01/04/2014

Simple Past - Spelling

You have to know all forms of the irregular verbs very well. For the Simple Past you need the form of the verb which can be found in the 2nd column of the table of the irregular verbs.go - went - gone

Add -ed with regular verbs.

regular verbs

infinitive + -ed

Sometimes the are exceptions in spelling when adding -ed.

1) consonant after short, stressed vowel at the end of the word

Double the consonant.stop – stoppedswap - swapped

If the consonant is not stressed, we do not double it:benefit - benefited (Here we stress the first 'e', not the 'i'.) In British English we double one -l at the end of the word:travel - travelled

2) one -e at the end of the word

Add only -d.love – lovedsave – saved

3) verbs ending in -y

verbs ending in 'y' preceded by a vowel (a, e, i, o, u): Add -ed.

Example: I play - he played

verbs ending in 'y' preceded by a consonant: Change 'y' to 'i' Then add -ed.

Example: 

I hurry - he hurried

irregular verbs

2nd column of the table of the irregular verbs

Pats Tense Examples

Did Susan go to England by plane? 

They visited a farm two weeks ago. 

Jenny and Peggy did not helptheir brother.

The children were not at home last weekend.  

When did you design this wonderful skirt? 

My mother did not crash into the van. 

The boys took off the mudguards of their bicycles. 

Did you phone your aunt last week? 

He did not drink milk at school. 

02/04/2014

PRONUNCIATION OF THE ENDING -ED IN THE SIMPLE PAST

In the Simple Past we add -ed to regular verbs. Be careful pronuncing the verbs:

1) verbs ending in -ed preceded by a voiceless consonant [p, k, f, ʃ, ʧ, s, θ] -> speak [t].

The -e is silent. Example: I stop - I stopped [stɒpt]

2) verbs ending in -ed preceded by a voiced consonant [b, g, v, ʒ, ʤ, z, ð, l, m, n] or a vowel -> speak [d]. 

The -e is silent. Example: I clean - I cleaned [kli:nd]

3) verbs ending in -ed preceded by [t] or [d] -> speak [ɪd].

The -e changes to [ɪ]. Example: I visit - I visited [vɪzɪtɪd]

03/04/2014

YES/NO QUESTIONS - BE (AM, ARE, IS)

Subject and verb change their position in statement and question.

statement You are from Germany.

question Are you from Germany?

We always use the short answer, not only "Yes" or "No".

NOTE:If the answer is "Yes", we always use the long form. Example: Yes, I am.

If the answer is "No", we either use the long or the contracted form (short form).Example: No, I am not - No, I'm not.

Are you from Germany?

Yes, I am.

No, Iam not.'m not.

Is he your friend? Yes, he is.

Are Peter and John from England? Yes, they are.

Questions with question words - be (am, are, is)

Question word

Verb Rest Answer

Where are you from? I'm from Stuttgart.

What is your name? My name is Peter.

How are Pat and Sue? They're fine.

04/04/2014

QUESTIONS WITHOUT QUESTION WORDS IN THE SIMPLE PAST

Auxiliary Subject Verb Rest Yes/No Subject Auxiliary (+ n't)

Did Max play football?

Yes, he did.

No, he didn't.

Did you watch the film yesterday?

Yes, I did.

No, I didn't.

BUT:

to be Subject xxx Rest Yes/No Subject Auxiliary (+ n't)

Were you in Leipzig last week?Yes, I was.

No, I wasn't.

2) Questions with question words in the Simple Past

Question word

AuxiliarySubject

Verb Rest Answer

What did you doyesterday evening?

I did my homework.

When did she meet her boyfriend?She met him yesterday.

Where did they go after the match? They went to a café.

BUT:

Question word to be Subject xxxxx Rest Answer

Where were you yesterday? I was at the cinema.

07/04/2014

QUESTIONS WITHOUT QUESTION WORDS IN THE SIMPLE PRESENT

Auxiliary Subject Verb Rest Yes/No Subject Auxiliary (+ n't)

Do you read books?Yes, I do.

No, I don't.

Does Peter play football? Yes, he does.

Questions with question words in the Simple Present

Question word

Auxiliary

Subject Verb Rest Answer

What do you playon your computer?

I play games on my computer.

When doesyour mother

go to work?She goes to work at 6 o'clock.

Where do you meet your friends?I meet them at the bus stop.

08/04/2014

WHAT ARE MODAL VERBS?

Modal verbs are special verbs which behave very differently from normal verbs. Here are some important differences:

1. Modal verbs do not take "-s" in the third person.

Examples:

He can  speak Chinese.

She should  be here by 9:00.

2. You use "not" to make modal verbs negative, even in Simple Present and Simple Past.

Examples:

He should not be late.

They might not come to the party.

3. Many modal verbs cannot be used in the past tenses or the future tenses.

Examples:

He will can go with us. Not Correct

She musted study very hard. Not Correct

Common Modal VerbsCan Could May Might Must

Ought to Shall Should Will Would

09/04/2014

Function of Modal Verbs

A modal auxiliary verb gives much information about the function of the main verb that it

governs. Modals have a wide variety of communicative functions, but these functions can

generally be related to a scale ranging from possibility ("may") to necessity ("must"), in terms of

one of the following types of modality:

epistemic modality, concerned with the theoretical possibility of propositions being true or

not true (including likelihood and certainty)

deontic modality, concerned with possibility and necessity in terms of freedom to

act (including permission and duty)

dynamic modality,[2] which may be distinguished from deontic modality, in that with

dynamic modality, the conditioning factors are internal – the subject's own ability or

willingness to act[3]

The following sentences illustrate epistemic and deontic uses of the English modal verb must:

epistemic: You must be starving. ("It is necessarily the case that you are starving.")

deontic: You must leave now. ("You are required to leave now.")

An ambiguous case is You must speak Spanish. This may be intended epistemically ("It is

surely the case that you speak Spanish", e.g. after having lived in Spain for a long time), or

deontically ("It is a requirement that you speak Spanish", e.g. if you want to get a job in Spain).

Epistemic modals can be analyzed as raising verbs, while deontic modals can be analyzed

as control verbs.

Epistemic usages of modals tend to develop from deontic usages.[4] For example, the inferred

certainty sense of English must developed after the strong obligation sense; the probabilistic

sense of should developed after the weak obligation sense; and the possibility senses

of may and can developed later than the permission or ability sense. Two typical sequences of

evolution of modal meanings are:

internal mental ability → internal ability → root possibility (internal or external ability) →

permission and epistemic possibility

obligation → probability

10/04/2014

Modal verbs in other languages

Hawaiian Creole English

Hawaiian Creole English is a creole language most of whose vocabulary, but not grammar, is

drawn from English. As is generally the case with creole languages, it is an isolating

language and modality is typically indicated by the use of invariant pre-verbal auxiliaries. [7] The

invariance of the modal auxiliaries to person, number, and tense makes them analogous to

modal auxiliaries in English. However, as in most creoles the main verbs are also invariant; the

auxiliaries are distinguished by their use in combination with (followed by) a main verb.

There are various preverbal modal auxiliaries: kaen "can", laik "want to", gata "have got

to", haeftu "have to", baeta "had better", sapostu "am/is/are supposed to". Unlike in Germanic

languages, tense markers are used, albeit infrequently, before modals: gon kaen kam "is going

to be able to come". Waz "was" can indicate past tense before the future/volitional

marker gon and the modal sapostu: Ai waz gon lift weits "I was gonna lift weights"; Ai waz

sapostu go "I was supposed to go".

Hawaiian

Hawaiian, like the Polynesian languages generally, is an isolating language, so its verbal

grammar exclusively relies on unconjugated verbs. Thus, as with creoles, there is no real

distinction between modal auxiliaries and lexically modal main verbs that are followed by

another main verb. Hawaiian has an imperative indicated by e + verb (or in the negative

bymai + verb). Some examples of the treatment of modality are as follows: [8]:pp. 38–

39 Pono conveys obligation/necessity as in He pono i na kamali'i a pau e maka'ala, "It's right for

children all to beware", "All children should/must beware"; ability is conveyed by hiki as in Ua

hiki i keia kamali'i ke heluhelu "Has enabled to this child to read", "This child can read".

French

French, like other Romance languages, does not have a grammatically distinct class of modal

auxiliary verbs; instead, it expresses modality using conjugated verbs followed by infinitives: for

example, pouvoir "to be able" (Je peux aller, "I can go"), devoir "to have an obligation" (Je dois

aller, "I must go"), and vouloir "to want" (Je veux aller "I want to go").

Mandarin Chinese

Mandarin Chinese is an isolating language without inflections. As in English, modality can be

indicated either lexically, with main verbs such as yào "want" followed by another main verb, or

with auxiliary verbs. In Mandarin the auxiliary verbs have six properties that distinguish them

from main verbs:[9]:pp.173–174

They must co-occur with a verb (or an understood verb).

They cannot be accompanied by aspect markers.

They cannot be modified by intensifiers such as "very".

They cannot be nominalized (used in phrases meaning, for example, "one who can")

They cannot occur before the subject.

They cannot take a direct object.

The complete list of modal auxiliary verbs[9]:pp.182–183 consists of

three meaning "should",

four meaning "be able to",

two meaning "have permission to",

one meaning "dare",

one meaning "be willing to",

four meaning "must" or "ought to", and

one meaning "will" or "know how to".

Spanish

Spanish, like French, uses fully conjugated verbs followed by infinitives. For example, poder "to

be able" (Puedo andar, "I can walk"), deber "to have an obligation" (Debo andar, "I should

walk"), and querer "to want" (Quiero andar "I want to walk").

The correct use of andar in these examples would be reflexive. "Puedo andar" means "I can

walk", "Puedo irme" means "I can go" or "I can take myself off/away". The same applies to the

other examples.

11/04/2014

Modal verbs

The modal verbs include can, must, may, might, will, would, should. They are used with other verbs to express ability, obligation, possibility, and so on. Below is a list showing the most useful modals and their most common meanings:

Modal Meaning Example

can to express ability I can speak a little Russian.

can to request permission Can I open the window?

may to express possibility I may be home late.

may to request permission May I sit down, please?

must to express obligation I must go now.

must to express strong belief She must be over 90 years old.

should to give advice You should stop smoking.

would to request or offer Would you like a cup of tea?

would in if-sentences If I were you, I would say sorry.

Modal verbs are unlike other verbs. They do not change their form (spelling) and they have no infinitive or participle (past/present). The modals must andcan need substitute verbs to express obligation or ability in the different tenses. Here are some examples:

Past simple Sorry I'm late. I had to finish my math test.

Present perfect She's had to return to Korea at short notice.

Future You'll have to work hard if you want to pass the exams.

Infinitive I don't want to have to go.

Past simple I couldn't/wasn't able to walk until I was 3 years old.

Present perfect I haven't been able to solve this problem. Can you help?

Future I'm not sure if I will be able to come to your party.

Infinitive I would love to be able to play the piano.

Modals are auxiliary verbs. They do not need an additional auxiliary in negatives or questions. For example: Must I come? (Do I must come?), or: He shouldn't smoke (He doesn't should smoke).

14/04/2014

Modal Can

Can is an auxiliary verb, a modal auxiliary verb. We use can to:

talk about possibility and ability make requests ask for or give permission

Structure of Can

subject + can + main verb

The main verb is always the bare infinitive (infinitive without "to").

subject auxiliary verb main verb

+ I can play tennis.

- He cannot play tennis.

can't

? Can you play tennis?

Notice that:

Can is invariable. There is only one form of can. The main verb is always the bare infinitive.

The main verb is always the bare infinitive (infinitive without "to"). We cannot say:

15/04/2014

USE OF CAN

Can: Possibility and Ability

We use can to talk about what is possible, what we are able or free to do:

She can drive a car. John can speak Spanish. I cannot hear you. (I can't hear you.) Can you hear me?

Normally, we use can for the present. But it is possible to use can when we make present decisions about future ability.

A. Can you help me with my homework? (present)B. Sorry. I'm busy today. But I can help you tomorrow. (future)

Can: Requests and Orders

We often use can in a question to ask somebody to do something. This is not a real question - we do not really want to know if the person is able to do something, we want them to do it! The use of can in this way is informal (mainly between friends and family):

Can you make a cup of coffee, please. Can you put the TV on. Can you come here a minute. Can you be quiet!

Can: Permission

We sometimes use can to ask or give permission for something:

A. Can I smoke in this room?B. You can't smoke here, but you can smoke in the garden.

(Note that we also use could, may, might for permission. The use of canfor permission is informal.)

16/04/2014

QUESTIONS WITH CAN

Use the same form of the auxiliary can every time regardless the subject.

Questions without question words Short answer

Can you speak English? Yes, I can.

Can you climb a tree? No, Ican't.cannot.

Can he play rugby? Yes, he can.

Can Mandy read poems? Yes, she can.

Can they sing nice songs? No, theycan't.cannot.

Questions with question words Answer

What can we ride? We can ride skateboards.

Where can Frank play the trumpet? Frank can play the trumpet in his room.

When can she see her friends? She can see her friends after school.

17/04/2014

COULD

Could is an auxiliary verb, a modal auxiliary verb. We use could to:

talk about past possibility or ability make requests

Structure of Could

subject + could + main verb

The main verb is always the bare infinitive (infinitive without "to").

subject auxiliary verb main verb

+ My grandmother could swim.

- She could not walk.

couldn't

? Could your grandmother swim?

Notice that:

Could is invariable. There is only one form of could. The main verb is always the bare infinitive.

The main verb is always the bare infinitive. We cannot say:

18/04/2014

USE OF COULD

Could: Past Possibility or Ability

We use could to talk about what was possible in the past, what we were able or free to do:

I could swim when I was 5 years old. My grandmother could speak seven languages. When we arrived home, we could not open the door. (...couldn'topen

the door.) Could you understand what he was saying?

We use could (positive) and couldn't (negative) for general ability in the past. But when we talk about one special occasion in the past, we use be able to (positive) and couldn't (negative). Look at these examples:

Past

General Specific Occasion

+ My grandmother couldspeak Spanish.

A man fell into the river yesterday. The police were able to save him.

- My grandmothercouldn't speak Spanish.

A man fell into the river yesterday. The police couldn't save him.

Could: Requests

We often use could in a question to ask somebody to do something. The use of could in this way is fairly polite (formal):

Could you tell me where the bank is, please? Could you send me a catalogue, please?

21/04/2014

BE ABLE TO

Although we look at be able to here, it is not a modal verb. It is simply the verb be plus an adjective (able) followed by the infinitive. We look at be able to here because we sometimes use it instead of can and could.

We use be able to:

to talk about ability

Structure of Be able to

The structure of be able to is:

subject + be + able + infinitive

subject bemain verb

ableadjective

infinitive

+ I am able to drive.

- She is not able to drive.

isn't

? Are you able to drive?

Notice that be able to is possible in all tenses, for example:

I was able to drive... I will be able to drive... I have been able to drive...

Notice too that be able to has an infinitive form:

I would like to be able to speak Chinese.

22/04/2014

USE OF BE ABLE TOBe able to is not a modal auxiliary verb. We include it here for convenience, because it is often used like "can" and "could", which aremodal auxiliary verbs.

Be able to: ability

We use be able to to express ability. "Able" is an adjective meaning: having the power, skill or means to do something. If we say "I am able to swim", it is like saying "I can swim". We sometimes use "be able to" instead of "can" or "could" for ability. "Be able to" is possible in all tenses - but "can" is possible only in the present and "could" is possible only in the past for ability. In addition, "can" and "could" have no infinitive form. So we use "be able to" when we want to use other tenses or the infinitive. Look at these examples:

I have been able to swim since I was five. (present perfect) You will be able to speak perfect English very soon. (future simple) I would like to be able to fly an airplane. (infinitive)

To be able to do something means to have the ability to do it. Be able to is sometimes used in place of can or could. Instead of, "I can't go," you might say, "I am not able to go."You can use be able to in any tense. Just change the tense of the verb be. For example, you can say, "I was able to see a movie last night," or, "He will be able to visit me tomorrow."

Be Able to Grammar Quiz

1. Steven   able to meet women easily.

2. I    able to drink a lot without getting hungover.

3. The Taylor sisters    come to the party.

4. Hannah    eat a lot without gaining weight.

5.    to swim as well as my older brother now.

23/04/2014

no is

be

aren't able to

are able to

I'm able

HAD BETTER

We use “had better” plus the infinitive without “to”  to give advice. Although “had” is the past form of “have”, we use “had better” to give advice about the present or future.

You'd better tell her everything. I'd better get back to work. We'd better meet early.

The negative form is “had better not”.

You'd better not say anything. I'd better not come. We'd better not miss the start of his presentation.

We use “had better” to give advice about specific situations, not general ones. If you want to talk about general situations, you must use “should”.

You should brush your teeth before you go to bed. I shouldn't listen to negative people. He should dress more appropriately for the office.

When we give advice about specific situations, it is also possible to use “should”.

You shouldn't say anything. I should get back to work. We should meet early.

However, when we use “had better” there is a suggestion that if the advice is not followed, that something bad will happen.

You'd better do what I say or else you will get into trouble. I'd better get back to work or my boss will be angry with me. We'd better get to the airport by five or else we may miss the flight.

24/04/2014

HAD BETTER: NEGATIVE AND QUESTION FORMS

The negative of had better is had better not (or ’d better not):I’d better not leave my bag there. Someone might steal it.You’d better not tell Elizabeth about the broken glass – she’ll go crazy!The question form of had better is made by inverting the subject and had.

This means the same as should, but is more formal:Had I better speak to Joan first before I send this form off? What do you think?Had we better leave a note for the delivery guy to take the parcel next door?

Negative questions with had better are more common than affirmative ones:

Hadn’t we better ring the school and tell them Liam is sick?Hadn’t you better switch your computer off? It might overheat if you leave it on.Had better or be better, be best?

We use had better to give advice in a specific situation. We use the phrase be better or be best + to-infinitive for more general suggestions:It’s always better to be safe than sorry. (‘It’s better to be safe than sorry’ is a saying which means that you should be careful before taking any action.)I think it would be best to speak to the people in the video shop to see what they recommend.

Had better or would rather, would prefer?

We don’t use had better when we talk about preferences. We use would rather or would prefer.Compare:

I’d better get a taxi. The buses are so slow.

It is a good idea, better, or advisable to get a taxi.

I’d rather get a taxi. I don’t like buses.

I prefer to get a taxi.

25/04/2014

HAD BETTER: TYPICAL ERRORS

We use had better to give specific advice, not to talk about obligations or requirements; instead, we use have to, have got to or must:You have to (or must) hold a full, valid driving licence to hire a car.Not: You’d better hold a full, valid driving licence to hire a car.

See also:

Have got to and have to Must

We don’t use had better to talk about preferences; instead, we usewould rather or would prefer:

They offered her a job in Warsaw, but she said she’d rather work in a smaller city. (or … she’d prefer to work …)

Not: … she’d better work …

We don’t use had better to make ordinary suggestions or recommendations:

Auckland is a great place to visit. I’d recommend you take a boat trip across the bay and see some of the islands. Then you can find a nice restaurant for lunch. There are plenty of them.

Not: You’d better take a boat trip across the bay and see some of the islands. Then you’d better find a nice restaurant for lunch.

28/04/2014

Use Had Better In a Sentence

*** It looks as if it might rain. We‘d better take an umbrella. *** It is a popular restaurant. We‘d better reserve a table. *** You look ill. You‘d better not to go to work. *** If you don’t pay you phone bill soon, you will be in trouble. You‘d

better pay the phone bill soon. *** Tom is expecting you to phone him You had better phone him

soon. *** This is your last chance. You had better study hard. *** It is late. You had better go. *** The film start at 7 o’clock. You had better go now or you’ll be late. *** I have an appointment in ten minutes. I‘d better go now or I’ll be

late. *** I need some money. I‘d better go to the bank. *** It is hot here. You‘d better leave the window open. *** You have missed the bus. You had better get a taxi if you don’t

want to be late. *** We‘d better stop for the petrol soon. The tank is almost empty. *** She’ll be upset if we don’t invite her to the wedding, so we‘d

better invite her.

29/04/2014

MUSTWe 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 some personal circumstance makes the

obligation necessary (and the speaker almost certainly agrees with the obligation.)

I must go to bed earlier. They must do something about it. You must come and see us some time. I must say, I don't think you were very nice to him.

We can also use 'have to' to express a strong obligation. When we use 'have to' this usually means that some external circumstance makes the obligation necessary.

I have to arrive at work at 9 sharp. My boss is very strict. We have to give him our answer today or lose out on the contract. You have to pass your exams or the university will not accept you. I have to send a report to Head Office every week.

30/04/2014

Use Must In a Sentence

* It can’t be a monster. It must be a large fish of some kind.

* You must try to remember things without writing them down.

* We must get to the airport bu seven o’clock.

* I must remember to ring him tomorrow.

* He must have been driving far too fast.

* The thief didn’t have the money on him when he was arrested. He must get have got rid of it.

* You must keep it as a secret.

* I haven’t phoned Jim for ages. I must phone him as soon as possible.

* It is later than I thought. I must go now.

* I am afraid I can’t come tomorrow. I must work late.

* We don’t have plenty of time. You must hurry.

* This is a valueable book. You must look after it carefully.

* There is an exam at 7 o’clock tomorrow. You must get up early.

* I didn’t say anything like that. There must be a misunderstanding.

* It must be difficult to stop smoking.

* I have lost one of my gloves. I must have dropped it somewhere.

* I didn’t hear the phone. I must have been asleep.

* When I got back to my car, the door was unlocked.I must have forgotten to lock it.

* You have been travelling all day. You must be tired.