Category: Grammar
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Forming The Possessive
The possessive form is used with nouns referring to people, groups of people, countries, and animals. It shows a relationship of belonging between one thing and another. To form the possessive, add apostrophe + s to the noun. If the noun is plural, or already ends in s, just add an apostrophe after the s.…
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Which & That
If the sentence doesn’t need the clause that the word in question is connecting, use which. If it does, use that. (Pretty easy to remember, isn’t it?) Let me explain with a couple of examples. Our office, which has two lunchrooms, is located in Cincinnati. Our office that has two lunchrooms is located in Cincinnati.…
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Gerund or Infinitive? Rule #1
An infinitive is the verb form that has “to” at the beginning. For example, “to do,” “to sleep,” “to love” and “to create.” It is the simplest verb form that you have to modify to fit into sentences. Gerunds are formed by adding “-ing” to the verb: “sleeping,” “drawing,” “swimming.” But they are not the…
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Either…Or
Either…Or … connects two choices: we can use either…or to emphasise a choice. (Either…or is used to refer to two things or people.) In most cases ‘either’ can be omitted. 1. You can either stay here or come with us, it’s up to you. 2. It was either Francesco or Roberto who received your message but they are…
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Contractions
Since the word contract means to squeeze together, it seems only logical that a contraction is two words made shorter by placing an apostrophe where letters have been omitted. Examples of common contractions in the English language include: I’m: I am Can’t: cannot We’ve: we have Should’ve: should have Could’ve: could have She’ll: she will…
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So & Such
So and such We can use so and such to make the meaning of an adjective, adverb or noun stronger (’very/really’): Why did you give her money? You are so stupid! He was such a terrible father that now his kids don’t want to be around him. 1. I love my colleagues, they are such nice people. 2. I was…
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“The”
The is used to refer to specific or particular nouns; For example, if I say, “Let’s read the book,” I mean a specific book. If I say, “Let’s read a book,” I mean any book rather than a specific book. Here’s another way to explain it: The is used to refer to a specific or particular member…
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As long as
As long as We use as long as to refer to the intended duration of a plan or idea, most commonly referring to the future. We always use the present simple to refer to the future after as long as. As long as also means ‘provided that’, ‘providing that’ or ‘on condition that’. 1. You can…
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Adverbs
Adverbs are used to give us more information and are used to modify verbs, clauses and other adverbs. The difficulty with identifying adverbs is that they can appear in different places in a sentence. The simplest way to recognise an adverb is through the common ending –ly. Examples of –ly adverbs are: quickly, quietly, fortunately. Most adverbs…
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Preposition of time: at
Use “at” for times of day, including mealtimes, bedtime, etc. Also, use “at” in the following common expressions: at the same time: at present/at the moment: at night 1.Growing up we were never allowed to watch TV at dinner time. 2. They usually eat lunch at noon. 3.There are no free rooms at the moment so we have…
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Past Continuous
We use the past continuous in many ways including: Duration in the past :Interrupted actions in progress: Actions in progress at the same time in the past: Irritation :Polite questions The past continuous is formed from the past tense of be with the -ing form of the verb. 1.The other day I was walking to the store when the ambulance hit…
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“Just”
We use “just” in many ways. This exercise focuses on the meaning “a very short time ago.” 1.I just saw the latest episode of Game of Thrones. 2.We just bought a new car and we are so excited. 3.He just found out that his wife is pregnant. 4.The client just landed in Florence. 5.She just…
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“Already”
Already’ is used to indicate that something has happened earlier. 1.I already did my homework for the week. 2.She already had a partner so I had to find another person to work with 3.We already bought our tickets to the USA for this summer. 4.I’ve already spoken to the others and they told me that they…
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“Have to”
“Have to” is used to express certainty, necessity, and obligation. 1.I have to finish this report before our conference call with the client. 2.This has to be right, I read the instructions ten times. 3.The polenta has to be stirred continuously otherwise it will stick to the pot. 4.She has to leave early today. 5.My niece has to…
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“Going to”
Going to is mainly used to refer to our plans and intentions in the future or to make predictions based on present evidence. 1.Is it going to rain this evening? 2.Is management going to buy new cars for the sales team soon? 3.We are going to visit Rome, Florence and Venice when we are in Italy. 4.The twins…
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“Whose”
“Whose” is a possessive pronoun like “his,” “her” and “our.” We use “whose” to find out which person something belongs to. 1.Whose camera is this? 2.Whose child is screaming? 3.Whose phone keeps ringing? 4.Whose water bottle is leaking? 5.Whose computer is charging? 6.Whose car are we taking to the meeting? 7.Whose birthday is it today?…
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First conditional
We use the first conditional for real possibility. It’s used to talk about things which might happen in the future. Of course, we can’t know what will happen in the future, but this describes possible things, which could easily come true. If it snows tonight, the package will arrive one day late. If I finish my…
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Like & As
Like & As We use as to talk about job or function. Most of the time, like compares two things. When we compare appearance or behaviour, we use like, not as. 1.His wife looks like a supermodel. 2.My cousin works as a translator. 3.They usually use the central station as a meeting point with groups of…
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“Used to”
We use ‘used to’ for something that happened regularly in the past but no longer happens. We also use it for something that was true but no longer is. 1.I used to smoke a cigar once a month but I stopped two years ago. 2.We used to travel a lot but now we don’t have time.…
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Say & Tell
We use say and tell in different ways in reported speech. Say focuses on the words someone said and tell focuses more on the content or message of what someone said. I also noticed that usually we use Say + Something & Tell + Someone 1.What did the doctor say about your back pain? 2.Did you tell mom…
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“I have been + waiting”
We use this to describe something that we started doing in the past and that we are still doing now. 1. I have been living in Florence since 2010. 2. I have been teaching English since 2011. 3. My cousin has been searching for a new job for 5 months. 4. My co-worker has been trying…
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