4
The English Corner
Grammar consolidation
First half of the grammar stage 1
In the first half of grammar stage 1 you practiced the following
tenses.
A. Verb be in present: am. Is, are
B. Simple present
C. Present continuous
D. Verb be in past: was and were
E. Simple past
F. Used to
G.Past Continuous
H.Present perfect
I. Present perfect continuous
Match the following sentences with their corresponding
tense
1. Sally works in the marketing division ________
2. The company used to operate in The UK ________
3. Mark spoke to the manager ________
4. The machines were from Canada ________
5. The team was planning a new car design ________
6. The plant has worked since June ________
7. The new procedure is very efficient ________
8. The interviewees are answering a form ________
9. Our new plant has been working perfectly ________
Follow the sentence components and re-write the sentences in their
corresponding tense.
Sentence components Tense
4
The English Corner
Verb be: is Verb be in present
are answering Present continuous
works (3rd person “s”) Simple present
Verb be in past: were Verb be in past
spoke Simple past
used to operate Used to
was planning Past continuous
has worked Present perfect
has been working Present perfect
continuous
Change the sentences in their negative and interrogative form
Affirmative sentence Negative sentence Question
The new procedure is very
efficient
The interviewees are
answering a form
Sally works in the
marketing division
The machines were from
Canada
Mark spoke to the
manager
The company used to
operate in The UK
The team was planning a
new car design
The plant has worked
since June
Our new plant has been
working perfectly
Go to your Grammar Stage 1 Practice sheet for extended practice
Consolidation Practice
Verb be
Organize the following sentences. Verb be: am, is, are.
4
The English Corner
1. manufacturing / Canada / plant / in / The / is
____________________________________________________
2. week / next / The / are / meetings
____________________________________________________
3. is / CEO / office / in / now / The / our
____________________________________________________
4. conditions / the / They / working / with / aren't / happy
____________________________________________________
5. a / supervisor / is / He
____________________________________________________
Complete the text with the verb be in present: am, is, are
Axdal Electronics is a world leader in control systems.
We_________ suppliers to the car industry. Car manufacturers
_________ our only customers. We__________ also suppliers to
other industries. A E_________ an international company. Our
customers__________in the USA, Japan and Europe. Our Chief
Executive_________ Paul Axdal. ‘We__________a family company
and business_________ very good.
Answer the following questions with short answers
1. Is Axdal Electronics a world leader in software packages?
____________________________________________________
______
2. Are they suppliers to the car industry?
____________________________________________________
______
3. Is AE a national company?
____________________________________________________
______
4. Are their customers in USA, Japan, Mexico and Europe?
__________________________________________________
_____
Write the question for each answer
1. __________________________________________?
4
The English Corner
We are from Seattle in the USA.
2. __________________________________________?
I am but my co-workers are from Mexico
3. __________________________________________?
My name is Jane and this is Arnold Weiss
4. __________________________________________?
No, we are not in banking. We are in finance
Answer the following questions.
1. Which skill is more important for you?
a)Listening b) Reading c) Writing d) Speaking
2. Is English difficult for you?
___________________________________________
3. Is grammar more difficult than vocabulary?
___________________________________________
4. Which is, in your opinion, your strongest skill?
a)Listening b) Reading c) Writing d) Speaking
Ask five questions to a classmate or your teacher with the verb be
1_______________________________________________?
2_______________________________________________?
3_______________________________________________?
4_______________________________________________?
5_______________________________________________?
Consolidation Practice
Simple Present
Organize the following sentences in the simple present
1. work / for / a / research / I / company.
____________________________________________________
4
The English Corner
2. food / frozen / makes / The / for / company / supermarkets.
____________________________________________________
3. always / background. / investigate / job / applicant's / a / We
____________________________________________________
4. this / responsibility / normally / process. / has / The / for / total /
manager
____________________________________________________
5. they / Many / people / never / eat / breakfast. / say
____________________________________________________
6. France. / go / to / I / often
____________________________________________________
Complete the sentences
Atsuko Kyoto________________(live) in Tokyo. She________________ (be)
a freelance journalist. She________________(often/travel) to other countries.
In London and Paris she ________________(like) to visit friends.
She________________ (usually/write) for newspapers and magazines and
she________________(sometimes/make) television programmes. She
________________(usually/stay) in four star hotels and________________
(often/eat) in top class restaurants. She________________(never/drink) wine,
beer or any alcohol.
Write negative sentences
1. we manufacture finished products
_____________________________________________
2. we advertise on television
_____________________________________________
3. the company sponsors sport
__________________________________________
4. l like fish
_________________________________________
5. Nakko S.A processes written orders for goods
__________________________________________
4
The English Corner
6. Cable PLC despatches products by train
__________________________________________
7. we deal with Latin America
__________________________________________
8. you live in an apartment
__________________________________________
local newspaper attacked Teal Ltd for damaging the
environment. The owner, Peter Teal, wrote a reply. Give the
negative forms of the words in the brackets.
Dear Sir,
I want to tell your readers some facts about Teal
Ltd. The company _____________ (use) chemical dyes in its products
or bleach to make our materials white. The management _____________
(encourage) the use of company cars. We ____________(allow) staff
to park private cars on company premises. We ___________ (burn)
our rubbish and we ____________(throw away) glass or paper.
Yours faithfully,
PJ Teal
Managing Director (Teal Ltd)
Answer the questions
1. Does your country make cars?
______________________________________________
2. Do the largest companies in your area export products to many
different countries?
______________________________________________
3. How many people do you work or study with?
______________________________________________
4. Do you know any internationally famous products from your
country?
______________________________________________
4
The English Corner
5. Does your home town have a university?
______________________________________________
Write questions and match the answers below
Example:
D 1. Where/from? Where do you come from?
______2. Where/work?
__________________________?
______3. What/Papeleras Valle/make?
__________________________?
______4. How many people/your company/employ?
__________________________?
______5. Have/just one plant?
__________________________?
a) The company makes paper
b) No, we have two, both near Santiago
c) I work for Papeleras Valle.
d) I come from Santiago, in Chile..
e) About 750.
f) We’re a paper processing company.
Consolidation Practice
Present Continuous
Look at the email below. Underline five present continuous
forms.
4
The English Corner
Here is part of a telephone conversation. Complete the spaces
with the verbs in present continuous.
DL: Hello, Peter. Listen, I _____________ (read) your report. There’s a
problem on page 50.
PT: Okay, I ____________ (look) at it right now. What’s the problem?
DL: It says we__________ (invest) $250,000 in research. That's wrong.
It ’s $25,000, not $250,000.
PT: Okay I will change that.
DL: Right. Remember, you __________ (meet) Mr Lally and his
colleagues today.
PT: Yes, I know. They__________ (come) here at 2.30.
DL: Fine. Good luck. See you tomorrow, then.
Look at the graph below. It shows total company sales and
sales for two products, A and B. Write four sentences in the
present continuous with the prompts below.
4
The English Corner
1. Total sales (go up)
___________________________________________
2. Product A (increase)
_________________________________________
3. Product B (fall)
______________________________________________
4. The
company (stop) __________________________________________
production of Product B
Write four sentences about you, your friends, a local business
or your company. Include phrases from the box.
now at the moment currently at present
1. _________________________________________________
2. _________________________________________________
3. _________________________________________________
4. _________________________________________________
Look at the text below. Underline four present continuous
negative sentences.
4
The English Corner
Write sentences with a present continuous negative. Use
contractions.
1. I/not visit/a customer/in Rome
________________________________________________
2. We/not spend/much time/in Milan
________________________________________________
3. The company/not look at/new markets in southern Europe
________________________________________________
4. At the moment many companies/not invest/in new products
________________________________________________
5. Our marketing experts/not change/our present sales strategy
________________________________________________
6. You/not stay/in a hotel
________________________________________________
Make questions to complete the dialogue below. Use the words in
brackets.
1. _____________________________? She’s telephoning Signor Fini.
(What/Mary/do?)
2. _____________________________? To invite him to the meeting on
Friday.
(Why/call/him?)
3. _____________________________? To talk about the last reports.
(Why/we/have a meeting?)
4. _____________________________? Yes, I’m s till working on it.
(You/work on/the report now?)
6. _____________________________? No, I’m doing it alone.
(Anyone/help/you?)
7. _____________________________? No, they aren't.
(Kim and James/come/to the meeting?)
Underline the mistakes in the following sentences. Then correct them.
4
The English Corner
1. Is you working very hard? ___________________________________
2. At the moment they working with Poland?
__________________________
3. Is Leo and Sam planning the conference together?
__________________________
4. What you think about? __________________________
5. Is raining in Bangkok? __________________________
Make questions for the pictures 1-4. Use the words in brackets.
1_________________________________?
2_________________________________?
3_________________________________?
4_________________________________?
Write five questions for a classmate or your teacher using the present
continuous form.
1________________________________________________?
2________________________________________________?
3________________________________________________?
4
The English Corner
4________________________________________________?
5________________________________________________?
Read the dialogue below. A journalist is talking to a representative of
Chemco Ltd. Put the number of sentences 1-7 into the correct box.
J: What plans does Chemco have now? (1)
C: Chemco processes oil and makes paints. (2) We're also planning to make
plastics. (3)
J: Are you already working in that area? (4)
C: We're not selling any plastics at the moment. (5)
J: Does the company plan to merge with Sidon Ltd? (6)
C: No, we don’t want to join another company. (7)
affirmative negative question
Present continuous
Simple present
Consolidation Practice
Present Continuous vs Simple present.
Complete the dialogue below between a consultant and a
marketing manager.
C: Which export markets do you sell to?
M: We______________ (deal) mainly with Germany,
France and Sweden.
C: And ___________________(negotiate} with Japanese
customers at the moment?
M; No, not at the moment.
C: _____________ (plan) to enter any new markets?
M; Yes, Italy. We _______________ (launch) a range of
products there this year.
C: And Sweden? _________________ [sell} much there ?
M: Yes, we often____________ (get) big orders from
Swedish manufacturers.
Write sentences about your own current activities. Use both
the present simple and the present continuous.
4
The English Corner
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________
Conversation Frameworks
Verb be, Simple present and Present continuous
Follow the instructions in parenthesis to complete the
following conversation.
A: Where are you from Mark?
B: I am from England and you?
A: _________________________________________________(answer
and ask a yes/no question with the verb be)
__________________________________________?
B: _______________________________________ (answer and make a
comment with the verb be) ___________________________________
A: _______________________________________ (reply to the comment
with a negative sentence using the verb be)
B: _______________________________________ (reply to the comment
and ask an information question using the simple present)
A: _______________________________________ change the topic
asking a question using the present continuous)