1. Describe 2 different uses of if when it introduces a clause.

Give and
explain at least 3 examples of each.
Unreal conditionals
We use if in unreal conditional sentences which are the second and third conditional. Their forms are
as follows:
Second conditional If + past simple, would + infinitive
If you were rich, where would you go on holiday?
If clause
main clause
Third conditional
If + past perfect, would have + past participle
If you had been rich, where would you have gone on holiday?
If clause
main clause
These conditionals are known as subjunctive as they explore imaginary situations. They are
hypothetical, which means they leave no room for doubt. Unreal conditionals are untrue, imaginary or
past events that didnt happen. The second conditional uses imaginary and untrue situations.
If we saw Johnny Depp now, I would kiss him (Johnny Depp lives in a different country and is highly
unlikely to suddenly appear) whereas the third conditional is used to talk about past events that didnt
happen. If we had left earlier, we would have seen them arrive (but you didnt leave earlier)
It should also be mentioned that it is possible to reverse the clauses so that the if clause is after the
main clause with the difference being that you do not need to have a comma. We can also replace the
would with the modal verbs could and might/may which changes the context of the sentence but
not the fact that they are unreal.
If she was my friend, I could talk to her (ability)
If I lived in Hong Kong, I might wear a dress like that (possibility)
If I had gone to Italy, I could have seen the Colosseum (ability)
If she had read the book, she may have known the answer (possibility)
In conclusion, if is used with unreal conditions, usually in the first clause but it can be found in the
second.
I am unsure if this is considered two uses as Reported speech uses if but not to introduce a clause. If
this is unacceptable, please can I send you an updated version after it is marked?
2. Describe the various uses of must and must not (mustnt), giving and
explaining several examples of each.
There are several uses for must and must not but they cannot always be used in the same context.
They have to be separated into the following:
Obligation
We use must and mustnt to explain that something is a rule, using the positive or negative form.
You must take off your shoes before entering the building You mustnt smoke in here These are
sentences in the present, which cannot change into past sentences as there is no past version, so we
have to change the modal to had to You had to take off your shoes when you entered the building
You cannot do this with mustnt and so would become couldnt You couldnt smoke in the
building
It is also possible to use must in a question Must I go with you? but mustnt in a question is only
seen in question tags It must be a law mustnt it?

Refusing permission
Mustnt is used in formal situations to refuse permission and is often seen on signs or used in an
announcement You mustnt talk to the driver while the bus is moving.
Certainty
We use must and mustnt to suggest proof of deduction. They are the strongest way of saying that
we are certain about something. It must be him because of that coat We can change this to a past
sentence by adding have and a past participle It must have been him because of that coat in a
question or a negative we do not use these modals.
Stress and intonation play a big part with these modals because the speaker could be using must or
mustnt in, for example, a sarcastic way so it is important to take that into consideration as well.
There are a lot of rules when it comes to using modals and these are perhaps the hardest thing for
students to get their head around, unlike tenses which use the same auxiliary verbs for positives,
negatives and questions, modals in some cases use other modals in their place .

3. Explain the distinction between the form and the function of an utterance, giving
several examples. What advice would you give a less experienced teacher when
dealing with this issue in the classroom?
Form and function
The form and the function of an utterance are different as the form is about the syntactic structure in
the clauses and sentences, about the word order and the relationships they have with each other. The
utterance I love him has a completely different meaning when the subjects and objects are changed
he loves me and so this is an example of what we are looking at when we discuss the form.
The function of an utterance is the reason why it has been said. It is not always predictable and the
meaning can change depending on the situation and the intonation used. If we look at the following
examples, we can see a clear demonstration of this.
A friend to another friend playing football:
Friend one: Tell him he cant play
Friend two: You are older than me!
A friend to another friend:
Friend one: Who is older?
Friend two: You are older than me.
In the first example, the pragmatic meaning is that friend two is using this utterance to refuse what has
been asked of them. In the second example, friend two is using the same utterance to simply answer a
question. From these two examples, we can see that the same statement can be used in many
situations, but the meaning is dependent on the context and how it is said.
All utterances have meaning and an intention and this needs to be remembered when teaching. It
opens up a huge amount of options to students, which could cause confusion and therefore, in my
opinion, should be approached with thought.
In the classroom
When you are an inexperienced teacher, I believe it is important to be aware of the difference between
form and function, but I do not think it is something that should be taught to students with lots of
jargon. The most important thing an inexperienced teacher needs to consistently address, is the
pronunciation involved in what they are teaching, that way the students will be more aware of the
function of what they are being taught and use it correctly in the real world. When I am teaching a

grammar point or new lexis, I always write the phonemes down and go through the stress and
intonation with the class. It is a central part of avoiding miscommunication.
I would also advise the teacher not to get too caught up in correcting if it interrupts the conversation
or flow. If students are understanding each other, this should not be disturbed but errors should be
recorded and addressed later.
I also think it is important for unexperienced teachers to remember that intonation and stress are not
the same in all languages, so they should not be offended if they think a student is being rude, it is
probably just the translation. It is better to focus on the facial expressions and body language if they
think there is a problem, although even that can be unreliable at times.
Finally, I would advise teachers to have a silent correction code that the students are familiar with so
they can guide the students when mistakes with form are made.
For me, focusing on the function is, in the first instance, more important because that is where
students will get a feel for the root of English and the society that they are embracing by learning it
4. How would you provide constructive support to a teacher who was unsure about
Teaching the present perfect to a group of intermediate students?
Use timelines
Rule number one for teaching a grammar point, is to use timelines when applicable. They are your
friends and they simplify things not only for the students, but for the teachers that are new to teaching
grammar. When specifically teaching the Present perfect, it is very useful to compare it in a timeline
with the Past simple, with sentences, so that students can see the difference, for example:
I have seen Harry Potter.
---X-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Past
Present
Future
I saw Harry Potter on Monday
X
Mon Tues Wed Thurs Fri today
Once students are familiar with this set up, they can be used time and time again.
Use a natural context
Try to think of examples that you would use the aspect yourself. There is no point in giving examples
of the Present perfect with sentences that you and the students cannot relate to. A sentence such as I
have mixed atoms and particles to create a new kind of substance is not going to engage the students
and also has language that only a handful of students will understand.
If you use a context that will also help you to understand as well, you will feel more confident when
explaining. I used films and places (for experiences and no time frame) when I first started teaching it.
For example: I have been to Thailand and I have seen the new James Bond
Check existing knowledge
There will be students that have started at the school in the class you are teaching and students that
have moved up from Pre intermediate, so it is worthwhile recapping what students already know
about the Present perfect in a little quiz or by eliciting answers. It is hard enough as a new teacher to
teach new uses for Present perfect, without worrying that students are not aware of many past
participles, so I would make time to address those as well.
Have fun with it
Find activities that you would enjoy doing as well if you were learning this aspect. The I have never
game is a good communicative activity, which you can join in with as well if you feel comfortable
doing it. Remember that students will not pick up on this immediately, so it is good to dedicate two or
three lessons going through it.

Finally, the more you teach this, the easier it will become. If you are unsure how to answer a question
about the Present perfect, write it in the corner of the board and tell the students you will come back to
it later as you do not have time to address it now and then seek guidance, and get back to them.
Always remain confident.