Articles (Languages, Countries & Nationalities)

Nationalities

We DO use the definite article the when referring to people from a particular country as a whole: the Spanish, the British, the French, the Irish, the Dutch, the Finnish, the Swiss, the Vietnamese

• The British are very good at queueing.
• The Irish like to dance.

We generally DO NOT use ‘the’ with nationalities ending in ‘s: Americans, Canadians, Russians, Australians, Danes, South Africans, Jamaicans, Mexicans

• Americans speak English differently to the British.
• South Africans are very tall, similar to the Dutch.

NOTE: The Americans were drinking Coke.(that particular group of Americans)

---

So GENERALLY we can say:

Ø	people’s names
Ø	people’s names with titles
THE	title with no names
THE	people in the plural (families and nationalities, except where the nationality ends in an ‘s’)

PRESENT PERFECT SIMPLE AND CONTINUOUS.

Form

Present Perfect Simple	Present Perfect Progressive
irregular verbs: form of 'have' + 3rd column of irregular verbs Example: I / you / we / they have spoken he / she / it has spoken regular verbs: form of 'have' + infinitive + ed Example: I / you / we / they have worked he / she / it has worked	form of 'have' + been + verb + ing   Example: I / you / we / they have been speaking he / she / it has been speaking
Exceptions
Exceptions when adding 'ed' : when the final letter is e, only add d Example: love - loved after a short, stressed vowel, the final consonant is doubled Example: admit - admitted final l is always doubled in British English (not in American English) Example: travel - travelled after a consonant, final y becomes i (but: not after a vowel) Example: worry - worried but: play - played	Exceptions when adding 'ing' : silent e is dropped. (but: does not apply for -ee) Example: come - coming aber: agree - agreeing after a short, stressed vowel, the final consonant is doubled Example: sit - sitting after a vowel, the final consonant l is doubled in British English (but not in American English). Example: travel - travelling final ie becomes y. Example: lie - lying

Use

Both tenses are used to express that an action began in the past and is still going on or has just finished. In many cases, both forms are correct, but there is often a difference in meaning: We use the Present Perfect Simple mainly to express that an action is completed or to emphasise the result. We use the Present Perfect Progressive to emphasise the duration or continuous course of an action.

Result or duration?

Do you want to express what has happened so far or how long an action has been going on yet?

Present Perfect SimplE	Present Perfect Progressive
Result (what / how much / how often) I have written 5 letters. / I have been to London twice.	Duration (how long) I have been writing for an hour.

Certain verbs

The following verbs are usually only used in Present Perfect Simple (not in the progressive form).

• state: be, have (for possession only)

Example: We have been on holiday for two weeks.

• senses: feel, hear, see, smell, taste, touch

Example: He has touched the painting.

• brain work: believe, know, think, understand

Example: I have known him for 3 years.

Emphasis on completion or duration?

Do you want to emphasise the completion of an action or its continuous course (how has somebody spent his time)?

Present Perfect Simple	Present Perfect Progressive
Emphasis on completion I have done my homework. (Meaning: My homework is completed now.)	Emphasis on duration I have been doing my homework. (Meaning: That's how I have spent my time. It does not matter whether the homework is completed now.)

Result or side effect?

Do you want to express that a completed action led to a desired result or that the action had an unwanted side effect?

Present Perfect Simple	Present Perfect Progressive
desired result I have washed the car. (Result: The car is clean now.)	unwanted side effect Why are you so wet? - I have been washing the car. (side effect: I became wet when I was washing the car. It does not matter whether the car is clean now.)

Time + negation: last time or beginning of an action?

In negative sentences: Do you want to express how much time has past since the last time the action took place or since the beginning of the action?

Present Perfect Simple	Present Perfect Progressive
since the last time I haven't played that game for years. (Meaning: It's years ago that I last played that game.)	since the beginning I haven't been playing that game for an hour, only for 10 minutes. (Meaning: It's not even an hour ago that I started to play that game.)

Permanent or temporary?

If an action is still going on and we want to express that it is a permanent situation, we would usually use the Present Perfect Simple. For temporary situations, we would prefer the Present Perfect Progressive. This is not a rule, however, only a tendency.

Present Perfect Simple	Present Perfect Progressive
permanent James has lived in this town for 10 years. (Meaning: He is a permanent resident of this town.)	temporary James has been living here for a year. (Meaning: This situation is only temporary. Maybe he is an exchange student and only here for one or two years.)

Signal words

Present Perfect Simple	Present Perfect Progressive
how often ... times	how long since for

Exercises on Present Perfect Simple and Present Perfect Progressive

EXERCISE ONE

EXERCISE TWO

EXERCISE THREE

 

COMPARISON: THE......THE

THE MORE ENGLISH YOU STUDY THE FASTER YOU LEARN IT.

Adverb
1. With a comparative or more and a verb phrase, establishes a parallel with one or more other such comparatives.

• The hotter, the better.
• The more I think about it, the weaker it looks.
• The more money donated, the more books purchased and the more happy children.
• It looks weaker and weaker, the more I think about it.

2. With a comparative, and often with for it, indicates a result more like said comparative. This can be negated with none.

• It was a difficult time, but I’m the wiser for it.
• It was a difficult time, and I’m none the wiser for it.
• I'm much the wiser for having had a difficult time like that.

IN BRIEF: That's a standard construction for comparatives: the ... the ...

Each 'the' is followed by a comparative. That example above is the simplest formation and would refer back to something previously said, so many of the words are simply understood. For example, if someone had offered you a piece of cake and wanted to know whether you wanted a big piece or a small piece, you might answer "The bigger (the piece of cake is) the better (I will like it)."

you will also find more complex the... the... sentences:
The longer you wait, the worse it will get.
The more fruit you eat, the healthier you will be.
The less time you waste, the better off you will be.

EXERCISE ONE  EXERCISE TWO

INDIRECT QUESTIONS IN ENGLISH.

What are Indirect Questions? (FROM: http://www.espressoenglish.net)

Direct questions are the “normal” questions that we can ask to friends, family members, and people who we know well. 

Example of a direct question: “Where’s the bathroom?”

Indirect questions are a little more formal and polite. We use them when talking to a person we don’t know very well, or in professional situations, and their form is a little different.

Example of an indirect question: “Could you tell me where the bathroom is?”

Phrases for Indirect Questions

• Could you tell me…
• Do you know…
• I was wondering…
• Do you have any idea…
• I’d like to know…
• Would it be possible…
• Is there any chance…

Direct and Indirect Questions in English: Examples

Direct: Where is Market Street?

Indirect: Could you tell me where Market Street is?

In indirect questions with is/are, the verb (is) comes after the subject (Market Street).

Direct What time does the bank open?

Indirect: Do you know what time the bank opens?

In indirect questions, we don’t use the auxiliary verbs do/does/did. Also, you can see that the verb is “open” in the direct question, and “opens” in the indirect question.

Direct: Why did you move to Europe?

Indirect: I was wondering why you moved to Europe.

Again, there is no auxiliary verb did in the indirect question. In fact, this indirect question isn’t even a question – it’s more of a statement that invites the other person to give more information.

Direct: How has he managed to get in shape so quickly?

Indirect: Do you have any idea how he’s managed to get in shape so quickly?

The auxiliary verbs have and has can be used in both the direct and indirect questions – but in the direct question, “has” comes before the subject (he), and in the indirect question, “has” comes after the subject.

Direct: How much does this motorcycle cost?

Indirect: I’d like to know how much this motorcycle costs.

To form the indirect question, remove does and change “cost” to “costs.”

Direct: Can you finish the project by tomorrow?

Indirect: Would it be possible for you to finish the project by tomorrow?

For direct questions with can, we can use the phrase “would it be possible…” to make it indirect.

Direct: Can we change the meeting to Thursday?

Indirect: Is there any chance we could change the meeting to Thursday?

“Is there any chance…” is another option for forming indirect questions with can.

Yes/No Direct Questions –> “If” in Indirect Questions

If the direct question is a “yes or no” question (it has no question word such as what, who, when, where, why, or how), then the indirect question will have if.

Direct: Does Tom like Italian food? Indirect: Do you know if Tom likes Italian food?

Direct: Are your parents joining us for dinner? Indirect: Could you tell me if your parents are joining us for dinner?

Direct: Do they speak English? Indirect: I was wondering if they speak English.

Direct: Has Barbara ever studied abroad? Indirect: Do you have any idea if Barbara’s ever studied abroad?

Direct: Do you plan on traveling this summer? Indirect: I’d like to know if you plan on traveling this summer.

EXERCISE ONE

EXERCISE TWO 

EXERCISE THREE

WH- QUESTIONS FORMATION.

Practice questions formation using the so called "WH" question words:


EXERCISE ONE
EXERCISE TWO
EXERCISE THREE

BACK TO SCHOOL!

Back to school again! Let´s refresh your "rusty English" with some easy on-line exercises.

First let´s try a video listening.You have 6 multiple choice questions to answer.

Click here to do the video listening

Now try this exercise on spelling confusing words (homophones)

Click here to do the exercise: