EVERYTHING ENGLISH

GENERAL
Intonation is very important in communication as it
gives information beyond just the basic meaning of the
words. It can express the speaker's attitude or feeling
about something, as well as giving grammatical
information (such as distinguishing between a
statement and a question).

In English grammar, plural nouns with no article are

usually used to make general statements.

Examples:
Fights are not essential.
I lke apples.
A homophone is a word that is pronounced the same
as another word but differs in meaning (e.g. 'too' and
'two'). It’s important to be familiar with these kinds of
words to avoid using them incorrectly/interchangeably.

There are two types of participles: present and past.

Present participles end in –ing (e.g. looking, playing),
while past participles end in –ed, -en, -d, -t, –n, etc. (e.g.
dreamt, seen).

Both a gerund and a present participle come from a

verb, and both end in –ing. However, each has a
different function. A gerund acts like a noun while a
present participle acts like a verb or adjective.

GRAMMAR RULES

ADJECTIVES

Please be aware of the correct comparative forms of

adjectives. May I suggest that you refer to this link for
an overview:
https://academicguides.waldenu.edu/writingcenter/gra
mmar/comparisons
Here is a link of a rundown of the comparative and
superlative forms of adjectives:
https://www.grammarly.com/blog/comparative-and-
superlative-adjectives/
Here's a trick: just remember that you can't use ”more”
and “-er” together (e.g. “stronger” is correct, ”more
stronger” is wrong).
ADVERBS

Using adverbs is a good way to add details to the

message of our sentences. You might want to check
this ink to learn further about different adverbs:
https://7esl.com/english-adverbs/

Adverbs describe a verb, adjective or another

adverb.

Examples:
The dog barks loudly. (with verb)
Peter is very tall. (with adjective)
She dances quite gracefully. (with another adverb)

Adverbs tell us how, where, when, how much and

with what frequency.
slowly, happily, well (how)
above, indoors, nearby (where)
yesterday, later, already (when)
quite, very, absolutely (how much)
sometimes, generally, seldom (how often)

Adverbs can be used to modify a sentence. In this case,

it usually appears at the beginning.

Examples:
Generally, people enjoy traveling abroad.
Interestingly, they don’t get along at work.

ARTICLES
Remember that articles are special modifiers that
appear before nouns or noun phrases. Like other
adjectives, they help clarify the meaning of the noun in
your sentence.

You may check this link on a detailed description of

articles. It will be helpful : https://7esl.com/english-
articles/

TYPES OF ARTICLES
In English grammar, there are two different types of
articles, the definite article (the) and the indefinite
articles (a, an) . It is a way of letting the listener or
speaker know that a noun is either unspecific or
specific.

Take a look at these examples:

During the long journey, the family played car games.
- talking about a specific journey & family.
During a long journey, a family can play car games.

- talking about a general statement and not about a

specific journey or family.

RULES IN USING ARTICLES

- the use of ‘a’ & ‘an’ depends on the beginning sound,
not letter. (e.g. an honor, a university).

- if an article is followed by adjective+noun format, it

should correspond to the adjective (e.g. a bag, an
empty bag).

- indefinite articles are not used with uncountable

nouns (e.g. water, soda, air).

- there are times when an article is not necessary. (e.g. I

like watching anime, what’s for dinner?).

WHEN NOT TO USE ARTICLES

1. We usually use no article to talk about things in
general.

2. We do not use an article when talking about sports

and games.
3. Do not use article before the names of countries
unless the name suggests that the country is made up
of smaller units or constituent parts.
Use the – the UK (United Kingdom), the USA (United
States of America), the Irish Republic… (Kingdom, state,
republic and union are nouns, so they need an article.)

4. Do not use article before the name of language.

5. Do not use article before the names of railway

stations when they are also place names.

6. Do not use article before the names of meals if they

refer to the meals generally, as a part of the daily
routine.

7. Do not use article before noun + number.

COLLOCATION

A collocation refers to a group of that are likely to

occur together (e.g. go back, go away, go on / break
time, free time, take time off ).
A collocation is two or more words that often go
together. These combinations just sound "right" to
native English speakers, who use them all the time.

Collocations make your language use more natural and

and easier to understand.

Learn more about collocations so you can have

alternative and richer ways of expressing yourself in
English.

When you use collocations, your English will sound

more natural.

COLLOCATIONS : TYPES
adverb + adjective a cup of coffee
completely satisfied noun + verb
utterly stupid lions roar
extremely sorry plane took off
adjective + noun dog barks
excruciating pain verb + noun
regular exercise commit suicide
balanced diet make the bed
noun + noun play games
a surge of anger verb + adverb
round of applause wave frantically
dance gracefully
move slowly
verb + expression with preposition
burst into tears
jump for joy
laugh out loud

CONDITIONALS
Conditional tenses are used to speculate about what
could happen, what might have happened, and what
we wish would happen.

Conditionals, sometimes called ‘if clauses’, are used to

say that one thing depends on something else.

Conditionals serve many purposes and take several

different forms. They can be used to give advice,
express regret and discuss facts, among other things.

CONDITIONALS : TYPES
Zero Conditional
Present simple + present simple
- facts; condition always has the same result
If you stand in the rain, you get wet.
Ice melts when you heat it.

First Conditional
Present simple + will/won’t verb
- possible situation in the future
If the boss comes late, we will cancel the meeting.
If I don’t get up early, I will miss the bus.

Second Conditional
Past simple + would + verb
- unlikely situations
If I met Justin Bieber, I would be ecstatic.
If I won the lottery, I would buy a big house.

Third Conditional
Past perfect + would have + past participle
- Imagining a different past
If you had studied, you would have passed the exam.
We would’ve missed the plane if we had taken a
different route.

DETERMINERS
Keep in mind that determiners are used in front of
nouns to indicate whether you are referring to
something specific or something of a particular type.

Take note that determiners help make our sentences

more correct. These are words such as ‘the, my, this,
some, twenty, each, any’, which are used before nouns.

Determiners are used in front of nouns to indicate

whether you are referring to something specific or
something of a particular type; these can be articles (a,
an, the) possessives (my, their,..) demonstratives (this,
those,..) numerals (one, two,..) ordinals (first, last,..) or
quantifiers (a few, many, some,..).

HOMOPHONE / HOMOGRAPH / HOMONYM

Homophone : same sound, different spelling
Homograph : different sound, same spelling
Homonym : same sound, same spelling
Examples:

Homophones: bass - bass ting - ring

know - no bow - bow tire - tire
eight - ate tear - tear
poor - pour Homonyms:
Homographs: can - can
A homophone is a word that is pronounced the same
as another word but differs in spelling & meaning.
Examples:
Can you please give me fifty cents?
The candles comes in various scents.

A homograph is a word that is spelled the same as

another word but differs in pronunciation & meaning.
Examples:
Press the red button if you wish to record.
The teacher forgot to bring the class record.

A homonym is a word that is spelled & pronounced

the same as another word but differs in meaning.
Examples:
A diamond figure has four equal sides.
Diamond is my mother’s birthstone.

NOUNS
Countable nouns are individual people, animals,
places, things, or ideas which can be counted (e.g. a
teacher, two apples, etc.). Uncountable nouns are not
individual objects or ideas, so they cannot be counted
(e.g. coffee, water, air, honesty etc.).
The are many different rules to apply in using plural
nouns. You may check this link to know more about
those rules https://www.grammarly.com/blog/plural-
nouns/

PREPOSITIONS
When referring to months, we use ‘in’ when the exact
date is not specified, (e.g. in January). When the date is
specified we use ‘on’, (on January 01, 2022).

A preposition correlates between two different words

or phrases usually about the time or place (e.g. on
Thursday, at school).

This site might be helpful for you to learn more about

the prepositions of place. Kindly check:
https://7esl.com/prepositions/#Prepositions_of_Place

PREPOSITIONS : WORK
→ You work in a city or area.
He works in New York.
→ You work in a type of place.
She works in a restaurant.
→ You work in an industry or a type of job.
He works in advertising.
→ You work at a particular place or organization.
She works at NASA.
→ You work on a project or task
Several people worked on the report.
→ You work as a job title.
She works as a school teacher.
→ You work for an employer.
We both work for the same company.

SUBJECT & VERB AGREEMENT

Remember that correct subject and verb agreement is
important to show one's effective use of the English
language. (e.g. dog plays; dogs play).

TRANSITIONAL DEVICES

Transitional devices are words or phrases that help

carry a thought from one sentence to another, from
one idea to another, or from one paragraph to another
(e.g. Since you studied hard, you will ace the exam).
To add information to what you've previously said, you
can use "moreover", "in addition", "furthermore", etc.
These words are called transitional devices. You may
want to make use of them whenever necessary.
Transitional words work to connect thoughts,
sentences and paragraphs together (e.g. First, he will
meet up with his frends. Then, they will go to the park).
You can learn about the types of transition words
here: https://examples.yourdictionary.com/examples-
of-transitional-words-and-phrases.html

VERBS
Remember that verbs come in various forms. Please
check this link: https://allesl.com/verb-tenses-
conjugation-english/ . It provides thorough
descriptions and examples of the 12 tenses of verbs.

If you wish to read some examples of the various tenses

of verbs, you may check this link:
https://www.grammarly.com/blog/verb-tenses/.

You may check this link to read more about the verb
tenses: https://7esl.com/verb-tenses/.
Familiarize yourself with the proper use of basic tenses
(past, present, future tense) in your sentences.

The forms of verbs change depending on which tense is

used (e.g. past – played, present – play/plays, future –
will play).

During some instances, you would forget to add –s, –es,

or –ies to the verbs that require it. The rule is to add -s,
-es or -ies to a verb when the noun/subject is singular
(e.g. the boy cries, she sleeps).

MODAL VERB
It is an auxiliary verb that expresses necessity or
possibility. English modal verbs include must, shall, will,
should, would, can, could, may, and might.

Could have means that something was possible in the

past, but it did not happen.
Could not have means that something was impossible
in the past.
Examples:
I could have gone there early, but I decided not to.
She could not have been on that flight because I just
saw her at work.
I would have A, but I had to B is used to show that
you wanted to do something in the past, but you could
not.
Example:
I would have loaned you the money, but I didn’t have
any.

Would have also forms the result clause of a past

unreal conditional.
Examaple:
If I had known they were vegetarians, I would have
made a salad.

Should have means that something did not happen,

but we wish it had happened.
We use should have to talk about past mistakes.
Example:
I was so worried about you. You should have called!
I should have told you the truth.

WILL VS GOING TO
When you're talking about actions that are far into the
future (months or maybe years from now), use ‘will’.
When you're talking about actions that you will do
soon (tomorrow or next week), use ‘going to’.

When you’re talking about an immediate decision, use

‘will’. When you’re talking about prior plans, use
‘going to’.

When you are plans are definite, use ‘going to’. When
you dream of doing something, use ‘will’. When you're
talking about actions that are far into the future
(months or maybe years from now), use ‘will’. When
you're talking about actions that you will do soon
(tomorrow or next week), use ‘going to’.

WILL
- future actions decided at the moment
I will have iced americano now.
- subjective prediction
She thinks she will win the game.
- future fact
The sun will rise tomorrow.
GOING TO
- future plans decided beforehand
We are going to the beach next week.
- objective prediction
You did not study? You are going to fail.
- something about to happen
Look! He is going to jump.

VERB TENSES

Simple Past
→ completed action in the past
Sam slept late last night.
Simple Present
→ habits, routine, general truth, facts
The sun rises in the east.
Simple Future
→ actions not yet taken
They will go to the beach this Sunday.
Past Continuous
→ one action was ongoing when another action
occurred
She was reading when the teacher left.
Present Continuous
→ happening at the moment
Peter is having an English class now.
Future Continuous
→ ongoing future action
I will be working at 4pm tomorrow.
Past Perfect
→ completed action happened before another action
I had already left before she called.
Present Perfect
→ done in the past and continues in the present
She has lived in Thailand all her life.
Future Perfect
→ a future action that will have been completed at
some point in the future.
John will have baked a cake by noon tomorrow.
Past Perfect Continuous
→ past action that began before a certain point and
continued until that time.
I had been working at the company for five years
when I got the promotion.
Present Perfect Continuous
→ starts in the past, continuing to the present
I’ve been teaching for almost 6 years.
Future Perfect Continuous
→ action will be continuing up until a point in the
future
I will have been teaching for more than seven years
by the time I leave for America.
EXAMPLES

SIMPLE PERFECT
- I loved you. - I had loved you.
- I love you. - I have loved you.
- I will love you. - I will have loved you.
CONTINUOUS PERFECT CONTINUOUS
- I was loving you. - I had been loving you.
- I am loving you. - I have been loving you.
- I will be loving you. - I will have been loving
you.

SIDE NOTES:
Future perfect tense discusses an action or event that
will come to an end before an exact time in the future.
Future continuous tense talks about an action that will
be happening at an exact time in the future.
When past tense and past perfect tense are used
together, the action that happened first takes the past
perfect form while the other is written using past tense.

FORMULA OF TENSES
Past Continuous: was/were + present participle
Present Continuous: am/is/are + present participle
Future Continuous: will be + present participle
Past Perfect: had + past participle
Present Perfect: have/has + past participle
Future Perfect: will have + past participle
Past Perfect Continuous: had been + present
participle
Present Perfect Continuous: has/have been + present
participle
Future Perfect Continuous: will have been + present
participle

ENDING SOUNDS OF +ED

Take note that the ending +ed has 3 different sounds.
We have /id/ in needed, /t/ in 'helped' and /d/ in
'loved'.
Please remember that the pronunciation of words
ending in ED depends on the final consonant sound.

1 /id/
- started [ stahr-tid ]
- created [ kree-ey-tid ]
2 /t/
- watched [ wocht ]
- walked [ wolkt ]
3 /d/
- enjoyed { en-joyd ]
- played [ playd ]

Keep in mind that there are three ways to pronounce

the ending sound ED.

1 /id/
- wanted [ wuhn-tid ]
- planted [ plahn-tid ]
- decorated [ dek-uh-rey-tid ]
2 /t/
- reached [ reecht ]
- walked [ wawkt ]
- blocked [ blokt ]
3 /d/
- called [ kawld ]
- grabbed [ grabd ]
- disturbed [ dih-sturbd ]
GRAMMATICAL MOODS

Grammatical mood does not express emotion or

feeling statements. In fact, a grammatical mood is a
form of verb used to refer to the quality of the verb in
the sentence. It also indicates the tone of a verb in a
sentence.

MOODS : CATEGORIES

1 Indicative Mood
→ expresses a fact statement
She likes the gift.
He always cooks his meals.

2 Imperative Mood
→ expresses a command or a request statement
Clean your room.
At three o'clock, call the boss.

3 Interrogative Mood
→ expresses a sense of uncertainty by asking a question
( contains auxiliary verb & main verb)
Are you coming to the summer camp?
Where have the children gone?
4 Conditional Mood
→ expresses a condition statement.
(auxiliary verb helps main verb)
If you want to visit your friends, you should study now.
If I traveled to Orlando, I would visit Disney World.

5 Subjunctive Mood
→ expresses a wish, doubt, demand, or a hypothetical
situation.
- If I were in her situation, I would never drive.
( hypothetical situation)
- My mother demanded he prepare the luggage.
(demand)
- I wish my sister were faster at preparing food in the
morning. (wish)

SENTENCE STRUCTURES

Elder can only be used with a noun.

Example:
- My elder brother is John.

When describing a wish or an impossible event, always

use were instead of was.
Example:
- If I were taller, I would play basketball.

Older can be used on its own.

Example:
( / ) My brother is older than me.
( x ) My brother is elder than me.
We don’t put adverbs between the verb and its object.
Example:
×× I accepted gradually her.
- - I accepted her gradually.

If the reporting verb is in the past tense, we change

the tense to the reported speech.
Example:
Report this question: What are you doing?
Answer: He asked me what I was doing.

We usually follow ‘tell’ with a personal object.

We follow ‘say’ immediately with a noun clause.
We add ‘to’ after ‘say’ in order to put personal object.
Example:
- He told me that he hated mistakes.
- He said that he hated mistakes.
- He said to me that he hated mistakes.

a structure consisting of a pair of parallel lines of rails

with their crossties, on which a railroad train, trolley, or
the like runs.

a structure consisting of a pair of parallel lines of rails

with their crossties, on which a railroad train, trolley, or
the like runs.

a structure consisting of a pair of parallel lines of rails

with their crossties, on which a railroad train, trolley, or
the like runs.