GRAMMAR

SENTENCE TRANSFORMATION

1. S (subject) + be + adj. + noun (N)  S + verb (V) + adv.

Ex: They are fastest typists.  They type fast.

2. S + V  Wh-word + negative V?

Ex: Everybody longs to live in prosperity.  Who does not long to live in
prosperity?

3. S + have + adj. + N  N + be + adj.

Ex: The national theatre has very comfortable seats.  The seats in the
national theatre are very comfortable.

4. S + be + adj. + preposition + V-ing  S + V + adv.

Ex: He is quick at understanding the lesson.  He understands the lesson

quickly.

5. S + V + with + N  S + V + adv.

Ex: He handled the chinawares with care.  He handled the chinawares

carefully.

6. S + V + D. O (direct object) + time  It + takes/took + s.b. + time +

to V

Ex: I accomplished this task in 3 months.  It took me 3 months to

accomplish this task.

7. S1 + negative V + and + S 2 + negative V  Neither + S1 + nor + S2 +

V

Ex: My sister is not very intelligent and I am not intelligent.

 Neither my sister nor I am intelligent.

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8. S + be + adj.  S + make(s)/made + D. O + adj.

Ex: The critics were strongly impressed by her performance.

 Her performance made the critics impressed.

9. What + a(n) + adj. + N!  How + adj. + S + be!

Ex: What a beautiful girl!  How beautiful she is!

10. S + let + D. O + do s.th.  S + allow(s)/allowed + D. O + to do s.th

Ex: Betty let Karen keep the kitten.  Betty allowed Karen to keep the
kitten.

11. Why + don’t + you + do s.th?  S + suggest(s)/suggested + that + S

+
present subjunctive

Ex: “Why don’t you complain to the company, Peter?”, said William.

 William suggested that Peter complain to the company.

12. S + be + thought to + V  S + be + supposed + to do s.th.

Ex: Exercise is thought to do us good.  Exercise is supposed to do us

good.

13. S + prefer + to do s.th.  S + would rather + do s.th.

Ex: We prefer to stay at home tonight.  We would rather stay at home

tonight.

14. S1 + V1 + when + S2 + V2  S + V + D. O + by + V-ing

Ex: I’ll get rid of weeds when I spray them.

 I’ll get rid of weeds by spraying them.

15. S1 + V1 + because + S2 + V2  S + V + for + N

Ex: We learn English because we want to get a good job.

 We learn English for a good job.

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 16. S1 + be + comparative adj. + than + S2  S2 + be + not + as/so + adj.
+ as + S1
If + S2 + V2 + comparative adj./adv. + S1 + V1 + comparative adj./adv.
 The + comparative adj./adv. + S2 + V2 + the + comparative
adj./adv.
+ S1 + V 1

Ex: These newspapers are more informative than those magazines.

 Those magazines are not as informative as these newspapers.

If you have a better job, you’ll get a higher pay.

 The better job you have, the higher pay you’ll get.

17. S + be + too + adj. + to V  S + be + so + adj. + that + S + can’t + V

 S + be + not + adj. + enough + to V

Ex: The news is too good to be true.

 The news is so good that it can’t be true.

Peter is too young to watch TV.

 Peter is not old enough to watch TV.

18. S + negative V + any more  S + used to + V

Ex: He doesn’t get up late any more.  He used to get up late.

19. S1 + V1 + so that + S2 + V2  S + V + to V

main clause subordinate clause

Ex: They went early so that they could get good seats.

 They went early to get good seats.

20. S1 + didn’t + V1 + so + S2 + didn’t + V2  If + S2 + past perfect + S1

+ would have + V3

Ex: She didn’t hurry so she missed the train.

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  If she had hurried, she would have missed the train.

21. S1 + simple future + if + S2 + simple present (negative V)

 Unless + S2 + simple present (affirmative V) + S1 + simple future

Ex: The world population will continue to rise if we do not try to reduce
it.

 Unless we try to reduce it, the world population will continue to

rise.
22. S + have + s.b. + do s.th.  S + have + s.th. + past participle

Ex: They had an electrician rewire their house last month.

 They had their house rewired last month.

23. S + negative past V  S1 + wish + that + S2 + past perfect

subjunctive

Ex: I didn’t go to the party last Sunday.

 I wish that I had gone to the party last Sunday.

24. Because + S2 + V2 + S1 + V1  Because of + N + S1 + V1

Ex: Because there was much dust in the mine, he was ill.

 Because of much dust in the mine, he was ill.

25. Although + S2 + V2 + S1 + V1  In spite of/Despite + N + S1 + V1

Ex: Although it rained, we went to school.

 In spite of rain, we went to school.

26. S1 + be + so + adj. + that + S2 + can’t + V + s.th.

 It + be + such + a(n) + adj. + N + that + S2 + can’t + V + s.th.

Ex: The day was so cold that we couldn’t go out.

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  It was such a cold day that we couldn’t go out.

27. S + V + I. O (indirect object) + D. O  S + V + D. O + to/for + I. O

Ex: They bought us some flowers.  They bought some flowers for us.

28. S + be + adj. + that – clause  S + be + adj. + to V

Ex: We were careful that we said the right thing.

 We were careful to say the right thing.

29. S + be + adj. + to V  It + be + adj. + to V

 It + be + adj. + of + s.b. + to V

Ex: Good friends are wonderful to have.  It’s wonderful to have good
friends.

He was careless to forget his key.  It was careless of him to forget

his key.

30. S + be + N + adj. clause  S + be + [a(n)] + adj. + N(s) + to V

Ex: He’s a man who’s hard to convince.

 He is a hard man to convince

31. S + be + V3 + first/last  The first/last + N + passive infinitive + be

….

Ex: The tax collector is avoided first.

 The first person to be avoided is the tax collector.

32. S + know + wh-word clause  S + know + wh-word + to V

Ex: I don’t know how I should spend this sum of money.

 I don’t know how to spend this sum of money.

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33. S + prefer + s.th. + to + s.th.  S + would rather + do + s.th. + than
+ do + s.th.

Ex: They prefer working to resting.

 They would rather work than rest.

34. S + V + and + S + V  S + be + such + plural count. N/singular

uncont. N + that + S + V

Ex: The weather is fine and we hate to stay indoors.

 It is such fine weather that we hate to stay indoors.

35. It + be + not necessary + for + s.b. + to do s.th.

 S.b. + doesn’t + need + to do s.th.

Ex: It’s not necessary for you to do the test.

 You don’t need to do the test.

36. S + insist + on + s.th.  Nothing + but + would + satisfy + s.b.

Ex: He insisted on a full apology.

 Nothing but a full apology would satisfy him.

37. S + like + s.th. + better than + s.th.  S + prefer + s.th. + to + s.th.

Ex: Children like cartoons better than plays.

 Children prefer cartoons to plays.

38. S + have/has not + V3 + for + time

 It’s + time + since + S + past V

Ex: I haven’t seen him for ages.  It’s ages since I saw him.

39. S + be + superlative adj. + N

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  No other + N + be + as + adj. + as + S

Ex: New York is the largest city of the U.S.

 No other city of the U.S. is as large as New York.

40. Hardly + had + S + V3 + when + S + past V

 No sooner + had + S + V3 + than + S + past V

Ex: Hardly had he left the office when the phone rang.

 No sooner had he left the office than the phone rang.

41. It + be + necessary/important + for + s.b/s.th. + to V

 It + be + necessary/important that + s.b/s.th. + present subjunctive

Ex: It is necessary for the train to be on time.

 It is necessary that the train be on time.

42. If + S2 + past or past perfect subjunctive + S 1 + would + Vo/would

have
+ V3  Had + S2 + V3 or were + S2, S1 + would + Vo/would have + V3

Ex: If I had known her, I would have visited her.

 Had I known her, I would have visited her.

43. Provided that + S2 + V2 + S1 + V1  So long as + S2 + V2 + S1 + V1

Ex: Provided that your handwriting is legible, the examiner will accept
your answer.

 So long as your handwriting is legible, the examiner will accept

your answer.

44. S + should + V  It’s (high) time + S + past subjunctive

Ex: You should be able to dress yourself by now.

 It’s high time you dressed yourself.

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45. I + would prefer + s.b. + (not) to do s.th.

 I would rather + s.b. + past subjunctive

Ex: I would prefer you not to smoke in here.

 I would rather you didn’t smoke in here.

46. S + V + to V  S1 + V1 + so that + S2 + modal V + V2

Ex: She came to London to study English.

 She came to London so that she could study English.

47. S + be + adj. + but + S + V  No matter how + adj. + S + be, S + V

Ex: You may be strong, but you can’t lift this heavy box.

 No matter how strong you are, you can’t lift this heavy box.

48. Though + S2 + be + adj. + S1 + be + adj.

 However + adj. + S2 + be + S1 + be + adj.

Ex: Though he is strong, he is timid.

 However strong he is, he is timid.