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1 First person questions 2 Third person questions 3 Open questions: which 4 Open questions: how 5 Closed questions 6 Choice questions 7 Mixed questions 8 Responses I 9 Responses II 10 Review
To be created

Unit 2 Third person questions

Learning outcomes

By the end of this unit you should:

  • be able to ask questions other people using "he" and "she"
  • understand how to show agreement by adding "-s" or "-es" to the verb
  • have practised asking and answering questions
Rubik

Activity 1: Language focus - put specific topic here

Mark Zuckerberg is a man. Here are some answers to questions about him.

Work alone or with a partner to create questions.

Can he speak Chinese?

Where does he live?

Is he married?

How many children does he have.

Practice asking and answering the questions about Mark. Then, ask and answer the same questions about someone else.

discussion

Activity 2: Shadowing practice

Listen to these questions and answers. Then say them at the same time and in the same way as your tutor.

  1. Is she ready?
    Yes, she is.
  2. How old is she?
    I'm not sure. Perhaps, 28?
  3. Does she work hard?
    Yes, she does.
  4. Can she help me?
    Yes, perhaps. She helps many people.

Work in pairs. One person asks questions. One person answers. Afterwards, change roles.

Activity 3: Role play

Practise these role plays in pairs.

A man wearing a suit is standing near an office.

  1. Is he waiting for meeting to start?
    Yes, he is.
  2. Which company is he from?
    He's from .........
  3. Does he speak English?
    Yes, he does. He's Australian.
  4. Would he like some water?
    I don't know. Ask him.

When you have finished one role play. Change roles. Repeat.

Activity 4: Pronunciation focus: s

Read this explanation about how to pronounce "s" or "es" at the end of verb in present simple tense.

In English in present simple tense, we add ‘s’ or ‘es’ to the base form of the verb so that the verb agrees with the grammatical subject. The ‘s’ or ‘es’ may be pronounced in three different ways, namely /s/, /z/ or /iz/. The pronunciation is controlled by the sound at the end of the base form of the verb. For example, help finishes with the letter p which is pronounced /p/ and so the letter s following it is pronounced as /s/. Pronounce the verbs in the table below.

/s/ Voiceless sounds /z/ Voiced sounds and vowels /iz/ Sibilants (s,z,ch,or sh)
helps, stops, works, walks, wants, points
goes, does loves, lives, gives listens, runs
mixes, fixes watches kisses, misses
listens, runs washes

Activity 5: Showing interest

Read.

One way to show interest when someone is speaking is to use Uh-huh?. This should be said with a rising intonation on the second syllable, e.g. Uh ↗ huh?

  1. He started a new project.
    Uh-huh?
    He's making a new website.
  2. She has a problem.
    Uh-huh?
    She can't speak English!
  3. He's very busy now.
    Uh-huh?
    I think he needs your help.

Work in pairs. Practise saying these short dialogues.

Activity 6: Fluency practice

Work in pairs or groups. Practice speaking based on the details given below.

You and a good friend are talking about a famous person. Try to keep the conversation going.

You and a classmate are talking about a teacher. Ask questions and show interest.

An American tourist asks you about the prime minister.

You are on a flight to Korea. The passenger next to you is friendly. You want to practise English.



Activity 7: Common errors

Work alone or with a partner. Identify and correct the errors below:

He has two children

She works hard.

Does he work hard too.

She is working hard.

Ask your tutor to explain any errors you are unsure about.

Review

Can you:

  1. ask questions using "he" and "she"?
  2. add -s or -es appropriately to the verb in present simple tense?
  3. answer questions using short responses?

If you can not, make sure that you do before your next class.