Practical tips in = nglish Consejos prdcticos en Inglés ~ GRAMMAR CRY oO THE 39 STEPS & THE MODAL VERBS Dermot McGrathGRAMMAR CRY The following study is designed to cover three main levels of English out of five theoretical levels. These are: LEVEL 2 (= Pre-Intermediate level - for active word limit, circa 1,000) LEVEL 3 (= Intermediate level - for active word limit, circa 1,500) LEVEL 4 (= Pre-Advanced level - for active word limit, circa 2,500) Levels 1 (= Beginners) and 5 (=Advanced) are not catered for but that does not necessarily mean that the study is not useful to students at those levels. A verb form, especially a modal verb form, can express different concepts but because of limited space belowit is impossible, in the majority of cases, to give more than one example. The table is simply orientative. VERBFORM (The Thirty - Nine Steps) TIME CONCEPT & OTHERS EXPRESSION ‘TRANSLATION RELATED WORDS/IDEAS —PRESENT YOTRAIGO ACT. SURE HABITUAL, I BRING THE BREAD HOME EVERY DAY Es DO para preguntar pero si hablas de el o ella ¢s “he/she brings” con DOES en pregunta YOTRAIGO ACT. SURE, CONTINUOUS ACT. PROGRESSIVE | PRESENT —Now NEAR FUTURE AM BRINGING HE IS IN THE SHOP NOW AND HE IS BUYING SOME CIIRISTMAS PRESENTS. HE IS BUYING A NEW CAR NEXT MONTH. KEY: ACT. = ACTIONS Poss. ‘TC = TIME CONCEPT TN POSSIBLE, POSSIBILITY ‘TENSETIME CONCEPT & OTHERS EXPRESSION TRANSLATION RELATED. WORDS/DEAS ‘ACT. SURE, POSS. PLURAL ACT. 1 CAUGHT THE NINE O’CLOCK TRAIN TO MANCHESTER LAST SUNDAY. También YOU, HE, SHE, IT, WE y THEY | SHALL BRING ACT. SURE, WILL POSS, PLU ACT. I SHALL CATCH THE EIGHT O'CLOCK TRAIN TO MANCHESTER. IF | HAVE THE MONEY I WILL CATCH CATCH THE PLANE TO MANCHESTER, En teoria es “Shall” para decisién firme. WILL es muy usado, especialmente en frases subordinadas. Acciones en plural se expresan mas con el Futuro Continuo - “I SHALL/WILL BE ‘COMING ON FRIDAYS” FUTURE | WON'T BRING YONO TRAERE | NO ACTION NEGATIVE TAKES PLACE SHE WON'T EAT THE SANDWICH BECAUSE SHE’S NOT HUNGRY. “Shan’t” es la contracci6n de “shall not” “won't”, Es poco usado pero del todo correcto. ACT. SURE | HAVE BROUGHT YO HE TRAIDO | PRESENT PERFECT TN., —PAST ACT. COMPLETED. MY GRANDFATHER HAD FOUGHT IN TWO WARS BEFORE HE WAS 40. “40” representa un punto de tiempo en el pasado de mi abuelo. Toda accién anterior a éste escon HAD. THE CHILDREN HAVE OFTEN FOUND MONEY IN THE STREET. "AST IN PAST HAD BROUGHT [YO HABIA TRAIDO PLUPERFECT TN. KEY: ACT, 1c ACTIONS, POSS. = POSSIBLE, POSSIBILITY ‘TIME CONCEPT ‘TN = TENSE