Category: Grammar

Level: Intermediate-Advanced

Correlative conjunctions function much like coordinating conjunctions – to relate one sentence element to another. The only difference between correlative conjunctions from coordinating conjunctions is that they always come in pairs.

Here are some of the most common pairs of correlative conjunctions:

either/or
I am saving up to go on a trip either to Machu Picchu or Petra.

both/and
I’ll have both the cashmere and wool jacket.

whether/or
They were wondering whether to go for a drive or take a plane to Lisbon.

neither/nor
Neither our boss nor our client approved this proposal.

not only/but also
He not only made a scene at the party but he also disrespected the hosts.

not/but
She is in need not of financial but moral support from her family and friends.

as/as
Swimming is not as dangerous as bungee jumping.

such/that
It was such a difficult project that I ended up getting burned-out.

scarcely/when
She had scarcely arrived to work when she got a call from her supervisor.

as many/as
There weren’t as many books to choose from at the bookstore as I thought.

no sooner/than
She’d no sooner started working than there was a power outage and she had no electricity.

rather/than
I’d rather get a taxi than take the bus.

Uses of Participle Clauses

Participle clauses can have the same meaning as if-conditionals, so or therefore, because or since, or when, while or as soon as.

CONDITION (same meaning as if-conditional)

Raised accordingly, children will grow up well-rounded. (=If you raise them accordingly, children will grow up well-rounded.)

RESULT (same meaning as so or therefore)

They broke up, breaking her heart to pieces. (=They broke up so her heart was broken to pieces.)

REASON (same meaning as because or since):

She had no time to finish her homework, having spent so much time watching TV. (=She had no time to finish her homework because she had spent so much time watching TV.)

TIME (same meaning as when, while or as soon as):

Waiting at the bus stop, he suddenly remembered that he had forgotten his laptop in the office. (=While waiting at the bus stop, he suddenly remembered that he had forgotten his laptop in the office.)

Level: Intermediate-Advanced

Intensifiers

Intensifiers are used to make adjectives stronger. Some examples are very, really, extremely, amazingly, exceptionally, incredibly, particularly, remarkably, and unusually.

very                       She was studying very hard but still failed the exam.
really                     That was a really delicious meal.
extremely           She is extremely smart.
amazingly            They are amazingly creative.
exceptionally      Her children are exceptionally talented.
incredibly            It was incredibly rude of him to say that.
particularly          I am not particularly fond of romance films.
remarkably         She lives in a remarkably crowded city.
unusually             You are unusually quiet this morning.

Enough

When using enough as an intensifier, it is placed after the adjective. It is used to talk more about the adjective.

If you are eighteen, you are old enough to vote.
He was not allowed to ride the rollercoaster. He is not tall enough.

Intensifiers with strong adjectives

Very is not used with strong adjectives such as:

very small            tiny

very big               huge, enormous

very clever          brilliant

very bad              awful, dreadful, disgusting, terrible

very good            excellent, ideal, perfect, splendid, wonderful

very tasty            delicious

very sure             certain

Instead, intensifiers such as absolutely, completely, exceptionally, particularly, really, quite, totally,and utterly are used.

Their proposal was absolutely terrible.
Anne is an exceptionally brilliant employee.
After her cosmetic surgery went wrong, she looked really dreadful.

WISH

•  to wish a situation in the present or past is not real, knowing it can’t change because it’s impossible

past wish: wish + past perfect

I wish I had bought him a present for his birthday. (because I didn’t buy him a present for his birthday)

present wish: wish + past simple

I wish I were wealthier. (because I am not wealthy)
I wish I knew how to explain this to you. (because I don’t know how to explain this to you)

•  to express irritation with other people

wish + would + bare infinitive

I wish you would listen to me more.
They wish she would be more careful with her words.

Compare:

present wish:
I wish you would listen to me more.
(I think you can, but you don’t, so please do.)

past wish:
I wish you listened to me more.
(You don’t and I don’t think you ever will.)

Note: A first-person ‘I’ isn’t normally used in this form of wish because we can control our actions, so saying “I wish I would stop procrastinating.” means I want to stop procrastinating, and I think I can, so why don’t I?’

In contrast, when it comes to an illness or addiction, saying “I wish I would stop binge-watching series.” means ‘I don’t want to watch anymore, but I can’t stop because I’m hooked.’

•  to send good wishes

wish + object 1 (pronoun) + object 2 (noun)

We wish you safe travels.
I wish you all the best.
I wish you luck with your married life.

HOPE

•  to wish for the future

I hope you will talk to your mother about this.
She hopes to be married before she turns 40.

•  to signal future intentions

I was hoping to get him something for his birthday and would have done so, if I hadn’t gotten sick last weekend.

Note: Normally, hope isn’t followed with ‘that’ unless there is another subject.

Her parents hoped (that) Haley would learn how to play the cello, but she had always wanted to play the violin.
I hope (that) you won’t find this offensive, but this soup is a little bland.
They were running late for their flight and hoped (that) traffic would not be that bad on their way to the airport.

Level: Beginner-Intermediate

1. Adjectives before nouns
When adjectives come in a noun phrase they are normally immediately before the noun.
Example:
She has a beautiful bag.
I have a funny friend.

2. Adjectives used only in front of nouns
Some adjectives are only used in front of nouns (southern, northern, western, eastern; indoor, outdoor; digital).
Example:
I live in northern Spain.
She doesn’t have a digital camera.
I need to put an outdoor light near the porch.

3. After something, everything, etc.
Example:
I saw something interesting this morning.
Let’s go somewhere quiet.

4. Adjectives after condition verbs ‘be‘
Adjectives are used to describe the condition of things and people, etc.
Example:
I am asleep.
She is very tall.
He is handsome.

5. Subject + Verb + Object + Adjective
Example:
He makes me happy.
The movie made me laugh.

Level: Intermediate-Advanced

The to-infinitives are typically used after some adjectives:

able                       She will be able to cope with her current situation at home.

unable                  She was unable to make it on time for her flight.

anxious                 Alex is anxious to open his presents.

due                        The wedding is due to be held next spring.

eager                    Everyone on the team seemed very eager to meet their new coach.

keen                      Mary was very keen to start working on the new project as soon as possible.

likely                      I’m likely to forget to take my medicine so please do remind me.

unlikely                 It’s unlikely to rain today. It is very sunny.

ready                    She is ready to deliver her speech in the assembly tomorrow.

prepared             Are we prepared to suffer the consequences of global warming?

willing                   If you’re willing to travel a lot for work, then the job is yours.

unwilling              Her friends are unwilling to lend her some cash.

The to-infinitives are likewise used when telling a reason for the adjective:

amazed                We are often amazed to see that these creatures really do exist.

delighted             I’m delighted to do this favor for you.

disappointed     She was quite disappointed to find out she didn’t get her dream role.

glad                        The students are glad to have finished the semester.

happy                   They are happy to come to an agreement.

pleased                 Ella’s grandparents are delighted to know that she’s staying with them.

proud                    His therapist is proud to say that he helped him a lot with his rehabilitation.

relieved               The whole family is relieved to know he is out of danger after his brain surgery.

sad                         They were all sad to hear he had left his job.

sorry                     Her son was so sorry to disappoint her.

surprised             My mother was surprised to see me cleaning my room.

unhappy              She seemed unhappy to be leaving her current post as their team leader.

It + be followed by an adjective is used when expressing opinions:

clever                    They thought it was clever to park by the side of the road, but it wasn’t.

difficult                 It happened so fast that it was impossible to see her attacker.

easy                       It’s easy to use this program, but it’s very difficult to learn at first.

foolish                  Luke thinks it’s foolish to save money for the future.

hard                       With this much information, it is hard to finish the data entry quickly.

kind                       It’s kind to lend your ear to someone who is going through a tough time.

nice                        It would be nice to go back to my hometown this weekend.

possible               It’s possible to ask your boss for a pay raise.

impossible          It’s quite impossible to hear what she’s saying with all this noise.

right                       It is only right to stand up against bullies.

wrong                   It is wrong to say mean things to your friends.

silly                         His wife thinks it is silly not to accept this job offer.

The to-infinitives are also used with the following adjectives when expressing opinions about people:

clever                    It was clever of them to come up with this concept.

foolish                  It was foolish of her to refuse such an offer.

kind                       It is kind of her to volunteer at their local retirement home.

nice                        It’s nice of them to help out.

right                       It would be right of him to go on this trip.

wrong                   It was wrong of them to take the bribe.

silly                         It was silly of the dog to eat the chocolates on the countertop.

The preposition for is used when demonstrating who is being referred to by these adjectives:

difficult                 It was difficult for them to hear about their mother’s illness.

easy                       It is easy for her boss to manage the team.

hard                       It was hard for him to admit his mistakes.

possible               It is possible for us to fail on this mission again.

Impossible          It was impossible for him to pay his debts.

The preposition of is used for other adjectives:

It’s sweet of you to remember my birthday.

It would be irresponsible of him to drink and drive.

Level: Intermediate-Advanced

The to-infinitives are used as postmodifier after abstract nouns such as ability, attempt, wish, chance, refusal, desire, opportunity, failure, and need.

ability              An effective speaker has the ability to explain things clearly and concisely.

attempt           He attempted to apply for a job but he did not get hired.

chance            All he wanted was a chance to play in the finals.

desire              He expressed a desire to speak before the public.

failure              This bankruptcy is largely due to the company’s failure to cut spending.

need                There is no need to bring more food to the picnic.

opportunity    The students are just grateful for the opportunity to learn from their teacher.

refusal             His refusal to make amends with his ex-wife upset his children.

wish                 I just wish to express my sincere gratitude for what you did for me today.

The to-infinitives are also often used as a postmodifier after indefinite pronouns:

Do you have something to say?
I had no one else to turn to.
There is hardly anything to see in this dark room.

Level: Intermediate-Advanced

PREMODIFIERS

Typically, a noun phrase consists of a noun or a pronoun while noun phrases also include:

Determiners      These shoes are very colorful.

Quantifiers         She’s worked in many companies.

Numbers             The company has about a hundred subsidiaries across the world.

Adjectives           She is one of my oldest friends.

These parts are called premodifiers as they are placed before the noun.

Premodifiers are used in this order:

determiners and quantifiers > numbers > adjectives + NOUNS

Examples:

The        three                                     ideas                     >             The three ideas

Our                        brilliant                 ideas                     >             Our brilliant ideas

Three    brilliant                 ideas                     >             Three brilliant ideas

These     three      brilliant                 ideas                    >             These three brilliant ideas

Some                    brilliant                 ideas                     >             Some brilliant ideas

All those three    brilliant                 ideas                     >             All those three brilliant ideas

Their many         brilliant                 ideas                     >             Their many brilliant ideas

Postmodifiers

Postmodifiers are the parts found after the noun.

Postmodifiers can be prepositional and -ing phrases, relative and that clauses, or to infinitives.

• prepositional phrases:

a company with a social corporate responsibility programs
that girl in that pink floral dress
the building at the end of the block

• –ing phrases :

the clothes hanging over there
the employee having a meeting with the client

• relative clauses :

the project she worked on for a year
the closet that my father assembled
the manager who proposed this initiative
an twenty-year-old lad who came by this morning 

• that clauses. This is commonly placed after nouns such as idea, fact, belief, suggestion:

They’re still not satisfied with their record, in spite of the fact that they won the competition.
Carla got the impression that her new team didn’t support her.
There was a suggestion that the public library should be renovated.

• to infinitives :

She’s got no conferences to attend.

These infinitive postmodifiers are common after indefinite pronouns and adverbs:

We should think of something to do.
They have nowhere to go.

It is also possible to have more than one postmodifier:

a fifty-year old CEO with a degree which he received from Harvard
those students on the field playing football

Level: Intermediate-Advanced

Generally, some is used in positive sentences while any is used in negative sentences.

Any is also used when the meaning in the sentence is negative.

They fired without any warning. (They didn’t give a warning before firing.)

She refuses to do anything. (She doesn’t do anything.)

Hardly anybody noticed the new signage. (Almost nobody noticed)

Some and any are both used in questions to talk about someone or something that you know exists

Are you waiting for somebody?

Do you know anybody here?

Some is used in questions to offer something or ask for things.

Would you like some coffee?

Can I have some money, please?

Any is used in most questions especially when you don’t know if that person or thing exists.

Do you have any equipment?

I can’t find my mobile phone. Has anybody seen it?

Any is often used after if.

If there are any questions, please raise your hands.

If anyone calls, tell them I’m out of the office.

Let me know if there’s anything I can do for you.

Any is used if the idea of if is implied in the sentence.

We are truly sorry for any inconvenience this issue caused you. (if the issue caused any inconvenience).

Anyone who wishes to take on this project, please see me in my office. (if there is anyone)

Any can be used to mean “it doesn’t matter which”.

You can choose any color. They all look good on you anyway.

Which flight schedule should we book? – I don’t care. Any schedule is fine with me.

Compare: something and anything:

A: I’m bored. I want to do something.

B: What would you like to do?

A: It doesn’t matter. Anything. (=something, but it doesn’t matter what)

Somebody/someone/anybody/anyone are singular words.

Someone was asking for you earlier but you were out for lunch.

Across the world, when somebody becomes of age, they celebrate it with a big party.

There wasn’t anybody/anyone in the conference room.

However, use them/they/their after somebody/someone/anybody/anyone.

Someone left their laptop in the break room. (=his or her laptop)

If anybody wants to go home early, they can. (=he or she can)

Two of the most confusing words in the English language is ‘as’ and ‘like’. This is because both are used to compare actions or situations. However, it is important to note some significant differences.

USES OF ‘AS’

• to talk about job or function

I worked as a marketing specialist for 4 years after graduating from the university.
She used her credit card as a key to unlock her door.

• to make comparisons (as adjective as)

You always have to be as efficient as all your other colleagues.
It’s as good as it gets.

• to make comparisons (as conjunction followed by an independent clause)

Claire attended Harvard University, as her mother had before her.
He’s a talented musician, as most of his friends are.

USES OF ‘LIKE’

• preposition followed by a noun or a pronoun

She slept like a baby all night.
All of my friends are much like her.
His children talk just like their mother.

• to make comparisons (Like and As if/As though)

She looks as if she’s been to war.
They danced as though no one’s watching.
It looks like your bag handle’s going to break.

Some expressions that use ‘as’:

As you know, our boss is going to be on leave for two weeks.
They tried using the application as you suggested but the result still wasn’t good.
As we agreed, the team will be attending the training all week.
Our competitor’s proposal is the same as ours!