Grammar topic: POSSESSIVE CASE ('S) ------- 3B-----

*Study the following examples:

- The Joan's book is interesting.
(human beings - singular)

- The dog's paws are brown.
(animals - singular)

- The girls' dolls are dirty.
(plural - ends in "s")

- The women's toilet is out of order.
(plural - doesn't end in "s")

- The pages of the book.
(no possessive form - two objects)

- John and Peter's father is working now.
(one father - John and Peter are brothers)

- John's and Peter's fathers are working now.
(two fathers - they aren't brothers)

- It's Luis' wallet.
.........or...........
- It's Luis's wallet.
(the name ends in "s", so you can use " ' " or " 's").

3B and 4A

*************** TECHNIQUES TO WRITE BETTER ***************

(3B an 4A)

General Considerations For An Effective Composition:

There is no single way to write an effective composition. Once you have chosen a topic to write on, your success will depend upon a number of considerations.

A) Your knowledge of the topic;
B) Your own personality, background, and sensitivity;
C) Your purpose and the worth behind the main ideas you wish to communicate;
D) Your ability to express yourself with clarity, accuracy, vigor, individuality, and originality.

Four Standards For A Successful Composition:

There are four standards according to which a composition may be termed successful.

1) Organization--Is the composition well planned and the thought developed so that the controlling idea is made clear?

2) Substance (worth)—Are the ideas original, logical, interesting, and convincing enough to hold the reader’s attention?

3) Style—Is the approach appropriate to the thought?

4) Mechanics—To what degree is the writer able to spell correctly, to punctuate, and to use acceptable standards of grammar?

Three Stages of Writing:

In general, the process of writing a composition divides itself into three stages.

1) Choosing a topic; gathering and sifting materials; planning the organization and development of the composition in the outline so that it has unity.

2) Writing the composition by following the outline.

3)Rereading and REVISING the composition to make it more expressive, vivid, and clear and to check for grammatical and rhetorical correctness.

* From: http://www.ci.maryville.tn.us/mhs/studyskills/CompGuide/goodcomp.htm

SPEAK OUT 1 students

1st Grammar topic: The verb "to be" ----------------- SO 1 ----------------------

You can study by your Grammar guide: Glimpse into Grammar (the small book).

--- Verb "to be" (ser ou estar)

Personal ................................ Contracted form
Pronouns

I ................ am ...................................... I'm
You ............ are (sing.) .........................You're
He .............. is ....................................... He's
She ............ is ....................................... She's
It ............... is (objects and animals) .. It's
We ............ are ..................................... We're
You .......... are (plural) ....................... You're
They ........ are ..................................... They're

* Interrogative form:

Am I?
Are you?
Is he?
Is she?
Is it?
Are we?
Are you?
Are they?

Here, the verb "to be" comes before the pronoun.

* Negative form:

Normal .................................. Contracted

I am not ................................. I'm not
You are not ............................ You aren't
He is not ................................. He isn't
She is not ............................... She isn't
It is not .................................. It isn't
We are not ............................. We aren't
You are not ............................ You aren't
They are not .......................... They aren't

** A/An - Indefinite Articles

They are only used in singular forms.

E.g.: Peter is a teacher. (consonant sound)

She is an actress. (vowel sound)

a uniform (2 sounds - "iu")

an hour (no sound)

3B students

1st Grammar topic: Comparatives and Superlatives ----------------3B------------------


I) We use (-er) for the comparative of short adjectives and adverbs:

Cheap/cheaper hard/harder large/larger thin/thinner

- This jacket is too small. I need a larger size.
- Ann works harder than most of her friends.

* When the adjectives finish in letter “y”, we remove it and add (- ier):

Lucky/luckier funny/funnier easy/easier

- The exam was easier than we expected.

II) We use (more …) for other two-syllables adjectives and longer adjectives:

More modern more serious more expensive more comfortable

- More expensive hotels are usually more comfortable than cheaper ones.

* We also use (more…) for adverbs which end in (-ly):

More slowly more seriously more quietly more carefully

- Could you speak more slowly, please?

* We also say more often:

- I don’t play tennis much now. I used to play more often.

** But we say earlier (not “more early”):
- You should go to bed earlier.

Adj. ---------- Comp.------------- Super.
GOOD -------- BETTER ----------- (the) BEST
BAD ----------WORSE ----------- (the) WORST


**NOTE: The comparative words more (+) and less (-):

- I smoke more than I used to.
- We’ve got less time than I though.

III) When we want to talk about EQUALITY (as + adjective + as):
- This house is as good as mine.
- A tiger is as dangerous as a lion.

IV) When we want to talk about INEQUALITY (as/so + adjective + as):
- John is not as fat as you.
- Paul is not so thin as him.

V) When we want to talk about INFERIORITY (the least);
- My friend says that he is eating the least delicious dish: salad.


Exercise 1


Complete with the best adjective:

a) The house is …………………………. (comfortable) than the flat.
b) This is ……………………………….. (interesting) book I have ever read.
c) That film is ………………………….. (comic) than the other one.
d) I’ve spent ……………………………. (happy) day of my life.
e) Her illness was ………………………. (serious) today than yesterday.
f) Those guys are the …………………… (tall) I’ve seen in all my life.
g) A bird is …………………………….. (small) than a monkey.

-- Next week I'll post the answers.