BASIC 2 GRAMMAR
PRESENT SIMPLE
USE: To talk about actions, states or events which happen at any time, repeatedly, or
all the time.
STATEMENTS
AFFIRMATIVE FORM: Verbs take an -s ending in third person singular.
[SUBJECT + VERB(s) + REST OF SENTENCE]
I/You/We/They work in a bank.
He/She/It has brown eyes.
SPELLING
Verbs ending in ss, sh, ch, x, o take -es in third person singular: kisses, matches, goes,
watches
For verbs ending in consonant + y, drop the y and add -ies: carry/carries, try/tries,
copy/copies
NOTE: The Present Simple is often used with adverbs and adverb phrases that indicate
frequency:
Always, Never, Often, Sometimes
Usually, Every day/week, On Sundays,
Twice a month, year, etc.
NEGATIVE FORM: [SUBJECT + DO NOT/DON'T + VERB + REST]
DOES NOT/DOESN'T
I/You/We/They don't drive in the city.
He/She/It doesn't have brown eyes.
YES/NO QUESTIONS
FORM:
[DO + SUBJECT + VERB + REST OF SENTENCE]
Do I/you/we/they know them?
[DOES + SUBJECT + VERB + REST OF SENTENCE]
Does he/she/it like milk?
WH-QUESTIONS
FORM: Questions about the SUBJECT:
[WH-WORD + VERB + REST OF SENTENCE]
Who lives here?
Questions about the REST OF THE SENTENCE:
[WH-WORD + DO/DOES ... VERB ...]
Where does he live?
When do you go home?
ANSWERS
FORM:
[YES, SUBJECT + DO/DOES]
Yes, I do.
Yes, he does.
[NO, SUBJECT + DON'T/DOESN'T]
No, we don't.
No, she doesn't.
TAG QUESTIONS
If "yes" is expected:
[AFFIRMATIVE SENTENCE + DON'T/DOESN'T + SUBJECT]
You drive, don't you?
Carl paints, doesn't he?
If "no" is expected:
[NEGATIVE SENTENCE + DO/DOES + SUBJECT]
You don't smoke, do you?
Mary doesn't drive, does she?
vs. PRESENT PROGRESSIVE
USE: The Present Simple is used to talk about general time, states, and repeated actions.
The Present Progressive is used to talk about more temporary situations and actions
which are going on around the present moment.
EXAMPLES:
Present Simple:
"Pat plays tennis every Friday."
Present Progressive:
"She is playing tennis now."
Present Simple:
"Hans speaks very good English."
Present Progressive:
"Now he is speaking English to that tourist."
PRESENT SIMPLE: STATEMENTS
USE: To talk about actions, states or events which happen at any time, repeatedly, or
all the time.
AFFIRMATIVE FORM: Verbs take an -s ending in third person singular.
[SUBJECT + VERB(s) + REST OF SENTENCE]
I/You/We/They work in a bank.
He/She/It has brown eyes.
SPELLING
Verbs ending in ss, sh, ch, x, o take -es in third person singular: kisses, matches,
goes, watches
For verbs ending in consonant + y, drop the y and add -ies: carry/carries, try/tries,
copy/copies
NOTE: The Present Simple is often used with adverbs and adverb phrases: Always,
Never, Often, Sometimes, Usually, Every day/week, On Sundays, Twice a month, year,
etc.
EXAMPLES:
"I often go to basketball games."
"He never watches TV."
"My brother goes to the health club twice a week."
"I always have coffee for breakfast."
NEGATIVE FORM:
[SUBJECT + DO NOT/DON'T + VERB + REST OF SENTENCE ]
DOES NOT/DOESN'T
I/You/We/They don't drive in the city.
He/She/It doesn't have brown eyes.
EXAMPLE:
"Bill calls Mary, but he doesn't call me."
PRESENT SIMPLE: YES/NO QUESTIONS
QUESTIONS
USE: To ask questions about actions in general time that need an answer of "yes" or
"no".
FORM: Put DO or DOES in front of the subject.
[DO/DOES + SUBJECT + VERB + REST]
Does he/she/it like milk?
Do I know him?
AFFIRMATIVE: She likes milk.
YES/NO QUESTION: Does she like milk?
ANSWERS
USE: To answer a yes/no question.
FORM:
[YES, SUBJECT + DO/DOES]
Yes, I/you/we/they do.
Yes, he/she/it does.
[NO, SUBJECT + DON'T/DOESN'T]
No, I/you/we/they don't.
No, he/she/it doesn't.
EXAMPLES:
"Do you work on Saturdays?"
"Yes, I do."
"Does he work on Saturdays?"
"No, he doesn't."
PRESENT SIMPLE: WH-QUESTIONS
USE: To ask questions about actions in general time that begin with these questions
words:
WHAT, WHEN, WHERE, WHO, WHY, HOW.
FORM: Questions about the SUBJECT:
[WHO-WHAT + VERB + REST]
Who lives here?
Questions about the REST OF THE SENTENCE:
[WH-WORD + DO/DOES ... VERB ...]
When do you go home?
Where does he live?
EXAMPLES:
"Who lives in that house?"
"The Porters."
"What does Jack want to do?"
"Go to the movies.
"Where do they work?"
"At the bank."
PRESENT SIMPLE: TAG QUESTIONS
USE: To ask a yes/no question when a certain answer is already expected.
FORM: Add a short, two-word question-tag to the end of the statement.
If "yes" is expected:
[AFFIRMATIVE SENTENCE + DON'T/DOESN'T + SUBJECT]
You drive, don't you?
Carl paints, doesn't he?
If "no" is expected:
[NEGATIVE SENTENCE + DO/DOES + SUBJECT]
You don't smoke, do you?
Mary doesn't drive, does she?
EXAMPLES:
"You like coffee, don't you?"
"Yes, I do."
(Expect the answer to be "yes".)
"She doesn't work here, does she?"
"No, she doesn't."
(Expect the answer to be "no".)
PRESENT SIMPLE vs. PRESENT PROGRESSIVE
USE: The Present Simple is used to talk about general time, states, and repeated actions.
The Present Progressive is used to talk about more temporary situations and actions
which are going on at the present moment.
EXAMPLES:
Present Simple:
"She plays tennis every Friday."
Present Progressive :
"Pat is playing tennis now."
Present Simple:
"Hans speaks very good English."
Present Progressive:
"Now he's speaking English to that customer."
NOTE: Some verbs are used only in simple tenses:
Want, Like, Love, Hate, Need, Think, Know,
Understand, Believe, Mean.
BE - PAST
STATEMENTS
AFFIRMATIVE FORM:
[SUBJECT + WAS/WERE + REST]
I/She/He/It was in the kitchen.
You/We/They were late.
NEGATIVE FORM:
[SUBJECT + WAS/WERE + NOT + REST]
WASN'T/WEREN'T
I/She/He/It was not angry.
I/She/He/It wasn't here.
You/We/They were not early.
You/We/They weren't on time.
QUESTIONS
YES/NO QUESTIONS
FORM: [WAS/WERE + SUBJECT + REST OF SENTENCE]
WASN'T/WEREN'T
Were they at home?
Wasn't he your neighbor?
NOTE: Use only contractions with negative questions.
SHORT ANSWERS
[YES, SUBJECT + WAS/WERE]
Yes, I was.
[NO, SUBJECT + WAS/WERE + NOT]
No, they were not/weren't.
WH-QUESTIONS
FORM: Questions about the SUBJECT:
[WHO/WHAT + BE PAST + REST]
Who was at home?
Questions about the REST OF THE SENTENCE:
[WH-WORD + BE PAST + SUBJECT + REST]
Where were you?
When was he there?
BE PAST: STATEMENTS
USE: To connect the subject with the rest of the sentence and talk about the past.
AFFIRMATIVE FORM:
[SUBJECT + WAS/WERE + REST]
I/She/He/It was in the kitchen.
You/We/They were late.
NEGATIVE FORM:
[SUBJECT + WAS/WERE + NOT + REST] WASN'T/WEREN'T
I/She/He/It was not angry.
I/She/He/It wasn't here.
You/We/They were not early.
You/We/They weren't on time.
EXAMPLES:
"Theresa was at home yesterday."
"She wasn't at school."
"They were late to work."
"They weren't early."
BE PAST: QUESTIONS
YES/NO QUESTIONS
USE: To ask questions that need an answer of "yes" or "no".
FORM: The subject and the verb change places.
Affirmative: They were at home.
Yes/No Question: Were they at home?
Negative: He wasn't at school.
Yes/No Question: Wasn't he at school? (Always use contractions.)
Answers: Yes, I was.
No, I wasn't.
WH-QUESTIONS
USE: To ask questions that begin with these question words:
WHAT, WHEN, WHERE, WHO, WHY, HOW.
FORM: Questions about the SUBJECT:
[WH-WORD + BE PAST + REST OF SENTENCE]
Affirmative: Juan was at home.
WH-Question: Who was at home?
Questions about the REST OF THE SENTENCE:
[WH-WORD + BE PAST + SUBJECT + REST OF SENTENCE]
Affirmative:
He was in Philadelphia.
WH-Question:
Where was he?
Affirmative:
He was there in 1990.
WH-Question:
When was he there?
EXAMPLES:
Police: "Where were you last night at 9:30?"
Man : "I was at home all night."
Police: "Was Big Bob with you?"
Man : "No, he wasn't. I was alone."
PAST SIMPLE
STATEMENTS
AFFIRMATIVE FORM: Regular verbs in the Past Simple end in -ed.
[SUBJECT + VERB+ed + REST OF SENTENCE]
Joe walked home last night.
We played tennis yesterday.
SPELLING
Verbs ending in -e, take only -d: live/lived.
With verbs ending in consonant+y, change the y to I: carry / carried try / tried
NOTE: Past Simple is often used with adverbs: Yesterday, Last week/month/year, A ...
ago
NEGATIVE FORM: [SUBJECT + DID NOT/DIDN’T + VERB + REST]
They did not call me yesterday.
Ruth didn't study before the test.
IRREGULAR FORMS
Here is a list of some of the most frequent irregular verbs:
V1 V2 V1 V2
come came put put
do did read read
drink drank say said
eat ate sell sold
find found sit sat
get got sleep slept
drive drove speak spoke
go went take took
have had tell told
hear heard think thought
know knew understand understood
leave left wear wore
make made write wrote
meet met
QUESTIONS
YES/NO QUESTIONS
FORM:
[DID/DIDN'T + SUBJECT + VERB + REST]
Did you walk yesterday?
Didn't they buy the book last week?
SHORT ANSWERS
FORM:
[YES, SUBJECT + DID]
Yes, they did.
[NO, SUBJECT + DID + NOT/DIDN'T]
No, they didn't.
WH-QUESTIONS
FORM: Questions about the SUBJECT:
[WHO/WHAT + PAST VERB + REST]
Who told him?
What made that noise?
Questions about the REST OF THE SENTENCE:
[WH-WORD + DID + SUBJECT + VERB + REST]
When did you leave school?
Where did they buy that?
PAST SIMPLE: STATEMENTS
USE: To talk about past events and actions.
AFFIRMATIVE FORM: Regular verbs in the Past Simple end in -ed.
[SUBJECT + VERB+ed + REST]
EXAMPLES:
"Joe walked home alone last night."
"We played football last week."
SPELLING
Verbs ending in -e, take only -d: live/lived.
With verbs ending in consonant+y, change the y to i: carry / carried try / tried
NOTE: Past Simple is often used with adverbs:
Yesterday, Last week/month/year, A ... ago.
NEGATIVE FORM: Put did not (didn't) in front of the verb.
[SUBJECT + DID NOT + VERB + REST OF SENTENCE] /DIDN'T
They did not call me last week.
Ruth didn't study last night.
EXAMPLES:
"He didn't work at all last week."
"I didn't like the movie last night."
PAST SIMPLE: IRREGULAR VERBS
FORM: Some verbs have irregular forms in the Past Simple. You will have to learn
them by heart.
On the next page is a list of some of the most frequent verbs:
come came put put
do did read read
drink drank say said
eat ate sell sold
find found sit sat
get got sleep slept
drive drove speak spoke
go went take took
have had tell told
hear heard think thought
know knew understand understood
leave left wear wore
make made write wrote
meet met
PAST SIMPLE: QUESTIONS
YES/NO QUESTIONS
USE: To ask questions about past actions/events that need an answer of "yes" or "no".
FORM: Put DID/DIDN'T in front of the subject.
[DID/DIDN'T + SUBJECT + VERB + REST]
Did you walk yesterday?
Didn't they buy the book last week?
WH-QUESTIONS
USE: To ask questions about the past that begin with these question words:
WHAT, WHEN, WHERE, WHO, WHY, HOW.
FORM: Questions about the SUBJECT:
[WHO/WHAT + PAST VERB + REST]
Who told him?
What made that noise?
Questions about the REST OF THE SENTENCE:
[WH-WORD + DID + VERB ...]
When did you leave school?
Where did they buy that?
EXAMPLES:
John : "Did you ask the boss about money?"
Rose : "Yes, I did."
John : "Well, what did she say?"
Rose : "She said no."
COMPARISON OF ADJECTIVES
USE: To compare two persons or things.
EQUALITY
FORM:
AFFIRMATIVE: [AS + ADJECTIVE + AS]
Bob is as tall as Marty.
NEGATIVE: [NOT AS + ADJECTIVE + AS]
Her hair is not as long as mine.
COMPARATIVES
FORM: [COMPARATIVE FORM OF ADJECTIVE + THAN]
John is older than Bart.
Betty is more beautiful than Barbara.
NOTE:
Most adjectives take -er: long/longer, old/older, tall/taller
Adjectives ending in -e take -r: nice/nicer, late/later
Adjectives ending in vowel + consonant double the consonant: fat/fatter, big/bigger,
hot/hotter
With adjectives ending in y, drop the y and add -ier: happy/happier, easy/easier
With most two-syllable adjectives and longer adjectives the comparative is formed with
more:
intelligent - more intelligent
beautiful - more beautiful
The adjectives "good" and "bad" have an irregular comparative form:
good - better
bad - worse
SUPERLATIVES
FORM: [SUPERLATIVE FORM OF ADJECTIVE]
John is the tallest boy in the class.
They are the most beautiful shoes in the store.
NOTE: Most adjectives take -est: long/longest, old/oldest
Adjectives ending in -e take -st: nice/nicest, late/latest
Adjectives ending in vowel + consonant double the consonant: fat/fattest, big/biggest,
hot/hottest
With adjectives ending in y, drop the y and add -iest:
happy/happiest, easy/easiest
Long adjectives form the superlative with most:
intelligent - most intelligent
beautiful - most beautiful
The adjectives "good" and "bad" have an irregular superlative form:
good - best
bad - worst
COMPARISON: EQUALITY
USE: To compare two persons or things that are alike.
FORM:
AFFIRMATIVE:
[AS + ADJECTIVE + AS]
Bob is as tall as Marty.
NEGATIVE: [NOT AS + ADJECTIVE + AS]
Her hair is not as long as mine.
COMPARISON: COMPARATIVES
USE: To compare one or more people/things to other people/things.
FORM:
[COMPARATIVE FORM OF ADJECTIVE + THAN]
John is older than Bart.
Betty is more beautiful than Barbara.
Most adjectives take -er: long/longer, old/older, tall/taller
Adjectives ending in -e take -r: nice/nicer, late/later
Adjectives ending in vowel + consonant double the consonant: fat/fatter, big/bigger,
hot/hotter
With adjectives ending in y, drop the y; add -ier: happy/happier, easy/easier
With most two-syllable adjectives and longer adjectives form the comparative with
more:
intelligent - more intelligent
beautiful - more beautiful
The adjectives "good" and "bad" have an irregular comparative form:
good - better
bad - worse
EXAMPLES:
Todd : "Samurai Sam is winning. He's stronger than Viking Vick."
Ron : "Yes, and he's more popular, too!"
COMPARISON: SUPERLATIVES
USE: To compare one or more person or thing with a whole group.
FORM: [SUPERLATIVE FORM OF ADJECTIVE]
John is the tallest boy in the class.
They are the most beautiful shoes in the store.
Most adjectives take -est: long/longest, old/oldest
Adjectives ending in -e take -st: nice/nicest, late/latest
Adjectives ending in vowel + consonant double the consonant:
fat/fattest, big/biggest, hot/hottest
With adjectives ending in y, drop the y; add -iest :
happy/happiest, easy/easiest
With most two-syllable adjectives and longer adjectives form the superlative with most:
honest - most honest
beautiful - most beautiful
The adjectives "good" and "bad" have an irregular superlative form:
good - best
bad - worst
EXAMPLES:
"Come to Mad Mo's. We have the cheapest, the biggest, the most terrific store in New
York! We are the best!"
NOUNS AND QUANTIFIERS
USE: Count and non-count nouns have special articles and quantifiers.
COUNT NOUNS
These are the names of objects, people, ideas, etc. which we can count.
Count nouns have a singular and plural form:
a dog - dogs the man - men
With count nouns, we can use a/an, the, and numbers.
a dog - two dogs the boy - the boys
NON-COUNT NOUNS
These are the names of materials, liquids, or other things which we do not see as
separate, countable objects: health, love, nature,
water, light, music, cheese, money
Non-count nouns only have a singular form:
The water is cold.
With Non-count nouns, we cannot use a/an or numbers. We can use the and other
quantifiers:
"The music is too loud."
"We have some cheese."
"How much money do you have?"
NOUNS & QUANTIFIERS : COUNT/NON-COUNT NOUNS
USE: Quantifiers are words or phrases which show the number or amount of some
object. Some quantifiers are used with both count and non-count nouns. Some other
quantifiers are only used with count or non-count nouns, but not with both.
USED WITH BOTH COUNT AND NON-COUNT NOUNS:
some (statements):
"There are some books on the shelf." (COUNT)
"There is some fruit on the table." (NON-COUNT)
any (questions and negative sentences):
"Are there any girls in your class?" (COUNT)
"There aren't any onions in the salad." (COUNT)
"Is there any butter?" (NON-COUNT)
"There isn't any homework today." (NON-COUNT)
a lot of
"There are a lot of red apples." (COUNT)
"There is a lot of noise in here." (NON-COUNT)
USED WITH COUNT NOUNS ONLY:
many
"I haven't got many friends."
"How many chairs are in that classroom?"
a few
"He has a few books."
USED WITH NON-COUNT NOUNS ONLY:
much
"I haven't got much time."
"How much milk do you want?"
a little
"I only want a little juice."
NOUNS AND QUANTIFIERS: COUNT NOUNS and QUANTIFIERS
USE: Quantifiers are words or phrases which show the number or amount of the noun.
USED WITH COUNT NOUNS ONLY:
many
"I haven't got many friends."
"How many chairs are in that classroom?"
a few
"He has a few books."
EXAMPLE:
"Are there any small nails down there, Harry ?"
"Sorry, there aren't any, but I have some big nails.
Is that OK?"
NOUNS AND QUANTIFIERS:
NON-COUNT NOUNS and QUANTIFIERS
USE: Quantifiers are words or phrases which show the number or amount of an object.
Some quantifiers are used with both count and non-count nouns.
Some other quantifiers are used only with either non-count nouns or count nouns, but
not with both.
REMEMBER: Non-count nouns take only the singular form of the verb!
USED WITH BOTH COUNT AND NON-COUNT NOUNS:
some (statements):
"There is some water in your glass."
any (questions and negative sentences):
"Is there any money in the handbag?"
"There isn't any time left."
a lot of
"There is a lot of butter on your bread."
USED WITH NON-COUNT NOUNS ONLY:
much
"I haven't got much money."
"How much milk do you want?"
a little
"I only want a little juice."
IMPERATIVES
USE: To tell people what to do, to give instructions, to give advice, to make
suggestions, and to offer things.
FORM: There are two common forms of the imperative.
SECOND PERSON: [VERB]
Write your name, please.
Don't talk now!
FIRST PERSON PLURAL: [LET US/LET'S + VERB]
Let's go home now.
Let us not forget to call him.
EXAMPLES:
Thief : "Quiet! Don't move! Give me your money!"
Man : "No! Leave me alone!"
MODALS and SEMI-MODALS
USE: Modals and Semi-modals are words that are used with verbs and add a special
meaning.
Most modals have more than one meaning.
FORM: Modals go before the verb and have only one form.
MODALS
AFFIRMATIVE: [MODAL + VERB]
John can swim quickly.
Bill and Mary may visit us later.
NEGATIVE: [MODAL + NOT + VERB]
Diane can't swim.
Beth cannot meet us tonight.
SEMI-MODALS
Semi-modals also go before the verb, but have the same form as regular verbs.
AFFIRMATIVE
[SEMI-MODAL + VERB]
He has to leave early.
They have to do their homework.
NEGATIVE
[(DO/DOES NOT) + SEMI-MODAL + VERB]
The boys don't have to work today.
Three of the most common Modals/Semi-modals are:
CAN (MODAL):
Joe can speak French. (ABILITY)
You can leave early. (PERMISSION)
It can be hot here. (POSSIBILITY)
MAY (MODAL):
You may leave early. (PERMISSION)
They may visit later. (POSSIBILITY)
HAVE TO (SEMI-MODAL):
He has to leave early. (OBLIGATION)
QUESTIONS
FORM: MODALS - YES/NO QUESTIONS
[MODAL + SUBJECT + VERB + REST]
Can you help me?
May I leave now?
Answers: Yes, you can.
No, you cannot/can't.
MODALS - WH-QUESTIONS
[WH-WORD + MODAL ... VERB ...]
When can you help me?
SEMI-MODALS - YES/NO QUESTIONS
[DO + SUBJECT + SEMI- + VERB + REST]
DOES(NOT) MODAL
Do I have to leave now?
Doesn't she have to study for her test?
Answers: Yes, I do.
No, she doesn't.
SEMI-MODALS - WH-QUESTIONS
[WH- + (DO/DOES + + SEMI- + VERB + REST] WORD + SUBJECT) MODAL
Who has to leave?
When do you have to call your parents?
MODALS and SEMI-MODALS: CAN
USE: The Modal CAN is used with verbs and adds a special meaning. Like most
Modals, CAN has more than one meaning.
MEANING:
"Joe can speak French." (ABILITY)
"You can leave early." (PERMISSION)
"It can be hot here." (POSSIBILITY)
FORM: Like other Modals, CAN goes before the verb and only has one form.
AFFIRMATIVE: [CAN + VERB]
John can swim quickly.
You can go to the movies with your friends.
NEGATIVE: [CAN + NOT + VERB]
Diane can't swim.
Beth cannot meet us tonight.
YES/NO QUESTIONS:
[CAN + SUBJECT + VERB + REST OF SENTENCE]
Can you help me?
Can I leave now?
Answers: Yes, you can.
No, you cannot/can't.
WH-QUESTIONS:
[WH-WORD + CAN ... VERB ...]
When can you help me?
EXAMPLES:
Danny : "Can you open it?"
Keith : "No, I can't. I can't open it."
Danny : "Let's ask Butch. He can do it."
MODALS and SEMI-MODALS: MAY
USE: The Modal MAY is used with verbs and adds a special meaning. Like most
Modals, MAY has more than one meaning.
MEANING:
"You may leave early." (PERMISSION)
"They may buy a new house." (POSSIBILITY)
FORM: Like other Modals, MAY goes before the verb and only has one form.
AFFIRMATIVE: [MAY + VERB]
John may go with you.
They may visit us later.
NEGATIVE: [MAY + NOT + VERB]
You may not leave the table.
We may not go to the party later.
YES/NO QUESTIONS:
[MAY + SUBJECT + VERB + REST]
May we leave now?
May I help me?
Answers: Yes, you may.
No, you may not.
WH-QUESTIONS:
[WH-WORD + MAY ... VERB ...]
When may we leave?
EXAMPLES:
Girl : "Mom, may I have a cookie?"
Mother : "Okay, but only one. Your brother may want one, too."
MODALS and SEMI-MODALS: HAVE TO
USE: The Semi-modal HAVE TO is used with verbs and adds a special meaning.
MEANING:
"He has to leave early." (OBLIGATION).
FORM: Like other Modals and Semi-modals, HAVE TO goes before the verb. It has
the same form as regular verbs.
AFFIRMATIVE: [HAVE TO + VERB + REST]
He has to leave early.
They have to do their homework.
NEGATIVE: [(DO + SEMI-MODAL + VERB + REST] /DOES NOT
The boys don't have to work today.
YES/NO QUESTIONS:
[DO/ + SUBJECT + HAVE TO + VERB + REST]
DOES(NOT)
Do I have to leave now?
Doesn't she have to study for her test?
Answers: Yes, I do.
No, she doesn't.
WH-QUESTIONS:
[WH-WORD + (DO + SUBJECT) + HAVE TO + VERB + REST] ……..\DOES
Who has to leave?
When do you have to call your parents?
EXAMPLES:
Mother : "It's time for bed, Michael."
Rick : "Aw, Mom. Do I have to go to bed now?"
Mother : "Yes, you do. It's late and you have to go to school