Use of English

file

Unit 2: Family life

 Unit 2: Family life

1. use of simple past

tense
2. use of tag questions
3. use of can (abilities and
permission)
4. vocabulary: family life
We use the simple past tense to
talk about things that happened in
the past.

Examples:

The children visited the zoo last

week.

The plane landed a few minutes

ago.

Jerry dried his clothes in the sun.

 Past tense

affirmative sentences: subject + verb in past form

e.g. My mother invited our relatives to a family reunion.

negative sentences: subject + didn’t + verb in simple form

e.g. They didn’t watch a movie.

Yes/no questions: Did + subject + verb in simple form + ?

e.g. Did you go shopping?

Wh- questions: Wh-question + did + subject + verb in simple form + ?

e.g. Where did you buy that shirt?
 Look at how
sentences in
the past simple
are formed.

5
You may want to watch videos about the past tense:

● The past simple tense - 6 Minute Grammar

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PgsG98vByiw

● Grammar Snacks: Past simple – regular verbs

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r2cf1qcltzY

● Grammar Snacks: Past simple – irregular verbs

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aPgtdZ_urZk&t=11s

6
For most verbs, the simple past tense is created by adding a d, ed or ied at the end of the
word. These are called regular verbs. There are also irregular verbs which do not follow this
pattern.
The following are some of the rules for regular verbs.

For verbs ending in e, add d.

I lived in Poland some years ago.

For verbs ending in consonant + y, change y to i and add ed.

I t ried t o jump from t he bridge but I couldn’ t .

For other verbs, just add ed.

I walk ed around t he park t o t hink about my fut ure.

There are many verbs that do not follow these rules.

They are called irregular verbs.
Put the verb in brackets in the past form.

1. My brother ___________ (invite) our relatives to a family reunion.

2. My cousins __________________ (call) to say they _____ (love) the idea.

3. They ________________ (pack) up some food and ___________ (get) into their car.

4. My aunts and uncles ______________ (begin) to arrive at the reunion.

5. When they ___________ (arrive), they _______________ (find) a nice place to sit down.

6. I just _______________ (want) to greet and help everyone!

7. I ___________ (help) my father get the food ready.

8. My cousins ______________ (begin) to dance.

9. We _____________ (talk), ____________ (eat) and _________ (have) lots of fun.

10. We ___________ (go) swimming in the river.

11. “A beautiful family reunion”, my sister __________ (shout), hugging everyone!

Use the correct form of the verb in brackets to complete these sentences – Answer key

Check your answers.

1. My brother invited our relatives to a family reunion.

2. My cousins called to say they loved the idea.
3. They packed up some food and got into their car.
4. My aunts and uncles began to arrive at the reunion.
5. When they arrived, they found a nice place to sit down.
6. I just wanted to greet and help everyone!
7. I helped my father get the food ready.
8. My cousins began to dance.
9. We talked, ate and had lots of fun.
10. We went swimming in the river.
11. “A beautiful family reunion”, my sister shouted, hugging everyone!
A tag question is a special
construction in English. It is a
statement followed by a mini-
question. We use tag questions to
ask for confirmation. They mean
something like, "Is that right?" or
"Do you agree?" They are very
common in English.

Examples:

• Snow is white, isn’t it?

• You don’t like the winter, do
you?
• You are coming, aren’t you?
Complete the sentences withquestion
a tag .

1. Ruth is trying to get her father on the phone, ___________ ?

2. Aunt Minnie is taking Annie to the airport, ____________ ?

3. Your uncle always gives me a lot of presents, __________ ?

4. You cut your hair, ____________ ?

5. Mary’s hair looks nice, _____________ ?

6. My sister’s new teacher is from Canada, __________?

7. Teachers don’t earn much money, ________________ ?

8. You buy a lot of clothes every month, ______________ ?

9. She types well, ___________ ?

10. Jess has a new apartment. She rents it, __________ ?

Complete the sentences with a tag question
. - Answer key.
Check your answers.
1. Ruth is trying to get her father on the phone, isn’t she ?

2. Aunt Minnie is taking Annie to the airport, isn’t she ?

3. My uncle always gives me a lot of presents, doesn’t he ?

4. You cut your hair, don’t you ?

5. Mary’s hair looks nice, doesn’t it ?

6. My sister’s new teacher is from Canada, isn’t he?

7. Teachers don’t earn much money, do they ?

8. You buy a lot of clothes every month, don’t you ?

9. She types well, doesn’t she ?

10. Jess has a new apartment. She rents it, doesn’t she ?
We use “can” to say that something
is possible or that somebody has the
ability to do something. We also use
“can” to ask for permission.

Examples:

We can see the ocean from our hotel

window.

I can speak four languages.

The word “dream” can be a noun or a

verb.

Can I go out tonight?

 .

Read this chart

about modal
CAN.
Watch a video clip about “can”.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SeLYwHeOodM&feature=emb_rel_pause
Complete the sentences with can or can’t.

1. An adult ________ drive a car. A child __________ do it.

2. A dog __________ run. It ________ fly.
3. It’s 9:30 a.m. We ___________ still get the 10:00 a.m. train.
4. Ms Brown is a nice teacher. You _______ leave the classroom when you finish her tests.
5. A: ________ you ask Mary to call me back? B: Sure, I’ll tell her.
6. My sister is trying to lose weight. She _______ eat chocolates.
7. What languages ___________ you speak?
8. Where ________ I buy a good dictionary?
9. __________ your parents run a marathon?
10. She ______ play the piano but she _________ play the guitar.
Complete the sentences with can or can’t:

Check your answers.

1. An adult can drive a car. A child can’t do it.

2. A dog can run. It can’t fly.
3. It’s 9:30 a.m. We can still get the 10:00 a.m. train.
4. Ms Brown is a nice teacher. You can leave the classroom when you finish her
tests.
5. A: Can you ask Mary to call me back? B: Sure, I’ll tell her.
6. My sister is trying to lose weight. She can’t eat chocolates.
7. What languages can you speak?
8. Where can I buy a good dictionary?
9. Can your parents run a marathon?
10. She can play the piano but she can’t play the guitar.
1.uncle
2.young and old
3.relative
4.reunion
5.phone home
6.have fun
7.fight
8.family picnic
9.aunt
10.cousin
Match the definitions with words in the box.

1. sister of your mother and father or the wife of your uncle. 1. uncle

2. children and adults. 2. young and old

3. a child of your uncle or aunt. 3. relative

4. the brother of your mother and father or the husband of your aunt. 4. reunion

5. a meal you eat outside with your family, your friends. 5. phone home

6. meeting of old friends, relatives, etc. 6. have fun

7. a disagreement or angry argument. 7. fight

8. a family member. 8. family picnic

9. enjoy oneself. 9. aunt

10. to call your family or relatives on the phone. 10. cousin

 Check your answers.

1. sister of your mother and father or the wife of your uncle. aunt 1. uncle
2. children and adults. young and old 2. young and old
3. a child of your uncle or aunt. cousin 3. relative
4. the brother of your mother and father or the husband of your aunt. uncle 4. reunion
5. a meal you eat outside with your family, your friends. family picnic 5. phone home
6. meeting of old friends, relatives, etc. reunion 6. have fun
7. a disagreement or angry argument. fight 7. fight
8. a family member. relative 8. family picnic
9. enjoy oneself. have fun 9. aunt
10. to call your family or relatives on the phone. phone home 10. cousin
Complete each sentence with one word from the box.

1. Let’s go out and ________________ this Saturday.

1. uncle
2. David is married to my father’s sister, so he is my ________________. 2. young and old
3. I like to _______________ to speak to my parents every weekend. 3. relatives

4. The whole family is here, _____________________.

4. reunion
5. phone home
5. I send cards to my ____________ at Christmas.
6. have fun
6. I recognized all my schoolfriends at the _____________ It was so exciting!
7. fight
7. The children had a _________________ today. It was a difficult moment. 8. family picnic
8. I love to have a _____________ in the park! Everybody takes delicious snacks. 9. aunt

9. My mother has two sisters and one brother so I have two __________________ . 10. cousin

10. Uncle Mike’s daughter Annie is my favourite ____________________.

 Check your answers.
1. Let’s go out and have fun this Saturday.

2. David is married to my father’s sister, so he is my uncle .

3. I like to phone home to speak to my parents every weekend.

4. The whole family is here, young and old.

5. I send cards to my relatives at Christmas.

6. I recognized all my schoolfriends at the reunion. It was so exciting!

7. The children had a fight today. It was a difficult moment.

8. I love to have a family picnic in the park! Everybody takes delicious snacks.

9. My mother has two sisters and one brother so I have two aunts.

10. Uncle Mike’s daughter Annie is my favourite cousin.

 Sources & Credits

● https://thenounproject.com/
● https://www.shutterstock.com/
● https://dictionary.cambridge.org/es/diccionario/ingles-espanol/credit
● English Discoveries Student platform
● https://slidesmania.com/es/
● https://www.perfect-english-grammar.com/could-have-should-have-would-have-exercise-1.html

23