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by Professor Merryman

Grammar Drill – Q&A Tenses

03/25/2012 in Grammar, Learning/Practicing

Grammar Drill – Q&A Tenses

By Mike McKay

 

Practice with a partner.

Version #1 – Partner A says the question. Partner B answers. Switch.

Version #2 – Time yourselves. How fast can you ask and answer the questions? (~2:30 is great!)

Version #3 – Ask random questions to each other.

Version #4 – Say the answer and your partner asks the question.

 

Verb Tense – Time

Question

Answer
Simple Past – YesterdayPresent Progressive – Now

Present Perfect – So far

Simple Present – Usually

Simple Future – Tomorrow

 Yes or NoWho, what, when, where, how, why, which, whose Long answers only.
Example: Simple Past – Yes/No
Did you go shopping yesterday? Yes. I went shopping yesterday.

 

 

Question

Answer
Simple Past – Yesterday
1. Did you go shopping yesterday? Yes. I went shopping yesterday.
2. Who did you go shopping with? I went shopping with my friend.
3. What did you buy? I bought a pair of pants.
4. When did you buy them? I bought them yesterday.
5. Where did you buy them? I bought them at a pants store.
6. Why did you buy them? I bought them because I needed them.
7. How did you pay for them? I paid cash for them.
8. Which store did you buy them at? I bought them at The Gap.
9. Whose store did you like the best? I liked Mike’s store the best.
Present Perfect – So far
10. Have you gone shopping today? No. I haven’t gone shopping today, yet.
11. Who have you gone shopping with this week? I have gone shopping with my friend.
12. What have you bought this week? I have bought a pair of pants.
13. When have you gone shopping this month? I’ve gone shopping on the 2nd and the 10th.
14. Where have you gone shopping? I’ve gone shopping at The Gap and Mike’s.
15. Why have you gone shopping this month? I’ve gone shopping because I need clothes.
16. How much have you spent? I’ve spent $100 dollars.
17. Which stores have you visited? I’ve visited The Gap and Mike’s.
18. Whose store have you bought nice pants at? I’ve bought nice pants at Mike’s.
Present Progressive – Telephone – Now
19. Are you shopping now? No. I’m not shopping now. I’m eating.
20. Who are you eating with? I’m eating with my friend.
21. What are you eating? I’m eating a salad. He’s eating yogurt.
22. When?

XXXXXXXX  Now  XXXXXXXX
23. Where are you eating? We’re eating at a restaurant.
24. Why are you eating? We’re eating because we’re hungry.
25. How is the food? The food is good.
26. Which dressing are you using on your salad? I’m using Caesar dressing.
27. Whose food is better, yours or his? His food is better.
Simple Present – Everyday
28. Do you usually go shopping after school? Yes. I usually go shopping after school.
29. Who do you usually go shopping with? I usually go shopping with my friend.
30. What do you usually buy? I usually buy a pair of pants.
31. When do you usually go shopping? I usually go shopping after school.
32. Where do you usually go? I usually go shopping at the mall.
33. Why do you usually go shopping at the mall? I usually go shopping at the mall because it’s convenient.
34. How do you usually pay? I usually pay cash.
35. Which brand of clothing do you usually buy? I usually buy Cypris brand clothes.
36. Whose store do you go shopping at the most? I go shopping at Mike’s the most.
Simple Future – Be + “going to” – Tomorrow
37. Are you going to go shopping tomorrow? Yes. I’m going to go shopping tomorrow.
38. Who are you going to go shopping with? I’m going to go shopping with my friend.
39. What are you going to buy? I’m going to buy a pair of pants.
40. When are you going to go shopping? I’m going to go shopping after school.
41. Where are you going to go shopping? I’m going to go shopping at the mall.
42. Why are you going to go shopping at the mall? I’m going to go shopping at the mall because it’s convenient.
43. How are you going to pay? I’m going to pay cash.
44. Which brand of clothes are you going to buy? I’m going to buy Cypris brand clothes.
45. Whose store are you going to go shopping at? I’m going to go shopping at Mike’s.

 

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by Professor Merryman

GRAMMAR: Grammatical Hierarchy

07/20/2011 in Grammar, Learning/Practicing, Teaching

Although I don’t think focusing on teaching grammar is the best way to improve language proficiency, it does provide concrete examples for students with more analytical learning styles. The following is a good model for helping them to organize the language into parts, and then break them down for better understanding.

This model was originally written by Professor Rene Flood at Golden State Baptist College for her English course (PDF). I am sharing it with you here because I use it in my classes in one form or another. Thank you Professor Flood.

  1. …Words (V, N, Pro, Adj, Adv, Prep, Conj, Det, Aux)
  2. …Morphemes (Prefixes (Prefixes Roots Suffixes) , Roots, Suffixes)
  3. Clauses (SV, SVO, SVC, SVA, SVOO, SVOC, SVOA)
  4. Phrases (VP (VP NP , NP, AdjP AdjP, AdvP AdvP, PP) PP)
  5. Sentences (Simple (Simple Compound Complex Compound , Compound, Complex, Compound-Complex) Complex)

I have changed the order from the original. I believe we must first teach vocabulary, then simple clauses, then phrases, then sentences. From here we can continue with tenses and more complex structures such as conditionals, modals and pronoun usage (read more here)

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by Professor Merryman

GRAMMAR: Parts of a Sentence

07/20/2011 in Grammar

Tutors and learners can use this table as a reference for discussing the parts of a sentence.

Part of Speech Definition Examples
Nouns Name persons, places, things, ideas, or qualities. Capote, woman, Mississippi River, seashell, hardship, courage
Pronouns Usually replace nouns and function as nouns. I, you, he, this, that, who, which, everyone
Verbs Express actions, occurences, or states of being run, write, be, appear, seem
Adjectives Describe or modify nouns or pronouns. necessary, private, beautiful
Adverbs Answer these questions: when, where, why, how, how much, in what way? They modify verbs, adjectives, and other adverbs. very, too, loudly, finally, yesterday, next, daringly.
Prepositions Relate nouns or pronouns to other words in a sentence. about, to, with, around, during, in, of, within
Conjunctions Link words, phrases, and clauses.
Coordinating conjunctions and correlative conjunctions Links words, phrases, or clauses of equal importance. and, but, so, for, or, nor, not only . . . but also, either . . . or
Subordinating conjunctions Introduce clauses that cannot stand by themselves as complete sentences and link them to main clauses. although, because, if, whenever, as, whether, in order that
Interjections Express feeling or command attention, either alone or in a sentence. hey, oh, darn, wow, hark!

PARTS OF A SENTENCE

Part of Sentence Definition Examples
Subject The noun, or word group acting as a noun, that performs the action expressed in the predicate of a sentence or clause. The author uses symbolism and repetition to convey the character’s personality.Analyzing a literary text is a subjective process; supporting the analysis is not.
Predicate The part within a given clause or sentence other than the subject and its modifiers. Linguists study the science of language.The connection between economic conditions and fashion trends appears variable rather than fixed.
Object A noun, pronoun, word, or word group acting as a noun that receives the action of a verb or is influenced by a transitive verb, verbal (a word derived from a verb, i.e., gerund, infinitive, and participle), or a preposition.
Direct objects Receive the action of a verb or verbal and frequently follow it in a sentence. The essayist Pico Iyer examines social issues.Aristotle’s words about invention deserve renewed study.
Indirect objects Tell for whom, to whom, or to what something is done. Reading the poem “Stopping by the Woods on a Snowy Evening” gives me a sense of a long journey lying ahead.The heroine lends the situation dignity.
Objects of Prepositions Follow prepositions and are linked by them to the rest of the sentence. Accomplished public speakers can move their audiences to action with their eloquent words.
Complements A word or word group that completes the sense of a subject, object, or a verb.
Subject complements Follow a linking verb and modify or refer to the subject. They may be nouns (also known as predicate nouns) or adjectives (also known as predicate adjectives). The market is dynamic.
(adjective complement/predicate adjective)The market is an economic indicator.
(noun complement/predicate noun)
Object complements Follow and modify or refer to direct objects. The Church labeled Galileo a heretic.
(The noun heretic complements the direct object Galileo.)They considered his ideas dangerous.
(The adjective dangerous complements the direct object his.)
Verb complements Are direct or indirect objects of a verb. They may be nouns, pronouns, or words or word groups acting as nouns. Campus-based volunteer groups provide students an opportunity to work in the community.
(Students is the indirect object, and opportunity is the direct object of the verb provide; both objects are verb complements.
Phrases A group of related words that lacks a subject or predicate or both and that acts as a single part of speech.
Prepositional phrases Consist of prepositions and their objects and modifiers. The poet leads the reader through her childhood.A consultant forms an opinion during an initial meeting.
Verb phrases Are verb forms of more than one word that serve as the predicate of a sentence or clause. The main character has experienced much isolation.Can we define normalcy?
Verbal phrases Are formed from a verbal (a word derived from a verb).
Infinitive phrases Consist of infinitives and their objects, plus any modifiers. The critic seems to avoid direct comment.
Participle phrases Consist of participles and their objects, plus any modifiers that function as adjectives. The corporation seeking financial stability must remain flexible.
Gerund phrases Consist of gerunds (the -ing form of a verb used as a noun) and their objects, plus any modifiers, which function as nouns. Tracing an earthquake’s causes requires data from several sources.
Clauses A group of related words containing a subject and a predicate.
Main (independent) clauses Can stand by themselves as sentences. The author’s style emphasizes the character’s confusion.
Subordinate (dependent) clauses Cannot stand by themselves. The author’s style emphasizes the character’s confusion when he is captured.

The table is from LEO Grammar Condensed. Written by Sharon Cogdill and Judith Kilborn for the Write Place, St. Cloud State University, St. Cloud, Minnesota. I am re-posting it here for Cypris Chat. I would like to reorganize and rephrase it for English learners but for now I think it is a good example for us to use as a reference for teaching sentence structure.

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by Professor Merryman

GRAMMAR: Suffixes and Prefixes

05/23/2011 in Grammar

English is a Germanic language. Hence the word haus and maus in German sound like house and mouse in English. However, Latin, Greek, and French have expanded the English vocabulary immensely. Words to describe international customs, food items, science, literature and art from around the world have evolved over time and settled on their present meaning and pronunciation.

To understand English, one must understand that the language is often difficult to understand even for native speakers. This is due to the fact that it is evolving daily. Take rap music for instance. Hip hop fans around the world listen to the poetry of rap stars and try to understand what it is they are feeling through the myriad of creative phrases and vocabulary used in their local culture. For the listener, this makes “listening” and connecting with the artist part of enjoying the music. The words and phrases are then made part of their own vocabulary over time. This means that new words and phrases are created daily. Take a look at the Online Slang Dictionary.

So how can I learn English vocabulary if it is always growing and changing?

Learn about prefixes and suffixes

Look at this word:

Antidisestablishmentarianism

WOW! That’s a long word. Yes. But it is made from many parts. Let’s break it down into the parts.

anti + dis + establish + ment + ary + anism
anti – prefix for opposition
dis – prefix for negative
establish should be the root
ment – suffix that change a verb into a noun
ary – suffix that add a sense of belongingan
ism – suffix that generalizes the concept of the root
(well written from Answers.com)

What does the word mean?

It derives from disestablish, a verb, which means: Undo establishment of deprive (Church) of State connexion, depose from official position. Its first recorded use was in 1593. Disestablishment did not arrive until the 19th century.

Here is a list of common prefixes (before the root) and suffixes (after the root)
Prefixsuffix.com

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by Professor Merryman

GRAMMAR: An Order of Teaching English

05/18/2011 in Grammar

This is the list and order in which I teach useful English. I thought it might be helpful for tutors at Cypris and curious students. It can be used as a guide for learning verb tenses, modals, and such in a structured order. The order makes sense to me and seems to work well. Something I always try to remember; when teaching, try not to use vocabulary or verb tenses that have not yet been taught.

Remember: Verbs express action. Action usually takes place in the present, past or future. (“I am” is not an action even though it is present tense). You are the center of time. Actions, yours or others, are described from your perspective.

Example: “John saw a football game last week.” You are talking about John (subject) and what he did (verb -> object)

Think about the time in which the action happened. Change the verb according to that time.

Leave a comment if you have a question or feel I should add or delete something.

Verb Tense/modal etc Notes Sentence Examples
Present form of “be” No time. It’s a fact or opinion. I am a student.
You are a teacher.
She is a student.
He is a student.
They are students.
You are teachers. (not including you)
We are nice.
Simple Present Repeated, habitual or factual action I work.
I usually work.
I sometimes work on Sundays.
I work tomorrow. (future)
Progressive (v + ing) I am working (now).
I am working tomorrow (future).
I was working yesterday (past).
Simple Past (v + ed or irregular) A past event at a specific point in time in the past. I worked yesterday.
I met a lot of people when I went to America.
Future with “will” “Will” is usually a strong intent to do something. Inflexible statement. Serious like a promise. I will work tomorrow. (confident or fixed decision)
I’ll call you tomorrow. (promise)
Future with “be going to” often pronounced “gonna.” “be + going to” is a neutral, flexible thought, choice or statement. Change is ok. I’m going to go shopping tomorrow. (a choice or plan)
I’m gonna go shopping tomorrow.
I’m going to call you tomorrow (Is this your decision? Will it change?)Be careful! Note on “gonna”
I’m going to work tomorrow. (work=verb. future plan)
I’m gonna work tomorrow. (ok)
I’m going to work tomorrow. (work=the office. Travel to work)
I’m gonna work tomorrow. (NOT ok. Needs “to”)
Past and Future Progressive was doingwill be doing Yesterday, I was working (when the earthquake happened.)
Yesterday, I was working (while my boss was sleeping.)
Tomorrow, I’ll be working (when the baseball game starts.)
Tomorrow, I’ll be working (while you are studying.)
Reflexives I — myself
You — yourself
He — himself
She — herself
It — itself
We — ourselves
You — yourselves
They – themselves		 I cut my hair by myself. (alone)
He did it, himself. (emphasis)
He did it to himself.
Passive voice The person is not important. Perfect past participle. English and French are spoken in Canada.
The Mona Lisa was stolen. (Who stole it?)
Modals They are before verbs.Must, will, should, could, can, may, mightFuture Possibility (under 50%)
Future Probability 99% Must, will
(I know)		 I will call you. (promise)
You must be full. You ate a lot. (expected)
80% Probably, should
(I’m almost sure)
I’ll probably arrive at 5:00.
I should be finished in 10 minutes.Voice intonation changes the levels of probability and possibility.
50% Could, can, may, might
(I don’t really know)		 I might go to a movie.
I can go with you. I’m not busy.
Unreal Conditionals A dream. Not real. If I had a million dollars, I would buy a house.
I would buy a house if I had a million dollars.
Real Conditionals Not a dream. If it is sunny tomorrow, I will play tennis.
I’ll play tennis tomorrow if it is sunny.
Present Perfect Not finished. Started in the past, might continue into the future.VERY recent past. I have already eaten.
(short uncertain time in the past)
I have been to America.
(An experience in my life that might happen again. Time is uncertain.)Have you eaten lunch yet?
Past Perfect Started before a point in past time. When I was 21 I had not been to America yet.
Had you ever eaten sushi before coming to Japan?
Present Perfect with modals I don’t know 100% about the situation that started in the past. He might have eaten too much. That’s why he is sick.
We should have left earlier (should = good idea). Now we’re late.
Causatives Have s.o. do s.t (It’s their job) (Boss) I’ll have my assistant call you tomorrow.
Get s.o. to do s.t. (Doing a favor) I’ll get my friend to do my homework.

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