Bahasa Inggeris notes, unit 4
Being a teen
Textbook Full Blast Plus 4 Student's Book (Form 4), MM Publications, CEFR-aligned, pages 51-66
What this chapter covers
- I can talk about teen life, education and technology in school, and give and justify an opinion (p.51-56)
- I can use will, be going to, the Present Continuous for plans and the Future Perfect Simple to talk about the future (p.54)
- I can form opposites of adjectives with un-, in-, il-, ir- and im-, and choose the right preposition after an adjective (p.55)
- I can use make and do in common phrases (p.55)
- I can use all, both, neither, none and either, and both ... and, either ... or, neither ... nor (p.56)
- I can write an opinion paragraph with a clear opinion, supporting arguments, an example and linking words (p.57)
- I can use the zero conditional and conditional types 1 and 2, including unless (p.59)
- I can choose between similar words such as common, usual and normal, and between grow, grow up and bring up (p.60)
- I can write an advantages and disadvantages essay with an introduction, two main paragraphs with topic sentences, and a conclusion (p.62-63)
- I can read an extract from Oliver Twist and use strong and weak adjectives with the right adverbs (p.64-66)
This unit is about being a teenager: school, technology, music and friends. You will revise the future forms, the conditionals, useful vocabulary (opposites, prepositions, make and do, strong adjectives) and two SPM writing skills: an opinion paragraph and an advantages and disadvantages essay.
4.1Talking about the future
English has several ways to talk about the future. The one you pick shows how sure you are and why you are speaking.
| Form | Use | Example |
|---|---|---|
| will + verb | a decision made at the moment of speaking, an offer or promise, a prediction based on opinion (I think, I believe, probably) | Don't walk to school. I'll give you a lift. I believe robots will do all the work in factories. |
| be going to + verb | a plan made before, or a prediction based on what you can see now | Helena is going to study Biology at university. Look out! You are going to crash into that tree! |
| Present Continuous | a fixed arrangement, usually with a time | I'm visiting my cousins in Oxford on Saturday. |
| will have + past participle (Future Perfect) | an action that will be finished before a time in the future | By 8 o'clock I will have finished my homework. |
Future Perfect Simple: will have + past participle. Look for time words such as by 8 o'clock, by the time and by next year.
Worked example
A: My mobile phone keeps turning off. B: Don't worry. I will buy you a new one.
Why will? B decides at the moment of speaking and makes an offer. If B had already planned it, we would use am going to buy.
Do not use will after when, if, unless or by the time to talk about the future. Say "If you arrive late, call me", not "If you will arrive". Also, by the time you come home needs the Future Perfect in the main clause: "he will have eaten all the chocolate".
Choose the best form: "Look at those black clouds. It (rain / is going to rain / will have rained) soon."
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is going to rain: the prediction is based on evidence you can see (black clouds).
4.2Conditionals: zero, type 1 and type 2
| Type | Pattern | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| Zero | If + present, present | a general truth or fact | If you heat ice, it melts. |
| Type 1 | If + present, will / may / imperative | a real or likely future situation | If you need any help, ask me. |
| Type 2 | If + past simple, would + verb | an unlikely or imaginary situation now or in the future | How would you feel if you won a song contest? |
- Unless means if ... not: "Unless I repair my laptop, I won't be able to be the DJ" = "If I don't repair my laptop, I won't be able to be the DJ". Do not add a second negative after unless.
- In type 2, use were for all persons in formal English: "If I were you, I'd tell my parents."
- Otherwise can be changed into an if clause: "Play music with a strong beat, otherwise people won't dance" = "If you don't play music with a strong beat, people won't dance."
Never put would in the if clause. Wrong: "If I would have more time, I would go." Right: "If I had more time, I would go."
Worked example
Rewrite: "Tina doesn't play a musical instrument so she can't be a member of our band."
Answer: If Tina played a musical instrument, she could be a member of our band. The real situation is negative and unlikely to change, so we use type 2 and make it positive.
Complete: "If you (not hurry), we (miss) the beginning of the film." (type 1)
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If you don't hurry, we will miss the beginning of the film.
4.3Vocabulary: opposites, prepositions, make and do
Opposites of adjectives
Add a negative prefix. The prefix depends on the first letter of the word.
| Prefix | Used with | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| un- | many adjectives | likely - unlikely, able - unable, willing - unwilling, familiar - unfamiliar |
| in- | many adjectives | formal - informal, correct - incorrect, capable - incapable, active - inactive |
| il- | words starting with l | legal - illegal, literate - illiterate, logical - illogical |
| ir- | words starting with r | responsible - irresponsible, regular - irregular, relevant - irrelevant |
| im- | words starting with m or p | possible - impossible, patient - impatient, mature - immature, practical - impractical |
Adjective + preposition
| Preposition | Adjectives |
|---|---|
| about | nervous about, anxious about, worried about |
| with | familiar with, disappointed with |
| for | famous for, responsible for, ready for |
| of | aware of, capable of, proud of |
popular goes with with (a song popular with teens). Learn each adjective with its preposition.
Make or do
| make | do |
|---|---|
| make an effort, make up your mind, make a decision, make a mistake, make sense, make sure, make a fool of yourself | do your best, do the cooking, do a project, do well, do some research, do someone a favour |
Words that are easily confused
| Words | Meaning and use |
|---|---|
| popular / common / usual / normal | popular: liked by many people; common: found often; usual: what happens most of the time; normal: ordinary, as expected |
| include / contain / involve | include: have as a part (the price includes meals); contain: have inside (a box contains toys); involve: have as a necessary part (writing involves sitting at a computer) |
| grow / grow up / bring up | grow: plants grow, or you grow vegetables; grow up: become an adult; bring up: look after a child until adulthood (she brought up five children) |
| same / similar / like | the same as: identical; similar to: nearly the same; like: (look like, sound like) used after verbs of senses |
| live / alive / lively | live: a live performance; alive: not dead; lively: full of energy |
Words that come after a verb of sense use like: "It sounds like a wolf." "They don't look like twins."
Which prefix makes the opposite of (a) logical and (b) mature?
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(a) illogical (il- before l); (b) immature (im- before m).
4.4All, both, neither, none and either
| Word | For | Example |
|---|---|---|
| all / none | three or more | All of the students tried but none of them could do it. |
| both / neither / either | exactly two | I took both jackets but I didn't wear either of them. "Beef or chicken?" "Neither." |
| Pair | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| both ... and | this and that | I enjoyed both the book and the film. |
| either ... or | one of the two | We can either eat here or go home. |
| neither ... nor | not this and not that | Neither Ken nor Emma passed the exam. |
Neither already has a negative meaning. Do not say "neither of them didn't like it". Say "neither of them liked it". Use neither or none with an affirmative verb.
Fill in: "Angela and Edna had the soup, but ______ of them liked it."
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neither (exactly two people, and the meaning is negative).
4.5Writing an opinion paragraph
The task is a statement followed by "Do you agree?" (for example, "E-books are much better than paper books and will eventually replace them"). Underline the key words first.
| Part | What you do |
|---|---|
| 1. Opinion | State your opinion in the first sentence. |
| 2. Arguments | Give two or three supporting arguments and explain each one. |
| 3. Example | Add an example to make the point clear. |
| 4. Ending | Rephrase your opinion or make a general comment. |
Linking words and phrases
| Function | Words |
|---|---|
| Listing and adding points | to begin with, firstly, secondly, lastly, last but not least, in addition, moreover, besides, furthermore, apart from that |
| Contrast | but, although, while, however, on the one hand ... on the other hand |
| Giving examples | for example, for instance, such as |
| Giving opinion | in my opinion, in my view, from my point of view, the way I see it, personally, I believe |
Model paragraph
In my opinion, computer classes should be compulsory for all students. Firstly, computer skills are needed in almost every job today, so learning them early helps students in the future. Moreover, computers make learning more interesting. For example, pupils can use educational programs to practise Maths. Although some children may spend too much time online, a teacher can control this in class. To sum up, I believe that computer classes are a good idea.
Choose only two or three ideas that you can develop well. A long list of undeveloped points gets fewer marks than a few well-explained ones.
Name the linking word type: "On the other hand, ..." and "For instance, ...".
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"On the other hand" expresses contrast; "for instance" gives an example.
4.6Writing an advantages and disadvantages essay
Example title: "What are the advantages and disadvantages of team project work at school?"
| Part | Content |
|---|---|
| Introduction | Introduce the subject and mention both sides of the topic. |
| Main paragraph 1 | Advantages. Start with a topic sentence, then explain and give examples. |
| Main paragraph 2 | Disadvantages. Cover this side equally. |
| Conclusion | A general statement (in conclusion, to sum up, all in all, on the whole, taking everything into consideration) and your opinion. No new ideas. |
Topic sentence: the sentence that introduces the central idea of a paragraph. The other sentences expand it, give examples or explain it.
- Write in a formal style: do not use short forms such as don't or it's.
- Use a variety of linking words, not only and and but.
- Pick two or three points and explain each one.
A topic sentence must match the idea of the whole paragraph. "To sum up, homework has more advantages than disadvantages" is a conclusion sentence, so it is not suitable at the start of a paragraph about the arguments for homework.
A conclusion says "On the whole, I believe the advantages are more important." Which two parts of a conclusion does this sentence show?
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A general statement ("On the whole") and the writer's own opinion.
4.7Reading skills: Let's Read 2 and strong adjectives
The extract from Oliver Twist (Charles Dickens) is set in a workhouse in the 19th century. The starving orphans choose Oliver to ask for more soup; the master is furious, and the people in charge want to get rid of him.
- Main message of a paragraph: the idea that the details support. In the first paragraph, the children did not get enough food.
- Meaning in context: use the sentence around the word. "He raised his ladle high ... to hit poor Oliver" shows that a ladle is a large spoon.
- Look at what happens and why (cause and effect), and think about what will happen next.
Strong and weak adjectives
| Weak adjective (use very, really, extremely, a little) | Strong adjective (use really, completely, absolutely, totally) |
|---|---|
| angry | furious |
| hungry | starving |
| dirty | filthy |
| hot | boiling |
| surprised | astonished |
| interesting | fascinating |
| beautiful | gorgeous |
Do not say "very furious" or "very starving". A strong adjective already means "very". Say "absolutely furious" or "really starving". Say "very angry" for the weak adjective.
Which is correct: "The room was very filthy" or "The room was absolutely filthy"?
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absolutely filthy. Filthy is a strong adjective, so it does not take very.
Summary
- Future: will (decision, offer, opinion prediction); be going to (plan, evidence); Present Continuous (arrangement); will have + past participle (finished by a time).
- Conditionals: zero (fact), type 1 (likely), type 2 (unlikely, were). Unless = if not.
- Opposites: un-, in-, il- (l), ir- (r), im- (m, p). Learn adjective + preposition: capable of, nervous about, responsible for, familiar with.
- Make: effort, decision, mistake, sense. Do: your best, a project, research, a favour.
- All and none for three or more; both, neither and either for two.
- Opinion paragraph: opinion, arguments, example, rephrase. Essay: introduction, advantages, disadvantages, conclusion; formal style and topic sentences.
- Strong adjectives (furious, starving, filthy) take really, completely or absolutely, not very.