Singular-Only Nouns

There are some nouns that are always in singular form. They are uncountable and do not have a plural form.

We do not use the articles – a/an before them but if they are particular we can use the article – the.

They are used with singular verbs.

Examples:

advicebaggagehomework
informationluggagefurniture
knowledgedusttraffic

My homework was very easy.

The luggage is heavy.

Their information was helpful.

Special case: 

Some of these nouns end in -s and -ics they may be mistaken for plural nouns. They are in the singular and they are used with singular verbs. 

Examples:

mathematicsaerobicsmeasles
physicspoliticsmumps
economicsnewsprogress

Physics is my favorite subject..

His progress was slow.

Measles is a serious disease.

How Questions

The adverb ‘how’ asks for the manner or the way something is done.

Sentence structure:

How + helping verb + subject + main verb + rest of the sentence?

Examples:

How does she teach English?
How did you make this pie?

When asking about the condition or quality of something.

Sentence Structure:

How + verb BE + Subject+ rest of the sentence?

Examples:

How are you?
How was your exam?

It is also used with other words to create different types of questions.

Examples:

How manyAsking for the quantity with countable nounsHow many cats do you have?
How many pairs of shoes does she have?
How muchAsking for the quantity with uncountable nouns


Asking for the price with countable nouns
How much milk do you want in your coffee?
How much money did you save?

How much is this shirt?
How much are those sweaters?
How oftenAsking for the frequencyHow often do you play padel?
How often do you visit her?
How farAsking for the distanceHow far is the school from here?
How far away is the gym from the train station?
How oldAsking for the ageHow old are you?
How old is Marta?
How longAsking for the duration or the amount of time something takes.How long did you live in  Madrid?
How long is the movie?

Wh-Questions in the Past

Wh – questions start with who, what, when, where and why.

The answers to these questions are not just a simple yes or no.

When asking wh- questions in the past tense, you need to add the word “did“.

Sentence Structure:

Wh +did +Subject +Base Form ofthe Verb +rest of the sentence?

Examples:

Who

Who did you meet?
Who did we choose?

What

What did you eat?
What did you learn in school?

When

When did you leave?
When did she study in Madrid?

Where

Where did she go?
Where did he park the car?

Why

Why did they move to Barcelona?
Why did you buy the car?

We can also use the verb “to be” when asking wh- questions in the past tense.

Sentence Structure:

        Wh- +         to be +        Subject +   complement?    

Examples:

Who

Who was in the room?
Who were those people?

What

What was in the bag?
What were your hobbies?

When

When was he sad?
When were they at home?

Where

Where was she last Monday?
Where were you this morning?

Why

Why were they mad?
Why were you alone?

Irregular Adverbs

We use an adverb to express a significant description to a verb, an adjective or another adverb. Simply put, it tells us HOW something happens. The rule is simple for regular adverbs as we often only need to add -ly to the end of an adjective.

Irregular adverbs on the other hand, disregard standard English spelling rules. Hence, they have to be memorized.

Here are some common irregular adverbs.

    AdjectivesIrregular Adverbs
      good      wellThe show went well.
      fast      fastShe drives too fast.
      hard      hardHe studied hard for the exam
      late      lateThey arrived late at the party.
      early      earlyThe package arrived early.
      daily      dailyNew articles are published daily.

Hard vs Hardly

She works hard because she’s looking forward for a promotion. – correct

She works hardly because she’s looking forward for a promotion. – incorrect (Hardly means “almost never”)

If we say, “She works hardly,” this means she hardly ever  or rarely works which is opposite from the original context.

Late vs Lately

I came home late.correct (To arrive home later than the expected time or very late at night.)

I came home lately. incorrect (Lately means “recently”)

Late is both an adjective and an adverb while ‘lately’ is only an adverb of time which means recently.

Good vs. Well

Good is an adjective. Well is the adverb of good which describes how something is being done.

I did good in my interview. – incorrect

I did well in my interview. – correct

Reported Speech (Range of Tenses)

We use reported/indirect speech when someone said something and we need to tell it to others.

We use common reporting verbs such as ‘say’ and ‘tell’ or ‘ask’ if the direct speech is in a form of a question. Since we are talking about something that happened in the past, we use the past tense of the reporting verbs such as ‘said’, ‘told’, ‘asked’, etc.

It is optional to use the conjunction ‘that’ in a reported speech.

In reported speech, we usually use a tense that is one tense back in time from the tense in direct speech.

Examples:

Present SimplePast Simple
“We like dancing”, they said.  They said (that) they liked dancing.  
“I travel a lot”, Ana saidAna said (that) she travelled a lot.  
Present ContinuousPast Continuous
“I am drinking wine”, he told them.He told them (that) he was drinking wine.
“We are playing outside”, John said.John said (that) they were playing outside.
Present PerfectPast Perfect
“We haven’t done our homework”, they said.They said (that) they hadn’t done their homework.  
“I have been to Barcelona”, she told me.She told me (that) she had been to Barcelona.
Simple PastPast Perfect
“Jane finished her work on Monday”, they said.  They said (that) Jane had finished her work on Monday.  
“I lived in Catalonia for ten years”, he said.  He said he had lived in Catalonia for ten years.  

However, when Past Perfect is used in the direct speech, no verb change is needed.

Past PerfectPast Perfect
We had taken some lessons before”, they said.They said (that) they had taken some lessons before.  
“She had just returned from school”, she explained.She explained (that) she had just returned from school.  
Future TensePresent Conditional
He said, “I will be in Los Angeles on Sunday”.He said (that) he would be in Los Angeles on Sunday.
“We will sing at the concert next month”, they said.They said (that) they would sing at the concert next month.
Future ContinuousConditional Continuous
They said, “We‘ll be staying at home next weekend”.They said (that) they would be staying at home next weekend.
“I won’t be attending the party tomorrow”, she said.  She said (that) she would not be attending the party tomorrow.

 If what was said is still true, it’s not always needed to change the tense.

“The sky is blue”, Ana said.Ana said the sky is blue.
“We go to the school near the church”, they said.They said (that) they go to the school near the church.

Modal Verbs – Must and Have to

Must and Have to are modal verbs that show necessity, obligation and prohibition. They have little differences in their usage.

Must’ is used to imply that the obligation is personal. It is an obligation the speaker sets for himself. We can only use this form in the present and in the future.

Basic sentence structure:

subject + auxiliary verb must + main verb base

subjectauxiliary verb (must)main verb (base form)
Shemustgonow.

Examples:

I must finish this task. (Finishing the task is an obligation the speaker took on himself)

I must go.  (obligation set by the speaker)

I must learn how to drive. (obligation set by the speaker)

Have to’ also implies obligation. However, this obligation is something external. It is something someone else asked the speaker to do and the speaker cannot change it. We can use this form in the past, the present and the future.

Basic sentence structure:

subject + auxiliary verb + have + to-infinitive

subjectauxiliary verbMain verb (have)to-infinitive
Past SimpleShehad to leaveearly.
Present SimpleIhaveto eatfast.
Future SimpleTheywillhaveto meetsoon.

Examples:

I have to send the report as soon as possible. (Sending the report is a duty given to the speaker.)

They had to stay there longer. (They were required to stay longer)

I have to leave now. (Leaving now is required of the speaker)

For the question form, it is more common to use “have to’ than must’. It is used to ask if something is required or an obligation.

Why do you have to go?    – more common

Why must you go?             – less common

Does he have to drive?      – more common

Must he drive?                    – less common

What do we have to say?   – more common

What must we say?            – less common

The negative forms of these two have different meanings.

The negative form of ‘must’ is ‘must not’. It shows that something is not allowed.

He mustn’t sleep at work.

You must not leave the house.

They must not stay outside.

The negative form of ‘have to’ is ‘don’t have to’. It shows that something is not necessary but you can do it if you want to.

You don’t have to attend the meeting.

They didn’t have to join the club.

She doesn’t have to wear the dress.

Would (Past Habits)

Would is a slightly more formal way of expressing repeated past habits that we no longer do. These past actions do not take place anymore.

The sentence construction usually starts with a subject followed by would and then the base form of the verb. Consequently, for the negative we use the same formula but we replace would with would not or the shorter form wouldn’t.

Subject + would/wouldn’t + base form of the verb

Examples:

Every weekend, I would go hiking.

When we were young, our parents would take us to the park every Sunday.

My teacher would give me after-school exercises everyday.

On rainy days, we wouldn’t go out.

When I was a child, my father wouldn’t give me the time of the day.

My next-door neighbor wouldn’t bat an eye whenever he heard noises from my apartment.

Would can also be used with always, often, constantly etc. when talking about repeated past actions.

As a teenager, I would always sneak out of our house at night.

I would constantly correct my colleagues and they didn’t like it.

Back in college, I would often go to concerts.

In English, if an action only happened once, we do not use would + base form of the verb. Furthermore, don’t use it to talk about past states.

Examples:

I moved to Madrid in 2010. –(action that happened only once)
I would move to Madrid in 2010. – incorrect

I used to be a writer. –(past state)
I would be a painter. – incorrect

Want vs. Would Like

Both want and would like, as verbs, mean to desire or wish for something.

Want suggests a demand.

Would like is a more polite and formal way of expressing what you want.

Examples:

I want a soda. (could be urgent)
I would like to have a soda. (more polite)

I want to have dinner with you. (could be demanding)
I would like to have dinner with you. (more polite)

I want to speak to you. (could be urgent and demanding)
I would like to speak to you. (more polite)

Want is always followed by a complement to have a complete thought. It could be a noun or pronoun as an object, a to-infinitive form of the verb or an object + verb.

Examples:

Do you want cookies? (noun object)

I don’t want them. (pronoun object)

Do you want to eat them? (to-infinitive)

The host wants him to try the cookies. (object + to-infinitive)

Would like is usually followed by verbs in the the to + infinitive form or an object.

Examples:

I would like to try them. (to try is an infinitive)

I would like to eat it. (to eat is an infinitive)

I would like to have pasta. (to have is an infinitive)

I would like a cup of coffee. (coffee is an object)

I would like a tour. (tour is an object)

I would like an orange juice. (orange juice is an object)

The short form of would like is ‘d like.

Examples:

I’d like a cup of coffee.

I’d like to try them.

I’d like to eat it.

Be mindful of the use of gerund with would like as it may change the meaning of the sentence.

Example:

I would like to dance. (This means right now I want/wish/desire to dance.)

I’d like dancing if I could. ( This means I would like to dance but I don’t know if I have a chance to actually dance or if I have the skills to dance. )

Used To + Infinitive and Be or Get Used To + Gerund

There are often confusions on using used to + infinitive and be/get used to + gerund. These two are used in absolutely different context.

USED TO

We use used to to say that something existed or occurred repeatedly in the past that is no longer true.

Sentence structure:

Subject + used to + infinitive(base verb or simple form of the verb)

Examples:

I used to drive on the left side of the road.

She used to live in a big city.

They used to work long hours.

We use ‘did not use to’ to express it in the negative form. There is no need to add ‘d’ to use as did is already in the past tense.

I didn’t use to drive on the left side of the road.

BE USED TO

We use be used to indicate familiarity with something or a habit. Being used to something means it is not something strange or new to you.

Sentence structure:

subject + be +used to + gerund

Examples:

I am used to driving on the left side of the road.

She is used to living in a big city.

They are used to working long hours.

The negative for be used to is ‘be not used to’.

I am not used to driving on the left side of the road.

GET USED TO

This is related to ‘be used to’. However, ‘get used to‘ talks about the process of the subject becoming familiar with or getting accustomed to something. It could mean that the subject has just started doing something and is expected to it regularly/more often in the future.

Sentence structure:

subject + get + used to + gerund

Examples:

I am getting used to driving on the left side of the road.

She is getting used to living in a big city.

They are getting used to working long hours.

We use ‘not get used to’ to say it in the negative form.

I am not getting used to driving on the left side of the road.

Make or Do

Make and Do are two very common and quite similar verbs that we use. It can be confusing to know which one to use.

Remember:

We use Make when building, creating or producing something. It focuses on the result or product of an action.

Examples:

Make a plan.

Did you make that dress?

They made a decision.

We use DO when we talk about actions, tasks or general activities. It focuses on the act itself.

Examples:

I am doing some housework.

We will do some shopping tomorrow.

I did well in the interview.

We usually use things, everything, nothing, something, anything etc. when we use DO to talk about general activities.

Examples:

She does everything for me.

I did not do anything to help her.

They are doing nothing.

Below are some expressions with do and make.

Do

do exerciseI like doing exercise every morning.
do the laundryThey do the laundry on weekends.
do a jobShe does that job well.
do nailsAlice likes to do her nails.
do researchThey have to do more research.
do the dishesYou have to do the dishes after dinner.

Make

make dinnerI will make dinner tonight.
make noiseThey always make noises.
make a choiceYou have to make a choice now.
make a paymentI would like to make a payment.
make a promiseI made a promise to her.
make moneyI make money by selling houses.

There are many standard expressions with ‘make’ and sometimes using ‘do’ makes more sense.

Please make your bed.

Making the bed means to arrange your pillows and sheets after you slept in it. It may make more sense to use do because you are doing the action of arranging your bed.

I will make a call to the client.

Make a call simply means to call someone. Again, it may seem that using do is a better choice because we are talking about the action of calling someone over the telephone.