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GRAMMAR MODULE
Introduction
English Grammar – an introduction
‘. . . English is simpler, more logical and systematic, and in that intellectually satisfying sense, more beautiful than
may have been apparent to you . . .’ writes Michael Lewis in his introduction to the revised edition of ‘A Teacher’s
Grammar’ by R. A. Close (published by L.T.P.) from which “Has English A Grammar?’ comes.

It has often been said that English has no grammar, or that, if it has, there are no rules. English has indeed very few
of the kind of inflections, on the end of nouns and verbs, that play such an important part in the grammar of many
other languages. English adjectives have no inflections at all, apart from the -er and -est of short words like longer
and longest. We can accurately predict the whole the whole ‘conjugation’ of every verb in modern English from a
small set of rules and a fixed list of irregularities. Nor has English grammar a place for gender in nouns, Cow is not
‘feminine gender’ as opposed to the masculine ‘Bull’. Cow and Bull are two separate words, one referring to the
female of a species, the other to the male. Both words can be preceded by a set of determiners, such as a, any, each,
either, every, my, the, this, that, each of which has one form only.
English grammar is chiefly a system of syntax that decides the order and patterns in which words are arranged in
sentences. The system works largely with the help of what are called grammatical or structural words – auxiliary verbs,
determiners, pronouns, prepositions and conjuctions. These words form a ‘close set’, i.e. there is a fixed number of
them and new members are not admitted.
It is also true that English grammar has no rules established for it by any authority. Individual grammarians have
stated their own opinions and preferences and have made up their own body of rules. Accordingly to present day
thinking, there are rules in English grammar that can be accurately formulated from the observation and analysis of
a large number of examples of widely accepted educated usage. The rules so formulated can account for the way in
which competent users of the language produce original acceptable utterances, sentences, speeches and written texts.

How good is your English grammar?

As a native English speaker, you obviously have the ability to use English grammar perfectly well. However, your
knowledge of grammatical terms and ability to explain how English grammar works is probably less than perfect.
You are able to recognise that the sentence *“I am liking this music” is wrong, but apart from knowing that “you
just can’t say that”, you will probably not have an adequate explanation up your sleeve. Above all, the terminology
used to describe English grammar may seem particularly difficult; many of us may indeed have trouble in explaining
anything other than a noun, adjective or verb. Even those of us who have been lucky enough to have English language
and English grammar classes at some point will probably feel daunted when faced by the complex terminology of the
English tense system. Nevertheless, now that you have chosen to follow a career in TEFL teaching, you need a greater
knowledge of English grammar and its wonderful terminology.
These grammar modules have therefore been written for anyone who needs to polish up their knowledge of English
grammar. It is for students embarking upon a Language Link CELTA course, teachers who are new to Language Link
and of course those of us who need a little refresher. These modules are not exhaustive or definite guides to all that
you will need during your career as an English Language teacher, but they have been written to cover some of the
most common grammar points, and to get you on your way.
So, whether the question is: countable or uncountable, present perfect continuous or present perfect simple or zero
or second conditional, we hope that by reading these modules and completing the exercises within, you will be better
equipped to deal with such tricky student questions.

Marilyn McPearson
Director
Teacher Training
Language Link, London, August 2009
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GRAMMAR MODULE
Language Awareness Quiz
1. Which language is spoken by the largest number of people in the world?
2. How many millions of people speak English as a first or second language?
3. List six occupations where English is very important for non-native speakers.

___________________________ ___________________________

___________________________ ___________________________

___________________________ ___________________________

4. Look at the four statements below about the English Language. Are they true (3) or false (7)?

English is an easy language to learn because of the following features:

a) It has comparatively little grammar.

b) Its grammar is flexible.
c) It has an exceedingly rich vocabulary.
d) English spelling often bears little relationship to the pronunciation.

5. English is an international language. Can you think of the main reasons why its use is so widespread?
________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________

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GRAMMAR MODULE
Parts of Speech
Read the following poem written in Victorian times to help you remember the nine parts of speech:

Articles: Three little words we often see are articles – a, an, and the.

Nouns: A noun’s the name of anything – as house, or garden, hoop or swing.

Pronouns: In place of nouns the pronoun fits – I, you, she, it, this, that, ours, its

Adjectives: Adjectives tell the kind of noun – as great, small, pretty, white or brown.

Conjunctions: Conjunctions join the nouns together, as men and children, wind or weather.

Prepositions: A preposition stands before a noun; as in or through a door.

Verbs: Verbs tell of something done; to read, write, listen, jump or run.

Adverbs: How things are done adverbs tell; as slowly, quickly, ill or well.

Interjections: An interjection shows surprise; as – Ah! how witty! – Oh! how wise!

The whole we call nine parts of speech which reading, writing, speaking teach.

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GRAMMAR MODULE
Word Classes 1:
Using this poem as a guide, place words in the gaps below.

1. a) There is something __________________ the book.

b) Would you prefer to live__________________ a town?
__________________ a city?
__________________ the country?
__________________ the first floor?
__________________ a penthouse?
__________________ the sea?
__________________ a boat?
c) What type of words have you used?

2. a) She’s a(n) __________________woman.

b) Is it a(n) __________________ book?
c) They don’t like __________________ places.
b) What kind of words have you used?
c) Where do they usually come in the sentence?

3. a) She sang ___________. How did she sing?

b) She’s very nice. How nice is she?
c) What kind of words have you used?

4. a) Have you got___________ paper?

b) What kind of words have you used?

5. a) He did it ___________ had fun.

___________ didn’t have fun.
___________ he’s to blame.
___________ he didn’t want to.
b) What words have you used?

6. a) _______________ can damage you health.

b) She’s interested in _______________.
c) What do the two words have in common?

Word Classes 2:
Match the definitions with the words on the left.
1. Preposition a) A word used to describe or modify a noun.
2. Adjective b) A word used as the name of a person, place or thing.
3. Adverb c) A word used to indicate an action or state.
4. Verb d) A verbal noun ending in ___ing.
5. Noun e) A word used instead of a noun.
6. Gerund f) It could be an article or quantifier.
7. Conjunction g) A word indicating manner, degree, circumstance, time, used to modify an adjective,
verb or adverb.
8. Pronoun h) A word used to connect clauses or sentences.
9. Determiner i) A word placed before a noun or pronoun to indicate place, direction source, method.

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GRAMMAR MODULE
Identifying Parts of Speech
Task 1
Divide these words into groups according to which parts of speech they are (adjectives, nouns, verbs, adverbs, etc.).
Use a dictionary if necessary.

1. sadness 6. your 11. lonely

2. blue 7. on 12. because
3. mirror 8. fairly 13. loiter
4. unless 9. be 14. murder
5. mine 10. despite 15. personality

Task 2
A transitive verb must have an object or phrase acting like an object. ‘Broke’ is intransitive in the sentence, ‘the cup
fell and broke’ but transitive in ‘I broke the cup’. Underline the direct object in each of the sentences below:

1. He took a girl to the cinema last night.

2. Afterwards, he took her out for a meal.
3. He bought her some flowers.
4. After the meal he drove her home.
5. He left her on her doorstep.
6. She asked him to phone her soon.
7. She closed the door and made some cocoa.
8. He forgot her phone number and never saw her again.

Task 3
Why are these sentences wrong?

1. *He got up early because his work.

2. *They ate a quickly breakfast before going out.
3. *There’s something blocking the road. “OK, we’ll avoid.”
4. *He learns very slow.
5. *People gives her a lot of help.

(Adapted from Botito and Tomlinson, ‘Discover English’)

Please check the key before going on.

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GRAMMAR MODULE
Countable and Uncountable Nouns
1. English nouns are either countable [c] or uncountable [u]. For example, water and travel are uncountable and
books and fingers are countable. Put the below nouns into one of these categories:
[c] or [u]

beds grass hours oranges happiness hotels accommodation luggage

furniture advert bread advice agency weather research scenery

chairs health facts wool people cat trip money club

dollars music

2. Some nouns can be countable or uncountable depending on meaning. Work out the difference for these nouns:
exercise, glass; paper; time; hair. The first example has been done for you.
E.g. exercise [c] We did 3 exercises for homework.
[u] Doctors say that exercise is good for you.

3. Complete the chart to show the difference between the 2 types of noun. Are the following used with [c] or [u],
or with both?
a/an _______ a few _______ have a plural form _______
the _______ a little _______ always have a singular verb _______
many_______ much _______ some _______

4. One of these is a typical student mistake. Which is wrong and why?

a) John has got much money.
b) Has John got much money?
c) John hasn’t got much money.

5. Why might the following nouns be problematic for students?

jeans / scissors / glasses (for your eyes) / measles / groceries / clothes / police

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GRAMMAR MODULE
Verb Forms and (Un) Countable Nouns
Using these letters, complete the blanks.

• C = countable or U = uncountable
• S = singular or P = plural (i.e. takes a singular or plural verb)

a) She broke a glass [________/________]

b) She has broken her glasses [________/________]
c) She would like to buy [________] a pane of glass [________/________]
d) How many panes [________/________] of glass do you need?
e) Great news! [________/________]
f) People [________/________] never learn!

Why might e) and f) be difficult concepts for language learners?

_______________________________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________________________

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_______________________________________________________________________________________

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GRAMMAR MODULE
Verb Forms
Auxiliary Verbs

1. What do the following two words mean?

a) lexis
b) auxiliary

2. The lexical verb is the main ‘information’ verb.

Look at the following sentences. Which is the lexical verb in each example?
a) He is changing his shoes.
b) He was changing his shoes.
c) She has changed her shoes.
d) She had changed her shoes.

3. An auxiliary verb is a ‘helping verb’ that is merely used to form the complete tense, and has no real meaning.
Identify the auxiliary verbs that distinguish both the form and function of the above pairs of sentences.

‘Changing’, a form of the lexical verb ‘change’, is the present participle in the above examples, a) and b).
In c) and d), ‘changed’ is the past participle.

Compare:
He has changed it. (past participle)
She changed it. (past tense)

4. INFINITIVE to study

TENSES SIMPLE CONTINUOUS OR (PROGRESSIVE)

P RESENT I study I am studying
PAST I studied I was studying
FUTURE I will study I will be studying
P RESENT P ERFECT I have studied I have been studying
PAST P ERFECT I had studied I had been studying
FUTURE PERFECT I will have studied I will have been studying

a) What do the continuous tenses have in common?

b). What do the perfect tenses have in common?

Please check the key before going on.

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GRAMMAR MODULE
Verb Forms

5. Name the tenses used in these sentences.

a) When I got up the sun was shining.
b) I’ll have finished this by three o’clock.
c) I lived in Canada for two years.
d) I’m exhausted! I’ve been working since 5 this morning.
e) They’ll be here soon.
f) “What are you thinking about?”
g) Will you be using the car tomorrow?
h) When she arrived, I’d been waiting for three hours.
i) I thought I’d sent the cheque the week before.
J) What were you doing when I rang?
k) I go jogging three times a week.
l) She’ll have been working here for 24 years this August.
m) Have you finished yet?
n) I don’t really like salmon.

6. Complete this chart using the verb “to live”.

simple continuous perfect perfect

continuous

present

past had lived

future

Note:
It is essential to know the names of the tenses and how to form them before you start your teaching
course.

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GRAMMAR MODULE
The Present Simple
The Simple Present / Present Simple

The Simple Present and the Present Simple tenses are one and the same.

Form: Affirmative He pays rent to the landlord every month

They pay
Negative He doesn’t pay
They don’t pay
Interrogative Does he pay rent to the landlord every month
Do they pay

Main Functions:
1. TO EXPRESS HABITUAL ACTIONS
Mr. Brown generally leaves the house at eight o’clock in the morning.
– Adverbs of frequency and adverbial phrases such as always, usually, every day, etc., are often used.

2. TO EXPRESS NATURAL AND SCIENTIFIC LAWS, AND SIMPLE FACT

The sun rises in the east and sets in the west.
Gas expands on heating.
Mr. Brown owns three houses in this street.
He lives in one of them (note that ‘He is living in one of them implies a temporary situation)

3. FOR PLANNED FUTURE ACTION OFTEN ASSOCIATED WITH TRAVEL

Mr. Brown’s plane leaves at 8.30 tomorrow morning.

4. IN PLACE OF THE PRESENT CONTINUOUS FORM OF CERTAIN VERBS WHICH ARE NOT USED IN THE CONTINUOUS, I.E., VERBS OF OPINION,
E.G., BELIEVE, LIKE, DOUBT, ETC., AND VERBS OF PERCEPTION, E.G., SEE, HEAR, KNOW, ETC.
I think there’s a ghost upstairs. (now)
I don’t understand what he’s saying. (now)
I see what you mean. (now) (not *I am seeing what you’re meaning)

5. SOMETIMES FOR DRAMATIC NARRATIVE, PARTICULARLY WHEN THE ACTION OF A PLAY OR A SPORT IS BEING DESCRIBED:
The batsman hits the ball hard and it goes straight through the window

As you can see, the present simple doesn’t always refer to present time. Unfortunately, the names of English tenses
do not correlate neatly with the point in time they refer to!

Teaching Ideas:
Introducing yourself and asking others their names.
Describing your marital status.
Simple directions and locations of things.
Getting and giving information about people, (home town, appearance, job, likes and dislikes, daily habits and
routines…)
Describing things/people.
Asking and telling the time.

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GRAMMAR MODULE
The Present Continuous
The Present Continuous / Present Progressive

Form:
Present tense of the verb 'to be' plus the present participle (-ing form)
e.g. I am listening to music.

Main Functions:

1. THE PRESENT MOMENT

George is going to the shops. (He is on his way.)
While I’m cooking this omelette, Mary is making a salad.
The procession is entering the hall. (Radio commentary)

2. TEMPORARY SITUATION
Susan is getting up at 5am every day this week to prepare for her exam.
We’re sitting on deck chairs until the new suite arrives.

3. FUTURE ARRANGEMENTS
I am meeting John at 6 tonight.
Compare with a timetabled future action, often associated with travel, e.g. My plane leaves at
7 tomorrow.

4. FUTURE TIME IN TEMPORAL OR CONDITIONAL CLAUSES

I’ll telephone you this afternoon while I’m waiting.
The police won’t take your car away if you are sitting in it.

5. TO EXPRESS IRRITATION (WITH ‘ALWAYS’ OR ‘FOREVER’)

She is always taking my things without asking.
He’s forever complaining about the weather.

Teaching Ideas:
Mime; “What am I doing?”
Grammar exercises to contrast with present simple.
Describing what people are wearing.
Listening to a tape of sound effects.
Time lines.
Arranging a time to meet.
Role-play-complaining about annoying flat-mates.

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GRAMMAR MODULE
Present Simple V. Present Continuous
Task 1
Read the following letter of application written by a French girl and underline all the verbs in the present simple
and present continuous.

Dear Mr. and Mrs. Cook

I am writing in response to your advertisement in The Guardian for an au pair for your summer holiday in the
‘Barrier Reef’.
I am 19 years old and intend to take a year off before starting university where I am studying anthropology
with special reference to Aboriginal culture. I have been teaching English to French children of primary school
age and I enjoy it very much. I have a 5 year old brother and often baby-sit for my neighbours’ children. I am
a strong swimmer and I have an ‘open-water’ diving licence so I would be able to accompany the children in
the water on holidays. At the moment, I am taking a short cookery course which hopefully will be of use
should you need any assistance in the kitchen.
I thank you for considering my application and look forward to hearing from you.

Yours sincerely,
Monique Tallineau

Task 2
Now place the verbs under the correct heading according to their meaning in the context of the letter.

Temporary Habit or repeated General truth or Action happening Future

situation action fact now arrangement

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GRAMMAR MODULE
The Past Tense
The Past Simple / Simple Past

Form
Regular verbs form their Past Simple by adding – ed or – d to the infinitive of the verb.
eg walk ‘ walked
visit ‘ visited
live ‘ lived
decide ‘ decided

Irregular verbs form their Past Simple in different ways, which have to be learned one by one:
eg break ‘ broke
take ‘ took
eat ‘ ate

Questions are formed using DID + INFINITIVE

eg Did they pass their exams?
Where did you find it?
N.B. The verb ‘to be’ inverts to form questions eg. Were you there?

Negatives are formed using DID + NOT (DIDN’T) + INFINITIVE

eg He did not accept the job.
N.B. The verb to be is different. eg. She wasn’t in the kitchen.

Main Functions
1I. REAL PAST TIME
a) A completed action in the past
I closed the door and went home.
The children ran down the lane.
b) A definite time in the past
The parcel arrived last week.
In the nineteenth century, children worked in coal mines.

2. SUBJUNCTIVE USE
I would buy a big house if I were rich (but I’m not rich referring to the present).
NB Irregular use of were here.
He wishes he lived in a hot country (but he doesn’t live in a hot country, referring to the present).

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GRAMMAR MODULE
Past Simple
Task 1
Fill in the second column with the past simple form of these verbs:

ask fall
drink be
feel can
get choose
have dream
pay speak
lie (on the floor) wear
lie (opposite of truth) write
stop cost
complain do
go fly

Task 2
Turn these sentences into questions
1. She went to Barbados for her holidays.
2. They flew with British Airways.
3. The weather was fantastic.
4. There were many people they knew in the hotel.
_______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
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_______________________________________________________________________

Task 3
Now write the negatives.
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_______________________________________________________________________
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Task 4
Say whether the verbs in the past simple refer to the past or present.
1. We had a great time.
2. If only I had a black one.
3. I wish I knew where she lived.
4. She loved it at the time.
5. If I were you, I’d give up.

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GRAMMAR MODULE
The Present Perfect (Simple)
Form
The Present Perfect tense is formed from the auxiliary verb HAVE (‘has’ in the 3rd person singular) and a
Past Participle.

eg. She has been here for ages.

I have asked him already.

– Regular verbs form their Past Participle by adding “–ed” (or –d if the verb ends in ‘e’) to the infinitive of the
verb.
eg rain ‘ rained
start ‘ started
Note that the Past Participle of regular verbs is thus the same as Past Simple of the regular verbs.

– Irregular verbs form their Past Participle in different ways, which have to be learned one by one.
eg do ‘ done
give ‘ given
see ‘ seen
Note that sometimes the Past Participle is the same as the Past Simple as in
buy-bought-bought but often it is different, as in give-gave-given.

– Questions are formed by inverting the subject and the auxiliary:-

John has written three books.
Has John written three books?

– Negatives are formed by placing NOT after the auxiliary:-

The police have not caught the murderer.

Task 1
– Write the past participles:
drive ‘ go ‘ have
eat ‘ ride ‘ know
believe ‘ fall ‘ want

Task 2
– Write the questions and negatives for these two statements:
1. She has had an interesting life.
2. They have arrived.

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GRAMMAR MODULE
Past Simple V. Present Perfect (Simple)

1. Look at these sentences:

a. John left university in 1990.
b. He got married immediately after that.
c. He has been married since then…
d. but they haven’t had any children yet.
e. He was a member of the Conservative Party at university but
f. he’s been a Labour Party member for several years now.
g. His wife didn’t vote in the last election…
h. …but he himself has always voted.
i. He has written several articles on politics…
j. … and has just been interviewed on T.V.

2. Now match the sentences above to the explanations/uses below and tick which tense we use for each type of
sentence.

Sentence/ Present Past

Number(s) Perfect Simple

1. A finished action in the

past at a specified time.

2. A finished action in the

past which happened at
an unspecified time.

3. A finished action in the

past where the time period
is still continuing (i.e. this
week, your life, etc.)

4. An action that began in

the past and continues in
the present (can refer to
a negative action.)

5. An action in the past which

finished very recently.

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GRAMMAR MODULE
The Present Perfect (Simple)

Look at how the present perfect is used in the following examples and match them to the definitions below:

1. Why is the present perfect used in these examples?

a. - Have you been to Brighton?
- Yes, I have.
- Oh, when did you go there?
- A couple of months ago.
b. - Oh, you’ve had your haircut!
- Yes, do you like it?
- Mm, where did you have it done?
c. - How many films have you seen this month?
- Oh, two or three.
- And what about last month? Did you see any then?
- No, I didn’t actually.
d. Two youths have been stabbed in Central London. They were walking home from a party at midnight
last night when…
e. - When did you come to England?
- In January.
- Oh! So you’ve been here for six months now.
f. - Where’s Jane?
- She’s just gone to the shops
- Oh! How long ago did she leave?
- About two minutes ago.
g. This is the second time I’ve been. I first came here about a year ago.

Definitions
i. Finished action within an unfinished time frame
ii. Life experiences
iii. Very recent event
iv. An action that began in the past and continues to now.
v. Recent event with present evidence.

2. Here are some typical student mistakes. Why have they made them?
a. *There has been an explosion at Waterloo last night.
b. *I can’t come with you because I broke my arm.
c. *The First World has lasted for four years.
d. *I study English since 1987.
e. *Oh my goodness! I just saw a ghost.

Please check the key before going on.

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GRAMMAR MODULE
Continuous Forms / The Past Continuous
The Past Continuous

Form
Look at the examples of past continuous and complete the rule as to how it is formed
e.g. She was living in Paris at the time.
Were you listening?

RULE: The past continuous is formed using the _________ verb

or _________ + ___________.

Task 1
Now look how the past continuous is used in the following sentences and match them to their meanings.
1. It was raining relentlessly and Miranda was sitting on the sofa curled up with a good book. Suddenly
there was a crash.
2. I was just thinking about what to get my mother for Mother’s Day when she rang.
3. As I was watching the film I was planning my dinner party.

Meanings
a) Background information to a narrative.
b) A longer action which is interrupted by a shorter one.
c) Two actions taking place at the same time.

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GRAMMAR MODULE
Present Perfect Continuous V. Present Perfect Simple

Look at the examples of present perfect continuous and complete the rule as to how it is formed.
e.g. I have been working all morning.
He has been running.

Rule 1: The present perfect continuous is formed using the __________ verb _______
or _________ + _________+ _________

Task 1
Decide which of these sentences are Present Perfect Simple and which are Continuous
and complete the rule as to when they are used.
e.g. 1. My eyes are stinging – I’ve been chopping onions!
2. a) How is Celia doing?
b) She’s done three boxes already.
3. a) Are they upset?
b) Yes, they’ve been waiting for an hour.
4. I’m French, but I’ve been living in London for six months.
5. I have lived here since I was born.
6. I’m glad you’ve finished the report.

Task 2
Now complete the rule to show when we use these two forms.
Rule 2: We use the ____________ when we are interested in the completed
Rule 3: We use the ____________ when the action is viewed as a temporary situation.
Rule 4: Both the present perfect simple and continuous can be used to talk about the present results of
past activities but the _____________ emphasizes the completed activity and the
______________ focuses on the activity or situation itself.
Rule 5: We use the _______________ when the action is viewed as a permanent state/situation.
Rule 6: We usually use the _____________ when we are interested in how long the activity took.

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GRAMMAR MODULE
Ways of Talking about the Future

Many European languages have a future tense and students expect English to have a future tense also. The form
WILL + INFINITIVE (eg He will go) is often identified as the English future tense. It is true that WILL can be used
to refer to the future, but not in all circumstances; in fact, there are several ways to use verbs to talk about the
future in English.

Match the examples on the left with the use on the right.

Example Function
a) Term finishes on August 30th next year. i. future intention
b) I’m meeting her for lunch next Friday. ii. spontaneous decision at the moment of
speaking
c) (I can’t find John’s address) Oh never mind, iii. scheduled or timetabled event
I’ll phone then.
d) Look at those clouds. It’s going to rain. iv. pre-arranged, organised event
e) I’m going to do my shopping tomorrow. v. prediction based on guesswork, opinion etc.
f) I don’t think she’ll pass the exam. vi. prediction based on present evidence

Complete the chart with the name of the tense used for each function.

Function Tense
future intentions
prediction based on present evidence
spontaneous unpremeditated decision
prediction based on guesswork, opinion
pre-arranged organised planned events
timetable, calendar, schedule event

Here are some common student errors. Say why the student has made each one.

1. The kettle’s boiling. * Oh…OK. I’m switching it off in a moment.

2. What are you doing tomorrow? *I’ll go to the dentist at 3pm.
3. Why are you carrying that bucket? *I will wash the car.
4. Did you hear the weather forecast? *Yes. It’s raining tomorrow.
5. Have you phoned Peter? *Oh no! I forgot. I’m doing it now.
6. (Teacher) Yes, Jose? *I’m sorry. I won’t come to class tomorrow.
7. Oh no! I’m going to be late. *Don’t worry. I’m going to give you a lift.
8. Sandra’s got very fat. *No she hasn’t. She’ll have another baby.

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The Future Tenses
PREDICTIONS WITH ‘WILL’ OR ‘GOING TO ’
We generally use ‘going to’ when we have outside evidence for what we are going to say. We use ‘will’ when there
is no such obvious evidence and we are talking about what we know, believe, have guessed or have calculated.
Look at the following examples and indicate exactly what kind of evidence there might be:
Those repairs are going to cost £3,000. (I’ve had the builder’s estimate)
Those repairs will cost £3,000. (In my opinion from what I know of similar work.)

1. Look out! We’re going to crash!

2. Don’t lend him your car. He’ll crash it.
3. Sally is going to have a baby.
4. I think Sally will have a baby before she’s thirty.
5. Tomorrow will be warm and sunny.
6. It’s going to be warm and sunny tomorrow.
7. He’s going to ring the doorbell when he gets here.
8. He’ll ring the doorbell when he gets here.

Which future use might the following situations be useful for practising?

Give an example of the kind of language you would expect.

1. Travel itineraries.
2. Arranging a date for a meeting/party.
3. Looking at pictures where something is about to happen.
4. The world 50 years from now.
5. Planning a holiday.

Put the verb in the correct future form and say why.

1. Sorry, I can’t come. I ____________ (have) dinner with friends.

2. I don’t think they ________________(find) the real murderer.
3. I feel awful. I think I _____________(faint).
4. Well, I don’t like the idea, but I ____________ (give) him the keys if you insist.
5. (Man on a roof) It’s no good; you can’t stop me. I ____________ (jump).
6. Hurry up! The train_________________________ (leave) in 15 minutes.
7. I didn’t know she was in hospital. I ____________ (send) her some flowers.
8. Are you leaving Mary? I am too. I ____________ (give) you a lift.

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Modals
Verbs
There are three types of verb:
1. Full verbs
2. Auxiliaries
3. Modals*
*These are in fact a sub-category of auxiliaries – ‘modal auxiliaries’

Definitions:
1. Full Verbs, a.k.a. lexical verbs
– have a definite meaning
– can be formed in all tenses

2. Auxiliaries
– support the main full verb
– are used to form tenses, negatives, questions
– have no intrinsic meaning of their own
e.g. "Have you seen him?" "I don’t know." "Did he go?"

3. Modals
– also support the main verb but have an intrinsic meaning
– change the meaning/function/mood of the sentence
e.g. You should go now. (The function is 'advice'.)
can could must
may might ought to
will would have to
shall should used to
need
dare

Think about:
– Can you use it in all persons, (e.g., I ,you , he/she/it, we, you, they), without changing the meaning?
– Can you use it in negative/positive/interrogative?
– Can you use it in all tenses? (past/present/future)

Potential Pitfalls:
a. They all have their own little set of rules; you can’t always use all forms for the same function. (see chart on
Page 10 for example)
b. The same form may be used in different functions; the intonation is very important
c. One function can use several different modal forms.

Strategy:
a. Don’t teach too much in one go; contrast where it helps.
b. Check out function / acceptable forms carefully first.
c. Check the intonation.
d. Make the situation/intonation very clear and check concept thoroughly.

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Modal Auxiliaries
Some Common Functions

obligation prohibition lack of necessity advice

must can’t don’t have to should
have to mustn’t shouldn’t
needn’t ought to
permission possibility/probability deduction in present deduction in past
can could must must have
may may might might have
could might could could have
might may can’t have
can’t
prediction present ability offer past ability
could can can *could
might can’t ‘Il couldn’t
‘Il shall
won’t *NB
should

Now match the example on the left with function on the right.
1. You should stop smoking. a. deduction in the past
2. You don’t have to wait. I’ll be fine. b. permission
3. It must be raining. Everyone coming in is wet. c. prohibition
4. We must check the oil before we go. d. possibility/probability
5. You can leave if you’re feeling bad. e. prediction
6. You can ski quite well, can’t you? f. offer
7. Dictionaries can’t be used in the exam. g. deduction in the present
8. That can’t have been John. He’s away. h. deduction in the present
9. He may come. But he’s got a lot of work. i. advice
10. May we go now? j. ability in the past
11. He could be rich; he’s got a Merc. k. internal obligation
12. He could swim when he was four. l. present ability
13. It could well rain. Look at the sky. m. prediction
14. Can I help you with that? n. lack of necessity
15. It should be a good party. They’ve got live music. o. permission

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Conditional Clauses
Conditionals
1. Look at the chart showing the forms of the five 'standard' conditionals.

Condition clause Result clause

Zero Conditional If + present simple present simple

First Conditional If + present simple will + base form

Second Conditional If + past simple would + base form

Third Conditional If + past perfect would + have +

past participle

Mixed Conditional If + past perfect would + base form

2. Arrange these 12 sentences into five groups of three with similar structures.
Then match them with the conditionals in the chart above.

1. I wouldn’t feel so sick now if I hadn’t drunk so much last night.

2. If you heat water, it boils.
3. If it rains, we won’t go.
4. If I had stayed at school and got more A-levels, I would have got a better job.
5. You would enjoy yourself more if you made an effort to meet some new people.
6. Plants die if you don’t water them.
7. The teacher would be a bit happier if we had done our homework.
8. If you get here by 6am, we will catch the early train.
9. If I didn’t have enough money, I wouldn’t offer to pay.
10. I wouldn’t have failed my exams if I hadn’t been so lazy at school.
11. He would be good-looking if he wore clean clothes and washed his hair.
12. If she’d run a bit faster at the beginning, she would have won the race.

3. What do you notice about the use of comma in all the above sentences?
What simple rule can you give to students?

4. Look at these sentences and the chart and match the uses.
1. unreal past events
2. unlikely/improbable future or imaginary/untrue present or future situations
3. general or universal truths
4. unreal past events with unreal present consequences
5. possible future situations / conditions which must happen so that something else can

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Conditionals

In English there is no one-to-one correlation between tense and time. Time is a real world phenomenon whereas
tense is a grammatical name for a structure.

Example 1 a) I wasn’t looking where I was going and fell over.

b) I was wondering if you could help me.
Tense – past continuous in both.
Time – past in a), present in b).

Example 2 a) She lives in Fulham.

b) Her plane leaves at 10 next Friday.
Tense – simple present in both.
Time – present in a), future in b)

Now look at the conditionals below and identify the tense or structure and the real world time reference.

e.g. If you don’t water plants, they usually die.

Structure : present simple, present simple
Time ref. (universal) present, (universal) present

1. If you hurry, we’ll catch that train.

Structure ______________ ______________
Time ref. ______________ ______________

2. If you worked harder, you’d be quite a good student.

Structure ______________ ______________
Time ref. ______________ ______________

3. If she had remembered his name, she wouldn’t have offended him.
Structure ______________ ______________
Time ref. ______________ ______________

4. If you hadn’t told him, the situation would be worse.

Structure ______________ ______________
Time ref. ______________ ______________

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Passive Voice
Passives
Look at the example below.

In the active sentences the subject (They) “does” the verb (are painting) and comes before it. The verb is followed
by the object (the house) which has the verb “done to it”. In the passive sentence this has been turned around so
that the object of the active sentence (the house) is the subject of the passive sentence (the house). There is no
object in the passive sentence. Compare:

subject verb object

Active: They are painting the house
Passive: The house is being painted

1. What auxiliary and verb form do we use to make the passive?

2. Complete the following chart on the verb forms of active and passive voice.
(Do not change the tense only the voice.)

Tense Active Passive

present simple paints
past simple was painted
present continuous is painting
past continuous was painting
present perfect has painted
past perfect had been painted
modals can paint
will paint
should paint
must paint
might paint

3. Make these sentences passive.

a. We will send the letter tomorrow.
b. Someone cleans this room every morning.
c. Someone has stolen my car.
d. The garage is servicing my car today.

Please check the key before going on

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Passive Voice

4. Look at these sentences in the passive.

a) English is spoken here.
b) Drinks will be served in the lounge.
c) A man has been arrested in connection with last night’s bombing.
d) My car has been stolen.
e) Smoking is not permitted in this office.
f) ‘That’s a lovely picture.’ ‘Yes, it is. It was painted by my sister.’

Task 1
Now look at this list of reasons why the passive is used and decide which ones apply to the above.
a) the cause is not known.
b) the action is more important/interesting than who or what does it.
c) it’s not necessary to mention the cause as it’s evident/known/implicit.
d) we wish to avoid mentioning who or what (eg. the person responsible).
e) we want to put the emphasis on the information we think is “news” (which often comes at the end of
sentence in English) so we put the known at the beginning.

Task 2
Look at the sentences below and decide whether they would sound better expressed in the passive. Also
decide whether the agent, (who did it), should be included.
The staff in this shop accept all major credit cards.
All major credit cards are accepted by the staff.
a) People who buy this shirt must wash it in cold water.
b) We apologise that the station manager has cancelled the 8.17 to Kings Cross due to lack of drivers.
c) Dissatisfied customers can lodge complaints at reception.
d) A cameraman recorded this interview in front of a studio audience.
e) Buyers should refrigerate this product after opening it.

Note the form of the passive voice in the above examples. It always contains some form of the auxiliary verb
‘to be’ plus the past participle of the main verbs.

is
was
E.g. It will be recorded
has been
is being

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Question Tags

Question tags are small questions that often come at the end of sentences, usually in spoken English. Look at the
examples below:
1. That was a really good film, wasn’t it?
2. The weather wasn’t very good, was it?
3. She is the new secretary, isn’t she?
4. She’s been here before, hasn’t she?
5. These books look interesting, don’t they?
6. He worked for IBM, didn’t he?
7. Your mother doesn’t speak French, does she?

Look at these ‘rules’ for forming question tags and verify them by referring to the above examples.
1. If the sentence is affirmative, the tag is negative.
2. If the sentence is negative, the tag is positive.
3. If the subject is a pronoun, it is used in the tag.
4. If the subject is a noun, the appropriate pronoun is used in the tag.
5. The tense remains the same in the sentence and the tag.
6. If there is an auxiliary in the sentence, use it in the tag.
7. If there is no auxiliary, (e.g. simple present and simple past affirmative) then choose 'do', 'does' or 'did' as
appropriate.

There are some exceptions to the above.

1. Let’s go for a meal, shall we?
2. I’m late, aren’t I?
3. No one phoned, did they?
4. Lend me £10, will you (would you?)

Intonation (the movement of your voice up and down) is very important in tag questions. If your voice goes up
(rising intonation) on the question tag, you are asking a real question and are not sure of the answer. If your voice
goes down (falling intonation) you are not asking a question, just seeking confirmation or agreement.

Try saying these:

It’s a lovely day, isn’t it? (seeking agreement)

The meeting’s at three, isn’t it? (seeking confirmation)

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Pronunciation
Word Stress
When an English word has two syllables or more, one of them is pronounced more strongly than the other(s), for
example:
Intelligent is pronounced inTELLigent
regret reGRET
automatic autoMATic
festival FESTival

This feature of English is called word stress. When a foreign student learns a new word, she/he must learn to
pronounce it with the correct stress or a listener may not recognise it. Students need help with identifying where
the stress falls because some languages do not have word stress at all (e.g. Japanese) or may usually place the
stress on a certain syllable (e.g. the penultimate syllable is usually stressed in Italian). Stress in English may be on
any syllable.

A teacher of English, therefore, needs to be able to identify word stress.It is customarily marked by a box over the
vowel of the stressed vowel.

e.g. expensive

Mark the stress on the following words. The first two have been done for you.

strawberry technology domineering republic

avoid family February armchair

various reality radiator introduce

detective understand unique camera

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Pronunciation
Sounds
The sounds of English can be represented by using symbols. This is important because the way we write the words
may give no idea of how they are pronounced. Look at these words which all contain ‘ough’ but are all
pronounced differently.
cough though through plough tough thorough

Here are the English phonemes:

Consonants as in Vowels as in
/p/ apple /i:/ green
/b/ able /ɪ/ grin
/t/ teeth /e/ bet
/d/ dog /æ/ bat
/k/ cab /a:/ hard
/g/ go /ɒ/ cot
// church /ɔ:/ caught
/
/ jam /u/ good
/m/ mime /u:/ soup
/n/ night // come
// ring /I/ liver
/l/ long /␧:/ heard
/f/ familiar
/v/ vet
/ɘ/ thin
// then Diphthongs as in
// should /eɪ/ bay
⍀
/e/ leisure /ɘ / go
/r/ right /aɪ/ high
⍀
/h/ hang /a / now
/w/ wet / ɪ/
c boy
/j/ yes /ɪə/ leer
/s/ so /eə/ there
/z/ zinc /ɔ:/ pure

Match the symbol column on the left with the word on the right.
1. /ɒp/ a. work 5. /ɒp/ e. leave
2. /bɪə/ b. beer 6. /ɪv/ f. bear
3. /li:v/ c. walk 7. /wɔ:k/ g. shop
4. /w␧:k/ d. chop 8. /beə/ h. live

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Pronunciation
Sounds

SUGGESTION: MAKE SOME CARDS WITH THE PHONEMIC SYMBOL ON ONE SIDE AND THE WORD CONTAINING THE SOUND ON THE OTHER SIDE
AND BEGIN TO FAMILIARISE YOURSELF WITH THE SYMBOLS.

Which phoneme represents the vowel or diphthong sound common to each of these groups of words?
e.g. word bird turn / ␧: /
1. door taught sore / /
2. true scoop chew / /
3. should foot put / /
4. why flight tied / /
5. weight great late / /
6. meat see niece / /
7. go know though / /
8. hair there wear / /

Pronunciation: Intonation
The movement of the voice as it rises and falls when speaking is called intonation. (See page 23 for intonation of
question tags.) Intonation is used to convey an enormous amount of information. For example, the difference
between:
happy (oh really ), bored or irritated (oh really), sarcastic (oh really), and so on.

The ‘rules’ about intonation are very complex and there are differences among native speakers. However, some
general guidelines can be very useful for students. See if you can say these sentences naturally with the suggested
pattern.
1. Where are you from? (Wh questions go down)
2. Have you got a car? (Yes - No questions go up)
3. I don’t really like modern art. (statements go down)

These are very basic patterns at the end of the sentence. Of course the voice does many other things in the rest of
the sentence.

Spelling and Punctuation

If you are going to teach English, it is very important that your own spelling and punctuation be accurate and
correct. All the following sentences contain very common native speaker errors either of spelling and/or
punctuation. Find the errors and correct them.
1. *It’s important that students get enough practise.
2. *You need an auxilliary to form questions in english.
3. *Paris and it’s art galleries are famous world wide.
4. *He studied Maths and Geography at school.
5. *His french is good but his pronounciation is awful.
6. *The course is extremely intensive however it’s interesting and satisfying.
7. *She’s a Nurse and really likes all her patient’s.
8. *Grammer isn’t taught very well in many schools.
9. *I was very nervous going into this class, it was my first exposure to foreign students.
10. *She only likes people who’s opinions are similar to her own.
11. *Be carefull or you’ll loose your keys.
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Key
Check your answers below:

Language Awareness Quiz (Page 2)

1. Chinese 2. 750 million
4. a) As there is little grammar it is relatively easy for beginners and elementary students to communicate in
basic English. However, getting beyond the intermediate level is quite difficult because there is relatively
little grammar.
b) false c) false d) false

Word Classes 1 (Page 4)

1. c) prepositions
2. b) adjectives c) if there is noun, adjectives precede it.
3. c) adverbs
4. b) determiners which include quantifiers (some, any etc.) and articles (a, an, the)
5. a) and; but; so; but/though/although
b) conjunctions
6. c) _______ing. They are gerunds (i.e. verbal nouns)

Word Classes 2 (Page 4)

1i 2a 3g 4c 5b 6d 7h 8e 9f

Identifying Parts of Speech (Page 5)

Task 1
Conjunction Adjectives Nouns Verbs Adverbs Pronouns Prepositions
unless blue sadness mirror fairly mine on
despite lonely mirror mine your
because mine be
murder loiter
personality murder

e.g. 5. mine It’s mine (pronoun)

They mine (verb) there
He owns a silver mine (noun)
The object of the exercise is to show you the importance of CONTEXTUALIZING.

Task 2
1. his girlfriend 2. her 3. champagne 4. her
5. her 6. him 7. curtain, coffee 8. an excuse

Task 3
1. The conjunction ‘because’ is followed by subject and verb, in contrast to ‘because of’
2. An adjective is required before the noun; ‘They ate a quick breakfast.’ Alternatively, omit the article ‘a’,
change the word order and retain the adverb 'They ate breakfast quickly'.
3. ‘Avoid’ is always transitive (i.e. it needs an object. ‘We’ll avoid it.’
4. How does he learn? An adverb (not an adjective) is required to answer this question. ‘He learns very slowly.’
5 Even though we say ‘people’ and not ‘peoples’, it is a plural noun. Therefore the verb is ‘give’, and not ‘gives’.

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Key
Countable and Uncountable Nouns (Page 6)

Analysis
1. Countable Uncountable
beds facts grass wool
hotels dollars weather scenery
hours people happiness health
chairs trip research music
oranges cats dvice money
agency dollars countryside bread
advert club luggage furniture
agency dollars news accommodation

2. Windows are made of glass.

Could I have three glasses, please?
Have you bought a paper today? This page is made of paper.
We don’t have much time. I’ve been there three times.
She has lovely hair. There’s a hair in my soup.

3. a/an C a few C a plural form C

the C/U a little U always sing. verb U
many C much U some C/U

4. a) ‘Much is used with uncountable nouns in questions and negatives.

We use ‘a lot of’, ‘lots of’ in affirmative.

5. Because although they are uncountable (you can’t say *2 jeans/3 scissors) they have a plural verb.
E.g. The scissors are on the table. And because they have an ‘s’ and a plural verb, they look like plural
countable nouns (so students expect ‘a scissor’ etc.)

Verb Forms and (Un) Countable Nouns (Page 7)

a. (c/s)
b. (u/p i.e. takes a plural verb)
c. (u/s), (u/s)
d. (c/p)
e. (u/s) (The uncountable noun ends in ‘s’ but takes a singular verb)
f. (c/p) (No ‘s’ on the countable noun but it takes a plural verb)

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Key
Verb Forms (Pages 8 - 9)
1. a) words of a language vocabulary b) giving help; additional; subsidiary
2. An auxiliary verb is a verb used in addition to the lexical (main) verb to form tenses change
4. a) present participle (i.e. ________ ing)
b) the auxiliary verb ‘have’ (in the appropriate tense) + a participle

5. (Page 8)
a) Past simple and past continuous h) Past simple and past perfect continuous
b) Future perfect simple i) Past simple and past perfect simple
c) Past simple j) Past continuous and past simple
d) Present perfect continuous k) Present simple
e) Future simple l) Future perfect continuous
f) Present continuous m) Present perfect simple
g) Future continuous n) Present simple

6. Simple Continuous Perfect Continuous

Present lives is living had lived has been living
Past lived was living had lived had been living
Future will live will be living will have lived will have been living

Continuous (Page 12)

Present Simple Present Continuous
I am 19 years ….. I am writing
…… intend …… I am studying ….
I enjoy it …… I am taking
I have a 5 year old
I often babysit ….
I am a strong swimmer
I have an ‘open water’ …

Task 2
Temporary Habit or General truth Action Future
situation repeated action or fact happening now arrangement
I am taking a I often babysit I am 19 years old I am writing I am studying
cookery course I enjoy it I intend ...
I have a 5 year old
I am a strong
swimmer
I have an ‘open water’

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Key
Past Simple (Page 14)

Task 1
asked fell
drank was/were
felt could
got chose
had dreamed/dreamt
paid spoke
lay wore
lied wrote
stopped cost
complained did
went flew

Task 2
1. Where did she go for her holidays?
2. Who did they fly with?
3. Was the weather good?/What was the weather like?
4. Were there any people they knew?

Task 3
1. She didn’t go to ……
2. They didn’t fly with …..
3. The weather wasn’t ……
4. There weren’t many people ……

Task 4
1. Past
2. Present
3. Present
4. Past
5. Present

The Present Perfect (Page 15)

Task 1
driven gone/been had
eaten ridden known
believed fallen wanted

Task 2
1. Has she had an interesting life?
She hasn’t had an interesting life.
2. Have they arrived?
They haven’t arrived.

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Key
Past Simple or Present Perfect? (Page 16)

Sentence Present Past

number perfect

1. A finished action in the past at a specified time. a,b,e,g 3

2. A finished action in the past which happened at

an unspecified time. i, h, j 3

3. A finished action which happened in a time period

which is still continuing (i.e. this year, your life) h, i 3

4. An action which began in the past and continues

in the present (can also refer to a negative action) c, d, f 3

5. An action which finished very recently j 3

Present Perfect Simple (Page 17)

1. a – ii b – v c – i d – iii e – iv f – iii g – ii
2. a) Use of ‘last night’ requires simple past verbs. Present perfect is used when action happened some time
in the past with no time given.
b) present result (can’t come) requires Present Perfect ie. have broken
c) 1st World War = 1914-1918, simple past (see a) above.
d) action began in the past and continues now needs present perfect.
e) finished action in very recent past fi present perfect.

Continuous Forms (Page 18)

Past Continuous
Rule 1: The past continuous is formed using the auxiliary verbs was or were + the present participle (verb + ing)
Task 1
1a 2b 3c

Present Perfect Continuous v Present Perfect Simple (Page 19)

Rule 1: The present perfect continuous is formed using the auxiliary verbs has or have + BEEN + the present
participle + (verb + ing)
Task 1
Present Perfect Simple: 2, 5, 6
Present Perfect Continuous: 1, 3, 4
Task 2
Rule 2: PP Simple (e.g. 2)
Rule 3: PP Continuous (e.g. 4)
Rule 4: PP Simple (e.g. 6) PP Continuous (e.g. 1)
Rule 5: PP Simple (e.g. 5)
Rule 6: PP Continuous (e.g. 3)

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Key
Ways of Talking about the Future (Page 20)
a) scheduled or timetabled event (iii) simple present tense
b) pre-arranged, organised event (iv) present continuous
c) spontaneous decision at the moment of speaking (ii) will + base form
d) prediction based on present evidence (vi) to be going to + base form
e) future intention (I) to be going to + base form
f) prediction based on guesswork, opinion, etc. (v) will + base form

COMMON ERRORS EXPLAINED:

1. The student doesn’t know that present continuous can only be used for pre-arranged events and 'switching
off the kettle' is clearly not organised in advance. The student should choose ‘will’ for decisions made at the
moment of speaking.
2. The student needs the present continuous as the dentist’s appointment has obviously been made already and
this is therefore a prearranged event. ‘Will’ cannot be used as this is neither a spontaneous decision nor a
prediction.
3. The student doesn’t realise that ‘going to’ must be used for intentions. Clearly if you are holding a bucket and
sponge and heading towards the garage then you intend to wash the car.
4. One cannot pre-arrange or organise rain in advance. Therefore, it must be a prediction. The speaker would
probably choose ‘going to’ in this case with the forecast as evidence. The forecasters themselves would
probably use ‘will’ as they base their predictions on their knowledge of weather patterns (or maybe just
guesswork.)
5. The student doesn’t know that ‘will’ is used for decisions made at the moment of speaking. As the speaker
had forgotten all about the phone-call, she cannot be speaking of a planned event, nor an intention.
6. The student doesn’t realise that the force of this sentence is quite different from what is intended. (This
sounds either rude, aggressive or threatening.) If he knows today that he won’t be here tomorrow, then
obviously it is a pre-arranged event and requires the present continuous.
7. The speaker is clearly making a decision at the moment of speaking; he cannot have planned to give the other
person a lift as he didn’t know about the problem until now. The student must use ‘will’.
8. The size of Sandra’s stomach is the present evidence on which to base a prediction so the student must use
‘going to’. Alternatively the student could use ‘is having another baby’ but this would not be a future use of
the present continuous; it would be describing the situation at the moment.

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PREDICTIONS WITH ‘WILL’ AND ‘GOING TO ’ CONTRASTED (Page 21)
1. I can see another car coming straight at us on the wrong side of the road. We are going too fast to stop.
2. I know he’s not a very good driver and I believe he’s had several accidents already.
3. I can see that she’s pregnant.
4. I know Sally loves children, she’s been happily married for a couple of years and they both want kids.
5. It’s June and the weather is often nice in June and I have a feeling that it will stay nice.
6. We can plan our picnic as I’ve checked the weather maps and there’s definitively no change from today.
7. I told him to ring the bell so I’m sure that’s what he’ll do.
8. He’s not a stupid man and I’m pretty sure he wouldn’t stand outside waiting.

CORRECT TENSE AND WHY

1. I’m having dinner.
Present continuous used for future arrangements.
2. They’ll find the murderer.
Prediction based on my opinion of police ability to solve crimes perhaps.
3. I’m going to faint.
Prediction based on present evidence – i.e. I feel dreadful. NOTE the ludicrous nature of the sentence if the
student wrongly chooses ‘will’. It sounds like a spontaneous decision – Oh what a good idea – I’ll faint.
4. I’ll give him the keys.
Decision at the moment of speaking – can’t have planned as he has just only been talked into it.
5. I’m going to jump.
That is clearly my intention if I have taken the trouble to climb to the top of the tower.
6. Is leaving or leaves.
Either a timetable or alternatively organised event in my mind.
7. I’ll send her.
Spontaneous decision at the moment of speaking – didn’t know she was in hospital before this.
8. I’ll give you a lift.
As the above speaker didn’t know Mary was leaving until this moment.

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Modal Auxiliaries (Page 23)
1. i 9. d
2. n 10. o (b)
3. g (h) 11. h (g)
4. k 12. j
5. b (o) 13. e
6. l 14. f
7. c 15. m
8. a

Conditionals (Pages 24-25)

2. Conditional Numbers
Zero 2, 6,
First 3, 8,
Second 5, 9, 11
Third 4, 10, 12
Mixed 1, 7,

3. The comma is only used if the ‘if’ clause begins the sentence.

4. Conditional Function
Zero general or universal truths
First possible future situations conditions which must happen so that something else can
Second unlikely/improbable future or imaginary/untrue present or future situations
Third unreal past events
Mixed unreal past events with unreal present consequences

Conditionals (Page 5)
Structure Time Reference
1. present simple, will + base form future, future
2. past simple, would + base form future, future
3. past perfect, would + have + past participle past, past
4. past perfect, would + base form past, present

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Passive Voice (Pages 26-27)

1. Be + past participle

2. Tense Active Passive

present simple paints is painted
past simple painted was painted
present continuous is painting is being painted
past continuous was painting was being painted
present perfect has painted has been painted
past perfect had painted had been painted
modals can paint will paint
must paint can be painted
will be painted must be painted

3. a. The letter will be sent tomorrow.

b. This room is cleaned every morning.
c. My car has been stolen.
d. My car is being serviced today.

Passive Voice (Pages 26-27)

Task 1
1. b
2. b/c
3. c
4. a
5. d
6. e

Task 2
a) This shirt must be washed in cold water.
b) The 8.17 to King’s Cross has been cancelled.
c) Complaints can be lodged at reception.
d) The interview was recorded in front of an audience.
e) This product should be refrigerated after opening.

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Pronunciation: Word Stress (Page 29)

technology domineering republic

family February armchair

various reality radiator introduce

detective understand unique camera

Pronunciation: Sounds (Pages 30-31)

1. d 2. b 3. e 4. a 5. g 6.h 7. c 8. f
⍀
1 /ɔ:/ 2 /u:/ 3/ / 4 /aɪ/ 5 /eɪ/

6 /i:/ 7 /ɘ⍀/ 8 /eə/

Spelling and Punctuation (Page 31)

1. practice (practise = verb / practice = noun)
2. auxiliary / English (with a capital E)
3. its (the possessive does not have an apostrophe)
4. maths / geography
5. French (with a capital F) / pronunciation
6. The course is extremely intensive. However, it’s ___________.
7. nurse (no capital) / patients (no apostrophe for plurals)
8. grammar
9. I was very nervous going into this class. It was _______________.
10. whose (not who’s which means who is or who has)
11. careful / lose

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Notes

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