“Inglés”
January – June 2024
Week 03
Tips for learning English
1. Try shadowing
2. Talk to yourself
3. Describe what you see
4. Listen to and watch English media
5. Use conversation apps and language partners
6. Try tongue twisters
7. Listen to an English song with lyrics
8. Read out loud
In unit 2, we will:
• read about animals and the mirror for intelligence.
• learn language to make deductions and speculate about matters through tag questions.
• expand our animal-related vocabulary.
• understand the difference between the English articles.
• practice our listening skills by listening to a caretaker of animals.
Tag questions:
When we use tag questions, we would like to confirm information that we
are almost certain about or we would like to check information that we are
not sure about.
In other words, we turn a statement into a question.
Using tag questions is a different form of speculating or “guessing”.
Tag questions mean something like “Is that right?”.
Tag questions
Tag questions exist of a main clause and a “question tag,” which consists of a verb and a pronoun.
By means of the tag, we would like to confirm the main clause.
If the main clause is positive, the tag is negative, and vice versa.
+
You really like English class, don’t you?
Ana doesn’t like Italian food, does she?
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Tag questions
• Please remember that the tense of the main clause is ALWAYS the same as the question tag.
• Always ensure that the main clause’s subject is the same as in the tag question.
• In tag questions, we only use subject pronouns. (I, you, he, she, it, we, and they)
John runs every day, doesn’t he?
same subject
Teddy and I weren’t invited to the party, were we?
same subject
Tag questions
One verb main clause, use the verb “to do” in the tag question. (do, does, or did!!!)
i.e. John enjoys mathematics, doesn’t he?
Two verb main clause; repeat the auxiliary verb in the tag question. (not the main verb!!!!)
i.e. John hasn`t finished the work, has he?
Your friends will go to the party, won’t they?
Ana didn’t work in CEMEX, did she?
“To be” main clause; repeat the verb “to be” in the tag question. (am, are, is, was, were!!!!)
i.e. We are having trouble with this exercise, aren’t we?
Our teacher isn’t Mexican, is she?
Be careful…
We use “they” to refer to somebody, anybody, everybody, and nobody. (Somebody called earlier, didn’t they?)
We use a “positive tag” after never, hardly, and little. (He never gives up, does he?)
Some other exceptions….
I’m a medicine student, aren’t I?
You have to go, don’t you?
Let’s go, shall we?
English articles
Articles are words that are placed together with ________ to introduce them.
English articles
The definite articles are used when we know which noun they refer to.
i.e. Can you give me the phone, please?
The indefinite articles are used when we do not know which noun they
refer to.
i.e. Can you give me a phone, please?
The zero article means we don’t use any article before a noun.
i.e. Tom always drinks water with dinner.
Definite article – the
The is the most frequently used English word.
The can precede singular, plural, countable and uncountable nouns.
Can you park the car?
Can you park the cars?
The is used when the reader or listener knows what we are referring to.
We use the definite article when:
We talk about or identify a specific person or object.
i.e. Your suitcase is still in the car. I will get it for you.
We have already mentioned the noun we are referring to in a previous sentence.
i.e. "I went to see a doctor for my knee yesterday. The doctor was very professional."
A person or object is unique, with only one of them.
i.e. The Internet is very slow today.
We want to say something about a whole group of people, animals, or objects.
i.e. My uncle gives a lot of money to the poor.
Indefinite article
There are two forms of indefinite articles: a and an.
The indefinite article can only be used for singular countable nouns.
i.e. I read a book during the holidays.
The sound of the noun determines when to use a or an.
i.e. I got an MBA from Harvard. & I studied at a fantastic
university.
We use the indefinite article when:
we mention something for the first time.
i.e. My sister bought a new computer in the United States.
It was an honor to meet the president.
it refers to something general, not something specific.
i.e. I want to buy a new car.
The indefinite article is used ONLY with singular nouns that can be counted.
i.e. I want to earn a money.
Zero article
We do NOT put “a” “an” or “the” before the noun.
We cannot use the zero article for singular countable nouns.
i.e. Do you like book?
The zero article precedes proper nouns, uncountable nouns that refer to
abstract or plural nouns when the reference is indefinite.
i.e. Children like chocolate.
John works for Cemex.
We use the zero article with:
plural countable nouns talking in general.
i.e. There are always tourists in Cancun.
with non-countable nouns when talking in general.
i.e. Do you have money with you?
with proper names, months, places, most countries, and products.
i.e. My sister was born in June.
My grandfather lives in Italy.
Let’s practice…
1. George went to ____ Netherlands for a holiday. He loved it.
2. We need ____ special sugar for the recipe.
3. ____ street was full, and we had to park ____ car somewhere else.
4. Jennifer spotted ____ beautiful bird in the park and searched for it on ____ Internet.
5. Luckily____ water in our pool is rather warm.
Don't forget to complete Unit 2 of the Digital Workbook
on the Moodle platform before 12:00 pm midday
on Saturday, February 17th.
(No exceptions)
We recommend completing your homework before Saturday to avoid any potential issues with the platform or your
Internet connection. This will ensure that you receive credit for your efforts.
