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)

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2. Where __________ you born? (in)

_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________

3. When __________ you born? (on)

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_____________________________________________________________________________

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)
_____________________________________________________________________________
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7. What __________ your hobbies? (I like)

_____________________________________________________________________________
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8. Who __________ your favourite singer? Why?

_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________

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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?
oeis

c/ She speaks English.

specks
knowo
Does speak
knowo
She English?
eis 2
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.
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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.
_____________________________________________________________________

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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.

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 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.

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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)
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3. Where are you going to meet her? (at the bus-stop)
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4. Where are you going to park the car? (in a side street)
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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.
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2. Miss Lee finished her work on time.
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3. Betty invited me to her birthday party.
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4. It took us a long time to finish the job.
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The Present Perfect Tense
Study the following:
DAVE: Have you travelled a lot, Jane?
JANE: Yes, I’ve been to lots of places.
DAVE: Really? Have you ever been to Canada?
JANE: Yes, I’ve been to Canada twice.
DAVE: What about India?
JANE: No, I haven’t been to India.

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

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.
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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.
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 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

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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.

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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

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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.

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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

_________________________ _________________________
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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?

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