Third module

grammar

What’s the first thing that comes to your mind when you hear the words time
expressions? Do you want to learn more about these expressions? Let’s read more
about them.
In this lesson, you will be using the time expressions used in both the present
simple and continuous tenses.

Remember that:
The present simple is used to express daily life actions.
The present continuous is used to talk about actions in progress
Besides using frequency adverbs in Simple Present, we can also use time
expressions for this tense. Remember that time expressions, in general, are short
phrases that tell us WHEN, in a timeline, an action happens.In the case of Simple
Present, they tell us the frequency with which you do something.
:

At the VERY END of a sentence or at the VERY BEGINNING followed by a comma (,).
Look at the example below:
I have dancing lessons every Monday and Wednesday.
Every Monday and Wednesday, I have dancing lessons.

Now, check the information related to present continous and the time expressions that
belong to this tense:

1: Events happening now

Events happening now

The present continuous is used to talk about actions happening at the moment of
speaking e.g. Don’t disturb the artist, he is working.

Temporary situations
It can also refer to situations which happen during a lapse of time. e.g. I’m taking a
sculpture course for beginners this semester. It also makes reference to scientific facts
or general truths.

3: Developing actions
Developing actions

This structure refers to actions which are changing with time. e.g. My drawing is getting
better and better.

Benn, H. (2016). Sketch. Tomado de: https://pixabay.com/en/drawing-sketch-sketchy-

block-pencil-1785272/. Consultado el 15/11/16

Irritation

It can d

escribe an exasperating habit if you use ‘always’. e.g. Why are you always criticising my
painting?
Time expressions

We use the present continuous with time expressions such as: now, at the moment, at
present, today, tonight, this morning/afternoon/evening, this week/month/year & while.
These time expressions have the following basic positions:
At the very end of a sentence, that is in the complement. e.g. He is living in an apartment
at present.

At the beginning of a sentence make emphasis. In this position, it MUST be followed by a

comma (,). e.g. Right now, we are watching the news on TV.
Now, go over the meaning and some examples of the most common time expressions for
the present continuous.

Now: I’m texting my mum now.

At the moment: The old man is reading the newspaper at the moment.

At present: Dolores is taking care of her neighbors’ dogs at present.

Today: My friends and I are having a picnic today.

Tonight: We’re going to a concert tonight.

This morning/afternoon/evening: Tom is studying at home this afternoon.

This week/month/year: The 2012 class is graduating this year.

While: The cameraman is filming while the reporter is giving the news.

Prepositions of Time - at, in, on

We use:

at for a PRECISE TIME

in for MONTHS, YEARS, CENTURIES and LONG PERIODS

on for DAYS and DATES

at in on
PRECISE MONTHS, YEARS, CENTURIES and LONG DAYS and DATES
TIME PERIODS

at 3 o'clock in May on Sunday

at 10.30am in summer on Tuesdays

at noon in the summer on 6 March

at dinnertime in 1990 on 25 Dec. 2010

at bedtime in the 1990s on Christmas Day

at sunrise in the next century on Independence

Day

at sunset in the Ice Age on my birthday

at the moment in the past/future on New Year's Eve

Look at these examples:

I have a meeting at 9am.

The shop closes at midnight.

Jane went home at lunchtime.

In England, it often snows in December.

Do you think we will go to Jupiter in the future?

There should be a lot of progress in the next century.

Do you work on Mondays?

Her birthday is on 20 November.

Where will you be on New Year's Day?

Notice the use of the preposition of time at in the following standard expressions:
 Expression Example

at night The stars shine at night.

at the weekend* I don't usually work at the weekend.

at Christmas*/Easter I stay with my family at Christmas.

at the same time We finished the test at the same time.

at present He's not home at present. Try later.

*Note that in some varieties of English people say "on the weekend" and "on Christmas".

Notice the use of the prepositions of time in and on in these common expressions:

in on

in the morning on Tuesday morning

in the mornings on Saturday mornings

in the afternoon(s) on Sunday afternoon(s)

in the evening(s) on Monday evening(s)

When we say last, next, every, this we do not also use at, in, on.

 I went to London last June. (not in last June)

 He's coming back next Tuesday. (not on next Tuesday)
 I go home every Easter. (not at every Easter)
 We'll call you this evening. (not in this evening)

El pasado continuo (past continuous) expresa la duración de una acción pasada

y no indica si está terminada, mientras que el pasado simple (past simple) se refiere
a una acción puntual que empezó y acabó en el pasado.
 I worked last Saturday.
 Trabajé el sábado pasado.
It was snowing at half past four yesterday.
Estaba nevando a las cuatro y media ayer (no había acabado).

1 El pasado simple describe acciones acabadas y el pasado continuo no

especifica si la acciones finalizaron o no, sino que enfatiza que estaban en
desarrollo.

 He travelled around the world.

 Viajó por todo el mundo.
 I was travelling around the world.
 Estaba viajando por todo el mundo.
2 Para acciones simultáneas.
Si las acciones son consecutivas, los verbos irán en pasado simple.

 As I saw her I left the room.

 Cuando la ví dejé la habitación.
Cuando hay un pasado simple y uno continuo este último resalta la duración de
la acción.

 As I was watching tv the telephone rang.

 Cuando estaba viendo la tele sonó el teléfono.

Si las dos acciones tienen lugar durante un mismo periodo de tiempo se usará el
pasado continuo en las dos.

 As I was having dinner, she was watching tv.

 Cuando estaba cenando ella estaba viendo la tv.
3 Para hablar de acciones habituales se suele usar el pasado simple.

 She visited her parents every day.

Sin embargo podemos usar el pasado continuo para enfatizar que la acción tuvo
lugar temporalmente.

 When I was ill he was visiting me twice a day.

Cuando estaba enfermo me visitaba dos veces al día (también es posible usar el
pasado simple en las dos).
4 En narraciones o historias se usa el pasado continuo para describir o
ambientar una acción.
He was walking quickly. He was not wearing his glasses. Suddenly he fell...
Estaba andando rápido. No llevaba sus gafas. De pronto se cayó...
The Prime Minister died while he was sitting at his desk.
El Primer Ministro murió mientras estaba sentado en su mesa.
5 Con los verbos de estado en pasado, siempre que no tengan un significado especial
como ocurre en las diferencias entre presente simple y continuo.

 I loved him.
 Le amaba (verbo estado pasado).
 I was walking in the park.
 Estaba dando un paseo por el parque (verbo acción voluntaria).
 She was being silly.
 Estaba siendo tonta (verbo estado temporal).

Hay dos tiempos verbales que indican el presente en inglés: el present simple y
el present continuous. Son dos formas verbales muy esenciales, a partir de las que
se forman el pasado simple y continuo, entre otras, y que se utilizan muchísimo en
la vida cotidiana. Por lo tanto, este tema gramatical lo tratamos en nuestro
segundo nivel, el Lower Intermediate (A2).

La principal diferencia entre el presente simple y presente continuo está en su uso,

el presente continuo indica acciones que suceden mientras hablamos, mientras
que el presente simple se utiliza para expresar acciones habituales o situaciones
permanentes.
Otra diferencia es la formación de ambos tiempos verbales: para el present simpleu
tilizamos el verbo en presente, mientras que para el present continuous usamos el
verbo auxiliar to be más el gerundio del verbo correspondiente.

Queremos que tengas clara la estructura de estos tiempos verbales y su uso,

aquí tienes algunas indicaciones:

Su formación es muy fácil, se utiliza la forma verbal en presente. Por ejemplo:

 Susan lives in London.

 (Susan vive en Londres).
Se utiliza el auxiliar to be más el gerundio del verbo principal, es decir, la forma
acabada en -ing. Por ejemplo:

 I am going to the cinema.

 (Estoy yendo al cine).

La diferencia es muy clara, el present continuous indica acciones que pasan

mientras hablas, el present simple indica acciones habituales o permanentes. Por
ejemplo:

 Peter goes to the supermarket on Saturdays.

 (Peter va al supermercado los sábados).
 Peter is driving to his office now.
 (Peter está conduciendo hacia su oficina ahora).
Homework
Comparative adjectives are used to compare differences between the two objects
they modify (larger, smaller, faster, higher). They are used in sentences where two
nouns are compared, in this pattern:
Noun (subject) + verb + comparative adjective + than + noun (object).
The second item of comparison can be omitted if it is clear from the context (final
example below).

 My house is larger than hers.

 This box is smaller than the one I lost.
 Your dog runs faster than Jim's dog.
 The rock flew higher than the roof.
 Jim and Jack are both my friends, but I like Jack better. ("than Jim" is
understood)

Superlative adjectives are used to describe an object which is at the upper or lower
limit of a quality (the tallest, the smallest, the fastest, the highest). They are used in
sentences where a subject is compared to a group of objects.
Noun (subject) + verb + the + superlative adjective + noun (object).
The group that is being compared with can be omitted if it is clear from the
context (final example below).

 My house is the largest one in our neighborhood.

 This is the smallest box I've ever seen.
 Your dog ran the fastest of any dog in the race.
 We all threw our rocks at the same time. My rock flew the highest. ("of all
the rocks" is understood)

Forming comparatives and superlatives is easy. The form depends on the number
of syllables in the original adjective.
Add -er for the comparative and -est for the superlative. If the adjective has a consonant
+ single vowel + consonant spelling, the final consonant must be doubled before adding
the ending.

Adjective Comparative Superlative

tall taller tallest

fat fatter fattest

big bigger biggest

sad sadder saddest

Adjectives with two syllables can form the comparative either by adding -er or by
preceeding the adjective with more. These adjectives form the superlative either by
adding -est or by preceeding the adjective with most. In many cases, both forms
are used, although one usage will be more common than the other.

Adjective Comparative Superlative

happy happier happiest

simple simpler simplest

busy busier busiest

tilted more tilted most tilted

tangled more tangled most tangled

Adjectives with three or more syllables form the comparative by putting more in
front of the adjective, and the superlative by putting most in front.
 Adjective Comparative Superlative

important more important most important

expensive more expensive most expensive

These very common adjectives have completely irregular comparative and

superlative forms.

Adjective Comparative Superlative

good better best

bad worse worst

little less least

much more most

far further / farther furthest / farthest

 Today is the worst day I've had in a long time.

 You play tennis better than I do.
 This is the least expensive sweater in the store.
 This sweater is less expensive than that one.
 I ran pretty far yesterday, but I ran even farther today.

As … as
 We use as + adjective/adverb + as to make comparisons when the things we
are comparing are equal in some way:
 The world’s biggest bull is as big as a small elephant.
 The weather this summer is as bad as last year. It hasn’t stopped raining
for weeks.
 You have to unwrap it as carefully as you can. It’s quite fragile.
Not as … as
We use not as … as to make comparisons between things which aren’t equal:

 It’s not as heavy as I thought it would be, actually.

 Rory hasn’t grown as tall as Tommy yet.
 She’s not singing as loudly as she can.
 They didn’t play as well as they usually do.
We can modify not as … as by using not quite as or not nearly as:
The second race was not quite as easy as the first one. (The second race was easy
but the first one was easier.)
These new shoes are not nearly as comfortable as my old ones. (My old shoes are
a lot more comfortable than these new shoes.)
We can also use not so … as. Not so … as is less common than not as … as:
The cycling was good but not so hard as the cross country skiing we did.
As … as + possibility

 We often use expressions of possibility or ability after as … as:

 Can you come as soon as possible?
 Go to as many places as you can.
 We got here as fast as we could.
 As much as, as many as
When we want to make comparisons referring to quantity, we use as much as with
uncountable nouns and as many as with plural nouns:

 Greg makes as much money as Mick but not as much as Neil.

 They try to give them as much freedom as they can.
 There weren’t as many people there as I expected.
We can use as much as and as many as before a number to refer to a large number
of something:
Scientists have discovered a planet which weighs as much as 2,500 times the weight
of Earth.
There were as many as 50 people crowded into the tiny room.
See also:
Homework
 Unit 3
Utilizamos los pronombres relativos para referirnos a un sustantivo (una persona
o una cosa) mencionado antes y al que queremos agregar más información o
modificar. Los pronombres relativos pueden referirse a algo o alguien en singular
o plural. Algunos pronombres relativos se pueden usar sólo con personas, otros
sólo con cosas y algunos con ambos. A continuación, tienes una lista de los
pronombres relativos.
PRONOMBRE PERSONA COSA
THAT x x
QUE
WHICH x
QUE / CUAL
WHO x
QUE / QUIÉN
WHOM x
QUE / A QUIEN
WHOSE x x
CUYO

El pronombre relativo se encuentra en lugar de un sustantivo. Este sustantivo

suele aparecer anteriormente en la oración.

“That” es el pronombre relativo más utilizado en el inglés hablado, ya que se puede

utilizar tanto con personas como con cosas. Se utiliza para
sustituir “which”, “who” o “whom” en cláusulas que definen el sustantivo.
 This is the book that won the Pulitzer prize last year.(Este es el libro que ganó
el Permio Pulizer el año pasado.)
This is the restaurant that received the excellent reviews in the newspaper.(Este
es el restaurante que recibió excelentes críticas en el periódico.)

“Which” sólo se puede utilizar con las cosas.

My new job, which I only started last week, is already very stressful.(Mi nuevo
trabajo, que acabo de empezar la semana pasada, ya es muy estresante.)
The house which we lived in when we were children burnt down last week.(La
casa en la que vivíamos cuando éramos niños se quemó la semana pasada.)

Solo se puede utilizar “who” con personas.

My sister, who just moved in with me, is looking for a job.(Mi hermana, que se
acaba de mudar conmigo, está buscando trabajo.)
I never met someone who didn’t like music.(Nunca he conocido a alguien que
no le guste la música.)

“Whom” se utiliza para hacer referencia al objeto indirecto del verbo, pero no lo
utilizamos mucho en inglés coloquial. Más a menudo utilizamos “who” en vez
de “whom”.

The woman with whom I was talking to was my cousin.(La mujer con quién estaba
hablando era mi prima.)
This is Peter, whom I met at the party last week.(Este es Peter, a quien conocí en la
fiesta la semana pasada.)
El uso de “whose” indica posesión, tanto para las personas como para las cosas.

That is the girl whose parents got divorced last year.(Esa es la chica cuyos
padres se divorciaron el año pasado.)
Paul, whose wife just had a baby, will not be at work for a few weeks.(Paul,
cuyo esposa acaba de tener un bebé, no irá a trabajar durante unas semanas.)

Estos adverbios relativos a veces se utilizan en lugar de un pronombre relativo para

hacer la frase más fácil de entender. Estos adverbios se refieren a expresiones de
tiempo, lugares o motivos.

The university where I teach is an excellent school.(La universidad donde

enseño es una escuela excelente.)
Can you tell me when is the best time to call?(¿Puedes decirme cuando es la
mejor hora para llamar?)

¿Cuáles son los usos de Should en inglés?

Este modal se usa en tres situaciones diferentes. Veamos:

1. Dar consejos (give advice); ejemplo:

– I think you should go to the doctor. (Creo que debes ir al médico.)

– You shouldn’t drink alcohol. (No deberías beber alcohol.)

2. Mostrar obligación o deber (obligation or duty) para decir qué es lo correcto.

– You should wear a helmet when riding a motorcycle. (Usted debe usar un casco
cuando conduzca una motocicleta.)

– You shouldn’t smoke in here. (No deberías fumar aquí.)

3. Mostrar probabilidad o expectativa (probability or expectation)

– They should be here soon. (Deberían esta aquí pronto.)

– I believe 200 dollars should be enough for the trip. (Creo que 200 dólares deberían ser
suficientes para el viaje.)

a) Affirmative:
Después de SHOULD el verbo NO debe tener TO, sólo la forma base.

– He should call an ambulance right now. (El debería llamar una ambulancia ahora
mismo.)
– They should do homework before going on a trip. (Deben hacer la tarea -los deberes.
antes de ir de viaje.)

b) Negative:
La forma sin contracción es SHOULD y con contracción es SHOULDN’T; ambas
formas son correctas.
– They shouldn’t cheat on the Spanish exam. (Ellos no deben hacer trampa en el examen
de español.)

– That soccer player should not dive all the time; it’s not fair play. (Ese jugador de futbol
no debería fingir/echarse a la piscina todo el tiempo; no es juego limpio.)

c) Interrogative:
Debemos usar SHOULD antes del SUJETO.
– Should I take a summer course at college? (¿Debo tomar un curso de verano en la
universidad?)

-Yes, you should. (Sí)

-No, you shouldn’t. (No)
 Unit 3
LANGUAGE BUILDER
VOCABULARY

Use your dictionary and look for the meaning of these words. Then, write an
example per word.

1. Blame: to say or think that someone or something did something wrong

or is responsible for something bad happening.
 For Example: Hugh blames his mother for his lack of confidence.
2. Adviser: someone whose job is to give advice about a subject
 For Example: She is the party's main economic adviser.

3. Business: A company is defined as an entrepreneurial organization or

entity that is engaged in commercial, industrial or professional

activities.

For Example: My sister shouldn't have that kind of business.

4. string of regret: group of people who caused pain due to circumstances

beyond the control or power of reparation
 For Example: My friends should make a string of regret.
5. Luxury: Thing or set of dispensable things that involve a great expense
of money or time.
 For Example: My boyfriend house has an impressive luxury.

6. Troubled: having problems or difficulties

 For Example: This troubled region has had more than its fair

share of wars over the centuries.

7. Fear: Fear that is felt when considering that something harmful or

negative is happening or has happened.

 For Example: Juan shouldn't fear of the dark..

8. Outside: Towards the outside of a real space

 For Example: She should be outside my house because they were

 SECOND
PARTIAL

Nota: Existe una forma corta del verbo modal “will” tanto en el afirmativo como en
el negativo.
Afirmativo Forma corta Negativo Forma corta
I will I’ll I will not I won’t
I’ll not
you will you’ll you will not you won’t
you’ll not
he will he’ll he will not he won’t
he’ll not
she will she’ll she will not she won’t
she’ll not
it will it’ll it will not it won’t
it’ll not
we will we’ll we will not we won’t
we’ll not
they will they’ll they will not they won’t
they’ll not
1. Affirmative Sentences (Frases afirmativas)
Sujeto + “will” + verbo principal.
Ejemplos:
I will [I’ll] call you tonight.(Te llamaré esta noche.)

She will [She’ll] arrive late.(Llegará tarde.)

They will [They’ll] be happy to see you.(Estarán felices de verte.)

 Sujeto + “will” + “not” + verbo principal.

I will not [won’t] call you tonight.(No te llamaré esta noche.)

She will not [won’t] arrive late.(No llegará tarde.)
They will not [won’t] be happy to see you.(No estarán felices de verte.)
3. Interrogative Sentences (Frases interrogativas)
“Will” + sujeto + verbo principal?

Will you call me tonight?(¿Me llamarás esta noche?)

Will she arrive late?(¿Llegará tarde?)
Will they be happy to see you?(¿Estarán felices de verte?)

“Going to” equivale a “ir a” en español.

1. Affirmative Sentences (Frases afirmativas)

Sujeto + verbo auxiliar (to be) + “going to” + verbo principal.
Ejemplos:
I am going to call you tonight.(Voy a llamarte esta noche.)
She is going to arrive late.(Va a llegar tarde.)
They are going to be happy to see you.(Van a estar felices de verte.)
2. Negative Sentences (Frases negativas)
Sujeto + verbo auxiliar (to be) + “not” + “going to” + verbo principal.

I am not going to call you tonight.(No voy a llamarte esta noche.)

She is not going to arrive late.(No va a llegar tarde.)
 They are not going to be happy to see you.(No van a estar felices de verte.)

3. Interrogative Sentences (Frases interrogativas)

Verbo auxiliar (to be) + sujeto + “going to” + verbo principal?

Are you going to call me tonight?(¿Vas a llamarme esta noche?)

Is she going to arrive late?(¿Va a llegar tarde?)
Are they going to be happy to see you?(¿Van a estar felices de verte?)
Nota: Para acciones o eventos inminentes, podemos decir “about to” (a punto de).
La estructura es la misma de “going to”.

I am about to leave.(Estoy a punto de irme.)

The concert is about to begin.(El concierto está a punto de comenzar.)

Las formas “will” y “going to” se utilizan para expresar el futuro. La diferencia
entre “going to” y “will” es el sentido de planificación y probabilidad de que suceda
una acción. En general, se usa “going to” para planes concretos, cuando estamos
seguros de que algo va a suceder.
1. Se usa “will” con acciones voluntarias.

Will you help me move?(¿Me ayudarás a mudarme?)

They will clean their rooms.(Limpiarán sus habitaciones.)
She won’t work with Paul.(No trabajará con Paul.)
2. Se utiliza “will” para expresar una promesa.

When I am president, I will lower taxes.(Cuando sea presidente, bajaré los

impuestos.)
 He promises he will call when he arrives.(Promete que llamará cuando llegue.)

3. Se usa “going to” para planes. Se indica la intención de hacer algo.

We are going to have a party tonight.(Vamos a dar una fiesta esta noche.)
Richard is going to take an English class.(Richard va a realizar un clase de
inglés.)
Are they going to play football later?(¿Van a jugar a fútbol luego?)
4. Se puede usar “will” o “going to” para hacer predicciones. Cuando hay evidencia
de que algo va a pasar usamos “going to”.

It will be a great party. / It is going to be a great party.(Será una fiesta genial.)

It won’t rain. / It is not going to rain.(No va a llover.)
Nota: Existen algunas situaciones en las que usamos el presente continuo o el
presente simple para expresar acciones en el futuro.
1. Se puede usar el presente continuo para acciones seguras en el futuro cercano.

Ejemplos:
Sarah is arriving tonight.(Sarah llega esta noche.)
I am going to the doctor this afternoon.(Voy al médico esta tarde.)
2. Se usa el presente simple para eventos programados en un futuro próximo y
horarios de tren, vuelos, etc.
Ejemplos:
The party starts at 9pm.(La fiesta empieza a las 21h.)
The train leaves at 10am.(El tren sale a las 10h.)

Formación:
Cuando empleamos "going to" en una oración para referirnos al futuro, la
construcción se compone de tres elementos:
el verbo "to be" conjugado conforme al sujeto + "going" + el infinitivo del verbo
principal

Sujeto + to be (conjugado) + going + infinitivo

She is going to leave.

I am going to stay.

Afirmativa
He is going to jog.
Negativa
He is not going to jog.
Interrogativa
Is he going to jog?
Interrogativa negativa
Isn't he going to jog?

Función
El uso de "going to" para referirse a eventos futuros sugiere un vínculo muy sólido
con el presente. El momento preciso no es relevante, es posterior al ahora, pero
la actitud implica que dicho evento depende de algo que sabemos sobre la
situación actual. "Going to" se emplea sobre todo para hablar de nuestros planes
e intenciones, o para realizar predicciones basadas en evidencias actuales. En el
discurso cotidiano, "going to" suele acortarse como "gonna", especialmente en
inglés americano, aunque nunca se escribe así.

Uso de "going to" para referirse a planes e

intenciones

 Is Freddy going to buy a new car soon?

 Are John and Pam going to visit Milan when they are in Italy?
 I think Nigel and Mary are going to have a party next week.
 We are going to have dinner together tomorrow.
 Aren't you going to stay at the library until your report is finished?

Ejemplos
 He's going to be a brilliant politician.
 I'm going to have a hard time falling asleep.
 You're going to be sorry you said that.
 Is it going to rain this afternoon?
 Aren't they going to come to the party?
I HAVE A DREAM
 Features
The "future continuous" refers to an unfinished action or event that will continue to
occur after the present moment. The "future continuous" is used for a considerable
variety of purposes.
The "future continuous" can be used to project ourselves into the future.

Examples
 This time next week I will be sun-bathing in Bali.
 By Christmas I will be skiing like a pro.
 Just think, next Monday you will be working in your new job.
 The "future continuous" can be used to make predictions or assumptions
about future events.
Examples
 He'll be coming to the meeting, I expect.
 I guess you'll be feeling thirsty after working in the sun.
 You'll be missing the sunshine once you're back in England.
 In question form, the "future continuous" is used to politely ask for
information about the future.
Examples
Will you be bringing your friend to the pub tonight?
Will Jim be coming with us?
Will she be going to the party tonight?
Will I be sleeping in this room?
The "future continuous" can be used to refer to events of a certain duration that we
believe will unfold in the future.
Examples

 I'll be seeing Jim at the conference next week.

 When he is in Australia he will be staying with friends.
 I'll be eating with Jane this evening so I can tell her.
In combination with the term "still" , the "future continuous" refers to events that are
already occurring now and that we assume will continue into the future.
Examples

 In an hour I'll still be ironing my clothes.

 Tomorrow he'll still be suffering from his cold.
 Next year will she still be wearing a size six?
 Won't stock prices still be falling in the morning?
 Unfortunately, sea levels will still be rising in 20 years.

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