The English Alphabet

The English Alphabet has 26 letters. In alphabetical order, they are:

abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz The rhyming Alphabets
Five of the letters are "vowels". Twenty-one are "consonants":
5 vowels a e i o u · A as in "apple"
· B as in "boy"
21 · C as in "car"
b c d f g h j k l mn p q r s t v wx y z
consonants · D as in "dog"
· E as in "ear"
Each letter may be written as a "large letter" (capital) or "small letter". · F as in "flag"
· G as in "great"
Capital letter Small letter · H as in "house"
A a · I as in "insect"
B b · J as in "joy"
C c · K as in "kind"
D d · L as in "light"
· M as in "magic"
E e · N as in "night"
F f · O as in "orchestra"
G g · P as in "people"
H h · Q as in "question"
I i · R as in "red"
· S as in "sure"
J j
· T as in "truck"
K k · U as in "unique"
L l · V as in "video"
M m · W as in "wow"
N n · X as in "xerox"
· Y as in "yes"
O o
· Z as in "zebra"
P p
Q q
R r
S s
T t
U u
V v
W,X,Y,Z w,x,y,z
Numbers
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 Number comprehension
1. He lives at 54Greene Street.

1 – One 2 - two 3 - three 2. Pat is celebrating his birthday next week. He'll be 18years
4 - four 5 - five 6 - six old.
7 - seven 8 - eight 9 - nine 3. That's 35 please.
10 - ten 11 - eleven 12 - twelve
4. My telephonenumber is 214 254 666 .
13 - thirteen 14 – fourteen 15 - fifteen
16 - sixteen 17 – seventeen 18 - eighteen 5. She arrives at six o'clock.
19 - nineteen 20 - twenty 21 - twenty-one 6. OK, I'll see you on Tuesday,March 17.
22 - twenty-two 23 - twenty-three 24 - twenty-four
25 - twenty-five 26 - twenty-six 27 - twenty-seven 7. My computer only cost $325!
28 - twenty-eight 29 - twenty-nine 30 - thirty 8. He's worked there for 13 years.
40 – forty 50 – fifty 60 - sixty
9. He needs 12 new workers.
70 - seventy 80 - eighty 90 - ninety
100 - one hundred 10. She learned the program in 21 days!

Notice how the accent on 14, 15, 16, etc. is on "-teen" and 40,
50, 60, etc. is on the beginning "four-"
· 17
· 70
· 33
· 98
· 189
NOTE
In British English use "and" when saying numbers in the How are you? Beginning English with
hundreds. Example: seven hundred AND twenty seven.In
American English do NOT use "and" when saying numbers in the the verbTo be:
hundreds. Example: seven hundred twenty seven. Read the conversations below:
Ken: Hello, My name's Ken. What's your name?
Jack: Jack. How are you?
Ken: I'm fine, and you?
Jack: Great. Where are you from?
Ken: I'm from Seattle.
Ken: Where is that girl from?
Jack: She's from Japan
Ken: How old is she?

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Jack: She's twenty-six
Complete the conversation.
Mary: Hello. My name _______Mary. What’s _____name?
Peter: Peter. How _____you?
Mary: I’m ______and you?
Peter: Ok, _______ ________you from?
Mary: _________from Ireland.
The above conversations used the verb "to be". Look at the
conjugation charts of the verb "to be"
Positive
I am from Seattle.
He She It is from Toronto.
We You They are from Japan.
Negative
I am not (I'm not) from Seattle.
He She It is not (isn't) from Toronto.
We You They are not (aren't) from Japan.
Questions
Where am I from?
Where is he she it from
Where are we you they from?
Read the text below
Parts of speech
My name is Ken Beare and I'm a teacher. My address is Green
Street, 19 and my telephone number is 0587 678 5439. I'm 39
years old and I'm married. My daughter, Katherine, is two and
half years old. My wife, Barbara, is Italian. She is a bank teller.
Fill in the gaps in this paragraph.
My name ______Mario and _____a doctor. My________is York pronouns, conjunctions, prepositions and interjections. We will add
Avenue, 23 and my _______________ ________896 75097 one more type: articles.
7854;_________45 years________and I'm married. My son,
Peter,_________ten _______. My wife, Giorgia, is American.
It is important to be able to recognize and identify the different types
She__________a lawyer. of words in English, so that you can understand grammar
explanations and use the right word form in the right place. Here is a
brief explanation of what the parts of speech are:
Write a paragraph about you.

3

A noun is a naming word. It names a person, place, thing,
Noun idea, living creature, quality, or action. Examples:
cowboy, theatre, box, thought, tree, kindness, arrival
A verb is a word which describes an action (doing
Verb something) or a state (being something). Examples:
walk, talk, think, believe, live, like, want
An adjective is a word that describes a noun. It tells you
Adjective something about the noun. Examples:
big, yellow, thin, amazing, beautiful, quick, important
Adverb An adverb is a word which usually describes a verb. It tells
you how something is done. It may also tell you when or
where something happened. Examples:
slowly, intelligently, well, yesterday, tomorrow, here,
everywhere
A pronoun is used instead of a noun, to avoid repeating the
Pronoun noun. Examples:
I, you, he, she, it, we, they
A conjunction joins two words, phrases or sentences
Conjunction together. Examples:
but, so, and, because, or
A preposition usually comes before a noun, pronoun or
noun phrase. It joins the noun to some other part of the
Preposition
sentence. Examples:
on, in, by, with, under, through, at
An interjection is an unusual kind of word, because it often
stands alone. Interjections are words which express
Interjection emotion or surprise, and they are usually followed by
exclamation marks. Examples:
Ouch!, Hello!, Hurray!, Oh no!, Ha!
An article is used to introduce a noun. Examples:
Article
the, a, an
What are the different types of pronouns?
There are four types of pronouns: Subject Pronouns, Object Pronouns,
Possessive Pronouns and Demonstrative Pronouns. Here is a list and
explanation showing the different types of pronouns:
· Subject Pronouns - I, you, he, she, it, we, you, they function
as the subject of a sentence:
I live in New York.
Do you like playing tennis?
He doesn't want to come this evening.
She works in London.
It won't be easy.
We are studying pronouns at the moment.
You went to Paris last year, didn't you?
They bought a new car last month.
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 · Object Pronouns - me, you, him, her, it, us, you, them serve Can we bring our children?
as the object of a verb. You are welcome to invite your husbands.
They bought their children a lot of presents.
Give me the book.
He told you to come tonight.
She asked him to help.
They visited her when they came to New York.
She bought it at the store.
He picked us up at the airport.
The teacher asked you to finish your homework.
I invited them to a party.
· Possessive Pronouns - mine, yours, his, hers, its, ours,
yours, theirs show that something belongs to someone
· Note that the possessive pronouns are similar to possessive
adjectives (my, his, her). The difference is that the object follows the
possessive adjective but does not follow the possessive pronoun.
For example - Possessive Pronoun: That book is mine. -
Possessive Adjective: That is my book.
That house is mine.
This is yours.
I'm sorry, that's his.
Those books are hers.
Those students are ours. Reflexive pronouns
Look over there, those seats are yours.
Theirs will be green.
· Demonstrative Pronouns - this, that, these, those refer to
things. 'this' and 'that' refer to something that is near. 'that' and
'those' refer to things that are farther away.
Personal Pronoun Reflexive Pronoun
This is my house.
That is our car over there.
These are my colleagues in this room. I myself
Those are beautiful flowers in the next field.
Possessive Adjectives you (singular) yourself
Possessive adjectives - my, your, his, her, its, our, your, their are often
confused with possessive pronouns. The possessive adjective modifies the you (plural) yourselves
noun following it in order to show possession.
I'll get my books. he himself
Is that your car over there?
That is his teacher, Mr Jones.
I want to go to her store. she herself
Its color is red.
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 it
we
they
When to use a reflexive pronoun
Reflexive pronouns are used in three main situations:
When the subject and object
are the same
As the object of a preposition,
referring to the subject
When you want to emphasize
the subject
itself
ourselves
themselves
Demonstratives - this, that, these, those.
This/that/these/those show the relative distance between
the speaker and a noun.
This refers to something near to the speaker, that to
something further away. These is the plural of this, and
those is the plural of that.
I hurt myself.
The band call themselves "Dire
Straits".
He shot himself.
I bought a present for myself.
She did it by herself (=alone). Sometimes demonstratives are pronouns, for example:
- "This is my Mom." Mom is near to the speaker
That man is talking to himself.
- "These are my books." The books are near the speaker.
I'll do it myself. (No-one else - "I don't like that." He doesn't like something that is
will help me.) further away.
Sometimes demonstratives can also be adjectives, for
They ate all the food
example:
themselves. (No-one else had
any.) - That man is a doctor.
- I like those jackets.
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- I don't like that movie.

Describing your family

Read the following description of a family.
Jack is married to Alice. She is his wife and he is her husband.
They have a daughter and son. The son's name is Henry and the
daughter's name is Lisa. The live next to Alice's parents, Harry
and Marjorie. Harry is Alice's father and Marjorie is her mother.
Harry is Jack's father-in-law and Marjorie is his mother-in-law.
exercises. Henry is Harry's grandson and Lisa is Marjorie's granddaughter.
Alice has a sister and brother. Her sister's name is Mary and her
Complete the sentences using this, that, these or those. brother's name is Frank. Frank has two children, David and
Example: I like this picture. (this, these) Sherrie. Sherrie is Alice's niece and David is Alice's nephew. Alice
is their aunt and Jack is their uncle.
Complete the following chart of family relationships using
1.____________ is a red box. the opposite family members. The first has been done for
you.
2._____________is a blue box.
husband wife

son daughter
Father-in-law mother-in-law
3._________________are boxes. uncle aunt
nephew niece
grandfather grandmother
grandson granddaughter
4._______________are boxes father mother
brother sister
Look at the possessive chart. Complete the story above
using the correct possessives (my, your, son's, Jack's etc.).
The first has been done for you.
I my
You your
He his
She her
It its

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We our
You your
They their
Jack Jack's
Jack is married to Alice. She is his wife and he is her
husband. They have a daughter and son. The son’s name is
Henry and the daughter’sname is Lisa. The live next to
Alice's parents, Harry and Marjorie. Harry is Alice's father
and Marjorie is her mother. Harry is Jack's father-in-law and
Marjorie is his mother-in-law. Henry is Harry’s grandson and
Lisa is Marjorie's granddaughter. Alice has a sister and
brother. Her sister's name is Mary and her brother’s name is
Frank. Frank has two children, David and Sherrie. Sherrie is
Alice's nice and David is Alice's nephew. Alice is their aunt
and Jack is their uncle.
Write a description of your family!
Dire l'heure
(3) , four (4), five (5), six (6), seven (7) , eight (8) , nine (9), ten (10),
eleven (11), twelve (12), thirteen (13), fourteen (14), fifteen (15),
sixteen (16), seventeen (17), eighteen (18), nineteen (19), twenty
(20), twenty-one (21), twenty-two (22), twenty-three (23), twenty-
four (24), twenty-five (25), twenty-six (26), twenty-seven (27),
twenty-eight (28), twenty-nine (29).
1) UTILISER UN SYSTEME SUR 12 HEURES ET NON PAS
SUR 24 HEURES
En français, on dit facilement: "il est 15h". En anglais, on utilise
un système sur 12h. "15 heures" sera donc "3 heures de l'après-
midi" et "3 heures" sera "3 heures du matin".
Pour indiquer cette différence entre le matin et l'après-midi/le
soir, on utilise l'abréviation qu'on retrouve sur les montres
digitales: "am" ou "pm"
3 am = 3 heures du matin (am = ante meridiem = avant midi: c'est
du latin).
3 pm = 3 heures de l'après-midi (pm = post meridiem = après
midi. C'est aussi du latin).
> 2) METTRE LES MINUTES EN PREMIER!
Contrairement au français, on indique toujours les minutes en
premier.
8 h 20 = 8.20 am = it's twenty past eight.
9 h 55 = 9.55 am = it's five to ten.
> 3) CONNAITRE LA DIFFERENCE ENTRE "PAST" ET "TO"
Pour construire l'heure, on a besoin de 2 petits mots bien utiles.
- PAST: pour toutes les minutes de 1 à 30. Pour s'en souvenir plus
facilement, on peut remplacer PAST par "après".
- TO: pour toutes les minutes de 31 à 59. Pour s'en souvenir plus
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facilement, on peut remplacer TO par "pour aller jusqu'à".
Exemples:
8.20: Il y a 20 minutes après 8 h => it's twenty past eight.
11.10: Il y a 10 minutes après 11h => it's ten past eleven.
9.40: il faut 20 minutes pour aller jusqu'à 10h => it's twenty to ten.
6.55: il faut 5 minutes pour aller jusqu'à 7h => it's five to seven.
(attention à ne pas tromper, il faut bien indiquer l'heure suivante. Cela
correspond en français à notre "il est 7h moins 5".)
Voilà, vous savez tout! L'heure, c'est facile! Exceptions!
Bon, bien sûr, il y a quelques exceptions, mais il n'y a rien de bien
méchant, vous allez voir:
1) L'HEURE PILE
Quand il est "8h" ou "8h pile", on dit: "it's eight o'clock" –
(Bien sûr, cela fonctionne avec toutes les heures).
2) LE QUART D'HEURE
On utilise "quarter".
9.15 = it's a quarter past nine.
8.45 = it's a quarter to nine.
3) LA DEMI-HEURE
On utilise "half" (ce qui veut dire: la moitié: la moitié d'une heure).
On fait bien attention à prononcer le "h" et à par contre oublier le "l".
6.30 = it's half past six.
8.30 = it's half past eight
On peut résumer l'heure à ce dessin:
What's the time?
What time is it?
NB: "midi" = "midday" (mid = milieu, day = jour) | "minuit" =
"midnight"
IMPORTANT! Différences entre l'anglais britannique et l'anglais
américain
Nous vous avons présenté sur cette page le cours que vous trouverez
dans d'autres méthodes. C'est le plus répandu. Cela correspond à
l'anglais américain - la version la plus simple. Néanmoins, plusieurs
utilisateurs britanniques (caz9 et billy notamment) de notre site
souhaitent attirer votre attention sur le point suivant:
en anglais britannique,
-> vous devez ajouter le terme 'minutes' après les minutes:
09:23 = it's twenty-three minutes past nine
07:52 = it's eight minutes to eight
Bien sûr, pour les exceptions (quarter, half, o'clock), cela ne
s'applique pas:
09:15 = It's a quarter past nine
09:30 = It's half past nine
04:00 = it's four o'clock
Nos anglophones vous conseillent également de ne pas utiliser
'MINUTES' pour les minutes 'rondes', c'est-à-dire: 5, 10, 20, 25, 35,
40, 50, 55
09:05 = it's five past nine
Pour résumer, donc, en anglais britannique, vous ne devez utiliser
'MINUTES' que pour les minutes qui ne sont pas 'rondes' - les
exceptions entrant dans ce cadre.
Telling time
Read the short description below:
I usually get up at a quarter past seven - that's seven fifteen in
the morning. I have breakfast at eight o'clock and then take the
bus to work at half past eight. I usually arrive at work at a
quarter to nine. Sometimes, the bus is late and I arrive at about
nine. My morning is usually pretty busy and I like taking a coffee
break at twenty to eleven if possible. I then work to lunchtime at
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 noon. In the afternoon, I usually have another break at three · C) Have you got the time by any chance?
fifteen. I usually finish work at a quarter to five and arrive home it’s ten twenty
around six in the evening. At night, I usually go to bed at eleven · D) Do you have the time, please?
o'clock. it’s a quarter past ten
Look at the rules for telling time in English. · E) Sorry, could you tell me the time, please?
In English we use "past" to We use "to" to say times before it’s a quarter to two
say times after the hour until the hour from 31 minutes until · F ) What's the time please?
half past, or 30 minutes past the full hour. it’s two fifty
the hour.
· G) Do you know what the time is?
In English we use o'clock only We can also just say the numbers
it’s ten fifty
at the full hour. Example: It's in groups of two. Example: It's
eight o'clock seven twenty-five
When speaking about the Be careful! In English we use at
different times of the day we night NOT in the night
often use: in the morning, in
the afternoon, in the evening

Tell the times below, click on the arrow to see the possible
answers:

10:30a.m
it’s half past ten or thirty past ten in the morning
12:15 p.m
it’s quarter past twelve or twelve fifteen in the afternoon Articles
9:45p.m 1. Articles
it’s a quarter to ten or nine forty five in the evening
Articles are a kind of adjective, they show how particular
or how general a noun is.
There are three kinds of article: the, a/an, and having no
English listening quiz : How to tell time article, zero article.
2. A/An - Indefinite Article
You will hear various people asking the time. You will hear the
A is used for indefinite things. For example:
selection twice. Write down the answers to the questions and then
click on the arrow to see if you have answered correctly. Notice - I have a book. I don't have a specific book, just any
the different ways people ask for the time. book in general.
- She lives in a house. Again, the house is just a general
A) What's the time? house, not a particular house.
it’s half past three
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A is also used only for singular countable nouns. For
example:
- A book, a chair, a person, a building, etc.
An has the same meanng as a.
A is used in front of words starting with a consonant
sound, such as b, c, d, g, p.
An is used in front of words that start with a vowel sound
such as a, e, i, o, or u. For example:
- a bear, a fox, a newspaper.
- an apple, an egg, an umbrella.
An can also be used before words starting with "h".
Sometimes this is optional, for example: a hotel, or "an
hotel". Here the "h" sound in hotel is pronounced.
Occasionally this is not optional, for example: an honor,
not a honor. The "h" sound in honor is not pronounced, so
this word actually starts with the vowel sound "o". As a
result, we need to use an.
2. The - Definite Article
The is used for particular, definite things. For example:
The is used for something already mentioned.particular,
definite thing. For example:
The is used for a particular, definite thing. For example:
3. Zero Article
Zero article is generally for when something is seen as
neither definite or indefinite, it simply exists.
Zero article is used in front of plural countable nouns.
For example:
I like eggs. I like an eggs.
Flowers are beautiful. A flowers are beautiful.
Zero article is used in front of singular uncountable
nouns. For example:
I like milk. I like a milk.
Soccer is fun. The soccer is fun.
Zero article is used in front of proper nouns. For
example:
My name is Jeremy. My name is a Jeremy.
I live in London. I live in a London.
Exercises
Use the correct article: "a", "the", or " " (zero article).
Example: I like _____ oranges. (zero article)
Example: I want an orange.
1. I have ___________________book.
_________________book is really interesting.
2. My pen is on _________________________table.
3. I am _____________________________teacher.
4. _______________________teacher at my school is really
nice.
5. What is it? It's _________________________elephant.
6. We live in _________________________Portugal.
7. I have ______________________rice and
_______________________chicken for lunch
8. A chick is _______________________________baby chicken.
Answers
1. a
2. The
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3. the the next time you repeat that object use "the".
4. a I live in a house. The house is quite old and has four
5. The bedrooms.
6. an I ate in a Chinese restaurant. The restaurant was very
7. good.
8.
9. 5 DO NOT use an article with countries, states,
10. a counties or provinces, lakes and mountains except when
the country is a collection of states such as "The United
States".
He lives in Washington near Mount Rainier.
They live in northern British Columbia.
“ A, An, The” definite and indefinite articles in
6 Use an article with bodies of water, oceans and seas
English -
Read the following description My country borders on the Pacific Ocean

I am from Seattle, Washington. Seattle is a city in the United 7 DO NOT use an article when you are speaking about
States. It is near the border of Canada in the northwest corner of things in general
the USA. I live in a town called Olympia which is on the Puget I like Russian tea.
Sound. I live in a house in a street in the countryside. The street She likes reading books.
is called "Bear Street" and the house is old - more than 100 years 8 DO NOT use an article when you are speaking about
old! I am an English teacher at a school in the center of the town. meals, places, and transport
I like books and taking photographs. I usually have lunch at He has breakfast at home.
school. I usually go home by car. We have all kinds of food in I go to university.
Olympia. I like Italian food very much. Sometimes, I go to an He comes to work by taxi.
Italian restaurant in Seattle. The restaurant is called "Luigi's".
Fill in the gaps. Click on the arrow to see the answer.
Italian food is great!
Here are the rules for when to use "A, An or The": I am from Seattle, Washington. Seattle is city in United

1 a = indefinite article (not a specific object, one of a States. It is near border of Canada in northwest
number of the same objects) with consonants
She has a dog. corner of the USA. I live in town called Olympia which is
I work in a factory. on Puget Sound. I live in house in street in the
2 an = indefinite article (not a specific object, one of
countryside. street is called "Bear Street" and house is old
a number of the same objects) with vowels (a,e,i,o,u)
Can I have an apple? - more than 100 years old! I am English teacher at school
She is an English teacher.
in center of town. I like books and taking
3 the = definite article (a specific object that both the
person speaking and the listener know) photographs. I usually have lunch at school. I usually go
The car over there is fast.
The teacher is very good, isn't he? home by car. We have all kinds of food in Olympia. I like

4 The first time you speak of something use "a or an", Italian food very much. Sometimes, I go to Italian
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restaurant in Seattle. restaurant is called "Luigi's". Italian It is
food is great!
Write a description of your home town.

3. First Sentences
Subject pronouns- verb “to be”
English is a Subject-Verb-Object (SVO) language -
1.Personal Pronouns meaning that sentences are made with the subject first,
Personal pronouns tell which person or thing we are then the verb, and finally the object. Using the above
speaking about. grammar we can now make basic English sentences, for
The personal pronouns in English are: example:
- I am a teacher
Singular Plural
- She is happy
I We
- They are students
You You
He They Languages like French and Chinese are also SVO
She languages, but other languages are different. For
It example, Japanese, Korean and Persian are Subject-
Object-Verb languages, so you wouldn't say "She is
happy", you'd say "She happy is"!
2. Verb "to be"
The verb "be" means to exist.
It is a linking verb, it links a subject and a thing
connected with that subject.
The present simple forms of "to be" are as follow:

Singular Plural
I am We are
You are You are
He is They are
She is

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 the simple present tense He
s Add -ES
passes
There are only two basic forms for the simple present tense; one ends She
with -s and the other doesn't. Here are the rules, using the example z Add -ES
dozes
verb "sing":
She
sh Add -ES
wishes
Subject Verb Form Example
He
ch Add -ES
I simple form I sing watches

You simple form You sing consonant + y Change Y to I, then add -ES It flies

He simple form + S He sings [anything else] Add -S He sings

She simple form + S She sings Forming a negative

Negatives in the simple present are formed by adding don't or doesn't
It simple form + S It sings
before the simple form of the verb:
We simple form We sing
They simple form They sing Subject Auxiliary Example
In other words, only THIRD PERSON SINGULAR subjects (he, she I don't I don't sing
and it) have to have a verb with -S.
You don't You don't sing
-S or -ES? He doesn't He doesn't sing

She doesn't She doesn't sing

With most verbs, the third person singular form is created simply by
adding -S. However, with some verbs, you need to add -ES or change It doesn't It doesn't sing
the ending a little. Here are the rules:
We don't We don't sing

They don't They don't sing

Verb ending How to make the 3rd person In other words, only THIRD PERSON SINGULAR subjects (he, she
Example and it) have DOESN'T -- the rest have DON'T.
in... singular

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Forming a yes/no question be"are formed differently from other questions. To make
Yes/no questions are also created using the auxiliary do. This time, negatives you simply insert "not" before the verb "to be".
the auxiliary is placed before the subject. Here are the rules:
- Statement: You are a doctor.
Subject Auxiliary Example - Negative: You are not a doctor.
I do Do I sing? - Statement: They are cats.
- Negative: They are not cats.
You do Do you sing? Here is the negative form of the verb "to be" in the Simple
He does Does he sing? Present:

She does Does she sing? Singular Plural

I am not We are not
It does Does it sing?
You are not You are not
We do Do we sing?
He is not They are not
They do Do they sing? She is not
It is not
Forming a WH- question
2. Present Simple Questions
WH- questions (using words such as "what", "when", "where" etc.)
are also created by putting the auxiliary do before the subject. Then, To make questions you simply invert the subject and the
you add the WH- word at the beginning. Here are some examples: verb.
- Statement: You are a doctor.
Statement Yes/no question WH- question - Question: Are you a doctor?
- Statement: They are cats.
I sing Do I sing? What do I sing?
- Question: Are they cats?
You fight. Do you fight? Why do you fight?

He lives Does he live? Where does he live?

Simple Present Question verbs are as follows:

Present Simple Negatives - Verb "to

Singular Plural
be"
Am I (a teacher) ? Are we ...?
Present Simple negatives and questions using the verb "to

15
 Example: You are a doctor. - Are you a doctor?
Are you ...? Are you ...?
7. I am a student.___________
Is he ...? Are they ...?
8. It is a bird._____________
Is she ...?
9. It is a plane._____________
Is it ...?
10. We are friends.___________
3. Short Answers
11. They are farmers.____________
We can often answer these questions with a short answer
12. Jenny and Simon are from America.__________
using the verb "to be". For example:
- Are you a teacher? Answers :
- Yes, I am / No, I am not.
1. are not
2. is not
- Is he a student? 3. are not
- Yes, he is. / No, he is not. 4. is not
5. are not
Note that in spoken English we usually use contractions 6. am not
with the negative form. For example: 7. Am I a student?
8. Is it a bird?
- No, I am not = No, I'm not. 9. Is it a plane?
These contractions will be studied in a later Unit. 10. Are we friends?
11. Are they farmers?
Exercises 12. Are Jenny and Simon from America?
Make negative sentences.
Example: I am not a baby.
1. You ________ an animal.
2. John_________a girl. Present Simple
3. Mike and Emily ______sick. The Simple Present is used to make statements about the
4. She _________sixteen. present time. It is used in the following ways.
5. We__________from Japan.
6. I___________sad. - Permanent facts: These sentences give facts which are
Make questions from the following sentences. always true.
----- It is cold in winter. - The sun shines. - Fish live in water.
Note: You must finish your questions with a questions
mark and start your sentences with a capital letter, or - Present facts: These sentences are true now.
these exercises will be marked as incorrect. I work at home. - She plays the piano.

16
"I work at home" doesn't mean I am working right now, Verb Endings Spelling Examples
but it does mean that in my present condition I work at
home. Verbs ending in -o add -es do - does, go - goes
Verbs ending in -s add -es pass - passes, kiss - kisses
- Habitual actions: I get up at 8.00. - They come here Verbs ending in -x add -es fix - fixes, mix - mixes
every day.
These actions are repeated regularly, so they are Verbs ending in -ch add -es match - matches, catch -
considered a present reality and are expressed in the catches
Simple Present. push - pushes, rush - rushes
Verbs ending in -sh add -es

Here is the verb "to give in the Simple Present: Verbs ending in a consonant
and -y often change the -y to try - tries, cry - cries
-ies:
Singular Plural Verbs such as "buy" have no buy - buys, pay - pays.
I give We give consonant before the "y", so
you simply add -s
You give You give as usual.
He gives They give Exercises
She gives Make sentences using the correct form of the verb in the
It gives Present Simple.
Example: She walks home. (walk)
1. I______________cereal for breakfast. (eat)
2. Spelling Rules for the Present Simple 2. She___________work at 9.00. (start)
If you look above you'll see the spelling doesn't change, 3. Dave and Tim_________some candy. (have)
except for the third person singular (He, She, It) which
adds 4. Charlie ___________movies. (like)
5. He ___________the piano. (play)
an "s" to the verb. For example "I eat - He eats".
6. You ____________great! (look)
Sometimes other spelling rules also apply to He, She and
It. All the following verbs add "es" instead of "s": Use the correct spelling of the 3rd person singular.
-----
The short forms for the negative verb "to be" are as Note: You must finish your questions with a question
follows: mark and start your sentences with a capital letter, or

17
 these exercises will be marked as incorrect.
Example: The bird flies in the sky. (fly)
7. He________homework in the evening. (do)
8. Sarah ________to English class. (go)
9. The boy _________the ball. (catch)
10. Jenny___________her family. (miss)
11. The teacher___________us. (teach)
12. The baby____________at night. (cry)
not is always in the bare infinitive form.
For example:
"I do not like pizza." is correct, but
"I do not likes pizza is incorrect" - you don't need to add
an "s" to the verb "like".
Do and does come from the verb "to do", which is often
used as an auxiliary verb in English.
Here is the negative form of the verb "to give" in the
Simple Present:

Answers
1. eat2. starts3. have4. likes5. plays6. look
7. does 8. goes 9. catches 10. misses 11. teaches 12. cries Singular Plural
Simple present Negative- question I do not give We do not give
You do not give You do not give
He does not give They do not give
1.Simple Present Negatives
She does not give
Simple Present negatives and questions are used in the
It does not give
same situations as Simple Present statements: for
permanent facts, present fact, and habitual actions. 2. Simple Present Questions
To make a Simple Present Questions you put do or does
- Permanent facts: I do not speak Japanese. - Fish do not
before the subject. For example: - Statement: I speak
live in water.
Japanese.
- Questions: Do I speak Japanese?
- Present facts: I do not work at home. - She does not
- Statement: She likes pizza.
play the piano.
- Questions: Does she like pizza?
As with negatives, the verb after do or does (and the
- Habitual actions: I do not get up at 8.00. - They do not
subject) is always in the bare infinitive form. It is the
come here every day.
auxiliary verb "to do", do or does, which changes.
Simple Present Question verbs are as follows:
To make a negative sentence we put do or does after the
subject. Because of this, the verb that follows do/does + Singular Plural

18
 2. He doesn't meet his friends.
Do I like (pizza) ? Do we like ...? 3. Terry doesn't play the violin.
4. Kate and I don't watch TV.
Do you like ...? Do you like ...?
5. They don't start work at 9.00.
Does he like ...? Do they like ...? 6. Jenny doesn't call her grandmother.
7. Does she need a pen?
Does she like ...? 8. Do you have a car?
9. Do they get up at 8.00?
Does it like ...? 10. Does Jack sit with Lisa?
11. Does she send letters to her friend?
Negative questions are also possible but are used for several 12. Do we play cards?
more advanced ways. We'll deal with them later!
Exercises
Contractions
Make negatives from these sentences. 1. Contractions
Example: She likes fruit. - She doesn't like fruit. Many verbs have short forms which are used particularly in
1. I like spaghetti.__________ spoken English. For example: "I am happy today" = "I'm
2. He meets his friends.__________ happy today". The short forms of the verb "to be" are as
3. Terry plays the violin.____________ follows:
4. Kate and I watch TV. _______ Singular Plural
5. They start work at 9.00. ______________ I am = I'm We are = We're
6. Jenny calls her grandmother. _____________ You are = You're You are= You're
Make questions from these sentences. He is = He's They are = They're
----- She is = She's
Note: You must finish your questions with a question mark It is = It's
and start your sentences with a capital letter, or these Be careful not to confuse it's with its. It's means "it is", but
exercises will be marked as incorrect. its is a possessive form we'll study later.
Example: She likes fruit. - Does she like fruit? 2. Negative Contractions - Simple Present Verb "to
7. She needs a pen. ____________ be"
8. I have a car. _______________ There are two main short forms for the negative of the verb
9. They get up at 8.00. ___________________ "to be": "You are" becomes "You're not" or "you aren't". For
10. Jack sits with Lisa. ________________________ example:
11. She sends letters to her friend. - She is not happy = She isn't happy = She's not happy.
____________________________ - We are not singers = We aren't singers = We're not
12. We play cards. _________________________________ singers
Answers The short forms for the negative verb "to be" are as follows:
Singular Plural
1. I don't like spaghetti. I am not = I'm not = I We are = We're not =
19
 amn't* We aren't
You are not = You're not You are= You're not =
= You aren't You aren't
He is not = He's not = They are = They're not
He isn't = They aren't
She is not = She's not =
She isn't
It is not = It's not = It
isn't
Singular and plural
* "I am" Negative Contraction
You can say "I am not", and you can say "I'm not", but you
Read the following text.
can't say "I amn't".
There are many things in my kitchen at home. In the refrigerator,
3. Negative Contractions - Simple Present
there are some apples and some oranges. There is some cheese,
Simple Present negatives contract in two ways: "do not" some butter and some oil. I have a few pieces of beef but there
becomes "don't" and "does not" becomes "doesn't". For isn't any fish. In the kitchen, there are many pictures on the walls
example: and my children like to put pictures on the refrigerator.
Sometimes, I have some men friends visit me and we make lunch
together. At other times, I have women friends visit me and we
- Statement: I do not like pizza = I don't like pizza. have dinner together.
- Questions: He does not drive a car = He doesn't drive a
Forming the plural in English is very easy. Add '-s' to any singular
car. word Example: apple - apples and you have made the plural!
And just in case you need it, here's a table of Simple Some words are formed differently:
Present contractions. · Words ending in '-y'. Add '-ies' if '-y' is follows a consonant
Example: candy - candies, jelly - jellies
· Words ending in '-ch'. Add '-es'
Example: watch - watches, peach - peaches
Singular Plural · Words ending in '-s'. Add '-es'
Example: grass - grasses, glass - glasses
I do not = I don't We do not = We don't Some important exceptions to the plural rule include:
You do not = You don't You do not = You don't · man - men
· woman - women
He does not = He They do not = They · person - people
doesn't don't · child - children

She does not = She

doesn't
It does not = It doesn't
20
 All nouns are countable or uncountable. Countable nouns
have the following properties.
- They can be counted, for example 1 apple, 2 apples,
...etc.
- They can be made plural.
- They can take the indefinate article a/an.
2. Uncountable Nouns
Uncountable nouns have the following properties.
- They usually can't be counted, for example 1 money, 2
money, ...etc.
- They usually can't be made plural.
- They usually don't take the indefinate article a/an.
Some is often used for plural nouns. For example:
- I have some apples.
- I have some food.
This is covered later in more detail.
Here are some common countable and uncountable nouns.

Countable Uncountable

apple time
tree rice
person beef
dog money
kilo information
liter help

Countable nouns often refer to individual things, and

Countable/ Uncountable Nouns
1.Countable Nouns
physical things. For example: a person, a tree, a kilo.
Uncountable nouns often refer to non-individual things,
and abstract things. For example rice is not an individual
thing, it's seen as group of hundreds of small grains. Love
and sadness are abstract, not physical things.
21
 3. Countable and Uncountable Nouns · rain ( some )
· cassette ( a )
Some nouns can be countable and uncountable, · egg ( an )
depending on how they are used. For example: · food ( some )

- Countable : A glass of milk. Here glass refers to one

container made of glass. Look at these rules
- Uncountable : You can see through glass. Here glass · We use "a" with objects we can count the begin with a
doesn't refer to one thing, it refers to glass as a consonant Example: a book
· We use "some" with object we can not count Example:
substance.
some milk
- Countable: He has many papers. Here papers refers to · We use "an" with object we can count that begin with a
some of individual documents. vowel Example: an orange
- Uncountable: Paper is made from wood. Here paper is Asking questions for countable and uncountable objects
not an individual thing, but a general substance. Complete the questions using much or many
Exercises How much money do you have?
· How many people live in your city?
Write "c" if the noun is countable, "uc" if the noun is · How much does that book cost?
uncountable. · How much rice is there?
· How many apples are there in the basket?
Example: tomato - c · How much petrol do we need?
1. tree :________ · How many children are in the class?
· How many teachers do you have?
2. money:_____
3. rice :_______
4. water :_____ Look at these rules
5. cup :______ · We use "How many" for questions using countable or
6. friend :______ plural objects Example: How many books do you have?
7. school :_____

Countable and uncountable nouns

Do we use a, an or some for these words? · We use "How much" for questions using a non-countable
book ( a ) or singular object Example: How much does juice is left?
· wine some · We use "How much" for questions asking about ONE object
· rice ( some ) Example: How much does the book cost?
· apple ( an ) · Most plurals are formed by adding "-s" to the noun or
· music ( some ) object Example: book + -s = books. Some of the more
· tomato ( a )
22
 important exceptions include: man - men, child - children, books!
person - people, woman - women
Instructions
To make a cup of coffee:
- Boil some water
- Put some coffee in a cup
- Add some water
- Drink the coffee.
Directions
To go to the bank
Turn left at Orchard Street, and then go straight.
Offers and Invitations
- Have some tea
- Come over to our house sometime.

Imperatives
Imperatives are used to give orders or suggestions. For
example: "Come here!" or "Have a cookie".
Imperatives almost always have no subject, and the
second person is usually implied as the subject instead.
For example "Come here!" implies the subject "(you)
Come here!".
Here are some of the situations you can use imperatives.
Orders
Close the door! - Stand up! - Sit down! - Open your
Let's
The verb let is often used as an imperative to give strong
suggestions. Let's is a contraction of let us. For example:
- Let's go home!
- Let's watch a movie!
Exercises
Complete the sentences with the correct imperative.
Example: Answer the questions. (answer)
1. Don't ____________________! (touch)
2. Let's ___________________shopping. (go)
3. ___________________up! (stand)
4. ___________________down! (sit)
5. _____________________the book in your bag. (put)
6. _____________________your books. (open)
7. Let's _______________________a movie. (watch)
23
8. Please _______________________quite. (be) verb. However, with some verbs, you need to change the ending a
9. _______________________left at the church. (turn) little. Here are the rules:
10. ________________________long and prosper. (live) How to make
Verb ending in... Examples
the -ING form

Answers: Double the swim - swimming

1 vowel + 1
1. touch consonant, then hit - hitting
2. go consonant
add -ING get - getting
3. Stand
4. Sit
come - coming
5. Put 1 vowel + 1 Remove E, then
6. Open lose - losing
consonant + E add -ING
7. Turn live - living
8. be
9. watch say - saying
10. Live [anything else] Add -ING go - going
walk - walking
the present continuous tense Forming a negative
This tense is formed using two components: the verb BE (in the Negatives in the simple present are formed by adding not or n't after
present tense), and the -ING form of a verb. Here are the rules, using the verb BE:
the example verb "sing":
Negative Contracted
Subject BE -ING FORM Positive sentence
sentence negative
I am singing I am eating. I am not eating. I'm not eating.
You are singing You are not
You are working. You aren't working.
He is singing working.

She is singing He is driving. He is not driving. He isn't driving.

It is singing She is not

She is teaching. She isn't teaching.
teaching.
We are singing
It is raining. It is not raining. It isn't raining.
They are singing
We are not
How to make the -ING form We are reading. We aren't reading.
reading.
With many verbs, the you can simply add -ING to the end of the
24
 They are not
They are writing. They aren't writing.
writing.

Forming a question
Yes/no questions are created by moving the verb BE to the beginning
of the sentence. WH-questions are formed by moving the verb BE,
and then adding the WH- word. Here are the rules:

Present Continuous

Present Continuous
The Present Continuous is used for actions that are
Statement Yes/no question Wh- question
happening around the present time. For example, "I am
I am eating. Am I eating? What am I eating? studying English" means that I am in the process of
studying English now.
You are crying. Are you crying? Why are you crying? Form
He is going. Is he going? Where is he going? The Present Continuous is formed by adding the verb "to
be" and the -ing form
When is she
She is arriving. Is she arriving? Singular Plural
arriving?
Affirmative Affirmative
It is sleeping. Is it sleeping? Why is it sleeping?
I am studying We are studying
When are we You are studying You are studying
We are leaving. Are we leaving?
leaving? She is studying They are studying
He is studying
They are Why are they
Are they fighting? It is studying
fighting. fighting?
Negative
Negative
We do not have a pen =
I am not studying
We don't have a pen
You are not studying
You do not have a pen =
She is not studying
You don't have a pen
He is not studying
They do not have a pen
25
 = They don't have a pen process. For example:
It is not studying
- I am getting up early this week.
Questions Questions Obviously I'm not getting up just one time for a whole
Do I have a pen? Do we have a pen? week, but during one week I will get up early every day,
Do you have a pen? Do you have a pen? so this can be seen as one process.
Does she has a pen? Do they have a pen? The Present Continuous is also used for future
Does he has a pen? arrangements at a particular time. For example:
Does it have a pen? - I'm going to Rome at 10.30 tomorrow.
- She's coming to my apartment this evening.
For negatives we simply add not after the auxilary verb
"to be", for example: Spelling
- I am playing - I am not playing. To make the -ing form, also known as the present
For questions we invert the subject and auxiliary verb to participle, we usually add -ing to the verb. For example:
be, for example: - study - studying
- You are playing - Are you playing? - eat - eating
- jump - jumping
Usage
For verbs ending in -e, we leave out the -e and add -ing.
The Present Continuous is used for actions happening at
For example:
the present time. For example:
- write - writing: not writeing
- We are studying English.
- skat - skating: not skateing.
- You are using a computer.
For verbs ending in a vowel and a consonant, we usually
The Present Continuous is also used for processes
double the last consonant and add -ing. For example:
happening around the present time. For example:
- run - running: not runing
- It is raining today.
- cut - cutting: not cuting
- I am working in Paris this month.
- The world is turning. For verbs ending in -ie we change the -ie to -y and add
The time period of the first sentence is today, the second -ing. For example:
sentence one month, and the third sentence forever, but - lie - lying: not lieing
all of these sentences are about processes that happen
around the present. They started before the present, are
happening now, and will continue after the present. This is
a key idea of the Present Continuous.
The Present Continuous is also used for repeated actions
or habits. Such repetition is seen as one continuing
26

Exercises
Complete the sentences with the correct imperative.
Example: He is eating an apple. (eat)
1. She ______________a book. (read)
2. What ______________________? (she / do)
3. I ___________________a letter. (write)
4. The sun ___________________. (shine)
5. The children ___________________in the park. (run)
6. We _______________________breakfast. (eat)
7. He _______________________to work today. (not / come)
8. How _________________? (you / do)
9. How's the weather? It ___________________. (rain)
10. You _____________________English.
Answers:
1. is reading
2. is she doing
3. am writing
4. is shining
5. are running
6. are eating
7. is not coming
8. are you doing
9. is raining
10. are studying
Present progressive (or continuous) for beginners
Read the following interview using the present continuous
(progressive) tense
On the telephone
Tracy: Hello, can I speak to Alex.
Alex: This is Alex, who is speaking?
Tracy: Hi, this is Tracy.
Alex: Hi Tracy. What are you doing?
Tracy: Oh, I'm just watching TV. What are you doing?
Alex: Well, I'm cooking dinner.
Tracy: What are you cooking?
Alex: I'm baking some potatoes, boiling some carrots and grilling
a steak.
Tracy: It sounds delicious.
Alex: What are you doing for dinner tonight?
Tracy: Well, I don't have any plans...
Alex: Would you like to come over for dinner?
Tracy: Oh, I'd love to. Thanks.
Alex: Great. Mary and Jack are also coming. They are arriving at
seven.
Tracy: OK, I'll be there at seven, too.
Alex: OK, see you then. Bye.
Tracy: Bye.
Take a look at the following conjugation chart. Notice from
the above dialogue and following chart that the present
continuous (progressive) is used to describe what is
happening at the moment. It is also used to describe a plan
in the near future (this evening, next week, on Saturday,
etc.). The present continuous (progressive) is often used
with: now, at the moment, today, this morning - afternoon
- evening.
IMPORTANT NOTES:
· The present continuous (progressive) is used only with
action verbs. Example: I am working at the moment
NOT I am believing you.
· The present continuous (progressive) is also used to
describe an action which is happening around this
moment: Example: I'm reading 'Just in Time' this week.
I'm not reading the book at this particular moment, but
around this time.
Examples Usage
What are you cooking? Tom is Actions happening at the
27
 studying for his exams at the present moment.
moment. It isn't raining now.
We can go outside.
What are you doing this Planned future events Study the following chart to learn the use of the future with 'will'
weekend? I'm meeting Peter (usually in the near future)
tomorrow morning. We're Examples Usage
driving to Albany this weekend. Will + Verb (base form) It Used for predictions
We're currently working on the Actions or events will snow tomorrow. She won't
Smith account. What classes happening around the win the election.
are you taking this semester? present moment. Will + Verb (base form) The Used for scheduled events
We're studying Greek history concert will begin at 8 o'clock.
this month. When will the train leave?
Will + Verb (base form) Will Used for promises
Structure you marry me? I'll help you with
In the positive form, follow the form S + To be + Verb + -ing. your homework after class
Remember that you need to conjugate the auxiliary verb 'to be'. I Will + Verb (base form) I'll Used for offers
am (I'm) You are (You're) He, She, It is (He's, She's, It's) We, You, make you a sandwich. They'll
They are (We're, You're, They're) eating lunch at noon. help you if you want.
Conjugate the helping verb 'To Be' + Not + Verb + - ing to form Will + Verb (base form) He Used in combination with time
negatives. I am not (I'm not) You are not (You aren't) He, She, It is will telephone as soon as he clauses (as soon as, when,
not (He, She, It isn't We, You, They are not (We, You, They aren't) arrives. Will you visit me when before, after)
coming this evening. you come next week?
Conjugate the helping verb 'To Be' + S + Verb + - ing in question
forms. Are you we they listening to me? Is he she it listening to Structure for ALL Subjects
me? Future with Will S + will + verb (base form) positve I'll
Write the correct form of each sentence or question in the ('ll is the short form for 'will') see you tomorrow. S +
present continuous (progressive). Click on the arrow to see will not (won't) + verb (base form) negative I won't
the answer. be here tomorrow. will + S + verb (base form)
He is readin (read) a book at the moment. question Will she be here tomorrow?
· We are visiting(visit) our friends this evening.
· They are working on the Brown account this month.
Using "will" and "shall" with verbs
· I am not watching (not/watch)TV, I am working (work)! "Will" and "shall", like all modal verbs in English, do not change
· What are you doing (you do) this evening? their form, and they are followed by the simple form of the main
· Where is she staying (she/stay)? verb. The only odd thing about "will" and "shall" is that "shall" is not
Write some sentences to describe what you and your
usually used in statements. It only appears in the first person (with I
friends are doing now, tonight and currently (around this
moment)! and we) in questions. "Will" is NOT usually used in first person
questions. Note also that "will" is often shortened to "'ll". This
diagram should make the situation clearer:

The future with will

28
 Subjec Negatives are formed with "will not" or "won't" instead of "will":
Statement Question
t He will not stop smoking.
I will stop smoking. He won't stop smoking.
I Shall I stop smoking?
I'll stop smoking.

You will stop smoking.

You Will you stop smoking?
You'll stop smoking.

He will stop smoking.

He Will he stop smoking?
He'll stop smoking.

She will stop smoking.

She Will she stop smoking?
She'll stop smoking.

It will be hard to stop.

It Will it be hard to stop?
It'll be hard to stop.

We will stop smoking.

We Shall we stop smoking?
We'll stop smoking.

They will stop smoking.

They Will they stop smoking?
They'll stop smoking.

The meaning of "will" future forms

"Will" is usually used in three situations:

Situation Example

"Will someone open the window for

Volunteering to do
me?"
something the simple past tense
"I'll do it!"
With most verbs, the simple past is created simply by adding -ED.
Deciding to do "I've made up my mind. I'll go to However, with some verbs, you need to add -ES or change the ending
something Whistler for my vacation." a little. Here are the rules:
Forcing someone to "Dad, I don't want to clean my room!" How to make the
do something. "You'll do it, and you'll do it NOW!" Verb ending in... Example
simple past
"Will" is NOT usually used for fixed plans or scheduled events.
29
 live - lived They were
e Add -D date -
dated HAVE and DO are more simple:

Change y to i, then try - tried Base form Past Tense

Consonant + y
add -ED cry - cried
have had
tap -
One vowel + one Double the do did
tapped
consonant (but NOT w or consonant, then add
commit -
y) -ED
committed
Other irregular verbs
boil - Other irregular verbs fall into three main categories:
boiled
[anything else] Add -ED fill - filled Category Examples
hand -
handed cut - cut
Verbs which don't change hit - hit
fit - fit
The three most important irregular verbs get - got
The three most important irregular verbs are BE, HAVE, and DO. BE Verbs which change their vowel sit - sat
is the most difficult, because its forms are different depending on the drink - drank
subject:
catch - caught
Verbs which change completely bring - brought
teach - taught

Pronoun Verb Forming a negative

I was Negatives in the simple present are formed by adding didn't
(informal) or did not (formal) before the simple form of the verb. The
You were verb BE is an exception to this; in the case of BE, we just add n't
(informal) or not (formal) after "was" or "were":
He / she / it was
Simple past
We were Informal negative Formal negative
statement

30
 I had a car. I didn't have a car. I did not have a car. They lived in Did they live in
Where did they live?
Vancouver. Vancouver?
You did not eat my
You ate my toast. You didn't eat my toast.
toast. The store was Was the store Why was the store
closed. closed? closed?
He was here He wasn't here He was not here
yesterday. yesterday. yesterday. They were
Were they wolves? What were they?
wolves.
They were in the They weren't in the They were not in the
park. park. park.

Forming a yes/no question

Yes/no questions are also created using the auxiliary did. This time,
the auxiliary is placed before the subject. The verb BE is an
exception; in this case, we move BE before the subject. Here are the
rules:

Simple past statement Yes/no question

He brought his friend. Did he bring his friend?

They had a party. Did they have a party?

You were here. Were you here?

Simple Past for Beginners
She was sick. Was she sick?
Read the following discussion using the simple
past tense
Forming a WH- question Robert: Hi Alice, what did you do last weekend?
WH- questions (using words such as "what", "when", "where" etc.) Alice: I did a lot of things. On Saturday, I went
are also created by putting the auxiliary did before the subject (or shopping.
moving BE, as explained above). Then, you add the WH- word at the Robert: What did you buy?
beginning. Here are some examples: Alice: I bought some new clothes. I also played tennis.
Robert: Who did you play?
Statement Yes/no question WH- question Alice: I played Tom.
Robert: Did you win?
The building Did the building Why did the building
fell down. fall down? fall down? Alice: Of course I won!
Robert: What did you do after your tennis match.
31
Alice: Well, I went home and took a shower and then - bought, take -
went out. took, come - came,
have - had, eat -
Robert: Did you eat in a restaurant?
ate, drink - drank.
Alice: Yes, my friend Jacky and I ate at 'The Good There are many
Fork' irregular verbs so
Robert: Did you enjoy your dinner? you will need to
Alice: Yes, we enjoyed our dinner very much thank start learning
them now.
you. We also drank some wonderful wine!
I You He She It We arrived late last
Robert: Unfortunately, I didn't go out this weekend. I You They night. (regular
didn't eat in a restaurant and I didn't play tennis. verb) came
Alice: What did you do? back late last
Robert: I stayed home and studied for my test! night. (irregular
Alice: Poor you! verb)
Use the
Take a look at the following conjugation chart. conjugated
Notice from the above dialogue and following helping verb 'did'
chart that the simple past is used to describe + not (didn't) +
the base form of
what happened at a specific time in the past -
the verb to make
last weekend in the above dialogue. negatives.
I You He She It We didn't go to New York last
You They week.
Usage
Use the
Examples
conjugated
Where did you go yesterday? Finished past actions, definite helping verb 'did'
The flight left at 8 o'clock. They past + subject + the
didn't come last night. base form of the
Common past time last (week, year, night), verb in question
expressions include: yesterday, ago, in 1987, when I forms.
was a child. When Did I You He She It leave yesterday?
Structure We You They
In the positive
form, for regular
verbs, add an -ed Try this past simple quiz.
to the verb. Many
verbs are
Past Simple Quiz
irregular. Some of Tom (buy) a new house last month.
the most common
are: go -went, buy When (they/arrive) last week?

32
 I am at home
She (not/understand) the question yesterday. I at home yesterday afternoon.
this afternoon.
Fred ____ (take) a lot of pictures on his holiday last summer. We aren't in
school now. We in school yesterday.
What (you/get) for your birthday? What is that in
your hand? What that in your bag this morning?
They to get the bread this morning!
When is usually
Alice (play) tennis this morning. she at home? When she at home yesterday?

Where (you/go) last weekend? He isn't a

teacher. He a teacher.
I (want) to buy that computer, but it was too expensive.

Why (they/not/come)?

Now complete the following chart for the simple past of the verb
"to be"
Was – Were – past tense of the verb ‘’ To
Present Past
Be’’ Positive: I am, I'm
Negative: I am not, I'm Positive: I Negative: I
not
Read the following questions. Compare the simple present with
Positive: You are, you're
the simple past in the first example and then complete the Positive: You Negative: you
Negative: you are not,
questions using the correct form of the verb "to be" in the past.
aren't
Positive: He, She, It is,
Present Past He's, She's, It's Negative: Positive: He, She, It
Example: Where Where was Jack yesterday? He, She, It is not, isn't Negative: He, She, It
is Jack today? Positive: We are
What day is it Negative: We are not, we Positive: We Negative: We
today? What day it yesterday?
aren't
Where are they
Where they last week? Positive: You are, you're
today?
Negative: you are not, you Positive: You Negative: you
aren't
33
 A colour adjective, of course, describes the colour of something.
Positive: They are Colour Examples:
Negative: They are not, Positive: They Negative: blue, pink, reddish, grey
you aren't They
An origin adjective describes where something comes from.
Notice that the short forms of the verb "to be" include: I'm, I'm Origin Examples:
not, You're, You aren't, He's She's it's, He she it isn't, we're, we French, lunar, American, eastern, Greek
aren't, etc.
The short form is formed by putting an apostrophe - ' - in the A material adjective describes what something is made from.
place of the missing letter. Material Examples:
Write some sentences using the verb "to be" in the past. wooden, metal, cotton, paper
Example: I was at a party yesterday.
A purpose adjective describes what something is used for.
Purpose These adjectives often end with "-ing". Examples:
sleeping (as in "sleeping bag"), roasting (as in "roasting tin")
Some examples of adjective order
Opini Col Mater
Size Age Shape Origin Purpose
on our ial
a silly young English man
The basic types of adjectives a huge round metal bowl
a small red sleeping bag
An opinion adjective explains what you think about something
Opinion (other people may not agree with you). Examples:
silly, beautiful, horrible, difficult

A size adjective, of course, tells you how big or small something

Adjectives
Size is. Examples: An adjective describes how something 'is'. For this reason, we
large, tiny, enormous, little usually use the verb 'to be' when using adjectives. Adjectives are
used to describe nouns.
An age adjective tells you how young or old something or Example: He is a good doctor. Rule: Adjectives describe nouns.
Age someone is. Examples: The adjective is always invariable.
ancient, new, young, old Example: beautiful trees, they are happy
Be careful!
A shape adjective describes the shape of something. Examples:
Shape · Adjectives don't have a singular and plural form OR a
square, round, flat, rectangular
masculine, femine and neuter form.
· Adjectives are always the same! Never add a final -s to an
34
 adjective. 1. Opinion
Example: an interesting book, a boring lecture
· Adjectives can also be placed at the end of a sentence if
2. Dimension
they describe the subject of a sentence. Example: My
Example: a big apple, a thin wallet
doctor is excellent.
3. Age
NOT!!: difficults books Example: a new car, a modern building, an ancient ruin
Rule: Adjectives are placed before the noun. 4. Shape
Example: a square box, an oval mask, a round ball
Example: a wonderful book very interesting people 5. Color
Be careful! Example: a pink hat, a blue book, a black coat
6. Origin
· Don't place an adjective after the noun
Example: some Italian shoes, a Canadian town, an
NOT!!: an apple red American car
Match the following adjectives from the list to the adjective 7. Material
opposite in meaning Example: old - new. When you have Example: a wooden box, a woolen sweater, a plastic toy
finished, click on the arrow to check your answers.
Here are some examples of nouns modified with three adjectives
difficult, horrible, tall, wrong, hot, cheap, big, young, fast, bad, in the correct order based on the list above. Notice that the
boring, safe, dirty, quiet, friendly, careful adjectives are not separated by commas.
. careless careful · A wonderful old Italian clock. (opinion - age - origin)
· wonderful horrible · A big square blue box. (dimension - shape - color)
· easy difficult · A disgusting pink plastic ornament. (opinion - color -
· interesting boring material)
· clean dirty · Some slim new French trousers. (dimension - age - origin)
· unfriendly friendly
· expensive cheap
· good bad
· slow fast
· right wrong
· dangerous safe
· noisy quiet
· cold hot
· old young
· small big
· short tall

Adjective Placement – How to use Adjectives

When using more than one adjective to describe a noun place the
adjectives in the following order before the noun.
NOTE: We usually use no more than three adjectives preceding a
noun.
35
 aggressive aggressively

However, this is NOT a reliable way to find out whether a word is an

adverb or not, for two reasons: many adverbs do NOT end in -LY
(some are the same as the adjective form), and many words which are
NOT adverbs DO end in -LY (such as kindly, friendly, elderly and
lonely, which are adjectives). Here are some examples of adverbs
which are the same as adjectives:
What is an adverb?

Basically, most adverbs tell you how, where, or when something is Adjective Adverb
done. In other words, they describe the manner, place, or time of an
action. Here are some examples: fast fast

late late
Type Adverb Example
early early
Manner slowly Jane drives slowly.

Place here The party is going to take place here. The best way to tell if a word is an adverb is to try making a question,
for which the answer is the word. If the question uses how, where or
Time yesterday I called him yesterday. when, then the word is probably an adverb. Here is an example:

How to recognize an adverb Word in context Question Adverb?

Many adverbs end with the suffix -LY. Most of these are created by
adding -LY to the end of an adjective, like this: Junko plays tennis How does Junko
Yes -- uses HOW.
aggressively. play tennis?
Adjective Adverb
What kind of No -- uses WHAT
slow slowly They have a small
house do they KIND OF, so this is an
house.
have? adjective.
delightful delightfully
When did
Matthew called the
hopeless hopelessly Matthew call the Yes -- uses WHEN.
police immediately.
police?

36

What are Adverbs?
The Five Types of Adverbs
Adverbs of Manner: Adverbs of manner provide information
on how someone does something.
For example: Jack drives very carefully.
Adverbs of Time: Adverbs of time provide information on
when something happens.
For example: We'll let you know our decision next week.
Adverbs of Frequency: Adverbs of frequency provide
information on how often something happens.
For example: They usually get to work at eight o'clock.
Adverbs of Degree: Adverbs of degree provide information
concerning how much of something is done. For example:
They like playing golf a lot.
Adverbs of Comment: Adverbs of comment provide a
comment, or opinion about a situation.
For example: Fortunately, there were enough seats left for the
concert.
Adverb Formation
Adverbs are usually formed by adding '-ly' to an adjective.
For example: quiet - quietly, careful - carefully, careless -
carelessly
Adjectives ending in '-le' change to '-ly'.
For example: possible - possibly, probable - probably,
incredible - incredibly
Adjectives ending in '-y' change to '-ily'.
For example: lucky - luckily, happy - happily, angry - angrily
Adjectives ending in '-ic' change to '-ically'.
For example: basic - basically, ironic - ironically, scientific -
scientifically Some adjectives are irregular. The most common
irregular adverbs are: good - well, hard - hard, fast -fast
Adverb Sentence Placement
Adverbs of Manner: Adverbs of manner are placed after the
verb or entire expression (at the end of the sentence).
For example: Their teacher speaks quickly.
Adverbs of Time: Adverbs of time are placed after the verb or
entire expression (at the end of the sentence).
For example: She visited her friends last year.
Adverbs of Frequency: Adverbs of frequency are placed
before the main verb (not the auxiliary verb).
For example: He often goes to bed late. Do you sometimes
get up early?
Adverbs of Degree: Adverbs of degree are placed after the
verb or entire expression (at the end of the sentence).
For example: She'll attend the meeting as well.
Adverbs of Comment: Adverbs of comment are placed at the
beginning of a sentence.
For example: Luckily, I was able to come to the presentation.
Important Exceptions to Adverb Placement
Some adjectives are placed at the beginning of a sentence to
provide more emphasis.
For example: Now you tell me you can't come!
Adverbs of frequency are placed after the verb 'to be' when
used as the main verb of the sentence.
For example: Jack is often late for work.
Some adverbs of frequency (sometimes, usually, normally) are
also placed at the beginning of the sentence for emphasis.
For example: Sometimes I visit my friends in London.
37
 Does she rarely eat fish? They don't seldom go to the
cinema.
5 Adverbs of frequency are often placed at the
beginning of a sentence. Example: Sometimes, he likes to
go to museums.
Using Adverbs 6 Adverbs of frequency follow - come after - the verb
'to be'. Example: He is sometimes late for work

Adverbs modify verbs. They tell you How something is done.

Example: How does he she sing? - She sings beautifully.
Rule: Adverbs are often formed by adding -ly to an adjective
Example: beautiful - beautifully, careful - carefully
Be Careful!
1 Some adjectives don't change in the adverb form.
The most important of these are: fast - fast, hard - hard
2 Good is probably the most important exception. The
adverb form of 'good' is 'well'. Unfortunately, this is a
common mistake that many Americans make!
NOT!!: He plays tennis good.
Rule: Adverbs can also modify an adjective. In this case, the
adverb is placed before the adjective.
Example: She is extremely happy. They are absolutely
sure.
Be Careful!
3 Do not use 'very' with adjectives that express an
increased quality of a basic adjective Example: good -
fantastic
NOT!!: She is a very beautiful woman.
Rule: Adverbs of frequency (always, never, sometimes, often,
etc.) usually come before the main verb
Example: He is often late for class. Do you always eat in a
restaurant? They don't usually travel on Fridays.
Be Careful!
4 Adverbs of frequency expressing infrequency are
1. Using adjectives and adverbs
not usually used in the negative or question form. NOT!!:
38
 Adjective Adverb Example Comparative and Superlatives for
beautiful Ann is beautiful.
Beginners
beautifully Ann sings beautifully.
We use the comparative and superlative form to compare and contrast
warm The room is warm. different objects in English. Use the comparative form to show the
warmly Joe smiles warmly. difference between two objects. Example: New York is more exciting than
slow The car is slow. Seattle. Use the superlative form when speaking about three or more
slowly Ann drives slowly. objects to show which object is 'the most' of something. Example: New
York is the most exciting city in the USA.
2. Making adverbs from adjectives Here is a chart showing how to construct the comparative form in English.
Notice in the example sentences that we use 'than' to compare the two
Adverbs are usually made from adjectives, by adding -LY. However, there
objects:
are some exceptions. These are the rules:
Adjective ending How to make the One Syllable Adjectives
Examples
in... adverb add '-er' to end of the adjective (Note: double the final consonant if
heavy - heavily preceded by a vowel) remove the 'y' from the adjective and add 'ier'
Change Y to I and add
y happy - happily Example: cheap - cheaper / hot - hotter / high - higher
-LY
lazy - lazily Example Sentences
warm - warmly Yesterday was hotter than today.
[anything else] Just add -LY nice - nicely This book is cheaper than that book.
loud - loudly
However, there are some important exceptions: Two Syllable Adjectives Ending in '-y'
Adjective Adverb Example: happy - happier / funny - funnier
good well Example Sentences
late
I am happier than you.
("Lately" means recently. That joke was funnier than his joke.
late
It is not the adverb
Two, Three or More Syllable Adjectives
from "late".)
early early place 'more' before the adjective
fast fast Example: interesting - more interesting / difficult - more difficult
hard Example Sentences
("Hardly" means not much. London is more expensive than Madrid.
hard
It is not the adverb This test is more difficult than the last test.
from "hard".) Here is a chart showing how to construct the superlative form in English:
One Syllable Adjectives
This page shows you how to use the prepositions on, in, and at in different
contexts. place 'the' before the adjective and add '-est' to end of the adjective (Note:

39
double the final consonant if preceded by a vowel) ingredient express opinions.
Example: cheap - the cheapest / hot - the hottest / high - the highest Read the sentences below to remember how comparatives
Example Sentences are formed. Give the comparative form for each of the
adjectives listed and click on the arrow to check your
Today is the hottest day of the summer. answer.
This book is the cheapest I can find.
· Tennis is a more difficult sport than Rugby.
Two, Three or More Syllable Adjectives
· I think John is happier now than a year ago.
place 'the most' before the adjective · Could you open the window, please? It's getting hotter in
Example: interesting - the most interesting / difficult - the most difficult this room by the minute.
· Interesting-more interesting
Example Sentences
· weak-weaker
London is the most expensive city in England. · funny-funnier
That is the most beautiful painting here. · important-more important
Two Syllable Adjectives Ending in '-y' place 'the' before the adjective and · careful-more careful
remove the 'y' from the adjective and add 'iest' · bad-worse (exception)
· big-bigger
Example: happy - the happiest / funny - the funniest
· far-farther or further
Example Sentences · small-smaller
New York is the noisiest city in the USA. · polluted-more polluted
He is the most important person I know. · boring-more boring
· angry-angrier
IMPORTANT EXCEPTIONS · good-better (excetion)
There are some important exceptions to these rules. Here are two of the
Read the sentences below to remember how comparatives
most important exceptions:
are formed. Give the superlative form for each of the
good adjectives listed and click on the arrow to check your
· good - adjective answer.
· better - comparative
· New York has got to be the most exciting city in the world.
· the best - superlative
· His biggest desire is to return home.
Example Sentences · She is probably the angriest person I know.
This book is better than that one. · Interesting-the most interesting
This is the best school in the city. · Weak-the weakest
· Funny-the funniest
bad
· Good-the best
· bad - adjective
· Important-the most important
· worse - comparative
· Careful-the most careful
· the worst - superlative
Example Sentences · Big-the biggest
His French is worse than mine. · Bad-the worst
This is the worst day of my life.
Comparative and Superlative Forms Quiz
The correct use of the comparative and superlative forms is a key
40
 well better the best irregul He is still in hospital,
(healthy) but he is better than
he was last week.

You are the worst

the
bad worse irregul driver I have ever
worst
known.

far further the irregul My house is the

furthest furthest one.

far farther the regula My house is the

farthest farther one.

old (people elder the irregul Ram is my elder

in a family) eldest brother.

old older the regula Your teacher is older

(general oldest r than my teacher.
use)

The present perfect tense

Irregular Adjectives (comparative, superlative)
The regular way to make comparative/superlative adjectives is to add
-er/-est or to use more/most. A small number of adjectives, however,
are irregular and some of these can be regular or irregular. The most
important ones are listed here:
This tense is formed using two components: the verb HAVE (in the
present tense), and the past participle form of a verb. With a regular
verb the past participle ends with -ED (just like the simple past).
Irregular verbs have a special past participle form that you have to
learn. Here are the rules, using the regular verb "arrive" and the
irregular verb "eat":

Subject have Past Participle

Compara Superla arrived
Adjective tive tive Example I have
eaten
good better the best irreg Tara is the best athlete arrived
in the school. You have
eaten

41
 arrived drink drank drunk
He has
eaten
break broke broken
arrived Verbs which add -EN eat ate eaten
She has
eaten take took taken

arrived catch caught caught

It has Verbs which change
eaten bring brought brought
completely
teach taught taught
arrived
We have
eaten

arrived Use 1: Actions which started in the past and are still continuing
They have
eaten The present perfect is often used for an action which started at some
time in the past, and are still continuing now. Often, the words for
Note that the subject and auxiliary verb may be contracted: "I have" (with a length of time) and since (with a starting time) are used along
becomes "I've", "She has" becomes "She's", and so on. with the present perfect.

He has lived in Canada for five years.

How to make the past participle form
With regular verbs, the past participle is the same as the simple past. (He started living in Canada five years ago, and he's still living
You can form it by adding -ED to the end of the verb. (See Forming there now.)
the Simple Past (Regular Verbs) for more information on this.) She has worked at the University since 1994.
However, with some verbs, you need to add -EN or change the verb
itself. There are no real rules for this; you just need to learn the verbs (She started working at the University in 1994, and she's still
which are irregular. Sometimes the past participle is the same as the working there now.)
simple past, and sometimes it isn't. Here are four main categories of
verbs with examples. Please note that there are many different ways
to form past participles; this is just a small sample: Use 2: Actions which happened at some unknown time in the past
Presen Simple Past Sometimes, it's important to say that something happened (or didn't
Category happen), but it's not important (or not known) when it happened. In
t Past Participle
this case, we can use the present perfect too. In this case, we often
cut cut cut use the words already, yet, ever or never along with the present
Verbs which don't
hit hit hit perfect. These words usually go before the past participle in the
change
fit fit fit sentence.
Verbs which change their put put put I've already seen that film. I don't want to see it again.
vowel sit sat sat
42
 (It doesn't matter when I saw it.)

Have you ever been to Germany?

(It doesn't matter when you went -- I just want to know whether
you have been there or not.)

Here is a brief review of the form and function of the present perfect
tense.

The present perfect is used when the time

Use 3: Actions which happened in the past, but have an effect in period has not finished:
the present
I have seen three
movies this week.
This use is a little more difficult than the other two. In this case, the (This week has not
action happened at some time in the past, but the effect of the action finished yet.)
is still important now. It's easiest to understand this use if we
The present perfect is often used when the
compare present perfect sentences with simple past sentences. time is not mentioned:

Gerry has failed

Tense Sentence Meaning his exam again.
Present I've lost my I haven't found the keys yet -- The present perfect is often used when the
perfect keys. they're still missing. time is recent:
Simple I lost my keys I've probably found them again
past yesterday. already. Ikuko has just
arrived in Victoria.
Present She's broken
The arm is still injured. The present perfect is often used with for
perfect her arm.
and since.
Simple She broke her
The arm is probably OK by now.
past arm. Greg has lived
here for 20 years.
43
 Greg has lived here I saw that movie on Thursday.
since 1978. (We know exactly when.)

The present perfect is used with for and since, when the actions
The present perfect is
have not finished yet:
formed like this:
I have lived in Victoria for five years.
have plus past participle (I still live in Victoria.)
The simple past is used with for and since, when the actions
The present perfect is used when the time period has NOT have already finished:
finished:
I lived in Victoria for five years.
I have seen three movies this week. (I don't live in Victoria now.)
(This week has not finished yet.)
The simple past is used when the time period HAS finished:
I saw three movies last week.
(Last week has finished.)

The present perfect is often used when giving recent news:

Martin has crashed his car again.
(This is new information.)
The simple past is used when giving older information:
Martin crashed his car last year.
(This is old information.)

The present perfect is used when the time is not specific:

I have seen that movie already.
(We don't know when.)
Present perfect
The simple past is used when the time is clear:
44
Listed below are examples, uses and structure of the Present Conjugate the verb 'have' (have or has) + past participle.
Perfect followed by a quiz. Regular verbs end in -ed. If the verb ends in -y preceded
by a consonant, change the -y to -ied. Irregular verbs must
Examples Usage
be studied. See chart for most common irregular verbs. I
Fred Meyers has had excellent
You
profits this quarter.
We Have lived in Seattle since 1978.
The class's understanding has
Giving or asking for news or They
increased greatly this
recent events.
semester.
Have they finished the report He
yet? She has worked for many years.
The study of irregular verbs It
has improved test scores. Conjugate the verb 'have' (have or has) + not + past
They have bought a new car. participle. Regular verbs end in -ed. If the verb ends in -y
I've already eaten lunch. preceded by a consonant, change the -y to -ied. Irregular
US/English exception: It is Past actions with results in the verbs must be studied. See chart for most common
also accepted in US English to present. irregular verbs.
ask "Did you phone her yet?"
as opposed to the more I
common "Have you phoned her You
yet?" We haven't seen Tom
She's traveled in many parts of They
the world. .
Have you ever been to France? Life experience He
They've never seen a
She hasn't left yet
mountain.
It
He's lived in San Francisco for Conjugate the verb 'have' (have or has) + Subject + past
Unfinished actions (action still
10 years. participle. Regular verbs end in -ed. If the verb ends in -y
in progress). In this respect
How long have you worked for preceded by a consonant, change the -y to -ied. Irregular
the present perfect and
this company? verbs must be studied. See chart for most common
present perfect continuous are
They've studied English for 3
very similar. See contrast with irregular verbs.
years. I don't want to live in
Present Perfect Continuous Have I,You,We,They been to Paris?
Texas.
for (with a period of time),
since (with an exact point in
Common present perfect
time), ever, never, yet, Has He,She,It finished yet?
time expressions include:
already, this week (month,
year)

Structure

45
 Present Perfect Quiz
How long_______________(you/think) that?
She _________(put) the book back in its place.
They _____________(not/buy) a new car yet.
_______________(He/ever/be) in London?
They _____________(not/work) here for a very long time.
She _____________(write) three letters this afternoon.
Where ______________(he/be)?
I ______________(not/finish) my work yet.
Peter ____________(open) a new store recently.
How often _____________(he/go) to Portland this week?
Simple past or present perfect
Put each of the following verbs into either the past simple or
present perfect.
1. Jack __________(live) in Boston for the past 15 years.
2. Janet _________(work) for Smith and Brothers before she
came to work for us.
3. Dad __________(you/finish) reading the paper yet?
4. I would love to visit Prague sometime. Unfortunately, I
__________(be/never) there.
5. Peter ________(play) Tennis for five years when he
________(be) at school.
6. Jane: Can you help me? I________(finish) my homework,
but I still don't understand number 7.
7. I ____________(work) in Italy for 5 years. I
_________(begin) work as soon as I arrived.
8. I'm afraid I'm not hungry. I _________(eat/already).
9. When Jack was at school, he _________(learn) to play the
saxophone. He _________(play) it ever since.
10. Could you give me some advice? I _________(buy) this
sweater at Macy's. Do you think I should take it back?
11. Maria lives in Boston. Before she __________(move)here,
she _________(live) in Seattle for 3 years.
12. Peter __________(go) to Paris last year. That means that
he ___________(be) to Paris 3 times!
13. Just a moment! I ___________(think) of a good idea yet!
14. Maria _________(believe) that for ages!
15. How long _______(you/live) there before coming here?
Question Words
Question words are used to ask what we are talking
about.
Questions using question words follow this order:
Question word - Auxiliary verb - Subject.
Here are some question words and example sentences:
Question Usage Example
Word
46
What To ask about the nature What color do whose, why, which, how.
of things and you like? Example: ______ is it? - What is it?
substances. What time is it?
1._________is your name?
Where To ask about location. Where are you? 2.___________are you from?
To ask about identity 3._____________are you today?
Who Top ask about Who is he?
4._________is he?
posession
Whose To ask about reason Whose pen is 5._________are you tired?
and purpose this? 6.________pen is this?
7.___________do you get up?
Why To ask about time Why are you
happy? 8.__________fruit do you like, oranges or lemons?
When To ask about a set of When do you get 9._________does David have?
choices. up?
10.__________old is she?
Which How has several Which one do
usages, including asking you want?
How about process and How do you
method. make coffee?
Conjunctions
To make a question with question words in the Simple
Conjunctions are words that conjoin things - they connect
Present, you simply make a normal question, and then
sentences and parts of a sentence. This unit deals with
put a question word in front. For example:
five conjunctions: and, but, or, so and because.
With the verb "to be":
And
- Statement: His name is Tyler.
- Question: Is his name Tyler? And is oftne used to join nouns, for example:
- With a Question Word: What is his name? - I like spaghetti and pizza.
And is also used to show time sequence, for example:
With other verbs:
- I ate spaghetti for lunch and pizza for dinner.
- Statement: I like flowers.
- Question: Do you like flowers? But
- With a Question Word: Why do you like flowers? But is used to show an exception or conflict. For example:
Grammar Exercises - I like spaghetti, but I don't like hamburgers.

Add the correct question word: what, when, where, who, Or

47
Or is used to show choice, for example: Answers:
- You can eat spaghetti or pizza for dinner. 1. and
2. and
So 3. but
So is used to show the result of something. For example: 4. so
5. because
- I like all Italian food, so I like pizza. 6. so
So can also be used give additional information, for 7. but
example: 8. but
- I like Italian food, and so does my brother. 9. but
10. because
Because
Because is used to show the cause of something. For
Possessives
example:
- I eat a lot of pizza because I like it. Possessives show who or what something belongs to -
- I study English because I want a good job. they show possession.
Most nouns can be made possessive simply by adding 's.
Exercises For example:
- The restaurant's food is very good.
Complete the sentences with the correct conjunction. Use - David Beckham's right foot is excellent.
and, but, or, because, or so. - You can eat an apple's skin.
Example: I have a pen and a pencil. If the noun is plural and ends in "s", you add just '. For
1. I like rice_____ fish for breakfast. example:
2. Jenny is kind_____smart.
girls is plural and ends in "s" so:'
3. She wants coffee_____not cake. - The girls' books are interesting. (The girls's books are
4. He works very hard,_______he's really tired. interesting)
5. Sue can't come tomorrow ________she’s sick. children is plural but doesn't end in "s" so we just add 's
as normal:
6. He plays soccer every day________he's very good. - The children's boks are interesting.
7. I can meet you today _______ not tomorrow. boss ends in "s" but is not plural, so again just add 's.
8. David likes small dogs _______not big dogs. - The boss's office is very big.

9. She can speak French _______not Itialian. This can however look and sound awkward, so you can
10. David's very happy _______ he’s got a new job. sometimes just use ' instead. For example with names:

48
 Thomas's book, Tess's house can also be Thomas' book, Your (plural) Those friends are yours.
Tess' house. Their This ball is theirs.
The basic rule is; if the noun is plural and ends in "s" add ' Its
- otherwise just add 's. There is no possessive pronoun for its, so you cannot say
2. Possessive Adjectives "The book is its". Also possessive pronouns often come at
the end of sentences and are usually stressed. "This is my
Here are the possessive adjectives with example
book" can be have a fairly factual meaning, but "This book
sentences. Notice that possessive adjectives come before
is mine" stresses more strongly whose book it is.
the noun.
Adverbs of Frequency
Adverbs of frequency show how often something happens.
For example: "I always brush my teeth" means I brush
Possessive Uncountable my teeth every day.
Adjective Here are some common adverbs of frequency.
My This is my book
Your (singular) Your car looks great. Adverb Frequency
Her Her watch is expensive.
His His house is on Chamber Street.
Our Our dog is cute.
Your (plural) Your friends are nice.
Their This is their ball.
Its The cat likes its food.
3. Possessive Pronouns
Here are the possessive pronouns with example
sentences. Notice they never come before nouns.
Possessive Uncountable
Pronoun
My This book is mine.
Your (singular) That car is yours.
Her Theexpensive watch is hers.
The house on Chamber Street is
His his.
Our The cute dog is ours.
49
 These are correct: "sometimes" comes before the main
Always - He always 100%
verb "play"
eats breakfast. 80%
- We sometimes play sports.
Usually - He usually 60%
- We don't often play sports.
eats breakfast. 40%-50%
Often - He often eats These are incorrect:
breakfast. 0% - We play sometimes sports.
Sometimes - He - We don't play often sports.
sometimes eats Other positions are also possible, for example:
breakfast. 20%
- We play sports sometimes.
Never - He never eats Here the adverb is in the end position.
breakfast. - Sometimes we come home late.
For infrequent events The beginning positon is possible, especially when adding
we can use: emphasis.
Don't usually - He
doesn't usually eat
breakfast.

Affirmative/Negative Frequency Adverbs

Affirmative frequency adverbs can be made negative, for
example:
- I don't always eat rice for breakfast.
- He doesn't usually come home late.
Negative frequency adverbs can't be made negative:
for example:
- I don't never eat rice for breakfast - This is incorrect
Adverb Position
Adverb position varies greatly in English. However as a
general rule, adverbs of frequency come before the main
verb. For example:
Exercises
Unscramble these sentences.
Example: get always up you 7.00 at. - You always get
up at 7.00.
1. sometimes at We restaurant a eat.
______________________
2. happy always Shane is. __________________________
3. doesn't always She take a taxi. _____________________
4. often listens music Tom to. ______________________
5. is Paul never late. ________________________
50
 6. Sally to sometimes gym goes the.
______________________
7. Dad cook sometimes dinner. _______________________
8. usually well do I math tests in. _______________________
9. looks William good always. __________________________
10. you do often study English? __________________________

Prepositions of Time
Answers:
Prepositions of time show the time something happens.
1. We sometimes eat at a restaurant.
For example: "I get up at 7.00" shows the time I get up.
2. Shane is always happy.
3. She doesn't always take a taxi. Some of the most common prepositions of time are: in,
4. Tom often listens to music.
on, at, from, to.
5. Paul is never late.
6. Sally sometimes goes to the gym. In
7. Dad sometimes cooks dinner.
8. I usually do well in math tests. In is used for morning, afternoon, and evening. For
9. William always looks good. example:
10. Do you often study English?
- I study Japanese in the afternoon.
- He gets up early in the morning.
In is also used for other periods of time, including
months, seasons, years, centuries, and ages. For
example:
- My birthday is in March.
- The Portuguese came to Japan in 1542.

51
- Flowers grow in spring.
On
On is almost always used for some kind of day. For
example:
- My birthday is on March 29th.
- I go to church on Sunday.
- We visit my family on New Year's Day.
Compare: He gets up early in the morning.
But: He gets up early on Monday morning. Comparatives and Superlatives
At
At is used for a particular time. For example:
Comparatives show more or less of a particular attribute,
- I study Spanish at 2.00.
they compare things. Comparatives are generally used for
- He gets up at 7.30.
comparing two things, and superlatives are used for
- I come home at lunchtime.
comparing three or more things.

At is also used for used for night. If it's clear what we are comparing to, then we can just
Compare: I sleep in the afternoon. use the comparative form on its own. For example:
But: I sleep at night. - I am faster.
- She is older.
From - to
Otherwise we use than before the thing we are comparing
From and to are used to show the start and end of a to. For example:
defined period of time. For example: I am faster than John.
- I work from 9.00 to 5.00. She is taller than me.
- Our vacation is from January 5th to February 1st.
Superlative forms don't use than and are always preceded
by the definite article the. For example:
- I am the tallest student in my school.
Comparatives
One-Syllable Adjectives
To make a comparative from an adjective with one
syllable, we add -er to the adjective, for example:
- slow - slower
- fast - faster

52
- tall - taller Superlatives
- short - shorter
To make a comparative from a one syllable adjective One-Syllable Adjectives
ending in -e, we just add -r. For example: To make a superlative from an adjective with one syllable,
- nice - nicer we add -est to the adjective, for example:
- large - larger - slow - slowest
If the one syllable adjective ends in a vowel and a - fast - fastest
consonant, we double the consonant. For example: - tall - tallestr
- big - bigger - short - shortest
- hot - hotter To make a superlative from a one syllable adjective
- thin - thinner ending in -e, we just add -st. For example:
Two-Syllable Adjectives - nice - nicest
If the adjective has two or more syllables, we add more - large - largest
before the adjective. If the one syllable adjective ends in a vowel and a
For example: consonant, we double the consonant. For example:
This book is more expensive than that book. - big - biggest
This picture is more beautiful. - hot - hottest
However there are many exceptions to this one/two- - thin - thinnest
sylllable rule. Two-Syllable Adjectives
Some two-syllable words behave like one-syllable ones: If the adjective has two or more syllables, we add most
For example: before the adjective.
This is easier - Correct For example:
This is more easy - Incorrect. This book is the most expensive book.
This is simpler - Correct This picture is the most beautiful picture in the museum.
This is more simple - Incorrect
And some adjectives can use both comparatives forms: Irregular Forms
For example There are a few irregular forms. Below gives the
- clever - cleverer - more clever: These are all correct. adjective, comparative, and superlative forms.
- quiet - quieter - more quiet: These are all correct. good - better - best
bad - worse - worst
Exceptions cannot be learnt through rules, the best way to far - farther - farthest
learn them is simply to pick them up case by case. far - further - furthest

53
 little - less - least
much/many - more - most
For example:
You are the best student in the world!
I am far from home, he is further from home, but he is
the furthest from home.
Exercises
Write the comparative form of the adjectives given.
Example: An elephant is bigger than a lion. (big)
1. The Nile river is ___________________then the Amazon.
(long)
2. I'm _________________________than Yuri but
______________________than Miko. (tall, short)
3. They're __________________than us, but we're
____________________than them. (handsome, smart)
4. This book bag is _____________________than that bag.
(expensive)
5. This newspaper is ______________________than that
newspaper. (good)
6. Soda juice tastes ______________________than fruit juice.
(bad)
7. Today is _____________________than yesterday. (warm)
8. This TV program is _______________________. (interesting)
Answers:
10. more interesting
Exercises 2
Write the comparative or superlative form of the
adjectives given.
Example: Mount Everest is the highest mountain in the
world. (high)
1. The Nile river is _________________river in the world.
(long)
2. Tyler is ________________________and
_________________________person I know. (happy, kind)
3. The blue team got ___________________________score and
the red team got ___________(good, bad)
4. This is _________________ticket to France. (cheap)
5. MinWoo is ___________________student in our class.
(hard-working)
6. This is _________________________movie in the world.
(boring)
7. My sister is _________________person in my family.
(young)
8. The _____________________word in English is
pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanoconiosis. (long)

1. longer
2. taller
3. shorter
4. more handsome
5. smarter
6. more expensive
7. better
8. worse
9. warmer
54
 - "A fly is in my soup."
- "There is a fly in my soup!"
Answers:
The first sentence is factual and impersonal. The fly is the
1. the longest subject, and the soup is the object. In the second
2. the happiest sentence the object is "a fly in my soup", so the subject is
3. the kindest "There". "There" functions as a kind of dummy subject
4. the best
5. the worst that represents a more personal perspective, rather than
6. the cheapest a factual statement.
7. the most hard-working
8. the most boring Especially in spoken English we usually use the
9. the youngest contraction "there's", rather than "there is".
10. longest
Here are the forms of "there" in the Simple Present.

Statements Questions
There's a tree in my Is there a restaurant
garden. here?
There are books on the Yes, there is. / No,
desk. there isn't
Negatives
There isn't a computer
in my bedroom.
There aren't any
cinemas here.
There is usually subject-verb agreement when using there
is/there are. For example:
- There are ten students in my class.
- There is ten students in my class.
Sometimes however we can use "there is" with compound
subjects, for example:
There is / there are There's a bank and a post office near my house.
"There" is a kind of pronoun used to show something you Exercises
know exists. Add there is or there are to the following sentences.
Example: There are many stars in the sky.
Compare these two sentences:
55
1. ___________________a fly in my soup. Example: two dogs, ten horses, a man, six men, the shops, a few
(There is, There are) ideas.
2. ______________________many parks in New York.
(There is, There are) Uncountable nouns are for the things that we cannot count
3. ____________________any tigers in Africa.
Example: tea, sugar, water, air, rice.
(There isn't, There aren't)
4. ____________________lots of hotels in big cities. They are often the names for abstract ideas or qualities.
(There is, There are) Example: knowledge, beauty, anger, fear, love.
5. ___________________a bank near here? They are used with a singular verb. They usually do not have a plural
(Is there, Are there) form. We cannot say sugars, angers, knowledges.
6. __________________life on Mars?
Examples of common uncountable nouns:
(Is there, Are there)
7. ____________________a telephone I can use? money, furniture, happiness, sadness, research, evidence, safety,
(Is there, Are there) beauty, knowledge.
8. ______________________a football game tomorrow.
We cannot use a/an with these nouns. To express a quantity of one of
(There is, There are)
these nouns, use a word or expression like:
9. _________________________8 students in my class. some, a lot of, a piece of, a bit of, a great deal of...
(There is, There are)
10. ________________________many people my town.
Examples:
(There isn't, There aren't) 1 There has been a lot of research into the causes of this
Answers: disease.
1. There is
2. There are
2 He gave me a great deal of advice before my
3. There aren't interview.
4. There are 3 They've got a lot of furniture.
5. Is there
6. Is there 4 Can you give me some information about uncountable
7. Is there nouns?
8. There is 9. There are 10. There aren't
Some nouns are countable in other languages but uncountable in
COUNTABLE AND UNCOUNTABLE NOUNS English. Some of the most common of these are:

Countable nouns are for things we can count

Example: dog, horse, man, shop, idea.
They usually have a singular and plural form.

56
 accommodation news quantity. It is used in affirmative statements, but not
advice progress negatives. We generally use any or questions. For
baggage traffic example:
behaviour travel - I have a few books.
bread trouble - I don't have a few books
furniture weather This is incorrect.
information work - I don't have any books
luggage This is correct.
- Do you have a few books?
Sometimes this is possibe, but generally speaking we use
BE CAREFUL with the noun 'hair' which is normally uncountable
any for questions, for example "Do you have any books?"
in English:
Few
She has long blonde hair
It can also be countable when referring to individual hairs: There is an important difference between a few and few.
Few without a is used to mean we don't have enough of
My father's getting a few grey hairs now
something. For example:
- She has few apples in the refridgerator. (She doesn't
have enough apples).
- She has a few apples in the refridgerator. (She has a
small quantity of apples)
Put another way, "a few" means "a small quantity", but
"few" means "not a big quantity" For example:
- A few friends came to my party. This is a positive idea,
I'm happy a few people came./
- Few friends came to my party. This is a negative idea,
Quantifiers - Few / Little / A Few / A I'm not happy because not many people came.
Little Notice how "a few" focuses on how many people did
come, but "few" focuses on how many didn't come.
In sum, A few means a small quantity - few means not
THese quantifiers are used to show a small quantity of
a big quantity
something, for example "I have a few books" means I
have a small quantity of books. A Little

A Few A little is used with uncountable nouns to show a small

quantity. Again, it is generally used in affirmative
A few is used with countable nouns to show a small
57
statements, not negatives or questions. For example: 6. I need _______________________days vacation.
- I have a little orange juice. 7. You don't need a lot of salt, just use
Negatives and Questions use "any" as usual. ____________________.
- I don't have a little orange juice.
This is incorrect. 8. ______________________people have a lot of money, and
- I don't have any orange juice. a lot of people have _________________money.
This is correct
- Do you have a little orange juice? Answers:
Again, we generally use any for questions, for example
1. a few
"Do you have any orange juice?" 2. a little
Little 3. a little
4. a few
As with few, there is also the same difference between a 5. a little
little and little. Little without a is used to mean we don't 6. a few
7. a few
have enough of something. For example: 8. a little
- She has little for breakfast. (She doesn't eat enough for 9. A few
breakfast). 10. a little
- She has a little for breakfast. (She has a small quantity
of food for breakfast). Quantifiers - Much / Many / A Lot of
Quantifiers are words that show how much there is of
Exercises something - they show quantity. Much, many, and a lot of
indicate a large quantity of something, for example "I
Complete the sentences. Use a few or a little.
have a lot of milk" means I have a large quantity of milk.
Example: They want a little tea.
Much
1. We have _______________bananas and
Much is used with uncountable nouns, and is generally
______________________water.
used in negative statements and questions. It's
2. Do you have any coffee? uncommon to use much in positive statements. For
Sure, there's ___________________in the kitchen. example:
3. They have some fruit and - I don't have much money.
_________________________nuts. - Do you have much time?
- "I have much time." This sounds unusual.
4. She has ____________________rice and
_______________________a vegetables. Many
Many is used with plural countable nouns, and is often
58
used in negative statements and questions. It is also used
in positive statements however. For example:
- I don't have many apples.
- Do you have many friends?
- Many people come here in summer.
Much and many can be used in affirmative statements,
but give a more formal meaning. For example:
- He has many good friends from Harvard University.
Much and many often appear in short answers. For
example:
- Do you see your family much?
- No, not much.
A lot of
A lot of is used with uncountable and countable nouns,
and is generally used for affirmative statements. For
example:
- I have a lot of friends.
- I have a lot of time.
A lot of is also used in questions, especially when you
expect a positive response. Although it is often said that
much and many are used for questions, we usually use
them for questions which expect a negative response. For
example:
- Do you want a lot of pizza?
I expect you want to eat a lot.
- Do you want much pizza?
This sounds unusual, as though I expect you don't want to
eat much.
Lots of can be used in the same way as a lot of, often in
informal speech. For example:
- I have lots of time.
- I have a lot of time.
How much / many?
How much is used to ask about the price of something.
For example:
- How much is it?
- How much is that dog in the window?
How much and How many are used to ask about quantity.
For example:
- How much money do you have?
- How many apples does he have?
Exercises
Complete the sentences.. Use much, many, a lot of or
lots.
Example: They eat a lot of apples.
1. We have __________________oranges.
2. We don't have _________________bananas, and we don't
have ______________________fruit juice.
3. Do you have any cereal?
Sure, there's __________________in the kitchen.
4. How _____________________is this? It's ten dollars.
5. How _____________________do you want? Six, please.
6. He's very busy, he has ___________________work.
7. David has __________________rice, but Tyler doesn't
have ________________________.
8. London has __________________________beautiful
buildings.
Answers:
1. a lot of
2. many
59
3. much - Is there any time to go to the doctor's? ( I think there
4. lots
5. much probably isn't time).
6. many This can however look and sound awkward, so you can
7. a lot of
8. a lot of sometimes just use ' instead. For example with names:
9. much Thomas's book, Tess's house can also be Thomas' book,
10. many Tess' house.
Some and any are often used like articles for plural nouns.
Quantifiers - Some / Any A/an is used for singular countable nouns, and some/any
can be used for plural noun, countable or uncountable. For
example:
Quantifiers are words that show how much there is of I have a newspaper, some newspapers, and some money.
something - they show quantity. Numbers for example are "A newspaper" is a singular countable noun so uses a,
also quantifiers. "newspapers" is a plural countable nouns so uses some, and
Some money is an uncountable noun so also uses some.
Exercises
Some is used to show an indefinite quantity, the exact Complete the sentences using some and any.
number is not important. It is used in affirmative Example: She wants some apples.
statements, for example: 1. I have __________________soda.
- I have some books. 2. We don't have _________________milk.
- She wants some apples. 3. Ben's very busy. He doesn't have
Some is also in questions, but only when you think the ______________________time.
answer wil be "Yes". For example: 4. She wants to buy ____________________books.
- Do you have some paper? (I hope the answer is "Yes") 5. Let's listen to __________________music.
- Would you like some french fries? ( I expect the anwer 6. Do you have ________________pets?
is "Yes") 7. Yes, I have _______________________.
Any 8. We need _______________________fruit and vegetables for
dinner.
Any is used in negative statements. For example: 9. Rachel meets ______________________friends at the
- I don't have any money. weekend.
- There aren't any taxis near here. 10. They don't have ____________________coffee.
Any is also generally used in questions, especially when Answers:
1. some
we expect the answer to be "No". for example:
2. any
- Do you have any paper? (I expect the answer will 3. any
probably be "No") 4. some
60
5. some OBJECTS RECEIVE AN ACTION:
6. any The teachers like him.
7. some
8. some
Thomas knows her.
9. some The actor smiled at us.
10. any POSSESSIVE FORMS TELL US THE PERSON SOMETHING
DEFINING WORDS BELONGS TO:
His bike is broken.
WHICH AND WHOSE I like her new book.
In a statement, these words define or explain which thing or person is The teacher graded our homework.
referred to: "Who" is a Subject Pronoun
Example: "Who" is a subject pronoun like "he," "she" and "we" in the
1 He went back to the house. (Which house?) The house examples above. We use "who" to ask which person does an
which stood on the corner. = He went back to the house action or which person is a certain way.
which stood on the corner. EXAMPLES:
Who made the birthday cake?
2 I saw the man. (Which man?) The man whose car you Who is in the kitchen?
damaged. = I saw the man whose car you damaged. Who is going to do the dishes?
More examples: "Whom" is an Object Pronoun
3 He couldn't remember which film he had seen. "Whom" is an object pronoun like "him," "her" and "us" in the
examples at the top of the page. We use "whom" to ask which
4 That's the man whose wife works in my office.
person receives an action.
5 Tell me which coffee you like. EXAMPLES:
6 The woman whose dog bit you is at the door. Whom are you going to invite?
Whom did he blame for the accident?
Whom did he hire to do the job?
Who, Whom, Whose "Whose" is a Possessive Pronoun
Subjects, Objects and Possessive Forms
"Whose" is a possessive pronoun like "his," "her" and
To understand how to use "who," "whom" and "whose," you
"our" in the examples at the top of the page. We use
first have to understand the difference between subjects,
objects and possessive forms. "whose" to find out which person something belongs to.
SUBJECTS DO AN ACTION: EXAMPLES:
He loves movies. Whose camera is this?
She goes to school. Whose dog is barking outside?
We enjoy Chinese food. Whose cell phone keeps ringing?

61
"Who," "Whom" and "Whose" in Indirect Questions The form "whom" is becoming less and less common in
English. Many native English speakers think "whom" sounds
The sentence below contains an example of an indirect outdated or strange. This trend is particularly common in the
question: United States. Especially when combined with prepositions,
I don't know whom he invited. most people prefer to use "who" as the object pronoun. To
Such sentences usually start with a phrase such as "I am not most native English speakers, the examples below sound quite
sure..." or "I don't know..." or "Do you know...". Just ignore the natural.
first part of the sentence and look at the "indirect question" EXAMPLES:
when deciding whether to use "who," "whom" or "whose." Who did you come to the party with?
EXAMPLES: I don't know who he gave the book to
Does he know who the boss of the company is? (subject of the That is the woman who I was talking to.
indirect question)
I don't know whom you prefer. (object of the indirect question)
He isn't sure whose car that is. ("whose" shows possession of
car)
"Who," "Whom" and "Whose" in Adjective Clauses
The sentence below contains an example of an adjective
clause:
I know the man who won the contest.
Adjective clauses are used to describe a noun in the main
sentence. In the example above, the adjective clause tells us
about "the man." Just ignore the main sentence and look at the
"adjective clause" when deciding whether to use "who,"
"whom" or "whose."
EXAMPLES:
We knew the actress who starred in the movie. (subject of
adjective clause)
They hired the man whom we interviewed last week. (object of
adjective clause)
She knew the family whose house we bought. ("whose" shows
possession of house)

"Whom" Less Common Also / Too / Either

62
Also used with commas after the subject of the sentence. This is usually only
done in formal speech.
FORM
"Also" comes after "to be." EXAMPLES:
Mr. Jones wanted the contract. I, too, thought it was necessary.
· I am also Canadian.
· I was also there. Donna is working on a solution to the problem. I, too, am trying to find a
"Also" comes after modal verbs. way to resolve the conflict.
· I can also speak French.
· I should also be there.
With verbs other than "to be," "also" comes before single verb forms. Either
· I also sing.
· He also helped us. FORM
In verb tenses with many parts, "also" comes after the first part and before "Either" usually comes at the end of a clause.
the second. · I cannot speak French either.
· I have also been to Hong Kong. · I am not studying economics either.
· I am also studying economics. · I don't want to eat either.
· I didn't like the movie either.
USE
USE "Either" is used in negative sentences to add an agreeing thought.
"Also" is used in positive sentences to add an agreeing thought.
EXAMPLES:
EXAMPLES:
Jane doesn't speak French. Sam doesn't speak French either.
Jane speaks French. Sam also speaks French. I don't love chocolate. I don't love pizza either.
I love chocolate. I also love pizza. Frank cannot come with us. Nancy cannot come with us either.
Frank can come with us. Nancy can also come with us.

Too Confusing sentences

FORM IMPORTANT
"Too" usually comes at the end of a clause. Sometimes the first sentence is negative and the agreeing idea is positive.
· I am Canadian too. EXAMPLES:
· I can speak French too. The weather wasn't very appealing. I also wanted to stay home and finish
· I am studying economics too. my book. That's why I didn't go to the beach.
· If he wants to go too, he should meet us at 8:00. The car wasn't expensive. I needed a way to get around town too. That's
USE why I bought it.
"Too" is used in positive sentences to add an agreeing thought. It has the IMPORTANT
same meaning as "also," but its placement within the sentence is different. Sometimes the first sentence is positive and the agreeing idea is negative.
EXAMPLES: EXAMPLES:
Jane speaks French. Sam speaks French too.
I love chocolate. I love pizza too. Jane is too short. She is not a good athlete either. I don't think she would
make a good basketball player.
Frank can come with us. Nancy can come with us too.
IMPORTANT He is lazy. He doesn't study either. That's why he doesn't do well in school.
Although "too" is usually placed at the end of a clause, it can sometimes be So / Such
63
So + adjective
USE
"So" can be combined with adjectives to show extremes. This form is often
used in exclamations.
EXAMPLES:
The music is so loud! I wish they would turn it down.
The meal was so good! It was worth the money.
USE WITH "THAT"
The above form can be combined with "that" to show extremes which lead
to certain results. The "that" is usually optional.
EXAMPLES:
The music is so loud that I can't sleep.
The music is so loud I can't sleep.
The meal was so good that we decided to have dinner at the same
restaurant again tonight.
The meal was so good we decided to have dinner at the same restaurant
again tonight.
So + adverb
USE
"So" can be combined with adverbs to show extreme actions. This form is
often used in exclamations.
EXAMPLES:
She spoke so quickly! She sounded like an auctioneer.
He paints so well! I am sure he is going to become a famous artist.
USE WITH "THAT"
The above form can be combined with "that" to show extreme actions which
lead to certain results. The "that" is usually optional.
EXAMPLES:
She spoke so quickly that I couldn't understand her.
She spoke so quickly I couldn't understand her.
He paints so well that they offered him a scholarship at an art school in
Paris.
He paints so well they offered him a scholarship at an art school in Paris.
so + many/ Few + Plural Noun
USE
"So" can be combined with "many" or "few" plus a plural noun to show
extremes in amount. This form is often used in exclamations.
EXAMPLES:
I never knew you had so many brothers!
She has so few friends! It's really quite sad.
USE WITH "THAT"
The above form can be combined with "that" to show extremes in amount
which lead to certain results. The "that" is usually optional.
EXAMPLES:
I never knew you had so many brothers that you had to share a bedroom.
I never knew you had so many brothers you had to share a bedroom.
She has so few friends that she rarely gets out of the house.
She has so few friends she rarely gets out of the house.
So + Much / Little + Nouncountable Noun
USE
"So" can be combined with "much" or "little" plus a noncountable noun to
show extremes in amount. This form is often used in exclamations.
EXAMPLES:
Jake earns so much money! And he still has trouble paying the rent.
They have so little food! We need to do something to help them.
USE WITH "THAT"
The above form can be combined with "that" to show extremes in amount
which lead to certain results. The "that" is usually optional.
EXAMPLES:
Jake earns so much money that he has lost all sense of what a dollar is
worth.
Jake earns so much money he has lost all sense of what a dollar is worth.
They have so little food that they are starving to death.
They have so little food they are starving to death.
So +Much / Little / Often / Rarely
USE
"So" can be combined with words like "much," "little," "often" or "rarely" to
describe how much or how often someone does an action . This form is
often used in exclamations.
EXAMPLES:
Earl drinks so much! It's not good for his health.
64
My sister visits us so rarely! I really miss her. He is such an idiot! He says the stupidest things.
USE WITH "THAT" She is such a genius! We could never do this work without her.
The above form can be combined with "that" to show the results of extreme
actions. The "that" is usually optional. USE WITH "THAT"
EXAMPLES: The above form can be combined with "that" to show certain results. The
"that" is usually optional.
Earl drinks so much that it is starting to interfere with his work.
Earl drinks so much it is starting to interfere with his work. EXAMPLES:
My sister visits us so rarely that my kids wouldn't even recognize her. He is such an idiot that nobody would hire him.
My sister visits us so rarely my kids wouldn't even recognize her. He is such an idiot nobody would hire him.
She is such a genius that they immediately gave her a position at the
Such + Adjective + Noun university.
She is such a genius they immediately gave her a position at the university.
USE
"Such" can be combined with an adjective and a noun to show extremes.
This form is often used in exclamations.
EXAMPLES:
Don has such a big house! I think it's a little ridiculous.
Such + Noun ( This type of……)
Shelly has such beautiful eyes! I have never seen that shade of blue before.
USE
USE WITH "THAT" "Such" can also mean "this type of..." or "that type of..."
The above form can be combined with "that" to show extremes which lead
EXAMPLE:
to certain results. The "that" is usually optional.
The archeologist had never seen such writing before he discovered the
EXAMPLES: tablet.
Don has such a big house that I actually got lost on the way to the (this/that type of writing)
bathroom. She usually doesn't receive such criticism.
Don has such a big house I actually got lost on the way to the bathroom. (this/that kind of criticism)
Frank has never made such mistakes before.
Shelly has such beautiful eyes that she got a job as a make-up model. (these/those kinds of mistakes)
Shelly has such beautiful eyes she got a job as a make-up model.
So / Such
NOTE An Interactive Exercise
Remember that without the noun you need to use "so."
1. She is_________ funny! She always makes me laugh.
such + beautiful + eyes + that
so + beautiful + that 2. Sarah and Ed are_______ crazy people! I never know what they
are going to do next.
Such + judgement Noun
3. James has_________ much money that he could actually buy that
USE Ferrari.
"Such" can also be combined with judgemental nouns for emphasis. This
form is often used in exclamations.
4. Although most of the audience had never been exposed
EXAMPLES:
65
to_________music, they thoroughly enjoyed the performance of the do it yourself.
Tibetan folk choir.
18. I had to pay $140 for books for my new Spanish class. I don't
5. The movie was__________ good that I saw it five times. know why my professor has to choose__________ expensive books
for her course.
6. Terry speaks English________ fluently that I thought he was
American. 19. Please, don't drive___________ fast! I'm terrified we're going to
have an accident.
7. Most students never discuss_________ topics in class, but I think
it is important to teach our children to question the media. 20. I really wish you wouldn't smoke__________ much! It's
destroying your health.
8. Jerry had never seen__________ high mountains. He thought
they were spectacular. So / Such
An Interactive Exercise
9. Fred is__________ a clown! He is always telling jokes and making correction
people laugh.
1. so 2. such 3. so 4. such 5. so 6.so 7.such 8. such 9.such
10. There was_________ little interest in his talk on 10. so 11. such 12. such 13. so 14. such 15. such 16.so 17. so
macroeconomics that the room was half empty by the time he 18.such 19. so 20. so
stopped speaking.

11. How could you say_________ horrible things to me? KINDS OF ADVERBS

12. He is_______ a jerk! He hasn't said one nice thing since he

started working here. ADVERBS OF DEGREE

13. That new song is_______ cool that it hit the top ten within a
week of being released.
14. Martha is_________ a good cook that she is writing her own
book of family recipes.
15. I don't know if that is_______ a good idea. Maybe we should try
something else.
16. She has_________ many hats that she needs two closets to
store them all.
17. That takes________ little time and effort that you might as well
Adverbs of degree tell us about the intensity or degree
of an action, an adjective or another adverb.
Common adverbs of degree:
Almost, nearly, quite, just, too, enough, hardly,
scarcely, completely, very, extremely.
Adverbs of degree are usually placed:
before the adjective or adverb they are modifying:
e.g. The water was extremely cold.
before the main verb:
e.g. He was just leaving. She has almost

66
 finished.
Examples:
1 She doesn't quite know what she'll do after
university.
2 They are completely exhausted from the trip.
3 I am too tired to go out tonight.
4 He hardly noticed what she was saying.
Enough, very, too
Enough as an adverb meaning 'to the necessary
degree' goes after adjectives and adverbs.
Example:
5 Is your coffee hot enough? (adjective)
6 He didn't work hard enough. (adverb)
It also goes before nouns, and means 'as much as is
necessary'. In this case it is not an adverb, but a
'determiner'.
Example:
7 We have enough bread.
8 They don't have enough food.
Too as an adverb meaning 'more than is necessary or
useful' goes before adjectives and adverbs, e.g.
9 This coffee is too hot. (adjective)
10 He works too hard. (adverb)
Enough and too with adjectives can be followed by 'for
someone/something'.
Example:
11 The dress was big enough for me.
12 She's not experienced enough for this job.
13 The coffee was too hot for me.
14 The dress was too small for her.
We can also use 'to + infinitive' after enough and too
with adjectives/adverb.
Example:
15 The coffee was too hot to drink.
16 He didn't work hard enough to pass the
exam.
17 She's not old enough to get married.
18 You're too young to have grandchildren!
Very goes before an adverb or adjective to make it
stronger.
Example:
19 The girl was very beautiful. (adjective)
20 He worked very quickly. (adverb)
If we want to make a negative form of an adjective or
adverb, we can use a word of opposite meaning, or not
very.
Example:
21 The girl was ugly OR The girl was not very
beautiful
22 He worked slowly OR He didn't work very
quickly.
BE CAREFUL! There is a big difference between too
and very.
23 Very expresses a fact:
He speaks very quickly.
24 Too suggests there is a problem:
He speaks too quickly (for me to understand).
Other adverbs like very
These common adverbs are used like very and not very,
67
and are listed in order of strength, from positive to OTHER, ANOTHER
negative:
extremely, especially, particularly, pretty, rather, These words refer to something different, remaining, or
quite, fairly, rather, not especially, not particularly. additional.
Note: rather can be positive or negative, depending on They are placed before the noun.
the adjective or adverb that follows:
Another is used with singular nouns, other with singular or
Positive: The teacher was rather nice. plural.
Negative: The film was rather disappointing.
1 There are other jobs you could try.
Note on inversion with negative adverbs:
2 Where's the other packet of cereals?
Normally the subject goes before the verb:
3 Is there any other bread?
SUBJECT VERB 4 Have another cup of tea.
I left
She goes THE DISTRIBUTIVES
However, some negative adverbs can cause an ALL, BOTH, HALF
inversion - the order is reversed and the verb goes These words can be used in the following ways:
before the subject
Example: 1 - Uncountable noun
I have never seen such courage. Never have I seen 2 the or
such courage. 3 my, your, etc. Countable noun in the
She rarely left the house. Rarely did she leave the ALL + 4a this, that plural
house. 4b these, those Uncountable noun
Negative inversion is used in writing, not in speaking. Countable noun in the
Other adverbs and adverbial expressions that can be plural
used like this:
seldom, scarcely, hardly, not only .....
but also, no sooner .....
than, not until, under no circumstances. Example:

1. All cheese contains protein

All children need affection

68
2. All the people in the room were silent. HALF 1 a Uncountable
Have you eaten all the bread? + 2 the or
3. I've invited all my friends to the party. 3 my, your, countable noun
I've been waiting all my life for this 4 etc.
opportunity. this, that,
these,
4a. Who's left all this paper on my desk?
those
4b. Look at all those balloons!

- Countable noun in the plural Example:

1
the
BOTH 2 1. I bought half a kilo of apples yesterday.
+ my, your, etc.
3
these, those 2. You can have half (of) the cake.
4 She gave me half (of) the apples.

3. I've already given you half (of) my

money.
Exampl Half (of) his books were in French.
e:
4 Half (of) these snakes are harmless
1. Both children were born in Italy. You can take half (of) this sugar.

2. He has crashed both (of) the cars. NOTE: All, both, half + OF: 'OF' must be added when
followed by a pronoun:
3. Both (of) my parents have fair hair.
All of you; both of us; half of them
4 You can take both (of) these books back to It is also quite common to add it in most of the above
the library. situations except when there is no article (No.1 in all the
See note below tables above.)

THE DISTRIBUTIVES
EACH, EVERY, EITHER, NEITHER
69
 These distributive words are normally used with singular my car.
nouns, and are placed before the noun. I went downtown on the
Each, either and neither can be used with plural nouns bus, train, ship, bus.
on
but must be followed by 'of': plane, bicycle We travelled to Toronto
on the train.
Each is a way of seeing the members of a group as
individuals:
2. Days, Months, Years etc.
1 Each child received a present.
2 Each of the children received a present. Preposition Nouns Examples
Every is a way of seeing a group as a series of Months She arrived in February.
members: in Years I was born in 1978.
Lengths of time I'll be home in three days.
3 Every child in the world deserves affection. Days of the week The party is on Thursday.
on
It can also express different points in a series, especially Weekend He left on the weekend.
with time expressions: at Times of day I'll call you at 7.30.
4 Every third morning John goes jogging.
5 This magazine is published every other week.
Either and Neither are concerned with distribution 3. Communications
between two things - either is positive, neither is
negative:
Preposition Nouns Examples
6 Which chair do you want? Either chair will do. The
7 I can stay at either hotel, they are both good I spoke to him on the
telephone
8 There are two chairs here. You can take on telephone yesterday.
TV/television
either of them. I heard the news on the radio.
The radio
9 Neither chair is any good, they're both too
small. 4. Where prepositions are NOT used
10 Which chair do you want? Neither of them - We don't use prepositions with words and phrases like this:
they're both too small. this morning
this afternoon
Prepositions home
1. Transportation every week
last Tuesday
Preposition Nouns Examples next year
in car, truck I went to Vancouver in Prepositions
70
Type the correct prepositions in the gaps meet my friends at the movie theater at 8 o'clock or later. In the
1) Ann came______her bicycle______the evening. summer, usually in August, I go home to visit my family in
2) Bill sells newspapers ______ Yates Street ________ the summer. America. My family and I go to the beach and relax in the sun in
3) Sue will be _______ the classroom _______ 8:30. the morning and in the afternoon! In the evening, we often eat at
4) Ann went ______ home _______ this morning. a restaurant with our friends. Sometimes, we go to a bar at night.
5) Bill went _______ skiing ______ 1997.
6) Ann watches a movie _______ television _________ every Tuesday. Look at the chart below:
7) I met Sue _______ a party _______ Friday night. IN We use in with months - in May seasons - in winter
8) When the children are_______ bed, let's listen _______ music country - in Greece city or town names - in New
______ the radio.
York times of the day - in the morning, afternoon or
9) I will go_______Nova Scotia_______March________2005.
evening BUT at night!
10) I will call you ____ two weeks.
11) The cat stayed ______ the house ________ last night. ON We use "on" with specific days - on Friday, on New
12) I went out _______ dinner ________ the weekend. Year's Day, on April the 19th American English - "on
the weekend OR on weekends"
AT We use "at" with specific times - at 7 o'clock, at 6.15
at night specific places in a city - at school British
Answer English - "at the weekend OR at weekends"
1) on in TO We use "to" with verbs which show movement such
2) on in as go and come - He goes to school. She returned to
3) in at the store. They are coming to the party tonight.
4)------ -------
5)------ in Fill in the gaps in this paragraph with the prepositions - in,
6) on -------. on, at or to. Click on the arrow to see the answer.
7) at on Janet was born in Rochester on December 22nd at 3 o'clock in the
8) in to on morning. Rochester is in the state of New York in the United
9) to in -------- States. Now, she goes to classes at the university> She usually
arrives in the morning at 8 o'clock. On(american) at
10) in
( british)weekends, she likes driving to her friend's house Canada.
11) in ---------- Her friend lives in Toronto. She usually arrives at 9 in the evening
12)to on and leaves on Sunday morning. On Saturday, they often meet
friends at a restaurant. At night, they sometimes go to a disco. In
summer, in July for example, they often go to the countryside.

Write some sentences about your life!

Basic preposition : Time and place- at, in , on and to Preposition Use – in / at / on – prepositions of place
Read the story below: IN
I was born in Seattle, Washington on the 19th of April in 1961. Use 'in' with spaces:
Seattle is in the State of Washington in the United States. That 1 in a room / in a building
was many years ago... Now, I live in Leghorn in Italy. I work at 2 in a garden / in a park
the British School. I sometimes go to a movie on the weekend. I Use 'in' with bodies of water:

71
 3 in the water Preposition Use –in / at / to / nothing –
4 in the sea
5 in a river
Prepositions of place and movement
Use 'in' with lines: IN
6 in a row / in a line Use 'in' with static (non-movement) verbs and cities, countries,
7 in a queue states, etc.:
AT 25 stay in the USA
Use 'at' with places: 26 work in New York
8 at the bus-stop AT
9 at the door Use 'at' with static (non-movement) verbs and places:
10 at the cinema 27 at the cinema
11 at the end of the street 28 at work
Use 'at' with places on a page: 29 at home
12 at the top of the page TO
13 at the bottom of the page Use 'to' with verbs of movement such as go, come, drive, etc.:
Use 'at' in groups of people: 30 go to work
14 at the back of the class 31 drive to California
15 at the front of the class IMPORTANT NOTES
ON The use of ' ' (nothing)
Use 'on' with surfaces: 32 With verbs of movement and the noun 'home' - He
16 on the ceiling / on the wall / on the floor went home. - they drove home.
17 on the table 33 With the verb 'visit' - She visited France last
Use 'on' with small islands: summer.
18 I stayed on Maui. Test Your Understanding
Use 'on' with directions: Now that you have studied the use of in / at / to / nothing - as
19 on the left prepositions of place and movement, try the follow-up quiz to test
20 on the right your understanding.
21 straight on
IMPORTANT NOTES
In / at / on the corner
We say 'in the corner of a room', but 'at the corner (or 'on the Preposition Use –in / at / on – prepositions of time
corner') of a street' and date
In / at / on the front IN
22 we say 'in the front / in the back' of a car Use 'in' months and years and periods of time:
23 We say 'at the front / at the back' of buildings / 34 in January
groups of people 35 in 1978
24 We say 'on the front / on the back' of a piece of 36 in the twenties
paper Use 'in' a period of time in the future:
37 in a few weeks
38 in a couple of days
72
AT He has a lot of beautiful pictures_____ the wall.
Use 'at' with precise time: I live____the fifth floor of my apartment building.
39 at six o'clock We waited for over an hour____ the bus-stop.
40 at 10.30 Who is that woman ____ the photograph?
41 at two p.m. You will find an explanation ___ page 18.
ON Paris is ______ the river Seine.
Use 'on' with days of the week: The instructions are____ the back of the box.
42 on Monday What do you have_____ your hands?
43 on Fridays Can you see who is________ the door?
Use 'on' with specific calendar days:
44 on Christmas day
45 on October 22nd
IMPORTANT NOTES
in the morning / afternoon / evening - at night
We say in the morning, afternoon or evening BUT we say 'at
night'
Test Your Understanding
Now that you have studied the use of in / at / on - prepositions of
time and date, try the follow-up quiz to test your understanding.

Preposition Use –in / at / on – prepositions of

place
Test you knowledge of the prepositions in / at / on showing
position. Choose either in, at, or on

The label is______ the bottle.

Jack is waiting _____ the bottom of the stairs.
Our seat are _____ the third row.
Turn left ______the lights.
He's sitting ______the chair next to the piano.
I met Jack _____ the street.

73
 If the "if" clause comes first, a comma is usually used. If the "if"
clause comes second, there is no need for a comma:

main clause if clause

Water boils if you heat it to 100 degrees.

We use the same verb form in each part of a zero conditional: the
simple present tense:

if clause if + subject + simple present verb

main clause subject + simple present verb

Using the zero conditional

The zero conditional is used to talk about things which are always
true -- scientific facts, general truths, and so on:

Example Explanation

If you cross an
The structure of a zero conditional sentence international date line,
the time changes.
A zero conditional sentence consists of two clauses, an "if" clause If you go 10 meters
and a main clause (note that most zero conditional sentences will under water, the
mean the same thing if "when" is used instead of "if"):
pressure increases to
if clause main clause two atmospheres.
If you heat water to 100 degrees, it boils. Phosphorus burns if
you expose it to air.
This always happens, every
time you cross a dateline.
This is basically always true
-- the pressure of 10 meters
of water equals one
atmosphere.
This is a scientific fact --
you can test it in a
74
 laboratory
The structure of a second conditional sentence
Like a first conditional, a second conditional sentence consists of two
The structure of a first conditional sentence clauses, an "if" clause and a main clause:
A first conditional sentence consists of two clauses, an "if" clause and if clause main clause
a main clause:
If I had a million dollars, I would buy a big house.
if clause main clause
If the "if" clause comes first, a comma is usually used. If the "if"
If you study hard, you will pass the test. clause comes second, there is no need for a comma:
If the "if" clause comes first, a comma is usually used. If the "if" main clause if clause
clause comes second, there is no need for a comma:
I would buy a big house if I had a million dollars.
main clause if clause
We use different verb forms in each part of a second conditional:
You will pass the test if you study hard.
if clause if + subject + simple past verb*
We use different verb forms in each part of a first conditional:
main clause subject + would + verb
if clause if + subject + simple present verb
*Note that this "simple past" form is slightly different from usual in
main clause subject + will + verb the case of the verb BE. Whatever the subject, the verb form is
Using the first conditional "were", not "was": If I were rich, I'd buy a big house.
The first conditional is used to talk about things which are possible in Using the second conditional
the present or the future -- things which may happen: The second conditional is used to talk about things which are unreal
(not true or not possible) in the present or the future -- things which
Example Explanation don't or won't happen:
If it's sunny, we'll go to the Maybe it will be sunny -- that's Example Explanation
park. possible.
If I were you, I would drive I am not you -- this is
Paula will be sad if Juan Maybe Juan will leave -- that's more carefully in the rain. unreal.
leaves. possible.
Jan will not leave -- that's
If you cook the supper, I'll Maybe you will cook the supper Paula would be sad if Jan left.
not going to happen.
wash the dishes. -- that's possible.
If dogs had wings, they would be Dogs don't have wings --
75
 able to fly. that's impossible. Using the third conditional
The third conditional is used to talk about things which DID NOT
HAPPEN in the past. If your native language does not have a similar
The structure of a third conditional sentence construction, you may find this a little strange, but it can be very
useful. It is often used to express criticism or regret:
Like the other conditionals, a third conditional sentence consists of
two clauses, an "if" clause and a main clause: Example Explanation
if clause main clause explanation If you had driven more Criticism: You had an accident
carefully, you would not have because you didn't drive
If I had I would have
I failed the exam, because I had an accident. carefully enough.
studied passed the
didn't study hard enough.
harder, exam. If we had played a little
Regret: We didn't play well, so
better, we could have won
If the "if" clause comes first, a comma is usually used. If the "if" we lost the game.
the game.
clause comes second, there is no need for a comma:
If you had saved your money, Criticism: You didn't save your
main clause if clause
you could have bought a money, so now you can't afford
I probably would have passed the exam if I had studied harder. computer. a computer.

We use different verb forms in each part of a third conditional: If it had snowed, we could Regret: It didn't snow, so we
have gone skiing. couldn't go skiing
if clause if + subject + past perfect verb*
Exercise
main subject + would (OR could, OR might) have + past 1 I want to buy a Porsche, but I don't have enough money.
clause participle
a-If I have enough money, I buy a Porsche.
*The past perfect is formed with the auxiliary verb "had", and the b- If I have enough money, I will buy a Porsche.
past participle (or third form) of the verb.
c- If I had enough money, I would buy a Porsche.
Note also that third conditional forms can be contracted:
d-If I had had enough money, I would have bought a Porsche.
If I had studied harder, I probably would have
Full form
passed the exam.
2 He stepped on the mine, and it exploded.
Contracted If I'd studied harder, I probably would've passed a-If he doesn't step on the mine, it doesn't explode.
form the exam.
b- If he doesn't step on the mine, it won't explode.
c-If he didn't step on the mine, it wouldn't explode.

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d-If he hadn't stepped on the mine, it wouldn't have exploded. d-If you hadn't ignored my advice, you wouldn't have got into
trouble.
3 In my experiments, the liquid is cooled to 32 degrees. It always
freezes.
a-If you cool the liquid to 32 degrees, it freezes.
b-If you cool the liquid to 32 degrees, it will freeze.
c-If you cooled the liquid to 32 degrees, it would freeze.
d-If you had cooled the liquid to 32 degrees, it would have frozen. Conditional Overview with Examples

Present Real Conditional Present Unreal Conditional

4 It may rain this afternoon. I hope it doesn't because I don't
want the match to be cancelled. If I have time, I study If I had time, I would study
a-If it rains, the match is cancelled. English. English.
b-If it rains, the match will be cancelled. (Sometimes I have time.) (I don't have time.)

c-If it rained, the match would be cancelled. Past Real Conditional Past Unreal Conditional
d-If it had rained, the match would have been cancelled.
If I had time, I studied If I had had time, I would
English. have studied English.
5 Unfortunately, I don't know Philosophy, so I can't answer your (Sometimes I had time.) (I didn't have time.)
question.
a-If I know Philosophy, I can answer your question. Future Real Conditional Future Unreal Conditional
b-If I know Philosophy, I will be able to answer your question.
If I have time, I will study
c-If I knew Philosophy, I would be able to answer your question. English. If I had time, I would study
d-If I had known Philosophy, I would have been able to answer your If I have time, I am going to English.
question. study English. (I won't have time.)
(I don't know if I will have
time or not.)
6 You ignored my advice, so you got into trouble!
a-If you don't ignore my advice, you don't get into trouble.
b-If you don't ignore my advice, you won't get into trouble. All Conditional Forms
c-If you didn't ignore my advice, you wouldn't get into trouble.

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1. (If / When) ________I leave work, I usually go to the fitness
center to work out.
2. She hates TV. She thinks television is a waste of time. (If /
When) ____________shewatches any television at all, it is
usually a documentary or a news program.
3. My friend always keeps in touch by mail. (If / When) _____I
get a letter, I usually write back immediately.
4. If I (have)________enough money, I (go)_________on
safari to Kenya. However, my bank account is empty!
5. I love to travel! When I (have)__________enough money, I
(go)_________abroad. I do it almost every year.
6. I really wanted to go on safari to Kenya with my friends, but I
couldn't afford to go. If I (have)__________enough money, I
(go) _______with them.
7. I'm sorry, I didn't know you were allergic to chocolate. If I
(know)_________, I (make)_______you a vanilla birthday
cake.
8. Stop asking me what Amanda bought you for Christmas.
Even if I (know)_________what she bought you, I (tell, not)
________you.
9. Nobody here speaks English. Too bad Gloria isn't here. If
she (be)_________with us, she (can)_______act as our
interpreter.
10. I am afraid I won't be able to come to your wedding next
week because my company is sending me to New York to
attend a trade show. I (miss, never)_________your wedding if I
(have) ___________ a choice in the matter.
11. If the weather is nice tomorrow, she (walk)________along
the river to school.
12. If you help me move tomorrow, I (treat)_________you to a
dinner and a movie.
13. If you were to help me move tomorrow, I (treat)
_________you to a dinner and a movie.
14. If I were in Tahiti right now, I (snorkel) __________along a
beautiful reef. I wouldn't be stuck here in this office with
mountains of paperwork.
15. If Jerry hadn't stopped to pick up that quarter, he (cross)
_______the street when the bus ran the red light. He might
have been killed!
16. Tina's train arrived ahead of schedule. If I hadn't decided to
go to the train station early, she (wait)________there for more
than twenty minutes before I arrived.
17. If I (pass)__________the test, I (get)_________an "A" in
the class. Instead, I got a "C." I really should have studied
more.
18. If I (be)_________rich, I (buy)__________that new
Mercedes we saw yesterday. Unfortunately, I can't even afford
a used car.
19. We (go)_________skiing this weekend, but there's no
snow. Oh, well! We will just have to find something else to do
instead.
20. If Heather spoke Chinese, she (translate)________the
email for you yesterday. along a beautiful reef. I wouldn't be
stuck here in this office with mountains of paperwork.
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All Conditional Forms
correction
1. When I leave work, I usually go to the fitness center to work
out.
2. She hates TV. She thinks television is a waste of time. If she
watches any television at all, it is usually a documentary or a
news program.
3. My friend always keeps in touch by mail. When I get a letter,
I usually write back immediately.
4. If I had enough money, I would go on safari to Kenya.
However, my bank account is empty!
5. I love to travel! When I have enough money, I go abroad. I
do it almost every year.
6. I really wanted to go on safari to Kenya with my friends, but I
couldn't afford to go. If I had had enough money, I would have
gone with them.
7. I'm sorry, I didn't know you were allergic to chocolate. If I
had known, I would have made you a vanilla birthday cake.
8. Stop asking me what Amanda bought you for Christmas.
Even if I knew what she bought you, I would not tell you.
9. Nobody here speaks English. Too bad Gloria isn't here. If
she were with us, she could act as our interpreter.
10. I am afraid I won't be able to come to your wedding next
week because my company is sending me to New York to
attend a trade show. I would never miss your wedding if I had a
choice in the matter.
11. If the weather is nice tomorrow, she is going to walk along
the river to school.
12. If you help me move tomorrow, I will treat you to a dinner
and a movie.
13. If you were to help me move tomorrow, I would treat you to
a dinner and a movie.
14. If I were in Tahiti right now, I would be snorkelling along a
beautiful reef. I wouldn't be stuck here in this office with
mountains of paperwork.
15. If Jerry hadn't stopped to pick up that quarter, he have
been crossing the street when the bus ran the red light. He
might have been killed!
16. Tina's train arrived ahead of schedule. If I hadn't decided to
go to the train station early, she would have been waiting there
for more than twenty minutes before I arrived.
17. If I had passed the test, I would have gotten an "A" in the
class. Instead, I got a "C." I really should have studied more.
18. If I were rich, I would have bought that new Mercedes we
saw yesterday. Unfortunately, I can't even afford a used car.
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19. We would go skiing this weekend, but there's no snow. Oh,
well! We will just have to find something else to do instead.
20. If Heather spoke Chinese, she would have translated the
email for you yesterday. along a beautiful reef. I wouldn't be
stuck here in this office with mountains of paperwork.
Mixed Conditionals
Those of you who have been following the Conditional Tutorial should now
be familiar with Present, Past and Future Conditional verb forms.
Sometimes Unreal Conditional sentences are "Mixed". This means that the
time in the "If" Clause is not the same as the time in the Result. Study the
examples below to learn how to mix conditional verb forms like a native
speaker.
Verbs in green are in the Present Unreal Conditional.
Verbs in orange are in the Past Unreal Conditional.
Verbs in purple are in the Future Unreal Conditional.
Mixed conditinal patterns
PAST PRESENT
EXAMPLES:
If I had won the lottery, I would be rich.
(But I didn't win the lottery in the past and I am not rich now.)
If I had taken French in high school, I would have more job opportunities.
(But I didn't take French in high school and I don't have many job
opportunities.)
If she had been born in the United States, she wouldn't need a visa to work
here.
(But she wasn't born in the United States and she does need a visa now to
work here.)
PAST FUTURE
EXAMPLES:
If she had signed up for the ski trip last week, she would be joining us
tomorrow.
(But she didn't sign up for the ski trip last week and she isn't going to join us
tomorrow.)
If Mark had gotten the job instead of Joe, he would be moving to Shanghai.
(But Mark didn't get the job instead of Joe and Mark is not going to move to
Shanghai.)
If Darren hadn't wasted his Christmas bonus gambling in Las Vegas, he
would go to Mexico with us next month.
(But Darren wasted his Christmas bonus gambling in Las Vegas and he
won't go to Mexico with us next month.)
PRESENT PAST
EXAMPLES:
If I were rich, I would have bought that Ferrari we saw yesterday.
(But I am not currently rich and that is why I didn't buy the Ferrari
yesterday.)
If Sam spoke Russian, he would have translated the letter for you.
(But Sam doesn't speak Russian and that is why he didn't translate the
letter.)
If I didn't have to work so much, I would have gone to the party last night.
(But I have to work a lot and that is why I didn't go to the party last night.)
PRESENT FUTURE
EXAMPLES:
If I didn't have so much vacation time, I wouldn't go with you on the cruise
to Alaska next week.
(But I do have a lot of vacation time and I will go on the trip next week.)
If Cindy were more creative, the company would send her to New York to
work on the new advertising campaign.
(But Cindy is not creative and the company won't send her to New York to
work on the new campaign.)
If Dan weren't so nice, he wouldn't be tutoring you in math tonight.
(But Dan is nice and he is going to tutor you tonight.)
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 Impersonal "it","there"
FUTURE PAST
EXAMPLES:
Impersonal "it"
If I weren't going on my business trip next week, I would have accepted that
new assignment at work.
(But I am going to go on a business trip next week, and that is why I didn't When to use it Examples
accept that new assignment at work.)
If my parents weren't coming this weekend, I would have planned a nice trip It's raining.
just for the two of us to Napa Valley. Talking about weather It's cold.
(But my parents are going to come this weekend, and that is why I didn't It was sunny yesterday.
plan a trip for the two of us to Napa Valley.)
If Donna weren't making us a big dinner tonight, I would have suggested "Who is it?"
that we go to that nice Italian restaurant. "It's me."
(But she is going to make us a big dinner tonight, and that is why I didn't
Identifying something
"What is it?"
suggest that we go to that nice Italian restaurant.) "It's a cat."

"What time is it?"

FUTURE PRESENT "It's five o'clock."
Talking about time
EXAMPLES: "What day is it?"
If I were going to that concert tonight, I would be very excited. "It's Thursday."
(But I am not going to go to that concert tonight and that is why I am not
excited.) "How far is it to Toronto?"
Talking about distance
If Sandy were giving a speech tomorrow, she would be very nervous. "It's 4000 kilometers."
(But Sandy is not going to give a speech tomorrow and that is why she in
not nervous.)
If Seb didn't come with us to the desert, everyone would be Impersonal "there"
very disappointed.
Impersonal "there" is used to say that something exists in a particular
(But Seb will come with us to the desert and that is why
place:
everyone is so happy.)
Singular There is a book on the table.

Plural There are three men in the car.

Exercise:

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1 ________ two birds sitting in that tree. It is, There is, There are
2 ________ five miles from the station to my house. It is, There
is ,There are
3 How long did ________ take you to do your homework? it ,there
4 ________ any ice cream in the fridge? Is it, It is, Is there, There is
5 Somebody ate my apple! Who was ________? it ,there
6 They cancelled the soccer match because ________ snowing. it
was, there was, there were
7 How many pages ________ in your grammar book? it is, is it
,there are, are there
8 This is crazy! ________ August, and the weather is still cold!
It's, Its ,There is, There's
9 Don't cry! ________ no reason to be sad. It is, there is, there are
10 Who is that guy? ________ the movie star, Tom Hanks? Isn't it,
Isn't there ,Aren't there

The past perfect tense

This tense is formed using two components: the verb HAVE (in the
past tense), and the past participle form of a verb. With a regular verb
the past participle ends with -ED (just like the simple past). Irregular
verbs have a special past participle form that you have to learn. Here
82
are the rules, using the regular verb "arrive" and the irregular verb We discussed the movie in class.
"eat":
Here, we don't know which order the events happened in. That may
be important -- perhaps I went to see the movie after the discussion,
Subject HAVE Past Participle Contraction or maybe I saw the movie before the discussion. There are many
ways to make this sequence clear, and the past perfect is one of them.
arrived. I'd arrived. This is how we do it:
I had
eaten. I'd eaten.
I went to see the movie. We had discussed it in class.
arrived. You'd arrived.
You had
eaten. You'd eaten. Here, we KNOW that the discussion took place FIRST -- even
though the sentence describing it comes afterwards. We discussed the
arrived. He'd arrived. movie, and THEN I went to see it. This can be very useful when you
He had
eaten. He'd eaten. are telling a story or relating a sequence of events. At any point in
your story, you can jump BACK to a previous event, and your reader
arrived. She'd arrived.
She had will not be confused, because the past perfect will make it clear that
eaten. She'd eaten.
the event happened previously. Here is another example:
arrived. It'd arrived.
It had I wanted to live in a foreign country, so I applied for a job in
eaten. It'd eaten.
Japan. Judy lived in Japan, so I called her to find out more about
arrived. We'd arrived. the culture and lifestyle there.
We had
eaten. We'd eaten.
(Judy was probably still living in Japan when I called her.)
arrived. They'd arrived.
They had I wanted to live in a foreign country, so I applied for a job in
eaten. They'd eaten.
Japan. Judy had lived in Japan, so I called her to find out more
about the culture and lifestyle there.

(Judy no longer lived in Japan -- she returned from there before I

applied for the job.)

Using the Past Perfect What is a clause?

The past perfect is used to show you which of two events happened
first. Imagine that two things happened in the past:
I went to see the movie.
A clause is a unit which contains a subject and a verb. For example,
"It was raining" is a clause; the subject is "it", and the verb is "was
raining". Every sentence MUST contain at least one clause, but it
may contain more than one. For example:
83
 I could cook some
joins two alternative
It was raining, so I took my umbrella. or supper, or we could order
ideas
a pizza.
This sentence contains two clauses, "It was raining" and "I took my
umbrella". They are independent clauses because each one would be shows that the second
She was sick, so she went
a good sentence on its own -- each one is a "complete thought". so idea is the result of the
to the doctor.
first

Joining clauses together with conjunctions

These conjunctions are also used:
Examine the example sentence one more time:
nor (joining two negative alternatives), for (meaning
"because"), yet (meaning "but")
It was raining, so I took my umbrella.

The two clauses in the sentence are joined together with the word
"so". This is a coordinating conjunction. It is used to join two Using coordinating conjunctions
independent clauses which are equally important. A coordinating There are three things to remember when using coordinating
conjunction usually comes in the middle of a sentence, and it usually conjunctions:
follows a comma (unless both clauses are very short). These are the
most important coordinating conjunctions:
join
Each clause must be a "complete thought"
independent
which could be a sentence on its own.
clauses

put the (You may see some sentences starting with

conjunction in "but" or "and", but this is USUALLY wrong,
Conjuncti the middle so it's best to avoid it.)
Function Example
on
use a comma (unless both clauses are very short
joins two similar ideas He lives in Victoria, and
and
together he studies at UVic.
What is a dependent clause?
joins two contrasting John is Canadian, but
but A clause is a unit which contains a subject and a verb. For example,
ideas Sally is English.
"It was raining" is a clause; the subject is "it", and the verb is "was
84
raining". A dependent clause is a clause which cannot exist on its Conjunction Function Example
own; it needs a main (or independent) clause to go with it. For
example: although Although she's small,
(even) though express contrast she's very strong.
Because it was raining, I took my umbrella. whereas between ideas John is short, whereas
This sentence contains two clauses, "Because it was raining" and "I while Mary is tall.
took my umbrella". The first clause does not mean anything on its I lost my job because I
own. If you say "Because it was raining", and nothing else, people because show a cause/effect
was often late.
will not be able to understand what you mean. However, "I took my as relationship
Since I have no money, I
umbrella" is an independent clause -- we can understand what it since between ideas
can't go to the movie.
means even if it is alone.

Joining clauses together with subordinating conjunctions

Examine the example sentence one more time:

Because it was raining, I took my umbrella.

The important word here is "because". This is a subordinating

conjunction. It is used to show the relationship between the two
clauses. A subordinating conjunction usually comes at the beginning
of the dependent clause, but the dependent clause itself can be before
the main clause (usually followed by a comma) or after it (sometimes
following a comma):

Although it was hot, he was wearing a coat.

He was wearing a coat although it was hot.

Important subordinating conjunctions

Some of the most important subordinating conjunctions fall into two
groups: contrast, and cause and effect.

85