UNIT 4

1. READING

You have to read the following text at home

Untitled

Most children have achieved remarkably sophisticated language capabilities by the age of three.
Their vocabularies have reached about 1000 words, and they can use as many as five of those
words in a single sentence. They make up new words, too. They can speak about the past and
future as well as the present. They understand that some words have more than one meaning.
They can duck when a ball is coming or see a duck on lake. They have began to use negatives
(“That’s not mine”) and helping verbs (“I can do it myself”).

Over the next two years, their vocabulary will be more than double. They will begin to play with
words, to repeat silly sounds, to try out “toilet” words or even swear words, just to elicit an
adult’s reaction. Newly aware of the power of words, they will begin to argue, and they will start
to tell jokes.

This language play carries on a process of experimentation that began when child was an infant,
first encountering language. At one time, experts thought children learned language simply by
imitating adults. Nowadays, most linguists agree that children learn primarily by experimenting-
by listening and thinking about what they hear, by making their own sounds, and then by
observing the way others react.

Language comes first as a great garble of sound. Slowly, children learn to hear individual sound
patterns, or words. They try out sounds. For example babies babble “da da” and from adult’s
responses (“yes, that’s daddy”), learn which sounds enable them to communicate effectively.
(Taken from TOEFL Prep Book, Lin Lougheed, 1992)

 Difficult Words
Provide the possible meanings of the following words in the Indoensian language.
1. sophisticated = …………………………………………
2. to make up = …………………………………………
3. silly = …………………………………………
4. infant = …………………………………………
5. babble = …………………………………………

2. COMPREHENSION QUESTIONS

To check your understanding, answer the questions below in a separated paper!

1. What is the best title for the passage?
2. What age can children tell their past experience?
3. At the age of five, what do the children begin to experiment with?
4. How does an infant learn a language?
5. What does the passage tell us about the child’s first recognition of words?

3. ORAL REPRODUCTION

With your partner in your class, practice expressing your ideas orally based on the text you have
read!
Tell your partner about:
1. Your experience when you were still a child
2. your way of teaching a language if you have children
“Most children have achieved remarkably sophisticated language capabilities by the age of
three”

The sentence taken from the text is often called Present Perfect Tense.

Every sentence must have a subject and a predicate. This is also true for Present
Perfect Tense statements. The predicate of Present Perfect Tense statements may
take either a form of verbal or non-verbal predicate.

 Examples:
 A. Sentences with verbal predicates

No Subject Verbal Predicate

1 Some students have lived here since they were born.
2 We have studied English for 6 years.
3 My father has not met some of my friends.
4 Nobody here has seen UFO.
5 Some lecturers have not earned their Ph.D. degrees.
(+) Noun or pronoun have/has verb 3rd
(-) Noun or pronoun have/has not + verb 3rd

B. Sentences with non verbal predicates

No Subject Verbal Predicate

1 We have been university students for 6 months.
2 Everybody has been very busy with his homework.
3 Some universities have not been accrediated .
4 Our dean has been to USA twice.
5 This department has been an accredited.
(+) Noun or pronoun have/has + been
(-) Noun or pronoun have/has not + been

5. SPEAKING

¢ Activity 1

Ask your friend about the condition and activities of his/her family. Fill in the form below.
Follow the model:
A : Hi, how have you been for a week?
B : I have (I’ve) been fine.
A : What have you done then?
B : I have finished my homework and visited my friends in Jakarta.
A : Sounds good. And how has you sister been?
B : She has (She’s) been fine too.
A : What has she done for a week?
B : As I know, she has just returned home after a vacation in Bali.

Summary of my family condition and activities for a week

Members of Condition Activities
the family
You fine finish homework, visit friend
father ………….. …………..
mother ………….. …………..
brother ………….. …………..
sister ………….. …………..
nieces ………….. …………..
nephews ………….. …………..
etc.

¢ Activity 2

Now change roles. Practice the activity 1 again.

¢ Activity 3
Now tell another friend about the condition and activities of your friend’s family for a week you
have talked about. See the example below.
A : Please tell me the condition and activities of his/her family for one week.
B : Well, he has been fine and he has finished …….etc
6. WRITING

Write down condition and activities of your own family for a week.