Welcome to our lesson on how to use the word 'pretend'. Pretend is a common English verb that means to act as if something is true when you know it is not. It's often used in children's play, like when a child pretends to be a superhero, or in situations where someone wants to avoid reality.
Now let's look at the first common structure: pretend plus to be. This structure is used when someone acts like they are a certain person or have a certain quality. For example, children often pretend to be superheroes. He pretended to be sick to avoid school. She pretends to be happy when she's sad. This structure helps us express role-playing and acting behaviors.
The second common structure is pretend plus that followed by a clause. This structure is used when someone acts as if a certain situation is true. For example, let's pretend that we are on a desert island. She pretended that she didn't hear me. They pretend that everything is fine. This structure helps us express imaginary situations and scenarios.
Now let's look at how pretend changes in different tenses. In the present tense, we say I pretend or he pretends. In the past tense, it becomes I pretended or he pretended. For continuous actions, we use I am pretending. Here are some more examples: Don't pretend you don't know. He's just pretending. Stop pretending and tell the truth. These examples show how versatile the word pretend can be.
To summarize what we've learned about the word pretend: It means to act as if something is true when it's not. Use pretend to be for roles and qualities. Use pretend that for imaginary situations. It's commonly used in children's play and everyday conversations, and can be used in all tenses. Now you know how to use pretend correctly in English!