Grammar Points from Turning Point 2

Intermediate 2

Grammar Point: Noun clauses

No one knows why
Subject

the site became buried and lost.

verb
(question word

noun clause
verb)

subject

What archeologists found

Qin.
Noun clause
(q. word subject

was the ancient burial site of Emperor

verb complement

verb)

Notice:
A noun clause has a subject and a verb, but it is not a complete sentence.
The noun clause functions as a noun. This means that it can be the subject or object
of a sentence.
Noun clauses usually begin with: that or if, question words (who, what, etc.) or -ever
words (whichever, whoever).
We add ever to certain words, to expand the possibilities these words express. ever
added to words like when-, where-, who- means no matter or any. We frequently
use these words in noun clauses. Examples: whoever, whatever, whenever, etc.

Grammar Point: Causative Verbs/Have

Qin

had

Subject have

his artisans create a massive clay army.

subject

verb sf

Notice:
Have is a causative verb.
Have indicates that one person asked, ordered, paid or persuaded another person
to do an action.
Have can be in past, present, future or any form, but the second verb is in simple
form.

Grammar Point: Causative Verbs/ Get

I

got my dad to lend me the money.

Subject get

subject

verb infinitive

Notice:
Get is also a causative verb.
Get indicates that someone persuaded, convinced or paid another person to do the
action.
Get can be used in present, past, future or any form, but the principal verb is in
infinitive form.
Get is less formal than have.

Grammar Point: Causative Verbs in Passive Form

Emperor Qin had
I
Subject

got

the army
my hair

causative verb

Updated: September 27, 2007

object

made
cut

for his protection.

last week.

verb past participle

Grammar Points from Turning Point 2

Intermediate 2

Notice:
Have and get can be used in passive form.
Sometimes, the person who actually did the action is not known, or not important.
In this case, we don't mention the person who did the action, only the object.
Have and get can be in any tense. The principal verb is in past participle form.
Actually or Really?
The text says"to substitute for the actual humans"
You know that looking for cognates helps increase your understanding, but you should
also know that some words are false cognates. This means that some English words
look similar to some Spanish words, but the meaning is not the same.
Actual is a case in point. Actual mean real, true.
No one knows the actual date.
If you want to express the idea of now, the present time, you would say: present or
current.
She's currently working for the president's office.
At present, he lives with his parents.
Do you know any other false cognates?

Grammar Point: Adverbs of Manner

The rapid transit system has been greatly expanded.
These farmers have reluctantly accepted.
Causing the landto slowly
collapse.
adverb

verb

Mexico City is changing slowly.

verb

adverb

Notice:
Adverbs are words that we use to modify or describe verbs, adjectives, or other
adverbs.
When the adverb modifies an adjective or adverb, it is usually placed before the
adjective or adverb.
When the adverb modifies a verb, it is usually placed immediately before or after
the verb.
We can form some adverbs by taking an adjective and adding the suffix -ly.

Grammar Point: Adjectives vs. Adverbs

He is a careful driver.
adjective

He was angry.

Updated: September 27, 2007

He drives carefully.
adverb

He spoke angrily to her.

Grammar Points from Turning Point 2

adjective

Intermediate 2
adverb

Notice:
We use adjectives to describe people, places, or things.
We use adverbs to describe actions.

Grammar Point: Exceptions

Not all adjectives form adverbs by adding ly. Some common exceptions are:
Adjective
Adverb
deep
deep
early
early
far
far
fast
fast
good
well
hard
hard
high
high
late
late
low
low
near
near
Notice:
In most of the exceptions, the adjective and adverb have the same form.
The adverb form of good is well.
The adverbs highly, lowly, deeply, lately, nearly, and hardly exist, but the meaning is
different.
How do you feel?
Feel is a linking verb. This means that its function is not to show an action, but to relate
the subject to the complement. Be has the same function. For this reason, both be and
feel use an adjective, not an adverb.
I feel good is correct.
I feel well is not correct.

Grammar Point: Comparative Adverbs

My dad drives carefully, but my mom drives more carefully than he
does.
You sing well, but I sing better.
I get up late, but you get up later.
comparative adverb

Notice:
We can compare using adverbs.
To form the comparative, we say more plus the adverb.
The exceptions form the comparative by adding er.
Two exceptional exceptions: good/well/ better and far/ far/ farther (or further)
Another exception: bad/badly/worse

Grammar Point: Intensifiers

The problem of pollution in Mexico City is quite

Updated: September 27, 2007

serious.

Grammar Points from Turning Point 2

Intermediate 2

On some days, you can't see

very

well because of the

smog.
intensifier

Notice:
Intensifiers are also adverbs.
We use intensifiers to modify or qualify an adjective or another adverb.
Intensifiers are placed before the adverb or adjective they modify.
Some intensifiers are: so, very, too, quite, somewhat, really, pretty, fairly,
extremely.
Very vs. Too vs. So
These three words are intensifiers, but their use is a little different.
Very and too both mean a high degree, but too has a negative idea. It gives the idea of
an excessive degree or quantity.
I was too tired to go to the party.

I ate too much.

I was very tired, but I went to the party, anyway.

So also means to a high degree, but it is less formal than too or very. We frequently use
it for questions or negative sentences.
Why were you so late?
Too vs. enough
We frequently use too with a verb in infinitive form.
He is too young to vote.
We can express this same idea using the word enough.
He isnt old enough to vote.
Notice that we use too before the adjective, but we use enough after the adjective.
So vs. Such
The text says:
How could such a proud and beautiful city become a metaphor for all that could go
wrong with urban development?
Such is also an intensifier. It has a similar meaning to so, but the use is different.
We had such a good lunch.
We use such before nouns.

Lunch was so good.

We use so before adjectives.

An exception is quantifying adjectives. We always use such with quantifiers like: many
and
much.
There were so many people at the party that we couldnt dance.
I had so much to eat that now I cant move.

Grammar Point: Use of The

Updated: September 27, 2007

Grammar Points from Turning Point 2

Intermediate 2

Mexico City is running out of water.

The water used by the Mezquital farmers is polluted.
Notice:
The is the definite article.
We use the when we are talking about something specific.
When we are talking about generic things (things in general) we don't use the
article.
Another vs. other
Other and another can both be used as adjectives to qualify a noun. The meaning is
similar. The difference is that another is used for the singular and general, and other for
the plural or the specific.
it is another stark reminder (not specific; one of many)
the other serious problem is the shortage of water. (singular, specific)
deadlines for the use of other compounds are being contemplated. (plural: any
compounds)

Grammar Point: make vs. do

It just went together about what computers could doI knew how radar
made images on the oscilloscope
Notice:
Many people confuse the usage of the verbs make and do, because they
have similar meanings.
Do usually means to perform an activity or a job.
Make usually means to create or produce something.
The following is a list of some expressions with make and do. Check a
dictionary to complete the expressions.
____

AN ASSIGNMENT

____ GOOD
____ ONE'S BEST
____ EXERCISES
(GRAMMAR)
____ AN OFFER
____ LAUNDRY
____

TROUBLE

____

NOISE

____
____
____
____
____

BREAKFAST
LUNCH
AN EFFORT
ARRANGEMENTS
A GOOD JOB

____

HOUSEWORK

____

A PROMISE

____
____
____

A MISTAKE
EVIL
WELL (SUCCEED)

____
____
____

AN EXCUSE
THE BED
SOME CHANGES

____
____

A PLAN
BUSINESS

____
____
____
____

LOVE
WAR
PEACE
A DECISION

____ THE DISHES

____ EXERCISE
(PHYSICAL)
____ A RESERVATION

____
____
____
____

A FAVOR
RESEARCH
EXPERIMENTS
AN EXCEPTION

____

____

A PHONE CALL

Updated: September 27, 2007

AN ATTEMPT

Grammar Points from Turning Point 2

Intermediate 2

Grammar Point: Special verb patterns.

Some verbs are always followed by the gerund form of a verb. For example: My father
enjoys hiking. The verb enjoy is always followed by a gerund.
Some verbs are always followed by the infinitive form. For example: You promised to
arrive early. The verb promise is always followed by an infinitive.
Some verbs can use either an infinitive or a gerund: For example: I prefer to have a
light dinner. I prefer eating little at night. Prefer can use either a gerund or an infinitive.
However, there are some verbs that are followed neither by a gerund nor by an
infinitive. Look at these examples.
Ive seen that movie three times, but it still makes me cry.
The last Beatles album was called Let it Be.
Help your mom put the books away.
What pattern do you see for these three verbs?
Make
Let + _____________________ + ____________________
Help
Verbs of perception, like see, watch, hear, and feel follow a pattern of their own.
Compare these sentences:
I slept badly last night. All night long I could hear a dog barking.
Is someone there? I heard the door open.
I got so mad when I saw that man hitting his dog.
We saw when the blue car hit the red one.
When do we use simple (or base form) and when do we use ing form?
Verb + object + simple form = _____________________________________________
Verb + object + -ing form = _______________________________________________

Grammar Point: Subjunctive form of the verb

Oxford recommends that you give yourself rewards.
Oxford suggests that you pay attention to how you feel.
It is also important that you get plenty of rest
Notice:

When we use certain verbs or expressions, we use the verb in a special form
that is called present subjunctive.

Updated: September 27, 2007

Grammar Points from Turning Point 2

Intermediate 2

The present subjunctive looks the same as the simple form.

We use subjunctive present with certain expressions:

I recommend that

Its important that

I suggest that

Its necessary that

I demand that

Its indispensable that

Note: We say: He recommended that I go.

He recommended me to go is incorrect. This is Spanish construction.

Grammar Point: Participial phrases Active Construction

He wanted to get a raise, so he talked to his boss.
Wanting to get a raise, he talked to his boss.
He didnt want to arrive late, so he took a taxi.
Not wanting to arrive late, he took a taxi.
Notice:

These are participial phrases with active construction.

Do you have passive construction in the first example?
______________________________
What happens to the verb? ____________________________________________________
Do the two subjects refer to the same person?
____________________________________
Can we use this construction if the subjects are different?
___________________________
What happens to the auxiliary in the negative?
____________________________________

Grammar Point: Defining relative clauses

These were innovations

that

relative pronoun
(subject)

now allowed nation-wide distribution.

verb

Notice:
A defining relative clause describes the noun immediately before it.
Without a defining relative clause, the sentence is complete, but the idea isn't.
Relative clauses begin with relative pronouns: who or whom for people; which for
things: that for people or things; whose for possessions, where for places.
In some cases, the relative pronoun is the subject of the relative clause. Sometimes,
it is the object.
Whom is used to substitute the object. It is used in formal English.

Where?

Updated: September 27, 2007

Grammar Points from Turning Point 2

Intermediate 2

Ulan Bator, where I lived for three months, is hot and humid.
In this sentence you refer to the place as a location.
Ulan Bator, which is the capital of Mongolia, is hot and humid.
In this sentence you refer to the place as a thing.

Grammar Point: Non-defining relative clauses

Merchants employed "town criers", who shouted the praises of the
merchant's wares.
In the 1950s came television, which quickly became the number one
advertising medium.
Some of the first brands were firms like Coca Cola, whose trademark is the
best known in the world today.
Notice:
A non-defining relative clause gives extra information about a noun.
A non-defining relative clause begins with who or whom, if it describes a person;
which if it describes a thing; whose if it describes possessions; or where if it
describes a place.
A non-defining relative clause cannot begin with that.
The non-defining relative clause can describe a subject or an object.
If it is describing an object, and that object is a person, whom is used in formal
English.
The non-defining relative clause is separated from the rest of the sentence by
commas.

Grammar Point: Modals for uncertainty in the past

After more than one hundred years, the mystery persists: who was Kaspar Hauser?
Why was he kept in captivity for 17 years? Why was he killed?
Some people have speculated:
He might have been

the son of an important personage.

He may have been killed because he could identify someone.

He must have learned

to speak as a young boy.

What auxiliaries do we use to speculate about the past?_________________________

______________________________________________________________________
In what form is the verb? _________________________________________________
May/ might have the same meaning. What about must?
______________________________________________________________________

Updated: September 27, 2007

Grammar Points from Turning Point 2

Intermediate 2

Grammar Point: Reflexive Pronouns

The boy himself could write two words
I will tell you myself
Notice:
Himself and myself are reflexive pronouns.
We use reflexive pronouns when the subject and the object of the sentence refer
to the same person.

Grammar Point: Participial Phrases Passive Contruction

Named Rosetta after the town where it was found,
the stone paved the way to the interpretation of hieroglyphs.
Notice:

Named Rosetta is what we call a participial phrase.

It begins with the past participle form of the verb.
We use participial phrases in formal writing to avoid repeating.
The subject of the two ideas must be the same.
The construction must use Passive Voice.

Grammar Point: Reduced Adverb Clauses

While extending a fortress near Rosetta, a young French officer named PierreFrancois Bouchard found a block of black basalt stone.
This sentence means: While he was extending a fortress
Before eating dinner, I took the dog for a walk.
This sentence means: Before I ate dinner, I took the dog for a walk.
Notice:

We can also reduce adverb clauses.

Because the subject is the same in both parts of the sentence, its possible to
reduce by eliminating the repeated subject and the auxiliary be.
If the sentence doesnt have be, we can change the verb to ing form.
We can only reduce adverb clauses that begin with: while, since, after and before.

Grammar Point: Third Conditional

If Scott
faster.

had taken dogs,

If + subject + ____________,

he

could have

subject + _______________

traveled

+ verb in ______ form.

________________
________________

Notice:
This is the Third Conditional
We use the Third Conditional to talk about how things would or could have been
different.
We can use first the condition, then the result, or vice-versa.

Updated: September 27, 2007

Grammar Points from Turning Point 2

Intermediate 2

In the condition, the verb is in ____________________ tense.

In the result, we use the auxiliaries ______________, ______________, or ______________
and the verb in ___________________ form.
We can use unless instead of if not.

Grammar Point: Expressing Regret

Robert Scott should have planned his journey more carefully.
ought to have
He shouldnt have taken five men with him.
ought not to have
Notice:

We use the auxiliary should have to express regret about something we did or
didn't do.
The verb is always in ________________ form.
The contraction is pronounced ____________________.

Grammar Point: Expressing Regret with Wish

Another way to express regret is to use wish :
I wish I hadnt said that.
S + wish + S + had +

verb past participle

Notice:

We can express regret with the verb wish.

The verb wish is in the present, the second verb is in Past Perfect Tense.

Grammar Point: Until

We wont know the results of the test until tomorrow.
I will be waiting for you until tomorrow.
Notice:

Until is a time marker.

When we use it in affirmative sentences, it tells us when the action finished (or will
finish.)
When we use it in negative sentences, it tells us when the action began (or will
begin.)

Updated: September 27, 2007