Random pages
The aspect of non-finite forms
Non-finite forms of a verbA part of speech that expresses an action or a state. E.g.: John seldom plays tennis. do not indicate the timeA concept which is related to our perception of reality; that part of existence which is measured in seconds, minutes, hours, days, weeks, etc. of the actionA general term expressing that somebody or something does something, however, they do have aspectA verbal category relating an action to the passage of time. It can express duration or completion..
USED TO and WOULD for past habits
AffirmativeA declarative sentence indicating "yes"; also called a positive sentence. E.g.: John likes squash a lot. forms
Used to and would are both used for past habits. There is, however, a difference between the two. Would describes repeated actionA general term expressing that somebody or something does somethings, but not stateA condition that exists at a particular time. E.g.: I am sick. This melon weighs two kilos. s, while used to can refer to both repeated actions and states.
Present perfect for recent events with a result in the present
The present perfectThe aspect expressing completion. E.g.: He’s finished university. tenseA grammatical category that is marked by verb inflection. To express when an event or action happens in time or when a state exists, we use tenses. is used for recent actionA general term expressing that somebody or something does somethings that have a result in or an effect on the present.
Someone has opened the window.
Here we want to emphasisSpecial importance or attention given to something. E.g.: All I wanna do is have some fun.e that the window is open. The sentence suggests that it is probably cold inside. Compare with this one:
Passive voice: obvious agent
We use the passive voiceThe form of the transitive verb that shows whether the subject acts (active voice) or is acted upon (passive voice). when it is obvious who performs the actionA general term expressing that somebody or something does something. In this case the agentThe doer of an action; the person or the thing that does something. E.g.: True Romance was written by Tarantino. ("Tarantino") is usually not mentioned in the passive sentence.
The murderer has been arrested. (i.e. by the police)
Notes: indirect speech
Reporting verbA part of speech that expresses an action or a state. E.g.: John seldom plays tennis.s expressing opinion
In case of reporting verbs expressing opinion (assume, expect, suppose, think etc.) usually it is the main clauseA clause that could be a sentence in itself. E.g.: I wouldn’t go there if I were you. ("I wouldn't go there") When I arrived he was surfing. ("he was surfing") that is negated.
Future perfect for actions completed before a point in the future
The future perfectThe aspect expressing completion. E.g.: He’s finished university. tenseA grammatical category that is marked by verb inflection. To express when an event or action happens in time or when a state exists, we use tenses. expresses that an eventA general term expressing that somebody or something does something or that something happens. E.g.: An apple fell on Isaac’s head. will be completeA concept, related to the perfect aspect, expressing that an action has finished. E.g.: He’s finished university.d before a point in the future. This event may happen at any time up to that point. It is normally used with time expressionA word or group of words used in a particular situation. E.g.: Good morning, at six, on the sofas and clauseA group of related words containing a subject and a verb.s beginning with by.
WHATEVER, WHOEVER, WHICHEVER, WHEREVER, WHENEVER
whatever = anything that
whoever = anyone who
whichever = any … which
wherever = at any place
whenever = at any time
Since these expressionA word or group of words used in a particular situation. E.g.: Good morning, at six, on the sofas do not refer to preceding nounA part of speech that names a person, place or thing. E.g.: The koala is a marsupial. ("koala", "marsupial")s, they are not relative pronounA part of speech that refers to or stands instead of a noun. E.g.: Who do you think I am? ("you", "I")s.
Participle clauses replacing a relative clause
The relative pronounA part of speech that refers to or stands instead of a noun. E.g.: Who do you think I am? ("you", "I") can be omitted in defining relative clauseA group of related words containing a subject and a verb.s if the pronoun is the objectA person or thing that is affected by the action of a verb or involved in the result of an action. of the clause. We use the phrase zero pronoun to indicate such a case. There are, however, other cases when the clause can be shortened.