Exercise 1. 1
Here are some sentences about looking for a place to live. Each sentence is the answer to a question. In the space after each sentence, write a question to go with the answer. Begin your question with the asking word that is written before the space. The first question has been done for you.
1. Ping and Laura need a two-bedroom apartment. How many bedrooms do Ping and Laura need in their apartment_________________________?
2. The town house will be available in two weeks. When________________________________________________________?
3. The kitchen has a refrigerator, a stove, and a microwave. What________________________________________________________?
4. The house with the large living room and the garage is most expensive. Which_______________________________________________________?
5. Juana will drive to work on Highway 10. How_________________________________________________________?
6. The landlord wants a pet deposit because dogs have torn the rug. Why_________________________________________________________?
7. We will give you a key when you sign your lease. When_______________________________________________________?
8. The washer and dryer connections are in the garage. Where_______________________________________________________?
9. The residents must water and mow the yard. Who__________________________________________________?
10. We can use the parking space on the side. Which_________________________________________________?
Using Action Words
You can talk about things in the present in five ways:
l Something that is true in general.
Examples: I want to find a new place to live.
He wants to find a new place to live.
They want to find a new place to live.
l Something that happens often.
Examples: I look in the Classified Advertisements every Sunday.
She looks in the Classified Advertisements every Sunday.
We look in the Classified Advertisements every Sunday.
l Something that is happening at this specific moment.
Examples: I ask about the apartment in the ad.
We ask about the apartment in the ad.
They ask about the apartment in the ad.
In each of these cases, here is how to form the action word:
I look We look
You look You look
He looks They look
She looks
l There is a second way to talk about something that is happening at this specific moment.
Examples: I am looking at an interesting ad in the paper.
She is looking at an interesting ad in the paper.
They are looking at an interesting ad in the paper.
In this case, the action word is formed by using a helping word and adding -ing to the end of the action word:
I am looking
You are looking
He is looking
She is looking
We are looking You are looking They are looking
l Something that has been hapening in the recent past and is still happening.
Example: I have been fixing the heater all day.
To talk about something that has been happening in the recent past and is still happening, use the helping words have been or has been and add -ed to the end of the action word.
I have been fixing We have been fixing
You have been fixing You have been fixing
He has been fixing You have been fixing
She has been fixing
Note: Am, is, and are can also be action words when they are used before a naming word or a describing word. They are helping words when they are used before another action word.
Examples: We are residents in this complex.
(residents is a naming word)
We are happy about our new home.
(happy is a describing word)
We are moving into our new home.
(moving is an action word)
Form the action word like this:
I am We are
You are You are
He is They are
She is
Exercise 1.2
Here are some sentences from the conversation between the Chens and David Evans. After each sentence are two choices. Choose the one that describes the way the person is talking about the present. Put an 'X’ in the space beside your choice. The first sentence has been done for you.
1. I am looking for a two-bedroom apartment.
____something that happens often
__X_something that is happening at this specific moment
2. Rose bushes grow around the patio.
____something that is true in general
____something that happens often
3. We are painting a two-bedroom apartment on the third floor.
____something that is true in general
____something that is happening at this specific moment
4. You can see that several people are swimming.
____something that is happening at this specific moment
____something that happens often
5. A pool maintenance company cleans the pool once a week.
____something that is happening at this specific moment
____something that happens often
6. We provide eight washers and four dryers.
____something that is happening at this specific moment
____something that is true in general
7. I see the painters are still working.
____something that is happening at this specific moment
____something that happens often
8. The painters say they will finish today.
____something that is true in general
____something that happens often
9. We are thinking of getting a kitten for our daughter.
____something that happens often
____something that is happening at this specific moment
Exercise 1.3
In this conversation, underline the action words that best tell the speaker's meaning. The first one has been done for you.
Aziz: Riad, we must talk about what kind of home we (1) [are lookina] [look] for.
Riad: I (2) [want] [am wanting] to live in a house with three bedrooms and a big garage.
Aziz: A three-bedroom house is very expensive, Riad! We only (3) [need] [are needing] one bedroom to sleep in.
Riad: I am sewing a lot these days. I (4) [am wanting] [want] a room for my sewing machine and all my sewing things.
Aziz: Okay, one extra, bedroom is a good idea. What is the third bedroom for?
Riad: It is for our family to stay in when they visit. Your mother (5) [visits] [is visiting] every year and (6) [is staying] [stays] for at least a month. Where can she sleep in a one-bedroom house?
Aziz: I (7) [understand] [am understanding] what you mean, but I (8) [think] [am thinking] we cannot afford such a big house. They are renting for $500 a month or even more!
Riad: Maybe we can look in an area that is inexpensive. In some areas away from the center of town, the houses (9) [cost] [are costing] less money.
Aziz: I (10) [am driving] [drive] thirty minutes to get to work already, Riad! You (11) [are talking] [talk] about adding fifteen or twenty more minutes to my drive. I think we must settle for only two bedrooms. The extra bedroom can be your sewing room when we do not have visitors. What are you doing?
Riad: I (12) [am looking] [look] for the newspaper. Lers see what is available.
Practice
Make up questions to find out about the place where your friend lives. Begin your questions with the seven asking words: who, when, where, why, what, how, and which.
Make up sentences that talk about the present. Talk about the place where you live and the things that you do there. Be sure to make up sentences that:
l Talk about something that is true in general.
l Talk about something that happens often.
Talk about something that is happening at this specific moment. |
