as a Second Language Book 2 - Lane's ESL-Online Books

105 Pages·2009·1.81 MB·English

by  Imac2 Cfds

i

Lane's
English

as a Second Language

b y
Richard R. Lane, Ph.D.

Illustrations
b y
Stefan Munteanu
and
Leon Samoilovich

Book 2

ii

Copyright © 1977; revised 1988, 2000, 2009 by Richard R. Lane

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be changed without written permission from the
publisher.

The world’s most efficacious ESL series is given freely to all students and teachers of English by-

Lane Press
P.O. Box 17822
Stanford, CA 94305
USA

iii

TABLE OF CONTENTS

PAGE

Foreword

Lesson 1 - Family.................................................................................................................. 1
before/after, ago, almost, still, among, until, long with things and time,
in with months and years, on with days and dates, "to be" questions,
family relations, "How old?", time: today/tonight, tomorrow/tomorrow night,
the day after tomorrow, yesterday/last night, the day before yesterday.

Lesson 2 - City....................................................................................................................... 13
now/then, for, one, across, together/apart, up/down, contractions, both, MUST,
numbers.

Lesson 3 - House.................................................................................................................. 27
about, so (outcome), own against, by (close to), which?, along, away,
over/under, SHOULD, to have.
Lesson 4 - Farm..................................................................................................................... 47
time (period), through, more, Prepositions, to have (food and drink), a/one,
but (exception), that (relative pronoun), CAN/COULD, to go/to come.

Lesson 5 - Weather............................................................................................................... 67
by (transport), back, if, into, most, MAY, imperatives, Review of Prepositions,
to put/to take.

APPENDIX

Prepositions........................................................................................................................... 93
Modal Verbs: Will, Must, Should, Can/Could, May.................................................................. 97
Mathematics.....................................................................................................................……. 98
More Prepositions.................................................................................................................... 99

iv

Intentionally left blank

v

FOREWORD

The English language is now closer to being the world's second language than any other since the
dominance of Latin in Western civilization. Today, English is the official or first language of 23 nations
with a combined population of about 500,000,000. In addition, it is a co-official or widely used second
language in another 25 nations with more than 900,000,000. The best estimates are that 50,000,000
primary school students and 75,000,000 secondary school students are currently studying English as a
second language. To this can be added millions more who are studying English at the adult and
college/university levels. China alone is said to have more people (500,000,000) studying English than
the combined populations of the UK (61,000,000). the USA (305,000,000), and Canada (33,000,000)
among whom 75%-80% claim English as their mother tongue. As a student of English, you have a lot of
company. You are part of a truly global enterprise.

The fact that English is a key to many doors—technology,
science,
business,
politics,
culture—accounts in large measure for its present attractiveness. To any list of causes that might be
offered for this widespread use, we should keep in mind that in sharp contrast to those who have made a
near fetish out of their languages, native speakers of English have not fixed it within any standard,
except intelligibility. The absence of any high authority to decide what is and what is not "English" has
given the language a relatively unfettered line of development which is probably more dynamic today than
ever before. English has never echoed to any call for "purity." Because it is not afraid of being “corrupted”
and has such a high tolerance for new words and expressions, regardless of their origins, English is able
to adapt to local conditions with ease.

There have been many well-intentioned efforts directed at the needs of English learners. The traditional
approaches were entirely grammar based. These were later supplemented by frequency word counts.
Then came the communicative approach, which spawned audio-lingual methods seeking to teach the
living language. A more recent development along this line has been Survival English.

Looking at these approaches in terms of progress in the language against time and effort expended, the
criteria of efficacy, we see that each is found seriously wanting. The grammatical approach to English
was nothing more than an extension of the traditional teaching of Greek and Latin. Students had a very
difficult time going from their passive knowledge to an active use of the language. Desiring to eliminate
such useless sentences as "Lightning has struck my carriage," textbook writers turned to word counts
only to discover that students needed a relatively large vocabulary before much of consequence could
be said. Though the word count approach strengthened reading and writing abilities, it did little to get
students to speak. Thus the door was opened for the communicative approach which demanded
students be taught the spoken language in daily situations. But, if we were to teach what students are
likely to hear, we would begin with a number of "four-letter" words and then graduate to "I ain't gonna" and
"He done it." Since this is unacceptable to most people, teachers and material developers have
concentrated on getting and giving information in a number of different situations: the post office, the bus
stop, the doctor's office, job interview, etc. Unfortunately, natural conversations in these various
situations require a rather extensive vocabulary and command of sophisticated grammatical structures
as well as a plethora of idioms. Much of this material seems designed to keep the teacher's interest,
rather than approach the problem of language acquisition from the student's perspective. The
communicative approach can not be faulted for its goal. The problem lies with its lack of any apparent
criteria for introducing vocabulary and structures. Beginning students do not need ten ways to say
"Hello."

In my own search for an alternative to these approaches to English, I have been attracted by various
ideas of simplification, particularly those of C. K. Ogden, the developer of BASIC English. I see
simplification as principally a controlled and ordered approach to the language. There is no doubt in my
mind that more than 80% of the English language conforms to certain rules and patterns and if students
can begin to see this underlying structure or logic, they can experience the joy of communication and
gather the momentum to carry them through the rough, illogical parts.

Lane's English as a Second Language is different because it offers the learner a step-by-step,
cumulative approach that unlocks the logic of English. It consciously excludes idiomatic word usage until
the learner is prepared to deal with it. By eliminating the capricious and/or arbitrary elements of English,
the Lane approach presents the learner with a system, a reasonable, logical linguistic system that can
be explained, and therefore understood and mastered. This approach is specifically designed for the
learner who wants to know why and the teacher who sees English as more than an inexhaustible jumble of
words and expressions best acquired with mother's milk.

vi

The total vocabulary of Lane's English as a Second Language is about 1200 words. By limiting the
vocabulary, one of the major obstacles to learning English—its non-phonetic spelling—is skirted. With
approximately 200 words to be learned in each book, students need not be burdened with spelling rules
and their numerous exceptions. More than half of the words are only one syllable long, so they are easily
mastered by speakers of languages that are not cognate to English.

The 1200 words were selected on the basis of usefulness, not frequency. The choice was made in
accordance with the linguistic tendency toward general and away from specific uses. This allows the
vocabulary to be manipulated at various levels of sophistication. In the presentation of this vocabulary,
the approach is first to establish the primary meaning of each word and then to expand its usage in a
systematic manner. With this expanded usage the 1200 words actually give a learner a level of
expressability many times greater. This may be seen graphically as follows (in regard to body parts):

1. BASIC MEANING:
This is a hand.
2. Compound words:
This is a shoulder bone.
3. Expanded usage:
I am the head of my family.
4. Metaphoric:
She has a big heart.
5. Set phrases.
We came face-to-face with a problem.
6. Idioms (a):
The walls have ears.
7. Idioms (b):
He put his foot in his mouth.
8. Sayings:
His eyes were bigger than his stomach.

One of the primary advantages of this system is the development of a mind-set that causes learners to
form their thoughts directly in English, rather than to think in their native languages and merely plug in
English words. This is accomplished by concentrating on 12 verbs and 31 prepositions, which in
combination give about 4,000 verb ideas. For instance, we are quite comfortable saying: I put my hand in
my pocket; I put my money in the bank; I put $1000 in a company; I put my heart in my work; I put a
new sink in the kitchen; I put my ideas in English. The typical student, however, is more likely to express
these same ideas with the discrete verbs: insert, deposit, invest, concentrate, install and
translate. The economy of time and effort in learning put in vs. six different verbs is obvious. What is
not so obvious is the methodology that will enable the learner to manipulate verbs and prepositions like a
native-speaker. This is achieved through the logical, controlled, sequential presentation of material. The
approach of this text takes phrasal or two-word verbs out of the idiomatic category by showing an inner
logic to their use. When the learner once grasps this inner-logic, he has a hard time going back to his
native language to find equivalents and soon gives up the attempt. He thus makes the quantum leap to
thinking in English.

There is no attempt to limit students to the vocabulary of this series. In fact, I assume that learners will
develop their own vocabularies according to individual needs and interests. I want to point out, however,
that the 1200 words of the system represent a common core that all learners need to know and control.
This stress on commonality is a conscious effort to counter the pernicious efforts of those pendants who
for their own reasons want to emphasize and exaggerate the differences between American and British
English. Imparting this common core is the first duty of all teachers.

A very important and unique feature of this system is that it gives learners a complete system of
communication. It is not an exaggeration to say that almost any thought or action can find expression
within its 1200 words. The required specificity for even very technical or specialized fields may be had
with the addition of only 60 to 100 words from a particular field. For students who wish to go on to
university level studies, this series provides an excellent basis to study for entrance examinations,
especially the TOEFL.

The efficacy of this approach to English is beyond doubt. It offers students, regardless of their
objectives, an extremely high rate of progress in relation to the time and effort they put into their studies.
Because time is our most precious commodity, I offer this series to students and teachers around the
world.

Richard Lane

1

FAMILY

2

LESSON 1 - WORD LIST

Please put these words and sentences in your own language. Be an artist; make some pictures.

____________
name
His name is James.
_____________________________________________________
____________
person*
Who is the person in this picture?
_____________________________________________________
____________
family
There are five people in my family.
_____________________________________________________
____________
father
His father is 42 years old.
_____________________________________________________
____________
mother
His mother is a very beautiful woman.
_____________________________________________________
____________
parent
Another name for father or mother is parent.
_____________________________________________________
____________
child*
I am the child of my parents.
_____________________________________________________
____________
grandfather
The father of my father is my grandfather.
_____________________________________________________
____________
grandmother
The mother of my mother is my grandmother.
_____________________________________________________
____________
husband
My father is my mother's husband.
_____________________________________________________
____________
wife*
My mother is my father's wife.
_____________________________________________________
____________
son
A boy is the son of his parents.
_____________________________________________________
____________
daughter
A girl is the daughter of her parents.
_____________________________________________________
____________
brother
Two boys with the same parents are brothers.
_____________________________________________________
____________
sister
Two girls with the same parents are sisters.
_____________________________________________________
____________
uncle
My father's brother is my uncle.
_____________________________________________________
____________
aunt
My uncle's wife is my aunt.
_____________________________________________________
____________
cousin
My aunt and uncle's child is my cousin.
_____________________________________________________
____________________
* Singular
Plural
man
men
woman
women
person
people
child
children
wife
wives

3

____________
night
The party was at night.
_____________________________________________________
____________
day
Today is the first day of our class.
_____________________________________________________
____________
week
There are seven days in a week.
_____________________________________________________
____________
month
There are four weeks in a month.
_____________________________________________________
____________
year
There are twelve months in a year.
_____________________________________________________
____________
date
The date was July 4, 1776.
_____________________________________________________
____________
birth
The date of her birth is June 2, 1984.
_____________________________________________________
____________
place
The place of his birth is Los Angeles, California.
_____________________________________________________

____________
dark
My uncle's hair is dark brown.
_____________________________________________________
____________
light
My aunt's dress is light green.
_____________________________________________________
____________
young
She is a young woman, but he is an old man.
_____________________________________________________
____________
married
Mrs. Taft was a married woman, but not now!
_____________________________________________________
____________
foreign
English is a foreign language for him.
_____________________________________________________
____________
afraid of
Why is that child afraid of that man?
_____________________________________________________
____________
special
This is a very special place for me.
_____________________________________________________
____________
important
My grandfather was an important man in our city.
_____________________________________________________
____________
interesting
My grandmother is an interesting person.
_____________________________________________________

____________
early
He was here very early yesterday morning.
_____________________________________________________
____________
late
She will be here late tomorrow evening.
_____________________________________________________
____________
always
Why are they always with one another.
_____________________________________________________
____________
never
She was never married.
_____________________________________________________
____________
before
Monday is before Tuesday.
_____________________________________________________
____________
after
Friday is after Thursday.
_____________________________________________________
____________
next
After November, the next month is December.
_____________________________________________________
____________
still
She is still a child.
_____________________________________________________
____________
until
I was at the party until 11 o'clock.
_____________________________________________________
____________
ago
They were in Italy two years ago.
_____________________________________________________
____________
among
The man was among the people.
_____________________________________________________
____________
almost
These pictures are almost 20 years old.
_____________________________________________________

4

before ≠ after

before and after may be used for time and place.

(time)
1. Monday is before Tuesday.
2. April is always before May.
3. My son's birthday is before your cousin's birthday.
4. Wednesday is after Tuesday.
5. October is always after September.
6. They were married a short time after her 21st birthday.

(place)
1. A is before B.
2. 7 is before 8.
3. Women are always before men.
4. T is after S.
5. 5 is after 4.
6. After me, you are first!

long

long is used for things.

Philip:
How long is Katherine's beautiful, light blue dress?
Nathaniel:
Her beautiful, light blue dress is to her knees.
Philip:
What color is her hair and how long is it?
Nathaniel:
Her hair is dark brown and it is short, only to her shoulders.

Arthur:
How long were the questions on your science test?
Henry:
The first three questions were not very long.
Arthur:
Were your answers long?
Henry:
Some of them were long, but others were short, only one or two words.

long may be used for time.

Ashley:
How long is a week?
John:
A week is 7 days.
Ashley:
How long is a year?
John:
A year is 12 months.

Natalie:
How long were you in London?
Katherine:
I was in London for two years, from 1989 to 1991.
Natalie:
How long were you on the big island of Hawaii?
Katherine:
I was on the big island of Hawaii for six months, from January to June, last year.

Anthony:
How long will you be at the library?
Ruth:
I will be there from 10:00 to 3:00.
Anthony:
How long will you be with Dr. Johnson?
Ruth:
I will be with him a long time. Is there any problem with that?

5

ago

1. I was in New York two days ago.
2. My cousin, who is a foreign language teacher, was in Europe six years ago.
3. Mary was in San Francisco only three months ago.
4. I am sure that those people at the next table were at my sister's party a week ago.
5. The two sisters, Lisa and Ruth, who were here a few days ago, are never late.
6. One cold, dark night, many long years ago, an old man with white hair was ....

almost

Susan:
When were they married?
Richard:
They were married almost eight months ago.
Susan:
Where is their new place?
Richard:
It is almost in the middle of the city.

William:
What time is it?
Elizabeth:
It is almost 7 o'clock.
William:
What time will Helen be at school?
Elizabeth:
She is almost always there before 8:15.

still

1. John is still a little boy.
2. The child is still very afraid of the dark.
3. I am afraid because it is almost dark and my brother is still not here.
4. Are any of the foreign students still in your special science class?
5. There is still not any hot water. Why?
6. Your beautiful cousin is still not married. Why? What is the problem?

among

among gives the idea of being in the middle of many.

Matthew:
Where am I?
Victoria:
Don't be afraid, you are among friends.
Matthew:
Where is my brother?
Victoria:
There is no problem. He is there, among those school girls.

Diana:
Where is my light pink party dress?
Charles:
It is here, among your many other beautiful dresses.
Diana:
Where are our family pictures?
Charles:
They are among all those things on top of that table.

until

1. He was at my place until 10:45.
2. Your sister, who is here from Chicago, will be with you until the end of next month. Right?
3. My brother, who was not married until he was almost 24 years old, will be here tomorrow.
4. Are you sure that they will not be at the party until after 9 o'clock?
5. Paul and Helen were students at our school until last week.
6. That is all for today. Until tomorrow. Good-bye, my friends.

6

QUESTIONS with "TO BE"

PRESENT

Nicholas:
Who is that man in the dark blue suit?
Alexandra:
That is Edward. He is an old family friend.
Nicholas:
What is he?
Alexandra:
He is an American history teacher.

Mary:
When are you at school?
Ashley:
I am at school every day, between 8 and 4 o'clock.
Mary:
Where are you in your mathematics book?
Ashley
We are only on page 47 and it is a big book.

Peter:
Why are those same girls always at your parties?
Paul:
Because they are my very close friends. They are special to me.
Peter:
How many people are there at tonight's party?
Paul:
There are already almost 50 people. And there will be more.

PAST

Lisa:
Who was that beautiful woman with?
Helen:
She was with her husband. She is never without him.
Lisa:
What was she before she was married?
Helen:
She was a Spanish language teacher. She is from Cuba.

Nathaniel:
When were you in China?
Richard:
I was in China until only a few weeks ago.
Nathaniel:
Where were you in China? Beijing? Shanghai?
Richard:
I was in different Chinese cities, Beijing, Shanghai and others.

Elizabeth:
Why was that little baby afraid?
Katherine:
He was afraid because his parents were not with him.
Elizabeth:
How many questions were there on the science test?
Katherine:
There were between 20 and 25 questions.

FUTURE

David:
Who will be at your next party?
Martha:
Many interesting people will be there.
David:
What will the date be?
Martha:
It will be October 21.

Susan:
When will your birthday party be?
Martha:
It will be next Friday evening, at 7:00.
Susan:
Where will the party be?
Martha:
It will be at my parents' place.

Eugene:
Why will there be a party?
Martha:
Because it will be my birthday.
Eugene:
How many people will be there?
Martha:
All my family and friends, close to 50 people, will be there.

7

in

in is always used with months.

I was here in March.
I am always here in April.
I will still be here in May.

Natalie, Aunt Helen's daughter, was at school in September.
Henry, Uncle Edward's son, is always at school in October.
Jessica, my 17 year-old cousin, will still be at school in November.

Mr. and Mrs. Eisenhower were in Los Angeles in early December.
Mr. and Mrs. Bush are never in Los Angeles in late January.
Mr. and Mrs. Clinton will still be in Los Angeles in February.

in is always used with years.

I was in England in 1988.
I will also be in England next year, in 20__.

Their son, George, was in Asia in 1990.
Their son, George, will also be in Asia in 20__.

Charles and Diana were married many years ago, in 19__.
John and Ashley will be married next year, in 20__.

o n

on is always used with days.

I was here on Monday.
I am never here on Tuesday.
I will still be here on Wednesday.

Walter was at school on Wednesday. Right?
Eugene is always at school on Thursday.
William will still be at school on Friday.

Dr. and Mrs. Washington were not at the party on Saturday.
Dr. and Mrs. Buchanan are not at the library on Sunday.
Dr. and Mr. Jackson will still not be at the class on Monday.

on is always used with dates.

Her husband was here on June l.
Her husband will still be here on August 2.

Their daughter, Mary, was with them on July 3.
Their daughter, Mary, will still be with them on September 4.

Elizabeth and Nicholas were married on May 7, 1989.
Katherine and James will be married on June 25, 20__.

8

Who...?

1. Who is that old man?
He is my father.

2. Who is that beautiful woman?
She is my sweet heart.

3. Who is that happy boy?
He is my big brother.

4. Who is that baby girl?
She is my young daughter.

5. Who are those young children?
They are my little cousins.

6. Who are those two people?
They are my close friends.

Whose...?

1. Whose hair is white?
My uncle's hair is white.

2. Whose eyes are dark brown?
My aunt's eyes are dark brown.

3. Whose name is John?
My cousin's name is John.

4. Whose coat is light blue?
My sister's coat is light blue.

5. Whose feet are big?
My brother's feet are big.

6. Whose baby is wet?
My friend's baby is wet.

MY FAMILY

There are only five people in my family: my
mother, my father, and three children - my
sister, my brother, and I. Our family name, or
last name, is Wilson. My mother's first name is
Helen. My father's first name is George. My
brother's first name is David. My sister's first
name is Ashley. And my first name is Andrew.

Our family is from Houston. Houston is a big
city in Texas. It is my birthplace and it is also
the birthplace of all the other children in our
family. Today, Texas is an important and
interesting state of the United States of
America. It is important because of its size
and its oil. It is interesting because of its

history. Until 1848, Texas was a part of Mexico.
For our family, it was our "little corner of the
world," until only a few years ago. It is a special
place that will always be close to our hearts. It is
very cold in some parts of Texas in January and
February.

My parents were married when they were very
young. They were still university students. But
that was a long time ago. Today my father is
a mathematics teacher at a middle school on
the big island of Hawaii, where it is almost
never cold. My mother is also a teacher at the
same school. She is a foreign language
teacher. Our place is close to their school and
not too far from the beautiful, dark blue water
of the Pacific Ocean.

Nicholas:
How many people are there in your family?
Andrew:
There are five people in my family.
Nicholas:
Who are they?
Andrew:
The five people are: my mother, father, brother, sister, and I.

Christine:
What is your father's first name?
Andrew:
His first name is George.
Christine:
What is your mother's first name?
Andrew:
Her first name is Helen.

Diana:
What is your family name?
Andrew:
Our family name, or last name, is Wilson.
Diana:
Where is your family from?
Andrew:
We are from the state of Texas, where there are 20 million people or more.

William:
What city are you from?
Andrew:
We are from Houston, Texas. It is the birthplace of all the children in our family.
William:
What is your father?
Andrew:
He is a mathematics teacher at a middle school in Hawaii.

9

How old...?

1. How old are you?
I am 23 years old.

2. How old is her baby?
Her baby is only six months old.

3. How old is your son?
He is already 10 years old.

4. How old is his watch?
It is almost three years old.

5. How old was the soup?
It was two days old.

6. How old was the bread?
It was only one day old.

7. How old were her shoes?
They were only four weeks old.

8. How old will John be in June?
He will be 29 years old.

9. How old will Susan be in July?
She will be 19 years old.

10. How old will your grandfather be this year?
He will be 72 years young!

FAMILY BIRTHDAYS

Birthdays are different things for different
people. When a person is young, the time
between birthdays is very long. But for an old
person, a year is a very short time. For many
people, young and old, a birthday is a special
time. It is time for a party, a big party.

In our family, birthdays are always happy times.
My birthday is on July 8. I will be 18 years old
on my next birthday. There will be a big party.
Our family is very big and they will all be here
for my birthday party. Not only my mother, my
father, my two brothers, my four sisters, my
grandmother and my grandfather, but also
my aunts and uncles and all my cousins will be
here. I am sure that almost every one of my
friends will be here. There will be food and
drinks for all. And there will also be cake and
ice cream for 35 people or more.

My mother's birthday is in late May. It is on May
29. Because her birthday was on Friday last
year, it will be on Saturday this year. My
mother is still a young woman. She is only 39
years old. My father is also a young man. His
birthday is in early November, on November 4
or 5. I am not sure.

My father's father is my grandfather. He is not
an old man, but his hair is white already. He was
a very important man in his time and he is still
a very interesting person. The date of my
grandfather's birth is April 21, 19__. Every year
his birthday party is at our place. Last year
there was a special party for him because it was
his sixty-fifth birthday. The party was at night.
There was food for 100 people. Among all the
salads, vegetables, fried chicken, cold meats,
and drinks there was a big, beautiful, chocolate
cake with
the
words
"Happy
Birthday,
Grandfather" on top. I am sure he was happy.