This text is a table of contents and excerpts from the fourth edition of English Grammar in Use, a self-study grammar book. The book covers various grammar points, including phrasal verbs and verb tenses, with numerous exercises and answer keys. Seven appendices offer supplemental information on verb conjugation, spelling, and American English. A study guide and additional exercises are included to aid learning. The excerpts demonstrate the book’s structure and teaching approach, illustrating grammar rules with examples and practice activities. Finally, the book concludes with a detailed index for easy navigation.
English Grammar Study Guide
Quiz
- Explain the difference between using “will” and “going to” when talking about the future.
- Provide an example of a sentence using “would” for a hypothetical situation.
- How do you form a question with “shall” and what does it generally indicate?
- Describe the difference in meaning between “must” and “have to.”
- Give an example of when to use the expression “had better.”
- What are two common ways to use the verb + “-ing” form?
- Explain how to form the present perfect tense and what it indicates about time.
- Give two examples of when “for” and “since” are used with the present perfect.
- When do you use “so that” as opposed to “to” when expressing purpose?
- Explain how to form a question tag and when the intonation rises or falls.
Quiz Answer Key
- “Will” is often used for spontaneous decisions or offers, while “going to” is used for pre-planned actions or predictions based on evidence.
- “If I won the lottery, I would travel the world.”
- A question with “shall” is formed using “shall I” or “shall we”, and it is generally used to ask for someone’s opinion or make a suggestion.
- “Must” often expresses an obligation from the speaker’s perspective, while “have to” expresses an external obligation, such as a rule.
- “You had better finish your homework before dinner” expresses a strong recommendation with possible negative consequences if not followed.
- Two common uses of verb + “-ing” are after prepositions (e.g., “I’m good at playing”) and to form continuous tenses (e.g., “I’m reading”).
- The present perfect is formed using “have/has” + the past participle, and it indicates a connection between the past and the present.
- “I have lived here for five years” uses “for” to specify the duration, while “I haven’t seen him since last summer” uses “since” to specify the starting point.
- “So that” is often used when the purpose is negative or involves a result clause; “I hurried so that I wouldn’t be late,” whereas “to” is more common for general purpose; “I went to the store to buy milk.”
- Question tags are formed with an auxiliary verb and a pronoun, with the tag reflecting the tense of the main verb; intonation rises when it is a real question, and intonation falls when seeking agreement.
Essay Questions
- Discuss the different uses of modal verbs, providing examples of each, and explain how they add nuance to English sentences.
- Analyze the differences between using “-ing” and “to” forms with verbs, including how the meaning can shift based on the choice of form.
- Explore the uses of the present perfect and how it differs from the past simple. Include situations where each tense would be more appropriate.
- Explain the use of conditional sentences, focusing on the first and second conditional. Explain the differences in hypothetical situations.
- Discuss how prepositions impact the meanings of English sentences and include specific preposition examples to explain meaning changes.
Glossary
Adverb: A word that modifies a verb, adjective, or another adverb, often indicating manner, place, time, or degree (e.g., quickly, here, yesterday, very).
Apostrophe: A punctuation mark (‘) used to indicate missing letters in contractions (e.g., can’t, I’m) or possession (e.g., John’s car).
Auxiliary Verb: A verb that helps another verb (e.g., be, have, do, will, can, may) to form tenses, questions, and negatives. Also called helping verbs.
Clause: A group of words containing a subject and a verb that forms a part of a sentence.
Conditional: A sentence that expresses a condition and its result, often starting with “if” or “unless”.
Conjunction: A word that connects words, phrases, or clauses (e.g., and, but, or, because, when).
Contraction: A shortened form of a word or phrase, with missing letters replaced by an apostrophe (e.g., isn’t, they’ve).
Determiner: A word that introduces or specifies a noun (e.g., a, the, my, some, this).
Gerund: The “-ing” form of a verb when used as a noun (e.g., Swimming is fun).
Infinitive: The basic form of a verb, usually preceded by “to” (e.g., to be, to go, to eat).
Modal Verb: An auxiliary verb that expresses possibility, necessity, permission, or obligation (e.g., can, could, will, would, may, might, must, should).
Noun: A word that represents a person, place, thing, or idea (e.g., friend, London, book, happiness).
Past Participle: The form of a verb used to form perfect tenses (e.g., spoken, eaten, written) and the passive voice.
Phrasal Verb: A verb combined with an adverb or preposition to form a new meaning (e.g., look up, give up, get on).
Possessive: A form showing ownership (e.g., my, your, his, her, its, our, their, John’s).
Preposition: A word that shows the relationship between a noun or pronoun and another word in a sentence, often indicating direction, time, place, or manner (e.g., in, on, at, to, from, with, by).
Pronoun: A word that replaces a noun (e.g., I, you, he, she, it, we, they).
Question Tag: A short question added to the end of a statement (e.g., You’re tired, aren’t you?).
Relative Pronoun: A pronoun that introduces a relative clause (e.g., who, whom, whose, which, that).
Short Form: See contraction.
Subjunctive: A verb form expressing wishes, suggestions, or hypothetical situations (e.g., “I insist that he be on time”).
Superlative: An adjective or adverb expressing the highest degree of a quality (e.g., best, most difficult).
Syllable: A unit of pronunciation having one vowel sound, with or without surrounding consonants (e.g., re-mem-ber has three syllables).
Tense: A verb form that indicates time (e.g., present, past, future).
English Grammar Essentials
Okay, here’s a detailed briefing document based on the provided excerpts from “15001-I Raymond Murphy ( PDFDrive ).pdf”, focusing on key themes and concepts related to English grammar:
Briefing Document: English Grammar Review
I. Introduction
This document provides a review of key grammatical concepts extracted from “15001-I Raymond Murphy ( PDFDrive ).pdf,” a resource for English language learners. The focus is on tenses, modals, verb patterns, question formation, and other essential elements of English grammar. This document will be helpful for students of English grammar in identifying key grammatical structures and rules.
II. Main Themes and Key Concepts
A. Tenses and Time:
- Future Tenses: The document introduces various ways to express the future, including:
- Present Continuous for future arrangements (e.g., “I’m playing volleyball” indicating a future, planned action).
- “Going to” for intentions and predictions (e.g., “I’m going to clean my room.”).
- “Will/Shall” for offers, promises, and spontaneous decisions (e.g., “I’ll help you with it.”). It also covers future continuous (“will be doing”) and future perfect (“will have done”).
- “When I do / When I’ve done”: This section indicates that we use the present simple or present perfect when talking about the future in time clauses using ‘when’ or ‘if’.
- Present Perfect: Used to describe experiences or actions with a connection to the present, often with “for” and “since” to indicate duration. As stated in the text, “When we talk about a period of time that continues from the past until now, we use the present perfect (have been / have traveled etc.).”
- The text also explains the use of present perfect to talk about life events or time periods up to the present.
- Contrasted with past simple, which is for completed actions in the past (e.g. “It was cold last week.” vs “The weather has been cold recently”).
- There is emphasis on the use of ‘for’ and ‘since’ with the present perfect, and the use of ‘it’s … since’ to describe the time elapsed since something happened.
- Past Simple: Used to talk about finished actions in the past. (e.g., “My grandfather died before I was born.”) and the use of ‘did’ in negative and interrogative past simple clauses.
- Present Simple: Used for regular, habitual actions or general truths. (e.g. “He always gets ill”).
B. Modals:
- Ability: “Can” and “could” for ability, and “be able to” as an alternative. (e.g. “Are you able to put the fire out?”)
- Possibility & Permission: “May” and “might” for possibility, and “can,” “could,” and “may” for permission (e.g. “May I come in?” is more formal).
- Obligation & Necessity: “Must” and “have to” for obligation; “mustn’t” for prohibition; “needn’t” for lack of necessity. (e.g., “You mustn’t touch the paintings.”)
- Advice & Suggestion: “Should” for advice or suggestion. Also introduces “had better” and “It’s time…”. (e.g. “You should eat something now.”).
- Requests & Offers: “Can,” “could,” and “would” used to ask people to do things, also “Can I have… ?” and “Could I have…?”. Includes the use of “do you mind if I?” and “is it alright/ok if I…?”
- Would: Explores different uses of “would,” including conditional sentences, polite requests (“Would you please be quiet?”) and offering something (“Would you like a cup of coffee?”).
- Modal verbs in general: “can” and other modal verbs – See Appendix 4.
C. Verb Patterns:
- Verb + -ing: Discusses verbs followed by the -ing form (gerund), like “enjoy doing,” “stop doing,” and expressions like “be/get used to.” (e.g., “I enjoy swimming.”). It also covers the structure “verb + preposition + -ing”, as in, “succeed in -ing”.
- Verb + to…: Explores verbs followed by the infinitive with “to,” like “decide to,” “forget to,” and “want you to.” (e.g., “I want you to go”).
- Verb + -ing or to…: Examines verbs that can be followed by either the gerund or the infinitive with “to,” such as “remember,” “regret,” “try,” “need,” and “help,” often with differences in meaning. (e.g. “Remember to lock the door.” vs. “I remember locking the door.”). Also covers verbs such as ‘like’.
- Preposition + -ing: Covers the structure of using ‘-ing’ forms after prepositions. (e.g. “I’m good at playing the guitar.”)
- “-ing” Clauses: Explains how to use ‘-ing’ clauses, such as, “Feeling tired, I went to bed early”.
- Object + -ing : Addresses the structure of using an object between a verb and an ‘-ing’ form, as in, “I can’t imagine George riding a motorbike”.
- Passive ‘-ing’ form: Introduces the structure of the passive ‘-ing’ form, ‘being done’, as in, “I don’t mind being kept waiting”.
- ‘having done’: Introduces the use of ‘having done’ to talk about completed actions, as in, “They admitted having stolen the money”.
D. Questions and Negatives:
- Question Formation: Covers the use of “do/does” in present simple questions, and “did” in past simple questions. The document also discusses the use of auxiliary verbs, such as modals, in questions. The use of ‘why’ in negative questions is also highlighted: “Why don’t we eat out tonight?”. It also covers embedded questions, where the usual question word order is not followed. (e.g. “Do you know what he is doing?”)
- Negative Sentences: The use of ‘did not’/’didn’t’ is highlighted for past simple negative sentences, and the use of auxiliary verbs in negative structures is shown.
- Answering Negative Questions: The document outlines how to answer negative questions in English, explaining the difference between ‘yes’ and ‘no’ in this context. (e.g. “Don’t you want to go?” “Yes, I want to go.” or “No, I don’t want to go.”)
- Question Tags: Explains question tags and how they are used to invite agreement (“It’s a nice day, isn’t it?”) or to ask real questions (“You haven’t seen Lisa today, have you?”). The change in intonation and usage is also discussed. The document also outlines which question tag follows ‘Let’s’ and ‘Don’t’.
- Negative Questions with positive tags: The document introduces the usage of “negative sentence + positive tag” to ask for things, information or to ask people to do things. (e.g. “You haven’t got a pen, have you?”)
- Asking questions in passive voice: The structure of using question words in questions that are in passive voice is addressed (e.g. “When was this house built?”).
E. Other Key Grammatical Points:
- ‘S and Of: The document highlights the use of ‘s and of to show possession. It also covers the use of ‘s with time words and periods of time.
- Pronouns: Covers the use of possessive pronouns, such as ‘a friend of mine’
- Irregular Verbs: Points to an Appendix for a list of irregular verb forms.
- Short Forms: An overview of the common short forms used, such as ‘m and ‘ve, and when to use them is provided. This includes using ‘s for is/has, and ‘d for would/had. It also addresses when to use short forms after question words.
- Spelling Rules: Covers common spelling rules such as adding ‘s’ to nouns, changing ‘y’ to ‘ies’, or ‘i’ before adding ‘ed’, ‘er’ or ‘est’, also the rules for doubling the final consonant in words.
- Numbers: It touches on how we see a quantity of time, distance or money as one thing in English, and therefore use a singular verb with it. (e.g. “Three years is a long time”).
- Verb + preposition combinations: It discusses different verb and preposition combinations that commonly appear in English, and which prepositions follow specific verbs.
- Adjective + preposition combinations: It discusses different adjective and preposition combinations that commonly appear in English, and which prepositions follow specific adjectives.
III. Quotes and Examples
The briefing document integrates direct quotes from the source to emphasize concepts:
- “When we taLk about a period of time that continues from the past until now, we use the present perfect (have been / have travelled etc.).”
- “That bag looks heavy. I’ll help you with it. (not I help)”
- “Could you wait a moment, please?”
- “‘Do you mind if I use your phone?’ ‘Sure. Go ahead.’”
- “It ^ supposed to be a secret.”
- “Many people don’t have enough to eat. (not Many people doesn’t)”
- “I’m going to a wedding on Saturday. A friend of mine is getting married. (not a friend of me)”
- “If we go by bus, it will be cheaper.”
- “They admitted having stolen the money.”
- “I hurried so that I wouldn’t be late.”
IV. Conclusion
This briefing document outlines crucial aspects of English grammar based on the provided source. It highlights tenses, modals, verb patterns, question formation, and other areas, all of which are crucial to mastering English grammar. The use of examples from the text provides a practical understanding of grammatical concepts. This document should be a valuable reference for those studying or reviewing English grammar.
English Grammar Guide
What is the difference between ‘going to’ and ‘will’ when talking about the future?
‘Going to’ is generally used for future plans and intentions, especially when there is evidence that the plan has already been decided, whereas ‘will’ is often used for spontaneous decisions, offers, promises, and predictions. For example, you would use “I’m going to clean my room” if it is a planned activity, but “I’ll help you with that” is a spontaneous offer to assist. ‘Will’ can also be used for predictions without necessarily implying prior planning, like “It will rain tomorrow”.
How do I know when to use the present perfect (have/has + past participle)?
The present perfect is used to talk about a period of time that continues from the past up to the present. It connects the past to the present. For example, “I have traveled a lot” refers to your experiences in life up to this point. It is also used to talk about actions that are relevant to the present. The present perfect uses “for” and “since” to indicate the duration or starting point of something that began in the past and continues to the present, like in “She’s lived in Berlin for the last few years.”
What is the difference between using ‘for’ and ‘since’ with the present perfect?
Both ‘for’ and ‘since’ are used with the present perfect to express how long something has been happening. ‘For’ is used to express a duration of time (e.g., “for five years”), while ‘since’ is used to express a specific starting point in time (e.g., “since 2010”). For example, you might say, “I have lived here for ten years,” or, “I have lived here since 2013.”
When do I use ‘can,’ ‘could,’ and ‘may’ for requests and permission?
‘Can’ and ‘could’ are both used to ask for things or permission, with ‘could’ being slightly more polite. ‘Can’ is common in informal requests or when asking to do something. ‘May’ is more formal and is often used for seeking permission. For example, you might ask, “Can I have the salt?” “Could I borrow your phone?” or “May I come in?”. “Do you think you could…” is also a common way to make a more polite request.
What is the structure for conditional sentences using ‘if’?
There are different conditional structures using “if”. One structure involves “if + present simple, will + infinitive,” which talks about real or possible future situations (e.g., “If we go by bus, it will be cheaper”). Another structure is “if + past simple, would + infinitive,” for hypothetical situations (e.g., “If I knew, I would help”). There’s also “if + past perfect, would have + past participle,” which deals with unreal past conditions and their consequences (e.g., “If I had known, I would have helped”). These are often used to express possibilities or impossibilities in the present or future.
How do I correctly use question tags at the end of sentences?
Question tags are mini-questions added to the end of a statement. They are used to seek agreement or confirmation and consist of an auxiliary verb and a pronoun. If the main clause is positive, the tag is usually negative, and vice versa. For example, “It’s a nice day, isn’t it?” If your voice goes down at the end of the tag, you are inviting agreement. If it goes up, you are genuinely asking a question. After “Let’s,” the question tag is “shall we?” After “Don’t,” it is “will you?” The meaning of a question tag changes with the intonation.
What are the rules for forming the possessive with nouns (like ‘s) and where should I use ‘of’?
Singular nouns use an apostrophe + s (‘s) to show possession (e.g., “my sister’s room”). Plural nouns that end in ‘s’ use an apostrophe after the ‘s’ (e.g., “my sisters’ room”), whereas plural nouns not ending in ‘s’ use apostrophe + s (e.g., “the men’s changing room”). For things, ideas, and locations, we generally use “of” to express possessive relationships (e.g., “the temperature of the water”). However, ‘s can be used with places, time words, or periods of time (e.g. “Italy’s prime minister”, “yesterday’s newspaper”, “a week’s holiday”).
How do I choose between using ‘like’ and ‘as’ as prepositions?
‘Like’ is used as a preposition to show similarity, for example, “He is like his father.” ‘As’ is often used in expressions describing someone’s job, function, or role, for example, “She worked as a tour guide,” or for when the two things are happening at the same time, “I was thinking as I walked”. ‘As’ can also indicate the manner or way something is done. In addition, ‘as if’ is used to describe something that looks like something else, such as “She acts as if she owns the place”.
English Grammar in Use
Okay, here is a detailed timeline and cast of characters based on the provided text:
Timeline of Events and Topics
This source is not a narrative, so there is no single timeline to follow. Instead, this timeline represents topics covered in the book:
- Basic Verb TensesIntroduction to Present Simple (I do) and Present Continuous (I am doing) for future events.
- Introduction to future tenses using (I am) going to (do)
- Introduction to future tenses using Will / shall
- Differentiating between “Will” and “Going to”.
- Introduction to future continuous (will be doing) and future perfect (will have done).
- Use of “When I do” / “When I’ve done”
- Use of when and if for future actions.
- Modals:Exploring the usage of Can, Could, and (be) able to.
- Using Could (do) and Could have (done).
- Distinguishing between Must and Can’t.
- Using May and Might (Part 1 & 2)
- Differentiating between Have to and Must.
- Using Must, Mustn’t, and Needn’t.
- Exploring Should (Part 1 & 2).
- Using Had better and It’s time…
- Understanding Would.
- Using Can/Could/Would you… for requests, offers, permission, and invitations.
- -ing and to…Using verb + -ing (enjoy doing, stop doing etc.).
- Using verb + to… (decide to, forget to etc.).
- Using verb (+object) + to… (I want you to…)
- Exploring verb + -ing or to… (remember/regret etc.)
- Exploring verb + -ing or to… (try/need/help)
- Exploring verb + -ing or to… (like/would like etc.)
- Using Prefer and would rather.
- Understanding preposition + -ing.
- Using Be/get used to something.
- Using verb + preposition + -ing.
- Using expressions with -ing.
- Understanding To, for… and so that…
- Using adjective + to…
- Differentiating To…(afraid to do) and preposition + -ing (afraid of -ing).
- Understanding See somebody do and see somebody doing.
- Using -ing clauses.
- Present Perfect:Present Perfect (I have done) as a time frame from the past until now.
- Using “for” and “since” to express the duration of an action.
- Differentiating between present perfect and simple past.
- Using the present perfect for recency or a lack of a time marker.
- Forming present perfect and past simple questions.
- Past SimpleUsing did/didn’t in questions and negative sentences
- Using have (not have got) for actions and experiences
- Auxiliary Verbs and QuestionsUnderstanding auxiliary verbs in questions.
- Using short form answers.
- Using question tags.
- Understanding question order.
- Future Tense“Going to” for planned actions.
- Use of “Will” for offers, agreements, promises and requests.
- Using Shall I…? / Shall we…? for suggestions.
- Dialogue practice with future plans.
- Requests, Offers, and InvitationsUsing can and could for making requests.
- Using “Can I have …?” / “Could I have …?” for requesting items.
- Using Can, Could, and May to ask permission.
- Using Would you like…? to offer or invite.
- If ClausesConditional sentences type 1 and 2
- Distinction between using “if we go” and “if we went.”
- Use of supposed to be.
- Other Grammar ConceptsUse of “neither do I” or “Nor do I”
- Use of “I think so” / “I hope so”
- Using question tags.
- Direct and indirect questions.
- -ing form after some verbs.
- Passive Voice
- Use of “for” and “to” for purpose.
- Use of “so that.”
- Singular and plural nouns and verbs
- Possessives using ‘s.
- Use of own.
- Using there is and it is.
- Using “each” and “every.”
- Definition and usage of various nouns.
- Use of adjectives and prepositions.
- Understanding phrasal verbs.
- Short forms (contractions).
- Spelling Rules.
- Adverbs and prepositions
- Understanding comparatives and superlatives
- Using conjunctions
- Continuous Verb forms
- Determiners
- Modal verbs
- Negative sentences
- Regular and Irregular verbs
- Relative clauses
- Subjunctive verbs
- Syllables
- Various verb tenses
- Adjectives and adverbs.
- Apostrophes.
- Using many, much, few, and little.
- Using like and as.
- Understanding the difference between during and for
- Understanding by, of, to, and for prepositions.
- Using “some,” “any,” and “no.”
- Understanding “the,” “a,” and “an.”
- Using since and for
- Understanding “if,” “when,” “unless.”
- Using question tags.
Cast of Characters
- Dave: One of the participants in a sample conversation discussing Jane’s travels. He initiates the questions about Jane’s past experiences.
- Jane: Another participant in the sample conversation. She provides details about her past travels, specifically to China and India.
- Adrian: Mentioned in a sample sentence as someone who is never ill.
- Sue: Mentioned in a sample sentence as someone who lives in Berlin.
- Tom: A person who attempts to schedule a visit with the reader, but the reader is unable to accept due to prior engagements.
- Joe:Engages in a sample dialogue with Sarah, talking about a business trip to London and her personal life.
- He tells Sarah that Matt is in Canada
- In the dialogue, he discusses that he has been unemployed for months and is going to Canada.
- Sarah:Engages in a sample dialogue with Joe, asking about his life and mentioning her friend’s delayed train.
- She asks him about Matt’s whereabouts
- She inquires about his job situation
- Matt: A person who is mentioned by Joe to be in Canada.
- Jenny: In a sample conversation, she’s making plans to go to the cinema with Helen.
- Helen: Participates in two dialogues:
- She is making cinema plans with Jenny.
- She then invites Tina to the cinema
- Tina: She’s invited to join Jenny and Helen at the cinema.
- Louise: In a sample conversation, she is waiting in a restaurant with Sarah for Paul.
- Paul: Is late for dinner with Louise and Sarah
- Emily: Mentioned in a sample sentence as someone who earned a lot of money this year, but not so much last year.
- Mr. Carter: Mentioned as a family with a house.
- Jack and Karen mentioned as a couple getting married.
- Shakespeare: Mentioned as a person who has written a play
- Various Unnamed Friends: These characters appear in various example sentences and dialogs within the textbook, providing contexts for grammatical practices.
Note: Most characters do not develop beyond their brief appearances in example sentences or dialogues. They are primarily used to illustrate grammar points.
If you have any more sources or need further clarification, just let me know!
A Guide to English Phrasal Verbs
Phrasal verbs are combinations of a verb and another word, which can be a preposition or an adverb [1, 2]. The second word often gives a special meaning to the verb [3].
Here are some general points about phrasal verbs:
- They often consist of a verb and one of the following words: in, out, on, off, up, down, away, back, by, about, through, along, over, forward, or around [1].
- Phrasal verbs are often used with verbs of movement [1].
- The second word can change the verb’s meaning [3]. For example, “break down” means that the engine stopped working [3].
- Sometimes a phrasal verb is followed by a preposition. For example, “run away from” [4].
The sources provide many examples of phrasal verbs, grouped by the second word:
Phrasal verbs with “in” and “out” [5]
- Examples include: “get in,” “move in,” “drop out,” “leave out,” “join in,” “eat out,” “take in,” “drop in,” “get out of.”
- “Get in” can mean to enter a car, “move in” can mean to start living in a new place [5].
Phrasal verbs with “out” [6]
- Examples include: “find out,” “sort out,” “put out,” “go out,” “carry out.”
- “Find out” means to discover something, while “go out” can mean leaving a place [6].
Phrasal verbs with “on” and “off” [7, 8]
- These are often used for lights and machines. For example, “turn on” or “switch off” [7].
- They can also be used for events, such as “call off” or “put on” [7, 8].
- Other examples include “carry on,” “get on,” and “go off” [8].
Phrasal verbs with “up” and “down” [9-11]
- “Put up” can mean to place something on a wall [9].
- Other examples include: “take up,” “turn up,” “use up,” “bring up,” “come up with,” “do up,” “look up,” “put up with,” and “hold up” [10, 11].
- “Turn up” and “show up” means to arrive [10].
Phrasal verbs with “away” and “back” [12]
- Examples include: “go away,” “drive away,” “fly away,” “take away,” “walk away,” and “run away” [12].
- “Give away” means to give something for free, while “take something back” means to return it [12].
Object placement with phrasal verbs:
- If a phrasal verb has an object, the object can usually be placed after the phrasal verb or between the verb and the particle. For example, you can say “turn on the light” or “turn the light on” [4].
- However, if the object is a pronoun, it can only be placed between the verb and the particle. For example, “turn it on” [4].
The sources also provide exercises to test your knowledge of phrasal verbs [13].
English Verb Tenses: A Comprehensive Guide
The sources provide a comprehensive overview of verb tenses in English, including their forms and uses. Here’s a discussion of verb tenses based on the provided material:
Present Tenses
- Present Simple This tense is used for general truths, repeated actions, and habits [1, 2]. The structure of the present simple is the base form of the verb, with an -s added for third-person singular subjects (he/she/it) [3]. For example, “Water boils at 100 degrees Celsius” and “I always get hungry in the afternoon” [2].
- It is also used with verbs of perception (see, hear, smell, taste) [4].
- It is not usually used in the continuous form when it means ‘believe’ or ‘have an opinion’ [5].
- Present Continuous The present continuous tense describes actions happening at or around the time of speaking [1, 2]. It is formed using “am,” “is,” or “are” + the present participle (-ing form of the verb) [6]. For example, “The water is boiling,” and “What are you doing?” [2].
- It can also be used to describe things that are changing [7].
- Some verbs are not normally used in the present continuous, like “want,” “know,” and “believe” [5].
- It can be used when “think” means ‘consider’ [4].
- It is used to describe personal arrangements [8].
Past Tenses
- Past Simple The past simple tense is used for completed actions in the past [1, 6]. Regular verbs form the past simple by adding “-ed,” while irregular verbs have different forms [9-12]. For example, “I got home late last night” [13]. It is also used to ask “When…?” or “What time…?” [13].
- Past Continuous The past continuous describes actions that were in progress at a specific time in the past [6]. It is formed using “was” or “were” + the present participle (-ing form of the verb) [6]. For example, “Katherine was waiting for me when I arrived” [14].
Present Perfect Tenses
- Present Perfect Simple The present perfect simple tense connects the past with the present and is used when the exact time of an action is not important [15]. It is formed using “have” or “has” + the past participle [6, 16]. For example, “I have been to China twice” [15].
- It is used for a period of time that continues from the past until now [15].
- It can be used with “just,” “already,” and “yet” [17].
- Present Perfect Continuous This tense focuses on the duration of an action that started in the past and is still continuing or has recently finished [1, 18, 19]. It is formed using “have” or “has” + “been” + the present participle (-ing form of the verb) [6]. For example, “It’s been raining for two hours” [20].
- The continuous form emphasizes the duration of the action [19].
Past Perfect Tenses
- Past Perfect Simple The past perfect tense is used to describe an action that happened before another action in the past [6, 21]. It is formed using “had” + the past participle [6]. For example, “He said he had to go” [22].
- Past Perfect Continuous The past perfect continuous describes an action that was ongoing before another action in the past [6, 17]. It is formed using “had” + “been” + the present participle (-ing form of the verb) [6].
Future Tenses
- Present Tenses for the Future Both present continuous and present simple tenses can be used to describe future events [8, 19].
- Present continuous is used for personal arrangements [8].
- Present simple is used for scheduled events [8].
- “Going to” The structure “going to + verb” is used to talk about future plans and intentions [23, 24].
- “Will/Shall” “Will” is used to talk about future happenings or situations and for decisions made at the time of speaking [25-28]. “Shall” can be used in questions offering or suggesting something [25, 29].
- Future Continuous (will be + -ing) is used for actions in progress at a specific time in the future [30, 31]. For example, “We’ll be having dinner then” [32].
- Future Perfect (will have + past participle) is used for actions that will be completed before a specific time in the future [30, 31]. For example, “we will have finished dinner by then” [32].
Other Points
- The present perfect is not used to talk about a finished time in the past [13, 26].
- American English often prefers the past simple over the present perfect in some contexts [33, 34].
- The sources provide exercises to test your knowledge of verb tenses [35].
This information should give you a strong understanding of verb tenses as they are presented in the sources.
English Grammar Rules
The sources provide a wide array of English grammar rules, which can be categorized as follows:
Nouns and Articles
- Countable and Uncountable Nouns: Many nouns can be used as countable or uncountable, often with a difference in meaning [1, 2]. For example, “a noise” vs “noise” in general [1]. Countable nouns can be singular or plural [3].
- Articles: Before singular countable nouns, “a” or “an” is used [3]. The article “the” is used in specific contexts [4].
- Singular and Plural: Plural nouns are used for items with two parts (e.g. trousers, glasses) and take a plural verb [5].
- Noun + Noun: Compound nouns are created by combining nouns (e.g., “a tennis ball”) [6].
- Possessives: The possessive “‘s” is used to show possession (e.g., “your sister’s name”) [7].
Pronouns and Determiners
- Reflexive Pronouns: Words like “myself,” “yourself,” and “themselves” are used when the subject and object of a verb are the same [8].
- “Own”: “On my own” and “by myself” both mean “alone” [8].
- “There” and “it”: “There” and “it” are used in sentences to introduce subjects or situations [6, 9].
- “Some” and “any”: “Some” and “any” are used with plural countable nouns in different contexts [10]. “Some” can mean a number of, a few of, or a pair of [10]. “Any” is used in questions and negative statements [6, 11].
- “No,” “none,” and “any”: These words are used to express negation, with “none of” often followed by a plural verb [12].
- “Much,” “many,” “little,” and “few”: These determiners are used with uncountable and countable nouns to express quantity [6, 13].
- “All,” “most,” “no,” and “none”: These determiners are used to specify the quantity or extent of something [6].
- “Each,” “every,” and “whole”: These words are used to describe individual items in a group [6, 14, 15].
- “Both,” “neither,” and “either”: These words are used to describe pairs of items [6, 16].
Adjectives and Adverbs
- Adjectives: Adjectives describe nouns, and can end in “-ing” or “-ed” (e.g., “boring/bored”) [17, 18]. The order of adjectives in a sentence follows a specific pattern [17, 19].
- Adverbs: Adverbs modify verbs, adjectives, or other adverbs, and many end in “-ly” [17, 20, 21].
- Comparatives and Superlatives: Comparatives compare two items (e.g., “cheaper”), while superlatives identify the highest degree of something (e.g., “the longest”) [22-24].
- “So” and “such”: These words are used to intensify adjectives or adverbs [22, 25].
- “Enough” and “too”: “Enough” means sufficient, and “too” indicates excess [22, 26].
- “Quite,” “pretty,” “rather,” and “fairly”: These words are used to modify adjectives and adverbs with varying degrees of intensity [22, 27].
Verbs and Tenses
- Present Simple: This tense is used for general truths, habits, and repeated actions [28-31].
- Present Continuous: Used for actions happening now, or for temporary or changing situations [28-31].
- Past Simple: Used for completed actions in the past [28, 32].
- Past Continuous: Used to describe actions in progress in the past [22, 28, 33].
- Present Perfect: Connects the past with the present [28, 32].
- Future Tenses: “Going to” is used for plans, while “will” is used for predictions or decisions made at the time of speaking [28, 33-36]. “Shall” is used for suggestions or offers [7, 29, 34, 37-39]. Future continuous and future perfect describe actions that will happen at a specific time or before another future action [28, 34].
Modals
- “Can,” “could,” and “be able to”: Used for expressing ability or possibility [28, 40, 41].
- “Must,” “can’t,” and “have to”: Used for expressing obligation or certainty [28, 42-44].
- “May” and “might”: Used to express possibility or permission [28, 37, 45].
- “Should,” “ought to,” and “had better”: Used for giving advice or expressing obligation [1, 28, 35, 46-48].
- “Would”: Used for polite requests and conditional sentences [2, 28, 38].
If and Wish Clauses
- “If” clauses: Used for conditional sentences [3, 4, 10, 29].
- “Wish” clauses: Used to express regrets or desires [4, 10, 29, 49].
Passive Voice
- Passive voice: Used when the focus is on the action rather than the doer [5, 29, 50]. “Be” is used in passive constructions [29, 50]. “Have something done” is used to express actions performed by someone else [29, 51].
Reported Speech
- Reported speech: Used to convey what someone said, often involving tense changes [29, 52, 53].
Questions and Auxiliary Verbs
- Question Formation: Questions are formed using auxiliary verbs, and question words like “who,” “what,” and “where” [29, 54, 55].
- Auxiliary Verbs: Auxiliary verbs such as “have,” “do,” and “can” are used in questions and short answers [29, 56].
- Question tags: Used to confirm information or seek agreement [29, 57].
-ing and to…
- Verbs followed by -ing: Certain verbs are typically followed by the “-ing” form (e.g., “enjoy doing”) [58-62].
- Verbs followed by “to”: Other verbs are followed by “to” + the infinitive form (e.g., “decide to do”) [58, 60, 63-68].
- Verbs with both -ing and to: Some verbs can be followed by either form with little or no difference in meaning (e.g., “begin to do” or “begin doing”) [58, 60, 61].
Relative Clauses
- Relative clauses: Used to give more information about a noun, using relative pronouns like “who,” “that,” “which,” and “whose” [17, 69-73].
- Extra Information clauses: These clauses add additional non-essential information [17, 72, 73].
- -ing and -ed clauses: Used to shorten relative clauses [17, 74].
Conjunctions and Prepositions
- Conjunctions: Words like “although,” “though,” “even though,” “in spite of,” and “despite” are used to join clauses with contrasting ideas [22, 75]. “In case,” “unless,” and “as long as” are used for conditional statements [22, 76, 77].
- Prepositions: Words like “at,” “on,” and “in” are used to indicate time or position [78-80]. They are also used to express relationships between nouns, verbs, and adjectives [78, 81-88].
Phrasal Verbs
- Phrasal verbs: Combinations of a verb and a particle (e.g., “look up,” “take off”) often create new meanings [78, 89, 90]. The position of an object with phrasal verbs can vary [78, 89].
Word Order
- Word order: The basic word order in English is subject-verb-object [22, 91]. Adverbs can be placed in different positions in a sentence [22, 92].
Other Points
- American English: There are some differences in grammar and spelling between British and American English [93-96].
- Spelling: There are specific spelling rules for verb endings such as “-s,” “-ing,” and “-ed” [67, 68, 93, 97-101].
This overview should provide you with a good understanding of English grammar rules as presented in the sources.
A Comprehensive Guide to English Grammar and Usage
The sources offer various insights into English usage, covering aspects of grammar, vocabulary, and style. Here’s a breakdown of key points related to English usage based on the provided material:
Verb Tenses and Usage
- Present Simple: The present simple is used for general truths, repeated actions, and habits [1]. For instance, “Water boils at 100 degrees Celsius” is a general truth [2]. It is also used with verbs of perception like “see,” “hear,” “smell,” and “taste” [3]. The present simple is not typically used in the continuous form when it expresses belief or opinion [3].
- Present Continuous: This tense is used to describe actions happening at or around the time of speaking, such as “The water is boiling” [2]. It can also describe changing situations or personal arrangements [3, 4]. However, some verbs, such as “want,” “know,” and “believe” are not typically used in the present continuous [3].
- Past Simple: The past simple is for completed actions in the past, like “I got home late last night”. It is used to ask about a past time or when something happened [5].
- Past Continuous: This tense describes actions in progress at a specific time in the past [6].
- Present Perfect Simple: This tense is used to connect the past with the present when the exact time isn’t important [6]. For instance, “I have been to China twice”. It is used when a period of time continues from the past until now [6].
- Present Perfect Continuous: This tense emphasizes the duration of an action that started in the past and continues to the present [6]. For example, “It’s been raining for two hours” [5].
- Future Tenses: The sources cover the use of present tenses for future events (present continuous for personal arrangements and present simple for scheduled events) as well as “going to” (for plans) and “will” (for predictions and decisions) [4, 7, 8].
Modal Verb Usage
- Can, Could, and Be Able To: These are used to express ability or possibility [9, 10]. “Could” is also used for polite requests [9].
- Must and Have To: These express obligation or necessity [11].
- May and Might: These are used to express possibility or permission [8]. For example, “It might rain later” [8].
- Should, Ought to, and Had Better: These are used for advice or obligation, with “had better” typically used for specific situations [12-14].
- Would: This is used for polite requests, conditional sentences, and describing hypothetical situations [15-17].
Conditional and Wish Clauses
- If Clauses: These are used to express conditional statements [18, 19]. For example, “If I won a lot of money, I might buy a house” [15].
- Wish Clauses: These are used to express regrets or desires [19-21]. For example, “I wish I knew…” [19].
Passive Voice
- The passive voice is used when the focus is on the action rather than the doer [22]. For instance, “The programme was watched by millions of people” [23]. The sources explain how to form passive constructions using “be” and past participles [22, 24, 25].
Reported Speech
- Reported speech is used to convey what someone said, often involving tense changes [26, 27]. For example, changing “I’m not feeling good” to “He said he wasn’t feeling good” [26].
Question Formation
- Questions are typically formed using auxiliary verbs and question words such as “who,” “what,” “where,” “why” [28, 29].
-ing and to…
- Some verbs are followed by the “-ing” form (e.g., “enjoy doing”) and others by “to + infinitive” (e.g., “decide to do”) [30, 31]. Some verbs can be followed by either with little change in meaning (e.g., “begin to do” or “begin doing”) [32-34].
Articles and Nouns
- The articles “a,” “an,” and “the” are used before nouns, with “a/an” used before singular countable nouns and “the” used in specific contexts [35-42].
- Countable and uncountable nouns have different usage rules.
- For example, “noise” is uncountable, and “a noise” is countable. [21]
- “Hair” is typically uncountable but becomes countable to refer to one or more strands of hair, as in “a hair” [21]
- “Experience” is both countable and uncountable. As an uncountable noun it means knowledge or skill, as a countable noun it refers to something that you have done [22].
- Some nouns are plural, including “police”, “trousers”, and “glasses” [28].
Prepositions and Conjunctions
- The sources address the use of prepositions to indicate time, location, and relationships between words, for example, “at,” “on,” and “in” [43-53].
- Conjunctions such as “although,” “though,” “even though,” “in spite of,” “despite,” “in case,” “unless,” and “as long as” are used to join clauses and express relationships between ideas [54-56].
Phrasal Verbs
- Phrasal verbs, combining a verb and a particle (e.g., “look up,” “take off”) often create new meanings [57].
Word Order
- The typical word order in English is subject-verb-object [58, 59].
Other Important Usage Points
- American English: The sources note some differences in grammar and spelling between British and American English [60-65].
- Formal vs. Informal: The sources discuss the use of short forms (contractions) in informal speech and writing [40].
- “Like” and “As”: The sources discuss the usage of “like” and “as,” explaining that “like” is used to compare things and “as” can mean ‘in the same way’, ‘while’, or ‘because’ [66, 67].
- “Used to”: The sources explain that “used to do” refers to a past habit, and “be/get used to” describes being accustomed to something [17].
- “So” and “Such”: These words are used for emphasis. For example: “The food was so hot that we couldn’t eat it.” and “It was such a long day that we decided to go to bed early” [32, 68].
- “Had better”: This is similar to “should” but is used for specific situations [14].
This discussion covers the key aspects of English usage explained within the sources.
The Passive Voice in English
The sources provide detailed explanations of the passive voice in English, including its formation and usage [1-3].
Formation of the Passive Voice
- The passive voice is formed using the verb “to be” in the appropriate tense, plus the past participle of the main verb [4, 5].
- Present simple passive: am/is/are + past participle (e.g., is cleaned, are seen) [4].
- Past simple passive: was/were + past participle (e.g., was cleaned, were seen) [6].
- Future simple passive: will be + past participle (e.g., will be cleaned) [7].
- Present perfect passive: has/have been + past participle (e.g., has been cleaned, have been seen) [8].
- Past perfect passive: had been + past participle (e.g., had been cleaned) [8].
- Present continuous passive: am/is/are being + past participle (e.g., is being cleaned, are being followed) [9].
- Past continuous passive: was/were being + past participle (e.g., was being cleaned, were being followed) [9].
- The sources also note that “get” can be used instead of “be” in the passive, primarily in informal spoken English, but only when things happen [10]. For example, “nobody got hurt” [10].
- The passive infinitive is formed with to be + past participle (e.g., to be cleaned) [7].
- The passive of doing/seeing etc. is being done/being seen [11].
Use of the Passive Voice
- The passive voice is used when the focus is on the action or the receiver of the action rather than the doer [5, 12].
- It is often used when the doer is unknown or unimportant [12]. For example, “A lot of money was stolen in the robbery” [12].
- The passive voice is also used when it is obvious who is responsible for the action, or when we don’t want to say who did the action [12].
- The word “by” is used to indicate who or what performs the action when this is important or needs to be mentioned [4]. For example, “This house was built by my grandfather” [4].
Active vs. Passive
- In an active sentence, the subject performs the action, whereas, in a passive sentence, the subject receives the action [5, 12, 13]. For example:
- Active: “Somebody built this house in 1961.” [12]
- Passive: “This house was built in 1961.” [13]
- When using an active verb, the sources say “we say what the subject does,” and when using a passive verb, “we say what happens to the subject” [12].
Passive with Two Objects
- Some verbs can have two objects [14]. This means that there are two ways to form a passive sentence, often beginning with the person receiving the action [14]. For example, with the verb “give”:
- “The police were given the information.” [14]
- “The information was given to the police.” [14]
- Other verbs that can have two objects include: ask, offer, pay, show, teach, and tell [14].
Verbs Often Used in Passive
- The sources include examples of verbs commonly used in the passive voice. These include: build, clean, damage, see, employ, invite, pronounce, lock, send, injure, need, take, bother, cover, steal, cancel, repair, restore, and many others [4, 6, 15-17].
Other Notes
- The sources clarify that in the passive form of doing/seeing etc., the form is being done / being seen [11].
- The expression “I was born” is always used, not “I am born” [11].
The passive voice is a fundamental aspect of English grammar, and the sources provide a comprehensive guide to its formation and proper usage.

By Amjad Izhar
Contact: amjad.izhar@gmail.com
https://amjadizhar.blog
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