Irregular plural forms:

singular	plural
a man	two men
a woman	two women
a child	two children
a mouse	two mice
a tooth	two teeth
a goose	two geese
a foot	two feet
an ox	two oxen

3. There is / there are

There is / There are is a common phrase in English, used to indicate that something exists or is in a certain location. The main subject follows the verb when there is/are is used.

• There is an apple on the table.

• There are some apples on the table.

• Are there any apples in the shop?

• There are no apples in my bag.

Other forms of the verb ‘to be’ can also be used with there is/there are.

• There will be a party at Bill's house on Saturday.

• There were four witnesses at the crime scene.

• There have been two robberies in the last five months.

Contractions are possible, but they are mostly used in informal speech.

• There's a fly in my soup.

• There're plenty of oranges left.

Appendix 3

GRAMMAR REFERENCE SECTION

1. Tenses: present, past and future

State verbs

Time clauses.

2. Question tags

3. Conditional sentences

4. Infinitive, Bare Infinitive, Gerund / -ing form

5. Comparative forms

Table of irregular verbs

TENSES

PRESENT TENSES

Present Simple Tense

We use the present simple:

• For permanent states. Tom works for a construction company.

• For daily routines, repeated and habitual actions. He plays tennis twice a week.

• For general truths and laws of nature. The sun sets in the west.

• For timetables and programmes to replace the future tense. The first flight to London leaves at 9 am.

• For sporting commentaries, reviews and narrations. Stevenson catches the ball and passes it to Johnson.

Time expressionsused with the present simple:

usually, often, always, sometimes, rarely, seldom; every day/week/month/year, etc, in the morning/afternoon/evening; at night/the weekend, on Fridays, etc.

Present Continuous Tense

We use the present continuous

• For actions taking place at or around the moment of speaking. Tina is doing her homework at the moment.

• For fixed arrangements in the near future. I am going to the dentist tomorrow. I've already booked an appointment.

• For currently changing and developing situations. The pollution is increasing.

• With adverbs such as always to express anger or irritation when an undesirable action happens too often but not always in reality. You’re always forgetting to close the door.

Time expressionsused with the present continuous:

now, at the moment, at present, these days, nowadays, still, today, tonight, always, etc.

Note:

1. Always + present simple: “every time”. I always have breakfast before I go to work.

2. Always + present continuous:“too/very often”. You are always complaining!

3. We cannot use never... again with the present simple. I am never going camping with you again. (NOT: I never go camping with you again).

Present Perfect Tense

We use the present perfect:

• For an action which started in the past and continues up to the present, especially with stative verbs such as be, have, like, know, etc. I have known Dave for years.

• For a recently completed action whose result is visible in the present. A new French restaurant has just opened in Bridge Street. We're going there for dinner tomorrow.

• For an action that happened at an unstated time in the past. The emphasis is on the action. The time that it occurred is unimportant or unknown. I have visited Portugal. (When? Unstated time.)

Note:

1. already is used in statements after the auxiliary verb and in questions after the main verb. I have already finished. Have you finished already?

2. yet is used in negative sentences after a negative contracted auxiliary verb or at the end of the sentence. She hasn’‘t yet finished the report. She hasn't finished the report yet.

3. still is used in statements and questions after the auxiliary verb or before the main verb. I am still painting the house. He still lives in Hong Kong.

4. However, still comes before the auxiliary verb in negations. She still hasn't finished her homework.

Time expressionsused with the present perfect:

for, since, already, always, just, ever, never, so far, today, this week/month etc, how long, lately, recently, still (in negations), etc.

Present Perfect- Continuous Tense

We use the present perfect continuous:

• To put emphasis on the duration of an action which started in the past and continues up to the present, used with action verbs and with words and expressions such as for, since, all morning/day/year and How long? The boys have been playing football for hours.

• For an action which started in the past and which lasted for some time. The action may still be continuing or have finished already with the result visible in the present. For this situation two sentences are used. Ken is really tired. He has been working hard all week.

• To express anger, irritation, or annoyance. They have been listening to that loud music all night.

• For repeated actions in the past continuing to the present. I have been taking Spanish lessons at night school.

Note:

With the verbs live, work, teach and feel we can use the present perfect or the present perfect- continuous with no difference in meaning. He has taught/has been teaching at the school for more than twenty years.

Time expressions used with the present perfect-continuous:

For, since, how long, recently