E- magazine Grammar 3
By: Daniela Angulo Chac贸n
Introduction………………………3 Yes/ No questions……………..4 Activity………..…………………12 Tag questions……………….......13 Activity…………………………...19 Future continuous………………20 Activity…………………………...30 Future perfect continuous………..31 Activity…………………………...39 Past perfect continuous..…………40 Activity……………..…………….46 Conclusion……………………….47 Video answers………..…………......48
INTRODUCTION Here you got a helpful magazine that will help you to know how to use some grammar topics that are often used. Every topic comes with the explanation, examples and activities that can help you to improve in your English
Yes / No questions
In English, there are two basic types of questions: Yes / No questions and Wh- questions. Yes / No questions are also called closed questions because there are only two possible responses:Yes or No. When forming a Yes / No question, it must include one of these verbs: BE, DO, HAVE, or a modal verb. It is impossible to ask a Yes / No question without one of these verbs. Example: Correct
Incorrect
Are elections next year?
Elections next year?
Does he want to stay?
He want to stay?
Have the boys eaten?
The boys eaten?
Can the dog swim?
The dog swim?
Use the verb BE to ask Yes / No questions about the identity or description of a person, place, or thing. Question Am I your friend?
Response Yes. / Yes, you are. / Yes, you are my friend.
Is this a good restaurant?
No. / No, it is not. / No, it is not a good restaurant.
Are these islands Greek?
Yes. / Yes, they are. / Yes, these islands are Greek.
Was his idea interesting?
No. / No, it wasn’t. / No, his idea was not interesting.
Were they happy?
Yes. / Yes, they were. / Yes, they were happy.
Note that the response can be short (Yes. / No.), or long: Yes or No followed by the subject and verb.
Use the verb BE with a preposition to ask Yes / No questions about a present or past location. Question Am I at the correct location? Are the keys under the books? Was his house on an island? Were the demonstrations in the center of town?
Response No. / No, you aren’t. No. / No, they are not. Yes. / Yes, it was. No. / No, they weren’t.
Use the verb BE to ask a Yes / No question about a current activity or situation. This requires the present progressive: BE + (verb+ing). Question Am I going with you and Tom? Is she working today? Are we seeing a play tomorrow?
Response Yes. / Yes, you are. No. / No, she isn’t. Yes. / Yes, we are.
Use the verb BE to ask a Yes / No question about a past activity or situation. This requires the past progressive: WAS / WERE + (verb+ing).
Question Was it raining? Were they playing?
Response Yes. / Yes, it was. No. / No, they weren’t.
Use the verb BE to ask a Yes / No question with the passive voice. question Is gold mined in Canada? Are flowers grown here? Was the book read?
response Yes. / Yes it is. No. / No, they are not. Yes. / Yes, it was.
Use the verb HAVE to ask if somebody has done something or if some action has taken place. Note that these Yes / No questions use the present perfect (HAVE + past participle). Question Has your brother left? Have you driven before? Has the party started?
Response No. / No, he hasn’t. Yes. / Yes, I have. Yes. / Yes, it has.
Use the verb DO to ask Yes / No questions in order to obtain facts about people, places, or things.
question Do they smoke? Does it rain here? Did the key work?
response No. / No, they don’t. Yes. / Yes, it does. No. / No, it didn’t.
Use modal verbs to ask Yes / No questions about possibilities or uncertainties Question Can we stay? Could this be true? Should they stop? May I help you?
Response Yes. / Yes, we can. / Yes, we can stay. Yes. / Yes, it could (be true). No. / No, they shouldn’t (stop). Yes. / Yes you may (help me).
Remember: When asking Yes / No questions with DO or a modal verb, the main verb remains in the base form (without to). Correct
Incorrect
Do you drink coffee?
Do you to drink coffee?
Does she work here?
Does she to work here?
Can I go with you?
Can I to go with you?
Should we email her?
Should we to email her?
However, if there are two verbs that follow DO, the second verb remains in the infinitive (with to). Correct Do you want to drink coffee? Does she like to work here? Did you need to go home?
Incorrect Do you want drink coffee? Does she like work here? Did you need go home?
Note that there are several ways to answer Yes / No questions, especially when using contractions. Question Is he busy?
Response No. No, he isn’t. No, he’s not. No, he is not. No, he isn’t busy. No, he’s not busy. No, he is not busy.
Activity http://www.myenglishpages.com/site_php_files/grammar-exerciseyes-no-questions.php#.VIIGjdKG9id
Tag Questions
Form tag questions with statement + tag Statement tag You’re not from Rio, are you? Statement expresses an assumption. The tag means Right? Or Isn’t that true? If the statement verb is affirmative the tag verb is negative. Affirmative Negative You work on Thursday, don’t you? If the statement verb is negative the tag verb is affirmative Negative Affirmative You don´t work on thursday, do you?
Form the tag with a form of be or an auxiliary verb such as have, do, will, can or should. Use the same auxiliary that is in the statement. It’s a nice day, isn ’t it? You’ve lived here a long time, haven ’t you? If the statmenet do not use be or an auxiliary verb use an appropiate form of do in the tag. You come from London, don ’t you? You can drive, can ’t you?
BE CAREFUL! In the tag only use pronouns YES: Tom works here, doesn’t he? NOT: Tom works here, doesn’t Tom? When de subject of the statement is that, the subject of the tag is it. YES: That’s a good idea, isn’t it? NOT: That’s a good idea, isn’t that?
Use tag questions in conversations when you expect the other person to agree with you. In this type of tag questions, the voice falls on the tag. A.It’s getting warmer, isn’t it? B.Uh- huh. Seems more like spring than winter. Use this type of tag questions to: Check information that you believe is correct. You expect the other person to answer(and agree). A.It doesn’t snow here, does it? B.No, never. Tha’s why I love it
ďƒ˜Comment on a situation. This type of tag question is more like a statement than a question.the other person can just nod or say uh-huh to show that he or she is listening and agrees. A.Beautiful day, isn’t it? B.Uh-huh. More like spring than winter.
Activity
http://www.usingenglish.com/quizzes/233.html
Try to recognize the tag questions from this video. http://youtu.be/3zuo56O7_aU
Future Continuous
Future Continuous has two different forms: "will be doing " and "be going to be doing." Unlike Simple Future forms, Future Continuous forms are usually interchangeable. Form Future Continuous with "Will“ [will be + present participle] Examples: •You will be waiting for her when her plane arrives tonight. •Will you be waiting for her when her plane arrives tonight? •You will not be waiting for her when her plane arrives tonight.
Future Continuous with “Be Going To” Form [am/is/are + going to be + present participle] Examples: •You are going to be waiting for her when her plane arrives tonight. •Are you going to be waiting for her when her plane arrives tonight? •You are not going to be waiting for her when her plane arrives tonight.
REMEMBER: It is possible to use either "will" or "be going to" to create the Future
USE 1 Interrupted Action in the Future
Use the Future Continuous to indicate that a longer action in the future will be interrupted by a shorter action in the future. Remember this can be a real interruption or just an interruption in time. Notice in the examples above that the interruptions (marked in italics) are in Simple Present rather than Simple Future. This is because the interruptions are in time clauses, and you cannot use future tenses in time clauses. Examples: •I will be watching TV when she arrives tonight. •I will be waiting for you when your bus arrives. •I am going to be staying at the Madison Hotel, if anything happens and you need to contact me.
USE 2 Specific Time as an Interruption in the Future
In USE 1, described above, the Future Continuous is interrupted by a short action in the future. In addition to using short actions as interruptions, you can also use a specific time as an interruption. Examples: •Tonight at 6 PM, I am going to be eating dinner. I will be in the process of eating dinner. •At midnight tonight, we will still be driving through the desert. We will be in the process of driving through the desert.
REMEMBER In the Simple Future, a specific time is used to show the time an action will begin or end. In the Future Continuous, a specific time interrupts the action. Examples: •Tonight at 6 PM, I am going to eat dinner. I am going to start eating at 6 PM. •Tonight at 6 PM, I am going to be eating dinner. I am going to start earlier and I will be in the process of eating dinner at 6 PM.
USE 3 Parallel Actions in the Future
When you use the Future Continuous with two actions in the same sentence, it expresses the idea that both actions will be happening at the same time. The actions are parallel. Examples: •I am going to be studying and he is going to be making dinner. •While Ellen is reading, Tim will be watching television. Notice "is reading" because of the time clause containing "while."
USE 4 Atmosphere in the Future In English, we often use a series of Parallel Actions to describe atmosphere at a specific point in the future.
Example: •When I arrive at the party, everybody is going to be celebrating. Some will be dancing. Others are going to be talking. A few people will be eating pizza, and several people are going to be drinking beer. They always do the same thing.
REMEMBER No Future in Time Clauses Like all future tenses, the Future Continuous cannot be used in clauses beginning with time expressions such as: when, while, before, after, by the time, as soon as, if, unless, etc. Instead of Future Continuous, Present Continuous is used. Examples: •While I am going to be finishing my homework, she is going to make dinner. Not Correct •While I am finishing my homework, she is going to make dinner. Correct
AND REMEMBER Non-Continuous Verbs / Mixed Verbs It is important to remember that Non-Continuous Verbs cannot be used in any continuous tenses. Also, certain non-continuous meanings for Mixed Verbs cannot be used in continuous tenses. Instead of using Future Continuous with these verbs, you must use Simple Future. Examples: •Jane will be being at my house when you arrive. Not Correct •Jane will be at my house when you arrive. Correct
Activity http://www.curso-ingles.com/ejercicios-testingles/future-continuous.php
Future perfect continuous
Future Perfect Continuous has two different forms: "will have been doing " and "be going to have been doing." Unlike simple future forms, Future Perfect Continuous forms are usually interchangeable. FORM Future Perfect Continuous with "Will" [will have been + present participle] Examples: You will have been waiting for more than two hours when her plane finally arrives. Will you have been waiting for more than two hours when her plane finally arrives? You will not have been waiting for more than two hours when her plane finally arrives.
FORM Future Perfect Continuous with "Be Going To“ [am/is/are + going to have been + present participle] Examples: You are going to have been waiting for more than two hours when her plane finally arrives. Are you going to have been waiting for more than two hours when her plane finally arrives? You are not going to have been waiting for more than two hours when her plane finally arrives. NOTE: It is possible to use either "will" or "be going to" to create the Future Perfect Continuous with little or no difference in meaning.
USE 1 Duration Before Something in the Future
We use the Future Perfect Continuous to show that something will continue up until a particular event or time in the future. "For five minutes," "for two weeks," and "since Friday" are all durations which can be used with the Future Perfect Continuous. Notice that this is related to the present perfect continuous and the past perfect continuous; however, with Future Perfect Continuous, the duration stops at or before a reference point in the future.
Examples: They will have been talking for over an hour by the time Thomas arrives. James will have been teaching at the university for more than a year by the time he leaves for Asia. How long will you have been studying when you graduate? We are going to have been driving for over three days straight when we get to Anchorage.
Notice in the examples above that the reference points (marked in italics) are in simple present rather than simple future. This is because these future events are in time clauses, and you cannot use future tenses in time clauses.
Use 2 Cause of Something in the Future
Using the Future Perfect Continuous before another action in the future is a good way to show cause and effect.
Examples: Jason will be tired when he gets home because he will have been jogging for over an hour. Claudia's English will be perfect when she returns to Germany because she is going to have been studying English in the United States for over two years.
Future Continuous vs. Future Perfect Continuous If you do not include a duration such as "for five minutes," "for two weeks" or "since Friday," many English speakers choose to use the Future Continuous rather than the Future Perfect Continuous. Be careful because this can change the meaning of the sentence. Future Continuous emphasizes interrupted actions, whereas Future Perfect Continuous emphasizes a duration of time before something in the future. Study the examples below to understand the difference. Examples: He will be tired because he will be exercising so hard. (THIS SENTENCE EMPHASIZES THAT HE WILL BE TIRED BECAUSE HE WILL BE EXERCISING AT THAT EXACT MOMENT IN THE FUTURE.)
He will be tired because he will have been exercising so hard. (THIS SENTENCE EMPHASIZES THAT HE WILL BE TIRED BECAUSE HE WILL HAVE BEEN EXERCISING FOR A PERIOD OF TIME. IT IS POSSIBLE THAT HE WILL STILL BE EXERCISING AT THAT MOMENT OR THAT HE WILL JUST HAVE FINISHED.)
REMEMBER No Future in Time Clauses Like all future forms, the Future Perfect Continuous cannot be used in clauses beginning with time expressions such as: when, while, before, after, by the time, as soon as, if, unless, etc. Instead of Future Perfect Continuous, present perfect continuous is used. Examples: You won't get a promotion until you will have been working here as long as Tim. Not Correct You won't get a promotion until you have been working here as long as Tim. Correct
AND REMEMBER Non-Continuous Verbs / Mixed Verbs It is important to remember that non- continuous verbs cannot be used in any continuous tenses. Also, certain non-continuous meanings for mixed verbs cannot be used in continuous tenses. Instead of using Future Perfect Continuous with these verbs, you must use future perfect. Examples: Ned will have been having his driver's license for over two years. Not Correct Ned will have had his driver's license for over two years. Correct
ADVERB PLACEMENT The examples below show the placement for grammar adverbs such as: always, only, never, ever, still, just, etc. Examples: You will only have been waiting for a few minutes when her plane arrives. Will you only have been waiting for a few minutes when her plane arrives? You are only going to have been waiting for a few minutes when her plane arrives. Are you only going to have been waiting for a few minutes when her plane arrives? ACTIVE / PASSIVE Examples: The famous artist will have been painting the mural for over six months by the time it is finished. ACTIVE The mural will have been being painted by the famous artist for over six months by the time it is finished. PASSIVE The famous artist is going to have been painting the mural for over six months by the time it is finished. ACTIVE The mural is going to have been being painted by the famous artist for over six months by the time it is finished. PASSIVE NOTE: Passive forms of the Future Perfect Continuous are not common.
Activity http://www.ego4u.com/en/cram-up/grammar/future-2progressive/exercises
Past Perfect Continuous
Form [had been + present participle]
Examples: •You had been waiting there for more than two hours when she finally arrived. •Had you been waiting there for more than two hours when she finally arrived? •You had not been waiting there for more than two hours when she finally arrived.
USE 1 Duration Before Something in the Past
We use the Past Perfect Continuous to show that something started in the past and continued up until another time in the past. "For five minutes" and "for two weeks" are both durations which can be used with the Past Perfect Continuous. Notice that this is related to the Present Perfect Continuous; however, the duration does not continue until now, it stops before something else in the past. Examples •She had been working at that company for three years when it went out of business. •James had been teaching at the university for more than a year before he left for Asia. •A: How long had you been studying Turkish before you moved to Ankara? B: I had not been studying Turkish very long.
USE 2 Cause of Something in the Past
Using the Past Perfect Continuous before another action in the past is a good way to show cause and effect. Examples: •Jason was tired because he had been jogging. •Sam gained weight because he had been overeating. •Betty failed the final test because she had not been attending class.
REMEMBER Non-Continuous Verbs / Mixed Verbs It is important to remember that Non-Continuous Verbs cannot be used in any continuous tenses. Also, certain non-continuous meanings for Mixed Verbs cannot be used in continuous tenses. Instead of using Past Perfect Continuous with these verbs, you must use Past Perfect. Examples: •The motorcycle had been belonging to George for years before Tina bought it. Not Correct •The motorcycle had belonged to George for years before Tina bought it. Correct
ADVERB PLACEMENT The examples below show the placement for grammar adverbs such as: always, only, never, ever, still, just, etc. Examples: •You had only been waiting there for a few minutes when she arrived. •Had you only been waiting there for a few minutes when she arrived?
ACTIVE / PASSIVE NOTE: Passive forms of the Past Perfect Continuous are not common. Examples: •Chef Jones had been preparing the restaurant's fantastic dinners for two years before he moved to Paris. Active •The restaurant's fantastic dinners had been being prepared by Chef Jones for two years before he moved to Paris. Passive
NOTE: Passive forms of the Past Perfect Continuous are not common.
Activity http://www.curso-ingles.com/ejercicios-test-ingles/past-perfectcontinuo.php
Conclusion For me grammar III, was a helpful course. It really helped me to improved my fluency and my grammar skills are getting better, now I can understand more difficult words when I’m reading a text or a book. My fluency it’s better and it helps to understand more when you are talking to someone. If a I had to recommend this course to someone, I will totally do it, because is going to help a lot.
Answers for the video on tag questions: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10.
Let’s put on our thinking cap, shall we? Isn’t her strong, is it? You did, didn’t you? It’s great, isn’t it? Never isn’t, is it? You never stop talking, do you? That’s a funny turn, isn’t it? You would love that, wouldn’t you? They have wine here, don’t they? It is, isn’t it?