UNIT 1

PART I. TO BE (SER O ESTAR)

A. EL TIEMPO PRESENTE: AM /æm/ , IS /iz/, ARE /a:r/

1. El verbo TO BE tiene tres formas en el tiempo presente: AM - IS - ARE

I am /ai æm/ (Yo soy/estoy) We are /wi: á:r/ (Nosotros/as somos o estamos)
You are /iú á:r/ (Tú eres/estás) You are /iú á:r/ (Uds. son/están)
He is /hi: íz/ (El es/está)
She is /shi: íz/ (Ella es/está) They are /!éi á:r/ (Ellos/as son/están)
It is /it íz/ (Es/está)

En conversación, normalmente se usan las contracciones I’m. You´re, He´s, She´s, It´s, We´re, They´re.

Escuche, repita y aprenda:

What? /wót/ ¿Qué? ¿Cuál?; Who? /hu:/ ¿Quién?; Where? /wéar/ ¿ Dónde?;How? /háu/ ¿Cómo?; This /!is/ este/a,
That /!æt/ ese/a; These /!í:z/ estos/as; Those /!óuz/ esos/as A/ a/(antes de cons.) un/a;, An /an/ (antes de vocal) un/a; The /
!e (antes de cons.) , !i/ (antes de vocal) el, la, los, las; At /æt/ en; In /in/ en; On /on/ encima de; Now /náu/ ahora; Today /tudéi/ Hoy
día; Thanks /"æ#ks/ gracias; Thank you /"æ#k iu:/ gracias; Fine /fáin/ bien; Very well /véri uél/ muy bien; Much better /match
béter/ mucho mejor

What is this? /wót iz !is/ ¿Qué es esto? It is a pen. /its a pén/ Es un lápiz
What´s that? /wots !æt/ ¿Qué es eso? It´s an ambulance. /its an æmbiulans/ Es una ambulancia
What are these? /wót a:r !í:z/, ¿Qué son éstos? They are books. /!ei a:r búks/ Son libros
What are those? /wót a:r !óuz/, ¿Qué son esos? They´re cars. /!eir ká:rz/ Son autos

Is this a pen? /iz !is a pén/ Yes, it is. It´s a pen /iés,it iz. its a pén/
Is that a house? /is !æt a háus/ Yes, It is. It´s a house. /iés it iz its e háus/
Are these books? /a:r !í:z búks/ Yes, they are. They´re books. /iés, !ei á:r. !eir búks/
Are those cars? /á:r !óuz ká:rz/ Yes, they are.They´re cars. /iés, !ei á:r.!eir ká:rz/

Who is that man? /hú iz !æt mæn/ He´s Mr. Jones, the new instructor. /hi:z !e niú: instráktor/
Who´s that woman? /hú:z !æt wúman/ . She´s Miss Black, the secretary. /shi:z !e sékretri/
Who are those men? /hú: a:r !óuz mén/ They´re Bob, Jim and Tom, the students. /!eir !e stiú:dents/

Where is Bob? /wéar iz bób/ He´s at home. /hi:z at hóum/

Where´s the car? /wéarz !e ká:r/ It´s in the garage. /its in !e gæridll/
Where´s the book? /wéarz !e búk/ It´s on the desk. /its on !e désk/
Where are the cars? /wéar a:r !e ká:rz/ They´re in the car park. /!éir in !e ká:r pá:rk/
Where are the students? /wéar a:r !e stiú:dents/ They´re in the lab. /!éir in !e læb/

How are you? /háu á:r iu:/ I´m fine, thanks. /áim fáin, "æ#ks/
How´s John? /háuz dllón/ He´s much better, thanks. /hí:z mátch béter, "æ#ks/
How are the children? /háu a:r !e tchíldrn/ They´re very well, thank you. /!eir véri wél "æ#k iu/

2. La forma negativa se expresa usando la palabra NOT, normalmente formando las contracciones ISN´ T /íznt/
o AREN´ T /á:rent/

I am not /ai æm nót/ ---------------------------- I´m not /aim nót/

You are not /iú á:r nót/ You aren´t /iu á:rent/ You´re not /iúr nót/
He is not /hi: iz nót/ He isn´t /hí: íznt/ He´s not / hí:z nót/
She is not /shí: iz nót/ She isn´t /shí: íznt/ She´s not /shí:z nót/
It is not /it iz nót/ It isn´t /it íznt/ It´s not /its nót/
We are not /wí: a:r nót/ We aren´t /wí: á:rent/ We´re not /wí:r nót/
They are not /!ei a:r nót/ They aren´t /!ei á:rent/ They´re not /!eir nót/

A short course in english for adult students 15

 Escuche, repita y aprenda: is not /iz nót/, isn´t /íznt/ ; are not /a:r nót/, aren´t /á:rent/;
here /híar/ aquí; there /!éar/ allí; over there /óuver !éar/ allá

I am not a pilot. /páilot/ ---------------------------- I´m not a pilot

They are not students /stiú:dnts/. They aren´t students. They´re not students.
He is not here /híar/. He isn´t here. He´s not here.
They are not there /!éar/ They aren´t there. They´re not there.
It is not a train. /tréin/ It isn´t a train. It´s not a train.
Bob is not very well /véri wél/ He isn´t very well. He´s not very well.
The students are not in the lab /læb/. They aren´t in the lab. They´re not in the lab.

Escuche, repita y aprenda estas preguntas y respuestas:

Is this a pen? /pén/ No, it isn´t. (It´s not a pen.) It´s a pencil. /pénsl/
Is that a tank? /tæ#k/ No, it isn´t. (It´s not a tank.) It´s a truck. /trák/
Are these books? /búks/ No, they aren´t. (They´re not books.) They´re magazines. /mægazinz/
Are those chairs? /tchéarz/ No, they aren´t. (They´re not chairs). They´re tables /téiblz/.

3. La forma interrogativa se expresa mediante simple inversión de orden con el sujeto de la oración.

Am I? /am ai/ Aren´t I? * /á:rent ai / Are we? /á:r wí:/ Aren´t we? /á:rent wi:/
Are you? /á:r iú:/ Aren´t you? /á:rent iu:/ Are you? /á:r iú:/ Aren´t you? /á:rent iú:/
Is he? /íz hí:/ Isn´t he? /íznt hi:/
Is she? /íz shí:/ Isn´t she? /íznt shi:/ Are they? /á:r !ei/ Aren´t they? /á.rent !ei/
Is it? /íz it/ Isn´t it? /íznt it/

* Debido a que no existe una contracción para AM NOT, habitualmente se usa AREN¨T en este caso. En
conversación coloquial se usa la contracción AIN¨T /éint/ Ejemplo: Aren´t I your friend? Ain´t I your friend?

Escuche, repita y aprenda:

Am I right? /ám ái ráit/ ¿Estoy correcto? Aren´t I right? /á:rent ai ráit/ ¿No estoy en lo cierto?
Are you all right? /á.r iu: ó:l ráit/ ¿Estás bien? Aren´t you tired? /á:rent iu táiard/ ¿No estás cansado?
Is he a captain? /íz hi: a kæptin/ Es él un capitán? Isn´t she a nurse? /íznt shi. a ne:rs/ ¿No es ella una enfermera?
Are they busy? /á:r !ei bízi/ ¿Están ellos ocupados? Aren´t they happy? /á:rent !ei hæpi/ ¿No están ellos felices?
Is my answer correct? /íz mai á:nser korékt/¿Está correcta mi respuesta? Isn´t this question correct? /íznt !is kwéstchion korékt/

EXERCISES

Ex. 1. Use the correct form of the verb TO BE (am/is/are)

1. The teacher ______ in the classroom now. 6. Doctor Smith _____ busy right now.
2. John and Mary _____ good friends. 7. The train _____ ten minutes late.
3. The men ______ tired. 8. I ______ an undergraduate student.
4. Those vehicles______ slow-moving.(vehículos lentos) 9. The instructor´s name _____ John Doe.
5. Those weapons ______ powerful. (armas-poderosas) 10. The instructors _____ in the staff-room. (sala de profs.)

Ex. 2. Answer these questions, as in the example

Is Tom a pilot? Yes, he is. He´s a pilot.

1. Are you in the office? Yes,_____________ _______________________________________
2. Is that man Mr. Clark? Yes,_____________ _______________________________________
3. Are we ready to go? ________________ _______________________________________
4. Am I a good instructor? ________________ _______________________________________
5. Are the students in class? ________________ _______________________________________
6. Is Miss Jones a secretary? ________________ _______________________________________
7. Is this a modern plane? ________________ _______________________________________

16 A short course in english for adult students

 8. Are the manuals updated?(actualizados) ________________ _______________________________________
9. Is the bank open? ________________ _______________________________________
10.Are you hungry? (hambriento) ________________ _______________________________________

Ex. 3. Answer the questions as in the example:

Are they instructors? (students) No, they are not. (They aren´t instructors)
They ´re students
1. Are the boys angry? enojados (hungry) hambrientos No, _________________ ( _________________________ )
___________________________________
2. Are you thirsty? sediento (hungry) ____________________ ( _________________________ )
___________________________________
3. Is Bob at home? en casa (at work) en el trabajo ____________________ ( _________________________ )
___________________________________
4. Are the children happy? felices (sad) tristes ____________________ ( _________________________ )
___________________________________
5. Is your brother a doctor? (an engineer) ____________________ ( _________________________ )
___________________________________
6. Are your friends American? (British) ____________________ ( _________________________ )
___________________________________
7. Are you a navy officer?(an army officer) ____________________ ( _________________________ )
___________________________________
8. Is the table clean? limpia (dirty) sucia ____________________ ( _________________________ )
___________________________________
9. Are the men old? viejos (young) jóvenes ____________________ ( _________________________ )
___________________________________
10.Is Cpt. Bowman on duty? de servicio (off duty) de franco ____________________ ( _________________________ )
___________________________________

Ex. 4 Ask questions, as in the example below:

The Browns - at home Are the Browns at home?

1. The manager / in his office ___________________________________________________
2. Peter and John / in class ___________________________________________________
3. The course / interesting ___________________________________________________
4. Your friends / from Canada ___________________________________________________
5. The computer / connected to the Internet ___________________________________________________
6. The package / light or heavy (liviano o pesado) ___________________________________________________
7. The pictures / clear (nítidas, claras) ___________________________________________________
8. The children / in the playground.(patio) ___________________________________________________
9. The CD´s / in the drawer (gaveta) ___________________________________________________
10. The maps / in the library (biblioteca) ___________________________________________________

Ex. 5. Ask questions using the wh-words What?, Who?, Where?, How?, as in the example:

It´s a plane. What´s this? o What´s that?

1. It´s a knife _________________________________________________________
2. They´re books _________________________________________________________
3. The cigarettes are in the bag _________________________________________________________
4. I´m fine, thanks _________________________________________________________
5. The cat´s under the sofa _________________________________________________________
6. It´s a chair _________________________________________________________
7. That boy´s my brother _________________________________________________________
8. The books are on the table _________________________________________________________
9. The children are tired _________________________________________________________
10.That woman´s my wife _________________________________________________________

A short course in english for adult students 17

 Ex. 6. Complete and practise these dialogues with a partner.

1. Robert : How do you do? My name ______ Robert Brown.

Jack : How do you do? My name ______ Jack Richardson. Where ______ you from, Mr. Brown?
Robert : I ______ American. I ______ from Appleton, Wisconsin.
Jack : Oh. That ______ very interesting.

2. Frank : Hello. My name ______ Frank. What ______ your name?

John : My name ______ John. How ______ you?
Frank : I ______ fine, thanks. ______ you a student here?
John : No, I ______ not. I ______ an instructor.
Frank : Oh. Pleased to meet you, Sir.

3. Peter : Hello, Mike

Michael : Hello, Peter. Who______ that girl?
Peter : She ______ Mary. She ______ a new student.
Michael : Where ______ she from?
Peter : She ______ from Australia.
Michael : ______ she single?
Peter : No, she ______ ______. She ______ married.
Michael : Oh. That´s bad news.

4. Jack : Where ______ you, Jim?

Jim : I ______ here, in the library.
Jack : ______ you alone?
Jim : No, I ______ ______. I ______ with my friend Janet. Come and meet her.
(pausa)
Jim : This ______ Janet. She ______ my classmate . She ______ from London.
Jack : Hello, I ______ glad to meet you, Jane. How ______ you?
Janet : I ______ fine, Jack. I´m glad to meet you, too.

B. EL TIEMPO PASADO: WAS /woz/ - WERE /we:r/

1. El verbo TO BE tiene las siguientes formas en el tiempo pasado: WAS /woz/ - WERE /we:r/

I was /ai wóz/ (Yo era/estaba/fui/estuve)

We were /wi: wé:r/ (Nos. éramos/estábamos/fuimos/estuvimos)
You were /iú: wé:r/ (Tú eras/estabas/fuiste/estuviste)
You were /iú: wé:r/ (Uds. eran/estaban/fueron/estuvieron)
He was /hí: wóz/ (El era/estaba/fue/estuvo)
She was /shi: wóz/ (Ella era/estaba/fue/estuvo)
They were /!ei wé:r/ (Ellos/eran/estaban/fueron/estuvieron)
It was /it wóz/ (Era/estaba/fue/estuvo)

Escuche, lea y aprenda:

When? /wén/ ¿Cuándo?; Why? /wái/ ¿Por qué?; How old? /háu óuld/ ¿Qué edad?
Last week /lá:st wí:k/ la semana pasada; Two days ago /tú: déiz agóu/ Hace dos días; Yesterday /iésterdi/ ayer;
The day before yesterday /!e déi bifó:r iésterdi/ anteayer; Last night /la:st náit/ anoche

I was very busy yesterday. /ai woz véri bízi iésterdei/ (Yo estuve muy ocupado ayer)
John was at home all day today. /dllón woz at hóum ó:l déi tudéi/ (John estuvo en casa todo el día hoy)
We were in Paris last year /wi wé:r in páris la:st íar/ (Nosotros estuvimos en Paris el año pasado)
Mary was the best student in my class. / méri woz !e bést stiú:dent in mai klás/ (Mary era la mejor alumna de mi curso)
They were very good friends. /!ei wé:r véri gud fréndz/ (Ellos eran / fueron muy buenos amigos)
Mr. Jackson was here three weeks ago. /míster djækson woz híar "rí: wí:ks agóu/ (Mr Jackson estuvo aquí hace 3 semanas).

18 A short course in english for adult students

2. La forma negativa se expresa usando NOT después de WAS o WERE. Normalmente se usan las contracciones
WASN´T /wóznt/ o WEREN´T /wé:rent/.

Escuche, lea y aprenda:

I was not very busy last week. /ai woz nót véri bízi lá:st wí:k/ (Yo no estuve muy ocupado la semana pasada)
John wasn´t at home this morning. /dllón wóznt at hóum !is mórni#/ (John no estuvo en casa esta mañana)
We weren´t in New York last year. /wi wé:rent in niú: iórk lá:st íar/ (Nosotros no estuvimos en N.Y. el año pasado)
Mary wasn´t a good student at high school. /méri wóznt a gúd stiú:dent at hái skú:l/ (Mary no era una buena alumna en el liceo)
They weren´t very hardworking. /!ei wé:rnt véri há:rdwérki#/ (Ellos no eran muy trabajadores)

3. La forma interrogativa se expresa invirtiendo el orden de WAS / WERE con el sujeto

Escuche, lea y aprenda:

Were you in class this morning? /we:r iú: in klás !is mórnin/ (¿Estuviste en clase esta mañana?)
Was John sick yesterday? /woz dllón sík iésterdi/ (¿Estuvo John enfermo ayer?)
Was Mary a good student at school? /woz méri a gúd stiú:dent at skú:l/ (¿Era Mary una buena alumna en el colegio?)
Where were you at this time yesterday? /wéar wé:r iú at !is táim iésterdi/ (¿Dónde estabas a esta hora ayer?)
Why was Jim absent from work? /wái woz dllím æbsent from wé:rk/ (¿Por qué estuvo Jim ausente del trabajo?)

EXERCISES:

Ex. 1. Complete these sentences with the proper form of the verb TO BE, present or past:

1. John ______ in New York the day before yesterday but he ______ in Chicago today.
2. They ______ free today, but they ______ at work yesterday.
3. Today ______ Monday. Yesterday ______ Sunday.
4. Where ______ the Johnsons last weekend? Where ______ they today?
5. The elevator ______ out of order last night, but it ______ working well now.
6. John ______n´t in the office at ten this morning because he ______ at a meeting.
7. Bob ______ very sick yesterday, but he ______ much better today.

Ex. 2. Change the following sentences into a) Negative b) interrogative

1. The secretary was busy at midday. ___________________________________________________

___________________________________________________
2. They were good friends at school. ___________________________________________________
___________________________________________________
3. The weather was fine that day. ___________________________________________________
___________________________________________________
4. The men were tired after the long walk. ___________________________________________________
___________________________________________________
5. Mary was late for the train this morning. ___________________________________________________
___________________________________________________
6. Henry was at the movie at 7 P.M. ___________________________________________________
___________________________________________________

Ex. 3. Ask questions using wh-words like What?, Where?, When?,Why?, How?, How old, Who?

1. Tom was at home at midnight last night. ___________________________________________________

2. John was in the car at that moment. ___________________________________________________
3. Liz was in bed because she was sick. ___________________________________________________
4. The Smiths were in Chile in 1985. ___________________________________________________
5. George was a little better this morning. ___________________________________________________
6. Mr Clark was about 85 years old when he died. ___________________________________________________

A short course in english for adult students 19

 UNIT 5
PART I. EL TIEMPO PRESENTE SIMPLE (THE SIMPLE PRESENT TENSE)
Este tiempo se usa para expresar acciones que ocurren a diario, en forma habitual. Las expresiones de tiempo que más
se usan en este tiempo verbal son aquellas que llevan la palabra EVERY /évri/, como every day /évri déi/ (todos los días),
every morning /évri mó:ni#/ (todas las mañanas), every weekend /évri wikénd/ (todos los fines de semana). También se usan
con este tiempo los ADVERBIOS DE FRECUENCIA (que no indican cuando, sino que con qué frecuencia ocurren las
acciones indicadas por el verbo). Son adverbios de frecuencia: always /ó:lwiz/ (siempre), generally /dllénerali/ (generalmente),
usually /íushuali/ (usualmente), often /ófn/ ( a menudo), sometimes /sámtaimz/ (a veces), rarely /réarli/ (rara vez), seldom /
séldom/ (raramente), hardly ever /há:rdli éver/ (casi nunca), never /néver/ (nunca). Las expresiones que llevan la palabra every
habitualmente van ubicadas al final de la oración, mientras que los adverbios de frecuencia van ubicados siempre antes del
verbo principal.También son frecuentes en este tiempo verbal los adverbios de tiempo formados por once /wáns/ (una vez),
twice /twáis/ (dos veces), three times /"ri: táimz/ (tres veces), several times /sévral táimz/ (varias veces), many times /méni táimz/
(muchas veces), etc, seguidas de las frases a day /e déi/ (al día), a week /e wi:k/ (a la semana), a month /e mán"/ (al mes), etc.

En la forma afirmativa, el SUJETO (I, You, The students, You and I, etc.) va seguido por el INFINITIVO de un verbo
principal.

Es importante destacar aquí que en el Presente Simple afirmativo no se usa el verbo modal DO/DOES (está tácito).
Cuando decimos “I speak Spanish every day” estamos diciendo “I do speak Spanish every day”. Cuando decimos, “ The
secretary answers the telephone” estamos diciendo “The secretary does answer the telephone”. Esto se comprueba
cuando queremos expresar oraciones negativas o interrogativas: I do not speak Spanish every day/Do I speak Spanish
every day?; The secretary does not answer the telephone/Does the secretary answer the telephone?

Escuche, lea y aprenda:

I speak Spanish every day. /ai spí:k spǽnish évri déi/ (Yo hablo español todos los días)
We go to the beach every summer. /wi: góu tu !e bí:tch évri sámer/ (Nos.vamos a la playa todos los veranos)
I often see Mary at the club. /ai ófn sí: méri at !e kláb/ (Yo a menudo veo a Mary en el club)
They always come here on Saturday. /!éi ólwiz kám híar on sæ´terdi/ (Ellos siempre vienen acá los sábados)
The students play soccer once a week. /!e stiúdents pléi sóker wáns e wi:k/ (Los alumnos juegan fútbol una vez a la
semana)

Cuando el sujeto es tercera persona del singular (he, she, it, the boy, the telephone,etc.), se debe agregar una -s o
-es al verbo principal.

Escuche, lea y aprenda:

He speaks Spanish and English well. /hi: spí:ks spæ´nish and í#glish wel/ (El habla español e inglés bien)
The secretary answers the telephone. /!e sékretri ánserz !e télifoun/ (La secretaria contesta el teléfono)
The bus stops here. /!e bás stóps híar/ (El bus para aquí)
Bob washes the car on saturday. /bób wóshiz !e ka:r on sæ´terdi/ (Bob lava el auto los sábados) *
My wife watches TV in the evening. /mai wáif wótchiz tí: ví: in !i í:vni#/ (Mi mujer mira TV en las tardes) *
John plays tennis every Friday afternoon. /dllón pléiz téniz évri fráidi a:fternú:n/ (John juega tenis todos los viernes en las tardes)**
John studies French on Friday morning. /dllón stádiz fréntch on fráidi mó:ni#/ John estudia francés los viernes en la
mañana)**
The sun rises in the east. /!e sán ráiziz in !i í:st/ (El sol aparece en el este) ***
John changes the batteries once a month. /dllón tchéidlliz !e bátriz wáns e mán"/ (John cambia las baterías una vez al mes) ***

Notas: En la 3ra. persona del singular (he, she, it), se deben considerar las siguientes reglas:
* Los verbos terminados en -s, -sh, -ch-, -x, o -z deben agregar -es al verbo. Este sufijo plural se pronuncia /iz/ y es una sílaba más:
washes /wóshiz/, watches /wótshiz/.
** Los verbos terminados en -y precedida de consonante transforman dicha letra en -ies : study - studies. Si la -y está precedida
de vocal se agrega -s: play /plei/, plays /pléiz/.
*** Los verbos regulares terminados en -se, -ce, -ge sólo agregan -s en la tercera persona del singular, pero ese sufijo se pronuncia
/iz/ y pasa a ser una sílaba más: rise /ráiz/ - rises /ráiziz/, change /tchéindll/ - changes /tchéindlliz/.
Los verbos have, do, y go tienen las siguientes formas en la 3ra. Persona del singular: has /hæz/, does /daz/, goes /góuz/.

A short course in english for adult students 59

 En la forma negativa se debe usar el verbo modal DO /du/ seguido de la palabra NOT (normalmente formando la contracción
DON¨T /dóunt/ ) más el infinitivo del verbo principal. En la tercera personal del singular se debe usar DOES /dáz/ seguido
de NOT (normalmente formando la contracción DOESN´T /dáznt/ ) más el Infinitivo del verbo principal (sin agregar -s / -es).

Escuche, lea y aprenda:

I speak Spanish every day. I do not speak /du: nót spí:k/ Spanish every day.
We go to the beach every summer. We don´t go /dóunt góu/ to the beach every summer.
The students play soccer every day. The students don´t play /dóunt pléi/ soccer every day.
He speaks English well. He does not speak /daz nót spí:k/ English well.
The bus stops here. The bus doesn´t stop /dáznt stóp/ here.
My wife watches TV in the morning. My wife doesn´t watch /dáznt wótch/ TV in the morning.
Bob changes the batteries once a month Bob doesn´t change /dáznt tchéindll/ the batteries once a month.
My friends have a new car. My friends don´t have /dóunt hæv/ a new car.
Mary has many friends in Canada. Mary doesn´t have /dáznt hæv/ many friends in Canada.
We have lunch at school every day. We don´t have lunch /dóunt hæv lántch/ at school every day.

Para expresar interrogaciones debemos anteponer los verbos modales DO/DOES al sujeto. En las preguntas negativas
se deben anteponer las contracciones DON´ T / DOESN´ T.

Escuche, lea y aprenda:

Do you speak /diu spí:k/ Spanish every day?.

Do we go /du wi góu/ to the beach every summer?.
Do the students play /du !e stiú:dents pléi/ soccer every day?.
Does he speak /dáz hi: spí:k/ English well?.
Does the bus stop /dáz !e bás stóp/ here?.
Does your wife watch /dáz ior wáif wótch/ TV in the morning?.
Does Bob change /dáz bob tchéindll/ the batteries once a month?.
Do your friends have /du ior fréndz hæv/ a new car?.
Does Mary have /dáz méri hæv/ many friends in Canada?.
Do you have lunch /diu hæv lántch/ at school every day?.
Don´t you speak /dóunt iu spí:k/ Spanish at home?.
Doesn´t Mary work /dáznt méri wérk/ on Saturday?.

Nota: El verbo to have (tener) es un verbo principal, por lo tanto necesita el verbo modal do / does en las negaciones e interrogaciones. Recuerde
que en inglés británico genertalmente se prefiere usar la expresión have got / has got (Ver Unit 3). Cuando se usa el verbo to have para
expresar la idea de servirse, comer, beber, o experimentar, como en to have breakfast (desayunar), o to have a good time (pasarlo
bien, divertirse), se debe usar do / does en las negaciones e interrogaciones).

My friends have a new car = My friends have got a new car.

My friends don´t have a new car = My friends haven´t got a new car.
Mary has many friends in Canada = Mary has got many friends in Canada.
Mary doesn´t have many friends in Canada = Mary hasn´t got many friends in Canada.

Cuando deseamos formular preguntas introducidas por palabras interrogativas como WHAT, WHERE, WHEN, HOW,
HOW MUCH, etc., debemos mantener el mismo orden usado en las interrogaciones simples.

Escuche, lea y aprenda:

What language do you speak at home? /wót læ#guidll diú spí:k at hóum/
When do they go to the beach? /wén du !ei góu tu !e bí:tch/
Where does the bus stop? /wéar daz !e bás stóp/
Why does John change the batteries every month? /wái daz dllón tchéindll !e bæteriz évri mán"/

La pregunta más habitual en este tiempo verbal es :

WHAT DO YOU DO? /wót diu dúu/ (¿Qué hace ud.?)

60 A short course in english for adult students

TIME EXPRESSIONS (I)

EXERCISES
Ex. 1. Study the following expressions of time:

Every Monday /évri mándi/ Todos los lunes

Every Tuesday /évri tiú:zdi/ Todos los martes
Every Wednesday /évri wénzdi/ Todos los miércoles
Every Thursday /évri "é:rzdi/ Todos los jueves
Every Friday morning /évri fráidi mó:ni#/ Todos los viernes en la mañana
Every Saturday afternoon /évri sæte:rdi aftenún/ Todos los sábados en la tarde.
Every Sunday evening /évri sándi í:vni#/ Todos los domingos en la tarde
Every morning /évri mó:ni#/ Todas las mañanas
Every afternoon /évri afternún/ Todas las tardes (13:00 - 17:00)
Every evening /évri í:vni#/ Todas las tardes (18:00 - 21:00)
Every day /évri déi/ Todos los días
Every night /évri náit/ Todas las noches
Every week /évri wi:k/ Todas las semanas
Every month /évri mán"/ Todos los meses
Every year /évri yiar/ Todos los años
Once a day /wáns e déi/ Una vez al día
Twice a week /twáis e wiik/ Dos veces a la semana
Three times a year /"ri: táimz e yíar/ Tres veces al año
Several times a month /sévrl táimz e mán"/ Varias veces al mes
Always /ó:lweiz/ Siempre
Frequently /fríkwentli/ Frecuentemente
Usually /iúshuali/ Usualmente
Generally /dllénerali/ Generalmente
Sometimes /sámtaimz/ A veces
Often /ófn/ A menudo
Rarely /réarli/ Raramente
Hardly ever /hárdli éver/ Casi nunca
Seldom /séldom/ Rara vez
Never /néver/ Nunca
In the summer /in !e sámer/ En el verano
In the autumn/fall /in !i ó:tom /fo:l/ En el otoño
In the winter /in !e wínter/ En el invierno
In the spring /in !e spri#/ En la primavera

Ex. 2. Complete the conjugation of the following verbs:

Affiirmative Negative Interrogative

a. I work here every day I don´t work here every day Do I work here every day?
You __________________________ You ________________________ ______ you _______________ ?
Bill ___________________________ Bill _________________________ _______ Bill _______________ ?
Ann __________________________ Ann ________________________ ______ Ann _______________ ?
We __________________________ We _________________________ _______ we _______________ ?
They _________________________ They _______________________ ______ they _______________ ?

b. I watch TV after dinner I don´t watch TV after dinner Do I watch TV after dinner?
You __________________________ ____________________________ __________________________ ?
Bill ___________________________ ____________________________ __________________________ ?
Ann __________________________ ____________________________ __________________________ ?
We __________________________ ____________________________ __________________________ ?
They _________________________ ____________________________ __________________________ ?

A short course in english for adult students 61

 c. I go to the movies every night I don´t ______________________ Do I ______________________ ?
You __________________________ ____________________________ __________________________ ?
Bill ___________________________ ____________________________ __________________________ ?
Ann __________________________ ____________________________ __________________________ ?
We __________________________ ____________________________ __________________________ ?
They _________________________ ____________________________ __________________________ ?

d. I play tennis on Saturday ____________________________ __________________________ ?

You __________________________ ____________________________ __________________________ ?
Bill ___________________________ ____________________________ __________________________ ?
Ann __________________________ ____________________________ __________________________ ?
We __________________________ ____________________________ __________________________ ?
They _________________________ ____________________________ __________________________ ?

e. I study English every day ____________________________ __________________________ ?

You __________________________ ____________________________ __________________________ ?
Bill ___________________________ ____________________________ __________________________ ?
Ann __________________________ ____________________________ __________________________ ?
We __________________________ ____________________________ __________________________ ?
They _________________________ ____________________________ __________________________ ?

f. I have dinner at work. ____________________________ __________________________ ?

You __________________________ ____________________________ __________________________ ?
Bill ___________________________ ____________________________ __________________________ ?
Ann __________________________ ____________________________ __________________________ ?
We __________________________ ____________________________ __________________________ ?
They _________________________ ____________________________ __________________________ ?

g. I do the exercises well ____________________________ __________________________ ?

You __________________________ ____________________________ __________________________ ?
Bill ___________________________ ____________________________ __________________________ ?
Ann __________________________ ____________________________ __________________________ ?
We __________________________ ____________________________ __________________________ ?
They _________________________ ____________________________ __________________________ ?

Ex. 3. Complete the following sentences using the Simple Present Tense of the verbs given in parentheses.
Then translate them into Spanish. (optional)

1. The children _____________________ at this time every morning. (get up)

2. We seldom ________________________ to the North in the summer. (go)
3. I ____________________________breakfast at 7:15 every morning. (have)
4. John _____________________ the newspaper on the train every day. (read)
5. The students sometimes ______________________ rugby at school. (play)
6. Peter _________________ bridge with his friends every Friday night. (play)
7. The train ___________________ in London at 7:50 every morning. (arrive)
8. Myriam________________________the floor once or twice a week. (wash)
9. I never __________________________________Spanish at school. (speak)
10. The manager generally _______________ the office after 8:00 p.m. (leave)
11. My wife and I often ___________________________ in that restaurant. (eat)
12. Mr Smith ______________________ TV after dinner every evening. (watch)

Ex. 4. Change the following sentences into a) negative, b) interrogative, and c) Wh-questions:

1. Mary likes to drink coffee with milk. _________________________________________________

_______________________________________________ ?
_______________________________________________ ?
2. They live near here. _________________________________________________
_______________________________________________ ?
_______________________________________________ ?

62 A short course in english for adult students

 3. Peter watches TV every night. _________________________________________________
_______________________________________________ ?
_______________________________________________ ?
4. The bus leaves at 7:45 _________________________________________________
_______________________________________________ ?
_______________________________________________ ?
5. That man speaks German. _________________________________________________
_______________________________________________ ?
_______________________________________________ ?
6. They work out every morning. _________________________________________________
_______________________________________________ ?
_______________________________________________ ?
7. Bob always drinks beer. _________________________________________________
_______________________________________________ ?
_______________________________________________ ?
8. They have two cars. _________________________________________________
_______________________________________________ ?
_______________________________________________ ?
9. Peter does everything well. _________________________________________________
_______________________________________________ ?
_______________________________________________ ?
10. They come here twice a week. _________________________________________________
_______________________________________________ ?
_______________________________________________ ?

Ex. 5. Ask questions using wh-words like WHAT, WHERE, WHEN, HOW, etc.

1. She lives near Wimbledon. _______________________________________________ ?

2. They play golf twice a week. _______________________________________________ ?
3. They get up at 7:15 every morning. _______________________________________________ ?
4. The students need more practice. _______________________________________________ ?
5. John goes to Pucón in the summer. _______________________________________________ ?
6. Mary comes to work by bus. _______________________________________________ ?
7. We go to the club on Friday. _______________________________________________ ?
8. They go to the park on Sunday. _______________________________________________ ?
9. Mary goes shopping on Saturday. _______________________________________________ ?
10. They need twenty dollars. _______________________________________________ ?
11. They have two cars now. _______________________________________________ ?
12. He walks to work because he hasn´t got a car. _______________________________________________ ?
13. They don´t like the car because it´s too small. _______________________________________________ ?
14. She usually sleeps six hours every night. _______________________________________________ ?

Ex. 6. Answer these questions in English:

1. How many weeks are there in a year? _________________________________________________

2. Bob is in the office. What´s he doing? _________________________________________________
3. How many legs has a dog got? _________________________________________________
4. Are there any trees in your garden? _________________________________________________
5. The children are in the park. What are they doing? _________________________________________________
6. What do you do after dinner every evening? _________________________________________________
7. How much free time is there in an intensive course? _________________________________________________
8. How often does your English teacher use the VCR in class? _________________________________________________
9. Where do you usually spend your summer vacation? _________________________________________________
10. When does a person go to see a doctor? _________________________________________________

A short course in english for adult students 63

 Ex. 7. Complete the sentences using one of the following:
cause(s) open(s) close(s) speak(s) drink(s) live(s) take(s) place

1. Ann __________________________ German very well.

2. I never ___________________________ coffee.
3. The swimming pool _________________________at 9:00 a.m and _____________________ at 6:30 p.m. every day.
4. Bad driving __________________________ many accidents.
5. My grand parents ________________________ in a very small apartment.
6. The Olympic Games ___________________________every four years.

Ex. 8. Put the verb into the correct form.

1. Janet _______________________________ tea very often. (not / drink)

2. What time _________________________________in Britain? (banks / close)
3. A: Where __________________________________from? (Martin / come) B: He’s Scottish.
4. A: What __________________________________? (you / do) B: I’m an electrical engineer.
5. It __________________________me an hour to get to work. (take) How long __________________ you? (it / take)
6. I ___________________________the piano (play) but I ______________________ it very well (not / play).
7. I don’t understand this sentence. What _____________________________________(this word / mean)?

Ex. 9. Use one of the following verbs to complete these sentences. Sometimes you need the negative:
believe eat go flow make rise grow tell translate

1. The earth _____________________________________ round the sun.

2. Rice ___________________________________ in Britain.
3. The sun _____________________________________ in the east.
4. Bees __________________________________ honey.
5. Vegetarians _______________________________________ meat.
6. An atheist ____________________________________ in God.
7. An interpreter ______________________________________ from one language into another.
8. A liar is someone who ____________________________________ the truth.
9. The River Amazon _____________________________ into the Atlantic Ocean.

Ex. 10. (Review) Use the Present Continuous or the Simple Present, of the verb given in parentheses:

1. My brother Jim __________________________ in Boston at present. (work)

2. The secretary generally _________________________the office at 7:30 every evening. (leave)
3. Mr. Scott ____________________________ the news on TV at the moment. (watch)
4. We seldom _______________________ to the coast in the winter. (go)
5. Look! John __________________________ over there. (come)
6. Mary __________________________ to visit us once or twice a month. (come)
7. For the time being, Tom _____________________________ as a mechanic. (work)
8. Where ________________ they _____________________at present? (live)
9. Where ________________ they usually _________________ in the summer? (go)
10. What _________________ the boy ___________________at the moment? (do)
11. Look! It __________________________ to rain! Let´s go inside. (begin)
12. The bar _______________________ at 6:45 and _____________________at 10:30 every day. (open / close)
13. We ________not ___________________ anything special right now. We_______ just ____________ TV. (do / watch)
14. Hello, Bob! What _____________you _______________ there now? (do)
15. You must always speak to him in English. He ______________ not ________________ Spanish. (understand)
16. Listen! Somebody _______________________ the piano upstairs. Who can it be? (play)
17. What ___________ you ______________________ doing when you are at home? (like)
18. Why ____________ you ______________________ English now? Are you planning to go to the USA? (study)
19. Why ____________ you always ____________________ home so late every night? (Get)
20. Look at that man. He ___________________________ a green uniform. He must be a police officer. (wear)

64 A short course in english for adult students

Ex. 11. (Review) Complete the sentences by using the Simple Present or the Present Continuous of the verbs
provided.

1. Shhh!! The little boy (sleep) _____________________ . He (sleep) __________________ for ten hours every night.
2. Right now I´m in class and I (sit) _______________________ at my desk. I usually (sit) _______________________at
the same desk in class every day.
3. Mustafa comes from Saudi Arabia .He (speak) _________________________ Arabic. Arabic is his native language,
but right now he (speak) _____________________English.
4. Our teacher (stand, not) _____________________up right now. He (sit)_______________on the corner of his desk.
5. It´s 7 o´clock now. Mrs. Black´s at home. She (eat) _________________________________ dinner. She always (eat)
______________________ dinner with her family around six o´clock.
6. It (rain, not) __________________right now. The sun (shine) ________________ and the sky (be) ___________blue.
7. (Rain, it), _________________much in the South in the winter?
8. Look out of the window. (Rain, it) ______________________ now? Should I take my umbrella?
9. It´s 7:30 a.m. now and the Wilsons are in their kitchen. Mrs. Wilson (sit) ______________________ at the breakfast
table. She (read) ________________________ the morning paper. She (read) ____________________________ the
newspaper every morning. Mr Wilson (pour) ____________________________________ a cup of coffee. He (drink)
_________________________ two cups of coffee every morning before he (go) to work.
There´s a cartoon on TV now, but the children (watch, not) ___________________________________ it. They (play)
____________________________ with their toys instead. They usually (watch) _____________________ cartoons
in the morning, but this morning they (pay, not) ____________________________ any attention to the TV. Mr and
Mrs Wilson (watch, not) __________________________ TV either. They (like, not ) __________________________
to watch cartoons.
10. Alice (take, not) ____________________________ the bus to work every day. She usually (walk)
_______________________________instead. (Take, you) _______________________ the bus to get to work every
day, or (walk, you) __________________________________ sometimes?

A short course in english for adult students 65

 UNIT 6
PART I. EL TIEMPO PASADO SIMPLE (The Simple Past Tense)
Este tiempo se usa para expresar una acción que se realizó o que ocurrió en el pasado. Las expresiones más usadas
en este tiempo verbal son aquellas que llevan antepuesta la palabra LAST, como last week (la semana pasada), last
year (el año pasado), last weekend (el fin de semana pasado), last night (anoche), last Monday morning (el lunes
pasado en la mañana),etc. También se usan en este tiempo verbal las expresiones que llevan la palabra AGO, como two
days ago (hace dos días), several weeks ago (hace varias semanas), a long time ago (hace mucho tiempo). Además
están las expresiones yesterday (ayer), the day before yesterday (anteayer), yesterday morning/afternoon/evening
(ayer en la mañana / tarde / noche), that day (ese día), o una hora o fecha pasada, como at 10:15 this morning (a las
10:15 de esta mañana), on September 18th, 1810 (el 18 de Septiembre, 1810).

Escuche, lea y aprenda:

1. I bought the car last year /ai bó:t !e ká:r lá:st íar/ (Yo compré el auto el año pasado)
2. Peter came here three days ago. /pí:ter kéim híar "rí: déiz agóu/ (Peter vino acá hace tres días)
3. They saw a good film yesterday. /!éi só: e gud fílm iésterdi/ (Ellos vieron una buena película ayer)
4. Mary cleaned the house yesterday morning.
/méri klí:nd !e háus iésterdi mó:rni#/ (Mary limpió la casa ayer en la mañana)
5. We worked hard that day. /wí: wé:rkt há:rd !at déi/ (Nosotros trabajamos duro ese día)
6. They stopped talking when the teacher arrived
/!ei stópt tó:ki# wen !e tí:tcher rráivd/ (Ellos dejaron de conversar cuando el profesor llegó)

Como ud. pudo advertir a través de los ejemplos anteriores, el Tiempo Pasado Simple se expresa con el SUJETO
más el PASADO de un verbo principal. Al igual que en el tiempo Presente Simple, aquí el pasado del verbo modal Do
(DID) no se usa en la forma afirmativa (está tácito) Cuando decimos “I bought the car last year”, estamos diciendo “I
did buy the car last year”, como comprobaremos al expresar las negaciones e interrogaciones: I did not buy the car
last year; Did I buy the car last year?

Importante: Es necesario aquí aprender el pasado, tanto de los Verbos Regulares (aquellos que agregan -ed/-d para formar el Pasado y el Pasado
Participio) como de los Verbos Irregulares (aquellos verbos que no siguen dicha regla). En los Ejemplos 1,2,3 los tres pasados corresponden a
Verbos Irrregulares, mientras que los de los ejemplos 4, 5 y 6 son de Verbos Regulares : 1.To buy - bought - bought; 2. To come - came - come;
3. To see - saw - seen; 4. To clean - cleaned - cleaned; 5. To work - worked - worked 6. To stop - stopped - stopped

La pronunciación del sufijo -d/-ed es /d/ o /t/ (nunca /ed/ !!). Los verbos terminados en -t, -te, -d,-de, como To want, To complete, To need, To decide
también agregan -ed/-d, pero este sufijo debe ser pronunciado /id/ como en wanted /wóntid/, completed /komplí:tid/, needed /ní:did/, decided /disáidid/.
Los infinitivos que tienen cons+vocal+cons o cons+cons+voc+cons deben duplicar la última consonante: To stop - stopped (ver formación de
gerundios UNIT 4).

La forma negativa se expresa usando DID NOT /did nót/ seguido del INFINITIVO (no el pasado) de un verbo principal.
A menudo, en la conversación diaria, se usa la contracción DIDN´T /dídnt/.

Escuche, lea y aprenda:

I didn´t buy the car last year. /ai dídnt bái.../
Peter didn´t come here three days ago. /pí:ter didnt kám.../
They didn´t see a good film yesterday. /!éi dídnt sí:.../
Mary didn´t clean the house yesterday morning. /méri didnt klí:n.../
We didn´t work hard that day. /wí: dídnt wé:rk.../

La forma interrogativa se expresa anteponiendo el verbo modal DID o DIDN´T al sujeto y el verbo principal, al igual
que en la forma negativa, va en INFINITIVO.

Escuche, lea y aprenda:

Did you buy your car last year? /díd iú: bái.../
Did Peter come here three days ago? /díd pí:ter kám.../
Did they see a good film yesterday? /díd !éi sí:.../
Did Mary clean the house yesterday morning? /díd méri klí:n... /

A short course in english for adult students 77

 Did you work hard that day? /díd iú wé:rk.../
Didn´t you buy your car last year? /dídnt iú bái.../
Didn´t Peter come here three days ago? /dídnt pí:ter kám.../

Cuando se formula una pregunta introducida por una palabra interrogativa como WHAT, WHERE, WHEN, HOW, etc.,
se debe mantener el mismo orden de palabras de las interrogaciones simples:

Escuche, lea y aprenda:

When did you buy your car? /wén díd iú: bái.../
Why did Peter come here 3 days ago? /wái díd pí:ter kám.../
Where did they see a good film yesterday? /wéar díd !éi sí:.../
Why didn´t Mary clean the house yesterday morning? /wái dídnt méri klí:n.../
When did you work hard? /wén díd iú wé:rk.../

La pregunta más habitual de este tiempo verbal es:

WHAT DID YOU DO? /wót did iú dú:/ (¿Qué hizo ud.?)

EXERCISES:

Ex. 1. Study the Past Tense form of the following regular verbs which are most frequently used.

INFINITIVE PAST TENSE SPANISH

To answer /á:nser/ answered /á:nserd/ contestar, responder
To arrive /arráiv/ arrived /arráivd/ llegar
To ask /a:sk/ asked /a:skt/ preguntar, pedir
To carry /kærri/ carried /kærrid/ transportar, llevar
To clean /kli:n/ cleaned /kli:nd/ limpiar
To close /klóuz/ closed /klóuzd/ cerrar
To dry /drái/ dried /dráid/ secar
To enjoy /endllói/ enjoyed /endllóid/ disfrutar, gustar
To finish /fínish/ finished /fínisht/ terminar
To hate /heit/ hated /héitid/ odiar, no gustar
To help /hélp/ helped /helpt/ ayudar
To hope /hóup/ hoped /hóupt/ esperar, desear
To invite /inváit/ invited /inváitid/ invitar
To listen /lísn/ listened /lísnd/ escuchar
To locate /loukéit/ located /loukéitid/ ubicar, localizar
To look /luk/ looked /lukt/ mirar
To love /láv/ loved /lávd/ amar, gustar
To need /ni:d/ needed /ní:did/ necesitar
To prefer /priféar/ preferred /priféard/ preferir
To rain /rein/ rained /réind/ llover
To receive /risí:v/ received /risí:vd/ recibir
To remember /rimémber/ remembered /rimémberd/ recordar
To repair /ripéar/ repaired /ripéard/ reparar, arreglar
To repeat /ripí:t/ repeated /ripí:tid/ repetir
To request /rikwést/ requested /rikwéstid/ solicitar, pedir
To smoke /smóuk/ smoked /smóukt/ fumar
To start /sta:rt/ started /stá:rtid/ comenzar, partir
To stay /stéi/ stayed /stéid/ quedarse, permanecer
To study /stádi/ studied /stádid/ estudiar
To suggest /sadllést/ suggested /sadlléstid/ sugerir
To talk /to:k/ talked /tó:kt/ conversar
To try /trái/ tried /tráid/ tratar, esforzarse
To use /iú:z/ used /iú:zd/ usar, utilizar
To visit /vízit/ visited /vízitid/ visitar
To wait /weit/ waited /wéitid/ esperar, atender

78 A short course in english for adult students

 To walk /wo:k/ walked /wó:kt/ caminar
To want /wont/ wanted /wóntid/ querer
To wash /wosh/ washed /wósht/ lavar
To watch /wotch/ watched /wótcht/ observar, mirar
To wish /wish/ wished /wísht/ desear
To work /we:rk/ worked /wé:rkt/ trabajar, funcionar

Ex. 2. Study the Past Tense form of the following irregular verbs which are most frequently used :

INFINITIVE PAST TENSE SPANISH

To begin /bigín/ began /bigæn/ empezar, comenzar
To bring /bri#/ brought /bro:t/ traer
To build /bild/ built /bilt/ construir
To buy /bái/ bought /bo:t/ comprar
To come /kam/ came /kéim/ venir
To cut /kat/ cut /kat/ cortar
To do /du:/ did /did/ hacer
To drink /dri#k/ drank /dræ#k/ beber
To drive /dráiv/ drove /dróuv/ manejar, conducir
To eat /i:t/ ate /eit/ comer
To fall /fo:l/ fell /fel/ caer
To feel /fi:l/ felt /felt/ sentir(se)
To find /fáind/ found /fáund/ hallar, encontrar
To forget /fo:rgét/ forgot /fo:rgót/ olvidar
To get /get/ got /got/ conseguir, obtener, (get to = llegar a un lugar)
To give /giv/ gave /géiv/ dar
To go /góu/ went /wént/ ir
To have /hæv/ had /hæd/ tener, comer, servirse
To hear /híar/ heard /he:rd/ oir
To keep /ki:p/ kept /kept/ guardar, mantener
To know /nóu/ knew /niú:/ saber, conocer
To learn /le:rn/ learnt /le:rnt/ learned /le:rnd/ aprender, saber, enterarse
To leave /li:v/ left /léft/ partir, salir, dejar
To lend /lend/ lent /lent/ prestar
To lose /lu:z/ lost /lost/ perder, extraviar
To make /meik/ made /méid/ hacer, fabricar
To meet /mi:t/ met /met/ reunirse, conocer
To pay /péi/ paid /péid/ pagar
To put /put/ put /put/ poner, colocar
To read /ri:d/ read /red/ leer
To run /ran/ ran /ræn/ correr, administrar (un negocio)
To say /séi/ said /sed/ decir
To see /si:/ saw /so:/ ver
To sell /sel/ sold /sóuld/ vender
To send /send/ sent /sént/ enviar
To shut /shat/ shut /shat/ cerrar
To sing /si#/ sang /sæ#/ cantar
To sit /sit/ sat /sæt/ sentarse
To sleep /sli:p/ slept /slépt/ dormir
To speak /spi:k/ spoke /spóuk/ hablar
To spend /spénd/ spent /spént/ gastar, pasar tiempo
To stand up /stænd áp/ stood up /stu:d áp/ pararse
To swim /swim/ swam /swæm/ nadar
To take /téik/ took /tuk/ tomar, llevar
To teach /ti:tch/ taught /to:t/ enseñar
To tell /tel/ told /tóuld/ contar, narrar, decir
To think /"i#k/ thought /"o:t/ pensar, creer
To shine /sháin/ shone /shon/ brillar
To understand /anderstænd/ understood /anderstúd/ entender, comprender

A short course in english for adult students 79

 To wear /wéar/ wore /wo:r/ vestir, desgastar
To write /ráit/ wrote /róut/ escribir

Ex. 3. Change the following sentences into the Simple Past Tense. Remember that you have to use the word
LAST instead of EVERY in the expressions of time

1. Peter comes here every week. __________________________________________ last week.

2. I buy the newspaper every Sunday. ___________________________________________________
3. They go to Europe every year. ___________________________________________________
4. Mary visits her parents every month. ___________________________________________________
5. I write to Mary every week-end. ___________________________________________________
6. They eat fish every Friday. ___________________________________________________
7. Bob washes the car every Saturday. ___________________________________________________
8. We watch TV every night. ___________________________________________________
9. The postman brings a letter every Monday. ___________________________________________________
10. We have a test every week. ___________________________________________________
11. The boy reads a book every month. ___________________________________________________
12. I give the boy a present every year. ___________________________________________________
13. Peter drives to Baltimore every Sunday. ___________________________________________________
14. We enjoy our vacation every summer. ___________________________________________________
15. It rains a lot here every winter. ___________________________________________________
16. They receive a letter every week. ___________________________________________________
17. I sleep well every night. ___________________________________________________
18. Father tells the boy a story every night. ___________________________________________________
19. Mother makes an apple pie every Saturday. ___________________________________________________
20. They sell lots of books every year. ___________________________________________________

Ex. 4. Change the following sentences into a) negative, b) interrogative and c) Wh-questions:

1. We went to work by bus. __________________________________________________

__________________________________________________?
__________________________________________________?
2. Peter came here yesterday. __________________________________________________
__________________________________________________?
__________________________________________________?
3. I wanted to drink tea. __________________________________________________
__________________________________________________?
__________________________________________________?
4. They saw the car accident. __________________________________________________
__________________________________________________?
__________________________________________________?
5. John sold his house for 120,000 dollars. __________________________________________________
__________________________________________________?
__________________________________________________?
6. They bought the car in Paris. __________________________________________________
__________________________________________________?
__________________________________________________?
7. The boy did the exercise well. __________________________________________________
__________________________________________________?
__________________________________________________?
8. We had dinner at the Club. __________________________________________________
__________________________________________________?
__________________________________________________?
9. We wrote the letter in Spanish. __________________________________________________
__________________________________________________?
__________________________________________________?
10. They studied English in London. __________________________________________________
__________________________________________________?
__________________________________________________?

80 A short course in english for adult students

Ex. 5. Ask questions using question words like WHAT, WHERE, WHEN, HOW, HOW OFTEN, HOW MUCH, etc.
In each case, the underlined part must be the answer of the question asked.

1. He went to the zoo yesterday. __________________________________________________?

2. The children got up at 6:30 __________________________________________________?
3. He went to the doctor because he was ill. __________________________________________________?
4. Peter saw the film last week. __________________________________________________?
5. They came here by taxi. __________________________________________________?
6. The boy wanted to play. __________________________________________________?
7. He didn´t go because he was tired. __________________________________________________?
8. They stayed in Vancouver for a week. __________________________________________________?
9. Bill spent one hundred dollars. __________________________________________________?
10. Bob did the same exercise three times. __________________________________________________?

Ex. 6. Answer the following questions with complete sentences:

1. Where did you go last Saturday evening? ___________________________________________________

2. When did you begin to study English? ___________________________________________________
3. How long did it take you to get here today? ___________________________________________________
4. What did the teacher tell you to do? ___________________________________________________
5. What did you eat for dinner last night?. ___________________________________________________
6 Did you watch TV last night? If so, what did you watch? _________________________________________________
7. What time did you get up this morning? ___________________________________________________

Ex. 7. Answer these questions using the information given in parentheses, as in the example:

Did you go by bus? (taxi) No, I didn´t (go by bus). I went by taxi.

1. Did they watch TV last night? (listen to the radio) ___________________________________________________

___________________________________________________
2. Did John go out last night? (stay at home) ___________________________________________________
___________________________________________________
3. Did you eat fish for supper? (chicken) ___________________________________________________
___________________________________________________
4. Did Mary send you a fax? (a letter) ___________________________________________________
___________________________________________________
5. Did they walk to the park? (take a bus) ___________________________________________________
___________________________________________________
6. Did Peter say “yes” (“No”) ___________________________________________________
___________________________________________________
7. Did you read the book in English? (French) ___________________________________________________
___________________________________________________
8. Did they drink beer? (wine) ___________________________________________________
___________________________________________________
9. Did John write a poem? ( a short story) ___________________________________________________
___________________________________________________
10. Did the woman buy a dress? ( a jacket) ___________________________________________________
___________________________________________________
11. Did you see Mary last Sunday? (yesterday) ___________________________________________________
___________________________________________________
12. Did Jack have lunch at home? (at work) ___________________________________________________
___________________________________________________
13. Did the old man feel well? (weak and tired) ___________________________________________________
___________________________________________________
14. Did the man speak to you in English? (French) ___________________________________________________
___________________________________________________
15. Did Mr. Smith come in the morning? (at midday) ___________________________________________________
___________________________________________________

A short course in english for adult students 81

 16. Did you fly American Airlines? (United Airlines) ___________________________________________________
___________________________________________________
17. Did you give the boy an apple? (some money) ___________________________________________________
___________________________________________________
18. Did the secretary leave the office early? (late) ___________________________________________________
___________________________________________________
19. Did Jane wear a short skirt? (a long one) ___________________________________________________
___________________________________________________
20. Did he break his arm in the accident? (his leg) ___________________________________________________
___________________________________________________

82 A short course in english for adult students