Level VIII, Module III

Target grammar: Can You/Could You/Would You Mind?

Can you?/Puedes?
Could you?/Podras?
Would you mind (if I)?/Te importara (si yo)?
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

Could you do me a favor?/Podras hacerme un favor?

Can you lend me a pen?/Puedes prestarme una pluma?
Would you mind not smoking?Te importara no fumar?
Could you please repeat the question?/Podras por favor repetir la pregunta?
Would you mind lending me your car for half an hour?/Te importara prestarme tu
carro por media hora?
6. Could you give me a ride to Marys party?/Podras llevarme a la fiesta de Mary?
7. Can you give me your phone number?/Puedes darme tu numero de telefono?
8. Would you mind lending me your book to study? I lost mine./Te importara
prestarme tu libro para estudiar? Perdi el mio.

Complete this request with appropriate forms of the verb in parentheses.

1.
2.
3.
4.

Mr. Grant. ____________ (explain) the answer again?

Paula. ____________ (help) me with this Math problem?
Excuse me, sir. ____________ (move) your car?
Brad. ____________ (lend) me your calculator for a second?

Target grammar: Second Conditional.

Examples:
If I were you, I would break up with my boyfriend./Si yo fuera tu, rompera con mi novio.
If I saw a poor person stealing food, I wouldnt tell the police./Si yo viera a una persona
pobre robando comida, no le dira a la policia.

Exercise: Complete the sentences with correct forms of would and the verbs in
parentheses.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

If I ______ (be) you, I ______ (buy) that shirt, its horrible!

What ______ you do if you ______ (see) someone stealing money?
If I ______ (have) a lot of money, I ______ (travel) a lot.
Monica ______ ______ (be) a good student if she ______ (study) a lot.
If we ______ (live) in the U. S. we ______ ______ (speak) perfect English.

Exercise: Complete the conversation with correct forms with the following list.

Talk

say

Know

be

ask

would

Alan: Whats the matter, Mike? Dont you like this game?
Mike: Sorry, its not that. I kind of have a problem.
Alan: Whats wrong?
Mike: Well, I want to ask Sandie Peters out, but I dont think she
______ Im alive!
Alan: Have ______ to her?
Mike: Yeah, you know, in class and sometimes in the hall.
Alan: Okay, if I ______ you, Id try to talk to her more. Sit
Next to her at lunch.
Mike: Should I ______ her out?
Alan: I ______ ask her out yet. Get to know her better first.
Then invite her to have ice cream after school or something not
A real date.
Mike: What if she ______ no?

Conversational
What would you do if you saw your best friends boyfriend/girlfriend at a
restaurant with another person?
If you knew your brother was using your parents car without permission, would
you tell them?
What would you do if you found 550.00 under your seat at a movie?
How would you feel if a good friend didnt invite you to her party? What would
you do?
Have you ever bought a lottery ticket or registered to win a prize? Did you win?
Do you know anyone who has won a prize or money in the lottery?

Exercise: Complete the sentences with if and unless.

1.
2.
3.
4.

I wouldnt buy a lottery ticket ______ I had a lot of extra money.

I would by a car ______ I won the lottery.
I wouldnt take the bus ______ I had a car.
I wouldnt wear that horrible shirt ______ I wanted to look really ridiculous.

Target: Reading big numbers

Focus: There are millions, thousands and hundreds.
100 One hundred

1,000 One thousand

11,000 Eleven thousand

200 Two hundred

2,000 Two thousand

12,000 Twelve thousand

300 Three hundred

3,000 Three thousand

13,000 Thirteen thousand

400 Four hundred

4,000 Four thousand

14,000 Fourteen thousand

500 Five hundred

5,000 Five thousand

15,000 Fifteen thousand

600 Six hundred

6,000 Six thousand

16,000 Sixteen thousand

700 Seven hundred

7,000 Seven thousand

17,000 Seventeen thousand

800 Eight hundred

8,000 Eight thousand

18,000 Eighteen thousand

900 Nine hundred

9,000 Nine thousand

19,000 Nineteen thousand

10,000- Ten thousand

20,000 Twenty thousand 90,000 Ninety thousand

30,000 Thirty thousand

100,000 One hundred thousand

40,000 Forty thousand

200,000 Two hundred thousand

50,000 Fifty thousand

300,000 Three hundred thousand

60,000 Sixty thousand

400,000 Four hundred thousand

70,000 Seventy thousand 500,000 Five hundred thousand

80,000 Eighty thousand

14,579,843

600,000 Six hundred thousand One Million Un Millon

Fourteen million, five hundred and seventy-nine thousand, eight hundred and
forty-three.
Exercise: Read the numbers
578,310

15,691

7,967 3,425,000

14,670,240

130,500

Exercise: Write the numbers

689,421

_________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________

27,878

_________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________

9,878

__________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________

4,536,351

__________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________

25,781,343

__________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________

Target: Modal Verbs

All the auxiliary verbs except BE, DO and HAVE are called modals. Unlike other auxiliary
verbs modals only exist in their helping form; they cannot act alone as the main verb in a
sentence.
BE, DO, and HAVE also differ from the other auxiliaries in that they can also serve as
ordinary verbs in a given sentence.
The modal verbs are:
CAN / COULD / MAY / MIGHT / MUST / SHALL / SHOULD / OUGHT TO / WILL / WOULD

CAN: Expresses the capability or ability to do something.

Examples:
They can control their own budgets.

Ability/Possibility

We can't fix it.

Inability/Impossibility

Can I smoke here?

Asking for permission

Can you help me?

Request

COULD: Ability in the past and possible future.

Examples:
Could I borrow your dictionary?
Could you say it again more slowly?

Asking for permission.

Request

We could try to fix it ourselves.

Suggestion

I think we could have another Gulf War.

Future possibility

He gave up his old job so he could work for us. Ability in the past

MAY: It can be used instead of "Could" for possibilities in the future, a polite way
to ask for permission and give instructions.
Examples:
You may leave in five minutes. Instruction
May I have another cup of coffee? Asking for permission
China may become a major economic power. Future possibility

MIGHT: It is used to indicate possibilities in the Present or the Future. In this case
is a synonym of May.
Examples:
We'd better phone tomorrow, they might be eating their dinner now. Present possibility
They might give us a 10% discount.

Future possibility

SHALL: This is more common in the United Kingdom than the US, it is used as
"Will" to form the Future tense and in general is more polite. It is also used for
offers, suggestions, requests and preferences.
Example:
Shall I help you with your luggage? `

Offer

Shall we say 2:30 then?

Suggestion

Shall I do that or will you?

Asking what to do

SHOULD: Expresses obligation or recommendation.

Examples:
We should sort out this problem at once.

Saying what's right or correct

I think we should check everything again.

Recommending action

Profits should increase next year.

Uncertain prediction

OUGHT TO: Is a synonym of "Should" which expresses obligation or

recommendation.
Examples:
We ought to enjoy employ a professional writer.

Saying what's right or correct

She ought to quit smoking.

Recommendation

I ought to call my parents.

Obligation

MUST: Implies an obligation, prohibition or necessity. It can be used like a synonym of

"Have to".
Examples:
We must say good bye now.

Necessity/Obligation

They mustn't disrupt the work more than necessary.

Prohibition

Target: Past Participle

USE 1 Completed Action Before Something in the Past
The Past Perfect expresses the idea that something occurred before another
action in the past. It can also show that something happened before a specific
time in the past.
Examples:
I had never seen such a beautiful beach before I went to Kauai.
I did not have any money because I had lost my wallet.
Tony knew Istanbul so well because he had visited the city several times.
Had Susan ever studied Thai before she moved to Thailand?
She only understood the movie because she had read the book.
Kristine had never been to an opera before last night.
We were not able to get a hotel room because we had not booked in advance.
A: Had you ever visited the U.S. before your trip in 2006?
B: Yes, I had been to the U.S. once before.

USE 2 Duration Before Something in the Past (Non-Continuous Verbs)

With Non-Continuous Verbs and some non-continuous uses of Mixed Verbs, we
use the Past Perfect to show that something started in the past and continued up
until another action in the past.
Examples:
We had had that car for ten years before it broke down.
By the time Alex finished his studies, he had been in London for over eight years.
They felt bad about selling the house because they had owned it for more than forty
years.

Although the above use of Past Perfect is normally limited to Non-Continuous

Verbs and non-continuous uses of Mixed Verbs, the words "live," "work," "teach,"
and "study" are sometimes used in this way even though they are NOT NonContinuous Verbs.

IMPORTANT Specific Times with the Past Perfect.

Unlike with the Present Perfect, it is possible to use specific time words or
phrases with the Past Perfect. Although this is possible, it is usually not
necessary.
Example:
She had visited her Japanese relatives once in 1993 before she moved in with them in
1996.

MOREOVER
If the Past Perfect action did occur at a specific time, the Simple Past can be used
instead of the Past Perfect when "before" or "after" is used in the sentence. The
words "before" and "after" actually tell you what happens first, so the Past
Perfect is optional. For this reason, both sentences below are correct.
Examples:
She had visited her Japanese relatives once in 1993 before she moved in with them in
1996.
She visited her Japanese relatives once in 1993 before she moved in with them in 1996.

HOWEVER
If the Past Perfect is not referring to an action at a specific time, Past Perfect is
not optional. Compare the examples below. Here Past Perfect is referring to a lack
of experience rather than an action at a specific time. For this reason, Simple Past
cannot be used.
Examples:
She never saw a bear before she moved to Alaska. Not Correct
She had never seen a bear before she moved to Alaska. Correct

ADVERB PLACEMENT

The examples below show the placement for grammar adverbs such as: always,
only, never, ever, still, just, etc.
Examples:
You had previously studied English before you moved to New York.
Had you previously studied English before you moved to New York?

Target: Direct and Reported Speech

Direct Speech
When we report exactly what someone else has said, we use the direct style. With
this style what the person has said is placed between quotation marks ("...") and
shall be verbatim.
Examples:
"I am going to London next week," she said.
"Do you have a pen I could borrow," he asked.
Alice said, "I love to dance."
Christ asked, "Would you like to have dinner with me tomorrow night?"

Reported Speech
Reported speech, unlike the direct style, it doesn't use the quotation marks and
doesn't need to be verbatim. In general, when Reported speech is used, the tense
changes.
Sometimes you have to use "that" in the affirmative and negative phrases to
introduce what the other person has said. On the other hand, interrogative
sentences can be used with either "if" or "whether".

DIRECT SPEECH

REPORTED SPEECH

Present Simple

Past Simple

Hes American, she said.

She said he was American.

Im happy to see you, Mary said.

Mary said that she was happy to see me.

He asked, Are you busy tonight?

He asked me if I was busy that night.

Present Progressive

Past Progressive

Dan is living in San Francisco, she said.

She said Dan was living in San Francisco

He said, Im making dinner.

He told me that he was making dinner.

Why are you working so hard? They asked.

They asked me why I was working so

hard.

Past Simple

Past Perfect Simple

We went to the movies last night, he said.

He told me they had gone to the movies

the night before.

Greg said, I didnt go to work yesterday.

Greg said that he didnt go to work the

day before.

Did you buy a new car? she asked.

She asked me if I had bought a new car.

Past Progressive

Past Perfect Progressive

I was working late last night, Vicky said.

Vicky told me she had been working late

the night before.

They said, We werent waiting long.

They said that they hadnt been waiting

long.

He asked, Where you sleeping when I called? He asked if I had been sleeping when he
called.

Present Perfect Simple

Past Perfect Simple

Heather said, I have already eaten.

Heather told me that she had already

eaten.

We havent been to China, they said.

They said they hadnt been to China.

Have you worked here before? I asked.

I asked her whether she had worked

there before.

Present Perfect Progressive

Past Perfect Progressive

Ive been studying English for two years,

He said hed been studying English

he said.

for two year.

Steve said, weve been dating for over a

Steve told me that theyd been dating

Year now.

for over a year.

Have you been waiting long? they asked.

They asked whether Id been waiting

long.

Past Perfect Simple

Past Perfect Simple (No changes)

Id been to Chicago before for work, he said. He said that hed been to Chicago before
for work.

Past Perfect Progressive

Past Perfect Prog. (No changes)

She said, Id been dancing for years before

She said shed been dancing for years

the accident.

before the accident.

Note:
When we talk about something that has not changed (thats still true) or
something in the future, its not necessary to change the tense.
Examples:
Im 30 years old, she said.

She said she is 30 years old.

Dave said, Kelly is sick.

Dave said Kelly is sick.

We are going to Tokio next week, they

They said they are going to Tokio

said.

next week.

Modal Verbs

The tense changes in the Reported Speech with some of the Modal Verbs.
Note: Modal verbs: Would, could, should, might, and ought to, The tense do
not change.
DIRECT SPEECH

REPORTED SPEECH

Will

Would

I will go to the movies tomorrow,

John said he would go to the

John said.

movies the next day.

Will you help me move? she asked.

She asked me if I would help her move.

Can

Could

Debra said, Allen can work tomorrow.

Debra said Allen could work the next

day.

Can you open the window please?

He asked me if I could open the window.

he asked.

Must

Had to

You must wear your seat belt, mom said.

My mom said I had to wear my seat belt.

She said, you must work tomorrow.

She said I had to work the next day.

Shall

Should

Shall we go to the beach today? Tom asked. Tom asked if we should go to the beach
that day.
What shall we do tonight? she asked.

She asked me what we should do that

night.

May

Might/Could

Jane said, I may not be in class tomorrow.

Jane said she might not be in class the

next day.

The boy asked, May I use the bathroom,

The boy asked if he could use the

please?

bathroom.

Note:

Below is a table where you can observe the changes experienced by expressions
of time when using the Reported Speech.
DIRECT SPEECH

REPORTED SPEECH

Today

That day

Tonight

That night

This week/month/year

That week/month/year

Tomorrow

The next day

Next week/month/year

The following week/month/year

Yesterday

The day before/The previous day

Last week/month/year

They day/month/year before

The previous day/month/year

Now

Then/At the moment

Here

There

Target: Active and Passive voice.

Active voice is when a person performs an action directly, or when the stock falls
directly on that person.
Example:
He visits the park every day.
We sing a song.

The passive voice is organized as follows.

Subject + To Be + Act. Verb (Past Participle) + Object.

Rules:
1.- Change the order of the subject and the object.

2.- Add To Be in the active voice tense

3.- Add the Active Verb in Past Participle.
Example:
Active voice:
Object

Act. Verb

Subject

Complement

He

visits

the park

every day

Passive voice:
Subject

To be

Act. Verb

Object

Complement

by him

every day

(Past Participle)
The park

is

Visited

ACTIVE VOICE

PASSIVE VOICE

Present Simple
John writes the letter.

The letter is written by John.

The hunter chases the tiger.

The tiger is chased by the hunter.

Present Progressive
John is writing the letter.

The letter is being written by John.

He is chasing the tiger.

The tiger is being chased by him.

Past Simple
John wrote the letter.

The letter was written by John.

He chased the tiger.

The tiger was chased by him.

ACTIVE VOICE

PASSIVE VOICE

Past Progressive
John was writing the letter.

The letter was being written by John.

He was chasing the tiger.

The tiger was being chased by him.

Present Perfect
John has written the letter.

The letter has been written by John.

He has chased the tiger.

The tiger has been chased by him.

Past Perfect
John had written the letter.

The letter had been written by John.

He had chased the tiger.

The tiger had been chased by him.

Will (Future)
John will write the letter.

The letter will written by John.

He will chase the tiger.

The tiger will be chased by him.

Going to (Future)
John is going to write the letter.

The letter is going to be written by John.

He is going to chase the tiger.

The tiger is going to be chased by him.

Modal or auxiliary verbs

I should study French.

French should be studied by me.

I must do my duties.

Duties must be done by me.

Exercises:
Place the next sentences in Past Perfect using the correct form of the verbs in
parenthesis.
1.- Astronauts (Fly) through space for hours.
_________________________________________________________________________

2.- The boys (Steal) the bicycles.

__________________________________________________________________________
3.- They (Have) a long and uncomfortable trip.
__________________________________________________________________________
4.- My sister Ann (Begin) her diet a week ago.
__________________________________________________________________________
5.- She (Think) a good idea.
__________________________________________________________________________
6.- The postman (Deliver) my letter.
__________________________________________________________________________

Change the sentence from Direct Speech to Reported Speech.

7.- Im hungry, Tom said.
__________________________________________________________________________
8.- Sarah asked, Are you busy tonight?
__________________________________________________________________________
9.- We made a great dinner last night, he said.
__________________________________________________________________________
10.- I have been to India three times, Melissa said.
__________________________________________________________________________

Convert the next sentences to Passive Voice.

11.- They make many movies in Hollywood.
__________________________________________________________________________
12.- The students will give a presentation tomorrow.
__________________________________________________________________________
13.- The children have eaten the cookies.
__________________________________________________________________________
14.- Someone has stolen my bike!

___________________________________________________________________________
15.- We will complete the renovations next week.
___________________________________________________________________________

Target: Perfect Modals

Modal verbs, as we have already seen, express possibility or probability. When
they are used with the infinitive form of the perfect tense "To have + Active Verb
in Past Participle," modal verbs indicate speculation about things in the past.
Must have:
It is used to express a logical conclusion about something that happened in the
past. We're not sure what happened exactly, but based on the evidence, we can
come to some conclusion.
Unlike "Might have" or "May have," as we shall see later, "Must have" expressed
more certainty.
Examples:
The lights are off. They must have gone out.
I never see John and Claire together anymore. They must have separated.
I know you love chocolate. It must have been difficult to say No to that piece of cake.

May have/Might have:

These are used to express possibility in the past. Using these two modal verbs
also express uncertainty.
Examples:
I think it may have worked, but we gave up too soon.
They might have won if their star player hadnt been injured.
I dont know, it might have been different if you were there.

Cant have:

It is used in a similar way as "must have" but in its negative form. We may use
"Cant have" when we're pretty sure that something doesnt occur or it was not
true in the past.
Examples:
I know you love chocolate. It cant have been easy to say No to that piece of cake.
Frank failed the exam. He cant have been paying attention to his class.
They had a lot of work to do and little time. They cant have finished everything.

Couldnt have:
It can be used instead of Cant have.
Examples:
I know you like chocolate. It couldnt have been ease to say No to that piece of cake.
Frank failed the exam. He couldnt have been paying attention to his class.
They had a lot of work to do and little time. They couldnt have finished everything.

Could have:
It is also used to express that something was possible in the past, but not
actually occurred.
Examples:
If it hadnt stopped raining, the party could have been a disaster.
She could have ran faster, but she wanted to save her energy.
We could have bought a new car, but we decided to use the money to go on vacation.

"Could have" in its affirmative form, is similar to "Might have" or "May have"
expresses possibility in the past.
Examples:
I think it could have worked, but we gave up too soon.
They could have won if their star player hadnt been injured.
I dont know, it could have been different if you were there.

Should have/Ought to have:

They are used when something didnt happen, but it would have been better if it
had happened. In its negative form, these references indicate that something
happened, but it would have been better to be so.
Examples:
I told you, you should have studied more!
Ben ought to have gone to the doctor sooner. Now they say it will be a month before he
is fully recovered.
I shouldnt have eaten the last cookie.
She shouldnt have been angry, it wasnt your fault.

Would have:
This is known as "Perfect Conditional", it can express an hypothetical thought in
the past. That is, it is used to express the decision to be taken in a given
situation.
Examples:
I would have gone to New York.
I wouldnt have invited you to my party.

Target: Third Conditional

This is known as "Perfect Conditional", can express a hypothetical thought in the
past. That is, it is used to express the decision to be taken in a given situation.
Examples:
If I had known then what I know now, I would have done things differently.
Suzanne wouldnt have had the heart attack if she had gone on a diet as her doctor
recommended.
Would you have liked to go to the university if you had been able to afford it?

Target: Future Perfect

Future Perfect has two different forms: "will have done" and "be going to have
done." Unlike Simple Future forms, Future Perfect forms are usually
interchangeable.
FORM Future Perfect with "Will"
[will have + past participle]
Examples:
You will have perfected your English by the time you come back from the U.S.
Will you have perfected your English by the time you come back from the U.S.?
You will not have perfected your English by the time you come back from the U.S.

FORM Future Perfect with "Be Going To"

[am/is/are + going to have + past participle]
Examples:
You are going to have perfected your English by the time you come back from the U.S.
Are you going to have perfected your English by the time you come back from the U.S.?
You are not going to have perfected your English by the time you come back from the
U.S.

NOTE: It is possible to use either "will" or "be going to" to create the Future
Perfect with little or no difference in meaning.

USE 1 Completed Action Before Something in the Future

The Future Perfect expresses the idea that something will occur before another
action in the future. It can also show that something will happen before a specific
time in the future.
Examples:
By next November, I will have received my promotion.
By the time he gets home, she is going to have cleaned the entire house.
I am not going to have finished this test by 3 o'clock.

Will she have learned enough Chinese to communicate before she moves to Beijing?
Sam is probably going to have completed the proposal by the time he leaves this
afternoon.
By the time I finish this course, I will have taken ten tests.
How many countries are you going to have visited by the time you turn 50?

Notice in the examples above that the reference points (marked in italics) are in
Simple Present rather than Simple Future. This is because the interruptions are in
time clauses, and you cannot use future tenses in time clauses.

USE 2 Duration Before Something in the Future (Non-Continuous Verbs)

With Non-Continuous Verbs and some non-continuous uses of Mixed Verbs, we
use the Future Perfect to show that something will continue up until another
action in the future.
Examples:
I will have been in London for six months by the time I leave.
By Monday, Susan is going to have had my book for a week.

Although the above use of Future Perfect is normally limited to Non-Continuous

Verbs and non-continuous uses of Mixed Verbs, the words "live," "work," "teach,"
and "study" are sometimes used in this way even though they are NOT NonContinuous Verbs.

REMEMBER No Future in Time Clauses

Like all future forms, the Future Perfect cannot be used in clauses beginning with
time expressions such as: when, while, before, after, by the time, as soon as, if,
unless, etc. Instead of Future Perfect, Present Perfect is used.

Examples:
I am going to see a movie when I will have finished my homework. Not Correct

I am going to see a movie when I have finished my homework. Correct

ADVERB PLACEMENT
The examples below show the placement for grammar adverbs such as: always,
only, never, ever, still, just, etc.
Examples:
You will only have learned a few words.
Will you only have learned a few words?
You are only going to have learned a few words.
Are you only going to have learned a few words?

Verbs exercise:
1.- Nick learned from his science class that water ________ at 100 degrees
centigrade.
a) Boiling
b) Boils
c) Boil
d) Is boiling
2.- We will play golf on Sunday if it ________.
a) doesnt rain
b) wont rain
c) didnt
d) wouldnt

3.- Well begin when you ____ ready.

a) will be
b) have
c) have been
d) are
4.- Great changes ________ in China since 1980.
a) Has taken place
b) have taken place
c) habe been taken place
d) took place
5.- He ______ when we got there.
a) would have already arrive
b) will already arrive
c) had already arrive
d) has already arrive
6.- You are finally back. Where ___________?
a) have you gone
b) you went
c) did you went
d) have you been

7.- How many times ____ you ____ to Los Angeles?

a) have ... gone

b) have ... been

c) had ... been
d) had ... gone
8.- I wondered if they ______ for Chicago next month.
a) are leaving
b) will leave
c) were leaving
d) had left
9.- The man I __________ yesterday is my high school teacher.
a) came across
b) come across
c) has come across
d) had come across
10.- My watch is new . It ______ perfect time.
a) kept
b) had kept
c) keeps
d) will keep
11.- Don't get off the bus until it ___________.
a) will stop
b) stopped
c) stop
d) has stopped
12.- Well go out with you when our work ______.
a) have been done

b) has been done

c) has done
d) are done
13.- By the time he was twelve, Edison ________ to make a living by himself.
a) would begin
b) began
c) had begun
d) was beginning
14.- Jose ________ some English before he came to the United States.
a) has learned
b) had learned
c) has been learned
d) had been learned
15.- I didnt go to see the movie because I ________ it twice.
a) saw
b) has seen
c) have seen
d) had seen