Lesson outline ENGLISH B1 lesson1 THE PRESENT In today s lesson, we are going to study The three present tenses their forms when to use them when NOT to use them The two classes of nouns which nouns have no plural form how to talk about quantity The present There are 3 present tenses in English Present simple It is simple because in the affirmative, no auxiliary verb is needed. Negatives and interrogatives need an auxiliary verb in every tense in English, even simple ones. Present progressive (or continuous) Formed with auxiliary and present participle Present perfect Formed with auxiliary and past participle is formed like this:- I want don t want do I want? you want don t want do you want? * he / she / it wants doesn t want does (s)he want? we want don t want do we want? you want don t want do you want? they want don t want do they want? * notice that only 3 rd person singular is formed differently 1
is used to talk about... Habits and regular activities Things which are always true (universal truths) Things which are permanent States of mind, beliefs & other mental verbs It is used with adverbs of frequency, e.g. always, usually, quite often, hardly ever, never... is not used to talk about... Unusual and atypical events Things which are temporary feelings & emotions, the weather, etc. Actions and events in progress present progressive (present continuous) Anything which began in the past and has not yet finished/ended. present perfect is formed like this:- I am going am not going am I going? you are going are not going are you going? he / she / it is going is not going is (s)he going? we are going are not going are we going? you are going are not going are you going? they are going are not going are they going? You (singular) and you (plural) always have the same form is used to talk about... Things which are happening now Actions in progress Temporary states e.g. emotions & feelings, the weather, etc. States which are changing The near future (for planned events) 2
is not used to talk about... Things which happen in general Appearance and character traits Present simple Do not use the present progressive with Adverbs of frequency e.g. OFTEN, SOMETIMES,... State verbs e.g. BE, FEEL, THINK, BELIEVE... Present simple is formed like this:- I have visited haven t visited have I visited? you have visited haven t visited have you visited? he / she / it has visited hasn t visited has (s)he visited? we have visited haven t visited have we visited? you have visited haven t visited have you visited? they have visited haven t visited have they visited? is used to talk about... Incomplete past actions Present actions and states which began in the past and are not complete or finished; How long something has been happening; Past experiences of a living person. Present states caused by past action Past actions and states with no when is not used to talk about... Completed past actions. Any past event or state which started and finished in the past. Experiences of a deceased person Past actions and states with a time reference e.g....ago, when..., from...to..., dates, historical periods, eras & epochs, etc. past simple (lesson 2) See lesson 3 for more on the present perfect 3
Present tenses: practice Check that you understand when to use the present simple/ progressive Manuale ALTAIR Module 1 ex. 6a+b (p17) How English Works The two present tenses ex. 3 (p143) Present progressive for changes ex.1-2 (p146) Non-progressive verbs ex. 2 (p148) Counting nouns There are two types of noun in English. Countable nouns These can be singular or plural, e.g. olive(s) Uncountable (or mass) nouns These have no plural form. They refer to substances, materials, and objects which are too small to count. e.g. ice, silk, sugar Countable and uncountable nouns have different grammar patterns. Nouns and numbers The only number that can be used with a singular noun is 1 (one; also a/an) Any number higher than 2 can be used with a plural noun If the number is not important, we use some or any to express more than one We also use some or any with uncountable nouns Some and any We use some in the affirmative We use any in the negative and interrogative Plural + They had some nice canapés at the reception - There weren t any drinks left.? Do you have any extra glasses? Uncountable They played some great music at the party I don t have any time. Was there any wine left? 4
PLURAL NOUNS many a few Other quantifiers UNCOUNTABLE NOUNS much a little a [container/form] of PLURAL and UNCOUNTABLE NOUNS a lot of lots of / loads of plenty (of) Nouns: practice Do you know which nouns are countable? Manuale ALTAIR Module 2 Exercise 3b-c (p4) Check you have understood Manuale ALTAIR Module 2 Exercise 6a+b (p28) For extra practice with some and any Manuale ALTAIR Module 2 Exercise 3a (p23, and solutions on page 123) Over to you Before you come to class next week... Learn (memorise!) past participles Essential Grammar in Use: appendix 2-3 (p250-1) Learn the different grammar patterns for countable and uncountable nouns How English Works countable and uncountable nouns (p56-57, 60-61) Much, many, a lot (of), little, few (p41-42) Try the Life through a lens reading comprehension (01LifeThruLens.pdf) 5