Essential English Grammar Structures and Usage
Verb Tenses
Simple Present: always, frequently, usually, generally, sometimes, never, seldom, once a week/month/year, every day, in the morning.
Present Continuous: (studying) at the moment, this year, now, tomorrow, tonight, next…
Simple Past: (studied) yesterday, last week, two days ago, when, then.
Past Continuous: (I was studying) at… o’clock, while.
Past Perfect: (had worked) already, by the time, after, before.
Present Perfect: (we have studied) ever, never, just, recently, already, for, since, how long.
Simple Future: (will study it) this evening, later, next week, soon, at… o’clock, in the future, tomorrow, in an hour.
Be going to: (going to have a child) this evening, later, in the future.
Future Continuous: (I’ll be studying/will be talking) at this time tomorrow, by… o’clock, by the end of.
Future Perfect: (will have studied/will have talked) by this time next week, by 10 o’clock, by then.
Present Perfect Continuous: (I have been studying/have been traveling) for, since, all day.
Past Perfect Continuous: (he had been studying/had been traveling) all morning, when, for, since, by the time.
Connectors
Cause and Effect: because (middle), since (beginning), in order to (verb followed), so that (following clause), because of, owing to (second clause), due to (+ infinitive).
Contrast: although (principle), even though (middle), whereas, while, but, yet, however, irresistible to, unlike.
Result: therefore, consequently, thus, as a result of.
Addition: moreover, in addition, besides, as well as, in addition to, also.
Opinion: in my opinion, personally.
Certainty: certainly, surely, obviously.
Emphasis: frankly, honestly (in fact).
Verb Patterns
Verb + -ing
admit, appreciate, avoid, consider, delay, deny, detest, dislike, excuse, feel like, finish, forgive, cannot help, involve, keep (continue), mind, postpone, resist, cannot stand, suggest, understand.
Rules: Subject of sentence, after prepositions (of, from, in…), after “be/get used to” and “look forward to”.
Verb + Infinitive
afford, agree, ask, beg, begin, choose, decide, demand, expect, forget, happen, hate, help, hope, learn, like, love, manage, offer, prefer, prepare, pretend, promise, propose, refuse, regret, remember, seem, start, try, wait, want.
Standards: After adjectives, adverbs. Common verbs: tell, teach, invite, warn, advise, persuade. Common expressions: can’t afford.
Verb + Object + Infinitive
advise, allow, ask, beg, cause, command, encourage, expect, forbid, force, help, invite, leave, like, order, permit, persuade, prefer, recommend, remind, teach, tell, want.
Verb + -ing or Infinitive (with different meanings)
- stop + -ing: stop doing something.
- stop + to: stop doing something else to do another thing.
- remember + -ing: past action.
- remember + to: important future action.
- regret + -ing: past action.
- regret + to: announce bad news.
- try + -ing: test or experiment.
- try + to: effort to achieve something.
Suffixes
Nouns: -ment, -(t)ion, -ation, -ness, -ity, -er, -or, -ist, -ism, -ance/-ence, -hood, -ship.
Adjectives: -ful, -less, -ous, -ate, -ive, -able/-ible, -ant.
Verbs: -ed, -ing, -ise/-ize, -ify.
Adverbs: -ly.
Modal Verbs
can, be able to, cannot, could, may, might, would, must, have to, need to, need not, must not, do not have to, should, ought to (blame), shall (future).
Reported Speech
Direct to Indirect:
- Present Simple → Past Simple
- Past Simple → Past Perfect
- Future Simple (will) → Conditional Simple (would)
- Present Continuous → Past Continuous
- Past Continuous → Past Perfect Continuous
- Present Perfect → Past Perfect
- Past Perfect → Past Perfect (no change)
- Present Perfect Continuous → Past Perfect Continuous
Time and Place Adverbs: today → yesterday/that day, last week → the week before, tomorrow → the following day, next week → the following week, here → there, this/these → that/those.
Passive Voice
Examples: visit – is/was visited, will visit – will be visited, should visit – should be visited, are visiting – is being visited, have visited – has been visited, had visited – had been visited, must have visited – must have been visiting/being visited, used to visit – was being visited, to have visited – to have been visited, to visit – to be visited.
Relative Clauses
Pronouns: whose, when, where, who, which.
Causative Verbs (Have + Something + Done)
Examples:
- Recently: They have had the cake decorated.
- Yesterday: They had the champagne delivered.
- Today: He is having his hair done.
- Next week: They are going to have the photo developed.
Other structures: It is believed that…/ We think that…/ I’m having my car washed (I am not washing it myself). He had his hair shaved (someone shaved it for him). Sara had her nose pierced (someone pierced it for her).