Touchstone 2nd Edition • Language summary • Level 3

Unit 2 • Lesson A: Hopes and dreams

Vocabulary
Have you ever?
a few times (adv)
many / several times (adv)
(never / not) before (adv)
once (adv)
twice (adv)

Irregular past participles

been (be) (v)
done (do) (v)
gone (go) (v)
had (have) (v)
seen (see) (v)

Outdoor activities
go hang gliding (v)
go sailing (v)
go surfing (v)
go rock climbing (v)

Other words
afraid (of heights) (adj)
fun (adj)
(secret) dream (n)
hopes and dreams (n)
sailboat (n)
waterfall (n)

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Touchstone 2nd Edition • Language summary • Level 3

Grammar
Present perfect statements
Use the present perfect for events at an indefinite time before now:

I've traveled in Asia.

(= I've traveled in Asia in the past, but I don't say when.)

Affirmative statements

Use a form of have + past participle:

I've been to Europe.

He's surfed in Hawai'i.

Remember, the contracted form of have for he, she, and it is 's (= has).

When people talk about travel destinations, they generally use been as an alternative to gone
to mean "gone somewhere and come back":

I've been to Paris (= I went and came back.)

She's gone to Paris (= She's still in Paris.)

Negative statements

Use a form of have not + past participle:

I haven't been to Paris.

She hasn't tried surfing before.

Remember, the contracted form of have not for he, she, and it is hasn't (= has not).

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Touchstone 2nd Edition • Language summary • Level 3

Frequency expressions with the present perfect

The present perfect is often used with these frequency expressions:

• always
I've always wanted to study acting.
(= This was my dream a long time ago, and it's still my dream today.)

• once / twice / many times

We've gone sailing once / twice / many times.

• never . . . before
She's never tried it before.
(= She didn't do this at any time in the past.)

Past participles

Regular past participles

Regular verbs have the same form for the simple past and past participle. They end in -ed:

travel traveled traveled

try tried tried

Remember, for verbs ending in a consonant and a -y, change the y to i before you add -ed.

Irregular past participles

Irregular verbs sometimes have different forms for the simple past and past participle:

be was / were been

do did done

go went gone

have had had

see saw seen

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Touchstone 2nd Edition • Language summary • Level 3

Unit 2 • Lesson B: Unusual experiences

Vocabulary
Bad experiences
break something valuable (v)
fall and hurt yourself (v)
fall off (a raft) (v)
forget an important appointment (v)
get / have the flu (v)
lose something important (v)

Good experiences
enter a talent contest (v)
get 100% on a test (v)
speak to a famous person (v)
take an exciting trip (v)
win a prize (v)

Irregular past participles

broken (break) (v)
fallen (fall) (v)
forgotten (forget) (v)
found (find) (v)
gotten (get) (v)
heard (hear) (v)
hurt (hurt) (v)
lost (lose) (v)
spoken (speak) (v)
taken (take) (v)
won (win) (v)

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Touchstone 2nd Edition • Language summary • Level 3

Outdoor activities
go bungee jumping (v)
go camping (v)
go kite surfing (v)
go white-water rafting (v)

Other words
exciting (adj)
scared (adj)
scary (adj)
contest (n)

Grammar
Present perfect vs. simple past
Use the present perfect to ask about indefinite times before now.

Use have + subject + past participle for present perfect questions:

Have you ever gone white-water rafting?

(ever = at any time in your life up to now)

Use the present perfect to give answers about indefinite times before now:

No, I haven't. I've never gone rafting.

Use the simple past for specific events or times in the past:

A Have you ever gone white-water rafting?

B Yes, I have. I went rafting last May.

A Did you have a good time? (= on your rafting trip last May)
B Yes, I did. But I fell off the raft.

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Touchstone 2nd Edition • Language summary • Level 3

Unit 2 • Lesson C: I've heard good things . . .

Vocabulary
a couple of times (adv)
hot air balloon (n)

Showing surprise or interest

I'm impressed!
Wow.

Conversation strategies
Keeping the conversation going
To keep a conversation going, you can comment on what other people say to show interest,
and then ask a question:

A We went to a new club called "Fizz" last week. Have you been there?

B No, but I've heard good things about it. How was it?

Response questions
You can show interest by responding with short questions like Do you? and Have you? Use the
same tense as the other person:

A I like hip-hop music. (simple present)

B Do you? (simple present)

A I've seen that movie about hip-hop artists a couple of times. (present perfect)
B Have you? (present perfect)

To show surprise, you can respond with questions like You do? and You have? This is more
informal.

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Touchstone 2nd Edition • Language summary • Level 3

Unit 2 • Lesson D: Travel blogs

Vocabulary
Attitude
amazingly (adv)
fortunately (adv)
unfortunately (adv)

Other words
blog (Web log) (n)
blogger (n)
ruins (n)
tent (n)
view (n)
zip line (n)
get a flat tire (v)
go hiking (v)
go parasailing (v)
go windsurfing (v)

Writing
Adverbs of attitude
You can use adverbs to show your attitude or feelings about something.

Use fortunately when you are happy about what happened:

Fortunately, there were some great guides, and they really helped me.

Use unfortunately when you are sorry about what happened or didn't happen:
I didn't see a quetzal bird, unfortunately.

Use amazingly when you are happy and surprised:

Amazingly, it wasn't really scary.

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Touchstone 2nd Edition • Language summary • Level 3

Unit 3 • Lesson A: Human wonders

Vocabulary
Human wonders
airport (n)
ancient city (n)
monument (n)
office building (n)
pyramid (n)
roller coaster (n)
shopping mall (n)
stadium (n)
suspension bridge (n)
train station (n)

Natural wonders
(active) volcano (n)
canyon (n)

Adjectives of measurement
deep (36,000 feet deep) (adj)
long (4,160 miles long) (adj)
tall (1,670 feet tall) (adj)

Units of measurement
1 kilometer = 0.62 miles
1 meter = 3.28 feet

Numbers
1,000,000 = a million
509 = five hundred (and) nine

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Touchstone 2nd Edition • Language summary • Level 3

Regular superlatives
the busiest (adj)
the most interesting (adj)
the least expensive (adj)

Irregular superlatives
the best (adj)
the worst (adj)

Other words
cover (v)
go hiking (v)
hold (v)
serve (v)
visit (v)

Grammar
Superlatives
You can use superlatives of adjectives to compare three or more things:
This is the tallest building in the world.

Short adjectives
For short adjectives, superlatives are the + adjective + -est:
What's the tallest building in the world?
For short adjectives ending in e, add -st:
Where is the largest shopping mall?
For two-syllable adjectives ending in y, change the y to i and add -est:
What's the busiest restaurant?
For most one-syllable adjectives ending in vowel + consonant, double the last letter and add -
est:

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Touchstone 2nd Edition • Language summary • Level 3
Which city has the biggest soccer stadium?
Long adjectives

For long adjectives, superlatives are the + most / least + adjective:

What's the most interesting city in your country?

What's the least expensive store?

Irregular superlatives

good the best

What's the best country to visit?

bad the worst

What's the worst problem in your country?

Superlatives with nouns

You can use the superlative form the most with nouns:

Which country has the most tourism?

Which stadium has the most seats?

Here, the most means "more than any other."

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Touchstone 2nd Edition • Language summary • Level 3

Unit 3 • Lesson B: Natural wonders

Vocabulary
Natural wonders
archipelago (n)
beach (n)
coast (n)
continent (n)
desert (n)
glacier (n)
island (n)
lake (n)
mountain (n)
mountain range (n)
ocean (n)
rain forest (n)
reef (n)
river (n)

Adjectives of measurement
high (8,850 meters high) (adj)
wide (29 kilometers wide) (adj)

Units of measurement
Celsius (48°C / 48 degrees Celsius)
Fahrenheit (120°F / 120 degrees Fahrenheit)
0°C = 32°F
1 square kilometer = 0.386 square miles

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Touchstone 2nd Edition • Language summary • Level 3

Numbers
6,529 = six thousand five hundred (and)
twenty-nine
7.7 = seven point seven

Other words
erupt (v)
reach (v)

Grammar
Questions with How + adjective . . . ?
You can use these adjectives in questions with How + adjective . . . ? In answers to questions
like these, you can repeat the adjective after the measurement:

• high

A How high is Mount Everest?

B It's 8,850 meters (29,035 feet) high.

• long

A How long is the Nile River?

B It's 6,695 kilometers (4,160 miles) long.

• wide

A How wide is the Grand Canyon?

B It's about 29 kilometers (18 miles) wide.

• deep

A How deep is the Pacific Ocean?

B It's about 11,000 meters (36,000 feet) deep.

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Touchstone 2nd Edition • Language summary • Level 3
You can also use these adjectives in questions with How + adjective . . . ? But, in answers to
questions like these, do not repeat the adjective:

• large

A How large is the Sahara Desert?

B It's 9.1 million square kilometers (3.5 million square miles).

• hot

A How hot does it get in Death Valley?

B It can reach 48 degrees Celsius (120 degrees Fahrenheit).

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Touchstone 2nd Edition • Language summary • Level 3

Unit 3 • Lesson C: I had the best time.

Vocabulary
tree (n)
wildlife (n)

Conversation strategies
Being a supportive listener
You can be a supportive listener by using short responses with really and sure to agree with
what someone says.

If the other speaker uses the verb be, repeat the verb in your response:
A This is the most incredible place!
B Yeah, it really is.

If the other speaker uses the simple present, use do or does in your response:
A It feels good to be out of the city.
B It sure does.

If the other speaker uses the present perfect, use have or has in your response:
A Well, it's been a great day.
B It really has.

If the other speaker uses a modal verb (can, should, etc.), repeat the speaker's verb in your
response:
A We should go hiking there sometime.
B We really should.

Using superlatives for emphasis

You can use superlatives to emphasize your opinions or feelings:

This is the most incredible place!

I had the best time.

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Touchstone 2nd Edition • Language summary • Level 3

Unit 3 • Lesson D: Is that a fact?

Vocabulary
skyscraper (n)
structure (n)

Writing
Adding information
Sometimes, you can use one sentence to say the same thing as two sentences.

You can add extra information about something into a sentence like this:

Mount Aconcagua, a peak in the Andes range, is the highest mountain in Argentina.

(= Mount Aconcagua is the highest mountain in Argentina. + It is a peak in the Andes

range.)

Use a comma (,) before and after the extra information.

You can also add extra information about something at the end of a sentence:

Many people come to Argentina to see the Andes, the longest mountain range in
the world.

(= Many people come to Argentina to see the Andes. + They are the longest mountain
range in the world.)

Use a comma (,) before the extra information.

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Touchstone 2nd Edition • Language summary • Level 3

Unit 4 • Lesson A: Family gripes

Vocabulary
Immediate family
husband (n)
wife (n)
spouse (n)

Family life
clean up (your room) (v)
do chores (v)
fight over (the remote) (v)
go over the speed limit (v)
gripe (about) (v)
have a gripe (about) (v)
start a family (v)
stay out late (v)

Discipline and rules

ask someone to do something (v)
get someone to do something (v)
have someone do something (v)
help someone do something (v)
let someone do something (v)
make someone do something (v)
tell someone to do something (v)
want someone to do something (v)

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Touchstone 2nd Edition • Language summary • Level 3

Grammar
let, make, and have
After let, make, and have, use an object + verb:

My parents won't let me stay out late.

They make me come home before 10:00.

I have them do their homework before dinner.

get, want, ask, and tell

After get, want, ask, and tell, use an object + to + verb:

I can't get them to clean up their rooms.

My parents want me to study law.

I have to ask them to drive me everywhere.

My wife is always telling me to slow down.

help
After help you can use an object + verb or an object + to + verb, but help + object + verb is
more common:

My kids never help me clean the house.

My kids never help me to clean the house.

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Touchstone 2nd Edition • Language summary • Level 3

Unit 4 • Lesson B: Family memories

Vocabulary
Immediate family
father (n)
mother (n)
fiancé / fiancée (n)
brother (n)
sister (n)
son (n)
daughter (n)
only child (n)

Extended family
grandfather (n)
grandmother (n)
great-grandfather (n)
great-grandmother (n)
uncle (n)
aunt (n)
nephew (n)
niece (n)
(first / second) cousin (n)
brother-in-law (n)
sister-in-law (n)

Blended family
stepfather (n)
stepmother (n)
stepson (n)
stepdaughter (n)
stepbrother (n)
stepsister (n)
half brother (n)
half sister (n)

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Touchstone 2nd Edition • Language summary • Level 3

Family life
be part of (a big family) (v)
come over (for dinner) (v)
crawl under the table (v)
get divorced (v)
get married (v)
tease someone (v)

The past
used to (v)
would (v)
when I was (17)
when we were kids

Grammar
used to and would
Affirmative statements

Use used to + verb for regular activities in the past that don't happen now:
I used to go over to my sister's house a lot.
(= In the past, I went to my sister's house a lot, but I don't do this now.)

You can also use would or 'd + verb for regular activities in the past:
I'd go over to my sister's house a lot.

Use used to + verb for situations in the past that are no longer true:
My sister used to live next door.
(= In the past, my sister lived next door, but this isn't true now.)

You can only use would to describe regular activities. Do not use would for situations in the
past that are no longer true.

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Touchstone 2nd Edition • Language summary • Level 3
Negative statements and questions
For negative statements and questions, write use to, not used to. Negative statements and
questions with use to are less common than affirmative statements with used to:
I didn't use to like jazz.
(= I didn't like jazz in the past, but now I like it.)

What kind of music did you use to like?

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Touchstone 2nd Edition • Language summary • Level 3

Unit 4 • Lesson C: If you ask me, . . .

Vocabulary
Time expressions for the present
nowadays
these days

Other words
(a lot of) pressure (n)
grow up (v)

Conversation strategies
Giving opinions
You can use expressions like these to give opinions:

• I think . . .

I think people should get more time off.

• I don't think . . .

I don't think we get enough time together.

• It seems like . . .

It seems like we don't get enough time to relax.

• It seems to me (that) . . .

It seems to me (that) people don't spend enough time with their families.

• If you ask me . . .

If you ask me, we all work too much these days.

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Touchstone 2nd Edition • Language summary • Level 3

Agreeing
You can use expressions like these to agree with people's opinions:

Absolutely. You're right. I agree (with you).

Definitely. That's true. (Oh,) yeah.

Exactly. That's for sure. (Oh,) I know.

A If you ask me, we all work too much these days.

B Absolutely.

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Touchstone 2nd Edition • Language summary • Level 3

Unit 4 • Lesson D: Family activities

Vocabulary
Time expressions for the past
back then
in those days
when I was (17)
when we were kids

Time expressions for the present

now
nowadays
these days
today

Other words
sibling (= brother or sister) (n)

Writing
Using time markers
You can use these time markers to show the past:

• When we were kids, . . . / When I was . . .

When we were kids, / When I was younger, my sister and I used to roller-skate a lot.

• In those days, . . . / Back then, . . .

In those days, / Back then, we didn't have all the safety equipment kids use today.

You can use these time markers to show the present:

• today, now, nowadays, these days

We didn't have all the safety equipment kids use today / now / nowadays / these days.

© Cambridge University Press 2014 Unit 4, Lesson D, Page 1