REVISION: VERB TENSES

To revise verb tenses, click here.

NORBA SCHOOL IN 50 YEARS TIME

How do you imagine our school in the future? Think about the students, the teachers, the building, the yard, the gym, the library, et. Be imaginative!

TRANSFORMATIONS 2: GERUND AND INFINITIVE

 

 

Verb Patterns

You knowledge of verb patterns such as gerund and infinitive is frequently tested.

For Questions 1-8, complete the second sentence so that it has a similar meaning to the first sentence using the word given. Do not change the word given. You must use between two and five words. 1. It's really important that you pay the bill today.
REMEMBER
You must ................................................ the bill today.

2. I think it would be a good idea if you joined the beginner's class.
SUGGEST
I .................................................... the beginners class.
3. Meeting John in town was really surprising.
EXPECT
I ..................................................... John in town.
4. In the future she became a successful business woman.
WENT
She ................................................... a successful business woman.
5. I'll help you with your homework.
MIND
I ...................................................... you with your homework.
6. I hated driving on the left at first but now it's OK.
USED
I ....................................................... on the left now.
7. Don't bother to apply for the job.
POINT
There ......................................................... for the job.

8. Were you successful in passing the exam?
MANAGE
Did ............................................................ the exam?

 

THE STORY BEHIND YOUR NAME

THE STORY BEHIND YOUR NAME

Do you know the reason why your name is your name? Is there a story behind it? Did your parents almost name you something else? Do you know where your name comes from? What does you name mean in that language? Please, add a comment and share all this information with your classmates.

WRITING 1: INFORMAL LETTERS AND EMAILS

FOLLOW THE LINKS TO GET INFORMATION ABOUT INFORMAL LETTERS AND EMAILS:




http://elblogdelingles.blogspot.com.es/2012/11/como-escribir-un-carta-o-email-informal.html

http://es.scribd.com/doc/12258697/how-to-write-informal-letters

TRANSFORMATIONS 1. COMPARATIVES AND SUPERLATIVES

 

 

In Grease, Sandy transforms from a goody-goody girl to a Sandy dressed in leather and smoking. Which look do you prefer?

Now listen to the songs and complete the activities:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

GRAMMAR TRANSFORMATIONS 1.
COMPARATIVES AND SUPERLATIVES

1. Rachel is smarter than her brother Tom. NOT

Tom is ...................................his sister Rachel.

2. This house costs less than the flat we visited last week. IS

This house ...............................the flat we visited last week.

3. Shakespeare was an extremely talented writer. MOST

Shakespeare was one ........................................writers in the world.

4. I preferred this singer with longer hair. LESS

I preferred this singer with................................................. hair.

5. This computer is the cheapest one I’ve found. EXPENSIVE

This computer is the.....................................................I’ve found.

6. Peter’s flat wasn’t as elegantly decorated as Mary’s. MORE

Mary’s flat was....................................................................than Peter’s.

7. It can take much less time to go on foot than to travel by bus. LOT

Travelling by bus can ...................................................................... going on foot.

8. Harry wears smarter clothes now he has a girlfriend. LESS

Harry wore.................................................................when he didn’t have a girlfriend.

9. That building is quite new. I thought it was older. AS

That building is not ..................................................I thought.

10. For me, Colin Firth is acting much better than other actors today.    FAR

 For me, Colin Firth is by ........................................................... today. 

 

11. The food was so good we had to leave a tip. 
SUCH It ........................................... we had to leave a tip.

12. The computer was too expensive for me to buy. 
ENOUGH  I ........................................... money to buy the computer.

13. It's the most beautiful painting I've ever seen. 
SEEN 
I ............................................ beautiful painting.

14. This summer has been much cooler than last year. 
COOL 
Last summer .................................. this year.

15. I'm not as good at maths as you. 
BETTER 
You ......................................... me.

16. The course wasn't as easy as I'd expected. 
MORE 
The course ........................................ I'd expected.

17. This car isn't safe enough to drive. 
DANGEROUS 
This car ........................................ drive.
18. This exercise is easier than the last one. 
HARD 
This exercise ....................................... the last one.

FIND SOMEONE WHO...

FIND SOMEONE WHO...
1. likes English             (Do you like English?)
2. went to the beach last summer (Did you go to the beach last summer?)
3. can tell a good joke
4. has more than one brother or sister
5. has visited a museum recently
6. has a pet
7. walks to school
8. celebrates his or her birthday the same month you do
9. went to the cinema last weekend
10. is reading a book at the moment
11. is good at Maths
12. can sing very well
13. can play a musical instrument
14. is great at painting
15. is allergic
16. practises a sport
17. hates football
18. comes from a different town
19. loves dancing
20. gets up early at weekends


What did you find out about your classmates? Add your comments. 

"I found out ..."
"I didn't know..."
"Now I know" 

BATH

3rd year students stayed in Bath for a week. Here you can see some photos taken by Manolo Vaquera, head of the English Department. During the week, we also visited Stonehenge and Salisbury.
We learned a lot and had a great time.  

RELATIVE PRONOUNS

Link two sentences using a relative pronoun. Click HERE to do the exercise online.

To test yoursef, click here: Test 3     Test 4



Link these two sentences by means of a relative pronoun.
1. She was dancing with a student. He had a slight limp.
She was dancing with ______________________________________________
The student ______________________________________________________
2. The bed has no mattress. I sleep on this bed.
3. Romeo and Juliet were two lovers. Their parents hated each other.
4. The man was busy and I couldn’t speak to him. I had come to see him.
5. I was waiting for a man, He didn’t turn up.
6. I saw several houses. Most of them were quite unsuitable.
7. He wanted to come at 2 a.m. This didn’t suit me at all.
8. This is a story of a group of boys. Their plane crashed on an uninhabited island.
9. The car crashed into a queue of people. Four of them were killed.
10. The firm is sending me to New York, I work for this firm.
11. There wasn’t any directory in the telephone box. I was phoning from this box.
12. His girlfriend turned out to be a spy. He trusted her absolutely.
13. Thank you for the postcard. You sent it to me.
14. The bus goes to London. It leaves from here.
15. I don’t know anyone. You can sell the car to them.
16. I met Mary. She asked me to give you this.
17. I was given this address by a man. I met him on a train.
18. A man answered the phone. He said you were out.
19. We’ll have to cross the frontier. This will be quite difficult.
20. I was sitting on an old chair. It suddenly collapsed.
I was sitting on a …
The chair …
21. The Smiths were given a room in a hotel. Their house had been destroyed in the explosion.
22. He introduced me to his students. Most of them were from abroad.
23. I went to Munich. I had always wanted to visit Munich.
24. This is the box. Mum keeps her jewellery in it.
25. Mick was here ten minutes ago. You met him last week.
26. He’s the man. I borrowed the money from him.
27. Bob didn’t pass the exam. This made his parents very angry.
28. The woman smiled proudly. Her daughter won the first prize.
29. Peter has a lot of friends. Most of them are English teachers.
30. I read a lot of books. Most of them are mystery novels.
31. The architect is from Sweden. He designed this building.
32. This is the hotel. We stayed at this hotel last year.
33. Mr. and Mrs. Harrid moved to London last year. They used to live next door.

REPORTED SPEECH

Follow the link and practise the reported speech:

http://www.englisch-hilfen.de/en/exercises_list/reported.htm









Watch this video to understand how verbs change in the reported speech:

In this video you will be explained how we report modal verbs:

Reporting conditional sentences is not difficult. Watch and learn: 

It's really important to report Yes/No questions:

And Wh-questions:

We can also report some questions using an infinitive:

Finally, we have to know how to to report commands:

MODAL VERBS REPHRASING

REPHRASING MODAL VERBS. Verbs can be used in active or passive sentences.

1.It's not necessary to make your bed.. 

___________________________________________

2. How can you concentrate with that loud music? 

__________________________________________

3. Smoking is forbidden in public places. __________________________________________

4. My advice is that they finish the experiment soon. 

______________________________________

5. The instructions say: Take the dog out twice a day. 

_______________________________________

6. It's possible that they'll postpone the trip if the weather doesn't improve. 

 _______________________________________________________ 

7. It isn't necessary to operate John. __________________________________________________

8. 8. 8.-Do they sell brown sugar in this shop? 

_____________________________________________________

 

9.-There is a choice of about twenty dishes in our menu. 

______________________________________________________

 

10. I'm quite certain that isn't John's car. His is blue. 

____________________________________________________

11. People under 18 aren't allowed to buy alcoholic drinks in bars. 

_________________________________________________________

12. She was sorry because she didn't know the answer to the question. 

___________________________________________________________

13.-Perhaps he's digging in the garden. 

_________________________________________________

14. I'll take the raincoat in case it rains. 

________________________________________________________

 

15. It is possible he arrives soon. 

___________________________________________________

 

16. It's not necessary for them to attend the lecture. 

__________________________________________________________

 

17. It's not necessary for her to buy all that amount of food. 

______________________________________________________

SENTENCE TRANSFORMATION

FOLLOW THE INSTRUCTIONS TO TRANSFORM THESE SENTENCES:

1. The last time I saw him was in 2001. (Rewrite starting with “I haven't _________”.

2. It isn't necessary to bring skis as they are included in the package. (rewrite using a modal)

3. Tom said to his wife, "I will be playing tennis when you arrive." (reported speech)

4. “Jack is coming to visit us next weekend.” Mark told his parents. (reported speech)

5. Maurice didn't come to the meeting yesterday. Perhaps he was ill. (rewrite using might)

6. I think Tom needs to see a doctor. His cough is terrible. (rewrite using a modal verb)

7. "Why don't we take a holiday?", said Peter. (reported speech with suggested)

8. “Don’t forget the concert starts at 8 o’clock.” Marta told Peter. (reported speech with reminded)

9. She has probably found a new job. (rewrite with a modal verb)

10. They finished the project in time for the presentation. (passive) (future perfect-interrogative)

11. They have given him all the information. (negative-affirmative) (2 passive)

12. Peter wasn't charged with an offense when the police caught him stealing the first time. (active / passive)

13. Can you accompany Sarah to the party? (change to future-interrogative)

14. She wasn't responsible for the accident. (present perfect-interrogative-affirmative)

15. No arrests had been made, and no one had claimed responsibility. (active / passive)

16. A group of eight senators planned to introduce a proposal on Tuesday. (present continuous-negative-interrogative)

17. A quake measuring 7.8 on the Richter scale struck near Iran’s border with Pakistan. (present perfect interrogative)  (past simple-interrogative)

18. An amendment to an old treaty between the United States and Mexico will send more water down to restore native habitat and local and migratory wildlife. (passive) (past simple-interrogative)

19. Critics were quick to point out irregularities in the study. (future simple-interrogative) (past perfect-negative) (future simple-negative)

20. Most residents in assisted-living centers suffer from multiple ailments.  (present simple-interrogative) (past simple-negative) (future continuous-affirmative)

21. Supporters of the newly elected Venezuelan president, Nicolás Maduro, are celebrating  victory on the streets of Caracas. (passive) (past simple-interrogative)

22. For decades, the members of Spain’s royal family were treated with profound deference by the public, politicians and the media. (active) (present perfect-interrogative)

23. Thousands of people demonstrated against the monarchy in central Madrid on Sunday. (future continous-interrogative) (past perfect-interrogative)

24. Spanish regional governments gave Iñaki Urdangarín lucrative contracts to organize sports events.  (present perfect-interrogative) (2 passive)

25. The judge in the case also subpoenaed Mr. Urdangarin’s wife, Princess Cristina. (passive) (passive-future simple)

VERB TENSES REVISION

http://www.englishpage.com/verbpage/verbs29practicetest.htm

1. You look really great! (you, work) out at the fitness center recently?

2. A: What (you, do) when the accident occurred?
B: I (try) to change a light bulb that had burnt out.

3. I (have) the same car for more than ten years. I'm thinking about buying a new one.

4. If it (snow) this weekend, we (go) skiing near Lake Tahoe.

5. A: What do you call people who work in libraries?
B: They (call) librarians.

6. I came to England six months ago. I started my economics course three months ago. When I return to Australia, I (study) for nine months and I (be) in England for exactly one year.

7. Sam (arrive) in San Diego a week ago.

8. Samantha (live) in Berlin for more than two years. In fact, she (live) there when the Berlin wall came down.

9. If Vera (keep) drinking, she (lose, eventually) her job.

10. The Maya established a very advanced civilization in the jungles of the Yucatan; however, their culture (disappear, virtually) by the time Europeans first (arrive) in the New World.

11. Shhhhh! Be quiet! John (sleep) .

12. It (rain) all week. I hope it stops by Saturday because I want to go to the beach.

13. Listen Donna, I don't care if you (miss) the bus this morning. You (be) late to work too many times. You are fired!

14. I am sick of rain and bad weather! Hopefully, when we (wake) up tomorrow morning, the sun (shine) .

15. I have not traveled much yet; however, I (visit) the Grand Canyon and San Francisco by the time I leave the United States.

16. I (see) many pictures of the pyramids before I went to Egypt. Pictures of the monuments are very misleading. The pyramids are actually quite small.

17. In the last hundred years, traveling (become) much easier and very comfortable. In the 19th century, it (take) two or three months to cross North America by covered wagon. The trip (be) very rough and often dangerous. Things (change) a great deal in the last hundred and fifty years. Now you can fly from New York to Los Angeles in a matter of hours.

18. Joseph's English (improve, really) , isn't it? He (watch) American television programs and (study) his grammar every day since he first arrived in San Diego. Soon he will be totally fluent.

19. When I (arrive) home last night, I discovered that Jane (prepare) a beautiful candlelight dinner.

20. If you (need) to contact me sometime next week, I (stay) at the Sheraton in San Francisco.


CHECK YOUR ANSWERS:


1. You look really great! (you, work) Have you been working out at the fitness center recently?

2. A: What (you, do) were you doing when the accident occurred?
B: I (try) was trying to change a light bulb that had burnt out.

3. I (have) have had the same car for more than ten years. I'm thinking about buying a new one.

4. If it (snow) snows this weekend, we (go) will go skiing near Lake Tahoe.

5. A: What do you call people who work in libraries?
B: They (call) are called librarians.

6. I came to England six months ago. I started my economics course three months ago. When I return to Australia, I (study) will have been studying for nine months and I (be) will have been in England for exactly one year.

7. Sam (arrive) arrived in San Diego a week ago.

8. Samantha (live) lived in Berlin for more than two years. In fact, she (live) was living there when the Berlin wall came down.

9. If Vera (keep) keeps drinking, she (lose, eventually) will eventually lose her job.

10. The Maya established a very advanced civilization in the jungles of the Yucatan; however, their culture (disappear, virtually) had virtually disappeared by the time Europeans first (arrive) arrived in the New World.

11. Shhhhh! Be quiet! John (sleep) is sleeping.

12. It (rain) has been raining all week. I hope it stops by Saturday because I want to go to the beach.

13. Listen Donna, I don't care if you (miss) missed the bus this morning. You (be) have been late to work too many times. You are fired!

14. I am sick of rain and bad weather! Hopefully, when we (wake) wake up tomorrow morning, the sun (shine) will be shining.

15. I have not traveled much yet; however, I (visit) will have visited the Grand Canyon and San Francisco by the time I leave the United States.

16. I (see) had seen many pictures of the pyramids before I went to Egypt. Pictures of the monuments are very misleading. The pyramids are actually quite small.

17. In the last hundred years, traveling (become) has become much easier and very comfortable. In the 19th century, it (take) took two or three months to cross North America by covered wagon. The trip (be) was very rough and often dangerous. Things (change) have changed a great deal in the last hundred and fifty years. Now you can fly from New York to Los Angeles in a matter of hours.

18. Joseph's English (improve, really) is really improving, isn't it? He (watch) has been watching American television programs and (study) studying his grammar every day since he first arrived in San Diego. Soon he will be totally fluent.

19. When I (arrive) arrived home last night, I discovered that Jane (prepare) had prepared a beautiful candlelight dinner.

20. If you (need) need to contact me sometime next week, I (stay) will be staying at the Sheraton in San Francisco.

MODAL VERBS

Let's practise them:


http://www.englishpage.com/modals/interactivemodal1.htm

http://es.scribd.com/doc/39513902/15th-oct-REPHRASING-MODAL-VERBS

http://alvarofronteacher.wikispaces.com/file/view/Modal+Verbs+Rephrasings.pdf

Transforming sentences

The ability to rewrite sentences so that they have the same meaning as the original is important to improve your style when using English. In this link you have plenty of examples. Let's pracise.

http://esl.about.com/library/quiz/bltransform1.htm

http://www.uefap.com/accuracy/exercise/jquiz/trans.htm

Questions

WRITE QUESTIONS

Activity 1. Present tenses

1. Tania lives in London. (Where)

2. Tom and Jim have lunch at 12.30. (What time)

3. I usually get up at 7 a.m. (When)

4. Peter is sitting next to Sarah in class. (Who)

5. I am reading comics. (What)

6. I practise dancing three times a week. (How often)

               

                        Activity 2. Past simple

Make questions from the following sentences.

Clue: use DID and the present tense form of the verb.

Regular Verbs

1) She lived in Glenelg for five years.

2) He married her for her money.

3) Michael typed these exercises on a computer.

4) They looked at the bus timetable before they left.

5) Peter and Joseph talked all night.

6) Those guys from next door robbed the garage last night.

7) They separated after only six months.

8) He watched three movies in a row.

9) Dung slammed the door and walked out in a rage.

10) She decided to go home straight away.

                        Irregular Verbs

1) He went to the football yesterday.

2) He left for Perth yesterday.

3) He won one thousand dollars in X-lotto.

4) He had eggs for breakfast.

5) They ate out last night.

6) She drove all the way to Sydney without stopping.

7) Wen Jie forgot her car keys.

8) He rang Raisa last night.

9) Nusret and Hong caught the bus to town.

10) They got to the movie on time.

Activity 3. 

1. Q: ____________________?
A: Three dogs live next door.

2. Q: ____________________?
A: Thomas is my best friend.

3. Q: _________________?
A: There is $100 in her bank account.

4. Q: _________________?
A: His number is 555-2453.

5. Q: _________________?
A: Roger's birthday is in April.

6. Q: __________________?
A: I'm late for work because I missed the bus. Sorry!

7. Q: ___________________?
A: I like the blue folder better than the red one.

8. Q: ___________________?
A: I've been able to drive for 10 years.

_____________________________________________?

He was born in 1880.

_____________________________________________?

 He was born in Arroyo.

_____________________________________________?

He invented the X-Ray Machine.

_____________________________________________?

He is going to study in Madrid.

_____________________________________________?

He had to travel to U.S.A.

Activity 4

Complete these questions with the appropriate word in the space.

1.     _________ are you doing in the garden?

2.     _______ you like fish?  I do!

3.     You________ pass me the salt, can you?

4.     ________are you coming to visit?

5.     He likes chocolate, _______ he?

6.     _______is my cell phone?

7.     It isn’t cold today, _____it?

8.     ________you seen my pen?

9.     _____old are you?

Activity 5

1. We’re going to see the Rocky Horror picture show. Do you want to come?

2. It’s playing at the Majestic theatre.

3. They’re showing it for Halloween.

4. Yes I’m going to wear my witch costume.

5. Yes I just handed it in. I just wrote 500 words in the last three hours.

6. I wrote about the state of the economy in Europe.

7.  I think so; I did a lot of research, so I’m quite confident.

8. Of course you’ll get a good mark! Don’t worry about it.

9. Yes I have.  I’m a bit nervous about getting this job.

10. Yes I added my last job to it last night.

11. The position is head of marketing.

12. Yes I have been doing this line of work for three years now.

13. Yes I was; what’s wrong with this suit?

Activity 6

Object or Subject questions?

Question 1

Mother - Who ......... something to eat? John - I do. Can I have eggs, please?

A	do they want
B	wants
C	want
D	does want

Question 2

Julia - I got a new camera for my birthday? Max - Fantastic! Who ........ ?

A	gave it to you
B	did give it you
C	has given it
D	gives it

Question 3

Maria - I sold my car Fred - Who ....... it to?

A	you sold
B	did you sold
C	did you sell
D	sold

Question 4

Christine - Which bus ......... to the station? Driver - Number 141

A	do goes
B	does go
C	go
D	goes

Question 5

Mike - Where ........1........... ? Jane - In the house on the corner. Mike - Who .....2..... at number 20? Jane - My grandmother.

A	1 - you live 2 - lives
B	1 - you live 2 - do live
C	1 - do you live 2 - lives
D	1 - do you live 2 - do she live

http://www.learnenglishlanguagewell.com/grammar/object-or-subject-questions-exercises/

Write a question about the underlined section of each answer below:
http://inglessjm.blogspot.com.es/2011/10/extra-exercises-subject-and-object.html

1.     The doctor is working with the nurse.

2.     The doctor told the nurse to draw blood.

3.     The repairman worked on the computer yesterday.

4.     The repairman worked on the computer yesterday.

5.     The woman wrote a long letter.

6.     The woman wrote a long letter.

7.     The teacher gave the student some advice.

8.     The teacher gave the student some advice.

9.     The robber demanded all the money in the cash register.

9.     The robber asked for all the money in the cash register.