The unit 4 grammar series of "Recalling a Romantic Trip" focuses on the past participle and its various functions in English. Past participles can act as adjectives, adverbs, objects of a verb, subject complements, or independent clauses. The form of past participles follows a general rule of adding "-ed" to regular verbs, but irregular verbs have their own unique forms. Past participles of transitive verbs indicate passive voice or completion, while intransitive verbs indicate active voice or completion. Additionally, forming negatives with past participles involves adding "not" before the past participle.
In a scene where Da Long and Xiao Li are in a hotel room, Da Long asks Xiao Li what she is doing, and she replies that she is looking at photos taken last week. Da Long remarks that these photos should be treasured forever. They discuss the form and meaning of past participles, highlighting the rules for forming them and the different functions they serve in sentences. They reminisce about a trip to Budapest, Hungary, where they stayed in a furnished old house and visited natural hot springs.
Through this dialogue and the context of their trip, the students learn how past participles can enhance their writing and speaking skills in English. They are encouraged to practice using past participles in various contexts to improve their language proficiency. Overall, the unit on past participles provides a comprehensive overview of this grammar concept and its practical applications in real-life scenarios.