Introduction
1 Abilities
Story about Bob Patterson
Bob Patterson is a successful business owner. He is only 25 years old! Yesterday I had the chance to talk to Bob about his career. I really wanted to know how he made it.
Bob, when did you decide that you wanted to start your own business?
When I was in college. I took a really interesting Business class called "Creative Business". My professor was really great. At the end of the first semester. I found something I was good at, and it was something I could use to make my own business.
I see, and what was that?
Well, I really wanted to do something with music and photography. I could't take great pictures back then but I started taking a photography class. I got beteer and when I graduated, I went on for my bachelor's degree in photography. Now, I'm a professional. I never go anywhere without my camera. I even got a loan and I have my own video and photography company. I do a lot of videos for weddings and graduations. I also add music in the background, and put it all together.
2 How to express abilities in the past?
When you want to express abilities, most of the time you use "can".
For example:
- I can swim.
- I can dance.
- I can speak English.
But, when you want to mention abilities in the past. You use "could". It means that you did it in the past, but now you DON'T do it.
For example,
- In the past, I could ride a bike, now I can't.
- When I was a child, I couldn't go to bed early. Now, I can go to bed at midnight.
3 Expressing Past Abilities
Time Expressions!
When you talk about abilities in the past, you can use time expressions in the past.
For example:
- I could not speak English three years ago.
- I could type very fast in high school.
Remember to use Time Expressions if you want to compare the Past with the Present.
For example:
I could not read when I was seven years old, now I can read a book in two days.
Pronunciation Note:
When you pronounce the word COULD...the "L" is silent. So you pronounce it as "kud".
Task
Instructions:
Interview five different people. Ask them about what they do and their current and past abilities.
Record the video using your celphone or computer.
Process
Once the video is finnished your should:
Upload the video the course website.
Watch the videos of your classmates and write your comments.
In classes we will vote for the best video and give it a prize
Evaluation
| Criteria | Excelent |
Above avarage |
Avarage |
Needs improvement |
| Pronunciation | Less than 3 mistakes | Less than 6 mistakes | Less than 10 mistakes | More than ten mistakes |
| Grammar | Less than 3 mistakes | Less than 6 mistakes | Less than 10 mistakes | More than ten mistakes |
| Fluency | Natual fluency | Less than 4 seconds to respond | Less than 6 seconds to respond | More than 6 seconds to respond |
Conclusion
At the end of this task you should be able to ask and talk about your past and present abilities.