Ex. Household chores:
1. Wash the dishes
DON’T SAY WHEN: I’ve washed the dishes. (They are clean now).
SAY WHEN: I washed the dishes after dinner/first thing in the morning.
2. Clean the refrigerator
3. Take out the trash
4. Do the laundry
5. Dust the furniture
6. Vacuum the carpets
7. Water the flowers.
Ex. Fill in the blanks with for or since. Put the verbs in italics in the continuous present perfect.
1. We (study) for the final exams ….two weeks.
2. This man (read)…the paper…he got on the bus.
3. The patient (sleep)…twelve hours now.
4. My aunt and uncle (stay)…with us…September.
5. Mr. Sims (work)…..in this office….he graduated from college.
6. I (call) the doctor …the last five minutes.
7. My brother (read)…they came back from school.
8. The Smiths (save) …money for a new car …they got married.
9. It (rain)…ages.
10. You (plan)….this party…a long time, haven’t you?
Christmas Carol
» Hark! The Herald Angels Sing
hark! the herald angels sing
“glory to the newborn king! ”
peace on earth, and mercy mild
god and sinners reconciled
joyful all ye nations rise
join the triumph of the skies
with th’angelic host proclaim
“christ is born in bethlehem. ”
hark! the herald angels sing
“glory to the newborn king! ”
Versuri de la: http://www.versuri.ro/
The Run-On Sentence.
To confirm what I have now said and further to show the miserable effects of a confined education I shall here insert a passage which will hardly obtain belief in hopes to ingratiate myself farther into his Majesty’s favour I told him of an invention discovered between three and fourhundred years ago to make a certain powder into an heap of which the smallest spark of fire would kindle the whole in a moment although it were as big as a mountain and make it all fly up in the air together with a noise and agitation greater than thunder that a proper quantity of this powder rammed into an hollow tube of brass or iron according to its bigness would drive a ball of iron or lead with such violence and speed as nothing was able to sustain its force.
-From “Gulliver’s Travels” by Jonathan Swift
The paragraph cited above appears to be a jumble of ideas because there are no punctuation marks to help set off thoughts.Indeed,all ideas run into each other. In order to make sense out of the paragraph , we need to use end-stop punctuation to divide complete thoughts or suitable connectors(conjunctions) to join two ideas.
Basic Rule: Do not carelessly run main clauses together without appropiate punctuation or connectors.Correct run-on sentences in one of the following ways:
Method I: The most common way to correct a run-on sentence is to divide the sentence using end-stop punctuation.
Run-on: The lecture was dull you almost fell asleep.
Correct: The lecture was dull.You almost fell asleep.
Run-on: Was the lecture dull you almost fell asleep.
Correct: Was the lecture dull? You almost fell asleep.
Run-on: The lecture was incredebly dull you almost fell asleep.
Correct: The lecture was incredebly dull! You almost fell asleep.
Note: When end-stop punctuation is used , the new thought begins with a capital letter.
In the above three corrections,three different end-stops marks were used:
1 The period (.)
2 The question mark (?)
3 The exclamation point (!)
Caution! The comma is not an end-mark.It cannot be used by itself to separate two sentences.
Incorrect: Close the window,there is a draft in the room.
Correct: Close the window.There is a draft in the room.
Method II: Sometimes two sentences are very closely related in meaning and full end-stop punctuation may seem too strong. A semicolon can then be used to dicide the two sentences.If semicolon is used
,do not use a capital letter to begin the word following the semicolon,unless the wors normally begins with a capital letter.
Run-on: It was a beautiful day ,there was not a cloud in the sky.
Correct: It was a beautiful day;there was not a cloud in the sky.
Method III: A third way to correct the run-on is to use a connector(conjunction) such as : and,but,for,or and nor, if the two sentences are equal in importance.It is usually advisable to place a comma before those connectors.
Run-on: I like to ski,my friend prefers to sit by the fire.
Correct: I like to ski,but my friend prefers to sit by the fire.
Note! Some problems words the may cause run-ons are however,therefore,consequently and moreover. These words are not sentence connectors, and when they follow a complete thought , they should be preceded by either a period or semicolon.
Drill VII
Examine the following words groups.Wherever you believe a sentence ends,put in the correct punctuation mark and capitalize the next word.Do this only where you feel that punctuation is necessary.Indicate a correct sentence by C.Sometimes it is helpful to read the word groups aloud.
1 It was an exhausting day we could hardly wait to get home.
2 The house was completely empty , no one came to the door.
3 Where had everyone gone all the lights were off.
4 We entered slowly,almost afraid.
5 Suddenly I felt something was going to happen my heart began to beat furiously.
Ex. Put the verbs in italics in the simple or continuous present perfect. Use the SIMPLE PRESENT PERFECT to indicate past events+ present results and the CONTINUOUS PRESENT PERFECT to indicate events beginning in the past, extending to the present moment, and possibly going on after that.
1. Alex has learned to swimm at last. Now he can go swimming in the sea.
2. John has been learning to swim for the past two weeks. He’s going to a swimming lesson now.
3. Mrs. Miles (teach) ___English for many years and will continue to do so in the future.
4. Don’t insist, please. I (sing) _____all the songs I know.
5. Mr. Brown (teach) _____English for 35 years. He’s retiring now.
6. I (wait) ___for half an hour already, and I’m determined to go on waiting until someone shows up.
7. Well, isn’t Betty going to stop? She (sing)______all day.
8. The Adamses (live) ________in town for forty years. Now they’re moving to the country.
9. Now that we (watch) our favorite program you may turn the TV off.
10. He (live) ____in this country for years, but he still can’t speak the language very well.
Ex. Make sentences. Add any missing words. Use the Continuous Present Perfect to emphasize duration, and the SIMPLE PRESENT PERFECT to emphasize completion.
AT NOON IN THE DAY CARE CENTER
1. Play/do many things. The children have been playing since morning. They’ve done many things since they came.
2. Play with blocks/build a little town
3. Do puzzles/put two large puzzles together
4. Play in the sand/build a dozen sandcastles
5. Watch cartoons/watch three Walt Disney cartoons
6. Tell stories/tell the stories of Snow White and Sleeping Beauty.
Ex.
Use verbs in the simple or continuous present perfect to express REPEATED ACTIONS. Use the simple present perfect if the number of times is specified and the continuous present perfect if it isn’t.
1. A. Why don’t you ask Betty to help you? B. I’ve been asking her. (unspecified). A. Well, ask her again. B. But I’ve asked her several times (several times).
2. A. You should call your doctor and ask him to see you. B. (unspecified) A. Well, call him again. B. (five times).
3. A. You should take some pictures of the school building. B. (one) A. Why don’t you take a picture of the students too? B (a dozen).
4. A. You should write to your grandparents. B. (unspecified) A. Well, write to them again. B. (ten letters).
Curs Practic 