Match the mistake and the grammar rule.

1. “David Copperfield” was written.	1. To be polite we use the modal verbs ‘will’ and ‘would’ in if-clauses.
2. If I don’t have to work so much, I wouldn’t be so tired.	2. You can omit “if” and use inversion in some conditionals.
3. Look at the clouds, it will rain.	3. If we’re sure that we’ll do what we are planning in the nearest future, it’s better to use Present Progressive.
4. If you wait a minute, Madam, Mr. Carlson will be able to see you.	4. We seldom mention the doer in passive constructions, especially when it’s clear who does it.
5. When Jim came home, Mary watched TV.	5. With single countable nouns like book, table, room, ‘whole’ is used instead of ‘all’.
6. Would you like anything to drink? – Yes, please. Can I have any lemonade?	6. To describe imaginary conditions in the present and future, we use Past forms.
7. There is no need to call Julie because I see her tonight.	7. In offers and requests ‘some’ is used because we expect a positive answer.
8. She was hungry and ate all the chop.	8. When we can see the future thanks to some conditions, ‘be going to’ is used.
9. If were you more careful, you wouldn’t make so many mistakes.	9. If one action happened when another was in progress, we use Progressive forms.
10. Coffee is grown by people in Brazil.	10. It’s necessary to mention the doer in passive constructions if there’s no meaning without it.

Now that you know the rules, it’ll be easier for you to correct the mistakes.

Correct the mistakes.

1. They said it will rain soon.
2. I’m sorry for all ill animals.
3. Did he suggest to help you?
4. Nobody never helps me with my homework.
5. Several cars are always parking in our yard.
6. I’m too tired to do something now.
7. I was so in a hurry that I left my book at home.
8. You look very smartly today.
9. I bought it with the money my parents gave me before.
10. He stopped to go to school last year.
11. We have not a lawn in front of our house.
12. We’d like to be independent from our parents.

HOMEWORK ò

Look at the underlined mistake and complete the rule

MISTAKES RULES

1. They said it will rain soon. 2. I’m sorry for all ill animals. 3. Did he suggest to help you? 4. Nobody never helps me with my homework. 5. Several cars are always parking in our yard. 6. I’m too tired to do something now. 7. I was so in a hurry that I left my book at home. 8. You look very smartly today. 9. I bought it with the money my parents gave me before. 10. He stopped to go to school last year. 11. We have not a lawn in front of our house. 12. We’d like to be independent from our parents.

1. They looked into the future from... 2. Before nouns, instead of “ill” we... 3. If he was ready to help... 4. In an English sentence we can’t...   5. If the cars are not moving at the moment, instead of Present Progressive we should... 6. The meaning of “too tired” is... 7. “So” is used before adjectives, and before... 8. After link verbs not adverbs but... 9. If the action happened in the past before another... 10. To show the end of the action after “stop” we need... 11. If negation refers to a noun...   12. The adjective “independent” needs the preposition...

Correct the mistakes. And find a suitable rule in some Grammar textbook. Copy it into your notebook.

PUPILS’ MISTAKES	THE CORRECTED PART
1. A passer’s by face caught my eye.
2. Antennas are necessary for TV sets.
3. Are you ready already? Hurry up.
4. At old Jolyon Irene felt at ease.
5. At our school the staff are mainly woman-teachers.
6. Betty never is ready for her classes.
7. Is the police here by now?
8. Computers use different datas.
9. Don’t angry.
10. English are fond of sport.
11. Had they really to be so rude with her after all?
12. Have you seen new Ann’s dress?

 

PUPILS’ MISTAKES	THE RULE
1. A passer’s by face caught my eye.
2. Antennas are necessary for TV sets.
3. Are you ready already? Hurry up.
4. At old Jolyon Irene felt at ease.
5. At our school the staff are mainly woman-teachers.
6. Betty never is ready for her classes.
7. Is the police here by now?
8. Computers use different datas.
9. Don’t angry.
10. English are fond of sport.
11. Had they really to be so rude with her after all?
12. Have you seen new Ann’s dress?

UNIT 3

Основные проблемы выявления грамматической закономерностью и формулировки грамматического правила на примере употребления, в первую очередь, английских существительных, прилагательных, наречий, числительных, местоимений

PROVIDING a valid, relevant, comprehensible RULE

IMPROVING RULES

You know already what a good rule must be like. Let’s try to recollect its most important characteristics. It must be:

1. valid

Relevant

Laconic

Comprehensible

Bright (if possible).

If we want the rule to be correct or valid, we should make sure that it doesn’t contradict actual usage. For example, if we say that in English sentences the verb follows the subject, will it be true in all cases? What about the following sentences? Is the rule which we formulated above really valid?

Is everybody here?

I don’t like exams. – Neither do I!

We’ll have to change something in the rule to make it suit all the cases. We could say “ In English declarative sentences (statements) the verb follows the subject, as a rule ”.

The rule may give you a lot of information, some of which is not connected directly with the mistake the pupil has made. The teacher’s task is to select the information which is really important for correcting this particular mistake. It isn’t always easy to transform the rule because you have to paraphrase it, changing sometimes the structure of the sentence. Sometimes the information you need can’t be found in the grammar rule, concerning the structure where your pupil made a mistake.

For example, you pupil says, “Teachers dislike exams too, do they?” while the correct variant is “Teachers dislike exams too, don’t they?” or “Teachers don’t like exams too, do they?”. The rule about question-tags in your grammar textbook may run as follows.

“Question tags are used to check or clarify information, or simply to involve the listener in a more interactive way. Question tags consist of an auxiliary or modal verb or lexical verb be + subject pronoun. The subject pronoun repeats the subject of the main clause to which it refers, and agrees in number, person and gender with the subject of the main clause. Where the main clause contains an auxiliary or modal verb or lexical verb be, it is repeated in the tag.

You've worked hard, haven't you?

He didn't get it, did he?

Where there is no auxiliary or modal verb in the main clause, auxiliary do/does/did is used in the tag.

They have a New Year party every year, don’t they?”

Polarity refers to whether a verb phrase is affirmative or negative. There is contrasting polarity between the main clause and the tag:

Affirmative negative

You've worked hard, haven't you?

Negative affirmative

He didn't get it, did he?”

The problem is that all this information, which is correct and important for constructing correct questions with tags, may not help you to correct this particular mistake. First of all, you should select the part which is closer to the problem, which is really relevant. This will make the rule laconic as well.

There is contrasting polarity between the main clause and the tag:

Affirmative negative

You've worked hard, haven't you?

Negative affirmative

He didn't get it, did he?”

Then it’s necessary to adapt the language to your pupils’ level of comprehension – to make the rule comprehensible. You may find it useful using the Russian language instead.

Основная часть разделительного вопроса и его окончание противопоставляются: