Grammar rules with examples
- 1. Grammar rules with examples There are four basic types of conditional sentences in the English language. Examples: The zero conditional: I take my umbrella if it rains. The first conditional: I'll call you if I work late. The second conditional: If the bus didn't arrive on time, I would drive you to the airport. The third conditional: She wouldn't have come if I hadn't invited her. ► The zero conditional The zero conditional describes situations that are always true. If has the same meaning as when or whenever. If I go to school, I get up at seven. (Whenever I go to school I get up at the same time.) If you park your car on double yellow lines, you pay a fine. (Whenever you park illegally, you pay a fine.) We use the present simple tense in both the main clauses and the if clauses. ► The first conditional The first conditional sentences are used to speculate about possible situations that can really happen at present or in future. We do not use will in an if clause to describe future activities (compare it to time clauses). If he studies hard, he'll pass the exams. If we catch the 10.15 train, we will arrive on time. If you don't get the ticket, what will you do? We make if clauses with if + present tense and main clauses with will + bare infinitive. ► The second conditional In the second conditional sentences we speculate about situations that will probably never happen at present or in future. If I had more time, I would help you. (But I am not free at the moment. I can't help you). If I won a million dollars, I would start a business of my own. (But I know that it is not realistic.) We make if clauses with if + past tense and main clauses with would + bare infinitive. Note: the verb to be can be specific in the if clause. If I were rich, I wouldn't work. If he were younger, he would marry her. (But was is also possible: If I was rich, I wouldn't work. If he was younger, he would marry her.) But: If I were you, I wouldn't do it. (In this expression, were is much more usual than was.) Compare the first conditional with the second The main difference between the first conditional and the second conditional is about probability: the first conditional is realistic, the second conditional is unrealistic. Sometimes we can use both with the following difference in meaning. If I see him, I will tell him. (I suppose I will see him, because we go to the same school.) If I saw him, I would tell him. (I don't think I will see him, because he is ill.) If I need your help, I'll call you. (It is probable that I will need your help.) If I needed your help, I'd call you. (It is not very probable that I will need your help.)
- 2. Sometimes we must use either the first conditional or the second conditional to make it clear that the situation is real or unreal. If you get up late, you will miss your bus. (a real situation) If I came from your country, I would understand your problems. (an unreal situation - I am not from your country.) Other forms Apart from the basic structures (if + the present simple + will and if + the past simple + would), we can also make different combinations. Examples - type 1: If you have finished your dinner, you can ask for the bill. If you are feeling tired, take a rest. If he is a good skier, he might make it. If you want to be slim, you should eat less. If you meet her, could you let me know? Examples - type 2: If I knew his address, I might go and see him. If we were on holiday, we would be lying on a beach now. Why are we watching this film? If we were watching the news, it would be more interesting. ► The third conditional The third conditional sentences always refer to the past. We speculate about situations that happened or did not happen in the past. If I had won a million, I would have started a business of my own. (But I didn't win anything.) If he had met her, he would have told her. (Unfortunately, he didn't meet her.) If we hadn't practised, we wouldn't have won the match. (But we practised and won.) We make if clauses with if + past perfect and main clauses with would + perfect infinitive (have + past participle). But we can also combine other verb structures in third conditional sentences. We didn't save any money. If we had saved some money, we might have bought the house. She wasn't there and I wasn't sitting next to her. But if she had been there, I would have been sitting next to her. I was looking at the trees when I fell off the bike. If I hadn't been looking at the trees, I wouldn' t have fallen off the bike. The mixed conditionals In the mixed conditional sentences we can combine the second and third conditional. If he had left immediately, he would be here now. (He didn't leave immediately and isn't here.) If I had studied hard when I was young, I wouldn't be a porter now. (I didn't study and I am a porter.) If we hadn't told him the way while he was preparing for his journey, he would get lost now. (We told him and he isn't lost.) The inverted conditionals We can also make conditional sentences by changing the word order in the if clause. Had he booked the hotel room, he wouln't have slept at the camp. (If he had booked ... ) Were I in your position, I would accept it. (If I were ... )
- 3. This is less common, quite formal and is mostly used in writing. Note If is the most frequent expression in the if clauses, but other expressions are also possible. even if, provided (that), unless, on condition (that), in case Examples: You will leave tonight even if you don't want to. You can have your birthday party provided that you aren't noisy. We'll sell you the ranch on condition you pay in cash. You should take a dictionary with you in case you forgot some words. Unless you do something, she won't come back. (If you don't do anything, ... ) Active voice | passive Form Present simple: The car is repaired. Present continuous: The car is being repaired. Past simple: The car was repaired. Past continuous: The car was being repaired. Present perfect: The car has just been repaired. Past perfect: The car had been repaired. Future simple: The car will be repaired. Present conditional : The car would be repaired. Perfect conditional: The car would have been repaired. The passive voice in English is formed with the verb to be and the past participle, which is different for regular verbs (translated, mended) and irregular verbs (taken, thrown). Statement: The letter is written. This shop has been opened. Question: Is the letter written? Has the shop been opened? Negative: The letter is not written. The shop has not been opened. The continuous forms are as follows. (Other continuous tenses are normally used in the active voice, but not in the passive.) Present: A new house is being built in our street. Past: A new house was being built in our street. In all the examples above the agent is not mentioned. We do not know it. Similarly: Flowers were planted in the garden. (We do not know who did it). If we want to say who planted the flowers we mention the agent at the end of the sentence and use the preposition by. The flowers were planted by my mother. But: The window was smashed with a stone. (The stone is not the agent. We do not know who smashed the window. We only know how he or she did it).
- 4. Direct and indirect objects If there are both direct and indirect objects in the active voice, the indirect object becomes the subject in the passive voice. Active: My friend sent me a letter. Passive: I was sent a letter by my friend. (Not: A letter was sent to me by my friend. This sentence does not sound natural in English.) Similarly: They offer Trevor a place. - Trevor is offered a place. The infinitive without to In the active voice some verbs are followed by the infinitive without to. In the passive we use most such verbs with the infinitive with to. Active: We saw them come. She made him do it. Passive: They were seen to come. He was made to do it. But: They let us go. - We were let go. Use The passive is used: 1. If the action is more important then the agent. A demonstration has been held. This theatre was built in 1868. The important thing is what happened, not who did it. 2. If the agent is not known. He was offered a job. (someone offered him the job) They are supposed to be good students. (some teachers suppose that) The difference in meaning between the simple and continuous A new house is built in our street. (The house is finished.) A new house is being built in our street. (They are building it these days, it is not finished.) I was being introduced to Mrs. Jones when her husband arrived. (Her husband arrived in the middle of the introduction.) When her husband arrived I was introduced to Mrs. Jones. (Her husband arrived first and then she introduced me.) Notes This form is typical of an impersonal and formal style, that is why you can often find it in public notices, announcements, instructions or scientific articles. English is spoken in this shop. Visitors are not allowed to smoke. The seal must be removed.
- 5. In a less formal style the active voice is more usual. English is spoken in this shop. - We speak English in this shop. He was seen in Dover. - They saw him in Dover. The seal must be removed. - You must remove the seal. In the English language this form is more frequent than in many other languages. Moreover, you can find some stuctures in English which are not possible in some languages. I am told that you are going to have a baby. It is thought that the crises will end soon.