CORE Unit 2 Coursebook Language

Section 2: Pre-Intermediate Grammar

Overview

Introduction

The Future

Used to for Past Habits/States

Talking about the Past

Present Perfect Continuous

Passive Voice

Conditional Would

Tasks

Introduction
Pre-Intermediate Course books
At Pre-Intermediate level there is a lot of revision of grammar points from Elementary level course books,
and the grammar points that are expected to be new are often closely related to points that were
introduced earlier.
For example, most Elementary level course books introduce the use of be going to for talking about future
intention. Then at Pre-Intermediate they introduce will for various future uses and Present Continuous for
future plans and arrangements (some course books introduce will in Elementary, rather than be going to,
but either way all three structures are usually compared and contrasted at Pre-Intermediate).
Many Pre-Intermediate course books focus on, in varying orders, the following grammar points:
1.

Present Continuous for future arrangements - Were meeting them next Monday.

2.

will/wont/hope to/plan to - Ill come with you.

3.

used to for past habits/states - He used to call twice a week .

4.

Past Continuous - I was driving at the time.

5.

Past Perfect - He had stayed with us a couple of times before that, too.

6.

Present Perfect Continuous - Ive been working on this all night.

7.

Passive Voice - Paper was invented in China.

8.

Conditional would - Short hair would look better on you.

The Future
Having already been introduced to be going to for talking about future intentions, at Pre-Intermediate level
learners are often introduced to other structures which are also commonly used for talking about the
future.
Be Going to is commonly used to:

make a prediction about the future based on present evidence: It looks like its going to rain.

talk about future plans/intentions: Im going to take an online course.

talk about an action that is just about to happen: Watch out - its going to fall.

Present Continuous is commonly used to:

talk about future arrangements: Were leaving next Friday.

Will is commonly used to:

express a prediction about the future based on the speaker's knowledge: Itll be a lot busier
during the holidays.

express a decision as it is made: A: Were out of milk. B: Okay, Ill buy some more.

make an offers or promise: Ill hold the door for you. Ill let you know as soon as we decide.

give further details about a plan or arrangement: Im going to Spain - Ill be there all week.

As well as these, we use quite a variety of expressions to talk about the future - hope to and plan to, and
also want/have to; am/is/are about/due/ready to; have/has arranged/decided to; can/may/might.
Some of the uses overlap to some degree. Where this happens, at times we use them interchangeably,
but at other times the choice of one over the other can add to or change the meaning or implication.
Will and be going to can both be used to express predictions. Be going to suggests more present evidence
behind the prediction, and will is used when the speaker is relying on his prior knowledge. When the
speaker says "Smithis going to win this election" he might well be looking at the most recent poll results.
When he says "Smith will winthis election" he may be thinking about what has happened in previous years
- this kind of candidate always wins when the economy is bad for example.
Present Continuous and be going to are both used to talk about future intentions, plans and
arrangements. Be going to suggests the decision was made at an earlier stage but no further
arrangements have been involved, and Present Continuous suggests arrangements have been made
(tickets bought, appointments set, etc.). For example: David and a client have agreed to meet next week,
but havent finalised the exact day and time yet: Im going to meet him next week. At a later stage, the
appointment has been added to his diary with an exact day and time: Im meeting him on Tuesday at
two.
We do not use will to talk about intentions, plans or arrangements that have already been
made except when givingfurther details. In these cases the conversation starts off with the use of be going
to or Present Continuous and some of the follow-up uses will. For example:
A: What are you doing on the weekend? [ Present Continuous]
B: My wife and I are driving up to Sydney. [Present Continuous]
Actually, were taking a few days off work next week... [Present Continuous]
...and well be in Sydney until Thursday. We'll see Andy's Mum and we'll have a couple of nights out.
[Will Future]

A. What is the meaning/use of each underlined structure?

1

A: What's the weather

going to be like
tomorrow?
B: I missed the report,
but it'll probablyrain as

usual.

Look at those clouds;

it's going to rain any
minute now.

I'm going to
study English
Literature when I go to
University.

I'm studying English

Literature at
Cambridge next year.

A: What are you going

to take next year?
B: I haven't decided
yet.
A: The application is
due today, remember?
B: Uh, oh, I...um... I
guess I'll just takeEngli
sh Lit, then.

B. What structure is used in each of these sentences to talk about the future?
Choose the appropriate structure from the options given.
Each structure may be used once, twice or three times.
1 We're going to see The
Matrix.
2 Do you want to come?
3 What time are you
going?
4 It's showing at 7.30pm
and 10pm
5 We plan to see the
later one, but what
time is better for you?
6 You're going out for
dinner first, right?
7 Yeah, we'll probably
just get something in

the cinema cafe.

8 Great, okay, yea ... I'll
join you.
be going to

plan to / hope to / want to

present continuous

will

be going to future
Made up of: am/is/are + going to + V.
1: Were going to see The Matrix. (are + going to + see)

plan to / hope to / want to

Made up of: plan(s)/hope(s)/want(s) to + V.
2: Do you want to come? (want to + come)
5: We plan to see the later one. (plan to + see)

present continuous
Made up of: am/is/are + V-ing.
When the verb is go it can be easily confused with be going to. The difference becomes obvious when
you look for the to and the other verb - present continuous doesnt have either of these.
3: What time are you going? (are + going)
4: Its showing at 7.30pm and 10pm. (is + showing)
6: Youre going out for dinner first, right? (are + going out)
Note that go out is a phrasal verb made up of a verb and a preposition.

will future
Made up of: will + V.
7: Well probably just get something in the cinema caf. (will + get)
8: Ill join you. (will + join)
What aspects of pronunciation regarding these future structures might cause difficulties for learners?
Remember to consider both the learners own pronunciation and how other peoples pronunciation can
affect the learners listening comprehension.

C. Match the phonetic spelling from the box below to the underlined
words.
(Note: the Phonemic Script, as given after each, is much more accurate and reliable than phonetic spelling
like this. The phonetic script, or alphabet, will be addressed in more detail in the section on phonology).
a)
b)
c)

ai-yel
go-en

goer-nout
d)

gonna
e)

f)

its

planda

g)
h)
i)

wanna
wear
wheel

/al/
/gn/
/gnat/
/gn/
/ts/
/plnd/
/wn/
/we/
/wl/

j)

yer

/j/

1) I will join you.

ai-yel

2) It is showing at 7.30pm.
its

3) We are going to see The Matrix.

wear

4) We will probably just get something in the cinema cafe.

wheel

5) You are going out for dinner first, right?

yer

6) Do you want to come?

wanna

7) We plan to see the later one.

planda

8) We are going to see The Matrix.

gonna

9) What time are you going?

go-en

10) You are going out for dinner first, right?

goer-nout

Used to - Past Habits and Past States

We use used to to talk about:

Past Habits: Tom used to ride to school.

Past States: The Parsons used to live in the countryside.

It indicates that the action was repeated in the past and then discontinued - Tom regularly rode to school in
the past; now he doesnt ride to school. Or that the state was true in the past but isnt true anymore - The
Parsons lived in the countryside in the past, but they dont live in the countryside now.
For Past Habits we can also use would: Toms dad would drive him once a week.

Used to is more common in informal English.

Would is more common in formal English.

We often use a combination of the two.

For Past Habits and Past States we can sometimes use used to and Past Simple interchangeably: A
group of us lived on campus and we played cards every weekend.

In some cases used to is necessary, and in most cases makes it clearer, to convey that the
action/state was repeated, &/or that the situation has changed. Compare: I drank beer; I used to
drink beer. The first might refer to a repeated action, but it might also refer to a single occasion. It
also gives us no indication as to whether the speaker still does this.

Past Simple is used if we want to mention the time or duration in which it was true. For example,
we cant say, They used to live in France for three years, and In 1993 we lived in France is more
likely than We used to live in France in 1993.

We cannot use used to or use to to talk about the present or the future. (Some learners may have
difficulty with this if they have an L1 equivalent which is applied in a different way to English. Learners
often think that if 'used to' refers to past situations, then 'use to' refers to present situations. We need to
remind them that 'usually' is used in this case instead. )

I liked football and I used to ride to school. (past)

I like football but not I use to ride to school. (present. The sentence: I usually ride to school is
what is intended)

I will like football but not I will use to ride to school.

D. Which of the following sentences use used to to talk about Past

Habits/States?
(Think about the meaning of 'used to' - a repeated action or state that was
true in the past but is no longer true.)
1.

Im slowly getting used to the weather here.

2.

We used to live by the sea.

3.

Did you use to have long hair?

4.

Im not used to the food yet.

5.

I didnt use to like red wine.

6.

Where did you use to live?

7.

He used the book to prop up the computer.

8.

Dave and Andy used to be close friends.

9.

The dog didnt use to eat this much.

Answer:

N
+

used to

We

used to

live by the sea.

Dave and Andy

used to

be close friends.

2.
8.

N
-

5.
9.

did

not
didnt

use to

like red wine.

The dog

didnt

use to

eat this much.

use to

Did

you

use to

have long hair?

Where did

you

use to

live?

3.
6.

Did
?

use to

In 1 and 4 the structure is be used to which means be accustomed to. In 7 it is a Past Simple statement
in which the main verb is use (i.e. The book was used).

There are two common mistakes with the form - one written and one spoken:

The negative and question forms are misspelled. Many learners, and even many native
speakers, put the past -d on the verb use (e.g. I didnt used to like red wine.)

The positive form is mispronounced. Many learners, on knowing the different spelling, attempt to
pronounce the -d on the verb used, or vocalise the whole of the '-ed' making 'used' two syllables.

Both of these mistakes are due to the fact that the positive form is spelled differently from the negative and
question forms, but the pronunciation is exactly the same in all three.

Compare:
1.

I worked hard.

I used to work hard.

2.

I didnt work hard.

3.

Did you work hard? Did you use to work hard?

I didnt use to work hard.

Talking about the Past

Having looked at Past Simple, Present Perfect, and Used to, Pre-Intermediate level learners are then
often introduced to the following structures, which help them to understand and express some additional
meanings when talking about the past.
Past Continuous is commonly used to:

talk about an action that was in progress at a certain time in the past: At 6.30pm we were
having dinner.

talk about an action that continued over a whole period of time: The baby was crying all night.

Past Perfect is commonly used to:

talk about an action that happened before a past time, or before another action in the
past: They had metseveral times before.

talk about a state that was true before a past time, or before an action in the
past: They had previously lived in a much smaller city.

When Past Continuous is used to talk about an action that was in progress, it is often used in relation to
another verb or verbs in Past Simple. It might be used to:

Indicate the time and/or the reason that a particular time was significant:

1.

A: You didnt answer the phone?

B: Oh, that was you? Sorry, I was having a shower.

2.

A: Did you see the news last night?

B: Yeah, it was awful. We were having dinner but we couldnt eat after that!

Express that one action interrupted another (often linked with when):
1.

I was calmly driving along the road when a kangaroo suddenly jumped out in front of
me.

2.

They were watching Friends when the power went out.

When Past Continuous is used to talk about an action that continued over a whole period, we can often
use either Past Continuous or Past Simple:

It was raining all day.

It rained all day.

Because Past Perfect is used to indicate an earlier action, choosing between Past Perfect and Past Simple
often results in a different meaning:

The meeting started when Tom arrived. = The meeting started just after he arrived.

The meeting had (already) started when Tom arrived. = The meeting started before he arrived.

For a sequence of events that happen one after the other in the past we do not usually use Past Perfect,
we use Past Simple:

I woke up, got dressed, brushed my teeth and went downstairs. Then I made breakfast.

NOT I had woken up

F. What meaning/use is expressed by each of these structures? Use the

example sentences to help you.
1 Past Simple:
The little boy

to talk about a single action that w as completed in the past

fell off the

chair.
2 Present
Perfect: We

to talk about an experience, w ithout giving a time reference

haven't seen
the bullfights,
but we have
been to Spain.
3 'Used to': Dad
used to take us

to talk about an action regularly repeated in the past

fishing every
weekend.
4 Past
Continuous:
What were you
doing at 7pm
last night?

to talk about an action you w ere in the middle of at a time in the past

5 Past Perfect:
Luckily the

to talk about an action that happened before a time in the past

bartender had
attended a
first-aid course
and was able
to help.

G. For each form is it Past Continuous, Past Perfect or Neither?

Remember that N refers to the subject of the sentence, V refers to the
verb, and pp refers to the verb in its past participle form (consider the
verb 'to take' where 'taken' is the past participle form. Similarly, 'seen' is
the pp of 'see')
Past Perfect

Past Continuous

Neither

1 ? Was/Were + N + V-ing
. Was she drinking?
2 +ve N + had + pp
. They had lived abroad before.
3 +ve N + used to + V
. We used to live by the sea.
4 +ve N + was/were + V-ing
. We were swimming all
afternoon.
5 -ve N + did not + V
. Alice didn't like chocolate.
6 -ve N + had not + pp
. He hadn't seen snow until that
day.
7 -ve N + was/were not + V-ing
. I wasn't driving.
8
.

? Have/has + N + pp
Have you heard the news?

9 ? Had + N + pp
. Had you studied French already?
Compare the following, then look back at the task above and write out the structure for positive, negative
and question forms for Past Perfect and Past Continuous in a notebook to help familiarise yourself with
them.

Present Continuous: He is sitting in the corner.

Past Continuous: He was sitting in the corner.

Present Perfect: We have eaten already.

Past Perfect: We had eaten already.

Present Perfect Continuous

Present Perfect Continuous is also used for talking about the past. In particular it connects the past with
the present. When we looked at Present Perfect we saw that it is used to talk about: an action in the period
leading up to now; an action in the past with a present result; actions or states that started in the past and
are still true. Present Perfect Continuous also has these three uses, and in some, but not all cases, either
structure can be used with no change in meaning. It is also used for actions repeated up until now.
Look at the following examples:
1. An action in the period leading up to now:

Present Perfect: Ive just eaten thanks.

Present Perfect Continuous: Hes been sleeping all day.

2. An action in the past with a present result:

Present Perfect: Hes broken his leg. (His leg in a cast).

Present Perfect Continuous: Hes been painting the house. (There is paint on his clothes).

3. An action/state that started in the past and is still true:

Present Perfect: Ive lived in Beijing for years.

Present Perfect Continuous: Ive been living in Beijing for years.

4. An action repeated up until now:

Present Perfect Continuous: Ive been trying to call John all morning.

For #1 & #2 above, there is a definite difference in meaning between the two sentences. In the first
sentence (Ive just eaten thanks/Hes broken his leg) the action is clearly completed. In the second
sentence (Hes been sleepingall day/Hes been painting the house) we do not know whether the action has
been completed or not. Here is a third example:

Present Perfect: Ive written the report you asked for.

Present Perfect Continuous: Ive been writing the report you asked for.

For states (e.g. be, like, know) that started in the past and are still true, it is rare to use Present Perfect
Continuous. In some cases (e.g. live) Present Perfect Continuous can indicate that the speaker sees the
state as somewhat temporary:

Present Perfect: Weve known each other for years.

NOT Weve been knowing each other for years.

Present Perfect: Ive lived here since 2005.

Present Perfect Continuous: Ive been living here since 2005.

G.
Are the following statements about Present Perfect Continuous true or
false?
Use the example sentences in this box to help you. Please note, the
questions refer to the Present Perfect Continuous structure. The others
in the box are simply to show different forms.
Present Continuous: We are eating.
Present Perfect:

Weve eaten.

Present Perfect Continuous: Weve been eating all night.

true

false

1 . The first verb is 'am', 'is' or 'are'.

2 . The first verb is 'been'.
3 . The first verb is 'have' or 'has'.
4 . The negative form is: N + have/has not + been + V-ing
5 . The question form is: was/were + N + V-ing
6 . The second verb is the -ing form.
7 . The second verb is 'been'
8 . The second verb is 'have' or 'has'.
9 . The third verb, the main verb, is the -ing form.
10 . The third verb, the main verb, is the pp form.

Positive: N + have/has + been + V-ing.

Negative: N + have/has not + been + V-ing.
Question: Have/has + N + been + V-ing.

Passive Voice

Compare the following pairs of sentences:

1.

a) The police arrested Jones.

b) Jones was arrested.

2.

a) Mary saved my life.

b) My life was saved by Mary.

3.

a) His great, great grandfather planted the tree.

b) The tree was planted by his great, great grandfather.

In each case, (b) is in the Passive Voice. In normal sentences (Active Voice) the subject (the main noun or
noun phrase before the verb) is the person or thing that caused the action - this person or thing is
the agent. In number 1 it was the police who did the arresting. In 2 it was Mary who did the saving. In
3 his great, great grandfather did the planting. In Passive Voice the subject is the person or thing that the
action is directed at. The arresting was ofJones, the saving was of my life and the planting was of the tree.

In English we usually place the topic at the beginning of the sentence and the new information at the end.
Changing between Passive Voice and Active Voice allows us to emphasise different bits of information as
the news. In 1a the news is who was arrested; in 1b the news is what happened to Jones. In 2a the
news is whatMary did; in 2b it is who did it. In 3a the news is what his grandfather did; in 3b the news
is who planted the tree.

More often than not the agent is not mentioned at all. Note how both 1a (The police arrested Jones)
and Jones was arrested by the police, are very unlikely sentences because, a) it is obvious that the police
did it, so it doesnt add any new information and, b) it is the arrest that is the main news in any case. If
the important information iswho did the action, however, we can add it at the end of the sentence using the
preposition by. Note that we can do the same with other kinds of information using prepositions too: The
tree was planted directly under the house. He was arrested for stealing.

The Passive Voice is also often used in official writing, for example to present scientific findings, as it gives
the writing a more impersonal feel.

H. Decide which of the following sentences sound natural and which do

not.

1.

A team of scientists have discovered evidence of alien life.

2.

Evidence of alien life has been discovered.

3.

Evidence of alien life has been discovered by a team of scientists.

4.

A teacher put the fire out.

5.

The fire was put out.

6.

The fire was put out by a teacher.

7.

You found my keys.

8.

My keys were found.

9.

My keys were found by you.

10. Im going to hit Dave.

11. Dave is going to be hit.
12. Dave is going to be hit by me.
13. Something injured me in a car accident.
14. I was injured in a car accident.
15. I was injured by something in a car accident.
16. My mother bore me in 1978.
17. I was born in 1978.
18. I was born by my mother in 1978.

Suggested Answers
1-3 All three sound okay. In official reports 2 or 3 are very likely.

4-6 All three sound okay. "A fireman put the fire out" or " The fire was put out by a fireman" might sound
odd, but the fact that it was put out by a teacher is unusual, so this may well be important new information.

7-9 The first one sounds fine as an exclamation. The second would sound okay in some situations, for
example recounting a story in which many people helped looked for the keys and you cant remember

exactly who found them - although someone found my keys might still be more likely. The last one is
extremely unlikely because if the listener is you it is unlikely to be news to yourself.

10-12 Only the first would be used. The background information or topic is that the speaker is going to
do something; the news is what hes going to do and who hes going to do it to.

13-15 What exactly caused the injury is both unclear and irrelevant; the news is the injury and the
situation, so only the second (number 14) would be used.

16-18 Who gave birth to you is both obvious and irrelevant, the news is clearly when you were born, (not
who your mother is), so only the second would be used.

In the example table the form/structure for Present Simple Passive is

given. Complete the grammar forms for the structures given.
E.g. Number 1 and 2 form the past simple passive. Therefore 1 is i (was/were) and 2 is e (the past
participle). Thus, the form of the past simple passive is N + was/were + pp

Example of form:

Present Simple Passive

am/is/are

pp

Mazda cars

are

made in Japan.

Past Simple Passive

N

1.

2.

The fire

was

put out.

We

were

left behind.

be going to Future Passive

N

3.

4.

Head office

is going to

be

pp
moved to
London.

Present Perfect Passive

N
Evidence of alien
life

Answers:
1. f
2. e

5.

6.

pp

has

been

discovered.

3. a
4. b
5. d
6. c

Conditional Would
Would is often used talk about unreal situations:

A couple of days by the sea would be nice.

You would make a great chef.

If I won the lottery, Id get a beach house.

They would have given you a discount if you had bargained harder.

At some point Pre-Intermediate course books often introduce students to either the use of would alone, or
to the 2nd Conditional which is made up of would and an if clause (as in the lottery example above), to
talk about unreal situations. In both cases we use the conditional would to talk about an action or state
true only in a hypothetical or imagined situation.
Consider these two examples from above:

You would make a great chef.

= In that situation he is a great chef.
= In reality he is not a chef at all.

If I won the lottery, Id get a beach house.

= In that situation he buys a beach house.
= In reality he has not won the lottery, and is very unlikely to win it.

The first sentence (You would make a great chef) is not a full 2nd conditional sentence as is does not
include a clause containing the word if. The second sentence (If I won the lottery, Id get a beach house) is
a full conditional sentence as it contains a clause containing if and a clause containing would.

J. Are the following sentences and structures made up of would alone

or are they 'full' 2nd Conditional sentences?
Here, N refers to the subject (or noun) of the sentence and V refers to the
verb. V-ed indicates the verb in past simple form.
2nd Conditional
1 . ... would + N + V ...
Where would you most like to be right now?
2 . 1. If + N + V-ed... + N + would + V...
If I was the president, I would cut taxes.
3 . If + N + V-ed... + ...would + N + V ...
If you met your idol, what would you ask him/her?
4 . N + would + V ...
It would be nice to be able to afford a new car.
5 . N + would not + V... + if + N + V-ed ...
I wouldn't take these exams at all if I had a choice.

'would' alone

Note: All of the above sentences could be interpreted as second conditional sentences in which one part
is implicit. For example, Where would you most like to be right now? might be argued to mean if you
could be anywhere in the world, where would you most like to be right now? Similarly, It would be nice to
be able to afford a new car could be said to mean If I was able to afford a new car it would be nice to be
able to afford a new car.
Note also that would is a modal auxiliary verb and therefore (1) doesnt take the 3rd person s and (2) is
followed by the base form of a verb (also known as the infinitive without to)

I like football.

He likes football.

I would buy a new car.

He would buy a new car. (NOT woulds or buys).

The following task is an assessment of a variety of grammar points covered in this section.

K. Match each of the example sentences with the relevant description of

the grammar involved:
1) A few days' rest would be nice.
'Would': unreal situations

2) He was arrested.
Past Simple Passive: to emphasise the action rather than the agent.

3) I'm studying at Cambridge next year.

Present Continuous: future arrangements.

4) I've been driving all night.

Present Perfect Continuous: an action up until now.

5) Okay, I'll call her now.

'Will': making decisions about the future.

6) They had met once before.

Past Perfect: an action before a time in the past.

7) We used to live by the sea.

'Used to': past habits, states or routines.

8) We were swimming all afternoon.

Past Continuous: action over a period of time
Preparation for task
The task below includes representations of various grammar structures. This representation can also
be referred to as the form of a grammar structure. It is important for students to be able to interpret this

representation/form as it will enable them to apply real words in the correct place. This may seem very
obvious, but for a learner, this grammatical code is very helpful. Consider the difference between the
following structures (or forms):

a) have + sth + pp

(sth, or something, refers to the object of the verb and pp refers to the past

participle)
b) have + pp + sth

In a) this form could represent the following:

Jim has his house cleaned. (This means that somebody else cleans Jims house, not Jim. In this
example,sth is his house and pp is the word cleaned)

The boys have their clothes ironed. (Here, the boys dont iron their clothes; somebody else does it. In
this example, sth is their clothes and pp is ironed)

Bob has just had his photo taken. (Did Bob take a photo of himself? No, somebody else did. In this
example, sth is his photo and pp is taken)

Alternatively, the form of b) could represent the following.

Jim has cleaned his house. (Has Jim done it, or somebody else? Jim.)
The boys have ironed their clothes. (Have the boys ironed their own clothes? Yes.)
Bob has just taken a photo. (Has Bob taken the photo, or has someone else taken it? Bob)

We can see how the form/structure of something can alter the meaning quite significantly. It is therefore
important that learners (and teachers!) are familiar with such representation.

Decide if the following represent the Past Perfect Simple Tense, Present
Perfect Simple Tense, or Present Perfect Continuous Tense. They may
also represent a passive construction.
Remember that here, pp stands for the Past Participle of a verb. The
past participle of the verb look is looked because this verb is regular,
but the past participles of the verbs take, see, swim and sing are taken,
seen, swum and sung respectively because these verbs are irregular.
N refers to the subject (or noun in this case) of a sentence and V refers
to the verb.
1
2
3
4

N + was/were + V-ing

N + have/has + been + V-ing

N + was/were + pp

N + had + pp

Past continuous

Present perfect continuous

Passive

Passive

5
6
7
8

N + am/is/are + pp

N + have/has + not + pp

N + was/were + not + V-ing

Have/has + N + been + V-ing?

Passive

Passive

Past continuous

Present perfect continuous