ENGLISH ALIVE Grammar, Function, and Setting S E C O ND E D I T I ON Gail Fingado Mary Reinbold Jerome American Language Program Columbia University HEINLE & HEINLE PUBLISHERS A Division ofWadsworth, Inc. Boston, Massachusetts 02116 Director: Laurie E. Likoff Full-Service Manager: Michael Weinstein Production Coordinator: Cynthia Funkhouser Text Design: Lucy Leziak Design Cover Design: Caliber Design Planning Text Illustrations: Marcie Davis; p. 289, Nancy Mattimore Photo Research: Jacquelyn Wong Production: Spectrum Publisher Services Compositor: Graphic Sciences Printer and Binder: Malloy Lithographing Photo Credits: p. 18, The Bettmann Archive; p. 28, Courtesy of the United Nations; p. 46, The Bettmann Archive; p. 85, Courtesy of the United Nations; p. 90, Courtesy of the United Nations; p. 96, Courtesy of the United Nations; p. 138, Courtesy of Colgate University, Hamilton, NY; p. 174, Courtesy of the Congress of the United States; p. 194, Courtesy of the United Nations/B. Lane; p. 204, © Bob Daemmrich/1 The Image Works; p. 210, Courtesy of the United Nations; p. 217, Courtesy of Colgate University, Hamilton, NY; p. 270, © Brent Jones; p. 278, top left: The Bettmann Archive, all others: UPI/Bettmann. English Alive: Grammar, Function, and Setting Copyright © 1991 by Heinle & Heinle Publishers, a division of Wadsworth, Inc, All rights reserved. Printed in the United States of America. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews. ISBN 0-8384-2910-6 Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Fingado, Gail. English alive: grammar, function, and setting / Gail Fingado and Mary Reinbold Jerome. — 2nd ed. p. cm. Includes index. 1. English language—Textbooks for foreign speakers. I. Jerome, Mary Reinbold. II. Title. PE 1128.F48 1991 428.2T4—dc20 90-23710 CIP PREFACE TO THE SECOND EDITION The new revised edition of English Alive is designed to make this popular text more user-friendly for both the student and the instructor. It now has a clearer, easier-to-use format. Although the instructor is still encouraged to intersperse grammar lessons with lessons from the function and setting chapters, there are now three separate sections for grammar, function, and setting chapters. The new layout is more attractive, allowing the student's eye to travel more easily over the page. Outdated information has been replaced. In order to provide a better balance with controlled activities such as fill-ins or dialogs, more discussion questions and open-ended or in- teractive activities have been added. To make the text easier for the in- structor to use, comprehension questions now follow every dialog; an au- diotape of the dialogs is now available for purchase, allowing the instructor to use the dialogs for listening comprehension. Simple definitions for words in the vocabulary preparation lists preceding readings have been added. Two new integration chapters have been provided, allowing for better re- view of verb forms. To better meet the needs of a curriculum for low in- termediate students, two new grammar chapters have been added: a chapter on the Present Unreal Conditional and one on the Passive Voice with the Simple Past and Simple Present. The authors are confident that instructors who have enjoyed working with this unique text in the past will find that the revised edition is much improved. Instructors trying English Alive for the first time will be de- lighted to find how easy it is to plan the curriculum around the text. To the Teacher This text is intended for low-level adult students of English as a second language. By "low-level students," we mean those who already have had some exposure to basic grammatical structures but have had limited oppor- tunities to practice those structures orally. These students will enjoy the added challenge of learning vocabulary and practicing their discussion skills as they review and learn grammar. English Alive is intended to help them attain oral and written mastery of key structures, build their Preface vocabulary, and, at the same time, develop their ability to discuss a wide range of topics. The book provides a full range of classroom activities, from listening comprehension exercises and controlled fill-ins for testing and drilling to freer activities, such as role playing and student presentations. In addition, and perhaps most importantly, the content focus of most of the grammar chapters can be used as a springboard for discussion of such diverse topics as folk remedies for common ailments, street crime, and the existence of ghosts. Even students with limited fluency and vocabulary want and need to have a chance to discuss challenging and possibly controversial subjects. True, the students will make errors, grope for words, and become frustrated at times by their inability to express ideas with ease, but all of this is a very natural part of the language-learning process. Another unique feature of the text is that, in addition to the grammar- focused chapters, there are chapters on language functions, such as making suggestions or accepting and refusing requests. Moreover, there are chap- ters on the specific language needed for certain settings, such as a restau- rant or a store. These chapters indirectly review and reinforce the gramma- tical structures that students have learned in previous chapters. Grammar, function, and setting—the three major elements needed to communicate in a language—are thus provided in this text. This book can be assigned to the student for independent study and review at home or for work in the classroom. The chapters are arranged according to the complexity of the structure, but, for the most part, they can be used in whatever sequence meets the needs of a particular group of students. If you feel that the vocabulary or subject matter of a chapter is too challenging, the grammatical structure can be introduced in a simpler context, and the chapter can be used as a review rather than an introduc- tion. Chapter Format Each grammar chapter is introduced with a dialog, cartoon strip, or reading passage that illustrates the target structure. The dialogs consist of con- versations among six main characters. Next follows a variety of activities related to the dialog, cartoon strip, or reading passage: comprehension questions, grammar fill-ins, or role playing. The chapter then proceeds to an explanation of the structure, which is highlighted by contextualized ex- amples. Additional exercises follow. Because English Alive is a low-level text, the explanations have been kept as simple and as clear as possible. For example, in the chapter on verbs followed by infinitives and gerunds, not only is the list of verbs limited, but also no mention is made of such problem verbs as remember and forget, which change meaning according to the verb form that follows. "I forgot to Preface tell him about it" is different in meaning from, "I forgot telling him about it." The intent is to avoid overloading low-level students with information. The function and setting chapters have a different format from that of the grammar chapters. The student is given short sample conversations that contain necessary expressions and is then asked to practice these con- versations with the aid of dialog guides in which certain parts are left blank. Suggestions for Using the Grammar Chapters: Dialogs Although the dialogs do contain some elements of natural conversation, such as "yeah" instead of "yes," they are not intended to be an accurate reflection of the spoken language. Nor are they meant to be memorized. They are simply intended to provide examples of the use of key structures in spoken English, There are several different ways in which you can introduce the dialog. You may have the students first read it silently and then read it again as you read it aloud. You can then ask them to answer the comprehen- sion questions and do any other follow-up activities for the dialog. If you wish to use the dialog for listening comprehension practice, there is a tape with all the dialogs available for purchase. Start by describing the situation of the dialog and directing the students to preview the comprehension questions in the text, reminding them not to read the dialog. The class will probably need at least two chances to listen before they attempt to answer. If your own voice is your only classroom resource, you can write the names of the characters on the board and shift position when reading each one's lines. Opportunities to use the target structures are then provided through com- prehension questions, oral and written fill-in exercises, questions designed to elicit opinions on the issues raised, or, where appropriate, role playing in a situation similar to that of the dialog. Grammar Explanations and Examples The explanations for the grammatical structures are given in simple, clear language. Again, since the intent is to avoid overloading the student with information, some explanations may appear to be oversimplified, but stu- dents at this level learn best by putting grammar rules into practice, not by reading about them. You may prefer not to take up valuable class time going over the explanations and examples. If so, you can assign them for home- work either before or after beginning a chapter, since all of the examples provided relate to the content focus of the chapter. Exercises More mileage can be obtained from the grammar fill-ins if they are first used as listening comprehension exercises and then as writing exercises, Preface either in class, where the teacher can provide individual help on the spot, or at home. Many exercises also lead either to general discussions or specific questions that call for student opinions. In this edition, multipart activities feature an open box (•) preceding the directions for each part of the activity. Reading Passages The reading passages are rich in useful vocabulary. Before each passage is a list of difficult vocabulary items you may wish to preteach. Or you may choose, instead, to go over the pronunciation with the class and then to ask the students to guess meanings from the context of the reading passage. As in the case of the dialogs, the reading passages are followed by various activities. Again, additional use can be made of the passages by dividing them into shorter sections and letting them serve as listening comprehen- sion exercises. The teachers who have tested this book in their classes at Columbia University's American Language Program and elsewhere have found that it provides a solid core of material for an introductory program of English study and that the variety and substance of the subject matter generate a high level of student interest. It is our belief that the text provides a strong foundation for an accurate and fluent command of the language and makes the study of English an enjoyable and communicative experience. Acknowledgments Without the moral support and generous released-time grant given to us by Ward Dennis, dean of the School of General Studies at Columbia University, and Louis Levi, former chair of the American Language Program, this book would not have been possible. We wish to express to both of them our gratitude and appreciation. We also wish to express our thanks for the advice, criticism, and support received from our colleagues at the American Language Program of Colum- bia University, expecially Mary Colonna, Irene Schoenberg, Susan Sklar, Thad Ferguson, Diana Berkowitz and Winnie Falcon. Thanks also to Leslie Freeman for her encouragement, to Ellen Lehrberger for her contributions to Chapter 13, and to Kathleen Savage for her special help in editing the manuscript. We also are grateful for the helpful comments of these reviewers: Erik J. Beukenkamp, Cornell University; Jayne C. Harder, University of Florida; Donna Jurich, San Francisco State University; Patrick T. Kameen, Univer- sity of Louisville; Robert L. Saitz, Boston University; Ellen Shaw, New York University; and Peter Thomas and Jody Stern, University of California at San Diego. BRIEF CONTENTS 1 The Present Continuous Tense 2 2 The Future Tense with Going to 18 3 The Simple Past Tense 28 4 Was and Were 46 5 There Is, There Are, There Was, There Were 56 6 The Simple Present Tense 68 7 Integration of Present Continuous, Simple Present, Simple Past, and Future CGoing to; Tenses 90 8 Count and Mass Nouns 96 9 The Future Tense with Will 110 10 Can and Could 121 11 Should 132 12 Have to 138 13 Verb + Infinitive, Verb + Gerund 159 14 Comparative Forms of Adjectives and Adverbs 174 15 Superlative Forms of Adjectives 194 16 Simple Present Tense Time Clauses 204 17 Simple Past Tense Time Clauses 210 18 Integration of Verb Forms for Chapters 1-17 217 19 The Past Continuous Tense 222 20 The Present Perfect Continuous Tense 236 21 Future Time Clauses 250 22 Real Conditional for Future Events—It, Will 262 23 Present Unreal Conditional 270 24 The Passive Voice with the Simple Past and Simple Present Tenses 278 25 Integration of Tenses and Verb Forms 289 26 Invitations with Would You Like 295 27 Giving Directions 303 28 Making Suggestions with Let's and Why Don't 312 29 Requests and Favors 316 30 Travel 320 31 In a Restaurant 327 32 Visiting a Friend's Home 332 33 A Visit to the Doctor 336 34 Using the Telephone 344 35 Shopping for Clothes 351 Appendix: Irregular Verbs in English 357 Index 363 CONTENTS Preface vii Acknowledgments x 1. THE PRESENT CONTINUOUS TENSE CONTENT FOCUS: INTRODUCTION OF CHARACTERS Cartoon Strip 3 The Present Continuous Tense 4 Statements 4 • Contractions 5 Questions 9 Short Answers 10 Vocabulary 15 2. THE FUTURE TENSE WITH GOING TO 18 CONTENT FOCUS: A TRIP TO WASHINGTON, D.C. 19 Dialog 19 * Comprehension Questions 19 • Grammar Fill-in 20 The Future Tense with Going to 20 Questions 20 Reading—A Trip to Washington, D.C. 22 Vocabulary 22 • Comprehension Questions 23 • Question Practice—Oral 23 • Question Practice—Written 24 • Dictation 25 • Interview 26 Using the Present Continuous Tense to Talk about the Future 26 3. THE SIMPLE PAST TENSE 28 CONTENT FOCUS: A MUGGING 29 Dialog 29 * Comprehension Questions 29 Discussion Questions 29 • Grammar Fill-in 30 The Simple Past Tense 31 Affirmative Statements 31 Irregular Verbs 31 • Regular Verbs 32 Pronunciation 32 Negative Statements 33 • Questions 33 Discussion 35 Contents Reading—The Youngest Bank Robber 42 Vocabulary 42 • Comprehension Questions 43 Discussion Questions 43 • Role Playing 43 Irregular Verbs 44 4. WAS AND WERE 46 47 CONTENT FOCUS: AMERICAN HISTORY Interview 47 • Vocabulary 47 Was and Were 48 Statements 48 • Questions 48 Short Answers 49 Vocabulary 51 • Vocabulary 53 THERE IS, THERE ARE, THERE WAS, THERE WERE 56 CONTENT FOCUS: DISNEYLAND AND CALIFORNIA 57 Dialog 57 • Comprehension Questions 58 • Dictation 58 Role Playing 59 There Is, There Are, There Was, There Were 59 Present Tense 59 Statements 59 Vocabulary 60 Questions 61 Past Tense 63 Statements 63 Questions 63 Listening Comprehension Questions 65 6. THE SIMPLE PRESENT TENSE 68 CONTENT FOCUS: HOLIDAYS IN THE UNITED STATES 69 Dialog 69 • Comprehension 69 The Simple Present Tense 69 Statements 70 * Vocabulary 71 • Questions 72 Short Answers 73 • Frequency 77 Adverbs of Frequency 77 * How Often 78 The Two Present Tenses of English 82 • Vocabulary 87 7. INTEGRATION OF PRESENT CONTINUOUS, SIMPLE PRESENT, SIMPLE PAST, AND FUTURE (GOING TO) TENSES 90 91 CONTENT FOCUS: SOME PROBLEMS IN A MARRIAGE Comprehension Questions 93 • Opinion Questions 93 Role Playing 94