Articles: a/an, the, Ø

 

When do we use “A, An or The”?

• a = indefinite article + consonants but an+ vowels (not a specific object, one in general) She has a dog, I work in a factory BUT Can I have an apple?, She is an English teacher.
• the = definite article (a specific object, one or ones in particular) The car over there is fast. The teacher (our teacher) is very good, isn’t he?

RULES:

• The first time you speak of something use “a or an”, the next time you repeat that object use “the”. For example:
  I can see a cat. The cat is sitting on a chair. The chair is brown. The cat can see a mouse. The mouse starts running into a hole when it sees the cat so the cat can’t catch the mouse.

• Ø NO ARTICLE

1. when you are speaking about things in general  (uncountable + plurals)
I like Russian tea.
She likes reading books.

2. when you are speaking about meals, times, some places (home, work, school, university…) and transport.
He has milk for breakfast.              I get up at 7.             I go to the gym on Monday.              I go to university.               I go home.                I go to work.     He comes to work by taxi.

3. with names of languages and nationalities: Chinese, English, Spanish, Russian

4. with names of sports: volleyball, hockey, baseball. Ex. I play football

5. with names of academic subjects: mathematics, biology, history, computer science

6. with countries, states, counties or provinces, lakes and mountains except when the country is a collection of states such as “The United States”, “The United Kingdom”.

• He lives in Washington near Mount Rainier.
  They live in Columbia

BUT use an article with bodies of water, oceans and seas -My country borders on the Pacific Ocean

Now you are ready to complete some exercises to practice:

1. A-an? 1, 2, 3, 4,
2. the or Ø? 1
3. A- an- the? 1,  2 , 3, 4, 5,
4. a / an / plural nouns

Expressing likes and dislikes.

          

This is not the first time you read about like. There is a previous post on this blog with songs and examples, check it here. Let’s have a more thorough explanation here:
To talk about your preferences, you can use these expressions:

 Finally, you can state your preference over two different things:
I prefer tomatoes to lettuce.
Things to remember about likes and dislikes:
1. When these expressions are followed by an action, the verb needs the -ing form. Check -ing spelling rules in a previous post.
Examples: I like listening to music, I hate wearing sunglasses.
American English has an alternative structure: they do not use the -ing form of the verb after like, they use -to infinitive. Look at the examples:
I like listening to music (UK) – I like to listen to music (US)
I hate wearing glasses(UK) – I hate to wear glasses (US)
Note: Our textbooks use the UK format.
2. You can agree on someone’s likes and dislikes…
(+) Mary likes oranges and I like them too = Mary likes oranges and I also like them.
(-) Mary doesn’t like oranges and I don’t like them either.
…or you can have a different opinion:
I like chocolate but she doesn’t – She doesn’t like chocolate but I do.
Are you ready to complete some exercises? Click on Mrs Haquet’s book

Present continuous.

 

Present continuous is formed with be+ing.

Do you remember +ing spelling rules? If you don’t, check it here.

Now, pay attention to these examples:

positive sentences: 

(subject- be (am, are, is) - infinitive + -ing):

I am playing football. I’m playing football.

You are playing football. You’re playing football.

negative sentences (subject -be- not -verb+ing):

I am not playing football. I’m not playing football.

You are not playing football. You aren’t playing football.

questions? (Auxiliary – Subject – Verb +ing):

Am I playing football?

Are you playing football?

Let’s practice with some exercises: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6.

To contrast present simple (for habits and routines) and present continuous (at the moment of speaking), try exercise 1, 2

As usual, Mrs Haquet has a wonderful book ready for you to practice.

Gerund: -ing spelling rules.

Be careful with some words when adding -ing to the infinitive. Remember these important rules:

1) consonant + vowel + consonant (except y/w) at the end of the word –> last consonant x 2. Examples: sit –  sitting, put – putting.

We also double one -l at the end of the word. Example: travel – travelling

2) one -e at the end of the word, the -e disappears:

Examples: write – writing, take – taking.

BUT remember, double –e: add -ing. Example: see-seeing

Careful, verbs ending in -ie, change -ie into -y before adding -ing. Example: lie – lying

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3) verbs ending in -c, change ‘c’ to ‘ck’. Example. picnic – he is picnicking

Exercises on -ing spelling: 1, 2, 3 and 4.

Subject pronouns vs object pronouns.

 

Pronouns are words that take the place of nouns.
Example: Mary is a nice girl. Mary has a cat. Mary’s cat likes Mary.
We can avoid repeating Mary by using pronouns.
Example: Mary is a nice girl. She has a cat. Her cat likes her.

This lesson will show you when and how to use pronouns. There are two types of pronouns:

Subject Pronouns

Subject pronouns are pronouns that take the place of a subject. Subjects are usually in front of the verb. Subjects are the part of sentence that do the action. The subject pronouns are:

Examples:

• I am happy.
• She runs fast.
• He lives in Long Beach.
• We are in class.
• They work at the college.

Exercise on subject pronouns

Object Pronouns

Object pronouns are pronouns that take the place of an object. Objects are usually behind the verb. Objects are the part of the sentence that receive the action. The object pronouns are:

Examples:

• Bring me the book.
• Give her the money.
• Juanita lives close to him.
• The car almost hit us.

Exercise on object pronouns

Equivalence:

Subject Pronoun	Object Pronoun
I	me
you	you
he	him
she	her
it	it
we	us
they	them

Try this interactive book to check your understanding. It also includes a revision of possessive adjectives. Can’t you remember it well? Complete this exercise on possessive adjectives before opening the book

Now, try these exercises that combine different types of pronouns: 1, 2, 3

CAN/ CAN’T- PART 2: other uses

In a previous post on CAN/ CAN’T, we studied how to express abilities but CAN/CAN’T has more possible meanings.

1. We use ‘can’ to ask for and give permission. Read this dialogue as an example:

Liza, eight years old, is asking her mother for permission to use the computer…

Liza:	Please mum, can I use the computer?
Her mother:	No, you can’t. It’s time to go to bed.
Liza:	Can I read a story before I sleep?
Her mother:	Sure! But try to sleep early.
Liza:	Thanks a lot, mummy.

Complete exercises 1 and 2
Can’t expresses a prohibition so we commonly use it to describe rules and regulations at work, at school, in a city, at home… Complete this exercise.
2. We use ‘can’ in offers , requests and possibilities.

• Can I help?
• Can you close the window?
• You can use a black or a blue pen.

exercise on requests, offers and possibilities
Remember:

Impersonal Can

Sometimes You can and Can you…? are impersonal and refer to people in general.

• You can see many stars at night from here. (= people in general can see many stars)

It doesn’t necessarily refer to you but people in general.

• You can’t run naked in the middle of the street.

Not necessarily saying YOU can’t run naked in the middle of the street but in general it is not possible for anyone.

Now, let’s put all the previous information into practice. Complete exercises 1, 2, 3 , 4, 5

CAN/CAN’T -PART 1: expressing abilities

We use ‘can’ to talk about ‘ability’.

• I can speak French.
• I can’t drive.

What can you do?

Can you play a sport? Do you remember any sports? Revise vocabulary clicking here. Now match the picture and the sport here.

Finally, revise which verb you need with each sport. Remember the basics:

> play + ball

> go +ing

> do+ other activities

Check here and do some exercises on sports.

Can you play a musical instrument? Don’t you remember any musical instruments? Revise them here.

Finally, complete the interactive book below: