A Primer of

English Grammar
Part One

By
Ali Abdel Aziz Ismael

Mohamed Abdel Aatty

Revised by
M.M. Enani

English Grammar Part

()

English Grammar ______________________________________________________

Revised Edition
Copyrights
, .

__________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________ English Grammar

Table of Contents

OUTLINE OF THE COURSE ...........................................................................................

GENERAL AIMS OF THE COURSE ................................................................................
HOW TO STUDY ..........................................................................................................
THE ASSESSMENT GUIDE .........................................................................................

UNIT () PARTS OF SPEECH AND WORD ORDER .

. Parts of Speech: ........................................................................
. Prerequisites of the constituents of a simple sentence: ...........
A) The Subject: ...........................................................................................................
B) The Verb:................................................................................................................
C) The Complement:...................................................................................................

Exercises: ......................................................................................

UNIT () THE TENSES .....................................................

MAJOR TENSES IN ENGLISH .....................................................................................

. Simple Tenses..........................................................................
Present Simple ..............................................................................................................
Past Simple ...................................................................................................................
Future Simple................................................................................................................

. Continuous or progressive......................................................
Present Continuous .......................................................................................................
Past Continuous ............................................................................................................
Future Continuous.........................................................................................................

. Perfect Tenses. ........................................................................

Present Perfect ..............................................................................................................
Past Perfect ...................................................................................................................
Future Perfect................................................................................................................

. Perfect Continuous Tenses. ....................................................

Present Perfect Continuous ...........................................................................................
Past Perfect Continuous ................................................................................................
Future Perfect Continuous ............................................................................................

Exercises: ......................................................................................

UNIT () THE PASSIVE VOICE......................................

__________________________________________________________________

English Grammar ______________________________________________________

Guide to forming the passive:.......................................................

Passive of Modal Verb Phrases:...................................................
Passive of Infinitives and Gerunds: .............................................
Transitive vs Intransitive ..............................................................
Exercises: ......................................................................................

UNIT () SENTENCE STRUCTURE............................

. Simple Sentences: ..................................................................
. Compound Sentences: ...........................................................
. Complex Sentences: ...............................................................
Noun Clauses ..............................................................................
Adjectival Clauses .......................................................................
Adverbial Clauses........................................................................
Connectors: .................................................................................
Clause linkers..............................................................................
Sentence linkers ..........................................................................
Exercises: ....................................................................................

APPENDICES ...........................................................................................................
(A) BRIEF NOTES ON ERRORS IN COMPLEX SENTENCES ........................................
(B) GENERAL CHECKLIST OF LANGUAGE ERRORS COVERED THIS TERM (C)...
IRREGULAR VERB ...........................................................................................

__________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________ English Grammar

Outline of the Course

To the Learner:

This book is designed in such a way as to give you

courage and confidence in your first exposure to language at
the beginning of your career as a would-be translator. This
aim is achieved through the simplicity of the content,
organization of material and the minimization of the learn-off
by heart tasks that you have to carry out.

__________________________________________________________________

English Grammar ______________________________________________________

The book includes four units. The first is devoted to

parts of speech and word order. The second deals with the
tenses. The third tackles the passive voice. Unit Four takes
up sentence structure dealing with the simple, the compound
and the complex together with all the connectors that are
involved in all types of sentences, clauses and phrases, in
addition to their semantic and syntactic differences. Only
major problems are introduced, others are left to the next
term.
The exercises begin by the easiest and move to the
more difficult, again to encourage you proceed with your
answering them confidently.

__________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________ English Grammar

General Aims of the Course

. This book introduces you to the basic problems

of the structures of the different types of

sentences, essential to being able to read, write
and accordingly to translate them correctly.
. It aims to make you comfortable and confident

in dealing with the English language grammar

by setting most of the rules in clear, wellplanned tables at the end of each sub-module.
. It uses everyday, simple, examples to make

rules easily remembered and to make the book

suitable for its being a reference.
. It presents comprehensive exercises to cover all

points and check your understanding of the rules

and your ability to avoid making mistakes in
applying the rule to your writing or translation.

__________________________________________________________________

English Grammar ______________________________________________________

How to Study

Dear learner
In order to help you make the best of your study, we
advise you to do the following:
Follow the explanation and examples and make sure that
you understand the meaning of the written material.
Use the video tape for more explanations and exercises.
At the end some sub-division, you will find a table that
sums up the grammatical rule with the most important
details.
Make sure that you are well acquainted with the
information. Wherever is required you have also to do some
learn-off by heart tasks that are minimized in this book.
Do not simply read the chapters and pencil in some
answerers, but rather copy out whole sentences. It is the
complete sentences that make up the language not the single
words, however many, or memorizing the rules.

__________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________ English Grammar

__________________________________________________________________

English Grammar ______________________________________________________

The Assessment Guide

This guide helps you measure your progress.
Check your answers:
If you are able to answer of the exercises
correctly, you have successfully grasped this point >
Good effort. ***
From to : maybe you lost some of the points
and you need to quickly revise them to see what is wrong. **
From to below: Perhaps you were tired or you
are confused about many points. The best thing is that you
start working tomorrow and begin by viewing the video
again. I am sure the results will be better. *
Good Luck

__________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________ English Grammar

Unit ()

Parts of Speech and Word Order

Contents Objectives of this Unit:

It includes three major parts that you have to grasp in full:
Parts of speech.
Word order: in simple sentences.
Prerequisites of Subject, Verb, and Complement.

. Parts of Speech:
If you know the part of speech of the word you are
using, you can use it correctly and if you do not know the
part of speech of your word, look this up in a dictionary.
The parts of speech in English are:
Nouns:

boy, girl, happiness, reading, .....

Verbs:

play, go, .....

Pronouns:

he, she,..... [There are many types that will

be dealt with later] this, which, someone.

_________________________________________________________________

English Grammar ______________________________________________________

Adjectives:

happy, nice.....

Adverbs:

tomorrow, quickly.....

Prepositions:

in, at, on.....

Articles:

the, a (definite and indefinite)

Conjunctions:

(Joining words or connectors of all types)

and,but, although, .....

. Word Order:
Word order in English, unlike some other languages, is
relatively fixed and the first step of mastering the English
language is to know the word order and the parts of speech.
The following is the word order in simple sentences:
First place

Subject
(The doer of
the verb)

Second place

Verb

Third place

Complement
(The rest of the
sentence)

He

plays

in the garden.

The boy

buys

books.

_________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________ English Grammar

View the video-tape:

Follow the programme for reinforcing and explaining

this point. Do not begin answering the exercises before you
make sure that you fully understand the points and that you
are able to answer the question:
What are the major constituents of the simple
sentence?

. Prerequisites of the constituents of a simple sentence:

Subject

Verb

The war
Tourism
Conditions
Restoration
The Chinese space ship

stopped.
has flourished.
have changed.
continues.
landed.

Or

Subject

Verb

Object

Washington
The Chairman of the Board
The Iraqis

seeks
will address
demand

world support.
the first session.
sovereignty.

_________________________________________________________________

English Grammar ______________________________________________________

Or

Subject

Verb

Complement

The Parliament Speaker

Corruption
The Palestinians

travelled
Is
Fight for

abroad.
a major problem.
self-determination.

A) The Subject:
The subject is a noun, a pronoun or a noun phrase:
Nouns: boy, girl, garden, Washington, corruption, etc.
Pronouns: I, you, he, she, it, we, they {Subject Case}.
Noun phrases: a little boy, the Iraqis, the Parliament Speaker,
etc.
The noun phrase is a group of words (two or more) with a
noun as its head, e.g.:
article intensifier adjective Noun
A
A
A

very

Good
Good

boy
boy
boy

In all these examples,

all words serve to
modify, or describe,
the noun. The noun is
the most important
element, and so we
call it the head of the
noun phrase.

The modifier can also occur after the noun, e.g.:

article Noun prepositional phrase
The

boy

with a big nose

_________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________ English Grammar

[preposition + noun phrase]

B) The Verb:
It comes in the nd place of the sentence.
It changes according to time focus and its form changes to
show the time of the sentence. This form is called
tense.
He
I (always)
I
The little girl

Verb
Works
Take
have written
Hid

in a bank.
sugar in my tea.
seven essays so far.
her books yesterday.

C) The Complement:
This item includes many elements that can complete the
sentence. (You can choose one or more of these elements to
complete the meaning of your sentence).
. Objects: (obligatory with transitive verbs only; [explained
later])

They can be nouns, pronouns or noun phrases.

My friends bought books.
Sarah also bought a book.
Ive got an extremely good book.
I thanked him.
case]}

{noun}
{noun phrase}
{noun phrase}
{pronoun [object

To know the personal pronouns in the object case, compare:

_________________________________________________________________

English Grammar ______________________________________________________

Subject

Object

I
He
She
It
We
You
They

Me
Him
Her
It
Us
You
Them

With the transitive verbs that take two objects there are two
kinds of objects: direct & indirect.
indirect O. direct O.
I gave my friend
a book.
Note:
There is another way to write this sentence with the use of
to:
{direct object indirect object}

I gave the book

to my friend.

. Adverbs and adverbial phrases

You can complete your sentence with one or more of the
following adverbials:
. of time: yesterday, at o'clock, in the morning.
. of place: in the garden, here, there, at home.
_________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________ English Grammar

. of manner: [adjective + ly] quickly, slowly [irregular :

well, hard, fast]

. of purpose : to lose weight, to get more money.
. of direction : to the house, from the library.
. of frequency : every morning, every Tuesday.
Order of adverbs
There are three positions of the place of adverb in the
simple sentence :
. Initial position.
. Mid position.
. Final position.
However, you cannot place all the adverbs in the three
positions but there is a preferable position for each king of
adverb.
. Adverbs of place usually take the end position:
Correct: Ali is sitting outside.
Incorrect: Outside Ali is sitting.
Other common adverbs of place include: inside, here, there.
. Adverbs of definite time usually take the beginning or end
position.
Correct: I went to my aerobics class yesterday.
Incorrect: I yesterday went to my aerobics class.
(Other common adverbs of definite time include: today,
tomorrow, now)
. Adverbs of indefinite time can take the initial, middle, or
end position.
_________________________________________________________________

English Grammar ______________________________________________________

Correct: Recently I've become interested in karate.

Correct: I've recently become interested in karate.
Correct: I've become interested in karate recently.
Other adverbs of indefinite time include lately.
. Adverbs used to evaluate usually take the end position:
Correct : Hesham did that cleaning job well.
Incorrect : Hesham did well that cleaning job.
(other common adverbs used to evaluate include badly,
poorly)
. Adverbs of manner usually take the middle or end position
but can not take the initial position:
Correct : Noha quietly opened the door to the baby's
room.
Correct : Noha opened the door to the baby quietly.
Incorrect : Quietly, Noha opened the baby's room.
Other common adverbs of manner include quickly,
carelessly, softly.
. Adverbs of frequency follow very specific rules regarding
their position in the sentence:
Common adverbs of frequency include always,
frequently, occasionally, seldom, continually, hardly, ever,
often, sometimes, ever, never, rarely, usually.
a. With the verb to be after the verb
_________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________ English Grammar

Correct: Sheriff is never at home when I call him.

Correct : Ali is continually busy.
b. With the verb to be + not - after not
Correct: James is not always nice to his little sister.
Correct: It is not usually so hot here during the summer.
c. With other verbs before the verb
Correct: Jane always skates on the boardwalk.
Correct: I never ride my bicycle to class
d. In a verb phrase after the first auxiliary verb
Correct: John can always hit the target.
Correct: I have never seen a comet.
e. In a verb phrase with not after not
Correct: She does not always type her paper.
Correct: He does not usually have time to read the
newspaper.
. Adjectives.
The function of the adjective is to describe a noun and in
English, it comes before the noun. Adjectives are of various
kinds and you can use more than one before the noun.
The adjective can describe the size, colour, shape,
material or an opinion about noun:
big, small, large,
green, red, yellow,
round, square, rectangular,
wooden, metallic,
_________________________________________________________________

English Grammar ______________________________________________________

good, bad, wonderful

Types and order of modifiers in front of a noun:
The modifier refers to all words that relate in their
function to the noun. This includes:
A. Articles:
Definite article: the + (singular and plural nouns)
Indefinite article:
a, an + (singular)
no indefinite article with plural nouns
e.g. a book books
B. Determiners:
Positive quantifiers:
A great deal of + un countable nouns
Much + uncountable nouns
Many + uncountable nouns
A great many + countable
A lot of + countable and uncountable nouns
Lots of
Plenty of
+ both types
Most
All
Negative quantifiers:
none
no
not any
not all
few + countable
little + uncountable
hardly any + both countable and un countable
scarcely any + both
_________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________ English Grammar

not many + countable

not much + uncountable
C. demonstrative pronouns :
this + (singular) / these + (plural)
that + (singular) / those + (plural)
D. possessive personal pronouns:
my
his
her
their
our
your
E. possessive nouns:
e.g. Mary's book
The Chairman's office
The order of modifiers in front of a noun :
. determiner
. sequence
. number
. quality or character
. size
. shape
. age
. temperature
. shape (it can either be no. or in the order)
.
colour
.
origin
.
location
_________________________________________________________________

English Grammar ______________________________________________________

.
noun
.
noun head (the described noun)
The above list is a full list. However, it is not common
that we have more than tree adjectives in front of a single
noun or else it would be difficult to understand them.
However, the adjectives can stand alone without a noun
and come after the verb only with "verb to be", and similar
verbs like:
seem
prove
look
These verbs are called linking verbs,
smell
i.e., they do not involve any action.
appear
feel
taste

I
He

Am
looks
seems
appears
feels

adj.
happy.
sad.

Except with such verbs, you cannot end your sentence

with an adjective but with an adverb:
_________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________ English Grammar

He writes quick quickly.

He draws beautiful beautifully.
You can describe an adjective with an adverb.
adv.
I feel extremely
adv.
He was completely

adj.
happy.
adj.
sad.

Here the adverb does not modify the verb but it modifies the
adjective.

_________________________________________________________________

English Grammar ______________________________________________________

Exercises:
A) Make sentences by using is or are and an adjective
from the list:
bright
cold
flat
funny
hard

hot
important
large / big
round
sharp

small / little
soft
square
sweet
sour

. Fire _____________________ .
. Balls and oranges _____________________________ .
. A box ________________________________ .
. A lemon ________________________________ .
. Ice and snow _______________________________ .
. Sugar __________________________________ .
. Rocks and metals ________________________________
.
. A pillow ___________________________________ .
. A joke ______________________________________ .
. Razor blades _______________________________ .
. The sun __________________________________ .
. Good health ______________________________ .
_________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________ English Grammar

. A dime _____________ small, round, and ___________.

. An elephant ____________ , but a mouse
____________.

B) Put a circle around the word that doesnt belong and

mention the reason.
your

his

her

their

may

this

their

that

these

those

bank

hospital

restaurant

library

books

fifty

forty

ninety

nineteen

thirty

she

he

your

we

it

C) Rearrange the following words to make sentences:

. always -- They -- at six oclock-- wake up.

. writing -- We -- sentences -- right now -- are.
. are -- Where -- from -- you ?
. round -- are -- Balls -- oranges -- and.
. friend-- coffee -- drinks -- rarely -- without sugar -- My.
_________________________________________________________________

English Grammar ______________________________________________________

D) Fill in the gaps using a word (a pronoun) of the

following:

he
we

her
I

them me
you him

us
she

they
it

. Ahmed has a Toyota. ________ bought __________ last

week.
. Mary is a good nurse. _________ works at the National
Hospital.
. Mary was in the clinic this morning. I saw ___________
there at :.
. Where's Michael? Will you please call ______________ ?
. We will write to you, so please write to _____________ .
. Have you met Ahmed and Khalid? I have not met ______
.
. Sam and Bill are good students. _________ study Arabic
at our centre.
. Did you give your books to John? Yes, I did. I gave
__________ to _______.
. Your friend Ibrahim works abroad. Did you write to
_________?
_________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________ English Grammar

. I like American films. _________ also like French

films.
. Im sure I gave you the check. _________ gave
__________ to _______?
. Mary is an accountant. _______ works for Banque du
Caire. I know ________ well.
. Sayyed and Mohammed are my friends. ________
work for our bank too. You know ______________ well.
. Ill type this report for you. Can you send this fax
for___?

E) Choose the right word (adj./adv ) :

. Angela is (amazing/ amazingly) good with animals.
. As soon as I saw him I was (sure / surely) he had been
drinking.
. Do you think thats a (real/ really) diamond in her ring?
. He was wearing a (true truly) astonishing tie.
. I felt her arm (gentle/ gently) to see if any hones were broken.
. I read an (amazing/ amazingly) thing in the newspaper this
morning.
. John was (wonderful / wonderfully) kind to me when I came
to this country.
_________________________________________________________________

English Grammar ______________________________________________________

. Keith seemed (gentle / gently), but there was something cruel

underneath.
. One leg of the chair was (slight/ slightly) damaged.
. Sarah drives a (real /really) beautifully restored sports
car.
. She looked at mc (kind / kindly), but didnt say anything.
. The door was (had/ badly) painted.
. The food was (wonderful / wonderfully), but the service was
(awful / awfully).
. The room is (clever / cleverly) organised so three of us can
work there.
. The job was (surprising/ surprisingly) easy.
. Hes acted (unbelievable/ unbelievably) stupidly in the past
year.

_________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________ English Grammar

Unit ()

The Tenses
Objectives:
After studying this unit you should be able to:
. identify the different verb tenses:
. form different verb tenses.
. understand and use forms of tenses in English.

Major Tenses in English

There are three major groups of tenses in English:
. Simple Tenses.
. Continuous or progressive.
. Perfect Tenses.
Simple tenses reflect one level of time. Thus present
simple gives the meaning of an action that simply is repeated
in the present time and past simple is an action that happened
in the past and future simple is an action that will happen in
the future.
Continuous tenses reflect a sense of continuation
either in the present, past or future.
Perfect tenses always include the tenses that reflect
two points in time.
Present perfect relates past and present. Past perfect
denotes the fact that there were two actions in the past, one
_________________________________________________________________

English Grammar ______________________________________________________

happened before the other. The earlier should be in the past

perfect and the more recent should be in the past simple.
The Future perfect shows that there will be a point in
the future and there is an action that will be completed before
this definite time. E.g. By the end of July, I will have finished
my studies.
To understand the above more fully, you are going to
be introduced to the major tenses and examples to clarify
their usage.
Remember
The tense means a certain form to reflect a certain usage
or meaning in time. Thus, make sure, for each tense that you
understand:
. The form of the verb.
. The meaning of this tense or its usage.
. The key words in the sentence or passage that MIGHT
indicate which tense you should use.
. Simple Tenses.
Present Simple
(I do.)
.
.
.
.
.
.

I live in Cairo.
I don't smoke.
He lives on the top floor.
James walks to work.
I sleep with my windows open.
Alex is a bus driver.

________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________ English Grammar

. He drives a bus. {But: he is not driving a bus right

now; he is sleeping.}
Facts
. The earth goes round the sun.
. Nurses look after patients in hospitals.
. In Britain, most of the shops close at : p. m.
. I work in a bank. Barry works in a bank.
. Excuse me, do you speak English?
. Would you like a cigarette? - No, thanks, I dont
smoke.
. What does this word mean? - It means.............
. Rice doesnt grow in Britain.
Habits
. I get up at : every morning.
. How often do you go to the dentist?
. Ann doesnt often drink tea.
. In summer Tom usually plays tennis twice a week.
Notice the difference:
Where do you come from? (Nationality?)
Where are you from? (Nationality?)
He comes from Japan. (Nationality)
Where are you coming from? (Right now? Which part
of the city for example?)
What do you do? (Your Job)
What are you doing? (Right now, for example eating,
sitting, listening etc.)
Note the conjugations:
I do.
You do
He does. (do + s) {rd person singular s}
_________________________________________________________________

English Grammar ______________________________________________________

She does.
It does.
(Mary goes; John writes; Ahmed eats; the cat plays;
life continues; what you say makes sense; it works;
who knows; etc)
We do.
They do.
I
he, she, it
you, they, we

Am
Is
Are

I
he, she, it
you, they, we

Have
Has
Have

Key words:
The present simple tense can occur with the following
adverbials. (However, consider meaning first.):
Every (morning, day, week, )
always

often

usually

sometimes {Frequency Adverbs}

seldom

rarely

hardly

never
Example:
I always eat breakfast.

OR

He never eats breakfast.

________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________ English Grammar

Exercise: Use a suitable subject and make the verb agree

with it:
drink coffee in the morning
drink tea in the afternoon
[he]
drink orange juice in the evening
drink tomato juice with my meals
drink milk in the morning [my son]
put sugar in his coffee
have a sandwich for lunch
eat dinner around six o'clock
come to class late [Mary]
get to class on time
walk to the park
take a bus to work [Mr. Martin]
take a taxi to school [ my friends]
drive to Jeddah
ride a bike in the morning [this little boy]
watch TV in the evening
study at the library
do my homework
What are some things you ....................................
always do every day?
usually do every day?
often do?
sometimes do?
seldom do?
rarely do?
never do?
Now answer the same question about your friend/ brother/
classmate etc.
_________________________________________________________________

English Grammar ______________________________________________________

Past Simple
Use:
Any action that happened in the past and has no
relation to the present.
Form:
The second conjugation of the verb with all persons,
singular and plural:
Regular: { play, played, played)
I
he, she, it
Played
you, they, we
Irregular: {write, wrote, written}
I
he, she, it
Wrote
you, they, we
Study the list of the irregular verbs in appendix (C).
Key words:
Any word that refers to the past, or any definite date in
the past:
Yesterday,
Last (week, month, year, etc.)
In , .
In ancient times, ..
When I was young, .

________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________ English Grammar

Use the past tense form of the verbs in brackets:

Yesterday [be] _________ a very bad day for me. I [begin]
_________ the day with an accident. I [cut] __________ my
hand with a razor blade. I [forget] ______________ about an
important meeting. Then I [tear] ______ my new suit. A thief
stole my wallet. Fortunately the police [catch] ______the
thief. Later I [fall] _______ on some slippery steps and [hurt]
_______ myself. Then a little boy [throw] __________ a ball
and [hit] _______ me accidentally. Next an angry dog [bite]
_________ me and [rip] ___________ the leg of my pants.
After that I [slip] _______________ again and [break]
________ my new watch. As a climax, I [find] _______ a ten
dollar parking ticket on my car!
Future Simple
Use:
Any action that is expected to happen in the future
either:
planned
or unplanned
Form:
I am going to write a letter tomorrow
afternoon.
Im going to give you a test in ten minutes.
Sam is going to go downtown after class.
Marys going to cook our dinner.
We are going to write a full report.

am going to
is going to
are going to

_________________________________________________________________

English Grammar ______________________________________________________

Were going to have our house painted

soon.
Im not going to read this book.
He isnt going to sell his car.
We arent going to eat pizza this evening.

am not going to
is not going to
are not going to

Are you going to come to class early next

time?
Is Jim going to be at the meeting tomorrow?
What are you going to do?
Where are you going to go?
When are you going to leave?

be + subject +
going to
What is he going to
eat?

Use the following phrases into sentences expressing the

future:
. buy a pair of shoes
. see a doctor
. go to bed early
. call my friend on the phone
. play soccer
. call my landlord
. call the police
. get something to eat
. go to the beach
.

go to the grocery store

________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________ English Grammar

Using WILL
. I will arrive around six oclock. [ Ill arrive etc. ]
. You will arrive in London minutes after midnight.
[Youll arrive.]
. He will arrive .. [ Hell arrive ..]
. She will arrive ..[ Shell arrive ..]
. The plane will arrive. [ Itll arrive.]
. We will leave at ten sharp. [ Well leave ....]
. They will join us later. [ Theyll join us ...]
Negative
I will not go.
I wont go.
Questions:
Will you come?
When will he come?
Key words:
Future words: tomorrow, next (week, month, year, etc.) or
when the meaning shows a future event or intention.

_________________________________________________________________

English Grammar ______________________________________________________

. Continuous or progressive.
Present Continuous
(I am doing.)
. I am speaking now.
. You are listening now.
. He is driving a big car at this moment.
. She is cooking right now.
. It is running.
. We are working
. You are sitting down.
. They are watching the match.
Use the present continuous tense:
. [try] Please be quiet. I_______________ to concentrate.
. [rain] Look! It ________________________.
. [you / look] Why ______________________ at me like
that? Have I said something wrong?
. [make] You ______ a lot of noise. Can you be a bit
quieter?

________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________ English Grammar

. [look] Excuse me, I ____________________ for a phone

box. Is there one near here?
. [you / enjoy] Its a good film, isnt it? _____________ it?
. [shout] Listen! Can you hear those people next door?
They _________________ at each other again.
. [you / wear] Why ____________________ your coat
today? Its very warm.
. [not / eat] I want to lose weight. I ___________________
anything today.
. [increase] The number of people without jobs
___________ at the moment.
. [get] He is still ill but he __________________ better
slowly.
. [become] These days food ____________________
more and more expensive.
. [change] The world ______________. Things never
stay the same.
. [rise] The cost of living __________________. Every
year things are dearer.
. [improve] George has gone to work in Spain. When he
arrived, his Spanish wasnt very good but now it _______
Present Continuous Drill
Use the following verbs to express an action that is
happening right now:
Use I, He, They etc.
drink

eat

drive

read

sleep

_________________________________________________________________

English Grammar ______________________________________________________

write

walk

run

cry

stand in the back

fly

Smile

laugh

wave

smoke

clap

kick

count

push

sit on the floor

touch

pull

pray

hold

shake hands with

run

cut

leave

draw

dream

cry

live

study

watch

wash

fix

pepair

talk

speak

listen

say

smile

Wear

catch

erase

deposit

withdraw

rain

step

break

throw

hit

declare

sign

ride

Make questions like:

a) Is he standing in the back of the room?
b) Why is he standing there?
Answers:

Yes, he is.
No, he isn't.
He is standing there because he is waiting for

you.
Note:
Verbs expressing a state, such as: is, have, see, hear,
understand, taste, smell, want, love, hate, like, dislike,
prefer, appreciate, seem, own, contain, belong, weigh, cost,
etc., cannot be continuous.
I see you right now.
Now I have a Ford.
Now I understand what you say.

________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________ English Grammar

Compare:
The soup tastes delicious.
The cook is tasting the soup. {different meaning + action
involved}

Past Continuous
(I was doing.)
I was speaking on the phone when she screamed.
You were listening at that time.
He was driving while I was reading.
At : last night, I was studying in my room.
I was working all day yesterday.
I was cooking when he arrive.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
|
Continuous
Simple
A long action continued for some time and short action
interrupted it. The long action is in the progressive past
while the short one is in the simple past.
I was reading when the doorbell rang.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
|

Future Continuous
(I will be doing.)
Use:
_________________________________________________________________

English Grammar ______________________________________________________

To emphasise that an action will continue for some

time in the future.
Examples:
. I will be writing letters for the next three hours.
. Even though I will be studying when you call, I do not
mind.
. Ahmed will be working on this essay for the next
week.
Key words:
Future words + any reference that shows that the speaker or
writer wants emphasise the duration of the action.
. Perfect Tenses.
The always express a complex relation between two
points of time.
Present Perfect
(I have done)
Use :
To emphasise a relation between past time and present
time.
This tense is used in the following cases:
A) An action that began in the past and continues in the
present:
I have known him since he first came to Cairo.
I have answered all the questions.
B) An action that happened in the past but has an effect in the
present:

________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________ English Grammar

I have read this book and I want to discuss it with you.

I have cleaned my shoes. (They are clean now.)
(Compare: I cleaned my shoes yesterday. They are not
clean today.)
I have eaten. (Im not hungry now.)
C) An action that happened very recently just before the time
of speaking:
I have just seen him.
Key words:
Words referring to a period of time between past and
present:
for + a period of time: for a month, for a three days, etc
since + a definite date: since , since Monday, since his
birthday, since I came here, etc.
just, recently, lately, yet, so far, already,
Note that it is the meaning of the sentence that matters not
the word alone. Thus:
I saw him this morning. {the morning is finished; were in
the evening.}
Have you seen him this morning? {We are still in the
morning.}
Past Perfect
(I had done)
Use:
. When the speaker wants to emphasise that one
action happened before the other in the past, the first action is
in the past perfect and the following is in the past simple.
Remember that this tense only emphasises the
_________________________________________________________________

English Grammar ______________________________________________________

sequence and you can express the same sentence with

only past tense. The use of past perfect is only for
showing that one happened before the other.
e.g.:
I had visited my uncle before I came to you yesterday.
(Correct)
or
I visited my uncle before I came to you yesterday. (Correct)
Key words :
I. Words that show sequence + past references.
e.g.:
before,
after,
when
prior to + a definite date
. Indirect speech:
If the saying is in the past and the verbs inside the
inverted commas are in the past, after you delete the
commas, change the past into past perfect:
e.g.: He said, "I visited them three times".
He said that he had visited them three times.
Future Perfect
(I will have done)
Use:
When an action will be completed before a definite
date in the future, use the future perfect.
e.g.: By the end of June, I will have finished my studies.
Key words :

________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________ English Grammar

by + definite date + future reference

in + a period of time + future reference
e.g.
By the end of July, my husband will have returned to
settle in Cairo.
In two months time, they will have finished changing
the system.

. Perfect Continuous Tenses.

Use :
Used when you want to use perfect tenses emphasizing
continuation of the event.

Present Perfect Continuous

(I have been doing)
Use:
The present perfect should be used when you want to
emphasize that the action continued over a certain period of
time.
e.g.:
I have been studying English for years.
[Here you want to express the relation between past and
present while emphasizing continuation. You want to say that
_________________________________________________________________

English Grammar ______________________________________________________

you have started studying in the past and you are still
studying until now and this action is a continuous one.]
Key words :
Present perfect key words + indications that the action is
continuous.
Past Perfect Continuous
(I had been doing)
Use :
To emphasize the duration of an action that was
completed before another action in the past.
I had been writing for him for an hour before he
finally arrived.
Key words :
Past perfect key words + indication that this action continued
for some time.
Future Perfect Continuous
(I will have been doing)
Use:
To indicate that an action will continue for some time
in the future before another definite point in the future.
e.g.:
By this time next year, I will have been living here for
two years.
Key words:
+ future references + any indication that the action
By
will continue for some time
In

________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________ English Grammar

_________________________________________________________________

English Grammar ______________________________________________________

Exercises:
A) Put the verbs in the correct forms:
. This office [open] ................... at : and [close]
................ at : every day.
. I have a car but I [not/use] ...................................... very
often.
. How many cups of coffee [you/drink] ............................
every day?
. Where [your friend/come] ......................................... from?
. He [come] ................................................ from Scotland.
. What [you/do] ......................................... ? - Im an
electrical engineer.
. If you need money, why [you/not/get] ...................... a job?
. I [swim] .................. , but I [not/dive] ................................
.
. I dont understand the word deceive. What [it/mean]... ?
. Mice [not/catch] ................................... cats. It is the
other way round.
B) Make sentences by using is or are and an adjective from
the list:
bright
hot
small / little
cold
important
soft
flat
large / big
square
funny
round
sweet
hard
sharp
sour

________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________ English Grammar

Example:
. Fire is hot.
. Balls and oranges _____________________________ .
. A box ________________________________ .
. A lemon ________________________________ .
. Ice and snow _______________________________ .
. Sugar __________________________________ .
. Rocks and metals _______________________________ .
. A pillow ___________________________________ .
. A joke ______________________________________ .
. Razor blades _______________________________ .
. The sun __________________________________ .
. Good health ______________________________ .
. A dime _____________ small, round, and
____________ .
. An elephant ________ , but a mouse ________________
.
C) (Drill) Read the following sentences aloud. [You can also
copy them out]:
I. Present Continuous:
. Where's Tom? - He is answering the telephone. [He's
doing that right now.]
. Sam is cleaning the window.
. Bob is washing his car.
. Sam's writing a letter to his uncle.
. He's fixing his car.
. I'm speaking to you.
. Noras cooking a big meal.
_________________________________________________________________

English Grammar ______________________________________________________

. She's taking care of the baby.

. Who's knocking at the door?
.

It's raining now.

.
We are learning English. We're
sentences and making other sentences.

reading

He isn't running.

We aren't playing.

I am not sleeping.

George isn't listening to our conversation.

You aren't paying attention.

They are waiting for us.

Ahmed's carrying the basket.

I'm doing a crossword puzzle.

He's taking the children to school.

II. Present Simple & Continuous:

. I usually drink coffee, but now I'm drinking tea.
. I often read books in the afternoon, but now I'm
working.
. They usually go to work by car, but today they are
walking.
. He doesn't usually make mistakes, but this evening
he's making a lot of them.
. You drive a German car. Now I see that you're driving
a Lincoln. Is it yours?

________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________ English Grammar

. We usually have lunch in a Japanese restaurant.

However, today we're trying an Italian Restaurant.
. Ahmed usually wears a suit, but today he's wearing a
military uniform.
. They usually sit at the back of the class. Today, they
are sitting in the front.
. I am having a cup of tea right now. Now I have a
Small Chevrolet.
.
Now I'm looking at you. Now I see you. I hear
you. I'm listening.
D) Put the verbs in the correct forms (Present Continuous):
. [try] Please be quiet. I _____________ to concentrate.
. [rain] Look! It _________________________ .
. [you / look] Why ______________________ at me
like that? Have I said something wrong?
. [make] You _____________________ a lot of noise.
Can you be a bit quieter?
. [look] Excuse me, I ____________________ for a
phone box. Is there one near here?
. [you / enjoy] Its a good film, isnt it? ___________ it
. [shout] Listen! Can you hear those people next door?
They _________________ at each other again.
. [you / wear] Why _______________________ your
coat today? Its very warm.
. [not / eat] I want to lose weight. I ____anything today.
_________________________________________________________________

English Grammar ______________________________________________________

.
[increase] The number of people without jobs
__________ at the moment.
.
[get] He is still ill but he ___________________
better slowly.
.
[become]
These
days
food
____________________ more and more expensive.
.
[change] The world ________________ .
Things never stay the same.
.
[rise] The cost of living __________________ .
Every year things are dearer.
.
[improve] George has gone to work in Spain.
When he arrived, his Spanish wasnt very good but
now it ____________________.

E) Put the verbs in the correct forms:

[Present Simple & Present Progressive]
. The wind (be) _______________ sometimes strong.
. Cats (be) _____________________________ animals.
. He never
family.

(think) _____________________ about his

. I (hear) ________________ the little boys; they (sing)

_________________.
. (you, understand) ____________________________ why
I am here?
. The students (be) ________ thirsty. They (want)
___________ a drink of water.

________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________ English Grammar

. Right now, the boys (be, not) _______________ at work.

. At the moment, the students (talk) _______________ with
the teacher.
. Their father (be, not) _______________ at home.
. (you, study) _________________ English this morning?
. (they, play) __________________ football right now?
. My neighbour sometimes (write) ________________
essays.
. (the man, be) ______________ outside?
. A: (you, speak) __________________ English?
B: Yes, I ______________ .
. A: (your brother, work) ____________________ in
Jeddah?
B: No, he _______________ .
. A: (you, be) _______________ the director of the
school?
B: Yes, I ____________ .
. A: (Ahmed, study) ____________________ today?
B: No, he ________________ .
. A: (James, be) ________________ a good student?
B: Yes, he ________________ .
. [go] I have a toothache. I think I ____________ go to the
dentist.
. [fly] Ted ___________________ to London next month.

_________________________________________________________________

English Grammar ______________________________________________________

F) Put the verbs in the correct forms:

. This office [open] ................... at : and [close]
...................... at : every day.
. I have a car but I [not/use] .......................................... very
often.
.
How
many
cups
of
.................................. every day?

coffee

[you/drink]

. Where [your friend/come] ..................................................

from?
. He [come]
Scotland.

.....................................................

from

. What [you/do] ........................................... ? - "I'm an

electrical engineer."
. If you need money, why [you/not/get] .............................. a
job?
. I [swim]................... , but I [not/dive] ............................... .
. I don't understand the word "deceive". What [it/mean] .... ?
. Mice [not/catch] ............... cats. It is the other way round.

G) Put the given verb in the right tense:

. [have] Spiders _________ eight legs. This is a scientific fact.

________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________ English Grammar

. [take] Will you speak softly please? The students_______

a test at the moment.
. [do] Dont worry! I _____________________ all the work
already.
. [work] He __________________ all day. He should rest
now.
. [catch] Finally the police _________________ Fletcher and
sent him to prison.
. [make] The car ________________ a very strange noise
when I drove it yesterday.
. [left] I didn't meet him yesterday. When I arrived in the
office, he ___________.
. [study] He _______________ a book for hours when I
entered the room yesterday.
_________________________________________________________________

English Grammar ______________________________________________________

. [travel] We __________________ to Saudi Arabia by car

next week.
. [watch] I ______________ TV when you call me at eight
o'clock this evening.
. [write] I will finish my work on time. When you come to
see me in the evening, I __________________ the article.
. [proofread] I ______________________ for some hours.
H) Put the verbs in the correct forms:
[Future time]
. I [cut] _______ class tomorrow.
. What time [class, begin] _____________
. [you, stay] _______

tomorrow?

here during vacation next week.

. A: You have a bad cough.

B: I know. I [see] _______ Dr Talib later this afternoon.
. A: Where are you going for your vacation?
B: Sharm El-Sheikh.
A: Are you flying?
B: No, we [drive] ____ so that we can enjoy the scenery.

________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________ English Grammar

I) Put the verbs in the correct forms:

[Pres. Perf. & Past Perf.]
. Islam [be] ________________ the most important religion
in the Middle East for more than years.
. All the students [study] ________________ hard since the
beginning of the course.
. [you, ever, be] ________________ to New York?
. I couldn't catch the train because when I got to the station,
the train [leave] ________________.
. By the time I arrived this morning, class [already, begin]
________________.

J) Give the past form. Then make a sentence using the past
form:
Example: come ...came............
Response: My brother came from Oman yesterday.
. eat ...........................
________________________________________________
. write .........................
________________________________________________
. drink ...........................
_______________________________________________
. drive .........................
________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________

English Grammar ______________________________________________________

. go ............................
_______________________________________________
K) Put the verbs in the correct forms.[Different Tenses]
Write the correct sentences on a sheet of paper. Write full
sentence:
. It's : p.m. Mary is at home. She [eat] dinner. She
always [eat] dinner with her family around six o'clock.
. Ahmed [take, not] the bus to school every day. He usually
[walk] instead.
. While Bob [study] last night, the phone [ring].
. Thomas Edison [invent, not] the telephone.
. [you, go] to class yesterday?
. I [read] an hour ago when the lights [went] out.
. It isn't raining today, and according to the weather report,
it [rain, not] tomorrow either.
. Before Tom [go] to bed later tonight, he [write] a letter to
his uncle.
. After I [get] home from school every afternoon, I usually
[drink] _____ a glass of orange juice.
. Samy [meet] me when my plane [arrive] tomorrow.
. I'm ready to go. I [finish, already] my work. I [finish] it
two hours ago.
. I [have] a driver's licence since .
. Let's go. I [be] in class for more than two hours.

________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________ English Grammar

. Since we [start] doing this exercise, we [complete]

sentences.
. By the time class was over this morning, the rain [stop],
so I didn't need my umbrella.
. I often [leave] the city over the weekend.
. Mr Anderson [use] the telephone now.
. the children always [go] to bed early.
. Yes, Ahmed [want] some cake and coffee.
. When class [be] over this morning, the rain [already,
stop].
(L) Use the right tenses:
. I [read] __________ that novel by Faulkner several times
before.
. I [read] _____________ it again in my last vacation.
.

Saleh [study] _____________

University last year.

Spanish

at

Madrid

. Saleh [study] _____________ Spanish at this institute

since last September.
. Mr Richard [live] _____________ in New York in .
. Mr Richard [live] ___________ in Detroit since that time.
. I [see] _____________ the statue of liberty in .
. My friend [see] _____________

it a hundred times.

. The Browns [be] _____________ in San Francisco twice

since the war.
. They [be] _____________ there the week before.
_________________________________________________________________

English Grammar ______________________________________________________

. It usually [rain] _____________ very much in that

part of the country.
. I [have] _____________ no trouble with my English
lessons up to now.
. My teacher [teach] _____________ English at this
institute for six years.
. Listen! I [think] _____________
at the front door.

someone [knock]

. Mr Smith [pay] _____________ all his bills at the end

of the month.
. I [see] _____________ the famous Grand Canyon in
Arizona several times.
. Mr and Mrs Garcia [be] _____________
for two months.

in Florida

. Those students [make] _____________ much progress

since October.
. I
[be]
_____________
sorry.
I
_____________ that fellow's name already.

[forget]

. Mary [sit] _____________ at a different desk today.

. Ali [look]__________ forward to his vacation next
June.
. The tall boy in the front seat [come] _____________
from Ghana.
. Yes, we [hear] ___________
already.

that song several times

. My wife and I [live] _____________ in this city for

almost nine years.

________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________ English Grammar

. The boy [study] _____________ their lessons together

every afternoon.
. Thomas [have] _____________ a good time here since
his arrival.
. I [need] some more money for my books and tuition.
. At present, that author [write] _____________ a
historical novel.
. My son [talk] _____________ on the telephone at the
moment.
. Up to the present, Khalid _____________ [do] good
work in his class.
. My uncle [work] _____________ thirty eight hours a
week.
. The weather [get] _____________ quiet hot in July
and August.
. So far, you [make] _____________ no mistakes on
this exercise.
. Mr Kent [have] _____________ this job in Aswan
since April first.
M) Circle the letter of the right answer:
. The speed limit on this road is km/h. You ...............
go faster than that.
a. should
b. must not
c. have to
d. don't have to

_________________________________________________________________

English Grammar ______________________________________________________

. I am very tired and sleepy this morning. I ............... up late

last night.
a. should stay
b. shouldn't stay
c. shouldn't have stayed
d. shouldn't stayed
. I .................. to live in Jeddah, but now I live in Riyadh.
a. used
b. am used
c. use
d. am using
. I would rather ..................... a good book than spend the
time chatting with people.
a. studied
b. studying
c. to study
d. study
. Last year they worked very hard and ..................... achieve
very good results.
a. could
b. were able to
c. can
d. could have
(N) Use the right tense of the given verb.
. [play]
All the children in the neighbourhood
_________________ right now.
. [go]
I always _____________________ out on
Thursdays and Fridays.
. [drive] He _______________________ to Alexandria
once a month.

________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________ English Grammar

. [be]
I _______________ very happy when I saw
my brother home safe and sound.
. [finish] When we _______________ our work, we
went out.
. [wait] We _________________for quite a while this
morning.
. [see]
ago.
. [travel]
class.

I __________________ Ahmed five minutes

Last summer we ________________ first

. [have] I use the same car that I ______________ five

years ago.
.
[eat]
Tomorrow afternoon
______________ at a Chinese restaurant.

we

(O) Use the right tense of the given verb.

. Samy usually [sit] _________ at the back of class, but
today he [sit] __________ in the front row.
. He [come] __________ to see me every weekend.
. I [take] __________ my dog for a walk every evening
before it died.
. What [you, do] ________________________ at this
moment?
. She [not understand] ____________________ what
you [mean] _____________ .
. Look at Samir! He [drink] _______________ up his
medicine, but I can see that he [hate] _____________
it.
_________________________________________________________________

English Grammar ______________________________________________________

. We usually [have] ________________ breakfast at

o'clock nowadays.
. We nearly always [spend] _______________ our
holidays at the seaside, but this year we [go]
_____________ to France.
. I [have] _______________ my hair cut whenever it
gets too long.
.
She [sing] _____________ beautifully when she
was young, but nowadays she [not, sing]
______________ anymore.
.
John [seem] _______________ rather tired at
this moment.
.
Do you see this machine?
_______________ of many parts.
.
Ask
him
what
_____________________ now.

he

It

[consist]
[want]

.
Buses usually [run] ____________________
along this street, but today they [not,
run]
_______________ because it is under repair.

(P) Put the verbs between parentheses in the right tenses:

. The scientist suddenly (see) ______________ the answer
to the problem that (occupy) ___________________ his
mind for two months.

________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________ English Grammar

. The burglar (open) ________________ the safe when he

(hear) ______________
footsteps. He immediately
put his torch out and crawled under the bed.
. A: Stop! Don't you see the notice?
B: I (see) ________________ it, but I can't read it because
I (wear, not) ____________
my glasses.
________________

. He (clean)
______________

off and

his gun when it suddenly (go)

killed him.

. You looked very busy when I (meet) _______________ you last

night. What (you, do) __________________ ?
___________________

. Since British Rail (introduce)

_______________

structure, more people (take)

its new fare

to travelling by

train.
_______________

. He (cut)
_________________

dinner yesterday.

. I (understand)
____________

________________

exactly what you (mean)

right now.

. He usually (find)
when he (arrive)
. I (not, have)
___________

his finger while he (cook)

_______________

__________________
_____________

a lot of letters on his desk

at the office.

anything to eat since I (get)

here.

_________________________________________________________________

English Grammar ______________________________________________________

. When He (arrive) ______________ here tomorrow

morning, I (offer) ___________ him a cup of coffee.
. Columbus (try)

______________

to reach India when he

(discover) __________________ America.

. By the time Ahmed (finish)
night, everybody else (go)
. He (not, pay)
_____________

to this

_____________

__________________

___________________

his work last

home.

his rent since he (move)

apartment.

. Three days ago, John (begin) _____________ reading a long

novel. He (not, finish) _________________ it yet.
(Q) Circle the letter for the right answer:
. I ____________ a new house last year, but I ___________ my old
house yet, so at the moment I have two houses.
a. have bought/ sold
b. bought/ haven't sold
c. had bought/ hadn't sold
d. buy/ haven't sold
. I've been living here ______________________ .
a. two years ago
b. in
c. for two years
d. before
. I couldn't see Bill. When I got into the office, he
a. had gone out
b. went out
c. have gone out
d. has gone out

________

________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________ English Grammar

. I stood up when my father ___________________ in.

a. comes
b. had come
c. would come
d. came
. At the moment John
say.
a. is taking
c. has taken

__________________

a note of what they

b. takes
d. took

. Right now, I can see that the child _______________ his

old toy.
a. hate
b. is hating
c. hates
d. had hated
. How long ago _________________ the United States?
a. have you visited
b. are you visiting
c. do you visit
d. did you visit
. When are you ____________________ your English
course?
a. will finish
b. finish
c. going to finish
d. finished
. I'm specially glad that Bob's coming to the meeting
because we _______________ him for several months.
a. haven't seen
b. didn't see
c. weren't seen
d. hasn't
. It was such nice weather that we _______________
camping in the desert.
a. have gone
b. will go
_________________________________________________________________

English Grammar ______________________________________________________

c. went

d. had gone

(R) Fill in the spaces with the right tenses of the given verbs:
. [take] Will you speak softly please? The students ________
a test at the moment.
. [have] Spiders ________ six legs. This is a scientific fact.
. [wear] If the suit arrives on time, I ______ it for the meeting.
. [catch] Finally the police Fletcher and sent him to prison.
. [go] There was a power outage in our part of the town last
night and the lights ____ out.
. [study] This autumn I _ English at a night school.
. [eat] My child always a lot of sweets.
. [go] Mr. Richardson to a Qatar last month.
. [make] She _ a good cake next week.
.

[boil] Water at C.

[not smoke] He _ at all. He hates smoking.

[not work] They _ as fast as they can right now.

. [see] I often see Jose, and I _ him again only

yesterday.
.

[cost] How much does this watch ______?

________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________ English Grammar

. [catch] My little boy ran after the cat and

___________ it.
.

[wake] Yesterday I _ up early.

. [not, pass] Tom ________ his examination on January

, .
. [boil] Look! The water _____. Can you turn the kettle
off?
. [study] Please don't make so much noise. My child
________.
.

[be] We _______ in Kuwait in .

[be] My friend, Edward, _________ here right now.

[play] Tom usually ______ tennis on Thursdays.

[write] Did you a letter to your folks yesterday?

. [not, understand] Look at that! He ________ what's

going on.
. [drive] How are going to travel to Libya?
_____________.
.

[go] They ____ to Damascus last week.

. [break] My vase fell to the floor and ___ into a

hundred pieces.
_________________________________________________________________

English Grammar ______________________________________________________

[read] He usually ____ the newspaper in the evening.

[smoke] I never ____ .

[play] My children _ football at the moment.

[buy] I ____ a new car next week.

[lie] I don't like him; he always ______ to people.

[rise] Yesterday the sun _______ at :.

. [send] [finish] I ____ a letter to my folks after I

__________ studying yesterday evening.
. [live] They ____________________________
Montreal since they immigrated.

in

. [work] His associate __________________________

from nine to five every day.
. [go] Bill _____________________________ to the
public library once in a while.
. [knock]
Listen!
I
think
___________________ at the door.

somebody

. [be] The baby ___________________________ asleep

for several hours.
. [learn] Mary usually _________________ languages
very quickly.

________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________ English Grammar

. [make] The car ______________ a very strange noise

when I drove it yesterday.
. [be] I ____________________ to Europe several
times.
. [use] Our new secretary ________________ a
computer all the time.
. [do] Dont worry. I ___________________________
all the work already.
. [inherit]
Hes
excited
because
____________________ a lot of money recently.

he

. [not, arrive] Were still waiting. He ______________

yet.
. [go] He _______________________ out ten minutes
ago.
. [shop] I _____________________________ around
for a good jacket later today.
. [send]
So
far
today,
____________________________ three faxes.

he

. [call] She ____________ him up five times. There has

to be an important message.
. [not, get] I still ________________________ a reply
from them.
_________________________________________________________________

English Grammar ______________________________________________________

. [sit] It's : now and Mr. Wilson ________________

to the breakfast table.
. [meet] I _____________________ Larry and his
friends some five years ago.
. [tell] If I see Mike tomorrow, I__________________
him about the meeting.
. [read] At the moment the students ______________
their books.
. [be] The weather ____________________ terrible all
last week, but now it is fine.
(S) Put the verbs between parentheses in the right tenses:
. Right now John [take] _____ a nap. He [fall] __________
asleep an hour ago. He [sleep] ______________ for an
hour.
. Since we began the course, John [study] __________ three
novels. At the moment he [read] _____________ A Farewell
to Arms. He [read] _______________________ this novel
for the past three days.
. A: There is something I have to tell you.
B: Go ahead. I [listen] ____________________________ .
. A: Stop! What [you, do] __________________________
?
B: I [try] _______________________ to get this piece of
toast out of the toaster. Its stuck.

________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________ English Grammar

A: Well, dont use a knife. You [kill] _______________

yourself.
. A: Why [you, deliver, not] _________________ the report
yesterday?
B: When I got to his office, he [leave] ________________
.
. A: Can I borrow some money? My check [be]
__________ supposed to arrive yesterday, but I still [receive,
not] __________ it.
B: Sure. Id be happy to lend you some. How much (need,
you] ____________?

(T) Complete the following with the right tense of the verbs
in brackets:
.
Bill ____________ [start] working at a pizza parlour in
November. He ____________ [work] there successfully for
several months. In fact everyone in the pizza parlour ______
[help] Bill in every way they can.
For the first time in his life, Bill _____________ [be]
able to earn his own living. He ________________ [receive,
already]
several
paychecks,
but
the
paychecks
_____________ [not be] the most important part of the job)
Most importantly, Bill _______________ [be] proud of
himself because he _________________ [feel] useful. Now
he ________ [have] a good reason to get up in the morning.
_________________________________________________________________

English Grammar ______________________________________________________

Last year, the public school special program __________

[train] Bill for this job) It ____________ [teach] him the
skills he needed.
.
Last week, I (see) ______________ a very good book
in a book shop, but I (not have) _______________ enough
money to buy it. Now I have enough money, but I have no
time to go to the book shop, so I (buy) ________ it tomorrow
morning.
(U) Circle the letter of the right answer:
. Gases ________________ when heated. This is a
scientific fact.
a. expands
b. expanding
c. expand
d. are expanding
. The house is in a mess right now. The plumbers
_________ in a new bath and the carpenter_______ us some
bookshelves.
a. is putting/ building
b. puts/ builds
c. are putting/ is building
d. are putting/ builds
. I often see Dr Richards. I______ him again only
yesterday.
a. see
b. am seeing
c. saw
d. have seen
. They sell all kinds of rubbish nowadays, but they
once_________ good furniture.
a. sell
b. are selling
c. have sold
d. sold

________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________ English Grammar

. The Carters didn't ___________ for Chicago.

a. leave
b. left
c. leaves
d. leaving
. He ___________ along a deserted road when suddenly he
___________ a camel in front of him.
a. was driving/ saw
b. drove/ saw
c. was driving/ was seeing
d. drove/ was seeing
. I couldn't meet Ahmed last week. When I got to his office
he ________ .
a. left
b. has left
c. had left
d. had been left
. We ___________ the new bridge by the end of this year.
a. have completed
b. completed
c. will have completed d. complete
. We will run out of gas before we reach Alex. I _________
at the next gas station.
a. am going to stop
b. will have stopped
c. have stopped
d. stop
. He ___________ French at Cairo University since .
a. teaches
b. taught
c. is teaching
d. has taught
. The leaves usually _________ from the trees in October.
a. falls
b. fall
c. are falling
d. will fall

_________________________________________________________________

English Grammar ______________________________________________________

. Washington, D. C., ________ the capital of the United

States .
a. is/ in
b. has been/ in
c. has been/ for
d. has been/ since
. Books like this one can___________ anywhere.
a. be bought
b. have bought
c. will buy
d. buy
. The windows ___________ while I was there.
a. were cleaning
b. clean
c. cleaned
d. were being cleaned
. This matter ___________ with very soon.
a. will deal
b. has dealt
c. will be dealt
d. will be dealing
. He can't answer these questions properly. He _________
more time studying when he had the chance.
a. must have spent
b. should have spent
c. would spend
d. could spend
. I don't know, but it___________ rain tomorrow.
a. might
b. has to
c. must
d. will
. He couldn't ___________ everything about Europe; he
has never been there.
a. knew
b. know
c. known
d. knows
. I ___________ a calculator while I was doing these
calculations. I made many mistakes.

________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________ English Grammar

a. ought to use
c. must have used

b. should use
d. ought to have used

. Since the new boss took over, we to change our working

methods.
a. have had
b. should have
c. must
d. must have
. Fishing is strictly forbidden in this area. You
___________ fish here.
a. don't have to
b. mustn't
c. ought to
d. should
. ___________ you please help me with this suitcase?
a. May
b. Must
c. Should
d. Could
. Would you mind ___________ the phone?
a. to answer
b. answered
c. answering
d. answer
. He___________ wear a uniform. It is not obligatory.
a. mustn't
b. shouldn't
c. hasn't had
d. doesn't have to
. You'd better ___________ near the edge. It is dangerous.
a. not go
b. go not
c. don't go
d. to not go
. Would you like ___________ to the manager.
a. speak
b. speaking
c. to speak
d. spoke

_________________________________________________________________

English Grammar ______________________________________________________

. The lawyer advised his client___________ the case as

there was no use.
a. dropping
b. drop
c. dropped
d. to drop
. I am used to ___________ in this part of the country.
a. live
b. living
c. have lived
d. will live
. He said the trip without the right company would
be___________.
a. bored
b. bore
c. boring
d. to bore
. Before trains were invented, people used ___________
on horseback.
a. to travel
b. travel
c. travelling
d. to travelling
. My father remembers parts of his childhood quite clearly.
He remembers ___________ to school for the first time.
a. to go
b. go
c. going
d. went
. He said, "I'm terribly sorry to___________
you___________."
a. keep/ wait
b. keep/ waiting
c. keeping/ waiting
d. keeping/ wait
. I hope ..................... you again soon.
a. seeing
b. to see
c. will see
d. see

________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________ English Grammar

. Boys usually enjoy ................... football.

a. playing
b. to play
c. plays
d. play
. You like ................... big trucks. Don't you?
a. driving
b. drive
b. drove
d. driven
. I don't mind .................... the children from school.
a. collect
b. to collect
c. collected
d. collecting
. I think he is a liar; he seems ....................... false
evidence.
a. give
b. to give
c. giving
d. gives
. I've been living here ___________________________________ .
a. two years ago
b. in
c. for two years
d. before
. I couldn't see Bill. When I got into the office, he ______.
a. had gone out
b. went out
c. have gone out
d. has gone out
. I stood up when my father ______________________________ in.
a. comes
b. had come
c. would come
d. came
_________________________________________________________________

English Grammar ______________________________________________________

. At the moment Abdullah

of what they say.
a. is taking
c. has taken

_____________________________

a note

b. takes
d. took

. Right now, I can see that the child _________________

his old toy.
a. hate
b. is hating
c. hates
d. had hated
. How long ago ____ ___________ the United States?
a. have you visited
b. are you visiting
c. do you visit
d. did you visit
. When are you _________________ your English course?
a. will finish
b. finish
c. going to finish
d. finished
. I'm specially glad that Bob's coming to the meeting
because we _______________ him for several months.
a. haven't seen
b. didn't see
c. weren't seen
d. hasn't
. It was such nice weather that we ___________________
camping in the desert.
a. have gone
b. will go
c. went
d. had gone

________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________ English Grammar

(V) Fill in the blanks with the appropriate verb forms

[affirmative or negative] of the base forms given in brackets:
. [drive] The mechanic ________________________ the
car right now.
. [not, eat] When he's on a diet, he __________ potatoes.
. [rain] When I left the office this afternoon, it
_______________.
. [not, have]
I didn't go on the trip because I
___________ any money.
. [win]
Who, do you think, ______________________
the next game?
. [rise]
The sun ___________________ at :
yesterday morning.
. [eat]

I seldom ______________________ Italian food.

. [ring]
The bell ____________________________ and
class began.
. [set] A strong wind blew while we ______________ up
the tent.
. [understand] Good! The poor stranger __________now.
. [install] The company technician ________________
our new AC system right now.
_________________________________________________________________

English Grammar ______________________________________________________

. [check] Our new manager always _____________ on

everything once he gets to the work
. [drive] Ahmed ________________________ to Alex
five days ago.
. [be] We ____________ very happy when we knew
that everyone was home safe and
. [file]
So
far
Carol
and
______________________ six applications.

Henry

. [eat]
Tomorrow
afternoon
______________________ at a Chinese

we

. [break] My vase fell to the

________________ into a hundred pieces.

floor

and

. [use] Our new secretary ______________ a computer

all the time.
. [inherit]
He's
excited
because
__________________ a lot of money recently.
.

he

[go] He ___________________ out ten minutes ago.

. [shop] I _______________________ around for a

good jacket later today.
. [listen]
Shsh!
Someone
__________________________ to our conversation.
. [fall] Rain rarely __________________________ in
the Sahara.
. [hide] I _________________ some money in my
dictionary last week.

________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________ English Grammar

. [get] We all _______________________ wet during

the rainstorm yesterday.
. [be] I _____________ very happy when I saw my
brother home safe and sound.
. [lie]
I
don't
like
him;
___________________ to people.

he

always

. [live] They _____________________________ in

Montreal since they immigrated.
. [work] His associate _________________________
from nine to five every day.
. [go] Bill _____________________________ to the
public library once in a while.
. [knock]
Listen!
I
__________________ at the door.

think

somebody

. [be] The baby _______________________ asleep for

several hours.
(X) Fill in the blanks with the appropriate verbs in the right
tense. The base forms of the verbs are given below:
appear
send

call
occur

drink
see

feel
drive

leave
arrive

. The speaker ________________________________ in his

best suit last night.
. A major earthquake _______________________ in San
Francisco in .
_________________________________________________________________

English Grammar ______________________________________________________

. I've met him twice since he ______________________ in

Cairo.
. My brother ___________________________ sick for a
whole week.
. Next week I ___________________________ you to your
work in my new car.
. This is a good scientific film. I ___________________ it
over three times.
. Look at them! They _________________________ a
signal now.
. I couldn't meet John; when I got to his office, he _______.
. He isn't at home. I __________________________ up a
few minutes ago and there was no answer.
. These people ____________________ gallons of coffee
every day.
(Y) Use the given verb in the right tense:
. [go] They ___________________ to Alex last week.
. [break] My vase fell to the floor and _____________ into
a hundred pieces.
. [read] He usually ___________________ the newspaper
in the evening.
. [smoke] I never _____________________ .

________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________ English Grammar

. [buy] I ________________________________ a new car

next week.
. [lie] I don't like him; he always ____________ to people.
. [rise] Yesterday the sun ____________________ at :.
. [eat] He _________________________ a sandwich right
now.
. [believe] Now I _____________ that I am fully aware of
the situation.
. [play] All the children in the neighbourhood _________
right now.
. [go] I always ___________________________ out on
Thursdays and Fridays.
. [drive] He ________________________ to Port Said
once a month.
. [be] I ____________ very happy when I saw my brother
home safe and sound.
. [finish] When we _______________________________
our work, we went out.
. [wait] We ______________________________ for
quite a while this morning.
. [see] I _________________________________ Ahmed
five minutes ago.
. [travel] Last summer we _________________________
first class.
_________________________________________________________________

English Grammar ______________________________________________________

. [have] I use the same car that I ____________________

five years ago.
. [eat] Tomorrow afternoon we _________________ at a
Chinese restaurant.
. [invent, not] Thomas Edison
the telephone.

___________________

(Z) Use the Past Tense form of the verbs in brackets:

. [be] We ____________________ here yesterday.
. [be] Alexander Graham Bell ___________________
the inventor of the telephone.
. [lie] He ______ to me when he said he was a
mechanic; he doesn't know a thing about car
mechanics.
. [lie] I was tired, so I ____________________ down on
bed for a few minutes.
. [forget] I ______________________ to take this book
back to the library.
. [hide] I _________________ some money in my
dictionary last week.
. [put] This fireman can ______________ out the fire in
only a few minutes.
. [have] We ________________ a wonderful time at
Ahmed's place next weekend.

________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________ English Grammar

. [ring] The bell ___________________ just a few

minutes ago.
.
[drink] He always _______________________
a cup of coffee for breakfast.
.
[feed] Mary __________________________ the
baby at the moment.
.
[blow] The wind ________________ down a
tree in front of our house last October.
.
[get] We all _______________________ wet
during the rainstorm yesterday.
.
[hold]
The
board
of
directors
__________________ a meeting last Tuesday.
.
[leave] The boss _________________ his office
for a business tomorrow morning.

_________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________ English Grammar

Unit ()
The Passive Voice
Objectives:
After studying this unit you should be able to:
. identify the form of the sentence in active voice and in
the passive voice:
. form different verb tenses and forms in the passive
voice.
. detect the errors in the formation of verbs in the
passive voice.

Active Voice:
The doer begins the sentence: I bought a book.
Passive Voice:
The object begins the sentence: The thief was arrested (by
the police).
Usually all sentences are in the active voice unless the
writer or speaker does not want to emphasis or mention the
doer because either:
. the doer is understood as in: The thieves were
arrested. [There is no point in showing that the
doer is the police.]
. or the doer is unimportant or unknown as in:
The money was stolen.
_________________________________________________________________

English Grammar _____________________________________________________

Form of the passive:

verb to be in the form of the
main verb
Reminder:
Infinitive
Write
Play
Put

+ the main verb in the pp

past
wrote
played
put

past participle (pp)

written
played
put

For a complete list, see appendix (C)

Examples:
. The chairman suggests changes.
Changes are suggested by the chairman.
. The chairman suggested changes.
Changes were suggested by the chairman.
. The chairman has suggested changes.
Changes have been suggested by the chairman.
{or
Changes have been suggested. The by phrase
will only be used when necessary.}
Study the following table for the different forms of
verb to be some passive sentences.

________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________ English Grammar

Guide to forming the passive:

Passive of Verb Tenses:
The passive is formed by using the form of the helping
verb to be in whatever tense the writer selects and then
adding the past participle.
Verb-Tense Formation in the
Passive Voice

Example

Present :
am, is, are + past participle

Mail is delivered to the residence hall

every day except Sunday.

Present Progressive :
am being, is being, are being +
past participle

A new addition is being added to the

library.

Past :
was, were + past participle

The grades were posted by the teaching

assistant at : P.M.

Past Progressive :
was being, were being + past
participle

When I arrived at Wellman Hall, the

corrected problem sets were just being
distributed.

Present Perfect :
has been, have been + past
participle

I think the money has already been sent

electronically by the bank.

Past Perfect :
had been + past participle

All the food had been eaten when I

arrived at the potluck.

Future :
will be + past participle

The tests will be given back on

Thursday.

Future Perfect :
will have been + past participle

By the time you arrive at the concert

hall, all the free tickets will have been
given out.

_________________________________________________________________

English Grammar _____________________________________________________

Passive of Modal Verb Phrases:

In a modal verb phrase, the passive is formed by
adding be + the past participle after the modal for the
present tense and have been + the past participle after the
modal for the past tense.
Modal Verb-Tense Formation in
Example
Passive Voice
Present :
Revision for spelling can easily be done
modal + be + past participle
on a computer.
Cheating on tests should be reported
to the Judicial Board.
Past :
modal + have been + past
participle

It is possible that the train could have

been delayed.
I think she should have been elected
chair of the committee.

Passive of Infinitives and Gerunds:

Infinitives in Passive Voice
Present infinitive :
to + be + past participle

Example
She arranged for the make-up test to
be given on Monday.

The results were supposed to have

Perfect infinitive :
to + have been + past participle been sent yesterday.

Gerunds:
Being + past participle

He did not like being called Jim

instead of James.
Being awakened in the middle of
the night by a telephone call upset
Ali.
After being told to go from one
office to another, Hassan finally
found where to turn in his financial
aid forms.

________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________ English Grammar

Transitive vs Intransitive
The third element of the verb is whether:
- it is transitive (t.)
- or intransitive. (int.)
The transitive verb is that which has to have one or
two objects.

object
The boy bought a book
I

indirect object
gave my friend

direct object
a book.

If you stop after the verb, the sentence will not be

grammatically correct.
The intransitive verb is that which does not need an
object and so the meaning will be complete if you stop after
the verb.
The girl is standing.
They are sitting.
To know whether the verb is transitive or not you have to
look it up in a dictionary.

_________________________________________________________________

English Grammar _____________________________________________________

Exercises:
(A) Restate in the Passive Voice:
Examples: They prepared supper.
Supper was prepared.
Nobody speaks Russian here.
Russian is not
spoken here.
is
pp
was pp
is not pp
. Somebody called the fire brigade.
. Nobody opened the door.
. People often prefer coffee for breakfast.
. Somebody opened the door early this morning.
. Somebody checks their names.
. Somebody will wake you at seven oclock.
. They all expected the minister at three oclock.
. People make mistakes sometimes.
. The public demands action.
.

Somebody has broken Johns new vase.

One eats rice with chopsticks in the east.

We serve the soup before the fish at dinner.

A man supports his family as well as possible.

The public reads many newspapers and magazines.

________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________ English Grammar

People use trains and buses to travel to work.

Everybody drinks tea in England.

One never mentions certain matters except in

private.
.

Somebody will meet us at the station.

We pack Dates here.

We respect the elders here.

Shakespeare wrote Othello.

The teacher is going to explain the lesson.

Alex has suggested a new idea.

(B). Change the following active sentences to passive

sentences if possible. Include the "by phrase" only if
necessary:
. They make these artificial flowers of silk.
_________________________________________________
________________
. Somebody had slashed the picture with a knife.
_________________________________________________
__________________
. Alexander Graham Bell invented the telephone.

_________________________________________________________________

English Grammar _____________________________________________________

_________________________________________________
__________________
. We use this room only on special occasions.
_________________________________________________
__________________
. It is high time someone told him to stop behaving like a
child.
_________________________________________________
__________________
. A jellyfish stung him.
_________________________________________________
__________________
. Did the idea interest you?
_________________________________________________
__________________
. There was a sudden thunderstorm while they were on their
way to the tent.
_________________________________________________
_________________
. The police didn't escort the referee from the football field.

________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________ English Grammar

_________________________________________________
__________________
. He has proved this scientific theory to be false.
_________________________________________________
__________________
(C) Complete the sentences with the given verbs using active
or passive in the appropriate tense:
. [give] The Nobel Prize for literature ______________
to Toni Morrison a few years ago.
. [do] Nothing _________________ about the problem,
even though it is getting serious.
. [not, install] A good air conditioner ______________
in my office yet.
. [shop] I ___________________________ around for a
good jacket later today.
. [make] He was angry with himself because he ______
a lot of mistakes.
. [feed] Babies ___________________ five times a day.
. [install] The company technician ________________
our new AC system right now.
. [check] Our new manager always ________ on
everything once he gets to the work place.
_________________________________________________________________

English Grammar _____________________________________________________

. [file] So far Carol and Henry ____________________

six applications.
.

[break]

My

vase

fell

to

the

floor

and

______________ into a hundred pieces.

.

[use] Our new secretary _______________ a

computer all the time.

.

[inherit]

He's

excited

because

he

_________________ a lot of money recently.

(D). Circle the letter of the right answer:

. All sorts of things ___________________ in buses.
a. leave
b. are leaving
c. are left
d. have left
. When I returned, I found that my car _________________
away because I had parked it under a No Parking sign.
a. had towed
b. had been towing
c. had been towed
d. towed
. Dogs guard the warehouse. The other day a thief
___________ to get in and a dog chased him out.
a. was tried
b. had been tried
c. tries
d. tried
. The man who _________________ by a snake was given
a serum.
a. bites
b. bit
________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________ English Grammar

c. had bitten

d. had been bitten

. I found myself in an ____________ situation when I

spilled the coffee on my guest's clothes.
a. embarrassing
b. embarrassed
c. embarrass
d. embarrasses
. There was an accident, but nobody __________.
a. got hurt
b. get hurt
c. hurt
d. gets hurt
. Right now a patient ___________ in the other room.
a. is treating
b. is treated
c. is being treated
d. treats
. There was an explosion yesterday, but no one__________.
a. was hurt
b. had hurt
c. hurt
d. hurts
. We've been suffering from this problem for a long time.
Something must ___________.
a. do
b. have done
c. be done
d. be doing
. These dishes ___________ right after the meal.
a. washed
b. were washed
c. had been washing
d. were washing
. My TV set ___________ twice since I bought it.
a. has fixed
b. have fixed
c. has been fixing
d. has been fixed

_________________________________________________________________

English Grammar _____________________________________________________

(E) Rewrite the following sentences in the passive. Use "the

by phrase" only if necessary.
. They owe a lot of money to the bank.
_________________________________________________
_________________

. Aerosol sprays have damaged the ozone layer.

_________________________________________________
_________________

. They constantly remind us that the world has become

smaller.
_________________________________________________
_________________

. Did they say anything of importance?

_________________________________________________
__

________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________ English Grammar

. Dell doesn't manufacture this type of computer anymore.

_________________________________________________
_________________
. They will not take a decision until the next meeting.
_________________________________________________
________________________
. The MP arrested the run-away soldiers.
_________________________________________________
________________________
. People should send their complaints to the head office
_________________________________________________
________________________

(F) Restate the following sentences in the passive voice.

. The police questioned the three suspects early in the
morning.

_________________________________________________________________

English Grammar _____________________________________________________

_________________________________________________
_______________________
. They always turn their papers in late.
_________________________________________________
_______________________
(G) Change the following sentences into the passive voice.
Use the by phrase only when necessary.
. People speak about languages in the whole world.
_________________________________________________
___________________
. Ibrahim delivers our mail.
_________________________________________________
____________
. Someone has fixed my TV set twice.
_________________________________________________
___________________
. Dr. Martin didn't sign the complaint.

________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________ English Grammar

_________________________________________________
___________________
. They have not painted the outside of our house.
_________________________________________________
_____________
. The police questioned the three suspects early in the
morning.
_________________________________________________
_______________________
. They always turn their papers in late.
_________________________________________________
_______________________
. They will not take a decision until the next meeting.
_________________________________________________
________________________
. The MP arrested the run-away soldiers.
_________________________________________________
________________________
. People should send their complaints to the head office
_________________________________________________________________

English Grammar _____________________________________________________

_________________________________________________
________________________
(H) Convert the following sentences into the passive voice:
. They will not take a decision until the next meeting.
_________________________________________________
____________________
. They make these artificial flowers of silk.
_________________________________________________
_________________
. Somebody had slashed the picture with a knife.
_________________________________________________
__________________
. Alexander Graham Bell invented the telephone.
_________________________________________________
__________________
. We use this room only on special occasions.
________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________ English Grammar

_________________________________________________
__________________
. It is high time someone told him to stop behaving like a
child.
_________________________________________________
__________________
. A jellyfish stung him.
_________________________________________________
__________________
. Did the idea interest you?
_________________________________________________
_____________
. There was a sudden thunderstorm while they were on their
way to the tent.
_________________________________________________
_________________
. The police didn't escort the referee from the football field.
_________________________________________________
__________________
. He has proved this scientific theory to be false.
_________________________________________________________________

English Grammar _____________________________________________________

_________________________________________________
_________________

________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________ English Grammar

Unit ()

Sentence Structure
Objectives:
After studying this unit you should be able to:
. identify the different sentence structures: simple,
compound and complex.
. distinguish between the meanings and structures of
phrases and clauses.
. use the connectors in each of the above structures with
the correct meaning and punctuation.

There are three kinds of sentences in English:

. The Simple.
. The Compound.
. The Complex.
In writing, you have to use the three types so that the
reader will not be bored from reading one type in your text. It
is also a sign of sophistication of ideas if you phrase them in
complex sentences.
To understand this, you have to know the constituents
of each type and differences between them.
_________________________________________________________________

English Grammar ______________________________________________________

Simple :

Subject

Verb

Complement

noun/pro/
noun phrase

adjective

adverb

object

all are phrases

The phrase is a group of words that does not contain a

verb.
The noun phrase, the adverbial phrase and the
adjectival phrase do not contain any verbs.
The simple sentence is composed only of phrases, and
therefore it has only One Verb which is the main verb.

. Simple Sentences:
The boy came yesterday.
The good boy is playing in the garden.
The boy bought a very interesting colourful book.
The clever Egyptian tall boy is playing in the house's
green spacious beautiful garden.
A boy came to the house.

________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________ English Grammar

Because the subject, object and adverb of these sentences

are all phrases, they are simple sentences.

. Compound Sentences:
These are two or more simple sentences connected by
. and
. or
. but
. both......and
. as well as
. either .. or
. neither .... nor
. not only .. but also
Examples:
. The teacher entered the class, and the students sat down.
. He will sleep, or go to the club.
. The place was beautiful, but the weather was bad.
. He will both correct the errors, and rewrite the essay.
. He will correct the errors, as well as rewrite the essay.
. You may either correct the errors, or rewrite the essay.
. He neither went to school, nor studied his lessons.
. Neither did he go to school, nor did he study his lesson.
[Notice that when "neither" comes at the beginning, you
_________________________________________________________________

English Grammar ______________________________________________________

should turn the two sentences into a question form.]

. He not only succeeded, but also got high marks.
.

Not only did he succeed, but he also got high marks.

There are two problems concerning the compound

sentences:
. Run-on sentences.
. Parallel structure.
The Run-on sentence is one of the serious problems
in any one's writing. It means that you continue too many
ideas with no full stop so that the reader cannot follow the
thread of your thoughts. From the grammatical point of view,
your writing is correct but it is not acceptable to write too
long sentences.
For example:
I went to school, met my friends, entered the class,
prepared my books, waited for the teacher, talked with my
colleagues, listened to the lesson, participated in the class
work, felt tired and went back home happily.

Run-on sentence

A serious mistake
________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________ English Grammar

Parallel structure:
a) Parallel meaning:
Theoretically speaking, you can combine any two
simple structures by "and" or "or" but from the point of view
of meaning this is not always possible.
For example:
I met my students and the cars were fast.
The first lesson is on comprehension and there is a film on
television tonight.
There is no clear logical connection between the two
parts of each sentence.
"And" should used to add a point to or group it on one
level or on the same category with the first point.
b) Parallel grammatical structures:
"And" or "or" can connect:
two sentences,
two subjects,
two adjectives,
two adverbs,
two objects,
or
two prepositional phrases.
_________________________________________________________________

English Grammar ______________________________________________________

Therefore, you have to make sure that what comes

before and after "and" belongs to the same grammatical
category.
You cannot connect two different parts of speech or
else it would be a major grammatical mistake.
Examples:
* He prefers to eat breakfast, exercising and to shower
before he goes to class.
[Wrong]
exercising ---> this is different, and therefore
ungrammatical to connect it with the rest.
He prefers to eat breakfast, to exercise and to shower before
he goes to class.
[Correct]

. Complex Sentences:
Definition:
It is composed of one or more clauses (not phrases like
in the simple sentence).
The clause is a sentence embedded in the main
sentence.
Simple
My address is unknown.
subject
complement
noun
adjective
phrase
phrase

Complex
Where I live is unknown.
subject
clause
[connector] + S + V

________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________ English Grammar

Simple
I will meet him tomorrow
adverb of time

phrase

Complex
I will meet him when he comes.

adverbial clause
of time

There are three places in the sentence where we can

replace the phrase with a clause and accordingly there are
three kinds of clauses:

The noun clause

comes in the place of the subject or object
or after a preposition.

The adjectival clause

comes in the place of the adjective
describing one noun of the sentence.

The adverbial clause

comes in the place of the adverb.
For each type there is a group of connectors that
permits the clause to enter the main sentence replacing one of
its constituents.
_________________________________________________________________

English Grammar ______________________________________________________

Noun Clauses
Connectors:
that, what, when, where, why, how,
who, whom, which, whose
N.B.
Though most of these connectors are interrogative
words, they are used in the complex sentence as relative
pronouns connecting a clause to the main sentence replacing
one of its nouns.
Examples:
subject
That - That he was a liar was known by everyone.
subject
Why - Why he was absent is a mysterious fact.
object
When - I do not know when I will see him.
subject
Who - Who comes first will take a present.
Object
What - I could not understand what he said.
How - She could not speak of how she succeeded. > after a
preposition in the prepositional phrase.
________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________ English Grammar

Adjectival Clauses
Connectors:
Relative pronouns:
who, whom, which, that

N. B.
The function of these connectors is different from their
function as connectors in the noun clauses (compare the
examples above to the following).
Examples:
Who:
S V O
S
V
adv.
I met the girl (who visited us three times.)

The whole clause is an

adjective of the noun
Which:
I bought the book (which was highly valued among critics).
[The whole clause is an adjective of the noun].
Rules for Relative Clauses:
Relative clauses are adjective clauses formed with the
relative pronouns who, whom, whose, which, or that or with
the relative adverbs when, where, or why. To use relative
pronouns correctly, you need to be aware of their different
functions in a relative clause.

_________________________________________________________________

English Grammar ______________________________________________________

. Who, that, and which can function as the subject of a

relative clause. Who refers to people, that refers to people
and things, and which refers only to things.
Examples:
The teacher called out the names of those students who [or
that] were absent.
(Who [or that] refers to students and is the subject of the
relative clause).
The book that (or which) was left on the table is no longer
there.
(That [or which] refers to the book and is the subject of
the relative clause).
. Whom, that, and which can function as a direct object in a
relative clause. Whom refers to people, that refers to people
and things, and which refers only to things.
Examples:
The student whom [or that] they have chosen to be editor of
the class newspaper does not want the job.
(Whom [or that] refers to the students and is the direct object
of chosen in the relative clause. In spoken English, who can
be used, but should not be used in formal, written English).
I think the gift that (or which) I found will please Samuel.
(That [or which] is the object of found and refers to the gift).

________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________ English Grammar

. Whom and which can function as the object of a

preposition in a relative clause. Whom refers to persons and
which refers to things.
Examples:
The person for whom these plane reservations were made
never picked up the tickets.
(Whom is the object of the preposition for and refers to the
person).
The history class in which Adela enrolled requires a term
paper.
(Which is the object of the preposition in and refers to the
history class).

. Whose functions as a possessive pronoun in a relative

clause and refers to people or things.
Examples:
The person whose books are on the table will be back soon.
(Whose shows that the books belong to the person).
Eric fixed my car as well as the car whose transmission was
broken.
(Whose shows that the transmission belongs to the car).

_________________________________________________________________

English Grammar ______________________________________________________

. Relative clauses can also be connected to the nouns they

modify with the relative adverbs when, where, and why.
Examples:
The restaurant where we ate is only open for dinner.

Tell me the reason why you had so much difficulty with the
exam.

I will never forget the time when the teacher got mad at us in
class.

Restrictive and non-restrictive relative clauses

In the example sentences given so far in this section,
the information the relative clause added to the sentence is
essential, meaning that it is necessary to identify the noun or
to distinguish the noun from others of the same type.
However, if the relative clause adds additional or extra
information to the sentence, it is set off by commas. The first
is called a restrictive relative clause and the second a nonrestrictive relative clause. The sentences below contain nonrestrictive relative clauses. In non-restrictive relative clauses,
"that" is not interchangeable with who, whom, or which.
________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________ English Grammar

Examples:
My mother, who is ninety-one years old, lives in a
retirement community.
The University of California, which is a public school,
has nine campuses.
My math professor, who loves to cook, invited us all to
dinner at his house.
Thomas Jefferson, whose home was in Virginia,
always loved to return there.
Pepe's restaurant, where we often eat, has an excellent
buffet.

Adverbial Clauses
They include NINE types of adverbs and, for each type, there
is a group of connectors:
N.B.
You have to understand the meaning of these
connectors so that you can use the suitable connector to the
type of writing that you are dealing with.
A Note on Punctuation:
All connectors and their clauses usually come after the
main clause and if they come at the beginning, you have to
use a comma between the subordinate adverbial clause and
the main clause.
e.g.:
He will come when he likes.
no comma
_________________________________________________________________

English Grammar ______________________________________________________

When he likes, he will come.

coma

Connectors:
. Time adverbial clauses
Connectors:
when, as soon as, while/as , after, before,
till/until, since,
no sooner ..... than
hardly ....when
scarcely ... when
You can use any tense with these connectors.
However, some of these connectors require a certain tense.
e.g.
. Since + a definite moment in time:
Usually this is used with the present perfect tense in the main
clause. Usually the tense after since is past simple:
I have been here since he began his speech.
. No sooner ...... than
Hardly .......... when
Scarcely ........ when
These are used with past perfect or past simple and the
first part should be phrased like a question:

________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________ English Grammar

e.g.
- No sooner had he found his watch, than he lost it again.
- Hardly had he thanked us, when he fell down dead.
- Scarcely did he reach his house, when he discovered the
murder.
- If you are to use any of these connectors with the future,
you have to use the present simple instead of the future
simple in the subordinate clauses:
I will meet him when he comes.
[Thats when he comes tomorrow, or next week, etc.]
Though we mean future, we use present simple.
- Adverbial clauses of place
where, wherever
e.g.
The girl followed him where / wherever he went.
- Adverbial clauses of cause
because, as (for cause), since (for cause)
Since his mother was absent, he could do what he
liked.
I punished him because / as he was careless.
- Adverbial clauses of manner.
as, as if , as though
_________________________________________________________________

English Grammar ______________________________________________________

He behaved as he was told.

He fights as though he were a lion.
After "as if and as though, we usually use "were"
instead of "was" with [he, she, it] to show that we are only
supposing a meaning which is imaginary or impossible.
. Adverbial clauses of purpose.
so that, in order that, lest, for fear that
Examples:
He works hard so that he may succeed.
He works hard lest he should fail.
He behaves politely for fear that he may be punished
N.B.
After "so that", "in order that", "for fear that", there
should come "may" or "might" + infinitive and after lest
comes "should".
- Adverbial clauses of result
- so + adj. + that + clause
He is so weak that he cannot walk.
________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________ English Grammar

- such a + noun phrase + that clause

He made such a noise that he was punished
He was such a brave man that he won many battles.
- Contrast.
though / although
However + adjective + S V, main clause
Whatever + noun + S V, main clause
Although he is rich, he is unhappy.
However rich he is, he is unhappy.
Whatever wealth he has, he is unhappy.
- Comparison
as
..... as
not so ..... as
than
the more
the more

..... the more .....

..... the less .....

He is as clever as his brother [is].

He is not so clever as I [am].
"I" has idiomatically changed to be [me].

_________________________________________________________________

English Grammar ______________________________________________________

I am cleverer than he [is]. ( him idiomatically)

The more you work, the more you gain.
/Or/ the less you gain!
- Conditional
If
Unless
Should
Were
Had
"If" and " unless" have three rules of the tenses they
take and the meanings they express
Meaning
Probable future

if/unless clause
Present
If it rains,

main clause
Will or shall +
infinitive
I will stay at home.

improbable future Past

If the rich people
grew poor,

would
should + infinitive
they would
understand the
feeling of the poor.

past time and

hence
impossible

would + have + pp
should
I would have given
him a present.

Past Perfect
If he had come,

________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________ English Grammar

The other three connectors replace If:

Should + subject + infinitive, S + would + inf
should
Should he come, I should give him a present
Were + S + C, S + should / would + inf.
Were I a rich man, I would help the poor.
Other examples:
Had I enough time, I should help everyone..
[had as a main verb]
Had he known of my trouble, he would have helped
me.
[had + pp]
Important notes on clauses:
For all these clauses, there are phrases that can replace
them in meaning but will be shorter in length.
- Remember:
Clause = S V C
The V + ing is not a verb.
The infinitive is not a finite verb.
And so it cannot appear in a clause except with other verbs
like "verb to be".
- Correct: Although I was shouting, he did not hear me
_________________________________________________________________

English Grammar ______________________________________________________

- Wrong: Although I shouting, he did not hear me.

The infinitive is not a verb and so it should not appear
in a clause but it should appear only in phrases.
Wrong: I have studied for six years, so that to learn English.
Correct: I have studied for six years so that I can learn
English.
A List of connectors that are followed by phrases and can
replace the above clauses and their meanings and use:
Meaning Clause

Phrase

-Time

- when / on + noun

when

e.g. When / On seeing

the policeman, the child cried.
as soon as

- immediately + on + noun
Immediately on our arrival,
we went to the club.

while

- during + noun
During the mother's absence,
the boys played.

after

- after + noun

- Having + pp
After his arrival, he met his
students.
Having arrived, he met his
d
________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________ English Grammar

students.
before

- before + noun
He had studied his lessons
before going to bed.

till, until

- Till, until + noun

I shall wait until his coming
back.

Since

- Since + noun
I have not visited him since
his father's death.

No sooner

- Immediately after + noun

(hardly) scarcely

Immediately after his

departure, the thief broke into
the house.

- Place Where

- In + possessive + place

Wherever

- everywhere

He remains where
he is.

He remains in his place.

His dog follows him
everywhere

- Cause because

- because of / - owing to

_________________________________________________________________

English Grammar ______________________________________________________

since
Due to the fact

- on account of / - due to +
noun

that

He could not go to school

because of (owing to, on
account of, due to) his illness.

-Manner as, as if, as though - according to + noun

- like + noun
as I advised him

He did everything according

to my advice.

as if he were a race He was running like a race

horse
horse.
-Purpose

- to
- in order to} + infinitive
so that, in order
that
lest
for fear that

- Result so + adjective /
adverb
such + noun

- so as to
We go to school to (in order to
/ so as to) learn.
- for fear of + noun
I worked hard for fear of
failure.
- too + adj. or adv. + to +
infinitive (a negative meaning)

________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________ English Grammar

He is so old that

He is too old to work.

he cannot work.

He was clever enough to

answer any question

- Contrast though / although In spite of / Despite /

however /
whatever

For all / With all

In spite of (or any of the above
connectors) his strength, he
Although he was was easily beaten.
strong, he was
easily beaten.
.
Comparison

as
not + as
He is as old as I
am.

.
Conditional If / unless

He is of my age.
He is not of my age.

In case of
without + noun
but for
In case of illness, I shall go to
the doctor.
Without books, we would be
ignorant.
But for his help, I would have
failed.

_________________________________________________________________

English Grammar ______________________________________________________

Clause linkers
(within sentences)
Because S V, S V.
S V because S V.
{Note:

S V because of n. or gerund .}

clause

phrase}

-----------------------------Because they needed more time, they postponed the event.

subordinate clause

+ main clause

dependent

+ independent

They postponed the event because they needed more time.

main clause

subordinate clause

independent

dependent

They postponed the event because of lack of time.

one clause

phrase

________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________ English Grammar

While
Whereas
If
Unless
When
As soon as
As
Although
Though
{Note:

In spite of n. or gerund, S V .}

{Note:

Despite n. or gerund, S V .}

Although they exerted great efforts, they failed.

subordinate clause

+ main clause

dependent

+ independent

They failed although they exerted great efforts.

main clause

subordinate clause

independent

dependent

They failed despite the great effort.

_________________________________________________________________

English Grammar ______________________________________________________

one clause

phrase

in spite of

After
Before
Since
S V so that S V.
I knew that S V.

I did not know what S V.

noun clauses

I would like to know why S V. }

Noun Clauses
S

(or C)

. Noun

Noun

. Pronoun

Pronoun

. Noun Phrase

Noun Phrase

. Noun Clause

Noun Clause

. Students

write

essays.

. They

write

them.

. Good students

write

good essays.

________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________ English Grammar

. That they write

essays

What you want

I
How he did it
We
That he is angry

amazes

teachers.

..

them.

..

other students.

proves

that theyre learning.

is

impossible.

Dont know what he wants.

remains

a secret.

understand why he disappeared.

doesnt
bother

me.

know

when hes leaving.

She

knows

which book he chose.

_________________________________________________________________

English Grammar ______________________________________________________

Adjective Clauses

Students who are hardworking write essays.

Students write essays which are sophisticated.

Students whose major is English write essays.

V O

The students I teach write essays.

(whom is understood)

________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________ English Grammar

Sentence linkers
(within paragraphs)

S V. However, S V.

( two structurally separate

sentences)
Therefore,
Thus,
Moreover,
In addition,
Besides,
Furthermore,
Nevertheless,
On the one hand,
On the other hand,
First,
Finally,
Concerning the psychological aspect,
_________________________________________________________________

English Grammar ______________________________________________________

As regards the financial element,

To illustrate,
From the point of view of the outsider,
At one side of the road,
On top of all that,

________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________ English Grammar

Exercises:
A) Analyse the following sentences. (Identify Subjects,
Verbs, and Complements. Determine the number of clauses
involved and which connectors are used):
Simple:
. The child kicked the ball.
. Yesterday morning, the cute little Russian child in the red suit
vigorously kicked the huge synthetic rubbery ball with his left
foot in our garden.
. Rats took this and that to gnaw behind the panels.
. The huge African elephants escaped from the Russian circus in
the north of country.
. In ancient times, primitive people knew how to use fire to their
benefit.

Compound:
. He was in Italy last year, but now he has returned home.
. The man knocked at the door and waited for an answer.
. Our car had a flat tire, and it had started to rain, and some large
black ants were devouring our picnic lunch.
_________________________________________________________________

English Grammar ______________________________________________________

. I left my briefcase behind, so I had to return home.

. She bought very few things, yet she spent a lot of money.
. Hurry up, or youll be late.

Complex:
. I have found the book I have been looking for everywhere.
. The man whose car was parked on the wrong side of the road had
to pay a fine.
. Amy, who is a friend of mine, had to pay a fine for parking in a
No-Parking zone.
. You must find out why he declined the job offer.
. As I was afraid to hurt his feelings, I did not tell him.
. He is sure to pass his examination since he worked so hard.

B) Sentences for Analysis

Compound and Simple:
.

We made the scenery, the girls made the costumes, and

everybody turned out for the amateur theatricals.

.

Children waited to walk home with their parents, and

there was an air of mystery around town.

________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________ English Grammar

Horseback and carriage were the only practical ways of

travel; the roads were impassable to automobiles.

.

Various people passed him, and he walked on, saying

nothing.
.

Ten minutes later, after shedding my disguise, I went

into the restaurant again, and this time the intensity of the
excitement was even greater.
.

He must go to bed early tonight, or he will oversleep

tomorrow morning.
.

One day as the boy came by, the blinds were drawn,

and the opportunity to indulge his longing seemed at hand.

.

He plucked a berry and ate it, but its taste was bitter,

and he took no more.

.

As he was about to turn away, the blinds of a window

flew open, the old lady leaned out and cried Now, you
naughty boy, you have found your reward.
.

At that very moment of fury and flying accusations, the

best thing is to quit this abominable job of reconciling these

warring factions of half-wits.
_________________________________________________________________

English Grammar ______________________________________________________

C) Adjective Clauses
Combine each pair of the following sentences making the
second an adjective clause:
. The mushrooms made me sick. I ate them last night.
. The man was a doctor from Chicago. I met him on the ship.
. The lawyer never sent a reply. I wrote a letter to him.
. The doctor was not a specialist. He arrived late.
. The coffee tasted bitter. I had coffee this morning.
. The child screamed out loud. His toy was smashed.
. He invited several people to the meeting. It was held in a big
hotel.
. I talked to someone. He couldn't understand me.
. The thief took a valuable watch. It doesn't belong to me.
.They contacted the official. He is the only one in charge
there.
________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________ English Grammar

.The company employed an expert. The expert's skills are

limited.
.I lost the papers. You gave these papers to me.
.Mary takes care of my children. Everybody appreciates her
greatly.
.Mary is a good nurse. Everybody appreciates her work.
.I know a man. He makes a living by writing poetry.
.I have a watch. It doesn't need winding.
.I have a neighbor. His dog is always barking.
.My friend helped me a lot. My friend's father has special
connections in the government.
.The doctor gave him the wrong prescription. He visited this
doctor.
.The table was not stable. He placed the vase on it.
.The decision was made too hastily. We objected to this
decision.

_________________________________________________________________

English Grammar ______________________________________________________

.The man is his boss in the Gas Company. He is talking to

him on the phone.
.The dictionary is out of date. They usually use it in their
work.
.The employer is always giving people a hard time. I work
for him.
.Some of the customers are rude. The waiter has to serve
them.
.The woman lives next door to us. She's a speakerine on a
local TV station.
.The daycare center was established to take care of children.
These children's parents work during the day.
.What was the name of the horse? It won the French race.
.The waitress served us last night. The waitress was very
impolite and impatient.
.The lieutenant filed a suit against the company. His Mini
was smashed in the crash.
.I have to call the man. I accidentally picked up his briefcase
after the meeting.
________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________ English Grammar

.I come from a country. Its history goes back thousands of

years.
.He lectured on a topic. I know very little about it.
.The instructor gave me good advice. I spoke to him.
.The people were nice. We visited their house.
.We came within sight of Everest. Its summit has attracted
many climbers.
.There are times. Everyone needs to be alone at these times.
.The lawyer never sent a reply. I wrote a letter to him.
.The exhibition was not very interesting. My friend took me
to see it.
.The police finally caught the man. This man had set the fire.
.I can't remember the name of the person. I gave the money
to him.
.The applicant is not going to be employed. I am holding his
file right now.

_________________________________________________________________

English Grammar ______________________________________________________

D) Conditional Sentences:
(Type )
If I move to Boston, I will live on Main Street.
present S
, future S
If you call your parents, theyll be very happy.
If the mechanic fixes our car on time, well drive to
Alex.
If Im not in a hurry tonight, Ill write to him.
If she isnt sick, shell go to school.
If John doesn't buy a car, he'll buy a motorcycle.
Exercises:
I. Fill in the spaces with verbs in the right tenses:
Example:
If we go to London, we will

visit

the British Museum.

. If they _______ their homework tonight, the teacher

_____ happy.
. If the weather ____________ good, George ___________
swimming this weekend.
. If he ___________ swimming this weekend, he ________
a wonderful time.
. If you don't eat your dinner tonight, you ______________
hungry.
. If you ___________ too many cookies, you ___________
a stomachache.
________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________ English Grammar

. If she misses the bus, she _________________________ .

II. Complete the sentences appropriately:
If the weather is bad tomorrow,
...................................................
If we hitchhike to work, ..
If I don't sleep well tonight, ..
If you don't fix the broken window, ...
If he doesn't curl his hair, ...
If ..............................................., theyll go to a restaurant
tonight.
If ...................................................., his family will be happy.
If ...................................................., his son will be sad.
If ...................................................., his boss will fire him.
If ..................................................., his friends will be jealous.
(Type )
What might happen?
. Paul shouldn't eat so much.
If he ate too much, he might ..........................................
. Your friends shouldn't do their homework so quickly.
If they did it too quickly, they might .............................
. Richard shouldn't worry so much.
If ....................................................................................
. You shouldn't drive so carelessly.
If ........................................................................
. Your cousin shouldn't speak so impolitely to his boss.
If ..................................................................
. Your children shouldn't go to bed so late.
If ...................................................................
_________________________________________________________________

English Grammar ______________________________________________________

. You shouldn't talk so much.

If .........................................................................
Situations
Answer the questions with conditional statements of Type .
. What cities or other places of interest would you visit if
you went to America?
. What would you do (or not do) if you could live your life
over again?
. What would you do or say if someone called you a fool?
. If a visitor came to you town, what places would you
advise him to see?
. What famous person would you like to meet if you had
the chance?
. Which country would you choose if you decided to live
abroad?
. What change would you make in your house, assuming
you had the money?
. What would you do if you saw a house on fire?
. What would you do if you had something stolen?
. Which books would you take with you if you went to live
on a desert island?
Unreal conditions (present time) (type )
Write sentences following the example:
Example:
Sentence: We dont have any wood, so we cant light a fire.
Response:
If we had some wood, we could light a fire.
________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________ English Grammar

. As I dont have a watch, I cant tell you the time.

. Britain doesnt export enough, so it has a constant balance
of payments problems.
. Since I know the meaning of the word, I dont have to look
it up.
. This exercise is easy, so everyone will get the correct
answer.
. I know the answer so I can tell you.
. We havent any matches so we cant light the fire.
. I am not a doctor so I cant prescribe the right medicine for
you.
. He plays very well. Therefore, they give him prizes.

Complete the sentences using conditional statements of type :

. If you explained the situation well to your boss,
..............................
.Perhaps he ......................................... if you spoke to him
yourself.
.If you changed your job, you ..............................................
.If

you

went

to

see

doctor,

h...............................................
.If we bought a house in the country, we ............................
_________________________________________________________________

English Grammar ______________________________________________________

.If they came to see us in London, we..................................

.Im sure he would take the job on if ...................................
.If you took the shoes back to the shop, they........................
.If you read the book a second time, you .............................
.If we all pooled our resources, we ....................................
(Type )
A: Why didnt you pay Tom?
B: You didnt tell me to. If you had told me, I would have
paid him.
(If youd told me, Id have paid him.)
Why didnt you ...
. wait for Henry?
. meet John?
. warn Mary?
. thank James?
. remind the children?
. invite Mr. and Mrs. Jones?
. ring Margaret?
________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________ English Grammar

. send the parcel?

. phone the doctor?
.write to George?
.report it?
.ask Billy?
.help Peter?
.sack Tom?
.look for Philip?
.follow the man?
.search the house?
.vote for Donald?
.stop the car?
.oppose the new policy?

_________________________________________________________________

English Grammar ______________________________________________________

Appendices
(A) Brief Notes on Errors in Complex Sentences
There are three major problems concerning complex
sentences:
Run-on sentences.
Fragments.
Missing verbs in any of the clauses.
Run-on sentences:
This can also happen with complex sentences because
you may go on endlessly with adding different clauses in one
sentence (Look up run-on compound sentences in this book).

Example:
Although the book which I bought, when I came from
England which was very developed in comparison to my
country which at the time of my buying the book was quite
underdeveloped, was nice, I could not read it at that time
because I was very busy reading another book which was
also ...............
The sentence is grammatical but it is very difficult for
the reader to follow all these ideas grouped in one sentence.
________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________ English Grammar

Fragments:
It is one dangling clause or phrase that is not combined
with a main clause.
Examples:
When I was young.
Because she was beautiful.
On my arrival.

Missing verbs in any of the clauses:

Once you choose to write a complex sentence, you
have to be sure that each clause has its constituents:

So, the following is wrong:

Although reading important, I do not like it.

No verb Serious Mistake

_________________________________________________________________

English Grammar ______________________________________________________

Next term we will cover most of the important

problematic areas in the English sentence.
The following is a list of the major errors that we have
covered in this term and that you have to avoid while writing.

________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________ English Grammar

(B) General checklist of language errors covered this

term

Type of
error

Explanation

Examples "for
some items"

vt

incorrect verb tense

yesterday, he likes

vf

verb incorrectly formed

he did not received

ss

incorrect sentence structure

verb is missing.

wo

incorrect or awkward word

order

unparallel
structure, etc.
any word
incorrectly placed.

conn

missing or incorrectly
used connector

unclear

unclear message for any

reason
Incomplete sentence

frag
run-on

non-stop sentences
grammatically or
ungrammatically connected

sva

subject verb agreement

Although he was
ill.

He like. They likes.

_________________________________________________________________

English Grammar ______________________________________________________

(C) Irregular Verbs

This is a list of the most frequently used irregular
verbs of English. The verbs are ordered according to
similarity of conjugation to make learning them easier. The
students are required to make sure they can use the different
forms of the verbs properly.

become / became / become

come / came / come
run / ran / run

be (am / is / are) (was / were) been

see / saw / seen

bite / bit / bitten

do / did / done
go / went / gone
hide / hid / hidden
speak / spoke / spoken
steal / stole / stolen

blow / blew / blown

draw / drew / drawn
fly / flew / flown
grow / grew / grown
know / knew / known
throw / threw / thrown

________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________ English Grammar

bend / bent / bent

bring / brought / brought
build / built / built
buy / bought /bought
catch / caught / caught
dig / dug / dug
feed / fed / fed
feel / felt / felt
fight / fought / fought
find / found / found
get / got / got
hang / hung / hung
have / had / had
hear / heard / heard
hold / held / held
keep / kept / kept
lay / laid / laid
lead / led / led
leave / left / left
lend / lent / lent
lose / lost / lost
make / made / made
mean / meant / meant
meet / met / met
read / read / read
say / said / said
sell / sold / sold
send / sent / sent
shoot / shot / shot
sit / sat / sat
sleep / slept / slept
stand / stood / stood
stick / stuck / stuck

_________________________________________________________________

English Grammar ______________________________________________________

strike / struck / struck

teach / taught / taught
tell / told / told
think / thought / thought
understand / understood / understood
win / won / won

begin / began / begun

drink / drank / drunk
ring / rang / rung
sing / sang / sung
swim / swam / swum

cost / cost / cost

cut / cut / cut
fit / fit / fit
hit / hit / hit
hurt / hurt / hurt
let / let / let
put / put / put
quit / quit / quit
set / set / set
shut / shut / shut
spread / spread / spread

bear / bore / born

bear / bore / borne
break / broke / broken
choose / chose / chosen
drive / drove / driven
eat / ate / eaten
fall / fell / fallen
forget / forgot / forgotten

________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________ English Grammar

forgive / forgave / forgiven

freeze / froze / frozen
give / gave / given
lie / lay / lain
ride / rode / ridden
rise / rose / risen
shake / shook / shaken
take / took / taken
tear / tore / torn
wake / woke / woken
wear / wore / worn
write / wrote / written

_________________________________________________________________