Friday, March 22th 2013
Homework: pages 35, 36, 37
The present continuous tense vs. the present simple tense
Present Continuous
Structure: Subject + verb to be conjugated
+ verb with – ing form + complement
Uses:
1. Activities at moment of speaking.
Example: I’m watching TV at this
moment.
2. Activities currently in progress.
Example: She’s taking an English
course this semester. These are
activities you are not doing at the
moment of speaking but you are
doing them in an specific period of
time.
3. Plans for the future. Example:
We’re eating pizza this weekend.
To talk about plans in the future, we
have to take into account the time
expressions that refer to the future.
Examples: Next week, next month,
next semester, next year, this
weekend.
Affirmative and negative statements:
+ She is playing the guitar to the festival
- She is not playing the guitar to the
festival
? Is she playing the guitar to the festival?
Yes, she is – No, she is not
Present Simple
Structure: Subject + verb conjugated +
complement
Uses:
1. Daily activities/the routine. Example:
She drinks caffee every day.
2. General truth. Example: President
Santos lives in Narino’s House.
3. Customs. American always say
“Have a nice day” when they meet
somebody.
4. Plans for the future. Example: She
sings next Friday. To talk about
plans in the future, we have to take
into account the time expressions
that refer to the future. Examples:
Next week, next month, next
semester, next year, this weekend.
Affirmative and negative statements:
+ She plays the guitar in the festival
- She does not play the guitar in the
festival
? Does she play the guitar in the festival?
Yes, she does – No, she does not
Complete the following paragraph according to the use of the present continuous tense
or simple present tense:

My name ____ (to be) Peter;

l ____ (to live) in the suburbs of Boston with my family.
Most people _______ (to believe)
we ____ (to be) rich because
we ____ (to live) in a big house.
But our family _____ (to seem) to be like any other one. Have a look: 

Maggy, my wife, _____ (to like) cooking.

She _______ (to enjoy) being in the kitchen with her friends.
At the moment she _________ (to make) a cake and you can't talk to her. 

What really _______ (to worry) her is our daughter

who _______ (to prefer) to chat in front of her computer instead of cooking with her.
Like many teenagers, Jenny _______ (to think)
it _____ (to be) easier to get advice from someone
you _____________ (not + to go to) see later.
It's 5 pm. Paul, my son, _______________ (to play) basketball in the garden
and I ___________ (to watch) TV,
I ______________ (to wait) for this delicious cake
that Maggy ___________ (to cook) . I told you, a family as yours. '

Comparatives

We use comparatives to show the difference between places, people, things/objects.

Short Adjectives Long Adjectives

Short adjectives are those who have one Long adjectives are those who have two or
or two syllables. more syllables.

Examples: Examples:
Tall - small - short Difficult – expensive
Happy – Sad Interesting - beautiful
Structure: Structure:

Sub. + verb conj. + short adj. + er + than + Sub. + verb conj. + more + long adj. + than
sub. + sub.
Example: Example:
Anna is smaller than me Cali is more expensive than Bogota
Ana es más pequeña que yo Cali es más costoso que Bogotá

Rules:

- Big – bigger. It happens when the short

adjective has this form:
Consonant + vowel + consonant
So we double the final consonant and add
er – bigger
- Happy – happier. We change the final –y
by –i and add er - happier

Irregular adjectives

Good – better
She is a better person since she has a new job

Bad – worse
It is worse to live in Atlanta than in Miami.