Unit 5A

In Units 5A, 5B and 5C you will learn:

• how to talk about action at the moment
• the prepositions to and in
• how to talk about sports and recreation
• the article
• the English sentence structure
• the seasons

Lesson 1:    Be and the Present Continuous

I'm eating.

The Present Continuous requires Be + verb / -ing. The sentence
I'm eating expresses action at the moment.

Notice again how be is used in this tense. Practice repeating be. Try to say be as I'm, you're and so on. Then practice the question forms. For example, Am I? Are you? This will help you know how to use be with less difficulty in the future. A good knowledge of be is necessary to speak well. Be is everywhere in English.

Lesson 2:    Verbs I

He's watching TV.

Practice saying the verbs below.

	do  read  study  work  sleep
	eat  drink  listen to  speak  write
	ask  wash  watch  rest  go

Remember the more verbs you know the better. You can memorize the verbs in Lesson 15 and then practice using them with be. It's important to begin learning verbs immediately.

Exercise 2    Use the correct form of be. SPEAK!

1. (He) He's listening to the radio. 2. (I) reading a book. 
3. (She) going to the store. 4. (They) writing a letter. 
5. (I) eating pizza. 6. (She) doing the housework. 
7. (We) drinking coffee. 8. (He) washing his clothes. 
9. (You) watching TV. 10. (They) studying English.

Answers

1. He's listening to the radio. 2. I'm reading a book. 3. She's going to the store.
4. They're writing a letter. 5. I'm eating a pizza. 6. She's doing the housework.
7. We're drinking coffee. 8. He's washing his clothes. 9. You're watching TV.
10. They're studying English.

Exercise 3    Practice making sentences with the 
word structures.

Example John / kitchen / eat

John is in the kitchen. He's eating.

Lesson 3:    Short Answers

Is she sleeping?  Yes, she is.

The present continuous also uses short answers with 
direct questions. And again it is necessary to know 
how to use be.

Is he eating? Yes, he is.  Is she writing a letter? No, she isn't.

Notice how direct questions are asked. Remember the rules for be. We must say Is he eating? and not He is eating?

Exercise 4    Correct the sentences below with the 
correct form of be.

You already know how to use be and short answers. It's the same with the Present Continuous. Of course it is possible to just say ‘no’ or ‘yes.’ But short answers are simply more polite.

	Are you studying? No, I'm not.
	Is he sleeping? Yes, he is.
	Are they eating? Yes, they are.

If the speaker wishes to continue speaking after yes or no, then short answers are sometimes not used.

Are you resting?  No, I'm watching TV.

Is he listening to the radio?  No, he's washing his clothes.

Exercise 5    Practice answering the questions with short answers.

Lesson 4:    The Prepositions to and in

We're going to English class.

Students often confuse the prepositions to and in. To is used 
with motion. For example, He is going to work. In is not generally 
a motion preposition. He is in the bedroom. Just remember that  
to is always used with motion verbs, such as go, walk, fly  
and so on.

	I'm going to work.  I'm going to the store.
	She's going to the doctor.  They're going to the park.

It is incorrect to say I'm going in work. You must say I'm going to work. Also in English it is normal to use the verb go in any situation, that is, by foot or vehicle. It makes no difference as in 
other languages.

I'm going to New York. (by vehicle)    I'm going to the shop. (by foot)

Exercise 6    Practice using to or in with the sentences below.

However home is an exception. We always say I’m going home, and not I'm going to home. Home requires no preposition with motion verbs. He's going home. He's running home. 
He's walking home.

Exercise 7    Reading

Hightower Street

Hightower Street is a street in the town center of Liverpool. It is a
very big street and always crowded. It is in the afternoon now and
many interesting people are walking and working along the street.
Jerry Logan is a letter carrier. He's delivering letters. Tom Morgan is
a driver. He's driving his truck. Tessa Jones is a musician. She's
playing her guitar. Mark Fenton is a student. He's walking to his
school. Claudia Brown is a lawyer. She's walking to her office. Mr.
Miller is a journalist. He's talking to a policeman. David Abner is
a newsagent. He's selling newspapers and magazines. John Barton
is a photographer. He's taking photographs. And Julia Smith is a
street vendor. She's selling fruits and vegetables.

Questions:

1. What's Jerry Logan's job? What's he doing now?

2. What's Tom Morgan's job? What's he doing now?

3. What's Tessa Jones doing?

4. What's Mark Fenton doing?

5. What's Claudia Brown doing?

Answers

1. He's a letter carrier (postman). He's delivering letters. 2. He's a driver. 
He's driving his truck. 3. She's playing her guitar. 4. He's walking to his school. 
5. She's walking to her office.

Lesson 5:    What kind of ...?

What kind of cake are you baking?

Speakers use What kind of ...? to ask about the specifics of something. For example, What kind of pizza is it? It’s a pepperoni pizza. Or What kind of book are you reading? I’m reading a detective story.

Exercise 8    Answer the questions and check your score.

To Begin press Start
To Begin Again, press Reset then Start
To Answer type the number and press Answer
To get your score press Score