An adverb or adverbial phrase is one or more words that change the verb in a sentence. There are 3 main types of adverbial phrases: time, place, and frequency (how often something happens).
Adverbs that change the meaning of a sentence and tells us how often or how frequently something happens are called adverbs of frequency. Example: hourly. annually. usually often seldom daily
Adverbs that change the meaning of a sentence and tells us when something happens are called adverbs of time. Example: today tomorrow over the summer this week / this month / this year next week / next month / next year last week / last month / last year the day before yesterday
Adverbs that change the meaning of a sentence and tells us where something happens are called adverbs of place. Example: here down there up back up front around the corner near the (place) away from under the bed in the box out in the street
A personal pronoun is a short word we use as a simple substitute for the proper name of a person.
There are two cases of personal pronouns: subject pronouns and object pronouns.
SUBJECT PRONOUNS I -I went to school. you -You are my friend. she -She is my sister. he -He studied hard. it -It is a boy! we -We went home early. they -They are not here yet.
OBJECT PRONOUNS me -Give me your phone. you -Mom will talk to you. her -Take her to the hospital. him -Please drive him home. it -I had to buy it. us -Please give us food. them -Throw them away!
Modal verbs for deduction are used when trying to see whether something is true or not. The way we choose these modal verbs is an indication of how big we think the possibility is. Some modals of deductions about the past are must have, might have/may have, and can’t have/couldn’t have.
Compare:
She must be really exhausted from working all day. (present deduction) She must have been very exhaused when she had to work all day. (past deduction)
must have
Must have + past participle is used to express certainty about something.
She couldn’t find her purse. She must have left it at the restaurant. Allan must have had the flu. He didn’t show up at any of his appointments today. We’ve got enough money. Michelle must have saved on her meal earlier.
might have / may have
Might have or may have + past participle is used to express the possibility that something happened.
I might have bought the wrong brand. Can you please ask Mom to check? Joe thinks his wife may have left with her lover.
Note: Might have is the less formal form compared to may have. Could have is another possible form to be used in such context but it is not that very common.
can’t have / couldn’t have
Can’t have and couldn’t have + past participle are used to express that it is not possible for something to happen.
They can’t have left the party yet because their car is still outside. Andrea thought she saw her old university professor this morning but it couldn’t have been her – she moved abroad years ago.
Phrasal verbs are combinations of words that when used together, usually have a different meaning to that of the original verb. Phrasal verbs are phrases that indicate actions.
Here are some examples of phrasal verbs:
dropout -quit a class, school, etc. Example: I dropped out of Math because it was too difficult.
catch up -get to the same point as somebody else Example: You’ll have to run faster than that if you want to catch up with me.
come back -to return Example: Come back and see us again sometime.
wake up -stop sleeping Example: We have to wake up early.
enter into something -to start to become involved in something Example: We don’t need to enter into that yet.
throw away -to get rid of something you do not want any more: Example: People throw away plastic bags.
come into -To arrive in a place, or to enter a place Example: Children are not coming into school.
Past simple is a verb tense that is used to talk about things that happened in the past.
To turn verbs into simple past, add -ed to the root form of the verb, or just -d if the root form already ends in an e. Example: walk > walked play > played love > loved like > liked
There are a lot of irregular past tense forms in English. Here are some examples: choose > chose come > came bring > brought buy > bought drive > drove eat > ate feel > felt find > found cost > cost go > went be > was/were begin > began break > broke get > got give > gave build > built have > had cut > cut do > did draw > drew
Prepositions of place describe the position of a person or thing in relation to another person or thing. Prepositions of place give you the ability to tell others where something is located.
In
-when something is inside something Example: She is in the car. I watch TV in the living-room
On
–when something is in a position above something else and touching it Example: Please place the flowers on the table.
–television, radio, internet (website) Example: I watched the news on TV. I saw the picture on Facebook.
–used for showing some methods of traveling Example: I love traveling on trains.
At
–to show an exact position Example: I am at the airport.
–event Example: I met her at a concert. Let’s meet at the party.
–a place where you are to do something typical (watch a film, study, work) Example: I’m at work now. I watched a movie at the cinema.
We use CAN to make general statements about what is possible: Example: It can be very hot here in summer. (= It is sometimes very hot here in summer.) You can easily get lost in this city. (= People often get lost in this city.)
We also use CAN and CAN’T to talk about someone’s skill or general abilities: Example: He can speak two languages. She can dance. She can’t swim very well.
We use COULD to show that something is possible, but not certain: Example: They could come by bus. (= Maybe they will come by bus.) They could be at school. (= Maybe they are at school.)
We also use COULD to mean that we were able to do something in the past. Example: When she was 1, she could talk.
We use COULDN’T to mean that we weren’t able to do something in the past. Example: When he was 1, he couldn’t walk.
As a general rule, gerunds are always after prepositions.
preposition + gerund
She had snacks afterfinishing her homework. The tourists are excited about visiting the Trevi Fountain. Try to sober up before leaving the party.
Note that we do not follow prepositions with infinitives. Noun clauses come after prepositions. When you put a verb after it, the verb must be a gerund. That verb then act as a noun.
Preposition + Gerund
after After finishing her studies, she moved to the big city.
before Check facts before reposting news or stories from disreputable websites.
by They won the award by working hard as a team.
in spite of In spite of failing too many times, he didn’t give up.
on What was the President’s reaction on learning about the issue?
without He hit his wife and children without batting an eyelash.
Adjectives
Adjective + Preposition + Gerund
angry about/at Laura is angry about waiting for John for two hours.
disappointed about/at Matt is disappointed about finding out he failed the test.
fed up with They are fed up with being discriminated against.
interested in Is she interested in taking care of a dog?
tired of He’s tired of listening to you whine all day.
Nouns
Noun + Preposition + Gerund
advantage of What is the advantage of exercising?
chance of There’s a chance of raining today.
choice between There’s a choice between traveling to Brazil or Mexico.
danger of Donald is in danger of committing a serious felony.
difficulty in He has difficulty in remembering names and faces.
Verbs
Verb + Preposition + Gerund
accuse of He was accused of embezzling the organization’s funds.
apologize for I would like to apologize for treating you this way.
complain about They complained about overpricing.
concentrate on You need to concentrate on studying.
cope with Luis and his family are not sure how to cope with having to downsize.
Gerunds After Prepositions Exercise
Answer this exercise on gerunds after prepositions.
1. Can you sleep ______ ?
a. without snoring
b. without snore
2. Her sister decided ______ her studies this coming semester.
a. against postpone
b. against postponing
3. Do you think he can ______?
a. give up smoke
b. give up smoking
4. I ______ from you soon.
a. look forward to hearing
b. look forward to hear
5. Are you ______ up late?
a. used to staying
b. used to stay
6. My father got exhausted ____ all day.
a. after drive
b. after driving
7. In spite ______ the long route, we still arrived early to the wedding.
