Unit 1: Hobbies and Crafts

1.1. Introduction
1.2. Grammar
1.2.1. Simple Present Tense

Study how the Simple Present is used from the following examples. Pay a close attention to how
the verb in each case is structured in relation to its voice.
(1) To express a habitual action;
She drinks tea every morning.
I get up every day at five o’clock.
Patients are looked after by nurses in hospitals.
I usually go out for a trip during weekends.
(2) To express general truths;
The sun rises in the east.
The brave are favored by fortune
Water boils at 100 degrees Celsius.
(3) In sentences beginning with here and there to express what is actually taking place
Here comes the bus!
There she goes!
(4) In making narrations and stating news stories
Turkey is hit by a deadly earthquake.
Fire breaks up in Australia
Messi passes to the left footed striker and the striker makes a wonderful dribble.
(5) To express a future event that is part of a fixed timetable or fixed schedule,
The next flight is at 7.00 tomorrow morning.
The match starts at 9 o’clock.
The train leaves at 5.20.

Form:
1. S+ V+ O ( active)
2. S+ be +V3 ( passive)

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ACTIVIY 1:
Identify why the following sentences are in the present simple tense.
1. He writes a letter every week.
2. She hates her old boss.
3. He owns three restaurants.
4. Salt crystals dissolves in water.
5. The game starts at 8:30.

1.2.2. The Present Continuous Tense

Use: We use the Present continuous tense when dealing with things happening at or around the
time of speaking.

The uses include:

(1) For an action going on at the time of speaking:

The kitchen is being cleaned by Aden at the moment.

The water is boiling. Be careful.

The boys are playing in the garden.

(2). For a temporary action which may not be actually happening at the time of speaking:

I am reading ‘Love Unto Crypt’ (but I am not reading at this moment).

(3). For an action that has already been arranged to take place in the near future:

I am going to the cinema tonight.

My uncle is arriving tomorrow.
Form:
3. S+ V+ O ( active)
4. S+ being +V3 + (by phrase) ( passive)

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ACTIVIY 2:
A. Identify why the following sentences are in the present continuous tense?
B. Determine if the sentences are in the active or passive voice.

1. Nunu is thinking of giving up her job.

2. A letter is being written now.
3. Sara and Selam are playing in the street at the moment.
4. You’re very quiet. What are you thinking about?
5. She is flying to Jimma next Friday.
6. The room is being cleaned now.
ACTIVITY 3:

Choose the correct form of the verbs in the following sentences.

A. Justify your answers with an appropriate use of either the present simple or present
continuous tenses.
B. Determine if the active or passive voice completes it meaningfully.

1. How often (are you going / do you go) to the cinema?

2. Marta is phoning/ phones her mother every day.
3. I (am getting / get) hungry. Let’s cook and eat something.
4. River Nile (flows / is flowing to the Mediterranean Sea.
5. Nardos (goes / is going) to bed at 10 o'clock on weekdays.
6. Two hundred people (are employed/employ/ are employing) by the company.
7. Don’t put the dictionary away for I (am using / use) it at the moment.
8. He (watches/ is watch, is watching) TV most evenings.
9. This room (is cleaned/ is cleaning/ cleans) every day.
10. Look! The sun (rises/ is risen/ is rising) over the hills.
11. Many accidents (are caused/ are causing/ cause) by careless driving.
12. A new bridge (is being built/ building/ builds) across the river at this moment.
13. I remember (take/ taking/being taken) to the park when I was a child.

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 1.2.3. Present Perfect Tense

The Present Perfect is used:

(1). To indicate completed activities in the immediate past (with just, already):
He has just gone out.
I have just eaten my breakfast.

(2). To express past actions for which the time is not given or indefinite:
Have you read ‘Love unto crypt’?
I have never known him to be angry.
Mr. Biruk has been to Japan.

(3) To describe past events when we think more of their consequence in the present than of
the action itself:
All the food has been eaten by Getachew.
I have cut my finger (and it is bleeding now).
The task has been finished.
(4) To denote an action beginning at some time in the past and continuing up to the present
moment (often with since- and for-phrases); as,
I have known him for a long time.
He has been ill since last week.

Form:
1. S+ HAVE/ HAS+ V3+ O ( active)
2. S+ HAVE/ HAS +BEEN+V3 + (by phrase) ( passive)

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Activity 4:

Choose the correct form of the verbs in the following sentences.

Determine if the active or passive voice completes it meaningfully.

1. The gift which I haven’t received yet might (send/ are sending/ have been sent) to
someone else.
2. The room (has been cleaned/ is cleaning/ cleans).
3. (Have you ever been bitten/ are you biting) by a dog?
4. The key (lost/ has been lost) for a week.
5. They (have lived/ lived) a joyous life.
6. He (has proved/ has been proved/ proving) guilty.

Notes on voice

Active and passive sentences usually have the same tense and meaning but the focus is different.
In the active voice the subject performs the action expressed and the focus is on the agent that
does the action. In the passive voice the subject receives the action expressed in the verb. The
object of the active sentence becomes the subject of the passive sentence. We use a passive verb
to say what happens to the subject. The focus of the sentence is on the subject that receives the
action.

Note also that the passive is formed by the verb to be (are, were, been, being…) + the past
participle of the main verb

Summary on the Formation of the active and passive voices in different tenses

Active Passive
present simple am/are/is + past participle
She does the homework. The homework is done (by her).
present continuous am/are/is + being + past participle
She is doing the homework. The homework is being done (by her).
present perfect have/has + been + past participle
She has done the homework. The homework has been done (by her).

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 1.3. Simple future tense

How do we use the future Simple with "Will"?

Look at the above picture and try to realize how the future simple will is used from your
experience.

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Alright! What Is Future Simple?

Future simple with 'will' is one way to talk about future events and plans. Future simple with
'will' is one of the rare cases in English that need an auxiliary verb in affirmative sentences as
well as negative sentences and questions.

Future Simple with Will: Affirmative

When you want to make affirmative sentences in the future simple, you need to add 'will' to the
subject at the beginning of the sentence, followed by the base form (infinitive without to) of your
main verb. The main verb after 'will' cannot take the third person 's' or 'ing' and it has to be in its
simple form.

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Simple future tense helps indicate that something will happen in the future. A future tense with
will is used to state something with absolute certainty.

The structure for a future tense with will is:

subject + will + base of a verb

I will eat pizza at FM hotel.

Hana will move out of the dormitory by the end of the week.

Look at also the following examples on number:

You can also use the contracted form of 'will.' To do so, add '-'ll' to your subject instead of 'will.'
Remember that, contracted forms are informal and therefore they are used mostly in speaking
rather than writing. For example:

She'll be so sad when she finds out her dog passed away.

Future Simple with Will: Negation

Now that you know how to make affirmative sentences about the future, making negative
sentences is easy. All you have to do is adding 'not' to 'will' and your sentence will become
negative. See the example below:

Kiros will not go to the funeral next week.

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The structure of a negative future tense is:

subject + will + not + base of a verb

I will not join you for lunch today.

Remember, that won’t is a contraction of will not.

I won’t be going to tomorrow’s office party.

You can also use the contracted and informal form of 'will not,' which is 'won't.'

For example

They won’t invite many guests; only close friends and family. Here, you can see the process of
negation and contraction.

Construct negative sentences using the word Will

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Future Simple with Will: Questions

We already talked about affirmative and negative sentences with 'will;' then, we will discuss how
you can make yes/no questions and wh- questions about the future.

Yes/no questions

Yes/no questions in future simple are basically affirmative sentences with a different word order.
To make these questions, you need 'will' at the beginning to help you make the question, and the
subject and main verb follow right after.

For example:

Abebe will help Kiros paint his house. → Will Abebe help Kiros paint his house?

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They will pass the test. → Will they pass the test?

Now make your own Yes/ no questions based on the example

1.______________________________________________________________

2.______________________________________________________________

Wh- question

You need wh- question words to make wh- questions. Wh- question words are: what, when,
where, who, how, why.

To make a wh- question, put the wh-word at the beginning and add your auxiliary verb, 'will,' to
it. The subject and base form of the main verb comes next.

Look at the following examples:

I will give your book back on Wednesday. → When will you give me my book back?

Senait will make sandwiches for everybody. → Who will make sandwiches for everybody?

You can use future simple with 'will' for the following different situations:

a) To describe the future

• The trains will be late today because of the bad weather.

• How long will you stay in Hong Kong?

• He’ll send us the report when he has all the data.

Describe the future using some sentences

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b) To make a prediction

We often use the future simple tense to make a prediction about future facts and for uncertain
situations.

Look at the examples:

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 It will snow tomorrow.

I think Mr. Genetu will give the speech

The world population will grow a lot in the next 50 years.

She doesn’t think she’ll pass the exam.

Now make you prediction based on the future of your country.

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c) To make a request

We use the future simple tense in the interrogative form to make an offer or request. As you
might know, interrogative mood indicates a question. When you want to make a polite offer you
can use the 'simple future tense' in a question.

For example:

Will you take this man as your lawfully wedded husband?

Will you bring some more water please?

Will you be quiet please? I’m trying to make an important phone call.

You’ll give me a hand with dinner, won’t you?

Politely request your friends to do something for you using simple future tense.

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d) To make promises and offers

We use the future simple tense to make an offer. In this case, it is mostly used in affirmative
sentences.

Here are the examples:

I’ll call you when I get home.

She’ll help you finish the work, don’t worry.

Hana and Kalkidan will show you around the city.

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Make promise for your mother in different features.

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e) To describe the consequence of a conditional phrase:

We use the simple future with 'will' in the first conditional. The first conditional is used to
indicate an event that is probable to happen if something else happens. The resulting clause has a
simple future tense.

Look at the examples:

If it rains, I’ll take my umbrella,

If they win the next match, they’ll go through to the final.

We won’t mind if you arrive late.

Indicate an event that is probable to happen if something else happens

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f) To make spontaneous decisions

We use 'will' to talk about spontaneous decisions decided at the moment of speaking.

Wait here. I'll go get some help.

I forgot to call my boyfriend. I'll do it after dinner.

Wait, I'll get a pen.

Just you miss the bus to Addis Ababa. Make spontaneous decisions on the situation you
encounter.
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Use tag questions to order someone in future simple

Sometimes we use the verb will to give orders using the 'tag questions.' Check out the examples
for more clarification.

Help me! Will you?

Close the window! Will you?

Let's see it again.

Here are some ideas we thought of. Put them under the appropriate heading in the table
below.

Heading Ideas generated

make promises and offers Who do you think will win the tournament?

Describe the future We’ll be at the hotel until 8pm.

make a request Will she come to dinner if I invite her?

make a prediction Will you come to the appointment with me?

spontaneous decisions We’ll send you the goods as soon as possible.

Express a conditional phrase Don't worry; I will help you study for the math exam.

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Simple Future Tense with “Going To”

A. When using a future tense, going to is used to refer an event that has already been planned.

I am going to travel to Bahir Dar for vacation next month.

Last week, they decided they are going to get married in December.

B. Going to is also used when there is evidence in the present that emphasizes something will
happen.

You’re going to fall if you don’t tie your shoelaces.

He is going to feel sad if you don’t invite him to the party.

The structure of using going to in future tense is:

subject + form of “to be” (am/is/are) + going to + base of a verb

The table below provides an overview of positive, negative and interrogative conjugations for
the simple future with going to.

pronouns Positive negative question

I I am going to speak. I am not going to speak. Am I going to speak?
you/we/ You are going to speak. You are not going to Are you going to speak?
they speak.
he/she/it He is going to speak. He is not going to speak. Is he going to speak?

Please remember that in casual speech and writing, will and going to can be interchanged without
changing the meaning of the sentence or causing any confusion. However, in formal writing it’s
best to know the distinctions.

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Look at the picture and produce some sentences which show you do have evidences in the
present that emphasize something will happen and different events are already planned.

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Contractions

Contractions are a combination of certain pronouns, verbs and the word not. They are mostly
used in spoken and informal written English. The table below provides an overview of
contractions in the future with going to.

long contraction example

form
am (not) …’m (not) I’m (not) (not: )
are …’re you’re
are not …’re not/… aren’t we’re not/we aren’t
is …’s he’s
is not …’s not/… isn’t she’s not/she isn’t

In written English, the contracted form of are can only be used after pronouns, not after nouns
and names.

Example:
They’re going to meet in town. (But not: The women’re)

Signal Words: Simple Future Tense

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Certain expressions can help you to recognize the tense being used in a sentence. The following
words indicate the use of a future tense:

• in one-year, next week, tomorrow

However, there are no concrete signal words for going to. We have to examine the context to
determine which future tense to use.

Considering Numbers in simple future tense

To make the negative form we add ‘not’. Look at the example given.

Simple Future With “Shall”

In the past, ‘shall’ was often used as an alternative to ‘will’, and you can find many examples of
‘shall’ in famous literary works. But in modern English we usually prefer ‘will’ for affirmative
and negative sentences. However, we still use ‘shall’ to form questions with ‘I’ and ‘we’.

We form affirmative sentences with ‘shall’ in the same way as we do with ‘will’.

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The negative form is created by adding ‘not’:

The contraction form, ‘shan’t’, is something we generally use in spoken English but rarely in its
written form.

Questions with shall

We make the question by inverting the subject and ‘shall’. Here is the question form for all the
subjects, though we only normally use ‘shall’ in questions with I and we:

Shall I help you?

Shall I call a policeman?

Shall we invite them?

Shall we bring additional documents?

Contexts to use shall

a) to make offers using I/we

• Shall I make some lunch?

• Shall we help you with your bags?

• Where shall I drop you off? Outside your office?

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Assume you are driving. And you get an old man walking through the jungle. Make
different offers for him using shall.

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b) to make suggestions using I/we

I/We Samples

I Shall I take the bag?

Where shall I pass my vacation?

What shall I do to leap from this seat?

We Shall we go to the park later?

Shall we have something to eat?

Who shall we invite to the party?

What shall we do after we’ve watched the film?

Now suggest something to make you score good grade in English.

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c) to express formal obligations:

Let’s look the following examples.

• Applicants shall provide evidence of their qualifications.

• Guests shall not remove anything from the rooms.

• The tenant shall pay the agreed amount on the first day of every month.

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 • The accused shall appear in court again on 26th October.

How does the Supreme Court put formal statement for criminals who make different
guilty?

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d) to make a promise:

Let’s study the following examples.

• I shall never forget the help you gave me.

• I shan’t be late.

• We shall do everything we can to solve the problem.

Let’s say the president makes a promise to his academic staffs during his voting time. Just
try to imagine what he can produce.

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e) to describe the future very formally

For example

• We shall overcome this difficult moment.

• The tests shall be carried out by an independent body.

• Dr. Getachew shall begin his talk at 2:30pm.

The leader of the town talks about the new action plan on the rehabilitation of the old
asphalt for the residence of the town. Now construct formal sentences that can be said.

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Here some idea we thought of the use of shall. Put them under the appropriate heading in
the table below.

heading idea generated

making a promise Access to the city center shall be limited today due to the marathon.
expressing formal Shall I water your plants while you’re away?
obligations

making The tenant shall pay the agreed amount on the first day of every

suggestions month.

making offers I shall do everything I can to solve the problem.

describing the What shall we do after we’ve watched the film?

future very
formally

Summary

Will or Shall?

As a general rule, use ‘will’ for affirmative and negative sentences about the future. Use ‘will’
for requests too. If you want to make an offer or suggestion with I/we, use ‘shall’ in the question
form. For very formal statements, especially to describe obligations, use ‘shall’.

Now you’ve seen the differences between ‘will’ and ‘shall’, you’re ready to use them. And also
try to use ‘will’ and ‘shall’ as much as you can in the coming days and weeks when you speak
because this will help consolidate what you have learned.

The two most common are will or going to. Often, especially in casual speech, these two words
are used interchangeably with no issues. However, in formal writing, they have slight
distinctions. If you want to be as accurate as possible, you should know that will is more
commonly used with recent decisions, certain futures, and predictions. Going to tends to be used
about events that were previously decided on.

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 1.4. Reading

Pre-reading Activity
I. Discuss the following questions with your partners.
1. What activities do you do in your free time?
2. What is particularly interesting about them?
3. What would you like to try? Why?

II. Read the following text and answer the questions below

What are Hobbies?

A hobby is a regular activity that is done for enjoyment, typically during one's leisure time. It
usually refers to a mind activity such as stamp collecting, sewing, knitting, painting, woodwork
or photography, but not activities such as listening to music or watching television. These latter
activities bring pleasure but lack the sense of achievement that is normally associated with a
hobby. Unlike most hobbies, they are not usually structured and organised pursuits, pastimes.
The pleasure of a hobby is associated with making something of value or achieving something of
value.

A large proportion of hobbies are mainly private in nature. However, individual pursuit of a
hobby often includes club membership, organised sharing of activities or products and regular
communication between participants. For many hobbies, there is an important role in being in
touch with fellow hobbyists. Of course, some hobbies are communal in nature, for example
choral singing and volunteering.

The types of hobbies that people engage in change as the world changes. Stamp collecting has
declined along with the decline in the importance of the postal system. Woodwork and knitting
have also declined as hobbies, as manufactured goods provide cheap alternatives for hand made
goods. In the 21st century, the video game industry is a very large hobby involving millions of
adults and children. Moreover, through the internet, an online community has become a hobby
for many people, sharing advice, information and support.

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People who engage in hobbies are those who have interests and the time to pursue them.
Hobbies are often pursued with increased interest by retired people because they have time and
seek or want the intellectual and physical stimulation of a hobby. Children are also an important
group of hobbyists because they often have enthusiasm for collecting, making and exploring and
they tend to have plenty of leisure time.

A. Answer the following questions by saying ‘True’ or ‘False’ based on the information in
the reading text

1. Hobbies are usually structured and organized pursuits.

2. Listening to music or watching television are not hobbies because they do not bring pleasure.

3. As retired people have interest for collecting, making and exploring, they are commonly
engaged in hobbies.

4. Knitting is one of the hobbies which have declined along time as manufactured goods provide
cheap alternatives for hand made goods.

B. Give short answer to the following questions

1. People who participate in hobbies are those who have _______________ and the
_____________ to pursue hobbies.

2. What is common for retired people and children as members of hobbyists?

3. What are examples of communal hobbies?

4. What has become a hobby at the present for sharing advice, information and support?

5. Why Stamp collecting has declined as a hobby?

C. Write what the following pronouns refer in the reading text

1. it (paragraph 1, line 2) refers to_____________________________

2. they (paragraph 1, line 5) refers to__________________________

3. them (paragraph 4, line 1) refers to__________________________

4. they (paragraph 4, line 5) refers to___________________________

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D. Find words or phrases used in the reading passage which mean the same as:

1. enjoyment (paragraph 1) 4.motivation (paragraph 4)

2.shared by many people (paragraph 2) 5. Excitement, great interest (paragraph 4)
3. time spent doing what you enjoy when you are not working or studying(paragraph 1)

1.4. Speaking

Speaking Activities for Pre-university Remedial Program Students

Activity 1: Making a Survey

A. Use the following introductory expressions to ask your partner to find out what he/she
likes doing in his/her free time.
What do you like … ?
What interests you … ?
When you are free, what do you like … ?
In your free time, what do you want … ?
B. Make a survey of what your friend intends to score in ESLCE for each subject?

English Math Physics Chemistry Biolog History Geography Civics Scholastics

s y

Please, ask questions using “yes-no” or “wh-”. Note that yes-no questions can be constructed
using four forms of auxiliaries, i.e. Verb to BE, Verb to HAVE, Verb to DO, MODALS. “Wh-”
questions are those that are formed using when, where, why, how, which, whom, what, etc.

Activity 2: Agreeing and Disagreeing

If you are asked a question or if your friend tells you something as an opinion, you may agree or
disagree to the idea of your friend/with your friend. There are expressions for each, agreeing or
disagreeing. Note that if the question is yes-no, the response will be given with the auxiliary that
is used in the question.

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Example:

Question: Do you want to go with me to the theatre?

Agreeing: Yes, I do (want).

Disagreeing: No, I don’t (want).

Opinion: The exam system will be stricter this year than it was last year.

Agreeing: I don’t agree more.

Disagree: I don’t agree less.

Activity 3: Polite Questions

Indirect questions are polite questions. They start with a short phrase, such as:

Can you tell me …?

Could you show me?

Do you know …?

Please, ask each other questions using the guide given below. If you like, add the word “please”
to make the question more polite in the beginning or at the end.

Can you tell me … where the station is?

when the shop opens?

how to get to the church/mosque?

the way to the assembly hall?

Do you know ... if the bus leaves from here?

if there is a bank near here?

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 how much you want to score in your exam?

Could you show … how old you are?

which colour marker you prefer?

where you want to spend your vacation?

which university you want to join?

Activity 4: Using “so” and “neither” in answering questions.

In pairs, practice using “so” and “neither” in responding to a claim made by another person.
Please, apply all the forms of auxiliaries in making “yes-no” questions. Examples are done for
you for positive and negative statements.

A: I am a university student.
B: So is he.
A: He is not a teacher.
B: Neither am I.

Activity 5: Expressing Apology

In pairs, express apologies for a wrongdoing using the following expressions: I’ am sorry …, I
am terribly sorry …, I am awfully sorry …, Sorry …, It is my mistake …, etc.

A: _______________________

B: ________________________

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Activity 6: Present and Past Tenses in Comparing Schools

In the table below are given two schools which were built in two different years, but one school
is better than the other in many ways. First, describe each of the schools in the present tense as if
you were in that same year. Second, compare the two schools using comparative degree.

School A (Built in 1958 E.C.) School B (Built in 1976 E.C)

Old but strong buildings New but weak buildings

Experienced staff Fresh staff

Few books Many books

No internet access Broadband internet access

Others Others

Activity 7: Expressing Opinion

Using the introductory phrases in the table below, construct your own sentences to express
opinion.

I think …
I believe …
I suggest …
I hope …
I wish …

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