Used to say how long someone has been doing something.
I have been studying English for 2 years.
I have been studying English since 1997.
The Past Tenses
Simple Past
Simple Past
Used to show a completed action
I studied English last Saturday.
Past Progressive/Continuous
Past Progressive
Often used to say when something was being done or what was happening when something else happened
I was studying English last Monday when my friend rang.
I was studying English at 5pm last Monday.
Past Perfect Simple
Past Perfect Simple
The past of have done. Used to say when something was done by.
I had done my English homework by 6.30 pm last Saturday.
I had done my English homework by the time I ate dinner last Saturday.
Past Perfect Progressive/Continuous
Past Perfect Progressive
The past of have been. Used to show how long something was done for by a certain time.
I'd been doing my English homework for 30 minutes when my friend rang last Saturday.
I'd been doing my English homework for 30 minutes by 1 pm last Saturday.
The Future Tenses
The future can be indicated in several different ways in English. It is often created with the use of auxiliaries: "She will be a student.", "She is going to drive a new car."
English can even create the future by using the simple present (used for timetables,programs etc.), "The train arrives at 10pm" or the present progressive (used for future plans), "He is collecting his mother from the station tonight." Simple Future (uses will or shall or going to + base form)
Simple Future (Some uncertainty)
Decide to do something at the time of speaking
I think I'll do my English homework tonight.
Simple Future (Certain)
Have already decided or arranged to do something
I am going to study English next Saturday.
Future Progressive/Continous (uses will be, shall be or going to be +-ing form)
Future Progressive (Some uncertainty)
The English lesson should begin at 7.30 and end at 9.15, so the person should be studying at 7.30 (but the lesson might start late).
I will be starting my English lesson at 7.30 pm.
Future Progressive (Certain)
The English lesson begins at 7.30 and ends at 9.15, so he's certain to be studying when his friend arrives at 8.00
I am going to be studying English when my friends arrive at 9.00 pm.
Future Perfect Simple (uses will have or shall have + past participle)
Future Perfect Simple
Used to say something will already be complete by a time.
I will have already done my English homework by the time I eat dinner on Saturday.
Future Perfect Progressive/Continuous (uses will have been or shall have been + -ing form)
Future Perfect Progressive
Used to say how long something will have been happening in the future by a certain time.
I will have been studying English for 30 minutes when my friends arrive.
**************************************************
for more information please, watch this video
·Topic sentence, which includes the topic and a controlling idea.
·Supporting ideas (usually 3 - 6), which support the topic sentence.
·RENNS (reasons, examples, names, numbers, senses), which develop the supporting ideas by giving details and explanation.
·Optional concluding sentence, which expresses the importance of the information in the paragraph, may summarize the supporting ideas if the paragraph is long, or provides a transition to the next paragraph of the essay.
·Unity, which means that all sentences in the paragraph directly support the topic sentence.
·Coherence, which means that all the information of the paragraph is well-organized, logically ordered and easy to follow. This is accomplished by:
oRepetition of key words and phrases (often from the topic sentence)
oParallel grammatical structure
oTransition words and phrases. Click here for a web site with many of these expressions.
Process of Writing a Paragraph:
1.Compose your topic sentence. Think of a topic and a controlling idea that will narrow the topic enough to support it well in one paragraph.
2.Brainstorm supporting ideas. Choose 2 - 6 supporting ideas that do a good job supporting your topic sentence.
3.Write your paragraph in topic outline form as follows. Don't actually write sentences in the outline, except for the topic sentence.
Topic sentence:
A. Supporting idea 1.
1.2.3.
B. Supporting idea 2.
1.2.3.
C. Supporting idea 3.
1.2.3.
Concluding sentence:
4.Put your supporting ideas in a logical order.
5.For each supporting idea, think of RENNS that further explain the idea. For balance, each supporting idea should have about the same number of RENNS.
6.Think of a concluding sentence.
7.Write your paragraph using sentences. Use the coherence strategies to make your paragraph easy to follow.
Here is an example done in class.
The students brainstormed and came up with a good topic sentence and supporting ideas:
Topic sentence: Choosing a college or university can be difficult.Supporting ideas: 1. Good Location, 2. Affordability, 3. Good preparation for major
They then decided to order these supporting ideas according to importance, as shown in the outline below.
Next, they put this information into outline form and added some RENNS for each supporting idea.
Topic sentence: Choosing a college or university can be difficult for high school graduates.
1. Ability to pay tuition and living expenses2. Possibility of scholarships
C. Good Location
1. Study environment2. Possibilities of part time job in major
Concluding sentence: Students should consider these points carefully so they can choose the most appropriate college or university for them.
Finally, the class wrote the paragraph using sentences and tried to make the paragraph coherent using different coherence strategies.
Choosing a college or university can be difficult high school graduates. The most difficult part is finding a university that prepares them well for their future career. In order to get a good job, the curriculum that is taught must be thorough and up-to-date. In addition, the professors must be highly qualified and respected in their fields. Another difficulty in choosing a university or college is affordability. Students need to be able to pay not only the tuition fees but also the living expenses. Fortunately, some institutions might be able to offer scholarships if students cannot afford the fees. Of course, a good location is also very important when choosing a school. The environment should be safe and quiet to facilitate studying. Moreover, there should be possibilities near the school for part time or summer jobs related to major to provide some practical work experience. High school graduates should consider all of these points carefully so they can choose the most appropriate college or university for them. **************************************************
for more information please, watch this video
- Conversation would be very strange if we had no pronouns. These are the words we use when we want to refer to people or things without continually repeating their names. If we really wanted to, We could say:
Ex: I saw Ahmed this morning. Ahmed came early to get Ahmed’s book.
It’s much more convenient to use some pronouns:
Ex: I saw Ahmed this morning. He came early to get his book.
· What are the types of pronouns?
- In English language we have the following types of pronouns:
1. Personal pronouns: represent specific people or things. We use them depending on:
number: singular (eg: I) or plural (eg: we)
person: 1st person (eg: I), 2nd person (eg: you) or 3rd person (eg: he)
gender: male (eg: he), female (eg: she) or neuter (eg: it)
case: subject (eg: we) or object (eg: us)
2. Relative pronouns: we use them in the context.
- Ex: who - whose - whom - which - that
I met the man who bought the house.
Isn’t that boy whose story was on TV?
The book that they really want is out of print.
3. Interrogative pronouns: the same words as the relative pronouns, but with different functions
Whose is this desk?
Which cup do you want?
4. Indefinite pronouns:
- Ex: anyone - somebody - everything… etc.
**************************************************
for more information please, watch this video
| You can use the following expressions & phrases in writing :
As everyone knows - The question that comes to mind is - In addition to that - For this reason - As a result of this- Anyway - However - Although - In spite of - Despite - Otherwise - But - So / therefore - On the other hand - If I were you I would - I think you should - Don’t ask me why - Add to this - Instead of / Instead - First of all - At the beginning - Then - Next - After that - Later - Finally - Above all - Briefly - Besides this - If you ask me - It seems to - me that - In my opinion - I totally agree with you - Sometimes you need - For example - For instance - Such as - On the occasion of - During that time - At the moment - Nowadays - While - Because of this - This problem is not - limited to - We act as the proverb says - It is my duty to - I have the right to say - I support for many reasons.
**************************************************
for more information please, watch this video
- Sentence is a group of words that make complete sense. When you give me a sentence I know you have told me or asked me something complete. In English language we have three types of sentences:
· Statement sentences: ( Telling something ).
- ( It begins with Noun or Pronoun )
· Imperative sentences: ( Commands someone to do something ).
