AmericanAccentTraining-Grammar.pdf

Table of Contents Overview vi Pronoun Review 32 What Is Grammar?vii Prepositions of Location 33 Simplified Terminology viii There Is/There Are 34 Chapter Structure viii Basic Conjunctions 35 Visual Grammar x Verbs Simple Present/Main Verb 36 The Verb Map xii Emphatic 40 Integrating Grammar and Speech xiii Can 41 Vowel Chart xiii Infinitives(Have to Do,Need to Do)41 Sample Curriculum xiv Negatives 42 Tests xv Contractions 43 Where Do I Start?xv Questions YIN C 43 Consonant Chart xxiii Question Tags C 46 Telephone Tutoring xxiv Imperatives(Go!Dont Go!Lets Go!)48 Test 49 Chapter 1:Simple Nouns and Essay 51 Verbs 1 Dictation 1 Chapter 3:Comparisons and the Story 1 Past 52 Word Order and Story Order 2 Dictation 52 Intonation and Phrasing 3 Story Maxs Diet 52 Pronunciation I.,r th 3 Accent Squeezed Out Syllables 53 Word Connections 4 Nouns Singular and Plural 53 Nouns Singular/Plural 7 A or The 54 Pronunciation S/Z in Plurals 8 Comparisons 55 A or The 9 Prepositions of Direction 58 This/That I These/Those 9 Verbs Simple Past 60 Phrasing 10 Emphatic 62 Questions(Who I What)11 Negatives 62 Pronouns 12 Negative Contractions 63 Subject 12 Making Yes/No Questions About Object 13 the Subject 64 It or One 14 Question Tags C 66 Possessive 16 Middle I Pronunciation 68 Verbs Simple Present/Verb to Be 18 Get(phrasal verb)68 Contractions 19 Time Words/Adverbs 70 Negatives 20 Test 71 Questions YIN Subject C 21 Essay 73 Question Tags C 22 Time Words 23 Chapter 4:Noun Countability and Test 25 Continuous Verb Forms 74 Essay 27 Dictation 74 Story The Windshield Incident 74 Chapter 2:Modified Nouns and Pronunciation:Reduced Vowels 75 Main Verbs 28 Nouns Countable/Uncountable 76 Dictation 28 Much/Many 78 Story The Incident in Venice 28 Prepositions of Time 78 Intonation Staircase 29 Prepositions of Manner 79 High Frequency Words 29 Jack and the Beanstalk(Modifiers)79 Nouns and Pronouns 30 Accent Noun/Verb Intonation 80 Descriptions 30 Reading Comprehension 81 Compound Nouns 31 Pronunciation Th 82 iii Table of Contents Accent Word Stress and Meaning 82 Say I Tell I Speak I Talk 142 Verbs Continuous(Present I Past)83 Verbs of Perception 143 Negative Contractions 85 Look I See I Watch 143 Questions 85 Hear I Listen 143 Get with the Continuous(phrasal verb)88 Look I Appear I Seem I Feel 144 Questions What I Who C Subject 89 Take I Have 145 Questions YIN C 90 Take(phrasal verb)145 Questions 5 W C Object 91 Test 147 How+Adjective C 92 Essay 149 How+Adverb+Adjective C 92 Test 93 Chapter 7:Reverse Modifiers and Essay 95 Opinion Words 150 Dictation 150 Chapter 5:Future Tense Story The Boy Who Cried Wolf 150 Comparisons and Modifiers 96 Pronunciation(What I But I That)151 Dictation 96 Nouns Reverse Modifiers(That I Who)152 Story The Motorcycle Accident 96 Compacting Sentences(That I Who)154 Nouns Descriptions and Compounds 97 How Does It Work?156 Intonation 97 5 Ws and How Review 157 Word Order 98 Some or Any 158 More Conjunctions 100 Time Words 159 How Much I How Many I How Often C 101 During I While 160 Both I Each I Either I Too I Neither 104 By I Until 160 Forms of Use 105 For I Since 161 Countable I Uncountable 106 Ago I Before lin I After I Later 161 Eureka(Modifiers I Articles)108 Yet I Already I Still I Anymore 162 Verbs Simple Future(2 forms)110 Verbs Present Real Duo 163 Negatives 110 The V Sound 166 Negative Contractions 111 There Is or It Has 166 Two Futures(Willi Going to)111 There Is or It Is 167 Future Unreal Duo(If)114 Opinion Words with There 167 Grammar in a Nutshell 115 Verb Review 169 Do I Make 118 Present to Past Tense 170 Stand(phrasal verb)119 Tags 171 Test 121 Turn(phrasal verb)172 Essay 123 Test 173 Essay 176 Midterm Exam 124 Chapter 8:Complex Intonation,Chapter 6:Indirect Speech and the Past Unreal Duo,and the the Unreal Duo 128 Causative 177 Dictation 129 Dictation 177 Story The Italian Incidents 129 Story The Flower Incident 177 Nouns 130 Nouns 178 Intro Phrases 130 Common Courtesy 178 Noun Phrases(Joined with That)130 Accent Empathy 180 Noun Phrases(Indirect Speech)C 131 Pronunciation L&R 180 Noun Phrases(Indirect Questions)C 132 Accent 2-to 5-Word Intonation 183 Question Review 134 How+Adjectives 186 So I Such 135 Adjective to Verbs(-en)187 Verbs Present Unreal Duo(If)135 Prepositions 189 Hope and Wish 138 Verbs Past Unreal Duo 195 Opinion Words(Probability)139 Causative 198 Opinion Words(Obligation)140 Test 201 Three Verb Forms 141 Essay 203 iv Table of Contents Chapter 9:Comprehension and Nouns 227 Reported Speech 204 Only 227 Dictation 204 Doubt I Question 228 Story The Bodyguard Incident 204 Prefixes and Suffixes 229 Nouns Comprehension Exercises 205 Verbs Passive 232 Listening Comprehension 205 Six Useful Verbs 235 Reading Comprehension 207 Past Duo 235 Gin-Soaked Raisins 209 Future Real Duo 237 Verbs Reported and Indirect Speech 212 Verb Review 238 Past Unreal Duo 213 Test 240 Three Theres I Four 2s I Four Hads I Essay 242 Four Woulds I Seven Bes 214 Outline Format 242 Grammar in a Bigger Nutshell 218 Writing Structure Checklist 243 Give 220 Technical Editing Checklist 244 Test 221 Essay 223 Final Exam 245 Chapter 10:Comprehension and Answer Key 251 the Passive Voice 224 Dictation 224 Grammar Glossary 279 Story The Army Incident 225 Accent Nasal Consonants 225 Index 284 The Held T 226 v Overview CD 1 Track 1 Welcome to American Accent Training:Grammar.This book and CD set is designed to teach you to speak standard American English.Everything is explained and a complete answer key is provided in the back of the text.At any point,you can call(800)457-4255 toll-free for support.I hate grammar.Its boring.CD 1 Track 2 Studying grammar rules is,for most people,not fun.This method stays as far away from memorization as possible,and lets you jump right into applying and using the techniques in actual speech.After all,in conversation,youre not going to think,Was that modifier dangling?or Hmm,was that subjunctive pluperfect enough?Is this just a grammar book?No,this isnt just a grammar book.You will learn vocabulary,sentence types,story order,logic,intonation,word connections,and pronunciation.Your comprehension and listen-ing skills will become sharp and accurate.Your writing will become crisp and detailed,yet concise and to the point.When you apply all the techniques in this book,your writing and speaking will be fluent,logical,and easily understood.But Ive already studied grammar.CD 1 Track 3 Studying grammar in the traditional way doesnt do much for many students,and thats why weve come up with an entirely new approach.You know how when youre in a new town or in a shopping mall,there is a map on a pedestal with an arrow indicating You Are Here?The problem most students have is that they are literally lost in the language.They know some of the details,but they dont really know how the puzzle pieces fit together.In other words,they lack a good understanding of the big picture of English.This book provides a visual map,so you always know right where you are.English is too hard.English has about half a million words,but nobody uses all of them.The average edu-cated person only uses about 2,500 high-frequency words,most of which you already know.By starting with the basic structures presented here,along with the high-frequency vocabulary,you will quickly learn how to make simple,100%accurate sentences.By gradually building on the perfect foundation with different vocabulary,you will soon be able to express yourself easily.I cant understand when Americans talk to me.CD 1 Track 4 Although this is a grammar book,it takes a singularly auditory approach.The exercises are also on the CDs,so you will learn to hear the sounds,rhythms,patterns,structures,and vocabulary of spoken American English.How long win this take?The amazing thing about this approach is,because you will quickly understand where you are in the language-learning process-what you already know and what areas you still need to study-you will be able to fill in the gaps in just a month or two.vi Overview How do I know what to do?Clear instructions are given for each lesson.Each exercise is reviewed from seven dif-ferent perspectives:vocabulary,grammar,word order,story order,intonation,word connections,and pronunciation.This is essentially the way you learned your first lan-guage as a child.Where am I now?Its natural to wonder where you are in something as big as a language,especially when its your second language.To help with that,we use the simple icons.to indicate where you are on the language map.(See page x.)The structure of the chapters themselves also serves to orient you to what you already know,what there is to learn,and how the puzzle pieces fit together.What Is Grammar?CD 1 Track 5 Story Order Sentences Words ABCs language.Grammar is a combination of the eight parts of speech:nouns,pro-nouns,adjectives,verbs,adverbs,prepositions,conjunctions,and interjections.Think of these eight parts as the building blocks that you will use to construct your sentences.We start out with a very simple three-block foundation(noun-verb-noun),and,bit by bit,you add blocks until you have a solid,well-constructed sentence.Our goal is clear,direct speech,not flowery The starting point-the first two building blocks-are nouns and verbs.Its important to realize how many ways these two building blocks can be used.How do we fit all the pieces together?The key to English grammar is the nine-grid.It is a synopsis of the most basic structures.Later,you will learn different structures,but if you master this form,you will always be able to communicate clearly and logically,both in speech and in writing.Every Hollywood Movie!Noun Verb Noun Beginning Middle End Dictation Placement Test CD 1 Track 6 Write down the following recording as accurately as possible.When you are finished,take the grammar placement tests and complete the initial writing sample.vii American Accent Training:Grammar Simplified Terminology This book presents grammar and accent from a simplified perspective.For instance,you may know that Bob sees Betty is an SVO(Subject-Verb-Object)sentence,and that Bob is late is SVC(Subject-Linking Verb-Complement).However,our goal is not to create grammarians,but rather to get you to understand the basic structures in a simplified manner.To this end,both sentences fit in the nine-grid in the same way.In the same vein,terms such as intonation,pitch,pitch change,stress,the staircase,up and down,inflection,strong words,emphasis,and peaks and valleys are all used to indicate that the speaker is highlighting one or two words in a sentence.Chapter Structure Each chapter has six sections.I DICTATION II STORY II NOUNS II VERBS;II 7EST II ESSAY I The Dictations start out easy and get progressively more difficult.They are tied in to the grammar topic of each chapter.For example,the first dictation only uses the simple present tense of the verb to be,whereas the later ones use all of the structures pre-sented up to that point.The dictations intentionally use contractions so that they resem-ble standard,colloquial speech.The audio is on the CDs.The Story progresses from the simple nine-grid of the classic Hollywood movie plot to a complete story with various verb tenses and a wide range of sentence structures.It is about a quirky Italian bodybuilder named Max and recounts his life in California.In each chapter,the Nouns section addresses nouns and noun-related concepts,such as plurals,pronouns,prepositions,conjunctions,comparatives,superlatives,countablel uncountable,articles,adjectives,compound nouns,word order,and reverse adjectives(traditionally known as relative clauses).One Noun,Many Uses milkman(compound)cold milk(description).milky(adjective)to milk a cow(verb).the milk that I bought(relative pronoun)After you think about what a noun can do,you should turn your attention to actions(verbs).viii Overview The Verbs section covers all of the tenses,as well as contractions,negatives,questions,adverbs,tag endings,phrasal verbs,main verbs,linking verbs,and verbs of perception,as well as verbs that typically cause difficulty such as do/make,take/have,get,and so on.A visual verb map shows you where you are and what you need to learn(see page xii).One Verb,Many Uses I do it.o o Im doing it.o o o I dont do it.I can do it.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Do I do it?Its done.00 o o o Do it!In addition to getting as much speaking practice as possible,its important for you to learn to write and to write to learn.At the end of each chapter are the Test and Essay sections.By taking the time to review what you have learned and putting your thoughts down on paper,you will assimilate the grammatical concepts and vocabulary into your writing.Students Before/After Writing Sample The following is a writing sample from a student before he began using this book.The second sample represents his progress after three months of study.Initial Writing Sample I lives in San Luis Obispo.This isnt a big town but it so beatiful.It have alot of moutains,hills.We can hiking to the top for see over this town.Here not far from the beach it about 15 minutes drive to beach.So that it have many tourist visit here.ln down town we have 2 book stores,fashion stores and restaurants.This town have 3 thai restaurants.I like thai food restaurant more than another one.lt address in down town and test is so delicious.Here we have down town market every thusday.This market have fresh fruit from farmmer dilect to customer.So I think here is a good choise if you wanted to take vacation,1 would be your guide.Three Months Later Last weekend Steve and I did many things.At first we thought Steve would go to work,but it was raining,so he couldnt go.Saturday morning we went to the donut shop.After we got home we played the puzzle untill afternoon then we went to the beach.In the evening after dinner time we went to the gym.I worked out with the cardiomachine a little bit then I went to the pool,the hot tub and also the sauna.I was reading.a little princess while I sat in the sauna room.Sunday morning we went to the donut shop again.Actually Steve like to have some sweet in the morning everyday,but we know it isnt good for his health,so he try to have it only the ix American Accent Training:Grammar weekend.We were watching TV while we had donuts.Every sunday we have to clean the fish tank.We have 3 gold fish.All of them have a different color.Ones gold another ones black and the last ones mix 2 color together(the gold and the back).There arent different only the color but also diferrent in the charcter too.They are my good friend.They have been eating all the time,it made a lot of poo,so that their house need to be cleaned every week.After took care of our fish,we played the Video-games hes always win me.I had been practicing many times before I played with him,but I never won him.If I won,I would be happy.I believe if I keep go on practicing,I will win in one day.Visual Grammar The idea of a visual grammar is a very important aspect of our language-learning approac