English Grammar Microsoft Word
English Grammar Microsoft Word
1. Promises / offers
2. Predictions
The main thing which we DO NOT use will for is to talk about our plans. The problem with using will to
talk about your plans is that it makes all of your plans sound like they are spontaneous. For example, if
you say something like ‘This weekend I will meet my friend’, it sounds like you have just decided only
RIGHT NOW that you will meet your friend.
You will always be understood if you use will to talk about your future plans, but when you are talking
about important life plans this can sound like you are spontaneously planning your life in the middle of the
conversation! Take a sentence like this:
‘I will go to university and I will study economics’
This sounds like you have just spontaneously decided to start a career as a student right now! This
sentence should be: ‘I am going to university and I am going to study economics’.
Another example: ‘I will go to live in Australia’ sounds like you have spontaneously decided to leave the
country and start a new life in Australia! This sentence should be: ‘I am going to live in Australia’.
We use going to for intentions, things that you have a plan to do but it isn’t yet fixed, you are not sure on
the exact time or date for the plan, it is just something you want to do:
We use present continuous for more fixed plans, when you, for example have more of a fixed time and
place:‘I am meeting my friend at 2 o clock this afternoon’ .,‘The meeting is taking place in the conference room’
The difference between these two is very small and not always important, sometimes it is not clear how
fixed your plans are, but this is a general guide.
When many non-native speakers think about the future they think only of will, and you will almost always
be understood when you use it in the wrong place, but my tip would be that it is very possible that you
are using will too much to talk about the future.
Mistake #2: Forgetting to use will to say that you will spontaneously
do something
Imagine you are about to start a meeting, but there are not enough chairs for everyone in the meeting
room. You decide to get some more, and you want to tell everyone this. What do you say?
Many learners of English would say ‘I get some more chairs’. But this is actually wrong in English.
When we tell somebody that we are going to do something spontaneous, we always use will to tell them, even if
you will do it RIGHT NOW. So this sentence should be ‘I will get some more chairs’.
This is used in all occasions when you tell someone that you are immediately going to do something,
here are some more examples:
You offer to get someone some water RIGHT NOW: ‘I will get you a glass of water’ NOT ‘I get you a glass of
water’. You want to show your friend your new car RIGHT NOW: ‘Follow me I will show you my new
car!’ NOT ‘Follow me I show you my new car’
You want to collect your things before you leave the office: ‘I take my things before we leave the
office’ NOT ‘I will take my things before we leave the office’
It is often difficult to remember to use will in this situation, especially as it is spontaneous. If you forget to use
will here you will always be understood, but you won’t sound like a native speaker, and it’s nice to get it right!
If you would like to have any any further examples of this in context, feel free to visit my website or
comment below!
Is about to
The boat is about to leave. Would all visitors please leave the boat right away. Thank you.
(Public announcement of something that will happen in the very near future)
We are just about to eat. Do you want to join us? (Conversation; the dinner is something
that will happen very soon)
It is used to express an arrangement, usually for the near future. When we talk about plans, decisions or intentions on
the basis of present facts, the difference in meaning between the Present Continuous and Going To is very slight.
,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,z• I'm going to start a new job on Monday (it emphasizes more my
decision; I'm telling my listener something about myself)
• I'm starting a new job on Monday (it emphasizes more the change which will now take place according to plan; I
want my listener to know about my new job)
The use of the Present Continuous indicates that we have a firm intention o have made a definite decision to do
something, although this may not already be arranged.
• Are you seeing the doctor again next week? (or Are you going to see....?) I'm not asking Tom to the party (or I'm not
going to ask...) Future continuous
USE: We use FUTURE CONTINUOUS to talk about:
1) An activity or event going on at a particular time or over a particular period in the future.
Example: - Next Friday, the President will be celebrating ten years in power. Future
- The plane will be traveling at the speed of sound when it passes overhead.
- I will be saying more about that topic in my next lecture.
2) A future activity or event is the result of a previous decision or arrangement.
Example: - He will be taking up his place at university in January. (the result of a previous decision)
- She will be performing every day until the end of the month. (part of a schedule)
- We will be going to my brother’s house again for Christmas. (we always go there)
FORMULA
Subject + will/shall + be + verb-ing + object/complement
- We will be leaving
for England at 7:30 in the morning.
- I will be seeing Tony on Wednesday.
Future perfect
Firstly, the Future Perfect tense is used to express the idea that something will happen before
another action in the future.
Example: She will have done her homework by the time Claire arrives.
It also shows that something will happen by a certain time in the future.
Example: Kevin and I will have left by the time you get to the party.
Kiedy mówimy, że jakiś stan będzie trwał przez określony okres czasu w konkretnym
momencie w przyszłości.
Next month we will have been married for twenty years!
By next month Tom will have known Mary for two years.
I will have been an English teacher for fifteen years next year.
Several completed actions.We use the Past Simple to speak about a series of actions in the past that
happened chronologically.
Examples:I finished work at five, went to my favourite café and spent an hour just watching the
world go by.
First boil water then add the ingredients.
Past – Duration.The Past Simple can be used to speak about a duration which starts and stops in the
past.
Examples:I lived in Spain for two years.
I studied Italian when I was at school.
Habits
Examples :Every day I went to the park
Past Continuous
We use the past continuous for something that happened in the past but was not finished at a
particular time. This can be an exact time in the past (12 o’clock, etc.) or the time when
another thing happened.
It was 12 o’clock and we were standing in the midday sun.
Mick was checking the engine when the rescue helicopter arrived.
We also use the past continuous to describe a scene or situation in the past or for an action
that continued for some time.
The stars were beginning to come out.
The dog was barking loudly.
W narracji, gdy opisujemy tło dla głównych wydarzeń (np. Był ładny dzień, słońce
świeciło,...).
We were still sleeping at 5 a.m. .,I was reading a book yesterday at six.
Mike wasn't jogging at 9 p.m., he was sitting in a pub with his friends.
Gdy mówimy o przynajmniej dwóch czynnościach, które odbywały się w tym samym czasie
w przeszłości.Do połączenia ich w jednym zdaniu będziesz musiał użyć słówka while -
“podczas gdy”.
Jim was driving while Jenny was checking emails on her smartphone
.Mark and Tom were discussing the terms of the contract while their clients were waiting in
the hall.
Jackie was trying on new shoes while her boyfriend was looking for a nice pair for himself.
Opisując czynność, która powtarzała się w przeszłości i uważaliśmy ją za irytującą.
Mark’s ex-wife was often calling him in the evening.
My parent were constantly asking me when I was going to find a husband.
The Maths teacher was always picking on me. He obviously didn’t like me.
Present perfect
Time up to a point in the past .We use the past perfect simple (had + past participle) to talk
about time up to a certain point in the past.
She'd published her first poem by the time she was eight.
We'd finished all the water before we were halfway up the mountain.
Had the parcel arrived when you called yesterday?
Past perfect for the earlier of two past actions.We can use the past perfect to show the order
of two past events. The past perfect shows the earlier action and the past simple shows the
later action. When the police arrived, the thief had escaped.
It doesn't matter in which order we say the two events. The following sentence has the same
meaning. The thief had escaped when the police arrived.
Note that if there's only a single event, we don't use the past perfect, even if it happened a
long time ago.
Used to
Used to + infinitive .We can use used to to talk about past states that are not true any more.
We used to live in New York when I was a kid.
There didn't use to be a supermarket there. When did it open?
Did you use to have a garden?
We can also use used to to talk about past habits (repeated past actions) that don't happen any
more.
I used to go swimming every Thursday when I was at school.
She used to smoke but she gave up a few years ago.
used to + infinitive should not be confused with be/get used to + -ing, which has a different meaning. The
difference is covered here.
Would
We can use would to talk about repeated past actions that don't happen any more.
Every Saturday I would go on a long bike ride.
My dad would read me amazing stories every night at bedtime.
would for past habits is slightly more formal than used to. It is often used in stories. We don't normally
use the negative or question form of would for past habits. Note that we can't usually use would to talk
about past states.
Neither used to nor would can be used to refer to single actions in the past. For example, it
would not be possible to use either form in this sentence:
In 1992 I moved from London to Leeds.
Used to can also be used to describe past states, with verbs such as be, have and live. For
example:
I used to live in France.
He used to have a beard.
This building used to be a hotel.
Would cannot normally be used in such sentences, unless the state is repeated and qualified
by an adverb such as often.
For example:When I was a student, I would often have a beard.
This suggests that the state was repeated several times over a period of years, but it is a
highly restricted use of would.
Perhaps the best practical advice to the questioner is that used to is generally correct when referring to
repeated actions in the past and to past states, whereas would is often inappropriate. Would in this sense is
possibly best left to the written language.
How long had you been trying to contact Sarah before you gave up?
The result of a past action.The Past Perfect Continuous before an action in the past shows the
reason for a result.
Peter was tired because he had been working for more than eighteen hours.
He failed the test because he had not been studying.I had been playing tennis for five years
before the injury.
Perfect present
Duration from the past until now.We use the Present Perfect Continuous to show that
something started in the past and has continued up until the present. Phrases that show
duration like ‘for fifteen minutes’, ‘for two weeks’, ‘for now’, ‘since last Sunday’, etc. can
all be used with the Present Perfect Continuous:
They have been discussing the problem for more than an hour.
I have been working here for ten years.
She has been doing yoga since the beginning of the year.
We use the present perfect simple (have or has + past participle) to talk about past actions or
states which are still connected to the present.
Unfinished time and states.We often use the present perfect to say what we've done in
an unfinished time period, such as today, this week, this year, etc., and with expressions
such as so far, until now, before, etc.
They've been on holiday twice this year.
We haven't had a lot of positive feedback so far.
I'm sure I've seen that film before.
We also use it to talk about life experiences, as our life is also an unfinished time period. We
often use never in negative sentences and ever in questions.
I've worked for six different companies.
He's never won a gold medal.
Have you ever been to Australia?
We also use the present perfect to talk about unfinished states, especially
with for, since and how long.
She's wanted to be a police officer since she was a child.
I haven't known him for very long.
How long have you had that phone?
Finished time and states.If we say when something happened, or we feel that that part
of our life is finished, we use the past simple.
We visited Russia for the first time in 1992.
I went to three different primary schools.
Before she retired, she worked in several different countries.
Past perfect
A finished action before a second point in the past.
When we arrived, the film had started (= first the film started, then we arrived).
We usually use the past perfect to make it clear which action happened first. Maybe we are
already talking about something in the past and we want to mention something else that is
further back in time. This is often used to explain or give a reason for something in the past.
I'd eaten dinner so I wasn't hungry.
It had snowed in the night, so the bus didn't arrive.
If it's clear which action happened first (if we use the words 'before' or 'after', for example),
the past perfect is optional.
The film started before we arrived / the film had started before we arrived.
Something that started in the past and continued up to another action or time in the past. The
past perfect tells us 'how long', just like the present perfect, but this time the action continues
up to a point in the past rather than the present. Usually we use 'for + time'. We can also use
the past perfect continuous here, so we most often use the past perfect simple with stative
verbs.
When he graduated, he had been in London for six years. (= He arrived in London six years
before he graduated and lived there until he graduated, or even longer.) On
the 20th of July, I'd worked here for three months.
To talk about unreal or imaginary things in the past. In the same way that we use the past
simple to talk about unreal or imaginary things in the present, we use the past perfect (one
step back in time) to talk about unreal things in the past. This is common in the third
conditional and after 'wish'.
If I had known you were ill, I would have visited you.
She would have passed the exam if she had studied harder.
I wish I hadn't gone to bed so late!
Present perfect continuous
Mówiąc o czynnościach, które rozpoczęły się w określonym momencie w przeszłości i wciąż
trwają. Podobnie, jak dzieje się to w czasie Present Perfect Simple, potrzebne nam tutaj będą
słówka for i since. Oto kilka przykładów:
Jim has been sleeping for over twelve hours now.
We have been driving without stopping since morning.
I have been waiting for your reply for two days!
Opisując czynności, które rozpoczęły się w przeszłości i jeszcze nie zakończyły lub
zakończyły się bardzo niedawno, bez podawania momentu ich rozpoczęcia.W tym
przypadku najbardziej interesują nas ewentualne skutki (najczęściej niezamierzone)
czynności widoczne w chwili obecnej. Przykłady:
I have been working hard since early morning. I’m really tired.
It has been snowing all night so the road conditions are really bad.
The teacher is very angry with you. You haven’t been listening to him at all.
Passive voice
The passive voice is used when we want to focus attention on the person or thing affected by
the action. Normally, the performer of the action, or the agent, comes first and is made the
subject of the verb and then we use the active form of the verb. The other person or thing is
made the object of the verb.
Consider these examples: 'The boss invited her to the party.'
'The construction company in Station Road employs three hundred people.'
However, if you want to focus on the person or thing affected by the action, you make the
person or thing the subject of the sentence and use the passive voice:
'She was invited to the party by the boss.
''Three hundred people are employed by the construction company in Station Road.
'We often prefer to use the passive voice when:
1. We do not know who the agent is:
'I don’t know who did it, but my pet rabbit has been let out.'
'I had the feeling that I was being followed.'
instead of: 'I don’t know who did it, but someone has let out my pet rabbit.'
' I had the feeling that somebody was following me.'
2.When it is obvious to the listener or reader who the agent is:
'I had been instructed to remove all the ash trays.'
'She discovered that she was being paid less than her male colleagues.'
instead of:'My boss had instructed me to remove all the ash trays.'
'She discovered that the firm was paying her less than her male colleagues.'
3. When it is not important to know who the agent is:
'Do you want a lift?' 'No thanks, I’m being collected.'
instead of:'Do you want a lift?' 'No thanks, someone is collecting me.'
4. When the agent has already been mentioned:
'In the next session of parliament, new laws will be introduced aimed at stopping domestic
violence.'
instead of:'In the next session of parliament, the government will introduce new laws aimed
at stopping domestic violence.'
5. When people in general are the agents:
'All the Beatles records can be borrowed from the central library.
instead of:'You can borrow all the Beatles records from the central library.
Note that it is only transitive verbs which can have passive forms. Intransitive verbs, like
cry, die, arrive, disappear, wait, which often describe physical behaviour, cannot be used
in the passive voice. They have no objects, so there is nothing to become the subject of a
passive sentence.
We usually use 'have something done' when we are talking about paying someone to do something
for us. It's often used for services. The form is 'subject + have + object + past participle'.
We can also use 'subject + get + object + past participle'. This has the same meaning as 'have', but is
less formal.
We can also use the construction 'subject + have + person + infinitive'. This has a very similar
meaning to 'have something done', which we've already talked about, but this time we say who did
the thing - we talk about the person who we asked to do the thing for us.
Finally, we can also use the construction 'get + someone + to + infinitive'. Again, this means that
you cause the other person to do the action, maybe by paying them to do it, or by asking them to
do it, or by persuading them to do it.
She gets her son to do his homework by promising him ice cream when he's finished.
I got the cleaner to clean under the cupboards.