Online Grammar

The role of grammar in language use

2010-01-23T00:45:00.000-08:00

The role of grammar in language use

So many people still believe that grammar is a discipline that should be learned on its own. This is in fact a faulty assumption; Grammar is all the time present in our life.
So, you can in no way separate grammar from language use whether orally or in writing.

Grammar is implanted in us, it is endowed to every human being from birth to last with him throughout a whole lifetime. So, at this stage we are rather talking about a system that allows us to figure out the meaning of utterances we receive as an input from other individuals in our social environment. For instance, whenever you meet a friend to talk to, you are ready to receive a flow of speech that goes directly to your brain to be treated based on the rules of grammar you know. These rules would enable your brain to decipher the utterances you receive and convert them into units of meaning. This is in fact the role of grammar in understanding any human language.

2010-01-22T11:23:00.001-08:00

How to start learing grammar:

Many people do not find it easy to start learning English grammar. they are always inquiring about what kind of grammar lessons to start with.
Yes, this is in fact a little bit problematic unless the learner does not have some mastery of the language. But, this does not mean that there is no chance for a beginner to start approching English grammar. Beginners do equally have the same opportunities to start learning Grammar and to upgrade during the process.
From my own experience as a University English student, I would recommend beginners to start with tenses. Tenses are a good start for beginners. thanks to being exposed to different tenses, the learner would little by little devolep some awareness of the different english tenses.

Afterwards, the learner should move on to learning the differnt kinds of articles (definite and indefinite). Articles would make it easier to overcome the confusion that happens between countable, uncountable and abstract nouns. Don't get shoked if you still don't figure out the difference between them. By the time you understand how and when to use articles, you'll have been fully aware of the distinction between countable, uncountable and abstract nouns.

The third grammar lesson to tackle would be "Prepositions". Prepositions are so many in English, you cannot limit then to only one list. Nevertheless, there is a limited number of prepositions that are frequently used, and that need to be understood and put into practise through different exercices you can find abundantly available on the Net.
The fourth lesson to take would be concerned with relative pronouns. There are only eight relative pronouns in English (who, whom, which, that, whose, what, when, where)which make it easier for you to learn by heart.

Finally, after having fully understood and put into pracise the preceding four lessons, it is recommended to start up with nouns, adjectives, adverbs and verbs, and figuring out the distinction between them. This last lesson would be a little bit challenging and time consuming, so be patient.

2010-01-22T09:15:00.000-08:00

Most frequent grammar problems:

1. The Comma Splice

* If only a comma appears between two independent clauses without a
coordinating conjunction, the error is called a comma splice.

Faulty: Salmon swim upstream, they leap over huge dams to reach their destination.

Revised: Salmon swim upstream, and then they leap over huge dams to reach their destination.

* A comma splice also occurs when a comma and a transitional expression join two independent clauses.

Faulty: Some parents support bilingual education, however, many oppose it vociferously.

Revised: Some parents support bilingual education; however, many oppose it vociferously.

2. The Abused Apostrophe

* ·Apostrophes indicate ownership or possession (Fred's books, the government's plan).

* They can also signal omitted letters (who's, can't).

Apostrophe Examples

3. Subject-verb Agreement

* When you use the present tense, subject and verb must agree in person and number.
* Two key points about Agreement:
- Generally, you can put an -s on a noun to make it plural,
- or you can put an -s on a verb to make it singular.

An -s on both is not standard English.

Faulty:
My friends comes over every Sunday.

Revised:
My friend comes over every Sunday.
My friends come over every Sunday.

Top

4. Coordinated & Subordinated Conjunctions

* Conjunctions indicate the relationship between words or groups of words.
* The two classes of conjunctions are coordinate and subordinate.

Coordinate conjunctions - indicate units of equal status (yet, and, but, or, for, so, nor).

Ex.

Do you want cake or ice cream?
I graduated a semester early, but I had to go to work immediately.

Subordinate conjunctions - indicate that one unit is more important than the other (after, although, as, because, before, if, since, that, unless, until, when, where, while).

Ex.

After the value of the NASDAQ dropped by over two thirds, some of the new
Dot-com millionaires found out the party was over.

5. Double Negatives

* Avoid using two negatives in one sentence, or you will end up saying the opposite of what you mean.

Faulty: Barely no one noticed that the pop star lip-synched during the whole
performance.

Revised: Barely anyone noticed that the pop star lip-synched during the whole
performance.

6. Disruptive & Misplaced Modifiers

Be wary of modifiers that sometimes seem to modify two things, or the wrong thing.

* Limiting Modifiers include words such as almost, hardly, even, just, merely, not, only, and simply.

* Limiting modifiers should always go before the word or words they modify in a work

Notice in this example that "just" is used in four places, and in each place it carries a different connotation.

Just twenty new people just volunteered just for the sea turtle rescue program
just for the spring.

More Modifier Models

7. Unclear Antecedents

* The antecedent is the noun that a pronoun refers to. The pronoun and antecedent must be in agreement.
* When pronouns and the nouns they replace are separated by several words, sometimes the agreement in number is lost.

Faulty: The band members collected his and her uniforms.

Revised: The band members collected their uniforms.

8. Preposition Overuse

Prepositions are words used before nouns and pronouns to form phrases
that convey relationships such as of time and space (in the poem,
throughout the day, behind her, without a doubt, for you). Prepositional
phrases are often idiomatic: on occasion, in love.

* Prepositions can pile information onto previous nouns:

The design of the apparatus with the tubing and the electrical wiring was
useful for diagnosis of the transmission of electrical impulses in the nerve
tested.

9. Fragments

* Fragments are incomplete sentences that are punctuated to look like sentences.
* Fragments lack key elements-often a subject or verb-or else are a subordinate clause or phrase.
* How to turn fragments into sentences:

Incorporate the fragment into an adjoining sentence.

Faulty: She saw him coming. And looked away.

Revised: She saw him coming and looked away.

Add the missing element.

Faulty: When aiming for the highest returns, and also thinking about the
possible losses.

Revised: When aiming for the highest returns, investors also should think
about the possible losses.

10. Run-ons

* Run-ons jam together two or more sentences, failing to separate them with appropriate punctuation.
* The writer must be careful to determine where one main clause stops and the next begins.

Faulty: I do not recall what kind of printer it was all I remember is that it could
sort, staple, and print a packet at the same time.

Revised: I do not recall what kind of printer it was. All I remember is that it could
Sort, staple, and print a packet at the same time.

Reported speech

2010-01-21T23:21:00.000-08:00

Reported speech

Look at the two statements below:

· Linda: "I will leave tomorrow"

· Linda said that she would leave the following day.

In the first sentence, there are the quotation marks because we are repeating the exact words used by the original speaker. This is called direct speech.

In the second sentence, however, the speaker is repeating what Linda has said without repeating the exact words she has used. This is what we call indirect or reported speech.

Now, have another look at the two statements at the end of the page and focus on the differences between them. Apart from the absence of the quotation marks, you can notice the use of the operating verb "said" at the beginning of the second sentence. Note also that "I" has become "she", will" has become "would" and "tomorrow" has become "the following day".

So, when turning sentences from the direct into the indirect speech, we have to observe the following:

1- Omit the quotation marks

2- Use a reporting verb like "say" , "tell" etc…

3- Change the pronouns according to the context.

4- Be careful! If the reporting verb is in the past tense, verbs in the direct speech have to be changed into a corresponding past tense. Some expressions of time and place are also changed. (look at tables 1,2,3)

But if the reporting verb is in the present, the tenses used in the direct speech are not changed.

This is usual when we are immediately reporting what a person is saying or has just said.

· Linda has just said she will leave tomorrow.

· Bill says he is ill.

I- Statements in indirect speech:

Direct Speech

Indirect Speech

Simple present

"I'm exhausted", Sandra said.

¦ Simple past

Sandra said (that) she was exhausted.

Present progressive "I'm telling you the truth", Clark insisted.

¦ Past progressive

Clark insisted he was telling us the truth.

Present perfect

"I haven't cheated you", he said

¦ Past perfect

He said he hadn't cheated us

Present perfect progressive

Peter: "I have been searching the truth".

¦ Past perfect progressive

Peter said he had been searching the truth.

Simple past

"I did my best to help you", Jack told Helen

¦ Past perfect

Jack told Helen he had done his best to help her.

Past progressive

"I was sleeping…", Peter insisted.

¦ Past perfect progressive

Peter insisted that he had been sleeping…

Future

Alex: "If I need your help, I'll phone you".

¦ Conditional.

Alex said if he needed our help, he would phone us.

Note that conditional sentences type 2 and 3, and unreal past tenses (for example after "wish) remain unchanged.

· "If I were dishonest, I would fool you", Jack told Helen.

¦ Jack told Helen if he were dishonest, he would fool her.

· "I wish I had a brother", the girl said.

¦ The girl said she wished she had a brother.

Note also that most modals remain unchanged. The only modals which change are the following:

Direct Speech	Indirect Speech
"You can do better", he told me.	He told me I could do better.
"We may spend the night out" the children said.	The children said they might spend the night out.
I must tell him the truth", she said.	She said she had to tell him the truth.
"t shall pay all my debts next month", he said.	He said he would/ should pay all his debts the following month.

As we have noted earlier, some expressions of time and place change when the reported sentences are introduced by a verb in the past tense. Consider the table below:

Direct Speech	Indirect Speech
"I don't think it's this easy", Peter said	Peter said he didn't think it was that easy.
"I can't cope with all these problems", Helen said	Helen said she couldn't cope with all those problems.
"We must leave now", they said	They insisted they had to leave then/at that time
"I'll try to finish all this work tomorrow", Jack said	Jack said he would try to finish the following day.
"We can't finish all this work today", they said.	They said they couldn't finish all the work that day.
"We'll leave tonight", they said	They said they would leave that night.
"Two prisoners tried to escape yesterday", the jailor said.	The jailor said two prisoners had tried to escape the day before.
"We'll leave next week", they said	They said they would leave the following week.
"I didn't get my wage last Saturday", she said.	She said she hadn't got her wage the previous Saturday.
"I met him two weeks ago", she said.	She said she had met him two weeks before.
"I'll meet him here", she said	She said she would meet him there.

II- Questions in indirect speech:

When we turn direct questions into indirect speech, we have to observe the following:

1- Pronouns, tenses, modals and adverbs change as in statements.

2- The interrogative form of the verb changes to the affirmative form and the question mark is omitted.

3- As an introductory verb, it is necessary to use a verb of inquiry like "ask", "wonder" , "inquire" etc…

· "Why would you like to leave early?" asked Mary.

> Mary asked me why I would like to leave early. (WH- word + subject + verb…)

· "When will Palestine be liberated?" the man wondered.

> The man wondered when Palestine would be liberated.

· "Why did you arrive late?" the wife asked.

> The wife asked her husband why he had arrived late.

4- Remember that if there is no question word, that is in case of Yes/No questions, we use "if" or "whether" immediately after the reporting verb:

· "Can you lend me a fiver?" Paul asked.

> Paul asked me if I could lend him a fiver.

· "Do you have any idea about the reasons for my delay?" the husband wondered.

> The husband wondered whether his wife had any idea about the reasons for his delay.

· "Did you solve your money problems?" the husband wondered.

> The husband wondered whether his wife had any idea about the reasons for his delay.

· "Did you solve your money problems?" Jack wanted to know.

> Jack wanted to know if I had solved my money problems.

III- Commands, Requests, Suggestions, Advice, Apologies etc…

The choice of the reporting verb isn't always a straightforward task.

Sometimes, especially if the direct speech includes an imperative verb, it is necessary to understand the meaning of utterances and the context in which it has occurred. Below are some examples to illustrate this point.

1/ "Stop making noise", the father told his son. (This is an order, a command)

> The father ordered his son to stop making noise.

2/ "Don't go too far, Bill" the mother said (This is an order, or better a warning)

> The mother warned her son Bill not to go too far.

3/ "Have a cup of tea", my friend said. (This a request or an invitation)

> My friend invited me to have a cup of tea.

4/ "Don't make too much noise please", the teacher said. (This is a request)

> The teacher asked his pupils not to make too much noise.

5/ "Would you mind giving me a hand?" Paul asked me. (This is also a request)

> Paul asked/ requested me to give him a hand.

6/ "Let's dine out", the wife said. (This is a suggestion)

> The wife suggested dining out.

7/ "Am I late? Sorry!" the employee said. (This is an apology)

> The employee apologized for being late.

8/ "If I were you, I would stop smoking", my friend told me. (This is an advice)

> My friend advised me to stop smoking.

9/ "What a silly answer!" the teacher said. (This is an exclamation)

> The teacher exclaimed that it was a silly answer.

10/ "Thank you for your help", the lady told me. (This is an expression of thanks)

> The lady thanked me for helping her.

11/ "Happy new year!" He told me. (This is a wish)

> He wished me a happy new year.

12/ "Well done! You've passed with distinction", the headmaster said. (This is congratulation)

> He congratulated me for passing the exam with distinction.

Exercise 1:

Becky met Helen, an old friend of hers. Helen told Becky lots of things. Two days later, Becky saw Alice, her best friend, and she told her what Helen said.

Use the indirect speech to report to Alice what Helen told Becky.

Direct Speech (Helen to Becky)	Indirect speech (Becky to Alice
a- "I married three years ago".	¦ Helen told me ………………………...
b- "I have a 1-year-old son".	¦ She said ………………………………
c- "My husband used to work as a rep".	¦She informed me………………………
d- "He has recently resigned from his post so that we would have our own business".	¦She added…………………………… ................................................................
e- "I will be my husband's secretary".	¦She told me……………………………
f- "We are living in Essex and we will move to London next month".	¦She said………………………………..
g- "Do you often see Alice?"	¦She wanted to know…………………...
h- "Please, send my regards to her".	¦She requested me ……………………..
i- "Keep in touch".	¦ She asked me ………………………...

Exercise 2: John telephoned David, and then he reported the conversation to his friend. Complete the reported conversation.

John: David you aren't busy, are you?

David: No, I am free.

John: So why don't we go windsurfing?

David: Sorry, John, I can't. I'm dog-tired.

John: Didn't you sleep well last night?

David: I had a terrible headache, so I didn't sleep a wink.

John: And how do you feel now?

David: Don't worry, I'm a bit better.

John: A bit better! David, you should see the doctor right now.

David: No, no. I'll be alright.

Yesterday morning, I telephoned David. I asked him________________________

He answered that___________________. So I suggested hat ____________________

But David ______________________ saying that ____________________________

I asked him______________________. He said he ___________________________

because ________________________. When I inquired _______________________

he tried to _______________________ me saying that ________________________

. As I wasn't convinced, I insisted that ___________________________ But he refused emphasizing that _______________________________.

Exercise 3: underline the best alternative. (Don't forget the reported speech.)

An old friend from abroad, whom I was expecting to stay with me, telephoned from the airport to tell me that (he arrived /had arrived / will arrive). I was still at the office at that time, but I had made arrangements for his arrival. After explaining (where is my house/ where was my house/ where my house was), I told him that I (had left/ have left/ left) the key in a hole near the door as I might be home rather late. I advised him (to go/ going/ go) into the kitchen and help himself to food and drink. Two hours later, my friend telephoned me from the house. At the moment, he said, he (was listening/ is listening/ had listened) to some of my records after having a wonderful meal. When I asked him (had he arrived/ did he arrive/ if he had arrived) to the house without difficulty, he answered that he (couldn't / cant / wasn't able) find the key, but fortunately the living-room window just by the apple tree (is/ has been/ had been) left open, so he climbed in. I listened to all this in astonishment. There is no apple tree in front of my living-room, but there is one in front of my neighbor's.

Exercise 4: Correct the underlined mistakes:

I was driving home from work one afternoon when I started feeling a little weak. As soon as I got home, I asked my wife (1) calling Dr Franklin at once. When he came, the doctor took a quick look at me, made the usual tests and asked me a few questions. I told him I (2) have a slight fever and that I (3) feel tired all over. Then he told me that I (4) have it: the flu. I asked him (5) what should I do. He said that it (6) won't be necessary for me to go to hospital because my illness (7) is not very serious. He told me that what I (8) have to do was just to stay in bed and take a complete rest for a whole week.

Correction
1-……………………………………….	5-………………………………………...
2-……………………………………….	6-………………………………………...
3-……………………………………….	7-………………………………………...
4-……………………………………….	8-………………………………………...

Exercise 5: Focus on the underlined statements then turn them into the direct speech to get the original conversation between the traveler and the taxi driver.

As I was getting into a taxi to go to the airport last Sunday, I realized that (1) I had forgotten my ticket. So I asked the driver to wait a moment while I ran back inside. (2) He agreed and said that the meter was already running… On the way to the airport, (3) the driver told me he used to work there as a customs officer. (4) I asked him what it was like looking through luggage all day and (5) he told me that after a while he got used to it. (6) He asked me where I was going and (7) I told him I was off to Japan to attend a friend's wedding. (8) He asked me if I had my visa and (9) I told him I did. When getting off the taxi, (10) he wished me a nice trip. (11) I thanked him and dashed into the airport…

Traveler: (1) Sorry, ________________________? __________________________

Taxi driver: (2) ______________________ but _____________________________

(3) I ________________________________________________________________

(4) ________________________________________________________________ ?

Taxi driver: (5) Well, after a while ________________________________________

(6) ________________________________________________________________ ?

Traveler: (6) _________________________________________________________

Taxi driver: (8) ______________________________________________________?

Traveler: (9) _________________________________________________________

Taxi driver: (10) Here we are ___________________________________________

Traveler: (11) ________________________________________________________

Key:

Exercise 1:

Becky met Helen, an old friend of hers. Helen told Becky lots of things. Two days later, Becky saw Alice, her best friend, and she told her what Helen said.

Use the indirect speech to report to Alice what Helen told Becky.

Direct Speech (Helen to Becky)	Indirect speech (Becky to Alice
a- "I married three years ago".	¦ Helen told me she has married three years before
b- "I have a 1-year-old son".	¦ She said she had…
c- "My husband used to work as a rep".	¦She informed me that her husband used to work…
d- "He has recently resigned from his post so that we would have our own business".	¦She added that he had recently resigned…
e- "I will be my husband's secretary".	¦She told me she would be her…
f- "We are living in Essex and we will move to London next month".	¦She said they were living…and they would to London the following month.
g- "Do you often see Alice?"	¦She wanted to know if I often saw you
h- "Please, send my regards to her".	¦She requested me to send you her regards
i- "Keep in touch".	¦ She asked me to keep in touch.

Exercise 2: John telephoned David, and then he reported the conversation to his friend. Complete the reported conversation.

John: David you aren't busy, are you?

David: No, I am free.

John: So why don't we go windsurfing?

David: Sorry, John, I can't. I'm dog-tired.

John: Didn't you sleep well last night?

David: I had a terrible headache, so I didn't sleep a wink.

John: And how do you feel now?

David: Don't worry, I'm a bit better.

John: A bit better! David, you should see the doctor right now.

David: No, no. I'll be alright.

Yesterday morning, I telephoned David. I asked him if he was busy

He answered that he was free. So I suggested that we (should) go windsurfing.

But David apologized saying that he was dog-tired.

I asked him if he had slept well the night before. He said he hadn't slept a wink because he had had a terrible headache. When I inquired about how he felt then, he tried to relieve me saying that he was a little better.

As I wasn't convinced, I insisted that he should see the doctor right then. But he refused emphasizing that he would be alright.

Exercise 3: underline the best alternative. (Don't forget the reported speech.)

Exercise 4: Correct the underlined mistakes:

Correction
1- to call	5- what I should do
2- had	6- wouldn't be
3- left	7- was
4- had	8- had to

Exercise 5: Focus on the underlined statements then turn them into the direct speech to get the original conversation between the traveler and the taxi driver.

Traveler: (1) Sorry, would you mind waiting a moment ? I have forgotten my ticket.

Taxi driver: (2) Yes, OK, but the meter is already running.

(3) I used to work in the airport as a custom officer.

(4) what was it like looking through luggage all day ?

Taxi driver: (5) Well, after a while I got used to it.

(6) Where are you going?

Traveler: (6) I'm off to Japan to attend a friend's wedding.

Taxi driver: (8) Do you have your visa?

Traveler: (9) Yes, I do

Taxi driver: (10) Here we are Have a nice trip.

Traveler: (11) Thank you.

Verb forms

2010-01-21T23:12:00.000-08:00

Verb forms:

Look at the three sentences below and focus on the verb "wait".

• The manager told us to wait for an hour
• The manager made us wait for an hour
• The manager kept us waiting for an hour.
As you can see, the verb "wait" has taken 3 different forms. The first is to-infinitive form( or full infinitive), the second is the base form (or the bare infinitive) while the third is the gerund (or the –ing form).
The form a verb takes depends on the words that precede it. So, in the first sentence, there is the verb "tell" (which requires a to infinitive verb), in the second there is "make" (which sis sometimes followed by a bare infinitive verb) and in the third there is "keep" (which is often followed by the –ing form).

1- The to-infinitive form:

A- There are many verbs in English which are often followed by the to-infinitive form.
The most common ones are the following:

Ask , tell, order, oblige, force, compel, command, allow, permit, beg, persuade, convince, advise, recommend, forget, remember, remind, need, require, refuse, accept, expect, promise, request, agree, consent, fail, manage, intend, want, wish, appear, seem, try, attempt, decide, plan, pretend, tend, volunteer, urge, enable, encourage, warn, help, cause, wait, struggle.

Note that some of these verbs are followed directly by the infinitive:
He decided to travel abroad
We tried to solve the problem
Other verbs are followed by an object and then an infinitive verb:
He advised me not to get a loan
They didn't allow me to leave.

B- there are certain verbs which can be followed by a WH- word and then a to-infinitive.
the verbs most frequently used in this way are: tell/ show/ think/ know/ wonder/ ask/ decide, forget, remember/ discover/ find out:
• I didn't know what to do
• He showed me how to operate the machine
• Can you tell me where to go?

C- The to-infinitive form can be uses also after certain nouns. The most common ones are: ability/ desire/ willingness/ failure/ ambition/ decision/ attempt/ eagerness/ promise/ effort/ offer/ plan/ wish
• We were amazed at his ability to communicate with the dumb boy.
• I made an effort to solve the problem
• All my attempts to settle the dispute were fruitless.

D-Certain adjectives can also be followed by the to- infinitive form.
Some of these adjectives are: prepared/ ready/ willing/ unwilling/ able/ unable/ determined/ eager/ anxious/ advisable/ necessary/ difficult/ easy/ dangerous/ likely
• He is willing to die for his country
• We are determined to fight the invaders
• It's not easy to learn Chinese.

E- The to-infinitive form is also used with "too…to" , "enough(…) to" , "in order to" and "so as to":
• I was too sick to go to work
• He is clever enough to avoid trouble
• I'm telephoning in order to apologize for not attending the party.
Remember that when the infinitive verb is negative, "not" must precede "to":
They advised me not to sell my car

2- The bare infinitive:

A- The bare infinitive is used after modals (must, can, will…)
• I will not attend the lecture
• We may dine out
B- The bare infinitive is used after the verbs "let" , "make" , "have" , "help".
• My father doesn't let me go to parties.
• I made the servant clean the room twice.
• I'll have the chauffeur wash the car. (have = order)
• I'll help you (to) dig the garden.

3- The gerund:

A- when a verb is placed immediately after a preposition, it must be put in the ing form.
• I'm so sorry for arriving late.
• He is accused of killing his wife.
• He left without locking the door.
• What about going to the zoo?
• Before leaving, don't forget to put off all the lights.
• After eating, we went for a walk.
• Are you interested in gardening?
• She prevented her son from attending the party.
• He insisted on taking a taxi
• They warned him against speeding.
• I'm better than you at jumping
• He earns his living by writing novels
• I'm fed up with teaching
• He didn't look unhappy despite failing all his exams.

B- Some verbs can also be followed by the –ing form. The most common ones are:
Suggest/ propose/ carry on/ keep on/ keep/ find/ spend/ enjoy/ finish/ imagine/ fancy leave/ stop/ cease/ give up/ deny/ admit/ catch/ detest/ dread/ risk/ fish/ avoid/dislike/mind

• I dislike camping
• The police caught him stealing
• I found him sleeping
• He suggested traveling by train
• The man denied killing his wife
• I don't mind cycling to school
• Avoid speaking to him when he is angry.

C- There are also certain phrases with which we use the ing-form. These phrases are: be/get/ used to/ be accustomed to/ look forward to/ can't help (= avoid)/ can't stand (=endure)/be busy/ be worth/ it's not good/ it's no use/ feel like/ have trouble.
• That magazine is not reading
• I can't help laughing whenever I see him
• It's no use complaining to him
• I'm accustomed to driving at night.

D- The gerund can also be used after the conjunctions "when" , "while" , "while" and "since".
• When getting off the bus, I bumped into a woman and fell
• I enjoy sipping tea while reading a paper
• This is the first time he gets a job since getting his diploma.

E- Remember that the gerund can be used as the subject, the complement or the object of the verb:
• Swimming is my favorite leisure activity
• The main cause of car accidents is speeding
• I enjoy surfing the Net.

Note that some verbs take either the full-infinitive or the gerund. With some verbs like begin, start, continue, cease, advise, recommend, allow, permit, need and require, the meaning is almost the same:
• He advised me to take the bus = he advised taking the bus.
• The car needs to be washed = the car needs washing.

But with some other verbs, the use of the gerund or the full infinitive does affect the meaning. The most common verbs which can be mentioned here are: hate, loathe, like, love, prefer, dread, try, stop, regret, remember and forget.
• I like attending parties. (Here it's general and "like" means "enjoy".)
• I like to attend my friend's party. (here it's specific and "like" means "want".)
• I regret failing my exams. (the failure happened at an earlier time than the regret)

Note also that some other verbs can be followed either by the bare infinitive or by the gerund. The most common verbs that can be cited here are: see, hear , watch and feel
• I saw/ watched the girl crossing the street. (I didn't see the complete action).
• I saw/watched you jump over the fence. (I saw the complete action)
• I heard you crying. ( I didn't hear the complete action)
• I heard you unlock the door. (I heard the complete action)
• I felt something moving/ move under my foot. ( here the full infinitive implies that the two actions happened almost at the same time.)

Exercise 1: Put the bracketed verbs in the right form:

Many American parents don't give their children pocket money. They expect them (earn)__________their money by (mow)__________the lawn, babysitting for young sisters and brothers, (wash)__________the dishes or (clean)__________the house. If the child wants (get)__________money but he doesn't do his job, he doesn't get any. This child learns that money doesn't grow on trees and that if he needs some, he must (do)__________something in order to get it.

Some parents let their kids (spend)__________ all the money they get, but others want their kids (save)__________some in their own bank accounts. If the child likes (buy)__________a toy, for instance, he can save his money and pay for himself.

Exercise 2: Underline the best alternative:

Do you think you are too fat? If so, stop (worry/to worry/worrying) and turn to us. Our club was created for people who enjoy (eating/eat/to eat) but hate (being/to be/ be) overweight. Many people have tried unsuccessfully (losing/ to lose/ lose) weight by (give/to give/ giving) up their favorite food, but they couldn't do it on their own. They found it hard (go/to go/ going) on a diet without (being/ be / to be) encouraged. It is also hard (say/ to say/ saying) "no" especially when it means refusing something delicious. We all understand how difficult it is.

We mean to help you (find/ finding/ found) an answer to your problem. So join our club and you won't regret it.

Exercise 3: Correct the underlined mistakes:

Here, in the sidewalks of Bangkok, you can find anything you want ⁽¹⁾ buying: clothes, something ⁽²⁾ eating, a pair of shoes, even fresh fruit.

What you can't ⁽³⁾ finding is a place to walk on the sidewalk. There's no room for pedestrians. The city government is trying ⁽⁴⁾ clean things up by ⁽⁵⁾ movement the vendors out and ⁽⁶⁾ creation once again the place for people to walk. But there is plenty of resistance. "We face serious economic problems", says a vendor". "If they stop us from ⁽⁷⁾ sell, we don't know how else ⁽⁸⁾ earning a living".

Correction
1-………………………………………	5-………………………………………
2-………………………………………	6-………………………………………
3-………………………………………	7-………………………………………
4-………………………………………	8-………………………………………

Exercise 4: Underline the best alternative:

Bradley Weedom is only 10, but he dreads (eat/ to eat / eating) because he is convinced people are trying (poison/ to poison/ poisoning) him. While most children of his age can't wait (tuck/ to tuck/ tucking) into a burger and a can on coke, for Bradley it's an ordeal. He makes his mother (try/ to try/ trying) everything before he eats it to make sure it's not going to harm him. If a bottle of coke or lemonade is already open, he won't (drink/ to drink/ drinking) it in case it's poisoned. He will eat only sweets and crisps if he opens the pocket himself, and although he love peanuts, he avoids (eat/ to eat/ eating) them in case they get stuck in his throat. So Bradley has all the symptoms of Food Avoidance Emotional Disorder, a new (eat/ to eat/ eating) condition which causes children (be/ to be/ being) afraid of food.

Exercise 5: Put the bracketed verbs in the right form.

One in five girls skips breakfast every day in a misguided attempt (stay)__________ slim, says a survey. Among 15 and 16 year-olds, 18 per cent leave for school without (eat)__________anything, compared with six per cent of children in other age groups. They think it will help them (loosing)__________weight. But experts say it is more likely (lead)________ to poor performance in class, unhealthy snacking and eating disorders.

If you eat breakfast, dieticians say, you are less likely to want (eat)__________ crisps and snacks during the morning. They insist that breakfast is the most important meal of the day and advise everyone (eat)__________it.

Key:

Exercise 1: Put the bracketed verbs in the right form:

Many American parents don't give their children pocket money. They expect them to earn their money by mowing the lawn, babysitting for young sisters and brothers, washing the dishes or cleaning the house. If the child wants to get money but he doesn't do his job, he doesn't get any. This child learns that money doesn't grow on trees and that if he needs some, he must do something in order to get it.

Some parents let their kids spend all the money they get, but others want their kids to save some in their own bank accounts. If the child likes to buy a toy, for instance, he can save his money and pay for himself.

Exercise 2: Underline the best alternative:

We mean to help you (find/ finding/ found) an answer to your problem. So join our club and you won't regret it.

Exercise 3: Correct the underlined mistakes:

Here, in the sidewalks of Bangkok, you can find anything you want ⁽¹⁾ buying: clothes, something ⁽²⁾ eating, a pair of shoes, even fresh fruit.

Correction
1-to buy	5- moving
2- to eat	6- creating
3-find	7- selling
4-to clean	8- to earn

Exercise 4: Underline the best alternative:

Exercise 5: Put the bracketed verbs in the right form.

One in five girls skips breakfast every day in a misguided attempt to stay slim, says a survey. Among 15 and 16 year-olds, 18 per cent leave for school without eating anything, compared with six per cent of children in other age groups. They think it will help them (to) loose weight. But experts say it is more likely to lead to poor performance in class, unhealthy snacking and eating disorders.

If you eat breakfast, dieticians say, you are less likely to want to eat crisps and snacks during the morning. They insist that breakfast is the most important meal of the day and advise everyone to eat it.

2010-01-21T13:58:00.000-08:00

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2010-01-21T11:09:00.000-08:00

The tenses:

1/The present continuous:

Examples	Uses	Notes
· I am watching TV now. · He is playing football · Look! The boys are fighting	We use the present continuous for something happening now. "I am watching TV" means that I am in the middle of doing it.	1/ We form the present continuous in this way: am/ is/ are + verb + ing
· They are building a new bridge. · They are preparing for the cup final.	The two actions don't take place exactly at the time of speaking, but they are occurring around the time of speaking.	2/ The most important key words with which the present continuous is used are: now, at the moment, Look! Listen! Always. 3/ In general, we don't use continuous tenses with a- The verb "be" b- The verbs of feeling: feel, like, dislike, love, hate… c- The verbs of thinking: believe, think, forget remember, recall… So we never say: I am loving you" or "I am forgetting your name". Instead, we have to say: "I love you" and "I've forgotten your name".
· Tom usually goes to work by bicycle, but today he is walking.	We also use the present continuous to talk about an exceptional or temporary action.
· My neighbors are always making noise at night. · Peter is always arriving to school late	The present continuous is used with "always" to express disapproval, anger, criticism…

2/ The simple present:

Examples	Uses	Notes
· Ann gets up at 7 a.m. everyday · Bob always goes to work by bus . The Browns visit their relatives every weekend.	The three actions are repeated or habitual, i.e. they take place again and again.	1/ The present simple is formed in this way: I/you/we/they + bare infinitive. He/she/it + bare infinitive + "es" e.g: watches/ goes
· I feel dog-tired; I'm not ill.	Here we are talking about a present state (and not action)	2/ When dealing with negatives or questions we must use "do". We say: Do you work? (Not "work you?) He doesn't work. (Not "he works not")
· Spain is in the south-west of Europe · Water boils at 100° C. · The sun rises in the east.	These are facts or general truths.		3/ Key words: always, often, usually, sometimes, rarely, never, now, every…

3/ The simple past:

Examples	Uses	Notes
· We dined out last night.	We put the verb "to dine" in the simple past because the action started and finished in the past	1/ We form the simple past by adding "ed" to bare infinitive form of the verb. e.g. : played/ enjoyed/ arrived. However, some verbs are irregular and have different past forms. e.g. :leaveà left runà ran 2/ To form negatives and questions, we use "did" followed by infinitive. 3/ Sometimes, just for emphasis, "do" , "does" and "did" can be used in positive statements. · I did see you yesterday. · I do apologize. · 4/ Key words: yesterday, last, ago, in 2002…
· This morning, I woke up at six. I had a shower. Then I had my breakfast, dressed up and went to work.	Here, we are narrating a series of actions which started and finished in the past.
· Did you go to Paris last weekend? · Did he leave the party early? · She didn't enjoy the film. · They didn't leave the house.

4/ The present perfect:

Examples	Uses	Notes
· I've gone to Paris twice. · My brother has lived in France	Here we are talking about actions which apparently started and finished in the past, but the time of their happening id not specified.	1/ We form the present perfect with have/ has + the past participle of the verb. e.g.: has rained have smoked 2/ With "since" and "for", we often use the present perfect or the present perfect continuous. "For" is always followed by a period of time. However, "since" can be followed by a point of time, a noun or a verb in the simple past. Examples: · He has been in a coma for two months now. · He has been I, a coma since October 20. · He has been in a coma since the accident. · He has been in coma since he had a car accident. 3/Key words: since, for, just, already, so far, up to now, yet, ever, never.
(a) My father lived in France in 1984 (b) My father has lived in France since 1984.	In (a) the action started and finished in the past. (My father is no longer living in France). In (b) the action started in the past and continues in the present (My father is still living in France).
· I've washed the car. It's clean now. · I've just arrived.	The present perfect is also used to give new information or to announce a recent happening.
· I've never visited the USA. · The plane hasn't landed yet.	We also use the present perfect with "never" and "yet" to say that we have never done something or that an action hasn't happened yet.
· It has rained 3 times this week. (it may rain again) · The students have had 5 tests this term. (They may have another test)	The present perfect is used with today/ this morning / this week/ this month... to show that the action is not finished at the time of speaking.

5/The present perfect continuous:

Examples

Uses

Notes

a- How long have you been waiting for the bus?

b- We have been waiting for half an hour.

c- Look at those paddles! It has been raining cats and dogs.

It is used to ask or to say how long something has been happening. The action began in the past and is still happening or has just stopped.

1/ Form:

Have/ has + been + verb + ing

2/ Key words: since, for.

6/The past continuous:

Examples	Uses	Notes
· Last night I was at home and watched TV. I began watching at 9 and finished at 11 · What was I doing at 10? · I was watching TV.	" I was watching TV" means that I was in the middle of watching TV. I had started watching TV but I hadn't finished.	1/ Form: Was/ were/ + verb + ing 2/ Key words: when, while, as last night at 10 o'clock etc…
· Last night, I started watching TV at 9. At 9.30 my uncle came to visit us. · Last night, when I was watching TV, my uncle came to visit us.	We have a first action in progress in the past and it was interrupted by a second action still in the past.
· This morning during the break, some students were having snacks. Others were chatting. Some other students were reviewing their lessons…	Here we are describing a past scene.

7/The past perfect:

Examples	Uses	Notes
· From 1992 to 1995, my father worked as a shop assistant. In 1996, he started working as a taxi driver. · My father had worked as a shop assistant before he became a taxi driver.	Both actions took place in the past. However, the first action started and finished before the second action began.	1/ Form: Had + past participle e.g.: Had known had worked 2/ Key words: just, already, before, after, since, until…, by …
· When I came back home last night, everyone had already been in bed.	We use the past perfect with "already" to say that an action happened before another.
· John told me he had seen you the week before.	Here, we are reporting a past action.

8/The past perfect continuous:

Examples

Uses

Notes

· Mr. Brown had been working for a car company for 7 years before he decided to start his own business

The past perfect continuous is used to say how long something had been happening before something else happened.

1/ Form:

Had been + verb + ing.

2/ Key words: before, after, since, for.

9/The future:

There are different ways to express the future:

a- Will + bare infinitive (simple future):

Examples

Uses

Notes

· I've forgotten my wallet at home. I will go and bring it.

· Did you do your homework?

No, I will do it this afternoon.

When e decide to do something at the time of speaking, we use "will"

1/ Form:

Will + bare infinitive.

2/ Key words: tomorrow, tonight, next…, in 2050…

b- be going to:

Examples

Uses

Notes

(a)

· Can you post this letter for me?

· So I will have to drive to the town center, won't I?

(b)

· Can you post this letter for me?

· O.K. I'm going to drive to town center.

In (a) I decided to go to the town center at the moment of speaking, but in (b) I have already decided to go to town center.

1/Form:

Be going to + bare infinitive

2/ "Be going to" can be used with all verbs except "go" and "come". So, we never say: "He's going to go…" or "He's going to come…"

· It's terribly cold. It's going to snow.

We also use "be going to" to predict what will happen in the future. We are certain about what will happen because of the situation in the present.

c-Present tenses:

Examples

Uses

Notes

· What are you doing at the weekend?

· Sam is going to the stadium.

· Bob is traveling to Australia next summer.

The present continuous is used to talk about what we have already arranged to do.

1/ Here we must use expressions with a future meaning: next summer/ next month/ In 2015

· Peter is traveling to London tomorrow. His wife asks him about the departure time:

· "what time does the train leave?"

· The train leaves at 9 o'clock."

The present simple with a future meaning is used when we talk about time tables, schedules etc…

2/ Note that just after "when, if, after, before, till, until" and "as soon as" we never use the simple future tense (will + bare infinitive); to indicate future, we use the simple present.

Examples:

· We won't leave until he arrives

· When I see you tomorrow, I will tell you the whole story.

d- Will be+ V + ing (Future continuous):

Examples

Use

Note

· Don't phone me between 7 and 8. I'll be having dinner then.

· At 9 o'clock tomorrow, I'll be driving to Dublin.

The future continuous is used here to talk about actions that will be in progress at a precise time in the future.

Key words:

Tonight at 10 o'clock, (or any precise future time).

e-Will have + past participle (future perfect):

Examples

Uses

Notes

· We're late. The film will already have started by the time we get to the cinema.

· We will have been married for 25 years by next July.

Here, we are talking about something that will be already complete at a precise time in the future.

Key words:

By January, 20 (by + a future time).

Exercice1: Put the bracketed verbs in the right tense (simple resent – present continuous).

This is Rosie and her family's house. They (live)________ in a small town near Brighton. Rosie (live)________ with her mum, her dad and her two brothers Tom and Toni. They (have)________ a big back garden with some trees. Rosie (like)________ helping her mum with the garden. Today is Saturday. At the moment, she (clean)________ and (tidy)________ her bedroom, and her brothers (cook)________ breakfast in the kitchen. They (like)________ bacon and eggs and every week they (cook)________ breakfast for the family. This afternoon, Tom and Toni (drive)________ to Brighton to go to the cinema and Rosie (dance)________ at the club with her friends.

Every Saturday afternoon, Rosie's mum (visit)________ Aunt Lisa and (not/come)________ back home for lunch. Rosie's dad usually (stay)________ at home and (watch)________ a video. At the moment, he (talk)________ on the phone.

Exercise 2: Put the bracketed words in the right tense: (simple past/ past continuous).

I (have)__________a bath yesterday when the phone (start)__________ringing. "That must be my mother", I (think)__________. The cats were sitting at the top of the stairs. I (not/see)_________ them, so I tripped over them and I (fall)_________. At the bottom of the stairs I (get)__________up. My right leg (hurt)__________ more than my head. The phone (still/ring)__________At last I (answer)__________it. It (be)__________ my mother. "Hello, dear, is everything all right?" she (say)__________.

Exercise 3: Underline the best alternative:

Carol Kennedy (played/was playing) a card game with her nephew on the train when she (head/was hearing) a loud noise and (saw/ was seeing) the car in the front of them fall away from the tracks. "I (didn't know/ was not knowing) what (happened/was happening), Mrs. Kennedy said. An instant later, their own car (crashed/was crashing) to the side, with bags and books flying across the passengers. Mrs. Kennedy, who (wore/was wearing) sandals, (saw/ was seeing) her feet covered with dust and ash. On the lower level, said her nephew, "there was an elderly woman who (bled/was bleeding) pretty bad". Alma Bailey, a retired nurse who (traveled/was traveling) home, (heard/was hearing) the conductor announce the Washington stop when she (felt/was feeling) the train hit a bump that (threw/ was throwing) her backward. She couldn't remember what happened afterwards. When she (regained/ was regaining) her consciousness, she was surprised to find herself in hospital.

Exercise 4: Put the bracketed words in the right tense:

Swanky Khanyle (live)_________with his wife and two young daughters in Johannesburg. He is 33 and (work)________for four years as a machine operator in a plastics factory. His salary, paid to him on a weekly basis, (not/allow)__________him to buy the cheapest house for sale in the town, so he lives in a room built in his parents' backyard. Swanky (drop)__________out of school because he (not/pass)__________his exam, which (usually/take)__________at the age of 18 or 19. He (blame)__________the lack of school facilities for his failure.

Exercise 5: Underline the best alternative:

Thirty-four-year –old Dianne Grey (is/was/has been) a successful doctor in the south of England, but for the last eight months she (lives/lived/ has lived) in Angola, working for an organization called "Doctors Without Frontiers" that (is providing/provides/provided) emergency health care in several African countries. Dianne (is/was/has been) a GP in Horsham, Surrey. She had a good career ahead of her and a comfortable life, but she (begins/is beginning/began) to find her job rather boring. She says: "I (treat/am treating/ was treating) patients with routine medical problems and felt a need to do something more important".

The organization she (works/will work/worked) for (sent/has sent/ was sending) medical teams and equipment to Angola since 1986. Various armies (fight/fought/have fought) each other in the area for decades, and standards of health care (grow/was growing/ have grown) worse and worse. Outside the cities, there aren't enough hospitals, clinics, doctors, or nurses. At first, Dianne (is shocked/was shocked/has been shocked) but she worked hard to improve conditions there. During her stay in Angola, she (is treating/has treated/will treat) thousands of patients. "Working here (was/has been/will be) a very meaningful experience", she says. "I (am never feeling/ never feel/ have never felt) so useful before". She (has left/will leave/is going to leave) Angola next month, but she (already decides/ already decided/ has already decided) to return to Africa as soon as possible.

Exercise 6: Put the bracketed words in the right tense.

The early morning air was cold and mild as Ted Wilson walked along the beach. He (want)__________to be completely alone to think about his problem. Since he (lose)__________his job, his life (seem)__________to be full of problems. Walking to the far end of the beach, Ted (be)__________so deep in thought that he (not/notice)__________the dark clouds which (gather)__________overhead. When the first heavy drops (begin) __________to fall, her (look)__________up in surprise and hurried back towards his car. The soft dry sand of the beach slowed him down, so he (start)__________running on the hard sand at the water's edge. Before he (go)__________two miles, though, he suddenly (feel)__________himself sinking into the sand. Within seconds, he had sunk in up to his waist. He realized, to his horror, that he (step)__________into quicksand.

Exercise 7: Put the bracketed verbs in the right tense:

Witnesses of the New York air crash reported that they (hear)__________an explosion moment before the plane (come)__________down. One told Fox News there (be)__________ "lots of bodies" lying in the street near the Emergency Service Exclusion Zone while another said he (think)__________he (see) __________an engine on the American Airlines Airbus A 300 blow up. Another told CNN that she (hear)__________a loud explosion and (report)__________seeing pieces of "silvery metal" falling from the sky.

Eddie Niedes said he (see)__________ an engine on the wing blow up seconds before the plane (plunge)_________to the ground. He added: "it (fly)__________fine with no problems. It (seem)_________to be on a normal flight. Then, the engine on the right side (blow)__________up and it went straight down into a nosedive".

Exercise 8: The underlined verbs are not in the right tense; correct them in the table below:

Dear Sir/ Madam,

I (1) am just reading the "where are they now?" page of this year's college magazine. I (2) wrote with some news as you ask. The last few years were very interesting for me. When I (3) have left college, I (4) am starting work with ICI, but I only stayed there for a year. I (5) have several temporary jobs and then I got a job with a record company in London. I (6) was here for a year now. I (7) buy a flat in Chelsea which is not very big, but (8) had a magnificent view. I (9) am in the flat since September.

Correction
1-………………………………………	6-……………………………………….
2-………………………………………	7-……………………………………….
3-………………………………………	8-……………………………………….
4-………………………………………	9-……………………………………….
5-………………………………………

Exercise 9: Put the bracketed words in the right tense:

Peter and Anna were on holiday in Italy. They wanted money. So they (go)__________to the bank. It (be)__________very busy, so they (must)__________wait for a long time. They (stand)__________near the widow when they (see)__________three men get out of a car. They (wear)__________black hats. Peter and Anna (frighten)__________and (lie)__________on the floor and waited. The robbers (take)__________a lot of money and (run)__________outside. They (get)__________in their car. When the police (arrive)__________, the car (drive/already)__________away.

Exercise 10: Put the verbs in the right tense.

Next week, I am going on holiday with a friend. We (fly)__________to Los Angeles with British Airways. I usually (get)__________to the airport by underground, but this time the flight is quite early in the morning, so we (share)__________ a taxi. First, it is going to his house and then he (pick)__________me up on the way. The flight to New York (take)__________eight hours, then, we (change)__________planes and fly to Los Angeles. We (stay)__________there for two weeks, then it's home again.

Key:

Exercice1: Put the bracketed verbs in the right tense (simple resent – present continuous).

This is Rosie and her family's house. They live in a small town near Brighton. Rosie lives with her mum, her dad and her two brothers Tom and Toni. They have a big back garden with some trees. Rosie likes helping her mum with the garden. Today is Saturday. At the moment, she is cleaning and tidying her bedroom, and her brothers are cooking breakfast in the kitchen. They like bacon and eggs and every week they cook breakfast for the family. This afternoon, Tom and Toni are driving to Brighton to go to the cinema and Rosie is dancing at the club with her friends.

Every Saturday afternoon, Rosie's mum visits Aunt Lisa and doesn't come back home for lunch. Rosie's dad usually stays at home and watches a video. At the moment, he is talking on the phone.

Exercise 2: Put the bracketed words in the right tense: (simple past/ past continuous).

I was having a bath yesterday when the phone started ringing. "That must be my mother", I thought As I was getting out of the bath, I trod on my watch and broke it. The phone was still ringing. I ran out of the bathroom and hit my head on the door. It hurt terribly and I wanted to sit down for a moment, but the phone was still ringing. "Please wait a minute, mother", I thought. The cats were sitting at the top of the stairs. I didn't see them, so I tripped over them and I fell. At the bottom of the stairs I got up. My right leg hurt more than my head. The phone was still ringing. At last I answered it. It was my mother. "Hello, dear, is everything all right?" she said.

Exercise 3: Underline the best alternative:

Exercise 4: Put the bracketed words in the right tense:

Swanky Khanyle lives with his wife and two young daughters in Johannesburg. He is 33 and has worked for four years as a machine operator in a plastics factory. His salary, paid to him on a weekly basis, doesn't allow him to buy the cheapest house for sale in the town, so he lives in a room built in his parents' backyard. Swanky dropped out of school because he didn't pass his exam, which is usually taken at the age of 18 or 19. He blames the lack of school facilities for his failure.

Exercise 5: Underline the best alternative:

Exercise 6: Put the bracketed words in the right tense.

The early morning air was cold and mild as Ted Wilson walked along the beach. He wanted to be completely alone to think about his problem. Since he lost his job, his life seemed to be full of problems. Walking to the far end of the beach, Ted was so deep in thought that he didn't notice the dark clouds which were gathering overhead. When the first heavy drops began to fall, her looked up in surprise and hurried back towards his car. The soft dry sand of the beach slowed him down, so he started running on the hard sand at the water's edge. Before he went two miles, though, he suddenly felt himself sinking into the sand. Within seconds, he had sunk in up to his waist. He realized, to his horror, that he stepped into quicksand.

Exercise 7: Put the bracketed verbs in the right tense:

Witnesses of the New York air crash reported that they had heard an explosion moment before the plane came down. One told Fox News there had been "lots of bodies" lying in the street near the Emergency Service Exclusion Zone while another said he thought he had seen an engine on the American Airlines Airbus A 300 blow up. Another told CNN that she had heard a loud explosion and reported seeing pieces of "silvery metal" falling from the sky.

Eddie Niedes said he had seen an engine on the wing blow up seconds before the plane plunged to the ground. He added: "it was flying fine with no problems. It seemed to be on a normal flight. Then, the engine on the right side blew up and it went straight down into a nosedive".

Exercise 8: The underlined verbs are not in the right tense; correct them in the table below:

Dear Sir/ Madam,

Correction
1- have just read	6- have been
2- am writing	7- bought
3- left	8- has
4- started	9- have been
5- had

Exercise 9: Put the bracketed words in the right tense:

Peter and Anna were on holiday in Italy. They wanted money. So they went to the bank. It was very busy, so they had to wait for a long time. They were standing near the widow when they saw three men get out of a car. They were wearing black hats. Peter and Anna were frightened and lay on the floor and waited. The robbers took a lot of money and ran outside. They got in their car. When the police arrived, the car had already driven away.

Exercise 10: Put the verbs in the right tense.

Next week, I am going on holiday with a friend. We (are flying to Los Angeles with British Airways. I usually get to the airport by underground, but this time the flight is quite early in the morning, so we are sharing a taxi. First, it is going to his house and then he is picking me up on the way. The flight to New York takes eight hours, then, we change planes and fly to Los Angeles. We are staying there for two weeks, then it's home again.

The passive voice

2010-01-21T09:54:00.000-08:00

The passive voice:

Study the paragraph below and try to identify the passive verbs:

Christmas Day, the 25th of December, is the biggest annual festival which is celebrated in England. In the large shops, preparations for Christmas are begun five or six weeks before the actual day. Shop owners like Christmas because lots of presents are given, which means more goods are bought from the shops than at any other time in the year. In large towns, decorations are put up in the main streets two or three weeks before Christmas. Preparations are also made at home. Special puddings and cakes are eaten on Christmas Day. Houses are decorated by putting up colored paper and leaves and branches. Christmas tree is usually placed in the main living-room.

Now is the verb "is celebrated" active or passive? What about the verbs "are begun", "are given", "are bought", "are put", "are made", "are eaten", "are decorated" and "is placed"? Are they active or passive? Is the subject of the verb "is celebrated" for example, the doer of the action? In other words, is it Christmas that celebrates itself? Is it the preparations that begin themselves etc...? Of course not.
So, as the subject of these verbs is not the doer of the action, we say that all these verbs are passive.

Concerning their form, all these verbs have two things in common:

All of them are preceded by a form of the auxiliary "be" and all of them are past participles.
Of course, the passive voice is not used for its own sweet sake. It is used mainly in the following cases:

a- when it is not necessary to mention the doer of the action, especially if it is obvious from the context who does it: Christmas is celebrated on the 25th of December. (Who celebrates Christmas? It's Christmas people.)

b- when the subject of the active verb would be "people": it is often said that poverty is the mother of crime. (Who says that? It is people.)
c- When the action is more important than the person who does it: Two Palestinian children were killed yesterday.
d- When we don't know who did the action: My car was stolen.

Now, have a look at the table below which focuses on the active tenses and their passive equivalents:

Tense/ Form	Active	Passive
Simple present	Children eat much chocolate	Much chocolate is eaten by children
Simple future	The children will eat much chocolate	Much chocolate will be eaten by the children
Simple past	The children ate much chocolate	Much chocolate was eaten by the children
Present perfect	The children have eaten much chocolate	Much chocolate has been eaten by the children
Present continuous	The children are eating much chocolate	Much chocolate is being eaten by the children
Past continuous	The children were eating much chocolate	Much chocolate was being eaten by the children.
Modal + bare infinitive	Children eat little chocolate	Little chocolate should be eaten by the children.
Present infinitive	There's too much chocolate for the children to eat.	There's too much chocolate to be eaten by the children.

As you can see, the passive is formed by putting the auxiliary verb "be" into the same tense or form as the active verb and by adding the past participle of that verb.
The object of the active sentence becomes the subject, and if it is necessary to mention the doer of the action, it is placed at the end and preceded by "by".
Note the following:

1/ Some verbs like "give" and "ask" can have two objects:

The police asked the suspect many questions.
In such a case, it is possible to make two passive sentences:
The suspect was asked many questions.
Many questions were asked to the suspect. ("to" is added when the direct object precedes the indirect one).

2/ Sentences of the type "people say/ think/ believe/ consider/ know/ prove/ suppose/ claim/ expect etc + that + clause" can have two possible passive forms. One begins with the subject of the "that clause" and the other with the impersonal "it":
· People say that he is guilty.
He is said to be guilty.
· Researchers have proved that smoking destroys health.
Smoking has been proven to destroy health.
It has been proven that smoking destroys health.

3/ Adverbs are usually placed after the first auxiliary:
The fire has just been put out.
But when there are two auxiliaries, "ly" adverbs are placed after the second auxiliary.
The house has been totally destroyed by the fire.

4/ To turn a sentence from passive to active, we begin the sentence with the doer of the action. Then the auxiliary "be" is omitted and the verb is put in the same tense or form as "be". Finally, the subject of the passive sentence becomes the object.
· The murder was arrested by the police.
> The police arrested the murderer.
· It is estimated that the world population will reach 3 billion by 2025.
> Experts estimate that the world's population will reach 9 billion by 2025.

Exercise 1: Rewrite the sentences below. Instead of using "somebody" , "we" , "people" or "they" , write a passive sentence.

a- Somebody has robbed the house.

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b- People suppose that the Brazilian football team is unbeatable.

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c- They built a new subway in the town center.

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d- They should fine the people who litter the streets.

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e- When we boil water, it evaporates.

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Exercise 2: All the bracketed verbs are passive. Put them in the simple past.

At least three children (kill)__________ yesterday in a strong earthquake that rocked central and southern Italy. Firefighters said that the bodies of three children at a school near Campobasso (pull)_________ out of the rubble after part of the building collapsed. Nine children and one teacher (bring)__________ out alive from the school and they (take)__________ to nearby hospitals for treatment. Many other people (injure)__________and at least 3000 people (make)__________ homeless.

Exercise 3: Underline the best alternative. (Be careful! Some verbs are active, others are passive).

A fishy diet, particularly of oily fish, (is often said/ often is said/ is said often) to help lower the risk of suffering a heart attack or stroke and there has been recent evidence that it (is reduced/ is reducing/ reduces) the danger of women giving birth to premature or low-weight babies.

Also, fish (has traditionally been said/ has been traditionally said/ has been said traditionally) to be good for the brain. According to a study which (published/ were published/ was published) yesterday, older people who (eat/ are eating/ are eaten) fish or seafood at least once a week are also at a lower risk of developing dementia, including Alzheimer's disease.

Exercise 4: All the bracketed verbs are passive. Put them in the right tense.

Coca-Cola (enjoy)__________ all over the world. In fact, 1,5 billion gallons (sell)__________every year in more than one hundred and sixty countries. The drink (invent)__________by Dr John Pemberton in Atlanta on May 8, 1886, but it (give)__________ the name Coca-Cola by his partner Frank Robinson. The first factory (open)__________in Dallas, Texas, in 1895. Coca-Cola (still/ make) __________ there. Millions of bottles and cans (produce)__________every year.

Exercise 5: Turn the underlined sentence parts into the passive:

Before leaving England to work in a remote Algerian town, (1) officials asked me to attend a briefing course so that (2) they would give me some tips. (3) They told me that it would be difficult for me at first to adapt to life in a Third-World country.

And (4) they advised me about the sort of precautions I should take to protect myself in such a "strange environment". Among other things, they told me that to avoid illness (5) I ought to boil all water before use and (6) I should wash all vegetables and fruit very thoroughly. To avoid homesickness, they told me (7) I should take a good collection of books, just in case I found it difficult to make friends. (8) They didn't tell me much about the people, except that provided I knew French, I would not have any problems in making myself understood…

Passive
1-	5-
2-	6-
3-	7-
4-	8-

Exercise 6: Turn the underlined sentence parts into the active:

(1) A woman was abducted from work in front of her female colleagues and (2) she was forced to drive eight miles by a man who burst into the office claiming (3)he was owed money. (4) She was made to drive him from the unnamed company in Belvedere, south-east London, to Charlton. (5) His victim, in her forties, was then forced out of her Fiat Punto, (6) which was recovered by the police last night. Sergeant Ian Harris said: "It is essential (7) this should be traced. (8) He should be arrested as soon as possible".

Active
1- A man…………………………………	5-He……………………………………
2- He……………………………………..	6- The police……………………………
3- She…………………………………….	7- We …………………………………..
4-He……………………………………...	8- We …………………………………..

Key:

Exercise 1: Rewrite the sentences below. Instead of using "somebody" , "we" , "people" or "they" , write a passive sentence.

a- Somebody has robbed the house

The house has been robbed

b- People suppose that the Brazilian football team is unbeatable.

The Brazilian football team is supposed to be unbeatable.

c- They built a new subway in the town center.

A new subway was built in the town centre

d- They should fine the people who litter the streets.

The people who litter the streets should be fined.

e- When we boil water, it evaporates.

when water is boiled, it evaporates

Exercise 2: All the bracketed verbs are passive. Put them in the simple past.

At least three children were killed yesterday in a strong earthquake that rocked central and southern Italy. Firefighters said that the bodies of three children at a school near Campobasso were pulled out of the rubble after part of the building collapsed. Nine children and one teacher were brought out alive from the school and they were taken to nearby hospitals for treatment. Many other people were injured and at least 3000 people were made homeless.

Exercise 3: Underline the best alternative. (Be careful! Some verbs are active, others are passive).

Exercise 4: All the bracketed verbs are passive. Put them in the right tense.

Coca-Cola is enjoyed all over the world. In fact, 1,5 billion gallons are sold every year in more than one hundred and sixty countries. The drink was invented by Dr John Pemberton in Atlanta on May 8, 1886, but it was given the name Coca-Cola by his partner Frank Robinson. The first factory was opened in Dallas, Texas, in 1895. Coca-Cola is still made there. Millions of bottles and cans are produced every year.

Exercise 5: Turn the underlined sentence parts into the passive:

Passive
1- I was asked to attend…	5- All water ought to be boiled
2- I would be given some tips	6- All vegetables and fruit should be washed…
3- I was told that…	7- A good collection of books should be taken…
4- I was advised about	8- I wasn't told much about the people.

Exercise 6: Turn the underlined sentence parts into the active:

Active
1- A man abducted a woman from work...	5-He then forced his victim, her forties, out of her Fiat Punto…
2- He forced her to drive eight miles…	6- The police recovered it last night
3- She owed him money.	7- We should trace this man
4-He made her drive him…	8- We should arrest him.