Grammar Flashcards
When do we use The third conditional?
used for a past situation that didn’t happen;
to talk about imagined past events: things that might have happened in the past, but didn’t happen.
parts of conditional sentence
if + past perfect, and would have + past participle.
The two parts can come in any order: put a comma. You don’t use a comma when the result part comes first
What are Double contractions?
is when we make three words into something shorter in spoken English. I would have becomes I’d’ve and could not have becomes couldn’t’ve.
When do we use Reported speech?
If someone says something that you want to tell another person, you can report it using reported speech. It is to move the tense back.
True or False
Notes on reported speech: A reported statement in the past simple often stays the same.
TRUE.
“I drove to work” -> She said she drove to work.
True or False
Notes on reported speech: You can go further back in time than the past perfect.
FALSE
The past perfect doesn’t change in reported speech because there isn’t a verb form further ‘back in time’.
True or False
Notes on reported speech: Some modal verbs change in reported speech: can, must.
TRUE
But some modal verbs don’t change: could, should, might.
True or False
We don’t change the verb in reported speech if the situation hasn’t changed, for example if it’s a fact or is generally true.
TRUE
“I love you” -> She told me she loves me.
True or False
In reported speech we can use the past tense to show you’re not certain the other person loves her/him – for example, the other person wasn’t telling the truth.
TRUE.
“I love you” -> She said she loved me.
Difference between the verbs say and tell when used in reported speech.
When we use say, we don’t normally include the object: “My friend said that he was making pizza”.
But if we use tell, we do need an object: “My friend told me that he was making pizza”.
When do we use If and whether?
can be used interchangeably, but one difference is that we use whether when we have two clear choices
When is Wether used?
you are only offering two choices - the two things you say. Tea or coffee.
When do we use “If”?
when you use if there is another possibility. As well as the two choices, there is a third: I don’t know if Finn wants either of those two drinks - maybe he wants something completely different, like hot chocolate or beer.
If and whether when used in indirect questions
If the direct question doesn’t have a question word, then we use if or whether in the indirect question. We can use these interchangeably, although if is a little more informal.
(Direct question) - Is the coffee for everyone?
(Indirect question) - Could you tell me if the coffee is for everyone?
Second conditionals
are about unreal or unlikely situations, like:
If I had enough money I would buy a plane
Ways to use “would”
1) Conditionals “I would memorise these sentences if I were you!”
2) Future in past “When you started learning English you knew you would be fluent one day”.
3) Reported speech “Finn said he would teach us how to use would”.
4) Repetition in the past: ‘would’ is being used to mark something that happened frequently in the past. “I would always make mistakes until I learned these examples”.
5) Polite requests “Would you try a little harder please?”
When are Indirect questions used?
We use these phrases to make questions more polite:
Do you know…
Could you tell me…
Would you mind…
Is there any chance…
Difference: let and allow
Let and allow are both followed by nouns or object pronouns. ‘Let’ takes an infinitive without to, and ‘allow’ takes an infinitive with to. Both can be made negative with an auxiliary verb, and allow is often used in the passive form.
Form (allow in passive)
Subject + to be + allowed (past participle)
When is Passive voice used?
When the person or the thing affected by the main verb becomes the focus: “The internet is used by millions of people every day”.
The passive is often used when the person or thing doing the verb is not important, unknown, or obvious. In this case, we may leave them out completely.
How do you form a Passive voice?
The passive voice is made with subject + to be + past participle + by + object.
Note that the active voice object becomes the passive voice subject. In the passive, the main verb is always the past participle.
What is the Passive voice used for?
We can use the passive voice to describe processes in which the action is more important than the person performing it.
Ex: The metal sheeting was heated and bent into shape before being cooled, polished, and finally painted.
The meaning of:
Unless
Unless is similar in meaning to if not and can be used instead of if not in certain types of conditional sentences. We normally use unless with present tenses when we are referring to the future.
True or False
Notes on “unless”: You can use ‘unless’ in questions
FALSE
What will you do if you don’t pass those exams? If I don’t pass those exams, I won’t be able to study in Australia.
True or False
Don’t use ‘unless’ with ‘would’ to talk about unreal future situations
TRUE
If he didn’t take everything so seriously, he would be much easier to work with.
If he weren’t so bad-tempered, I would help him to get the work done
True or False
Notes on “unless”: Use ‘unless’ with ‘would have’ to talk about unreal situations in the past
FALSE
If you hadn’t driven so recklessly, you wouldn’t have had this accident.
If you hadn’t had that last glass of wine, this would never have happened.
True or False
Notes on “unless”: Use ‘unless’, and not ‘if not’, if we are introducing an idea as an afterthought
TRUE
I won’t bother going to the meeting at the school tonight - unless you want to go, of course.
True or False
You can’t use a negative in the ‘unless’ clause.
TRUE
Answering negative questions
When a yes/no question is asked with a negative, it can be difficult to know what the correct way to respond is.
Think of a negative question as if it were a positive question and answer it like that!
Aren’t you going out tonight? is the same as: Are you going out tonight? For both questions the answer will be the same.
Yes, I am = you are going out tonight.
No, I’m not = you are not going out.
Mixed conditionals
The most common mixed conditional combination is when we have a third conditional in the if-clause (if + past perfect) followed by a second conditional (would + infinitive) in the main clause.
If he’d taken the medication, he would be feeling better.
Mixed third/second conditional form
With this mixed third/second conditional combination we are contrasting an imagined or real event in the past with the present result of that.
If they’d taken more care, she wouldn’t be pregnant now. (They didn’t take care. She is pregnant)
Use the present perfect to talk about:
life experiences: “I’ve been to Italy”.
recent past actions that are important now: “I’ve lost my keys”.
past situations that are still happening now: “We’ve been married for three years”.
talking about recent past events with ‘just’, ‘yet’ and ‘already’: “I’ve just finished a great book”.
True or False
Notes on “present perfect”: Don’t use the present perfect for activities, states and situations in the past which are completed or finished.
TRUE
I went to Italy last year.
My sister broke her leg last year.
Zero articles
Some nouns though do not normally need articles. There are different types of nouns that don’t require an article.
Use zero article (-) with
The names of most countries, cities and continents: Saudi Arabia, Argentina.
Geographical areas in adjective phrases: I live in (-) north-west Egypt, (-) eastern France
The names of single mountains and lakes: Mount Kilimanjaro, Lake Titicaca
Exact days, months and times: on (-) Friday, in (-) March, at (-) 7 o’clock
Some prepositional phrases of place: in (-) bed, at (-) sea
Types of nouns that don’t require an article
Plural and uncountable nouns for generalisations: Fruit is healthier than sweets
Proper nouns: Dan was standing in front of New Broadcasting House.
When talking about the normal role of an institution: What time does school finish on Fridays?
Times of day, year and named holidays and special days/festivals:
Do you put your cat out at night.
I always go home for Christmas.
The weather is usually best in August.
Zero article: school, university, college, hospital, prison, church.
There is a special rule for these places:
The children go to school by bus. I go to the school to help twice a week.
Ben’s studying maths at university. He works in the canteen at the university.
She was in hospital for three weeks. Is there a shop in the hospital?
If someone is at the place because they are a student / are sick / a prisoner, etc, we don’t use the. If they are there for another reason, or we are talking about the building, we use the.
True or False
Indefinite article: a university, a euro
Use a before consonant sounds: a chair, a horse, a laptop
This includes letters u or eu when they are pronounced y (/j/): a university, a euro
Indefinite articles
They are not used with plural nouns or uncountable nouns.
They are used when a singular countable noun is talked about for the first time.
They can be used when classifying, describing and generalizing:
It’s a dog.
The definite article
Use “the” when both the speaker and listener know what is being talked about or to identify a particular thing.
The definite article
You can also use the to mean the same as enough.
When we use the like this it is often in a negative structure and frequently with the verb to have. We can also use it with make and get.
If followed by a verb, it is the infinitive with to.
“We don’t have the time to go to the shops before the film starts”.
“Have we got the money for a foreign holiday this year?”
Continuous passive
We use the continuous passive the same way as regular continuous forms but when the agent, that is the person or organisation that is doing the action of the verb, is not known or is not as important as the action itself.
Continuous passive form
be + being (present participle of to be) + past participle
It has present, past and future uses but is not used in a perfect structure (ex: I am being chased).
We use ____ when we talk about a change that has started to happen.
Present continuous.
getting, becoming
starting, beginning
changing, improving
We use the _____ for things happening at or around the time os speaking.
The action is not complete.
present continuous
____ / i am doing / ____
past now future
We use the _____ for things in general or things that happen repeatedly.
present simple
past now future
We use the _____ for temporary situations (things that continue for a short time).
present continuous
We use the _____ for permanent situations (things that continue for a long time).
present simple
True or False
The present perfect (something has happened) is a present tense.
True
It tells us about the situation now.
‘Tom has lost his key’ = he doesn’t have his key now
True or False
The past simple (something happened) tells us only about the past.
True
If somebody says ‘Tom lost his key’,
we don’t know whether he has the key now or not.
True or False
You can’t use the present perfect (I have done) for new or recent happenings
False
I’ve repaired the washing machine.
True or False
Use the past simple (I did) for things that are not recent or new
True
Mozart was a composer. He wrote more than 600 pieces of music.
We use _____ when we talk about a finished time (for example, yesterday / last year / ten minutes ago etc.)
a past tense:
It was very cold yesterday. (not has been - present perfect)
Make sentences from the words in brackets. Use the present perfect or past simple.
(Emily / earn / a lot of money / this year)
Emily has earned a lot of money this year.
What do we use for a period of time that continues until now?
Present perfect (have done):
I’ve done a lot of work today
What do we use for a finished time in the past?
Past simple (did):
I did a lot of work yesterday.
Qual a diferença entre:
“We’ve been waiting for an hour” e “We waited (or were waiting) for an hour”.
Primeira: we are still waiting now
Segunda: we are no longer waiting
When do we use past perfect (I had done)?
If we want to talk about things that happened before something that happened in the past, we use the past perfect (had …):
When Sarah arrived at the party, Paul had already gone home
Present tenses for the future
Present continuous (I am doing)
Present simple (I do)
Present continuous (I am doing) with a future meaning
I have already decided and arranged to do it:
A: What are you doing on Saturday evening? (not What do you do)
B: I’m going to the cinema. (not I go)
For an action just before you start to do it. This happens especially with verbs of movement (go/come/leave etc.):
I’m tired. I’m going to bed now
Present simple (I do) with a future meaning
When we talk about timetables and programmes (for example, transport or cinema times):
I have to go. My train leaves at 11.30
to talk about people if their plans are fixed like a timetable:
I start my new job on Monday
We do not normally use /_____/ to talk about what we have arranged to do
will:
What are you doing tonight? (not What will you do)
When do we use past perfect continuous (I had been doing)?
To say that something had been happening before something else happened:
We’d been playing tennis for about half an hour when it started to rain heavily.
What’s the difference between present perfect continuous and past perfect continuous?
Present perfect continuous (have been -ing): for an activity that has recently stopped or just stopped
Past perfect continuous (had been -ing): something had been happening before something else happened
Compare past continuous and past perfect continuous
Past continuous (I was doing):
The action or situation started
before this time, but had not finished (= in the middle of an action)
Past perfect continuous (I had been doing): something had been happening before something else happened
Is there difference in meaning when using have or have got?
There is no difference in meaning. You can say:
They have a new car. or They’ve got a new car.
What are the uses for have and have got?
= for possession, relationships, illnesses, appointments etc.
For meanings like possession, do we use continuous forms?
No, we do not use continuous forms (I’m having etc.):
We’re enjoying our holiday. We have / We’ve got a nice room in the hotel.
(not We’re having a nice room)
What is used for things we do or experience?
We use have (but not have got):
Sometimes I have (= eat) a sandwich for my lunch. (not I’ve got)
In past questions and negative sentences, we use have got?
No, we use did/didn’t:
Did you have a car when you were living in Paris?
I didn’t have my phone, so I couldn’t call you
In past questions and negative sentences, we use have got?
No, we use did/didn’t:
Did you have a car when you were living in Paris?
I didn’t have my phone, so I couldn’t call you
For the past we use have got?
No, for the past we use had:
Lisa had long hair when she was a child. (not Lisa had got)
Complete the sentence using have:
I was very busy yesterday. I /___/ time to go shopping.
Didn’t have
Complete the sentence using have:
When you worked in your last job, /____/ your own office?
Did you have
What is the mean to “I am going to do something”?
I have already decided to do it, I intend to do it:
‘Are you going to eat anything?’ ‘No, I’m not hungry.
What’s the difference between I am doing and I am going to do?
I am doing = it is already fixed or arranged.
I am going to do something = I’ve decided to do it. Maybe I’ve arranged to do it, maybe not:
I don’t want to stay here. Tomorrow I’m going to look for somewhere else to stay
When do we say that ‘something is going to happen’?
When the situation now makes this clear:
Look at those black clouds! It’s going to rain. (we can see the clouds now)
When do we use I’ll … (= I will)?
When we’ve just decided to do something. When we say ‘I’ll do something’, we announce our decision:
Oh, I left the door open. I’ll go and shut it
In which situations do we use I’ll?
Offering to do something (I’ll help you with that bag)
Agreeing to do something (I’ll give this book to Tom when I see him this afternoon)
Promising to do something (Thanks for lending me the money. I’ll pay you back on Friday).
When do we not use I will?
We do not use will to talk about what has been decided or arranged before:
I’m going on holiday next Saturday. (not I’ll go)
What’s the difference between the sentences?
- I’m meeting Kate tomorrow morning.
*A: I’ll meet you at half past ten, OK?
B: Fine. See you then.
First: decided before
Second: decided now
When do we use shall I … ? / shall we … ?
To ask if it’s OK to do something or to ask for a suggestion:
Shall I open the window? (= do you want me to open it?)
I’ve got no money. What shall I do? (= what do you suggest?)
What’s the difference between the sentences?
*Shall I shut the door?
*Will you shut the door?
First = do you want me to shut it?
Second = I want you to shut it
True or False
Could is the past of can
True
Listen. I can hear something. (now)
I listened. I could hear something. (past)
True or False
Could is not always past
True
We also use could for possible actions now or in the future, especially to
make suggestions
When do we use could, and not can?
For actions that are not realistic
I’m so tired, I could sleep for a week.
To say that something is possible now or in the future:
The story could be true, but I don’t think it is.
When do we say Something could have happened?
It was possible, but did not happen:
Why did you stay at a hotel? You could have stayed with me.
What are the two meanings of ‘I couldn’t do something’?
(1) It would not be possible now, I would not be able:
I couldn’t run ten kilometres now. I’m not fit enough. (= I would not be able)
(2) I was not able (past)
I couldn’t run yesterday because I’d hurt my leg. (= I was not able)
When do we use will?
We use will (We’ll invite …) to announce a
new decision.
When do we use (be) going to?
We use (be) going to when we have
already decided to do something.
What’s the difference between using will and using (be) going to?
We use both will and going to for future happenings and situations.
When we say something is going to happen, we believe this because of the situation now. What is happening now shows that something is going to happen in the future.
When do we use may or might?
We use may or might to say that something is possible
True or False
Couldn’t (negative) is different from may not and might not.
True
Compare:
Sarah couldn’t have received my message. Otherwise she would have replied. (= it is not possible that she got my message)
Why hasn’t Sarah replied to my message? I suppose she might not have received it.
(= it’s possible that she didn’t receive it – perhaps she did, perhaps she didn’t)
True or False
Could is similar to may and might
True
It’s a strange story, but it could be true. (= it is possible that it’s true)
You could have left your phone at work. (= it’s possible that you left it there)
What’s the meaning of ‘You needn’t do something’?
It’s not necessary to do it (but you can if you want):
We have plenty of time. We needn’t hurry. (= it is not necessary to hurry)
What’s the difference between needn’t and mustn’t?
You needn’t do something = it’s not necessary to do it (but you can if you want)
You mustn’t do something = don’t do it:
You must keep it a secret. You mustn’t tell anyone. (= don’t tell anyone)
What’s the meaning of ‘He needn’t have done something’?
He did it, but now we know that it was not necessary:
Why did he get up at 5 o’clock? He needn’t have got up so early. He could have stayed in bed longer.
What’s the difference between needn’t have (done) and didn’t need to (do)?
needn’t have done something = did it, but now we know that it was not necessary:
Why did he get up at 5 o’clock? He needn’t have got up so early. He could have stayed in bed longer.
didn’t need to do something = it was not necessary to do it. It doesn’t matter whether he did it or not:
He didn’t need to get up early, but it was a beautiful morning, so he did.
What’s the difference between needn’t (do) and needn’t have (done)?
Everything will be OK. You needn’t worry. (it is not necessary)
Everything was OK. You needn’t have worried. (you worried, but it was not necessary)
If you have something done….
you arrange for somebody to do it for you.
Compare:
Lisa repaired the roof. (= she repaired it herself)
Lisa had the roof repaired. (= she arranged for somebody else to repair it)
True or False
You can say ‘get something done’ instead of ‘have something done’
True
When are you going to get the roof repaired? (= have the roof repaired)
I think you should get your hair cut really short.
True or False
We use have something done to say that something happens to somebody or their belongings
True
Gary had his nose broken in a fight. (= his nose was broken)
Have you ever had your bike stolen?
What’s the meaning of ‘You should do something’?
= it is a good thing to do or the right thing to do.
You can use should to give advice or to give an opinion:
You look tired. You should go to bed.
When do we use ‘should’?
We use should when something is not right or what we expect:
Where’s Tina? She should be here by now.
(= she isn’t here yet, and this is not normal)
We also use should to say that we expect something to happen:
Helen has been studying hard for the exam, so she should pass.
(= I expect her to pass)
