IMAGINAY/ UNREAL SITUATIONS AND POSSIBLE CONSEQUENCES

Most of us are quite poor, aren't we? :S but let's imagine that we have the chance to become rich...

If I won 10 million dollars I would travel around the world and I would buy all my clothes in Paris!

What about you?.. What would you do if you won 10 million dollars?

Here is a video with some people who answer this question.


When we have an IMAGINARY or UNREAL CONDITION we express it in past:
IF I HAD A LOT OF MONEY (but I don't have :( ) ... IF I LIVED IN ANOTHER COUNTRY (but I live in Mexico) .... IF I COULD SPEAK ENGLISH PERFECTLY (but I'm still studying)
And to express the POSSIBLE RESULT of this imaginary situation we use WOULD/ COULD + simple form or WOULD'NT /COULDN'T+ simple form.

Examples:

If I had a lot of money, I wouldn't work and I would enjoy life!

If I lived in another country, I would live in Japan but I couldn't eat delicious Mexican tacos.

This structure is called second conditional and we use it to express an unreal situation, dreams or hypothesis and their posible imaginary results.

To form it we need two clauses: the condition + the result (the order doesn't affect).

The condition: if + simple past
The result: would/ could + simple form


Affirmative: I would get a better job if I spoke three different languages.
Negative: If I worked near home, I wouldn't be so tired commuting long hours.
Question: What would you think if I sang out of tune? If you saw somebody sick, what would you do? If you didn't have money to go home, would you ask for money in the streets?



LINKS TO PRACTICE

http://www.better-english.com/grammar/cond2.htm
http://www.ego4u.com/en/cram-up/grammar/conditional-sentences/type-2/exercises
http://www.ego4u.com/en/cram-up/grammar/conditional-sentences/type-2/exercises?02
http://web2.uvcs.uvic.ca/elc/StudyZone/410/grammar/2cond1.htm


TASK

If you found a magic lamp what would you ask for?

Report what we heard

We can report what another person says in two ways:

1. Quoting people. By using the exact words of the speaker.
We repeat the exact words used by the speaker and keep the exact words within quotation marks.

Example:

He told me, “I'm an architect”

"I love him", she said.

"I'm working", he said to me.

2. Reporting. By using our own words to repeat what the speaker said.
Here we do not use the quotation marks.

Example:


Direct: He told me, “I'm an architect” Reporting: He told me he was an architect.
Direct: I love him", she said. Reporting: She said that she loved him.
Direct: "I'm working", he said to me. Reporting: he said to me that he was working.





When transforming statements, check whether you have to change:

• Tenses (backshift): "Marco lives in the South", she told me. = She told me (that) Marco lived in the South.
• Pronouns. "I love you", she said. = SHE said she loved me.
• Place and time expressions: "We will wait for you here, tomorrow", they said. = They said they would wait for me there, the following day.
  

More info about reported statements:
http://www.ego4u.com/en/cram-up/grammar/reported-speech/statements



Exercises:
http://a4esl.org/q/h/9901/tm-reported1.html
http://www.ego4u.com/en/cram-up/grammar/reported-speech/exercises?03
http://www.ego4u.com/en/cram-up/grammar/reported-speech/exercises?04
http://esl.about.com/library/quiz/blgrquiz_reported1.htm
http://wwwedu.ge.ch/cptic/prospective/projets/anglais/exercises/reported1.htm
http://www.english-zone.com/verbs/indirect1.html

Past perfect. (the past of the past :P)

The Past Perfect expresses the idea that something occurred before another action in the past. It can also show that something happened before a specific time in the past.

It is used to sequence the past events in narrations. It helps to show which event heppened first

For example:

1) A: Why didn't you call me?

B. I wanted to call you, but I had spent all my credit. (that happened before "want to call you")

2) He was nervous because he had never dived before.

FORM

[had + past participle]

Affirmative: You had studied English before you moved to New York.

Question: Had you studied English before you moved to New York?

Negative: You had not studied English before you moved to New York.

Exercises:

Recognize past perfect: http://web2.uvcs.uvic.ca/elc/StudyZone/410/grammar/pastpf1.htm

Work on the form: http://web2.uvcs.uvic.ca/elc/StudyZone/410/grammar/pastpf2.htm

http://www.ego4u.com/en/cram-up/grammar/past-perfect-simple/exercises

Simple past and past perfect:

http://www.englishgrammarsecrets.com/pastperfect/exercise1.html

http://www.englishgrammarsecrets.com/pastperfect/exercise6.html

http://www.usingenglish.com/quizzes/140.html

Simple past and past perfect in context: http://www.englishpage.com/verbpage/verbs11.htm

TASK

You are very annoyed with one of your classmates. The teacher asked you to do a project in teams but he is really lazy and irresponsible so you finished doing almost all the project alone because he never finished the work on time.

Tell us what happened.

Example:

"Ronald is really irresponsible! I don't want to work with him anymore.

Before he answered my text message, I had already sent him 3 messages to his cellphone asking him to call me.

I had looked up for new words and I had written a list by the time he sent his list.

He paid for the material that we used in the project after I had asked him many times to pay it."

PRESENT PERFECT CONTINOUS vs PRESENT PERFECT

Think of this situation.

Jessica Viviana says:

"I'm an English Teacher. I started to teach English in 2007. That means, I have been teaching English for two years. I have taught 10 different levels."

In this example we are talking about a fact that started in the past (teach English in 2007) and continues up to the present and it is possible that it continues in the future (because that's Jessica's career).

Now, some questions:
1) How long has Jessica been teaching? She has been teaching for two years.
2) How many levels has she taught? She has taught 10 different levels.

In the first question we focus on the TIME, THE DURATION. We answer the question: HOW LONG...?

The grammar tense used to answer this question is called: present perfect continuous.
It is formed:

Affirmative: Subject + has/have + been + verb(ing) + complement.
She has been teaching English for 2 years.

Negative: Subject + hasn't/haven't + been + verb(ing) + complement.
We haven't been eating fat food since we are on a diet.

Question: (Wh- word) + has/ have + subject + been + verb (ing) + complement.
What sport have you been practising recently?

Note: You can use any Wh- word (where, who, what, why) except from: When/How much/ How many...
http://www.ego4u.com/en/cram-up/tests/present-perfect-progressive-2
http://www.ego4u.com/en/cram-up/grammar/present-perfect-progressive/exercises

In the first question we focus on the QUANTITY/ THE RESULT. We answer the question: HOW MANY...? OR HOW MUCH...?
The grammar tense used to answer this question is called: present perfect.

It is formed:
Affirmative: Subject + has/have + verb (past participle) + complement.
She has taught 10 different levels.

Negative: Subject + hasn't/haven't + verb (past participle) + complement.
We haven't done anything.

Question: (Wh- word) + has/ have + subject + verb (past participle) + complement.
How many sports have you practised recently?

Note: You can use any Wh- word (where, who, what, why) except from: When/How long...
We don't use WHEN in the questions, because WHEN ask and answer for a specific time in the past. Therefore, for this question/ answer it is used simple past. Example: When did she start to teach English? She started in 2007.

Use of: for /since.
Because we are talking about actions that started in the past and they are still in progress, we generally use time expressions to express when the action started.
For the present perfect and present perfect continuous we use FOR + a period of time and SINCE +specific date when the action started.
Example:
She has been teaching English since 2007. = She has been teaching English for two years. (now is 2009)

http://www.englishlearner.com/tests/since_or_for.shtml
http://www.englishclub.com/grammar/verbs-m_for-since_quiz.htm

Present perfect continuous (have/has been doing) vs present perfect (has/ have done)

Emphasis on time vs Emphasis on result
I have been working all night.
I have worked on the project and it is already finished.

Duration vs Quantity
I have been studying French since I was in elementary school.
I have studied French in 5 different schools.

Emphasis on the action vs Emphasis on the result
I have been watching videos to improve my English.
I have improved my Listening-

Verbs of action vs Stative verbs
I have been dating my boyfriend for 2 months. (Here the verb is: date -- a verb of action)
I have been with my boyfriend for 2 months. (Here the verb is: be -- a stative verb)

Other stative verbs: understand, want, love, hate, have (possesion).

Exercises. Present perfect or continuous?
http://www.ego4u.com/en/cram-up/grammar/prepersim-preperpro/exercises

http://www.aulafacil.com/Ingejerc/Lecciones/Ejerc21.htm


TASK

Talking about a collection...

Do you collect anything?
When did you start to collect it?
How long have you been collecting it?
How many items have you collected?

If you don't collect anything... you can talk about a hobby...