Basic english grammar structure and vocabulary

Basic english grammar
structures and vocabulary
A short course in English for adult students

Prof. Juan Gmo. Moya Montaña
DEPARTAMENTO COMUNICACIONAL DEL EJÉRCITO
2da. EDICIÓN


BASIC ENGLISH GRAMMAR
STRUCTURES AND VOCABULARY
A SHORT COURSE IN ENGLISH FOR ADULT STUDENTS
Prof. Juan Gmo. Moya Montaña

STUDENT´S NAME ________________________________________

DEPARTAMENTO COMUNICACIONAL DEL EJÉRCITO
2da. EDICIÓN


Profesor Juan Guillermo Moya Montaña
Profesor de Inglés de la Academia de Guerra, la
Academia Politécnica Militar, la Escuela Militar y
Traductor de la División Doctrina del Ejército de Chile.


Cel. : 08-3619605
Ejército de Chile
Departamento Comunicacional
Registro de Propiedad Intelectual Nº151.465
I.S.B.N. Nº 956-7527-35-0

Impreso en los Talleres del Instituto Geográfico Militar
Julio 2008 2da. Edición


ÍNDICE
Pág
• Presentación______________________________________________________________ 5
• Sugerencias Metodológicas_________________________________________________ 7
• Table of Contents__________________________________________________________ 9
• Unit 1___________________________________________________________________ 15
• Unit 2___________________________________________________________________ 27
• Unit 3___________________________________________________________________ 37
• Unit 4___________________________________________________________________ 47
• Unit 5___________________________________________________________________ 59
• Unit 6___________________________________________________________________ 77
• Unit 7___________________________________________________________________ 91
• Unit 8__________________________________________________________________ 103
• Unit 9__________________________________________________________________ 115
• Unit 10_________________________________________________________________ 127
• Unit 11_________________________________________________________________ 141
• Unit 12_________________________________________________________________ 157
• Unit 13_________________________________________________________________ 175
• Unit 14_________________________________________________________________ 191
• Unit 15_________________________________________________________________ 203
• Unit 16_________________________________________________________________ 215
• Unit 17_________________________________________________________________ 225
• Unit 18_________________________________________________________________ 237
• Unit 19_________________________________________________________________ 253
• Unit 20_________________________________________________________________ 263
• Unit 21_________________________________________________________________ 277

• Apéndices _ ____________________________________________________________ 297
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Presentación
Presentación

En la actualidad, nadie pone en duda que las exigencias que la sociedad le
atribuye a las instituciones armadas son variadas y complejas. En este sentido
y ya en pleno siglo XXI, las crecientes demandas de cooperación internacional,
impulsan a nuestros soldados a tener un dominio cada vez mayor del idioma
anglosajón.
El material que se presenta a continuación, ha sido preparado como una
contribución para los alumnos de las Escuelas dependientes del Comando de
Institutos y Doctrina y el personal del Ejército de Chile -especialmente aquellos
que se encuentran destinados en unidades alejadas- y que deseen actualizar y
reforzar su dominio de las esctructuras gramaticales del idioma inglés, incrementar
su vocabulario y mejorar las estrategias comunicativas, mediante un trabajo
personal.
Por este motivo, el Ejército decidió reimprimir este completo manual de
autoaprendizaje, cuyo autor es el profesor Juan Moya Montaña, con el propósito
de seguir contribuyendo a la formación y perfeccionamiento de todos sus
integrantes.

DEPARTAMENTO COMUNICACIONAL DEL EJÉRCITO.

A short course in english for adult students

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Sugerencias Metodológicas
1.

Leer, estudiar y memorizar las definiciones y reglas gramaticales dadas en las diferentes unidades del curso.

2.

Estudiar las ilustraciones, los ejemplos dados y la pronunciación figurada indicada en algunos casos.

3.

Resolver los ejercicios dados como tarea. Use lápiz de grafito para escribir.

4.

Comparar las respuestas dadas por Ud. con las dadas en las Claves de Respuestas y corrija sus errores.

5.

Si hubiera muchas respuestas incorrectas (más de un 20%), estudiar de nuevo las definiciones y reglas dadas al
inicio de la unidad pertinente y volver a hacer los ejercicios.

6.

Estudiar en lo posible con otra(s) persona(s) para comparar, discutir y practicar los ejercicios dados.

7.

Estudiar y memorizar los listados de palabras (sustantivos, adjetivos, verbos, preposiciones, etc.), frases y expresiones
idiomáticas que aparecen al final de cada unidad.

8.

Distribuir en forma adecuada el tiempo de estudio, de modo que haya una continuidad y regularidad. No es
conveniente estudiar varias horas de una sola vez y dejar pasar mucho tiempo antes de iniciar otra etapa.

9.

Aprovechar cualquier momento libre para estudiar, estudiar y estudiar. Este esfuerzo realizado por Ud. rendirá sus
frutos y le traerá muchas satisfacciones.

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TABLE OF CONTENTS
PART ONE: ELEMENTARY LEVEL
UNIT 1
P. 15 - 25

UNIT 2
P. 27 - 36

•
•
•
•

TO BE (Present, Past and Future)
THE ENGLISH ALPHABET
THE PHONETIC ALPHABET
KEY TO ANSWERS

• THERE TO BE
(Present, Past and Future)
• SOME - NOT ANY - NO - ANY
• CARDINAL NUMBERS
• VOCABULARY: - People
• KEY TO ANSWERS

•
•
•
UNIT 3 •
•
P. 37 - 45
•

HAVE GOT / HAS GOT

ADJECTIVES
ARTICLES I - Definite and Indefinite
TELLING THE TIME
VOCABULARY: - Adjectives
KEY TO ANSWERS

•
•
•
•
•

PRESENT CONTINUOUS TENSE
INFINITIVES AND GERUNDS
TIME AND DATES
ORDINAL NUMBERS
QUESTION WORDS 1
UNIT 4
For describing people and things.
P. 47 - 57
• VOCABULARY: - Numerals, Time
and Dates
• KEY TO ANSWERS
• SIMPLE PRESENT TENSE
• TIME EXPRESSIONS (I):

15
22
23
25

• What?, Who?, How?, When?, Why?, How old? How long? What time?
• This, That, These, Those; A(N); The ; At, On, In ; Until, For
• Now, today; yesterday, the day before yesterday; last week / last year / last
Monday, tomorrow, the day after tomorrow, next week, two days ago

27

• There is a car in the garage. There are 3 cars in the garage
• How much? How many?
• Much, many, little, few, a lot, lots of, very little, very few

27
33
34
36

37
39
39
41
43
45

47
48
52
52
54

UNIT 6
P. 77 - 90

• SIMPLE PAST TENSE
• REGULAR AND IRREGULAR
VERBS
• USED TO + INFINITIVE
• POSSESSIVE ADJECTIVES
AND PRONOUNS
• SUBJECT AND OBJECT
PRONOUNS
• VOCABULARY: - Professions
And Occupations
• KEY TO ANSWERS

He has got a big house
Uncountable nouns: money, sugar, milk, water, work, etc.
Countable nouns: people, men, students, books,etc.
O´clock, quarter past / to, half past, minutes past / to
In the morning / afternoon / evening; at night
Noon / midday, midnight

• He is working at the moment
• Now, at present, at the moment, at this time, temporarily, for the time
being.
• How old?, How tall?, How far?, How long?, How high?, How fast?, How
deep?, How thick?, How wide?, How big?, What color?, What size?, What
shape?, What is / are ......... like?

55

57
59
61

ADVERBS OF FREQUENCY

• QUESTION WORDS II
For requesting information.
UNIT 5 • ARTICLES II - General and specific
• RELATIVE PRONOUNS: Who and
P. 59 - 75
Which
• VOCABULARY: - Clothes
• KEY TO ANSWERS

•
•
•
•
•
•

66

•
•
•
•
•

67
68

He works here every day
Every day, every week, every month, etc.
Always, generally, usually, often, sometimes, never, etc.
Once a day, twice a week, three times a year, etc.
What?, Who?, Which?, Why?, Where?, How? Whom?, Whose?, How
much?, How many?, How often?, How long?, What time?, What kind of?,
What sort of?, etc.

71
73

77
78
83
84
86
87

•
•
•
•

He worked here yesterday
Last week, last month, last Monday, etc.
Two weeks ago, thirty minutes ago, etc.
Yesterday morning, yesterday evening, last night, on the fifth of May, 1996,

etc.
• My, your, his her, its, our, your, their.
• Mine, yours, his, hers, ours, yours, theirs.
• Me, you, him, her, it, us, you, them.

89
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• PAST CONTINUOUS TENSE
• IMPERATIVE FORM
• ARTICLES III - Nationalities,
professions, titles and ranks;
streets, cities, countries and
UNIT 7
geographical names.
P. 91 - 102 • EXCLAMATORY FORM
• VOCABULARY: - The house
• KEY TO ANSWERS

91
94
95

• SIMPLE FUTURE TENSE I: Will
• RELATIVE PRONOUNS: Who,
Whom, Whose
• SOMEBODY / SOMEONE,

SOMETHING, SOMEWHERE
UNIT 8
AND DERIVED WORDS
P. 103 - 114
• VOCABULARY: - The City
• KEY TO ANSWERS

103
106

• SIMPLE FUTURE TENSE II :
AM / IS / ARE+GOING TO.......
• IT TAKES........ / IT TOOK....... /
IT WILL TAKE...... = DEMORAR
UNIT 9 • COMPARISON OF
ADJECTIVES
P. 115 - 126
• VOCABULARY: - Food
• KEY TO ANSWERS

115

• SIMPLE FUTURE TENSE III :
AM / IS / ARE+ING
• MODAL VERBS: CAN, MUST,
MAY, SHOULD, OUGHT TO
UNIT 10 • HAVE TO = TENER QUE
P. 127 - 140 • VOCABULARY: - Parts of the
Body
Time Expressions (II)

• KEY TO ANSWERS

127

•
•
•
•
•

UNIT 11

•

P. 141 - 154

•
•
•

10

FUTURE CONTINUOUS TENSE
MAKING REQUESTS
ASKING FOR PERMISSION
OFFERING TO DO
SOMETHING
INVITING OR SUGGESTING TO
DO SOMETHING TOGETHER
ALSO, TOO, AS WELL, SO;

NOT...EITHER, NEITHER / NOR
BUT
POSITION OF DIRECT AND
INDIRECT OBJECTS
VOCABULARY: - Our Health
KEY TO ANSWERS

A short course in english for adult students

96
99
101

109

111
113

116
119
123
125

129
131
135

• He was working here at 9:30 last night
• At that time, at 10:30 last night, etc., When Peter arrived this morning,
when they got married, etc.

• Open the door, please. Please, don´t do that.
• An American, a Chilean, an Englishman, etc.
• A doctor, an engineer, a secretary, etc.
• Mr. Scott, Cpt. Jones, Dr. White, etc.
• On Fifth Avenue, In Salt Lake City, In Canada, in the USA, in North Carolina,
in the West Indies.
• What a tall woman!, What beautiful flowers! What nice weather!
How tall she is! How quickly time passes!
• John will come here tomorrow / the day after tomorrow / next week / next
month / at this time tomorrow / at this time next year, etc.
• He said that he was tired.
He told me that he was tired.
• Who is he? Whom did you see? Whose is that car? Whose care is it? : The
man with whom Mary is working now, The man whose car is parked outside.
• Somebody / someone, something, somewhere, not anybody / not anyone,
not anything, not anywhere, nobody / no one, nothing, nowhere

• John is going to come here tomorrow / the day after tomorrow / next week,
etc.
• It takes me 20 minutes to.....
• How long does it take to....?
• Short - shorter than- the shortest
• Intelligent, more intelligent than, the most intelligent
• As fast as.......
• Good - better - best, etc.

• John is coming here tomorrow / the day after tomorrow, etc.
• Bob can swim very well; Peter must be here at 8:15 tomorrow; You may
use the phone now; They should t / ought to be more careful of what they
say

• I have to buy another dictionary. This one is too old

136
139
141
143
144
145
146
147

150
152
153

• They will be working at this time tomorrow / the day after tomorrow, etc.
• Can / Will / Could / Would you open the door please? Would you mind
opening the door, please?
• Can I / May I / Do you mind if I open the window?
• Shall I / Do you want me to / Would you like me to open the window?
• Shall we / Would you like to / Why don´t we / Let´s go to a disco tonight;
How about going to a disco tonight?
• The boy also speaks Italian; He speaks Italian, too / as well; The boy
speaks Italian and so does the girl.
• Peter doesn´t like golf and I don´t like it either; Peter doesn´t like golf and
neither do I.
• The boy speaks Italian, but the girl doesn´t..
• Bob sent some flowers to his girlfriend; Bob sent his girlfriend some
flowers; Bob sent her some flowers.

PART TWO: INTERMEDIATE LEVEL
• PRESENT PERFECT TENSE
• PLURALIZATION OF NOUNS
• USE OF INFINITIVES AND
GERUNDS I
VERB + GERUND
UNIT 12 • VOCABULARY:
- Prepositions and Connectors
P. 157 - 174
• KEY TO ANSWERS

157
161
164

•
•
•
•

170

•
•
•
•

I have seen that movie
Mary hasn´t finished typing it yet

Have they arrived already?
Just,before, lately, once, twice, three times, never, already, not yet, yet /
already?, since, for, ever
Book / books; brush / brushes; knife / knives; baby / babies; day / days; etc.
Irregular plural forms
Enjoy playing, keep talking, etc.
Go skiing, go shopping, etc.

• PRESENT PERFECT
CONTINUOUS TENSE
• USE OF INFINITIVES AND
GERUNDS II
A. Verb + to-infinitive
B. Verb + somebody + bare
infinitive
C. Verb + gerund / bare
UNIT 13
infinitive
P. 175 - 190
D. Verb + somebody + bare
infinitive / to-infinitive
E. Verb + ing / to-infinitive
• TAG ENDINGS
• VOCABULARY: - Sports and
Recreation
• KEY TO ANSWERS

175

•

•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•

I have been working all day
They agreed to meet outside the theater.
He will let them play
He wants us to go, too
I saw her crossing / cross the road.
I´ll help you do / to do that
I like to playing / to play golf
The floor needs cleaning / to be cleaned
He works well, doesn´t he?
He didn´t come to the meeting, did he?

• PAST PERFECT TENSE
• ADVERBS: FORMATION AND
COMPARISON
• REFLEXIVE PRONOUNS
UNIT 14 • PAST TENSE OF “GOING TO”
P. 191 - 202 • VOCABULARY: - Nature
• KEY TO ANSWERS

191

194

•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•

He had seen the film before
The train had already left when he arrived
Quickly, carefully, certainly, etc.
Fast, hard, early, late, soon
More quickly, more carefully, etc.
Sooner, harder, earlier, etc.
He cut himself; He himself did it; He lives all by himself
We were going to play football but it began to rain

• PAST PERFECT CONTINUOUS
TENSE
• PAST TENSE OF SHOULD /
OUGHT TO
• WOULD RATHER / HAD BETTER
• MODAL VERBS II:
• COULD DO SOMETHING
- COULD HAVE DONE
SOMETHING
UNIT 15

MUST / CAN / MUST HAVE, /
P. 203 - 214
CAN´T HAVE DONE
SOMETHING
- MAY, MIGHT, MAY HAVE / MIGHT
HAVE DONE SOMETHING
• VOCABULARY: - The Weather
• KEY TO ANSWERS

203

•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•

He had been working all day
He should have studied harder. / He ought to have done it
You´d better take a taxi if you want to be there before your train leaves
We could go to the movie
We could have gone to the movie
He must be very tired
He can´t be hungry already

He must have gone home
He can´t have done that alone
It may / might be true
You must have / might have left it in the shop

173

177
177
178
179
179
181
184
187
189

196
198
199
201

205
205
207
207
207
209

210

212
213

A short course in english for adult students

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• FUTURE PERFECT TENSE
• SEQUENCE OF VERB TENSES
• THE PRESENT TENSE AFTER
WHEN, AS SOON AS, UNTIL,
ETC.
UNIT 16 • USE OF ELSE, OR ELSE /
OTHERWISE
P. 215 - 223
• VOCABULARY: - The Workshop
• KEY TO ANSWERS

215
217
218

• THE PASSIVE VOICE
• BE SUPPOSED TO
UNIT 17 • VOCABULARY:
- The Armed Forces I
P. 225 - 236
• KEY TO ANSWERS

225
231
233

• CONDITIONAL SENTENCES
• SUBJUNCTIVE AFTER WISH
• VERB + PRESENT OF
SUBJUNCTIVE
UNIT 18 • VOCABULARY:
- The Armed Forces II
P. 237 - 252
• KEY TO ANSWERS

•
•
•
•
•

They will have finished the work by then
He says he´s tired / He said he was tired.
When I see her tomorrow.......
Do you need anything else?
I´ll take a taxi, or else I´ll miss my flight.

219
221
223
210

• The book was published in 1998
• The train is supposed to arrive at 9:45

235

237
244
245
248

•
•
•
•
•
•
•

If you study hard you´ll pass the course
If you studied harder you´d get better marks
If you had studied harder you would have passed the course
I wish I could swim
I wish I had seen her
I wish it would stop snowing
I suggest that she wait a few minutes.

•
•
•
•

He said he wanted to go
He told me that he wanted to go
He asked me where they were
He told me to sit down

•
•
•
•
•
•

At a social gathering
At a hotel
At a restaurant
How to get to places
At the station / airport
Shopping

251
• REPORTED SPEECH
A. STATEMENTS
B. QUESTIONS
C. COMMANDS, ORDERS
UNIT 19 • VOCABULARY:
P. 253 - 261
- Regular and Irregular Verbs
• KEY TO ANSWERS

UNIT 20

• USEFUL ENGLISH PHRASES
AND EXPRESSIONS IN
ENGLISH FOR TRAVELLERS

253
253
254
254
257
261
263

P. 263 - 275

• ASSESSMENT TEST
• QUESTION BOOKLET (Listening
Part)
• QUESTION BOOKLET (Reading
Part)
UNIT 21
•
ANSWER
SHEET
P. 277 - 296
• TEACHER’S TEXT SCRIPT
• KEY TO ANSWERS

APENDICES

283
291
293
295

• CHART 1 BASIC VERB TENSES
• CHART 2 BASIC VERB TENSES
A) CONTINUOUS TENSES
B) SIMPLE TENSES
C) PERFECT TENSES
4) PERFECT CONTINUOUS TENSES

12

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300
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BASIC ENGLISH GRAMMAR
STRUCTURES AND VOCABULARY

PART ONE

ELEMENTARY LEVEL


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UNIT 1
PART I. TO BE (SER O ESTAR)
A. EL TIEMPO PRESENTE: AM /æm/ , IS /iz/, ARE /a:r/
1. El verbo TO BE tiene tres formas en el tiempo presente: AM - IS - ARE
I am /ai æm/
You are /iú á:r/
He is /hi: íz/
She is /shi: íz/
It is /it íz/

(Yo soy/estoy)
(Tú eres/estás)
(El es/está)
(Ella es/está)
(Es/está)

We are /wi: á:r/
You are /iú á:r/

(Nosotros/as somos o estamos)
(Uds. son/están)

They are /!éi á:r/

(Ellos/as son/están)

En conversación, normalmente se usan las contracciones I’m. You´re, He´s, She´s, It´s, We´re, They´re.
Escuche, repita y aprenda:
What? /wót/ ¿Qué? ¿Cuál?; Who? /hu:/ ¿Quién?; Where? /wéar/ ¿ Dónde?;How? /háu/ ¿Cómo?; This /!is/ este/a,
That /!æt/ ese/a; These /!í:z/ estos/as; Those /!óuz/ esos/as A/ a/(antes de cons.) un/a;, An /an/ (antes de vocal) un/a; The /
!e (antes de cons.) , !i/ (antes de vocal) el, la, los, las; At /æt/ en; In /in/ en; On /on/ encima de; Now /náu/ ahora; Today /tudéi/ Hoy
día; Thanks /"æ#ks/ gracias; Thank you /"æ#k iu:/ gracias; Fine /fáin/ bien; Very well /véri uél/ muy bien; Much better /match
béter/ mucho mejor

What is this? /wót iz !is/ ¿Qué es esto?
What´s that? /wots !æt/ ¿Qué es eso?
What are these? /wót a:r !í:z/, ¿Qué son éstos?
What are those? /wót a:r !óuz/, ¿Qué son esos?

It is a pen. /its a pén/ Es un lápiz
It´s an ambulance. /its an æmbiulans/ Es una ambulancia
They are books. /!ei a:r búks/ Son libros
They´re cars. /!eir ká:rz/ Son autos

Is this a pen? /iz !is a pén/
Is that a house? /is !æt a háus/
Are these books? /a:r !í:z búks/
Are those cars? /á:r !óuz ká:rz/

Yes, it is. It´s a pen /iés,it iz. its a pén/
Yes, It is. It´s a house. /iés it iz its e háus/

Yes, they are. They´re books. /iés, !ei á:r. !eir búks/
Yes, they are.They´re cars. /iés, !ei á:r.!eir ká:rz/

Who is that man? /hú iz !æt mæn/
Who´s that woman? /hú:z !æt wúman/ .
Who are those men? /hú: a:r !óuz mén/

He´s Mr. Jones, the new instructor. /hi:z !e niú: instráktor/
She´s Miss Black, the secretary. /shi:z !e sékretri/
They´re Bob, Jim and Tom, the students. /!eir !e stiú:dents/

Where is Bob? /wéar iz bób/
Where´s the car? /wéarz !e ká:r/
Where´s the book? /wéarz !e búk/
Where are the cars? /wéar a:r !e ká:rz/
Where are the students? /wéar a:r !e stiú:dents/

He´s at home. /hi:z at hóum/
It´s in the garage. /its in !e gæridll/
It´s on the desk. /its on !e désk/
They´re in the car park. /!éir in !e ká:r pá:rk/
They´re in the lab. /!éir in !e læb/

How are you? /háu á:r iu:/
How´s John? /háuz dllón/
How are the children? /háu a:r !e tchíldrn/

I´m fine, thanks. /áim fáin, "æ#ks/
He´s much better, thanks. /hí:z mátch béter, "æ#ks/
They´re very well, thank you. /!eir véri wél "æ#k iu/

2. La forma negativa se expresa usando la palabra NOT, normalmente formando las contracciones ISN´ T /íznt/
o AREN´ T /á:rent/
I am not /ai æm nót/
You are not /iú á:r nót/
He is not /hi: iz nót/
She is not /shí: iz nót/
It is not /it iz nót/
We are not /wí: a:r nót/
They are not /!ei a:r nót/

---------------------------You aren´t /iu á:rent/
He isn´t /hí: íznt/
She isn´t /shí: íznt/
It isn´t /it íznt/
We aren´t /wí: á:rent/
They aren´t /!ei á:rent/

I´m not /aim nót/
You´re not /iúr nót/
He´s not / hí:z nót/
She´s not /shí:z nót/
It´s not /its nót/
We´re not /wí:r nót/
They´re not /!eir nót/
A short course in english for adult students

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Escuche, repita y aprenda:

is not /iz nót/, isn´t /íznt/ ; are not /a:r nót/, aren´t /á:rent/;
here /híar/ aquí; there /!éar/ allí; over there /óuver !éar/ allá

I am not a pilot. /páilot/
They are not students /stiú:dnts/.
He is not here /híar/.
They are not there /!éar/
It is not a train. /tréin/
Bob is not very well /véri wél/
The students are not in the lab /læb/.

---------------------------They aren´t students.
He isn´t here.
They aren´t there.
It isn´t a train.
He isn´t very well.
They aren´t in the lab.

I´m not a pilot
They´re not students.
He´s not here.
They´re not there.
It´s not a train.
He´s not very well.
They´re not in the lab.

Escuche, repita y aprenda estas preguntas y respuestas:
Is this a pen? /pén/

Is that a tank? /tæ#k/
Are these books? /búks/
Are those chairs? /tchéarz/

No, it isn´t. (It´s not a pen.) It´s a pencil. /pénsl/
No, it isn´t. (It´s not a tank.) It´s a truck. /trák/
No, they aren´t. (They´re not books.) They´re magazines. /mægazinz/
No, they aren´t. (They´re not chairs). They´re tables /téiblz/.

3. La forma interrogativa se expresa mediante simple inversión de orden con el sujeto de la oración.
Am I? /am ai/
Are you? /á:r iú:/
Is he? /íz hí:/
Is she? /íz shí:/
Is it? /íz it/

Aren´t I? * /á:rent ai /
Aren´t you? /á:rent iu:/
Isn´t he? /íznt hi:/
Isn´t she? /íznt shi:/
Isn´t it? /íznt it/

Are we? /á:r wí:/
Are you? /á:r iú:/

Aren´t we? /á:rent wi:/
Aren´t you? /á:rent iú:/

Are they? /á:r !ei/

Aren´t they? /á.rent !ei/

Debido a que no existe una contracción para AM NOT, habitualmente se usa AREN¨T en este caso. En
conversación coloquial se usa la contracción AIN¨T /éint/ Ejemplo: Aren´t I your friend? Ain´t I your friend?

*

Escuche, repita y aprenda:
Am I right? /ám ái ráit/ ¿Estoy correcto?
Are you all right? /á.r iu: ó:l ráit/ ¿Estás bien?
Is he a captain? /íz hi: a kæptin/ Es él un capitán?
Are they busy? /á:r !ei bízi/ ¿Están ellos ocupados?
Is my answer correct? /íz mai á:nser korékt/¿Está correcta mi respuesta?

Aren´t I right? /á:rent ai ráit/ ¿No estoy en lo cierto?
Aren´t you tired? /á:rent iu táiard/ ¿No estás cansado?
Isn´t she a nurse? /íznt shi. a ne:rs/ ¿No es ella una enfermera?
Aren´t they happy? /á:rent !ei hæpi/ ¿No están ellos felices?
Isn´t this question correct? /íznt !is kwéstchion korékt/

EXERCISES
Ex. 1. Use the correct form of the verb TO BE (am/is/are)
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

The teacher ______ in the classroom now.
John and Mary _____ good friends.

The men ______ tired.
Those vehicles______ slow-moving.(vehículos lentos)
Those weapons ______ powerful. (armas-poderosas)

6. Doctor Smith _____ busy right now.
7. The train _____ ten minutes late.
8. I ______ an undergraduate student.
9. The instructor´s name _____ John Doe.
10. The instructors _____ in the staff-room. (sala de profs.)

Ex. 2. Answer these questions, as in the example
Is Tom a pilot?
1. Are you in the office?
2. Is that man Mr. Clark?
3. Are we ready to go?
4. Am I a good instructor?
5. Are the students in class?
6. Is Miss Jones a secretary?
7. Is this a modern plane?
16

A short course in english for adult students

Yes, he is. He´s a pilot.
Yes,_____________ _______________________________________
Yes,_____________ _______________________________________
________________ _______________________________________
________________ _______________________________________
________________ _______________________________________
________________ _______________________________________

________________ _______________________________________


8. Are the manuals updated?(actualizados)
9. Is the bank open?
10.Are you hungry? (hambriento)

________________ _______________________________________
________________ _______________________________________
________________ _______________________________________

Ex. 3. Answer the questions as in the example:
Are they instructors? (students)
1. Are the boys angry? enojados (hungry) hambrientos
2. Are you thirsty? sediento (hungry)
3. Is Bob at home? en casa (at work) en el trabajo
4. Are the children happy? felices (sad) tristes
5. Is your brother a doctor? (an engineer)
6. Are your friends American? (British)
7. Are you a navy officer?(an army officer)
8. Is the table clean? limpia (dirty) sucia
9. Are the men old? viejos (young) jóvenes
10.Is Cpt. Bowman on duty? de servicio (off duty) de franco

No, they are not. (They aren´t instructors)
They ´re students
No, _________________ ( _________________________ )
___________________________________
____________________ ( _________________________ )
___________________________________

____________________ ( _________________________ )
___________________________________
____________________ ( _________________________ )
___________________________________
____________________ ( _________________________ )
___________________________________
____________________ ( _________________________ )
___________________________________
____________________ ( _________________________ )
___________________________________
____________________ ( _________________________ )
___________________________________
____________________ ( _________________________ )
___________________________________
____________________ ( _________________________ )
___________________________________

Ex. 4 Ask questions, as in the example below:
The Browns - at home
1. The manager / in his office
2. Peter and John / in class
3. The course / interesting
4. Your friends / from Canada
5. The computer / connected to the Internet
6. The package / light or heavy (liviano o pesado)
7. The pictures / clear (nítidas, claras)
8. The children / in the playground.(patio)
9. The CD´s / in the drawer (gaveta)
10. The maps / in the library (biblioteca)

Are the Browns at home?
___________________________________________________
___________________________________________________
___________________________________________________
___________________________________________________
___________________________________________________
___________________________________________________
___________________________________________________
___________________________________________________
___________________________________________________
___________________________________________________

Ex. 5. Ask questions using the wh-words What?, Who?, Where?, How?, as in the example:
It´s a plane.
1. It´s a knife
2. They´re books
3. The cigarettes are in the bag
4. I´m fine, thanks
5. The cat´s under the sofa
6. It´s a chair
7. That boy´s my brother
8. The books are on the table
9. The children are tired
10.That woman´s my wife

What´s this? o What´s that?
_________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________

A short course in english for adult students

17


Ex. 6. Complete and practise these dialogues with a partner.
1. Robert
Jack
Robert
Jack

:
:
:
:

How do you do? My name ______ Robert Brown.
How do you do? My name ______ Jack Richardson. Where ______ you from, Mr. Brown?
I ______ American. I ______ from Appleton, Wisconsin.
Oh. That ______ very interesting.

2. Frank
John

Frank
John
Frank

:
:
:
:
:

Hello. My name ______ Frank. What ______ your name?
My name ______ John. How ______ you?
I ______ fine, thanks. ______ you a student here?
No, I ______ not. I ______ an instructor.
Oh. Pleased to meet you, Sir.

3. Peter
Michael
Peter
Michael
Peter
Michael
Peter
Michael

:
:
:
:
:

:
:
:

Hello, Mike
Hello, Peter. Who______ that girl?
She ______ Mary. She ______ a new student.
Where ______ she from?
She ______ from Australia.
______ she single?
No, she ______ ______. She ______ married.
Oh. That´s bad news.

4. Jack
Jim
Jack
Jim

:
:
:
:

Where ______ you, Jim?
I ______ here, in the library.
______ you alone?
No, I ______ ______. I ______ with my friend Janet. Come and meet her.
(pausa)
This ______ Janet. She ______ my classmate . She ______ from London.
Hello, I ______ glad to meet you, Jane. How ______ you?

I ______ fine, Jack. I´m glad to meet you, too.

Jim
Jack
Janet

:
:
:

B. EL TIEMPO PASADO: WAS /woz/ - WERE /we:r/
1. El verbo TO BE tiene las siguientes formas en el tiempo pasado: WAS /woz/ - WERE /we:r/
I was /ai wóz/ (Yo era/estaba/fui/estuve)
You were /iú: wé:r/ (Tú eras/estabas/fuiste/estuviste)
He was /hí: wóz/ (El era/estaba/fue/estuvo)
She was /shi: wóz/ (Ella era/estaba/fue/estuvo)
It was /it wóz/ (Era/estaba/fue/estuvo)

We were /wi: wé:r/ (Nos. éramos/estábamos/fuimos/estuvimos)
You were /iú: wé:r/ (Uds. eran/estaban/fueron/estuvieron)
They were /!ei wé:r/ (Ellos/eran/estaban/fueron/estuvieron)

Escuche, lea y aprenda:
When? /wén/ ¿Cuándo?; Why? /wái/ ¿Por qué?; How old? /háu óuld/ ¿Qué edad?
Last week /lá:st wí:k/ la semana pasada; Two days ago /tú: déiz agóu/ Hace dos días; Yesterday /iésterdi/ ayer;
The day before yesterday /!e déi bifó:r iésterdi/ anteayer; Last night /la:st náit/ anoche

I was very busy yesterday. /ai woz véri bízi iésterdei/
John was at home all day today. /dllón woz at hóum ó:l déi tudéi/
We were in Paris last year /wi wé:r in páris la:st íar/

Mary was the best student in my class. / méri woz !e bést stiú:dent in mai klás/
They were very good friends. /!ei wé:r véri gud fréndz/
Mr. Jackson was here three weeks ago. /míster djækson woz híar "rí: wí:ks agóu/

18

A short course in english for adult students

(Yo estuve muy ocupado ayer)
(John estuvo en casa todo el día hoy)
(Nosotros estuvimos en Paris el año pasado)
(Mary era la mejor alumna de mi curso)
(Ellos eran / fueron muy buenos amigos)
(Mr Jackson estuvo aquí hace 3 semanas).


2. La forma negativa se expresa usando NOT después de WAS o WERE. Normalmente se usan las contracciones
WASN´T /wóznt/ o WEREN´T /wé:rent/.
Escuche, lea y aprenda:
I was not very busy last week. /ai woz nót véri bízi lá:st wí:k/
(Yo no estuve muy ocupado la semana pasada)
John wasn´t at home this morning. /dllón wóznt at hóum !is mórni#/
(John no estuvo en casa esta mañana)
We weren´t in New York last year. /wi wé:rent in niú: iórk lá:st íar/
(Nosotros no estuvimos en N.Y. el año pasado)
Mary wasn´t a good student at high school. /méri wóznt a gúd stiú:dent at hái skú:l/ (Mary no era una buena alumna en el liceo)
They weren´t very hardworking. /!ei wé:rnt véri há:rdwérki#/
(Ellos no eran muy trabajadores)
3. La forma interrogativa se expresa invirtiendo el orden de WAS / WERE con el sujeto
Escuche, lea y aprenda:

Were you in class this morning? /we:r iú: in klás !is mórnin/
Was John sick yesterday? /woz dllón sík iésterdi/
Was Mary a good student at school? /woz méri a gúd stiú:dent at skú:l/
Where were you at this time yesterday? /wéar wé:r iú at !is táim iésterdi/
Why was Jim absent from work? /wái woz dllím æbsent from wé:rk/

(¿Estuviste en clase esta mañana?)
(¿Estuvo John enfermo ayer?)
(¿Era Mary una buena alumna en el colegio?)
(¿Dónde estabas a esta hora ayer?)
(¿Por qué estuvo Jim ausente del trabajo?)

EXERCISES:
Ex. 1. Complete these sentences with the proper form of the verb TO BE, present or past:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.

John ______ in New York the day before yesterday but he ______ in Chicago today.
They ______ free today, but they ______ at work yesterday.
Today ______ Monday. Yesterday ______ Sunday.
Where ______ the Johnsons last weekend? Where ______ they today?
The elevator ______ out of order last night, but it ______ working well now.
John ______n´t in the office at ten this morning because he ______ at a meeting.
Bob ______ very sick yesterday, but he ______ much better today.

Ex. 2. Change the following sentences into a) Negative b) interrogative
1. The secretary was busy at midday.
2. They were good friends at school.
3. The weather was fine that day.
4. The men were tired after the long walk.
5. Mary was late for the train this morning.
6. Henry was at the movie at 7 P.M.

___________________________________________________
___________________________________________________
___________________________________________________
___________________________________________________
___________________________________________________
___________________________________________________
___________________________________________________
___________________________________________________
___________________________________________________
___________________________________________________
___________________________________________________
___________________________________________________

Ex. 3. Ask questions using wh-words like What?, Where?, When?,Why?, How?, How old, Who?
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.

Tom was at home at midnight last night.

John was in the car at that moment.
Liz was in bed because she was sick.
The Smiths were in Chile in 1985.
George was a little better this morning.
Mr Clark was about 85 years old when he died.

___________________________________________________
___________________________________________________
___________________________________________________
___________________________________________________
___________________________________________________
___________________________________________________

A short course in english for adult students

19


C. EL TIEMPO FUTURO: WILL BE /will bi:/
1. El tiempo futuro del verbo TO BE se expresa mediante el uso del Verbo Modal WILL seguido del infinitivo
BE. Normalmente se usa la contracción ‘ll en la conversación diaria informal.
I will be /ai wil bí:/ (Yo seré / estaré)
You will be /iú: wil bí:/ (Tú serás / estarás)
He will be /hi: wil bí:/ (El será / estará)
She will be /shí: wil bí:/ (Ella será / estará)
It will be /it wil bí:/ (Será / estará)

We will be /wí: wil bí:/ (Nos.seremos / estaremos)
You will be /iú: wil bí:/ (Uds. serán / estarán)
They will be /!ei wil bí:/ (Ellos / as serán estarán)

También se pueden usar las siguientes contracciones:
I´ll be /áil bí:/

You´ll be /iu:l bí:/

He´ll be /hí:l bí:/

They´ll be /!eil bí:/

Escuche, lea y aprenda:
How long? /háu ló#/ ¿Cuánto tiempo? Until /antíl/ hasta; For /for/ por, para What time? /wót táim/ ¿Qué hora? Tomorrow /tumórou/ mañana;
Next week /´nekst wi:k/ la próxima semana; The day after tomorrow /!e déi á:fter tumórou/ pasado mañana

I will be very busy this afternoon. /ái wil bí: véri bízi !is a:fternú:n/ . Estaré muy ocupado esta tarde
John will be in class until 1 o´clock. /dllón wil bí: in klá:s antil wán oklók/ John estará en clases hasta la 1
It´ll be hot tomorrow. /ítl bí: hot tumórou/ Estará caluroso mañana
I´ll be on leave for two weeks. /ail bí: on lí:v for tú: wí:ks/ Yo estaré con permiso por dos semanas
2. La forma negativa se expresa usando la palabra NOT después del verbo modal WILL Normalmente se usa
la contracción WON´T /wóunt/.
Escuche, lea y aprenda:
I will not be very busy tomorrow. /ai wil nót bí: véri bízi tumórou/ No estaré muy ocupado mañana
Mary will not be at home today. /méri wil nót bí: at hóum tudéi/ Mary no estará en casa hoy día.
They won´t be here all day. /!ei wóunt bí: híar ó:l dei/ Ellos no estarán aquí todo el día
It won´t be cold tonight. /it wóunt bí: kóuld tunáit/ No estará frio esta noche
3. La forma interrogativa se expresa usando el verbo modal WILL o la contracción WON´T delante del sujeto.
Escuche, lea y aprenda:
Will you be free tomorrow evening? /wil iú: bí: frí: tumórou í:vni#/ ¿Estarás libre mañana en la noche?
Will the test be difficult? /wil !e tést bí: dífikalt/ ¿Será dificil la prueba?
Will they be here on Monday? /wil !ei bí: híar on mándei/ ¿Estarán ellos aquí el lunes?

Won´t you be at the meeting? /wóunt iú. bi: at !e mí:tin/ ¿No estarás tú en la reunión?
When will they be here again? /wén wil !ei bí: híar agéin/ ¿Cuándo estarán ellos aquí nuevamente?
How long will they be in Washington? /háu lo# wil !ei bí: in wóshi#ton/ ¿Cúanto tiempo estarán ellos en Washington?
What time will you be back? /wót táim wil iu: bí: bæk/ ¿A qué hora estará Ud. de regreso?
EXERCISES:
Ex. 1. Complete the sentences, as in the example:
John is not at home today, but he
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
20

(will be at home)

tomorrow.

Tom and Jack aren´t in the same class this semester, but they _______________________________ next semester.
John isn´t absent today, but he _________________________________________________ the day after tomorrow.
It is not very cold now, but it ______________________________________________________________ this evening.
We are not busy right now, but we _________________________________________________________ after lunch.
I am not in my office at the moment, but I ________________________________________________ in ten minutes.
Mr.Johnson was not at the meeting last week, but he _______________________________________ next Monday.
The weather was not very nice last month, but it _____________________________________________ next month.
A short course in english for adult students

Ex. 2. Change the following sentences into the negative and the interrogative forms.
1. John will be in class today.
2. It´ll be hot tomorrow.
3. My friends will be here before 12.
4. The program will be interesting.
5. Mary´ll be in the office all morning.
6. I´ll be in the first team.
7. They will be in the next town before midday.

___________________________________________
___________________________________________
___________________________________________
___________________________________________
___________________________________________
___________________________________________
___________________________________________
___________________________________________
___________________________________________
___________________________________________
___________________________________________
___________________________________________
___________________________________________
___________________________________________

Ex. 3. Ask questions using Where?,When?,Why?, How?, How long?, What time?, etc.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

6.
7.
8.
9.

All the shops will be closed tomorrow because it´s Sunday.
I will be free next Tuesday morning.
The students will be in the lab this afternoon.
They will be here at ten-thirty.
The weather will be very nice this month.
Mary will be in New York next weekend.
She will be back in Chile on Wednesday.
They will be at home all day because the weather is not good.
Mr. Johnson will be absent from work for three days?

___________________________________________
___________________________________________
___________________________________________
___________________________________________
___________________________________________
___________________________________________
___________________________________________
___________________________________________
___________________________________________

Ex. 4. Answer the following questions, in English.
1. Where were you at this time yesterday?
2. When will you be on vacation again?
3. How are you today?
4. Who was absent from class last Monday?

5. Why is your friend in bed at this time?
6. Where were you last weekend?
7. Who was with you at the party last Saturday?
8. When is the next general meeting?
9. Where will you be at this time tomorrow?
10. Why were you absent from class last Friday?

___________________________________________
___________________________________________
___________________________________________
___________________________________________
___________________________________________
___________________________________________
___________________________________________
___________________________________________
___________________________________________
___________________________________________

Ex. 5. Translate the following sentences into English:
1. Ellos estarán muy ocupados mañana en la mañana.
2. Esos niños no son muy buenos alumnos.
3. ¿Dónde están tus amigos ahora?
4. ¿Quién estuvo aquí esta mañana?
5. Nosotros no estuvimos aquí la semana pasada.
6. Ella será una excelente secretaria.
7. Ellos fueron buenos amigos en el colegio
8. Los informes no estaban listos todavía.
9. Mr Jackson estuvo en la oficina todo el día.
10. ¿Cuándo están ellos libres todo el día?
11. ¿Quién era ese hombre?

12. Este no es un libro muy interesante.
13. Alguien estuvo aquí ayer en la tarde.
14. ¿Cuándo estará Ud. en esa ciudad nuevamente?

___________________________________________
___________________________________________
___________________________________________
___________________________________________
___________________________________________
___________________________________________
___________________________________________
___________________________________________
___________________________________________
___________________________________________
___________________________________________
___________________________________________
___________________________________________
___________________________________________
A short course in english for adult students

21


PART II.

THE ENGLISH ALPHABET

Vowels:

A

E

I

O

U

/éi/

/i:/

/ái/

/óu/

/iú/

B

C

D

G

P

T

V

/bi:/

/si:/

/di:/

/dlli:/

/pi:/

/ti:/

/vi:/

Consonants:

F

L

M

N

S

X

Z

/ef/

/el/

/em/

/en/

/es/

/eks/

/zed/*

J

H

K

Y

Q

W

R

/dlléi/

/eitch/

/kei/

/uái/

/kiú/

/dábliu/

/a:r/

* En Inglés Americano la letra Z se llama /zi:/

PRACTICE EXERCISES:
Ex. 1. ¿Puede leer estas series de letras?
1. E - I - O - A - E - I - E - O - U - I - U - A -E
2. P - G - B - V - T - C - Z - L - F - N - S - X - D - B - C - L - M - X - V -B
3. J - Y - Q - W - H - K - Y - R - C - L - H - G - N - Y - Q - T - X - W - R - Z - J - K - F
4. E - C - L - M - X - V - B - A - I - B - D - X - S - N - F - O - G - U - Q - Y - W - A
5. U - I - E - J - O - G - K - A - T - E - P - I - W - O - Q - A - X - O - I - A
Ex. 2. Escuche, lea y aprenda:
1. How do you spell your first name? /háu diu: spél io:r fe:rst néim/
2. My last name is Vasquez, that´s V-A-S-Q-U-E-Z. /mái la:st néim is váskes, !æts vi: éi és kiú i: zéd/
3. Tom works for IBM in LA. /tóm wé:rks for ái bí: ém in él éi/
Ex. 3. Practique estos diálogos con algún amigo:
1. A: My brother´s name is Ignacio.

2. A: When did you buy your VCR?

/mái brá!erz néim iz ignásio/

/wén did iú: bái io:r ví: sí: á.r/

B: Can you spell that, please?

B: Last month. I bought it at the PX

/kán iu: spél !æt plí:z/

/lá:st mán" ái bó:t it at !e pí: éks/

A: I-G-N-A-C-I-O

A: Was it very expensive?

/ai dllí: én éi sí: ái óu/

/wóz it ekspénsiv/

B: Thank you

B: No, it only cost me eighty-five dollars

/"æ#kiu:/

/nóu it óunli kóst mi:éiti fáiv dólarz/

Ex. 4. ¿Puede deletrear estas palabras?
Yorkshire
Mexico

22

Washington
Quebec

geography
Chicago

A short course in english for adult students

Kalamazoo
Venezuela

Japan
Shanghai

whisky
Tokyo


Ex. 5. Estudie estas siglas (acronyms) de uso frecuente:
USA
B.C.
A.D.
FBI

OK
ITT
a.m.

BBC
UCLA
VAT
UFO
NCO
PTO
p.m.

PLO
USSR
VCR
NBT
CO
ADC
EST

ATM
OAS
IBM
CIA
IRA
MIT
APC

DC
COD

GPS
GMT
MIA
Ph.D
OBE

¿Puede agregar algunas otras siglas de uso frecuente?
________________
________________
________________
________________
________________
________________
________________
________________
________________
________________
________________
________________

CEO
UK
UNO
DEA
MP
FOB
CIF

MBA
MBT

________________
________________
________________
________________

THE PHONETIC ALPHABET
This alphabet is used in radio / telephone communication to spell difficult words:
as in
A
B
C
D
E
F
G
H
I
J
K
L
M

/az in/

as in
as in
as in
as in
as in

as in
as in
as in
as in
as in
as in
as in
as in

como en

for

/fo:r/

para

Alfa /álfa/
Bravo /brávou/
Charlie /tchá:rli/
Delta /délta/
Echo /ékou/
Foxtrot /fókstrot/
Golf /gólf/
Hotel /houtél/
India /índia/
Juliett /dlluliét/
Kilo /kílou/
Lima /líma/
Mike /máik/

N
O
P
Q
R
S
T
U
V
W
X
Y
Z

for
for
for
for
for
for
for
for
for
for
for
for
for

November /nouvémber/

Oscar /óskar/
Papa /pápa/
Quebec /kuibék/
Romeo /rómiou/
Sierra /siéra/
Tango /tá#gou/
Uniform /íunifo:rm/
Victor /víktor/
Whisky /wíski/
X-ray /éks réi/
Yankee /iá#ki/
Zulu /zúlu/

Examples:
1. My name is JUAN. I spell: J for Juliett; U for uniform; A for alfa and N for November: JUAN
2. The commander´s last name is CLARK. I spell: C as in Charlie; L as in Lima, A as in Alfa; R as in Romeo and K as
in Kilo: CLARK

A short course in english for adult students

23


Bl 24