What are you doing now?

Grammar
Presentsimpletenseverbtobe
Thepresentcontinuous
Watchandremember
Test
Vocabulary
Uncountablenouns
Listenandremember
Test
Read
Myhecticlife
Readingcomprehension
Listen
Listeningquizonthepresentcontinuous
Speaking
Write
Readthisemail
Masterclassonwriting
Nowyouwrite








U
N
I
T


B1 English course

UNIT 1 Grammar
Grammar

Present simple tense verb to be

Verb Meaning
I am Yo soy/ estoy
You are T eres/ests - Usted es/est
He is
l es/est
She is
Ella es/est
It is
El/ella/ello (para cosas) es/est
You are Vosotros/as sois/estis - Ustedes son/estn
We are Nosotros/as somos/estamos
They are Ellos/as son/estn


Contractions
I am Im
You are Youre
He is
Hes
She is
Shes
It is
Its
You are Youre
We are Were
They are Theyre

How to make affirmative sentences

Structure:

Subject + am/ is /are + object
B1 English course

UNIT 1 Grammar
Examples:

I am a teacher
Yo soy profesor/a.
subject verb object

He is busy. l est ocupado.
You are a doctor. T eres mdico.

How to ask questions

Structure:

Am/ Is /Are + subject + object?

Examples:

Am I a teacher?
Soy yo profesor/a?
verb subject object

Is he busy? Est l ocupado?
Are you a doctor? Eres t mdico?

How to answer questions

Structure:

Yes, + subject + am/ is/ are
No, + subject + am/ is/ are + not

Examples:

Yes, I am
-/not Yes/ No subject am/ is/ are

B1 English course

UNIT 1 Grammar
No, Im not.
Yes, they are.
No, we arent.

How to make negative sentences

Structure:

Subject + am/ is/ are + not + object

Examples:

I am not a teacher
Yo no soy profesor/a
subject verb not object

He is not busy. l no est ocupado.
You are not a doctor. T no eres mdico.

How to ask negative questions

Structure:

Am/ Is/ Are + not + subject + object?

Examples:

Arent you a teacher?
No eres profesor/a?
verb + not subject object

Isnt he busy? No est l ocupado?
Arent you a doctor? No eres t mdico?

When we ask negative questions we usually make a contraction: isnt,
arent, but with the first person we say Am I not ...?
B1 English course

UNIT 1 Grammar
The present continuous

I am working. Estoy trabajando.
You are working. T/ usted est trabajando.
He is working.
l est trabajando.
She is working.
Ella est trabajando.
It is working.
Est funcionando.
You are working. Vosotros/as estis trabajando - Ustedes estn trabjando.
We are working. Nosotros/as estamos trabajando.
They are working. Ellos/as estn trabajando.

How to make affirmative sentences

Structure:

Subject + am/ is/ are + main verb ing + object

Examples:

He is watching TV
l est mirando la
televisin
subject verb verb-ing object

They are having lunch. Ellos estn comiendo.
Im waiting for my son. Estoy esperando a mi hijo.

How to ask questions

Structure:

Am/ Is/ Are + subject + main verb ing + object?



B1 English course

UNIT 1 Grammar
Examples:

Is he watching TV?
l est mirando
la televisin?
verb subject verb-ing object

Are they having lunch? Estn ellos comiendo?
Are you waiting for your son? Ests esperando a tu hijo?

How to answer questions

Structure:

Yes, + subject + am /is/ are
No, subject + am/is/ are + not

Examples:

Yes, I am
-/not Yes/ No subject verb

No, Im not.
Yes, they are.
No, we arent.

How to make negative statements

Subject + am/ is/ are + not + verb-ing + object

Examples:

I am not listening to the radio
No estoy escuchando
la radio
subject verb not verb-ing object

B1 English course

UNIT 1 Grammar
He is not busy l no est ocupado
You are not a doctor T no eres mdico.

How to ask negative questions

Structure:

Am/ Is/ Are + not + subject + verb-ing?

Examples:

Arent you teaching?
No ests
enseando?
verb + not subject verb-ing

Isnt he watching TV? No est l mirando la television?
Arent they having lunch? No estn comiendo?

The present continuous is used for:

An activity happening at the present moment:
o Sorry, I cant go there now, Im working.
Lo siento, no puedo ir all ahora, estoy trabajando.

An activity in progress but not exactly at the present moment:
o They want to improve their English, so theyre reading many books in
English.
Quieren mejorar su ingls, por ello estn leyendo muchos libros en ingls.

A non-permanent situation:
o Shes watering the plants while he is away.
Ella est regando sus plantas mientras l est fuera.

A situation which is changing or starting to take place:
o House prices are starting to fall in Britain.
Los precios de las casas estn empezando a bajar en Gran Bretaa.
B1 English course

UNIT 1 Grammar
Things the speaker finds strange or annoying, with use of always:
o You are always finding excuses not to do your homework. Youre going to fail
your exams!
Siempre ests encontrando excusas para no hacer los deberes. Vas a
suspender los exmenes!

Things that are always happening, with use of always:
o Marks father is always fixing things, he loves it!
El padre de Mark siempre est arreglando cosas, le encanta!

IMPORTANT: In Spanish we can talk about activities happening at the
present moment with the present tense. For example, we can say: Qu haces? In
English, we normally use the present continuous, not the present simple tense in
this case.
Correct: What are you doing?
Incorrect: What do you do?


Watch and remember

Present Continuous I











The video is available in the virtual classroom

B1 English course

UNIT 1 Grammar
Present Continuous II










The video is available in the virtual classroom


Test

1. I am looking forward to you soon.
A. see.
B. seeing.
C. knowing.
D. know.

2. My husband is always his keys.
A. forget.
B. miss.
C. missing.
D. forgetting.

3. I . after her house this summer while she is on holiday.
A. am watching.
B. am seeing.
C. am looking.
D. am sitting.




B1 English course

UNIT 1 Grammar
4. The company five people in June.
A. are employing.
B. is employing.
C. hires.
D. employs.

5. At the moment I . for a new job.
A. am looking.
B. look.
C. am watching.
D. watch.

6. I am TV as I cook dinner.
A. following.
B. seeing.
C. viewing.
D. watching.

7. What you always losing?
A. is.
B. am.
C. are.
D. do.

8. When .. he next going on holiday?
A. is.
B. am.
C. are.
D. do.

9. .. I am studying for an exam.
A. Always.
B. Sometimes.
C. Yesterday.
D. At the moment.


B1 English course

UNIT 1 Grammar
10. I . study for exams.
A. always.
B. this morning.
C. right now.
D. today.

B1 English course

UNIT 1 Vocabulary
Vocabulary

Uncountable nouns

Concept: uncountable nouns are nouns that cannot be counted because they cannot
be divided. Typical examples are liquids, such as, milk, water, beer, wine, or food, such
as bread, meat or rice.

It is important to remember that:

Countable nouns can take either singular or plural forms, but uncountable nouns
can take only singular forms although sometimes they may be pluralized when
used in a countable sense.

For example:
Paper (uncountable) I like to use only recycled paper. Me gusta utilizar solo papel
reciclado.
Papers (countable) They have to hand in their papers by Friday. Ellos tienen que
entregar sus trabajos escritos el viernes.

As uncountable nouns cannot be counted you therefore cannot say: A/An +
uncountable noun.

For example:
You cannot say: Im going to give you an advice. Te voy a dar un consejo.
You have to say: Im going to give you some advice. Te voy a dar algunos consejos.
You can also say: Im going to give you a piece of advice. Te voy a dar un consejo.

It is possible to make uncountable nouns countable if we add other words to the
uncountable word. Examples of these types of words are: a piece of, an item, a bottle, a
grain, etc.
B1 English course

UNIT 1 Vocabulary
For example:
Milk (uncountable): leche.
A bottle of milk: Una botella de leche.

There are some uncountable nouns that are especially troublesome for Spanish
speakers because in Spanish these nouns are countable. Here are some examples:

Advice (consejo) A piece of advice. Un consejo.
News (noticias) A piece of news. Una noticia.
Bread (pan) A loaf of bread, a piece of bread. Un trozo de pan.
Furniture (mueble) A piece of furniture. Un mueble.
Information (informacin) A piece of information. Una informacin.

List of uncountable nouns

Contractions Phonetics
Approximate
pronunciation
Meaning Example
Advice
/d'vas/
advais consejo
They gave me some
good advice.
Me dieron buenos
consejos.
Information
/'nfr'men/
informeishon informacin
He didnt have any
information.
l no tena ninguna
informacin.
News
/nu:z/
niuss noticias
I have good news.
Tengo buenas
noticias.
Furniture
/'f:rntr /
fernicher muebles
Thats a nice piece of
furniture.
Ese es un mueble
bonito.
Milk
/mlk/
milk leche
I would like to have
some milk.
Quiero tomar leche.
Water
/'w:tr /
uater agua
There is no water.
No hay agua.
B1 English course

UNIT 1 Vocabulary
Contractions Phonetics
Approximate
pronunciation
Meaning Example
Rice
/ras/
raiss arroz
People in China eat
lots of rice.
La gente en China
come mucho arroz.
Money
/'mni/
mani dinero
She is going to need
some money.
Ella va a necesitar
(algo de) dinero.
Sugar
/'gr/
shugar azcar
Would you like some
sugar?
Quieres azcar?
Wine
/ wan /
wain vino
I would like to have a
glass of wine.
Quiero una copa de
vino.

Some, Any

Both words can be used with countable and uncountable nouns.

Examples:
There are some pencils on the floor. (Countable) Hay unos lpices en el suelo.
There is some milk on the counter. (Uncountable) Hay leche en la encimera.
Did you have any water? (Uncountable) Tomaste agua?
Did you have any coins? (Countable) Tenas monedas?

Much, Many

Much can only be used with uncountable nouns.

How much money do you have? Cunto dinero tienes?

Many can only be used with countable nouns.

How many people are coming? Cunta gente viene?

B1 English course

UNIT 1 Vocabulary
A lot of, Lots of

Both words can be used to replace much or many.

She drank a lot of wine. (Uncountable) Ella bebi mucho vino. Lots of ideas are not
taken into account. (Countable) Muchas ideas no son tomadas en cuenta.

Little, Few

Little can only be used with uncountable nouns.

They had little information (Uncountable). Ellos tenan poca informacin.

Few can only be used with countable nouns.

She had very few apples in the basket. Ella tena pocas manzanas en la cesta.


Listen and remember

Uncountable nouns

The listening is available in the virtual classroom
B1 English course

UNIT 1 Vocabulary
Test

Match the two parts of the sentences.

1 Pass me a sheet of A coffee left?
2 How much B paper
3 Do we have any C rest
4 I like a drop of D time
5 How many E milk in my coffee
6 Im tired, I need some F mistakes
7
This translation has a lot of
G coins do you have?
8
To do this well I need plenty of
H sugar do you want in your tea?
9
Due to a lack of
I cake
10
Please pass me a slice of
J confidence I failed my driving test



B1 English course

UNIT 1 Read
Read

My hectic life

My name is Lisa Cox. I was born in New
Haven, Connecticut, but I am now
living in London with my husband and
three children. I work as a sales
manager for an American multi-
national company.
Im currently looking for a new job
because I want to start working part-
time to be able to spend more time at
home with my family, but its not easy
these days with so much
unemployment.
We are in the middle of winter and Im
working from home today. I am also
preparing a meal using a pressure
cooker. Its a wonderful solution when
you dont have a lot of time. I am
making a stew.
My children are now at school and my
husband is working in the city. He is
English and works as a bank manager.
My mother is staying with us at the
moment. Fortunately, she always takes
the children to the park when they
come back home from school! My
mother is still quite young so she can
keep them busy for hours on end.
If its raining they always start digging
in the dirt and they make dirt
brownies.

When they are back home, she always
cleans their shoes and clothes.
Its now midday and Im eating a slice of
pizza hoping not to fall asleep
midway through eating. Im counting
the days to our next holiday. We are
planning to fly to the States and spend
Christmas and New Year with my
family in Florida.
Fortunately, Im not travelling this
week. My youngest daughter, Elizabeth,
is not feeling too well. I think she just
has a mild cold, but I wouldnt like to
be away if she gets worse.
Im not unhappy with my life. I have a
nice family, live in beautiful house, but I
would certainly like to work less hours.


B1 English course

UNIT 1 Read
Vocabulary

Sales manager (n.): director comercial
Digging (v.): cavando
Dig: cavar
To be to able (v.): poder, ser capaz de Dirt (n.): tierra
Unemployment ( n.): desempleo Are back/ to be back (v.): volver
Pressure cooker (n.): olla a presin
Fall asleep midway (v.): quedarse
dormido/a/ en medio de
Stew (n.): guiso Be away (v.): estar fuera, ausentarse
Keep them busy (v.): mantenerlos
ocupados

Gets worse (v.): empeorar
Hours on end (n.): por largo tiempo




Reading comprehension

1. Why is Lisa looking for a new job?
A. Because she is worried about unemployment.
B. Because she wants to have more time with her family.
C. Because she doesnt like her job.

2. What nationality are her children?
A. American.
B. English.
C. Half American and half English.

3. What time of year is it?
A. Spring.
B. Autumn.
C. Winter.

4. What are the benefits of a pressure cooker?
A. Its clean.
B. Its quick.
C. Its quiet.

B1 English course

UNIT 1 Read
5. How many of Lisas children have left home?
A. 0.
B. 1.
C. 2.

6. Who looks after the children after school?
A. Their mother.
B. Their aunt.
C. Their grandmother.

7. Where is Lisa originally from?
A. Florida.
B. London.
C. Connecticut.

8. Where does Lisa want to go on holiday?
A. USA.
B. EU.
C. UK.

9. Why is Lisa happy that they are not travelling this week?
A. Because she is tired.
B. Because she has a lot of work.
C. Because her daughter is unwell.

10. How does Lisa feel about her life?
A. Very unhappy.
B. Happy.
C. Bored.


B1 English course

UNIT 1 Listen
Listen

Listening quiz on the present continuous

Listen to the conversation between two
friends on the phone then answer the
questions.

Answer the questions below. After listening
once:

1. What are the two women planning?
A. Shopping.
B. Dancing.
C. Eating.

Answer the questions below. After listening twice:

1. How much does the club normally cost?
A. 10.
B. 20.
C. 30.

2. Where is Sophie travelling to for her work?
A. Bond Street.
B. A bar.
C. Mexico.

3. What day are Sophie and Jane meeting?
A. Saturday.
B. Friday.
C. Sunday.



B1 English course

UNIT 1 Listen
Answer the questions below. After listening three times:

1. Who has started a new job?
A. Sophie.
B. Jane.
C. Janes friend.

2. How much are the women paying to get into the club?
A. 0.
B. 10.
C. 20.

3. What time are they meeting?
A. 10 p.m.
B. 11 p.m.
C. 12 p.m.

4. Why is Sophie going to Mexico?
A. To meet a friend.
B. On holiday.
C. To meet clients.


Speaking

Present continuous. Comparing two photos


The video is available in the virtual classroom

B1 English course

UNIT 1 Listen
Talking about the course

The video is available in the virtual classroom


B1 English course

UNIT 1 Write
Write

Read this email

From: Carla Simpson<csimpson@googlemail.com>
To: editorialenglish@com
Date: 13/10/2010 17:48
Subject: Permission enquiry

Dear Sirs,

I am contacting you in reference to a possible blog posting on our
blog: http://elblogdelingles.blogspot.com/. We try to help Spanish speakers learn
English and are constantly adding new posts with information about grammar and
vocabulary.

I have written a post about false friends between English and Spanish, as you will see in
the attachment, using vocabulary from the yourdictionary.com. However, we are a
little worried about whether we can actually post it or not and so would like to know if
we need your permission to do so.

I look forward to receiving your reply,

Yours Faithfully,
Carla Simpson

Vocabulary

Blog posting (v.): escribir un artculo para un blog.
False friends (n.): palabras que se parecen en espaol e ingls,
pero su significado es diferente en ambos idiomas.
Adding: aadiendo.
Add (v.): aadir.
B1 English course

UNIT 1 Write
Attachment (n.): documento adjunto.
Whether (conj.): si.
Post it (v.): publicarlo.
Looking forward to receiving your reply: Esperamos recibir su
contestacin.

Tips for writing a formal email

Subject: Short and to the point.
Start with Dear Sirs,
Explain why you are contacting them.
Write short paragraphs.
Copy examples of sentences from native English speakers;
dont make up your own sentences.
Check your own sentences pasting them onto Google and
seeing if they appear on natives websites. You can also use
www.linguee.es to check your sentences.
Say good-bye with Yours faithfully Yours sincerely.


Master class on writing

Writing a formal email












The video is available in the virtual classroom
B1 English course

UNIT 1 Write
Now you write

Instructions

You are the Permission Manager at yourdictionary.com and you have to write an email
to Carla Simpson thanking her for her email and saying that you have:
No objections to a short extract (less than 500 words).
The text should not be treated in a derogatory manner.
No changes can be made.
She must acknowledge the source.

Compare your text to this example:

Dear Carla,
Thank you for your email enquiry regarding the posting of an extract from one of our
publications into your blog.

Yourdictionary.com has no objections to a short extract (less than 500 words) from one
of our publications appearing in a blog, on the understanding it is not treated in a
derogatory manner, that the extract is quoted verbatim (no changes to be made) and
that you clearly acknowledge the source of the material.

However, should you wish to include larger extracts then that would be subject to
clearing permission with Yourdictionary.com prior to posting.

Yours sincerely

Karen Jackson
Permissions Manager, Legal Service
Canterbury Road, 222
Yourdictionary.comBC2 5RU, United Kingdom
www.yourdictionary.com


B1 English course

UNIT 1 Write
Vocabulary

To treat (v.): tratar.
Acknowledge the source (n.): dar a conocer la fuente.