UNIT 5: BACK AND FORTH!

LESSON 01: WAKE ME UP BEFORE YOU GO!

Write it down!

What do you What do you want to What have you

know about know about events? learned about
events? events?

How would you describe your daily activities?

Take a look at the following sentences:

“Everyday I eat breakfast before I go to work.”

Notice that two things happen in this scenario. What happens first?

Before is used to express the sequence of events.

● Joyce grabbed an umbrella before she left home.

Here, in the first Joyce grabbed an umbrella and then she left home.
Examples:

● “Leyla knocks on the door before she enters the room”

● “It always rains before it pours”
● “Sheila needs to make up her mind before Jo proposes.”
● “Before Julien crashed his new car, I got to drive it around a bit” *

* The “before” sentence may come

first, but a comma is necessary. In
this case, the timeline is backwards.

“Sheila needs to make up her mind before Jo proposes”

Event 1 Event 2

comma
“Before Julien crashed his car, I got to drive it around a bit”

Event 2 Event 1
EXPRESSIONS

➔ “make up your mind”

● Have you made up your mind where to go on your vacation?

➔ “can’t count on”

● I can’t count on Paulo for anything, he’s so busy!

➔ “it’s only a matter of time before”

● It’s only a matter of time before the kid breaks the new toy.

➔ “keep an eye on so/sth”

● Grandma is keeping an eye out for the delivery man.”

➔ “by the time”

● I had already been to 3 different scholls by the time I turner 15.
➔ “have no doubt”
● I have no doubt you will get the job. You’re perfect for it.

➔ “in accordance with”

● You played the game in accordance with the rules.”
 FOOD FOR THOUGHT!

A fixed expression is a combination of words that

express an idea, and carry more meaning than the
individual words while still maintaining a lexical
connection.

They are fixed because the order and combination of

words cannot be changed.

Real example:
● “So please, before you leave here today, make up your mind” -
APAC Presents Lenny Ravich | Talks at Google
● “You can't count on anything in this society.” - Theodore
Dalrymple: Is Society Broken?
● “By the time of his death, Noah Webster was a household name.”
- How to get a word added to the dictionary - Ilan Stavans

Recommendation

★ Song: Wake me up before you go, by Wham!

★ Song: Before the Worst, The Script
★ Song: Leave Before The Lights Come On, by Arctic Monkeys
LESSON 01: WALKING AFTER YOU!
In the previous lesson you’ve seen the use of before and how to place
the order of events. Now, let’s take a look at “after”

Jonah only goes jogging after he stretches

The time expression after is also useful to indicate the order of events.

Examples:

● “Fifteen years after I came to this country, I bought my first

house.”
● “After lunch, all four of them left to play ball.” *
● “Jean stopped painting after the accident.”
● “ I was taken aback after you said ‘I love you’.”
● “After the towers fell, airport security became much more rigid.”

The “after”sentence may

come first, but needs a
comma.
Dialogues

A: Nora is performing right after you, so I’m getting front row seats for
the talent show tonight!
B: Oh, I hope she breaks a leg. Her voice is beautiful.
A: I know. But after last time, she’s not very confident.
B: What happened last time?
A: She went on stage to perform right after someone who was very,
very good. She didn’t get a lot of applause.

FUN FACT!

The expression break a leg is something artists and

performers say to wish each other good luck before
they go on stage.

The expressions before and after have opposite meanings.

● “I don’t see the point of leaving before 6 p.m.”

● “I don’t see the point of leaving after 6 p.m.”

It may come as a surprise, but Marcus saw the dress before I did.

Event 1 Event 2
 It comes as no surprise that Marcus saw the dress after I did.

Event 2 Event 1

Examples:

➔ “come as a surprise”
➔ “come as no surprise”
● The news came as a surprise to everyone.

➔ “turn out to be (+adjective)”

● “The evening turned out to be quite nice!”

➔ “come to terms with”

● I’ve come to terms with the fact that I’m short.

➔ “it is not worth (+gerund)”

● It’s not worth waiting for the rain to stop. Let’s get a cab and go
home.

➔ “make it clear that”

● “I want to make it clear that I’m interested in your friend. Any
tips?”

➔ “be under the impression”

● I don’t know why I was under the impression you were a
lawyer.”
Recommendations:

★ Song: Walking After You, by The Foo Fighter

★ Movie: Me Before You, available on Prime Video
LESSON 02: OUT OF PRACTICE!
If you are out of practice at something, that means you do it badly
after not doing it for some time.

● Sarah is out of practice at speaking japanese. She hasn’t spoken

it in a year.

Prepositions are small little words (in, at, up, as, on, until, against, etc.)
that can be used to build phrases (a group of words) that have a
unique meaning.

● “The kid is standing next to the tree.”

● “In July, it gets colder as the day goes on.”

● “The tiger is coming towards us.”

We can combine them with nouns or sentences to indicate PLACE.

● behind the curtain

● underneath the bed
● around the parking lot
● at the door
● on the table
● across the hallway
Examples:

● “Playing hide-and seek, there is always someone hiding behind

a tree”
● “Julie thought she lost her keys, but they were underneath the
table”
● “Mary wants to travel around the world one day”
● “Hurry up, peter is waiting for you at the door”
● “The room was a mess, all his clothes were on the floor”
● “Did you see the new flower shop across the street?”

We can combine them with nouns or sentences to indicate TIME:

● throughout the year
● within a month
● as soon as you leave
● until it’s too late
● since monday
● during the holidays
Examples:

● “Polly is very creative with the way she dresses. I always look
forward to seeing her outfits throughout the week.”
● “Maggie and June are best friends. If ever they fight, they make
up within a day.”
● “Make sure to fasten your seat belts as soon as you enter the
car”
● “Honey, can you pick up the kids? I’ll be working until 8 tonight.”
● “I’ve wanted to learn how to tango since we went to Argentina.”
● “Hugh is going to call you again during the week to check on
the deal.”

We can combine them with nouns or sentences to indicate

MOVEMENT:

● to Paris
● through the room
● over the fence
● down the stairs
● towards you
● into the woods
Examples:

● “Jenna’s dream is to travel to Rome”

● “I saw you walking through the cafeteria”
● “My cat jumps over the fence to visit the neighbor sometimes”
● “When Martha came down the stairs, she was looking
distraught”
● “I asked Thomas for help, and he pointed me towards you”
● “Julia has a job interview, but she is nervous to go into the
room.”

FUN FACT!

The expressions “through” and “throughout” often

cause confusion. Both are prepositions that have
similar, but different meanings.

“Through” usually means going from one side to

the other side;
“Throughout” usually encompasses every part of
a place, or an entire period of time.
Recommendations:

★ TV Show: Out Of Practice , available on Prime Video

LESSON 03: HOW DO YOU LIKE IT?

How many extra buttons do

How much is this shirt?
I get?

Do you see the difference between how many and how much?

How much: asking about How many: asking about

quantity of uncountable quantity of countable
nouns (money, time, food, nouns (anything that has a
liquids, information, plural form, and that you
abstract concepts) can count)
Examples:

● How far can you run? Do you think you could try a marathon?
● How handsome is your friend? I don’t like blind dates.
● How weird can I be around your parents? Are they going to
judge me if I bring up Naruto during dinner?
● How good are your drinks? I want an old-fashioned.
● How loud is your alarm? I know you’re super tired, but I need you
awake tomorrow at 6 am.
● How fast is service in that restaurant?
● How old is your kid now? Last time I saw him, he was a baby!
● How wide is the driveway to the garage? This new car is fairly
large.
● How well do we have to perform as a team? I want that
Christmas bonus payment from the company!
● How tall is that window? Can you measure it for me? I’m buying
curtains.

FUN FACT!

Good is an adjective, the opposite of bad; it describes

the characteristics of a noun (drinks).
Well is an adverb, it modifies and characterizes a
verb (to draw). The opposite of well is badly.

“How is bacon bad for me, if it makes me happy?”

(adj)

“You realize I dance badly on purpose to amuse

my friends, right?” (adv)
We can also use the word how in negative and affirmative sentences.

● Our boss realizes how good you are. You’ll get a raise soon, trust
me!
● We are lost and you don’t know how to get there, so ask for
directions.

Recommendation

★ How big, how blue, how beautiful, by Florence + The Machine

★ How Did you Love, by Shinedown
★ How Deep Is Your Love, by Bee Gees
★ How You Remind Me, by Nickelback.
LESSON 03: TAKE IT ALL IN!
Phrasal verbs are idiomatic expressions consisting of a verb plus
another particle, usually an adverb or a preposition.

● Let’s hang out on the weekend.

● Sure, I’ll pick you up at 6 on Friday.

Using phrasal verbs help us sound more natural and confident when
speaking English.
Sometimes, we can insert element between the words:

● I heard about the engagement, Mary brought it up at work the

other day.

Examples:

● “Sarah was about to cry, so I had to calm her down.”

● “It’s our dog’s birthday, and Martha’s dressing him up for the
party.”
● “I’m not telling you, I’m letting you figure this out on your own.”
● “Peter is the one responsible for throwing the trash out.”
● “Are you guys going to Hawaii? Count me in.
Sometimes these words only go together, and are inseparable.

● Peter looks up to you! You’re like an older sister to him.

Examples:

● “Mike dropped by her house, and said she wasn’t home.”

● “In parties, Sean is the guy who likes to keep to himself.”
● “I don’t know how you put up with his rude behavior. I would
have quit, if I were you.”
● “Watch out for the dog, she doesn’t like strangers.”
● “I haven’t finished that project yet, but I’ll get around to it this
month.”

Recommendations:

★ Hello, by Adele
★ Chandelier, by SIA
★ Hold up, by Beyoncé
★ Million Reasons, by Lady Gaga
LESSON 04: HAVE I GOT SOMETHING
TO TELL YOU….
- Have you ever been in an awkward situation because you
couldn’t communicate properly?
- Paul has. He has been in terrible job interviews in his career,
because he has trouble understanding different accents.

To talk about previous experiences, we tend to use the Present

Perfect tense.
It is composed of the auxiliary verb have/has + the past participle of
a verb.
● I have seen this movie before.

Alice has worked here for 5 years.

Past participle: work

aux: verb have/has

The kids have gone to all the amusements parks in the state.

Past participle: go

aux: verb have/has

 Alice has worked here for 5 years now.

5 years ago now

The kids have gone to all the amusements parks in the state.

now

This verb tense is used to indicate events that occurred:

1) at an indefinite time in the past

“You have messaged me before, haven’t you?”

2) or began in the past and continued to the present time

“I’ve practiced yoga since 2010.”

EXPRESSIONS TO INCLUDE IN YOUR CONVERSATION

● “I’ve had enough”

● “Have you heard?”
● before
● lately
● “been there, done that”
Real examples:

● “And we can help them but we can't do it for them.” - Obama on

the state of the world: the extended Vox conversation
● “Dreadnoughtus could stand in one place and with that neck.” -
Hunting for dinosaurs showed me our place in the universe |
Kenneth Lacovara
●

Recommendations:

★ Song: Glitter in the Air, by Pink

★ Song: Have you Ever Seen the Rain, by Creedence Clearwater
LESSON 04: STILL HAVEN’T FOUND
WHAT I’M LOOKING FOR…

In the negative form of the present perfect, you insert “not” between
the auxiliary verb have and the past participle of the main verb:

● Clara has not been to the doctor yet this year.

In the contracted form:
● You haven’t seen the last of me.

Examples:

● "I haven’t yet discovered why my phone makes this noise.”

● “Lucy hasn’t seen my new haircut yet.”
● “For three years, we’ve waited for you to visit, and you’re only
staying for a week?!”
● “Mike and Lynn have said it before: you’re always welcome here.”
● “Since 2018, we haven’t traveled at all. A newborn baby is tough
work, and yet I love every second of it!”
HAVE I?

“Have I left the stove on?”

For questions, we invert the order of the subject and the aux.
have/has, and the rest remains the same.

have/has + subj + past participle + complement?

Have you seen this dog? It’s

been missing since June.
Pease call the number if
you’ve seen Tyler.

FUN FACT!

Although they might appear to have similar meanings, the

expressions “yet” and “already” are not the same.
“Yet” refers to things which have not happened. It’s used in
negative sentences and in questions.
“Already” refers to things which have happened or which
people think may have happened. It’s used in affirmative
sentences and sometimes in
questions.
Examples:

● “It’s been great to see you all, but I have to go home. My wife’s
fallen asleep already.”
● “Working from home has gotten tiring for me. What about you,
have you gone back to the office yet?”
● “She’s already left the building, I better run.”
● “I loved that movie” “Have you seen this already? It’s not even in
theaters yet!”

Real examples:

● “They have to put ideology and religion and ethnicity aside” -

Benjamin Barber: Porque prefeitos deveriam governar o mundo
● “We should never lose focus of that objective to grow..” - The
Business in the World Around Us | Google Zeitgeist
● “why don't we just boil our squash, and our steak too?” - Binging
with Babish: Squash and Beef from It's Always Sunny in
Philadelphia

Recommendations:
★ Song: We Are the Champions, by Queen
★ Song: How Far I’l Go , from the Moana soundtrack
1) Complete the sentences with past continuous and simple past.

a. He ________________ (watch) a movie when his parents

________(arrive).
b. I ________________ (take) a shower when the lights _________ (go)
out.
c. When my mom __________ (call) me I _____________(play) chess.
d. While she _________________ (listen) to music, her sister __________
(get) into the room.
e. While Mary _____________ (try) to sleep, she _________ (hear) a
noise.
f. We ___________ (read) when the soccer match __________ (start).

2) What were they doing?

b.

e.g: She was playing video-game. _______________________.

a. c.

_____________________________. ________________________.
3) Answer according to yourself.

a. What were you doing last night?

b. Where were you studying last week?
c. What were you watching last month?
d. What were you eating yesterday morning?
e. What were you doing before starting to study?

4) Choose the correct possessive pronoun to complete the sentences.

a. That’s not my jacket. That’s ______ (hers/ her).

b. The blue shirt right over there is ______ (my/mine)
c. That ball is ______ (mine/ my), not (your/yours)
d. That is _____-(his/him) video game.
e. Is that pencil case _______ (her/ hers).

5) What kind of fabric are these things made of?

a. c.

b. d.
e. f.

6) Complete the sentences with the words in the box:

baggy -casual - cheap - elegant - expensive - formal

- take off- try on- match

a. I can’t afford that car. It’s too ______________.

b. Why don’t you ___________ these shoes to see if they are
comfortable?
c. Lily’s party requires __________ clothing. So I need to buy a new
suit.
d. Yellow and green don’t _________ at all.
e. Only $10? That’s very ___________.
f. Beyoncé was so _____________ on the Red Carpet.
g. I can’t buy that jeans. They’re too _______.
h. Please, __________ your shoes before getting home. They are dirty.
i. I don’t like wearing fancy clothes. I prefer ________ clothing

7) How would you describe your style?

8) What kind of clothes do you like to wear?

9) What kind of clothes you don’t like to wear?

10) Choose the best modal verb to complete the sentences:

a. You __________ (could/ should) listen to your mom.

b. You __________ (don’t have to/ can’t) park here.
c. People _______ (should/shouldn’t) waste food.
d. (Should/Can) I have a cheeseburger, please?
e. I broke my leg, so I (couldn’t/can’t) play soccer this weekend.
f. (Should/ Can) you play the piano?
g. She (shouldn’t/should) eat so much junk food.

11) It’s your turn! Write a short horror story by using the past
continuous and send to us!
1) 6)

a. was watching/ arrived a. expensive

b. was taking/ went b. try on
c. called/ was playing c. formal
d. was listening/ got d. match
e. was trying/ heard e. chep
f. were reading/ started f. elegant
g. baggy
2) h. take off
i. casual
a. They were drinking beer.
b. They were flying a kite. 7)
c. He was eating pizza.
Personal answer.
3)
8)
Personal answers.
Personal answer.
4)
9)
a. hers
b. mine Personal answer.
c. mine/yours
d. his 10)
e. hers
a. should
5) b. can’t
c. shouldn’t
a. cotton d. Can
b. wool e. can’t
c. denim f. Can
d. leather g. shouldn’t
e. silk
f. suede 11)

Personal answer.