108 Grammar reference

Verb + –ing

We use –ing after verbs that express likes and dislikes. These include like and love.I don’t like kayaking. She loves hiking.

We also use –ing after some other verbs. These include start, finish, begin and stop. With these verbs we can use at to say the exact time we do something or by to say the time up to when we complete an action.I start hiking at nine o’clock.They finish eating by 8 p.m.

Unit 1

will

We use will to make a prediction about the future based on opinion. I think I’ll go on holiday to Spain because I like the weather.

We also use will when we make a decision at the moment of speaking. What will you do this weekend?I don’t know. Maybe we’ll go to the funfair.

We use contractions in positive and negative sentences.I/He/She/It/You/We/They will = I/He/She/It/You/We/They’ll

+I/He/She/It/You/We/They’llgo to the park.

–I/He/She/It/You/We/They won’t go to the theme park.

?Will I/he/she/it/you/we/they visit the palace? Yes, I/he/she/it/you/we/they will. /No, I/he/she/it/you/we/they won’t.

109109Grammar reference

Unit 2Asking and answering questions about height and weight

We use these questions to ask about height and weight.How tall is he/she/it? How heavy are you/we/they?

We can answer these questions by saying:It’s eighty kilograms.I’m 1.65 metres tall.

Comparative adjectives (statements)

We use comparative adjectives to compare differences between two things. The sentence takes the following form: subject + verb + comparative adjective + than + object. The koala is lighter than the elephant.We are taller than our cousins.

In one-syllable adjectives, we add –er to make a comparative adjective.tall > taller

If the adjective has one vowel and one consonant (except w), we double the final consonant:big > biggerWhen a two-syllable adjective ends in y, we replace the y with -ier.heavy > heavier

Comparative adjectives (questions)

We form questions with comparative adjectives as follows:verb + subject + comparative adjective + than + object?

Are whales heavier than snakes? Yes, they are. / No, they aren’t.

Grammar reference

Past continuous

We use the past continuous to talk about a longer action in the past. I was having a meal.She was walking to the shop.

+I/He/She/It was speaking.You/We/They were speaking.

–I/He/She/It wasn’t running.You/We/They weren’t running.

?Was I/he/she/it laughing? Yes, I/he/she/it was. / No, I/he/she/it wasn’t.Were you/we/they laughing? Yes, you/we/they were. / No, you/we/they weren’t.

Asking for and giving instructions

We use the second person to ask for directions.How do you get to the library?

We use the imperative to give directions.Turn left.Go straight ahead.

We use statements to indication position.The chemist is behind the swimming pool.

Unit 3

Grammar reference

Past simple

We use the past simple to talk about things that happened in the past.

For regular verbs we add –ed (e.g. worked, watched).

For irregular verbs, we have to learn the past form: make > made; have > had; come > came; give > gave; see > saw; sing > sang; bring > brought; meet > met; eat > ate; get > got; fall > fell; take > took; can > could

We make negative sentences in the past simple by using didn’t before the verb. We make questions in the past simple by using Did at the beginning.

+I/He/She/It/You/We/They cooked a stew.

–I/He/She/It/You/We/They didn’t eat sushi.

?Did I/he/she/it/you/we/they go to the festival? Yes, I/he/she/it/you/we/they did. / No, I/he/she/it/you/we/they didn’t.

The past simple of be is was/were.

+I/He/She/It was thirsty.You/We/They were thirsty.

–I/He/She/It wasn’t hungry.You/We/They weren’t hungry.

?Was I/he/she/it at the restaurant? Yes, I/he/she/it was. / No, I/he/she/it wasn’t.Were you/we/they at the restaurant? Yes, you/we/they were. / No, you/we/they weren’t.

Unit 4, 5 and 6

Wh- questions

We use Wh- question words, such as who, what, where, why and when to ask questions about:

People: Who is it?Things: What is that?Places: Where is it?Reasons: Why are you looking at the sky?Times: When is your birthday?

Comparatives with longer adjectives

We use more and less when adjectives have two syllables or more and they don’t end in y.

The red planet is more interesting than the blue planet.Telescopes are less complicated than computers.

Unit 7

Grammar reference

will vs going to

We use will to make a prediction based on opinion. I think you’ll pass your exam. Our team will win the match on Saturday.

See Unit 1 for information on how to form sentences with will.

We use going to to make a prediction based on something we can see or hear now.He isn’t going to drive tonight because the weather isn’t good. She’s doing so much sport today she’s going to be tired tonight. They aren’t going to go to the theme park. They haven’t got any money.

+I’m going to get angry soon. He/She/It is going to get angry soon.You/We/They are going toget angry soon.

–I’m not going to get angry soon. He/She/It isn’t going to get angry soon.You/We/They aren’t going to get angry soon.

?Am I going to get angry soon? Yes, I am. / No, I’m not.Is he/she/it going to get angry? Yes, he/she/it is. / No, he/she/it isn’t.Are you/we/they going to get angry? Yes, you/we/they are. / No, you/we/they aren’t.

Unit 8

Comparatives with longer adjectives

We use more and less for superlatives when adjectives have two syllables or more and they don’t end in y.The red planet is more interesting than the blue planet.Telescopes are less complicated than computers.