26 February 2017

THE PRESENT CONTINUOUS

We will continue with the Grammar explanations and today it's the PRESENT CONTINUOUS turn.

Present Continuous is also a verb tense that we have to control since our first English lessons.

At the end of this post you will find some practice.

Enjoy!

PRESENT CONTINUOUS: USE.

We use the Present Continuous to:

- say what is happening at the moment.

PRESENT CONTINUOUS: STATEMENTS.



I

am



reading
playing



a book.
golf.
He
She
It

is
We
You
They

are

To form statements in Present Continuous we have to use the following structure:

               S + VERB to be (am, is, are) + V- ing + C.

So, we make the Present Continuous tense with the verb "to be" and the -ing form of the main verb.

PRESENT CONTINUOUS: NEGATIVE.



I

am not





reading
playing




a book.
golf.
He
She
It

is not
isn’t

We
You
They

are
aren’t



To form a negative statement in Present Continuous we use the negative form of the verb "to be".

              S + am not/ isn't/ aren't + V- ing + C.

The short form of "is not" is "isn't" and the short form of "are not" is "aren't"; the first person singular form has not short form.

PRESENT CONTINUOUS: QUESTIONS.



Am

I





reading
playing





a book? 
golf?


Is

He
She
(It)*



Are

You
We
They

*Not suitable for these examples.

To make questions in Present Continuous, we use:

                 Am/ Is/ Are + S + V -ing + C ?

SHORT ANSWERS.

Is she playing basketball? Yes, she is.
Are they reading a book? No, they aren't.

LET'S PRACTISE!

Here you have some links where you can put into practice what you have learnt in this lesson. 😉




14 February 2017

Body parts vocabulary

Body parts is one of the topics of vocabulary that we learn in elementary courses of English.
Here you have some vocabulary about the BODY.

Did you know all of them?

Enjoy!




10 February 2017

To infinitive or -ing?

The weekend is here and we have the opportunity of practising our favourite hobbies or just enjoying our free time. But, do you know how to express what you LIKE, HATE, LOVE OR PREFER?
We can use hate, like, love and prefer with both forms the -ing or with to-infinitive.

There is a very small difference in meaning between the two forms. We often use the -ing form to suggest enjoyment (or lack of it), and the to-infinitive form to express habits or preferences. for example:

I love climbing at the weekends.

I hate to wake up early.

The -ing form emphasises the action or experience. The to-infinitive gives more emphasis to the results of the action or event.

EXCEPTIONS

Would + hate, like, love, prefer

When we use would or ’d with hate, like, love, prefer, we use the to-infinitive, NOT the -ing form:
We would love to watch your .
Not: We would love watching your film.
They’d hate to cause a problem.
Not: They’d hate causing a problem.
I’d prefer not to give you my name.
Not: I’d prefer not giving you my name.

8 February 2017

THE PRESENT SIMPLE

This is a full explanation about the first verb tense we should learn when studying English, THE PRESENT SIMPLE.

At the end of this post you will find some practice.

Enjoy it!

PRESENT SIMPLE: USE.

We use the Present Simple Tense to:

  - describe regular events and premanent states.
  - talk about general truths and facts.
  - talk about habits and routines.


PRESENT SIMPLE: STATEMENTS.

I
You
We
They

play
like



  golf.
He
She
It
plays
likes

To form statements in Present Simple we have to use the following structure:

          S + V (stem) + Complement

In the third person singular we add -s to the verb stem.
But, there are some exceptions:
    - When the verb ends in -ss, -sh, -ch, or -o, we add -es.
    (miss → misses, go → goes)
    - With some verbs ending in -y, we change the -y to -ies.                    
    ( hurry → hurries).

PRESENT SIMPLE: NEGATIVE.

I
You
We
They

do not
don’t



like
play



  golf.
He
She
It
does not
doesn’t

To form a negative statement in Present Simple we have to add the auxiliary verb "DO/DOES" and the negative particle "NOT".

S + don't/doesn't + V (stem) + Complement


Notice that when expressing a negative statement in third person, the  ending -s jumps from the main verb to the auxiliary.

The short form of "do not" is "don't"; and the short form of "does not" is "doesn't".

PRESENT SIMPLE: QUESTIONS.



Do
(I)*
You
We
They



like
play



  golf?

Does
He
She
(It)*
* Not suitable for these examples.

To make questions in Present Simple, we use:

Do/Does + S + V (stem) + Complement + ?


In questions, the ending -s jumps again from the main verb to the auxiliary verb.

SHORT ANSWERS.

Do you like golf? Yes, I do.
Does he play golf? No, he doesn't.

In the short answers we use the Subject + the auxiliary verb, depending on if the answer is negative or affirmative we use do/don't.



LET'S PRACTISE!

Here you have some links where you can put into practice what you have learnt in this lesson. 😉



6 February 2017

British English VS. American English (Part 1)

It is sometimes difficult for us, as English learners, to differentiate between English and American English.

Here you have the first "lesson" where you can see some of the differences of vocabulary.

Both of them are correct, BUT REMEMBER!!! If you sit an official exam you have to choose only one, in other words, you can't mix both. ☺

Enjoy!