Basic Grammar

Bach Khoa Sai Gon College

Instructor: Trần Nguyễn Minh Khoa
Course overview
• Course name: Basic Grammar
• Semester hours: 45 hours
• Self-study hours: 90 hours
• Instructor: Tran Nguyen Minh Khoa, B.A
• Email: minhkhoa.nna@gmail.com
Course assessment
• Evaluation of Student Progress : 20 %
• Mid-term test: 30 % of the total marks
• Final test: 50 %

• Materials:
• Collins, (2013) Work on Your Grammar, Ho Chi Minh City: Ho Chi Minh City
Publishing House (under a license Agreement between HarperCollins Publishers
Limited, UK and Nhan Tri Viet Co., Ltd., Vietnam.
• Eastwood, J. (2016) Oxford Practice Grammar, Oxford University Press
CLASS RULES
• Listen carefully and follow directions.
• Let the teacher know if you have any questions.
• Come to class punctually.
• No food or drink allowed in class; only water is acceptable.
• Silence your cell phones and other electronic devices.
• Finish your homework before going to school.
Course Overview
• Learning of comprehensive Pre-Intermediate (A2) level grammar of
the English language.
• Explaining traditional Grammar rules with the examinations of the
close relationship between Grammar and Vocabulary in English. The
grammar covers tenses, pronouns, prepositions and forms of verbs,
and many where grammar and vocabulary are closely linked. Learners
are going to develop universal knowledge to really acquire the
grammar point and use it adequately.
Course outline
DATE LESSON PLAN
Date 1 (September 14th) Unit 1, 2, 8
Date 2 (September 18th) Unit 10, 22
Date 3 ( September 21st) Unit 4, 7, 12
Date 4 (September 25th) Unit 5, 6
Date 5 (September 28th) Unit 3, 9
Date 6 (October 02nd) Unit 11, 15
Date 7 (October 05th) Unit 13, 16
Date 8 (October 09th) Unit 17, 18
Date 9 (October 12th) Unit 19, 20
Date 10 (October 16th) Unit 14
Date 11 (October 19th) Midterm
Date 12 (October 23th) Unit 21
Date 13 (October 26th) Unit 23, 24, 27
Date 14 (October 30th) Unit 25, 26
Date 15 (November 02nd) Unit 28, 29, 30
Date 16 (November 06th) Review
Dictionary help

Check online dictionaries for grammar point and explanation:

• https://dictionary.cambridge.org/
• https://dictionary.cambridge.org/grammar/british-grammar/

• https://www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com/
Lesson 1: Tenses

• Q&A:
What are the tenses in English grammar?
How many tense in English grammar? Describe the
structure and usage of each grammar point.
• Tense is the time described by a verb, shown by its grammatical
form.
(Concise Oxford Dictionary, 9th ed, p1436.)
Every sentence in English has a verb that describe an action,
state or occurrence in different time zone. Different tenses
could be identified by their associated verb forms.
 1 It is a posessive adjective of “I”
2 It is a noun. It is the most popular sport
3 It is a preposition going with a certain year.
4 It is the definite article
5 It is a preposition coming after go, come, get
6 The time after noon
7 It is a verb which often goes with some sports
8 It is a verb. It means “ intend to do something”
9 It is a male person who was born after you.
10 It is an auxiliary verb coming after singular pronouns.
KEY My brother is going to play football in the afternoon.
Talking about the future (present
continuous, present simple and will)
• In English we can talk about the future using different tenses and
auxiliaries.
• What's the difference between these sentences?
1. I am playing tennis.
2. I am playing tennis this afternoon.
3. I will play tennis tomorrow.
4. I'm going to play tennis with John tomorrow
 Plans and arrangements
• When talking about plans or arrangements, we can use the Present
Continuous
What are you doing this weekend?
I’m getting the train to London this afternoon.
They’re coming to see us tomorrow.

Practice: Exercise 1
Plans or predictions
• We use be going to to talk about plans or intentions:
I’m going to drive to work today
They’re going to move to Manchester.
• to make predictions based on evidence we can see, or to talk about
events that are outside people’s control:
Be careful! You are going to fall. (= I can see that you might fall.)
Look at those black clouds. I think it's going to rain. (= I can see
that it will rain.)
Price are going to fall.
Practice:
Use the correct form of be going to to complete
these sentences.
Timetables & Programmes
• •When talking about something scheduled or something in the future
happening at a definite time, we use Present Simple:
The train arrives at 6.30 in the morning.
My holiday starts on Monday.
It’s my birthday tomorrow.

Practice: Exercise 4, 5
Practice:
Use the correct present simple form to complete the
paragraph.
Decisions, Promises, Offer
• When we decide to do something at the moment of speaking (e.g make
decisions, offers or promises), we use will (negative: won’t)
I will text you when I get there.
Your phone's ringing! – I won’t take it. I’m sure it’s my ex-boyfriend.
Will we be home by tomorrow?
• We use will when we express beliefs about the future:
I think Brazil will win the World Cup.
It will be a nice day tomorrow.
Practice: Exercise 2, 3, 6
Practice:
Circle the correct answer.
Talking about the past and present
together (Present Perfect)
 Form of the Present Prefect

Statement Negative Question

I/you/we/they have(‘ve) I/you/we/they have not Have I/you/we/they

learnt.... (haven’t) learnt .... learnt..?
He/she/it has learnt .... He/she/it has not
(hasn’t) learnt ....
Practice: Exercise 2, 3, 6
Uses of the Present Perfect
Use Example

Situations that started in the past Mrs Jenkins has been the head
and are still true or happening teacher for three years.

Completed actions at a time in I’ve been to America three times.

the past which is not mentioned. I’ve already read that book.
.
 Following verbs and phrases
Example
• For She’s taught German here for over five years.
• since Mr Gray has taught French here since 2006.
• just We’ve just done this exercise.
• already We’re already done this exercise.
• yet We haven’t check the answers yet.
• ever Have you ever had guitar lesson?
• never I’ve never understood why they give us so much homework!
• it’s the first time It’s the first time we’ve watched a video in class.
 Have you ever
been to Wonder
Wonderland?
Talk about two events in the past (Past
continuous)
The Past Tense
Yesterday it was raining and thundering all day. Ann was playing inside the house. She
wanted to be outside. She wasn't playing outside because it was raining. She was
feeling tired of being trapped inside the house.

Anna was trying to keep busy inside house. She was reading her book until the electricity
went out. Then, she decided to practice her sewing. She was practicing sewing until
lunch time. After lunch, she sat by the window and watched the rain.

While Ann was watching the rain, the phone rang. Her mother was calling to say she was
coming home. She was bringing a new game. Anna and her mother ate ice cream and
played the game.
While they were playing, the rain stopped! but Ann didn't even notice. She was having
such a good time with her mom.

Group:A Group: B
Subject + Verb past S + was/were + Verb-ing
Form of the past continuous
Uses of the Past Continuous
Use Example

Action happening at a moment in Ann was playing inside the house.

the past . (yesterday)

Background infomation in a story Yesterday it was raining and

thundering all day.

Two actions in progress at the Her mother was calling to say she
same time. was coming home.
Compare two actions

longer action
.

interrupting action
 Following words and phrases
Example

• when I was swimming in the sea when it started raining.

• while I texted my friend while I was waiting for the bus

• as As I was leaving home, the phone rang.

• at .... o’clock. I was cooking at 5 o'clock yesterday.

 Read the paragraph again. Answer the
1. Where was Ann playing yesterday? Why wasn’t she playing outside?
questions:
2. What was Ann doing before the electricity went out? What was she doing until
lunchtime?
3. What happened at the end of the story? What was Ann doing at that time?

Yesterday it was raining and thundering all day. Ann was playing inside the house. She wanted to be
outside. She wasn't playing outside because it was raining. She was feeling tired of being trapped inside
the house.

Anna was trying to keep busy inside house. She was reading her book until the electricity went out. Then,
she decided to practice her sewing. She was practicing sewing until lunch time. After lunch, she sat by the
window and watched the rain.

While Ann was watching the rain, the phone rang. Her mother was calling to say she was coming home.
She was bringing a new game. Anna and her mother ate ice cream and played the game.

While they were playing, the rain stopped! but Ann didn't even notice. She was having such a good time
with her mom.
Summary
• Talking about the future:
Present continuous
Present simple
Will
• Taking about the past and present together:
Present perfect
• Talking about events or actions happening in the past
Past continuous
Homework
• Exercises 2 – 6, page 11, 12
• Exercise 3 – 6, page 17
• Exercise 1 – 6, page 39