English Grammar and Vocabulary Essentials
Mastering English Grammar and Vocabulary
Inversion in English
Inversion is a literary technique in which the normal order of words is reversed, typically for emphasis or stylistic effect. Here are some examples:
- Hardly had I got into bed when the telephone rang.
- Never had she seen such a beautiful sight before.
- Seldom do we see such / Seldom have I seen…
- Rarely will you hear such beautiful music.
- Only then did I understand why the tragedy had happened.
- Not only does he love chocolate and sweets, but he also smokes.
- No sooner had we arrived home than the police rang the doorbell.
- Scarcely had I got off the bus when it crashed into the back of a car.
- Only later did she really think about the situation.
- Nowhere have I ever had such bad service.
- Little did he know…
- Only in this way could John earn enough money to survive.
- In no way do I agree with what you are saying.
- On no account should you do anything without asking me first.
- Not until John apologizes will I go…
- So + adj + that
- Not till he got home did he realize…
Conditionals
- If I had been there, this problem wouldn’t have happened. (Inversion: Had I been there, this problem wouldn’t have happened.)
- If we had arrived sooner, we could have prevented this tragedy. (Inversion: Had we arrived sooner, we could have prevented this tragedy.)
- If you go to Rome, you should visit the Vatican. (Inversion: Should you go to Rome, you should visit the Vatican.)
Common Phrasal Verbs
- Take over: To take control of
- Go off: (Bomb) Explode
- Set off: To start a journey
- Put up with: To tolerate
- Tell off: To reprimand
- Run out of: To have no more of something
- Come up with: To think of an idea
- Put off: To postpone
- Turn down: To reject
- Come across: To find by chance
- Call off: To cancel
- Take up: To start a new hobby or activity
- Break down: To stop functioning
- Look up to: To admire
- Cut down on: To reduce consumption (e.g., chocolate)
- Set up: To establish a business, website, etc.
- Get through: To finish something
- Put up: To accommodate someone
- Bring about: To cause
- Turn up/out: To arrive
- Bring up: To raise (a child)
- Turn out to be: To prove to be
- Run out of: To have no more of something
- Drop out: To leave school prematurely
Essential English Words
Articles
a, an, the
Comparatives
than, as, so, more, less, the + superlative
Determiners
so, such, not, no, this, that, these, those, even, if, unless, all, every, each, any, less, whose, when, my, your, his, her, its, our, their
Auxiliaries
should, may, can, could, might, will, would, is, are, was, were, have, has, had, do, does, did, must, ought to
Prepositions
on, at, in, out, up, down, for, with, into, around, about, like, through, over, under, before, after
Adverbs
since, yet, still, already, just, for, never, ever
Relative Pronouns
which, who, that, whose, when, where, why, whom, how, how often, how much, how many, how long, how far, how come
Pronouns
Object: me, you, him, her, us, them
Reflexive: myself, yourself, himself, herself, ourselves, themselves
Possessive: mine, yours, his, hers, ours, theirs
Quantifiers
much, many, (a) little, (a) few, a lot (of), some, any, no, plenty (of), none, both, all, either, neither, each, every, (the) other(s), another, little, several, various, a great deal of, too, enough
Connectors
however, but, whereas, although, even though, though, while, and, in addition, besides, also, too, for example, for instance, like, such as, because, as, since, because of, due to, on account of, owing to, in conclusion, to sum up, in brief, therefore, to summarise, on balance, in summary, so, therefore, thus, hence, nevertheless, moreover, when, firstly, secondly, thirdly, lastly, finally