- •1. Kinds of nouns
- •2. Gender
- •3. Plurals
- •4. Uncountable nouns
- •5. Possessive case
- •Adjectives
- •1. Kinds of adjectives
- •2. Participles used as adjectives
- •3. Position of adjectives: attributive and predicative use
- •9. Comparison of adjectives
- •Adverbs
- •1. Kinds of adverbs
- •2. Form and use
- •3. Some words are both adjectives and adverbs:
- •4. Comparative and superlative adverb forms
- •5. Constructions with comparisons.
- •6. Position of adverbs
- •3. Uses of the Present Continuous Tense
- •4. Verbs not normally used in the Continuous Tenses
- •5. See, feel, look, smell and taste used in the continuous
- •6. The Continuous and Non-Continuous Uses of Certain Verbs
- •The simple present tense
- •1. Form
- •2. Spelling Notes
- •3. Uses of the Simple Present Tense
- •4. Other Uses of the Simple Present Tense
- •The past and perfect tenses the simple past tense
- •1. Form
- •2. Spelling Notes
- •3. Uses of the Past Simple Tense
- •4. Used to Indicating Past Habit
- •The past continuous tense
- •1. Form
- •2. Main Uses of the Past Continuous Tense
- •3. Other Uses of the Past Continuous Tense
- •The present perfect tense (simple and continuous)
- •1. Form
- •2. The Present Perfect Used for Past Actions Whose Time is not Definite
- •3. The Present Perfect Used for Actions Occurring in an Incomplete Period
- •4. The Present Perfect (Simple and Continuous) Used for Actions and Situations Continuing up to the Present
- •5. Special Structures in the Present Perfect
- •The past perfect tense (simple, continuous)
- •1. Form
- •3. Past and Past Perfect Tenses in Time Clauses.
- •4. Past Perfect Tense in Main Clause
- •The future
- •1. Future Forms
- •2. The simple present used for the future
- •4. The Present Continuous as a Future Form
- •5. The be going to form
- •6. The Future Simple
- •7. The Future Continuous
- •8. The Future Perfect
- •9. The Future Perfect Continuous
- •The passive voice
- •1. Form
- •2. Various Structures Expressed in the Passive
- •3. Active Tenses and Their Passive Equivalents
- •4. Get in the Passive
- •5. Questions in the passive
- •6. Uses of the Passive: Active or Passive
- •7. The Passive is Used:
- •8. Passive Sentences with or without by:
- •9. Passive with the Verbs Having Two Objects
- •10. Special Passive Patterns
- •11. Verbs Which Cannot be Used in the Passive
- •1. Modal Auxiliary Verbs: General
- •2. Modal Auxiliary Verbs With Perfect Infinitives
- •3. Can, could and be able for ability
- •4. May and Can for Permission
- •5. May and Can for Possibility
- •6. Could as an Alternative to May/Might
- •7. Can in Interrogative and Negative Sentences
- •8. Can Used to Express ‘Theoretical Possibility’
- •9. Set Phrases with Can, May, Might
- •10. Must and Have for Deduction and Assumption
- •11. Must and have to: forms
- •12. Difference between have to and have got to Forms
- •13. Difference between must and have to in the Affirmative
- •14. Need not and must not in the Present and Future
- •15. Must, have to and need in the Interrogative
- •17. Needn’t have done Compared with didn’t have/need to do
- •18. Ought and Should for Obligation
- •The infinitive
- •1. Forms
- •2. Infinitive without to
- •3. The Infinitive Represented by its to
- •4. Split Infinitives
- •5. The Infinitive Used as a Connective Link
- •6. Functions of the infinitive
- •7. The Infinitive as Subject of a Sentence
- •8. The Infinitive as Complement of a Verb
- •9. The Infinitive as Object of a Verb
- •10. The Infinitive as Object of an Adjective
- •11. The Infinitive after Interrogative Conjunction
- •12. The Infinitive as Adverbial Modifier
- •A. TheInfinitive as Adverbial Modifier of Purpose
- •B. The Infinitive asAdverbial Modifier of Result
- •13. The Infinitive as Attribute
- •14. Active and Passive Infinitive with Similar Meaning
- •15. Objective-with-the-Infinitive Construction
- •16. Nominative-with-the-Infinitive Construction
- •19. The Infinitive as Parenthesis
- •The gerund
- •1. Form and Use
- •2. Functions of the Gerund
- •3. Verbs Followed by the Gerund
- •Note that:
- •5. Gerunds after Prepositions
- •6. The Verb mind
- •7. Gerunds with Passive Meaning
- •8. The Gerund: Special Cases
- •Infinitive and gerund constructions
- •1. Verbs and Adjectives Which May Take either Infinitive or Gerund
- •M. Accustomed, afraid, ashamed, certain, interested, sorry, sure, used
- •The participles
- •1. The Present (or Active) Participle
- •2. Present Participle after verbs of sensation
- •I saw him enter the room, unlock a drawer, take out a document, photograph it and put it back.
- •4. Go, come, spend, waste, be busy
- •5. A present participle phrase replacing a main clause
- •6. A present participle phrase replacing a subordinate clause
- •7. The perfect participle (active)
- •8. The past participle (passive) and the perfect participle (passive)
- •9. Participles used as adjectives before and after nouns
- •10. Misrelated participles
- •Reported speech
- •1. Main points
- •2. Statements in reported speech 1. If you want to report a statement, you use a ‘that’-clause after certain verbs. The most useful are:
- •Tense changes
- •Indirect speech is usually introduced by a verb in the past tense. Verbs in the reported clause have to be changed into a corresponding ‘more past’ tense.
- •1. Past Simple and Past Continuous in time clauses do not normally change. The verb in the main clause can either remain unchanged or become the past perfect:
- •5. Time and place expressions in reported speech
- •6. Modals in reported speech
- •7. Reported questions
- •8. Questions beginning Shall I/we…? Such questions can be of different types:
- •9. Reported orders/requests/advice/suggestions, etc.
- •14. Let’s, let him/them in indirect speech 1. Let’s usually expresses a suggestion and is reported by suggest in reported speech:
- •15. Exclamations and yes/no
- •16. Reported speech: mixed types
- •Contents
4. The Present Continuous as a Future Form
Note that the time must be mentioned, or have been mentioned, as otherwise there may be confusion between present and future.
A. The present continuous can express a definite arrangement in the near future: Bob and Bill are meeting tonight implies that Bob and Bill have arranged this. If there is merely an expression of intention, we use the be going to form.
B. But with verbs of movement from one place to another, e.g. arrive, come, drive, fly, go, leave, start, travel, verbs indicating position, e.g. stay, remain, and the verbs do and have (food and drink), the present continuous can be used more widely. It can express a decision or plan even without any definite arrangement.
Note also the usual way of asking people about their plans:
What are you doing next Saturday?
Possible answers: I’m going to the seaside.
The neighbours are coming in to watch television.
but: I’m going to write letters. (I’m writing... would not be possible.)
C. This method of expressing the future cannot be used with verbs which are not normally used in the continuous tenses. These verbs should be put into the future simple (will/shall):
I am meeting him tonight. but I will/shall know tonight.
Note, however, that see, when it is used in certain expressions (see someone off/out/home etc.) can be used in the continuous tenses (see 5, p. 25):
I’m seeing him off tomorrow.
to be can be used in the continuous tenses when it forms part of a passive verb:
He is being met at the station tonight.
Our new piano is being delivered this afternoon.
5. The be going to form
This form is used: a. For intention
b. For prediction
A. The be going to form used for intention
We use this form when we say what we have already decided to do, what we intend to do in the future. This intention is always premeditated and there is usually also the idea that some preparation for the action has already been made.
The following points may be noted:
1. be going to can be used for the near future with a time expression as an alternative to the present continuous, i.e. we can say:
I am meeting Tom at the station at six.
I am going to meet Tom at the station at six.
But note that I’m meeting Tom implies an arrangement with Tom.
I’m going to meet Tom does not: Tom may get a surprise.
2. be going to can be used with verbs not normally used in the continuous tenses:
I am going to think about it.
I am going to be a dentist.
I’m sure I’m going to like it.
3. It is not very usual to put the verbs go and come into the be going to form. Instead we generally use the present continuous tense: i.e. instead of I am going to go we normally say I am going and instead of I am going to come we say I am coming.
4. Now we ‘ll compare the use of be going to and will + infinitive to express intention. We use both will and be going to to talk about our future actions but there is a clear difference. Study this situation:
-
Ann’s radio isn’t working. She tells her father.
Ann: My radio isn’t working. Can you repair it for me?
Father: OK, but I can’t do it now.
I’ll repair it tomorrow.
will: We use will when we decide to do something at the time of speaking. The speaker has not decided before. Before Ann told her father, he didn’t know about it.
Later, Ann’s mother speaks to her husband.
Mother: Can you repair Ann’s radio? It isn’t working.
Father: Yes, I know. She told me.
I’m going to repair it tomorrow.
be going to: We use it when we have already decided to do something. Ann’s father had already decided to repair it before his wife spoke to him.
Another difference is that will + infinitive in the affirmative is used almost entirely for the first person. Second and third person intentions are normally expressed by be going to:
Don’t worry. I’ll help you with the dinner.
but Are you going to leave without paying?
But in the negative won’t can be used for all persons. So we can say:
He isn’t going to resign. or He won’t resign.
But note that He won’t resign means He refuses to resign and
He isn’t going to resign means He doesn’t intend to resign.
B. The be going to form used for prediction
1. We use be going to in this way when we say what we think will happen. In other words, we predict future happening. Usually there is something in the present situation that makes the speaker be sure what will happen. It can be used in this way after such verbs as be sure/afraid, believe, think:
How pale that girl is! I am sure/I believe/I think she is going to faint.
2. Comparison of be going to used for prediction with will used for probable future (the future simple) will is a common way of expressing what the speaker thinks, believes, hopes, assumes, fears, etc. will happen:
I’ll probably be a bit late this evening.
I expect you will get a job.
You’ll pass the exam./I am sure you will pass the exam.
will and be going to are therefore rather similar and often either form can be used.
But there are two differences:
a) be going to implies that there is a certain evidence in the present situation that shows what will happen, will implies that the speaker thinks/believes that it will happen.
b) be going to is normally used about the immediate future; will doesn’t imply any particular time and could refer to the remote future.
Compare: The lift is going to break down implies that it is making strange noises or behaving in a strange way.
The lift will break down implies that this will happen some time in the future ( perhaps because we always overload it).