12 f 11teractio11s I: A Co1111111micative Gra111mar

Examples: Hi. I'm Juan. I'm new here. Arc you in this class?
Yes, I am.
Is the professor good?
I'm not sure. She's new here, too.
Perform yo ur dialogue for the class.

PART II. THE SIMPLE PRESENT TENSE

St udy the word list. Use it to name th e th ings in the pi cture. Then a nswer th ese questions
about the picture.

1. Is this a college lecture hall?

2. Are t hese women professors? Are they in class now?

3. Is this place crowded? Is it clean? Is it lunchtime? Is the food good?

Usefu l words:

Nouns
cafeteria trash can mistake tutor
snack bar coffee handwri ti ng a dvi ser
vending machine cookies math
Adjectives
crowded dirty terrible
 College Life 13

Read the conversation.

Belly: Hi, Ellen. Do you have time for coffee?
Ellen: That sounds great. Do you want a cup from the vending machine?
Betty: Yeah, the snack bar is too crowded. Please add cream and sugar.
(Ellen brings snacks and coffee.)
Ellen: Well, do you like your classes this semester?
Betty: Yes, I do, except for math. I don't like that class. The instructor is
terrible! He talks fast all the time. He doesn't talk loud enough. He has
terrible handwriting. He hurries all the time, and he makes mistakes
on the board every day.
Ellen: Does he ever give homework?
Belly: Sure he docs. He gives an assignment every night, and it's really hard.
We don't understand a thing, but he doesn't care. He makes bad jokes
in class!
Ellen: Maybe you need to get a tutor. Don't wait.
Belly: Well, maybe I do ...
Ellen: I know someone. He never talks fast. He always speaks clearly. He
says funny things all the time. He rarely gets angry. And he teaches
math, too!
Betty: I like him already. Please tell me his name!
Ellen: Mr. Michaels, my adviser.
Betty: Mr. Michaels? He's my math teacher!

Answer true or false to these statements about the conversation.

1. Betty and Ellen are students and they arc friends.

2. Betty has a problem with her math class.
3. She thinks her math instructor is a very good teacher.
4. He never gives homework, and he explains things slowly and clearly.
5. Mr. Michaels is an adviser, a tutor, and a math teacher.
6. Betty wants help in math from Mr. Michaels.
14 /11teractio11s 1: A Communicative Grammar

The Imperative Form: Directions and Orders

The imperative form uses the simple form of a verb. In the negative, do11't comes before
the verb.

Examples Notes

Come in. Add the word please fur

Please sit down. politeness.
Affirmative
Be quiet, please. The subject is you, but it does
not appear.
Negative Don't talk.

For a first-person plural subject (\\'e), let's appears before the simple form of the verb.

Examples Notes

Affirmative Let's have coffee. An imperative with let's is a

kind of suggestion.
Negative Let's not wait.

A. Exercise: Write a speech with affirmative and negative imperative forms. Use the
phrases from the lists.

Aff1r111ative
close your books move your desks apart work alone
write with pencil be quiet
 College Life 15

Negative

use notes sit close together cheat

use pens talk

The Simple Present Tense: Affirmative Sta tements

Review the Verb Be:
I'm from Mexico.
S he 's the professor.
T he simp le present tense usually uses the simple form of a verb. For a third-person
singul ar su bject, the verb ends in -5.

Examples Notes

Plural I drink coffee. An object often follows the verb.

Subjects, We teach history.
I, you Students ca rry books.
Singular Betty drinks tea. Pronounce the -5 ending / s /, / z /,
Subjects Mr. Michaels teaches. or I izs /, according to the last
She carries a notebook. sound of the simple form of the
verb.
For the spelling rules of -5 verbs,
see page 30.
16 J,zteractio11s 1: A Co1111m111icative Grammar

B. Exercise: Underline the simple present tense verbs in affirmative statements in the
conversation at the beginning of Part II.
Example: That sounds great.
C. Exercise: Describe the people in the pictures. Use the phrases under the pictures.
Examples: Mr. Sommers teaches three days a week. He has small classes.

Tim, Jim, and Kim Mr. Sommers

• be good friends • be a teaching assistant
• like to study together • teach three clays a week
• meet in an apartment • help the professor
• watch t.v. at the same time • have small classes
• laugh at jokes • wear- jeans every day
• have a good time • carry his books in a bag
 College Life 17

The Simple Present Tense: Negative Statements

Review the Verb Be:
I'm not happy with the class.
The instructor isn't very good.
In negative statements with the simple present tense, do or does comes before nut.

Examples Notes

Plural I do not watch t.,·. Here are contractions \\'ith nut:

Subjects, We don't have homework. do + not = don't, does + nut
I, you doesn't.
Singular Dr. Michaels does not speak With do as the main verb, a
Subjects clearly. form of do appears twice.
He doesn't do his homework.

D. Exercise: Put two lines under the simple present tense verbs in negative statements
in the dialogue at the beginning of Part II.
Example: We don't understand a thing.
E. Exercise: Describe the people in the pictures in Exercise C. Use the phrases below.
Examples: Tim, Kim, and Jim aren't teachers. They don't like to study alone.

Tim, Kim, and Jim Mr. Sommers

• not be teachers • not be a professor
• not like to stud~· alone • not teach every day
• not meet at school • not give lectures
• not be very serious • not wear a suit and tie
• not do a lot of work together • not carry a briefcase

The Simple Present Tense: Yes/No Questions and Short Answers

Review the Verb Be:
Aren't you a visa student? (Yes, I am.)
Is he an economics teacher? (No, he's not.)
In a simple present yes /no question, a form of do comes before the subject with ,·erbs
other than be.
18 f 11leractio11s I: A Comm unicative Grammar

Examples Notes

Plural Do we have an exam? A form of do appears in short

Subjects, Don't you do the homework? answers: Y es, I do. Ye s, w e (you,
I, you Do they need help? th ey) do. Yes, lze (size, it) do es. No,
Singular Doesn't Mr. Smith teach math? I don 't. No, \\'C (yo u, they) don 't.
Subjects Does she study a lot ? No, lz e (size, it) doesn't.

F. Exercise: Work in pairs. Pretend you are the students on a campus . One of you asks
yes/ 110 ques tions with the following cu e words. The other answers from the picture
at the begi nning of Part II.
E.rn111ples: A: Are you hun gry?
B: Yes, I am.
A: Do they have a s nack bar on thi s ca mpus?
B: Yes, the_v do.

1. yo u /hungry 5. it/have co mfortabl e chairs

2. thev/ha\'e a snac k bar on this 6. st ud ents/s tudy there
ca mpus 7. anyo ne /clean up
3. the food /good 8. the p lace/serve hamburgers
4. the place/clea n 9. it/have coffee

Change roles. Ask y es/ 110 questions with these cue words. Use short answers.
Examples: A: Do \ ' OU ha\'e an economi cs c lass now?
B: Yes, I do.
 College Life 19

1. you/have an economics class now 6. the cou rse/h ave a midterm

2. it/in the social science building 7. the students/s mart
3. you /have to do a lot of homework 8. the instructor/give indi\'idual help
4. the instructor/g ive qui zzes 9. he/keep office hours
5. the textbook/interes tin g

The Simple Present Tense: Frequency Adverbs

In a statement, a one-word frequen cy adverb usually comes after th e verb be but b efore
other verbs.

Examples Notes

Affirmative Students are always busy. Here are the meanings of fre-
He's often hungry. quency adverbs in approximate
She sometimes ge ts sick. pe rcentage of time:
Students occasionally meet. always 100 percent
They're seldom toge ther. usually 70 percent
Negative I'm not often tired . often 60 percent
Kim isn't always here. sometimes 40 percent
Tony is never late. occasionally 10 pe rcent
She doesn't often rest. se ldom 5 pe rce nt
They don't usually study. never 0 perce nt
Questions Are you often homesick? Use el'er only in negative state-
Does the teacher ever give m e nt s an d in quest ion s. Not e1'er
quizzes? = 1ze1 'er . (He's never late. = H e
Do you ever not isn't e1'er late.)
do your homework?

A frequency phrase usually follows the verb phrase .

Examples Notes

He teach es three times a week. Here are examples of frequency

We have a test every month. phrases: every day , every otlz er
Do you relax now and then? week, every two hours , once a
year, 1101v and tlzen.
20 I11teractio11s 1: A Co111111unicative Gra11111zar

G. Exercise: Arrange the words under the lines into sentences.

Tu11v: Hi, Hiroshi. How are .vou? I

Hiroshi: I'm fine, thanks. No, actuallv ~~~-~~~~~~f'r-=·~------ - - -

" not /I'm/fine ---U---

always/tired/I'm
To11v: Yeah,
tired /look/You/often
___________________________ ?
get/eight hours of sleep/vou/usually/Don't
Hiroshi: No. _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __
I/five days a week/e ight o'clock classes/have
But
rarely/before 2:00 A.M./get to bed/I
To11v: Why, Hiroshi? _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ ?
Do/go out/every night/you
Hiroshi: Oh, no.
never/during the week/I/go out

My roommate and I/every night/study together

before I :00 in the morning/usuall~·/don't /finish /We

In fact,
seldom/goes to bed/my roommate/before 3:00

all night/sometimes/He/has to stay up

Tu11v: What? Why? You two are crazy!
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - , too?
on weekends/you/Do/always/study
Hiroshi: Well, - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
on the tennis courts/every Saturday/I'm
And
we're/with fri e nds/on Sundays/often
But _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ ________ , too.
at the library/usually/on weekends/we're
Tony: That sounds terrible. Is it necessary?
Hiro shi: We have to ge t perfect grades for our parents. Othen,·ise , we return to
Japan.
 College Life 21

Tom': Well. you graduate soon, right? What do you plan to du then?
Hiroslzi: Sleep!

H. Exercise: Work in pairs. Ask and answer present tense questions with these phrases.
Add frequency expressions.
Exa111ples: A: Do you ever stay up all night?
B: Yes, I do. I occasionally cram for a test.
1. stay up all night. 7. not do your homework
2. need to cram for a test 8. study with friends
3. get eight hours of sleep 9. get help from a tutor
4. be tired 10. ask for ad\'ice
5. be worried about school 11. be satisfied with your grades
6. not understand the teacher 12. get perfect grades

I. Activity: Starting a conversation and telling who you are. Work with a classmate.
Tell who you arc and give other information about _vourself. Your classmate asks you
yes/no questions. Then change roles.
Example:
A: Hi. I'm Luigi.
B: Glad to meet you, Luigi. I'm Antonio. I'm from Italy. Arc you Italian?
A: Yes, I'm from Italy, too. Do you come from Rome?
B: No, I don't. I'm from Venice. I'm a doctor. Do you work?
A: Y cs, I do. I design houses.

Tell the class three facts about your classmate.

PART III. PRONOUNS AND POSSESSIVE

ADJECTIVES; QUESTION WORDS AND
ANSWERS
Study the word list. Use it to name the things in the picture. Then answer these questions
about the picture.

1. Is this a classroom?

2. Arc the people calm?

3. Do you sec a problem?