domingo, 23 de octubre de 2016

MIXED CONDITIONALS


How conditional sentences are mixed

Unreal conditionals (type II + III) sometimes can be mixed, that is, the time of the if clause is different from the one of the main clause.

1. Past → Present

  • If I had taken an aspirin, I wouldn't have a headache now.

2. Past → Future

  • If I had known that you are going to come by tomorrow, I would be in then.

3. Present → Past

  • If she had enough money, she could have done this trip to Hawaii.

4. Present → Future

  • If I were you, I would be spending my vacation in Seattle.

5. Future → Past

  • If I weren't flying to Detroit, I would have planned a trip to Vancouver.

6. Future → Present

  • If I were taking this exam next week, I would be high-strung.

Explanation

taken from http://www.englisch-hilfen.de/en/grammar/mixed_conditionals.htm

MIX FUTURE



Future Mix

Comparison of future tenses: going towill, Simple Present, Present Progressive

Use

Future I going toFuture I willSimple PresentPresent Progressive
decision made for the futureaction in the future that cannot be influencedaction set by a time table or scheduleaction already arranged for the near future
conclusion with regard to the futureassumption with regard to the future  
 spontaneous decision  

domingo, 9 de octubre de 2016

PRESENT PERFECT VS PRESENT PERFECT CONTINUOUS


Form
Present Perfect SimplePresent Perfect Progressive
irregular verbs: form of 'have' + 3rd column of irregular verbs
Example:
I / you / we / they have spoken
he / she / it has spoken
regular verbs: form of 'have' + infinitive + ed
Example:
I / you / we / they have worked
he / she / it has worked
form of 'have' + been + verb + ing
 
Example:
I / you / we / they have been speaking
he / she / it has been speaking
Exceptions
Exceptions when adding 'ed' :
  • when the final letter is e, only add d
    Example:
    love - loved
  • after a short, stressed vowel, the final consonant is doubled
    Example:
    admit - admitted
  • final l is always doubled in British English (not in American English)
    Example:
    travel - travelled
  • after a consonant, final y becomes i (but: not after a vowel)
    Example:
    worry - worried
    but: play - played
Exceptions when adding 'ing' :
  • silent e is dropped. (but: does not apply for -ee)
    Example: come - coming
    aber: agree - agreeing
  • after a short, stressed vowel, the final consonant is doubled
    Example: sit - sitting
  • after a vowel, the final consonant l is doubled in British English (but not in American English).
    Example: travel - travelling
  • final ie becomes y.
    Example: lie - lying
See also explanations on Present Perfect Simple and Present Perfect Progressive

Use

Both tenses are used to express that an action began in the past and is still going on or has just finished. In many cases, both forms are correct, but there is often a difference in meaning: We use the Present Perfect Simple mainly to express that an action is completed or to emphasise the result. We use the Present Perfect Progressive to emphasise the duration or continuous course of an action.

Result or duration?

Do you want to express what has happened so far or how long an action has been going on yet?
Present Perfect SimplePresent Perfect Progressive
Result (what / how much / how often)
I have written 5 letters. / I have been to London twice.
Duration (how long)
I have been writing for an hour.

Certain verbs

The following verbs are usually only used in Present Perfect Simple (not in the progressive form).
  • state: be, have (for possession only)
    Example: We have been on holiday for two weeks.
  • senses: feel, hear, see, smell, taste, touch
    Example: He has touched the painting.
  • brain work: believe, know, think, understand
    Example: I have known him for 3 years.

Emphasis on completion or duration?

Do you want to emphasise the completion of an action or its continuous course (how has somebody spent his time)?
Present Perfect SimplePresent Perfect Progressive
Emphasis on completion
I have done my homework. (Meaning: My homework is completed now.)
Emphasis on duration
I have been doing my homework. (Meaning: That's how I have spent my time. It does not matter whether the homework is completed now.)

Result or side effect?

Do you want to express that a completed action led to a desired result or that the action had an unwanted side effect?
Present Perfect SimplePresent Perfect Progressive
desired result
I have washed the car. (Result: The car is clean now.)
unwanted side effect
Why are you so wet? - I have been washing the car. (side effect: I became wet when I was washing the car. It does not matter whether the car is clean now.)

Time + negation: last time or beginning of an action?

In negative sentences: Do you want to express how much time has past since the last time the action took place or since the beginning of the action?
Present Perfect SimplePresent Perfect Progressive
since the last time
I haven't played that game for years. (Meaning: It's years ago that I last played that game.)
since the beginning
I haven't been playing that game for an hour, only for 10 minutes. (Meaning: It's not even an hour ago that I started to play that game.)

Permanent or temporary?

If an action is still going on and we want to express that it is a permanent situation, we would usually use the Present Perfect Simple. For temporary situations, we would prefer the Present Perfect Progressive. This is not a rule, however, only a tendency.
Present Perfect SimplePresent Perfect Progressive
permanent
James has lived in this town for 10 years. (Meaning: He is a permanent resident of this town.)
temporary
James has been living here for a year. (Meaning: This situation is only temporary. Maybe he is an exchange student and only here for one or two years.)

Signal words

Present Perfect SimplePresent Perfect Progressive
  • how often
  • ... times
  • how long
  • since
  • for

Exercises on Present Perfect Simple and Present Perfect Progressive

Tests on Present Perfect Simple and Present Perfect Progressive

REPORTED / INDIRECT SPEECH



Reported Speech (Indirect Speech)



If we report what another person has said, we usually do not use the speaker’s exact words (direct speech), but reported (indirect) speech. Therefore, you need to learn how to transform direct speech into reported speech. The structure is a little different depending on whether you want to transform a statement, question or request.

Statements

When transforming statements, check whether you have to change:
  • pronouns
  • present tense verbs (3rd person singular)
  • place and time expressions
  • tenses (backshift)
TypeExample
direct speech“I speak English.”
reported speech
(no backshift)
He says that he speaks English.
reported speech
(backshift)
He said that he spoke English.

Questions

When transforming questions, check whether you have to change:
  • pronouns
  • present tense verbs (3rd person singular)
  • place and time expressions
  • tenses (backshift)
Also note that you have to:
  • transform the question into an indirect question
  • use the interrogative or if / whether
TypeExample
with interrogativedirect speech“Why don’t you speak English?”
reported speechHe asked me why I didn’t speak English.
without interrogativedirect speech“Do you speak English?”
reported speechHe asked me whether / if I spoke English.

Requests

When transforming questions, check whether you have to change:
  • pronouns
  • place and time expressions
TypeExample
direct speech“Carol, speak English.“
reported speechHe told Carol to speak English.

Additional Information and Exeptions

Apart from the above mentioned basic rules, there are further aspects that you should keep in mind, for example:
  • main clauses connected with and / but
  • tense of the introductory clause
  • reported speech for difficult tenses
  • exeptions for backshift
  • requests with mustshouldought to and let’s

Exercises on Reported Speech

Statements in Reported Speech

Questions in Reported Speech

Requests in Reported Speech

Mixed Exercises on Reported Speech

Grammar in Texts


domingo, 2 de octubre de 2016

PASSIVE VOICE





Use of Passive

Passive voice is used when the focus is on the action. It is not important or not known, however, who or what is performing the action.
Example: My bike was stolen.
In the example above, the focus is on the fact that my bike was stolen. I do not know, however, who did it.
Sometimes a statement in passive is more polite than active voice, as the following example shows:
Example: A mistake was made.
In this case, I focus on the fact that a mistake was made, but I do not blame anyone (e.g. You have made a mistake.).

Form of Passive

Subject + finite form of to be + Past Participle (3rd column of irregular verbs)
Example: A letter was written.
When rewriting active sentences in passive voice, note the following:
  • the object of the active sentence becomes the subject of the passive sentence
  • the finite form of the verb is changed (to be + past participle)
  • the subject of the active sentence becomes the object of the passive sentence (or is dropped)

Examples of Passive Level 2

TenseSubjectVerbObject
Simple PresentActive:Ritawritesa letter.
Passive:A letteris writtenby Rita.
Simple PastActive:Ritawrotea letter.
Passive:A letterwas writtenby Rita.
Present PerfectActive:Ritahas writtena letter.
Passive:A letterhas been writtenby Rita.
Future IActive:Ritawill writea letter.
Passive:A letterwill be writtenby Rita.
HilfsverbenActive:Ritacan writea letter.
Passive:A lettercan be writtenby Rita.

Examples of Passive Level 4

TenseSubjectVerbObject
Present ProgressiveActive:Ritais writinga letter.
Passive:A letteris being writtenby Rita.
Past ProgressiveActive:Ritawas writinga letter.
Passive:A letterwas being writtenby Rita.
Past PerfectActive:Ritahad writtena letter.
Passive:A letterhad been writtenby Rita.
Future IIActive:Ritawill have writtena letter.
Passive:A letterwill have been writtenby Rita.
Conditional IActive:Ritawould writea letter.
Passive:A letterwould be writtenby Rita.
Conditional IIActive:Ritawould have writtena letter.
Passive:A letterwould have been writtenby Rita.

Passive Sentences with Two Objects Level 3

Rewriting an active sentence with two objects in passive voice means that one of the two objects becomes the subject, the other one remains an object. Which object to transform into a subject depends on what you want to put the focus on.
SubjectVerbObject 1Object 2
Active:Ritawrotea letterto me.
Passive:A letterwas writtento meby Rita.
Passive:Iwas writtena letterby Rita.
.
As you can see in the examples, adding by Rita does not sound very elegant. Thats why it is usually dropped.

Personal and Impersonal Passive

Personal Passive simply means that the object of the active sentence becomes the subject of the passive sentence. So every verb that needs an object (transitive verb) can form a personal passive.
Example: They build houses. – Houses are built.
Verbs without an object (intransitive verb) normally cannot form a personal passive sentence (as there is no object that can become the subject of the passive sentence). If you want to use an intransitive verb in passive voice, you need an impersonal construction – therefore this passive is called Impersonal Passive.
Example: he says – it is said
Impersonal Passive is not as common in English as in some other languages (e.g. German, Latin). In English,Impersonal Passive is only possible with verbs of perception (e. g. say, think, know).
Example: They say that women live longer than men. – It is said that women live longer than men.
Although Impersonal Passive is possible here, Personal Passive is more common.
Example: They say that women live longer than men. – Women are said to live longer than men.
The subject of the subordinate clause (women) goes to the beginning of the sentence; the verb of perception is put into passive voice. The rest of the sentence is added using an infinitive construction with 'to' (certain auxiliary verbs and that are dropped).
Sometimes the term Personal Passive is used in English lessons if the indirect object of an active sentence is to become the subject of the passive sentence.

Exercises

Exercises on Passive (Form)

Exercises on Passive (Active → Passive)

Exercises on Passive (Active or Passive)

Grammar in Texts

Tests on Passiv

taken from https://www.ego4u.com/en/cram-up/grammar/passive