Level of the group: advanced students, 16 years old or older
Warm-up activity
Using the words in brackets, complete the sentences below using Present Simple Tense or Present Continuous Tense.
1. I (not/like) .....................politics.
2. How many languages (you/speak).......................?
3. What (you/do) ............................. at the moment?
4. He (not/wear) ............................. a tie today.
5. He often (travel) ............................. abroad on business.
6. David is in Paris this week. He (stay) ............................. at the Hilton.
7. Usually, I (work) ............................. as a secretary at ABT, but this summer I (study) ............................. French at a language school in Paris. That is why I am in Paris.
8. Shhhhh! Be quiet! John (sleep) ............................. .
9. Don't forget to take your umbrella. It (rain) ............................. .
10. I'm sorry I can't hear what you (say) ............................. because everybody (talk) ............................. so loudly.
Performative verbs
Deductive exercise
Complete the sentences with the words given below, using Present Simple Tense.
warn, pronounce, christen, claim, confer, thank, fire, insist, quit, invite
1. I now ............................ you husband and wife.
2. I can’t work under such pressure any longer. I ............................
3. I ............................ you for your kind attention.
4. The project you were responsible for is hopeless. I ............................ you!
5. I ............................ this ship The Daydream.
6. I ............................ this land in the name of the king of England.
7. I hereby ............................ upon you the rank of Second Lieutenant.
8. We are having a party next weekend. I ............................ you.
9. I ............................ you. He is a dangerous man. It’s better to give him a wide berth.
10. Using words to perform actions seems to be both elegant and powerful. But don’t take my word for it - try it yourself. I ............................
What do all these verbs have in common?
Students (probably with the help of the teacher) should deduce that all the verbs mentioned above are carried out simply by means of uttering them aloud. They should also notice that in case of these verbs Present Simple Tense (instead of Present Continuous Tense) is used, although actions take place at the moment of speaking.
Theory presentation
A performative verb is a verb where saying it or writing it performs the action itself (‘doing as you say’, ‘I speak, therefore I act’). If you say 'I resign', then saying it performs the act of resignation. You’re not talking about doing things or stating that you’re doing things – you’re actually doing them.
Performative verbs are used in Present Simple Tense, although they express the actions happening at the moment of speaking.
For example: quit, resign, order, promise, invite, apologize, forbid, approve, compliment, praise, laud, extol, applaud, acclaim, brag, boast, complain, disapprove, blame, reprove, deplore, protest, grieve, mourn, lament, rejoice, cheer, boo, condole, congratulate, thank, greet, welcome.
A test for whether a verb is being used performatively is the possible insertion of hereby:
I hereby apologize.
The committee hereby thanks you.
I hereby confer upon you the rank of Second Lieutenant.
Momentary verbs (punctual verbs)
Theory presentation
Momentary (or punctual) verbs, opposed to durative verbs, are verbs that refer to events that do not have duration or the duration is very short.
When they describe single action, the verbs are used in Present Simple Tense, although the action takes place at the moment of speaking. When they describe repetitive action, the verbs are used in Present Continuous Tense.
When a durative verb is put into a progressive tense, the meaning is that an event is (or was) going on over a period of time. The progressive tense of a momentary verb cannot be used with this meaning because the events referred by this type of verb do not occupy a period of time. Momentary verbs can be put into the progressive, but in this case the use of this tense must be interpreted in a special way - not to mean that an event is “ongoing” but that it is being repeated.
For example: hit, catch, arrive, explode, jump, kick, knock, open, close, nod.
Inductive exercise
Complete the sentences with the words in brackets, using Present Simple Tense or Present Continuous Tense.
1. I ............................ (open) the window, because it is hot here.
2. I ............................(open). I try to repair it that way, because the window hinge has broken.
3. He .......................... (kick) the ball and ....................... (pass) it immediately to the second forward.
4. The little girl ............................ (kick) the table all the time.
5. He ............................ (knock) at Jill’s door all the time, because she doesn’t want to open him.
6. I ............................ (jump) to take down this cookery book from that high shelf.
7. My little daughter is sleeping in the other room. I ............................(close) the door and now we can talk loudly.
8. I ..................... (nod) my once to show I like the solution she is presenting to other family members.
Controlled practice
Choose the correct answer. Explain your choice.
1. As your lawyer, your brother, and your friend, I ............................ that you get a better lawyer.
a) am recommending b) recommend
2. I ............................ the light as it’s getting dark here.
a) turn on b) am turning on
3. Peter, you mustn’t play with wires. I ............................ you!
a) forbid b) am forbidding
4. I ............................ the window, because I can see you are shivering.
a) close b) am closing
5. I regret saying these silly things. I know I have hurt you. I............................
a) apologize b) am apologizing
6. She ............................ the door with a spare key, but it doesn’t seem to fit.
a) is opening b) opens
7. I ............................ this idea. In my opinion it is completely unrealistic.
a) am disapproving b) disapprove
8. My son is training before football competition now. He ............................ a ball all the time.
a) kicks b) is kicking
9. I ............................ you for this accident. You shouldn’t have been drinking alcohol.
a) am blaming b) blame
10. She ............................ her head to show she understands your lecture.
a) nods b) is nodding
Homework
Complete the sentences with the words in brackets, using Present Simple Tense or Present Continuous Tense.
1. We ............................ (welcome) you with open arms.
2.The machine is broken. She ............................ (hit) it steadily with a hammer to fix it.
3. I ............................ (greet) you in the name of Jesus Christ.
4. I ............................ (open) the door because someone is knocking.
5. I sincerely ............................ (condole) with you on your mother’s death.
6. I ............................ (protest) against such a raw deal.
7. I ............................ (grieve) over your miserable lot.
8. There is a new safe deposit box in our bank. The manager ............................ (open) and ............................ (close) it to show the staff how it works.
Sources:
Theory presentation was based on information from:
http://flesl.net/Grammar/Grammar_Glossary/durative_verbs.php
http://www.canadiancollegeofeducators.ca/onlinepdf/Grammar.pdf
http://grammar.ccc.commnet.edu/grammar/progressive.htm
Exercises were prepared on my own.