Caught on Camera
Present Tense Contrast
Dear students, welcome to English lessons with Sabaq Online. These lessons are designed in order to improve your intermediate English level. Let’s start and study together!
First of all, let’s discuss what our plans are. By the end of this lesson, you should be able to:
- distinguish differences between present tenses and use them in real life;
- learn differences between dynamic and state verbs;
- describe clothes; and express your opinions;
- to write an informal letter
1 Grammar
1 Present Simple – жай осы шақ
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‘+’ verb/verb + (e)s I play (He plays) tennis. ‘-‘ do/does not + verb You do not (She does not) play tennis. ‘?’ do/does … + verb? Do they (Does she) play tennis? |
We use the present simple:
- to talk about regular habits or repeated actions:
I get up really early and practice for an hour or so most days.
Words that describe how often or when are often used(e.g. always, generally, normally, usually, often, sometimes, rarely, never, every day, every evening).
- to talk about permanent situations:
My parents own a restaurant.
! We use the present perfect, not the present simple, to say how long something has continues:
I have worked there since I was 15. (not I work there since I was 15)
- to talk about facts or generally accepted truths:
If you heat water to 100°C, it boils.
The following words are often used: generally, mainly, normally, usually, traditionally.
- to give instructions and directions:
You go down to the traffic lights, then you turn left.
- to tell stories and talk about films, books, etc.
In the film, the tea lady falls in love with the Prime Minister.
2 Present Continuous – созылмалы осы шақ
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‘+’ am/is/are + verb + -ing I am (He is) living in Thailand. ‘-‘ am/is/are not + verb + -ing She is (They are) not living in Thailand. ‘?’ am/is/are … + verb + -ing? Are you/we living in Thailand? |
We use the present continuous:
- to talk about actions happening at the moment of speaking:
I am waiting for my friend.
- to talk about temporary situations:
He is studying really hard for his exams.
My cousin is living in Thailand at the moment. (= he doesn’t normally live there)
Words like at the moment, currently, now, this week/month/year are often used.
- to talk about trends or changing situations:
The Internet is making it easier for people to stay in touch with each other.
The price of petrol is rising dramatically.
- to talk about things that happen more often than expected, often to show envy or to criticize with words like always, constantly, continually, forever:
My mom is always saying I don’t help enough! (complaint)
He is always visiting exciting places! (envy)
3 State and Dynamic verbs
The present continuous is not normally used with state verbs because the meaning of the verb itself is a general truth rather than something temporary. These verbs describe thoughts, feelings, senses, possession and description.
Here are some examples of state verbs:
- thoughts: agree, assume, believe, disagree, forget, hope, know, regret, remember, suppose, think, understand
I assume you’re too busy to play computer games.
- feelings: adore, despise, dislike, enjoy, feel, hate, like, love, mind, prefer, want
Do you mind if I ask you a few questions?
- senses: feel, hear, see, smell, taste
This pudding smells delicious.
! To talk about something happening now we use can:
I can smell something burning.
- possessions: have, own, belong
My parents own a restaurant.
- description: appear, contain, look, look like, mean, resemble, seem, smell, sound, taste, weigh
You look like your mother. (= a permanent situation, not a temporary one)
Some state verbs can be used in the continuous form when the meaning is temporary = dynamic verbs. Compare:
What are you thinking about? (now)
I think you should tell her exactly what happened. (my opinion, so not temporary)
She is having a great time. (is having = is experiencing, not possession)
Students don’t generally have much money (have = possession)
2 Vocabulary and Speaking (Listening?)
Intermediate English level vocabulary to describe clothes
Patterns: spotty, stripy, checked, flowery, plain
Shape: baggy, long, loose, short, tight
Texture: fluffy, flurry, lacy, shiny, smooth, sparkly, woolly
Materials: cotton, fur, leather, nylon, velvet, wool
Other: full-length, high-heeled, long/short-sleeved, matching
The people in the photos were described on a website as Hollywood’s worst-dressed celebrities. Do you agree?
Give reasons using the adjectives below.
Awful; beautiful; cool; cute elegant gaudy great old-fashioned scruffy smart stylish trendy 
Expressing opinions
I think / don’t think ... You can’t deny that ...
In my opinion / view, ... There’s no doubt that ...
In general, when we describe something, we tend to use adjectives. Therefore, here are some rules and advises.
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The general order is opinion before facts. Determiners like articles (a, an, the), possessives (my, your, etc.), demonstratives (this, that, etc.), quantifiers (some, any, many, etc.), and numbers always appear before anything else. |
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DETERMINER -> OPINION ADJECTIVES -> FACT ADJECTIVES -> NOUNS |
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Fact adjectives can be further broken down and arranged into: other/size, shape, age, color/origin/material/purpose. |
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Adjective prefixes |
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We use the prefixes un-, dis- and in- to give an adjective the opposite meaning.\n uncomfortable dissatisfied incredible |
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\n Before m and p, in- usually changes to im-: impossible Before r, in- usually changes to ir-: irresponsible Before l, in- usually changes to il-: illogical |
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Expressions with look |
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look (a bit / just) like + noun / person look + adjective\n look as though / as if / like + clause |
3 Writing
An informal letter, also referred to as a friendly letter, a personal letter written to friends or relatives. It is written in personal fashion.
There are fewer formatting rules for informal letters than there are for business or formal letters. It is a personal letter, written to whom you are familiar with, like friends, siblings, parents or any other closed one whereas the formal letter is written for business or professional purposes with a specific objective in mind.
Format of Informal letter
There is no set format when writing an informal letter. But there is a general pattern, some conventions that people usually follow
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\n Address
The first thing to write is your address, i.e. the address of the writer (basically, the sender’s address). We usually write the address on the left-hand side of the page at the very top.
\n Date
Next just below the address we write the date. This allows the reader to have a reference as to when the informal letter was written.
\n Greeting
Now since you know the person you are writing to, the greeting can be informal as well. If it is a friend or someone close to your age you can greet them by their first name, like “Dear Alex”. If you are writing to your relative like your mother/father/aunt/uncle etc, you may greet them as such, for example, “Dear Mom”.
\n Introductory Paragraph
And now we begin writing the actual letter. The introductory paragraph sets the tone for the whole letter. You might begin by asking the recipient about their well being. Or you may say that you hope the letter finds them in good health and great spirits. The opening of informal letters should be casual and comforting. It must not be formal and direct as in business letters.
\n Body of the Letter
The letter overall should maintain a friendly tone. One way to determine the tonality of your letter is to remember how you talk to the person in a conversation. And then apply the same syntax and sentiments to the letter.
\n Conclusion
In the conclusive paragraph sum up the reason for writing the letter, i.e. summarize the letter. Say a meaningful and affectionate goodbye to the reader. And do not forget to invite the reader to write back or reply to your letter. It shows an intention to keep the conversation going.
\n Signature
There is no one way to sign off informal letters. Since they do not follow a strict format, you may sign off as you please. Some commonly used phrases are
- Lots of Love
- Best,
- Best Wishes,
- Kind Regards,
- Kindly,
Pick the one that best suits the occasion and then simply sign your name below the greeting.
Reference
Falla, T. and Davies, P., 2012. Solutions. 2nd ed. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
