Language Centre
Mar,n-Luther-Universität Halle-Wi7enberg
WiSe2024
Homework: Dialogue Compression
Module: English for Academia
Task 1
------
Peter: "Hello, Tom."
Tom: "Hello, Peter."
Peter: "How are you today?"
Tom: "I'm doing fine. How is your leg?"
Peter: "My leg is better today than it was yesterday, and it
is much better than it was last week. I think it is much
better because I have done a lot of therapy on the leg."
Tom: "When do you usually have your therapy?"
Peter: "I have therapy sessions every Monday and Thursday
before I go to work, and also after lunch every Wednesday and
Friday."
Tom: "Isn't that a lot of exercise? Do you have time to go to
your therapy sessions so often?"
Peter: "Yes, it is a lot, but the therapy helps my leg heal
and it is better than sitting in my office all day. The
therapy should end next month."
Tom: "OK. I had better go before I am late for class."
Peter: "Goodbye."
1. Write 3-4 sentences describing what happened in this
conversation. Do not quote the dialogue directly but explain
using your own words.
2. Put yourself in Tom’s position and ask Peter three 3
questions about his leg.
Language Centre
Mar,n-Luther-Universität Halle-Wi7enberg
WiSe2024
Task 2
------
Ms. Smith: "Hello, Mr. Thomas."
Mr. Thomas: "Hello, Ms. Smith. How are you?"
Ms. Smith: "I'm well, thank you for asking. Did you get the e-
mail I sent you?"
Mr. Thomas: "Yes, I did. The new research project looks
fascinating. How long will the work take?"
Ms. Smith: "I hope it will be done in three years, but I will
need a team of five people."
Mr. Thomas: "What will happen if you only get three
assistants?"
Ms. Smith: "The project will take much longer and I won't be
done before 2027."
Mr. Thomas: "That is a long time, but it is good job
security."
Ms. Smith: "I hope."
Mr. Thomas: "I have to go, good luck finding a team!"
1. Write 3-4 sentences describing what happened in this
conversation. Do not quote dialogue.
2. Ask Ms. Smith three 3 questions about her project.
Sentence Structures
-------- ----------
Basic components:
Subject: Who/What does something?
Predicate: What does the Subject do?
Direct Object: What does the Subject Predicate?
Indirect Object: Where, Why, Who...with, etc.?
Indirect Object of Time: When does the action take place?
Statements:
S-P-DO-IO-IOT.
or
IOT, S-P-DO-IO.
Negation:
S-P-DO-IO.
P: auxiliary verb - not - nucleus verb
Questions:
---------
General rule:
(Wh-)-Auxiliary Verb-S-P-DO-IO?
Closed Questions:
Aux.V-S-P-DO-IO?
Language Centre
Mar,n-Luther-Universität Halle-Wi7enberg
WiSe2024
Subject Q:
Who/What P-DO-IO? (no additional AuxV for Simple
Present)(also, because we don't know who the Subject is, the P
will be conjugated in the third person singular)
Predicate Q:
What-AuxV-S-P-IO? (the P is a conjugated form of "to do")
DO Q:
What-AuxV-S-P-IO?
IO Q:
Who... with, Where, When, Why, etc.?
Tenses
------
X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X
§ O %
|-----------------|----------------->
Past Present Future
to play
-------
Present Simple X X X Present Continuous O
-------------- ------------------
I play I am playing
you play you are playing
he/she/it plays he/she/it is playing
we play we are playing
you play you are playing
they play they are playing
Simple Past § Simple Future %
----------- -------------
I played I will play
you played you will play
he/she/it played he/she/it will play
we played we will play
you played you will play
they played they will play
REMEMBER: Present covers the time it takes to speak the
sentence!
Language Centre
Mar,n-Luther-Universität Halle-Wi7enberg
WiSe2024
to be
-----
Present Simple X X X Present Continuous O
-------------- ------------------
I am I am being
you are you are being
he/she/it is he/she/it is being
we are we are being
you are you are being
they are they are being
Simple Past § Simple Future %
----------- -------------
I was I will be
you were you will be
he/she/it was he/she/it will be
we were we will be
you were you will be
they were they will be
Infinitives:
-----------
S-P-DO-IO-IOT-Infinitive-DO-IO-IOT...
Infinitives are the desired effect of the previous verb. They
can be used as chain reactions. The DOs and IOs that come
after an infinitive are related to that infinitive and not
previous verbs.
REMEMBER: The introduction of a new verb ends the connection
of objects to the previous verb!
Gerunds:
-------
S-P-DO-IO-IOT-Gerund-DO-IO...
Gerunds are the immediate effect of the previous verb without
saying if they were wanted. They can be used as chain
reactions. The DOs and Ios that come after a gerund are
related to that gerund and not previous verbs.
REMEMBER: The introduction of a new verb ends the connection
of objects to the previous verb!
REMEMBER: Both infinitives and gerunds can be “stacked”,
creating a chain reaction.
Peter plays soccer to impress the girls to get kisses to
appear popular....
Language Centre
Mar,n-Luther-Universität Halle-Wi7enberg
WiSe2024
Peter plays soccer impressing the girls getting stares
appearing popular....
Prepositions:
-------------
in: The beginning, middle and end of the action take place
within a confined space.
Peter plays in a stadium.
Mary walks in a room.
into: The action ends with the entering of a confined space.
Mary walks into a room.
Peter kicks a ball into the goal.
on: the action takes place while touching the object's
surface.
The picture hangs on the wall.
The computer is on the table.
over: the action takes place vertically above the object
(without touching)
The drone is hovering over the field.
The lamp hangs over the desk.
under: the action takes place vertically below the object
(without touching)
The pen is under the table.
The dog is sleeping under the bed.
behind: the action takes place near the backside of the
object.
Sarah hangs her clothes behind her house.
The playground is behind the school.
in front of: the action takes place near the frontside of the
object.
He stopped in front of his car.
The ambulance stopped in front of the hospital.
with: the action takes place with an equal also performing the
action
Peter plays soccer with Tom.
WARNING: I drive with my car.
This means that the car is a passenger in another vehicle!!!
against: the action is directed in opposition to the object
Peter plays against Steve.
The broom leans against the wall.
Language Centre
Mar,n-Luther-Universität Halle-Wi7enberg
WiSe2024
from: the action starts here.
I drive from home.
Mary received a gift from Peter.
to: the action ends here.
I drive to work.
Peter gives a gift to Mary.
for: the object receives a benefit from the action.
Peter plays for his team.
Steve buys a present for Tom.
next to: the subject performs the action while in close
proximity of the object.
Peter lives next to his friend's house.
The school is next to a restaurant.
Pronouns:
--------
Subject: Object: Possessive:
I me my
you you your
he him his
she her her
it it its
we us our
you you your
they them their
We can also show possession through the possessive form, which
adds an apostrophe and an 's' after a noun.
e.g. Peter's ball is round.
Conjunctions
------------
They connect two sentences.
and: two unconnected sentences. No causal relationship.
Peter plays soccer and Mary reads a book.
but: two sentences describing contrasting actions. No causal
relationship.
Peter plays soccer but Mary reads a book.
therefore: the first sentence is the reason the second
sentence happens. A causes B.
Peter plays soccer therefore Mary reads a book.
because: the first sentence is the reaction to the second
sentence. B causes A.
Language Centre
Mar,n-Luther-Universität Halle-Wi7enberg
WiSe2024
Peter plays soccer because Mary reads a book.
Prepositions of Time:
--------------------
last: the action happens on the previous occurrence of the
object.
Peter played soccer last Tuesday.
yesterday: the action happened on the day before the sentence
is spoken/written.
Peter played soccer yesterday.
yesterday (‘yester’ is an old English preposition that is no
longer used as a standalone preposition)
next: the action will happen on the proximate occurrence of
the object.
Peter will play soccer next Tuesday.
tomorrow: the action will happen the day after the sentence is
spoken/written.
Peter will play soccer tomorrow.
tomorrow (‘to’ and ‘morrow’, morrow is an old word for
‘morning’ and ‘to’ tells us that it is the destination time
for the action)
this: the action will or did happen on the occurrence of the
object within the larger unit of time during which the
sentence was spoken/written.
Peter will play soccer this Thursday.
Peter played soccer this Thursday.
on: the action takes place during a specific day.
Peter plays soccer on Tuesdays.
Molly reads Dickens on Christmas.
WARNING: the expression “on time” - the action happens at a
planned time.
at: the action takes place at a time measurable on a clock.
Peter plays at noon.
Mary read at 5:30 pm.
UK: Molly reads Dickens at Christmas.
in: the action takes place during a period of time (seasons,
years, decades, centuries, millenia, etc.)
Peter played soccer in the middle ages.
Language Centre
Mar,n-Luther-Universität Halle-Wi7enberg
WiSe2024
during: the action takes place at the same time as a period of
time or event.
Peter played soccer during the middle ages. = Peter
played soccer in the middle ages.
Peter played soccer during his wedding ceremony.
--S-- --P--- --DO-- ------------IOT------------
=/=
Peter played soccer in his wedding ceremony.
--S-- --P--- --DO-- ----------IO-----------
Time Words:
----------
before: the action takes place before the object.
‘before’ can be a preposition, an adverb, or a conjunction!
Peter plays soccer before school.
--S-- --P-- ---DO- -----IOT-----
Sandy reads books before going to bed.
--S-- --P-- --DO- ----Gerund-- --IO--
Sandy reads books before she goes to bed.
--S-- --P-- --DO- -Conj- -S- -P-- --IO--
after: the action takes place once the object has passed.
‘after’ can be a preposition, an adverb, or a conjunction.
Peter plays soccer after school.
Tom bought his house after selling his old one.
Tom bought his house after he sold his old one.
then: the action precedes the secondary sentence but is not
causally connected.
Peter played soccer, and then he walked home.
WARNING: don’t confuse ‘then’ with ‘than!’ (‘than’ compares
two things with the object having less of a quality than the
subject.)
Time Measurements:
-----------------
seconds
minutes
hours
days
Language Centre
Mar,n-Luther-Universität Halle-Wi7enberg
WiSe2024
weeks
months
years
decades
centuries
millennia
6:00 am -> 06:00
6:00 pm -> 18:00
am: anti meridiem
pm: post meridiem
12:00 am -> 00:00 (midnight)
12:00 pm -> 12:00 (noon)
2:00 pm EST
EST -> Eastern Standard Time
PST -> Pacific Standard Time