are placed in front of nouns. However, it is easy to show that this is wrong.
Adjectives can be placed one after the other, as in: I have an old fat brown dog,
but this is impossible with determiners: *this my book.
What’s more, determiners have no comparative or superlative forms (*this-er /
*this-est, *my-er / *my-est) and cannot be preceded by a degree adverb (*very
the / *very a). The conclusion we are led to is that this and my belong to a
separate word class called determiners.
3. QUANTIFIERS
We use quantifiers to indicate the quantity of something. Words such as some,

any, another, other, all, both, either, each, every, etc. belong to this class. The
traditional cardinals one, two, three, and ordinals such as first, second, third,
next, last also belong to this class. Like determiners, quantifiers may also precede
nouns.
Quantifiers and the number of the noun they follow
Some quantifiers are followed by nouns in the singular:

another: It is used to talk about an additional person or thing.
Do you want another cup of coffee?
each: It is used to talk about the members of a group as individuals.
Each essay must have its title.
either: It is used to talk about two things, but usually indicates that only one of
the two is involved.
You can use either chair.
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every: It is used to express a general statement about the members of a group.

Every boy in the club should bring sport clothes.
much: It is used with uncountable nouns.
Do you drink much coffee?
Some quantifiers are followed by nouns in the plural:
all: It includes every person or thing of a particular kind.
All students must sit for the written assignment.
both: It is used to say something about two people or things.
I need both suitcases.
many: It is used to refer to more than one entity. It is used with countable nouns.
She has many friends.
other: It is used to refer to something not already named or implied.
You can buy other books.
Some quantifiers are followed by either nouns in the plural or uncountable

nouns:
any: It refers to the quantity of something which may or may not exist.
There aren’t any tomatoes. Is there any sugar in that cup?
no: It indicates that there is a lack of something.
I have no money. There are no chairs in the classroom.
some: It indicates that there are a number of things or people.
some books, some students or a quantity of something: some rice,
some cheese.
SINGULAR OR PLURAL?
+sing noun +pl noun +pl or uncount

noun
QUANTIFIER
another all any
each both no
either many some
every other much (+uncount N)
Table 3 – Combination of Quantifiers and Nouns
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4. PRONOUNS
The bracketed nominal structures in (7) can be replaced by pronouns as shown in

(8):
(7) [The teacher] told [the students] that [her husband] had bought [a new car].
(8) She told them that he had bought it.
Pronouns appear on their own, i.e. they do not precede nouns (Cf. determiners).
They belong to a fixed set made up of a finite number of members.
Types of Pronouns
a. Personal pronouns refer to the first, second and third person in the discourse,
singular or plural. They can occupy two positions: subject and object (after a verb
or after a preposition). According to the place they occupy in the sentence,
personal pronouns are subclassified into:
i. Subjective pronouns occupy the subject position.
I study Linguistics. I 1st person singular
You are making a great effort. you  2nd pers sing or pl
He / She / It doesn’t like milk. he/she/it  3rd pers sing
We are preparing a party. we  1st person plural
They will go to London next month. they  3rd person plural
ii. Objective pronouns are placed after a verb or after a preposition.
Why is she looking at me? me 1st person singular
He will give you the book I recommend. you  2nd pers sing or pl
I have bought a new cup for him / her / it. him/her/it  3rd per sing
They are waiting for us. us  1st person plural
You have to put them on that desk. them  3rd person plural
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b. Possessive pronouns indicate possession.

This book is mine / yours / hers / his / ours / theirs.
c. Demonstrative pronouns are used to point out a person or a thing.

Look at that!
Listen to this.
These are my books.
Please, give me those.
d. Reflexive pronouns are used when the subject and the object of the action are
the same.
I hurt myself.
She saw herself in the mirror.
We enjoyed ourselves very much.
e. Interrogative pronouns introduce a question.
Who’s knocking at the door?
Where are you going?
When are you coming?
g. Indefinite pronouns are used when the person or thing referred to is not
defined: every, some, any, no, + body, one, thing:
Somebody is knocking at the door.
She likes nobody.
Is there anything in the fridge?
Everything was understood.
I don’t know anyone in this city.
Everyone heard the fight.
i. the expletive pronouns “It” and “There”: When the pronoun it is used to make a
statement about the weather or time, it has no meaning. This pronoun is the
subject of the sentence as this position cannot be left empty in English.
It’s raining. It’s Monday. It’s two o’clock.
The pronoun there is used to show that someone or something exists.
There’s someone at the door. There are three books on this shelf.
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5. ADJECTIVES
Adjectives precede and modify nouns: a beautiful girl, short answers, a hopeless
situation, an old car, etc. They are invariable, i.e. they do not inflect for plural.
A tall boy Tall boys

singular N plural N
Adjectives are used to describe nouns, they give information about qualities or
classes/types of these nouns, and they answer the question “What is it like?”
(¿Cómo es algo?).
Adjectives typically occupy two positions in English: they precede nouns or

they follow link verbs (such as ‘be’).
(9) He had rich parents. (attributive adjective)
(10) Martin Parkmen is rich. (predicative adjective)

link verb + predicative adjective
Adjectives which describe a quality have comparative and superlative forms, e.g.
darker, darkest. The comparative form of an adjective indicates a greater extent
to which the normal form of the adjective applies, while the superlative form
indicates the maximal extent, e.g. big–bigger–biggest. The forms good–better–
best and bad – worse – worst are exceptional.
Some adjectives form comparatives and superlatives analytically. This means that
there is no single word-form for the comparative and superlative. Instead, the
words more/less and most/least are used. The general rule is that adjectives with
two or more syllables take analytical comparative and superlative forms:
beautiful, eager, hopeless, interesting, practical, etc.
(11) Some books are more interesting than others.
(12) Those grammar exercises are the most difficult ones.
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The Order of Adjectives

Adjectives which describe a quality precede those which describe a class:
soft classical music

QUALITY TYPE
a new round table

QUALITY TYPE
6. VERBS
A verb is a word which refers to an action or a state.
(13) Susan works in a supermarket.  action

(14) The students know the answer.  mental state
Verb forms
A full verb may appear in different forms. The following chart illustrates that:
INFINITIVE BARE PAST PRESENT PAST

INFINITIVE PARTICIPLE
with TO PARTICIPLE
(after (in progressive
modals) tenses) (in perfect
tenses)
study to study study Studied Studying studied

(reg)
see to see see Saw Seeing seen

(irreg)
Table 4: verb forms
Verbs can be classified into: auxiliaries, modals and main.

a. Auxiliaries
There are three auxiliary verbs in English: be, do and have. These are used to
form verb tenses (continuous/progressive and perfect) questions and negative
sentences or to express emphasis. Auxiliary verbs can never appear alone in a
sentence, that is, without a main verb. They always precede another verb.
Auxiliaries carry grammatical information about number, person and tense.
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For example, in Peter is working, the auxiliary is carries information about

number: singular, person: third and tense: present. Auxiliary verbs can also be
negated and inverted to form questions.
CHARACTERISTICS OF AUXILIARY VERBS
1. They precede another verb. Paul is working.
2. They carry grammatical information Paul is working. is singular, third

(number, person and tense). person, present
3. They can be negated. Paul is not / isn’t working.
4. They can be inverted (precede the Is Paul working?

subject) to form questions.
Table 5 - Auxiliaries
BE (am, is, are, was or were)

This auxiliary is used to form continuous tenses and passive structures. The verb
they combine with may be in the –ing form for continuous tenses or in the past
participle form for passive structures.
(15) I am talking to you.  am: 1st person, singular, present + -ing form
(16) The letter was written.  was: 3rd person, singular, past + -en form
HAVE (has or had)

This auxiliary is used to form perfect tenses. The verb they combine with is
always in the past participle form.
(17) Paul has finished his homework.  3rd person, singular, present
(18) I had already written the composition.  1st person, singular, past
DO (does or did)
This auxiliary is used to form negative sentences, questions and emphatic
statements. The main verb they combine with is always in the base form. The
auxiliary do precedes the negative particle:
(19) I don’t study.  1st person, singular, present
(20) He doesn’t study.  3rd person, singular, present
(21) We didn’t study.  1st person, plural, past
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It also precedes the subject in questions:
(22) Do you study?  2nd person, singular/plural, present

(23) Does she study?  3rd person, singular, present
(24) Did they study?  3rd person, plural, past
It precedes the main verb in emphatic structures and the main verb is in the base
form:
(25) A: I didn’t offer you chocolate because I thought you didn’t like it.
B: But I do like chocolate.  1st person, singular, present
(26) A: You didn’t come to the party.
B: I did come but nobody answered the door!  1st person, singular, past
The auxiliaries be and have are used to form tenses. They can be combined to
form compound tenses as well. The following chart illustrates continuous and
perfect tenses:
Present continuous I am studying English now.

He is studying English now.
They are studying English now.
Past continuous I was studying English at that moment.
They were studying English at that moment.
Present perfect I have studied English for three years.
He has studied English for three years.
Past perfect I had studied English for three years.

Present perfect continuous I have been studying English for three years.
Past perfect continuous I had been studying for three years.
Table 5 – Auxiliaries BE and HAVE alone – Auxiliaries BE and HAVE combined
Be, have and do are used as auxiliary verbs when they precede another verb and
help to form verb tenses. But they are main verbs when they appear alone. See
the table below:
AUXILIARY MAIN
BE He is studying. He is a student. (link)
DO Does he study? He does his homework every day. (transitive)
HAVE Have you seen him? He has your folder. (transitive)
Table 6: BE, DO and HAVE as auxiliaries or main verbs
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b. Modals
Modal verbs precede main verbs in the base form. They are used to express
modality: ability, permission, requests, advice, suggestions, necessity, choice,
regret and deduction among others. They can be negated and precede the subject
in questions. They are invariable: *cans, *canned, *canning. Modals cannot
combine: *I will can go. This group includes: can, could, shall, should, must, will,
would, may, might and must.
(27) He can play the guitar. (ability)
(28) You mustn’t drive without the safety belt on. (prohibition)
(29) Would you open the window, please? (request)
Combination of modals and auxiliaries
When both auxiliaries and modals precede main verbs, the order is fixed: modal
+ auxiliary + main verb
COMBINATIONS EXAMPLES
Modal + Aux + Verb English can be taught.

Modal + Aux + Aux + Verb English must have been taught there.
Table 7: Combinations of auxiliaries and modals
c. Main Verbs
Main verbs appear on their own or combined with auxiliaries and modals. Link
Verbs join the subject and the predicate. They are also considered main verbs
because they appear alone. The typical link verb is the verb to be (when it is
alone, not preceding another verb): He is a good student. She seems sad. They
appear angry. We were at school last night.
1. Intransitive Verbs
They select only one participant which functions as the subject of the sentence, as
shown in the examples in (30). They do not select complements (objects).
(30) SUBJECT [John] is laughing.

SUBJECT [The famous writer] died in 1987.
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SUBJECT [The little baby] is crying because he is hungry.

SUBJECT [The rice] is cooking.
Yesterday SUBJECT [an abandoned car] appeared near our school.
SUBJECT [My dog] barks all the time.
SUBJECT [The butter] has frozen.
SUBJECT [John, my brother] is working in Neuquén for an important firm.
Suddenly, SUBJECT [the door] opened.
2. Transitive Verbs
Most transitive verbs select two participants, as shown in the examples in (31). The
first participant initiates the event which functions as the subject and the second
participant receives the action and functions as the complement. The complement
of transitive verbs is called Direct Object (DO).
(31) Mary is painting DO[her bedroom].

The rain destroyed DO[the crops].
Meg loves DO[her husband].
You can draw DO[a picture of your family].
The snow blocked DO[the roads].
The children know DO[the rules of the game].
The complement of transitive verbs is typically realised by a nominal structure (a

Noun Phrase) or by a clause:
(32) +NP  She wanted [some help].

The children enjoyed [the party].
(33) +Clause  She wanted [to buy a book on grammar].
He said [that his father was coming tomorrow].
Ditransitive verbs
Some transitive verbs take two complements: the Direct Object (DO) and the
Indirect Object (IO). While the DO answers the question What, the IO answers the
question Who(m)? When the Indirect Object follows the Direct Object, it is
realised by a Prepositional Phrase.
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(34) He gave DO[the car] IO[to Peter].

Paul bought DO[a present] IO[for Jack].
When the Indirect Object precedes the Direct Object, the preposition is omitted.
(35) He handed IO[David] DO[a sheet of paper].

He had lent IO[him] DO[the money].
That man promised IO[my husband] DO[a job].
He gave IO[me] DO[his summary].
Transitive Prepositional verbs

Some verbs take an obligatory prepositional phrase as complement.
(36) Look [at the blackboard].

My family believes [in God].
Mary is waiting [for her friends].
Peter is listening [to the radio].
You can rely [on your friends].
3. Intransitive and Transitive Phrasal verbs
A phrasal verb is a verb which consists of two parts: the verb and an adverbial
particle (or intransitive preposition). An intransitive preposition is a preposition
that appears alone, without a complement.
By combining a verb and an adverbial particle, the meaning of the verb can be
extended or a new meaning -different from any that the verb has on its own- may
be created. For example, the meaning of eat up is to eat completely. The
adverbial particle up extends the initial meaning of eat. Furthermore, the
meaning of the phrasal verb ‘give up’ is not the combination of the meaning of
‘give’ plus the meaning of ‘up’. When ‘give’ and ‘up’ are combined to form the
phrasal verb give up the combination gives a new lexical unit: to abandon or quit.
Therefore, you cannot always guess the meaning of a phrasal verb from the
individual meanings of the verb and the adverbial particle or intransitive
preposition that combines with the verb.
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Intransitive Phrasal verb: verb + intransitive preposition
(37) The plane has taken [off].
Transitive Phrasal verb: verb + intransitive preposition + NP complement
(38) Paul turned [on] [the computer].

Please, take [off] [your shoes].
In these cases, the ones illustrated in (38), the NP complement and the
preposition are interchangeable. The following structures may be found:
(39) Paul turned [the computer] [on].

Please, take [your shoes] [off].
How to distinguish between prepositional and phrasal verbs?

(40) He is listening to the radio.
(41) He put on his coat.
Both structures (40) and (41) seem to be the same because they both have:
- a subject: He
- a verb: is listening /put
- a preposition following the verb: to / on
- a noun phrase following the preposition: the radio / his coat
But the verbs in those sentences belong to different types: listen to is a

prepositional verb and put on is a phrasal verb. Let’s discuss their differences:
Prepositional verbs are considered transitive verbs followed by a prepositional
complement. This prepositional phrase is made up of a preposition + a NP
complement as in: He is listening [to the radio]. In this example, the preposition
to takes a noun phrase complement, the radio. The preposition and its
complement make a unit and they are not interchangeable, i.e. we cannot say: *
He is listening the radio to.
On the other hand, phrasal verbs are followed by a prepositional phrase made up
of a preposition alone as in: The plane took [off]. Or by a preposition plus a noun
phrase as in: He put [his coat] [on]. This preposition and the noun phrase do not
form a unit. They are independent they are interchangeable: He put [his coat]
[on].
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ILI - ENGLISH GRAMMAR MODULE – TEXTS FOR PRACTICE
TEXT 1: HEALTHY SELF-IMAGES
ACTIVITY 1: Describe and classify the underlined Nouns.

ACTIVITY 2: Underline the Determiners used in the text. Then, classify them.
ACTIVITY 3: Classify the Pronouns in bold and italics.
ACTIVITY 4: Classify the Adjectives in bold type.
1The way you think about your own body is called your body image. If you have a
negative body image, it means you don’t like your body. If you don’t like your body, you
probably don’t like yourself. In this way, body image is connected to self-esteem. Self-
esteem is how much you value yourself. There are several ways to improve your body;
however, they don’t always result in higher self-esteem.
2Plastic surgery is one way of changing your body. In the past, people thought only
famous people had plastic surgery. But now, millions of people have plastic surgery
each year. Some people with a negative body image think plastic surgery can solve their
problems. In fact, people who have low self-esteem are often disappointed after plastic
surgery. They expect the surgery to change their body image, but many patients are still
not happy with their appearance. Sometimes, the real reason for a negative body image
is psychological, not physical. So plastic surgery alone cannot help them. They need
to learn to appreciate everything about themselves, not just their appearance.
3You can also try to improve your body through how and what you eat. A good diet
consists of eating the proper amounts of good foods. If you follow a good diet for a long
time, you can lose weight and feel better about yourself over time. Unfortunately, many
people are impatient. They have a negative body image, and they want to change their
body immediately. To lose weight, they stop eating for one or two days. This is called
crash dieting. It never works. They lose weight temporarily, but gain it back
immediately. Gaining the weight back makes people feel like they failed, which actually
lowers their self-esteem more. Proper dieting can help people improve their body image,
but crash dieting is usually not successful.
4A third way to change your body is through exercise. Exercise can change the shape of
your body. It can also make you feel more energetic and relieve your stress. These are
important because changing how you feel can change your body image, too. But too
many people go to a health club and then stop after a few days because exercise is
difficult. Their muscles hurt, and they do not see immediate results, so they give up.
They think they have failed, and this can lower their self-esteem. Exercise, like a proper
diet, can take a long time to have a noticeable effect. People who include regular
exercise in their daily life experience the benefits over a long time. Just a few days of
exercise cannot produce the desired effects.
5People with a negative body image might benefit from plastic surgery, diet or
exercise. However, these methods are most successful when people use them correctly.
Adapted from: Eric Prochaska (2005): Reading for the real world pp: 38, 39, 40. Compass Publishing
134
TEXT 2
ACTIVITY 1: Find examples of Nouns: proper and common; regular and irregular;
compound.
ACTIVITY 2: Provide questions for the underlined phrases.
1Itwas after midnight. Adam sat on the sofa in his tiny apartment. The room was dark,
except for the light from the television screen. The video he was watching was one he had
pieced together over the years. The Adventures of a Klan Bomber, he called it. It started
with a television news report from 1967 about the bombing of a Jewish church.
The Kramer bombing was next. People were seen running to the remains of Marvin’s
office, while the police tried to push them back. A cloud of dust and smoke hung over the
ruins. Voices shouted and the camera rocked as it captured the shocking scene.
2The video cut from the bombing scene to the front of the jail, where Sam Cayhall was
being led to a car. It was 1967, twenty-three years ago. Sam was forty-six years old. At
the time, Adam was a little boy, known as Alan Cayhall; soon after that, he was taken to a
distant state where he was given a new name. Now Adam pressed the pause button and
stared for the millionth time into the face of his grandfather.
3The video continued with more pictures of Sam outside various jails and courthouses.
One scene showed Marvin Kramer after the second trial. He was in his wheelchair on the
sidewalk outside the courthouse. He suddenly saw two Klansmen dressed in white and
began shouting at them. They made some cruel remark, and Marvin went crazy,
screaming and cursing. He spun the metal wheel of his chair, chasing after them, the
cameras recording it all.
4The wheelchair turned over, and Marvin fell out on to the grass, crying in an odd high-
pitched voice.
5When the video ended, Adam stared at the blank screen. Behind the sofa were three
large boxes which contained the rest of the stories, endless pages of notes on all three
trials; copies of all the documents relating to the case since the last trial; hundreds of
newspapers stories about Sam; notes from the law school. Adam knew more about his
grandfather than anyone alive. But he also knew that the man was a mystery to him.
Taken from: The Chamber, by John Grisham
TEXT 3
ACTIVITY 1: Classify the underlined words.
1Art told him that the investigation into the death of Carl Heine had led him, quite
naturally, to ask questions of Carl’s relatives. He’s gone to see Etta Heine, and from her
to Ole Jurgensen. After that, he felt he had to go and search Kabuo Miyamoto’s boat.
2To have the right to make such a search, Art Moran had gone to Judge Fielding. He had
gone to see him at the end of the afternoon and had persuaded him that he had good
reasons for seeing Miyamoto this way. Judge Fielding was not happy about him making
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the search – there was still no evidence that Carl Heine’s death was not an accident. And
he insisted that the sheriff should only search the boat.
3When Kabuo Miyamoto came to the waterside that evening, he saw thirty or forty
seagulls sitting on his boat. He started to get on, and they seemed to rise as one being, a
great white mass of wings beating above his head. They flew overhead five or six times in
a great circle that took in the entire port and settled on the sea.
4Kabuo’s heart worked hard in his chest –he had never seen anything like this before and
did not know whether it was a good or bad sign. He went down into the boat and opened
the battery cover. He slid his new battery into place and connected it. Finally he started
the engine.
5Sheriff Moran and his deputy arrived as Kabuo was preparing to leave the port. The
sheriff told him they had to search the boat. Kabuo had asked why and was told that they
had come because of the death of Carl Heine and that they were looking for a murder
weapon. Kabuo read the document that gave them authority and told them to go ahead –
he’d not killed Carl Heine and they were wasting their time.
Taken from Snow Falling on Cedars, by David Guterson
TEXT 4
ACTIVITY : GROUP WORK

Group 1: Find examples of Adjectives.
Group 2: Find examples of Pronouns.
Group 3: Find examples of Determiners and Quantifiers.
1Gradually the family began to settle down in the new home. The Crogheda lands were
enormous, and the nearest small town, Gillanbone, was forty miles away. Paddy and the
boys loved the life. They often spent days away from home, riding their horses and
sleeping under the stars.
2Although it was still early spring, the weather was hot. Then in the middle of January,
black rainclouds appeared. Paddy and the boys worked long hours, moving the sheep
away from the river onto higher ground. Father Ralph came to help. He rode a horse that
Mary Carson had given him, as he went with Frank and the dogs to move the sheep from
the banks of the river. Frank looked at the priest and envied him his beautiful horse and
his expensive clothes. Of all the boys, Frank was the least happy at Crogheda. He wanted
to leave and go to Sydney.
3On the evening of the second day, when Frank and Father Ralph had managed to move
all the sheep, the rains fell. Within minutes the ground was a sea of mud, and as they
approached the river, they had to get down from their horses. When they got to the river
the horses were able to cross but the men couldn’t; it was too deep and too fast. At last
Paddy came with a rope and pulled them across.
4Mary sat in her chair and wished that she was a younger woman. When at least the rain
stopped and Father Ralph returned to Gillanbone, he had a cheque for one thousand
pounds in his pocket. The bishop would be pleased with him.
Taken from The Thorn Birds, by Colleen McCullough
136
TEXT 5: ELIZABETH IN DERBYSHIRE
ACTIVITY: Classify the underlined verbs.
1The next morning, the Darcy’s carriage stopped outside the inn where Elizabeth and the
Gardiners were staying. Elizabeth saw their carriage from the window of the inn. She
blushed and looked very anxious. The Gardiners were surprised at her embarrassment.
Miss Darcy and her brother came in. Then Mr. Darcy introduced her sister to Elizabeth
and the Gardiners. Miss Darcy was tall. She had a pretty face and her manners were very
good. Georgiana Darcy was not proud but very shy and polite. Elizabeth was delighted.
2Darcy told Elizabeth that Bingley was also hoping to see her. In a few minutes, Bingley
arrived. He spoke to Elizabeth politely and kindly and asked about her family.
Bingley said to Elizabeth, “We last met on the 26th of November – no more than eight
months ago”. As the young people talked to each other, Mr. and Mrs. Gardiner watched
with great interest. They could see that Mr. Darcy admired Elizabeth. And they decided
that he was in love with her. They were not sure that Elizabeth was in love with him.
3Bingley told Elizabeth that he had many questions to ask about his friends in
Hertfordshire. He wanted to talk to Elizabeth about Jane! Before they left the inn, Mr.
Darcy invited Mr. and Mrs. Gardiner and Elizabeth to dinner at Pemberley.
4That night, Elizabeth lay awake for two hours. How did she feel about Mr. Darcy? She
did not hate him. She now believed he was a kind and intelligent man. It was clear that
Mr. Darcy wanted to please her. And he wanted her uncle and aunt to think well of him.
He must still love her!
Taken from: Pride and Prejudice, by Jane Austen (2005) Macmillan Readers, intermediate
TEXT 6
ACTIVITY 1: Provide examples of the different verb types.

ACTIVITY 2: Find examples of combination of auxiliaries.
1From the air, all that could be seen were two ordinary-looking wooden houses, set
among the rolling wheat fields. The security wire fences that surrounded the site were
hidden with hedges. But below, deep in the hills, were two tunnels with elevators leading
deep underground, caves connected by underground passages. One had a printing press,
another was full of weapons. There were living spaces. One was a library. The largest was
the central hall where members gathered for speeches, films and meetings.
2The newspapers that arrived each day were first read by a man named Roland Forchin.
He lived in his hiding secret place most of the time. If a story in one of the papers caught
his attention, he would mark it and later make a copy of it and give it to the computer
desk. Mostly he collected stories about right-wing groups similar to his.
137
3This particular morning was different. He first smelled trouble when he saw a picture of
Sam Cayhall in a San Francisco daily. The news was that the oldest man on death row in
America would now be represented by his grandson. Roland read it three times. After an
hour, he’d read the same story in several different papers.
4Roland had followed the case of Sam Cayhall for many years. It was the type of case that
interested his organization, but he had a more personal interest in the case. He wanted
Sam Cayhall dead. One of Roland’s other names, known only to himself, was Rollie
Wedge. He had left the United States in 1967, after the Kramer bombing, and since then
had lived in many different countries.
5He had been dreaming of Cayhall’s death for twenty-three years. He and Sam shared a
secret. When Sam was finally executed, Rolland would no longer have to fear that secret
would be ever be revealed. This kid worried him. Rolland hadn’t managed to trace Sam’s
son and his family. He knew about the daughter in Memphis, but the son had
disappeared. And now this nice-looking, well-educated young lawyer had arrived from
nowhere to save his grandfather. Over the years, Sam had refused to say anything. If he
was going to talk, it would be now.
6Roland would have to go to Memphis.
Taken from The Chamber, by John Grisham.
TEXT 7: TOWARDS THE MANTRA PASS
ACTIVITY 1: Identify subjects and Predicates in paragraphs 1, 6 and 7.

ACTIVITY 2: Reported Speech. Work with paragraphs 2, 3 and 5.
1The expedition left Khalid quickly and started to go up the mountain paths. The paths
were stony and it was not easy to walk on them. But there was no snow. Sometimes the
expedition met travelers on the road. They were coming from the north. Their tired
horses were carrying heavy goods. They were going to sell their goods in the markets of
Kabul.
2Professor Lugner talked to the travelers about the Toruk. “Have you seen the Toruk or
the Toruk’s claw marks?” the Professor asked them. The travelers talked quietly to each
other before they replied.
3“We have not seen the Toruk”, they said at last. But they told the Professor about men
who had been killed by the Toruk.
4Afterwards, Abdul talked to the travelers and asked them about their journey.
5“The weather has been very bad”, Abdul said to Larry. “The Manta Pass is full of snow. It
is very dangerous”.
6The expedition climbed higher up the mountain paths. Larry was very happy. He was in
the mountains. He had a job which he liked. Every day was different. Larry sometimes
thought about his job in England.
7After dinner, Larry went to his tent. He got out his notebook and wrote the date at the
top of the page. Then he wrote down what had happened that day.
Adapted from: Claws, by John Landon (2005). Macmillan Readers, elementary.
138
TEXT 8: WHAT’S IN YOUR BOTTLED WATER?
ACTIVITY 1: Identify transitive verbs.

ACTIVITY 2: Describe the underlined verbs.
ACTIVITY 3: Classify the words in bold type.
1Why do people drink bottled water? Most people say they drink bottled water
because it is healthy. But is it really? Bottled water is marketed as a pure product, but
that is not always what you find in the bottle.
2In North America, about 40 percent of all bottled water comes from city water
supplies. Sometimes, the bottled water receives treatment to clean it, but some of this
water is not actually purified because it does not receive treatment! In North America,
they don’t have laws requiring companies to clean the bottled water they sell. A
company can fill all the bottles with the same water that we use in our sinks and
showers at home, and sell it to us at a higher price!
3Bottled water is labeled in three different ways. The first kind, “spring water”, really
comes from a natural spring. The second class is “mineral water.” This only indicates
that the water contains some minerals. It does not mean that the water is purified or
that it comes from a natural source. Finally, there is “purified water.” This kind is water
that has been cleaned in some way. However, consumers cannot know where the water
came from only by this name.
4So, when you pick up a bottle of refreshing water, do you really know what you are
drinking?
Adapted from: Eric Prochaska 2005. Reading for the real world- Intro.Compass Publishing. Unit 5:
Enviromental issues 2, pp. 84
TEXT 9
ACTIVITY: Provide the corresponding questions for the underlined phrases.
At 6:15 soft classical music wakes me up. For five minutes I stretch and touch my toes.
Then I meditate in a quiet garden beside my large bedroom. After a hot shower I put on
my jeans and a silk shirt. Next, I have fresh orange juice and hot tea with my husband
and son. After this delicious breakfast I jump into my car and go to school. In class I
never feel shy when I speak English. After school I do my homework. In the evening I am
with my lovely family. We go to bed late because we need only four hours of sleep.
139
TEXT 10: BELLE
ACTIVITY 1: Identify Subjects and Predicates.

ACTIVITY 2: Identify Link verbs and classify the complements that follow them.
1Scrooge and the Ghost were in another room. It was not very large but it was very
comfortable. A beautiful young girl sat by the fire. She looked like Belle and Scrooge
thought it was Belle. Then he saw Belle. She was now an attractive woman, and she was
sitting opposite her daughter. They were laughing happily. The room was very noisy.
There were more children than Scrooge could count.
2Just then, there was a knock at the door and everyone ran towards it. The father came
in. He was carrying lots of Christmas toys and presents. With happiness, the children
dived into his pockets. Their happiness was indescribable. Then one by one the children
left the room, climbed to the top of the house and went to bed. And now Scrooge saw the
master of the house. She was sitting happily with her daughter and her mother by the
fire. “She could be my daughter”, he thought, and his eyes filled with tears.
3“Ghost”, said Scrooge in a sad voice, “take me away from this place. I can’t bear it!
He turned to the Ghost. It looked down at him. And he saw pieces of all the faces from
his past in its face. The Ghost’s light was very bright. Scrooge grabbed the cap, and
quickly pressed it down on the Ghost’s head.
4Scrooge pressed the cap down with all his strength, but he could not hide the light. He
felt very tired. He gave the cap one last squeeze. Then his hand relaxed. He was in his
bedroom now. He was exhausted so he got into bed and fell asleep.
Adapted from: A Christmas Carol, by Charles Dickens(2008) Helbling Languages
TEXT 11
ACTIVITY 1: Prepositional or Phrasal? Classify the underlined verbs

ACTIVITY 2: Are the verbs in bold type ‘link verbs’? Why / Why not?
1Meggie and Luke were married very quietly in Gillanbone and they left the same
evening on the long train journey to North Queensland.
2They spent the first night of their marriage sitting on a crowded slow train which went
from north-east to Goondiwindi. When they got there they had to wait for another train.
There was nothing to eat or drink at the station because it was Sunday. They changed
trains again at Brisbane. Once again they had to sit up because Luke had bought second
class seats.
3Meggie sat beside the window and looked out. Luke seemed to think that she was a
child, but she was too young to argue. She wanted to be a good wife, and she
remembered how her father had loved her mother. In time, Luke would be the same.
The train was crowded as it made its way slowly northwards. Meggie’s head ached, and
she felt sick. It grew hotter and hotter and her lovely new dress became dirty. She
almost hated Luke, who didn’t seem to be tired at all.
4Late on Thursday afternoon they got off the train. Meggie could hardly walk. Luke
asked at the station for the address of a cheap hotel, picked up their cases and went off
down the street. Their room was small and full of ugly old furniture, but it seemed like
heaven to Meggie. She fell onto the bed.
Taken from The Thorn Birds, by Colleen McCullough.
140
TEXT 12
ACTIVITY: Reported Speech: Work with the underlined sentences.
Tibor: One of those days, huh? Shut the door, please!

Roberta: Yeah, I’m just a little angry because no one seems to understand my English.
T: Oh, don’t you hate that? Every time I go out people ask me, “Where are you from?”
R: I hate when that happens. The other day I said “Good morning” to the doorman and
he said “Buon giorno”. That really made me angry.
T: I can imagine. But if it makes you feel any better, this morning I had to ask the woman
at the post office to write down the price for the stamps because I couldn’t understand
her accent.
R: Ouch. That must’ve been really embarrassing.
T: Very. I’m going to go to a different post office next time.
R: I don’t blame you. Sometimes I wonder if my English will ever sound perfect.
T: Tell me about it.
R: Sometimes I feel like giving up.
T: I know the feeling. At first I felt like I was learning a lot, and now…
(Tibor shakes his head)
R: I know what you mean. I want to be treated as a native speaker of English- not as a
woman from Italy.
T: Yeah, I can relate.
Adapted from Martinez, R. (1997) Conversation Lessons- An Intermediate Course. LTP.
TEXT 13
1Mr. Wormwood kept his hair looking bright and strong, or so he thought, by rubbing
into it every morning large quantities of a lotion called OIL OF VIOLETS HAIR TONIC.
A bottle of this smelly purple mixture always stood on the shelf above the sink in the
bathroom alongside all the toothbrushes, and a very vigorous scalp massage with OIL OF
VIOLETS took place daily after shaving was completed. This hair and scalp massage was
always accompanied by loud masculine grunts and heavy breathing and gasps of “Ahhh,
that’s better! That’s the staff! Rub it right into the roots!” which could be clearly heard by
Matilda in her bedroom across the corridor.
2Now, in the early morning of the privacy of the bathroom, Matilda unscrewed the cap of
her father’s OIL OF VIOLETS and tipped three-quarters of the contents down the drain.
Then she filled the bottle up with her mother’s PLATINUM BLONDE HAIR DYE EXTRA
STRONG. She carefully left enough of her father´s original hair tonic in the bottle so
than when she gave it a good shake the whole thing still looked reasonably purple. She
then replaced the bottle on the shelf above the sink, taking care to put her mother’s bottle
back in the cupboard.
3At breakfast time Matilda sat quietly at the dinning-room table eating her cornflakes.
Her brother sat opposite her with his back to the door devouring lots of bread smothered
with a mixture of peanut-butter and strawberry jam. The mother was just out of sight
around the corner in the kitchen making Mr. Wormwood’s breakfast which always had to
be two fried eggs on fried bread with three pork sausages and three strips of bacon and
some fried tomatoes.
Adapted from: Matilda, by Ronald Dahl (1996) Scholastic
141
What are you expected to do at the end of this subject?

Here you have a sample text with typical activities and the key.
We recommend you do the exercises before looking at the key!!!!
CHANGE FOR A DOLLAR
Make yourself a blessing to someone. Your kind smile or pat on the back just might pull
someone back from the edge.
All he wanted was some juice. As tables full of high school students sat in Cafeteria B2 on
that cloudy afternoon, he was thirsty. We sat near yet away from him, fixing our hair and
worrying about the test next period we hadn’t studied for. He was far away from our
world, yet forced to be a part of it.
He stood at the drink machine with purpose, fumbling through his fake leather wallet for
some change. He came up with a wrinkled dollar bill, and nervously glanced back at his
table where other students in their special need class were sitting. With the coordination
of a six-year-old, he tried to make the machine accept his money. After a few
unsuccessful attempts, the snickers and comments began. People were laughing. Some
were even throwing things at him. He began to quiver, and his eyes misted with tears. I
saw him turn to sit down, defeated. But for some reason, he decided against it. He wasn’t
leaving until he got a drink.
With a determined expression, he continued to aimlessly thrust the dollar bill in the
machine. Then something terrific happened. A popular senior rose from her seat, and
with a look of genuine compassion, went over to the boy. She explained how the machine
had a hard time accepting dollars, then gave him some change and showed him where to
place it. The boy gave her his dollar and chose a flavor of fruit juice. Then the two walked
off in different directions.
Although it was clear that they were from very different worlds, for one moment, they’d
shared a real understanding. As I walked away from my lunch table that day, I looked at
the boy. I remember thinking how he and the dollar were very much alike. They both
weren’t accepted where the world said they were supposed to be. But just as the dollar
had found a place in a caring girl’s pocket, I was sure the boy would eventually find his,
too.
Taken from: Canfield J.,Hansen M., Kirberger K.2002. Chicken Soup for the Teenage Soul II. Scholastic
Inc.Part 3: pp. 98, 99
1) Read the text and classify the underlined words:
Nouns Pronouns Determiners Quantifiers Adjectives
142
Auxiliary Verbs Main Verbs Adverbs Prepositions
2) Look at the following Noun Phrases taken from the text. Identify the
determiners and explain their use.
a) a blessing d) the drink machine

b) your kind smile e) high school students
c) that cloudy afternoon
3) The same word can belong to different categories depending on the

elements around it. Explain the difference between the words in bold
type. Can you think of some other word that behaves in this way?
a. A popular senior rose from her seat, and with a look of genuine compassion,
went over to the boy…
b. I looked at the boy.
c. He wanted some change.

d. Some were even throwing things at him.
e. He tried to make the machine accept his money.

f. …but just as the dollar had found a place in a caring girl’s pocket, I was sure the
boy would eventually find his, too.
g. The boy gave her his dollar.

h. A popular senior rose from her seat.
4) Look at the following sentences, concentrate on the words in italics and

explain the difference between them.
a. I remember thinking how he and the dollar were very much alike.
b. Some were even throwing things at him.
c. She explained how the machine had a hard time accepting dollars.
d. We sat near yet away from him, fixing our hair and worrying about the test next
period we hadn’t studied for.
143
5) Read the text again and make questions for the following answers:
a. __________________________? He wanted some juice.
b. __________________________? Yes, they were. People were laughing and

throwing things at him.
c. _________________________? A popular senior helped him.
d. _________________________? Yes, he did. He finally managed to get

some juice from the drink machine.
6). Correct these ungrammatical sentences. Explain why they are wrong.
a. *Peter can drove a car.
b. * I gave to my mother a present.
c. *Susan likes swim.
d. * Some people is watching the football match.
e. *Yesterday I saw Mary and told about my birthday.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
KEY
1) Read the text and classify the highlighted words:
Nouns Pronouns Determiner Quantifiers Adjectives

s
wallet he our some cloudy
coordination his a thirsty
look him his caring
compassion they the alike
understanding some my wrinkled
It that unsuccessful
her hard
all
144
Auxiliary Main Verbs Adverbs Prepositions
Verbs
had(n’t) looked nervously about
had studied aimlessly from
were found at
was(n’t) laughing near
leaving
2) Look at the following Noun Phrases taken from the text. Identify the
determiners and explain their use.
a) A blessing: “a” is an indefinite determiner that specifies and precedes the noun
“blessing” It assigns general reference to it.
b) Your kind smile: “your” is a possessive determiner that specifies and precedes the
noun “smile”. It assigns specific reference to it.
c) That cloudy afternoon: “that” is a demonstrative determiner that specifies and
precedes the noun “afternoon”. It assigns specific reference to it.
d) The drink machine: “the” is a definite determiner that specifies and precedes the
noun “machine”. It assigns specific reference to it.
e) Ø High school students: The zero determiner (Ø) specifies the noun “students”
and it assigns generic reference to it.
3) The same word can belong to different categories depending on the

elements around it. Explain the difference between the words in italics.
Can you think of some other word that behaves in this way?
a. A popular senior rose from her seat, and with a look of genuine compassion, went
over to the boy…
b. I looked at the boy.
In sentence “a”, the word in italics “look” is a noun because it is preceded by a
determiner which specifies it. Besides, the suffix –s can be added to it to form the
plural which means that “look” inflects for number (a typical property of nouns).
In sentence “b”, the word in italics “look” is a verb which takes two participants:
an NP (I) which functions as the subject of the sentence and a PP (at the boy)
which functions as complement of the verb.
c. He wanted some change.
d. Some were even throwing things at him.
In sentence “c”, the word in italics “some” is a quantifier which quantifies and
precedes the noun “change”.
In sentence “d”, the word in italics “some” is a pronoun because it appears alone and
it can be replaced by a full noun phrase: His classmates were even throwing things at
him.
e. He tried to make the machine accept his money.

f. …but just as the dollar had found a place in a caring girl’s pocket, I was sure the
boy would eventually find his, too.
In sentence “e”, the word in italics “his” is a possessive determiner which specifies
and precedes the noun “money”. It assigns specific reference to it.
145
In sentence “f”, the word in italics “his” is a possessive pronoun which appears alone
and can be replaced by a full noun phrase: I was sure the boy would eventually find
his place too.
g. The boy gave her his dollar.

h. A popular senior rose from her seat.
In sentence “g”, the word in italics “her” is a personal objective pronoun which
functions as complement (indirect object) of the verb “give”.
In sentence “h”, the word in italics “her” is a possessive determiner which specifies
and precedes the noun “seat”. It assigns specific reference to it.
Some other words that behave in the same way are: answer, colour, film, etc.
 I can’t give an answer to your question. / I can´t answer your question.
NOUN VERB
 I don´t have a favourite colour. / My children were colouring their notebooks.
NOUN VERB
 Let´s watch a film. / They were filming a new documentary about the immigrants.
NOUN VERB
4) Look at the following sentences, concentrate on the words in italics and

explain the difference between them.
a. I remember thinking how he and the dollar were very much alike.
b. Some were even throwing things at him.
In sentence “a”, the word in italics “were” is a link verb which joins the subject and
the predicate. It is considered a main verb because it appears alone.
In sentence “b”, the word in italics “were” is an auxiliary verb used to form the
continuous tense. It precedes the main verb “throwing” and it carries grammatical
information about person (3rd), number (plural) and tense (past).
c. She explained how the machine had a hard time accepting dollars.
d. We sat near yet away from him, fixing our hair and worrying about the test next
period we hadn’t studied for.
In sentence “c”, the word in italics “had” is a transitive verb which selects two
participants: the NP “the machine” which functions as the subject of the sentence and
the NP “a hard time” which functions as complement of the verb.
In sentence “d”, the word in italics “had(n´t)” is an auxiliary verb used to form the
perfect tense. It precedes the main verb “studied” and it carries grammatical
information about tense (past).
5) Read the text again and make questions for the following answers:
a. What did he want? He wanted some juice.

b. Were people laughing and throwing things at him? Yes, they were. People were
laughing and throwing things at him.
c. Who helped him? A popular senior helped him.
d. Did he finally manage to get some juice from the drink machine? Yes, he did. He
finally managed to get some juice from the drink machine.
146
6) Correct these ungrammatical sentences. Explain why they are wrong.
a. *Peter can drove a car.

This sentence is ungrammatical because the verb “drove” is conjugated and preceded
by a modal (can). Modals are always followed by verbs in the base form. The correct
version would be “Peter can drive a car”.
b. * I gave to my mother a present.
This sentence is ungrammatical because the verb “gave” is a ditransitive verb which
selects two complements: the direct object (a present) and the indirect object (to my
mother). When the IO (indirect object) is realised by a prepositional phrase, the DO
(direct object) precedes it. The correct version would be “I gave a present to my
mother”.
c. *Susan likes swim.
This sentence is ungrammatical because verbs which express likes or dislikes (love,
like, hate, enjoy, etc.) are followed by verbs in the to infinitive or in the –ing form. A
possible correct version is “Susan likes swimming”.
d. * Some people is watching the football match.
This sentence is ungrammatical because there is no agreement between the subject
(people) and the auxiliary verb (is). The subject is realised by an NP whose head is
the plural noun “people” whereas the auxiliary verb “is” is used with singular nouns.
The correct version would be “Some people are watching the football match”
e. *Yesterday I saw Mary and told about my birthday.
This sentence is ungrammatical because the verb “told” is a ditransitive verb which
selects two complements: the direct object and the indirect object. In this case, the IO
(indirect object) is missing. The correct version would be “Yesterday I saw Mary and
told her about my birthday.
147

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Introductory Course 2014 – Booklet 1

UNIVERSIDAD NACIONAL DEL COMAHUE - FACULTAD DE LENGUAS

Profesorado y Traductorado en Inglés

Prof. Ma. de los Ángeles Guglielmone Prof. Gonzalo Eduardo Espinosa

SECTION A: READING COMPREHENSION………………………………………………………… 2

One small step for man …………………………………………………..……3

A Ghost Story: The Helper from beyond the Grave………………….….…5

You can’t avoid your fate …………………………………………………..……6

The Regent Hotel Robbery …………………………………………………..……8

SECTION B: USE OF ENGLISH……………………………………………………………….…………10

Common errors exercises ……………………………………………………………29

Verb patterns ………………………………………………………………………………31

SECTION D: GUIDED WRITING…………………………………………………………….….………55

Error Correction Code……………………………………………………………….…56

Writing biographies ………………………………………………………………….…58

The simple past …………………………………………………………………………..64

Conjunctions and connecting words ………………………………………..…65

Writing tasks …………………………………………………………………………….…67

Prompts for writing ………………………………………………………………..……69

SECTION E: SPEAKING PRACTICE ……………………………………………………………………73

SECTION F: SONGS, VIDEOCLIPS & STORIES .………………………………………………….82

SECTION G: TESTS from Life (Elementary) ………………………………………………..……98

SECTION H: English Grammar Module …………………………………………………………117

A. Answer these questions.

1. What do you know about Neil Armstrong?

B. Read the text and answer these questions. Choose a, b or c.

One small step for man …

NASA launched Apollo 11 on July 16, 1969. Four

Reading 2: A Ghost Story: The Helper from beyond the Grave

Now read the following story:

Source: Johnston, O. (2002). In Focus 3. Longman.

8.2 Complete the story with these past tenses.

b) ___The woman (thank) …………………………the doctor.

c) ___The boy and the doctor (walk) …………………….to a nearby street.

d) ___The boy (point) ………………………to his mother who was unconscious.

f) ___The boy (ask) ………………………..the doctor to help his mother.

a. well-known (adj.) ………………………… f. unconscious (adj.) ………………………..

……………… (play) volleyball.

kids dancing in the street.

I´ve had in years.

children, Máximo and Florencia.

c. Complete with the correct preposition where necessary: 

d. Complete with the correct preposition where necessary: 

e. Complete the following story with a suitable word: 

Please, write soon.

f. Complete the following story with a suitable word: 

…………… three or four hours.

g. Use should / shouldn't / mustn't

1. We ______invite the Nortons to our party. They are nice people.

CAN CAN'T MUST MUSTN'T

ability, request or lack of ability, certainty necessity, obligation, prohibition

a) David is 14 years old. He______ have a driving licence.

Common errors exercises

1. -I also would like to pratise my english.

2. VERB + NOUN PHRASE + NOUN PHRASE

3. VERB + NOUN PHRASE + PREPOSITIONAL PHRASE

4. VERB + PREPOSITIONAL PHRASE + NOUN PHRASE

1. VERB + “THAT” CLAUSE

3. VERB + -ING CLAUSE