LESSON 2
Work and social life – practicing present tense (regular verbs)
College student:
Hi! I’m Steve. As a freshman in college, I take many different classes. I major in English. My roommate comes from Boston, and we like our room in the dorm. He is a nice guy. We spend a lot of time studying, but we enjoy going out! Our friends live nearby in a big house. They organize a lot of parties. Life in college is fun!
Journalist:
Hello! My name is Julie. I am a journalist. At work, I write stories for the newspaper. I interview celebrities and important people. I ask them questions relevant to the news. I research topics like the environment, politics, and culture. I work with a colleague named Anne. She takes pictures for the newspaper. She is the photographer on the team. We often travel together and report about many different topics.
Artist:
Good afternoon! My name is Claudia and I am an artist. I paint, I draw, and sometimes I sculpt. I give art classes to high school students. They love to practice their talents, and they draw very well. One student adores real-life portrait and asks to sketch his friends often. As a teacher, I support them and encourage them to do their best.
Doctor:
Greetings, my name are Walter Skipper. My patients call me “Doctor Skipper.” I see patients in my office, and I give them medication when they need it. With a stethoscope, I listen to their lungs and I check their heart. Sometimes, I visit the hospital where my wife works (she is a nurse). People say we make a good team!
Understanding the text
A. True or false?
1) Steve hates his roommate. (False, Steve likes his roommate.)
2) Anne takes pictures. (False, the photographer takes pictures.)
3) Claudia paints pictures. (True)
4) Dr. Skipper works as a nurse. (False, Dr. Skipper’s wife is a nurse.)
B. Open-ended questions
1) Where does Steve study? (He studies in college)
2) Does the work of Julie seem boring? (No, she travels and does many things)
3) Do you think Claudia enjoys her teaching job? (Yes, she likes her students)
4) Does Walter take his work seriously? (Yes, he is very engaged in his work)
Lesson
What is the present tense?
A tense is a specific form of a verb that shows WHEN the action implied by the verb takes place. There are two tenses in English: the PRESENT and the PAST (note: WILL, which denotes the FUTURE, is not a tense by a MODAL). When a verb is at the present tense, it shows that the action implied by the verb is a) taking place NOW or b) is a valid and eternal truth.
Examples: I work today.
The United States of America believes in free speech.
In English, conjugating regular verbs at the PRESENT tense is very easy. You associate the subject (I, you, we, you, they) and the verb (love, make, work, etc.) without making any change to the verb. Only the subjects he and she add an extra ‘s’ to the verb.
Examples: I work today. We work today.
You work today. (singular) You work today. (plural)
He/she works today. They work today.
Exercises
Choose the right verb
1) You need a taxi.
2) I love my parents.
3) She makes dinner.
4) They play football.
Build a sentence
1) You like watching TV.
2) She reads books for pleasure.
3) I write in my journal.
4) He listens to reggae music.
What about you now?
Write a paragraph about yourself. Interview your classmate and present to the class what he or she does.
Wind-down
1) What differences do you see between the American school system and yours?
2) Are there cultural differences between the traditional American social life and yours?
3) What do you think of the American work ethic?