Essential English for Busy Adults

Present tense verbs Base verbI….He/She…. Eat I eat…. He/She eats… Work I work He/She works TryI tryHe/She tries StudyI studyHe/She studies Do I do He/She does

When do you use the present tense? 1. To tell the truth or a fact The car is red. 2. To tell something that is your habit I study English at the library on Monday. 3. To tell information from research or a book In the contract, employees work 40 hours a week.

When do you use the present tense? 4. A future event The movie starts in 1 hour. 5. A future event in an adverb clause. When my children go to college, I will miss them. Now Practice: Create 1 sentence for each of the five uses of the present tense.

1. am/is/are + 2. Verb + ing = Present progressive tense I am swimming.

Base verbI…He/She…. EatI am eatingHe/She is eating WorkI am working He/She is working TryI am tryingHe/She is trying StudyI am studyingHe/She is studying DoI am doingHe/She is doing

When do you use the present progressive tense? 1. For an action that is happening now and will end. The students are meeting at the library to plan the class dinner. 2. For a long action that is happening now. The students are studying at the library for 6 weeks.

When do you use the present progressive tense? 4. An action that repeats and causes problems The rain is always causing traffic on I An event in the near future The new restaurant is opening tomorrow. Now Practice: Create 1 sentence for each of the 5 uses of the present progressive tense

1. have/has + 2. Past participle = Present Perfect Tense I have visited France many times.

What is the past participle? Add –d or –ed to the end of a verb Work worked Study studied Try tried Eat eaten**** Do done**** List of Irregular English Verbs

When do you use the present perfect tense? 1. Action that started in the past and continues in the present. I have taught English for 7 years. 2. Action that just finished. We have just finished class. I am coming home now.

When do you use the present perfect tense? 3. A past action that still influences the present. The government has cut taxes recently because of the poor economy. 4. A action that happened several times and may happen again. The teacher has delayed the test because the students had many questions.

When do you use the present perfect tense? 5. To tell if you have any experience Have you ever read 100 Years of Solitude? Yes, I have read 100 Years of Solitude. No, I havent read 100 Years of Solitude. 6. A change or an accomplishment. Scientists have found a cure for cancer! 7. An unfinished action that may happen The author has not finished the book on the history of Colombia.

You want to know information: You cant find on a company or school website You cant find in an article You are unsure if you have the correct information

Dear Ms. Ventura, I am writing in regards to the article published in La Prensa on February 6 th on the free English classes at the Orange County Public Library. My colleagues and I, who are native Speakers of Spanish, were interested in enrolling. I would appreciate it if you could tell me how people can register for the English classes at the library? Can a person register if they do not have a library card? Thank you for your attention. I look forward to hearing from you. Regards, Isabel Gonzalez

Important phrases (Business Correspondence pg. 55): Tell me what time the class is. Can you please tell me what time the class is. You Practice: Complete Practice 4 on page 55 and Letter Practice 2 on page 57