martes, 15 de marzo de 2011

2nd semester Present Perfect Continouos Grammar

Dear second semester students

I'm sending you the grammar information about Present Perfect Progressive or Continuous. Please copy the information in your notebook for further refence.

I'm going to check your notebook tomorrow the value of copying the information is 5 points.

Thank you and have a nice day.

God bless you!!!

Present Perfect Continuous
FORM
[has/have + been + present participle]
Examples:
·       You have been waiting here for two hours.
·       Have you been waiting here for two hours?
·       You have not been waiting here for two hours.
USE 1 Duration from the Past Until Now
http://www.englishpage.com/images/verbs/presentperfectcontinuous.gif
We use the Present Perfect Continuous to show that something started in the past and has continued up until now. "For five minutes," "for two weeks," and "since Tuesday" are all durations which can be used with the Present Perfect Continuous.
Examples:
·       They have been talking for the last hour.
·       She has been working at that company for three years.
·       What have you been doing for the last 30 minutes?
·       James has been teaching at the university since June.
·       We have been waiting here for over two hours!
·       Why has Nancy not been taking her medicine for the last three days?
USE 2 Recently, Lately
http://www.englishpage.com/images/verbs/presentperfectcontinuous.gif
You can also use the Present Perfect Continuous WITHOUT a duration such as "for two weeks." Without the duration, the tense has a more general meaning of "lately." We often use the words "lately" or "recently" to emphasize this meaning.
Examples:
·       Recently, I have been feeling really tired.
·       She has been watching too much television lately.
·       Have you been exercising lately?
·       Mary has been feeling a little depressed.
·       Lisa has not been practicing her English.
·       What have you been doing?
IMPORTANT
Remember that the Present Perfect Continuous has the meaning of "lately" or "recently." If you use the Present Perfect Continuous in a question such as "Have you been feeling alright?", it can suggest that the person looks sick or unhealthy. A question such as "Have you been smoking?" can suggest that you smell the smoke on the person. Using this tense in a question suggests you can see, smell, hear or feel the results of the action. It is possible to insult someone by using this tense incorrectly.

Activities 4th semester

Dear students from Intermediate English 4th.

I am sending you the INDIRECT QUESTIONS ACTIVITIES LINK





Please copy the Gramar information in the page about Indirect Questions in your Notebook

 And do the activities 1 and 2 at the bottom of the page on a sheet of paper.

God bless you!!

T. Quiroz

6th semester activities

Dear students


As I told you before there are two way of using the verbs followed by gerunds or infinitives. Remember In some cases both gerunds and infinitives can be used with the same verbs but they change the meaning and in some situations they don't change the meaning.


Here you are some examples of both uses:




Verbs Followed by Gerunds OR Infinitives (Similar Meaning)

can't bear
He can't bear being alone.
He can't bear to be alone.
can't stand
Nancy can't stand working the late shift.
Nancy can't stand to work the late shift.
cease
The government ceased providing free health care.
The government ceased to provide free health care.
continue
She continued talking.
She continued to talk.
hate
He hates cleaning dishes.
He hates to clean dishes.
like
Samantha likes reading.
Samantha likes to read.
love
We love scuba diving.
We love to scuba dive.
neglect
He neglected doing his daily chores.
He neglected to do his daily chores.
prefer
He prefers eating at 7 PM.
He prefers to eat at 7 PM.
propose
Drew proposed paying for the trip.
Drew proposed to pay for the trip.

REMEMBER

Although the difference in meaning is small with these particular verbs, and gerunds and infinitives can often be used interchangeably, there is still a meaning difference. Using a gerund suggests that you are referring to real activities or experiences. Using an infinitive suggests that you are talking about potential or possible activities or experiences. Because of this small difference in meaning, gerunds and infinitives cannot always be used interchangeably, such as in the examples below.
Examples:
·       The British reporter likes living in New York. He lives in New York and he likes what he experiences there.
·       The British reporter likes to live in New York whenever he works in the United States. He likes the option or possibility of living in New York when he works in the United States.
·       I like speaking French because it's such a beautiful language. I like the experience of speaking French, and the way it makes me feel when I speak the language.
·       I like to speak French when I'm in France. I prefer the option of speaking French when I am in France.




Verbs Followed by Gerunds OR Infinitives (Different Meaning)
begin
She began singing.
She began to sing.
When "begin" is used in non-continuous tenses, you can either use a gerund or an infinitive.
She is beginning to sing.
When "begin" is used in continuous tenses, an infinitive is used.
dread
She dreaded taking the test.
Usually "dread" is followed by a gerund.
He dreaded to think of the consequences of his actions.
"Dread" is sometimes used with infinitives such as "think" or "consider." In the sentence above, "dreaded to think" means "did not want to think."
forget
She forgot reading the book when she was a kid.
When "forget" is used with a gerund, it means "to forget that you have done something." The sentence above means that she read the book when she was a kid, and that she has forgotten that fact.
She forgot to pay the rent this month.
When forget is used with an infinitive, it means "to forget that you need to do something." The sentence above means that she forgot that she needed to pay the rent.
keep
She kept talking.
"Keep" is normally used with a gerund to mean that you continue doing an action.
The attackers kept hostages to prevent the police from entering.
"Keep" can also be used with an object followed by an infinitive, but then the infinitive takes on the meaning of "in order to... ." In the sentence above, the attackers kept hostages in order to prevent the police from entering.
need
The house needs cleaning.
When "need" is used with a gerund, it takes on a passive meaning. The sentence above means "the house needs to be cleaned."
He needs to call his boss.
He needs him to call his boss.
"Need" is usually used with an infinitive or an object + an infinitive.
regret
I regretted being late to the interview.
"Regret" is normally used with a gerund.
We regret to inform you that your position at the company is being eliminated.
"Regret" is sometimes used with infinitives such as "to inform." In the sentence above, "We regret to inform you" means "We wish we did not have to tell you (bad news)."
remember
I remember mentioning the meeting yesterday.
When "remember" is used with a gerund, it means "to remember that you have done something." The sentence above means that I mentioned the meeting, and that I remember the fact that I did that.
He remembered to turn off the lights before he left.
When "remember" is used with an infinitive, it means "to remember that you need to do something." The sentence above means that he remembered that he needed to turn the lights off.
start
Marge started talking really fast.
Marge started to talk really fast.
When "start" is used in non-continuous tenses, you can either use a gerund or an infinitive.
Marge is starting to talk really fast.
When "start" is used in continuous tenses, an infinitive is used.
I started to learn Russian, but it was so much work that I finally quit the class.
In other situations, an infinitive means that you did not complete or continue an action.
stop
He stopped smoking for health reasons.
"Stop" is normally used with a gerund.
He stopped to rest for a few minutes.
When "stop" is used with an infinitive, the infinitive takes on the meaning of "in order to." In the sentence above, he stopped in order to rest for a few minutes.
try
She can't find a job. She tried looking in the paper, but there was nothing. She tried asking friends and family, but nobody knew of anything. She also tried going shop to shop, but nobody was hiring.
"Try + gerund" means to try or to experiment with different methods to see if something works.
She tried eating the snake soup, but she didn't like it.
"Try + gerund" is often used when you experiment with something, but you do not really like it or want to do it again.
She tried to climb the tree, but she couldn't even get off the ground.
When you "try to do" something, you want to do it, but you do not succeed in actually doing it. In the sentence above, an infinitive is used because she cannot successfully climb the tree.
Try not to wake the baby when you get up tomorrow at 5 AM.
An infinitive is also used if you are asking someone to try something they may or may not be able to accomplish.



Verbs Followed by Either Gerunds OR Nouns + Infinitives
advise
I advised seeing a doctor.
I advised them to see a doctor.
allow
Ireland doesn't allow smoking in bars.
Ireland doesn't allow people to smoke in bars.
encourage
He encourages eating healthy foods.
He encourages his patients to eat healthy foods.
permit
California doesn't permit fishing without a fishing license.
California doesn't permit people to fish without a fishing license.
require
The certificate requires completing two courses.
The certificate requires students to complete two courses.
urge
They urge recycling bottles and paper.
They urge citizens to recycle bottles and paper.



lunes, 14 de marzo de 2011

Welcome to the English blog

Dear student from Second (intermediate), Fourth (intermediate) and Sixth (basic) Semester:


I am glad to welcome to the English blog. This a new adventure we're  taking together.


As I told you all the notices, extra information, activities will be sent by the blog , the Gmail account will be used only in special situations.


Please don't forget to follow the instructions, links, videos and activities published in the blog.


Thank you for your attention and I invite you to make contributions to the blog about any interesting topic you consider it is importan to share with the rest of the community.


God bless you!!


T. Quiroz