Should, Would, and Could are auxiliary verbs and are the past form of Shall, Will, and Can. In some instances, they are also used in different ways.

Take a look at the uses of Should, Would, and Could.

Uses of Should

• You can use Should when talking about probability.

He should be on his way here.

I don’t have a lot to do at work. I should finish earlier.

Are you going with us to the music festival? It should be fun.

• Moreover, you use Should when asking questions.

Should I take a vacation?

Shouldn’t he be practicing his speech?

Should we call 911?

• You can use Should when showing obligations.

Children should obey their parents.

You should study harder.

He shouldn’t be driving when he’s had some drinks.

• Should is also used when giving recommendations or advice.

You should use this color. It’s more vibrant.

They should take 88th Ave. It’s the quickest way to get to town.

She should consider all her options first.

• Lastly, you can use Should when expressing opinions.

I think we should all read the news everyday.

Children shouldn’t spend so much time using gadgets.

They shouldn’t have come here anyway.

Uses of Would

• Like Should, you can use Would when asking questions.

Would you like red or white wine?

Would he like to see his kid?

Would this much food suffice?

• Would is sometimes used when asking the questions ‘who’, ‘what’, ‘where’, ‘when’, ‘why’ or ‘how’.

What would they do to solve this problem?

Who would want to go out in this freezing weather?

Where would they spend Christmas?

When would she come visit her friend in Paris?

Why would he do such thing?

How would you like to pay?

• You can use Would when making polite requests.

Would you like something to eat?

Would he do it for her?

Would they go to the pharmacy and buy me some medicines?

• You can use Would when talking about hypothetical situations.

If I had a lot of money, I would buy a mansion.

I would like to meet and have a conversation with the president.

She would live in abroad if it weren’t so complicated to uproot her whole family.

Uses of Could

• You can use Could when talking about possibilities in present, past, and future tense.

Present: Adam could be the one who left the door unlocked.

Past: Martin could have been the one who ate all the cookies.

Future: Lena could quit her job soon. 

• Could is used as conditional of Can. It can be used in present, past, and future tense.

Present: If she had more time now, she could stay longer.

Past: Even if he had had more money last year, he couldn’t have returned to his hometown in the countryside.

Future: If I had more vacation days next year, I could travel more.

• You can use Could when making suggestions in the past and future tense.

Past: I could have met you when I went there last week.

Future: They could go to Maldives for their honeymoon.

• You can use Could when talking about abilities in the past form.

I could memorize songs more easily when I was a kid.

He could swim faster when he was in his 20s.

Two years ago, I couldn’t exercise for more than a minute.

• Lastly, you can also use Could when making polite requests.

Could I have some tea, please?

Could you take these documents to her office?

Could I take this bottle of wine home?

Do you think you know how to use the word “enough” well enough?

The word “enough“ means ‘sufficient for the purpose’. It is used together with a noun, an adjective, a verb, or an adverb. It also sometimes be a pronoun.

Enough + Adjective or Adverb

• “Enough” goes before an adjective and an adverb.

It is not hot enough to cook the meat.
Your performance is good enough to get a pay rise.
I couldn’t read the questions quickly enough and I wasn’t able to answer all of them.

Verb + Enough

• “Enough” follows a verb.

She makes sure she sleeps enough.
They feel that they don’t visit enough.

I think you’ve practiced enough.

Enough + Noun

• “Enough” comes after a noun.

We don’t have enough flour to bake a cake.
She hasn’t got enough money.

Are there enough people on your team?

The Pronoun Enough

• “Enough” sometimes also acts as a pronoun. It can be used without a noun provided that you already know what the noun is based on the context.

I need more papers. These aren’t enough.
A: Can she still be with him? B: She can’t anymore. She’s had enough.

Using Enough With an Adjective and a Noun

There are to possible ways to use “enough” with an adjective and a noun. However, the two sentences do not have the same meaning.

He hasn’t got a big enough car. (=The car is too small.)
They haven’t got enough big cars. (=They have big cars but they need more.)

The Phrase Enough Of

Use “enough of” before a determiner or a pronoun such as: a, an, the, this, that, my, your, his, you, them, and others.

We don’t have enough of these white sheets.
They’ve eaten enough of their mother’s lasagna.
There’s enough of them there to finish the project.

A subordinate clause, also known as a dependent clause, is a clause that just makes a sentence more detailed by providing more information.

Like any other clause, it also has a subject and verb. But as it doesn’t express a complete thought, it cannot be a standalone sentence. Hence, it is always combined with an independent clause to form a complete sentence.

After Franco died, Juan Carlos became the King of Spain.

My sister, who lives in Boston, gave me her laptop. 

You can date whoever you want.

Parts of a Subordinate Clause

• It is either a subordinate conjunction or a relative pronoun that introduces a subordinate clause.

Subordinate Conjunction

• A subordinate conjunction signals cause-and-effect or a change in time and place between the two clauses of a sentence.

Below is a list of some of the most common subordinate conjunctions.

After, As, As long as, Although, Because, Before, Even if, Even though, If, Now, Now that, Once, Since, Than, Though, Unless, Until, When, Whenever, Whereas, Wherever, Whether, While, Whoever

As long as you follow the recipe, you won’t go wrong with this dish.

Although she likes smoking, she has to quit soon.

You cannot just leave whenever you please.

Relative Pronoun

A relative pronoun introduces a dependent clause that is related to the topic of the sentence.

Below is a list of some of the most common relative pronouns.

which, whichever, whatever, that, who, whoever, whose

Types of Subordinate Clause

• A subordinate clause can function as an adverb, adjective, or noun.

Adverbial Clause

• This clause answers the questions: where, when, how, and why. It starts with a subordinate conjunction.

We danced until the wee hours of the morning.

After the delegates arrived, the summit commenced.

Robin wasn’t promoted because he couldn’t meet the sales target.

Adjective Clause

• This clause typically answers the questions: what kind or which one. It can be one of these two patterns: pronoun/adverb + subject + verb or subject (pronoun/adverb) + verb.

pronoun/adverb + subject + verb

Whichever color of paper you have is fine.

subject (pronoun/adverb) + verb

This company that closed the deal is a multinational.

Noun Clause

• This clause follows this pattern: relative pronoun + subject + verb.

Whoever the new boss dislikes is in serious trouble.

She can choose the dress that she wants.

What the singer did shocked her fans.

Stative verbs express a state rather than action. They are not used in the present continuous form.

Stative: You don’t know the truth. 

Incorrect: You are not knowing the truth.

Stative: He really loves his mom.

Incorrect: He’s really loving his mom.

Stative: They seem satisfied with the proposal. 

Incorrect: They are seeming satisfied with the proposal.

Uses of Stative Verbs

Stative verbs often express thoughts and opinions, feelings and emotions, senses and perceptions, and possession and measurement.

Thoughts and Opinions

agree, believe, doubt, guess, imagine, know, mean, recognize, remember, suspect, think, understand

Feelings and Emotions

dislike, hate, like, love, prefer, want, wish

Senses and Perceptions

appear, be, feel, hear, look, see, seem, smell, taste

Possession and Measurement

belong, have, measure, own, possess, weigh

Stative vs Action Verb

• Some verbs can refer to both state and action, depending on the context.
• In the first example, it is a mental state wherein you express an opinion. Hence, it is in present simple. On the other hand, the second sentence shows that the speaker is presently doing the action of thinking. That is why it is in present continuous.

Stative: We think it’s absolutely perfect.

Action: We are still thinking about it.

• Other verbs that can either be stative or action are the following:

agree, appear, doubt, feel, guess, hear, imagine, look, measure, remember, smell, weigh, wish.

Stative vs Action Verb: Have

Stative (Possession): We have an attic. 
Action: We are having a meeting ASAP.

Stative vs Action Verb: See

Stative (Opinion): I don’t see any reason why we shouldn’t hire her.
Action: I am seeing Batman Forever this weekend. 

Stative vs Action Verb: Be

Stative (Quality): He is very funny.
Action: He is being very funny. 

Stative vs Action Verb: Taste

Stative (Perception): These tacos tastes amazing.
Action: The diners are tasting the tacos.

Level: Beginner-Intermediate

Certain prepositions can be used in conjunction with nouns to emphasize, connect, or clarify ideas expressed in sentences. In this combination, the preposition always comes directly after the noun. Here are some of the most common prepositions used with nouns:

to

• This preposition indicates the recipient of an action, a destination, relationship, and limit.

Emily has an addiction to shopping.
My daughter had an adorable reaction to the puppy.
Mark has an intense dedication to his work.
The damage to the property is much worse than I thought it would be.

for

• Use this preposition to indicate an objective, a reason, duration of time, as well as specify the use of something.

There is always a reason for a change.
I attended the class for one year.
I have high hopes for humanity.

of

• This preposition expresses causality or the relationship between subjects, indicate belonging and reference, as well as to specify the number or an amount.

I am the cause of all his problems.
I took a photo of the sea.
A good number of people understand Chinese.
My son has a fear of the dark.

in

• This preposition expresses a conditional state of being, indicate a location, opinion, belief, feeling, color, shape, and size. It also specifies day, month, season, and year.

Call me in case you need me.
I am in my friend’s place now.
I noticed a little change in the season.
There appears to have been a delay in the shipment.

on

• Use this preposition to indicate a state of being, an intention, a surface of something, days and dates, and parts of the body.

She went away yesterday on business.
I will attend his party on the 15th of August.
His focus on success hindered his social life.
I wear my wedding ring on my finger.

at

• The preposition at is only paired with a few nouns. We used “at” to indicate a place and one’s activity. “At” is also used to refer an email address and time. Often, we use the preposition in conjunction with which.

There are people at the park.
I have little chance at winning this game.
Meet me at 5 p.m. tomorrow.

from

• From is only occasionally used with nouns. The preposition usually refers to two things at opposition with each other, or specifies an origin or starting point when used in conjunction with to.

The woman sought protection from her husband.”
His transition from rags to riches was something out of a fairy tale.

with

• Nouns combined with the preposition with a point to relationships and connections between two or more things.

What is the matter with you?
The teacher noticed a small problem with the project I submitted.
Her close relationship with her sister is admirable.
If you’re having trouble with the activity, ask your teacher for help.

about

• When paired with a noun, about means concerning or in regards to.

His anxiety about public speaking is so bad.
Do you have any information about the new law?
She wants to hear the story about the princess.

between

• A noun that takes the preposition between forms a comparison between two things.

She talked about the comparison between pop music and rock.
There is a conflict between good and evil.
Is there a difference between green onions and chives?

Level: Beginner-Intermediate

A noun is a person, place or thing, and an adjective is a word that describes a noun. Sometimes we use a noun to describe another noun. We can use a noun as an adjective when it follows a noun that it modifies. In that case, the first noun “acts as” an adjective.

• We write the “noun as adjective” and the real noun in several ways.

two separate words (bathroom door)
two hyphenated words (head-master)
one word (bedroom)

• The “noun as adjective” always comes first.

a race car is a car that you use in racing
a horse race is a race for horses
a car race is a race for cars
a love story is a story about love
a ping-pong ball is a ball for playing ping-pong
tennis shoes are shoes for playing tennis
an art exhibition is an exhibition of arts
a book shop is a shop that sells books

• The “noun as adjective” is singular. Just like a real adjective, the “noun as adjective” is never changing. It is usually in the singular form.

car race – car races
(NOT cars race, cars races)
footballer – footballers
(NOT feetballer, feetballers)
shoe cabinet – shoe cabinets
(NOT shoes cabinet, shoes cabinets)

• Some nouns look plural but we normally treat them as singular. When we use these nouns “as adjectives” they stay the same.

News:
a news reporter, two news reporters
Billiards:
one billiards table, two billiards tables
Athletics:
an athletics coach, two athletics coach

• When we use certain nouns “as adjectives” (clothes, sports, customs, accounts, arms), we use them in the plural form.

sports team – sports teams
customs officer – customs officers
clothes shop – clothes shops

• Just like adjectives, we can also use more than one “noun as adjective” together.

machine production costs: we are talking about the costs of producing machines
Spain football team coach: we are talking about the coach who trains the team that plays football for Spain
animal research center: we are talking about a center that researches into animals

Level: Beginner-Intermediate

A collective noun is a word used to represent a group of people, animals, or things, it therefore includes more than one member. You can’t have a team without individual members; even so, we discuss a team as a whole.

Remember that nouns are words naming people, animals, places, and things. Collective nouns are in a class all their own. Collective nouns can be singular or plural, depending on a sentence’s context. Always treat a collective noun as singular unless the context highlights the individuals in the group.

The audience is happy.
The audience are all wearing formal attire.
(In the first sentence audience is singular. In the second, it’s plural.)

If you’re uncomfortable treating a collective noun as singular or plural, put a term like members of in front so it reads smoothly as a plural.

The members of the audience are all wearing formal attire.

Here is a list of common collective nouns that contain words that describe groups of animals, people, or things. Some of these words can be interchangeable and are used to describe different things.

Here are some examples of common collective nouns used for people.

A crowd – A crowd of people cheered the nurses.
A panel – I spoke in front of a panel of experts.
A band – A band of musicians performed at our party.
A board – The board of directors had a meeting this afternoon.
A choir – A choir of singers performed in the concert.
A troupe – I joined a troupe of dancers.

Here are some examples of common collective nouns used for animals.

A flock – A flock of birds flew south.
A flock – I reared a flock of sheep
A hive – I saw a hive of bees in the tree.
A litter – There is a litter of puppies in the pound.
A pack – A pack of wolves surrounded us.
A school – I swam with a school of fish.
A pride – I saw a pride of lions in the sanctuary.

Common Collective Nouns Used for Things
Here are some examples of common collective nouns used for things:

A bouquet – My husband gave a bouquet of flowers on our anniversary.
A bunch – I picked a bunch of flowers from the garden.
A forest – I got lost in a forest of trees.
A pack – I bought a pack of cards.
A pair – This pair of shoes fits me well.
A wad – She has a wad of notes.

Level: Beginner-Intermediate

Concrete nouns are simply those nouns that can be experienced physically. Nouns are people, places, and things. Most nouns are concrete nouns.

It’s easy to know if something is a concrete noun because you experience it through one of your five senses: sight, smell, hearing, taste, and touch. If you cannot see, hear, taste, touch, or smell the person or thing, it is not a concrete noun.

In the sentence: “Can you answer the phone ?” the noun phone is a concrete noun: you can touch it, see it, hear it, and maybe even smell it or taste it.

In the sentence: “What is that sound?”
Even though sound can’t be touched—and the sound may even be coming from several places—you can hear the sound, so it’s a concrete noun.

Here are other examples of concrete nouns and sentences:

Sight

cat – The cat is purring.

Eric – Eric is my classmate.

bag – This red bag is mine.

water – Please give me that glass of water.

group – This is a big group of students.

vegetable – I don’t like vegetables.

man – I saw the man on the street.

Hearing

shout – I heard his shout.

Fly Me to the Moon – I like the song Fly Me to the Moon.

bark – The dog’s bark is so loud.

music – I like the music.

whisper – I can’t hear her whisper.

noise – The noise is too loud.

sound – I don’t like that sound.

Taste

fried chicken – I love eating fried chicken.

Cadbury Chocolate – My favorite chocolate is Cadbury Chocolate.

cupcake – Can I have a cupcake?

medicine – Did you buy the medicine?

beer – I like the taste of beer.

ice cream – I like eating ice cream in summer.

Smell

flower – You smell like a flower.

Prima Ketchup – I prefer Prima Ketchup than others.

perfume – I like the smell of your perfume.

horse – This room smells like a horse.

aromas – I enjoyed the aromas in the restaurant.

Touch

skin – Your skin is so soft.

Merino wool – Merino wool has really good quality.

pennies – Give me some pennies, please.

baggage – The baggage is so heavy.

chair – This chair seems sturdy.

puppies – The puppies have short fur.

The subjunctive mood of a verb expresses either doubt or fact about a condition. It is usually in the if-clause. It is also in clauses after verbs that express a doubt, a wish, regret, request, demand, or proposal.

The subjunctive mood of the verb to be is “be” in the present tense and “were” in the past tense, no matter if the subject is singular or plural.

Some verbs commonly followed by the subjunctive mood are:

ask, demand, determine, insist, move, order, pray, prefer, recommend, regret, request, require, suggest, wish.

The events organizers asked that everyone settle down.

His parents insisted that their grandchild attend an international school.

It is the management’s requirement that she agree to the terms.

You can use the subjunctive mood after the phrases “It is recommended that…” or “We recommend that…”. Use the base form of the verb even if the subject in the clause is a 3rd person singular pronoun.

It is recommended that he take a short break before the tournament.

We recommend that you do what’s best for you.

It is recommended that everyone wear a mask.

Uses of Subjunctive Mood

• Use subjunctive mood to talk about non-factual situations. This kind of statement is usually with an if-clause.

If I were a bird, I would fly all over the world.

If she were him, she’d take the job.

If Jill were rich, she’d buy a house by the beach.

• It is also used to describe a wish. 

Roy wishes he were taller.

I wish she were able to travel with me this summer.

She wishes her boyfriend were more romantic.

• Subjunctive mood is also used to express a demand. In this case, follow the subordinate clause with the main clause containing the command.

The host’s requirement is that everyone be dressed appropriately for the event.

The government orders that every citizen stay at home.

Their requirement is that everyone buy a tablet.

• In some cases, you use could, should, or would to express the same sense in subjunctive and conditional.

Conditional: She wishes he would be more ambitious.

Subjunctive: She wishes he were more ambitious.

The Verb To Be are irregular verbs with several forms. They indicate a state of being. They can be used either as a helping verb or the main verb in sentences. Verbs must match the number of the subject.

VERB TO BE: am, is, are

Verb To Be in Simple Present Form

The use of the simple present is to talk about an action or event that usually happens, but with Verb To Be, the simple present tense also refers to a current or general state, whether temporary, permanent, or habitual. They can also be used to refer to something that is true at the present moment.

Affirmative Forms

Verb To Be must match the number of the subject. Use is when the subject is a singular noun or a third-person singular pronoun. Moreover, are is used when the subject is a plural noun or a plural pronoun. Lastly, am is used when the subject is the first person pronoun I.

Negative Forms

Any form of verb to be is made negative by adding not immediately after it.

Interrogative Forms

Verb to be can be used to make questions in English in two different ways: at the beginning of the interrogative sentence and in WH-Questions.

1. Beginning

First, when they come at the beginning of the interrogative sentence.

Affirmative Question Forms

Negative Question Forms

There are two ways in forming negative questions. In full form, the pattern is Verb To Be + Subject + not. However, in contracted form, it is written as Contracted Form of Verb To Be + Subject. The Verb To be “am” can’t be contracted in negative question form.

2. WH-Questions

Additionally, the Verb To Be can be used in Wh-questions too.

Verb To Be Exercise

Answer this exercise on Verb To Be.

1. She ____ in Italy. She’s in France.

a. isn’t

b. aren’t 

c. am not

2. ____ on the list?

a. Am I not

b. Am not I

c. I’m not

3. These shoes ____ made of leather.

a. is

b. am 

c. are

4. They ____ in the library.

a. ‘s

b. ‘m 

c. ‘re

5. ______ our car in the garage?

a. Is

b. Are 

c. Am not 

6. His gadgets ____ expensive.

a. is

b. am 

c. are

7. My sister and her team ____ well-prepared for the presentation. They don’t know what to do.

a. isn’t

b. aren’t 

c. are

8. When ____ the bank holidays?

a. is

b. isn’t 

c. are

9. It ____ cold.

a. aren’t

b. are

c. isn’t

10. _____ they our neighbors?

a. Are 

b. Isn’t

c. Is

Find the answers to this exercise here.

See also: Transitive / Intransitive Verbs + Objects, Present Continuous (I), and Passive Voice

For additional information on this topic, check out this British Council Lesson.

For other English grammar lessons, go to this page.