4.4: Grammar Review

Simple Present Tense Practice

Practice with the simple present tense. Fill in the blanks with the correct form of the simple present tense.

The Mission District in San Francisco, California _________ (have) many immigrants from Mexico, Latin America, and Central America. People from these countries _________ (speak) Spanish, so they are sometimes called Hispanic. The people who live in the Mission District _________ (keep) their cultural identity by sharing their food, religion, art, and music. The music ____________ (allow) them to experience their griefs and joys--that is, the things that make them sad and happy. The artists __________ (create) public art that is outside where everyone ______________ (see) it and _____________ (enjoy) it. The video _____________ (show) that the Mission District is a good example of integration, where the old culture and new culture _____________ (mix) peacefully.

More Practice

For more practice with the simple present tense, visit this website. Watch the videos and complete the activities, then visit this website. Read the instructions and complete the activities.

Imperative Mood and Simple Present Tense Practice

Practice with the imperative mood and simple present tense. Write five instructions for a friend visiting your city. After a sentence with imperative mood, explain your instructions with another sentence in simple present tense. Verbs are suggested below, or use your own.

• Don't miss
• Spend
• Bring
• Visit
• Don't forget
• Remember
• Take
• See

Verbs and Subjects Practice

Practice identifying verbs and subjects. Identify the verbs and subjects in each sentence.

• Every year, about 20,000 grey whales swim past the west coast of Vancouver Island
• The whales travel from Mexico to the Arctic and back again
• The whole trip is about 16,000 kilometres
• The whales travel very close to the shore
• On the east coast of Vancouver Island, you can spot mammals of a different sort
• The Bathtub Race started out as a silly event in 1967
• Dragon boat racing started in China over 2,000 years ago
• It returned as a yearly event in 1989
• The festival begins with a ceremony
• Each boat has a dragon's head on the front and a tail on the back

Compound Sentences

Revisit the last paragraph of "Overcoming Culture Shock," below. Can you find two compound sentences? Identify the FANBOYS in each sentence.

After two weeks in Spain, Caitlin understood that adjusting to a new culture takes time. It can take weeks or months to recover from culture shock, and it can take years to fully adjust to living in a new culture. During her trip, she made new lifelong friends. She learned a lot about Spain, but she also discovered a lot about herself and her own culture

Are the sentences below compound? If not, why not? Identify the verbs, subjects, and FANBOYS.

• It was exciting, but she felt alone and uncomfortable
• Maria's mother kissed Caitlin on both cheeks, and Caitlin was surprised
• People feel incompetent and nervous because of culture shock
• She felt overwhelmed by the new customs, language, and surroundings
• There was new food, new daily schedules, and new rules of etiquette
• They spoke loudly and they argued about politics
• That night, Caitlin crawled into a strange bed, but she wanted to go home
• We relate to others through shared cultural norms, and ordinarily, we don't even notice them

Compound sentences use "and," "or," "but," and "so" to connect two clauses. Write one sentence on each line. Then write two compound sentences of your own. Remember to use a comma before the FANBOYS...

• Cultural norms are difficult to understand. Many people feel culture shock when they visit a new country.
  • ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
• I feel culture shock every time I visit France. I still enjoy visiting there.
  • ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
• You can avoid visiting a new country. You can visit and try to adjust quickly.
  • ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
• Learning the language is important. It is not the only cause of culture shock.
  • ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
• _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
• _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Editing Practice

Practice One

Read the email below and correct the errors. You will find 3 adjective use errors, 4 comparative/superlative errors, and 11 capitalization errors.

Dear britanny Allen,

Thank you for considering a visit to the Del Mar Resort in sunny san diego, california. We think you will enjoy a wonderful time here.

The area offers most beautiful beaches in the world. spend an afternoon swimming or surfing at Del Mar Beach, or go hiking at Torrey Pines State Park. Remember to take a picnic and enjoy the sound of the waves after your hike. The weather here is more warm than other cities, and it's always fun to eat outside.

After an excited day in the beautiful outdoors, try one of our restaurants delicious. Southern California is famous for our fantastic mexican food, but we have many other restaurants excellent , as well. On just one street, you can try thai, vietnamese, chinese, brazilian and french cuisine. It is the diversest area in the world.

Finally, don't forget to spend some time in San Diego, just a short drive away. San Diego is famous for the zoo and Balboa Park. The zoo is most expensive than Balboa Park, but the animals are fascinated. I recommend you spend at least three hours at the zoo, especially if you brought your kids!

Again, I want to extend my thanks for your interest. Please contact me if you have any questions. We are looking forward to seeing you.

The Concierge at Del Mar Resorts

Practice Two

Read the email below and correct the errors. You will find 1 compound sentence error, 3 superlative adjective errors, 5 adjective errors, 2 imperative mood errors, and 4 errors with activity vocabulary words.

Hey Seth!

I’m so glad you are going to visit Crawford, Colorado! I lived there for 2 years, or let me give you some advice about places to visit.

First, spend some time at the Black Canyon of the Gunnison. This national park is famous because it is not the most big canyon in the US, but it is the most deep. It is a place beautiful and wild, and you can take some wonderful photos. You can go camp or hike there, too.

Are careful! There are bears in the park, and the cliffs are steep. If you take your kids, do let them fall!

Second, you should stay at the Stonehouse Inn. This little bed and breakfast offers rooms cozy and a breakfast complete. The inn has views of mountains rugged and blue skies.

Finally, don’t miss the Crawford reservoir. The reservoir is a small lake. You can go fish or swim there. You can even rent a paddle board or boat to spend the day on the water.

I wish I could meet you there! It is one of my favoritest places in the world. Have fun!

Joanne

Attribution

Del Mar photo by Chuck Holland

Black Canyon of the Gunnison photo