The Simpsons

FOX

MODALS * PRACTICE * WRITE

HOMER * MARGE * BART * LISA

Choose ONE member of the Simpson family to write a paragraph about. Discuss these five questions:

  • "probability" (is it true?)
      nonpast
        1. What do you know about __ 's life now? Guess if you don't know. How sure are you? What evidence do you have?
        (for example: What does ____ like to do? ....)
      past
        2. What do you know about ___'s past? Guess if you don't know. How sure are you? What evidence do you have?
        (for example: What happened before this episode? last year? Five years ago?)
  • "advisibility" (is it a good idea?)
      nonpast
        3. What advice do you have for ___? How strongly do you feel about it?
      past
        4. What criticism do you have of what ___ did in this episode? How strongly do you feel about it?
  • future
      5. What prediction can you make about __ in a future episodes of The Simpsons?

    In your paragraph, try to include at least one example of each of these special forms:

    passive modal
    negative modal    		 progressive modal
    two modal ideas in one verb phrase

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    Ann Salzmann
    Intensive English Institute
    University of Illinois