3. 2
Introduction 6
Essential Teacher Knowledge and the TKT 8
A LANGUAGE 11
Grammar
1 What's in a sentence? 12
Parts of speech• Sentence elements• Getting things in
the right order·T
eaching ideas: word order
2 How we use clauses 14
Main clauses and subordinate clauses·Clause functions
and meanings• Relative clauses • Conditional clauses•
T
eaching ideas: conditional clauses
3 Asking questions 16
Sayingyes, saying no• Different types of questions·
Learning English by telephone and Skype
4 Introducing verbs 18
T
ypes of verb·How verbs are made·Verbs in
combination·T
otal physical response
5 Verb tenses (form and meaning) 20
How verbs show time • One form, many meanings•
One meaning, many forms• The homework issue
6 Aspect 22
What is aspect?• Simple and continuous• Perfect
verbs·Burnout
7 Teaching verbs (and adverbs) 24
Teaching ideas• Teaching the present continuous and
present simple• Teaching the present perfect• T
eaching
the future• T
eaching the past simple • Teaching the
past continuous and the past simple·Teaching the
past perfect·T
eaching used to • Teaching the passive•
T
eaching adverbs
8 Auxiliaries and modals 26
Auxiliaries and modal auxiliaries·What modal
auxiliaries mean• How modal verbs behave•
Modal verbs and modality·Using the students'
language - their Ll·T
eaching ideas: modal verbs
9 Multi-word and phrasal verbs 28
What are multi-word verbs?·Four types of phrasal
verb• Teaching ideas: phrasal verbs• .Vhen war
brc,1ks out!
10 Verb complementation 30
Verb + verb• Reporting what people say• Other ways
of reporting conversations·Substitution can be fun
11 Introducing adverbs 32
What is an adverb?• How to make one-word
adverbs·Where we put adverbs·Teaching ideas:
adverbs·Using drama in the classroom
12 Introducing nouns 34
Different kinds of noun• Pronouns• The pronoun
gender problem
13 Articles 36
What are articles?• Using the indefinite article•
Using the definite article·No article I zero article·
Tative speaker or non-native speaker?
14 Quantifiers 38
Vlhat are quantifiers?• Quantifiers, nouns, sentences and
questions• Quantifiers plus!• Praise, medals and rewards
15 Introducing adjectives 40
·what are adjectives?• Making adjectives•
How adjectives work·Do you like being corrected?
16 What comes after nouns? 42
Before and after• Describing nouns• Participles (and
gerunds)• T
echnophlle or technophobe?·Teaching
ideas: post-modification
17 Teaching the noun phrase 44
Elements of the noun phrase• Making noun phrases
Lexis and vocabulary
18 What words mean 46
What does headmean?• How head is related to other
words• Teaching ideas: word meaning
19 How words are formed 48
Making words from different bits and pieces•
T
eaching ideas: word formation·American and British
English• Bullying
20 Collocation and lexical phrases 50
vVords alone, words together·Lexical phrases, lexical
chunks·Why collocations and chunks matter•
Being obsen·ed
21 Metaphor, idiom, proverb and cliche 52
Describing one thing as something else ·
More about
metaphors• T
eaching ideas: idiom and metaphor
22 Meeting and remembering words 54
How do students remember words?• Examples of
word-remembering activities
Pronunciation
23 The phonemic alphabet 56
Sounds and spelling• The phonemic alphabet•
Using phonemic symbols in teaching• Should
students learn the phonemic alphabet?
24 Where sounds are made 58
l1aking consonants• What vocal cords are for• Making
vowels·Making diphthongs• Show, explain or listen?
25 Sounds in combination 60
Sounds alone, sounds together• Do students have to
learn sounds together?·Teaching ideas: contractions
26 Stress 62
All words have a stressed syllable·All phrases have a
main stressed syllable• We can change where and
how we place stress in a phrase·Showing stress·
Giving presentations
4. 27 Intonation 64
Vhat is intonation? • Vhat do pitch and intonation
mean? • Showing intonation
28 Teaching sounds 66
Distinguishing between sounds
29 Teaching stress and intonation 68
Hearing stress and intonation patterns
Text and discourse
30 Language functions 70
What we say and what we mean·Language and
language functions • Teaching language functions •
Teaching ideas: functional dialogues
31 Written and spoken English 72
Speaking or writing?·Differences between speaking
and writing • Punctuation
32 Genre 74
Vhat is genre? • How do we know about genre? •
Teaching ideas: genre
33 Register 76
Vhat is register?·Nhat do u think? R txt msgs gr8
or not?
34 Cohesion and coherence 78
Vhat is cohesion? • Vhat is coherence? • Teaching
ideas: cohesion and coherence • Going to conferences
B BACKGROUND TO LANGUAGE
TEACHING METHODOLOGY 81
35 How people learn languages 1 82
Acquisition and learning • Vhy does the difference
between acquisition and learning matter? • ilhich way
is best?·How Fernando learnt English
36 How people learn languages 2 84
Four methods· How people learn; how people teach·
Adrian's story • Pavlov's dogs
37 Students make mistakes 86
We all make mistakes • vVhy do learners make
mistakes? • Vhat kind ofmistakes do learners make? •
Vhat do mistakes look like?·Do mistakes matter?
38 Learning at different ages 88
Young learners • Adult and older learners •
Adolescents · Tip
s for teaching yow1g learners •
T ips for teaching adults • T ips for teaching teenagers
39 Student-centred teaching 90
T he right priorities • Personalisation, agency and learner
training· Talking about adults·Talking about teenagers
40 Learner characteristics 92
Getting to know our students · T he good learner •
L'llking about differences·Vhat to do about student
differences
41 Different contexts, different levels 94
Different kinds ofEnglish learning • Language levels
42 Large and mixed-ability classes 96 .-
Teaching large classes·Teaching mixed-ability classes
43 Motivation 98
T he importance of motivati.on • Vhere motivation
comes from • Sustaining motivation
C TEACHING LANGUAGE
AND LANGUAGE SKILLS 101
44 Introducing new language 1 102
A popular way of introducing new language·
An example of PPP in action • T
e;1ching ideas:
showing language construction
45 Introducing new language 2 104
Tays of introducing new language • Alternatives to
introducing new language
46 Researching new language 106
Making discoveries· Puzzling it out· Looking for
information (research) • Mining texts • Accidental
meetings • Teaching ideas: research • Teaching· ideas:
mining a text
47 Repetition and drilling 108
Repetition: choral and individual • Drills and drilling·
How much repetition and drilling is the right amount? •
An example of choral repetition· An example of a
cue-response drill·An example of a question and
answer cue-response drill • ITave a good mumble!
48 Practising new language 1 110
Controlled practice · Sentence activities •
Dictation • Dictogloss·Matching activities
49 Practising new language 2 112
P.ractice of specific language items • Story chains •
Interviewing each other • Quizzes·Games
50 Practising new language 3 114
Information-gap activities
51 Teaching speaking 1 116
T he reasons for speaking activities • Building the
speaking habit·Interview·Turning on the inner voice
52 Teaching speaking 2 118
Discussions • Reaching a consensus • T he teacher's
role in speaking a'ctivities • · furn-taking
53 Teaching speaking 3 120
Telling stories • lifaking oral presentations •
Simulation and roleplay
54 Teaching reading 1 122
The need for reading·Extensive reading·Intensive
1'eading
55 Teaching reading 2 124
Vhat texts should we give students for intensive
reading? • Vhat to do before students read a text·
Reading activities
56 Teaching reading 3 126
Responding to a text • More comprehension •
Language questions·Follow-up tasks
57 Teaching writing 1 128
T he importance of accuracy • Teaching the 'nuts and
bolts' of writing • T he process of w.riting
3
5. 4
58 Teaching writing 2 130
Encouraging writing·Spontaneous writing·
Students writing together·Pictures and writing·
Music and writing
59 Teaching writing 3 132
Producing a finished product·Preparing for v:t·iting •
From analysis to production • Portfolio writing·
Writing journals • Blogs, wikis and contacts
60 Teaching listening 1 134
The importance of listening • Types of listening •
Audio devices and who uses them·How often should
students listen?
61 Teaching listening 2 136
Prediction • Before listening • Listening tasks
62 Teaching listening 3 138
Listening again • Listening again: language matters •
Extensive listening·Using video
63 Using poetry 140
Choosing the right poems·Predicting poetry •
Poetry and language • Poetry and meaning •
Writing poems
64 Using music and drama 142
Using songs and music·T
alking about music and
songs·Being careful with music·Using drama
D MANAGING LEARNING
AND TEACHING 145
65 Teacher roles 146
A variety of roles • The teacher's role, the teacher's
place • Yhat scaffolding means
66 Teachers and students 148
Establishing rapport • The teacher in the classroom •
Celebrating success·Respecting.students
67 Where students sit 150
What classrooms look like • Working alone, working
together·Putting students into pairs and groups
68 Teacher language 152
Who does the talking in class? • The teacher's voice •
Giving instructions·T
eaching ideas: demonstrating a
Findsomeone u ho . . . activity
69 Giving instructions, checking meaning 154
Giving instructions • Checking instructions •
Checking meaning·An examp l e of instruction giving
70 Classroom moments 156
How to start a lesson·When students are late •
When the class needs to be quiet • Finishing the lesson
71 Discipline 158
Reasons for discipline problems • Preventing
discipline problems • But when there are di cipline
problems, what then?
72 Giving feedback 160
T
eacher feedback·Acknowledgement and evaluation·
Going further • Which kind of feedback • Giving
feedback on written work
73 Correcting speaking 1 162
Different kinds of correction • Students correct
themselves·Students correct each other •
Reformulation • From correction to (re)teaching •
The Silent iVay
74 Correcting speaking 2 164
When should we correct? • Correcting while the activity
is taking place • Making a record of what is being said •
Correcting after the event·Correcting for the future
75 Correcting writing 166
How much to correct·What to correct·Using
correction symbols • Other kinds of correction
76 Homework 168
The magic of homework·What kind of homework? •
Using mobile devices for homework·Making
homework 'work' for students • Making homework
'work' for teachers
77 Using the Ll 170
Ll in the classroom·Some background facts •
Arguments against using the students' Ll in the
classroom·Arguments in favour of using the students'
Ll in the classroom·An L1 'policy' ·Translation
activities·T
eaching ideas: translating a poem
78 Teacher development 172
Continuous professional development • Burnout just
around the corner? • Doing it ourselves·Doing it
with others
E PLANNING, RESOURCES
AND ASSESSMENT 175
79 Planning lessons 176
Different attitudes to planning·T
o plan or not to
plan? • What are lessons like? • What goes into a plan?
80 Planning sequences 178
Lesson shapes, tages and sequence·Planning a
sequence of lessons • ESA • Syllabus, curriculum, course
81 Using coursebooks 180
The coursebook issue·Thinking about the next
coursebook • How to choose a coursebook •
Using coursebooks
82 Using dictionaries 182
Different kind of dictionary • What students can find
in good learners' dictionaries·Using dictionaries with
students
·
83 Supplementary materials and activities 184
Why use supplementary materials and activities?·
What supplementary materials can teachers use? •
Deciding what materials and activities to take
into class·Deciding on games
84 Teaching without materials 186
T
eaching unplugged • Why teaching without
materials is a good idea • Why teaching without
materials may not be a good idea·What the teacher
needs to do when teaching without materials·
Examples of materials-light teaching
6. 85 Classroom technology 1 188
T
eaching with technology·Deciding what technology
to use·Using boards and other 'showing' technology
86 Classroom technology 2 190
Using pictures, cards and strips of paper·Using realia
and other devices·Mobile learning
87 Classroom technology 3 192
Software in the classroom • Researching online (and
on mobile devices)·Making recordings·Presenting
online·Using internet programs for learning and
social interaction • Using virtual learning environments
and learning platforms • Blended learning
88 Assessment and testing 194
Assessing students·T
ypes of assessment·Designing
and making tests
89 Test items and how to teach them 196
Types oftest item·.Direct test items·Indirect test
items·How to prepare students for tests
90 Marking and grading tests 198
After the test • The trouble with marking and how to
deal with it·Using assessment scales • Involving the
students
F TEACHING YOUNG
LEARNERS 201
91 Describing young learners 202
Theories oflearning and child development • How
young are young learners? • Instructional scaffolding·
Children aged five to seven·Children aged ten
and above
92 In the language classroom 204
Creating the right conditions for language learning •
The classroom as a learning environment •
Some examples of useful classroom English
93 Movement, games and special friends 206
Movement • Special friends • Games
94 Chants, rhymes and songs 208
Chants and rhymes · Songs and singing
95 Language teaching with young learners 210
T
eaching language to children · Some examples of
language teaching sequences
96 Young learner listening 212
The importance oflistening • Listen and do • Listen
for information·Stories
97 Young learner speaking 214
Creating confident speakers • Speaking activities •
Storytelling·Using drama and playacting
98 Young learner reading 216
Encouraging reading • Learning sounds, learning
words • A few things that young learners can do vvith
reading· Reading aloud·Let students read!
99 Young learner writing 218
The value ofwriting·Copying activities ·
Dictation • Portfolio writing (and other writing tasks)
100 Topics and themes 220
Planning around a subject·Thinking about topics
and themes • Themes, topics and activities
101 Assessing young learners 222
vVhy we test young learners · Continuous assessment •
Students assess themselves·T
ypes oftest items
G CONTENT AND LANGUAGE
INTEGRATED LEARNING 225
102 Introducing CLIL 226
What is CUL? • CUL methodology • How is CUL
offered around the world (and who teaches it)? •
How to make CLIL successful
103 The langua'ge of CLIL 228
Types of language • Grammar and CLIL • Language
for a purpose
104 Genre in CLIL 230
Language functions and tasks • Genre and CLIL •
Helping students to understand and produce genre
features
105 Using visual organisers 232
Presenting information in a visual way • vVhy visual
organisers matter • Types ofvisual organiser
106 Materials and resources for CLIL 234
Differences between materials for CLIL and general
English·Adapting materials for CLIL·CUL
resources
107 Teaching CLIL 236
The teacher's responsibilities • How teachers can
help students with language·How teachers can help
students with cognitive skills·How CLIL teachers
encourage good learning
108 CLIL activities 238
Balancing activities • Cats and dogs • Rivers • Music,
anyone? • Life on the edge
-
109 Planning CLIL 240
Planning CLIL lessons • Outcomes and demands •
Lesson shapes·What goes into a CLIL lesson plan
110 Assessing CLIL 242
Types of assessment • What is special about assessing
CLIL?·Supporting students in CLIL assessment •
Some CLIL test types·Students assessing
themselves and each other
Appendix A: Going further 244
Appendix B: Language for managing classrooms 247
Appendix C: Lesson planning 250
Glossdex 257
5
-"
7. 6
Introduction
Welcome to Essential Teacher Knowledge (ETK). This book is written for people around the
world who teach (or are going to teach) English. We have designed it to be useful to teachers
ofadults, teenagers and young learners - whether they are teaching general English or CLIL.
ETKis especially useful (but not only) for teachers who have English as a second language.
1 What is in Essential Teacher Knowledge?
• ETK has 110 units about the English language and about how to teach it. The units
describe practical classroom ideas as well as the ideas (the theory) behind them.
• There is an accompanying DVD. You can watch examples ofteachers at work, and
you can hear teachers from around the world talking about how they do things.
• We have divided ETKinto separate sections so that it is easier to use. For example, if
you want to improve your knowledge ofEnglish grammar, vocabulary, pronunciation
or text and discourse (the 'nuts and bolts' of the language), then you can look at the
w1its in Section A. If, however, you are thinking of teaching CLIL (content and
language integrated learning), then you will be more interested in Secti.on G. Teachers
who work (or Thill work) with young learners will find Section F especially relevant.
• However, many of the topics that we deal with are important in more than one area.
Topics such as planning matterwhetheryou teach adults, teenagers or chjldren. As a
result, there are tmits on planning in general (Units 79 and 80); there is a unit (100),
on using topics and themes for planning young learner lessons; and we discuss
planning for CLIL in Unit 109.
• Most of the unit topics in Section D (Managing learning and teaching) are just as
relevant for teaching children and teenagers as they are for teaching adults. They will
be just as interesting for CLIL teachers as they are for anyone else!
• When you are reaillng ETKyou will often see technical terms written like this:
PAIRWORK. This means that you can find the word in the Glossdex (pages 257-287).
The Glossdex entry forpairwork looks like this (the numbers are the unit numbers in
which pairwmk is mentioned):
pair, pairwork when two students work together-+22, 26, 39, 42, 46, 56, 58,
67, 79, 86, 89, 93, 102, 107, 109
• We give references to help you move around the book. For example, in Unit 43 (on
motivation) you will find this: extensive reading-+54. This means that if you go to
Unit 54, you will find more information about extensive reading.
• Ifyou see m!l'.m>, it means that you can look at Teaching Techniques track 12 on the
DVD to see examples of teaching.
• Ifyou see &JI;, it means that you can go to track 10 in the audio section of our
website (www.pearsonELT.com/ETK) to hear an audio clip.
2 How to use Essential Teacher Knowledge
You can use the W1its in ETK in any way you choose, of course. However, we have some
suggestions about how the book can be most effective.
• You can choose the section that is most relevant to you and read the units in that section.
• You can look at the Contents list and choose the units that sound interesting to you.
• You can follow the references between the units (such as extensive reading -+54,
mentioned above).
• You can look at the Glossdex and search for topics that interest you. For example, if
you are interested in pairwork, you can follow up all the unit references that you find
there to learn a lot about the use ofpairwork in a variety ofdifferent contexts.
8. Introduction
• You can watch the film clips on the DVD in any sequence that you want. However, it
may be helpful ifyou wait until you find references to the DVD (such as m!m!>) in
the units and then watch the video excerpts. They will make more sense because you
can read about the techniques and procedures which they show.
3 T he lives of teachers
In Section A we look at how the English language works.
• Language (grammar, vocabulary, pronunciation and text and discourse) is
contextualised in short stories about a variety ofteachers from around the world.
• We also discuss various topics (such as homework, discipline, teacher burnout, etc.) in
connection with the stories about teachers' lives.
4 Practical teaching ideas
Section C (Teaching language and language skills) contains many different examples of
practical teclmiques and activities. But this is not the only place where such ideas can
be found.
• In Units 7 and 17 we discuss different grammar teaching ideas.
• In Unit 22 we look at ideas for meeting and remembering words.
• In Units 28 and 29 we show ideas for teaching pronunciation.
• In Units 93-99 we look at classroom activities for young learners.
• In Unit 108 we look at activities for CLIL learners
5 Teachers' voices
In the Teachers' Voices section ofthe DVD you will find clips ofteachers from around
the world talking about their teaching experiences and what they do in the classroom.
Here is a list ofthe teachers and the topics they talk about. You can listen to many more
teachers' voices on our website: www.pearsonELTcom!ETK
1 Graciela Barreto (Uruguay) Managing young learners
2 Magdalena Custodio Espinar (Spain) Teaching young learners
3 Victor Chen (Taiwan) Helping students to progress
4 Melinda Madrassy (Hungary) Using puppets
5 Marija Andraka (Croatia) Young learners and grammar
6 Magdalena Custodio Espinar (Spain) Teaching CLIL using two languages
7 Liliana Burga (Peru) Groupwork and pairwork with teenagers
8 Ann Masako Mayeda (Japan) Creating motivation through student choice
9 Nino Chelidze (Georgia) Teaching adults
10 Oguzhan Kalkan (Turkey) Using (and adding to) coursebooks
11 Bianca Hofmann (German) Using vocabulary tests to motivate students
12 Deniz Atesok (Turkey) Teaching mixed ability/differentiation
13 Jeannette Jimenez Pachas (Peru) Correcting during accuracy and fluency
14 German Gomez (Guatemala) Using dialogues to teach grammar
15 Katie Malik (Poland) Exposing students to different accents
16 Kamelija Simonovska (Macedonia) A vocabulary activity
17 Nino Chelidze (Georgia) Using dictionaries after reading
18 Monika Czyrska (Poland) Student project work with PowerPoint
19 Alex Field (UK) An end-of-lesson vocabulary game
20 Vivian Hagos Ibrahim (Eritrea) An end-of-lesson vocabulary activity
21 Diana Karan (Canada) Using exit cards to check learning
6 Revise, research, reflect
You will find exercises and questions for each unit of ETK on our website:
www.pearsonELTcom/ETK
7
9. TKT Test/Module
TKT Modules 1,
2 and 3
Knowledge
about language
8
Essential Teacher Knowledge and the
TKT (TeachingKnowledge Test)
Because Essential Teacher Knowledge is for anyone who wants to know about language
teaching, it has not been written just for people who are taking the various elements of
the TKT test. However, ifyou want to take the TKT, this book will help you to prepare
for success in the te t - whichever paper or module you are interested in.
The following chart gives details of the papers and modules ofthe TKT and shows
which units in Essential Teacher Knowledge are relevant for them. However, the book is
organised a little differently from the actual TKT syllabus so that, for example, a topic
like 'managing learners' (which is in tl1e TKT Young learners module) is in a different
section in Essential Teacher Knowledge because it covers issues (for example, discipline)
which do not just apply to young learners.
Readers can also consult tl1e Glossdex on pages 257-287 to look for references to (and
explanations of) TKT terms. The Glossdex contains the most important and useful
technical words used by the TKT test writers - as well as others that are important for
teaching English success. Readers who want the official TKT exam-based glossaries can
download them from the Cambridge ESOL website:
www.cambridgeesol.orglexam-preparationlindex.html#tkt
TKT section/ Topic Unit number(s)
part number
1 Describing
language and
language skills
2 Background
to language
learning
3 Background
to language
teaching
1 Lexis
2 Phonology
Grammar: parts of speech
Vocabulary: types of meaning
Vocabulary: word formation
Vocabulary: word groupings
Pronunciation: symbols from the International Phonemic
Alphabet (IPA)/phonemes
·
Pronunciation: stress
Pronunciation: intonation
Pronunciation: connected speech (language)
Functions
Language skills: reading, listening speaking, writing and sub-skills
Features of spoken and written texts
Features of spoken and written texts: accuracy and fluency
Motivation
Exj:>osure to language and focus on form (acquisition and learning)
The role of error
Differences in age
Differences in the context of learning
Learner characteristics
Maturity and past learning experiences
Introductory activities
Common ways ofpresenting/introducing language
Production tasks (practice)
Common comprehension tasks (language skills)
Assessment types and tasks
Types of meaning; sense relations
Word formation
Lexical units: collocation, lexical phrases/chunks
Register
Phonemes
Word stress and sentence stress; contrastive stress
Intonation and what it means
in fusential
Teacher
Knowledge
1
18
19
20
23
26
27
25
30
51-62
31
73,92
43
35,36
37
38,39,40
41
40
40
70
44,45,46
47-50
41-62
88, 89,101,110
18
19
20
33
23
26
27
10. TKT Test/Module TKT section/ Topic Unit number(s)
part number in Essential
Teacher
Knowledge
3 Grammar T he role of context in grammar 5
Word class in grammatical structure 1
Different types of noun 12
Determiners 13,14
Adjectives 15
Noun phrase structures 15, 16, 17
Verb types 4
Verb patterns 10
Verb mode (declarative, negative, etc.) 17
Modality 8
Time and tense 5
Aspect 6
Hypotheticality (conditionals) 2
Adverbials 11
The passive 1,32, 33
Reported speech 10,103
Sentences and clauses 2
4 Discourse Coherence 34
Anaphoric reference, etc. 34
Lexical cohesion 34
Register 33
Written and spoken English 31
Genre 32
Young learners 1 Knowledge of ' Children's characteristics as language learners 91
young learners Developing children's learning so-ategies through language
and principles learning and conunwlication 92, 93-99, 107
of teaching Developing children's cognitive and communication strategies
young learners through language learning 92,93-99, 107
2 Plamling and Lesson plans and what goes into them 79,80,100, 109,
prepanng AppendixC
young learners Providing support and challenge when selecting and using
lessons coursebooks and supplementary materials 81,82,83,106
Additional·resources 82,83,106
3 Teaching Scaffolding children's understanding; teacher language and 65,68,69,74,91,
young learners strategies 97,102,107
Using practice activities to consolidate children's language learning 93-99
Managing young learners 70,71
4 Assessing young Purpose and focus of different kinds of test 88,89,101, 110
learner learning
Content and 1 Knowledge of Aims and rationale forCLIL 102
Language CLIL and Language across the curriculwn 103
Integrated principles Communication skills across the curriculum 103, 104
Learning ofCLIL Learning skills across the curriculum 107
2 Lesson Plamling a lesson or a series of lessons 79, 80, 109,
preparation AppendixC
Language demands of subject content and tasks 109
Resources: visual organisers and multi-media 106, 105
3 Lesson Classroom language 107
delivery Scaffolding content and language learning 65,69, 74,91, 97,
102,107
Methods to help learners develop learning strategies 107
4 Assessment Focusing on content and language 109
Types of assessment 88,89, 110
Support strategies
Practical Making a lesson plan 79,80, 100, 109,
AppendixC
Teaching a lesson 44-75
9
11.
12. ... �-
t '
• r
l ( I
r ,�
Section A: Language
Section A looks at four main area of language: Grammar (Units 1-17), Vocabulary
(Units 18-22), Pronunciation (Units 23-29) and Text and discourse (Units 30-34).
Almost all of the units in Section A start �ith sliorts texts and dialogues about the lives
of teachers around the world. These show examples ofthe language that the unit is
focusing on. In the grammar units this includes the elements of the sentence, parts of
speech, sentences and questions, verbs (and adverbs), and the noun phrase (including
articles, quantifiers, adjectives and post-modification). In the vocabulary section we look
at word meaning, on howwords 'get together' (collocation and lexical phrases/chunks)
and at metaphor, idioms and proverbs. In the pronunciation section we focus on the
phonemic alphabet, on how and where (in the mouth) we make sounds, on what happens
when sounds are used together, on how we stress words and phrases and on how we use
pitch change for different intonation. Finally, in the section on text and discourse we
look at differences between speaking and writing, and on how we compose texts (written
and spoken) that actually make sense.
Five units within this section give classroom teaching ideas. These are ideas for helping
students learn about verb tense and aspect (Unit7), various elements ofthe noun phrase
(Unit 17), ways ofremembering words (Unit 22), sounds (Unit 28) and stress and
intonation (Unit 29).
Many of the units in Section A also contain short discussions ofissues such as homework,
teacher b�rnout, what it feels like to be corrected, the difference (if any) between
native-speaker and non-native-speaker teachers, etc.
Grammar
1 What's in a sentence?
2 How we use clauses
3 Asking questions
4 Introducing verbs
5 Verb tenses (form and meaning)
6 Aspect
7 Teaching verbs (and adverbs)
8 Auxiliaries and modals
9 Multi-word and phrasal verbs
10 Verb complementation
11 Introducing adverbs
12 Introducing nouns
13 Articles
14 Quantifiers
15 Introducing adjectives
16 What comes after nouns?
17 Teaching the noun phrase
Lexis and vocabulary
18 What words mean
19 How words are formed
20 Collocation and lexical phrases
21 Metaphor, idiom, proverb and cliche
22 Meeting and remembering words
Pronunciation
23 The phonemic alphabet
24 Where sounds are made
25 Sounds in combination
26 Stress
27 Intonation
28 Teaching sounds
29 Teaching stress and intonation
Text and discourse
30 Language functions
31 Written and spoken English
32 Genre
33 Register
34 Cohesion and coherence
11
13. 12
What's in a
sentence?
Manuela is a teacher. She lives in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Last week she was presented
with a 'Teacher of the Year' award by the director of her school. The prize was some money
and some flowers.
Manuela teaches teenagers at a large secondary school and at the weekends she gives
private English classes. She is married to a man she met when she was skiing in Bariloche.
Bariloche is a famous ski resort in Argentina.
Yesterday was Manuela's wedding anniversary. In the morning her husband gave her a
beautiful necklace. She was very happy. She cried! She gave him a new mobile phone. He
thanked her enthusiastically, even though he had bought himself the same phone the
previous day. He wonders when he will tell her, but he thinks today is not the right time.
Parts of speech
• In the story about Manuela there are quite a few NOUNS, such as Manuela, Buenos Aires,
Bariloche, teacher, school, husband and award. ouns are the names of people, places or
things. We look at nouns in '12.
• There are also PRONOUNS (which take the place ofnouns), such as she, he and her.
We look at pronouns in '12.
• The ADJECTIVES in the text includef
amous, beautiful and happy. djectives describe
nouns. We look at adjectives in '15.
• The text above also has a number of VERBS (which describe actions, states and events),
such as is, lives, was awarded, teaches, gave, had bought, etc. Ve look at verbs in '4.
• The word enthusiastically is an ADVERB (it describes the verb); there are ADVERBIAL PHRASES
i.n the text, too, such as last week and in the morning. We look at adverbs in '11.
• There are two ARTICLES in the text: the INDEFINITE ARTICLE a and the DEFINITEARTICLE the.
The word some is a QUANTIFIER (it tells us 'how much'). We look at articles in '13 and
quantifiers in '14.
• PREPOSITIONS, uch as in and of, show how other words are connected. We look at
PREPOSITIONAL PHRASES in '16.
• The CONJUNCTIONS and and but co1mect SENTENCES and clauses.
14. What's in a sentence?
Sentence elements
How do we know where to put the parts of speech to make a sentence? Vhat are the
ELEMENTS OFA SENTENCE and what order should they go in?
• Sentences consist of some or all ofthe following: a SUBJECT (She) + a verb (teaches),
an OBJECT (teenagers) and an adverb or an adverbial phrase (at a large secondaryschool).
• Sometimes sentences have more than one object. In the sentence Her husbandgave her
a beautiful necklace, a beaut{f
ul necklace is the DIRECT OBJECT (it is the thing that was
given) and her is the INDIRECT OBJECT (she was the one who benefited from the action).
• Some sentences do not have an object. Instead they have a subject (she), a verb (was)
and a COMPLEMENT (happy).
• Sometimes we only use a subject and a verb (She cried) �4.
• Sometimes we make more complicated sentences by joining together a number of
CLAUSES. She is married to a man I She met the man when she was skiing I She was skiing
in Bariloche becomes She is married to a man she met when she was skiing in Bariloche.
We look at clauses in �2.
Getting things in the right order
The basic sentence elements (subject, verb, object, complement) are the spaces into
which we place words. But we have to be careful which words we put into these spaces.
For example, we can put pronouns (she, he, they, etc.) or NOUN PHRASES (theyoung woman,
the director, her husband, etc.) into the subject space, but the sentence would not work if
we put an adjective or an adverb there. For example, we cannot say PreDiousisateaclm· or
Se1·iousf)·isastudent. Similarly, we cannot put nouns or adjectives where verbs go, etc.
The sentence elements have to be arranged in correct sequences. For example, we can
say Nfanuela isa teacher (SVC), or we can change the order to make a question:
Is Manuela a teacher? (VSC). But we cannot say [,,a teache1·Nf:tmueia because we do not
use the sequence VCS.
However, sometimes we re-arrange the order of the SVO elements and put the
(indirect) object in the subject position. This is because we want to focus on who
'receives' the action (or because we don't kno"v who did the action). For example,
instead of using the ACTIVE VOICE and saying The director ofher school (1) presented her'
(2) with a 'Teacher o
fthe Year' award, we can use the PASSIVE VOICE: She (2) waspresented
with a 'Teacher ofthe Year' award by the director ofher school (1). We look at an activity to
teach the passive voice in �7.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. .
. .
Teaching ideas: word order
We often get students to reorder words to make sentences. This makes them think carefully
about syntax (the correct sequence of sentence elements). For example, we can say:
Put the following words in order to make correct sentences:
a) Manuela's/ was/ wedding anniversaryIyesterday
b) a/ at/ Buenos Aires/ teenagers/ in/ large/ Manuela/ secondary school/ teaches
c) busI byIgoI II schoolI toIusually
We can also ask the students to put in punctuation, such as CAPITAL LETTERS, FULL STOPS
(periods), QUESTION MARKS, INVERTED COMMAS (quotation marks), etc. �31
An enjoyable variation is to have the students hold the words on cards above their heads
(so they can't see their own words) The other members of the class have to tell them where
to stand to make a correct sentence l!l!l'.D.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
13
15. 14
How we use
clauses
Hiro's lesson
(1) As soon as the lesson is over,
Hiro walks back to the teachers'
room. (2) He's happy and he wants
to tell his friend Akiko about it.
(3) Although Akiko is a geography
teacher (and Hiro is an English
teacher), they always tell
each other about their lessons and
talk about their students.
(4) Hiro is happy because his
students particularly enjoyed the
lesson which he taught after the
first break.
(5) After school Hiro is going to go
straight home so that he'll have
time for some music. (6) He's
going to play the guitar he bought
two weeks ago. (7) If he hadn't
trained to be a teacher, Hiro would
have studied music.
Main clauses and subordinate clauses
All the sentences in the text about Hiro have more than one CLAUSE in them. A clause has
a subject and a verb - and so all sentences (such as He is happy) have at least one clause.
But there's more to it than that!
• Sentence 2 has two MAIN CLAUSES: He'.' happy. He wants to tell hisfriendAkiko about it.
Main clauses can exist on their own and are often joined :Jy CONJUNCTIONS like and, but,
or, so, etc.
• Sentence 1 has a main clause (Hiro walks back to the teachers' room) and a SUBORDINATE
CLAUSE (assoon as the lesson is over). Subordinate clauses only exist if there is a main
clause that they can attach themselves to; we don't usually use them on their own.
• Sentence 4 has two main clauses (Hiro is happy and hisstudentsparticularly enjoyed the
lesson) and one subordinate clause (which he taught after thefirst break).
Clause functions and meanings
Clauses can have different functions and meanings. For example, sentence 1 has a
TIME CLAUSE (assoon as the lesson is over). Sentence 3 has a CONCESSIVE CLAUSE (although
Akiko is a geography teacher). We use concessive clauses when we want to say that there is
a 'weakness' in the idea ofthe main clause. Sentence 4 has a REASON CLAUSE (because his
studentsparticularly enjoyed the lesson) and sentence 5 has a PURPOSE CLAUSE (so that he'll have
timeforsome music).
16. Relative clauses
In sentence 4 the clause which he taught after thefirst break is a RELATIVE CLAUSE, introduced
by a relative pronoun (which). We use the RELATIVE PRONOUNS which and that for things and
who or that for people (She's the wo'man who married a prince), where for places (That's the
house where she met hi'm) and whose for possession (She's the wo'man whose children go to the
same school as mine). Relative clauses can be DEFINING (as in sentence 4 where the clause
tells us which lesson is being talked about) or NON-DEFINING as in sentences like He likes his
school, which is in the centre oftown. In that last sentence (notice the use of the comma) we
know which school is being talked about; we are just giving additional information.
Note that in sentence 6 we don't have to use a relative pronoun because the noun being
described (the guitar
) is the object of the clause (he bought the guitar). We call these
clauses CONTACT CLAUSES or REDUCED RELATIVECLAUSES.
Conditional clauses
Sentence 7 in the text about Hiro's lesson is a CONDITIONAL SENTENCE which contains the
CONDITIONAL CLAUSE I
fhe hadn't trained to be a teacher and the consequence Hiro would have
studied 'music. We use conditional sentences to say a) what will or will probably happen
(I
fhe wearssunscreen, he won'tgetsunburned), b) what might (but is less likely to) happen
(I
fhe won a lot ofmoney, he would buy a new house) or c) what definitely won't happen
because it is in the past (Ifhe hadn't trained to be a teacher, he would have studied 'mZtsic).
These are often called FIRST CONDITIONAL (a), SECOND CONDITIONAL (b) and THIRD CONDITIONAL
(c). We use the past tense for the second conditional and the PAST PERFECT tense for the
third conditional to show that the meaning is HYPOTHETICAL, because it will always be
'unreal'. Some people also talk about the ZERO CONDITIONAL to refer to things which are
always true (Ifyou heat wate1; it boils).
Note that the clauses can go in different sequences (He won'tgetsunbunled ifhe wears
sunscreen I I
fhe wears sunscreen, he won'tget sunburned) and that we can use other
future-meaning verbs and auxiliaries instead of will and would, etc. For example, IfIgo to
the beach, /''flt going to wearsunscreen; I couldn't have done it if
you hadn't helped me.
We use unless to mean 'if not': Unless he wearssunscreen he willgetsunburned.
We can make MIXED CONDITIONALS by using/mixing different verb tenses in sentences like
I won 't caliyou unless I'vefinished.
.
Teaching ideas: conditional clauses
Many teachers use stories with 'consequences' to teach conditionals. For example, we could
tell the students a story �45 about a man in a bar (Ifhe has another drink, he will stay in the
bar. Ifhe stays in the bar, he will get home late. Ifhe gets home late, his wife will leave him, etc.) to
produce 'tragic' stories. We can talk about the 'superpower' qualities that teachers would like
to have, such as being able to fly or being able to see through walls (If I could fly, I would visit
all the cities in the world in one day). Others talk about stories in the past; they say what would
have happened if things had been different (Ifhe hadn't gone swimming, he wouldn't have been
attacked by a shark).
.
• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • o • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •
15
17. Askin_g_
questions
· � · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · ·
16
Private lesson
Manuela is giving an online lesson to
her private student, Carmen.
Manuela: Let's start with some
Carmen:
Manuela:
Carmen:
Manuela:
Carmen:
Manuela:
Carmen:
Manuela:
Carmen:
Manuela:
Carmen:
Manuela:
Carmen:
Manuela:
Carmen:
Manuela:
Carmen:
Manuela:
conversation practice.
OK. I'd like that.
Where did you go at the
weekend, Carmen?
I went to Recoleta Park.
Did your boyfriend go
with you?
No, he didn't. He couldn't
make it.
So who went with you?
My sister.
Your boyfriend's an engineer,
isn't he?
Yes, he is. He designs bridges.
He designs bridges?
Yes.
What's he working on at the moment?
They're constructing a new bridge in Mendoza.
When's he coming back?
When's he coming back? I'm not sure. Sometimes it seems like he's never
at home!
Don't worry! I'm sure it'll work out in the end.
Yes, I know.And I'm really pleased for him - that his work is going so well.
That's great, Carmen. Anyway, shall we do some vocabulary work now?
Saying yes, saying no
• In Manuela and Carmen's conversation, Carmen uses a number ofAFFIRMATIVE
SENTENCES (I'd like that. I went to Recoleta Park. They're constructing a new bridge in
Mendoza) and ANSWERS (Yes. Yes, he is). Affirmative sentences say 'yes' or show
agreement. They are the opposite ofNEGATIVE SENTENCES.
• Carmen also uses a negative answer (No, he didn't) and sentences (He couldn 't make it.
1'111 not sure). Negative answers and sentences say 'no' and we usually make them by
adding not to the verb. In spoken English (and INFORMAL written English) we often use
the CONTRACTED FORM n 't w-ith the verb (don't, can't, isn 't, won't, etc.).
• We can also give affi.m1ative sentences a negative CONNOTATION by using negative ADVERBS
such as never, seldom, nowhere, etc. (he'.r never at home). In most varieties ofEnglish we
don't usually use two negatives in the same sentence; we don't say Heisn'tne7::!erat
/Jetme. However, this 'double negative' is used in sorne varieties of spoken English; it
just isn't acceptable in educated English - or in most English exams!
• vVe use negative verbs in many commands or suggestions (Don 't worry!).
18. Asking question�
Different types of questions
In Manuela's online conversation with her private student (Carmen) there are a number
ofdifferent types of question:
• Didyour boyfriendgo withyou? and Shall we do some vocabulary wor!e now? are examples
of YES/NO QUESTIONS - also called CLOSED QUESTIONS. Notice that the order of affirmative
sentences - subject-verb - (e.g. We (1) shall (2) do some vocabulary work) is reversed
when we make a question (Shall (2) we (1) do some vocabulary work?). We use do, did,
etc. to make questions when there is no other AUXILIARYVERB available.
• We call questions like Where didyou go at the weekend? and Whens he coming back?
WH- QUESTIONS. They are also called OPEN QUESTIONS. Open questions start with what,
when, how, why, how often, who, etc. T hey are called open questions because the answer
is unpredictable - and will be more thanyes or no. In questions like this we use do or
did if there is no other auxiliary.
• SUBJECT QUESTIONS like Wbo went with you? don't need an auxiliary verb because they
are asking about the subject of the verb (M
y sister wentwith me). However, OBJECT
QUESTIONS like Where didyou go at the weekend? need the auxiliary (do) because they are
asking about the object ofthe verb (Jwent to Recoleta Park).
• Although we usually make questions by putting the verb before the subject (Didyour
boy
friendgo withyou?), we can also make questions, in spoken English, by saying an
affirmative sentence with questioning INTONATION (He designs bridges?). In spoken
English we can often make just one word into a question (Coff
ee? Yes, please. Sugar?
N?, thanks). Vile look at intonation in -727.
• In spoken English we can make a sentence into a question by adding a QUESTION TAG
(Your boy
friends an engineer; isn't he?). If the verb in the sentence is affirmative (Your
boyfriends an engineer), the question tag is usually negative (isn't he?). But if the verb in
the sentence is negative, the tag is usually in the affirmative (is he?). When we use tag
questions to confirm something we think we know (or ifwe want the listener to agree
with us), we often use a falling in�onation tune on the tag. Ifwe don't know the
answer to our question - or if we are worried about it - we use a rising intonation
tune on the tag. Some people use the word right as a general tag word in sentences
like You're a teache1� right? T his is when they want their guess (I thinkyou are teacher)
confirmed -+27.
• Sometimes, like Carmen, we use echo questions (When s he coming back?) to help the
conversation along.
. .. . . . . . . . . . . . . .. .. . . . .. .. ... . . .. .. .. . . .. . .. . . .. . . . .. . . . . . . . . . .. . .. . . . . .. .. . . . . . .. .. . .. .. .. .. . .. .
. .
. .
Learning English by telephone and Skype
Many teachers, like Manuela, have private students who learn either on the telephone (popular
in France) or by using telephone/video computer software such as Skype. They can share a
virtual 'board', too; both of them can see the same thing on their computer screens. Even if
they are physically distant from each other, the lesson is not unlike a typical face-to-face one.
There are many other ways in which people can make contact with others via the INTERNET.
We look at these VIRTUAL LEARNING ENVIRONMENTS (VLEs) in -+87.
. .
· · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · • · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · ·
17
19. 18
Introducing
verbs
Yesterday was the first day of the new semester, so Ratih arrived at school two hours
before her first lesson. After she had had some breakfast, she left home very early because
the traffic in Jakarta (where she lives) can be very bad indeed. And yesterday it rained so it
was even worse than usual!
In her first lesson (for beginners), Ratih asked the students to do various things. 'Open your
books,' she said, and later, 'Go to the door. Open the door. Close the door. Sit down.' She
wanted her students to learn simple English verbs (like go and open) and nouns (like book
and door). It was a happy lesson and many of the students laughed - which Ratih thinks is
a good thing. She believes that when students are happy and engaged (involved) in what
they are doing, they may learn better than if they are bored and inactive.
Ratih enjoys teaching and she is always looking for ways to improve what she does. Later
she is going to look into the possibility of doing a postgraduate course in Australia next
year. Right now, however, she has to plan next week's lessons. She has to work out how to
teach the future to her class of elementary students.
Types of verb
• T he verbs in the story about Ratih describe ACTIONS (had hadsome break
f
ast, openyour
books, the students laughed, she has toplan, etc.), STATES (Yesterday was thefirst day ofthe
semester, the traffic can be bad), STATES OF MIND (she believes that when studentsare happy)
and EVENTS (it rained). We discuss simple verbs (for states) and continuous verbs (for
actions) in °'6.
• Open, believes and rained are LEXICAL VERBS (sometimes called MAIN VERBS or FULL VERBS).
These are verbs which express a whole range of meanings. We can use them on their
own in sentences.
• Verbs like had, can, are, may and is are AUXILIARY VERBS. Their function is often
grammatical and they help, or interact ·with, lexical verbs.
20. Introducing verbs
• Can and may are MODAL AUXILIARY VERBS. We look at am'.iliary and modal auxiliary
verbs in -+8.
• Laughed and sit down are INTRANSITIVE verbs - that means they do not need or take an
OBJECT. En
joys andplan are TRANSITIVE verbs - they do take an object. -otice, however,
that open (Openyour books) is transitive in the story about Ratih, but open (like a number
ofother verbs) can also be intransitive in sentences like The door opened. In the same
way, some LINKING VERBS like get and tast� can be transitive (He got a letter in thepost,
She tasted the soup) and intransitive (He got upset, It tasted delicious).
• Sit down, look into and work out are called MULTI-WORD VERBS because they are made up
ofmore than one word. Look into and work out are PHRASAL VERBS because although we
may understand the individual words (look and into, work and out) that does not mean
we understand the complete verb (look into, work out). In other words, they have
IDIOMATIC meaning -+21 (unlike sit down which is far easier to understand). We look at
phrasal verbs in more detail in -+9.
How verbs are made
• All verbs have a BASE FORM, that is the INFINITIVE without to. In the textabout Ratih's
lesson, verbs like go and open are in their base (simplest) form. Ratih uses these base
forms to make IMPERATIVE sentences (Go to the door, Open the do01� etc.). Other base
form infinitives in the story about Ratih include learn, improve, look and plan.
• We change the base form ofverbs to show agreement, TENSE -+S and ASPECT �6.
vVe do this by adding or changing MORPHEMES. Morphemes are the smallest units of
grammatical meaning - they are smaller than words. For example, when the text
about Ratih says she thinks it is a good thing and she believes that when students are happy
and engaged . . . , we have added the 's' morpheme to the base form of the verb. This is
necessarywhen we use the present simple with he, she or it.
• We add the -ed morpheme to all REGULARVERBS when we talk about the past -+6,
e.g. rained, asked, laughed, wanted.
• We call verbs that do not add -ed in the past IRREGULAR VERBS. For example, the past
tense ofgo is went (notgeed!) and the past participle is gone. Left in the story about
Ratih is the past form ofthe verb leave.
• Ve add the -ing morpheme to the base form ofthe verb for PRESENT PARTICIPLES (She is
always lookingf
or ways to inzprove what she does).
Verbs in combination
Manyverbs 'trigger' the grammar ofthe verbs that follow them -+10. For example, the
verb en
joy is always followed by a present participle (Ratih enjoys teaching); it is never
followed by to + infinitive (we cannot say She en
joys �). Ask is often followed by
object + to + infinitive (Ratih asked the students to do various things). Knowing a verb means
knowing what behaviour it triggers.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . " . . . .
. .
. .
: Total physical response :
Ratih's lesson is an example of TOTAL PHYSICAL RESPONSE (TPR) -+45, a 1970s method
described by James Asher, in which students first respond to and then give commands. The
idea is that we learn by doing things. This is especially appropriate for students who respond
well to more KINAESTHETIC ACTIVITIES (those that involve physical movement and activity).
Most experts suggest that TPR is especially useful for lower-level students.
19
21. 20
Verb tenses
(form and
meaning)
Arnulfo seems to spend his
whole day criss-crossing the
busy streets of Mexico City.
He teaches in three different
places. But not today.Today
is Sunday so he is having a
well-earned rest.
Yesterday wasn't so relaxed,
though. He corrected
homework for three hours.
Correcting homework isn't
always his favourite task,
but he had to do it - and
when he did, he was pleased
with his students' efforts.
They will be disappointed
(and demotivated) if he does
not hand it back on Monday.
After he had finished correcting, he went to the cinema with his wife. They saw an
English film about a writer's community in an English village. A young woman returns
to the village after some years away. She causes a lot of trouble because all the men fall
in love with her, and she has to decide which one to choose. It was a very funny movie.
TonightArnulfo's parents are coming over for dinner. Then he has one day's teaching
before he and his wife go on holiday. They leave Mexico early in the morning and fly
to Boston. If they can, they are going to visit New York, too. He will have a lot to tell his
students when he gets home.
How verbs show time
We change or add to the BASE FORM of the verb -+4 to show whether we are talking about
the PAST, the PRESENT or the FUTURE. There are many examples of this in the text about
Arnulfo.
• The verbs seems, teaches and is having in the first paragraph all refer to the present.
Notice that the PRESENTCONTINUOUS form -+6 (is having) refers to what is happening
now, but seems and teaches refer to things that are more generally true most of the time.
• Wasn't, corrected and had to in the second paragraph all refer to past time, and had
finished correcting refers to a time before the past (he went).
• Are coming over,go on holiday, leave, are going to visit, will have and gets in the fourth
paragraph all refer to the future.
• Verbs are not the only ways of showing time. ADVERBIALS such as today (paragraph 1),
yesterday and on Monday (paragraph 2), a
fter (paragraph 3), tonight and in the morning
(paragraph 4) also say what time we are talking about. This is very important when we
realise that the same verb form can refer to many different times.
22. Verb tenses (form and meaning)
One form, many meanings
One ofthe features ofEnglish verb forms is that they can mean many different things
- they can refer to different times. This is not special to verbs, as we shall see when we
introduce words and their meanings in -718. There are many examples of this in the
text about Arnulfo.
• Arnulf
o seems (a present STATE) and he teaches (a present routine) in paragraph 1 both
refer to the present and use the PRESENT SIMPLE form -76.
• A young woman returns to the village and she causes a lot oftrouble in paragraph 3 use
the same verb form (present simple) but they are telling a story. We often use the
present simple in this way, even when it refers to the past.
• He and his wife go on holiday and they leave Mexico (paragraph 4) refer to the future, yet
they are using the same present simple form.
• He is having a well-earned rest (paragraph 1) uses the PRESENT CONTINUOUS -76 and
refers to the present. However, Arnu�fo'sparents are coming over to dinner
(paragraph 4) refers to the future.
• It is because one verb can mean so many different things that CONTEXT and the use of
time adverbials is so important.
One meaning, many forms
The·future is talked about in the text about Arnulfo. But this is done using a number of
different forms.
• vVill is often referred to as the 'neutral' future when it refers tO things that are
inevitable in the future. Examples are his students will be disappointed (paragraph 2) and
he will have a lot to tell his students (paragraph 4). VVill is a MODALAUXILIARY VERB -78.
• The present simple is often used.to describe fixed schedules, e.g. he and his wife go on
holiday, they leave Mexico (paragraph 4).
• Going to + INFINITIVE is often used to describe plans and intentions, e.g. they are going
to visit New York (paragraph 4).
• The present continuous is often used to describe future arrangements - things that
are almost definitely going to happen or things that have already been decided on -
e.g. Arnulf
o'sparents are coniing overf
or dinner.
As we can see, there is no one-to-one connection between TENSE (for example the present
simple in the sentence They leave Niexico) and time (Arnulfo and his wife's future). In the
same way, a CONDITIONAL sentence -72 like IfI had a million pounds I would buy a house,
includes the past tense ofhave (had) but refers to present time.
We suggest ways of teaching the verb phrase in -77.
The homework issue
Homework works! It is good for learners, even though doing it - and correcting it - can
sometimes seem like a lot of work. Teachers have to decide how much homework to give
and when to give it.
One of the most important things about homework is that the students should hand it in on
time - and the teacher should give it back quickly, tool If not, the students wil l start to think,
next time, that they don't have to do it.
We look at homework in more detail in -776.
21
23. Aspect
22
You'll never burn out!
Hiro is standing in the kitchen. He's drinking a glass of water.
He is breathing heavily.
Hiro has been jogging because his friend Akiko told him he
was unfit. 'You haven't taken any exercise for weeks,' she
said. 'You've been getting up late, rushing to school and then
going out at weekends, playing music. It's not good foryou.'
It was true! He had been working very hard and he hadn't been getting enough sleep.
Last week, for example, he was teaching a lesson on the present perfect and his students
just weren't interested. They were looking bored and he couldn't find a way of motivating
them. When he left the class he just felt exhausted.
'When this semester ends, I will have been a teacher for ten years,' he told Akiko in the
staff room after that lesson. 'It feels like a long time. I don't want to get teacher "burnout"
like some of the older teachers.'
'Don't be silly, Hiro,' Akiko told him. 'You'll never suffer from burnout. You're a great teacher.
We all have lessons which don't work sometimes, but that doesn't happen often with you!
You do need to do something to make yourself feel better!' and that's when she told him
to take more exercise.
What is aspect?
Vhereas TENSE refers to the form of the verb we use -+S, and TIME is about when we
are referring to, ASPECT refers to the way a speaker wants you to understand the
situation which they are talking about. For example, the sentences I teach, I am teaching,
I have taught and I have been teaching all refer to the present, but in each case the
speaker's attitude to the teaching (whether it is habitual, whether it i continuing,
whether it finished i n the past, or whether it is in the past but has present relevance, etc.)
is different.
Simple and continuous
In the story about Hiro there are number of CONTINUOUS and SIMPLE verb forms.
• Itfeels tilee a long time (paragraph 4) and we all have lessons which don't work
(paragraph 5) are examples of the PRESENT SIMPLE. We use the present simple a) to talk
about facts that are true and will be true for some time; b) to describe repeated
actions or habits; and c) for storytelling and future reference -+S. We use the base
form of the verb (+ the 's' MORPHEME for the third person singular -+4) to make the
present simple.
• He le
ft the room (paragraph 3) and she told him (paragraph 5) are examples of the
PASTSIMPLE. They described completed actions. They weren't interested (paragraph 4)
describes a past state. We form the past simple by adding the -ed morpheme in one
of its realisations to regular verbs. IRREGULAR VERBS have their own forms, such as
take-took -+4.
24. Aspect
• Hiro is standing in the kitchen and the next two sentences in paragraph 1 are example of
the PRESENT CONTINUOUS (also called the PRESENT PROGRESSIVE). They describe an action
that is still ongoing (that hasn't finished) at the time ofspeaking. They emphasise the
action rather than the result of it. We can also use the present continuous for future
reference ,5_ To make continuous verb forms we use the AUXILIARY VERB to be +
PRESENT PARTICIPLE (BASE FORM + -ing).
• He was teaching a lesson and they were lookingbored (Paragraph 3) are examples of the
PAST CONTINUOUS and describe an action that was ongoing at the actual moment in time
that the speaker is referring to.
• Verbs likef
eels (itf
eels like a long time - paragraph 4) are often called STATIVE VERBS
because they refer to a state ofmind (other verbs like this include believe, hate, love and
think). vVe almost always use simple forms (rather than continuous forms) with verbs
like this when we are referring to the state itself(I believe in miracles). However, some
stative verbs can be used with continuous forms when we wish to emphasise the
ongoing and active nature of that state (e.g. I'm thinleing -please don't interrupt me).
Perfect verbs
In the story about Hiro there are a number of PERFECT VERBS.
• You haven't taken any exercisefor weeks and you've been getting up late (paragraph 2) are
both examples of the PRESENTPERFECT - simple and continuous. The present perfect
suggests something which started in the past and which a) is still true, or b) still has
p�esent 'consequences', or c) still isn't finished. We use have + PAST PARTICIPLE to form
the present perfect.
• He had been working very hard and he hadn'tbeen getting enough sleep (paragraph 3) are
both examples of the PAST PERFECT. Past perfect verbs describe things that started
before the past, but still have 'relevance' in the past moment that we are describing.
We use had + past participle to make past perfect verbs.
• I will have been a teacherf
or tenyears (paragraph 4) is an example of the FUTURE PERFECT.
We use will have + past participle to make this verb form.
• Speakers ofAmerican English often use the past simple instead ofthe present
perfect: Didyou see himyet? (American English) versus Haveyou seen himyet?
(British English). However, in some varieties ofAmerican English the present
perfect is used in the same ways as in British English, especially in more formal or
writing-like situations.
. . . . . . . . . . • . . . . . . • . • . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. .
. .
Burnout
Many teachers feel tired and demotivated at times. They feel they have had enough of
teaching. This is sometimes called BURNOUT. It is often a temporary condition (fortunately
not a permanent one). We look at teacher development (including how to avoid or deal with
burnout) in °'78.
23
25. 24
Teaching verbs
(and adverbs)
Teaching ideas
In this unit we look at a few ideas for teaching (and practising) some verb tenses - and
adverbs. There are many other teaching suggestions in °'44-64.
Teaching the present continuous and present simple
• Students can pretend to be police officers on surveillance duty - or pies - to practise
the PRESENT CONTINUOUS. They say what people are doing in sentences like A man is
walking into the shop. He's canying a bag, etc.
• We can contrast people's work and holiday lives with the PRESENT SIMPLE and
CONTINUOUS in sentences like He usually gets up at six thirty, but it's ten o'clock now and
he's lying in bed reading a book.
• We can get our students to listen to sounds and tell them to describe what they think
is happening.
• We can talk about someone's daily routine to teach and practise the PRESENT SIMPLE,
e.g. She gets up at six o'clocl
e. She goes to work b
y car, etc. °'44. Students can talk about
their own lives and routines.
• We can also use mime games to practise the present continuous (Areyou playing the
guitar?Areyou reading a book?).
Teaching the
_
present perfect
• T
o practise the PRESENT PERFECT SIMPLE the students can mime looking happy, exhausted,
sad, amused, etc., and the other tudents have to ask them questions withjust, such as
Why areyou sad? Haveyoujust said goodbye toyourgirl
friend? etc.
• If we want to introduce the PRESENT PERFECT CONTINUOUS, we can how the students a
series of pictures and they have to say what the people have been doing, for exan1ple
He's beenjogging, she's been shopping, he's been taking an exam, she's been giving a speech.
Teaching the future
• The students can pretend to go to a fortune teller and ask question uch as Will I be
rich? Will Iget married?
• Students can speculate about what they are going to do at a time in the future, in
sentences such as When I leave school l'nz going to travel round the world.
• Students can make ew Year's resolutions, saying what they are going to do and what
they are not going to do in the next 12 months (I'm going to give up eating chocolate.
I'm not going to stay up late eve1y evening, etc.).
Teaching the past simple
• We can tell STORIES with the PAST SIMPLE. For example, we can ask our tudents to
describe their week (On Monday I went to the cinema. On T
uesday I had a coffee with my
brothe1; etc.).
• BEGINNER students can be given cards °'86 with either the BASE FORM of a verb or its
PAST TENSE FORM. They have to find the student with the matching card (e.g. run - ran
or go - went). They then make sentences with the past tense verb.
26. Teaching verbs (and adverbs)
Teaching the past continuous and the past simple
Many teachers (and students) enjoy playing the game 'ALIBI' to practise the PAST CONTINUOUS
and the past simple. The class imagines that a crime was committed at 10 pm last night.
Four students go out of the room and agree on a story about what they were doing last
night at this time. The students then come back into the class, one by one, and the other
students question them by asking What wereyou doing at 10 o'clock? What wereyou eating?
·what happened then? etc. The student whose story is different from the others (because he
or she can't remember all the details) is the 'criminal'. We look at more GAMES in �49.
Teaching the past perfect
vVe can give our students a story which uses past simple and past perfect verb forms.
They have to circle the verbs and then say which action happened first.
When Shelley got home she realised that someone (or something) had been in her flat.
She was sure that she had locked the door that morning.
She noticed that someone had left muddy footprints on the carpet, etc.
Teaching used to
• We can compare our present lives with the lives of our grandparents or great
grandparents to teach USEDTO.
We send emails, but they used to write letters.
vVe pay for many things by credit card, but they used to pay for everything in cash.
• We can talk about our own lives in sentences l i ke I used to live in London, but now Iam
living in Shanghai.
Teaching the passive
• iTe can use various industrial, scientific and other processes to teach and practise the
PASSIVE. For example, we can talk about how chocolate is made with sentences like
Cocoa beans are harvested. The beans are dried. The beans are shipped to af
actmy. The beans
are roasted, etc.
• We can discuss historical works of art, inventions, discoveries and conquests in
sentences like The !Y1ona Lisa waspainted by Leonardo da Vinci, Mexico was invaded by the
Spanish in 1519, Penicillin was discovered by Alexander Fleming, etc.
Teaching adverbs
• We can play a speaking game in which two students are selected. The class give them
each an occupation (doctor, policeman, shopkeeper, etc.) a location (at the cinema, at a
restazwant, on a bus, etc.) and a topic (perhaps this will be something the students have
been studying recently). The teacher then gives each speaker a piece of paper with an
adverb or adverbial phrase on it (e.g. angrily, quietly, in a worried way, etc.). The two
students then start speaking and the rest of the class have to try to guess which
adverbs they were given.
• We can give the students scripts of scenes from plays, short dialogues, etc. They have
to write adverbs and adverbial phrases to describe how the speakers should act.
They then act out the scene or dialogue using those adverbs as a guide.
25
27. 26
Auxiliaries
and modals
Your English might get better!
This is a transcript of a moment in Ratih's class yesterday:
Cutar:
Ratih:
Cutar:
Ratih:
Cutar:
Ratih:
Cutar:
Ratih:
Cutar:
Ratih:
Cutar:
Kemala:
Ratih:
Kemala:
Ratih:
I'm sorry I'm late.
Do you have your homework with you?
No, sorry. I couldn't do it.
Why not?
I was helping my father at the restaurant. I didn't get home till late.
You must have been very tired.
No, I felt fine. I slept for hours.Why?
But you said ...
Oh, yes. I mean I was very tired.That's why I didn't do my homework. May I sit down?
Oh, all right. But you must try to get here on time, OK?
Yes, teacher. I will. I promise.
Buk Guru, kapan kita ujian? (Teacher, when are we going to have our test?)
You should really try to speak English, you know.
It's difficult.
Yes, but if you use English more often, your English might suddenly start to
improve! You really ought to try it!
Auxiliaries and modal auxiliaries
• In the excerpt from Ratih's lesson Cutar and Ratih use the AUXILIARY VERBS �4 be (I'm
sony I'm late, I was very tired) and do (Doyou haveyour homework? I didn't do my
homr
il.Jork). In a sentence such as Haveyou doneyour homework? have is an auxiliary verb.
• There are a number ofMODAL AUXILIARY VERBS in the transcript above: can (I couldn't do
it), must (,you must try to get here on time), should (You should really try to speak English)
and might (,your English might suddenly start to improve). We use them to express our
attitude or certainty about what we are saying.
• Ought to (,you really ought to try it), need to and used t
o are often called SEMI-MODAL
AUXILIARY VERBS because although they have two words, they behave like ordinary
modal auxiliaries.
• Do and have are special because they can be either auxiliary verbs (see above) or
LEXICAL VERBS �4 as in sentences like I have too much homework! and She did the New
York Marathon.
What modal auxiliaries mean
• We often use modal auxiliary verbs to talk about certainty, possibility and probability
in sentences such as YourEnglish mightstart to irnprove and You must have been tired.
• We use modal auxiliaries to talk about obligation - about getting things done - in
sentences such as You mustget here on time and You should really try to speak English.
• Modal verbs can express more than one meaning. For example, can is used for many
different meanings including ability (I can speak Spanish) and permission (You can stay
for 1 5 minutes). We can use might to express probability (You might be right) or to
make a suggestion (You might want to think caref
ully be
foreyou speak!).
28. Auxiliaries and modals
• Modals appear in many common lexical phrases (Can I hel
p you? Willyou be long? You
must have been really worried, That can't have been muchfun, etc.).
How modal verbs behave
• Modal verbs are a closed class (they don't change) and they don't take the third person
-s when used in the present (He/She can play the g;uitm).
• Modal verbs are almost always followed by an infinitive verb without to (You nzustget
here on time).
• Modal verbs do not have an infinitive form and so they have to be replaced by
SEMl-MODALS (You need to be able to (not can) swim) or other verbs (I'm going to have to
(not must) go now) when an infinitive is required.
Modal verbs and modality
VV.hen we use modal verbs we are expressing our attitude to/certainty about what we are
saying. Compare, for example, It is true with It might be true. But we can express modality
in other ways, too. For example, we can use verbs like appear and seem to say that we are
not sure if we are correct (They appear to be running late, He seems to be clever), or tend to
say what we think is generally true (People in the UK tend to eat their biggest meals in the
evening). We can als9 use phrases like It is likel
y that or It appears that (It is likely that the
President will do badly in the mid-term elections).
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. .
. .
: Using the students' language - their L1
·
In the conversation above, Ratih wants her student, Kemala, to use English rather than
Indonesian (Kemala's mother tongue). Teachers have different views about this. Some think
you should never use the students' l.-1 in an English class; others think that it is a good thing
- at the right time and at appropriate moments, and depending on the students' level. We
discuss the use of Ll in ..;:;77_
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. .
Teaching ideas: modal verbs
Many teachers introduce modals of obligation and permission by talking about rules and
regulations in different countries, e.g. You have to stay at school until you are 76, You don't have
to go to school afteryou are 16.
Some teachers i nvent stories (or dialogues) about children talking to their parents (Must
I tidy my room now?), about people in galleries or libraries (I'm sorry sir, but you can't take
pictures in here) or about work-regulated regulations (Protective clothing must be worn at all
times). The situation will depend on the age of the students.
Note: must and have to are similar. We often use must when the speaker creates the
obligation (I must take more exercise) or in official signs (Hard hats must be worn) We use the
more INFORMAL have to for ordinary regulations (You have to be careful in thisjob). Have to is
more common in American English. We use mustn't to say that something is not allowed
(You mustn't smoke in here), but don't have to and don't need to/
needn't mean that something
is not obligatory (Y
ou don't have to wear a tie)
We often get students to try to guess what things in pictures are (That might/must be a
musical instrument, but I can't be sure) or to speculate about the past (The pyramidsmight have
been built by creatures from outer space).
.
.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
27
29. 28
Multi-word and
phrasal verbs
War!
When Arnulfo walked into his 3 o'clock lesson, it looked as if
war had broken out! The children were running around the
classroom, and one of them, a big boy called Rogelio, was
running after Pancho, the class 'clown'. Music was playing from
a CD player on Marcela's desk.Arnulfo turned it off
immediately. Then he stood in front of the class and told them
all to be quiet. Gradually the noise died down. Arnulfo can do that: he has a natural teacher
'presence' and his students generally look up to him. But not Pancho, the boy Rogelio had
been chasing. Pancho took off, running out of the classroom and into the corridor. What
should Arnulfo do? He couldn't leave the class on their own. But at that moment a student
from the teacher training course that the school organised walked past the door. Arnulfo
asked her to look after the class while he set off to find Pancho.
What are multi-word verbs?
There are many MULTI-WORD VERBS in English (get into a car, get offa train, t:urn on/
t:urn offthe light). Multi-word verbs have a particle - an ADVERB or a PREPOSITION (and
sometimes both) - which is added to a main verb.
PHRASAL VERBS are multi-word verbs which have IDIOMATIC MEANING '21 (the meaning of
the phrasal verb is not the same as the meaning of the two or three individual words in
it). They are little LEXICAL CHUNKS -+20. Phrasal verbs in the story about Arnulfo's lesson
include break out (war had broken out), look up to (his students look up to him) and look after
(He asked her to look a
fter the class).
'
Four types of phrasal verb
In the story about Arnulfo's lesson there are four categories of phrasal verb. They all
have slightly different grammar.
• Break out (= start), take off(= leave in a hurry), die down (= gradually go quiet) and set o
ff
(= start a journey) are INTRANSITIVE PHRASAL VERBS. This means that they can stand
alone; they don't take an object.
• Look after is a TRANSITIVE INSEPARABLE PHRASAL VERB since a) it always takes an object (so it
is transitive), and b) tl1e object has to come after the complete phrasal verb (you can't
separate tl1e verb and the preposition). Another example of a transitive inseparable
phrasal verb is run into (= meet by chance) in sentences like I ran into myfriend at the
newsagent's.
• T
urn offis a TRANSITIVE SEPARABLE PHRASALVERB because a) it takes an object, and b) you
can put the object either between the verb and tl1e particle (adverb) or after the
particle. For example, He t:urned the CDplayer offIHe t:urned offthe CDplayer.
But - and this is a big but - if the object is an object pronoun, it must come between
the verb and the particle. We say He t:urned it off, but we can't say Heturnedo
ff
it.
Another verb like turn offis look up (= tried to find) in the sentence He looked the word
up in the dictionary IHe looked up the word in the dictiona1')' I He looked it up.
30. Multi-word and phrasal verbs
• Look up to is a TWO-PARTICLE TRANSITIVE (INSEPARABLE) PHRASAL VERB because a) it takes an
object, but b) the object (him in the story about Arnulfo) must come after both the
particles. With two-particle phrasal verbs the first particle is an adverb and the second
is a preposition. Another example of a phrasal verb like this is run out o
f
(= to have nothing left) in sentences like We ran out ofpetrol on the way home.
. .. .. . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .... . . .. . .. ... . . . . .. .. . .. . . . . . . . . .. ... . ..... .... .. . . . . . . . . . ..
. .
Teaching ideas: phrasal verbs
Some teachers introduce phrasal verbs one by one, just as they do with other lexical items.
•
Some teachers introduce a collection of phrasal verbs with a) the same verb (e.g. run after
= chase, run into = meet, run off = leave/disappear, run over = hit someone with a car,
run out of = have nothing left) or b) the same particle (e.g. pick up Arabic = learn without
effort, take up rowing= start to do, lookup a word = search for, run up a bill = spend more
and more, etc.).
•
Some teachers introduce a collection of phrasal verbs in a story or situation (like, for
example, the story about Arnulfo at the beginning of this unit).
•
Some teachers point out phrasal verbs when they occur in TEXTS or when they come up
in lessons.
There is no best wayI Teaching a collection of phrasal verbs may work. If that is so, then
perhaps teaching them by particle might be a good idea. But teaching phrasal verbs in
memorable situations and stories is also good - and it is also useful to get the students to
look for phrasal verbs in their own reading and bring them to class. We need to encourage
LEARNER AUTONOMY �:Gi).getting our students to think about the best way to learn
phrasal verbs for them. • •
• • • • • • • • • • • • • • . • • . • . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . • . . . . . . . • . . . • . . . . . . . . • . . . . . . . . . . . . . • • • . . • . • • • • • • • • . . • • • • . . • • •
. .
When war breaks out!
All teachers sometimes find themselves in difficult situationsl Classes can sometimes seem
to get out of control. When this happens, we need to behave sensibly! The golden rule is
to attack (deal with) the problem, not the student. However, it is much better, of course, if
such problems never occur, and that is why organisation and preparation are so important.
In other words, we need to try to prevent problems - but also know how to deal with them
when they do occur �71.
. . ... . . . .. . . . ... ... .... . . . . .. . . . .. . . . . ... ... . ... . .. .. . . . .. . . . . . ... .. . ... . .. .. . . .. . .. . .. . ..... .. ..
29
31. 30
Verb
complementation
Substitute lesson
In the evening, Manuela's new mobile phone rang. It was the
same model of phone as her husband's - the phone that she
remembered giving him for their wedding anniversary. He
had suggested that it wasn't fair that he had a beautiful new
phone and she didn't. So he bought one for her. He was so
thoughtful.
She picked up the phone. It was Oriel, a colleague at her school. He said that he had a
dentist's appointment the next day and he asked her if she would teach his morning
lesson. She didn't want to do it because she hadn't finished preparing her lessons for next
week. But that didn't stop Oriel! First of all he told her that he hated going to the dentist.
('I know,' she said, 'I don't enjoy having my teeth done either.') And then he said he had
forgotten to arrange cover for his class. He kept on saying things like 'You must help me!'
and so, even though she didn't intend to say yes, she finally agreed to teach his lesson.
Verb + verb
When we use one VERB after another, we have to be careful about the grammar we use.
For example, the MODALAUXILIARYVERB must (like the other modal verbs -+8) is always
followed by an INFINITIVE without to (You must help me!). vVe can't say Jfmmustrehelpme.
There are a number of other examples ofverb + verb patterns in the story about
Manuela:
• Finish (she hadn'tfinishedpreparing . . .), enjoy (Idon't en
joy having . . .) and keep on
(he kept on saying . ..) are three ofthe verbs which are followed by the -ing PARTICIPLE.
vVe have to use the -ing form of the second verb with these three verbs. Other verbs
like this include admit, consider, dislike, imagine, miss and PHRASAL VERBS -+9 such as
carry on, give up andput off
• Agree (shefinal61 ag;reed to teach his lesson) and want (she didn't want to do it) are usually
followed by to + infinitive. Other verbs like agree and want include appear, attempt,
decide, hope, offer, promise and ref
use.
• Hate (he hatedgoing to the dentist) and intend (she didn't intend to say . . .) can be
followed by either the -ing form or to + infinitive without too much change in
meaning (I hate to go to the dentist, She didn't intend sayingyes). Other verbs like hate
include begin, love and start.
• Remember (she remembered giving him . . .) can be followed by -ing or by to + infinitive
but the meaning changes. She remembered giving him a phone = she gave him a phone
and she has a memory of doing it, but she remembered to give him aphone = that was
her intention and she didn't forget to do it. Compare I tried to open the window but it
was stuck (I couldn't open it) with I tried opening the window, but the room was still too
hot (I opened it). Notice that althoughf
orget is usually followed by to + infinitive
(He hadf
orgotten to arrange coverf
or his class), neverforget (= remember) can also be
followed by -ing (I'll neverf
orgetseeingherfor thefirst time).
• Suggest (he had suggested that it wasn'tf
air . . .) is one of many verbs that can be
followed by that + SENTENCE. Other verbs like this include agree (he ag;reed that he
wouldgo) andpromise (Ipromise that I will helpyou).
32. Substitution can be fun
Many teachers enjoy teaching
other teachers' classes because
they can use their 'best' lesson
- and students often like having
something differentl If you want
someone to be a SUBSTITUTE
TEACHER for you, however, you
should always give them
suggestions (but not orders!)
about what they can do.
Verb complementation
. . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . .. . . • .• •..•
Reporting what people say
We can report what other people say by quoting DIRECT SPEECH (e.g. 'Iknow, 'she said and
'You must help me!' or by using INDIRECT SPEECH (REPORTED SPEECH).
• Oriel's actual words on the phone were 'I have a dentist's appointment tomorrow', 'I have
forgotten to arrange coverfor my class' and 'I hategoing to the dentist'. If Manuela's husband
had been in the room, Manuela could have reported the conversation as it happened
like this: He says he has a dentist's appointment tomorrow. He says he hasforgotten to arrange
coverf
or his class. He says he hates going to the dentist - using says in the PRESENT SIMPLE.
• However, because the story is in the past, we have reported Oriel's words in the past,
too, and so we write He said - and then all the other verbs move 'one tense back',
e.g. He said he hada dentist's appointment. He said he hatedgoing to the dentist.
Notice that I (I have a dentist's appointment) becomes he (He said that he had a dentist�r
appointment) and tomorrow becomes the next day.
• Oriel said Willyou teach my lesson tomorrow? and this is reported later as He asked ifshe
would teach his lesson the next day. otice the subject/verb word-order change Willyou
teach becomes . . . ifshe would teach . . .
• Ask and tell are followed by object + to + infinitive when we report commands (She told
her students to be quiet. He asked her to wait).
• We can also use REPORTING VERBS, such as suggest (He suggested that they meet later) and
promise (Hepromised to be there on time).
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . .. .. . .. . .. . . . . . . ..
. .
Other ways of reporting conversations
In informal conversation people often report (direct) speech with be like (He's like '/ have a
dentist's appointment tomorrow'.) and go, especially in British English (Hegoes '/ have a dentist's
appointment tomorrow'). We don't usually teach this, but students at higher levels need to
know about it.
. .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . • • . . . . . . • • . . . . . . . • . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . • . • . • . . • . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
31
33. 32
Introducing
adverbs
Drama in Istanbul!
Yesterday lsfl asked her students to
do some drama. She uses drama with
her students about once every two
or three weeks. She often gives them
short extracts from plays and they
have to decide things about the
scene - who the speakers are, how
they feel. how they say their lines,
etc.Then they prepare their scenes
in pairs and groups.
Her students were working happily
and productively, though some of them were working more slowly than the others. One
of her students called her over in a loud voice. 'Miss,' he said enthusiastically, 'I like doing
drama very much.' Her students often tell her things like that!
Later, when they had practised their scenes, the students stood up in pairs and small
groups and acted them out in front of the rest of the class. It was truly enjoyable.
Late that evening as she sat on the ferry taking her back over the Bosphorus to the other
side of lstanbul."lsil wondered whether she could plan a workshop about drama for an
international teachers' conference that she wants to go to. She has never spoken at a
conference before, but she could possibly practise on her colleagues at school.
What is an adverb?
• ADVERBS modify verbs - they say how, when or where a verb happens. In the stmy
about Isil, the one-word adverbs areyesterday, happily, productivel
y, enthusiastically, later,
truly and never.
• We can also make ADVERBIAL PHRASES (where two or more words act as a phrase and
behave like one-word adverbs), such as once eve1y r
mo or three weeks, infront ofthe rest of
the class, back over the Bosphorus and at a conference.
• ADVERBS OF MANNER describe how something is done (Herstudents were working happily
andproductivel
y, called her over in a loud voice).
• ADVERBS OF PLACE describe where something is done (acted out theirscenes infront ofthe
class, sat on thef
erry).
• ADVERBS OF TIME say when something is done (Yesterday !sit asked herstudents, later,
when they hadpractised their scenes).
• FREQUENCYADVERBS say how often something is done (She often gives them . . . , she has
neverspoken at a conference, she uses dranza with herstudents once every two or three weeks).
• ADVERBS OF CERTAINTY say how sure it is that something is done (she couldpossiblypractice).
• ADVERBS OF DEGREE say how much something is done (Ilike doing drama very nzuch).
• Some words, like late, can be both adverbs and adjectives. We look at this in more
detail in -+15.
34. Introducing adverbs
How to make one-word adverbs
• We can make one-word adverbs by adding -ly to ADJECTIVES, (productive -• productively).
• If the adjective ends in -y, we change the y to i and add -ly (happy -• happily).
• When the adjective ends in -ic, we usually (but not always) add -ally (enthusiastic -+
enthusiastically).
• 'iThen adjectives end in -e, we sometimes (but not always) take off the final -e
(true -• truly), but if the adjective ends in -le we always take off the -e and add -y
(possible -+ possibly).
• �Then we want to compare the way people do things, we usually add more (some of
them were working more slowl
y than othen).
Where we put adverbs
• We can put some adverbs at the beginning of a sentence (Yesterday Isil asked her
students . . .), in the middle (She often gives them short extracts . . .) or at the end (. . . she
couldpossiblypractise . . . at school).
• �Te don't usually put an adverb between a verb and its object. We say I like doing
drama very much, not Ilikeverymuchtleingcl!-,;tm.:t.
• Adverbs of place and manner usually go at the end of sentences, not in the middle
(Her students were working happily and enthusiasticall
y, she couldplan . . .f
or an
international teachers' conference).
• Adverbs of time do not usually go in the middle of sentences.
• Frequency adverbs often go in the middle ofsentences (She o
ften gives them, she had
never spoken), immediately before the LEXICAL VERB (but after the AUXILIARY VERB).
• We can sometimes put usually, normall
y, often,frequently, someti-mes and occasionally at
the beginning of sentences (Occasionally lsilgoes on holiday to Bodrznn), but we don't
usually do this with always, ever, never, rarely or seldom.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . .. . .
. .
Teaching ideas: adverbs
•
We often teach frequency adverbs by showing graphs of how often people do things and
then getting the students to make sentences like She often goes to the cinema on Fridays.
We can practise adverbs of manner by showing our students a short playscript. They
have to decide how the speakers should say their lines (angrily, sadly, happily, etc.) When
students act or take a role in a roleplay, we can secretly give them an adverb (for example
passionately, in a bored manner, enthusiastically) and the other students have to guess what
the adverb is.
We look at an example of adverb teaching in '7.
. .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . • • • . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. .
. .
Using drama in the classroom
Drama is a very good way to get students to repeat the same phrases over and over again (in
performance and in the rehearsal stage). We can also use drama to train students to speak
and act really well, using good STRESS '26 and INTONATION '27 so that their English
sounds wonderful. It can be enormously motivating. We look at using drama in '64.
33
35. 34
lntro��cing
nouns
On her way home from the language institute in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. where she teaches,
Roberta stopped off at the supermarket. The Hunt family were coming over for dinner and
she needed to get some things which she had forgotten to buy earlier. She bought sugar and
some milk, in case any of her guests liked milk with their coffee. She didn't know them well.
and anyway they were English. (They had only just moved out to Rio where Sarah Hunt was
the new academic director at a bilingual school. Roberta had first met Sarah in the changing
room at her gym.) 'Do the English like milk with their coffee?' Roberta asked herself.
When she got home she checked the mail. There was a postcard from her mother and a
letter from her daughter's school. But there was no news about the teachers' conference
which she wanted to go to. She had written to the organisers weeks ago, but so far they
had not sent her a reply. That disappointed her. Perhaps there would be an email later.
A few minutes later, Francisco got in from his weekly game of football and they started to
prepare the meal.
In the end, the dinner went very well.The Hunts seemed happy. And the milk? Sarah Hunt
had milk with her coffee, but her husband didn't, and their teenage daughter didn't have
any coffee at all.
Different kinds of noun
In the story about Roberta and Francisco's dinner party, the words Roberta, dinner, things,
sugar, milk, coff
ee, mail, postcard, letter, conf
erence, rep61, email, meal and daughter are all
NOUNS. But not all of them (or the other nouns in the story) behave in the same way.
• Roberta, Francisco, Rio and Sarah are all PROPER NOUNS. They give the name of a place,
person or thing. Proper nouns start with a CAPITAL LETTER.
• Supermarleet, dinner, postcard, school, conference, game and daughter are all COUNTABLE
NOUNS (sometimes called COUNT NOUNS). This means that we can talk about them in the
SINGULAR (a supe1�market, a dinner, a postcard, etc.) but we can also make them PLURAL
- and we can count them (t
wo supermarkets, three dinners,f
ourpostcards, etc.). We can
use these nouns with singular or plural verbs.
• Sugar, milk, coffee and mail are all UNCOUNTABLE NOUNS (sometimes called NON
COUNT NOUNS). We can't make them plural or talk about 'one' of them. Ve use
36. Introducing nouns
uncountable nouns with singular verbs (the milk is cold, coffee tastes lovel
y). Notice that
although mail is an uncountable noun, email is a countable noun - we can say Igot
fi
fty-six emails today! But we have to be careful about this. Roberta bought some sugar
(uncountable) but after dinner Sarah Hunt had two sugars in her coffee (countable).
This is because when we say two sugars we are talking about things (spoonfuls of sugar,
not the sugary mass). In other words, the same word can sometimes be either
countable or uncountable, depending on the exact meaning that it has.
• Family is a COLLECTIVE NOUN. It describes a collection of things. We can say Thef
amily
are coming to dinner if we are talking about the individual members of the family or
Thef
amily is coming to dinner ifwe are talking about the family as a unit. (In American
English singular verbs are normally used with collective nouns.)
• Supernzarleet, postcard andf
ootball are all COMPOUND NOUNS. In other words, two nouns
(e.g. post and card) are joined together to make a new noun (postcard). Sometimes with
compound words, we separate the words (bilingual school, language institute) and
sometimes we use a HYPHEN (changing-room) so that there is no ambiguity - the room
itself is not changing.
• News is a PLURAL NOUN, but we always use it with a singular verb (The news is terrible).
• The English is an example of an ADJECTIVE which turns into a collective noun when we
put the definite article in front of it and use it to talk about people or things in general
(the rich, thepoor, etc.).
Pronouns
In the story about Roberta and Francisco's dinner party there are a number of PERSONAL
PRONOUNS:
• She, they and he are SUBJECT PRONOUNS in phrases like she teaches English, they were
English and they started toprepare the meal. Other subject pronouns are I,you, it and we.
• Them and herare OBJECT PRONOUN� in phrases like she didn't know them well and they had
not sent her a reply. Other object pronow1s are me, you, him, it and us.
• Her, his and their are POSSESSIVE ADJECTIVES because they pre-modify nouns by saying
whose it is/they are. There are no POSSESSIVE PRONOUNS in the story. Mine,yours, hers,
his, its, ours and theirs are possessive pronouns, used in sentences like The idea was
mine. That house is ours.
• Herselfin Roberta asked herselfis a REFLEXIVE PRONOUN. Other reflexive pronouns are
myself,yourself, himself, itselj; ourselves,yourselves and themselves. We generally use
reflexive pronouns in English when we want to emphasise that we did something
ourselves (I cut myself, Didyou write this compositionyourself?).
• Where and which are RELATIVE PRONOUNS which introduce RELATIVE CLAUSES -+2. Other
relative pronouns are whose, where, that and whom. However, that in That disappointed
her is one of four DEMONSTRATIVE PRONOUNS (this, that, these and those). We use them to
identify which 'thing' we are talking about.
We suggest teaching ideas for nouns in -+17.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . • . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. .
. .
·
The pronoun gender problem
English has no gender-neutral pronounI We have to say things like If a teacher doesn't plan
his or her lessons, he or she may hove problems. Some writers use they instead, e.g. Ifa teacher
doesn't pion theirlessons, they may have problems, but that is not a very good solution. A better
way of doing it may be to say Ifteachers don'tpion their lessons, they may hove problems.
35
