Making Advanced Grammar Work

Grammar in Context for ESL Students

Samples

THE PERFECT TENSES

Compare the following sentences. What period of time is involved in each situation?

Mark is painting a picture.
Mark has been painting for half an hour.

In which case do we know when he started painting?

The focus in the first example is on what is in progress now. The period of time is only the present. There is no attempt to indicate how long he has been painting.
In the second sentence, however, the focus is on the half hour before now. In this case, the fact that he has been painting for half an hour is more important than the fact that he is painting at the moment.

THE CONCEPT OF THE PERFECT TENSES

In English, we have a separate set of verb tenses that we use when we want to focus on the period of time before the present, the past, or the future.
We use these tenses frequently to express how much time an action or situation has been in effect.

He has been working as an accountant for eight years.
The Browns have been going to that same grocery store for more than twenty years.
The doctors have been in the operating room for half an hour.

Uses of the present perfect

We often use the present perfect to establish whether someone or something has ever done something.

Has she ever gone out in a sailing boat?
No, she has never gone out in one.

With this--and other--uses of the present perfect, we often continue explaining in the past tense, giving further information such as a clarification of when something happened.

Have they ever traveled to Spain? [present perfect]
Yes, they have. [present perfect] They went there five years ago. [past]

4-3.	Formulate questions and answers in the present perfect for the following information. Then give additional information when appropriate. Practice these alone, in pairs, and in groups. Practice both orally and in writing.

Example:

make dinner by oneself

Have you ever made dinner by yourself?
Yes, I have made dinner by myself. I made dinner last night.
or
No, I have never made dinner by myself.

1. take care of a small child
2. read a computer program instruction book
3. play a musical instrument
4. invent something
5. fix a roof
6. attend a private school
7. make a mistake in dialing a telephone number
8. travel around the world
9. help an elderly or disabled person cross a street
10. lay bricks
11. get locked out
12. forget to pay a bill
13. have problems using a computer
14. see a head of state
15. install electrical wiring

We often use the present perfect to determine how often or how many times someone or something has done something.

The Smiths have gone abroad every year for the past fifteen years.
Rita has seen the movie Crimson Tide twice.

4-4.	Working alone, in pairs, or in groups, ask questions beginning How many times… for each of the following prompts. Use the present perfect. Then answer each question, and give additional information when appropriate. Practice both orally and in writing.

1. be part of a group in class this term
2. (the wind) blow this month
3. break something in the last six months
4. buy fast food this month
5. do the laundry this month
6. get a paycheck this month
7. go to the store this week
8. put the groceries away after going to the store
9. (telephone) ring so far today
10. run in the park this month
11. speak English to a stranger this week
12. sweep the kitchen floor this week

3-38.

Add the correct form of the verb in parentheses.

2. People often __________ (talk) nowadays about discrimination. Some say that there __________ (be) more discrimination now than there __________ (be) in the past. These individuals __________ (remind) their listeners of the recent videotapes that clearly show people who __________ (discriminate) against others. They also __________ (point) out the difficulties certain people __________ (face) when they try to get high-level positions. Although these critics __________ (be) right about the fact that discrimination still __________ (exist) in society, they __________ (overlook) the extent of discrimination in the past, when outrageous restrictions, written and not, __________ (prevent) many individuals from participating in ordinary activities. People today at least __________ (criticize) others for practicing discrimination, and society as a whole __________ (reject) displays of prejudice. This critical attitude __________ (represent) progress. But we must recognize the fact that people __________ (live) better in the future if more or less all individuals __________ (learn) to treat everyone with respect.

7-9.	Add the correct passive form of the verb in parentheses. Add get where appropriate.

1. Students entering college find that a number of steps __________ (must follow). First, application forms __________ (have to fill out). Their previous school records __________ (may require). Other documents __________ (can request) by school officials, especially in the case of students who come from out of state. These requirements can create problems for students whose records _________ (may lose) in connection with moves or other difficulties. In addition, some student documents __________ (may not request) when they __________ (can obtain) because of something disruptive in the students' lives. Once the documentation is ready, exams __________ (must pass) and classes __________ (have to select). Finally, schedules __________ (must arrange) so that the students can fit everything into their busy lives.

11-18.

Put everything into the plural that can be made plural. Make any necessary changes. Refer, if necessary, to the material in Chapter 2.

1. His house is as large as mine.
2. Another light bulb needs to be replaced.
3. She has a cold, and her husband has bronchitis.
4. He was used to commuting to work.

11-19.

Ask the question on the word(s) in boldface.

1. The Smiths are watching a sitcom on television.
2. The Smiths are watching a sitcom on television.
3. Joe bought roses for Lisa.
4. Joe bought roses for Lisa.
5. Al caught up in chemistry by studying all weekend.

11-20.

Working in groups of three or four students, create sentences that make comparisons between the following people, objects, and situations. Practice both orally and in writing.

1. Eating out/eating at home
2. An electric stove/a gas one
3. Driving to school or work/taking a bus there
4. Watching a film in your native language/watching one in English
5. Studying in the school library/studying at home
6. Parents who know what their children are doing/those who do not know
7. Using a computer spell check/using a dictionary
8. Being self-supporting/being dependent on someone else

9-25.

Working alone or with a group of your classmates, write sentences beginning with the following prompts. Feel free to use humor. Then share your favorite sentences with your instructor and the class. Practice both orally and in writing.

1. The film that
2. The instructor whose
3. The weeds which
4. A student who
5. Holidays during which
6. The police officer to whom
7. Gifts that
8. The car in which

3-39.

Complete the following sentences with the correct verb forms. Then repeat the sentences with a new subject, Ted. Then repeat the sentences with Carol and Ted as subjects. Also practice the sentences in the past, using last week in place of each week. Make any other necessary changes in the text.>

Carol __________ (do) several things around the home each week. She __________ (go) through her bills and __________ (pay) the ones that are due within two weeks. She also __________ (check) her appointment book so that she __________ (know) what appointments and events she __________ (have) during the coming week. She __________ (look) at her list of things that __________ (need) to be done and __________ (take) care of anything not yet done. She __________ (call) several friends and __________ (make) plans to see them. Later, she __________ (scan) the television program and __________ (decide) what she __________ (want) to watch. She then __________ (set) her VCR to record what she __________ (wish) to see at a different time. Last, she __________ (plan) her meals for the week and __________ (buy) groceries and whatever else she __________ (need) for the week.

Prompt from Chapter 2, covering nouns and articles:

2-19.

Write a series of sentences in paragraph form describing your most recent trip to the mall. Tell about the various things that you bought, and explain why you bought each one. Watch the use of articles. In particular, use the indefinite article with each singular count noun you bring up, and use the when you refer to one(s) that you have already brought up. Write the mall because the reader assumes that you are talking about the mall where you normally shop. When you have finished your paragraph, exchange papers with one or more classmates, and offer suggestions to one another on how to improve each paragraph.

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