INDEX

What are nouns?

Countable Nouns

Uncountable Nouns

Proper Nouns

Possessive´s

Nouns as Adjective

English Presentation

Illustrated Vocabulary

Computer Vocabulary

Basic Tense BE
I. Introduction

Nouns
It's not easy to describe a noun. In simple terms, nouns are "things" (and verbs are "actions").
Like food. Food (noun) is something you eat (verb). Or happiness. Happiness (noun) is
something you want (verb). Or human being. A human being (noun) is something you are
(verb).

What are Nouns?

The simple definition is: a person, place or thing
teacher, school, book

Countable Nouns, Uncountable Nouns

Why is this important? Why do some nouns have no plural?
dog/dogs, rice, hair(s)

Proper Nouns (Names)

Do we say "Atlantic Ocean" or "the Atlantic Ocean"? Should I write "february" or "February"?
Shirley, Mr Jeckyll, Thailand, April, Sony

Possessive 's
Adding 's or ' to show possession.
John's car, my parents' house

Noun as Adjective
Sometimes we use a noun to describe another noun. In that case, the first noun is "acting as" an
adjective.
love story, tooth-brush, bathroom

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II. What are Nouns?

The simple definition is: a person, place or thing. Here are some examples:

• person: man, woman, teacher, John, Mary

• place: home, office, town, countryside, America
• thing: table, car, banana, money, music, love, dog, monkey

The problem with this definition is that it does not explain why "love" is a noun but can also be a
verb.

Another (more complicated) way of recognizing a noun is by its:

1. Ending
2. Position
3. Function

1. Noun Ending

There are certain word endings that show that a word is a noun, for example:

• -ity > nationality

• -ment > appointment
• -ness > happiness
• -ation > relation
• -hood > childhood

But this is not true for the word endings of all nouns. For example, the noun "spoonful" ends in -
ful, but the adjective "careful" also ends in -ful.

2. Position in Sentence

We can often recognise a noun by its position in the sentence.

Nouns often come after a determiner (a determiner is a word like a, an, the, this, my, such):

• a relief
• an afternoon
• the doctor
• this word
• my house
• such stupidity

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Nouns often come after one or more adjectives:

• a great relief
• a peaceful afternoon
• the tall, Indian doctor
• this difficult word
• my brown and white house
• such crass stupidity

3. Function in a Sentence

Nouns have certain functions (jobs) in a sentence, for example:

• subject of verb: Doctors work hard.

• object of verb: He likes coffee.
• subject and object of verb: Teachers teach students.

But the subject or object of a sentence is not always a noun. It could be a pronoun or a phrase. In
the sentence "My doctor works hard", the noun is "doctor" but the subject is "My doctor".

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III. Countable and Uncountable Nouns

English nouns are often described as "countable" or "uncountable".

Countable Nouns
Countable nouns are easy to recognize. They are things that we can count. For example: "pen".
We can count pens. We can have one, two, three or more pens. Here are some more countable
nouns:

• dog, cat, animal, man, person

• bottle, box, litre
• coin, note, dollar
• cup, plate, fork
• table, chair, suitcase, bag

Countable nouns can be singular or plural:

• My dog is playing.
• My dogs are hungry.

We can use the indefinite article a/an with countable nouns:

• A dog is an animal.

When a countable noun is singular, we must use a word like a/the/my/this with it:

• I want an orange. (not I want orange.)

• Where is my bottle? (not Where is bottle?)

When a countable noun is plural, we can use it alone:

• I like oranges.
• Bottles can break.

We can use some and any with countable nouns:

• I've got some dollars.

• Have you got any pens?

We can use a few and many with countable nouns:

• I've got a few dollars.

• I haven't got many pens.

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"People" is countable. "People" is the plural of "person". We can count people:

• There is one person here.

• There are three people here.

Uncountable Nouns
Uncountable nouns are substances, concepts etc that we cannot divide into separate elements.
We cannot "count" them. For example, we cannot count "milk". We can count "bottles of milk"
or "litres of milk", but we cannot count "milk" itself. Here are some more uncountable nouns:

• music, art, love, happiness

• advice, information, news
• furniture, luggage
• rice, sugar, butter, water
• electricity, gas, power
• money, currency

We usually treat uncountable nouns as singular. We use a singular verb. For example:

• This news is very important.

• Your luggage looks heavy.

We do not usually use the indefinite article a/an with uncountable nouns. We cannot say "an
information" or "a music". But we can say a something of:

• a piece of news
• a bottle of water
• a grain of rice

We can use some and any with uncountable nouns:

• I've got some money.

• Have you got any rice?

We can use a little and much with uncountable nouns:

• I've got a little money.

• I haven't got much rice.

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Uncountable nouns are also called "mass nouns".

Countable Uncountable
dollar money
song music
suitcase luggage
table furniture
battery electricity
bottle wine
report information
tip advice
journey travel
job work
view scenery

Nouns that can be Countable and Uncountable

Sometimes, the same noun can be countable and uncountable, often with a change of meaning.

Countable Uncountable
There are two hairs in my coffee! hair I don't have much hair.
There are two lights in our bedroom. light Close the curtain. There's too much light!
It's difficult to work when there is too much
Shhhhh! I thought I heard a noise. noise
noise.
Have you got a paper to read? (= I want to draw a picture. Have you got some
paper
newspaper) paper?
Our house has seven rooms. room Is there room for me to sit here?
We had a great time at the party. time Have you got time for a coffee?
Macbeth is one of Shakespeare's greatest work I have no money. I need work!
works.

Drinks (coffee, water, orange juice) are usually uncountable. But if we are thinking of a cup
or a glass, we can say (in a restaurant, for example): Two teas and one coffee please.

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IV. Proper Nouns (Names)
A proper noun is the special word (or name) that we use for a person, place or organization, like
John, Marie, London, France or Sony. A name is a noun, but a very special noun—a proper
noun. Proper nouns have special rules.

common noun proper noun

man, boy John
woman, girl Mary
country, town England, London
company Ford, Sony
shop, restaurant Maceys, McDonalds
month, day of the week January, Sunday
book, film War & Peace, Titanic

4.1 Using Capital Letters with Proper Nouns

We always use a Capital Letter for the first letter of a proper noun (name). This includes names
of people, places, companies, days of the week and months. For example:

• They like John. (not *They like john.)

• I live in England.
• She works for Sony.
• The last day in January is a Monday.
• We saw Titanic in the Odeon Cinema.

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4.2 Proper Nouns without THE

We do not use “the” with names of people. For example:

Bill (not *the Bill)

first names
Hilary
Clinton
surnames
Gates
full names Hilary Gates

We do not normally use “the” with names of companies. For example:

• Renault, Ford, Sony, EnglishClub.com

• General Motors, Air France, British Airways
• Warner Brothers, Brown & Son Ltd

We do not normally use “the” for shops, banks, hotels etc named after a founder or other person
(with -’s or -s). For example:

shops Harrods, Marks & Spencer, Maceys

banks Barclays Bank
hotels, restaurants Steve’s Hotel, Joe’s Café, McDonalds
churches, cathedrals St John’s Church, St Peter’s Cathedral

We do not normally use “the” with names of places. For example:

towns Washington (not *the Washington), Paris, Tokyo

states, regions Texas, Kent, Eastern Europe
countries England, Italy, Brazil
continents Asia, Europe, North America
islands Corsica
mountains Everest

Exception! If a country name includes “States”, “Kingdom”, “Republic” etc, we use “the”:

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states the United States, the US, the United States of America, the USA
kingdom the United Kingdom, the UK
republic the French Republic

We do not use “the” with “President/Doctor/Mr etc + Name”:

the president, the king President Bush (not *the President Bush)
the captain, the detective Captain Kirk, Detective Colombo
the doctor, the professor Doctor Well, Dr Well, Professor Dolittle
my uncle, your aunt Uncle Jack, Aunt Jill
Mr Gates (not *the Mr Gates), Mrs Clinton, Miss Black

Look at these example sentences:

• I wanted to speak to the doctor.

• I wanted to speak to Doctor Brown.
• Who was the president before President Kennedy?

We do not use “the” with “Lake/Mount + Name”:

the lake Lake Victoria

the mount Mount Everest

Look at this example sentence:

• We live beside Lake Victoria. We have a fantastic view across the lake.

We do not normally use “the” for roads, streets, squares, parks etc:

streets etc Oxford Street, Trenholme Road, Fifth Avenue

squares etc Trafalgar Square, Oundle Place, Piccadilly Circus
parks etc Central Park, Kew Gardens

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Many big, important buildings have names made of two words (for example, Kennedy Airport).
If the first word is the name of a person or place, we do not normally use “the”:

people Kennedy Airport, Alexander Palace, St Paul’s Cathedral

places Heathrow Airport, Waterloo Station, Edinburgh Castle

4.3 Proper Nouns with THE

We normally use "the" for country names that include “States”, “Kingdom”, “Republic” etc:

States the United States of America/the USA

Kingdom the United Kingdom/the UK
Republic the French Republic

We normally use “the” for names of canals, rivers, seas and oceans:

canals the Suez Canal

rivers the River Nile, the Nile
seas the Mediterranean Sea, the Mediterranean
oceans the Pacific Ocean, the Pacific

We normally use “the” for plural names of people and places:

people (families, for example) the Clintons

countries the Philippines, the United States
island groups the Virgin Islands, the British Isles
mountain ranges the Himalayas, the Alps

Look at these sentences:

• I saw the Clintons today. It was Bill’s birthday.

• Trinidad is the largest island in the West Indies.
• Mount Everest is in the Himalayas.

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We normally use “the” with the following sorts of names:

hotels, restaurants the Ritz Hotel, the Peking Restaurant

banks the National Westminster Bank
cinemas, theatres the Royal Theatre, the ABC Cinema
museums the British Museum, the National Gallery
buildings the White House, the Crystal Palace
newspapers the Daily Telegraph, the Sunday Post
organisations the United Nations, the BBC, the European Union

We normally use “the” for names made with “…of…”:

• the Tower of London

• the Gulf of Siam
• the Tropic of Cancer
• the London School of Economics
• the Bank of France
• the Statue of Liberty

1
Let's have lunch at McDonalds .

2
There are 12 months in a year.

3
My favourite movie is Greece .

4
Lisa works as a programmer at Microsoft .

5 common noun
I live in a small town in England.

6
My cousin lives in .

7
I want to visit when I finish school.

8
Call me when you arrive at .

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V. Possessive 's
When we want to show that something belongs to somebody or something, we usually add 's to a
singular noun and an apostrophe ' to a plural noun, for example:

• the boy's ball (one boy)

• the boys' ball (two or more boys)

Notice that the number of balls does not matter. The structure is influenced by the possessor and
not the possessed.

one ball more than one ball

one boy
the boy's ball the boy's balls

more than one boy

the boys' ball the boys' balls

The structure can be used for a whole phrase:

• the man next door's mother (the mother of the man next door)
• the Queen of England's poodles (the poodles of the Queen of England)

Although we can use of to show possession, it is more usual to use possessive 's. The following
phrases have the same meaning, but #2 is more usual and natural:

1. the boyfriend of my sister

2. my sister's boyfriend

VI. Proper Nouns (Names)

We very often use possessive's with names:

• This is Mary's car.

• Where is Ram's telephone?
• Who took Anthony's pen?

When a name ends in s, we usually treat it like any other singular noun, and add 's:

• This is Charles's chair.

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6.1 Irregular Plurals

Some nouns have irregular plural forms without s (man > men). To show possession, we usually
add 's to the plural form of these nouns:

singular noun

plural noun
my child's dog my children's dog
the man's work the men's work
the mouse's cage the mice's cage
a person's clothes people's clothes

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I. English Speaking

1. Telephone English
If the phone rings in English, don't be afraid to answer it! The fear of talking on the phone in a
second language will disappear if you practise often. The hardest part about using the phone in a
language that is not your own is the fact that you cannot see the other person's eyes, mouth and
body movements (body language). Although you might not be aware of it, in face-to-face
conversation you lip-read and watch for smiles, frowns and moving hands. Listening to someone
on the telephone is like doing a section from a taped recording in class. The only difference is
that you have to talk back!

In this lesson we look at some of the words and expressions that we use
for telephoning. There are also some practice sessions and a quiz for you
to check your understanding.

And remember, practice makes perfect! Ring, ring...

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2. Telephone Terms

Here are some of the words and terms that we use to talk about telephoning.

answer to say "hello" into the phone when it rings

answering machine something that you can record a message on if the person you are calling
isn't home
busy signal a beeping sound that tells the caller that the other person is already on
the phone with someone else
call a telephone conversation; to telephone
caller the person who telephones
call back/phone back to call someone who called you first
call display a screen that shows you who is calling
cellular phone/cell a telephone that you can take with you away from your house; mobile
phone phone
cordless phone a phone that is not attached to the wall (you can walk short distances
with it at home or in the garden)
dial to press the buttons on the phone
dial tone the sound the phone makes when you pick it up
directory/phone book a book that alphabetically lists local phone numbers of people and
businesses
hang up to put the receiver down and end a call
operator a person who answers telephone-related questions when you dial "0"
pager a small machine you wear that makes a noise (or vibrates) when
someone wants you to call them
phone a telephone; to telephone
phone booth/pay
a place where you can pay to use a telephone in public
phone
pick up to answer the phone
receiver the piece on the phone that you speak into and listen from
ring the sound a phone makes when somebody calls; to make that sound
ringer the sound-piece that alerts a person that a call is coming through

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3. Telephone Language

Here are some typical phrases that you can use in a telephone conversation.

Answering the phone • Hello? (informal)

• Thank you for calling Boyz Autobody. Jody speaking. How can I
help you?
• Doctor's office.

Introducing yourself • Hey George. It's Lisa calling. (informal)

• Hello, this is Julie Madison calling.
• Hi, it's Gerry from the dentist's office here.
• This is she.*
• Speaking.*

*The person answering says this if the caller does not recognize their voice.
Asking to speak with • Is Fred in? (informal)
someone • Is Jackson there, please? (informal)
• Can I talk to your sister? (informal)
• May I speak with Mr. Green, please?
• Would the doctor be in/available?

Connecting someone • Just a sec. I'll get him. (informal)

• Hang on one second. (informal)
• Please hold and I'll put you through to his office.
• One moment please.
• All of our operators are busy at this time. Please hold for the next
available person.

Making special • Could you please repeat that?

requests • Would you mind spelling that for me?
• Could you speak up a little please?
• Can you speak a little slower please. My English isn't very strong.
• Can you call me back? I think we have a bad connection.
• Can you please hold for a minute? I have another call.

Taking a message for • Sammy's not in. Who's this? (informal)

someone • I'm sorry, Lisa's not here at the moment. Can I ask who's calling?
• I'm afraid he's stepped out. Would you like to leave a message?
• He's on lunch right now.Who's calling please?
• He's busy right now. Can you call again later?
• I'll let him know you called.
• I'll make sure she gets the message.

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Leaving a message • Yes, can you tell him his wife called, please.
with someone • No, that's okay, I'll call back later.
• Yes, it's James from CompInc. here. When do you expect her
back in the office?
• Thanks, could you ask him to call Brian when he gets in?
• Do you have a pen handy. I don't think he has my number.
• Thanks. My number is 222-3456, extension 12.

Confirming • Okay, I've got it all down.

information • Let me repeat that just to make sure.
• Did you say 555 Charles St.?
• You said your name was John, right?
• I'll make sure he gets the message.

Listening to an • Hello. You've reached 222-6789. Please leave a detailed message

answering machine after the beep.Thank you.
• Hi, this is Elizabeth. I'm sorry I'm not available to take your call
at this time. Leave me a message and I'll get back to you as soon
as I can.
• Thank you for calling Dr. Mindin's office. Our hours are 9am-
5pm, Monday-Friday. Please call back during these hours, or
leave a message after the tone. If this is an emergency please call
the hospital at 333-7896.

Leaving a message • Hey Mikako. It's Yuka. Call me! (informal)

on an answering • Hello, this is Ricardo calling for Luke. Could you please return
machine my call as soon as possible. My number is 334-5689. Thank you.
• Hello Maxwell. This is Marina from the doctor's office calling. I
just wanted to let you know that you're due for a check-up this
month. Please give us a ring/buzz whenever it's convenient.

Finishing a • Well, I guess I better get going. Talk to you soon.

conversation • Thanks for calling. Bye for now.
• I have to let you go now.
• I have another call coming through. I better run.
• I'm afraid that's my other line.
• I'll talk to you again soon. Bye.

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I. Business Presentations & Public Speaking in English
A presentation is a formal talk to one or more people that "presents" ideas or
information in a clear, structured way. People are sometimes afraid of
speaking in public, but if you follow a few simple rules, giving a presentation
is actually very easy. This tutorial guides you through each stage of giving a
presentation in English, from the initial preparation to the conclusion and
questions and answers. This tutorial is itself set out like a mini-presentation.

You can follow it logically by starting at the Introduction and then clicking on the link at the foot
of each page, or you can jump direct to the section you want from the list of contents on each
page.

1. Signposting
When you drive on the roads, you know where you are on those roads. Each road has a name or
number. Each town has a name. And each house has a number. If you are at house N° 100, you
can go back to N° 50 or forward to N° 150. You can look at the signposts for directions. And you
can look at your atlas for the structure of the roads in detail. In other words, it is easy to navigate
the roads. You cannot get lost. But when you give a presentation, how can your audience know
where they are? How can they know the structure of your presentation? How can they know
what is coming next? They know because you tell them. Because you put up signposts for them,
at the beginning and all along the route. This technique is called 'signposting' (or 'signalling').

During your introduction, you should tell your audience what the structure of your presentation
will be. You might say something like this:

"I'll start by describing the current position in Europe. Then I'll move on
to some of the achievements we've made in Asia. After that I'll consider
the opportunities we see for further expansion in Africa. Lastly, I'll
quickly recap before concluding with some recommendations."

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A member of the audience can now visualize your presentation like this:

Introduction • Welcome
• Explanation of structure (now)

Body • Europe
• Asia
• Africa

Conclusion • Summing up
• Recommendations

He will keep this image in his head during the presentation. He may even write it down. And
throughout your presentation, you will put up signposts telling him which point you have
reached and where you are going now. When you finish Europe and want to start Asia, you
might say:

"That's all I have to say about Europe. Let's turn now to Asia."

When you have finished Africa and want to sum up, you might say:

"Well, we've looked at the three continents Europe, Asia and Africa. I'd like to sum up
now."

And when you finish summing up and want to give your recommendations, you might say:

"What does all this mean for us? Well, firstly I recommend..."

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The table below lists useful expressions that you can use to signpost the various parts of your
presentation.
Signposting
Function
Introducing the subject
Finishing one subject...
...and starting another
Analysing a point and giving
recommendations
Giving an example
Dealing with questions
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Language
• I'd like to start by...
• Let's begin by...
• First of all, I'll...
• Starting with...
• I'll begin by...
• Well, I've told you about...
• That's all I have to say about...
• We've looked at...
• So much for...
• Now we'll move on to...
• Let me turn now to...
• Next...
• Turning to...
• I'd like now to discuss...
• Let's look now at...
• Where does that lead us?
• Let's consider this in more detail...
• What does this mean for ABC?
• Translated into real terms...
• For example,...
• A good example of this is...
• As an illustration,...
• To give you an example,...
• To illustrate this point...
• We'll be examining this point in more detail later
on...
• I'd like to deal with this question later, if I may...
• I'll come back to this question later in my talk...
• Perhaps you'd like to raise this point at the end...
21
 • I won't comment on this now...

Summarising and concluding • In conclusion,...

• Right, let's sum up, shall we?
• I'd like now to recap...
• Let's summarise briefly what we've looked at...
• Finally, let me remind you of some of the issues
we've covered...
• If I can just sum up the main points...

Ordering • Firstly...secondly...thirdly...lastly...
• First of all...then...next...after that...finally...
• To start with...later...to finish up...

2. The Presentation

Most presentations are divided into 3 main parts (+ questions):

1 INTRODUCTION

2 BODY Questions

3 CONCLUSION

Questions

As a general rule in communication, repetition is valuable. In presentations, there is a golden rule

about repetition:

1. Say what you are going to say,

2. say it,
3. then say what you have just said.
In other words, use the three parts of your presentation to reinforce your
message. In the introduction, you tell your audience what your message is going to be. In the
body, you tell your audience your real message. In the conclusion, you summarize what your
message was.

We will now consider each of these parts in more detail.

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3. Introduction
The introduction is a very important - perhaps the most important - part of your presentation.
This is the first impression that your audience have of you. You should concentrate on getting
your introduction right. You should use the introduction to:

1. welcome your audience

2. introduce your subject
3. outline the structure of your presentation
4. give instructions about questions

The following table shows examples of language for each of these functions. You may need to
modify the language as appropriate.

Function Possible language

1 Welcoming • Good morning, ladies and gentlemen

your audience • Good morning, gentlemen
• Good afternoon, ladies and gentleman
• Good afternoon, everybody

2 Introducing • I am going to talk today about...

your subject • The purpose of my presentation is to introduce our new range of...

3 Outlining your • To start with I'll describe the progress made this year. Then I'll
structure mention some of the problems we've encountered and how we
overcame them. After that I'll consider the possibilities for further
growth next year. Finally, I'll summarize my presentation (before
concluding with some recommendations).

4 Giving • Do feel free to interrupt me if you have any questions.

instructions • I'll try to answer all of your questions after the presentation.
about questions • I plan to keep some time for questions after the presentation.

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4. Body
The body is the 'real' presentation. If the introduction was well prepared and delivered, you will
now be 'in control'. You will be relaxed and confident.

The body should be well structured, divided up logically, with plenty of carefully spaced visuals.

Remember these key points while delivering the body of your presentation:

• do not hurry
• be enthusiastic
• give time on visuals
• maintain eye contact
• modulate your voice
• look friendly
• keep to your structure
• use your notes
• signpost throughout
• remain polite when dealing with difficult questions

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5. Conclusion

Use the conclusion to:

1. Sum up
2. (Give recommendations if appropriate)
3. Thank your audience
4. Invite questions

The following table shows examples of language for each of these functions. You may need to
modify the language as appropriate.

Function Possible language

1 Summing up • To conclude,...
• In conclusion,...
• Now, to sum up...
• So let me summarise/recap what I've said.
• Finally, may I remind you of some of the main points we've
considered.

2 Giving • In conclusion, my recommendations are...

recommendations • I therefore suggest/propose/recommend the following
strategy.

3 Thanking your • Many thanks for your attention.

audience • May I thank you all for being such an attentive audience.

4 Inviting questions
• Now I'll try to answer any questions you may have.
• Can I answer any questions?
• Are there any questions?
• Do you have any questions?
• Are there any final questions?

6. Questions
Questions are a good opportunity for you to interact with your audience. It may be helpful for
you to try to predict what questions will be asked so that you can prepare your response in
advance. You may wish to accept questions at any time during your presentation, or to keep a
time for questions after your presentation. Normally, it's your decision, and you should make it
clear during the introduction.

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Illustrated Vocabulary

Clothes

coat trousers (UK) hat

pants (US)

casual jacket shorts cap

jacket

sports jacket dress tie

jacket necktie

jumper skirt bow tie

shirt pants socks

panties

tee-shirt bra shoes

brassiere

waistcoat dressing gown trainers

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Clothing Accessories

hair ribbon scarf wallet

glasses ring purse

sun glasses bracelet handbag

ear-rings belt keys

necklace watch umbrella

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Transport

bicycle, van submarine

bike

motorbike, lorry (UK), balloon

motorcycle truck (US)

car (UK), train plane,

auto, automobile (US) airplane

bus ship helicopter

Msc. Jennifer Zapata – English for Professional Development EPDI 28

Computer Vocabulary

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Computer Vocabulary

Anti-virus software - A program that finds and removes viruses from a computer.

Backup - A copy on floppy disk or tape of files on a PC's hard disk. A backup is used in case the
hard disk file(s) are erased or damaged.

Bit, bytes - A bit is the smallest piece of information that computers use. For simplicity, a PC
uses bits in groups of 8 called bytes (8 bits = 1 byte).

Boot, boot up, boot disk - You boot (or boot up) your computer when you switch it on and wait
while it prepares itself. Instructions for startup are given to the computer from the boot disk,
which is usually the hard disk.

Browser, to browse - A browser is a program like Netscape or Internet Explorer. You use it to
view or browse the Internet.

Bug - A (small) defect or fault in a program.

Cache - A kind of memory used to make a computer work faster.

CD-ROM - A disk for storing computer information. It looks like an audio CD.

CPU - Central Processing Unit. This is a PC's heart or 'brains'.

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DOS - Disk Operating System. The original system used for PCs. You type in commands instead
of pointing and clicking.

Driver - A small program that tells a PC how a peripheral works.

Electronic mail (email, e-mail) - Messages sent from one computer to another. You can see
email on the screen or print it out.

Floppy disk - A cheap, removable disk used for storing or transferring information. It is floppy
(soft) because it is plastic. See hard disk.

Floppy drive - The device used to run a floppy disk (usually drive 'A'.)

Folder (directory) - A sub-division of a computer's hard disk into which you put files.

Font - A particular sort of lettering (on the screen or on paper). Arial is a font. Times New
Roman is another.

Format - All hard disks and floppy disks have to be electronically prepared for use by a process
called formatting. Hard disks are pre-formatted by the computer manufacturer. If you buy a
floppy disk that is not pre-formatted, you format it yourself, using a program that comes with
your PC.

Graphics card - The equipment inside a computer that creates the image on the screen.

Hard disk - The main disk inside a computer used for storing programs and information. It is
hard because it is metal. See floppy disk.

Icon - A small image or picture on a computer screen that is a symbol for folders, disks,
peripherals, programs etc.

Internet - International network of computers that you connect to by telephone line. Two
popular services of the Internet are the World Wide Web and electronic mail.

Kb, Mb, Gb - Kilobytes, megabytes, gigabytes. Used to measure computer memory and storage.

Memory - Memory is for the temporary storing of information while a computer is being used.
SeeRAM, ROM and Cache.

MHz - Megahertz. This describes the speed of computer equipment. The higher the MHz the
better the performance.

Modem - Equipment connected to a computer for sending/receiving digital information by

telephone line. You need a modem to connect to the Internet, to send electronic mail and to fax.

Operating System - The basic software that manages a computer.

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OCR - Optical Character Recognition. OCR lets a PC read a fax or scanned image and convert it
to actual lettering.

Parallel port - A socket at the back of a computer for connecting external equipment or
peripherals, especially printers.

PC card - A device that is the same size as a thick credit card, for plugging into a slot on
notebook computers. You can buy memory, modems and hard disks as PC cards.

Peripheral - Any equipment that is connected externally to a computer. For example, printers,
scanners and modems are peripherals.

Pixel - The image that you see on the screen is made of thousands of tiny dots, points or pixels.

Program Software that operates a PC and does various things, such as writing text (word-
processing program), keeping accounts (accounts program) and drawing pictures (graphics
program).

QWERTY - The first 6 letters on English-language keyboards are Q-W-E-R-T-Y. The first 6
letters on French-language keyboards are A-Z-E-R-T-Y.

RAM, ROM - Two types of memory. RAM (Random Access Memory) is the main memory
used while the PC is working. RAM is temporary. ROM (Read Only Memory) is for information
needed by the PC and cannot be changed.

Resolution - The number of dots or pixels per inch (sometimes per centimetre) used to create the
screen image.

Scanner - Equipment for converting paper documents to electronic documents that can be used
by a computer.

Serial port - Socket at the back of a PC for connecting peripherals.

Taskbar, Start button - Two areas of the screen in Windows 95. The taskbar, at the bottom of
the screen, shows the programs in use. The start button, in the bottom left corner, is for opening
new programs.

TFT - Thin Film Transistor, a type of high quality screen for notebook computers.

Virus - A small, unauthorized program that can damage a PC.

Windows - An operating system used by the majority of PCs.

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World Wide Web, WWW, the Web - WWW are initials that stand for World Wide Web. The
Web is one of the services available on the Internet. It lets you access millions of pages through a
system of links. Because it is 'world-wide', it was originally called the World Wide Web or
WWW.

WYSIWIG - 'What You See Is What You Get.' With a WYSIWIG program, if you print a
document it looks the same on paper as it looks on the screen.

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Basic Tenses: Be
This page shows the basic tenses with the verb be. It includes the affirmative or positive form
(+), the negative form (-) and the interrogative or question form (?).

The basic structure is:

positive: + subject + auxiliary verb + main verb

negative: - subject + auxiliary verb + not + main verb
question: ? auxiliary verb + subject + main verb

But for simple past and simple present tenses, the structure is not the same. In fact, it's even
easier. There is no auxiliary verb. Here is the structure:

positive: + subject + main verb

negative: - subject + main verb + not
question: ? main verb + subject

These are the forms of the main verb be that we use to construct the tenses:

base past simple past participle present participle present simple

be was, were been being am, are, is

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 past present future

SIMPLE + I was I am I will be

present simple or
past simple - I was not I am not I will not be
(except future: will + be)
? Was I? Am I? Will I be?

+ I had been I have been I will have been

SIMPLE PERFECT
have + been - I had not been I have not been I will not have been

? Had I been? Have I been? Will I have been?

+ I was being I am being I will be being

CONTINUOUS
be + being - I was not being I am not being I will not be being

? Was I being? Am I being? Will I be being?

CONTINUOUS + I had been being I have been being I will have been
PERFECT being
have been + being
I had not been I have not been I will not have been
- being being being

? Had I been Have I been Will I have been

being? being? being?

In the following table, we see be conjugated for 12 basic tenses.

SIMPLE past present future

I was am will be
singular you were are will be

he/she/it was is will be

we were are will be

plural you were are will be

they were are will be

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PERFECT past present future

I had been have been will have been

singular you had been have been will have been

he/she/it had been has been will have been

we had been have been will have been

plural you had been have been will have been

they had been have been will have been

CONTINUOUS past present future

I was being am being will be being

singular you were being are being will be being

he/she/it was being is being will be being

we were being are being will be being

plural you were being are being will be being

they were being are being will be being

CONTINUOUS PERFECT past present future

I had been being have been being will have been being
singular you had been being have been being will have been being

he/she/it had been being has been being will have been being

we had been being have been being will have been being
plural you had been being have been being will have been being

they had been being have been being will have been being

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Basic Tenses
For past and present, there are 2 simple tenses + 6 complex tenses (using auxiliary verbs). To
these, we can add 4 "modal tenses" for the future (using modal auxiliary verbs will/shall). This
makes a total of 12 tenses in the active voice. Another 12 tenses are available in the passive
voice. So now we have 24 tenses.

24 Tenses past present future*

simple tenses past present future

past perfect present perfect future perfect

ACTIVE
past continuous present continuous future continuous

past perfect present perfect future perfect

continuous continuous continuous
complex tenses
formed with past present future
auxiliary verbs
past perfect present perfect future perfect
PASSIVE
past continuous present continuous future continuous

past perfect present perfect future perfect

continuous continuous continuous

The use of tenses in English may be quite complicated, but the structure of English tenses is
actually very simple. The basic structure for a positive sentence is:

subject + auxiliary verb + main verb

An auxiliary verb is used in all tenses. (In the simple present and simple past tenses, the
auxiliary verb is usually suppressed for the affirmative, but it does exist for intensification.) The
following table shows the 12 tenses for the verb to work in the active voice.

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 structure
past present future*
auxiliary main verb

normal I worked I work I will work

simple
intensive do base I did work I do work

I had I have I will have

perfect have past participle
worked worked worked

present I was I am I will be

continuous be
participle -ing working working working

continuous have present I had been I have been I will have

perfect been participle -ing working working been working

* Technically, there are no future tenses in English. The word will is a modal auxiliary verb and
future tenses are sometimes called "modal tenses". The examples are included here for
convenience and comparison.

Msc. Jennifer Zapata – English for Professional Development EPDI 38