Unit 26: J.K. Rowling

Can-Do Goal

I can understand and use everyday English to talk about J.K. Rowling.

I can talk about what she did in the past and describe her work as an author.

Vocabulary

Target Words

  • sleep – to rest with your eyes closed.
  • think – to use your mind and have ideas.
  • edit – to correct or improve writing.
  • play – to have fun or do a game.
  • spell – to write or say the letters in a word.
  • erase – to remove writing.
  • rewrite – to write something again.
  • give up – to stop trying.
  • author – a person who writes books.
  • series – a group of books or stories with the same characters.
Exercise Context
A female author sitting at a desk in a small room, thinking and writing a story in a notebook, papers on the table, calm mood, simple book-writing scene for English learners

Vocabulary in Sentences

  • J.K. Rowling is an author.
  • She did not give up when life was difficult.
  • She thought about many story ideas.
  • She rewrote parts of her book.
  • Harry Potter is a famous book series.

Grammar 1: Past Tense Verbs

What is the Past Tense?

We use the past tense to talk about actions that happened before now.

Subject + past tense verb

Common Past Tense Forms

Base Verb Past Tense
sleepslept
thinkthought
editedited
playplayed
spellspelled
eraseerased
rewriterewrote
give upgave up
Example:
J.K. Rowling wrote books.
She thought about new ideas.
She gave up. ❌
She did not give up. ✔

Grammar 2: Verb Tense Consistency

Use the Same Time in a Sentence

If you talk about the past, keep the verbs in the past tense.

Correct: J.K. Rowling thought about her story and rewrote many pages.

Incorrect: J.K. Rowling thought about her story and rewrites many pages.

Tip

When you tell a story about the past, most verbs should be in the past tense.

Worked Examples

Example 1

Sentence: J.K. Rowling _____ about a new story.

Answer: thought

Complete sentence: J.K. Rowling thought about a new story.

Example 2

Sentence: She did not _____ when things were difficult.

Answer: give up

Complete sentence: She did not give up when things were difficult.

Example 3

Choose the correct sentence:

A. She thinks about ideas and rewrote pages.

B. She thought about ideas and rewrote pages.

Answer: B

Both verbs are in the past tense, so the sentence is consistent.

🔑 Đáp án & Giải thích

Ví dụ 1: "thought" là quá khứ của "think". Vì đang nói về quá khứ nên dùng "thought".

Ví dụ 2: Sau "did not", động từ trở về dạng nguyên mẫu. Vì vậy dùng "give up", không dùng "gave up".

Ví dụ 3: Câu B đúng vì cả hai động từ "thought" và "rewrote" đều ở quá khứ. Câu A sai vì trộn hiện tại "thinks" với quá khứ "rewrote".

Quick Summary

  • J.K. Rowling is an author.
  • Harry Potter is a famous series.
  • Use past tense verbs to talk about her life and work.
  • Keep verbs in the same tense for verb tense consistency.
  • Useful past forms: thought, slept, edited, played, spelled, erased, rewrote, gave up.