PRESENT SIMPLE

We use it:

• when something is always true

es. red is a warm color.

• for facts
es. one plus one equals two.

• if we think a situation is permanent

es. Elena is a student at UPO.

Robert works in Intesa San Paolo.

• for habits or things we do regularly (routines)

es. Elena’s child always cries for more food.
Jhon smokes a pack of cigarettes a day.

• for timetables or scheduled evens

es. the train from Novara to Vercelli leaves at 10 past every hour.
english lessons are on wendesdays at 16.

• certain verbs, like italian, are considered “state verbs”. This means they are the way as feel or sense
things and they do not change.

es. voglio una fetta di torta = I want a piece of cake

riconosco quell’uomo = I recognize that man

(with state verbs is it’s impossible to use a continuous tense)

There are some problems among italians about present simple:

—> if we make a decision to do something now (at the moment of speaking), we use will and not
present simple

es. x: it’s hot in this room

y: apro la finestra - I’ll open the window

es. teacher to student: can you read the paragraph

student: ci provo/ leggo - I’ll try/ ok, i’ll read

es. “the phone is ringing”

x: rispondo io - I’ll answer it

—> with time clauses; with words like: when, as soon as, after, until, before… (words referring to a
different time) we usually use the present simple

es. quando arriverà le racconterò le notizie - when she arrives, I will tell her the news
appena arriverò, ti chiamo - as soon as I arrive, I’ll call you

—> to talk about things in a book or a film (to describe what’s happens) we use the present simple

es. In the book, he buys a gun and kills all his neighbours, then the police go looking for him in the
bahamas.

The interrogative form of present simple:

In the present simple, for questions, we use two verbs:

• “to be”

• “to do”

The rule:

question word (what, when, why, how, who, where, which) + do + subject + infinitive without “to”
es. Where does she work?
ESERCIZI
• what do you do?

• where does John come from?

• how long does it take from London to Paris?

• how often does she go to the cinema?

• how many children do you have?

• when do you get up?

• how often do you study english?

• what time does the film start?

• where do you play tennis?

• what does this machine do?

• who does she meet on Saturday’

• how many brothers does she have?

• how much does this cost?

• where do you eat lunch?

Qual’è il contrario di ecoturismo?

What is the opposite of ecotourism?

Dove viaggiano le persone?

Where do people travel?

A chi è mirato ecoturismo?

Who is ecotourism intended for?

In quali luoghi viaggiano gli ecoturisti?

Where do eco tourists travel to?

Di cosa vogliono sapere di più gli ecoturisti?

What do they want to know more about?

Di che cosa rende consapevole l’ecoturismo?

What does ecotourism make people aware of?

Le guide turistiche che cosa mostrano ai visitatori?

What do tour guides show (to) visitors?

ADJECTIVES IN -ED and -ING FORM


Gli aggettivi che terminano con -ed sono spesso emozioni --> tell how we feel
Gli aggettivi che terminano con -ing descrivono la causa o ciò che crea l'emozione (qualità o
caratteristiche che ha una cosa).

• Sono infastidito dal suo comportamento = I'm annoyed by his behaviour

• Il suo comportamento è fastidioso = His behaviour is annoying

• Sono interessato alle partite = I'm interested in the matches

• Le partite sono interessanti = The matches are interesting

• Non sono annoiato durante le lezioni = I'm not bored during the lessons

• Non credo che le lezioni siano noiose = I don't think that the lessons are boring

• Mi sento confuso quando parla Singer = I feel confused when Singer speaks

• L'inglese è confusionario = English is confusing

• Sono impaurito quando vedo un grande cane = I'm frightened when I see a big dog

• I cani grandi sono paurosi = Big dogs are frightening

• La sua reazione è sorprendente = Her reaction is surprising

• Sono sorpreso di sentire la sua reazione = I'm surprised to hear her reaction

• Sono sempre stanco dopo una lunga giornata di lezioni = I'm always tired after a long day of
lessons

• Tutte le lezioni sono stancanti = All the lessons are tiring 


ESERCIZI
• My nephew was amused by the clown

• It's so frustrating!

• This lesson is so boring

• I'm feeling depressed

• I thought her new idea was absolutely fascinating

• This math problem is so confusing

• The teacher was really amusing so the lesson was quick

• This journey was exhausting

• The plane began to move in a rather alarming way

• He was frightened when he saw the spider 


SHOULD
Should is an auxiliary verb.

It never changes in the third person and it is always followed by the infinitive without “to”.

es. I think you should call your mother.

We use “should” to give advice, recommendation or opinions.

It is very common to see “should” with “I think” or “in my opinion”

es. I think you should take more breaks from work.

In my opinion, you should treat your girlfriend better.

The question form:

es. Should I go to the party? I don’t feel very well.

The negative form:

es. You shouldn’t smoke! (my opinion)

VERBS -ING FORM

Normal verbs can use the ING form to create a noun or “activity”.

eat - eating in the bus is rude

smoke - smoking is a very stupid habits

walk - walking in the middle of the street is stupid

wake up - waking up early is difficult for me

text - texting friends on my mobile, is boring

EACH OTHER
Means si/ci in italian.

es. We see each other every weekend

They told each other personal things
They are looking at each other in the mirror
They are looking at themself in the mirror
PRESENT CONTINUOUS
We use it:

• for things that are happening at the moment of speaking; usually they are short and quick.

es. I’m teaching english and my students are coping my notes at the moment.
It sounds like someone is playing music in the other room.

• for temporary situations which can be quite long, but it’s not always true

es. Usually I come to university by car, but this week I’m coming by bus because my car is broken down.
Jhon is working in a bar until he finds a good job.

LET’S COMPARE present simple vs continuous

- I work in a school (I think this is a permanent situation)

- I’m working in a school (I think this is a temporary situation)

- for temporary or new habits (that are not long like the present simple)

es. He’s eating a lot these days because he has exams.

- for future arrangements (accordi già presi) and plans (piani già stabiliti)

es. I’m meeting my friend after this lesson, we’re eating a pizza together.
I’m leaving the university after the lessons.

ESERCIZI
1. I’m waiting for the bus

2. Where are you going?

3. She isn’t working this week because she’s on holiday

4. I’m writing an email to my friend

5. He is talking to someone on the phone

6. They are building a new house on my road

7. More and more people are becoming vegetarian

ESERCIZI PRESENT SIMPLE OR CONTINUS

- Are you coming tonight?

- Does he eat rice every day?

- I’m working at the moment

- Does he come to London often?

- He’s playing tennis now

- Are you coming to the cinema later?

- They aren’t coming to the party tomorrow

- He isn’t playing golf now

- Are you playing tennis this Sunday?

- They go to a restaurant every Saturday

- She doesn’t go to the cinema very often

- You usually arrive late

1. I’m eating my lunch very early today. I normally eat at 1pm.

2. Tina rarely drives to work. But today she is driving because of the rain.

3. She is talking to her brother on the phone right now. They talk at this time every day.

4. It’s 6pm and I’m working hard in the office. I normally work only until 5pm.

5. I’m doing the shopping now, Always do the shopping at this time

1. We’re learning a new language at the moment

2. My friends and I often spend time at each other’s house

3. Can you wait a moment? I’m checking my emails

4. How often do you go to the gym?

5. I’m reading a really interesting book at the moment

6. Currently a friend of mine isn’t eating any sweets and he says he feels healthier

7. I’m nearly eighty, but I don’t do any exercise

8. More old people are playing computer games these days. It isn’t just the young people.

1. a. Do you often read novels?

b. Are you reading any good books at the moment?

2. a. Where do you normally go on holiday?

b. Where are you planning to go this year?

3. a. Do you speak any other languages?

b. Are you learning any new languages?

People in the countries like Italy, Spain, France and Greece live longer than people from many other
countries. This probably because of their diet - they eat lots of food like vegetables, fruit, nuts, bean,

fish and olive oil, and people often say that this diet is changing more and more people are eating junk
food. So, in the future the Mediterranean diet might be very different.

I usually get up at about 7 o’clock and go running for half an hour.

Then I feel ready for the day.

I leave the house at about 8.30 and arrive at the hospital by 9.

Currently I’m seeing lots of children with flu.

After work i often walk home.

Sometimes friends come round for dinner but I need 8 hours of sleep a night so I’m always in bed at 11
o’clock.

PREPOSITIONS

AT, we use:

- for specific places in a city or for location/place —> at the school

- when you want to answer the question “where” —> at the bus stop, at the door, at the top of the
page
- with the time —> at 7 o’clock, at night (but we say in te morning/afternoon/evening)

TO, we use:

- to shows movement (for this reason we use “to” with movement verbs (go/walk/move/return/drive..)

NB: if we are talking about specific location, with a movement verb, the preposition “to” takes
precedence.

es. I’m studying english at the british council.

I go to the british council every Monday.

IN, we use:

- in indicates a location or enclosed space including cities, towns and countries —> in Milan, in the
garden, in a box, in the building

NB: there are some different between at and in

es. *traduzione* di “ho conosciuto la mia ragazza in piscina”

—> I met my girlfriend in the pool (means in the water)

—> I met my girlfriend at the pool (mean the location)

*traduzione* di “ci vediamo al cinema”

—> let’s meet (each other) at the cinema (unless you want to specify in or inside the cinema).

- for months and season —> in August, in May, in summer

- for times of the day —> in the morning, in the afternoon

ON, we use:

- for surfaces —> on the wall, on the ceiling, on the menu, on tv

- for days —> on Monday, on Christmas day, on my birthday
- for dates —> on the 15th of July, on December
- after “depends”—> depends on

- after “holiday” —> she’s on holiday

BY, we use:

- for transportation —> I go to work by car

FOR

EX. 1
Mr Hill arrived IN new York ON May 10 AT 8 o’clock IN the morning.

He decided to go TO his uncle’s workplace who worked AT a school in Manhattan.

He got on a bus AT the bus stations and gave some money TO the bus ticket man.

The bus was very crowded, so Mr Hill had to stand up all the way.

When he reached his uncles’s workplace, Mr Hill got off the bus and walked a short distance TO the
building where is uncle worked ON 8th street.

He went TO the door of the entrance of the school but unfortunately his uncle was not there.

The school was closed.

He waited FOR a few minutes, but no one came TO open it.

He was disappointed to find no one AT the school.

He didn’t know where to go because his uncle had promised to reserve a room for him IN a downtown
hotel.

He saw a bench AT the end of the hall, and he sat down ON it to wait FOR his uncle.

EX. 2
I’m Peter and I live IN Germany.

IN summer I like to travel TO Italy.

I frequently go TO the beach in the afternoon and visit my Italian friends AT a disco called Coriana AT
night.

Last summer I took a plane from Munich to Rome ON 15th of August.

After I arrived IN the airport I went to the hotel BY bus.

We stopped AT a small restaurant for a quick meal.

The driver parked the bus outside the restaurant, but when we finished eating, nobody could find the
bus and the driver, so waited FOR him to return TO the restaurant.

It was very boring AT the restaurant.

EX. 3
Janet was born IN Rochester ON December 22nd AT 3 o’clock IN the morning.

Rochester is IN the state of New York IN the United States.

Now, she goes TO classes AT the university.

She usually arrives IN the morning AT 8 o’clock.

AT weekends, she likes driving TO her friend’s house IN Canada.

Her friends lives IN Toronto.

She often arrives AT 9 IN the evening and leaves ON Sunday morning.

ON Saturday they often meet friends AT a restaurant.

AT night, they sometimes go TO a disco

IN summer IN July for example they both go TO the countryside.

EX DA AFFERMATIVE A INTERROGATIVE FORM

• I’m interested in music - What are you interested in?

• Her arrival depends on the train departure - What does her arrival depends on?

• This present is for Mary - Who is this present for?

• They are good at math - What are they good at?

• The children gather around the teacher - Who do the children gather around?

• He works for “assicurazioni generali” - Who does he work for?

• The book focuses on woman - What does the book focus on?

• I listen to rock music - What do you listen to?

OBLIGATION
For obligation in english, we use:

• have to + infinitive
• must + infinitive
• should + infinitive
• need to + infinitive

HAVE TO
“Have to” is strong obligation, usually someone in authority says it is necessary.

It is most commonly used in spoken english.

“Have got to” is another way to say “have to”, it’s an informal way to speak.

There are some problems among italians about “non dovere”:

“Don’t have to” means “It’s not necessary, but if you want to, it’s fine”.

“I don’t have to get up early at the weekend” means “It’s not necessary for me to get up early at the
weekend”

“Non dovrebbe” in english is translate “can’t” or “mustn’t”

es. You can’t / mustn’t smoke here.

MUST

“Must” is usually used to express personal opinion, not an authority figure giving a rule, it’s usually from
the person who is speaking.

es. I must study more if I want to pass the exam.

—> “can’t” and “mustn’t” are used to show that something is prohibited

es. You can’t park here Sir

SHOULD
“Should” can be used to express opinion, advice or very mild (leggera) obligation.

es. I think / In my opinion you should see the doctor.

NEED TO
“Need to” is used to talk about what is necessary.

es. Do you need to / have to pass an exam to get into the university?

past forms of obligation: had to expresses obligation in the past.

es. I had to wear a uniform at military school.

! Remember: “not have to” means “not necessary” also in the past.

es. At my school in the states, we didn’t have to go to school on Saturday (it wasn’t necessary).

—> In the past form “must” change in HAD TO

..so..
A. We use must or have to when the rules say it’s obligatory.

B. We use can when it’s allowed in the rules.

C. We use don’t have to when something is not obligatory but is allowed by the rules.

D. we use can’t or mustn’t when it isn’t allowed in the rules.

ESERCIZI

1. You must to see the Chrysler building when you are in New York --> you must see the Chrysler
building when you are in New York.

2. Do I should call him? —> Should I call him?

3. You haven't to wear an uniform at university —> You don’t have to wear an uniform at university.

4. You really should to go and see a doctor —> You really should go and see a doctor.

5. He doesn't should talk to people like that —> He shouldn’t talk to people like that.

6. Why we always have to come to the same cafe? —> Why do we always have to come to the
same cafe?

7. I must work late last night —> I had to work late last night.

“PORTARE”

TAKE —> there —> BRING —> here…

es. I brought you a bottle of wine.

I can take you there if you want.

We can use also CARRY that means “portare a mano”

es. Can you carry me this bag? It’s heavy.

“GET” means prendere; we don’t use “TAKE”.

es. Can I get you something to drink?

I got you this present at the mall.
Where did you get your glasses?

“DI NON”

es. Non dirmi di non piangere —> Don't tell me not to cry.

Prometto di non partire senza di te —> I promise not to leave without you.

“WORTH”
“Worth” means “Valere la pena”.

Ne vale la pena —> It’s worth it.

We can also use worth when we think something “is worth” doing.

es. Vale la pena vedere il film —> it's worth watching the film.

The form: Worth + verb ing form.

“TO”

We use “to” to express purpose

es. I am going to my grandma’s house to help her.

In italian, usually when you have “per” before a normal verb, we use “to” in english to express purpose.

es. to go to the station, turn right.

“Ho smesso di parlare”

Many italians make mistakes with this form because they translate, this sentence: “I stopped to
talk” (incorrect translated); because it means “Ho smesso (quello che facevo) per parlare”.

The correct sentence is: “I stopped talking”

es. ho smesso di mangiare per guardare la tv —> “I stopped eating to watch tv”

Naturally sometimes we want to say “smettere di fare qualcosa per poi fare un’altra cosa”

es. I stopped to let the children cross the street.

TRADUZIONE
Lui vuole che io la chiami

He wants that (incorrect) —> Normally we put the object after the verb want and we always use “to”.
The correct one: He wants me to call her

Voglio che lei mangi con noi

I want her to eat with us

Voglio che tutti gli studenti frequentino le lezioni

I want all the students to attend the lessons

Lui vuole che parliamo con lui durante la riunione?

Does he want us to speak with them during the meeting?

The negative form: NOT TO

es. Vi ho detto di non parlare —> I told you not to speak

The infinitive is frequently used after verbs of feeling or thinking: decide, expect, forget, hope,
remember, would like…

es. I decided to go home.

also with verbs of saying: promise, agree, refuse…

es. I promise not to tell anyone.

I promise to call you later.

Frequently we use the direct object after verbs + to

es. She reminded me to turn off the lights.

We use “to” frequently after adjectives

es. Pleased to meet you.

Happy to see you.
He was surprised to see me.
We were happy to come to this wedding.
English is easy to learn
It’s wrong to be so mean
Nice to meet you
It’s not difficult to learn
GERUND
With gerund we can make normal verbs into “activities” or “nouns” with the -ing form.

es. camminare in mezzo alla strada è da scemi —> walking in the middle of the street is for idiots

nuotare fa bene alla salute —> swimming is good for your health

Normally after prepositions we use the -ing form.

es. Thank you for coming.

I’m interested in working for your firm.

You can earn a lot of money by working hard.

I’m afraid of walking in high places.

There are many verbs that require the ground after the verb: enjoy, avoid..

ESERCIZIO
Having a pet is a big part of American culture. There are many types of pets, but most people avoid
getting strange pets like snakes or tigers. However, many families enjoy having a dog or a cat in their
home. Many children beg their parents to buy a dog or a cat for the family.

Although some parents forbid their family to get a dog or cat, other families permit their children to buy
a pet. Other children have to convince their parents to allow them to purchase a pet.

Parents might resist buying a pet unless the children promise to take of the pet very day.

Parents usually understand having a pet is not easy, but children don’t usually stop to think about what
it means to take care of a pet.

Before children get a pet, is very important to think about all of the responsibility.

Many children want to own a pet, but usually they don’t want to be responsible for cleaning the pet’s
poo and feeding the pet. Some children get a pet, and then they complain about having so many new
responsibilities because they expected their mother to father to take care of the pet.

Pet’s can help children to learn to be more responsible.

Learning to speak another language is very useful.

Sport is good for feeling healthy.

Pietro hates losing any type of games.

Trying is more important that winning.

We’re bored of watching this match.

I love going to the cinema after work.

“AS”

• “As” can mean “because”

es. I took an aspirin as I didn’t feel well.

• “As” can mean “while”

es. As I was coming to university, I saw an advert for a new gym in Novara

• “as…as” in comparative sentences, the meaning in italian is “tanto quanto”

With adjectives, we put the adjective between as (adjective position) as.

es. Jhon loves spicy food as much as I do.

Lucy travels as much as me (tanto quanto me).
She is clever as her sister (is).

“not as…as” means in italian “non tanto quanto”

es. London is not as big as Mexico city.

• “as” is used for jobs or work positions

es. She work as a teacher in economics.

• also, it means to show something’s function (what we are using something for)

es. Don’t use the knife as a screwdriver.

“LIKE”

• Like is used to give examples

es. I love dogs, like poodles and pomeranians.
Many european countries like Italy and Spain are having economic problems.

• Like is commonly used with certain “sensory” verbs: look, sound, smell..

es. She looks like her mother.

It looks like it’s going to rain.
That sounds like a car outside.
The kitchen smells like onions.

• We use the verb “to be” with the question word “what”+ like to express a very general question
about something or someone
es. com’è Roma? —> What is Roma like?
es. com’era il film? —> What was the film like?
es. What was your mother like when she was a young girl?
es. com’è il tuo ragazzo (finiscamente)? —> What does your boyfriend look like? (this is a specific
question about physical apperance)

• We use would like + infinitive to express: piacerebbe, vorrei, vorrebbe..

It’s also common to make a polite offer with “would like” rather than “want”.

es. Do you want a coffee? —> Would you like a coffee?

I would like a new car.

“Would like” can also be followed by a verb.

es. I would like to have a good night’s sleep this evening because I slept very bad last night.

• We use like to express that two things are similar

es. I’m like my brother, we have the same character.

NB. To express “sembrare” we use “look” without “like”.

es. You look sad / tired / happy / beautiful.

Like means “similar to” as means “exactly in that way”.

es. As your father, I’m telling you to be home early. (in this case, “as” means “I’m your father”)

es. Like your father, I don’t agree with your behavior. (in this case, “like” means “similar to your father,
but I’m not your father”)

es. He works like a dog.

es. He works as a dog in the play.

ESERCIZIO: AS OR LIKE?
- She works as a teacher

- I’m very like my mother

- Julie loves mangoes as much as I do

- He arrived as I was leaving

- He works in a bank, like his father

- I used a tea towel as an oven glove and I burned it

- Your perfume smells like flowers

- As it was cold, I took a scarf

- He works as a hairdresser

- That women looks like my grandmother

- Please do it like me

- She hates chocolate as much as John

- Like the other students, Paul failed the exam

- London is just as busy as Tokyo

- She often plays sport, like tennis or football

- Amanda works as a lawyer

SUBJECT IN QUESTIONS
Sometimes “who”, “which” or “what” takes place of the subject in questions, these are called
“subject questions”.

—> affermative (normal): Romeo loves Juliet

—> Interrogative (normal): Who does Romeo love?

Chi (soggetto) ama Roberto? —> Who loves Roberto?

Chi è uscito senza chiedere? —> Who went out (left) without asking permission?

Quale ristorante piace di più a Roberto? —> Which restaurant does Robert like more?

Chi mangia pesce in aula? —> Who eats fish in the class?

Chi viene con te all’università? —> Who comes to university with you?

COMPARATIVE FORM
Normally we use the word “than” to compare two things.
es. She is older than me.

It's important to remember that if we want to describe how something changes, we can use two
comparatives with “and” (in italian “sempre più”).

es. The balloon got bigger and bigger (è sempre più grande).
Everything in Italy is getting more and more expensive.
She isn’t well and she’s looking older and older.
Your daughter is getting more and more beautiful.

We also use “the” with comparative adjectives to express the Italian “ più....più”

es. Più vai veloce, più rischi di fare un incidente —> The faster you drive the riskier it is to have an

accident.

The higher they climbed the colder it got.

With superlative adjective, we use “the”.

es. It was the happiest day of my life.

Exception: we don’t use “ the” with possessive adjectives or the possession “s” (genitivo sassone).

es. Her happiest moment was in California.

We also use “as…as” that in Italian means “tanto quanto”.

es. She is clever as her sister.

• With one syllable adjectives, we add “er” for the comparative and “est” for the superlative.

Old —> older —> oldest

• If the word already ends in “e”, we only add “r” or “st”.

Nice —> nicer —> nicest

• Normally one syllable adjectives that ends in a vowel and a consonant, we double the consonante.

Big —> bigger —> biggest

• If the adjectives ends in a consonant and “y”, we change the “y” to “i” and add “er” or “est”.

Busy —> busiers —> busiest

• For most two or more syllable adjectives we use “more” and “most”.

Interesting —> more interesting —> most interesting

• Some adjectives are irregular.

Good —> better —> best

Bad —> worse —> worst

The modifiers: much, a lot, far, slightly, little more.

es. Sales in July were much higher that sales in June.

She's a lot taller than me.
She's far more likely to know the answer.
They are slightly younger than me.
They are a little more qualified than you.
PAST SIMPLE
Is used:

• for something that happened once in the past

es. I met my WiFi in 1990.
We went to Spain for our summer holidays.

• for something that happened several times in that past

es. When Inwas at elementary school I walked home every day.
We swam all the time in Spain.

• for something true for a length of time in the past

es. I enjoyed studying at university.
My mom frequentaly played tennis in the states.

!! remember the past simple is “finished past”.

!! remember “ago” is used with past simple only.

es. I met my boyfriend 2 years ago.

—> The question form is either with: did + subject + infinitive without “to” or “be” in the past (was /
were).

!! remember with subject questions, we can use “who, what, etc” to ask questions without the auxiliary
verb “do”.

es. Who discovered penicillin?

Who wrote Promessi Sposi?

—> The negative form is “did not”, “was not”, “were not” etc…

PAST CONTINUOUS
We use it when an action in the past “overlaps” another action in time.

!! the action in the past continuous starts before the action in the past simple and it usually continues
after the past simple.

es. I was walking to the university when I saw Matteo.

The continuous means “in progress”.

es. What were you doing at 8pm last night? I was studying.

We often use the past simple and the past continuous together to show that an action in progress
(the past continuous) was interrupted by another short action (the past simple).

es. I broke my leg when I was skating.

As I was watching the film, my phone rang.

!! note the differences:

—> when the guests arrived, Jane was cooking dinner.

—> when the guests arrived, Jane cooked dinner.
In the first example, she was already doing the action of cooking (it was in progress), in the second
example, first the guests arrived, and after that, she started to cook the dinner.

The past continuous is very descriptive, it gives description about what was happening in the past.

ESERCIZIO
- What were you doing when I called you last night?

- I was sitting in a cafe when you called.

- When you arrived at the party who was there?

- Susie was watching a film when she heard a noise

- Yesterday I went to the library, next I had a sim, later I met Julie for a coffee.

- We were playing tennis when John hurt his ankle.

- What were they doing at 10pm last night? It was really noisy.

- I was walking along the road when I met an old friend

- It was a day in December, snow was falling, children were singing Carlos and people were doing their
Christmas shopping.

INDIRECT QUESTION FORM

We use the indirect question form for polite requests.
es. Where is the bathroom? —> Do you know where the bathroom is?

Normally, we begin indirect questions with “do you know”, “could / can you tell me”, “do you think”...

es. Where is the bank? —> Can you tell me where the bank is?

We use the affirmative form after “can you tell me” or “do you know” in English in indirect questions.

So we don't use “inversion” in the indirect question form.

For yes/no questions, we use “if” and again, the normal word order in the affirmative form.

es. Is his girlfriend Spanish? —> Do you know if his girlfriend is Spanish?
Does she live in Novara? —> Can you tell me if she lives in Novara?

ESERCIZIO
Where does she play tennis? —> Can you tell me where she plays tennis?

Does he live in Paris? —> Can you tell me if he lives in Paris?

Is she hungry? —> Can you tell me if she is hungry?

What is this? —> Can you tell me what this is?

Do they work in Canada? —> Can you tell me if they work in Canada?

When do John and Luke meet? —> Can you tell me when John and Luke meet?

Is he a lawyer? —> Can you tell me if he is a lawyer?

When is the party? —> Can you tell me when the party is?

Do they often go out? —> Can you tell me if they often go out?

What does he do at the weekend? —> Can you tell me what he does at the weekend?

Did she go out last night? —> Do you know if she went out last night?

Where did she meet her brother? —> Do you know where she met her brother?

How was the film? —> Do you know how the film was?

Was David the first to arrive? —> Do you know if David was the first to arrive?

Did Lucy work at home yesterday? —> Do you know if Lucy worked at home yesterday?

What was the problem? —> Do you know what the problem was?

Who did we see at the party? —> Do you know who we saw at the party?

QUANTIFIERS
We use quantifiers for information about the number of something: how much, how many...

es. Most children start school early.

We drank some coffee at the bar.

“Some” quantifiers can be used with countable and uncountable nouns.

All / some / more / a lot / enough / no / any / most / lots of / less

es. I have some homework. (“homework” is an uncountable noun).

I have some friends there (“friends” is a countable noun).
I have lots of money (“money” is an uncountable noun).
I have lots of friends.

At higher level in English it's also common to see:

Plenty of / tons of (parecchi) —> sinonimi di “a lot of”.

We normally use “some” in affirmative sentences and any in negatives and interrogatives.

Some and any in Italian frequently means “dai, degli, alcuni”.

es. Hai dei figli —> Do you have any children.

Non abbiamo dei bambini —> I don't have any children; but I have some pets.

There are some exceptions for the offer or request. If you expect the answer to be “yes”, it's common
to use “some” in the question form for offers and requests.

es. Would you like some tea?

Could you give some help?

Few / a few / little / a little

- “A little” “a few” —> positive (ne ho)

- “Few” “little” —> negative (ne ho pochissimo).

es. I have few friends and I'm always lonely.

I have a few friends in Rome, why don't we visit them?
I have little time now, can we talk later?
I have a little money so we can go the cinema.

Here is a list of quantifiers that can only be used with countable nouns: (not) many / (a) few / several
(numerosi).

At a higher level, we also use: a couple of (un paio di) / hundreds of / thousands of
es. I'll be back in a couple of minutes.

Quantifiers that can only be used with uncountable nouns: (not) much / a bit of / (a) little

es. Would you like a little wine?

Other higher level forms: a great deal (parecchie)

es. I have a great deal of friends in Novara.

NB: we use “lots of” or “a lot of” normally in affirmative sentences but we use “much” or “many” in
negatives and interrogatives.

es. There are lots of things to learn, but not much interest.
Do you have many friends?

ARTICLES
When we say people’s job we use “a” or “an”.

es. He's an architect.

She's a student.
My grandma was a housewife

Normally singular nouns always have an article (a, an, the) or another determiner (my, you, his, this,
that...).

We use “a” or “an” when we talk about something (introduce something) for the first time, or to talk
about something that is a part of a group.

es. I have a sister in Kansas City and a brother in Florida.

The sister is an artist and the brother is very rich.

The means “tu sai quale” —> “you know what or who I’m talking about”

Other examples:

- I saw a film yesterday

- Do you want a drink?
- A university —> because there is not a vowel sound at the beginning

We use “the” when the listener knows which things we are talking about.

es. I love the dogs (you know witch dogs).

To be general in English, without specifying which thing we are talking about, we don’t use articles.

es. I love dogs.

—> In general:

- birds eat worms

- Water freezes at zero
- Children need a lot of sleep

—> Specific:

- I’m taking the dog for a walk (tu sai quale).

- Have you seen the car keys?

For things in a group we usually use “the”

es. We went to the zoo and saw the kangaroos.

PRESENT PERFECT
Form: have (in the present) + past participle

We use it:

• for something that started in the past and continues to the present.

es. I haven’t seen John for years.

• !! to connect the past to the present, we must use the present perfect.

es. They have lived in Novara since 2003.

• for something we started in the past and continue to do.

es. I’ve used internet since I was 5 years old.

• to talk about the past with a connection with the present.

es. I’ve been decorating the house this year —> the focus is on the action or the activity.

I’ve painted the room blue —> this focuses more on the finished result of a recent action.

• when we want to emphasize the importance of a past event in the present.

es. ho perso le mie chiavi —> I’ve lost my keys!!

• when you talk about experiences.

es. I’ve been in America 2 times.

We can never use the present perfect with an adverbial which refers to past finished time.

All of the sentences are wrong:

- I have seen her two hours ago. —> I saw her two hours ago.

- I have seen that film yesterday —> I saw that film yesterday.

- I haven’t spoken to her last night —> I haven’t spoken to her today (today is not finished yet).

ESERCIZI
- I have gone to the library today.

- You have kept a pet for 3 years.

- Have you eaten Thai food before?

- Has it rained all day?

- Who have we forgotten to invite?

- We haven’t heard that song already.

- He hasn’t forgotten his books.

PRESENT PERFECT CONTINUOUS

Form: have + been + verb-ing.

es. PP: I’ve read the book you lent me —> concentrates more on the completed action of a recent
activity.

PPC: I’ve been reading the book you lent me —> suggests the activity is unfinished.

NB. The present perfect continuous concentrates more on “how long” something has been happening.

NB. The present perfect talks about “how much” or “how many ”.

es. è da tre ore che scrive delle email —> She has been writing emails for 3 hours
Ha scritto 10 messaggi —> She has written 10 messages

In the present perfect continuous is common use “since” “ for” in English (“da” in Italian).

—> for talks about the duration (a period of time)

—> since is the starting point of actions, events or states (when specifically something began = a point
in time in the past)

es. I have been teaching this course since September.

I have been teaching this course for 3 months.
I have known her for long time.
I have been waiting here since 7 o’clock.

ESERCIZI: PRESENT PERFECT OR PRESENT PERFECT CONTINUOUS

- I haven’t seen you since last Saturday.

- He has been a doctor since 1999.

- She has been studying English for 3 months.

- I have loved you since I met you.

- I haven’t eaten anything since this morning.

- She has stolen all the chocolate!

ESERCIZI: PRESENT PERFECT OR PAST SIMPLE

- I have seen three police cars this morning.

- After he arrived at home, he unpacked and went to bed early.

- What’s wrong? I have broken a glass!

- My grandparents only knew each other for a few months before they got married.

- I have been in London for 3 years. I love it here.

- We saw Julie last night.

- He was a teacher before he became a musician.

- When the boss walked into the room, we knew someone was going to get fired.

- We went to the theatre last week.

- Yesterday I had dinner with a friend.

- I have never tasted champagne.

- When I was a child, I loved ice skating.

- I haven’t had any coffee today. I feel very sleepy!

- I didn’t drink any coffee yesterday.

- I have read all his books. I think he's a wonderful writer.

- What did you do at the weekend?

- I have never gone to Vienna.

- My great great grandfather had 5 sisters.

- He lived in Manila for a year when he was a student.

- Oh no! I have lost my wallet.

- Have you seen Julie today?

- At the weekend they played football, then they went to a restaurant.

- I have read 6 books this week.

- Amy lived in Portugal when she was young.

- She visited her grandmother last month.

- The vandals invaded Rome in the year 455.

- She has lived in 7 different countries, so she knows a lot about different cultures.

- I went to the cinema last night.

- Ow! I have cut my finger!

- Have you seen “The King’s Speech”?

- John have never understood the present perfect.

ESERCIZIO: PRESENT PERFECT OR PRESENT PERFECT CONTINUOUS

- Have you bought your train ticket yet?

- The kitchen is a complete mess! What have the children been doing?

- Julie has been learning to drive for 6 years.

- Amanda has already had lunch, so she’ll meet us later.

- How much coffee has she drunk this morning?

- Simon has written 3 books.

- I have done everything I needed to do today! Hurray!

- It hasn’t rained all garden, so the garden in dead.

- I have read your book. Here it is, thank you.

- She has forgotten how to get to my house.

- I have been working in the garden all day and I need a rest.

- She has made 3 cakes. They look delicious!

- I haven’t done the homework yet.

- They have been studying very hard recently.

- She has promised to help many times.

- He has cleaned the kitchen. Everything is sparkling clean.

- She has written an essay and has sent it to her professor.

- He has seen the film “The king’s Speech” about 6 times.

- We have painted our living room. I think it looks a lot better.

- She has been taking French lesson lately.

- It hasn’t been raining for three hours! Only about one hour.

- Lucy has already left.

- How many times have you visited Scotland?

- I have been calling John for one hours and hours and he hasn’t answered. I’m really angry with him.

ESERCIZI: PRESENT TENCES (SIMPLE,CONTINUOUS, PERFECT, PERFECT CONTINUOUS)

- The population of India has tripled since independence in 1947 and it is still increasing.

- How long does it usually take to walk from here to the bar?

- Although mr. Smith has never taught a lesson in his life, he makes his living by writing school text
books and he says he enjoys it.

- The main character in the film is a teenager who learns that his parents are KGB agents living in the
US with different names.

- I’m afraid you can’t wash your hands now. The water has been turned off because we are having a
new bathroom put in.

- Mrs. Rossi has been collecting postcards since 1947.

- A: Do you know what the Japanese finance minister is called? B: No I don’t take vey much interest
what goes on the other side of the word.

- A: Can you tell me if this train stops in Washington? B: No, it doesn’t anymore they have closed
down the Washington station.

- Jenny is thinking of buying a microwave oven; I wonder if she knows how to use one.

- Why are you standing outside in the rain? Come in!

THE PASSIVE FORM

The passive is formed by using a form of the auxiliary verb “be” (be, am, is, are, was, were, begin, been)
followed by the past participle.

Normally, in active sentences, the subject does the action.

es. Romeo loves Juliet —> Juliet is loved by Romeo.

Frequently, we put the object at the begging of a passive sentence, like the example above.

es. We (subject that does the action) took our children to the circus

—> Our children were taken to the circus (by us).

es. Singer teaches English—> English is taught by Singer.

RULES
present simple: am / are / is + pp

present continuous: am / are/ is begin + pp

past simple: was / were + pp

past continuous: was begin + pp

present perfect: has / have been + pp

past perfect: had been + pp

future simple: will be + pp

future perfect: will have been + pp

“Can” and “must” = “will”

We use the passive form:

• when we want to change the focus of a sentences

es. The man that killed Luca was arrested.
My bike has been stolen.
In these examples, “who” or “what” does the action is not important.

- A hurricane was experienced by my family

- A lot of demagnetized was caused by its fierce

- The old oak tree was uprooted and thrown across the roof of our house

- Our living room was flooded by the hurricane

- A loud crush was heard by us

- Many people have been killed by the hurricane

- People are advise by authorities.

ESERCIZIO: PASSIVE FORM <—> ACTIVE FORM

- She promised him a book —> He was promised a book.

- They will take her to hospital tomorrow —> she will be taken to hospital tomorrow.

- You cannot expect children to understand these problems —> Children cannot be expected to
understand these problems.

- No-one has climbed this mountain before —> This mountain hasn’t been climbed before.

- He disappeared and no one has seen him again —> He disappeared and he hasn’t been seen again.

- I was told the latest news by a friend this morning —> A friend told me the latest news this morning.

- Have you ever been called a fool before? —> Has anyone called you stupid before?

- She was recommended a new doctor by her friend —> Her friend recommended her a new doctor.

- Were you offered the job I told you about? —> Did anyone offer you the job I told you about?

- Were you given enough sugar? —> Did they give you enough sugar?

- People will show the visitor the new buildings —> The visitors will be shown the new buildings.

- Someone will tell you what time the train leaves —> You will be told what time the train leaves.

- Someone ordered the prisoners to stand up —> The prisoners were ordered to stand up.

- I want someone to answer the phone call —> I want the phone call to be answered.

ESERCIZIO: ACTIVE FORM —> PASSIVE FORM

- He put off the meeting —> the meeting was put off

- They picked the students up from the school —> the students were picked up from the school.

- Poor John! A drunk driver ran him over —> He was run over by a drunk driver.

- We must go into this matter —> this matter must be gone into.

- Look how well they have brought up those children —> Look how well those children have been
brought up.

- Be careful what you say, as they will take down all your words —> Be careful what you say, as all your
word will be taken down.

- Is somebody picking you up tonight —> Are you begin picked up tonight?

- Did they give up the search after three hours? —> Was the search given up after three hours?

- Did anyone send you the photograph which they promised you? —> Were you sent the photograph
which you were promised?

- Can we solve the problem? —> Can the problem be solved?

- Are you going to tell her the whole truth? —> Is she going to be told the whole truth?

- Did anyone ask you any questions? —> Were you asked any questions?
PAST PERFECT
Form: to have in the past (had) + past participle

We use it when:

- to make clear that action took place before another action in the past

es. When I got (a time in the past) to the cinema, I realized I had left (a time before the time ‘got to the
cinema’ in the past) my money at home.

We use the PAST PERFECT CONTINUOUS (not very common in English) in a similar way to the present
perfect continuous, which we learned talks about ‘how long’ something has happened up to the
present.

es. She had been working for that company for a year when she met John.

The continuous continues to the point where the past simple begins

es. When I got to the cinema, I realized I had seen the film already.
The man was asked to do research on a woman who had died 100 years ago.

ESERCIZIO: SCEGLIERE IL VERBO

Tom Wilson is an explorer. He has been to nearly every country in the world, but the most exciting time
he has ever had was when he went to the Congo jungle.

A magazine asked him to retrace the route of a famous explorer who had disappeared in the 1920’s.

As he was following a small river he got separated from his guides.

He went on alone, hoping he would find them, but instead he encountered a group of native.

He stayed with them for several days and found out that a very old woman had actually met the
famous explorer. She know how he died.

Tom became very friendly with the natives and now he is planning to go back and see them again.

He is sure they will welcome him back.

When Francis Lee was a boy he wanted to be an astronaut.

He was watching TV one day in 1969 when he saw Nell Armstrong walk on the moon,

Since then he has always dreamed of doing the same.

Every night when there is a full moon, he stares up at it for hours and imagines himself walking around
on it. At the moment, however, he is working as a night-watchman at a meat factory.

He has been doing the same job since he left school fifteen years ago, but he still hopes that one day
his dream will come true.

He has hear / heard that in 21st century they will sell tickets to fly to the moon.

For this reason he has been saving half of his wages every month for the past two year.

CONDITIONALS
• The zero conditional is used when the result will always happen:

If + present simple, ..... present simple

es. If you touch fire, you get burned.
If you freeze water, it becomes ice.
If babies are hungry, they cry.

• The first conditional is used for possible or probable things that will happen (in reality).

If + present simple, ..... will + infinitive

es. Take your umbrella! If it rains, you’ll get wet!
If I have enough money, I’ll buy new shoes this Christmas.
If I see her, I’ll tell her.

(First conditionals talk about specific situation, the zero conditional is very general).

• The second conditional is used for improbable, imaginary, unreal or impossible situations.

If + past simple, ..... would + infinitive

es. If I won the lottery, I would move to America.
If I saw a ghost, I’d run away!
I would travel all over the world if I were rich!

• The third conditional is used for regrets about the past, or to describe a situation that didn’t happen
and to imagine its result.

If + past perfect, ...... would + have + past participle (present perfect)

es. If I had known it was a formal party, I would have worn something nicer.
I wouldn’t have missed the bus if I haven’t overslept.

ESERCIZI

- If we don’t work harder, we won’t pass the exam.

- If the students hadn’t been late for the exam, they would have passed.

- If the weather hadn’t been so cold, we would have gone to the beach.

- If she had her laptop with her, she would email me.

- If she doesn’t go to the meeting, I won’t go either.

- If the baby had slept better last night, I wouldn’t have been so tired.

- If the teacher gives us lots of homework p this weekend, I won’t be happy.

- If Lucy had enough time, she would travel more.

- If the children don’t eat soon, they’ll be grumpy.

- If I don’t go to bed soon, I’ll be tired in the morning.

- If I get lost on the way to your house I will use the satnav in my car.

- If you click on this link, you will have a virus.

- You can’t read the articles on the website if you don’t subscribe.

- I will call you from the top of the mountains if I can get the signal.

- If we had a good map we wouldn’t be lost.

- If we had had some matches we could have lit a fire.

- If I could have driven I wouldn’t depend on public transport.

- If she had shouted people, would have realized she was there.

- We’d go abroad in the summer if we didn’t have a young baby.

- If you did more exercise, you wouldn’t put on weight.

- She’ll get a good mark in the exam if she doesn’t get nervous.

- If I had waited one more minute, I would have seen you.

- If I spoke french, I would get the job.

- If you hadn’t left the door open, the cat wouldn’t have got out.

- If I knew the answer, I would tell you the you.

- If I had known the answer, I would have told you.

- He wouldn’t have fallen, if he had worn mountains boots.

FUTURE
•will, we use it:

>> for decisions made at the moment of speaking

es. “your mom tried to call you today” “oh I’ll cal her back now”
- Robert: this room is hot! - Greta: I’ll open the window

>> for predictions about the future

es. In 2050, the word will be very hot!
You won’t pass your exams if you don’t study harder!

>> for simple statements about the future

es. the sun will rise at 6.30 tomorrow morning (this is a factual statement)

>> for promises and offers

es. I will do it, I promise
I promise I won’t tell anyone you secrets

>> will express the voluntary desire to do something

es. I will send you the information when I get it
Will you help me prepare the table? = do you have the voluntary desire to do something?

Common mistakes are made with future time clauses: when, as soon as, before, etc

es. when she arrives, she will call you (we normally use the present simple with time clauses)

• going to, we use it:

>> to express plans decided before the moment of speaking

es. This holiday, I’m going to have dinner with friends in Novara

>> to express intention to do something before the moment of speaking (going to also means
“about to” = sta per)

es. Be careful! That glass is going to fall / about to fall

>> if you see something is going to happen (you have evidence) in the future
es. you see very dark threatening (minacciose) clouds —> “look, it’s going to rain”

FUTURE PERFECT
The future perfect tense indicates that an action will have been completed (finished or "perfected") at
some point in the future.

This tense is formed with "will" + "have" + the past participle of the verb (which can be either regular
or irregular in form).

es. I will have spent all my money by this time next year.
I will have run successfully in three marathons if I can finish this one

ESERCIZIO
- by 10 pm tonight, I will have finished (finish) this report.

- by 10 pm tonight, we will have had (have) dinner.

- by 10 pm tonight, she will have left (leave) Paris.

- by 10 pm tonight, John will have met (meet) Lucy.

- by 10 pm tonight, they will have taken (take) the exam.

- by 10 pm tonight, it will have stopped (stop) snowing.

“LOOK”
There are different uses of LOOK, depending on the preposition you use. Here is an explanation of
some common uses:
- look after (someone or something)
• to take care of
• to make sure that someone is safe and well
- look for
• to search for something or someone
• to investigate or examine
- look at
• point one's eyes at, or turn your eyes in a particular direction.

es. I hear his looking for a job

Could everyone please look for the lost keys?
My sister looks after the kids on Saturday
Why is she looking at me like that?
Look at those lovely flowers over there

“MAKE” and “LET”

Subject + make + object + bare infinitive (infinitive without 'to')
'Make' can mean 'force someone to do something that he or she doesn't want to do':
es. His mother made him clean his room.
The teacher made us study very hard.

Subject + let + object + bare infinitive (infinitive without 'to')

'Let' can mean 'allow' or 'give permission':
es. David's mother let him use her car.
Our boss let us leave early.

ESERCZIO
- John's mother used to make  him clean up his room.
- The teacher doesn't let her students use their mobile phones in class.
- Julie's father doesn't let her use his car.
- The professor often  makes the students do a lot of homework.
- The policeman made the teenagers pick up the litter they had dropped.
- My mother never lets me stay out late when I was young.
- The guard made her get off the train because she didn't have a ticket

“SO” and “SUCH”

Structures using 'such' and 'so' are similar in meaning, but different in construction. The main difference
between the two structures is that 'such' takes a noun phrase, whereas 'so' takes an adjective.

es. He is so nice (nice =adjectives)

He is such a nice person (person = noun)

ESERCIZIO
- They were so happy that they started dancing.

- He speaks Chinese so well.

- Julie is such a good writer.

- She swims so quickly!

- It was so late we missed the last train.

- They have such a big house that I got lost!

- She has such a sweet puppy.

“STOP”
• Stop + gerund
When we stop doing something it means the verb in the gerund is the thing that we stop. It can mean
'stop forever' or 'stop at that moment'

es. I stopped eating = I didn’t eat anymore.

• Stop + to + infinitive
In this case, we stop something else in order to do the verb in the infinitive

es. I stopped to eat = I was doing something before, but I took a break to eat.

ESERCIZIO
1. My grandmother stopped __driving___ when she was 85. DRIVE

2. She was shopping and she stopped __to get__ a cup of coffee. SHOP

3. There was a fire alarm, so I stopped __eating___ and went outside. EAT

4. My boss came into the room, so I stopped __surfing___ the internet. SURF

DESPITE and ALTHOUGH

Both despite and although have similar meanings (nonostante), but these words are used differently:

• Despite is normally followed by a noun.

• Although is normally followed by a subject + verb form.

NB: Verbs in the ing (gerund) form, like the one in the example ‘Despite studying hard, he failed the
exam’ are nouns, they are not verbs.

ESERCIZIO
1. Despite his sickness he attended the class yesterday.

2. Although he didn't feel well, he went fishing.

3. We arrived at the meeting on time despite heavy traffic.

4. I failed in my chemistry exam although I studied all night.

5. Despite all my effort, I couldn't convince my parents to let me go out.

ACTIVE and PASSIVE

Active sentences in the present continuous tense have the following structure:

• Subject + is/are/am + -ing form of the verb + object

Passive sentences in the present continuous tense have the following structure:

• Object of the active sentence + is/are/am + being + past participle form of the verb + by +

subject of the active sentence.

Active: I am reading a story.

Passive: A story is being read by me.

Active: The engine is driving the train.

Passive: The train is being driven by the engine. Active: She is singing a song.

Passive: A song is being sung by her.

Active: The carpenter is making furniture.

Passive: Furniture is being made by the carpenter.

ESERCIZIO
• Someone is photocopying the document -->The document is being photocopied by someone

• They are repairing the car --> The car is being repaired

• Someone is taking photographs --> Photographs are being taken

• He is washing the dishes --> The dishes are being washed

• No one is correcting the tests --> The tests aren't being corrected by anyone.

WOULD as USED TO
'would' + base verb has a very similar meaning to 'used to' to express habit in the past: In these two
following examples there is no real change in meaning:

Paintings would often be commissioned by the wealthy, and, they would be hung in the home.
Paintings used to be commissioned by the wealthy and, they used to be hung in the home.'

There is an important difference between 'would' and 'used to'.

‘Used to' can be used to talk about past states as well as past repeated actions and habits, but

'would' is only used to talk about past habits. 'Would' is not used to talk about past states.

I used to be a painter - correct - this is a past state - 'used to' is acceptable here.

I would be a painter - wrong - this is a past state - 'would' is not acceptable here.

ESERCIZIO
1. When I lived in Japan I would/used to eat sushi every day.

2. When I was at school we used to/would play hopscotch in the playground.

3. When I was a kid I didn’t use tolike olives.

4. My dad used to have a big green land rover.

5. He used to/would drive it through the forest on bumpy tracks.

TIME CLAUSES
Time clauses begin with: when, whenever, while, as, since, after, before, until, as soon as, once.

• The time clause may come before or after the main clause with no change in meaning. If they

refer to the future, the Simple Present is used in the time clause, and shall/will + infinitive/

perfect infinitive or modal + infinitive, or imperative is used in the main clause.

• When a complex clause contains a temporal clause, the time clause has future reference. The

future is normally indicated by will/shall ('shall' with 'I/we') but not in the subordinate clause.

Peter will return soon. Then he will telephone you --> Peter will telephone you when / as soon as he
returns --> That has a future reference. Future is marked by the main clause.

ESERCIZIO
1. We'll go swimming as soon as school __is_ over. (be)

2. I will open the door when father __rings_ . (ring)

3. We will begin as soon as Tom __is_ ready. (be)

4. I will stay here until it __gets_ warmer. (get)

5. I will notify you as soon as I __hear_ from her.

SO and NEITHER
Use ‘so do I’ to say that a positive sentence is also true for me, and I use ‘neither do I’ to say that a
negative sentence is also true for me:

John: I hate mushrooms. Me: So do I (=I also hate mushrooms) --> positive sentence

Lucy: I don’t live in London. Me: Neither do I (=I also don’t live in London) --> negative sentence

• This is often used as a reply to someone else in a conversation, but both sentences can also

be said by the same person, and even joined together:

Me: Elizabeth loves coffee. So do I.

Me: Harry doesn’t play the piano and neither do I.

In the examples above, you use ‘do’ because the first sentence is in the present simple tense.

The verb after ‘so’ or ‘neither’ changes depending on the tense of the verb in the first sentence

Present simple: use ‘do / does’

• Lucy likes coffee. So do I.

• Lucy doesn’t like coffee. Neither do I.

Present simple with ‘be’: use ‘am / is / are’

• John’s at the office. So am I.

• John isn’t at the office. Neither am I.

Present continuous: use ‘am / is / are’

• Luke’s going out tonight. So am I.

• Luke isn’t going out tonight. Neither am I.

Past Simple: use ‘did’

• Jill went to the cinema yesterday. So did I.

• Jill didn’t go to the cinema yesterday. Neither did I.

Past simple with ‘be’: use ‘was / were’

• She was at the library. So was I.

• She wasn’t at the library. Neither was I.

ESERCIZIO
You’re having a conversation with Jenny. What she says is true for you too.

Jenny: Sarah loves chocolate. Me: so do I

Jenny: Catherine is English. Me: so am I

Jenny: She isn’t coming to the party. Me: neither am I

Jenny: I have to study this weekend. Me: so do I

Jenny: Dan lives in Madrid. Me: so do I

INDIRECT QUESTIONS
Direct questions are the “normal” questions that we can ask friends, family members, and people who
we know well ---> “Where’s the bathroom?”

Indirect questions are a little more formal and polite, used to talk to a person we don’t know very well,
or in professional situations ---> "Could you tell me where the bathroom is?”

Other examples:

• Could you tell me...

• Do you know...
• I was wondering...
• Do you have any idea...

Rules for making indirect questions

In indirect questions with is/are, the verb (is) comes after the subject (Market Street).

Direct: Where is Market Street?

Indirect: Could you tell me where Market Street is?

In indirect questions, we don’t use the auxiliary verbs do/does/did. Also, you can see that the verb is
“open” in the direct question, and “opens” in the indirect question.

Direct: What time does the bank open?

Indirect: Do you know what time the bank opens?

Again, there is no auxiliary verb did in the indirect question. In fact, this indirect question isn’t even a
question – it’s more of a statement that invites the other person to give more information.

Direct: Why did you move to Europe?

Indirect: I was wondering why you moved to Europe.
ESERCIZO
- Why did she cry? - Can you tell me _why she cries_ ?

- Where is Joe? - Do you know __where joe is_ ?

- Whose car was it? - Could you let me know _whose car it was__ ?

- What is her name? - Can you tell me _what her name is_?

GERUND AND INFINITIVE

Some verbs can be used with the gerund and also with the infinitive.

It depends on the meaning you want to express in the sentence.

In the quiz example, Remember + gerund refers to something we remember doing in the past.

Remember + infinitive means to do something in the present or future (as is the case with the previous
usage of ‘stop’.

NB: He remembered to turn off the lights before he left.

WHEN "REMEMBER" IS USED WITH AN INFINITIVE, IT MEANS "TO REMEMBER THAT YOU

NEED TO DO SOMETHING." THE SENTENCE ABOVE MEANS THAT HE REMEMBERED THAT HE

NEEDED TO TURN THE LIGHTS OFF.

I remember mentioning the meeting yesterday. WHEN "REMEMBER" IS USED WITH A GERUND, IT
MEANS "TO REMEMBER THAT YOU HAVE DONE SOMETHING." THE SENTENCE ABOVE MEANS
THAT I MENTIONED THE MEETING, AND THAT I REMEMBER THE FACT THAT I DID THAT.

ESERCIZIO:

1 Did you remember __to buy_ tea? Buy

2 I don't remember ever _visiting_ this museum. Visit

3 I remember my Dad ...teaching.. me to ride a bike. Teach

4 Thankfully I remembered ...to buy.... the cat biscuits. Otherwise Twinkle would have killed me. Buy

5 Are you sure you remembered ....to turn... the iron off before you left? Turn

6 I distinctly remember ..turning...the iron off before I left. Turn

SUBJECT OBJECT QUESTIONS

Sometimes we want to ask a question where the thing we want to know is actually the subject of the
answer.

Here's an answer --> Lucy kissed John.

We can ask:

1. Who did Lucy kiss?

2. Who kissed John? --> subject question

We don't need to use inversion, or add 'did'. Instead, we just take out 'Lucy' from the answer • (which is
a normal affirmative sentence) and add 'who'. We generally make subject questions using 'who' or
'what' and also with ‘which’ like in the quiz.

ESERCIZIO

• The car is in the garage --> Where is the car? / What is in the garage?

• Julie loves ice-cream --> What does Julie love? / Who loves ice cream?

• The food was on the table --> Where was the food? / What was on the table?

• The student is from Colombia --> Where is the student from? / Who is from Colombia?

• David has lost his wallet --> What has David lost? / Who has lost his wallet?

WHOSE
Whose is the possessive form of the pronoun who and is defined as belonging to or associated with
which person. It is ‘di chi’ Italian. When used in a sentence, it usually appears before a noun.

es. Whose car is this?

Whose birthday is it today?
Whose house was used in the film ‘Gosford Park’?
BE GOING TO
Be + going to is used to predict future events that are very near (and can be seen) or seem sure

to happen.

Such predictions are based on present evidence:

- He’s going to fall.

- Look at the clouds; it's going to rain!

UNLESS
Unless means if not. We use it in conditional sentences instead of if not. Use unless with present tenses
when talking about the future. As is the case of the first conditional, If refers to the condition in the
present and use ‘will’ to express the result.

NB: Structure= If + simple present + will (simple future)

Both of these following examples have the same meaning and refer to the present time:

- “You can't go on vacation unless you save some money.”

- “If you don't save some money, you can't go on vacation.”

MODAL VERBS
We can use modal verbs (like ‘must’) to talk about how sure or unsure we are about something in
the past just as we use modals in the present with a slight change in the form.

- He must be really happy about his promotion (present deduction)

- He must have been very happy when he was told about his promotion (past deduction)

When we use a modal verb to talk about a situation where we are not expressing a fact but we are using
deduction —> MODAL + have + past participle

• must have + past participle

• we use ‘must have + past participle’ when we are quite sure about something.

es. You must have been very pleased when you received the results of your exams (past
deduction).
He must have forgotten his phone at home again. He’s not answering. (past deduction)
I must have left my keys in the car. I can’t find them. (past deduction)

We use the modal verb "must have" to make guesses or deductions about an action in the past that we
believe has definitely happened, has definitely not happened or possibly happened, based on our
knowledge, information or evidence, or lack of it. With ‘must have": we believe the action definitely
happened.

es. She must have left the house by now; it’s nearly 11 o'clock = She usually leaves her house before 11
o’clock so I deduce that she has definitely left the house.

ESERCIZIO
1. She __Must have misunderstood__ my directions. Why else is she late? MISUNDERSTOOD

2. _Must have written _ down the number incorrectly. I've just called a hospital not the restaurant.

3. John _must have been_ very happy when he found out he was going to be a father. He's wanted this
for a long time. BE

4. Where's Clare? Her bag's here and her computer's still on so she _Must have gone_ home. GO

5. Wow! Have you finished all that already? You _Must have been__ hungry! BE

INDIRECT (O REPORTED) SPEECH

Reported speech is extremely common in English usage because when we repeat what others have
said, we usually do so at a later time than when the speaker told us something.

Examples:

direct speech: 'I love the Toy Story films,' she said.

indirect speech: She said she loved the Toy Story films.

direct speech: 'I worked as a waiter before becoming a chef,' he said.

indirect speech: He said he'd worked as a waiter before becoming a chef.

direct speech: 'I'll phone you tomorrow,' he said.

indirect speech: He said he'd phone me the next day.

direct speech: 'I work in a bank,' said Daniel.

indirect speech: Daniel said that he worked in a bank.

Rules for present tense

• present simple —> past simple
es. “I travel a lot in my job” —> Jamila said that she travelled a lot in her job.

• present continuous —> past continuous

es. “The baby's sleeping!’ —> He told me the baby was sleeping.

• present perfect —> past perfect

es. “I've hurt my leg” —> She said she'd hurt her leg.

Rules for past tense

Usually:

• past simple —> past perfect simple

es. “We lived in China for five years” —> She told me they'd lived in China for five years.

• past continuous —> past perfect continuous

es. “It was raining all day” —> He told me it had been raining all day.

There is the following EXCEPTION for past tenses: the past perfect doesn't change.

- “I go to the gym next to your house”


Jenny told me that she goes to the gym next to my house. I'm thinking about going with her.

- “I'm working in Italy for the next six months”


He told me he's working in Italy for the next six months. Maybe I should visit him!

- “I've broken my arm!”


She said she's broken her arm, so she won't be at work this week.

As previously stated, pronouns also usually change in indirect speech.

- “I enjoy working in my garden”, said Bob.


Bob said that he enjoyed working in his garden.

- “We played tennis for our school”, said Alina.


Alina told me they'd played tennis for their school.

However, if you are the person or one of the people who spoke, then the pronouns don't change.

- “I'm working on my thesis”, I said.


I told her that I was working on my thesis.

- “We want our jobs back!” we said.


We said that we wanted our jobs back.

We also change demonstratives and adverbs of time and place if they are no longer accurate.

- “This is my house”
• He said this was his house. [You are currently in front of the house that isn’t ‘his’ or ‘yours’ anymore.]

• He said that was his house. [You are not currently in front of the house.]

- “We like it here”

• She told me they like it here. [You are currently in the place they like.]

• She told me they like it there. [You are not in the place they like.]

- “I'm planning to do it today”

• She told me she's planning to do it today. [It is currently still the same day.]

• She told me she was planning to do it that day. [It is not the same day any more.]

In the same way, these changes to those, now changes to then, yesterday changes to the day before,
tomorrow changes to the next/following day and ago changes to before.

Rules for future tense

• when we use “be + going”: present —> past
es. “I am going to visit you in Rome” —> He said he was going to visit me in Rome.

• will —> would

es. “We will be there” —> He promised they would be there.

• can —> could

es. “I can see you at 2.30” —> He said that he could see me at 2.30.

• must —> had to

es. She said, “You must pay by 30th April” —> She said we had to pay by 30th April.

With the following modal auxiliary verbs, there is NO CHANGE when reporting using these verbs:
COULD, WOULD, SHOULD, MIGHT, because these verbs do not have a past form.

Rules for passive

The passive reporting structures is: It + a passive reporting verb + that + a clause.

This structure is used to report information in a formal style or to report facts - even when the
information is less than factual.

Examples:

- It is known that the sky is blue

- It is hoped that he will be ok.
- It is known that the criminal escaped.
- It is thought that chocolate is delicious.