Unit 1
Yves Wyss
Yves Wyss
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Cartes-fiches
Grammar
Prepositions of time
When do you use at, on and in?
- We use at for times of the day: at ten o'clock, at 8.15, at lunchtime, etc. and with expressions such as at the weekend, at night, at New Year, etc.
- We use on for days and dates: on Monday, on Saturday morning, on February 5th, on the last day of the month, etc.
- We use in for years, seasons, months, long periods, and parts of the day: in 2010, in winter, in July, in the holidays, in the afternoon, etc.
- We can use a word, e.g. sometimes, always or phrase like most afternoons or every night.
- We usually put one-word frequency adverbs (and hardly ever) before the main verb: We sometimes watch a film in the evening. I don't usually go out until 8 o'clock. It hardly ever rains in July.
- With am, are, is was or were, etc. they come after the verb: Tey are always late! Nowadays my grandfather is often ill.
- They also come after auxiliary and modal verbs: It has often happend. I can never understand him.
- If we want to, we can put usually, often, sometimes and occasionally at the beginning or end of a sentence: Occasionally, we eat in the garden. I feel tired sometimes.
- We cannot put always or never at the beginning or end: not correct exaples: Always I work hard. I play table tennis never.
- We put phrases at the beginning or end: I have piano lessons once a week. Most evenings I stay at home.
- We can form questions using: How often do you, Do you ever, Do you always, etc.: How often do you swim? Do you ever drink tea? Do you always walk to school?
Grammar:
Present simple: How to form it and when do you use it?
Grammar:
Present continuous: How to form it and when do you use it?
The present continuous is used to describe:
- a temporary situation: I'm living with my uncle while they are painting our house.
- an activity happening at the present moment: I'm sorry you can't talk to at the moment. She's having a shower.
- an ativity in progress but not exactly at the present moment: I'm studying three foreign languages, so I'm quite busy nowadays.
- a situation which is changing or developing: Lots of people are coming ti live here, so the town is growing quickly.
- things the speaker finds strange or annoying, with always. (This is a way of complaining): You're always using the telephone. Our phone bill will be enormous!
- something which happens frequently, with always: My girlfriend is always cooking me special meals.
Gramar
State Verbs
What are state verbs and when do you use it?
Verbs which describe states, not actions, are not usually used in continuous. These verbs describe:
- thoughts: belive, know, remember, forget, think (meaning belive), feel (meaning belive), guess (meaning belive), suppose, understanbd, etc.
- feelings: like, hate, want, need, prefer, etc.
- senses: smell, taste, hear, see
- possession: have, belong, own, contain, include, etc.
- existance: exist, remain, consist, seem, mean, matter, etc.
- the verb be
Some state verbs can be used in the continuous when they describe actions:
- I'm thinking about what you said. (i'm considering it.)
- She's feeling unhappy. (How she is at the moment.)
- The shop assistant is weighing the fruits for us. (He's measuring the number of kilos.)
Other verbs like this include see, taste, smell, and be.
Grammar
Countable ad uncountable nouns
Nuns can be either countable [C] or uncountable [U].
Countable nouns.
- use a or an in the singular, e.g. a job, an animal
- can be made plural, e.g. cars, books
- use some and any in the plural e.g. some friends, any answers
Uncountable nouns:
- do not use a or an
- cannot be made plural, e.g. work, music
- use verbs in the sigular, e.g. the news is good, music helps me relax
- use some and any in the singular, e.g. some food, any advice
We often use different quantifiers (a few, many, etc.) with countable and uncountable nouns.
- For small quantities of countable nouns, we use a few : a few students
- For small quantities of uncountable nouns, we use a little: a little information
- For large quantities of countable nouns, we use many: Are there many rooms in the hotel? I don't have many CDs.
- For large quantities of uncountable nouns in negative sentences and questions, we use much: There isn't much information. Do you have much homework?
- We can use a lot of or lots of for large quantities of countable and uncountable nouns: We had a lot of fun. I have lots of friends. Does she have lots of money?
- If there is no noun after the quantifier, we use a lot without of: I like him a lot.
- We can use other words to refer to a quantity of an uncountable noun, e.g. a bit of food, an amount of money, a drop of water
Grammar
Preposition of place
The preposition at, on and in tell us where someone or something is.
- We use at for a point, e.g. at the bus stop, and in expressions like at the top, at the back, at the station, at the seaside, at school and at a party
- We use on for surfaces, e.g. on the table, on the wall, and lines, e.g. on the coast, on the boarder.
- We use in when someone or something is in a space, e.g. in a building, in a field, in the water, in South America
manchmal
sometimes
adverb
He sometimes goes to America
He goes to America sometimes
Sometimes he seems very forgetful.
meistens
most
adverb
mainly
I go to bed early most of the time.
sich beklagen
complain
regular verb
to state one’s displeasure,dissatisfaction etc
die Rechnung (an der Supermarktkasse)
bill
countable noun
an account of money owed for goods etc
an electricity bill
besonders
special
adjective
out of the ordinary; unusual orexceptional
a special occasion
a special friend.
aussergewöhnlich
exceptional
adjective
(negative unexceptional) unusual; remarkable
exceptional loyalty
His ability is exceptional.
erraten, raten, denken
guess
verb
to say what is likely to be the case, to suppose
I'm trying to guess the height of his building.
If you don't know the answer, just guess.
I guess I'll have to leave now.
scheinen
(nicht die Sonne)
seem
regular verb
to have the appearance or give the impression of being or doing
A thin person always seems (to be) taller than he really is
She seems kind
Angelegenheit
matter
noun [C and U]
a subject or topic (ofdiscussion etc)
a private matter
money matters.
nachdenken
consider
regular verb
to think about (carefully)
He considered their comments.
I’m considering leaving this job.