LESSON NOTES

Beginner S1 #6
Will You Join Us for Lunch?

CONTENTS
2 English
2 Vocabulary
3 Sample Sentences
4 Vocabulary Phrase Usage
5 Grammar

# 6
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 ENGLISH

1. VICKY &OKSANA: Hi, Mike!

2. MIKE: Hi, Vicky! Hi, Oksana!

3. OKSANA: How's it going?

4. MIKE: All right. So, what's up?

5. VICKY: Oh, not much. We're waiting for Yuki. Do you know her?

6. MIKE: Sure. We have a couple of classes together.

7. VICKY: Oh, here she comes now. Hey, Yuki!

8. YUKI: Hi guys! Mike, will you join us for lunch?

9. MIKE: Lunch? With three beautiful women? Of course, I'll join!

10. YUKI: Cool! Did you study for the test last night?

11. MIKE: Yep. I studied for three hours.

12. OKSANA: Which class are you talking about?

13. YUKI: Calculus.

14. VICKY: Calculus. That's a hard class.

15. YUKI: Tell me about it.

VOCABULARY

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 Vocabulary English Class

What are you doing? /

What's up? (American) How are you? phrase

hard (American) difficult, not easy adjective

advanced type of
calculus (American) mathematics noun

series of meetings at
class (American) school for a topic of noun
study, course of study

set of questions or
problems designed to
test (American) measure someone's skill noun
or knowledge

to spend time and

to study (American) attention to learn verb
something

to go somewhere in order
join (American) to be with a person or verb
group of people

two or more men, two or

guys (American) more people (casual) noun

two people or two things,

couple (American) a few noun

phrase to used to say

that you understand
Tell me about it. what someone is talking phrase
(American) about because you have
had a similar experience

SAMPLE SENTENCES

What's up? > Not much. That story is hard to believe.

Calculus is a hard class. Scientists use calculus to measure

changes and lengths.

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The only class I ever failed was We are taking a couple of classes
Calculus; it was too hard. together.

My favorite class was chemistry. Good luck on your test tomorrow!

Did you study for the test? Did you study for the test?

I study English every day. May I join you?

Please join us for lunch. What are those guys doing now?

Hey guys! What's up? Mike and Vicky make a nice couple.

There are a couple of reasons not to Tell me about it! I had the same
go to the concert: money and time. problem with that teacher.

VOCABULARY PHRASE USAGE

The first word we will look at in this lesson is "guys." "Guy," in the singular usually
refers to a man or boy, as in "The guy next door is tall." It's a fairly casual word. In
the plural form, "guys," it can refer to men, women, or a combination, as in "What
are you guys doing?" This usage is even more casual than the singular form, and
some people do not like it; so be careful about using it, especially in a more formal
situation.

The last phrase we will look at is "Tell me about it." As we heard in the definitions, it
is a phrase you use to say that you understand what someone is talking about
because you have had a similar experience, especially if it was a difficult
experience. It is an idiom and so is not to be taken literally. We are not actually
asking the person to tell us the story again. They just told us! When you really feel
like you understand the feeling of someone's pain, try this expression.

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Here's an example:

A: "I'm having a lot of trouble with my computer."

B: "Tell me about it! I had to take mine to the repair shop."

GRAMMAR

The Focus of This Lesson is the Simple Aspect

"That's a hard class."

Traditional grammar textbooks teach that there are twelve verb tenses in English:

1. simple present

2. simple past

3. simple future

4. present perfect

5. past perfect

6. future perfect

7. present progressive (also called continuous)

8. past progressive

9. future progressive

1 present perfect progressive

0.

1 past perfect progressive

1.

1 future perfect progressive

2.

However, these twelve "tenses" are actually twelve combinations of tenses and
aspects. There are only three tenses* (present, past, future) and four aspects. It is
by combining them that we come to the number twelve.

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We will look at each of the twelve over time. However, we are going to try an
approach different from traditional textbooks. There are a few reasons for this. One
reason is that by looking at the main idea, the core idea, of each tense and aspect,
we will be able to understand the true meaning of each. And with this
understanding, you will be better able to understand why we use each form and
not just memorize rules for each of the twelve. Another reason is that if you start
with the twelve, you will soon notice that you learn so many exceptions to the
rules. It will seem like the rules are broken all the time. But we believe that if you
follow our way, you will get a better understanding in no time!

In this lesson, our focus is on the simple aspect. We will look at its meaning and
also how it combines with the present tense, the past tense, and the future
tense. In future lessons, we will study more deeply the meaning of each tense.
But because you are probably already familiar with each one, let's just say that
present tense is about now, past tense is about before now, and future tense is
about after now. Or, if we use days as an example, "today" is present tense,
"yesterday" is past tense, and "tomorrow" is future tense.

The main idea of the simple aspect is that you use it for events we think of as one
complete unit. When we talk about an event with the simple tense, there is no
suggestion that the event will change. For example, when I say. "I live in Los
Angeles," there is no suggestion that I will move soon. The event, "I live in Los
Angeles," is a complete, unchanging event. Let's consider how the simple aspect is
different from the progressive aspect. For example, if I say, "I am living in Los
Angeles," the facts of the event can be the same as "I live in Los Angeles," But, the
second sentence sounds like the event may change, such as, "I live in Los Angeles
now, but I am planning to move to New York soon." Of course, I can say, "I live in
Los Angeles," and I may be planning to move, but I am not talking about my plans
in this sentence.

Now, let's combine the simple aspect with the verb tenses and see how they
work together. Use the present tense to talk about now. When combined with
the simple aspect, use it to talk about habits. For example, "I ride the train to
school every day." Also use it to talk about truths that don't change. For example,
"It's cold in January." In the dialogue, Vicky said, "That's a hard class," which is
another example of a truth that doesn't change.

Use the present simple to talk about states. For example, "She is a student." In
the dialogue, Vicky asked, "Do you know her?" which is a question about a state,
the state of knowing Chihiro.

You can even use the present simple to talk about the future when there is a
scheduled event. For example, "I have a meeting tomorrow morning." We can also
use it to talk about past events in a story. "Then he runs all the way to the sea."

So, as you can see, you can use the present tense to talk about future and past
events. We need to understand the main idea of both the tense and the aspect so
that we don't misunderstand.

Let's also look at how the simple aspect works with the past tense. For now, we
will say that we use the past tense to talk about events that happened before now.

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For example, when we talk about yesterday, we usually use the past tense. And,
we said earlier that we use the simple aspect to talk about an event as a
complete unit. So, if an event is before now and also complete, we use the simple
past form of the verb. In the dialogue, Mike said, I studied for three hours." He
was talking about last night, so this means that his studying was complete, or
finished, last night.

And finally, let's take a look at how the simple aspect works with the future
tense. For now, we will say that we use the future tense to talk about events
that have not happened yet or may happen after now. For example, when we talk
about tomorrow, we usually use the future tense. So, if you use it with the
simple aspect, we are talking about an event in a complete sense that may
happen after now. In the dialogue, when Chihiro asks Mike if he will join them for
lunch, he says, "Of course, I'll (I will) join." Even though the event may change, we
speak of it as a complete event when we use the simple aspect.

In future lessons, we will look at the present tense, past tense, and future tense
more carefully. We will learn the main idea for each tense because we now
understand that tense is not just about time. And when we do look at each tense,
we will also review the meaning of the simple aspect again.

*Actually, there are only two verb tenses since the verb does not change in future
tense. However, for our purposes, we will consider the ways we talk about the
future in English as the "future tense."

Language Tip

As you know, practice is an important part of learning a language. But, it is not

the only important part of learning a language. Equally important is noticing the
form of language. In studying the simple aspect, you cannot do much to
practice the simple aspect alone. Opportunities for practice will come when we look
at the verb tenses. With the simple aspect, you can improve your ability to notice
how verbs are used. And, as you notice, you will be able to start using new
grammar forms, catch your own mistakes quicker, and use the correct forms.

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