HANDS ON

GRAMMAR
 Hands on Grammar

Module 7

Module 8

Module 9
Module 7

7.1 – Countable and uncountable nouns

7.2 – The Gerund and the To Infinitive

7.3 – Clauses of purpose and time

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 7.1 Countable and uncountable nouns

Countable nouns Uncountable nouns

Nouns with plural form/ Nouns without plural form/

can be counted cannot be counted

Quantifiers used Quantifiers used

Much Many
Few/ a few Little/ a little
several
Quantifiers used with Countable (C) and Uncountable (U) nouns

Some
Any
No
A lot of / lots of
 Exercises

1. Decide if the following words are Countable [C] or Uncountable [U].

a. Friend C U g. Water C U

b. Money C U h. Work C U

c. Product C U i. Consumer C U

d. Bread C U j. Salt C U
e. Luck C U k. House C U
f. Child C U l. Meat C U

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2. Click on the correct quantifier.

a. MUCH/MANY teenagers go shopping alone.

b. How MUCH/MANY does this pair of jeans cost?
c. There are still A LITTLE/ A FEW apples left.
d. There was too MUCH/MANY noise in the shop.
e. I don’t have NO/ANY money left.
f. I’ll make SOME/ANY sandwiches for us.
g. Are there ANY/SOME oranges left?
h. There are still ANY/SOME oranges on the table.

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 7.2 Gerund (-ing form) or to infinitive form

Can be used as a noun

e.g. Finding a suitable jingle is not easy.

Follows a preposition Follows verbs of

e.g. This results in The Gerund perception
raising the final price. e.g. I saw Frank buying a
new game.

Follows verbs expressing LIKES and DISLIKES

e.g. I like watching commercials.
 Verbs, phrasal verbs and expressions
which are followed by the gerund (-ing form)

admit delay face justify practise

appreciate deny fancy keep put off
avoid detest feel like keep on quit
can’t help dislike finish leave off report
can’t stand endure forgive mention resent
carry on enjoy give up mind resist
consider escape imagine miss risk
defer excuse involve postpone save
 Verbs followed by the gerund
or by the infinitive form

begin love
continue neglect
hate
prefer
like
start
 Verbs, phrasal verbs and expressions
only followed by To Infinitive

afford consent hesitate promise

appear dare hope refuse
agree decide hurry resolve
arrange demand intend say
ask deserve learn seem
attempt determine long seek
beg elect manage swear
can’t afford fail mean tend
can’t wait get need threaten
care guarantee offer turn out
choose happen plan undertake
claim help prepare want
come pretend wish
 Exercises

1. Click on the right option.

a. Lisa and Bert like READING / TO READ magazines.

b. Samuel saw me STARING / TO STARE at the advertising poster.
c. My teacher is keen on WRITING / TO WRITE slogans.
d. Some people happen FINDING / TO FIND publicity interesting.
e. Lucy enjoys LISTENING / TO LISTEN to the jingles.
f. Yesterday I chose STAYING / TO STAY home.
g. I can’t afford BUYING / TO BUY that new pair of trainers.
h. I don’t feel like WATCHING / TO WATCH all those commercials.

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 7.3 Clauses of Purpose and Time

- So that
Are used to indicate - In order that
Clauses of Purpose the purpose/aim - So as to
of a certain action - In order to
- To

So that / In order that + subject + modal verb + infinitive

e.g. I got his phone number so that I could complain.

in order that

So as to / in order to/ to + Infinitive

e.g. I got his phone number so as to complain.

in order to
to
 7.3 Clauses of Purpose and Time

Are used to indicate after/before

the time when an event as soon as
Clauses of Time
in the main clause by
takes place by the time
when

Can be placed at the beginning or at the end of a sentence.

When placed at the beginning of the sentence the speaker is

generally stressing the importance of the time indicated.
 Exercises

1.Click on the correct option.

1.1 Shopaholics only admit their addiction … it’s too late.

a. when b. in order to c. until

1.2 I went to the bakery … buy bread.

a. when b. so that c. in order to

1.3 I visited Mary … I could see how she was.

a. so that b. as soon as c. before

1.4 We were having lunch … we saw the new billboard.

a. when b. as soon as c. to contents
 Module 8

8.1 – Conditional Clauses (If Clauses type 1,2 and 3

)

8.2 – Defining and non-defining relative clause

s

8.3 – Adverbial Subordinate Clause

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 Conditional Clauses (If clauses)

TYPE 1 TYPE 2 TYPE 3

If + Simple If + Simple Past, If + Past Perfect,

Present, Future Conditional Conditional
(will+ infinitive) (would + Perfect (would
infinitive) have + infinitive)

Possible future Imaginary/ Past irreversible

situation Hypothetical situation
situation
 Exercises

1. Click on the correct option.

1.1 If he hadn’t found a job, he … to university.

a. will go b. would go c. would have gone

1.2 If I … this, I will get the job.

a. do b. did c. had done

1.3 If he knew more about the military life, he… following a military career.
a. will consider b. would consider c. would have consider

1.4 If I … the questions, I would have done better at the interview.

a. had practised b. will practised c. practised
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 8.2. Defining and non-defining
relative clauses

Defining Relative Clauses Non-defining Relative Clauses

 Give essential information  Provide

to define or identify the interesting/additional but
person or thing we are not essential information
talking about. (add extra information)
 Use of commas (to
 No commas are used separate the extra
information added)
 That is never used
instead of who/whom or
which
 Exercises

1. Decide if the situations need a defining or non-defining relative

clause. Click on the right answer.

1.1 There are millions of employees in the world.

a) All employees who work for our firm have to follow our health and safety r
ules.
b) All employees, who work for our firm, have to follow our health and safety
rules.

1.2 I have three electricians working in my firm.

a) The electrician who has had a serious work accident will benefit from heal
th coverage
.
b) The electrician, who has had a serious work accident, will benefit from he
alth coverage.
1.3 Sinclair’s mum has lost her job.

a) Sinclair’s mum who worked in a well-known firm was sacked a few days a
go
.
b) Sinclair’s mum, who worked in a well-known firm, was sacked a few days
ago
.

1.4 I have one friend called Fiona…and she moved to England.

a) My friend Fiona whose husband got a job in London moved to England.

b) My friend Fiona, whose husband got a job in London, moved to England.

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 8.3. Adverbial Subordinate Clause

• Modifies the meaning of the main clause the

same way an adverb does;

• The adverb clause depends on the main verb

and cannot stand alone.
 REASON: as; because;
since

PURPOSE: to; in order to;

so that
Adverbial Subordinate
Clauses may express:
RESULT: so that; so…that;
such…that

CONCESSION: although;
even if; even though;
whereas; while
 Rules on How to Use Punctuation

When an adverbial clause begins the sentence we use a

comma to separate the two clauses;

• Example: In order to pay her bills, Vanessa accepts her

parents’ help.

When the adverbial clause finishes the sentence there is

no need for commas.

• Example: Vanessa accepts her parents’ help in order to

pay her bills.
 Exercises

a. purpose b. reason c. result d. concession

1. Choose the correct option.

1.1 Vanessa wrote her CV in order to apply for a job interview.

a b c d

1.2 She has to accept her parents’ help, since she has no money to pay
the rent.

a b c d
 a. purpose b. reason c. result d. concession
• 1.3 Vanessa was forced to leave her job because she broke her leg.

a b c d

• 1.4 Some unemployed people get so upset that they end up leaving their
country.
a b c d

• 1.5 She did some volunteer work so that she could improve her CV.

a b c d

• 1.6 Although she keeps sending application letters, she’s not very
optimistic.
a b c d contents
 Module 9

9.1 – Infinitives

9.2 – The Passive Voice

9.3 – The Causative

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 9.1 Infinitives

Modal verbs:
I can’t work.

Would rather/had better:

I would rather book the flight.

• Bare Infinitive

Make / let + object:

The estimate made me think about the
costs.

See/hear/ feel + object:

I saw the man walk away
 Verb + object
She asked her boss to contact her

A noun
I have got some reports to write.
To- Infinitive
Question words
I don’t know where to put so many
reports.

Verb/adj + for
I’m waiting for my boss to give me a
raise.
 Verbs, phrasal verbs and expressions
only followed by To-Infinitive

afford consent hesitate promise

appear dare hope refuse
agree decide hurry resolve
arrange demand intend say
ask deserve learn seem
attempt determine long seek
beg elect manage swear
can’t afford except mean tend
can’t wait fail need threaten
care get offer turn out
choose guarantee plan undertake
claim happen prepare want
come help pretend wish
 Exercises

a be b have c keep d type e help

1. Choose the correct option.

1.1 Mary can … very fast.

a b c d e

1.2 You should … informed about the new ways of working.

a b c d e
 a be b have c keep d type e help

1.3 The employers must… the employees who want to get IT training.

a b c d e

1.4 I wouldn’t … very happy if I worked in an office doing the same thing every
day.
a b c d e

1.5 Teenagers will never…problems with new technologies because they were
born with them.
a b c d e

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2.Click on the right option.

2.1 I don’t know how … the battery in my mobile phone.

a. remove b. to remove
2.2 It’s hard for me … the idea of working with someone miles away from me.
a. accept b. to accept
2.3 You’d better… because Mr. Byron wants that report.
a. hurry up b. to hurry up

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 9.2 The Passive Voice

We use the passive voice when…

- the focus is on the action;

- the agent is unknown or obvious;
- the agent is things or people in general;
- the focus is usually on events, achievements, rather than on the
agent (doer);
- we want to avoid reference to ourselves and make a statement
impersonal.
- we want to avoid YOU in orders and rules.
 Building the PASSIVE VOICE

ACTIVE Telepresence changed business performance

SENTENCE

Subject Verb Object

PASSIVE Business performance was changed by Telepresence

SENTENCE

Subject Aux. V Main Verb Object

(to be) (Past
participle)
 The Golden Rules of the Passive

The subject of the active sentence becomes the agent of the

passive sentence (after by) or can be left out when not important or
unknown.

The object of the active sentence becomes the subject of the

passive sentence.

The auxiliary verb (to be), used in the passive sentence,

is always in the same verb tense as the verb in the active
sentence. The main verb is always in the past participle when
in the passive sentence.
 Exercises

1. Click on the right option.

1.1 New technologies … our lives.

a. take over b. are taken over

1.2 Too many hours… by people on their cell phones.

a. spend b. are spent

1.3 Technologies and life … quite differently by each generation.

a. have been approached b. have approached

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 9.3 The Causative

The Causative

We use this idiomatic structure to express:

that we are not the doers of the action;

that we arranged for /asked someone to do something for us.

Example: Last year the music industry had some scientific

studies done to check the impact of illegal downloading.
 Check the table on how
to form the causative

subject To have object past participle

Simple Last year John had his Facebook profile updated.

past

Simple Twice a week John has his Facebook profile updated.

present

Present John hasn’t had his Facebook profile updated yet.

perfect

Present Now John is having his Facebook profile updated.

Continuous

Next year John will have his Facebook profile updated.

Future
 Exercises

a. action performed by the subject b. action performed by someone else

1. Click on the correct option.

1.1 I bought some new software for my computer. a b

1.2 We had our house painted last year. a b

a b
1.3 Brian is having his computer checked for viruses.

1.4 I have installed a fast broadband connection. a b contents

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