My
name is Sarah. I am in New York. I am
having a very good time in New York. It’s Sunday and it’s sunny and warm.
Now it’s ten in the morning and we are in Park. I am sitting under a big tree, I am
listening to my phone… and I am
writing to you, of course. My Twin Rusian cousins Rosemary and Bruni are here with us, Theyare reading a comic. They're very
pretty. They’re tall and slim and They have got long wavy brown hair. Their parents
are in Toronto.
My father is
reading The New York Times, a newspaper. My mother is playing with my younger brother Jimmy
on the grass and they are eating corn. There are many people in the yard. Some women are jogging, two men are
walking their dogs, and two old man are
skating! And he can do that quiet well. We often come to this fantastic yard, in this wonderful city because we are
relaxing here. But sometimes we visit other interesting places: museums,
shops, galleries, etc…
The present continuous tense is most often used
for the following:
ØFor
actions that happening now
ØFor
future arrangements
ØTo
express annoyance at repeated actions
1.For actions that happening now
When we want
to talk about an action that is happening now or at this time (and is
unfinished), we use the present continuous tense. We also use this tense to make clear the action is temporary.
Example,
ØSorry,
she can't come to the phone right now; she is having a bath.
ØLook!
Someone is trying to break into your car.
ØThis
work is good! Your handwriting is getting better and better.
ØI'm
wearing these old trousers to school this week, as we're doing a pottery course
and it's very messy work!
ØOf
course she likes you. You're just being stupid!
ØWhere's
John? - He's playing soccer in the sports hall.
2.For
future arrangements
We
usually use the present continuous tense for future events and have already
been arranged:
Example,
ØI'm meeting my mother at the
airport tomorrow.
ØOur grandmother is visiting
us at Christmas.
ØSorry, I can't stay after school
today; I'm playing tennis with Jun-Sik.
ØMy mother's going to the
dentist tomorrow.
ØI'm not going home at
Christmas, so I can come to your party after all!
3.To
express annoyance at repeated actions
Usually the
simple present is used for repeating actions. For example, He always gets up
before 7 o'clock, but .. the present continuous is the correct choice when
the speakers want to express annoyance at a repeated action. (Note how often
the word "always" is used in such statements):
Example,
ØYou
are always interrupting me when I'm talking and I don't like it!
ØShe's
always tapping her pencil on the desk and it's getting on my nerves!
ØMy
ESL teacher's always giving detentions; how can anyone be so
mean?
ØI'm
getting tired of you always coming late to class.
The pattern of
present continuous tense in affirmative;
Subject+ is/am/are+Ving+O/C
Example,
ØI’m
working overseas for the next two weeks
ØThe climate is
changing rapidly
ØJeff is
attending a new school next term
The pattern of
present continuous tense in negative;
Subject+ is/am/are+ Not+Ving+O/C
Example,
ØI’m not
working overseas for the next two weeks
ØThe climate is
not changing rapidly
ØJeff is not
attending a new school next term
The pattern of present continuous
tense in interrogative;
Is/am/are+ Subject+Ving+O/C?
Example,
ØAre you
working overseas for the next two weeks?
ØIs the
Climate changing rapidly?
ØIs Jeff attending
a new school next term?
4.EXERCISE
1.Make the words below into present
continuous phrase (positive, negative or a question).
a.(we/go to the cinema later)
______________________________
A: What do you think, weought to see London first?
B: Well, historical places, I think. weshould go to Westminster
Abbey, and if wecan go to the Houses of Parliament and the National
Gallery.
A: And what about the British Museum? I
was told one ought to see it.
B: I suppose you must go there. There you can find masterpieces of the
world’s best artists.
A: How can I get to the centre?
B: I think you can go by steamer
down the Thames from Westminster to Tower Bridge. That’s a very pleasant way to
travel, and you can see
London bridges and quite a number of buildings on the way.
Modals
auxiliary verbs are a very complex area of English grammar, they are different
from normal verbs such as, work, play, visit … etc. They give additional
information about the function of the main verbs that follow it. The meaning is
usually connected with ideas of the speaker to express permission, certainty,
prohibition, possibility, willingness, obligation, necessity, and ability. So we
will not be able to go into much detail, but we will at least get an overall
idea of what their function is in a sentence.Modals are can,could, may, might, must, ought to, shall, should,
will, would and need (need can also be a main verb).
Examples:
ØWe can play football.
ØWe could play football.
ØWe may play football.
ØWe might play football.
ØWe must play football.
ØWe mustn't play football.
ØWe needn't play football.
ØWe ought to play football.
ØWe shall play football.
ØWe should play football.
ØWe will play football.
ØWe would play football.
Let’s
look at each modal auxiliary verbs separately and the function;
1.Can
The modal
auxiliary can
has the same form regardless the subject. There is no -s in the 3rd
person singular. It is used with a main verb in
its infinitive. It can be used alone in short answers.
There is no contracted form of can in affirmative
sentences.
Example,
ØShe
can speak several languages
ØDavis
can sing Arabic songs
ØHe can’t dance very well
2.Could
We
use could to talk about past ability and permission or to make an order.
ØShe
couldconvince me that she
deserved it
ØTheycouldn’t go home because of the
rain
ØCould
I ask you question?
ØCould
you speak slowly?
3.Will
We
use will to make personal prediction and semi-formal request.
ØI
don’t think the Queen will
ever abdicated
ØI
doubt if I will stay here
much longer
ØWillyou
open the window, please?
ØSign
this, will you?
ØWill
you marry me?
4.Shall
Shall
is form of will, used mostly in the first person. Its use, however, is
decreasing, and in any case in spoken English it would be contracted to ‘ll and be indistinguishing from
will.
Example,
ØShall
we go to the cinema tonight?
ØShall
I turn off the air conditioner?
5.May and Might
May
and might sometimes have same meaning, they are used to talk
about possibilities in the past, present or future. (“Could” is also sometimes used).
May is sometimes a little bit “more sure” (50% chance), whereas might express
more doubt.
Example,
ØShe
may be back in her office,
the lecture finished ten minutes ago.
ØEngland
might win the World Cup, you
never know.
6.Must
“Must” is often used to indicate
‘personal’ obligation. If the obligation comes from outside (rule or law), then
have to is often (but not always) preferred.
Example,
ØPeople must try to be more tolerant of
each other
ØI must play football
7.Should
Should
is used for giving advice.
Example,
ØI
think you should go to Alam’s
house
ØShould
I take Japan course?
8.Ought to
Ought to
is the same meaning with should,
indicates that something is the right thing for somebody to do.
Example,
ØYou
ought to study hard
9.Had better
Had Better
has stronger meaning than should. It
often implies a warning or a threat of possible bad consequences.
Example,
ØYou
had better follow the rule otherwise
the boss will have to drop you out
B.EXERCISE
1.Complete the sentences using the words listed in the
box below
can could
have to must might
should
a.Ted's flight from Amsterdam took more than 11 hours. She be exhausted after such a long
flight. He prefer to stay in
tonight and get some rest.
b.If you want to get a better feeling for how the city
is laid out, you walk downtown
and explore the waterfront.
c.Hiking the trail to the peak be
dangerous if we are not well prepared for dramatic weather changes. We research the route a little more before
you attempt the ascent.
d.When you have a baby in the house, you leave small objects lying around it. Such
objects be swallowed, causing
serious injury or even death.
e.Dave: you
hold your breath for more than a minute?
Nathan: No, I can't.
f.Jenny's engagement ring is enormous! It have cost a fortune.
g.Please make sure to water my plants while I am gone.
If they don't get enough water, they die.
h.I speak France fluently when I was a child and we lived in France. But after we moved
back to Canada, I had very little exposure to the language and forgot almost
everything I knew as a child. Now, I just
say a few things in the language.
i.The book is
optional. My professor said we read
it if we needed extra credit. But we read
it if we don't want to.
j.Oh no! Frank's
wallet is lying on the coffee table. He have
left it here last night.
2.Create a conversation where the
people talk about anything using modal!
