Focus on Grammar
A Basic Course for Reference and Practice

CONTENTS
   INTRODUCTION
 
PART I: THE VERB BE: PRESENT AND PAST
The Mystery of Rocky
  Unit 1 THE PRESENT AFFIRMATIVE OF BE
A story:
Milt's a detective.
  Unit 2 THE PRESENT NEGATIVE OF BE
Thoughts:
My work is not easy.
  Unit 3 THE PRESENT OF BE:
YES / NO QUESTIONS
A conversation:
Are you new here?
  Unit 4 THE PAST TENSE OF BE;
PAST TIME MARKERS
A thank you note:
You were wonderful.
  Review or SelfTest
  From Grammar to Writing:
  CAPITALIZATION -Writing a postcard
 
PART II: NOUNS, ADJECTIVES, AND
PREPOSITIONS; THE
PRESENT PROGRESSIVE
Wonderful Sons, Lucky
Daughters-in-law
  Unit 5 COUNT NOUNS; A / AN
A conversation:
My grandson is a chef and an athlete.
  Unit 6 DESCRIPTIVE ADJECTIVES
A thank you note:
The cookies are delicious.
  Unit 7 PREPOSITIONS OF PLACE
A visit to the eye doctor:
The W is between the Q and the Z.
  Unit 8 PRESENT PROGRESSIVE
A telephone conversation:
Pete's doing the laundry.
  Review or SelfTest
  From Grammar to Writing:
  SUBJECTS AND VERBS -Writing about people
PART III: WH- QUESTIONS; POSSESSIVES;
PREPOSITIONS OF TIME
The Winston Family
  Unit 9 QUESTIONS WITH WHO,
WHAT, AND WHERE
A visit:
What's a secret?
  Unit 10 POSSESSIVE NOUNS AND
POSSESSIVE ADJECTIVES;
QUESTIONS WITH WHOSE
A class discussion:
Whose composition is this?
  Unit 11 QUESTIONS WITH WHEN AND
WHAT + NOUN; PREPOSITIONS;
ORDINAL NUMBERS
School holidays:
When is Election Day?
  Unit 12 QUESTIONS WITH WHO, WHOM,
AND WHY; WH- QUESTIONS AND
THE PRESENT PROGRESSIVE
A telephone conversation:
Why is Lulu watching TV in bed?
  Review or SelfTest
  From Grammar to Writing:
  PUNCTUATION I: The Apostrophe,
  The Comma, The Period, The question Mark
  Interviewing and writing about a classmate
PART IV: THE SIMPLE PRESENT TENSE
Clothes for a Teenager
  Unit 13 SIMPLE PRESENT TENSE:
AFFIRMATIVE AND
NEGATIVE STATEMENTS
A letter to a psychologist:
My son loves clothes.
  Unit 14 SIMPLE PRESENT TENSE:
YES / NO QUESTIONS AND
SHORT ANSWERS
A roommate questionnaire:
Do you listen to loud music?
  Unit 15 SIMPLE PRESENT TENSE:
WH- QUESTIONS
Night owls and early birds:
What time do you get up?
  Unit 16 SIMPLE PRESENT TENSE AND
THIS / THAT / THESE / THOSE
Cleaning a closet:
This is my favorite sweater.
  Unit 17 SIMPLE PRESENT TENSE AND
ONE / ONES AND IT
Borrowing clothes:
There are two big ones
and one small one.
  Review or SelfTest
  From Grammar to Writing:
  TIME WORD CONNECTORS -Writing about a routine
PART V: THE SIMPLE PAST TENSE
The Winstons' Thanksgiving Day
  Unit 18 SIMPLE PAST TENSE: REGULAR
VERBS-AFFIRMATIVE AND
NEGATIVE STATEMENTS
A postcard:
Last night we walked
along the Seine River.
  Unit 19 SIMPLE PAST TENSE: IRREGULAR
VERBS-AFFIRMATIVE AND
NEGATIVE STATEMENTS
A Chinese folktale:
He always said, "You never
know what will happen."
  Unit 20 SIMPLE PAST TENSE: YES / NO AND
WH- QUESTIONS
Lost and found:
What did Norma lose?
  Review or SelfTest
  From Grammar to Writing:
  PUNCTUATION II: The Exclamation
  Point, The Hyphen, Quotation Marks
  Writing a story you heard as a child
PART VI: IMPERATIVES; SUGGESTIONS;
THERE IS / THERE ARE
Let's Stop for Pizza
  Unit 21 IMPERATIVES; SUGGESTIONS
WITH LET'S, WHY DON'T WE . . .?;
WHY DON'T YOU . . .?
Person in the news: Luigi Paolini:
Why don't we step into my office?
  Unit 22 SUBJECT AND OBJECT PRONOUNS;
DIRECT AND INDIRECT OBJECTS
A conversation:
It's my yutaka. My mom
sent it to me last month.
  Unit 23 THERE IS / THERE ARE /
IS THERE . . .? / ARE THERE . . .?
Shopping malls:
Is there a mall around here?
  Unit 24 NUMBERS, QUANTIFIERS, AND
QUESTIONS WITH HOW MANY . . .?
Complaints:
How many do you want?
  Review or SelfTest
  From Grammar to Writing:
  SENTENCE COMBINING WITH
  AND AND BUT -Describing a street
PART VII: REVIEW OF THE SIMPLE
PRESENT TENSE AND THE
PRESENT PROGRESSIVE
Roommate Trouble
  Unit 25 PRESENT AND PRESENT
PROGRESSIVE; HOW OFTEN . . .?;
 ADVERBS AND EXPRESSIONS
OF FREQUENCY
 Radio talk show psychologist:
How often do you
clean your apartment?
  Unit 26 NON-ACTION VERBS
Vacation choices:
Bora Bora has perfect weather and
white sand beaches.
  Unit 27 VERBS PLUS NOUNS, GERUNDS,
AND INFINITIVES
Career choices:
What do you enjoy doing?
  Unit 28 POSSESSIVE ADJECTIVES AND
POSSESSIVE PRONOUNS
An apology:
I think that's mine.
  Review or SelfTest
  From Grammar to Writing:
  ORGANIZATION: TIME MARKERS
  Describing a day in the life of a friend or relative
PART VIII: REVIEW OF THE SIMPLE PAST TENSE;
NEGATIVE QUESTIONS; THE FUTURE
Is Love Blind?
  Unit 29 REVIEW OF THE SIMPLE PAST TENSE;
NEGATIVE QUESTIONS
A May-December romance:
Isn't that an engagement ring?
  Unit 30 WH- QUESTIONS IN THE SIMPLE
PAST TENSE
A quiz show:
Who painted "The Night Watch"?
  Unit 31 BE GOING TO FOR THE FUTURE;
FUTURE AND PAST TIME MARKERS
A telephone conversation:
I'm going to see the ear, nose, and throat doctor.
  Unit 32 WILL FOR THE FUTURE
TV news report about lottery winners:
I'll probably travel.
  Review or SelfTest
  From Grammar to Writing:
  TIME CLAUSES WITH WHEN-Writing about your life
PART IX: NOUNS, ARTICLES, AND
QUANTIFIERS; MODALS I
Carol and Yoko Have a Party
  Unit 33 COUNT AND NON-COUNT
NOUNS AND QUANTIFIERS
A recipe for vegetable soup:
There's one zucchini, a few
carrots, and some yams.
  Unit 34 QUESTIONS WITH ANY / SOME /
HOW MUCH / HOW MANY;
QUANTIFIERS; CONTAINERS
Health and Fitness Magazine survey:
Are you getting enough exercise?
  Unit 35 CAN AND COULD FOR ABILITY AND
POSSIBILITY; MAY I, CAN I, AND
COULD I FOR POLITE REQUESTS
A con artist:
In three weeks you can look like him.
  Unit 36 MAY OR MIGHT FOR POSSIBILITY
A weather report:
By Thursday we might see the sun.
  Unit 37 DESIRES, INVITATIONS, REQUESTS:
WOULD LIKE, WOULD YOU LIKE . . .?
WOULD YOU PLEASE . . .?
A modern matchmaker's questionnaire:
I'd like my spouse to be generous.
  Review or SelfTest
  From Grammar to Writing:
  A BUSINESS LETTER-Writing a letter to a university
PART X: COMPARISONS; THE PAST PROGRESSIVE
You Can Win More Bears with Honey
  Unit 38 COMPARATIVE FORM OF ADJECTIVES
Leaving a job:
He's much happier and much more relaxed.
  Unit 39 ADVERBS OF MANNER AND
COMPARATIVE FORMS OF ADVERBS
An essay about public speaking:
Speak briefly, slowly, and clearly.
  Unit 40 ADJECTIVE + ENOUGH; TOO /
VERY; AS + ADJECTIVE / ADVERB + AS
A perfectionist:
It's way too small.
  Unit 41 THE PAST PROGRESSIVE
An embarrassing situation:
We thought they were having a party.
  Review or SelfTest
  From Grammar to Writing:
  THE ORDER OF ADJECTIVES BEFORE NOUNS-
  Finishing a story, "I was walking down the street when . . ."
PART XI: MODALS II; THE SUPERLATIVE
Carol's News
  Unit 42 SHOULD, SHOULDN'T, OUGHT TO,
HAD BETTER, AND HAD BETTER NOT
White lies:
What should I say?
  Unit 43 HAVE TO, DON'T HAVE TO,
MUST, MUSTN'T
How people learn languages:
I don't have to learn everything perfectly.
  Unit 44 SUPERLATIVE FORM OF
ADJECTIVES AND ADVERBS
Interviews:
What are the best years of your life?
  Review or SelfTest
  From Grammar to Writing:
  EXPRESSING AND SUPPORTING AN OPINION-
  Responding to an e-mail

PUTTING IT ALL TOGETHER
  REVIEW OF VERB TENSES AND MODALS
  Teenagers and their parents
  REVIEW OF VERB TENSES AND COMPARISONS
  Comparing a big city and a small town
  REVIEW OF VERB TENSES,
  NOUNS AND QUANTIFIERS
  Weddings

APPENDICES
 1 Map of the World
 2 Map of the United States and Canada
 3 Numbers, Temperature, Months, Days, Seasons, Titles
 4 Time
 5 Parts of the Body; Medical Problems
 6 Holidays in the United States and Canada
 7 Plural Nouns: Spelling and Pronunciation Rules
 8 Possessive Nouns
 9 Non-count Nouns and Names of Containers
 10 The Definite Article
 11 Verb Tenses
 12 Base Forms and Past-Tense Forms of Common Irregular Verbs
 13 The Present Progressive: Spelling Rules
 14 The Simple Present Tense: Spelling and Pronunciation Rules
 15 The Simple Past Tense: Spelling and Pronunciation Rules
 16 Comparisons with Adjectives and Adverbs
 17 Modals
 18 Pronunciation Table

INDEX