Touchstone 2nd Edition • Language summary • Level 2

Unit 4 • Lesson A: Birthdays

Vocabulary
Celebrations
birth of a baby (n)
birthday (n)
engagement (n)
graduation (n)
Mother's day (n)
retirement (n)
wedding (n)
wedding anniversary (n)
send a card (v)

Indefinite pronouns
nothing (pron)
something nice (pron)
something special (pron)

Months of the year

January (n)
February (n)
March (n)
April (n)
May (n)
June (n)
July (n)
August (n)
September (n)
October (n)
November (n)
December (n)

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

Touchstone 2nd Edition • Language summary • Level 2

Days of the month

1st first (n)
2nd second (n)
3rd third (n)
4th fourth (n)
5th fifth (n)
6th sixth (n)
7th seventh (n)
8th eighth (n)
9th ninth (n)
10th tenth (n)
11th eleventh (n)
12th twelfth (n)
13th thirteenth (n)
14th fourteenth (n)
15th fifteenth (n)
16th sixteenth (n)
17th seventeenth (n)
18th eighteenth (n)
19th nineteenth (n)
20th twentieth (n)
21st twenty-first (n)
22nd twenty-second (n)
23rd twenty-third (n)
24th twenty-fourth (n)
25th twenty-fifth (n)
26th twenty-sixth (n)
27th twenty-seventh (n)
28th twenty-eighth (n)
29th twenty-ninth (n)
30th thirtieth (n)
31st thirty-first (n)

© Cambridge University Press 2014 Unit 4, Lesson A, Page 2

Touchstone 2nd Edition • Language summary • Level 2

Time expressions
Then . . . (adv)
in (May) (prep)
on (May 10th) (prep)
on (the 10th of May) (prep)

Other words
expensive (adj)
give (v)

Grammar
Future with be going to
Statements

To talk about your future plans, you can use be going to + verb.

In affirmative statements, use subject + be + going to + verb:

I'm going to buy something special.

She's going to be 50.

In negative statements, use subject + be + not + going to + verb:

You're not going to get a present.

She's not going to be 50.

Remember, you can also use isn't (= is not) and aren't (= are not), especially after names and
nouns:

Marcos isn't going to have a party.

My parents aren't going to have a party.

© Cambridge University Press 2014 Unit 4, Lesson A, Page 3

Touchstone 2nd Edition • Language summary • Level 2
Questions

To ask questions about someone's future plans, you can use be going to.

To ask Yes-No questions, use be + subject + going to + verb . . . ?:

A Are you going to have a party?

B Yes, we are. / No, we're not.

To ask information questions, use question word + be + subject + going to + verb . . . ?:

A What are you going to (do tonight)?

B I'm not going to do anything special.

To ask information questions with the question word as subject, use question word + be going
to + verb:

Who's going to go?

What's going to happen?

Indirect objects and indirect object pronouns

In the sentence below, my brother is an indirect object and a present is a direct object:

I'm going to buy my brother a present.

You can use an indirect object to answer the question Who?:

I'm going to buy my mother something special.

Let's send Mom and Dad some flowers.

A direct object answers the question What? It comes after any indirect object:

I'm going to buy my mother something special.

Let's send Mom and Dad some flowers.

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Touchstone 2nd Edition • Language summary • Level 2
An indirect object can also be a pronoun. There is an indirect object pronoun for every subject
pronoun:

Subject pronouns Indirect object pronouns

I me
you you
he him
she her
we us
they them

I'm going to buy my mother something special.

I'm going to buy her something special.

Let's send Mom and Dad some flowers.

Let's send them some flowers.

© Cambridge University Press 2014 Unit 4, Lesson A, Page 5