Idi 3 - Guia Form

1
El curso Las Competencias Comunicativas de la Lengua Inglesa, Basic English 3, fue elaborado por la
Facultad de Estudios Superiores Acatln de la Universidad Nacional Autnoma de Mxico, con la asesora
de la Direccin General de Formacin Continua de Maestros en Servicio, de la Subsecretara de
Educacin Bsica de la Secretara de Educacin Pblica.
SECRETARA DE EDUCACIN PBLICA
Mtro. Alonso Lujambio Irazbal
Secretario de Educacin Pblica
Mtro. Jos Fernando Gonzlez Snchez
Subsecretario de Educacin Bsica
Lic. Leticia Gutirrez Corona
Directora General de Formacin
Continua de Maestros en Servicio
Dra. Jessica Baos Poo
Directora de Desarrollo Acadmico
FACULTAD DE ESTUDIOS SUPERIORES ACATLN

UNIVERSIDAD NACIONAL AUTNOMA DE MXICO
Dr. Jos Alejandro Salcedo Aquino
Director
Dr. Daro Rivera Vargas
Secretario General
Mtra. Mara Cristina Hernndez Morales
Coordinadora del Centro de Enseanza de Idiomas
Lic. Erika Jimnez Baos
Jefa del Departamento de Ingls
Coordinacin General
Lic. Leticia Gutirrez Corona
Mtra. Mara Cristina Hernndez Morales
Coordinacin Acadmica
Dra. Jessica Baos Poo
Lic. Erika Jimnez Baos
Lic. Ana Laura Villa Blanco
Mtra. Elvia Franco Garca
Autora
Colaboradores
Profa. Gilda Tern Ramrez
Lic. Eduardo Almeida Del Castillo
Lic. Jos de Jess Galvn Muoz
Mtra. Mara del Rosario Hernndez Col
Mtra. E. Joy Holloway Creed
Revisin Tcnica
Mtra. E. Joy Holloway Creed
Diseo de texto
Este programa es de carcter pblico, no es patrocinado ni promovido por partido poltico alguno y sus
recursos provienen de los impuestos que pagan los contribuyentes. Est prohibido el uso de este
programa con fines polticos, electorales, de lucro y otros distintos a los establecidos. Quien haga uso
indebido de los recursos de este programa deber ser sancionado de acuerdo con la ley aplicable y ante
la autoridad competente.
D.R. Secretara de Educacin Pblica, 2011
Argentina 28, Colonia Centro,
06020, Mxico, D.F
ISBN en trmite
CONTENTS
MAP OF BASIC ENGLISH III .
INTRODUCTION..
12
OBJECTIVES
12
THEORETICAL FOUNDATIONS
14
LEARNING THEORY
14
LANGUAGE LEARNING THEORY
16
COMMUNICATIVE COMPETENCE...
17
ORGANIZATION OF BASIC ENGLISH III
21
UNIT 1. WHAT WOULD YOU LIKE TO DO
26
WHAT ITS ABOUT
26
WORK IT OUT
27
EXERCISE I. RIGHT OR WRONG.
27
EXERCISE II. MULTIPLE CHOICE
27
EXERCISE III. SENTENCE COMPLETION.
28
EXERCISE IV. SHORT ANSWERS
28
EXERCISE V. FILL IN THE BLANKS
28
EXERCISE VI. DAYS AND MONTHS
29
EXERCISE VII. SEASONS..
30
TRY IT OUT
31
EXERCISE I. PRONUNCIATION
31
EXERCISE II. DATES TO REMEMBER
31
EXERCISE III. FOREIGN LANGUAGE BULLETIN BOARD..
32
EXERCISE IV. CULTURAL CENTER BULLETIN BOARD.
32
EXERCISE V. COMING EVENTS
32
EXERCISE VI. FILL IN THE BLANKS.
33
EXERCISE VII. SCHOOL DIRECTORY.
33
EXERCISE VIII. LANGUAGE ABREVIATIONS.
34
EXERCISE IX. FREQUENCY..
35
POLISH IT UP.
37
EXERCISE I. PREPOSITIONS OF TIME AND PLACE
37
EXERCISE II. PRONUNCIATION CAN VS. CANT..
38
EXERCISE III. QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS.
39
EXERCISE IV. "WH" QUESTIONS OR INFORMATION QUESTIONS.
40
EXERCISE V. WORD ORDER
41
EXERCISE VI. DATES.
42
EXERCISE VII. VERB FORMS
43
EXERCISE VIII. VIEWING, READINGAND RESPONDING
44
WRAP IT UP
46
EXERCISE I. ACTIVITIES AND PROCEDURES.
46
EXERCISE II. E-M@IL.................
47
EXERCISE III.LETTER..
48
EXERCISE IV. ALICES SCHEDULE..
49
EXERCISE V. CLOZE
50
EXERCISE VI. MY SCHEDULE...
52
EXERCISE VII. OFFICIAL SCHOOL CALENDAR
53
EXERCISE VIII. ERROR IDENTIFICATION.
54
LANGUAGE REVIEW
56
VOCABULARY
57
UNIT 2. HOW WAS YOUR VACATION? .....................................................................
58
WHAT ITS ABOUT
58
WORK IT OUT
59
59
EXERCISE II. MATCHING
59
EXERCISE III. QUESTION WORDS..
62
EXERCISE IV. VERB TENSES
62
EXERCISE V. GENERAL KNOWLEDGE QUIZ.
63
EXERCISE VI. PREPOSITIONS AND CONNECTORS
64
TRY IT OUT.
65
EXERCISE I. PRONUNCIATION.
65
EXERCISE II. FAMOUS PERSONAGES
66
EXERCISE III. INFORMATION GAP ACTIVITY
66
EXERCISE IV. QUESTIONS IN PAST YESTERDAY..
67
EXERCISE V. SIMILARITIES AND DIFFERENCES.
68
EXERCISE VI. WORD COMPLETION
69
EXERCISE VII. REDUCED FORMS
69
POLISH IT UP.
71
EXERCISE I. PAST TENSE (REGULAR VERBS)..
71
EXERCISE II. PAS TENSE (IRREGULAR VERBS)
72
EXERCISE III. COMPARISONS.
73
EXERCISE IV.SUPERLATIVES.
74
75
EXERCISE VI. VIEWING, READING RESPONDING.
75
WRAP IT UP
78
EXERCISE I. WHO AM ?............................................................................
78
EXERCISE II. FIND SOMEONE WHO
78
EXERCISE III. DICTATION.
79
EXERCISE IV. BIBLIOGRAPHY.
79
EXERCISE V. A FAMOUS MEXICAN
81
EXERCISE VI. PAST VS. PRESENT.
81
EXERCISE VII. QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
82
EXERCISE VIII. COMPARISONS..
82
EXERCISE IX. CHRONOLOGICAL ORDER
83
EXERCISE X. ERROR IDENTIFICATION.
83
LANGUAGE REVIEW
84
VOCABULARY
87
UNIT 3. WHAT DO YOU NEED? ..................................................................................
87
WHAT ITS ABOUT..
87
WORK IT OUT
88
88
89
EXERCISE III. MATCHING.
89
EXERCISE IV. PAST OR PRESENT.
90
EXERCISE V. COMPLAINT OR COMPLIMENT..
90
EXERCISE VI. MATCHING.
90
EXERCISE VII. COMBINATION WORDS.
91
EXERCISE VIII. VIEWING, READING AND RESPONDING..
92
TRY IT OUT.
95
95
EXERCISE II. SOME /ANY.
96
EXERCISE III. DIALOGUE PRACTICE.
96
EXERCISE IV. AT THE MARKET...
97
EXERCISE V. DICTATION..
97
EXERCISE VI. PARAGRAPH COMPLETION..
97
98
EXERCISE VIII. ORAL PRACTICE.
99
POLISH IT UP..
100
EXERCISE I. SOME VS. ANY
100
EXERCISE II.HOW MUCH.
101
EXERCISE III. PAST QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS.
102
EXERCISE IV.WORD ORDER
103
EXERCISE V.WORD FORMATION... 104

EXERCISE VI.FAVORS..
104
EXERCISE VII. VIEWING, READING AND RESPONDING.
105
WRAP IT UP.
107
EXERCISE I. MEMORY GAME..
107
EXERCISE II. HIDDEN WORDS
107
EXERCISE III. WORD ORDER..
108
EXERCISE IV. PICTURE STORY..
108
EXERCISE V. ERROR IDENTIFICATION.
109
EXERCISE VI. CAMPING OUT..
109
EXERCISE VII.DICTATION.
110
EXERCISE VIII. PLANNING
110
EXERCISE IX. ITOLIONIS OR CHATOS
110
LANGUAGE REVIEW.
115
VOCABULARY.
116
EXTRA ACTIVITIES
117
SPECIFIC OBJECTIVES OF THE ACTIVITIES .
118
APPENDIX A. STRUCTURAL ANALYSIS
121
APPENDIX B. VERBS..
129
APPENDIX C. PRONUNCIATION..
139
REFERENCES..
141
MAP OF BASIC ENGLISH 3

CONCEPTS
TITLE
SOCIAL
PRACTICE
COMMUNICATIVE
AIM
LANGUAGE
UNIT 1
What would you like to
do?
Establish and maintain
social contacts.
Exchange personal
information.
Understand and give
information in past
situations.
Exchange personal
information.
Talk, ask about, and
make arrangements to
do something.
Talk and ask about
holidays, customs and
dates in general.
Ask and answer
yes/no questions
about the past.
Talk about things you
can or cant do.
have to do.
Present simple
Prepositions on, in, at
Past tense (regular and
irregular verbs)
Can
Have to
UNIT 2
UNIT 3
How was your vacation?
What do you need?
Exchange personal
information.
Exchange non-personal
information.
Exchange personal
information.
Exchange nonpersonal information.
Establish and
maintain social
contacts.
Understand and give
information in past
situations.
Ask for and give or
offer services.
Complain about
service.
Apologize
Ask and talk about
past events.
Ask and talk about your

past.
Make comparisons and
use superlatives.
Talk about similarities
and differences using
the present and the past
tenses.
Past tense (regular and

irregular verbs)
Comparisons (short,
long and irregular
adjectives)
Superlatives (short, long
and irregular
adjectives)
Similarities and
differences (and, but)
Present tense / Past

tense
Did, negative and
questions
Modals could / would
Some, any
How much / how many
Too (negative
connotation adjective)
SAMPLE
LANGUAGE
Do you want to watch

TV?
That sounds like fun.
st
Its on November 1 .
Its in January.
I stayed home last night.

I was at home yesterday.
Toluca is colder than
Puebla.
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Juan likes languages,

so he decided to major
in English teaching.
I didnt get a taxi.
Its in the winter.

Did you go to school
yesterday?
No, I went to the
movies.
I cant speak Chinese.
I have to finish this
report today.
Cancun is more expensive

than Acapulco.
Did you buy anything at

the store?
Carlos Slim is the richest

man in the world.
Could I help you?
Pozole is the most

delicious Mexican dish.
I love the movie and Jess
does too.
Nancy visited her family,
but Alice didnt.
VIEWING,
READING AND
RESPONDING
WRITING
School, college and

university
Instructions
Paragraphs
Sentence completion
Sequences
Word order
A person to admire
Instructions
Paragraphs
ORAL
INTERACTION
(LISTENING AND
RESPONDING,AN
D SPEAKING)
Sentence completion
Sequences
There isnt any milk?

This coffee is too hot.
Do it yourself
Sentence completion
Sequences
Word order
Content words and

function words
-ed past tense of regular

verbs
Could / would
Can vs. cant

Asking and answering
questions about daily
activities
Information gap
exercises
Reduced forms

activities
Information gap
exercises
Reduced forms

activities
Information gap
exercises
Reduced forms
UNIT 1
VOCABULARY
There is some sugar,

but not much.
Instructions
Paragraphs
Word order
PRONUNCIATION
What would you like?
Days
Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
Friday
Saturday
Sunday
Months
January
February
March
April
May
June
July
August
September
October
November
Foreign
languages
Italian
German
English
French
Portuguese
Spanish
Ordinal
numbers
st
first (1 .)
second
nd
(2 .)
rd
third (3 .)
th
fourth (4 .)
twentyeighth
th
(28 .), etc.
Adverbs
next
UNIT 2
Adjectives
tall
high
afraid
long
large
intelligent
crazy
dangerous
comfortable
Expressions
Are you
kidding?
Were in the
same boat.
Regular
past verbs
enjoyed
burned
discovered
finished
carried out
Irregular
past verbs
ate
got
went
had
made
took
UNIT 3
Food and
beverages
beer
butter
chops
clams
crab
eggs
flour
lamb
milk shake
oyster
shortcake
soda
whipping
cream
Fruit and
vegetables
apple
banana
beet
cabbage
cantaloupe
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Public
buildings
bank
beauty shop
bookshop
cafeteria
drug store
gas station
hardware
store
library
movies
organic
products
shop
pizza parlour
pub
soda
fountain
stationery
store
super
market
December
Adjectives
brief
elderly
hallowed
outstanding
pleasant
Nouns
former
skulls
soul
celery
eggplant
fig
grapefruit
lemon
lime
mango
orange
pear
plum
strawberry
watercress
then
finally
Verbs
display
enroll
have to
hold
light
melt
pass away
send
speak
(was / were)
born
watermelon(s)
Kitchen
furniture and
appliances
blender
broiler
cabinet
colander
fork
fridge
garbage can
ice tray
knife
oven
rolling pin
saucepan
saucer
sink
spoon
teakettle
Quantifiers
and other
words
a lot
some
any
How much?
How many?
too
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Verbs and
modals
buy (bought)
could
fall (fell)
move
smell
taste
(there) is /
are
would
Adjectives
dirty
expensive
horrible
loud
rancid
rare
raw
ripe
rotten
sour
spicy
well-done
Indefinite
Pronouns
everybody/
everyone
somebody/
someone
anybody/
anyone
nobody/
no one
everything
something
anything
nothing
everywhere
somewhere
anywhere
nowhere
INTRODUCTION
Las Competencias Comunicativas de la Lengua Inglesa: Basic English 3 is a
continuation of the previous courses Basic English 1 and Basic English 2. It is intended
to help English teachers to reach their task of teaching English as a foreign language to
fellow teachers.
OBJECTIVES
The Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR) establishes

common levels of reference for languages, using descriptors for every level. The
Common European Framework divides learners into three broad divisions which can be
divided into six levels:
Broad Divisions
A. Basic Speaker
B. Independent Speaker
C. Proficient Speaker
Main levels
A1
Break through or beginner
A2
Way stage or elementary
B1
Threshold or intermediate
B2
Vantage or upper intermediate
C1
Effective Operational Proficiency or

advanced
C2
Mastery or proficiency
According to the CEFR, it is necessary to take at least 90 hours of classes, in order to

have an acceptable command of the A1 level. Las Competencias Comunicativas de la
Lengua Inglesa, Basic English books 1, 2 and 3 give learners the practice time required
by such level.
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The three courses, all together, are covered in 120 hours, and in the 40 hours of the
coursework of book 3, learners continue reassuring the knowledge they acquired in the
two previous courses, as well as expanding their education in the foreign language.
Las Competencias Comunicativas de la Lengua Inglesa: Basic English 3 is aimed to
thoroughly fulfill the A1 level. The learners are expected to be able to do the following in
reading listening, speaking and writing when finishing level A1:
Understand and use familiar everyday expressions and very basic

phrases aimed at the satisfaction of needs of a concrete type.
Introduce himself / herself and others and ask and answer questions
about personal details such as where he/she lives, people he/she
knows and things he/she has.
Interact in a simple way provided the other person talks slowly and
clearly and is prepared to help (CEFR, 2010: p. 24).
Besides, when finishing Basic English 3, learners will be able to:
Understand and appreciate English speaking people belonging to social, cultural

and ethnic groups different from their own.
Acquire a higher degree of awareness and appreciation of their own language

and culture.
Learners are expected to understand and appreciate the foreign culture when carrying
out some of the activities of this course because teaching the language implies teaching
its culture. Proverbs, sayings and idiomatical expressions (among others) promote the
learning of the culture. For example, sometimes we say to go Dutch in English while
sometimes we say ir a la americana in Spanish. So, Mexicans blame the Americans,
and Americans blame the Dutch. It would be a good idea to ask the Dutch what they say
or who they blame.
Learners are also expected to benefit from their experiences in class. Mexico is a
country with a lot of traditions, which differ from place to place. For instance, when
learners talk about food and carry out some of the activities in this course, they
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exchange personal information and knowledge of their own families. As a result, their
interaction with others helps them to become more objective and flexible, as well as to
accept others opinions.
Besides, at the end the book, students are asked to carry out some cultural extra
activities, which promote knowledge about the target culture, other cultures and the
students own culture.
In general, the goal of language learning is to help the learner to develop his
communicative competence in the areas of linguistic, sociolinguistic, discourse and
strategic competence. The language teaching / learning process should be oriented
towards developing the learners ability to use the language in different social contexts.
Language is considered to be a tool used in interpersonal relations and communication.
THEORETICAL FOUNDATIONS
LEARNING THEORY
Social Development Theory was first developed by the Russian psychologist Lev
Vygotsky (1896-1934), who lived during the Russian Revolution. His work was largely
unknown to the western cultures until when it was first published in English. Vygotskys
theory constitutes a foundation of constructivism, and involves the following three major
aspects: Social Interaction, the More Knowledgeable Other (MKO) and the Zone of
Proximal Development (ZPD).
Social Interaction has a fundamental role in the process of cognitive development. In
contrast to Jean Piagets understanding of child development, Vygotsky felt social
learning precedes development. He stated that: Every function in the childs cultural
development appears twice: first, on the social level, and later, on the individual level;
first, between people (interpsychological) and then inside the child (intrapsychological)
(Vygotsky, 1978).Vygotsky considers that the socio-cultural contexts are very important
because they shape the learning processes and mechanisms. Language is an important
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factor in social interactions as it has a functional key value in the regulation of individual
and social behavior.
The More Knowledgeable Other (MKO) refers to anyone who has a better
understanding or a higher ability level than the learner, with respect to a particular task,
process, or concept. The MKO is normally thought of as being a teacher, coach, or older
adult, but the MKO could also be peers, a younger person, or even computers.
According to the theory of Constructivism, all human beings build their own knowledge
according to the experiences they have during their life. Since each persons
experiences differ from those of others, everyones knowledge is different. So, when
people build their knowledge upon their surroundings and experiences, they generate
rules and mental models that will help them give meaning to what they perceive through
their senses. No doubt, the MKO is supported by the aforementioned Social Interaction
concept.
The Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD) refers to the distance between a students
ability to perform a task under adult guidance and/or with peer collaboration and the
students ability to solve the problem independently. According to Vygotsky, learning
occurs in this zone. There are activities that the learners can do by themselves without
any help. But, the same learners can significantly increase their ability to learn when
they get help from a teacher or people who know more than they do. This help guides
the learners to structure their activity in a different way; it takes the form of clues that will
ease their tasks and make them feel emotionally supported, and raise their self-esteem.
This operational level, which the learners can reach with external support, is a process
that occurs in stages. The area that exists between what the learners can do by using
their own resources, and the level that they can reach with external social support, is
precisely the ZPD. This ZPD is the area in which teaching is necessary.
Thus, Vygotskys ideas about the learning processes are considered to be socialconstructivist because the information acquired comes from society. He mainly focused
on the connections between people and the sociocultural context in which they act and
interact in shared experiences (Crawford, 1996). According to Vygotsky, humans use
tools, such as speech and writing, to mediate their social environments. Children initially
15
develop these tools to serve solely as social functions. Vygotsky believed that the
internalization of these tools led to higher thinking skills.
The concepts of Social Interaction, MKO and ZPD have had a strong influence on how
learning and teaching are seen. The learners are seen as being responsible for their
own learning. How deeply and thoroughly they benefit from the information that comes
from formal teaching or from the experiences lived within the socio-cultural environment
will depend on the overall level of cognitive development they have reached.
LANGUAGE LEARNING THEORY
According to the Competence Model, the forms of a natural language are created, ruled,
restricted, acquired, and used to carry out communicative functions. One form can be
used for multiple functions, and one function may be expressed by multiple forms. This
competence in language refers to the one that arises among words, word order,
morphemes or intonational features that are used as clues to signal a particular
communicative function. The learner makes mental maps of the matching forms and
functions and, with this information, interlanguage is constantly being developed
(MacWhinney, Bates and Kligell 1984 in Ellis 1994).
The Information Processing Model states that the learners ability for processing certain
amounts of information is limited by their own capacity and by the nature of the task to
be carried out. The learners focus their attention on just part of the information they get,
and give peripheral attention to the rest; therefore, learners tend to turn the abilities into
routines, and the process becomes a controlled one. This model makes a distinction
between controlled and the automatic processing. The former requires attention from the
learner, and it becomes somehow limited. The latter happens when the learner gets the
correct clues which automatically activate the routines stored in the brain; it becomes a
faster process, requires less attention, and is cognitively less demanding (McLaughlin
1987 in Ellis 1994).
16
According to Jerome Bruner (1996), the instructor should try and encourage students to
construct hypotheses, make decisions, and discover principles by themselves. The
instructors task is to translate information to be learned into a format appropriate to the
learners current state of understanding, and organize it in a spiral manner so that the
student continually builds upon what he/she has already learned.
COMMUNICATIVE LANGUAGE TEACHING

Canale and Swain (1980) based their theory of communicative language
teaching on Hymes view of communicative competence. They affirmed that it
was, at least, made up of four important areas that must underlie the
communicative approach to teaching languages. These areas are linguistic
competence sociolinguistic competence, discourse competence and strateg ic
competence.
Linguistic competence includes grammar, vocabulary, word and sentence
formation, pronunciation and spelling. Sociolinguistic competence refers to the
appropriateness of utterances according to the different sociolinguistic contexts
in which they occur. Discourse competence concerns the knowledge of how to
combine grammatical forms and meanings to achieve a coherent spoken or written text.
Strategic competence relates to the knowledge of verbal and nonverbal communication
strategies, which are mainly used to detect communication problems.
Based on the concept of communicative competence and its development,
communicative language teaching should include: an emphasis on learning to
communicate through interaction in the target language, the use of authentic texts into
the learning situation, opportunities for learners to focus, not only on language but also
on the learning process itself, the learners own personal experiences as important
contributing elements to classroom learning, and an attempt to link classroom language
learning with language activities outside the classroom (Nunan, 1991:279).
17
The abovementioned characteristics reflect Vygotskys work, which indicates that the
language system itself should be only part of the study of a second or foreign
language, since culture and its influence can be more relevant to second or
foreign language learning.
According to this tendency, the Secretara de Educacin Pblica (SEP) English
Program states that: a) learning a foreign language should preserve the social
function of language, and b) the object of study of a foreign language course is
the social practices of the language (Programas de Estudio SEP Secundaria Ingls, 2006:9).
Each unit of the Basic English 3 course states communicative aims which are
related to social practices that appear in the Teachers Guide. Besides, the
integration of the four skills is recommended in the English as a Foreign Language
(EFL) and English as a Second Language (ESL) field, so learners should construct
their knowledge of the English language based on their past experiences by
actively participating in activities that involve the development of communicative
competences. The content of Basic English 3 was planned in order to give
learners the opportunities to develop their Communicative Competence.
Teachers, on the other hand, are seen as facilitators of the students learning process.
Even though the main responsibility of this process is placed on the learners, the
teachers have to be ethical, professional, and responsible in the teaching process. To
really facilitate the learners learning processes, teachers should always be updated in
teaching methodology and learning theories.
The evaluation must be formative and summative. The formative evaluation will help us
teachers to find out if we are achieving our objectives during the coursework, and
implement changes to improve the course according to the learners necessities, instead
of waiting until the course is over.
We suggest that when the teacher checks the learners activities, they create spaces to
reflect about the foreign language and evaluate the quality of their participation in class.
To do so, the teacher should use different dynamics so the learners become aware of
18
the importance of their participation to fulfill an assignment in which more than one
person is working. Learners should learn to learn from each other and to correct each
other, especially when working in pairs, small groups or teams. In this book, learners will
find error correction activities with which they will have a chance to find the mistakes and
correct them, as well as word order activities, which will give them the opportunity to find
the correct order of sentences in the foreign language.
The summative evaluation must be determined by the communicative objectives of each
unit according to the social practices and the grammatical structures needed to express
them. The exams have to evaluate the objectives through the development of the four
linguistic abilities and their integration. For the summative evaluation, we suggest that
students take three exams, one at the end of each unit. The minimal passing grade
recommended is 70/100. The activities to be included in the exams should be similar to
the ones that students have seen in class during the course.
The following scales of descriptors of the Common European Framework of Reference
for Languages can be used as indicators of what students can and cannot do. However,
the use of exams to test the student performance is recommended.
LISTENING
10
The student can recognize familiar words and very basic

phrases concerning himself/herself, his/her family and
immediate concrete surroundings when people speak
slowly and clearly.
READING
UNDERSTANDING
A1
The student can understand familiar names, words and

very simple sentences; for example, on notices and
posters or catalogues.
19
SPOKEN
INTERACTION
SPOKEN
PRODUCTION
SPEAKING
WRITING
The student can interact in a simple way provided the

other person is prepared to repeat or rephrase things at a
lower rate of speech and help him/her formulate what
he/she is trying to say. He/she can ask and answer
simple questions in areas of immediate need or on very
familiar topics.
The student can use phrases and sentences to describe

where he/she lives and people he/she knows.
The student can write a short simple postcard, for example

sending holiday greetings. He/she can fill in forms with personal
details, for example entering his/her name, nationality and
address on a hotel registration form.
SPOKEN LANGUAGE USE
QUALITATIVE ASPECTS
10
RANGE
The student has a basic repertoire of words

and simple phrases related to person
details and particular concrete situations.
ACCURACY
The student shows only limited control of a

few simple grammatical structures and
sentence patterns in a memorized
repertoire.
FLUENCY
The student can manage very short,

isolated, mainly prepackaged utterances,
with much pausing to search for
expressions, to articulate less familiar
words, and to repair communication.
INTERACTION
The student can ask and answer questions

about personal details. He/she can interact
in a simple way, but communication
depends on repetition, rephrasing and
repair.
COHERENCE
The student can link words or groups of

words with very basic linear connections
like and, but or then.
20
ORGANIZATION OF BASIC ENGLISH 3

Basic English 3 is divided into three units, each of which is calculated for
approximately 12 class hours plus self-study. Each unit has a title, states the
social practices students are expected to engage in
and has several
communicative aims.
UNIT 1 WHAT WOULD YOU LIKETO DO?

SOCIAL PRACTICES
COMMUNICATIVE AIMS
Establish and maintain social

contacts.
Talk, ask about, and make arrangements to do

something.
Exchange personal
information.
Talk and ask about holidays, customs and

dates in general.
Understand and give

information in past situations.
Ask and answer yes/no questions about the

past.
Talk about things you can or cant do.
Exchange personal
information.
Talk about things you have to do.
UNIT 2 HOW WAS YOUR VACATION?

SOCIAL PRACTICES
Exchange personal
information.
COMMUNICATIVE AIMS
Ask and talk about your past.
Make comparisons and use superlatives.
information.
Talk about similarities and differences using

the present and the past tenses.
21
UNIT 3 WHAT DO YOU NEED?

SOCIAL PRACTICES
COMMUNICATIVE AIMS
Exchange personal
information.
Ask for and give or offer services.
information.
Complain about service.
Establish and maintain social

contacts.
Understand and give
information in past situations.
Apologize.
Ask and talk about past events.
The topics of the course were selected according to what would be of interest to
adult learners. Throughout the units, an attempt has been made to follow a
logical progression of language activities and tasks for the development of the
learners communicative competence.
Their immediate surroundings were
considered for introducing basic features of the English language in situations

and settings that can be found in the learners environment.
The communicative aims are listed on the first page of each unit, together with a
visual presentation and a dialogue or monologue introducing the language to be
covered in the unit. A list of the important language structures, expressions and
vocabulary is found on the last page of each unit. Each unit has four sections.
The order in which these sections appear is designed so that the learner can
take an active role in the learning process. Rather than providing all the
information from the beginning, the learner is expected to be able to self discover and deduce part of the vocabulary and syntax of the language, or to
acquire the language with the help of the activities included in each unit. Each
unit is divided as follows:
22
Title Page: What It's About.

The communicative aims should be discussed with the students, and examples
of the language used on the page can be pointed out. Besides the vocabulary
that appears in the dialogues, the teacher can exploit the context further in order
to make the language more meaningful for the learner.
Section I: Work It Out

This section requires no active production on the part of the learner. The
exercises, which are mainly true-false, matching and multiple choice, serve to
introduce and/or reaffirm the language in the unit. Most exercises can be
completed through deduction or with the help of a dictionary. The learner should
get used to working individually or with others, rather than always depending on
the teacher during the language learning process.
Section II: Try It Out

As the title suggests, this section provides communicative exercises where the
learner will be able to practice the language seen in the previous section,
through exercises and activities designed to develop the ways they will use the
language: listening and responding, and speaking; viewing, reading and
responding; and writing.
Section III: Polish It Up

This section provides recycling of the language previously presented.
Also,
specific linguistic and grammar points that could cause problems for Spanish
speakers are dealt with using contrastive analysis of English and Spanish. This
section also includes texts for viewing, reading and responding in order to help
the learner begin to develop strategic competence in the target language,
through use of a medium that is already familiar in Spanish.
23
Section IV: Wrap It Up

This section gives the learner the opportunity to practice the language presented
in the previous sections in novel ways. The activities are designed to integrate
the language skills and to help the learner apply the communicative competence
acquired.
Language Review
The communicative aims, language, sample language and vocabulary which
students are expected to know after completing the unit are found on the last
page of each unit.
Appendix
After Unit 3, there is an Appendix, which is divided into three sections:
Appendix A = Structural Analysis

Appendix B = Verbs
Appendix C = Pronunciation
The appendix is to be used for reference when teachers feel a more detailed
explanation than that given in the units might be useful. Many exercises indicate
the point in the appendix that should be seen. For example, See B-11 means
that students should look at point # 11 in Appendix B.
RHYMES
Rhymes are poems or verses which have a regular correspondence of sounds,
especially at the end of the lines. Rhymes can, therefore, help to improve the rhythm
and intonation in a foreign language. Students can learn rhymes by reading, repeating
24
or memorizing them. Teachers can explain their meaning and ask the students to look
for an equivalent in Spanish if any.
PROVERBS
Proverbs are short pithy sayings, of frequent and widespread use, which express basic
truths or practical precepts. Although they are culturally specific, sometimes it is possible
to have an equivalent proverb in Spanish.
The series of Basic English 3 contains the Students Book, the Teachers Guide
and a CD with the listening activities.
We hope you enjoy the experience of using this course.
The Author
25
UNIT 1 WHAT WOULD YOU LIKE TO DO?

SOCIAL PRACTICES
COMMUNICATIVE AIMS
Establish and maintain social contacts.
Talk, ask about, and make arrangements to do

something.
Exchange personal information.
Talk and ask about holidays, customs and dates in

general.
Understand and give information in

past situations.
Ask and answer yes/no questions about the

Past.
Talk about things you can or cant do.

Talk about things you have to do.
WHAT ITS ABOUT

Students are asked to read the information silently while the teacher reads the text out loud or plays the
audio. Students should be encouraged to ask questions with the language presented. Teacher mentions
the use of the past simple, as well as the modal can.
1.1
Its Monday, October 31st Juan and Alice are talking at the Language Center.
Juan:
Youre new here, arent you, Alice?
Alice: Yeah. This is my first semester at the Language Center. I come from the USA.
Juan: Do you study Spanish?
Alice:
Yes, I do. I want to be a Spanish teacher. How about you, Juan?
Juan:
I am an elementary school teacher, and I study English and French, too. I like languages very
much.
Alice:
Me too. I am in my 3rd semester of Spanish.
Juan:
Professor Garrido is your teacher, isnt he?
Alice:
Yes, he is. Im kind of worried about that. Do you know him?
Juan:
Yes, I do! He is terrific. He was my Spanish Literature teacher.
Alice:
Isnt he very strict?

26
Juan:
Well yes, he is strict, but he is an excellent teacher. Lets sit down and talk about his class.
Alice: I cant right now because I have a class, but we can get together tomorrow.
Juan:
Tomorrows November 1st; its a holiday.
Alice:
What do you celebrate?
Juan:
We celebrate the Day of the Dead. Its an important Mexican tradition.
Alice: Day of the Dead? You mean like Halloween?

Juan:
Not exactly. Would you like to go to Mixquic and see the traditional celebration?
Alice: That sounds interesting!

Juan:
Lets meet here tomorrow afternoon, and I can tell you about Professor Garridos course on the
way there.
Alice: OK. Is 4 oclock all right?

Juan:
Sure. Heres my cell number, in case you cant get here on time: 044 55 5553-2189. Oh dont
forget to bring a sweater; its cold there in the fall.
Alice: Dont worry. Ill be on time. See you tomorrow at 4 oclock.

Juan:
Okay, bye!
WORK IT OUT
EXERCISE I. RIGHT (R) OR WRONG (W)
A. Teacher asks the students to answer this exercise in pairs.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
R
W
W
W
R
6. W
7. W
8. R
9. W
10. W
B. Teacher asks the class to practice the previous conversation with a partner.

A. Teacher asks the students to read this exercise silently.
1. a
4. a
2. b
5. b
3. c
6. C
27
1.2
B.
Students check their answers while the teacher reads the text out loud or plays
the audio.
EXERCISE III. SENTENCE COMPLETION

Before doing this exercise, the teacher explains when to use the prepositions in, on, at, according to the
note at the end of this exercise.
1. on November 1st.
2. in the fall.
3. on Tuesday.
4. at 11:00
5. in December.
6. at 8:00
EXERCISE IV. SHORT ANSWERS

In this exercise, column A has questions and column B has short answers. Students are asked to match
the columns. To check the exercise, a student can read the question and another one can read its
answer.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
h
a
f
i
j
6. c
7. b
8. d
9. e
10. g
EXERCISE V. FILL IN THE BLANKS

Students fill in the blanks with the correct choice, and then check their answers.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
she does
they are
he did
it wasnt
she doesnt
6. it is
7. they do
8. there werent
9. he can
10. you are
28
RHYME
Teacher reads the rhyme out loud or plays the audio. He reviews the vocabulary in the
rhyme and explains its meaning. S/he reads it out loud or plays the audio, and asks the
students to practice it.
1.3
Friday nights dream,

On the Saturday told,
Is sure to come true.
Be it never so old.
EXERCISE VI. DAYS AND MONTHS

A. Students match the columns in each chart, and check their answers. Teacher asks them to read the
note and answers questions.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
c
d
f
a
b
e
g
8. k
9. n
10. h
11. q
12. p
13. o
14. l
15. i
16. m
17. r
18. j
19. s
B. Students write the days of the week and the months of the year in the correct order.
DAYS OF THE WEEK
Sunday
Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
Friday
Saturday
MONTHS OF THE YEAR

January
February
March
April
May
June
July
August
September
October
November
December
29
EXERCISE VII. SEASONS

After checking the answers, teacher explains the note at the end of this exercise.
Spring begins on March21st, and ends on June20th.
Summer begins on June 21st, and ends on September20th.
Autumn (fall) begins on September 21st, and ends on December 20th.
Winter begins on December 21st, and ends on March 20th.
PROVERB
Teacher helps the students to understand the meaning of the proverb. Students read the example in
their book, and teacher asks them to look for an equivalent proverb in Spanish.
A friend in need is a friend indeed.
Meaning. Someone who helps you when you are in trouble is a real friend.
RHYME
1.4
Teacher reads the rhyme out loud or plays the audio. He reviews the vocabulary in the
rhyme and explains its meaning. S/he reads it out loud or plays the audio, and asks the
students to practice it.
Shoe a little horse,
Shoe a little mare,
But let the little colt,
Go bare, bare, bare.
30
TRY IT OUT
1.5
Teacher reads the sentences out loud or plays the audio. The students underline and
then repeat the content words.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
Lets go to the library with him after class.

Do you want to have lunch with us after the class?
Can you pick us up at the bookstore tomorrow?
Juan cant photocopy the papers because he has to go to his Japanese class.
Youre an English teacher, arent you?
Mary is about to have a breakdown, because she has an exam today.
Im excited because I am going to travel to Canada in the winter.
Please, dont answer your phone in my class.
We will hand in the final paper on Thursday.
Did you attend the lecture last week?
EXERCISE II. DATES TO REMEMBER

Whens Christmas Day?
Its on December 25th._
Whens Independence Day?
Its on September 16th.
Whens your favorite cousins birthday?
Its on (answers may vary).
Whens your final exam?
It`s in/on (answers may vary).
Students ask and answer some other questions.

Answers may vary.
Also, teacher checks students answers in the following exercise.
THINK
Can you complete the sentences with in or on?
Aprils Fool is _in_ April. Its _on_ April 1st. Its _in__ the spring.
In Mexico, its celebrated __on__ December 28th.
31
EXERCISE III. FOREIGN LANGUAGE CENTER BULLETIN BOARD

Students follow the examples included in this exercise to ask questions and give information on the
bulletin board.
EXERCISE IV. CULTURAL CENTER BULLETIN BOARD

Teacher reads the instructions to do this exercise, and explains the note at the end. Students may accept
or refuse the invitation according to the examples. Answers may vary.
EXERCISE V. COMING EVENTS

Teacher reads the following information out loud or plays the audio. Students complete the chart and
compare their answers with the class.
1.6
COMING EVENTS
1. Dont miss the Chinese ballet from Nanjing presenting their most successful performance this
year: The Nutcracker. It will be presented at the Cultural Center Theater on September 21st at 8
p.m. The tickets will be available in the theater box office from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. and the cost is
250 pesos.
2. If you support your university, you have to be part of this! The school volleyball team will play
the final match. Go to the school stadium this Friday at 11 a.m. The cost is 10 pesos but if you
present your student ID, it will be free. Be there!
3. The English Department is pleased to welcome Ph.D. Noam Chomsky who will present the
results of his last research on Linguistics. The conference will be held on June 5th at 12 p.m. The
admission is for free but the access to Auditorium II is limited to only 200 people.
Answers:
EVENT OR ACTIVITY
PLACE
DAY / TIME
COST
1.
Chinese ballet from Nanjing
Cultural Center Theater
September 21st at 8 p.m
250 pesos
2.
Volleyball final match
School stadium
Friday at 11 a.m
10 pesos /
Free
3.
Conference
Auditorium II
June 5th at 12 p.m.
Free access
32
EXERCISE VI. FILL IN THE BLANKS

Teacher reads the information out loud or plays the audio. Students fill in the blanks with the word or
words that are missing in each space, and then check their answers.
1.7
Mixquic: the Day of the Dead and All Saints Day in Mexico
In Mexico on the first two days of November, the dead are remembered in a very special celebration
which is one of the most hallowed traditions in the Mexican culture.
Each year, a series of unique events are held in several parts of the country to commemorate family
members who have passed away. In the area of Tlahuac, for instance, the little town of Mixquic holds
one of the most outstanding and emotional celebrations on the Day of the Dead. Preparation for the
festivity begins towards the end of October, when the relatives of the dead work on the particular
offerings they will give to the souls of the departed. By the first of November, the altars at the former
homes of the dead will display images of patron saints, photographs of those in the family who are dead,
flowers, fruits, ''pan de muerto'' (bread for the dead), sugar skulls, and the favorite foods of the beloved
relatives who are now gone. A candle is lit for every soul. Then, as the tradition teaches, when the sun
passes through the zenith, all the souls return to town and to their old homes, to which they are guided
by the aroma of their favorite dishes. To make their brief visit even more pleasant, the souls of children
are offered toys, while for the elderly there is ''pulque'' or ''aguardiente''.
EXERCISE VII. SCHOOL DIRECTORY

A. After looking at the school directory, students ask questions and reply with a short answer. Teacher
asks the students to follow the examples.
a) Is room 304 the Admissions Office?
b) No, it isnt.
a) Is room 306 an English classroom?

b) Yes, it is.
33
B. According to the examples, in this exercise students have to write down the answers to the
questions.
1. Whats room 201? Its the Auditorium.________
2. Whats room 307? Answers may vary.__ _____
3. Whats room 304? Its the Language Laboratory.
4. Whats room 309? Its an English classroom.____
5. What room 308? Its the Resource Center._____
C. Short dialogs. Teacher asks the students to work In pairs, and follow the example to make short
dialogues. Teacher asks students to use ordinal numbers to give the information.
Example: Wheres room 201? Its on the second floor.
Answers vary according to the information required.
EXERCISE VIII. LANGUAGE ABBREVIATIONS

Teacher asks the students to follow the instructions and the examples to do this exercise. Students
information is incomplete, and they have to ask questions to a partner to complete it. Student A looks at
Part 1, and student B looks at part 2.
Ask and answer questions like this:
a) What does A F A I K mean?
b) It means as far as I know.
or
a) What is A S A P?
b) It is as soon as possible.
Student A.
Student B.
1.
AFAIK
As far as I know
2.
ASAP
As soon as possible
3.
BBL
Be back later
4.
BRB
Be right back
5.
BTW
By the way
6.
DIY
Do it yourself
7.
FYI
For your information
8.
IDK
I dont know
9.
IMO
In my opinion
10.
NIM
Not in the mood
11.
NP
No problem
12.
OMG
Oh, my God
34
PROVERB
their book, and the teacher asks them to look for an equivalent proverb in Spanish.
Marry in haste, repent at leisure.
Meaning: If you get married too quickly, you may spend all your life regretting it.
RHYMES
1.8
Teacher reads each rhyme out loud, reviews the vocabulary and explains its meaning.
S/he reads it out loud or plays the audio, and asks the students to practice it.
I sing, I sing,
Donkey, donkey, old and gray,
From morn till night;
Open your mouth and gently bray;
From cares Im free,
Lift your ears and blow your horn,
And my heart is light.
To wake the world this sleepy morn.
EXERCISE IX. FREQUENCY

A. Students fill in the chart writing down the frequency you do the household chores. They also have
to add four more activities at the bottom of the chart.
Answers may vary.
B. Students interview a partner about his/her activities, and write down his/her answers. Teacher checks
that they follow the examples.
a) How often do you cook?
b) Never, but I always clean up.
Answers may vary.
35
C.
1.9
Students fill in the chart for Ricardo and his wife Irma. Teacher will read the
information out loud or play the video, then s/he will check the answers.
Speaker: Last night I was listening to a conversation between a couple who was trying to solve
the problems they have in their marriage due to the unequal division on house chores. This is
what I heard.
Irma: I understand that when you get home you are tired, but it seems that you dont think of
me at all. At nights I am tired too; nevertheless I get home and prepare dinner and clean the
kitchen and bedroom up.
Ricardo: Youre right. I dont like any of the household chores including going shopping or
washing the clothes, but I usually wash the car Thats something... And also, in the summer,
and if you ask me to do so, I sometimes work in the garden.
Irma: Come on, Ricardo! You know thats not fair! I need you to help around more than once or
twice a week! For example, I need you to help me do the dishes or iron the clothes at least every
other day. I am the one who almost always does those activities and I want to have more time to
watch television, I hardly ever have time to enjoy a good movie.
Ricardo: All right, I get the point. If thats what you need, I promise I will help you more and I will
continue taking out the garbage. I just have one request, I want to continue having time to watch
TV every day because..
Irma: Yeah, dont worry. You may help more, but bad habits never disappear.
YOU
Cook
Clean up
Go shopping
Wash the clothes
Wash the car
Do the dishes
Iron the clothes
Work in the garden
Take out the garbage
Watch TV
Answers
may vary
FRIEND
Answers
may vary
RICARDO
Never
Never
Usually
Usually
Usually
Sometimes
Usually
Always
36
IRMA
Always
Always
Hardly ever
D. Teacher explains the note at the end of this exercise to the students and, with the information
about Ricardo and Irma, students ask and answer questions about them. Teacher asks them to
follow the examples.
(About Irma)
a) How often does she cook?
b) She always prepares dinner.
(About Ricardo)
a) How often does he go shopping?
b) He never goes shopping.
POLISH IT UP
EXERCISE I. PREPOSITIONS OF TIME AND PLACE
The teacher explains when to use the preposition of time and place in, on, at, and reads the note out
loud.
A. Students fill in the blanks writing the correct number to complete the expressions.
1 (In) the afternoon
3 (At) night
1 (In) the morning
2 (On) Monday night
2 (On) vacation
2 (On) /3 (at) weekends
3 (At) 5:30
3 (At) the stadium
1 (In) Mexicali
3 (At) lunchtime
1 (In) The United States
3 (At) work
2 (On) my birthday
2 (On) the first floor
1 (In) Germany
37
B. Students complete two following paragraphs using the prepositions in, on or at.
1.10
C.
Teacher reads the text out loud or plays the audio to check the students answers.
1. Suzy lives in a small town near Mexico City. She goes to work every day and she wakes up at
7:30 a.m. in the morning, she has breakfast and watches the morning news. Suzy and her
boyfriend usually meet at the mall to eat out. Carlos lives on the fifth floor of a huge
apartment near downtown. He works in a big office where he designs video games.
2. Joseph lives in Fayetteville, a small town in Arkansas. He and his family like relaxing on
Sunday afternoon after going to mass. Lindsey is Josephs wife, and she loves being in the
kitchen baking cakes. His daughters are always playing in their room. They are a wonderful
American family.
D. Students complete the sentences using in, on or at in the space provided.
1. Alices family lives in Texas.
6. Juan has class at 7 a.m.
2. Juan lives on University Ave.
7. They have English classes at the new school.
3. Nancy lives at 345 Central Ave.
8. The U2 concert is in October.
th
4. Alices birthday is on December 20 .
9. My favorite holiday is in the summer.
5. Nancy was born in 1991.
10. How cold is Paris in winter?
After checking the answers to the previous exercise, teacher asks students to talk with a classmate
about the things they usually do in each month of the year. Teacher will ask some of the students to
present their conversation to the whole class.
EXERCISE II. PRONUNCIATION: CAN VS. CANT

Teacher reviews the pronunciation of can and cant that is given before exercise A.
A.
1.11
Teacher reads out loud the following sentences or plays the audio, and then checks
students answers.
I can go to the concert.
She cant speak Italian
Can you play chess?
We cant buy the books at the library.
38
B.
1.12
Teacher checks students answers.
1. She can cook quite well.

2. Helen cant play the violin.
3. Kristy can play chess.
4. Noah can design web pages.
5. They cant do that.
6. Carlos cant play soccer.

7. Edward can use a computer well.
8. James can drive me.
9. Anne can say the alphabet backwards.
10. Sure, they can.
C. Students complete the sentences with can or cant, using information about their own life.
Answers will vary.
D. Students go around the classroom, asking questions with can to their classmates.
Answers may vary.
E. Teacher checks students answers.

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
I can only speak a little English.

Can I borrow your car this afternoon?
Can you come to my party next Saturday night?
I can remember your name. Im sorry.
You cant smoke in class if there is a no smoking rule.
She doesnt have a lot of money, so she cant go to Las Vegas this year.
Can you close the window? Its awfully cold in here.
Mute people can see, but they can talk.
Lady Gaga can sing very well. She has a beautiful voice.
Can you understand the teacher? She speaks too quickly for me!
EXERCISE III. QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS

A. Teacher checks the students answers.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
She goes (go) to the movies every Friday.

I didnt go (not go) to the party because I was really sick.
I dont watch (not watch) TV. I prefer reading a good book.
What do you do (do) in the evenings?
Thomas and Kathy dont do (not do) their homework. They are kind of lazy.
39
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
Leslie is (be) always at home after 6 p.m. Call her up!

The party was (be) extremely boring yesterday. Nobody arrived early and I got bored.
Do you know (know) how to fix a computer, because I need help.
We had (have) to study for the exam, but I didnt.
Many people dont like (not like) to go to work by car.
Mark and Jane werent (not be) at the party because they werent invited.
Was (be) he sick yesterday?
Did you play (play) soccer with my brother two days ago?
Does she cook (cook) every day?
Does your granny take (take) care of you while your parents work?
EXERCISE IV. WH QUESTIONS OR INFORMATION QUESTIONS

Before doing exercise A, teacher reads out loud the notes about information questions, and answers
questions if any.
A. Teacher checks the answers.

Questions:
1. What time do you usually wake up?
R: I usually wake up at 7 oclock in the morning.
2. Where does Mike usually go on the weekends?
R: Mike always goes to Cuernavaca on the weekends.
3. When is Eds birthday?
R: Eds birthday is on November 4th.
4. Where do they work?
R: They work at SEP teaching English.
5: What time does the play start?
R: The play starts at 8 p.m.
Answers:
6: What does Luis do?
R: He is a lawyer. (Answer will vary)
7: When is your graduation party? I want to go!
R: Its on October 1st. (Answer will vary)
8. How often do you work out?
R:I work out twice a month. (Answer will vary)
40
9: Where does Lorena live?

R: She lives in Mexico. (Answer will vary)
10. What is your mother like?
R: She is tall and gorgeous. (Answer will vary)
B. Teacher checks students answers, which will vary because they are personal questions.
PROVERB
If the shoe fits, wear it.
Meaning. If something belongs or applies to you, accept it.

A. Teacher checks students answers.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
How often do you watch TV?

Can your father drive a car?
Do you want to go to Acapulco?
We have to study for the history exam.
When did you last go to the United States?
I plan to meet George at the cafeteria.
Dr. Almeida was an excellent teacher
Does Mary have to enroll for her aerobics class?
She hardly ever watches T.V. at night.
When does she go to work?
41
RHYME
1.13
Teacher reviews the vocabulary in the rhyme and explains its meaning S/he reads it out
loud or plays the audio, and asks the students to practice it.
Twelve pairs hanging high,
Twelve knights riding by,
Each knight took a pear,
And yet left a dozen there.
EXERCISE VI. DATES

10 /05 /1970
October fifth, nineteen- seventy.
4 / 16 /2005
April sixteenth, two thousand- five.
12/0 8 /1740
December eighth, seventeen- forty.
03 / 03 / 1500 =
March third, fifteen hundred.
10/ 09 / 1978
October ninth, nineteen seventy- eight.
10/ 12 /1535
October twelfth, fifteen thirty -five.
11/ 04 / 1978
November forth, nineteen seventy-eight.
06 / 27 / 1980 =
June twenty seventh, nineteen eighty.
07/ 04 / 1785
July forth, seventeen eighty-five.
12/ 19 / 1971
December nineteenth, nineteen seventy-one.
B. Teacher checks the students answers.

When is Teachers Day?
May fifteenth
When is Mothers Day?

When is Saint Valentines Day?
February fourteenth
May tenth
When is Christmas?
December twenty fifth
When is Childrens Day?
April thirtieth
42
When do we celebrate the Labor Day?

May fifteen
When do Mexicans celebrate the Day of the Dead?
November first and second
EXERCISE VII. VERB FORMS

A. Students fill in the blanks with the correct form of the verb. Teacher asks them to use do, does or did
to form questions or negatives. Then, s/he checks the answers.
Juan:
Hi, Nancy! Did you _go (go) to Michoacn with Pedro and Sara for the Day of the Dead?
Nancy:
No, I _didnt. I didnt feel (not feel) well on Monday night, so I _didnt go (not go) with
them.
Juan:
Im sorry you didnt go (not go). Michoacn is (be) a beautiful place to visit. My family lives
(live) in Morelia.
Nancy:
Really? Well, maybe I can go (go) next year. Did you and Alice have (have) a nice time in
Mixquic?
Juan:
Oh, yeah. It was (be) a really interesting experience for both of us. Did you watch (watch)
the celebration on T.V at home?
Nancy:
No, I never watch (watch) T.V. because I dont have (not have) one.
Juan:
What do you do (do) in your free time?
Nancy:
Well, I like playing/ to play (play) tennis and sometimes I play (play) the guitar with friends.
Juan:
Sara plays (play) the guitar, doesnt (tag question) she?
Nancy:
Yes, but she lives (live) on the other side of the city. It is (be) difficult for us to get together.
Juan:
Does_ Sara have (have) a car?
Nancy:
No, and I dont either. I usually take (take) the bus or the subway and she does
(affirmative), too.
Juan:
By the way, did you buy (buy) your tickets for the Madonna concert in January at
Metropolitan Theater?
Nancy:
No, but we can get (get) them this week if Alices parents send (send) her some money.
Juan:
Yeah. She has to pay (pay) tuition, board and room, too!
Nancy:
That is (be) right, but the concert tickets are more important. First things first JUAN!
B. After checking their answers with the whole class, students practice the previous conversation with a
classmate.
43
PROVERBS
Teacher helps the students to understand the meaning of the proverbs. Students read the examples
in their books, and teacher asks them to look for an equivalent proverb in Spanish.
A little knowledge is a dangerous thing.
Meaning. A small amount of knowledge can mislead people into thinking that they are more
expert than they really are.
No man is an island.
Meaning. We all need other people.
EXERCISE VIII. VIEWING, READING AND RESPONDING

A. Students silently read the text. Teacher will help them understand the vocabulary they dont know or
the students will use their dictionaries. It would be a good idea to have them practice how to use the
dictionary. Teacher can give them some hints.

NUMBER OF
PARAGRAPH
TOPIC
BA degree = college degree = undergraduate degree
Universities and graduate schools
Junior colleges and undergraduate schools
College versus high school
Definition of school
Definition of campus
44
3
4
3
2
1
6
C. Possible descriptions.
School
Description
Junior college
A two-year or junior college offers an Associate Degree.
College
A few colleges offer graduate programs in selected subjects. Some colleges

are part of a university and are located on the university campus.
University
A university is a group of schools for studies after high school.

Universities offer graduate programs. So, Americans use the word
university and not college when they talk about graduate study.
BA degree
Degree given to students for studying a four year education program after
high school.
MA degree
Advanced graduate degrees given in a university.
Ph.D.
Advanced graduate degrees given in a university.
Campus
the campus is the school buildings and surrounding area.
D. Teacher reviews the students results.

The BA or Bachelors Degree program usually takes two years to finish.
An elementary school can be called a college.
A college degree is the same as an undergraduate degree.
Students begin college when they are 17 or 18.
A college doesnt usually give graduate degrees.
Universities can give Bachelors degrees, Masters and Doctorates.
F
F
T
T
T
T
E. Students work in pairs to talk about the things they know how to do well. When they finish, some of
them can be asked to share the information with the class.
Answers may vary.
45
PROVERB
He who would the daughter win, must with the mother first begin.
Meaning. If you want to marry a woman, you should impress her mother first, so that her
mother will favor you.
RHYME
1.14
Teacher reviews the vocabulary in the rhyme and explains its meaning. S/he reads it out
Blow, wind, blow! And go, mill go!
That the miller may grind his corn;
That the baker may take it,
And into bread make it,
And bring us a loaf in the morn.
WRAP IT UP
EXERCISE I. ACTIVITIES AND PROCEDURES
A. Teacher checks the students answers, and explains the meaning of the words students dont
understand.
1. f
5. e
2. c
6. g
3. d
7. a
4. b
46
B. Students arrange the procedures for the recipes in the correct order. Teacher checks their answers.
HOW TO COOK RICE
2
3
1
5
Put in two cups of rice.

Cover the pan.
Boil 4 cups of water in a saucepan.
Simmer the rice gently for 20 minutes or until the water has been absorbed
and the rice is cooked.
4 Boil rice quickly for 2 minutes.
HOW TO MAKE SCRAMBLED EGGS
2
4
1
3
Beat a tablespoon of margarine in a frying pan.

Stir the egg mixture until its cooked and serve.
Break 2 eggs in a bowl and mix them with salt, pepper and a little milk.
Pour the egg mixture into the frying pan.
C. Teacher checks their paragraphs. Answers may vary. Anyway, if we use the numbers for the first
recipe, the sequence should be:
HOW TO COOK RICE
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
First, ...
Next / then / after that, ...
Then / after that / next, ...
After that / next / then, ...
Finally ...
EXERCISE II. E MAIL

A. Teacher mingles around the class to help students with vocabulary. Answers may vary.
B. Teacher checks the students replies.
1. I urgently need money means
c) Alice needs money immediately.
2. My tuition, room and board are $500 means
a) Alice needs $500 to pay for her school and accommodations.
3. before New Years Eve means
a) on December 30th
4. Ill send a letter soon means
a) Alice plans to write a letter to her parents soon.
47
EXERCISE III. LETTER

A. Answers:
1. b
3. b
5. a
7. c
2. a
4. c
6. c
8. c
B. Teacher checks the students replies.

Answers may vary.
C. Teacher reads the note al the end of this exercise and mingles around the class to help students with
the vocabulary they might need.
Answers may vary.
D. Teacher explains the use of connectors, then reads the examples, and asks students to join the pair of
sentences given in each number. Finally, teacher checks their answers.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
My house is red, but Peter likes it.

Ill marry David because I love him.
I want a sandwich, but I dont want a pizza.
I walk, I see, and I hear.
Hes a good boy, so hell have a good life.
PROVERB
Teacher helps the students to understand the meaning of the proverb. Students talk about the meaning
of the proverb with another classmate. Then, as a class, students discuss whether they agree or disagree
with it. Teacher also asks them to look for an equivalent proverb in Spanish.
Beware of Greeks bearing gifts.
Meaning. Be careful, dont trust your enemies.
48
EXERCISE IV. ALICES SCHEDULE

A. Teacher checks the students answers, which should stick to the information given in Schedules 1 and
2. Students follow the examples. It is important that they use have to in present simple.
Example:
a) What does Alice have to do on Thursday evening?

b) She has to cook dinner at home.
B. Teacher checks the students wh question and the expression have to. Students use the
information in Schedules 1 and 2, and follow the example.
Answers may vary.
C. In this exercise, students have to ask questions using Alices schedule information, as well as the
corresponding frequency adverbs. Teacher checks that they follow the example.
Always = A
S
A
T
U
R
D
A
Y
Time
gets
up
early
Mornings
Afternoons
Mornings
watches
TV
Evenings
S
U
N
D
A
Y
Usually = U
goes to
bed
late
Sometimes = S
goes to
a movie
Hardly ever = H
goes
to
a play
goes to
a concert
plays
tennis
Never = N
goes to
the
library
Afternoons
Evenings
Example:
studies
works
out
A
N
goes out
with
friends
U
S
U
H
S
a) Does Alice get up early on Saturday mornings?

b) Yes, she sometimes gets up early Saturday mornings.
Answers may vary.

D. Teacher checks students questions and answers about what both of them do on weekends.
Teacher will ask some of the students to present their conversation to the whole class.
Answers may vary.
49
E. Teacher reviews students sentences about what they do on their weekends. Teacher can ask several
students to write their five sentences on the board, and ask the whole class to correct the incorrect
sentences.
Example:
I usually get up early.
Answers may vary.
EXERCISE V. CLOZE
A. Teacher asks the students to use the words in the box to complete the text about Halloween. S/he
also answers students questions about the words they dont know, or they can use their dictionaries
to look for their meaning.
B. Teacher reads the text out loud or plays the audio.
1.15
Teacher reads the text out loud or plays the audio to check students answers.
Around Halloween, jack-o-lanterns and pictures of witches and ghosts begin to appear in
windows of the houses. On Halloween night; you can see children wearing costumes and masks
going from house to house. They knock on doors, shout Trick or Treat and receive candy. If the
children do not receive treats (candy) at a certain house, they will play a trick on the people who
live there. The word Halloween means All Saints Eve. At first, it was observed to protect
people from evil spirits. Now, its just a custom.
C. Teacher checks students answers. This is a good opportunity to let the students know about the
differences between the Day of the Dead and All Saints Day in Mxico, and Halloween in the U.S.A.,
so they can continue with the following Extra Activities.
Halloween in the United States vs. the Day of the Dead and All Saints Day in Mxico
1.
Teacher asks students to go back to page 20 in their book and reread the information about
Mixquic. If necessary, they will ask a senior citizen how the Day of the Dead and All Saints Day
celebrations have changed over the past years in Mexico.
Answers may vary.
50
2.
Teacher asks students to read the following text.

Trick or Treating on Halloween
Trick-or-treating resembles an old medieval practice in which poor people would go from door
to door on Hallowmas (November 1), receiving food in return for prayers for the dead on All
Souls Day (November 2). Although Halloween originated in Ireland and Britain, similar
practices for the souls of the dead were found as far south as Italy. The custom of wearing
costumes and masks at Halloween goes back to Celtic traditions.
In North America, trick-or-treating has been a customary Halloween tradition since at least the
late 1950s. Homeowners wishing to participate in it usually decorate their private entrance
with plastic spider webs, paper skeletons and jack-o-lanterns. Some rather reluctant
homeowners simply leave the candy in pots on the porch; others might be more participative
and will even ask an effort from the children in order to provide them with candy. In the more
recent years, however, the practice has spread to almost any house within a neighborhood
being visited by children, including senior residences and condominiums.
Nowadays, trick-or-treating is a customary practice for children on Halloween seen in many
countries. Children in costumes, either in large groups or accompanied by an adult, travel from
house to house in order to ask for treats such as candy (or, in some cultures, money) with the
question "Trick or treat?". The "trick" is a (usually idle) threat to perform mischief on the
homeowners or their property if no treat is given.
The North American custom of saying "trick or treat" has recently become common. The
activity is prevalent in the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Republic of Ireland, Puerto
Rico, and northwestern and central Mexico. In the latter, this practice is called calaverita
(Spanish for "little skull"), and instead of "trick or treat", the children ask me da mi calaverita?
("Can you give me my little skull?"); where a calaverita is a small skull made of sugar or
chocolate.
Taken and adapted from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Halloween
51
3.
Teacher asks students to use the chart to write down similarities and differences between the two
celebrations. They can ask him/her or surf the net to find out more about these celebrations. The
following answers are some examples.
Halloween in The United States and

Day of the Dead and All Saints Day in Mxico
Similarities
Differences
Both are celebrated for the souls of the In the USA children ask for candy, and in
dead.
Mexico they also ask for money.
In both countries, children wear In the USA children threat to perform
costumes.
mischief on the homeowners if they dont
give them the treat.
Some homeowners decorate their private In Mexico, reluctant homeowners dont
entrance with plastic spider webs, paper leave candy or anything on their porch.
skeletons and jack-o-lanterns.
The practice has spread.
In the USA children say trick-or-treat, in
Mexico children also ask for their little
skull.
When children are very young, parents In Mexico, people write calaveras,
accompany their children.
which are poems related to a dead
person.
In Mxico, people set up an altar with a
candle for the dead and his/her favorite
food.
In Mexico, there is Pan de muerto
(special bread people eat on the Day of
the Dead).
4.
With a partner, students rehearse a conversation about the way their family celebrates the Day of
the Dead and All Saints Day, and how our tradition has been influenced by the American practices.
Teacher will ask some of them to present their conversation to the whole class.
Answers may vary. Teacher corrects students mistakes after their presentations.
52
EXERCISE VI. MY SCHEDULE

A. Teacher gives the students some examples, asks them to write some of their plans for the week.
Teacher helps around the class.
Answers may vary.
B. Teacher goes around the class to check students performance.

C. Now, the students are asked to talk with a partner about their plans, using the frequency adverbs and
the prepositions on, at, from, in the, as in the examples in the box. Teacher mingles around the
class to check students performance.
Answers may vary.
EXERCISE VII. OFFICIAL SCHOOL CALENDAR

1.16
Students listen to the speaker and fill in the chart with the information their hear.
Speaker: Good morning students. We all hope you are more relaxed now that classes are over. Yet, we
need to remind you the specific dates for the following semester, which is going to start in March. The
week of enrollment is from Monday February 28th to Friday March 4th. Pupils will have to show up to
their first class on March 7th, and get ready for the first round of exams, which will take place several
weeks later, during the first week of May. The last day of classes will coincide with the last day of June.
We recommend you study in advance because the final exams will be given a week later, from the 4 th to
the 8thof July. Now, the important July dates. The semester break is from the 11th to the 22nd. Vacation is
from July 25th to August 15th. We hope you have a successful semester at the university.
Answers:
OFFICIAL SCHOOL CALENDAR
Enrollment
Beginning of classes
Duration of the school semester
DATE
February 28th to March 4th
March 7th
4 months
First week of May and
July 4th to July 8th
July 11th to July 22nd
July 25th to August 15th
Evaluation
Vacation
Break between school years
53
RHYME
1.17
I see the moon,
And the moon sees me,
God bless the moon,
And God bless me.
EXERCISE VIII. ERROR IDENTIFICATION

Teacher can check the students answers, or ask them to write the sentences on the blackboard. Then,
the whole class can correct the mistakes.
1. I study law at nights.
2. Hes a lawyer for this company.
3. My husbands a dentist. I am, too. / My husbands a dentist, and I am too.
4. Shes very happy.
5. He never gets up early.
6. Does she do aerobics every morning?
7. Is his fathers friend a doctor?
8. I always feel hungry at ten oclock.
9. We can go to movie on Saturday.
10. On vacation, I go to Cuernavaca.
11. Lets study at home on Friday afternoon.
12. She doesnt have a good work.
13. Youre a great teacher, arent you?
14. My first class starts at 8 sharp.
15. He will get home before his son does.
54
PROVERB
The last drop makes the cup run over.
Meaning. This proverb is a variant on The last straw breaks the camels back. These two
proverbs remind us that everyone has a breaking point.
RHYME
1.18
For every evil under the sun,
There is a remedy or there is none,
If there be one, try and find it;
If there be none, never mind it.
55
LANGUAGE REVIEW UNIT 1

COMMUNICATIVE AIMS
LANGUAGE
SAMPLE LANGUAGE
Past tense
Ask and answer yes/no
questions about the
past.
I stayed home last night.

ed regular verbs
affirmative
did auxiliary for
negative and
questions
be was were
Ask and talk about things
you can or cant do.
Can verb
Also used in questions and
negatives

have to do.
Have to necessity /
obligation
Ask, talk about and make

arrangements to do
something.
on exact dates: month/ day

Talk and ask about dates,
holidays and customs.
in years, months and
seasons
at specific time
specific address
56
Did you study Spanish last

semester?
Yes, I did.
Did Juan write an e-mail to his
parents?
No, he didnt.
When were you born?
I was born in 1985.
Can you speak French?
No, I cant.
You can see many old buildings
downtown.
I have to finish this report today.
Can you go to the movies on
Sunday?
Do you want to watch TV?
Lets have a cup of coffee.
That sounds like fun.
Im sorry, I cant.
I have to study.
Okay.
Sure.
Whens the Day of the Dead?
Its on November 1st.
Its in January.
Its in the winter.
Its at 5 oclock.
I live at 22 Madison Ave.
VOCABULARY
CONTENT WORDS
FUNCTION WORDS
Days
Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
Friday
Saturday
Sunday
Months
January
February
March
April
May
June
July
August
September
October
November
December
Foreign languages
Italian
German
English
French
Portuguese
Spanish
Adjectives
brief
elderly
hallowed
outstanding
pleasant
Nouns
former
skulls
soul
Verbs
display
enroll
have to
hold
light
melt
pass away
send
speak
(was / were) born
Ordinal numbers
first (1st.)
second (2nd.)
third (3rd.)
fourth (4th.)
twenty-eighth (28th.), etc.
Adverbs
for instance = for example
next
then
Sequence words
finally
57
was (nt) were (nt)

did (nt)
can (t)
lets
through
towards
UNIT 2 HOW WAS YOUR VACATION?

SOCIAL PRACTICES
COMMUNICATIVE AIMS
Ask and talk about your past.

Make comparisons and use superlatives.
Exchange non-personal information.
Talk about similarities and differences using the

present and the past tenses.
WHAT ITS ABOUT

Students read the text silently while the teacher reads it out loud or plays the audio. Students should be
encouraged to ask questions with the language presented.
Teacher mentions the use of the past simple, as well as the use of comparisons.
2.1
Alice and Nancy are on their way to the Language Center. They are talking
about their Christmas vacation.
Nancy: Hi Alice! You look great. How was your vacation?

Alice:
Just fine. I didnt have money to go home for Christmas, so I stayed here and I learned a lot
about Mexican customs. It was a lot of fun.
Nancy: Really? What did you do?
Alice: Well, Juan invited me to a posada, which is a party where people sing and act out Mary and
Josephs journey to Bethlehem. It was beautiful. I really enjoyed the piatas, and the
ponche was delicious!
Nancy: It sounds very interesting.
Alice:
It was interesting and a lot of fun. How about you? What did you do?
Nancy: Well, I was homesick, so I visited my family in the U.S.A.
Alice:
Did you have a good time?
Nancy: Oh, yes. I was very happy to see my parents and my sister. We had a great New Years party,
too.
Alice:
Did you study for semester exams?
Nancy: Are you kidding? I didnt open a single book, and we have that Spanish literature exam this
Friday!
Alice:
I know. Juan helped me and I studied a little, but not much. There were posadas to attend.
Besides, Spanish literature is more difficult than American literature. There are so many writers
and books. I cant remember all their names! I hope Professor Garrido isnt as strict as Juan
says!
Nancy: Youre right. It is difficult. Lets study together this week. Were in the same boat!
58
Alice:
Nancy:
OK. We can start studying Mexican history, too.

By the way, how was the OFUNAM concert?
Alice:
Oh, it was wonderful! Why didnt you come?
Nancy:
I was sick, and I had to pack my suitcases to go home. Besides, I really like rock music better
than classical music! I wanted to go to the OFUNAM concert because, you know, When in
Rome
do as the Romans do. I understand. Well, theres a rock concert after exams. Why dont we
check the dates?
Lets study for the exams first, OK?
Alice:
Nancy:
WORK IT OUT
EXERCISE I. RIGHT OR WRONG
1. W
6. W
2. W
7. W
3. R
8. R
4. R
9. W
5. R
10. R
B. Teacher mingles to check students pronunciation while they are reading the previous dialogue.
EXERCISE II. MATCHING

A. Teacher asks the students to work in pairs to match columns A and B.
1. c
5. h
2. g
6. e
3. d
7. a
4. f
8. b
59
B.
2.2
Teacher reads the text out loud or plays the audio. Students check their answers.
1. A: Did Nancy stay in Mexico at Christmas time?
B: No, she didnt
2. A: Did Juan help Alice to study Spanish literature?
B: Yes, he did.
3. A: Was Nancy sick the day of the concert?
B: Yes, she was.
4. A: Did Alice and Nancy study a lot during vacation?
B: No, they didnt.
5. A: Is Juan Alices friend?
B: Yes, he is.
6. A: Was Alice homesick?
B: No, she wasnt.
7. A: Does Nancy like classical music very much?
B: No, she doesnt.
8. A: Did Alice like the posadas?
B: Yes, she did.
C. Before doing this exercise, teacher explains the grammar note to the students. Teacher asks
students to talk to their partners about December festivities, and how these customs are celebrated
in Mexico and in the U.S.A. Students are asked to continue with the extra activities related to
Christmas.
1. Students are asked to read the following information about Christmas. Teacher will answer their
questions about vocabulary.
Christmas celebrations all over the world
Although Christmas is one of the biggest celebrations for the people belonging to the Christian faith,
people from other religions also celebrate it. With the world becoming a global village, Christmas is
now celebrated in many countries around the world. Caroling, feasting, and gift-giving along with
the prayers and wishes, Christmas is celebrated in various parts of the world. The ways to celebrate
it, the dates and the traditions may vary from place to place or from family to family, but the spirit
remains the same everywhere. While most of us celebrate it as a festive season spreading over a
60
week, for some it is a month long festival that starts with the Advent on the Sunday closest to
November 26 and ends on January 6 with the feast of Epiphany. In Mexico, for example, posadas
start on the 16th of December and festivities continue up to the Three Wise Mens Day on the 6th of
January. In the past, Mexican children used to get presents only on the 6th of January, but now they
also get presents on Christmas.
2.
Students work in pairs to answer the following questions. When they finish, they will present their
conversation to the class.
How do you celebrate Christmas?
Who do you usually spend Christmas with?
What do you usually have for Christmas dinner?
Do you get presents on Christmas?
What do you usually get?
Do you give a present to somebody?
Do you ever go away for vacation during the Christmas season?
Do you go out with your family or your friends?
Answers may vary.
3.
Students are asked to take a look at the following web sites (or others) to find out about different
ways in which people celebrate Christmas around the world. Then, they have to choose the two or
three different ways they would like to celebrate Christmas.
Christmas Celebration Around the World

http://www.theholidayspot.com/christmas/worldxmas/
Christmas Around the World
http://www.soon.org.uk/country/christmas.htm
Christmas Around the World
http://www.the-north-pole.com/around/
Answers may vary.

4.
Teacher asks students to work with a partner to find out about the information they got about
Christmas around the world. Student A will tell his/her partner how he/she would like to celebrate
Christmas from now on. They will rehearse a conversation asking questions to each other and
answering them. Teacher will ask them to perform some conversations in front of the class.
61
EXERCISE III. QUESTION WORDS

Teacher checks the students answers.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
How
When
What
Who
When
6. Where
7. How
8. What
9. Why
10. Where
EXERCISE IV. VERB TENSES

Teacher asks the students to work in pairs to do this exercise, and then checks their answers on the chart
and in the Think exercise.
Base Form or
Present Tense
Present Tense
3rd Person Singular
makes
goes
gets
studies
likes
is
have
say
go
visit
like
learn
study
open
finish
start
Past Tense
was
enjoyed
loved
stayed
were
studied
wanted
had
THINK
Students are asked how they form the past tense of?
PRESENT PAST
PRESENT
PAST
I am
I was
I study
I studied
You are
You were
You study
You studied
He is
He was
He studies
He studied
To check the rules of past tense of regular and irregular verbs, students have to go to
appendices A1 and A2.
62
EXERCISE V. GENERAL KNOWLEDGE QUIZ

Before reading the answer key, teacher checks students answers.
HOW MUCH DO YOU KNOW?

F
1.
The Mississippi Missouri River is the 4th longest river in the world. It is approximately
6,400 km long, while the Rio Grande, which divides Mexico from the U.S.A., is 3,057 km
long.
2.
Brazil is about 8,514,000 km2 (square kilometers). Its larger than Australia which has an
approximate area of 7,686,000 km2.
T 3.
The Burj Khalifa Tower in the United Arab Emirates is nowadays the tallest building in the
world. It has 162 floors and it is 828 meters tall.
T 4.
Chile has a smaller area than Colombia. It has an area of 756,096 km2 while Colombia has
an area of 1,141,748 km2.
F 5.
The most expensive painting ever sold is No. 5, by American painter Jackson Pollock.
Someone paid $140 million USD for it in 2004.
F 6.
The heaviest animal in the world is the blue whale.
T 7.
The Nile River is the longest one in the world. Its 6,650 km long.
F 8.
Alaska is the largest state in the U.S.A.
F 9.
The Torre Reforma Building in Mexico City has 57 floors; its taller than The World Trade
Center which only has 50 floors.
F 10.
An adult giraffe has an average weight of 1,200 kg. Its heavier than an average 800 kg
bison.
F 11.
Tlaxcala is the smallest state. Mexico City is smaller than Tlaxcala, but Mexico City is not
considered a state.
F 12.
The Nevado de Toluca is higher than La Malinche.
T 13.
At least 3 cities in Switzerland are ranked among the 50 most expensive cities to live in
in the world. Mexico is not even on the list.
F 14.
Mt. McKinley in Alaska is the highest mountain in North America.
63
VI. PREPOSITIONS AND CONNECTORS

A and B. In exercise A, students have to use the prepositions in, on, at; in exercise B, they have to use the
adverbs and, but. Teacher checks their answers.
A. 1. in
2. on
3. onin
4. in
5. aton
B.
1. and
2. but
3. and
4. but
5. And
PROVERB
Teacher helps the students to understand the meaning of the proverb. Students talk about the meaning
of the proverb with another classmate. Then, as a class, students discuss whether they agree or disagree
with it. Teacher also asks them to look for an equivalent proverb in Spanish.
Necessity is the mother of invention.
Meaning. The need of something forces people to find a way to obtain it.
RHYME
2.3
See a pin and pick it up.
All the day youll have good luck.
See a pin and let it lie,
All the day your luck will fly.
64
TRY IT OUT
A. First, teacher explains the note in this activity about the pronunciation of regular verbs in the past
tense. According to the rules, students work in pairs and mark the regular verbs ed pronunciation in
the space provided.
2.4
B.
Then, teacher reads their pronunciation out loud or plays the audio. Then, s/he
checks their answers. Teacher can also take advantage of this exercise to have students listen and
repeat, and then work in pairs to practice regular verbs in the past.
1. walked
2. needed
3. laughed
4. skated
5. moved
6. mended
7. explained
8. talked
9. planted
10. cooked
11. invited
12. worked
13. prepared
14. fainted
15. turned
16. pushed
17. picked
18. pulled
19. checked
20. sounded
/t/
X
/d/
/id/
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
65
C. The purpose of this exercise is to practice the spelling rules for the regular verbs in the past tense, so,
before doing it, the teacher explains the information in the note and the examples. When students
finish the exercise, the teacher checks their answers.
1. referred
2. fixed
3. clapped
4. decided
5. cried
6. stopped
7. involved
8. traveled
9. played
D. After students complete the sentences with the correct verb, teacher checks their answers.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Lisa invited me to a graduation party next Saturday.

My mother cooked turkey and potato salad for Christmas.
New neighbors moved in next to my apartment.
Nobody laughed at her joke! It was really lousy!
I rang Sam and we talked on the phone for about two hours.
EXERCISE II. FAMOUS PERSONAGES

A. Students name a famous character they know. Teacher checks their replies.
Answers may vary.
B. According to the examples provided, students use the information about famous personages to ask
questions about them. Teacher mingles to check their performance.
Answers may vary.
C. Teacher can take some examples of the paragraphs students write to check them on the board.
Answers may vary.
EXERCISE III. INFORMATION GAP ACTIVITY

Infinitive
1. stand
2. begin
3. send
4. forget
5. write
6. come
Past tense
stood
began
sent
forgot
wrote
came
Infinitive
7. spend
8. catch
9. buy
10. forgive
11. do
12. eat
66
Past tense
spent
caught
bought
forgave
did
ate
B.
Teacher reads the examples for this exercise and asks the students to work in pairs. Student A looks
at Chart 1, Student B looks at Chart 2 to ask and answer questions about the characters in the chart.
Name
Nationality Occupation Interesting fact
1. Ana Pavlova
Birth
date
1881
Russian
Dancer
Louis Pasteur
1822
French
Scientist
Miguel de
1547
Cervantes
Leonardo Da Vinci 1452
Spanish
Writer
Italian
Painter
Pyotr I.
Tchaikovsky
Schiller
1840
Russian
Composer
1759
German
Poet
Lady Diana
1961
English
Princess
Aristotle Onassis
1906
Greek
Shipping
magnate
Danced The Mexican

Hat Dance in Mxico in
1919
Invented
pasteurization.
Wrote Don Quixote
Death
date
1931
1895
1616
Painted The Last

Supper
Composed The
Nutcracker Suite
Wrote Ode to Joy
1519
Divorced a prince in the

British Monarchy
Married Jackie Kennedy
1997
1893
1805
1975
EXERCISE IV. QUESTIONS IN PAST YESTERDAY

Example:
What time did Alice get up?

She got up at 6:00.
Information about Alice

What time did Alice get up?
Did Alice take a shower or a bath?
What did Alice eat for breakfast?
Where did Alice go after breakfast?
What time did Alice have a break?
How did Alice come home?
What did Alice have for lunch?
What did Alice do in the evening?
What did Alice eat for supper?
What time did Alice go to bed?
She got up at 6:00.

She took a shower.
She ate toast and coffee.
She went to school.
She had a break at 11:00.
She came home by bus.
She had soup, chicken and salad.
She watched the TV.
She ate hot coco and tamales.
She went to bed at 10:00.
67
Information about Juan

What time did Juan get up?
He got up at 8:30.
Did Juan take a shower or a bath?
He took a bath.
What did Juan eat for breakfast?
He ate fried eggs and bacon.
Where did Juan go after breakfast?
He went to his office.
What time did Juan have a break?
He had a break at 11:00.
How did Juan come home?
He came home by car.
What did Juan have for lunch?
He had a burger.
What did Juan do in the evening?
He did homework.
What did Juan eat for supper?
He ate a sandwich and milk.
What time did Juan go to bed?
He went to bed at 11:30.
EXERCISE V. SIMILARITIES AND DIFFERENCES

A.

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
B.
k
d
a
g
i
b
7. c
8. e
9. j
10. l
11. f
12. H
Teacher asks the students to use the information in the chart (exercise IV to express similarities and
differences in Alice and Juans activities. S/he reads the example and mingles around the class to
check students performances.
Example: Alice had a break at 11:00, and Juan did too.
Juan got up at 8:00, but Alice didnt.
Juan didnt have salad for lunch, and Alice didnt either.
C.
Teacher asks the students to fill in the chart with yesterdays activities. When they finish they work
in pairs to ask questions to each other about the things they did. There is an example, but the
teacher can give some others. Teacher mingles to check their answers.
D.
Using the information they got from their partners, students are asked to write 10 sentences
expressing similarities or differences referring to yesterdays activities.
Answers may vary.
68
EXERCISE VI. WORD COMPLETION

A.
Teacher asks the students to fill in each blank with the missing word. The first letter of the word is
given. Students can work in pairs or small groups.
2.5
B.
Teacher reads the text out loud or plays the audio to check the students answers.
Chichn Itza is an archaeological 1) site of the Maya civilization located on the Yucatan Peninsula in
2) Mexico. It is one of the most visited 3) tourist attractions. It was given the status of World Heritage
Site in 1988 by the UNESCO, and was recently selected as one of the New Seven 4)Wonders of the
World.
Many tourists visit this place, especially 5) from Cancun. This archaeological site is one hour and thirty
minutes away from Merida, the capital of Yucatan. The 6) Mayan communities near Chichn Itza have
developed plenty of 7) wonderful attractions for travelers to know the Mayan Cultural heritage. It is
recommended to schedule a 8) night or two in Chichn Itza to enjoy all the 9) activities that they offer. In
this place, there is a park, a museum and 10) guide services.
EXERCISE VII. REDUCED FORMS
2.6
A.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
Students write the words that they hear. Teacher reads the sentences out loud or
plays the audio.
What did you do last weekend?

Where did you go yesterday?
When did you last go to a wedding?
Where were you born?
What time did you go to bed last Sunday?
Did you have eggs for breakfast?
When did you last go to Acapulco?
How did you do on your English test?
When was your birthday?
Where did you eat lunch yesterday?
69
B. Teacher asks the students to work in pairs, and use the questions in exercise A to find out information
about each other.
Answers may vary.
PROVERB
Money talks.
Meaning. Money can sometimes help you to get desired results.
RHYME
2.7
Here is the church and here is the steeple;
Open the door and here are the people.
Here is the parson going upstairs,
And here he is, saying his prayers.
70
POLISH IT UP
EXERCISE I. PAST TENSE (REGULAR VERBS)
Teacher explains how to form the past tense of regular verbs in English, and asks the students to see
Appendix A-1 for a more complete explanation, list of verbs, spelling rules, etc.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
lived
walked
watched
cooked
explained
B. Teacher reads the instructions and checks the past tense sentences that students write.
Sentences in Present Simple
Sentences in Past simple.
1.
She lives in Mxico.
Example: She lived in Mxico
2.
He directs an orchestra.
He directed an orchestra.
3.
They walk to school.
They walked to school.
4.
The teacher talks too much.
The teacher talked too much.
5.
They cook fairly well.
They cooked fairly well.
6.
Mary laughs at my jokes.
Mary laughed at my jokes.
7.
Ian works at the telephone
Ian worked at the telephone
company.
company.
8.
Olin plays soccer with his cousins.
Olin played soccer with his cousins.
9.
He invites me to the movies.
He invited me to the movies.
10. She explains the lesson well.
She explained the lesson well.
C. In this exercise, teacher checks that students write correct yes / no questions and negative sentences
in the past, according to the example.
Yes / No Questions
Negative sentences
1.
Did she live in Mxico?
Example: She didnt live in Mxico
2.
Did he direct an orchestra?
He didnt direct an orchestra.
3.
Did they walk to school?
They didnt walk to school.
4.
Did the teacher talk too much?
The teacher didnt talk too much.
5.
Did they cook fairly well?
They didnt cook fairly well.
6.
Did Mary laugh at my jokes?
Mary didnt laugh at my jokes.
7.
Did Ian work at the telephone
Ian didnt work at the telephone
company?
company.
8.
Did Olin play soccer with his cousins? Olin didnt play soccer with his
cousins.
9.
Did he invite me to the movies?
He didnt invite me to the movies.
10. Did she explain the lesson well?
She didnt explain the lesson well.
71
D. Teacher asks students to work in pairs to ask and answer the questions in this exercise according to
their own experiences. There is an example, but the teacher can give some others if necessary.
Answers may vary.
EXERCISE II. PAST TENSE IRREGULAR VERBS

Teacher explains to students that there are verbs in English that are irregular in their past form. Instead
of adding ed, they change their spelling (or it remains the same). Teacher asks the students to see
Appendix B-2 for a more complete list of verbs.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
She was in Cuernavaca on vacation last week.

When was your birthday party?
They spoke German when they were kids.
I took a bath at 7 this morning.
She had scramble eggs with beans yesterday.
Sara had a headache yesterday afternoon.
Robert got up at 7:30 a.m. every day last week.
He wrote novels 10 years ago.
Noah bought the groceries a week ago.
We sang in the choir last year.
They went camping with their cousins last month.
Romeo drove home last night.
They flew to many historical sites on their last vacation?
Charlie went to Cancun 2 days ago.
Eva came with her parents last week.

1. Did you want a hot tea? (cold)
No. I didnt. I wanted a cold tea.
2. Did Richard finish painting his house? (room)
No, he didnt. He finished painting his room.
3. Did Laura organize the meeting with our new boss? (Hilda)
No, she didnt. Hilda organized the meeting with our boss.
4. Did the cook make the cookies? (the bread)
No, he didnt. He made the bread.
5. Did Anne design the website? (Lorena)
No she didnt. Lorena designed the website.
6. Did Lety play the cello yesterday night? (2 days ago)
No, she didnt. She played the cello 2 days ago.
7. Did Ian put the toys away? (Bianca)
No, he didnt. Bianca put the toys away.
8. Did Nasdira apply the makeup exam? (Robert)
No, she didnt. Robert applied the makeup exam.
72
C. Teacher checks students answers.

1. What did you do yesterday?
I went to a concert with Eduardo.
2. Where did she live?
She lived in a small town near Paris.
3. Who did you dance with?
I danced with Vianey all night long.
4. When was the party?
The party was last night.
5. Why did you get up at 5:30 a.m.?
We got up at 5:30 a.m. because she had to be at the airport early.
PROVERB
A penny saved is a penny earned.
Meaning. Although saving money is difficult sometimes, people should try not to waste it.
EXERCISE III. COMPARISONS

Teacher asks students to look at Appendix A5, and explains how to make comparisons in English.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
The apartment is cheaper than the house. (cheap)

The house is more expensive than the apartment. (expensive)
The house is bigger than the apartment. (big)
The apartment is smaller than the house. (small)
The house is newer than the apartment. (new)
The apartment is older than the house. (old)
Living in a house is more peaceful than living in the apartment. (peaceful)
The apartment is closer than the house. (close)
73
B. Teacher mingles to check students conversations.

Answers may vary.
C. Teacher and students check their sentences on the board.

Answers may vary.
D. Teacher asks students to work in pairs to do this exercise. He mingles to check the students
performance. Teacher will ask some of the students to present their conversation to the whole class.
Answers may vary.
EXERCISE IV. SUPERLATIVES

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
Jim is the youngest (young).

Robert is the most handsome/ the handsomest (handsome).
Karin is the oldest (old).
Robert is the richest (rich).
Robert is the tallest (tall).
Jim is the shortest (short).
Karin is the most bored (bored).
Jim is the funniest (funny).
Karin is the most intelligent (intelligent).
Jim is the most unfriendly (unfriendly).
B. Students might know the answers to these questions, if not, the teacher can give them to the
students. (This information is based on 2011 reports).
1.
2.
3.
4.
What is the most expensive car in the world? Bugatti Veyron Super Sports
What is the highest building in the world? Burj Khalifa in Dubai, United Arab Emirates
What is the biggest mammal in the world? The Blue Whale
What is the best soccer team in the world? Spain, followed by Netherlands, Germany, Brazil
and Uruguay.
5. What is the largest country in the world? Russia (17,098,241 Km2).
C. Teacher asks students to work in pairs to have a conversation based on the previous information.
Questions and answers may vary.
74
RHYME
2.8
Multiplication is vexation,
Division is as bad;
The rule perplexes me,
And practice drives me mad.

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
Maria went to Peru and studied the Inca culture.

Moctezuma gave Cortes and his soldiers many precious jewels and gifts of gold.
I studied for my Mexican history exam yesterday.
I liked my Christmas vacation in Veracruz very much.
Juans girlfriend didnt go home for vacation this year.
Did Kathy go home to see her family last month?
My husbands mother likes ice cream, and I do too.
Jorge didnt do our homework, and I didnt either.
The city of Tenochtitlan was bigger than Mitla in Oaxaca.
Where did you go yesterday after classes?
B. Answers may vary.
EXERCISE VI. VIEWING, READING AND RESPONDING

ALBERT SCHWEITZER
Albert Schweitzer was a brilliant philosopher, doctor, musician, clergyman and writer. Early in his career,
he based his philosophy on what he called reverence for life. He also felt a deep sense of obligation to
serve humanity directly. Schweitzers many years of work as a humanitarian won for him the 1950 Nobel
Peace Prize.
75
Born in 1875 near the border between France and Germany, he went to school in both countries. At the
age of 21, Schweitzer decided to spend his next nine years in science, music and preaching. He had an
international reputation as a writer on religion before he turned 30. He also became an organist, and an
authority on organ building and on Johann Sebastian Bach.
He was inspired to become a medical missionary and studied medicine from 1905-1913. Schweitzer
raised money for a hospital in Lambarn in Africa partly by giving concerts for the Paris Bach Society. In
1913, he began serving in Lambarn, where his first consulting room was a chicken coop!
In 1912, Schweitzer married Helene Bresslau, who took up nursing in order to share her husbands work.
They had one daughter, Rhena, born in 1919. World War I interrupted their construction of the hospital in
Lambarn. This interruption gave Schweitzer time to reflect on civilization. The significance of reverence
for life came to him while he was on an African river trip. For Schweitzer, all creatures were, in a sense,
one. He wrote about this view in Philosophy of Civilization (1923).
In 1924, Schweitzer built a new medical complex with the help of young African men. Many Africans went
there for help, including many with leprosy. In later life, Schweitzer gave a speech on the problem of
peace in todays world at the ceremony in which he accepted the Novel Peace Prize.
When he died in 1965, the Africans buried him in Lambarn in a simple grave beside his wife.
B. The following chart includes the answers for this activity.

VERB
was
based
called
felt
won
went
decided
had
turned
became
is
base
call
feel
win
go
decide
have
turn
became
VERB
was
studied
raised
began
was
married
took
had
interrupted
is
study
raise
begin
is
marry
take
have
interrupt
gave
give
VERB
came
was
were
wrote
built
went
gave
accepted
died
buried
come
is
are
write
build
go
give
accept
die
bury
C. According to the reading, teacher checks the students answers.

1. What year did Schweitzer win the Novel Peace Prize?
R: 1950
2. When was Schweitzer born?
R: He was born in 1875.
3. Where did Schweitzer go to school?
R: France and Germany.
4. What did Schweitzer do between the ages of 21 and 30?
R: At the age of 21, Schweitzer decided to spend his next nine years in science, music and
preaching. He also became an organist, an authority on organ building and on Johann
Sebastian Bach.
76
5. How did Schweitzer raise money to build a hospital in Lambarn?

R: Schweitzer raised money for a hospital in Lambarn in Africa partly by giving concerts for
the Paris Bach Society.
6. What was Schweitzers first consulting room?
R: A chicken coop!
7. What did Helene Bresslau study?
R: Nursing
8. What interrupted the construction of the hospital?
R: World War I
9. What disease is mentioned in the text?
R: Leprosy
10. Who is Albert Schweitzer buried next to?
R: Beside his wife (her gravesite).
PROVERB
A fool and his money are soon parted.
Meaning. A foolish person usually spends his money carelessly.
RHYME
2.9
A wise old owl lived in an oak;
The more he saw, the less he spoke;
The less he spoke, the more he heard.
Why cant we all be like that wise old bird?
77
WRAP IT UP
EJERCICIO I. WHO AM I?
Answers may vary.
EXERCISE II. FIND SOMEONE WHO

A. After checking the students answers, teacher mingles to review the students oral production.
Answers to the questions may vary.
Example: went to the movies yesterday
Did you go to the movies yesterday?
1. woke up at 5:00 a.m. yesterday
Did you wake up at 5:00 a.m. yesterday?
2. had eggs and bacon for breakfast
Did you have eggs and bacon for breakfast?
3. read the newspaper yesterday
Did you read the newspaper yesterday?
4. checked your e-mail this morning
Did you check your e-mail this morning?
5. exercised yesterday afternoon
Did you exercise yesterday afternoon?
6. had a doctors appointment yesterday
Did you have a doctors appointment
yesterday?
7. ate tamales two days ago
Did you eat tamales two days ago?
8. texted more than one message last night
Did you text more than one message last night?
9. watched Dr. House last week
Did you watch Dr. House last week?
10. went to French class yesterday
Did you go to French class yesterday?
11. listened to Radio Red this morning
Did you listen to Radio Red this morning?
12. did their homework one hour ago
Did you do your homework one hour ago?
13. took a bath last night
Did you take a bath last night?
14. washed a car yesterday
Did you wash a car yesterday?
15. played Mario Bros last weekend
Did you play Mario Bros last weekend?
B.
Teacher checks students oral interactions.

Students names will vary according to what they found out in the previous activity. In the following
answers he or she will be replaced by the name of the student who didnt do what is mentioned
in the exercise.
Example: went to the movies yesterday you say Ricardo didnt go to the movies yesterday.
1. He/she didnt wake up at 5:00 a.m. yesterday.
2. He/she didnt have eggs and bacon for breakfast.
3. He/she didnt read the newspaper yesterday.
4. He/she didnt check his/her e-mail this morning.
5. He/she didnt exercise yesterday afternoon.
78
6. He/she didnt have a doctors appointment yesterday.

7. He/she didnt eat tamales two days ago.
8. He/she didnt text more than one message last night.
9. He/she didnt watch Dr. House last week.
10. He/she didnt go to French class yesterday.
11. He/she didnt listen to Radio Red this morning.
12. He/she didnt do his/her homework one hour ago.
13. He/she didnt take a bath last night.
14. He/she didnt wash a car yesterday.
15. He/she didnt play Mario Bros last weekend.
EXERCISE III. DICTATION

2.10
Teacher reads the sentences out loud or plays the audio.

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
My favourite actress is Julia Roberts. She is married and has three children.
A famous American author is Stephen King. One of his books is IT.
Many people enjoy reality shows, but they usually bore me to death.
My cousin prefers going to the beach to than going to the forest.
Yesterday morning, my little boy didnt eat anything because he got sick.
EXERCISE IV. BIOGRAPHY

A. Teacher asks students to use the information about Johny Depp to ask and answer questions about
him.
Answers may vary.
Examples:
a) When was Johnny Depp born?

b) He was born on June 9, 1963.
a) Where was he born?
b) He was born in Owensboro, Kentucky.
a) What was his nickname when he was a kid?
b) His nickname as a kid was Mr. Stench.
Date of birth:
Place of birth:
Nicknames:
Height:
Parents:
JOHNNY DEPP
June 9, 1963
Owensboro, Kentucky
As a kid - Mr. Stench / As a teenager - Colonel
5 10 (1.78 m.)
1945 2008 Father civil engineer
1948 Mother waitress and homemaker
79
First occupation:
Married:
Divorced:
Daughter:
Son:
Film debut:
First movie:
Successful movie:
Last movie filmed:
Co-star:
B.
Musician
1983 - Lori Anne Allison
1985 no kids
Lily-Rose Melody (May 27, 1999)
Jack (April 9, 2002)
1984
A Nightmare on Elm Street
Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl
2009 - The Tourist
Angelina Jolie
Teacher checks students paragraph about Johnny Depp. S/he can ask two or three students to write
their paragraphs on the blackboard and ask students to find the mistakes and correct them.
Answers may vary. See the following sample answer.
Johnny Depp was born on June 9th, 1963 in Owensboro, Kentucky. When he was a young boy, his
nickname was Mr. Stench. A few years later, his nickname changed to Colonel. He is not too short, hes
1.78 m. tall. He looks thin, too. His father was born in 1945 and died in 2008. He was a civil engineer. His
mother was born in 1948 and is still alive. She worked as a waitress and as a homemaker. Before being
an actor, he was a musician. He got married in 1983 with Lori Anne Allison and they didnt have any kids.
They divorced two years later, in 1985. He has two children: Lily-Rose Melody is 11 years old and his son
Jack is 8 years old. His first movie was A Nightmare on Elm Street and it was filmed in 1984. Many years
later, he made another movie which was very successful: Pirates of the Caribbean: The curse of the Black
Pearl. In 2009, he made another movie with Angelina Jolie called The Tourist.
RHYME
2.11
Penny and penny
Laid up will be many;
Who will not save a penny,
Shall never have any.
80
EXERCISE V. A FAMOUS MEXICAN

Teacher goes around the class to help students with the vocabulary they need to write about a deceased
Mexican actor or singer. After students check each others papers, teacher can ask them to write two or
three paragraphs on the board to check the mistakes all together. Afterwards, teacher mingles around
the classroom while students discuss in pairs the reasons why they chose that actor or singer. To finish
this activity, teacher can tell the class the mistakes he heard while they were talking.
Answers may vary.
EXERCISE VI. PAST VS. PRESENT

A and B.
2.12
Teacher reads the text out loud or plays de audio to check the answers.
Alice 1) was born in 1993. She 2) likes history, so after high school she 3) decided to major in history. In
her freshman year, she 4) went to Peru to study the ancient Inca civilization, and now she 5) is in Mexico
at the School for Foreigners.
She especially 6) likes 7) to study the Aztec culture, but she also 8) studies Mexican history in general.
She 9) doesnt like 10) to read Spanish literature or poetry, but she 11) has to study them as part of her
program. She really 12) doesnt understand Spanish literature very well. She 13) thinks that Spanish
literature 14) is too mystic and unreal. Last year when she 15) was in Peru, Alice 16) lived in Cuzco for a
few months. She 17) visited the Inca ruins at Macchu Picchu and 18) liked 19) to talk with the Peruvian
students about their culture and history. She 20) attended the University of San Carlos in Lima. There,
she 21) didnt live with a family; she 22) had dormitory accommodations at a private school. However, in
Mexico this year she 23) had a room in the home of a Mexican family. She really 24) liked her experience
in Mexico better than the experience in Peru because she 25) was more involved in the life and culture
of the country. Thats one reason why she 26) was glad 27) to stay in Mexico for Christmas vacation. She
28) had a good time and she 29) enjoyed all the posadas and piatas!
81

Teacher checks students questions or answers.
1. When did you have a vacation? We had a vacation last month.
2. Where did you go on vacation? I went to Chichen Itza on vacation.
3. What time did she arrive? She arrived at 2:30 p.m.
4. What places did they see/visit? They saw Mitla and Monte Alban.
5. What did Juan do? Juan climbed up the Sun Pyramid in Teotihuacan.
6. What person was influential in writing the 1917 Constitution? Venustiano Carranza
7. When did Cortes first step on Mexican shores? In 1519
8. Where did El Pipila die? In Guanajuato at the Alhondiga de Granaditas.
9. What did Gabriel Garcia Marquez write? 100 Aos de Soledad, El Amor en los Tiempos de
Clera, El Coronel no Tiene Quin le Escriba, etc.
10. How did Pedro Infante die? He died in an airplane crash.
EXERCISE VIII. COMPARISONS

Teacher checks that students use comparisons in their sentences.
Answers will vary.
82
EXERCISE IX. CHRONOLOGICAL ORDER

A and B.
2.13
Teacher reads the text out loud or plays de audio to check the students
answers.
2.
For example, yesterday he got up (get up) early and went (go) to Chapultepec Park to jog.
4.
After that, he ate (eat) breakfast and ran (run) to the subway station.
7.
At 8:00 he went (go) to his second class.
1.
Juan is (be) a typical university student.
5.
He got (get) to school 15 minutes late, so he missed (miss) his first class.
3.
Then he went (go) home and took (take) a shower after jogging.
6.
Because he missed (miss) his class he went (go) to the cafeteria for coffee with Alice.
8.
He finished (finish) classes at 1:00 and went (go) to the library.
9.
Then, he went (go) home and had (have) lunch.
11.
At about 6 p.m. he went (go) out to play soccer and to visit (visit) Alice.
10.
After lunch he did (do) his homework and talked (talk) to his girlfriend on the telephone.
12.
At 9 p.m., Juan had (have) supper and read (read) a little before he went (go) to bed at
11:00 p.m.
EXERCISE X. ERROR IDENTIFICATION

1. The Sun Pyramid is bigger than the Moon Pyramid.
2. I didnt go home for vacation.
3. Alice didnt see Sams daughter in New York last week.
4. Were you very hungry?
5. My house is more expensive than yours.
6. My cousins house is the most modern house in the city.
7. Did you go home last month?
8. Shes the thinnest woman in our French class.
9. She usually drives a car to school, but I dont. / She drove a car to school, but I didnt.
10. Sammy had a good time when he took his swimming class, and Dolly did too.
83
PROVERB
Actions speak louder than words.
Meaning. What people actually do is more important than what they say they will do.
84

COMMUNICATIVE
AIMS
Ask and talk about
the past
Make comparisons
Make superlatives
Talk about similarities

and differences
(with statements in
the present and past)
LAGUAGE
SAMPLE LANGUAGE
ed ending to regular verbs
I stayed home last weekend.
did + verb in base form

for questions and negatives in the past
(memorize irregular verbs)
short adjectives / two-syllable words
ending in y
adj. + er + than
Did you study for the exam?
long adjectives
more + adj. + than
(check irregular adjectives)
short adjectives / two-syllable words
ending in y
the + adj. + est
long adjectives
The most + adj.
(check irregular adjectives)
Cancun is more expensive than

Acapulco.
do, does / did too

dont, doesnt / didnt either
and x
am, is, are too / was, were
too
am not, isnt, arent either /
wasnt, werent either
do, does / did

dont, doesnt / didnt
but x
am, is, are / was, were
am not, isnt, arent /
wasnt, werent
85
I didnt watch TV last night.

Toluca is colder than Puebla.
Ann is funnier than Lisa.
Carlos Slim is the richest man in

Mexico.
My friend Bob is the happiest
person I know.
Pozole is the most delicious
Mexican dish.
I love / loved the movie, and
Jess does / did too.
They dont / didnt go to the
party, and Alice doesnt / didnt
either.
Kelly is / was a good student,
and Joe is / was too.
He isnt / wasnt here, and they
arent / werent either.
Nancy visited her family, but
Alice didnt.
I didnt order wine, but my
husband did.
The boss is / was late for the
meeting, but we arent /
werent.
We arent / werent ready for
the exam, but Alice is / was.
VOCABULARY
REGULAR PAST
VERBS
enjoy
burn
discover + ed
finish
carry out
IRREGULAR PAST
VERBS
eat
get
go
have
make
take
ADJECTIVES
ate
got
went
had
made
took
See a more complete list of irregular verbs in the appendixes.
86
tall
high
afraid
long
large
intelligent
crazy
dangerous
comfortable
OTHER WORDS
did
than
EXPESSIONS
Are you kidding?
Were in the same
boat.
UNIT 3 WHAT DO YOU NEED?

SOCIAL PRACTICES
COMMUNICATIVE AIMS
Ask for and give or offer services.
Exchange non-personal information.
Complain about service.
Establish and maintain social contacts.
Apologize.
Understand and give information in past
Ask and talk about past events.
situations.
WHAT ITS ABOUT

Students read the text silently while the teacher reads it out loud or plays the audio. Students should be
encouraged to ask questions using the language presented.
3.1
Its Friday morning. Alice and Nancy are in their apartment, Nancy is going
shopping.
Nancy:
Im going to the supermarket, Alice. Do you need anything?
Alice:
Yes, I do. Tomorrow is Juans birthday and I want to make the strawberry shortcake
recipe. Its a surprise.
Nancy:
Mmm! I love strawberry shortcake! The last time I had it was when I went home last
December. What do you need?
Alice:
Lets see. I need strawberries, some whipping cream, some eggs, some flour, and some
butter.
Nancy:
Wait a minute, let me write that down. Or, why dont you come with me?
Alice:
Good idea! By the way, do you think we can find nice strawberries at the supermarket?
Nancy:
Well, I think it will be easier to find them there than at a market. This is not strawberry
season and supermarkets usually have all kinds of fruit.
Alice:
Youre right. I hope they are not too expensive.
AT THE SUPERMARKET:
Nancy:
OK, here are the strawberries. They look good, dont they?
Alice:
Yeah, how much are they?

87
Nancy:
$35 pesos a 500g box. $70 pesos a kilo.
Alice:
OK. Theyre a little expensive. Ill take a kilotwo boxes. I also need a kilo of flour.
Nancy:
Ill get the flour and the eggs. Do you need a large carton?
Alice:
No, just a dozen, please. Ill get the cream and the butter.
Nancy:
OK, Ill be right back.
5 MINUTES LATER:
Nancy:
Im back. Are you ready?
Alice:
No. I already have two bars of butter, but I need a pint of whipping cream. How much is
that in cups?
Nancy:
Im not sure. I think its about two cups.
Alice:
Right! The recipe said one cup. OK, Im ready now.
Cashier:
Did you find all you needed?
Alice:
Yes, we did. Thank you.
Cashier:
Thats $170 pesos, please.
Alice:
Here you go.
Cashier:
Your change, $30 pesos.
Alice:
Thank you.
BACK HOME:
Alice:
Oh no! Look at these strawberries, theyre horrible!
Nancy:
Yes, most of them are small and rotten! Lets go back to the supermarket;
you paid $70 pesos for them!
Alice:
Yeah, lets go. I cant use them to make a cake anyway!
WORK IT OUT
EXERCISE I. RIGHT (R) OR WRONG (W)
A.

1. R
2. W
3. W
4. R
5. R
6. W
88
B.
While students practice the conversation in the previous section, teacher mingles around the class
to check the students oral pronunciation.
A and B.
Teacher reads the text out loud or plays the audio, and checks the students
answers.
3.2
Nancy and Alice are back at the supermarket.

Alice:
Assistant:
Alice:
Assistant:
Alice:
Assistant:
Alice:
Excuse me. Can I speak to the manager, please?

Hes not here now. Can I help you?
I bought some strawberries about an hour ago, but most of the mare rotten.
Can you change them or give me my money back?
Are you sure you bought them today?
Of course Im sure. Look, heres my receipt.
Lets see youre right. Theyre not very good. Oh, Im sorry, the expiration date is
wrong. Dont worry lady, well change them immediately. Ill be back in a minute.
Thats better. Thank you.
Answers:
1.
2.
3.
4.
b
c
c
a
EXERCISE III. MATCHING

Teacher checks the students replies.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
e
h
a
j
d
6. g
7. i
8. c
9. f
10. b
89
EXERCISE IV. PAST OR PRESENT

Teacher asks students to read the note at the end of this activity, and to work in pairs to do this exercise.
Students also have to say why the sentences are in present or in past.
Example: Sentence No. 1 is in past tense because it has an -ed regular verb ending.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Past
Present
Past
Present
Present
6. Past
7. Past
8. Present
9. Past
10. Past
EXERCISE V. COMPLAINT OR COMPLIMENT

Teacher answers questions and checks students answers.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Complaint
Compliment
Complaint
Compliment
Compliment
6. Complaint
7. Complaint
8. Complaint
9. Compliment
10. Compliment
EXERCISE VI. MATCHING
A and B.
When students finish Exercise A, teacher will read the small dialogues out loud or
play the audio to have the students check their answers.
3.3
1.
The music is too loud.
Ill turn it down a little.
2.
This milk is sour.
Ill give you another carton.
3.
This cakes delicious.
Its my mothers recipe.
4.
My coffee is cold.
Let me warm it up for you.
5.
This fork is dirty.
Ill get you a clean one.

90
6.
What a nice dress!
It was my birthday present.
Theres a fly in my soup.
Ill get you another bowl.
8.
I cant see a thing.
Let me turn the lights on.
9.
This hamburger is raw.
Well cook it some more.
10.
This room is really neat.
We cleaned it yesterday.
11.
My cell phone is dead.
Let me check the batteries.
12.
I asked for a cold beer.
Ill get you a cold bottle.
13.
Your new cars terrific.
It cost a fortune.
14.
My computer isnt working right.
Ill check it immediately.
15.
We had a great time.
Im glad you enjoyed the party.
C. Teacher goes around the class to check students pronunciation while they do this activity.
D. Students go back to exercise V. Teacher reads the example and checks that students give a logical
answer to the complaints and compliments included in that activity.
Answers may vary.
EXERCISE VII. COMBINATION WORDS

A. Teacher checks students replies.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
anything
everybody
anywhere
anything
nothing
B. Teacher corroborates that students use the correct word to complete the sentences.
1. someone / somebody
7. everything
2. anyone / anybody
8. anything
3. no one / nobody
9. anywhere
4. everyone / everybody
10. everywhere
5. nothing
11. somewhere
6. something
12. Nowhere
91
After finishing, teacher checks their answers for the THINK chart.
A. 16
B. If the sentence is in present simple, we use third singular person.
Example: If nobody knows the correct answer, everybody will flunk.
EXERCISE VIII. VIEWING, READING AND RESPONDING

A. Teacher asks the students to work in pairs or trios to number the steps of each section. When they
finish, s/he checks the students answers.
Scone:
__2__
__1__
__5__
__4__
__3__
The mixture should look like crumbs. Whisk together the egg, cream and vanilla extract
and add to the flour mixture, mixing just until the dough comes together. Do not over
mix it.
Preheat oven to 200 degrees C. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking
powder and salt. Cut the butter into small pieces and blend into the flour mixture with
two knives.
Bake for about 15 20 minutes or until nicely browned and a toothpick inserted in the
center of a scone comes out clean. Transfer to a wire rack.
and place the scones on a baking sheet. Make an egg wash of one well-beaten egg mixed
with 1 tablespoon cream and brush the tops of the scones with this mixture.
Transfer to a lightly floured surface and knead the dough four or five times and roll it
into a circle that is about 20 cm round and about 2.5 cm thick. With a 7cm round cookie
cutter, cutout rounds,
Filling:
__2__
__5__
__4__
__3__
__1_
Add the remaining sliced strawberries, along with the sugar (the amount of sugar
depends on how sweet the berries are).
Cover and chill the bowl and beaters in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes. When
chilled, beat the mixture until stiff peaks form. The whipped cream will hold for several
hours in the refrigerator.
For whipped cream: In a large mixing bowl place the whipping cream, vanilla extract and
sugar and stir to combine.
Set aside to macerate at room temperature for about 30 to 60 minutes.
Wash and slice the strawberries. Place about one third of the strawberries in a large
bowl and crush them with a potato masher or fork.
92
Serve:
__5__
__1__
__4__
__2__
__3__
If there is any juice from the strawberries, drizzle a little over the top of the scone. Serve
immediately.
Cut the scone in half and place the bottom half of the scone (soft side up) on a dessert
plate.
Top with whipped cream and a few more strawberries.
Top with some of the strawberries and whipped cream.
Place the top half of the scone on the strawberries.
B. Teacher asks the students to fill in the following chart with the information they got in the previous
exercise. This exercise can be assigned as homework.
Answer key
Steps Scones
1
Preheat oven to 200 degrees C. In
a large bowl, whisk together the
flour, sugar, baking powder and
salt. Cut the butter into small
pieces and blend into the flour
mixture with two knives.
2
The mixture should look like
crumbs. Whisk together the egg,
cream and vanilla extract and add
to the flour mixture, mixing just
until the dough comes together.
Do not over mix it.
3
Transfer to a lightly floured
surface and knead the dough four
or five times and roll it into a
circle that is about 20 cm round
and about 2.5 cm thick. With a
7cm round cookie cutter, cut out
rounds,
4
and place the scones on a baking
sheet. Make an egg wash of one
well-beaten egg mixed with 1
tablespoon cream and brush the
top of the scones with this
mixture.
Filling
Wash and slice the
strawberries. Place about
one third of the
strawberries in a large bowl
and crush them with a
potato masher or fork.
Add the remaining sliced
strawberries, along with
the sugar (the amount of
sugar depends on how
sweet the berries are).
Serve
Cut the scones in half
and place the bottom
half of the scones
(soft side up) on a
dessert plate.
Set aside to macerate at

room temperature for
about 30 to 60 minutes.
Place the top half of

the scones on the
strawberries.
For whipped cream: In a

large mixing bowl place the
whipping cream, vanilla
extract and sugar and stir
to combine.
Top with whipped

cream and a few more
strawberries.
93
Top with some of the

strawberries and
whipped cream.
Bake for about 15 20 minutes

or until nicely browned and a
toothpick inserted in the center
of the scone comes out clean.
Transfer to a wire rack.
Cover and chill the bowl

and beaters in the
refrigerator for at least 30
minutes. When chilled,
beat the mixture until stiff
peaks form. The whipped
cream will hold for several
hours in the refrigerator.
If there is any juice

from the strawberries,
drizzle a little over the
top of the scone.
Serve immediately.
PROVERB
Alls well that ends well.
Meaning. An enterprise is justified as long as it turns out well in the end.
RHYME
3.4
Pat-a-cake, pat-a-cake, bakers man,
Bake me a cake as fast as you can;
Pat it and prick it, and mark it with B,
And put it in the oven for baby and me.
94
TRY IT OUT
A.
3.5
Teacher explains to students that Could and Would tend to be reduced when
pronounced. S/he reads the sentences out loud or plays the audio, then checks
students answers.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
Would Joey and Sam like beer?

When could you go on vacation?
Could you go with me to the party tomorrow night?
Where would Sharon be?
Would you like a cigarette?
Who could drive to California?
My parents could take us to the course.
What would you do in that situation?
Would you like coffee or mint tea?
When could he give me an appointment?
B. Teacher mingles around the class to check students oral performance. He reminds them to reduce
less important function words and to stress the first word of a compound noun.
Answers may vary.
C.
3.6
TONGUE TWISTER
Teacher reads the tongue twister out loud or plays the audio, then checks students
utterances.
How much wood could a woodchuck chuck,
If a woodchuck could chuck wood?
Hed chuck all the wood that a woodchuck could,
If a woodchuck could chuck wood.
Answers may vary.
95
EXERCISE II. SOME / ANY (Oral practice)

A. Teacher reads the note to the students, and asks them to practice the dialogue with a partner.
A.
B.
A.
B.
Could you help me please?

Sure.
Do you have any glasses?
No. We dont have any glasses but we have some cups.
B. Teacher gives students another example, and tells them to look at examples and the pictures to
carry out this exercise.
A.
B.
A.
B.
Could you help me please?

Sure.
Do you have any cats?
No. We dont have any cats but we have some dogs.
Answers may vary.
EXERCISE III. DIALOGUE PRACTICE

A. Teacher mingles around the class to check students replies.
Answers may vary.
B. The whole class can decide the prices of the products on the chart. Then, teacher checks students
interactions according to the example.
Example:
A. How much is a can of soda?

B. It is $6.00 pesos.
How much is a tube of toothpaste?

How much is a pack of cigarettes?
How much is a pound of tomatoes?
How much is a kilogram of mangos?
How much is a bottle of water?
How much is a bar of butter?
How much is a carton of juice?
How much is a can of soda?

How much is a loaf of bread?
How much is a bottle of shampoo?
How much is a jar of jam?
How much is a box of matches?
How much is a packet of noodles?
How much is a slice of pizza?
C. Teacher reads the examples to the students. They use the information in the pictures to work in pairs
and make more conversations. Teacher will ask some of the students to present their conversation to
the whole class.
Answers may vary.
96
D. At the end of this exercise, there is a note about the use of how much and how many. Teacher
checks the examples, and asks students to do the activity. Teacher goes around the classroom to
check the activity.
Answers may vary.
EXERCISE IV. AT THE MARKET

A. Teacher checks that students understand the meaning of the words in the box.
lime plum cantaloupe chops clams crabmeat cabbage watercress
celery eggplant beet fig lamb oyster grapefruit
B. Teacher checks the students written sentences. Some examples can be written on the board to
correct them.
Answers may vary.
EXERCISE V. DICTATION
3.7
Teacher reads the sentences out loud or plays the audio; then, he checks the students
answers.
1. There are some plums on the table. Please, bring them here.
2. I would like to buy some carrots, please. Where can I find them?
3. Susie doesnt like figs.
4. Mom cooked some delicious cabbage soup.
5. I dont have any bananas, but I have some peaches. Would you like one?
EXERCISE VI. PARAGRAPH COMPLETION

A. Teacher asks students to work in pairs, and goes around the class to check their answers.
Answers may vary.
B and C.
3.8
Teacher reads the text out loud or play the audio to have students check their
answers.
97
The Soda Fountain is a 1) small, popular ice-cream place 2) where teen-agers meet after school. It was
built in 1945. It is older than the 3) other fast food places in town, but its also more 4) popular. Mr.
White is the 5) owner of The Soda Fountain and he is very popular with the 6) high school kids. He is 63
years old and has 7) worked at the same place for fifty years. He has no 8) children of his own, but
considers all the 9) teenagers in town his children. They go to him with their problems, joys and 10)
sorrows. Kids call him and his wife Grandpa and Grandma.

A. Teacher reads the examples to the students, and asks them to look at the picture to do the activity.
Answers may vary.
B. Teacher checks the meaning of the words in the box.
Fork. A tool with a handle and three or four sharp points or prongs, used for picking
up and eating food.
Spoon. A tool that has a handle with a shallow bowl at the end, used for stirring,
serving and eating food.
Knife. A sharp blade with a handle, used for cutting or as a weapon.
Rug. A piece of thick material like a small carpet that is used for covering or
decorating part of a floor.
Cabinet. A piece of furniture with doors, drawers and/or shelves, which is used for
storing or showing things.
Fridge. A piece of electrical equipment in which food is kept cold so that it stays fresh.
Garbage can. A large container with a lid, used for putting rubbish/garbage in, usually
kept outside the house.
Sink. A large open container in a kitchen that has taps/faucets to supply water and
that you use for washing dishes in.
Oven. The part of a cooker/stove shaped like a box with a door on the front, in which
food is cooked or heated.
Saucer. A small shallow round dish that a cup stands on.
Saucepan. A deep round metal pot with a lid and one long handle or two short
handles, used for cooking things over heat.
Colander. A metal or plastic bowl with a lot of small holes in it, used for draining
water from vegetables, etc. after washing or cooking.
Blender. An electric machine for mixing soft food or liquid.
Ice tray. A shallow plastic box, used for various purposes, in this case, storing ice.
98
Rolling pin. A wooden or glass kitchen utensil in the shape of a tube, used for rolling
pastry flat.
Teakettle. A metal container with a lid, handle and a spout, used for boiling water.
Broiler. The part inside the oven of a cooker/stove that directs heat downwards to
cook food that is placed underneath it.
Definitions taken from Oxfords Advanced Learners Dictionary.

http://www.oxfordadvancedlearnersdictionary.com
C. According to the picture, students draw of their favorite room in their house, teacher checks the
students sentences. The have to use There is (not) or There are (not).
Answers will vary.
EXERCISE VIII. ORAL PRACTICE

A. Teacher asks the students to work in pairs to answer the questions in this exercise. S/he mingles
around the class to check students oral interaction.
Answers may vary.
B. Teacher asks the students to follow the examples in the box to do this activity. They also have to use
the places in the box.
Example:
Alice: I went downtown this morning.

Nancy: Where did you go?
Alice: I went to the bookshop.
Nancy: And what did you buy there?
Alice: I bought some bookmarks for my teachers.
PROVERB
The chickens are coming home to roost.
Meaning. Bad or silly things done in the past are beginning to cause problems.
99
RHYME
3.9
Sneeze on Monday, sneeze for danger;
Sneeze on Tuesday, kiss a stranger;
Sneeze on Wednesday, get a letter;
Sneeze on Thursday, something better;
Sneeze on Friday, sneeze for sorrow;
Sneeze on Saturday, joy tomorrow.
POLISH IT UP
EXERCISE I. SOME VS. ANY
A.

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
any
some
some
any
any
B. Teacher asks students to work in pairs, and then checks their answers.
1.
some
6.
any
11. some
2.
some
7.
some
12. some
3.
some
8.
any
13. any
4.
any
9.
some
14. any
5.
any
10. some
15. any
C.
Teacher checks the correct use of the articles a and an.

1. a
2. a
3. an
4. an
5. a
100
D. Teacher reviews the correct use of some, any, a or an in this exercise.

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
a/a/a
some
any
a / some / an
any
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
a
some
any
a / some
some / any
EXERCISE II. HOW MUCH?

A.
Teacher ckecks students answers.

Examples: -How much is an apple?
- Its 60 cents.
-How much are the apples?
- They are 2 dollars a kilo.
How much is a pear?
Its 20 cents.
How much are the bananas?
They are 5 dollars and 80 cents.
How much is a peach?
Its 80 cents.
How much are the strawberries?
Theyre 5 dollars.
How much is the water melon?
Its 12 dollars and 50 cents.
B.
Teacher reads the note about the use of much, many, a little, a few, a lot of, and some, at the
beginning of this exercise to the students. When students finish the activity, s/he checks the
students answers.
a) How much milk did you buy?
b) I bought some (milk), but not much.
a) How many pears did you buy?
b) I bought some (pears), but not many.
a) Do you have any salt?
b) Oh, yes. There is a lot of salt in the pantry.
101
a) How much sugar will you use?

b) Just a little.
a) How many students do you have in your classroom?
b) Just a few.
a) Do you have enough sodas for the party?
b) Well, Eddy said hell bring a lot of sodas. So, yes well have enough.
a) How many oranges do you need to buy?
b) Just a few. But Ill buy a lot of grapes; I love them!
a) I dont have any pepper. Could you buy me some?
b) Yes, of course. How much do you need?
EXERCISE III. PAST QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS

A. Teacher checks that students use pictures and word cues to form questions and answers in the past.
1. a) What did you see?
b) I saw a house.
2. a) What did you watch?
b) I watched TV.
3. a) What did you buy?
b) I bought a newspaper.
4. a) What did you play?
b) I play dominoes.
5. a) What did you do?
b) I played with my niece.
B. Teacher explains the exercise to the students, and gives some examples. He goes around the
classroom to check the students correct use of the past tense.
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EXERCISE IV. WORD ORDER

Teacher checks the order of sentences and questions.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Ill take a kilo of strawberries please.

Could you give me some bananas please?
She never goes to the market on Fridays.
Theres a cockroach in my hamburger!
I dont want any cream with my tacos.
PROVERB
A leopard cannot change its spots.
Meaning. It is unlikely for unpleasant or unbearable people to change their innate nature.
RHYME
3.10
Little fishes in a brook,
Father caught them on a hook,
Mother fried them in a pan,
Johnny eats them like a man.
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EXERCISE V. WORD FORMATION

Teacher checks that students combine the words below in 16 ways.
1.
2.
3.
4.
EVERYTHING
ANYTHING
SOMETHING
NOTHING
EVERYBODY
ANYBODY
SOMEBODY
NOBODY
EVERYONE
ANYONE
SOMEONE
NO ONE
EVERYWHERE
ANYWHERE
SOMEWHERE
NOWHERE
EXERCISE VI. FAVORS

Teacher explains the use of could and would to ask a favor. Everybody reads Appendix B-3 for a more
complete explanation.

Questions with Could you.?
1. Could you close the window?
2. Could you be quiet?
3. Could you turn on the radio?
4. Could you turn off the radio?
5. Could you sit down?
Questions with Would you., please?
1. Would you speak slowly, please?
2. Would you buy me some chocolate, please?
3. Would you lend me some money, please?
4. Would you give me a cigarette, please?
5. Would you clean up the mess, please?
B. Teacher explains we use would like (d like) as a polite way to say what you want. He gives some
examples, and then checks the students answers.
Example: some pop-corn
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Id like some pop corn.
Id like a coke.
Id like a hamburger.
Id like two hot dogs.
Id like three tacos.
Id like some ice cream.
Id like a corn dog.
104
C. Teacher goes around the classroom to check the students answers.

Answers will vary.
D. Teacher explains that will have or will take are expressions we use when buying things. He reads the
examples, and checks the students answers when they finish the exercise.
Example: a salami pizza
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
Ill have / take a salami pizza.
Ill have two cups of coffee.

Ill have a cheeseburger.
Ill have two chocolate milk shakes.
Ill have some French fries.
Ill have a green salad.
Ill have a corn dog.
Ill have a Cesar salad with vinaigrette.
Ill have a meat ball sandwich.
Ill have an orange soda.
Ill have an apple pie.
EXERCISE VII. VIEWING, READING AND RESPONDING

A. Teacher asks students to read the two recipes, and answers questions about vocabulary.
Questions and answers may vary.
B. Teacher explains the exercise.

a) Teacher checks the students answers.
Banana
cake
1. Which cake needs baking soda?
2. Which cake needs less salt?
3. Which cake needs more cloves?
4. Which cake needs less cinnamon?
105
Pumpkin
cake
5. Which cake needs more flour?
6. Which cake needs less nuts?

7. Which cake doesnt need any baking powder?
8. Which cake needs some butter?
9. Which cake needs more ingredients?
10. Which cake doesnt need any milk?
b) Teacher checks the students answers.

SAME AMOUNT
DIFFERENT AMOUNT
2 cups of sugar
cup of butter
teaspoons of ground cloves
cup of oil
5 or 6 mashed ripe bananas
2 teaspoons of cinnamon
4 eggs
2 cups of cooked mashed pumpkin
3 teaspoons of cinnamon
1 teaspoon of baking soda
3 cups of flour
2 teaspoons of baking powder
2 cups of flour
teaspoon of salt
2 cups of chopped nuts
1 teaspoon of salt
cup of chopped nuts.
1 teaspoons of ground cloves
C.
3.11
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
Teacher explains the activity to the students, and then reads the sentences out loud
or plays the audio to check the sequence for making the pumpkin cake.
First, cream the oil and sugar until light.
Then mix flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and cloves together.
Next, add the eggs and beat until fluffy.
Then, beat the flour mixture into the creamed mixture alternating with the mashed
pumpkin.
Next, add the chopped nuts to the batter.
Finally, turn the batter into the well-greased cake pan and bake at 350 degrees
FAHRENHEIT for about 40 minutes.
If desired, frost the cake with cream cheese frosting.
D. Writing instructions. Students follow the instructions for the pumpkin cake to write the instructions
for the banana cake. Teacher checks their composition
Answers may vary.
106
E. Following instructions.
Answers may vary.
WRAP IT UP
EXERCISE I. MEMORY GAME
Answers may vary
EXERCISE II. HIDDEN WORDS

Teacher checks students answers. Horizontally, there are 14 words; vertically, there are 6 words. Words
can be written upwards or downwards, or frontwards or backwards.
1. cabinet
S N I A T R U C Z B
2. table
3. fruit
O G N I H T Y N A U
4. flour
M I G H T F R U I T
5. REP
6. opal
E R T A B L E F T R
7. but
8. could
T M E L Q O P A L E
9. curtain
10. some
W O N K M U C H I T
11. any
12. born
Z N I O U R X M G S
13. might
14. lights
N F B O R N L Z H A
15. much
Y N A D L U O W T O
16. anything
17. know
N A C O U L D R S T
18. toaster
19. would
F L O U R R E V E N
20. never
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EXERCISE III. WORD ORDER

1. Would you like to order dessert now or later?
2. I would prefer to go to a movie.
3. Did Jesus take Mary to dinner yesterday?
4. She didnt take her exam last week.
5. Maggie doesnt like to wear sweaters to school every day.
6. The longest river in the U.S.A. is the Mississippi River.
7. Where did you spend the summer last year?
8. Brad usually doesnt drink a lot of beer.
9. Manuel didnt study for his geography exam.
10. What time does she have her history exam?
EXERCISE IV. PICTURE STORY

A. Students will create their own picture stories.
Answers may vary for every picture.
B. Teacher reads the note to the students, and mingles around the class to check the activity.
Answers may vary.
C. Teacher mingles around the class to check students questions.
Answers may vary.
D. Teacher goes around the class to check students conversations.
Answers may vary.
E. Teacher checks students stories about their classmates picture.
Answers may vary.
108
EXERCISE V. ERROR IDENTIFICATION

1. Juans father is a famous architect.
2. Does Ricardo drive a car or does he come to school by bus?
3. Last Wednesday, I had an awful accident.
4. You didnt go to the movies, and I didnt either.
5. The Rio Grande is longer than The Rio Bravo.
6. Did Jorge get up early yesterday morning?
7. Does she have an appointment tonight?
8. The teacher doesnt know Alices middle name.
9. I dont want any hot dogs because I prefer hamburgers.
10. There arent any apples in the store. You can only get bananas.
PROVERB
Better to drink the milk than to eat the cow.
Meaning. People should be careful not to destroy the source of their income or welfare.
EXERCISE VI. CAMPING OUT

A. Teacher mingles around the class to check students answers, which may vary. Teacher will ask some
of the students to present their conversation to the whole class.
B. Teachers checks the comparisons students make.
Answers may vary.
C. Answers may vary.
109
EXERCISE VII. DICTATION

3.12
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Teacher reads the sentences out load, or plays the audio.
My favourite place in the world to go camping is in Tuxpan. It is very clean and safe.
Id like a piece of cake, some vanilla ice-cream and a cup of coffee.
If you go to the supermarket today, dont forget to bring some onions with you, please.
How much money do you need to organize a surprise birthday party?
This steak is too rare for me to eat! I asked for a well-done steak!
EXERCISE VIII. PLANNING

A. Teacher checks students conversations.
Answers may vary.
B. Teacher checks that students use some, a, an, any, a lot of, a little, and a few in affirmative and
negative sentences correctly.
Answers may vary.
EXERCISE IX. ITOLIONIS OR CHATOS

3.13
Teacher reads the text out loud or plays the audio, then checks the students answers.
Restaurant 1: Itolionis
Itolionis is a restaurant situated in the north of the city. It is very elegant and some dishes can be really
expensive. The prices are fair for the wide variety of dishes that are offered because they are prepared
with the finest ingredients. If you decide to go to this elegant restaurant, dont forget to ask for the wine
list, which includes wines from all over the world. Another exclusive characteristic of this place is that
you will have the opportunity to use very old spoons and forks because the family who started the
business collects them and some of them date from the 18th and 19th centuries. The schedule is
convenient for everybody because it opens at 9 a.m. and closes at 3 in the morning. Women are allowed
to wear the clothes that they choose, but men necessarily have to wear a tie to get in.
Restaurant 2: Chatos
Chatos is located in Naucalpan. This picturesque restaurant offers two kinds of services, you can either
order your food to go or you can eat it in the restaurant. This is convenient for many people, and that is
why many people go there.
There is no specific dress code to get in. It is opened from 9 a.m., to 9:00 p.m. They serve other kinds of
food, too. Alcoholic beverages are not allowed.
110
A.
Answers may vary.

1. ITALIONIS. Elegant, expensive, exotic dishes, excellent service, wide variety of wines, men have
to wear a tie, open from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 a.m., antique cutlery.
2. CHATOS. Informal, open from 9:00 to 9:00, cheap, Mexican food, sodas, service to go, and salad
bar.
B. Teacher checks students conversations.

Answers may vary.
C. Teacher checks students comparisons.

Answers may vary.
D. Teacher asks students to go to the extra activities for this unit.
How do you celebrate your birthday?

1.
Teacher asks students to work in pairs and discuss the following questions:
What do you like to do on your birthday?
Do you like to have a birthday cake?
A birthday party?
Who gets the best birthday party in your family?
Why?
Answers may vary.
2.
After telling his/her partner who gets the best birthday party in his/her family, students mention
how they celebrate it. Teacher asks them to request all the information about the best birthday
party in their family.
For example, last Sunday we celebrated my mothers 84th birthday. We are seven siblings, ten
grandchildren, and four great-grandchildren; but a sister and her husband live in Holland, and a
nephew and his wife and daughter live in London, so they werent with us. They always phone to
congratulate her, even though they cant be with her. We usually get together at my moms house
or go to a restaurant for lunch. Last Sunday, we were at my moms and each family brought one or
two dishes to share with the rest of the families. We also invited some friends and relatives, and a
111
group of mariachis played Mexican music, so we were singing and dancing. Moms party started at
2:00 p.m. and was over at 11:00 p.m. because we had to work on Monday.
Students look at the sample conversation below, complete it, and carry out a similar one with a
partner.
A.
B.
A.
B.
A.
B.
A.
Who gets the best birthday party in your family?

My mother.
Why?
Because she is the oldest in our family, and we all want to celebrate her birthday.
When was her last birthday?
Last Sunday.
etc., etc.
Now A will talk about the person who gets the best birthday party in his/her family. B will ask A
who, why, when, how, what time, etc., etc., questions. When they finish, A will ask questions to B
about the person who gets the best birthday party in his/her family, and B will answer the
questions. Teacher will ask some of the students to role-play their conversation in front of the
class.
Answers will vary.
3.
Students are asked to find out how birthdays are celebrated in other countries. They can read the
following web sites (or others) to get more information. After reading the information, students
will be asked to choose the two or three new ways they like best to celebrate a birthday.
Traditions from Around the World, how Birthdays are celebrated.

www.birthdaycelebrations.net/traditions.htm
Birthday Traditions From Around the World - Kids Parties Connection
http:/kidsparties.com/tradition.htm
Birthday Traditions in Different Countries
http://wellnessways.aces.illinois.edu/pdf/ho_BirthdayCelebrations.pdf
Answers may vary.

4.
Teacher asks students to work with a partner to find out about the information they got, and tell
their partner how they would like to celebrate their next birthday. Teacher will ask students to
rehearse a conversation asking questions to each other and answering them. Teacher will ask
some of them to present their conversation in front of the class.
112
PROVERB
Charity begins at home.
Meaning. People should take care of their family or people close to them before worrying about
others.
RHYME
3.14
Hey, diddle, diddle!
The cat and the fiddle,
The cow jumped over the moon;
The little dog laughed
To see such sport,
And the dish ran away with the spoon.
Bobby Shaftoe's gone to sea,

With silver buckles on his knee:
He'll come back and marry me,
Pretty Bobby Shaftoe!
Bobby Shaftoe's fat and fair,
Combing down his yellow hair;
He's my love for evermore,
Pretty Bobby Shaftoe.
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3.15
TONGUE TWISTER
Teacher checks the vocabulary in the tongue twister; he reads it out loud or plays the
audio. Then students repeat the tongue twister in pairs, and teacher mingles around to
check students performance.
Moses supposes his toeses are roses,
But Moses supposes erroneously,
For nobodys toeses are posies of roses,
As Moses supposes his toeses tobe.
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FUNCTIONS
Ask for and give (offer)

service.
STRUCTURE
Modals
Could
Would
LANGUAGE
Could I help you?
Do you need anything?
Do you have any ______?
What would you like to drink?
Id like
Ill have
a beer.
Ill take
Some
Affirmative
Question
There is some milk in the bottle.

Would you like some coffee?
Negative
Question
There isnt any sugar.

Are there any oranges?
Any
How much is it?

How much are they?
How much _____?

a lot
a little
not much
How many _____?
a lot
a few
not many
Did (negative and questions)
Its
Thatll be
Thats
They are
$35.00
How much sugar is there?

There is a lot / a little.
There isnt much.
How many apples are there?
There are a lot / a few.
There arent many.
I didnt get a taxi.
Did you buy anything at the store?
Tell about past events.

-ed ending for regular verbs
Irregular past tense verbs
Complain about service
too negative connotation
Offer apologies
I studied for an exam.

I went to a restaurant.
This coffee is too hot.
There is a fly in my soup.
Im sorry.
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VOCABULARY
Nouns
Food and beverages
Fruit and vegetables
Kitchen furniture and

appliances
Public buildings
beer
butter
chops
clams
crab
eggs
flour
lamb
milk shake
oyster
shortcake
soda
whipping cream
apple
banana
beet
cabbage
cantaloupe
celery
eggplant
fig
grapefruit
lemon
lime
mango
orange
pear
plum
strawberry
watercress
watermelon
Adjectives
blender
broiler
cabinet
colander
fork
fridge
garbage can
ice tray
knife
oven
rolling pin
saucepan
saucer
sink
spoon
teakettle
bank
beauty shop
bookshop
cafeteria
drug store
gas station
hardware store
library
movies
organic products shop
pizza parlour
pub
soda fountain
stationery store
super market
Indefinite pronouns
Quantifiers and other

words
dirty
expensive
horrible
loud
rancid
rare
raw
ripe
rotten
sour
spicy
well-done
everybody/everyone
somebody/someone
anybody/anyone
nobody/no one
everything
something
anything
nothing
a lot
some
any
How much?
How many?
too
Verbs and modals
buy (bought)
could
fall (fell)
move
smell
taste
(there) is / are
would
everywhere
somewhere
anywhere
nowhere
116
EXTRA ACTIVITIES
Extra activities are included in this guide, pages 49, 58, and 108. Also, teachers should use photocopiable
games and activities from books, such as:
Learner-Based Teaching (Jill Hadfield, 1993)

Elementary Communication Games ((Jill Hadfield, 1995)
Beginners Communication Games (Jill Hadfield, 1999)
Elementary Grammar Games (Jill Hadfield, 2002)
Simple Listening Activities (Jill Hadfield, 2007)
Simple Speaking Activities (Jill Hadfield, 2009)
Songs can also be used to teach pronunciation, vocabulary, culture, etc. We are not including them in the
course but, at present, music and lyrics can easily be found on Internet. Teachers should choose them
according to the topics or grammar rules included in the units.
117
118
119
120
APPENDIX A
A1. ORDINAL NUMBERS
1st first
10th tenth
2nd second
11th eleventh
3rd third
12th twelfth
4th fourth
13th thirteenth
5th fifth
21st twenty first
6th sixth
22nd twenty second
7th seventh
23rd twenty third
8th eighth
24th twenty fourth*
9th ninth
a) *All ordinal numbers except first, second, third end in -th.
b) When saying dates out loud, you must use ordinal numbers. (They are not necessary when
writing dates).
EXAMPLE:
April 3, 2010, YOU SAY: April third two thousand eleven.
c) Ordinal numbers are used for street names:
Calle Uno 1st St.
Calle Dos 2nd St., etc.
A2. COUNT / NONCOUNT NOUNS

A. Compare Count and Non-Count Nouns with their Spanish equivalents. What similarities
and differences do you notice between non-count and plural count-nouns?
121
ENGLISH
Count Nouns
Non-count Nouns
SPANISH
Contables
Singular
Singular
1 chair
A chair
una silla
una silla
Plural
chairs
6 chairs
some chairs
some
neg. + any chairs
neg. + any water
water
water
No Contables
Plural
sillas
6 sillas
algunas sillas
algo de agua
nada de sillas
(neg.) nada de agua
agua
The majority of nouns in English are countable: i.e. they have singular and plural
forms.
Example:
a pencil two pencils
Many nouns in English are not countable. What they represent cannot be considered
in separable units. Words that are not countable include:
a) Abstract nouns: freedom, intelligence, love, knowledge.
b) Nouns representing substances in general: water, oil, rice, food, gold.
Uncountable nouns do not have a plural form. However, many can be made
countable, but change the meaning of the word.
EXAMPLES:
NON-COUNTABLE
COUNTABLE
Art is an imitation of life.

Life is a gift of God.
Cold beer tastes good.
I bought a lot of fruit.
The folk arts in Mexico are beautiful.

I did a report on the lives of 3 men.
I drank 5 beers last night.
The fruits in the market were fresh
today.
Where are my papers?
Paper is scarce.
122
A3. THERE IS / THERE ARE

A. If you want to mention things that exist, you use there is or there are as an
introduction for what you are going to mention.
There is for singular:

There is just one chair in the room.
Theres just one chair in the room.
There are for plural:

There are three chairs in the room.
(There are has no contraction form.)
There is for non-countable things:

There is some milk in the fridge.
Theres some milk in the fridge.
B. If you want to say that something doesnt exist in a specific place, you do the following:
There is not a burglar outside.

There isnt a burglar outside.
Theres not a burglar outside.
C.
There are not burglars outside.

There are no burglars outside.
There arent burglars outside.
(The negative has contraction form.)
If you want to emphasize that a specific thing doesnt exist at all (zero), you can use any.
There is not any single person in the place.
There isnt any sugar on the table. (Non-countable things)
There isnt any guard at the door.
There are not any schools in that town.

There arent any teachers in that school.
123
D. If you want to ask someone whether something exists in a specific place,

you change the order of the words.
Is there a useful book in the library?

(singular)
Are there any napkins?
(use any with plural)
Is there any information we can use?
(use any with non-countable nouns)
E. If you want to know the number of items or people that exist, you use how many.
Countable nouns (use the plural form):

How many pencils are there?
How many people are there in the building?
How many students are there in the classroom?
F. You can use there is / there are in all forms of tenses:
There will be rain tomorrow.

There was a little girl in the park.
There were so many happy people!
There have been several earthquakes.
There might be a good friend to meet you.
Etc.
124
A4. QUANTITY EXPRESSIONS: A LOT OF / MANY / MUCH

1. A lot of
When you want to refer to a big quantity of things you use a lot of. You can use it with Count
or Non-count nouns.
For example:
COUNTABLE NOUNS
NON-COUNTABLE NOUNS
There are a lot of good public schools in

Mexico.
There is a lot of traffic in Mexico City on

weekdays.
* Use the plural form of to be with

countable nouns
* Use the singular form of to be with

non-countable nouns
2. Many / much
A. When you want to refer to a small quantity emphasizing the fact that a bigger quantity is
desired you use many or much in negative.
Example:
COUNTABLE NOUNS
NON-COUNTABLE NOUNS
There arent many parking spaces in the

city center.
There isnt much flour to make pancakes

for breakfast.
(More parking spaces are needed)
(More flour is needed for the pancakes.)
B. When you want to ask what number of things there are or amount of something there is you
use how many or how much.
Example:
COUNTABLE NOUNS
NON-COUNTABLE NOUNS
How many people are there?

How many languages can you speak?
How much time do you need?

How much traffic is there this morning?
*Use how many with a plural countable

noun
*Use how much with non-countable

nouns.
125
A5. COMPARISONS
Descriptive words of one-syllable, add er + than.
Examples: old older, few fewer, high higher
Descriptive words of one-syllable ending in a vowel and a final consonant, double the consonant + -er +
than.
Examples: big bigger, thin thinner, hot hotter.
Two-syllable descriptive words ending in a vowel + y, change the y to I and add er + than.
Examples: easy easier, tiny tinier, tasty tastier.
Examples:
old Machu Picchu is older than Teotihuacan.
tiny An ant is tinier than a spider.
* thin Mary is thinner than Kathy.
* If the adjective ends in a consonant preceded by a single vowel, double the

consonant before adding er.
A. Write the comparative sentences with the following words.

fat
short
tall
young
long
______________
______________
______________
______________
______________
If the descriptive words have more than one syllable usually the comparison is formed by writing
more before the word and following it with than.
Examples:
beautiful Salma Hayek is more beautiful than Nicole Kidman.
Comfortable That chair is more comfortable than this one.
B. Write comparative sentences with the following words:

dangerous
intelligent
delicious
serious
timid
______________
______________
______________
______________
______________
Irregular comparative forms

good
bad
far
126
better
worse
farther
A6. SUPERLATIVES
To form the superlative degree of adjectives of one syllable (or two ending in y), you must add the in
front of the adjective and est or iest to the adjective. Usually you include a frame of reference as well.
Examples:
fast Cheetahs are the fastest mammals on Earth.
lazy John is the laziest boy in the class.
* thin Jane is the thinnest girl at the party.
* If the adjective ends in a consonant preceded by a single vowel, the same rule
applies as in the comparative degree double the consonant.
A. Write superlative sentences with the following words:

high
happy
sad
long
pretty
______________
______________
______________
______________
______________
To form the superlative degree of adjectives of two syllables or more, you usually add the words the
most before the adjective and a frame of reference at the end of the sentences.
Examples:
courteous Tony is the most courteous man in town.
experienced Jane is the most experienced cook in the restaurant.
B. Write the superlative sentences with the following words:

beautiful ______________
confortable
______________
intelligent
______________
dangerous
______________
modern
______________
Irregular in the superlative form:

good
bad
far
127
best
worst
farthest
A7. INDEFINITE PRONOUNS

When you want to refer to people, things or places, but you do not know exactly who, what or where
they are, or their identity is not important, you use an indefinite pronoun. They indicate if you are talking
about a person, a thing or a place.
People
somebody / someone
anybody / anyone
nobody / no one
everybody / everyone
Things
something
anything
nothing
everything
Places
somewhere
anywhere
anywhere
everywhere
Referring to people
Use the indefinite pronouns ending in body or one to refer to people.
Examples:
Why is everybody looking at me?
No one lives here.
Referring to things
You use the indefinite pronouns ending in thing to refer to object, ideas, situations or activities.
Examples:
Do you want anything to drink?
I have nothing to say to you.
Referring to places
Use the indefinite pronounce ending in where to refer to places.
Examples:
They wanted to go somewhere else.
Have you seen my car keys anywhere?
Important:
You always use singular verbs with indefinite pronouns.
128
APPENDIX B
B1. REGULAR VERBS IN THE PAST TENSE
A. Regular verbs finish in ed in affirmative. You do not have to learn their forms.
AFFIRMATIVE
I
He
She
It
We
You
They
Yes,
worked.
NEGATIVE
I
He
She
It
We
You
They
INTERROGATIVE
didnt work.
Did
I
he
she
it
you
we
they
SHORT ANSWER
SHORT ANSWER
I
he
she
it
you
we
they
I
he
she
it
you
we
they
did.
No,
129
didnt.
work?
B. Compare English and Spanish in the past tense (regular verbs).
ENGLISH
SPANISH
Affirmative:
Afirmativo:
I lived in the USA last year.
(yo) Viv / viva en los EU el ao pasado.
Jane worked in her husbands

yesterday.
They graduated 5 years ago.
We arrived here this morning.
Interrogative:
office Jane trabaj ayer en la oficina de su esposo.

(Ellos) se graduaron hace 5 aos.
(Nosotros) llegamos aqu esta maana.
Interrogativo:
Did you live in the USA last year?

Viviste / vivas (t) en los EU el ao pasado?
Did Jane work in her husbands office Trabaj Jane en la oficina de su esposo
yesterday?
ayer?
Negative:
Negativo:
They didnt graduate 5 years ago.

We didnt arrive here this morning.
(Ellos) No se graduaron hace 5 aos.

(Nosotros) No llegamos aqu esta maana.
Note that:
English uses the ending ed to indicate an affirmative regular past tense verb.
English uses the auxiliary did to indicate past tense in questions and negative sentences.
Indicators of the past tense in English:
-ed ending
did auxiliary in negative and questions
Other word clues that indicate the use of past tense in English:
last year / summer/ Friday, etc
2 days/ a week/ a year ago
yesterday
Spanish indicates past tense by verb endings.
Spanish has two forms to indicate the past, and English has only one.
Spelling of regular verbs in past tense
In most cases add ed to the base form of the verb.
answer answered
work worked
130
Exceptions:
1. Verbs ending in e only add d
love loved
live lived
2. One syllable words ending in a consonant preceded by a single vowel double the final
consonant before adding ed
stop stopped
rip - ripped
3. Multi-syllable verbs ending in a consonant preceded by a single vowel accented in the final
syllable double the final consonant before adding ed
incur incurred
omit omitted
refer - referred
4. Verbs ending in y (preceded by a consonant) change the y to i and add ed
study studied
carry carried
B2. IRREGULAR VERBS IN THE PAST TENSE

A. BE in the past tense
It is the only verb that does not use did in the negative, interrogative or short answer; the same form
(was or were) is used.
AFFIRMATIVE
I
He
She
It
You
We
They
was
were
NEGATIVE
I
He
She
It
You
We
They
131
INTERROGATIVE
wasnt
Was
werent
Were
I
he
she
it
you
we
they
SHORT ANSWER
AFFIRMATIVE
I
He
She
It
NEGATIVE
I
He
She
It
was.
Yes,
wasnt.
No,
You
We
They
You
We
They
were.
werent.
B. Other irregular verbs

Irregular verbs do not end in ed in affirmative. It is necessary to learn their forms.
AFFIRMATIVE
I
He
She
It
We
You
They
came.
NEGATIVE
I
He
She
It
We
You
They
INTERROGATIVE
didnt come.
SHORT ANSWER
Yes,
I
he
she
it
you
we
they
Did
I
he
she
it
you
we
they
SHORT ANSWER
did.
No,
132
I
he
she
it
you
we
they
didnt.
come?
C. Other irregular verbs in the past tense and their past participle
How do you say it in Spanish?
PRESENT
(First Form)
1.
am, is, are
2.
beat
3.
become
4.
begin
5.
bet
6.
bite
7.
break
8.
bring
9.
build
10.
buy
11.
catch
12.
choose
13.
come
14.
cost
15.
cut
16.
do
17.
drink
18.
drive
19.
eat
20.
fall
21.
feel
22.
fight
23.
find
24.
fly
25.
forget
26.
get
27.
give
28.
go
29.
grow
30.
have
31.
hear
32.
hide
33.
hit
34.
hold
35.
hurt
36.
keep
37.
know
38.
leave
39.
lend
40.
let
41.
lose
SPANISH
________________________
________________________
________________________
________________________
________________________
________________________
________________________
________________________
________________________
________________________
________________________
________________________
________________________
________________________
________________________
________________________
________________________
________________________
________________________
________________________
________________________
________________________
________________________
________________________
________________________
________________________
________________________
________________________
________________________
________________________
________________________
________________________
________________________
________________________
________________________
________________________
________________________
________________________
________________________
________________________
________________________
133
PAST
(Second Form)
was, were
beat
became
began
bet
bit
broke
brought
built
bought
caught
chose
came
cost
cut
did
drank
drove
ate
fell
felt
fought
found
flew
forgot
got
gave
went
grew
had
heard
hid
hit
held
hurt
kept
knew
left
lent
let
lost
PAST PARTICIPLE
(Third Form)
been
beaten
become
begun
bet
bitten
broken
brought
built
bought
caught
chosen
come
cost
cut
done
drunk
driven
eaten
fallen
felt
fought
found
flown
forgotten
got(ten)
given
gone
grown
had
heard
hidden
hit
held
hurt
kept
known
left
lent
let
lost
42.
43.
44.
45.
46.
47.
48.
49.
50.
51.
52.
53.
54.
55.
56.
57.
58.
59.
60.
61.
62.
63.
64.
65.
66.
67.
68.
69.
make
meet
pay
put
quit
read
ride
ring
say
see
sell
send
shoot
sing
sit
sleep
speak
spend
stand
tell
think
throw
swim
take
teach
understand
wake
wear
________________________
________________________
________________________
________________________
________________________
________________________
________________________
________________________
________________________
________________________
________________________
________________________
________________________
________________________
________________________
________________________
________________________
________________________
________________________
________________________
________________________
________________________
________________________
________________________
________________________
________________________
________________________
________________________
made
met
paid
put
quit
read
rode
rang
said
saw
sold
sent
shot
sang
sat
slept
spoke
spent
stood
told
thought
threw
swam
took
taught
understood
woke
wore
made
met
paid
put
quit
read
ridden
rung
said
seen
sold
sent
shot
sung
sat
slept
spoken
spent
stood
told
thought
thrown
swum
taken
taught
understood
woken
worn
B3. MODAL AUXILIARIES

Modal auxiliaries tend to have more semantic content than the auxiliaries you are already familiar with
in English. Some modal verbs are:
will future
would conditional (-a in Spanish)
can ability, permission
could ability in the past or permission
may permission or future possibility
might - future possibility
should recommendation (similar to ought to)
must obligation, inference (similar to have to)
134
A. Similarities between modals and auxiliaries (do, does, did, to be) you already know.
ENGLISH
1. Position in questions.
SPANISH
1. Posicin en preguntas.
Where do you live?

What is Jorge doing?
Does she get up early?
When can she come?
What would you like?
2. Position in negatives.
Dnde vives t?
Qu est haciendo Jorge?
Se levanta temprano (ella)?
Cundo puede (ella) venir?
Qu te gustara?
2. Posicin en negativos.
Im not teaching English this year.

They dont have any children.
He doesnt like ice-cream.
Mary cant swim.
We wont see you tomorrow
No estoy dando ingls este ao.

No tienen nios.
(A l) No le gusta el helado.
Mary no puede nadar.
No te veremos maana.
3. Position and use for short answers.
3. Posicin y uso en respuestas cortas.
Are they Mexican? No, they arent.

Does he have a BA? Yes, he does.
Did you like the movie? Yes, I did.
Can you speak French? No, I cant.
Son mexicanos? No, no son.

Tiene (l) licenciatura? S, la tiene.
Te gust la pelcula? S, me gust.
Puedes hablar francs? No, no
puedo.
135
B. Differences between modal auxiliaries and other auxiliaries
ENGLISH
SPANISH
1. Modals use the same form for all
1. Los verbos modales usan la misma
persons.
forma para todas las personas.
I can speak French.

You can speak French.
He can speak French.
Yo puedo hablar francs.

T puedes hablar francs.
l puede hablar francs.
2. Modals only have one form (no
2. Los modales nada ms tienen una
infinitive, gerund or participle)
forma (no infinitivo, gerundio o

participio).
3. La forma base del verbo va despus
3. Modals are followed by the base
del modal (sin to).
form of the verb (without to).
B4. USES OF THE PRESENT CONTINUOUS TENSE (BE + VERB + -ING)

A. What is usually called the present progressive or continuous tense in English can be used to express
activity at the present moment, planned future activity, or temporary or repeated activity. Compare
English and Spanish in the following chart.
ENGLISH
SPANISH
Present moment
Im taking a bath right now.

Hes not surfing the net.
Kathys having breakfast.
Were watching T.V.
Jorge and Juan are playing soccer.
(yo) me estoy baando ahorita.

(l) no est navegando en Internet.
Kathy est desayunando.
(nosotros) estamos viendo la tele.
Jorge y Juan estn jugado ftbol.
Future
(especially planned
future)
Im leaving L.A. tomorrow.

Juans visiting the doctor next
Monday.
Me voy maana de L.A.

Juan ir al doctor el prximo lunes.
Im taking driving lessons this

month.
Voy a tomar clases de manejo este

mes o
136
Temporary activity
Estoy tomando clases de manejo

este mes
(l) Va a trabajar en Sears esta
temporada navidea o
Est trabajando en Sears esta
temporada navidea.
Hes working at Sears this

Christmas season.
B. Answer these questions:
When describing an action occurring at the present moment, are English and Spanish similar in
their use of the present continuous?
When describing a planned event in the future, what tense do you usually use in Spanish?
When you are talking about a temporary habit in Spanish, what tense do you usually use?
What verb is always used when forming the present continuous tense? Is it conjugated?
If a verb ends in e, do you eliminate the e when you add the ing?
Verbs of opinion and perception are seldom used in their continuous form. The
most common of these are: believe, doubt, like, hear, know, see, understand,
seem, remember, want.
137
B5. FUTURE
The future tense can be expressed in various ways in English. You have seen the use of present
continuous as future in appendix A-7 (to be + verb + -ing). Modals such as may and might can also
express future time (check appendix A-6). Other ways of expressing the future are the following:
A. WILL
ENGLISH
SPANISH
I will do it.
You will do it.
He will do it.
She will do it.
It will be O.K.
(yo) Lo har.
(t) Lo hars.
l lo har
Ella lo har.
Estar bien.
We will do it.
You will do it.
They will do it.
(nosotros) Lo haremos.
Ustedes lo harn.
Ellos lo harn.
*Usually in spoken or written English, the word will is contracted. i.e. Ill do it or she wont do
it.
B. TO BE + GOING TO + VERB
ENGLISH
SPANISH
Im going to take an exam.

Youre going to take an exam.
Hes going to take an exam.
Shes going to take an exam.
Its going be to hot today.
Voy a tomar un examen.

Vas a tomar un examen.
l va a tomar un examen.
Ella va a tomar un examen.
Va a hacer calor hoy.
Were going to take an exam.

Youre going to take an exam.
Theyre going to take an exam.
Vamos a tomar un examen.

Ustedes van a tomar un examen.
Ellos van a tomar un examen.
*The expression going to is usually reduced in spoken English to gonna.
138
APPENDIX C
PRONUNCIATION
C1. THE ALPHABET
It is important to know how to pronounce the letters of the alphabet so you can ask the meaning of a
word you do not know how to pronounce. For example:
What does a-n-o-t-h-e-r mean?
or
Whats the meaning of d-i-s-g-u-i-s-e?
A
B
C
D
E
F
ei
bi
si
di
i
ef
G
H
I
J
K
L
lli
eich
ai
llei
kei
el
M
N
O
P
Q
R
em
en
ou
pi
kyu
ar
S
T
U
V
W
X
es
ti
yu
vi
dblyu
eks
Y
Z
wai
zi
C2. PRONUNCIATION
According to their importance, words are classified into two categories: content words and function
words. Content words have lexical meaning because they refer to concepts. Function words have little
lexical or ambiguous meaning. When the words are pronounced, content words are mainly emphasized
in the sentence, while the vowels of the function words tend to be reduced to a [] o [] sound, or to be
contracted with the previous word.
139
C3. PRONUNCIATION CHART
140
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Ausubel, D. P. (2002) Adquisicin y retencin del conocimiento, una perspectiva cognitiva. Barcelona:
Ediciones Paids Ibrica.
Canale M. y M. Swain. (1980). Theoretical Bases of Communicative Approaches to Second Language
Teaching and Testing. Applied Linguistics, vol. I no. 1, p. 28.
Constructivist Theory (J. Bruner) (1996) (retrieved in March, 2011).
http://tip.psychology.org/bruner.html.
Crawford, K. (1996) Vygotskian approaches to human development in the information era. Educational
Studies in Mathematics. (31) 43-62.
Daniels, Harris. (2001). Vygotsky y la pedagoga. Barcelona: Ediciones Paids Ibrica, S.A.
Ellis, Rod. (1994). The Study of Second Language Acquisition. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Garca Gonzlez, Enrique. (2000). Vygotsky. La construccin histrica de la psique. Mxico: Editorial
Trillas, S.A. de .C.V.
Holloway, E. Joy. (1992). Outlook for English 2. Mxico: Universidad Nacional Autnoma de Mxico.
Holloway, E. Joy et al. (2010). Las competencias comunicativas de la lengua inglesa II. (In press).
Learning-theories.com. (2008) (Retrieved in April, 2011). http://www.learning-theories.com/vygotskyssocial-learning-theory.html
Marco Comn Europeo de Referencia para las Lenguas. 2002. Traduccin del Instituto Cervantes.
Retrieved in November, 2010.
http://cvc.cervantes.es/ensenanza/biblioteca_ele/marco/cvc_mer.pdf.
Nunan, D. 1991. Language Teaching Methodology. London: Prentice Hall International.
SEP, Educacin Bsica. 2006. Secundaria. Lengua Extranjera Ingls. Programas de Estudio 2006. Mxico:
SEP.
Vygotsky, L.S. (1978). Mind and society: The development of higher mental processes. Cambridge, MA:
Harvard University Press.
141

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1

FACULTAD DE ESTUDIOS SUPERIORES ACATLN

LANGUAGE LEARNING THEORY

ORGANIZATION OF BASIC ENGLISH III

UNIT 1. WHAT WOULD YOU LIKE TO DO

WHAT ITS ABOUT

EXERCISE I. RIGHT OR WRONG.

EXERCISE II. MULTIPLE CHOICE

EXERCISE III. SENTENCE COMPLETION.

EXERCISE IV. SHORT ANSWERS

EXERCISE V. FILL IN THE BLANKS

EXERCISE VI. DAYS AND MONTHS

EXERCISE VII. SEASONS..

EXERCISE II. DATES TO REMEMBER

EXERCISE III. FOREIGN LANGUAGE BULLETIN BOARD..

EXERCISE IV. CULTURAL CENTER BULLETIN BOARD.

EXERCISE V. COMING EVENTS

EXERCISE VI. FILL IN THE BLANKS.

EXERCISE VII. SCHOOL DIRECTORY.

EXERCISE VIII. LANGUAGE ABREVIATIONS.

EXERCISE IX. FREQUENCY..

EXERCISE I. PREPOSITIONS OF TIME AND PLACE

EXERCISE II. PRONUNCIATION CAN VS. CANT..

EXERCISE III. QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS.

EXERCISE IV. "WH" QUESTIONS OR INFORMATION QUESTIONS.

EXERCISE V. WORD ORDER

EXERCISE VI. DATES.

EXERCISE VII. VERB FORMS

EXERCISE VIII. VIEWING, READINGAND RESPONDING

EXERCISE I. ACTIVITIES AND PROCEDURES.

EXERCISE II. E-M@IL.................

EXERCISE IV. ALICES SCHEDULE..

EXERCISE VI. MY SCHEDULE...

EXERCISE VII. OFFICIAL SCHOOL CALENDAR

EXERCISE VIII. ERROR IDENTIFICATION.

UNIT 2. HOW WAS YOUR VACATION? .....................................................................

WHAT ITS ABOUT

EXERCISE I. RIGHT OR WRONG.

EXERCISE II. MATCHING

EXERCISE III. QUESTION WORDS..

EXERCISE IV. VERB TENSES

EXERCISE V. GENERAL KNOWLEDGE QUIZ.

EXERCISE VI. PREPOSITIONS AND CONNECTORS

EXERCISE II. FAMOUS PERSONAGES

EXERCISE III. INFORMATION GAP ACTIVITY

EXERCISE IV. QUESTIONS IN PAST YESTERDAY..

EXERCISE V. SIMILARITIES AND DIFFERENCES.

EXERCISE VI. WORD COMPLETION

EXERCISE VII. REDUCED FORMS

EXERCISE I. PAST TENSE (REGULAR VERBS)..

EXERCISE II. PAS TENSE (IRREGULAR VERBS)

EXERCISE III. COMPARISONS.

EXERCISE V. WORD ORDER

EXERCISE VI. VIEWING, READING RESPONDING.

EXERCISE I. WHO AM ?............................................................................

EXERCISE II. FIND SOMEONE WHO

EXERCISE III. DICTATION.

EXERCISE IV. BIBLIOGRAPHY.

EXERCISE V. A FAMOUS MEXICAN

EXERCISE VI. PAST VS. PRESENT.

EXERCISE VII. QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS

EXERCISE VIII. COMPARISONS..

EXERCISE IX. CHRONOLOGICAL ORDER