Unit 15: Space conquest -Language Focus

• Could/be able to (có thể)
• Tag questions (Câu hỏi đuôi)

• Để nói về khả năng hoặc cơ hội 1 cách chung chung trong quá khứ, chúng ta dùng could hoặc có thể dùng was/were able to để thay thế (ít dùng).

Ex: I could/was able to climb any trees in my garden when I was a boy.

• Khi nói về khả năng hoặc cơ hội dẫn đến một hành động cụ thể nào đó, sự việc thật sự xảy ra, hoặc trong 1 tình huống đặc biệt, chúng ta dùng was/were able to (không dùng could)

Ex: He ran very fast and was able to catch the finish first.

     The drivers were able to stop before they crashed each other.

     Tom plays tennis well but Jack was able to beat Tom in a game of tennis yesterday.

• Be able to được dùng thay cho can và could trong cấu trúc to-inf, -ing form, perfect tenses, hoặc sau trợ động từ khiếm khuyết.

Ex: They are very lucky to be able to stay in the comfortable villa.

      It was awful, not being able to see you for so long.

      We maybe able to move to live in another city.

      I could have been able to win the game if I had paid more attention.

• Nguyên tắc chung khi lập câu hỏi đuôi:

Nếu câu nói trước dấu phẩy là câu khẳng định, câu hỏi đuôi phải ở thể phủ định.

Nếu câu nói trước dấu phẩy là câu phủ định, câu hỏi đuôi phải ở thể khẳng định.

• ​Cấu tạo chung của câu hỏi đuôi: Câu hỏi đuôi gồm một trợ động từ tương ứng với thì được dùng trong câu nói trước dấu phẩy, có NOT hoặc không có NOT và một đại từ nhân xưng tương ứng với chủ ngữ của câu nói trước dấu phẩy.

Ex: She is tall, isn't she?

He has lived here for 3 months, hasn't he?
They don't like coffee, do they?

• Một số cấu trúc cần lưu ý

Câu hỏi đuôi của “I am” là “aren’t I”

• Ex: I am a sophomore, aren’t I?

Câu hỏi đuôi của “Let’s” là “shall we”

​​​​Ex: Let’s go camping, shall we?

Chủ ngữ là “Everyone, someone, anyone, no one, nobody…” câu hỏi đuôi là “they”.

Ex: Somebody called my name, didn’t they? / Nobody answered, did they?

Chủ ngữ là “nothing” thì câu hỏi đuôi dùng “it”

Ex: Nothing can prevent us from fulfilling the task, can it?

Trong câu có các trạng từ phủ định và bán phủ định như: never, seldom, hardly, scarely, little… thì câu đó được xem như là câu phủ định – phần hỏi đuôi sẽ ở dạng khẳng định.

Ex: He seldom goes swimming, does he?

Used to: Trường hợp này, ta cứ việc xem Used to  là một động từ chia ở thì quá khứ. Do đó, câu hỏi đuôi tương ứng chỉ cần mượn trợ động từ Did

Ex: ​He used to live here, didn’t he?

Had better thường được viết ngắn gọn thành ‘d better, nên dễ khiến ta lúng túng khi phải lập câu hỏi đuôi tương ứng. Khi thấy ‘d better, chỉ cần mượn trợ động từ Had để lập câu hỏi đuôi.

Ex: He‘d better apologize, hadn’t he?

Would rather thường được viết gọn là ‘d rather nên cũng dễ gây lúng túng cho bạn. Chỉ cần mượn trợ động từ Would cho trường hợp này để lập câu hỏi đuôi.

Ex: She‘d rather go to the doctor, wouldn’d she?

Complete the sentences, using could, couldn’t or was/were (not) able to.

1. Laura had hurt her leg and _____ to walk very well.
2. Sue wasn't at home when I phoned but I _____ contact her at her office.
3. I looked very carefully and I _________ see a figure in the distance.
4. I wanted to buy some tomatoes. The first shop I went to didn’t have any but I ________ some in the next shop.
5. My grandmother loved music, She ____ play the piano very well.
6. I had forgotten to bring my camera so I ________ take any photographs.

Guide to answer

1. couldn’t / wasn’t able to 
2. was able to
3. could / was able to
4. was able to
5. could / was able to 
6. couldn’t / wasn’t able to

Read the situation and write a sentence with a tag question. In each situation you are asking your friend to agree with you. (Đọc tình huống và viết một câu hỏi đuôi. Mỗi tình huống đang hỏi sự đồng tình của một người bạn với em.)

1. You’re with a friend outside a restaurant. You're looking at the prices, which are very high.

—> What do you say? (expensive) It ___________

2. You’ve just come out of the cinema with a friend. You really enjoyed the film. What do you say to your friend? (great)

—> The film ____________

3. You and a friend are listening to a woman singing. You like her voice very much. What do you say to your friend? (a lovely voice)

—> She ________________

4. You are trying on a jacket. You look in the mirror and you don’t like what you see. What do you say to your friend? (not/ look/ very good)

—> It _____________

5. Your friend's hair is much shorter than when you last met. What do you say to her/ him? (have/ your hair/ cut)

—> You _____________

Guide to answer

1. It’s (very) expensive, isn’t it?
2. The film was great, wasn’t it?
3. She has / She has got / She’s got a lovely voice, doesn’t she? or She has a lovely voice, doesn’t she? 
4. It doesn’t look very good, does it?
5. You’ve had your hair cut, haven’t you?

Mark and Jenny were showing some family photographs to a friend. Here are some of the questions that were asked. Complete the questions by adding the tag questions. (Mark and Jenny đang cho một người bạn xem hình gia đình. Đây là một số câu hỏi được hỏi. Hãy hoàn thành những câu hỏi bằng cách thêm những câu hỏi đuôi.)

1. That's a lovely picture of Sally. She looks just like Mary, _______?
2. I think you’ve seen this one before, _______?
3. This photograph was taken in Scotland, _______?
4. We took this on holiday, _________?
5. We’ll go there again next year, _______?
6. You can see the sea in the distance, _______?
7. That must be Jenny’s father, _______?

Guide to answer

1. doesn't it
2. haven't you
3. wasn't it
4. didn't we
5. won't we
6. can't you
7. mustn't it

1. Suddenly all the lights went out. We ______ see a thing.
2. The computer went wrong, but luckily Emma ________ put it right again.
3. There was a big party last night. You ____ hear the music half a mile away.
4. I learnt to read music as a child. I _______ read it when I was five.
5. People heard warnings about the flood, and they ________ move out in time.
6. The train was full. I_________ find a seat anywhere.
7. Mrs. Carter _____ put out the fire before the house burnt down.
8. I looked everywhere for the book, but I ______ find it.
9. The plane ______ take off at eleven o'clock, after the fog had lifted.
10. It was foggy, so the plane _______ take off.

Key

1. Suddenly all the lights went out. We couldn't see a thing.
2. The computer went wrong, but luckily Emma was able to put it right again.
3. There was a big party last night. You could hear the music half a mile away.
4. I learnt to read music as a child. I could/ was able to read it when I was five.
5. People heard warnings about the flood, and they were able to move out in time.
6. The train was full. I couldn't / wasn't able to find a seat anywhere.
7. Mrs. Carter was able to put out the fire before the house burnt down.
8. I looked everywhere for the book, but I couldn't find it.
9. The plane was able to take off at eleven o'clock, after the fog had lifted.
10. It was foggy, so the plane couldn't / wasn't able to take off.

Exercise 2 Language Focus: Add question tags to the following statements.

1. He hardly ever makes a mistake, ______?
2. Nobody liked the play, _______?
3. She'd save money if she bought fresh food, _____?
4. She's very' funny. She's got a great sense of humour, _____?
5. The area was evacuated at once, ______?
6. Mr Smith usually remembered his wife's birthdays, _______?
7. It never works very well, ______?
8. He ought to have made a note of it, ________?
9. Neither of them offered to help you, ______?
10. There'll be plenty for everyone, _________?

Key

1. He hardly ever makes a mistake, does he?
2. Nobody liked the play, did they?
3. She'd save money if she bought fresh food, wouldn't she?
4. She's very' funny. She's got a great sense of humour, hasn't she?
5. The area was evacuated at once, wasn't it?
6. Mr Smith usually remembered his wife's birthdays, didn't he?
7. It never works very well, does it?
8. He ought to have made a note of it, oughtn't he?
9. Neither of them offered to help you, did they?
10. There'll be plenty for everyone, won't there?

• Could/be able to (có thể)
• Tag questions (Câu hỏi đuôi)

• Để nói về khả năng hoặc cơ hội 1 cách chung chung trong quá khứ, chúng ta dùng could hoặc có thể dùng was/were able to để thay thế (ít dùng).

Ex: I could/was able to climb any trees in my garden when I was a boy.

• Khi nói về khả năng hoặc cơ hội dẫn đến một hành động cụ thể nào đó, sự việc thật sự xảy ra, hoặc trong 1 tình huống đặc biệt, chúng ta dùng was/were able to (không dùng could)

Ex: He ran very fast and was able to catch the finish first.

     The drivers were able to stop before they crashed each other.

     Tom plays tennis well but Jack was able to beat Tom in a game of tennis yesterday.

• Be able to được dùng thay cho can và could trong cấu trúc to-inf, -ing form, perfect tenses, hoặc sau trợ động từ khiếm khuyết.

Ex: They are very lucky to be able to stay in the comfortable villa.

      It was awful, not being able to see you for so long.

      We maybe able to move to live in another city.

      I could have been able to win the game if I had paid more attention.

• Nguyên tắc chung khi lập câu hỏi đuôi:

Nếu câu nói trước dấu phẩy là câu khẳng định, câu hỏi đuôi phải ở thể phủ định.

Nếu câu nói trước dấu phẩy là câu phủ định, câu hỏi đuôi phải ở thể khẳng định.

• ​Cấu tạo chung của câu hỏi đuôi: Câu hỏi đuôi gồm một trợ động từ tương ứng với thì được dùng trong câu nói trước dấu phẩy, có NOT hoặc không có NOT và một đại từ nhân xưng tương ứng với chủ ngữ của câu nói trước dấu phẩy.

Ex: She is tall, isn't she?

He has lived here for 3 months, hasn't he?
They don't like coffee, do they?

• Một số cấu trúc cần lưu ý

Câu hỏi đuôi của “I am” là “aren’t I”

• Ex: I am a sophomore, aren’t I?

Câu hỏi đuôi của “Let’s” là “shall we”

​​​​Ex: Let’s go camping, shall we?

Chủ ngữ là “Everyone, someone, anyone, no one, nobody…” câu hỏi đuôi là “they”.

Ex: Somebody called my name, didn’t they? / Nobody answered, did they?

Chủ ngữ là “nothing” thì câu hỏi đuôi dùng “it”

Ex: Nothing can prevent us from fulfilling the task, can it?

Trong câu có các trạng từ phủ định và bán phủ định như: never, seldom, hardly, scarely, little… thì câu đó được xem như là câu phủ định – phần hỏi đuôi sẽ ở dạng khẳng định.

Ex: He seldom goes swimming, does he?

Used to: Trường hợp này, ta cứ việc xem Used to  là một động từ chia ở thì quá khứ. Do đó, câu hỏi đuôi tương ứng chỉ cần mượn trợ động từ Did

Ex: ​He used to live here, didn’t he?

Had better thường được viết ngắn gọn thành ‘d better, nên dễ khiến ta lúng túng khi phải lập câu hỏi đuôi tương ứng. Khi thấy ‘d better, chỉ cần mượn trợ động từ Had để lập câu hỏi đuôi.

Ex: He‘d better apologize, hadn’t he?

Would rather thường được viết gọn là ‘d rather nên cũng dễ gây lúng túng cho bạn. Chỉ cần mượn trợ động từ Would cho trường hợp này để lập câu hỏi đuôi.

Ex: She‘d rather go to the doctor, wouldn’d she?

Complete the sentences, using could, couldn’t or was/were (not) able to.

1. Laura had hurt her leg and _____ to walk very well.
2. Sue wasn't at home when I phoned but I _____ contact her at her office.
3. I looked very carefully and I _________ see a figure in the distance.
4. I wanted to buy some tomatoes. The first shop I went to didn’t have any but I ________ some in the next shop.
5. My grandmother loved music, She ____ play the piano very well.
6. I had forgotten to bring my camera so I ________ take any photographs.

Guide to answer

1. couldn’t / wasn’t able to 
2. was able to
3. could / was able to
4. was able to
5. could / was able to 
6. couldn’t / wasn’t able to

Read the situation and write a sentence with a tag question. In each situation you are asking your friend to agree with you. (Đọc tình huống và viết một câu hỏi đuôi. Mỗi tình huống đang hỏi sự đồng tình của một người bạn với em.)

1. You’re with a friend outside a restaurant. You're looking at the prices, which are very high.

—> What do you say? (expensive) It ___________

2. You’ve just come out of the cinema with a friend. You really enjoyed the film. What do you say to your friend? (great)

—> The film ____________

3. You and a friend are listening to a woman singing. You like her voice very much. What do you say to your friend? (a lovely voice)

—> She ________________

4. You are trying on a jacket. You look in the mirror and you don’t like what you see. What do you say to your friend? (not/ look/ very good)

—> It _____________

5. Your friend's hair is much shorter than when you last met. What do you say to her/ him? (have/ your hair/ cut)

—> You _____________

Guide to answer

1. It’s (very) expensive, isn’t it?
2. The film was great, wasn’t it?
3. She has / She has got / She’s got a lovely voice, doesn’t she? or She has a lovely voice, doesn’t she? 
4. It doesn’t look very good, does it?
5. You’ve had your hair cut, haven’t you?

Mark and Jenny were showing some family photographs to a friend. Here are some of the questions that were asked. Complete the questions by adding the tag questions. (Mark and Jenny đang cho một người bạn xem hình gia đình. Đây là một số câu hỏi được hỏi. Hãy hoàn thành những câu hỏi bằng cách thêm những câu hỏi đuôi.)

1. That's a lovely picture of Sally. She looks just like Mary, _______?
2. I think you’ve seen this one before, _______?
3. This photograph was taken in Scotland, _______?
4. We took this on holiday, _________?
5. We’ll go there again next year, _______?
6. You can see the sea in the distance, _______?
7. That must be Jenny’s father, _______?

Guide to answer

1. doesn't it
2. haven't you
3. wasn't it
4. didn't we
5. won't we
6. can't you
7. mustn't it

1. Suddenly all the lights went out. We ______ see a thing.
2. The computer went wrong, but luckily Emma ________ put it right again.
3. There was a big party last night. You ____ hear the music half a mile away.
4. I learnt to read music as a child. I _______ read it when I was five.
5. People heard warnings about the flood, and they ________ move out in time.
6. The train was full. I_________ find a seat anywhere.
7. Mrs. Carter _____ put out the fire before the house burnt down.
8. I looked everywhere for the book, but I ______ find it.
9. The plane ______ take off at eleven o'clock, after the fog had lifted.
10. It was foggy, so the plane _______ take off.

Key

1. Suddenly all the lights went out. We couldn't see a thing.
2. The computer went wrong, but luckily Emma was able to put it right again.
3. There was a big party last night. You could hear the music half a mile away.
4. I learnt to read music as a child. I could/ was able to read it when I was five.
5. People heard warnings about the flood, and they were able to move out in time.
6. The train was full. I couldn't / wasn't able to find a seat anywhere.
7. Mrs. Carter was able to put out the fire before the house burnt down.
8. I looked everywhere for the book, but I couldn't find it.
9. The plane was able to take off at eleven o'clock, after the fog had lifted.
10. It was foggy, so the plane couldn't / wasn't able to take off.

Exercise 2 Language Focus: Add question tags to the following statements.

1. He hardly ever makes a mistake, ______?
2. Nobody liked the play, _______?
3. She'd save money if she bought fresh food, _____?
4. She's very' funny. She's got a great sense of humour, _____?
5. The area was evacuated at once, ______?
6. Mr Smith usually remembered his wife's birthdays, _______?
7. It never works very well, ______?
8. He ought to have made a note of it, ________?
9. Neither of them offered to help you, ______?
10. There'll be plenty for everyone, _________?

Key

1. He hardly ever makes a mistake, does he?
2. Nobody liked the play, did they?
3. She'd save money if she bought fresh food, wouldn't she?
4. She's very' funny. She's got a great sense of humour, hasn't she?
5. The area was evacuated at once, wasn't it?
6. Mr Smith usually remembered his wife's birthdays, didn't he?
7. It never works very well, does it?
8. He ought to have made a note of it, oughtn't he?
9. Neither of them offered to help you, did they?
10. There'll be plenty for everyone, won't there?