ENGLISH GRAMMAR

SENTENCE STRUCTURE

1) WHO?

2) DID/DOES WHAT?

3) TO WHOM?

4) HOW? WHEN? WHERE?

Percy and Mark apologised to Rudy profusely yesterday.
The black dog in spots bit me hard on the leg.
The photos will be developed for us at half price next week.
We talked and talked with each other constantly.

CONDITIONALS

1. What will you do if they catch you? – If they catch me, I will go to prison.
2. What would you do if they caught you? – If they caught me, I would go to prison.
3. What would you have done if they had caught you? – If they had caught me, I would have gone to prison.
4. Where would you now be if you had won the lottery last week?
5. I will make the bed for as long as you promise to make me breakfast in the morning.
Unless you have better ideas, I suggest consulting a specialist. We’re gonna head back home unless he shows up.

UNREAL PAST and PRESENT

If only he wasn’t so lazy, perhaps he could finally get a job.

If only James hadn’t been so rude to his boss the other day,
perhaps he wouldn’t have been fired.

I wish we didn’t have to go there, I’m really tired.
Why is he behaving as if he was my father? (he isn’t my father)

I would prefer it if you stopped smoking in here.

You look as if a train had run you over.

PAST PERFECT

Had you locked the door before you went out? – No, I hadn’t locked the door before I went out.

PAST SIMPLE

What did you do to get such a good job? – I didn’t do anything special, just applied for it.
Wasn’t she the one who lied to you? – No, it was Jenna, Suzie never lied to me.

PAST SIMPLE CONTINUOUS

What were you doing yesterday morning? – I was cleaning the kitchen.
Why was he screaming at her. – He was screaming because he was angry.
They were sleeping when I walked in. She was drawing while I was writing poetry.

Signal words: while, when, in the
meantime, meanwhile, as, during,

USED TO and WOULD

Can you see that supermarket? There used to be a school right there. / I used to live there.
Did you use to smoke when you were younger? – No, I never used to smoke. / I didn’t USE to smoke.
He promised he would help me. I tried opening it but it wouldn’t move.
Every evening, my grandpa would tell me a story from his childhood.

PRESENT PERFECT

Have you already done your homework? –No, I haven’t done it yet.
Has he ever been to China before? – Yes, he has been to china twice so far.

Signal words: recently, yet, since, never, ever,
so far, already, before, just, always

PRESENT PERFECT CONTINUOUS

What have you been thinking about recently? – I’ve been thinking about moving abroad.
I’ve been wondering whether you would be kind enough to explain this to me?

PRESENT SIMPLE

What do you usually drink? – I usually drink coffee, but I try to avoid alcohol.
When does our plane leave? – Our plane leaves at about half past four.
Don’t you ever get tired? – No, I don’t get tired easily.

Signal words: always, never, usually,
typically, every day, always, every week,
regularly, seldom, rarely,

PRESENT SIMPLE CONTINUOUS

What is happening there? – They are arguing about something.
Our society is becoming more and more obsessed with money. Family life is changing in Britain.

FUTURE SIMPLE

What will you do next? – I think I will find myself a new job, that’s what I’ll do.
Won’t she miss us? – No, she says she won’t, but I believe she definitely will.

FUTURE SIMPLE CONTINUOUS

What will you be doing this time tomorrow? – I will be swimming in a lake.

FUTURE PERFECT

By the end of the year I will have worked here for two and a half years.
He will have finished by the time we get there.

Signal words: BY the time…, by 2050, by
now, by next week,

GOING TO

Are you going to help us? – No, I am not going to help you right now. (= I’m not gonna help’ya)
Do you think it is going to snow tonight? – Yes, it’s definitely going to snow.

MODALS

MUST

We must do it today. vs We will have to do it tomorrow. vs We had to do it yesterday.
Must we apologize to him? = Do we have to apologize to him? = Is it necessary for us to apologize to him?

CAN

I can climb mountains now. vs Back then, I was able to climb mountains. vs I will soon be able to climb mountains?
Can’t you just go to work, you lazy bastard? I cannot / can’t see the difference.

SHOULD

Jessy shouldn’t say such things. (he regularly says such things). What should we do now?
Jessy shouldn’t have said such things. (he said those things some time in the past) Should we tell him?

MAY

May we talk for a second? No, we may not! / We aren’t sure what may have happened to him, he’s not answering
the phone. This may be the last time we talk. May I help you in any way?

MIGHT

Let’s not speculate on what might have happened. / It looks as if it might be more difficult than we’d expected.

COMPARATIVES

Josh doesn’t have as many friends as Mark does. Gene is the shortest person of them all.
Mark has more friends than Josh (does). Phoebe is the least wealthy person of them all.
Josh has fewer friends than Mark (does). Josh is the worst student of them all.
Jack’s parents are wealthier than Gene’s. Gene’s parents aren’t as wealthy as Jack’s.
Gene doesn’t get as much money as Phoebe does. Gene gets much less money than Phoebe.

GOOD – BETTER – THE BEST / BAD – WORSE – THE WORST
QUIET – QUIETER – THE QUIETEST / RICH – LESS RICH – THE LEAST RICH
EXTRAORDINARY – MORE EXTRAORDINARY – THE MOST EXTRAORDINARY

SENTENCE ADVERBS

Although I’m tired, I would still love to dance with you.
I am tired, nonetheless, I’d still love to dance with you.
Despite being tired, I’d still love to dance with you.
Even though I’m tired, I’d still love to dance with you.
However tired I may be, I’d still love to dance with you.
I may be tired, however, I’d still love to dance with you.

Surprisingly, no one complained about it.
To our surprise, no one complained.
Contrary to our expectations, no one showed up.
Strangely, he turned out to be the best runner in class.
I’ll clean the kitchen stove, (in the meantime / meanwhile), you
can wash the car.

He is tall, therefore, he’d be a good basketball player.

The reason why he would be a good player is his height.

PREPOSITIONAL PHRASES

He insisted ON being back the money. / He insisted ON getting the money back.
What I can’t put UP WITH is criticism / people criticising me / being criticised.
I’ve been recently INTO drawing.

QUESTIONS TAGS

1. She is very pretty, isn’t she? They aren’t very honest, are they?
2. There isn’t much more to say about it, is there? There are many better artists, aren’t there?
3. What is done cannot be undone, can it? Look, it’s him, isn’t it?
4. I am not a good mother, am I? I am a good mother, aren’t I?
5. You can’t really do anything to help him now, can you?
6. We all should leave now, shouldn’t we? She must be very ill, mustn’t she?
7. You know why we’re all here, don’t you? She doesn’t understand us, does she?
8. We have already seen this movie, haven’t we? We will go there, won’t we?
9. Please open the window, will you? !!!

Everyone does it nowadays, don’t they?

10. Let’s go, shall we? BUT: You never let go, do you?
11. Well, I’d rather not go there without you, wouldn’t I? !!! None of them would come, would they?
12. If they are looking for then you’d better hide here, hadn’t you? !!!
13. This is hardly/barely/scarcely surprising, is it? !!!

14.

No one is worth your trust these days, are they?

WHO / WHOSE / WHICH / THAT

Jenna is the one WHO talk me about your plan.
We saw a house WHOSE roof was sagging in.
You can choose tea or coffee, BOTH OF WHICH are for free.
You can choose tea or coffee, NEITHER OF WHICH will cost
you anything.
We invited the whole class, HALF OF WHOM came to the
party.
He mentioned several people,

NONE OF WHOM

are here now.

We invited Barry, Leah and Richard, ALL OF WHOM came.
You took it without asking, WHICH was rude.
He is the man TO WHOM you should speak.
He is the man THAT you should speak TO.
We went to Paris, WHICH is a place of tradition THAT you
can’t find anywhere else.
She was a woman WHOSE beauty was widely admired.