Third conditional
We can use the Third Conditional to talk about 'impossible' conditions, impossible
because they are in the past and we cannot change what has happened.
• If I had worked harder at school, I would have got better grades.
• If I had had time, I would have gone to see him. But I didn't have time.
• If we had bought that house, we would have had to rebuild the kitchen.
• If we had caught the earlier train, we would have got there......
THE SECOND CONDITIONAL
Second conditional
The Second Conditional is used to talk about 'impossible' situations.
• If we were in London today, we would be able to go to the concert in Hyde Park.
• If I had millions dollars, I'd give a lot to charity.
• If there were no hungry people in this world, it would be a much better place.
• If everyone had clean water to drink, there would be a lot less disease.
Note that after I / he/ she /it we often use the subjunctive form......
ZERO CONDITIONAL
Zero conditional
When we talk about things that are generally or always true, we can use:
If/When/Unless plus a present form PLUS present simple or imperative
• If he gets there before me, ask him to wait.
• When you fly budget airline, you have to pay for your drinks and snacks.
• Unless you need more space, a small car is big enough for one person.
Note that we are not talking about a specific event but something which is generally
true.
In......
MUST OR HAVE TO
Must or have to
We can use 'must' to show that we are certain something is true. We are making a logical
deduction based upon some clear evidence or reason.
• There's no heating on. You must be freezing.
• You must be worried that she is so late coming home.
• I can't remember what I did with it. I must be getting old.
• It must be nice to live in Florida.
We also use 'must' to express a strong obligation. When we use 'must' this usually means
that......
THE USES OF SHOULD CONTINUES
Should 2
We can use 'should' after 'reporting verbs' such as
demand insist propose recommend suggest
• He demanded that we should pay for the repair.
• She insisted that she should pay for the meal.
• I have proposed that he should take charge of the organization.
• The committee recommends that Jane should be appointed.
• We have suggested that Michael should be given a reward for his
hard work.
However, it is also possible to say exactly the......
THE USES OF SHOULD
Should
We use 'should' for giving advice.
• You should speak to him about it.
• He should see a doctor.
• We should ask a lawyer.
We use 'should' to give an opinion or a recommendation.
• He should resign now.
• We should invest more in Asia.
• They should do something about this terrible train service.
'Should' expresses a personal opinion and is much weaker and more
personal than 'must' or 'have to'. It is often introduced by ' I think'.
•......
THE USES OF MAY OR MIGHT
May / might
may
We can use 'may' to ask for permission. However this is rather formal and not used very
often in modern spoken English
• May I borrow your pen?
• May we think about it?
• May I go now?
We use 'may' to suggest something is possible
• It may rain later today.
• I may not have time to do it today.
• Pete may come with us
might
We use 'might' to suggest a small possibility of something. Often we read that 'might'
suggests a smaller......
the uses of Could
Could
'Could' is a past form of 'can''Could' can be used to talk about the past, the present or the future.
• When I was living in Boston, I could walk to work.
• He phoned to say he couldn't come.
• I could see him clearly but I couldn't hear him and then the videoconference line
went dead.
'Could' is used to make polite requests. We can also use 'can' for these but 'could' is
more polite.
• Could you help me, please?
• Could you lend me some......
THE USES OF CAN
CAN
We use 'can' to talk about 'possibility'.
• Can you do that?
• I can't manage to do that.
• You can leave your car in that parking space.
• You cannot smoke in here.
Notice that there are two negative forms: 'can't' and 'cannot'. These mean exactly the
same thing. When we are speaking, we usually say 'can't'.
We use 'can' to talk about 'ability'.
• I can speak French.
• I can't drive.
We use 'can' to ask for and give permission. (We also......
The -ing form
The -ing form
The –ing form can be used like a noun, like an adjective or like a verb.
• Smoking is forbidden.
• I have a long working day.
• I don't like dancing.
When it is used like a noun it may or may not have an article before it.
• Marketing is a very inexact science.
• The marketing of the product will continue for a few months yet.
It can also be part of a 'noun phrase'.
• Speaking to an audience is always stressful.
• Swimming after......
The Passive
The Passive
We use the active form to say what the subject does. For example:
• I speak English every day at work.
• I repaired the flat tire on the car.
We use the passive form to say what happens to people and things, to say what is done
to them. For example:
• English is spoken here.
• The car is being repaired.
We use the passive form when we don't know who did the action. For example:
• The car was damaged while it was parked on the street.
•......
The imperative
The imperative
We can use the imperative to give a direct order.
1. Take that chewing gum out of your mouth.
2. Stand up straight.
3. Give me the details.
We can use the imperative to give instructions.
1. Open your book.
2. Take two tablets every evening.
3. Take a left and then a right.
We can use the imperative to make an invitation.
1. Come in and sit down. Make yourself at home.
2. Please start without me. I'll be there shortly.
3. Have......
THE USES OF SHALL
Shall
We don't use 'Shall' very frequently in modern English, particularly in
American English.
It is used to make offers and suggestions and to ask for advice.
• What time shall we meet?
• Shall we vote on it now?
• What dress shall I wear?
• Shall I open the window?
You only really need to know that about 'shall' in modern English. Read the
rest of this only if you want to know more about how some older speakers
still use 'shall'.
Formerly,......
CORRECT USAGE OF WILL
Will - other uses
Older textbooks often refer to 'will' as 'the future tense' and this has confused a lot of
learners.
It is important to remember that when we talk about the future we cannot always use
'will' and that when we use 'will' we are not always talking about the future.
Here 'will' is clearly referring to the future.
• If I speak to her, I'll tell her about it.
• I'll probably visit Sue when I go to Oxford.
• Next birthday she'll......
Present forms for the future
Present forms for the future
We use the present continuous to talk about things that we have already arranged to do
in the future.
• I've got my ticket. I'm leaving on Thursday.
• I'm seeing Julie at 5 and then I'm having dinner with Simon.
• He's picking me up at the airport.
• The company is giving everyone a bonus for Christmas.
In many situations when we talk about future plans we can use either the present
continuous or the 'going to' future.......
WHICH IS APPROPRIATE?
Going to or will
When we want to talk about future facts or things we believe to be true about the future,
we use 'will'.
• The President will serve for four years.
• The boss won't be very happy.
• I'm sure you'll like her.
• I'm certain he'll do a good job.
If we are not so certain about the future, we use 'will' with expressions such as
'probably', 'possibly', 'I think', 'I hope'.
• I hope you'll visit me in my home one day.
• She'll probably......
THE UES OF "WILL"
Will - future
Some people have been taught that 'will' is 'the future' in English. This is not correct.
Sometimes when we talk about the future we cannot use 'will'. Sometimes when we use
'will' we are not talking about the future.
We can use 'will' to talk about future events we believe to be certain.
• The sun will rise over there tomorrow morning.
• Next year, I'll be 50.
• That plane will be late. It always is.
• There won't be any snow.......
THE USE OF "GOING TO"
Going to
There is no one 'future tense' in English. There are 4 future forms. The one which is
used most often in spoken English is 'going to', not 'will'.
We use 'going to' when we want to talk about a plan for the future.
• I'm going to see him later today.
• They're going to launch it next month.
• We're going to have lunch first.
• She's going to see what she can do.
• I'm not going to talk for very long.
Notice that this plan does not have......
REVISION ON TENSES
Past tense review 1
We can use the past simple to talk about actions and states which we see as completed
in the past.
I left school when I was sixteen.
I was very happy then.
He told me all about his childhood.
We can use the past continuous to talk about past events which went on for a period of
time.
While I was driving home, Peter was trying desperately to contact me.
I was thinking about him last night.
I was walking in the......
Past perfect continuous
Past perfect continuous
We use the past perfect continuous to look back at a situation in progress.
• It was a good time to invest. Inflation had been falling for several months.
• Before I changed jobs, I had been working on a plan to reduce production costs.
• We had been thinking about buying a new house but then we decided to stay
here.
We use it to say what had been happening before something else happened.
• It had been snowing for a while......
PAST PERFECT TENSE
Past perfect
We use the past perfect simple to talk about what happened before a point in the past. It
looks back from a point in the past to further in the past.
• I hadn't known the bad news when I spoke to him.
• I checked with the supplier and they still hadn't received the contract.
• She had already told him before I got a chance to give him my version.
• The company has started the year well but was badly hit by the postal strike.
The......
WHICH IS APPROPRIATE?
Present Perfect or Past Simple?
(Remember that British and American English have different rules for the use of the
present perfect. The comments and the exercises here refer to correct grammar for
British English. In American English, it is often considered acceptable to use the past
simple in some of these examples.)
The past simple is used to talk about actions in the past that have finished. It talks
about 'then' and definitely excludes......
PRESENT PERFECT SIMPLE
Present perfect simple or continuous
Often there is very little difference between the present perfect simple and the present
perfect continuous. In many cases, both are equally acceptable.
• They've been working here for a long time but Andy has worked here for even
longer.
• I've lived here for 10 years and she has been living here for 12 years.
To emphasize the action, we use the continuous form.
• We've been working really hard for a couple......
PRESENT PERFECT CONTINUOUS TENSE
Present perfect continuous
This tense is used to talk about an action or actions that started in the past and continued
until recently or that continue into the future:
We can use it to refer to an action that has finished but you can still see evidence.
• Oh, the kitchen is a mess. Who has been cooking?
• You look tired. Have you been sleeping properly?
• I've got a a stiff neck. I've been working too long on computer.
It can refer to an action......
PRESENT PERFECT TENSE
Present perfect
(Please note that British and American English have different rules for the use of this
tense. The explanation and exercises here refer to British English. In American English,
it is often acceptable to use the past simple in some of these examples.)
We use the present perfect when we want to look back from the present to the past.
We can use it to look back on the recent past.
• I've broken my watch so I don't know what time......
