Category: Grammar

SIMPLE PAST OR PRESENT PERFECT

* for new or recent actions:

I‘ve lost my phone. Have you seen it? = I lost my phone. Have you seen it?

I‘ve just arrived home. = I just arrived home.

* for something that is now

I‘ve forgotten your name. What is it again? = I forgot your name.

* for new information

Have you heard the news? Sarah has won the lottery! = Sarah won the lottery!

There has been an accident. = There was an accident.

PRESENT PERFECT NOT SIMPLE PAST

* for a period of time that continues up to present

It hasn’t rained all summer. (if it is still summer time)

SIMPLE PAST NOT PRESENT PERFECT

* for finished time

It didn’t rain all summer. (if summer is finished already)

Did you dream about being famous when you were a child?

* for information that’s not new or recent

Picasso was a genius. He painted many classic works of art.

* for when the situation is different now

He stopped traveling for a while, but now he’s traveling again.

FORM

will have been + verb’s present participle (base + ing)

=> will have been doing

Positive and Negative:

I will have been doing

I won’t have been doing

You will have been doing
You won’t have been doing

He/She/It will have been doing
He/She/It won’t have been doing

We/They will have been doing
We/They won’t have been doing

Interrogative and Negative Interrogative:

Will I have been doing?
Won’t I have been doing?

Will you have been doing?
Won’t you have been doing?

Will he/she/it have been doing?
Won’t he/she/it have been doing?

Will we/they have been doing?
Won’t we/they have been doing?

USE

Future perfect continuous is used when talking about actions that will continue up until a specific time in the future.

Moreover, it is used to project forward in time and look back at how long an action has been happening. The action will have started in a time in the past, present, or future, and is expected to continue in the future.

Examples:

His mother-in-law and Kara will have been waiting for him here for three hours by six o’clock.
By 2019, his family will have been living in Dubai for two years.
When the students finish this course, they will have been learning English for fifteen years.
Next year, Anne will have been working at Google for five years.
When the train arrives at 8:00, will you have been waiting for too long?

Remember:

Non-action verbs such as to be, to seem, or to know cannot be used in the continuous/progressive tense. Instead, the future perfect tense (will have + past participle) is used.

Examples:

Incorrect: In December, I will have been knowing you for a year.
Correct: In December, I will have known you for a year.

Incorrect: She will have been reading thirty novels by the end of the year.
Correct: She will have read thirty novels by the end of the year.

USE WHEN OR WHILE

When and while function as subordinating conjunctions and is used to introduce an adverbial time clause. It indicates during the time that and shows the action is or was happening when the other action occurred:

• The phone rang when / while she was doing the laundry.
  
• When / While she was doing the laundry, the phone rang.

Similarly, as and whilst are used in the same way. As and whilst’s tone is rather more formal or literary.

• As the car drove away, I watched him leave.
  
• I watched him leave whilst the car drove away.

During is a preposition that introduces a longer duration. It is used with either a noun or a noun phrase:

• I learned how to cook paella during my stay to Spain.
  
• I learned how to cook paella while I was staying in Spain.

ONLY USE WHEN

When is used and not while, when trying to express that the action happens simultaneously as the longer one or the event that is referred to in the main clause:

• He was surprised when Martin told him he got promoted.
  
• He was still sleeping deeply when his alarm went off.

Moreover, when and not while is used to express that one action happens subsequently after another and to talk about duration in the past.

• When it started raining, everyone hurried home.
  
• When she was a little girl, rainy days were very often but that was just for several weeks.

Instead of using when, we can use whenever to mean every time that:

• I always turn off the light when I leave the room.
  
• I always turn off the light whenever I leave the room.

ONLY USE WHILE

We often use while when talking about the longer action of two events or when talking about two longer actions that occur at the same time:

• Martin called while Kara was at work.
  
• While they were planning the next project, the other team was brainstorming.
  
• Linda cleaned the room while Margaret watered the flowers.

Keep in mind that even though we usually use a progressive tense, it is also possible to use simple tenses to talk about longer action involving a while time clause.

Furthermore, if the main and subordinate clauses have the same subject, you may leave out the subject and verb be in the when- and while-clause:

• When (you are) studying, be very focused.
  
• He bumped into an old friend while (he was) sightseeing in Milan.

USE WHILE TO SHOW CONTRASTING IDEAS

We do not only use while to introduce an adverbial time clause. It is often used more formally to connect or balance contrasting ideas:

• While they are upset about the bad news, they don’t want to show it.
  
• While they have been happily married so far, there will definitely be moments when they must prepare for tough times.

In the examples above, the while-clause is usually placed first of the two contrasting ideas.

MEANWHILE MEANS “DURING THIS TIME”

Meanwhile or during this time, is a linking adverb which is used to link and contrast ideas between two sentences. It is used to express that two events are happening simultaneously:

• Prepare the marinade. Meanwhile, mise en place all the other ingredients.
  
• Do your homework. Meanwhile, I’ll prepare some snacks.

A WHILE = A SHORT TIME

In cases when while are used as a noun, almost always, it is used with an indefinite article:

• I haven’t read a book for a while. What have I been doing?
  
• Let’s just stay here a little while longer. It’s so relaxing here.

FORM

Positive and Negative

I will have done
I won’t have done

You will have done
You won’t have done

He/She/It will have done
He/She/It won’t have done

We/They will have done
We/They won’t have done

Questions

Will I have done?
Won’t I have done?

Will you have done?
Won’t you have done?

Will he/she/it have done?
Won’t he/she/it have done?

Will we/they have done?
Won’t we/they have done?

USE      

• Future perfect is used when talking about an action that will that will be completed between now and a specified point in the future.

This time next week, she will have graduated from the university.

Common phrases used together with Future Perfect:

By April, she will have been 18.
This time next week, she will have left the country.
In two years’ time, they will have been together for 15 years.
When she leaves, he’ll have cleaned the house.
By the time Ronald get to school, his classmates will probably have waited a long time.

• Future Perfect is also used to predict about events in the future that will be complete before a specified time in the future.

Do they think he will have stolen all her money?
No, they won’t have broken that!

                                  Usage                           If clause                         Main clause

ZERO                      General Truths                   Simple Present                        Simple present

Type 1     Possible Condition; Probable Result  Simple Present                   Simple Future

ZERO CONDITIONAL

We use the zero conditional when talking about a real and possible situation that is now or always. It is also often used to talk about general truths. Simple present tense is used in both the if and and main clause. In a zero conditional sentence, “if” and “when” can be used interchangeably without changing the meaning of the sentence.

Examples:

If clause                                                            Main Clause

If you sneeze                                                  you blink your eyes.

If it snows                                                        it gets really cold.

If it’s sunny                                                      she doesn’t like going out.

TYPE 1 CONDITIONAL

We use type 1 conditional to talk about a real situation in the present or future. It is used talk about a possible condition and its probable result. In a Type 1 conditional sentence, simple present is used in the if clause, and simple future in the main clause.

Examples:

If clause                                                            Main Clause

If you don’t study,                                           you will fail the exam.

If you don’t bring your umbrella,                 you won’t have something to use later.

If the sun shines,                                             she will leave her clothes outside to dry.

Singular
myself – yourself – himself – herself – itself

Plural
ourselves – yourselves – themselves

USE

* when the subject and object are the same

She hurt herself.
The team call themselves “Wild Cats”.
He burned himself.

* as the object of a preposition, when the subject and the object are the same

She bought a present for herself.
They did it by themselves.
The dog is biting itself.

* to emphasize the subject

She‘ll do it herself.
He did all the work himself.

Use

This:                    to talk about one thing which is near
                                                This fruit is an apple.

These:                 to talk about two or more things which are near
                                                These are the books I borrowed.

That:                    to talk about one thing which is far
                                                Is that your house on corner of the street?

Those:                  to talk about two or more things which are far
                                               What are those birds over there?

Use This, That, These and Those:

• Before a be-verb.

                This is my mother. / Those are my friends.

• Before a noun:

That painting looks beautiful! / These cupcakes are delicious!

Interrogative

                Is this / that his teacher?               
                Are these / those their notebooks?

Contraction

IS can be contracted after that.
That is my car.            =>           That’s my car.
But not after this.
This’s my car.              =>           This is my car.
ARE after These / Those can’t be contracted.

Common Mistakes

A verb must always be used in sentences with this, that, these and those.
This amazing show.           =>           This is an amazing show. / This show is amazing.

Compound Nouns

Compound nouns are words that consist of two or more words. Every part of them is part of the meaning of the nouns.

Separated Compound Nouns

• Compound nouns are more commonly written with two separate words.

real estate – He works in real estate.                   

post office – Did you go to the post office?                  

light year – A light year is a way to measure distance.

water tank – How many water tanks are there?            

full moon  – Look out your window to see the full moon tonight.                

swimming pool – We have a swimming pool in our country house.

Hyphenated Compound Nouns

• Some compound nouns are hyphenated.

mother-in-law – Do you get on with your mother-in-law?     

master-at-arms  – Who is the master-at-arms of this ship?         

commander-in-chief – He is the commander-in-chief.               

single-mindedness – I can’t stand his single-mindedness.

• Hyphenated compound nouns typically function as adjectives.

six-pack – Buy a six-pack beer.

free-for-all – They want free-for-all income for the poor.

Separated or Hyphenated?

• Without a doubt, the easiest way to determine whether you need separated or hyphenated compound nouns is that we use separated compound nouns as nouns while hyphenated compound nouns usually function as adjective in sentences.

Open air vs open-air

We enjoy hanging out in the open air in summer.

The afternoon was so hot my friends and I decided to go to an open-air bar.

Air traffic vs air-traffic

Air traffic was so heavy last night.

The air-traffic control had a hard time managing the situation.

Compound Adjectives

• Compound adjectives are normally structured in three different ways. Many compound adjectives are hyphenated.

noun + adjective | noun + participle | adjective + participle

Noun + Adjective  

• These compound adjectives are a combination of a noun and and an adjective.                                 

camera-shy – I am camera-shy.                                         

accident-prone – Be careful. This is an accident-prone area.                    

sugar-free – I prefer sugar-free coffee.                                                    

Noun + Participle   

• These compound adjectives are a combination of a noun and and a participle.

computer-assisted – They are using computer-assisted instruction.

user-generated – These are user-generated contents.

custom-built – It is a custom-built car.

Adjective + Participle

• These compound adjectives are a combination of an adjective and and a participle.

brown-haired – My girlfriend is the brown-haired woman.

ill-tempered – Andy is a little ill-tempered.

fair-skinned – Ana is a fair-skinned girl.

• Compound adjectives formed by combining well + participle or a phrase should be hyphenated when the compound is before the noun.

He created some well-known artworks.

He just checked his up-to-date account.

• However, do not hyphenate when the compound is after the noun.

His artworks are also well known around the world.

His account is up to date.

• Compound adjectives that describe ages and lengths of time are also hyphenated.

I have a five-year old daughter.

They found some two-centuries old relics.

A clause always has a subject.

Her grandmother has just retired. Was an accountant.     =>     She was an accountant.
I’m cooking for my sister. Is sick.      =>       She is sick.
Look at the sky! Is very sunny.     =>     It’s very sunny.

Except Imperative Sentences

Come back tomorrow.
Say that again.

In case there is no other subject, use there or it.

THERE

Use there as an empty subject, followed by the verb be and then a noun phrase.

• use when introducing a new topic

There is a conference this week. It will start on Monday.
There has been a mistake. I hope this gets corrected.

• use with numbers or quantities

There was a lot of people at the museum yesterday.
There must have been more than twenty thousand fans who watched the concert.

• use when talking about location

There used to be a big oak tree on this spot.
There are cookies on the jar.
I hope there will be someone at his house later.

• use with indefinite pronoun or to express quantity and the to-infinitive

There is nothing to see at the exhibit.
There was a lot to do in my previous project.
There was nothing to learn in that class.
There are a lot of things to discuss.

• use “for” to show the subject of the to-infinitive

There is nothing for the team members to discuss in the meeting.
There was plenty for them to play with in the nursery.
There was nothing for him to do at his grandparents’.
There are a lot of questions for you to answer.

• use with an indefinite pronoun or when expressing quantity and an -ing verb

There is someone calling to talk to you.
There were a lot of babies crying and shouting.

If the noun phrase is singular, use a singular verb.

There is an exam today.
There were a lot of people at the stadium.
There is someone calling to talk to you.

If the noun phrase is plural, use a plural verb.

There are more than two dishes to cook.
There were some papers on the table.
There were a lot of guests singing and dancing.

IT

Use it when talking about:

• times and dates

It’s almost six o’clock.
It’s 18th of July.

• weather:

It’s snowing.
It’s a very windy day.
It was getting warm.

• when giving an opinion about a place

It’s very dark in here.
It will be better when we get to our destination.
It’s very warm in his room.

• when giving an opinion followed by to-infinitive:

It’s good to talk to you.
It will be nice to spend the weekend on the beach.
It was interesting to learn about proper driving techniques.

• when giving an opinion followed by an -ing verb:

It’s fun spending time with friends.
It’s horrible driving at night.
It can be hard taking care of a sick baby.

Use it when talking about people.

Use it when talking about ourselves.

• when talking on the phone

Good day. It’s Elizabeth.

• when people cannot see you

[Anne knocks on the door] It’s me. It’s Anne.

Use it to talk about other people:

• when pointing them out for the first time:

Look. It’s Beyonce!
Who is she? I think it’s Adam’s boss.

• when we cannot see them and we ask them for their name:

[when the phone rings and you pick it up]

Hello. Who is it?

[when someone knocks on your door]

Who is it?

A group of related words that does not have a subject and a verb functioning as a single part of speech is called a phrase. A participial phrase is composed of a group of words with a participle together with all its modifiers and complements. In the following examples, a noun is modified by each of the phrases.

How to Diagram Participial Phrases

The first step is to determine the participle and the noun it intends to modify.

Then put the participle on a bent, slanted line right under the noun it intends to modify.

Determine the rest of the phrases and diagram it correspondingly.

Here are the step by step procedure using this example sentence:

Smelling flowers at the garden, Jane sneezed.

Step 1: Find the participle. (smelling)

Step 2: Determine the noun it modifies. ( Jane)

Step 3: Determine the rest of the phrase. ( flowers at the garden)

Step 4: Find out what the rest of the phrase is doing.

At this stage, your grammar knowledge will be put into test.
In the process of diagramming this sentence, you need to know that flowers is a direct object and at the garden is a prepositional phrase. This prepositional phrase is modifying smelling. As a result, we diagram the prepositional phrase underneath smelling.

Dangling

When there isn’t a noun or pronoun to modify, the participial phrase dangles. It is called a dangling participle.