LANGUAGE REFERENCE
102
1
GRAMMAR
G1
PRESENT SIMPLE
Use the present simple to talk about facts and things
that are generally true:
It
rains
a lot in England.
Also use the present simple to talk about regular
actions and habits:
We
have
a beach holiday every year.
FORMATION
With the present simple of the verb
be
, use
am
,
is
or
are
in affirmative statements, questions and negatives.
He
is
always very friendly.
Are
you interested in travelling?
I
’m
not often here at the weekends.
With the present simple of other verbs, use the verb
on its own in affirmative statements.
They
work
in the same office as me.
!
Remember to add
-s
to the main verb after
he/she/it
.
Peter live
s
in a really big house.
Note these spelling changes after
he/she/it
:
•
Verbs ending in -
s
,
-sh
,
-ch
,
-z
,
-x
or -
o
, add
-es
.
watch
es
•
Verbs ending in consonant +
-y
, change
-y
to
-ies
.
carr
ies
•
The verb
have
becomes
has
after
he/she/it
.
The city
has
a lot of parks.
Use
do/does
to form the negative and questions.
We
don’t live
near here.
Does
your country
have
a lot of parks?
Present simple short answers use
do/does
.
Yes, it
does
. / No, it
doesn’t
.
Use
do/does
or
am/is/are
to form questions with
who
,
what
,
when
,
where
,
how
,
why
,
which
.
When
does summer start here?
What
is your name?
ADVERBS AND TIME EXPRESSIONS
You often use adverbs of frequency with the present
simple, e.g.
always
,
often
,
sometimes
,
never
. The
adverb comes after the verb
be
, but before other verbs.
It’
s never
really hot in Greenland.
It doesn’t
often rain
in Dubai.
You can also use time expressions with the present
simple, e.g.
every day
,
once a week
,
every year
.
The news is on BBC1 at six
every evening
.
G2
PRESENT CONTINUOUS
Use the present continuous to describe an action
happening now or around now.
We
’re having
an English lesson at the moment.
Use the present continuous also to describe a
changing situation.
The weather in the UK
is
definitely
getting
wetter.
Form the present continuous with the auxiliary
be
+
the
-ing
form of the main verb.
I
’m trying
to finish this exercise.
‘
Is
it
raining
?’ ‘Yes, it
is
.’ / ‘No, it
isn’t
.’
You usually just add
-ing
to the end of the main verb,
but note these spelling changes.
•
Verbs ending in -
e
: remove -
e
and add -
ing
:
live
–
liv
ing
•
Verbs ending in vowel + most consonants: double the
consonant and add -
ing
:
get
–
gett
ing
,
travel
–
travell
ing
(but not with vowel + -
y
:
play
–
play
ing
)
TIME EXPRESSIONS
You often use time expressions with the present
continuous, e.g.
now
,
today
,
currently
.
We’re staying at a friend’s house
at the moment
.
G3
PRESENT SIMPLE AND CONTINUOUS
You use both the present simple and the present
continuous with verbs that describe actions (action
verbs), e.g.
rain
,
work
,
play
.
The children
play
with their friends on Saturdays.
The children
are playing
football now.
Some verbs describe states (state verbs) such as
feelings and situations, e.g.
be
,
want
,
believe
,
know
,
understand
,
like
. These verbs don’t usually have a
continuous form.
I want a sandwich.
ü
I’m wanting a sandwich.
û
Some verbs can be state or action verbs, e.g.
think.
I
think
this city is beautiful. (= this is my opinion)
I
’m thinking
about what to wear. (= deciding)
KEY LANGUAGE
KL
AGREEING AND DISAGREEING
I agree with you. Mmm, you’re right.
Yes, you’re right. Do you? Don’t you? I do. OK.
Well, I disagree with you. I disagree.
No, neither do I.
VOCABULARY
V1
COUNTRIES AND REGIONS
Brazil, Brazilian, Canada, Canadian, China, Chinese,
Ghana, Ghanaian, Poland, Polish, Saudi Arabia,
Saudi (Arabian), Thailand, Thai, New Zealand,
New Zealander
North America, South America, Europe, the Arab World,
East Asia, South-East Asia, West Africa, Australasia
V2
WEATHER ADJECTIVES
bright, clear, cloudy, cold, dark, dry, fine, freezing, hot,
humid, mild, rainy, snowy, sunny, warm, wet, windy
V3
MODIFIERS
extremely, quite, really, very
V4
ADJECTIVES TO DESCRIBE PLACES
crowded, dangerous, interesting, lively, popular,
quiet, scary
V5
ACTIVITIES
scuba diving, horse riding, ice skating,
mountain biking, sea kayaking, skiing, snorkelling,
snowboarding, walking in a strong wind,
white-water rafting, wildlife watching
