Bahasa Inggeris notes, unit 5
Globetrotting
Textbook Full Blast Plus 4 Student's Book (Form 4), MM Publications, CEFR-aligned, pages 67-80
What this chapter covers
- I can use the past simple, past perfect simple and past perfect continuous to put past events in order (5.1)
- I can report statements, changing the tense, pronouns and time words, with say and tell (5.2)
- I can report questions with ask, wonder and want to know, using if / whether and statement word order (5.3)
- I can report commands and requests with ask, tell and order + to-infinitive, and use other reporting verbs (5.4)
- I can use the idioms and airport language from the module, and build nouns for people with -er, -or, -ist (5.5)
- I can write an account of a true event with a clear plan, linking words, strong adjectives and direct speech (5.6)
- I can write an informal email that makes offers and suggestions and gives directions (5.7)
This unit covers Module 5 of Full Blast Plus 4 (pages 67 to 80). It has two big grammar topics for SPM: the past perfect to sequence past events, and reported speech. It also covers travel vocabulary, writing an account of a true event, and an informal email that gives offers, suggestions and directions.
5.1Sequencing past events: past perfect
| Tense | Form | Use | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| Past simple | verb + -ed / irregular | a finished action at a time in the past | The bus arrived at 8. |
| Past perfect simple | had + past participle | an action completed before another past action | The trekker entered the village after he had spoken to the chief. |
| Past perfect continuous | had been + verb-ing | an action that was in progress for a time before another past action; stresses duration | By the time the bus arrived, we had been waiting for 50 minutes. |
By the time + past simple: the action in the main clause (past perfect) happened earlier. Also useful: after, before, when, already, until.
Compare: "When we got to the station, the train left" (it left after we arrived) and "When we got to the station, the train had left" (it was already gone).
Do not use the past perfect for a single past event on its own, and do not put had in both halves. The later event stays in the past simple: write "After he had finished, he went", not "After he had finished, he had gone".
Worked example
Roger ______ (arrive) late at the station. By the time he ______ (reach) the platform, the train ______ (leave).Answer: arrived (a simple past event); reached (follows "by the time"); had left (the train left before he reached it).
Complete with the correct form of the verb in brackets.
(a) Mark ______ (work) on a project for an hour when his dad called.
(b) By the time Mei Ling ______ (get) to the airport, the plane ______ (take off).
(a) Mark ______ (work) on a project for an hour when his dad called.
(b) By the time Mei Ling ______ (get) to the airport, the plane ______ (take off).
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(a) had been working (duration before another past action)
(b) got; had taken off
(b) got; had taken off
5.2Reported statements
We use reported speech to tell what someone said without using their exact words. The tense usually goes one step back, and pronouns and time words change.
| Direct speech | Reported speech |
|---|---|
| present simple: "I like trains." | past simple: She said she liked trains. |
| present continuous: "I am going to climb." | past continuous: He said he was going to climb. |
| past simple: "A shop opened." | past perfect: She said a shop had opened. |
| present perfect: "I have booked it." | past perfect: He said he had booked it. |
| will / can / may / must | would / could / might / had to |
| Direct | Reported |
|---|---|
| now, today, tonight | then, that day, that night |
| tomorrow, next week | the next day / the following day, the next week |
| yesterday, last week | the day before / the previous day, the week before |
| here, this | there, that |
say has no person after it (She said that ...); tell needs one (She told me that ...). The word that after the reporting verb is optional.
Worked example
"My dad is going on a business trip to Paris next weekend," Harry said.Harry said (that) his dad was going on a business trip to Paris the following weekend.
Steps: my dad becomes his dad; is going becomes was going; next weekend becomes the following weekend.
If the speaker is still talking about something that is still true, the tense may stay: "Alan said Paris is beautiful." For SPM exercises, backshift unless told otherwise.
Report: "I can't go hiking with you because I hurt my ankle yesterday," Ryan said to Fiona.
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Ryan told Fiona (that) he couldn't go hiking with her because he had hurt his ankle the day before.
5.3Reported questions
- Wh- questions: use the question word, then statement word order (no do / does / did), no question mark. Reporting verbs: ask, wonder, want to know.
- Yes / no questions: use if or whether.
| Direct | Reported |
|---|---|
| "What souvenirs am I going to buy?" Greg wondered. | Greg wondered what souvenirs he was going to buy. |
| "Have you ever seen a sand dune?" Tina asked me. | Tina asked me if / whether I had ever seen a sand dune. |
| "Where did you leave your ticket?" | He asked where I had left my ticket. |
Wrong: "She asked me where did I leave my ticket." Right: "She asked me where I had left my ticket."
Report: "Why do you want to go to the market, Peter?" Dave asked.
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Dave asked Peter why he wanted to go to the market. (or: Dave wanted to know why Peter wanted to go to the market.)
5.4Reported commands, requests and other reporting verbs
| Type | Direct | Reported |
|---|---|---|
| Command | "Stop the car!" the officer said to the driver. | The officer ordered the driver to stop the car. |
| Request | "Please don't make noise," Dad said. | Dad asked us not to make noise. |
| Instruction | "Kelly, ring the agency," Betty said. | Betty told Kelly to ring the agency. |
Pattern: ask / tell / order + person + (not) to + base verb. Drop "please".
The textbook also lists reporting verbs that carry the meaning of what was said, so you do not need said that:
| Verb | Example |
|---|---|
| deny + -ing | "I didn't use your laptop." Greg denied using Larry's laptop. |
| admit + -ing | "OK, I broke your mobile." Ann admitted breaking the mobile. |
| remind + person + to | "Don't forget to call Victor." Oliver reminded me to call Victor. |
| promise / offer / refuse / agree + to | He promised to write. She offered to help. |
| suggest + -ing | "Let's go by train." He suggested going by train. |
Report: (a) "Please don't step on my towel!" Mary said to her brother. (b) "Go to your room immediately," my mother said (order).
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(a) Mary asked her brother not to step on her towel.
(b) My mother ordered me to go to my room immediately.
(b) My mother ordered me to go to my room immediately.
5.5Travel words, idioms and airport language
| Word | Meaning / use |
|---|---|
| journey, trip, tour, voyage, cruise, flight | journey: any travel from A to B; trip: a short visit and return; tour: a visit to several places; voyage: a long sea or space journey; cruise: a holiday on a ship; flight: a journey by air |
| expedition, excursion | expedition: a long, organised journey for a purpose (to the South Pole); excursion: a short pleasure trip (an all-day excursion to the beach) |
| set off / set up | set off: start a journey; set up: start or establish (a charity) |
| arrive / reach / get | arrive at a place; reach a destination (no preposition); get to a place |
| -er, -or, -ist (people) | traveller (travel + -er, with a double l), visitor (visit + -or), receptionist (reception + -ist), artist (art + -ist), scientist (science + -ist, the final e drops) |
| compound nouns | two nouns as one: forest reserve, travel agency, ski resort, tourist attraction, holiday destination, camping gear |
| Idiom | Feeling |
|---|---|
| My heart was in my mouth. / jumped out of my skin | fear |
| It drives me up the wall. / a pain in the neck | annoyance |
| over the moon / on top of the world / had the time of my life | happiness |
| went red as a beetroot / wanted the ground to open up and swallow me | embarrassment |
| a piece of cake | very easy |
Airport language: check in; boarding pass; hand luggage; aisle seat / window seat; departures board; gate; delay; board; fasten your seat belt; take off; land; arrival time.
Which feeling? (a) "My sister borrows my clothes and it drives me up the wall." (b) "Eddie was over the moon."
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(a) annoyance (b) happiness
5.6Writing an account of a true event
| Feature | What to do |
|---|---|
| Person and tense | first person (I, we); past tenses; past perfect for what happened earlier |
| Plan | introduction (when, where, who); the events in order; the ending and how you felt |
| Paragraphs | one main idea in each |
| Linking words | first, then, after that, later, as soon as, suddenly, finally |
| Interest | direct speech, questions, exclamation marks, adverbs (fortunately, to my surprise), idioms |
Strong adjectives already mean "very": use them alone, not with very.
| Base adjective | Strong adjective |
|---|---|
| nice | marvellous |
| big | enormous |
| hungry | starving |
| tasty | delicious |
| surprised | astonished |
| angry | furious |
| dirty | filthy |
| funny | hilarious |
| cold / tired / small | freezing / exhausted / tiny |
Say "very cold" or "freezing", but not "very freezing". With strong adjectives use absolutely or really for extra force.
Replace the underlined words with very + an adjective: "The weather was dreadful" and "We were exhausted."
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very bad; very tired
5.7An informal email: offers, suggestions and directions
A reply email should cover every note you are given. In the textbook, Mark replies to Andrew and must offer accommodation, suggest something to do and give directions.
| Function | Useful phrases |
|---|---|
| Suggesting | Let's ...; Why don't you / we ...?; How about ...?; I suggest that ...; We should definitely ...; Something you shouldn't miss is ... |
| Offering | You are welcome to stay with us; My parents insist that you should stay with us. |
| Asking directions | How do I get from ... to ...?; What's the best way to get there?; Can you tell me the way to ...? |
| Giving directions | Go straight on for about 200 m; Turn left / right into ... Road; Take the second turning on the right; Cross at the traffic lights; It's opposite / next to / on the corner of ...; You can't miss it. |
Layout: greeting (Hi Andrew,), a friendly opening line, one paragraph for each note, a closing line (Hope to hear from you soon), sign-off (Your friend, Mark). Use contractions and a friendly tone, but still write full sentences.
Give one suggestion sentence and one direction sentence for a friend arriving at the station.
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Sample: "Why don't we visit the museum on Saturday?" and "Turn left out of the station and take the second turning on the right; the cafe is next to the bank."