4.2.2.2. Adding a little bit of muscle

Suppose you have now learned to comprehend all the language patterns required to express the concepts I have discussed so far. For each pattern you will have heard, processed and responded to scores, if not hundreds, of sentences fitting the pattern. By now, the LRP can tell you about many or perhaps most situations or events, describing them as they occur, provided you know the appropriate vocabulary, and she can instruct you to perform many complex actions, again, assuming you have the vocabulary. This is a good start. Much of what you will learn from now on will be modifications of things you already know.

All this time you're advancing on two fronts. You are doing activities whose central purpose is to increase the number of vocabulary items you can recognize, especially nouns, verbs, and adjectives. You are also engaging in learning activities which will enable you to comprehend a basic range of sentence patterns. More and more, as we go along, it will be likely that some of the things we discuss will be things you have already learned. Then you can just check them off. Otherwise, one by one, you can work these things into your sessions with your LRP.

Subsections

4.2.2.2.1 Dealing with the past

4.2.2.2.2 Talking about the future

4.2.2.2.3 Making general statements about things that happen, or used to happen

4.2.2.2.4 Time words

4.2.2.2.5 When you don't want to mention who did it

4.2.2.2.6 Asking questions about all this stuff

4.2.2.2.7 Possible, likely or at least desirable, or maybe even necessary

4.2.2.2.8 Denying and forbidding

4.2.2.2.9 Starting, stopping, becoming, continuing and remaining