Form 1 Immersion Bridging Programme - English Assignment

Myself and My family

Fill in the blanks and answer the questions in complete sentences using the words given in brackets.

1. How old you? (am)

2. Where you born? (in)

3. When you born? (on)

4. Which musical instrument you play? (I play)

5. How often you practise it? ( every day/ once a week)

6. When you start playing this musical instrument? (years old)

7. What your hobbies? (I like)

8. Who your favourite singer? Why?

1
TENSES
There are three present forms of a verb.
We say: I write many letters every day.
I am writing a letter now.
I have written the letter already.
EXERCISE Follow the above examples. Re-write the following sentences using the correct
present form of the verbs in brackets. .

1. Peter and Jane (go) to the library every day.

Peter and Jane (go) to the supermarket
now.
Peter and Jane (go) to the Science Museum already.

2. Joe (come) to see me every day.

Joe (come) for the parcel now.
Joe (come) home from work already.

The Simple Present Tense

Learn how to change a statement into a question.

a/ He is a clever man.

Is he a clever man?

b/ You know his name.

Do know
you his name?
c/ She speaks English.

Does speak
She English?
EXERCISE Change the following statements into questions.
1. Mary knows my telephone number.

2. I am tall for my age.

3. This shop sells second-hand watches.

4. They are ready for the party.

Making negative statements:

Example:
1. Change ‘am’ into ‘am not’.

I am a bus driver.
I am not a bus driver.

2. Change ‘are’ into ‘are not’.

They are good swimmers.

They are not good swimmers.

3. Change ‘knows’ into ‘does not know’.

He knows my telephone number.

He does not know my telephone number.

EXERCISE Re-write the following sentences, changing them into negative statements.

1. Mr. Lo lives with his sons.

2. Mrs. Wong is fluent in English.

3. Tom is my brother’s best friend.

4. They like strong tea.

The Present Continuous Tense

Points to remember: 1. We use this tense to show an action happening at the moment of speaking.
2. We often use this tense along with: now, still, at present, at the moment, etc.

Examples: What are you doing?

I am writing a letter.

What is Tom doing?

He is reading a book.

EXERCISE
Complete the following sentences with verbs using the SIMPLE PRESENT tense or the
PRESENT CONTINUOUS tense.

1. I (walk) to school every day.

2. Jane and Betty (play) chess in the living-room now.
3. Look! The plane (take) off.
4. I (like) Chinese food.
5. We often (have) lunch together.
6. We (play) football after school every Friday.
7. Close the window! It (rain) outside.
8. Paul and I (go) to the same school. He often (help) me with my work.
9. Open the door, Sally. I _ (want) to talk to you!
10. Are the boys reading in the bedroom?
No, they (play) in the garden.
11. It is late autumn. Leaves (fall) off the trees.
12. He never (tell) lies.
 The Simple Future Tense

Examples: Shall I open the door?

What shall we do this afternoon?
Shall is used in more formal kind of English, shall is sometimes used instead of
will in statements.
e.g. All students shall attend class regularly.

Shall is used mainly in questions with shall I…?

Shall I/we …? is used in making an offer.
Shall we …? is a way of making a suggestion about the future.
Shall I/we …? is a way of asking for advice or making a suggestion.

Examples: You will know the results very soon.

They will come again next Monday.
The manager will be here in five minutes.

EXERCISE Complete the following sentences with verbs in the SIMPLE FUTURE tense.
1. We (come) again next Monday.
2. Mr. Lee (be) back in a moment.
3. I (give) you an answer in two days, Henry.
4. The students (have) a test tomorrow.
5. John and Betty (call) us this evening.
6. Susan (go) shopping with her mother this afternoon.

Going to
‘going to …’ is more commonly used for a planned future action.
Examples: What are you going to do with these fruits and vegetables?
I am going to make a salad.

Where are you going this evening?

I am going to the cinema with Mary.

When are you going to see the dentist?

I am going to see him tomorrow.
EXERCISE Answer the following questions by using ‘going to …’. You may use pronouns.
1. What are you going to do with these ingredients? (make a cake)

2. What are you going to do with the paint? (paint the door)

3. Where are you going to meet her? (at the bus-stop)

4. Where are you going to park the car? (in a side street)

The Simple Past Tense

Exercise 1
Complete the following sentences with verbs in the SIMPLE PAST tense.
1. We (win) the football match yesterday.
2. They (build) this bridge three years ago.
3. Mother (buy) a camera for me last week.
4. I (go) to London last summer.
5. Many people (lose) their lives in the Sichuan earthquake.

Exercise 2
Re-write the following sentences, changing them into negative statements.
1. I slept well last night.

2. Miss Lee finished her work on time.

3. Betty invited me to her birthday party.

4. It took us a long time to finish the job.

 The Present Perfect Tense
Study the following:
elled a lot, Jane? JANE: Yes, I’ve been to lots of places.
you ever been to Canada? JANE: Yes, I’ve been to Canada twice.
ndia?
been to India.

a period of time that continues from the past until now, we use the present
have travelled etc.). Here, Dave and Jane are talking about the places Jane has visited in her life (which is a period that con

We use the present perfect tense to show:

1. an immediate past action.

Examples: I have just studied your plan.
The plane has just landed.

2. a past action whose time is not given.

Examples: I have seen him before.
Mr. Lee has sold his car already.

3. an action which began in the past and is still continuing.

Examples: I have lived here since 1975.
We have known Mr. Lee for ten years.
Exercise
Complete the following sentences with verbs in the SIMPLE PRESENT tense or the
PRESENT PERFECT tense.
1. Mr. Lee (move) to Shatin.
2. I (study) in this school for three years.
3. This bus (run) between Shatin and Tai Po.
4. Can I go shopping with you, Mummy? I (finish) my homework already.

Articles
‘a’ and ‘an’
It is the pronunciation, not the spelling, that determines the choice between a and an.
We use an before a word which begins with a vowel sound.
Examples: an apple, an egg, an elephant,
an orange, an umbrella
but we say: an hour, an honest man
because in these two cases, ‘h’ is not pronounced. We judge by ‘o’.

We use a before a word beginning with a consonant sound.

Examples: a book, a chair, a river, a window

But we say: a European, a used refrigerator
because in these two cases, the words begin with a consonant sound, that of ‘yu’.
We also say: a one-sided argument
because in this case, the word begins with the consonant sound of ‘w’.

EXERCISE Put ‘a’ or ‘an’ before the following words or expressions.

clarinet peach actress comedy used car

engineer earring orchestra ticket huge dog
Eurasian answer onion square old man
building stick hour axe early riser
university helmet rock band salesman exciting match

Articles
Definite Article ‘the’ (1)
We use a/an the first time we mention a person or an object. We use the when we talk about
him / her or it again.
Examples: I found a man in my garden last night.
The man was carrying a briefcase.

Jane has a dog and a cat.

She takes the dog out for a walk every day,
and she sleeps with the cat.
I bought a tennis racquet and a rucksack yesterday.
The tennis racquet is for Joe and the rucksack is for Peter.

EXERCISE Use ‘a/an’ or ‘the’ in the following sentences.

1. I have just found rucksack.

rucksack is brown in colour.
 There is book in rucksack.
It is English dictionary.

2. There is young man outside the office.

He is carrying parcel.
I think parcel is for the manger.

Articles
Definite Article ‘the’ (2)
The is used before musical instruments which go with ‘play’.
Examples: John plays the guitar.
Jane plays the piano.

the flute the drums

the violin the trumpet

We use the before names of mountain ranges, seas, rivers, certain countries which start with
UNITED / UNION or end in ‘s’, and groups of islands.

Examples: the Himalayas the Andes

the Pacific Ocean the Nile

the Mediterranean Sea the Yellow River

the USA the USSR

the West Indies the Bahamas

We don’t use the: watch football play badminton

watch tennis play table-tennis
play basketball

We don’t use the in the following expressions:

go to school have breakfast travel by plane
go to bed have lunch travel by boat
go to church have dinner travel by train
go home have supper travel by bus
EXERCISE Fill in the blanks with ‘the’ where necessary. Put a cross (x) if no article
is needed.

1. George has just returned from States.

2. Nile flows north to Mediterranean Sea.
3. We play football every Sunday.
4. It’s fun travelling by train.
5. Few people have been to Himalayas.
6. We are spending our holiday in Philippines this summer.

EXERCISE Fill in the blanks with ‘the’ where necessary. Put a cross (x) if no article
is needed.

1. I found a book in room. book bears your name.

2. teachers of our school are planning a trip to London.
3. Manila is capital of Philippines.
4. We went to Joe’s wedding banquet. food was delicious.
5. Eva and I often go to Shenzhen for the week-end.
6. Open windows, John. air-conditioner is not working.

Prepositions of PLACE
at - for a small or particular place
e.g. Meet me at the bus-stop
The fashion show was held at the Park Hotel

in - for a large land area, or for a place when the reference is general.
e.g. Most people speak English in Australia.
Tom’s father works in a bank.

on - on the top/surface of
e.g. There is a cat on the roof.
Put the bag on the floor

EXERCISE Complete the following sentences with ‘at’, ‘in’ or ‘on’.

1. Mr. Lee lives No.2, Shanghai Street.

2. My sister is studying medicine HKU.
3. Mr. Lee is giving a party the Conrad Hotel this Sunday.
4. Please write your name _ the cover of your exercise book.
Prepositions of TIME (1)
1. time according to the clock:
e.g. at 2 o’clock 12 noon
at 7 p.m. 12 midnight

2. part of the day:

e.g. at dawn / daybreak on Monday morning
in the morning on Sunday afternoon
in the afternoon on the afternoon of March 27
at sunset
in the evening at night

3. the seven days of the week:

e.g. on Wednesday at / on weekends

4. dates:
on 27th March, 2007
on April 13, 2008
on July 10 (but on the tenth of July)

5. months
e.g. in January in July

6. seasons:
e.g. in spring during the winter

7. years
e.g. in 1997
in the year 2009

8. festivals:
e.g. at Christmas on Christmas Day / Eve
at Easter on New Year’s Day

9. general:
e.g. in future at the moment
at present in the past
EXERCISE Complete each of the following sentences with:

at / in / on / of

1. This shop closes 10 o’clock.

2. We often have visitors weekends.
3. Christmas is 25th December.
4. I always go to church Sunday.
5. People exchange gifts Christmas.
6. Mary’s book is the desk.
7. The next train will leave 6:15 p.m.
8. John was born 21 May, 2000.

Preposition of TIME (2)

Study the following:

a/ for - for a length of time
e.g. We have lived here for ten years.

b/ since - for a continuation of time

e.g. We have not seen him since last month.

c/ during - throughout the course of

e.g. Life was hard during the Chinese Cultural Revolution.

d/ till - up to the time of

e.g. He will stay here till Sunday.

e/ before/after - for general use

e.g. Say your prayers before you go to bed.
e.g. Please call again after 3 o’clock.
 EXERCISE Complete the following sentences with:

for / since / during / till / before / after

1. What happened here my absence?

2. Peter has been absent from school almost a week.
3. We have been waiting for him two hours.
4. Mr. Lee has been ill Tuesday.
5. Tom works from morning night.
6. I never allow Susan to go out alone dark.
7. Let’s put off the meeting next Monday.

Can
We use ‘can’ to:
1. Ask for permission
e.g. Can I use your ruler?
2. Make requests
e.g. Can you close the door please?
‘Can’ is an informal way of asking for permission or making requests. We

use ‘can’ to ask for permission.

I borrow your pen? Yes, you can.
Can
I switch on the fan? No, you cannot/ can’t.

We use ‘can’ to make requests.

I have some water?
Can Here you are.
you pass the salt please?

Exercise
(a) Make questions using ‘can’ and the words given.
(b) Give a suitable answer to each question.
Example: your/ look at/ notes/ I
Can I look at your notes? Yes, you can or Sure/ No problem.

1. borrow / car / we / your

No,

2. phone / answer / the / you

 3. have / hot dog / a / I
, please? Yes,

May
We also use ‘may’ to:
1. Ask for permission
e.g. May I be excused?
2. Make requests
e.g. May I see Mrs. Chan please?
‘May’ is a formal way of asking for permission or making request. We

use ’may’ to ask for permission like this:

be excused ? Yes, you may.
May I / we
go to the toilet? No, you may not.

We use ‘may’ to make requests like this.

have your telephone number? Sure.
May I
have some water please? Of course. / Here you are.
Exercise
Writing questions and answers. Use ‘may’ and the words given.
Example: I / computer / use / the
May I use the computer? Yes, you may.

1. off / the / T.V. / switch / I

No,

2. close / the / curtains / I

Yes, _

3. your / borrow / I / pen.

More examples:
1. Please may I be excused?
2. May I be excused please?