English Learning

Dr. Tebra Cheikh Vall

Assistant Prof,University of
Nouakchott AlAsriya and
Lebanese International University
Outline
 Introduction 1- Give me 5
 Introduction 2- The course
 Introduction 3-English Learning
Introducing others and responding to
introduction
 What is the first step to promote fraternal
feelings among people?
Sidi introducing his cousin Mohamed to Brahim
 Sidi : Hello Mohamed, how are you? (greeting)
 Mohamed : Fine, Thank you. How are you?
 Sidi : I am fine too. (responding to greeting) Brahim,
meet [Link], my cousin. Mohamed, meet my
friend, Brahim.
 Mohamed : How do you do? (responding to first
introduction)
 Brahim : How do you do?
Introducing oneself, introducing others
and responding to introduction
 Role-playing:
 Fati : I’d like you to meet Miss Sarra. She’s a teacher at
Nouakchott university
 Vala: Pleased to meet you. My name is
Vala.(Introducinng oneself)
 Sarra: It’s nice to meet you.( responding to introduction)
 Aly : Let me introduce my friend Oumar to you Oumar,
meet Mr. Bakar, my business partner.
 Oumar : How do you do?
 Bakar : How do you do?
How can we say the same thing in
different ways?
 Greetings/responding
 There are a number of expressions for a particular function:
 The following two expressions do not mean the same
 1‘How are you?’ and 2. ‘How do you do?’
 1. While speaking to a familiar person, we ask, ‘How are you?’ and
the response will be ‘I am fine’.
 2. When a person is introduced to a stranger he/she will say ’How
do you do?’ The response is also ‘How do you do? Other-ways of
strangers greeting each other is to say ‘glad’ /’pleased’ /’nice to
meet you’.
 Between friends. saying ‘How are you?’ itself becomes a form of
greeting
 Both these sentences convey the message. The second one carries
something of the speaker’s cultured behaviour, that is, being
polite. Thus, the expressions we use speak about the culture of the
speaker.
Practice
 TASK 1:
 You and your brother meet Mr. Cheikh your colleague at the
bank .You introduce [Link] to your brother. Write a
conversation for this situation and practise it.
 You and your friend Oumar meet Mr. Kamal, your business
[Link] introduce your friend Oumar to [Link].
Write a conversation for this situation.
 Khalil : Let me introduce my friend Oumar to you ,Oumar
meet Mr. Kamal, my business partner.
 Oumar : How do you do?
 Kamal : How do you do?

Khalil : Oumar, have you met Mr. Kamal? Kamal, this is

Oumar, my friend.
Kamal : Pleased to meet you, Oumar.
Oumar : Nice to meet you, Kamal .
Expressing Similarities and
Differences.
The Outline
 Expressing similarities and differences?
 How can you express similarities and
differences?
 What are the most useful grammatical
categories for expressing similarities and
differences?
Expressing similarities and
differences?
 The process of comparing and contrasting
two things, people or events
 when we compare, we usually look for
similarities.
 when we contrast, we look for differences.
How can you express similarities and
differences?
 One of the easiest ways to compare and
contrast is to make a table with the headings
Category 1/Category 2 or
Similarities/Differences.
 The use of the specific grammatical
categories of comparing and contrasting,
such as coordinating and subordinating
conjunctions in compound sentences.
Nouakchott/ Nouadhibou
Similarities Differences
 Both Nouakchott  Nouakchott is the
and Nouadhibou political city
are capital cities whereas
Nouadhibou is the
economic city
Grammatical categories for expressing
similarities and differences
 grammatical categories of comparing and
contrasting are coordinating and
subordinating conjunctions like and, but,
whereas, while, also, on the other hand, in
contrast, similarly, etc.
A Tale of Two Brothers (Compare and
Contrast)
 A Tale of Two Brothers
Most brothers are alike for the most part while others
are as different as two snowflakes. They both look
the same until you look closer and start comparing
them to one another. Growing up in the same household
would play a big part in ones likes and dislikes. It is living
together which could sometimes cause one to grow one
away from the other. Michael and Anthony, two brothers,
are different in some ways but still have some
similarities.
 A Tale of Two Brothers (Compare and
Contrast)
 Michael and Anthony were normal boys, with normal
childhoods. At home, Michael did all of his chores, studied and
always obeyed his elders. Anthony, on the other hand,
always found an excuse as to why he could not do his chores,
finish his homework, or mind his [Link] would expect
Michael to do well in school, since he studied and did
everything he was supposed to do. He wanted to grow up to
become an accountant like his father. Anthony did well in
school, despite the insubordination. Anthony did not want to
be like his father; instead, he wanted to become a
policeman. Both of the brothers had ideal dreams and did not
seem like a far stretch from reality. The future had another plan
for these two.
 Useful Expressions
Expessing similarities Expressing differences

 Alike  Different
 As same as  As different as
 Similar  Unlike
 Both  But
 The same  Whereas
 While
 To be like
 On the other hand
 Also
 In contrast
 Similarly
Practice 1
 Contrast an apple to an orange using the
following comparative words( different;
unalike / not alike; dissimilar;
differently; unlike
Answers
 The apple and the orange are different.
 The apple and the orange are unalike /
not alike.
 The apple and the orange are dissimilar.
 The apple and the orange
grow differently.
 The apple is unlike the orange.
Practice 2
 Compare one apple to another apple using
the expressions below to show
similarity: as…as, the same…as, like;
look like; similar; both, neither nor .
Answers
 This apple is as red as that apple (is).
 This apple has the same flavor as that apple
(has).
 This apple and the other apple are the same.
 This apple looks like that apple.
 This apple is similar to that apple.
 This apple is like that apple.
 This apple is just the same as that apple.
 Both this apple and that one are sweet.
 Neither this apple nor that one is sweet.
Practice 3
 Use the expressions like: the same; alike;
similar to compare the two apples
together
Answers
 The apples are the same.
 These apples are alike.
 The apples are similar.
 The apples ripen similarly.
Practice 4
 Fill in the blanks with the following comparative words
to show dissimilarity: not as…as, different…from,
more, than, unlike, which, in contrast to;
contrasts to.
 The apple is……………….. the orange.
 This apple is……….. Sweet…….this orange.
 The apple is…. Beautiful…….. the orange.
 The apple grows on tree……the tomato.
 The skin of the apple ………the skin of the orange.
 The orange ……….. the lemon is sweet.
 The orange is sweet………the lemon …… is bitter.
Answers
 The apple is different from the orange.
 This apple is not as sweet as this orange.
 The apple is more beautiful than the orange.
 The apple grows on a tree unlike the tomato.
 The skin of the apple contrasts to the skin of the orange.
 The orange in contrast to the lemon is sweet.
 The orange is sweet in contrast to the lemon which is
bitter.
 Practice 5
 Use the following transition words ( connective adverb) to relate one thought in
the first clause to another similar thought in the next.( Similarly; In the
same way; Likewise Equally; In a similar manner, on the other hand
 This apple is [Link] one is sour.
 This apple is [Link] one is sour.
 That orange is [Link] apple is very flavorful.
 That orange is delicious. This apple is very flavorful.
 This orange is flavorful. This apple is very tasty.
 DIFFERENCE
Use the following connective adverbials to relate two different clauses(In
contrast, On the contrary, While / Whereas, However, On the one
hand
 The apple is red. The orange is orange.
 Some people think The apple is orange.
 the orange is high in fiber. The apple is not.
 The orange is high in [Link] apple is not.
 The lemon is high in fiber. It is too bitter to eat.
Answers
 This apple is tart. Similarly, this one is sour.
 This apple is tart. In the same way, this one is sour.
 That orange is delicious. Likewise, this apple is very flavorful.
 That orange is delicious. Equally, this apple is very flavorful.
 This orange is flavorful. In a similar manner, this apple is very
tasty.
 DIFFERENCE
 The apple is red. In contrast, the orange is orange.
 Some people think the apple is orange. On the contrary, the
apple is red.
 While the orange is high in fiber, the apple is not.
 The orange is high in fiber. However, the apple is not.
 On the one hand the lemon is high in fiber, on the other
hand it is too bitter to eat.
Modal auxilaries
 Talking about ability:
Taking about ability
 Why do you use the modal auxilaries: Can; will be able to;
To be able to
 How can you use can, will be able to, to be able to in a
sentence:
The form and structure of can, will be
able to , could and be a ble to
 1 A modal verb always has the same form and never has an ending
. (He can pick you up. Not He cans pick you up.)
 2 Like the other auxiliary verbs (be, have and do), modal verbs are
important in negatives and questions. A modal verb can have not
after it. I will not be able to meet you tomorrow. Can you do
me favor please?
 2A model verb has three sentence structures: affirmative; negative
and interrogative.
 The affirmative : subject+ modal auxilary+ main verb+object.
 Nagative: subject+ modal auxilary+ not+ main verb+object.
 Interrogative: modal auxilary+ subject+main verb+ object. I
can speak 5 languages. I can not speak 5 languages. Can I speak
5 languages?
The use o f can, will be able to, be
able

 Expressing ability:
 I can swim 2 kilometers.( Affirmative).
 I can’t help you.
 I won’t be able to come to your birthday party.
 When I finish this course, I will be able to find a good job.
 When I was a child I could play football very well.
 I was not able to visit him yesterday. ( Negative)
The use of Can, will able to , be able to
 Can, will be able to, be able to are used to ask about or
express ability and capacity.
 Asking about ability:
 Can you lift this table?( Interrogative)
 Can you speak English?
 Can you help me?
 Can you play the piano?
 Will you able to come to my birthday party this weekend?
 Are you able to go out with me tonight?
Practice
 Give the negative and the interrogative forms of the
following sentences
 I can do this work.
 He will be able to meet them next week.
 She is able to join me this afteernoon.
Answers:

 I can not do this work.

 Can I do this work?
 He will not be able to meet them next week.
 Will he able to meet them next week?
 She is not able to join me this afteernoon.
 Is she able to join me this afternoon?
The Simple Past Tense
 How can you form the simple past tense?
 Why do you use the simple past tense?
 What are the commonly used time expression in the past
simple tense?
 Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was an Austrian musician and
composer. He lived from 1756 to 1791. He started
composing at the age of five years old and wrote more than
600 pieces of music. He was only 35 years old when
he died.
 The verbs "was, lived, started, wrote, died" are in the
simple past tense.
 Notice that:
 lived, started,died are regular past forms.
 was, wrote are irregular past forms.
 The form of the past simple tense
 Regular verbs:  Irregular verbs:
 The verbs "lived, started, died"  The verbs "was, wrote" are irregular past
are regular past forms. The rule is the forms. "Was" is the simple past of "to be";
following:Verb + ed "wrote" is the simple past of "write".
 There is no rule for these [Link] should
 The infinitive The simple past learn them by heart.
 Live Lived  The infinitive The simple past
 Start Started  Be was/ were
 Die Died  Write Wrote
 Visit Visited  Come Came
 Play Played  Do Did
 Watch watched  Meet Met
 Phone Phoned  Speak spoke
 Marry Married
 The Sentence structure of the simple past tense
 Simple Past Tense with Regular Verbs
 Simple Past Tense with “TO BE”  Positive Sentence:
(was/were)
 Note:
 S + verb-ed + …
 I/She/He/It + was  Example:
 We/You/They + were  She worked yesterday.
 Was not = Wasn’t  Negative Sentence:
 Were not = Weren’t  S + did not/didn’t + verb (in base
 Positive Sentence: form) + …
 S + was/were + …  Example:
 Example:  She didn’t work yesterday.
 They were friends.  Question form:
 Negative Sentence:
 Did + S + verb (in base form)?
 S + was not/were not + …
 Example:  Example:
 They weren’t friends.  Did she work yesterday?
 Question form:
 Was/Were + S + …?
 Example:
 Were they friends?
 Past Simple Tense with  Question Form:
Irregular Verbs  Did + S + (verb in base form)?
 Positive Sentence:  Example:
 S + irregular verb + …  Did they go to Spain for their holidays?
 Example:
 They went to Spain for their
holidays.
 Negative Sentence:
 S + did not/didn’t +
verb (in base form) + …
 Example:
 They didn’t go to Spain for their
holidays?
How to Use the Simple Past Tense

 The Simple Past is used:  For stative verbs, which are

 To express completed action verbs that do not express an
in the past action, but a state of mind or
being E.g. have (own), be, think
 Example: (believe), know, dislike, need, owe,
 I saw a ghost last Friday. understand, wish
 To describe a series of  Example:
completed actions in the past  He had a car.
 Example:
 I finished work, walked to the beach,
and found a nice place to swim.
 To express habits in the past
 Example:
 When I was young, I watched lots of
television every day after school.
Commonly used time expressions
 Time Expressions with Past Simple Tense
 Yesterday
 Ago
 Last month
 Last week
 Last year
 In 2003
 In 2007
 Write sentences in Past Simple: 1- Affirmative 2- Negative 3-
Interrogative (Yes / No)
 A) My sister / tidy / her room /  D) I / clean / my teeth / twice /
yesterday morning. yesterday.
 1  1
 2  2
 3  3
 B) We / live / in New York / in  E) John / stay / at Mary’s house / last
1997. summer.
 1  1
 2  2
 3  3
 C) Tom / travel / to Dublin / last
night.
 1
 2
 3
 Write sentences in Past Simple: 1- Affirmative 2- Negative 3-
Interrogative (Yes / No)
 A) My sister / tidy / her room /  D) I / clean / my teeth / twice /
yesterday morning. yesterday.
 1  1
 2  2
 3  3
 B) We / live / in New York / in  E) John / stay / at Mary’s house / last
1997. summer.
 1  1
 2  2
 3  3
 C) Tom / travel / to Dublin / last
night.
 1
 2
 3
Complete the sentences. Use the negative form of the underlined
verbs.


 - I drank coffee but I ................................. tea.
 - She found her purse but she ..................................
her keys.
 - The children broke the window but they
.................................... the door.
 - He had a shower but he ..................................
breakfast.
 - My father made a cake but he .................................
any pastries.
 -We spoke English and French but we
................................... German.
Talking about Illness
 Outline
 How to talk about illness
 Spelling plural nouns
 Possessive ‘s with people
THAT’S NOT MY IOB

 A customer comes into the Westside Pharmacy. He’s very sick.

Clerk: May I help you?
Customer:Yes, please. I have a pain in my side, an ache in my
stomach, and a headache. I need a pill, an aspirin, or a
painkiller… something fast.
Clerk: I’m sorry, but that’s not my job. That’s Mr. Brown’s job.
He’s the head pharmacist.
Customer: May I see Mr. Brown, please.
Clerk: I’m sorry. Mr. Brown is busy. He’s on the phone.
Customer: Then his helper.
Clerk: She’s busy, too. Please wait.
Customer: Oh, no.
Clerk: Oh, here’s Mr. Brown.
Mr. Brown:Yes? May I help you?
Customer: I have a pain in my side, an ache in my stomach, and a
headache. Please give me a pill.
Mr. Brown: That isn’t my job. I’m not a doctor. I’m a pharmacist. Dr.
Saunders has an office next to us. His address is 215
Grand Avenue. Come back with a prescription. We can help you then.
Talking about illness
 I have a pain in…, an ache in…
I have a stomachache, and a headache.
I need a pill, an aspirin, or a painkiller… .
Grammar Spelling noun plurals
 Grammar Spelling noun plurals
 Noun plurals follow the same spelling rules as the -s forms of
present tense verbs. Add -s for most nouns;
 teacher:teachers, student: students; writer; writers;
 add -es if the noun ends in s, z, sh, ch, or x.
 boss: bosses, box: boxes; dish: dishes; branch: branches,
quiz: quizzes
 Nouns that end in a consonant and y change the y to i and
add -es.
 City: cities; specialty: specialties; faculty: faculties
Give the plural form of the following
nouns
 Student, city, box, branch, quiz, table, writer, boss, family,
job, aspirin, country
Answers
 Students, cities, boxes, branches, quizzes, tables, writers,
boss, families, jobs, aspirins, countries
Possessive ’s with people
 To show possession, use an apostrophe (’) after the person’s
name and add -s..
 1. Mr. Brown has a helper. Mr. Brown’s helper.
 Aicha has a house. Aicha’s house.
 If the person’s name ends with -s, then simply add the apostr
ophe: Dr. Saunders has an office. Dr. Saunders’ office
For plural nouns, the apostrophe comes after the -s ending.
 The Browns have a pharmacy. the Browns’ pharmacy
Practice
 Write the forms below
 Sidi has a restaurant. Sidi’s restaurant.
 2. Mr Brown has a job .
 3. The doctor has an office .
 4. The customer has a prescription .
 5. The helper has a job .
 6. My dad has a hobby .
 7. Ernie has a wife .
 8. Hazel has a dress .
 Write the forms below.
 1. The Browns have a pharmacy. the Browns’ pharmacy
 2. The customers have problems. 3.
Bankers have short work hours. 4.
Square dancers have short skirts. 5. Truck drivers have schedules.
Present Continuous
 The Present Actions which are happening at or around the
moment of speaking. Now I’m doing the washing up.

 She is working very hard nowadays.

 2. Temporary situations.
 I’m staying with a friend at the moment.
 3. Continuous Tense is used for ACTIONS THAT ARE
HAPPENING AT PRESENT They are dancing right now
Sentence structure& Spelling rules
 VERB + ing (spelling rules)
 listen + ing = listening die (-ie=y) + ing = dying write +
ing = writing hop + p + ing = hopping travel + l + ing =
travelling
 A single, silent e at the end of the word is dropped before ing.
 example: come – coming But: ee at the end of the word is not
changed example: agree – agreeing
 The final consonant after a short, stressed vowel is doubled
before ing. example: sit - sitting
 The final consonant after the second stressed syllable is
doubled before ing: example: begin - beginning
 The letter l as final consonant after a vowel is always
doubled before ing. example: travel - travelling Mind:
This applies only for British English; in American English there
is usually only one l.
 An ie at the end of a word becomes y before ing. example: lie -
lyin
 THE PRESENT CONTINUOUS TENSE
 TIME EXPRESSIONS: Now, at the moment, today, nowdays,
this week.
 Present Simple or Present Continuous?
 1. (You / come) ________________________ tonight?
 2. (He / eat) _______________________ rice every day?
 3. I (work) _______________________ at the moment.
 4. (He / come) __________________ to London often?
 5. He (play) __________________________ tennis now.
Answers:

 1. Are you coming tonight?

 2. Does he eat rice every day?
 3. I am working at the moment.
 4. Does he come to London often?
 5. He is playing tennis now.
Expressing Prohibition in English

 To say it is important not to do something.

 Here are some common phrases and expressions for
expressing prohibition in English:
 It is forbidden to…
 You are not allowed to …
 You are not permitted to…
 It is prohibited to …
 You must not …
 You are not to…
 You can’t…
Examples of expressing prohibition

 You are not allowed to smoke in this area.

 It is forbidden to swim here.
 You are not to feed the animals.
 It is prohibited to walk on the grass.
 You must not tell anyone about it.
 You must not leave the window open.
 You are not permitted to be late.
Practice
 Use the following expression in simple sentences:
 It is forbidden to…
 You are not allowed to …
 You are not permitted to…
 It is prohibited to …
Answers
 It is forbidden to smoke
 You are not allowed to park here.
 You are not permitted to use your phone in class.
 It is prohibited to talk with your classmate in the exam room.