ADV.14.1. STAGES OF LEARNING

I. MAKING A PLAN

2. DISCUSSING PLANS

Finished actions in the future

When we want to focus on the completion of an event in the future by a certain time, we'll often use sentences like these: And with any luck, I'll have made the writing plan by May 7th. So up to that point, you won't have done any major checks on your work? These sentences often follow a structure like this: By + time phrase + I'll have + past participle. By the end of the month, I'll have finished all the research. We can use other modals instead of will to convey our meaning: By the end of the month, I should have finished all the research. If we use a phrase like I'd like to instead of will, we need to change the next verb in the sentence to have + past participle to show that we're talking about something completed: I'd like to have done it all by mid-June. Here's another example of when we change the verb – this time, when we use a noun like aim to explain our purpose: The aim is to have finished it all by the end of June.

II. REPORTING ON PROGRESS 

2. REPORTING PROGRESS

Mixing tenses

When explaining situations that involve both past and present, we often use a mix of tenses. We might make a comparison between the present and the past: It is not as hard as it looked before I started. Using had + the past participle, like I had done or I had started, helps tell us about something even further back – the background to a past event: The process has been more complicated than I'd imagined. We might mix completed actions with ongoing ones. Generally, verbs with -ing indicate actions that are ongoing. I've completed the first module, but I'm falling behind in the second. We may also use tenses that indicate several actions are ongoing, with structures like I've been + verb + ing and I'm + verb + ing. I've been trying to set aside an hour a day, but I'm finding it difficult.

III. REFLECTING ON YOUR PROCESS 

1. HOW DO WE REFLECT ON OUR PROCESS?

Verbs and prepositions

You'll often see verbs and prepositions combined, like apply and for:

She applied for a course extension. In this case, the meaning of the words doesn't change. In other cases, prepositions or adverbs can completely change a verb's meaning. Here, run has nothing to do with running: You'll run into simple mistakes that you can fix yourself. Learning these combinations of verbs and prepositions is one of the key steps in your path to become a truly proficient English speaker.

2. REFLECTING ON THE PAST

Reflecting on the past

You'll often hear phrases like I wish and If only being used when people talk about things they should have done differently in the past. I wish I'd done it sooner. If only I'd listened to you. Notice that, when a past disappointment is expressed, you'll hear a form with a past participle like I wish I'd done or If only I'd gone. If you hear only a simple past form, this wish relates to the present. I wish I knew a better way. Other indicators that you're hearing about regrets can include if sentences using forms like might have or would have. If I'd listened to you, it might have worked out. You might also hear phrases like looking back or in hindsight, which tell you a person is thinking about the past. In hindsight, I should have planned more. You may also hear the verb regret. I really regret not having asked you sooner. You can modify the verb that comes after regret to show you're regretting a past event by using the form having plus a verb like done, gone or been. I really regret having done everything so quickly.

 IV. PASSING ON STUDY ADVICE 

1. RECORDING VOCABULARY

Recording new language

As a student, you get exposed to a lot of new language. A key skill is to be able to categorize it in a way that makes sense to you, helps you remember it and makes it easy to find later. Here are some different ways you can achieve this.

Group by chunks

One thing you can do is use a group of words as a chunk. This means you don't have to remember all the grammar the phrase consists of; you can just use it as a ready-made piece of language. For example, if I were you is a useful chunk for giving advice.

If I were you, I'd start your research early.

This can also work well when you encounter phrasal verbs.

work out work up work toward For some people, this may be more confusing, and they would find it more useful to group these kinds of words by idea. Here are some phrases related to thoughts and ideas:   come up with think up think over   Another way to group new language is by topic. What topic suits these words?   effective enjoyable efficient   You might choose positive adjectives as a category. One other strategy is to group language that works idiomatically with the same theme. How about these phrases?   He was at her throat. He's been getting on my nerves.   These are both idioms related to being angry or annoyed.   However you choose to organize your new language, recording it and putting it in a group will help you remember it later. 2. PASSING ON ADVICE Being diplomatic   We often use verbs like may, might or could to make a suggestion a bit gentler and avoid offense. Hmm. You might want to think about grouping it somehow. Hmm. You might want to think about grouping it somehow. It may leave you with a lot of revision to do later on. And when we're responding to an idea, we might use phrases like  I'm not entirely sure or perhaps not to make our response seem less direct. I'm not entirely sure that's going to work. Perhaps not. Maybe you should find five? Sometimes we may use a phrase with multiple negatives, as this has the effect of acknowledging someone's idea while also suggesting that there's a problem.

 I'm not saying they're not useful, just that you'll probably be marked down.