1.

GRAMMAR FOCUS: QUESTIONS

1.1. Forming a question.
1.1.1. Work with a partner. Complete the questions.
1. …………………… …………………… people does your company employ?
2. …………………… did your company open in your town?
3. …………………… department do you work in?
4. …………………… often do visitors come to your company?
5. …………………… are you working on at the moment?

1.1.2. Look at the word order for questions in the table. Then complete the
table with the questions above.
Question word or Auxiliary verb Subject Main verb Rest of question
phrase

How often do you speak English?

!!! Exception: when the question word (who or what) is the subject, we do not need
an auxiliary.

Question Auxiliary Subject Main verb Rest of

word verb question
= subject
Who speaks English here?
What causes the problem

!!! When the question is asked with the verb to be, we do not use the auxiliary do
anymore and we switch between the verb and the subject.

(Question Verb Subject (complements)?

word)
Why are you angry?
Were you at the meeting yesterday?
Are they in the same office?

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!!! Questions with prepositions. We can not put any preposition before a question
word. The preposition comes at the end of the question, but before time and
place expressions.

Question word or Auxiliary verb Subject Main verb preposition Rest of

phrase question
Which company does she work for?
Which department do you work in?
Who do you have lunch with at work?

1.2. Question words.

Question words Translation

Who Qui ?
What Quoi ? qu’est-ce que ?
Which Lequel ? (Choix parmi plusieurs possibilités)
When Quand ?
Why Pourquoi ?
Where Où ?
You can ask about sizes, amounts and prices with how + adjective/adverb/much/many

How Comment ?
How far À quelle distance ?
How long Combien de temps ? / Quelle est la longueur de ?

How much + uncountable Combien ?

How many + countable Combien ?
How often À quelle fréquence ?
How old Quel âge ?
How fast À quelle vitesse ?
How high/wide/deep/thick/heavy Quel(le) hauteur/largeur/profondeur/épaisseur/poids ?

1.3. Practice.
1.3.1. Put the questions in the right order.
1. this / often / use / how / does / office / he ?

2. from / does / he / come / where ?

3. long / are / here / staying / how / you ?

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4. see / you / here / while / want / do / to / you’re / who ?

1.3.2. Write the questions for these answers. Use the words in brackets.
1. She's a sportswear designer. (what / Laura)
2. He knows Laura, but he doesn't know Emma. (who / Ken)
3. She trains every morning. (how often / Emma)
4. She cycles for about two hours. (how long / Emma)
5. He works for Unisports. (which company / Paul)
6. She gets up at 5.30. (what time / Emma)
7. He runs two or three kilometres. (how far / Ken)
1.3.3. Work in pairs. Read the details about Paul and Emma. Student A writes
five questions about Paul. Student B writes five questions about Emma.
Take it in turns to ask and answer your questions.

Paul Emma

1.3.4. You are a new employee and have a lot of questions for your department
director. Make complete questions using the prompts.
1. Person in charge of department?
2. Opening/closing hours?
3. Nearest toilets?
4. Lunch?
5. Photocopier?
6. Number of people?
7. Key or security pass?
8. Coffee or tea breaks?
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2. GRAMMAR FOCUS: PRESENT SIMPLE AND CONTINUOUS
2.1. Present simple: form
2.1.1. Read the information about these four businesspeople and underline all
the verbs in the text.

2.1.2. Complete the chart.

Affirmative Negative Interrogative

I ………………. I ……………………………… work ………… I work?

You ………………. You ……………………………… work ………… you work?

He/She/It ………………. He/She/It ……………………………… work ………… she/he/it work?

We ………………. We ……………………………… work ………… we work?

You ………………. You ……………………………… work ………… you work?

They ………………. They ……………………………… work ………… they work?

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!!! We add -s to the third person singular and we add -es to verbs ending in -x, -ss, -
ch, -sh, -o and -ry, -ly, -dy.

I fix He fixes I try He tries

I miss She misses I study She studies

I watch He watches I carry He carries

I finish She finishes I worry She worries

I do He does I fly He flies

▪ Short answers

Positive Negative

Do you live in Belgium? Yes, I do. No, I don’t.

Do I live in Belgium? Yes, you do. No, you don’t.

Does he/she live in Belgium? Yes, he/she does. No, he/she doesn’t.

Do we live in Belgium? Yes, we do. No, we don’t.

Do they live in Belgium? Yes, they do. No, they don’t.

2.2. Present simple: use

▪ Routines and regular activities
• Every weekday Ken drives to the station and takes the train to London.
• When he arrives, he usually walks to the office, but if the weather is bad,
he gets a taxi.

▪ Facts and permanent situations

• Reuters is the world’s biggest news agency and supplies news to

international media organizations.
• I don’t live far from London.
• Water boils at 100 degrees.

▪ Programs and timetables

• The fast train to London leaves at 7.39 and gets into Paddington at 8.45.

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2.3. Present simple: practice
2.3.1. Complete the text with the correct form of the verbs in the boxes.

2.3.2. Complete the text with the correct form of the verbs in brackets.
Pixar ………………………………. (be) a film company that ………………………………. (make)
cartoons such as Toy Story and Finding Nemo. The company ……………………………….
(employ) about 750 people, mainly IT experts, and it ………………………………. (use) its own
software to create movies.
The company’s profits ………………………………. (come) from sales of cinema tickets, and it
………………………………. (distribute) its films through Walt Disney. It also
………………………………. (sell) DVDs of its films. Steve Jobs, the co-founder of Apple
Computers, ………………………………. (own) 53% of the company.
2.3.3. Make questions from the notes. For each one, write a true answer.

1. you/work on Saturdays? Q: Do you work on Saturdays?

A: No, I don’t. or Yes, I do.

2. You/live near the place you work? Q:

A:
3. You/come from Spain? Q:
A:
4. You/speak Arabic? Q:
A:
5. You/drive to work? Q:
A:

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2.4. Present continuous: form
2.4.1. Read these two parts of a conversation and underline the verbs.

2.4.2. Look at the sentences 1 to 5 from the conversation above and match them with
the definitions A to C.

A. The present simple to talk about something

1. We’re working on a project together. ……………
that happens usually or often
2. Where are you staying? ……………
B. The present continuous to talk about
3. We’re meeting him at 11 o’clock. ……………
something that is happening now
4. When are you having lunch? ……………
C. The present continuous to talk about future
5. I usually stay there when I’m in Hanoi. ………….
arrangements

2.4.3. Complete the chart.

Affirmative Negative Interrogative
……………………….
I …………………………………………… I …………………………………………….. working
working?
……………………….
You ……………………………………….. working
You ……………………………………… working?

……………………….
He/She/It …………………………… He/She/it …………………………….. working
working?

……………………….
We ……………………………………….. working
We ………………………………………. working?
……………………….
You ………………………………………. working
You ……………………………………… working?

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……………………….
They ………………………………………. working
They ……………………………………. working?

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2.5. Present continuous: use
▪ Talking about now

• It is 11.15. Juanita is talking on the phone.

• George is trying to fix the Internet connection.

▪ Temporary situations

• At the moment Grace is working on a new dictionary.

• Sales aren’t going well this month.

▪ With phrases like now, currently, at the moment, this week/month,…

!!! We normally DO NOT use the present continuous with the state verbs bellow.

Verbs of possession Belong to, have (meaning possess), own, possess

Verbs of thoughts Believe, forget, guess, know, mean, realise, reckon,

remember, see (understand), suppose, think (believe),
understand, imagine, agree

Verbs of the senses Hear, smell, sound, taste, see

Verbs of emotions Like, dislike, hate, love, need, prefer, want, wish,
regret

Verbs of perceptions Appear, be, seem, feel, look

Others Contain, depend on, include, involve, admit, agree,

apologise, promise, tell, mean

2.6. Present continuous: practice

2.6.1. Complete the dialogue with am, is or are and the -ing form of the verbs in
brackets.
Andy: Hi, Jemal. Andy here. I ……………………………………. (call) because we need some
help down here.
Jemal: Ok. What’s the problem?
Andy: We ……………………………………. (try) to set up the exhibition, but there is only
me and Bill here. Can Selma or Fatih come down?
Jemal: I’m sorry, but Selma is busy. She ……………………………………. (help) Sedat today,
and Fatih ……………………………………. (work) from home.
Andy: What about the two new people from Sales?
Jemal: No, they ……………………………………. (meet) the Istanbul team at the moment.
Look, I know. I can come and help. I ……………………………………. (finish) a report
at the moment, but I can be there in twenty minutes. Is that OK?
Andy: Great – thanks a lot. See you soon.

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2.6.2. Discuss the following questions with your partner.

1. What courses are you doing at work/school?

2. What languages are you currently learning?
3. What are you doing at work/school this month?
4. What are your colleagues doing this month?
5. What is your company/school doing this year?

2.7. Present simple and present continuous: practice

2.7.1. Divide the time phrases in the box below into two groups to show if they
are used with the present simple or the present continuous.
Always At the moment At this moment in time
Currently Every month Every week
Generally Now Never
Often Sometimes This month
Today This week Twice a month
Usually

Present simple Present continuous

2.7.2. Complete each sentence with a verb from the box in the correct present
tense.
Attend – do – know – make – speak – understand – visit – wear (2x) – work (2x)
1. My boss …………………………………… (not) the conference tomorrow.
2. I …………………………………… a cup of tea. Would you like one?
3. Now I …………………………………… his telephone number.
4. How many guests …………………………………… the company this week?
5. Stop! You …………………………………… too fast. I …………………………………… (not).
6. What …………………………………… you usually …………………………………… in your free time?
7. Next month we …………………………………… on a project together.
8. I …………………………………… (not) glasses all the time, but I ……………………………………
them now because I …………………………………… on the computer.

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2.7.3. Work in pairs. Student A read about Petra. Student B read about Craig.

PETRA
Petra lives and works in Florence in Italy. She speaks Italian and fluent English
and German. She works part time for Global Tours, a travel agent. It's a new
company, so at the moment she is trying to develop the business and attract more
customers. She thinks that Asia is a growing market so she is targeting Chinese
and Korean customers. This week, she is planning a two-day tour of the Palio di
Siena. Currently, she is studying for a degree in Business Studies in her spare
time. She studies most weekends and doesn't have much free time.

CRAIG
Craig works full time for Global Tours. At the moment, he is booking a tour
to St Petersburg. Craig is living with a friend in a small town near Florence in
Italy, but he wants to move into the city when he has enough money. He loves
visiting museums and art galleries and often visits the Uffizi Museum in
Florence. His Italian is OK, but he wants to be fluent so he's studying in the
evening. He goes to a local school twice a week.

Student A: Ask Student B questions about Craig using the prompts. Use the correct
form of the verbs.

1. What / Craig / do?

2. What / he / work on / at the moment?
3. Who / Craig / live with at the moment?
4. What / he / want to do?
5. What / he / love doing?
6. Which language / he / currently study?

Student B: Ask Student A questions about Petra using the prompts. Use the correct
form of the verbs.

1. Where / Petra / live?

2. Which languages / Petra / speak?
3. What / she / try / develop / at the moment?
4. What / she / do / this week?
5. What / she / currently / study?
6. How often / she / study?

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3. GRAMMAR FOCUS: PAST SIMPLE AND PAST CONTINUOUS
3.1. Past simple: form
Regular verbs add -d or -ed to the infinitive to form the past tense. For negative
and interrogative clauses, we use the auxiliary did + infinitive.

3.1.1. Complete the chart.

Affirmative Negative Interrogative

I ………………. I ……………………………… work ………… I work?

You ………………. You ……………………………… work ………… you work?

He/She/It ………………. He/She/It ……………………………… work ………… she/he/it work?

We ………………. We ……………………………… work ………… we work?

You ………………. You ……………………………… work ………… you work?

They ………………. They ……………………………… work ………… they work?

!!! Common mistakes:

Using the past tense form in negatives and in questions:
o wrong: Did you checked the figures? No, I didn't checked them.
o right: Did you check the figures? No, I didn't check them.

!!! The verb to be follows a different pattern: I/he/she/it was and you/we/they were
and is used without the auxiliary did.

!!! Many common verbs are irregular. That’s why it is necessary to study the list of
irregular verbs.

Infinitive Past simple Past participle Translation

beat beat beaten battre
become became become devenir
begin began begun commencer
blow blew blown souffler
break broke broken casser
bring brought brought apporter

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Infinitive Past simple Past participle Translation
broadcast broadcast broadcast diffuser
build built built construire
burn burnt burnt brûler
buy bought bought acheter
catch caught caught attraper
choose chose chosen choisir
come came come venir
cost cost cost coûter
cut cut cut couper
deal dealt dealt Distribuer
dig dug dug creuser
do did done faire
draw drew drawn dessiner
dream dreamt dreamt rêver
drink drank drunk boire
drive drove driven conduire
eat ate eaten manger
fall fell fallen tomber
feed fed fed nourrir
feel felt felt sentir, éprouver
fight fought fought combattre
find found found trouver
fly flew flown voler
forget forgot forgotten oublier
freeze froze frozen geler
get got got obtenir
give gave given donner
go went gone aller
grow grew grown grandir
have had had avoir
hear heard heard entendre
hide hid hidden (se) cacher

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Infinitive Past simple Past participle Translation
hit hit hit frapper, atteindre
hold held held tenir
hurt hurt hurt blesser
keep kept kept garder
know knew known savoir, connaître
lead led led Mener, diriger, guider
learn learnt learnt apprendre
leave left left laisser, quitter
lend lent lent prêter
let let let Laisser (faire)
lose lost lost perdre
make made made faire, fabriquer
mean meant meant signifier
meet met met (se) rencontrer
mow mowed mown tondre
pay paid paid payer
put put put mettre
read read read lire
ride rode ridden chevaucher
ring rang rung sonner
rise rose risen s'élever, se lever
run ran run courir
say said said dire
see saw seen voir
sell sold sold vendre
send sent sent envoyer
shake shook shaken secouer
show showed shown montrer
shut shut shut Fermer, clore
sing sang sung chanter
sit sat sat être assis
sleep slept slept dormir

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Infinitive Past simple Past participle Translation
smell smelt smelt sentir (odorat)
speak spoke spoken parler
spend spent spent dépenser
split split split Couper, scinder, diviser
stand stood stood être debout
steal stole stolen voler, dérober
swear swore sworn jurer
sweep swept swept balayer
swim swam swum nager
take took taken prendre
teach taught taught enseigner
tell told told dire, raconter
think thought thought penser
throw threw thrown jeter
understand understood understood comprendre
wake woke woken (se) réveiller
wear wore worn porter (des vêtements)
win won won gagner
write wrote written écrire

3.2. Past simple: use

The past simple is used to express:
▪ Completed actions
States or completed actions at a specific time in the past. This time is usually stated or is
obvious from the context.

• Bill Gates founded Microsoft in 1975.

• I didn’t need the report for the Board meeting.

▪ Repeated actions in the past

Repeated or habitual actions in the past.

• Whenever I went to London on business, I stayed at the Hilton.

• When I lived downtown, I usually walked to work.

▪ Past events that follow one after another

• He stood up angrily, grabbed his bag and left the meeting.

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3.3. Past simple: practice
3.3.1. Complete the following passage by putting the verbs into the past
simple.

3.3.2. Speaking: Work in pairs. One of you should look at the information
below. Ask your partner questions in the past simple, using the question
words in brackets, to complete the missing information.

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3.3.3. Work with a partner. Ask questions and make a timeline about your
partner's life.
Birth / School / Live / Study / Learn / Meet / ....
Where / When / Who / What

3.4. Past continuous: form

Past simple of the verb to be + -ing form of the verb

3.4.1. Complete the chart.

Affirmative Negative Interrogative

……………………….
I …………………………………………… I …………………………………………….. working
working?
……………………….
You ……………………………………….. working
You ……………………………………… working?

……………………….
He/She/It …………………………… He/She/it …………………………….. working
working?

……………………….
We ……………………………………….. working
We ………………………………………. working?
……………………….
You ………………………………………. working
You ……………………………………… working?
……………………….
They ………………………………………. working
They ……………………………………. working?

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3.5. Past continuous: use

▪ Points of time in the past

An action or activity that was in progress at a particular moment of time in the past.
• At 3.15 yesterday afternoon, Signor Antinori was travelling to Florence.

▪ Interrupted past action

The past continuous is used to talk about a background event or a longer action that is
interrupted by a shorter event or action in the past simple. You often use when, while or
as.
• She wasn’t sitting at her desk when the phone rang.
• Amélie was writing a report when her boss asked her to fetch an invoice.
• While the speaker was presenting his report, I noticed several mistakes on
his slides.

3.6. Past continuous: practice

3.6.1. David’s colleague Jack has tried to phone him several times without
success. Complete their conversation by putting the verbs in brackets
into the past continuous. See example.
Jack: I rang at 9.15 and again at 9.30 but the phone was engaged. Who were you
talking (you/talk) to?
David: O, I …………………………………………… (call) some clients.
Jack: And I tried again at 10.15, but there was no reply.
David: At 10.15? I think I …………………………………………… (discuss) the new catalogue
with Sue Tims.
Jack: And then I rang back again at 11.10.
David: Yes, I was out. I …………………………………………… (have) a coffee in the canteen.
Jack: I thought so, so I rang again at 11.30.
David: I was out again. The new designer and I ……………………………………………
(organize) the afterwork for some adverts.
Jack: What …………………………………………… (you/do) at 1.30, then? I called again and
tried to leave a message but even the answering machine
…………………………………………… (not/work)!
David: I’d better have a look at it, but the designer and I
…………………………………………… (have) lunch. Anyway, what did you want to talk
about?
Jack: Oh, nothing special. I just wanted to try out my new mobile phone.

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3.7. Present simple and continuous: practice
3.7.1. Neil Baker won a television contest to work for the successful British
entrepreneur, Peter Salt. Complete this interview with Neil using the
verbs in brackets in the present simple or in the present continuous.
Interviewer: So, Neil, when you ……………………………………………. (study) at university,
……………………………………………. (you/ever/think) you would work for the
famous Peter Salt?

Neil: To be honest, I ……………………………………………. (enjoy) myself too much to

think about my future!

Interviewer: What ……………………………………………. (you/do) when you

……………………………………………. (apply) to take part in the show?

Neil: For my first job I ……………………………………………. (work) as an investment

banker, but I ……………………………………………. (want) more variety in my work,
so I ……………………………………………. (leave) a year or so before the programme
to set up my own business providing IT support to small businesses.
Unfortunately, it ……………………………………………. (not/be) very successful.

Interviewer: You now work for Peter Salt. Tell us about your job.

Neil: I work in the property section of his business and it’s very interesting and
challenging. In my first year, I ……………………………………………. (learn) a lot from
watching Peter at work. When Peter and I …………………………………………….
(work) together on our latest project, a plan to build a health spa in the
USA, we ……………………………………………. (negotiate) a really good price for a
great site.

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