GRAMMARREFERENCE

SECTION

Providedthat.Providingthat.AslongasSo
longas
Iwish...Ifonly...!It'stime...
Hadbetterdo...
Theactiveandpassivevoice
Must/Mustn'tHaveto/Don'tHaveto

Providedthat.Providing that.As longasSolongas

1Thelinkwordsaboveintroducecondition.Theymeanthesameas
butonlyiforifandonlyif
Examples:
Provided/providing(that)youworkharder,youwillpassyour
exam.Or
*Youwillpassyourexamprovided/providing(that)youwork
harder.
*(Youwillpassbutonlyifyouworkharder)
Aslongas/solongasshestudiesharder,shewillpassthe
exam.Or
*Shewillpasstheexamsolongas/aslongassheworksharder.
(Shewillpasstheexambutonlyifsheworksharder)

2Tenseagreementincomplexsentenceswithaslongas/solongas
and provided (that)/providing (that) are the same as in complex
sentenceswithifconditional(type1).Whenyouaretalkingaboutthe
future,donotusewill.Usethepresentsimpletenseinstead.
Examples:
Providedthatyouleavenow,youwillarriveatschool
ontime.
Providedthat+presentsimple,+Will(FutureSimple)

Iwish...Ifonly...!It'stime...

Iwish...

1Weusewish+pastsimpletoexpressaregretaboutapresent
situationbyimaginingitsopposite.
Examples:
*IwishIcouldplaytheflute.(butIcant)
*Iwishyouwerehere.(butyouarenothere)
*IwishIwasonholidaynow.(butImnot)
*IwishIhadacar.(butIhaventgotone)

*Thepastsimplereferstothepresent.AsinIfconditional(type2),

wereisoftenusedinsteadofwasinthefirstandsecondperson
singular,especiallyinformalEnglish.
Example:
*Iwishhewerewithmenow.

2Weusewish+wouldtoexpressadesireforchangeinthenear
future,especiallywhensomeoneorsomethingisannoyingus.
Examples:
*Iwishyouwouldstoptalking.(Thisisamildcommand)
*Iwishyouwouldntwearthatuglyshirt.

Wishaboutourselvescannotbeexpressedwithwould.We
mustusecouldinstead.
Example:
*IwishIcouldloseweight.

3 Weusewish+thepastperfecttoexpressregretaboutsomething
inthepast.
Examples:
*IwishIhadbeenonholidaylastJuly.(butIwasnt)
*IwishIhadlistenedtoyouradviceyesterday.(butI
didnt)

Ifonly...!

*Wecanuseifonlyinsteadofwishtoexpressastrongerfeelingof

regretorastrongerwish.
Examples:
*IfonlyIhadlistenedtoyourmothersadvice!
*IfonlyIcouldloseweight!
*Ifonlyhewouldntwearthatuglyshirt!

It'stime...

*WhenyousayItstime(forsomeone)todosomething,yousimply

implythatthisistherighttimetodoit.
Examples:
*Its(high/about)timeforustogotothestation.

*ButwhenyousayItstimesomeonedidsomething,youareinfact

thinkingthatthisactionshouldhavebeenperformedearlier,youare
complainingaboutthedelay.

Examples:
*Whyareyoustillinbed?Its(high/about)timeyou
gotup.
*Wethinkitstimethegovernmentdidsomething
aboutcorruption.

*Whenyouwanttomakethecomplaintorcriticismstronger,you

sayItshightimesomeonedidsomething.
Example:
*ItshightimeHassibadidsomeworkforherfinal
exam.

*Themeaningofhadbetter(dbetter)isthesameasthatof

Hadbetterdo...

should/oughtto.Whenyoutellyourfriends/hedbetterdosomething,
youadviseher/himtodoitbecauseyouthinkthatsomethingbadmight
happenifs/hedoesntdoit.
Examples:
hadbetterworkharder;otherwiseyou
Youmightfailyourexam.
dbetterworkharder;otherwiseyoumight
failyourexam.

hadbetterphonemymothernow;she
ImightgetupsetifIdont
dbetterphonemymothernow;shemight
getupsetifIdont

*Thenegativeformis:hadbetternot

dbetternot
Examples:
*Youlooksick.Youdbetternotgotoschool
today.
*Areyougoingoutthisevening?
*Idbetternot.Ivegotaterriblecold.

Even though we use the past (had), the meaning is always

present or future. You will also notice that had better /d better is
alwaysfollowedbytheinfinitivewithoutto.

Theactiveand passivevoice

Voiceisagrammaticalcategory.Itexpresseswhetherthesubjectof
theverbistheagentoftheaction(theactivevoice)orwhetherthe
subjectoftheverbistheobjectoftheaction(thepassivevoice).
InthesentenceAlotofchemicalindustriespollutetherivers,theverb
(pollute)isintheactive.
IfyousayTheriversarepollutedbyalotofchemicalindustries,the
verb(arepolluted)isinthepassive.Youcanusethepassiveonlywith
transitiveverbs.

Forms:Howtochangetheactivevoicetothepassiveone.
A.Affirmative
PastSimplePresentPerfect
SubjectVerbObjectSubjectVerbObject
Theplantreleasedoxygen/Theplanthasreleasedoxygen

SubjectVerbAgentSubjectVerbAgent

OxygenwasreleasedbytheplantOxygenhasbeenreleasedby
theplant

PresentsimpleFuturesimple
SubjectVerbObjectSubjectVerbObject
Theplantreleasesoxygen/Theplantwillreleaseoxygen

SubjectVerbAgentSubjectVerbAgent
Oxygenisreleasedbytheplant/Oxygenwillbereleasedbythe
plant

Modals
SubjectVerbObject
Wemust/can/could/maymight/conserveourresources

SubjectVerbAgent
Ourresourcesmust/can/could/maybyus.
mightbeconserved

Whenweturnanaffirmativeactivesentenceintoapassiveone,we
gothroughimportantsteps:
1.Movethesubjectoftheactiveverbtotheendofthesentence,and
putbyinfrontofit.
2.Movetheobjectoftheactiveverbtothefrontofthesentence,so
thatitbecomesthepassivesubject.
3.Turntheverbfromactivetopassive.Youdothisbyaddingaformof
theauxiliaryverbbeandthepastparticipleoftheverb.


B.Interrogative
Wh
Auxiliary
Agent
When
was

Who
hasbeen
How
Where

What

is
will

Should
Must
Canbe
could
Was

Has

Is

Will

Subject
theKyoto
Protocol

Signed?

oxygen
theconference
onglobal
Warming

thetreatyongas
emissions
thetreatyonoil
shipping
theAmazon
rainforest
thenext
conference

Verb

arrestedbythe
police?
produced?
beheld?

donetoprotect
the
environment?

signedbyall
countries?
been signedbyallthe
parties?

protectedby
the
government?
be
heldinAlgeria?

Uses:
***Weusethepassivevoicewhen:
a.wefocusontheactionratherthantheperformer/doerofthe
action.
e.g.,Thenextmeetingontheconservationofanimalspecieswillbeheld
inAlgiers.
b.describingaprocessorhowsomethingworks.

e.g.Carbondioxideisabsorbedandoxygenisreleasedbytheplant
duringtheday.Atnighttheprocessisreversed.
c.theperformeroftheactionisunknown,uninteresting,unimportant
orobvious.
e.g.Thousandsofacresofforesttreeswereburned.
e.g.TheworldsfirstgeothermalplantwasbuiltinItalyin1904.
d.wewanttoavoidbeginningasentencewithacomplexsubject.
e.g.Timbercompanieswhichlookforeasymoneyfellmosttrees.
MosttreesarefelledbyTimbercompanieswhichlookforeasy
money.
Note:Whenwewanttosaywhodoestheactionoftheverbinapassive
sentence,weusebyandsaywhodoesit.
e.g.Thefirewasstartedbychildrenwhowerehikingintheforest.

Must/Mustn'tHaveto /Don't Haveto

MUSTHAVETO=Obligation/Necessity
Weusemust+verbandhaveto+verbwhenwesayitisnecessarytodo
somethingortoexpressobligation.
Examples:
*InEngland,youmustdriveontheleft,butinAlgeria,youmustdrive
ontheright.
*Petermustcleanhisparentscarbeforetheygivehimanypocket
money.
*IhavetogivethebookbacktothelibraryonTuesday.
*Togettoschoolontime,Ihavetoleavehomeby7.30.

MUSTNT=Prohibition
Weusemustnt+verbtosaythatsomethingisnotallowed.
Examples:
*Youmustntdrivefasthere.Theroadsignsaysthatthespeedlimitis
50kmsperhour.

*Wemustntwalkonthegrasshere.Itsforbidden.

DONTHAVETO=Absenceofobligation
Weusedonthavetosaysomethingisnotnecessary.
Examples:
*Youdonthavetodothisexercise.Itsoptional.
*YoudonthavetogotoEnglandtolearnEnglish.