X-WORD GRAMMAR

Based on the work of Linda A. Kunz, New York City

USING X-WORDS: 20 “YES-N0” QUESTIONS

Think of 20 questions that you can answer “yes” or “no” – like: Is it small? to discover what your teacher has in the bag. Write them down. Start each question with a different X-word. You should get 20 different first words. THESE WORDS ARE CALLED X-WORDS!!

NO NEGATIVES and NO REPEATS!

1. IS IT SMALL ?2. CAN YOU EAT IT?3.4.5.

An X-WORD CHART

The DO Family

The HAVE Family

The BE Family The MODAL Family

do does did

have has had

am is are was were

can-could will-would

shall-should may-might

must

The Forms of the Verb (Maximum 5!!!):

The Base Form - V1

The Continuous Form – V1+ing

The (past) Participle Form – V3

Eat Eats Ate Eating Eaten

Look Looks Looked Looking looked

V1 V1+s V2 V1+ing V3

X-WORD-MAIN VERB MATCH UPS

do, does, did the base formcan, could, will, would, shall, (stand, know, bark . . .)should, may, might, must [v1] am, is, are, was, were the continuous form

(watching, dreaming . . .) [v1+ing]

have, has, had the participle form (decided, fallen, left . . . )

[v3]

The rules ALWAYS stay the same. Consider the sentence:

The house will have been being painted for 10 hours by tomorrow.

will + V1

have + V3

be + v1ing

be + v3

HIDDEN X-WORDS IN MAIN VERBS: THE POWERFUL X-WORD DOES

WHERE IS THE X-WORD? IT IS HIDING!! The “s” in “loves” is really the “s” of DOES

V/XS

BOB LOVES MARY.

HERE IS THE PROOF: X V

YES-NO QUESTION: Does Bob love Mary? X VNEGATIVE STATEMENT: Bob doesn’t love Mary. X VEMPHATIC: BOB DOES LOVE MARY!!!

HERE IS THE PROOF:

X VYES-NO QUESTION: Did Bob love Mary?

X VNEGATIVE STATEMENT: Bob didn’t love Mary.

X VEMPHATIC: BOB DID LOVE MARY!!!

HIDDEN X-WORDS IN MAIN VERBS: THE POWERFUL X-WORD DID

WHERE IS THE X-WORD? IT IS HIDING!!The “d” in “loved” is really the “d” of DID

V/XD

BOB LOVED MARY.

HERE IS THE PROOF: X VYES-NO QUESTION: Do Bob and Fred love Mary?

X VNEGATIVE STATEMENT: Bob and Fred don’t love Mary.

X VEMPHATIC: BOB AND FRED DO LOVE MARY!!!

HIDDEN X-WORDS IN MAIN VERBS: THE POWERFUL X-WORD DO

WHERE IS THE X-WORD? IT IS HIDING!!

V/XøBOB AND FRED LOVE MARY.

Putting a Sentence Together

Subject x-word verb object where? when?

Simple Basic Statements:

Simple yes/no questions:

X-word subject verb object where? when? ?

Wh (information) questions:

Wh-Q X-word subject verb object where? when? ?

complement

object where? when?

The teacher is writing something on the board now.

Using the Simple Tenses- Present and Past (V1 and V2)

a “now” fact a “timeless” fact

a “remote” fact

immediate remote

I live in Istanbul.

Water boils at 100° Celsius

I lived in New York for 20 years.

Using the Continuous Tenses: (BE + V1ing) The action/happening was, is or will be

temporary The action/happening took, is taking, will

take

I was working last night.

It is raining right now.

She will be coming around the mountain when she comes.

Using the Perfect Tenses: (HAVE + V3 There must be 2 times A way of looking before.

I have seen G.O.R.A. 3 times. (looking before now at the 3 times I saw the film.)

I came home at 8p.m. last night and found that my mother had made me içli köfte. (going back to at p.m. and looking before that time)

My sister will have been married for 20 years by 2016. (going to 2016 and looking back to 1996.)

the PASSIVE tenses (BE + V3):

When we don’t know the subject OR The object is more important!

Carpets are made in Turkey. (Who makes them? I don’t know!)

My wallet was stolen by that thief! (My wallet is much more important.)

If I bake a cake, it will probably be eaten by Rasit.