Grammar Guide

Inglés 5
Núcleo de Idiomas
Contenido
Unit 1: Present Tense Review ............................................................................................................. 2
Unit 2: Review of Future Tenses ......................................................................................................... 9
Unit 3: Conjunctions for Cause and Effect ........................................................................................ 11
Unit 4: Comparatives and Superlatives ............................................................................................. 14
Unit 7: The Present Perfect Progressive............................................................................................ 18
Unit 9: Used to .................................................................................................................................. 20
Unit 11: Modals of Necessity ............................................................................................................ 22
Unit 12: Second Conditional.............................................................................................................. 24
Key/Respuestas ................................................................................................................................. 26
Referencias bibliográficas ................................................................................................................. 28

Para mayor ayuda, puedes usar el diccionario Cambridge online:

http://dictionary.cambridge.org

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Unit 1: Present Tense Review

Present Simple
We use the present simple:
● to say when things happen if they take place regularly:
e.g. They eat lunch at two o’clock.
● to talk about permanent situations:
e.g. I work in London.
● to state general truths:
e.g. Those bags sell really fast.
The moon goes round the earth.
● to talk about habits and how often they happen:
e.g. You buy new clothes every Saturday.
● to describe the plots of books and films:
e.g. The story begins and ends in Spain. The year is 1937.

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Present Continuous
We use the present continuous:

● to talk about the present moment:

e.g. I’m wearing a pair of old jeans.

I’m looking at a blue bag right now.

● to suggest that an action is temporary, often with words like now, at the moment, at present or
just:

e.g. They’re eating lunch at the moment.

I’m working in London this week. (= I don’t usually work in London)

● for an action around the time of speaking, which has begun but is not finished:

e.g. I’m cleaning my room.

I’m looking round the shops. (Millie isn’t looking round at this moment – she has
stopped to talk to Lisa –but she plans to continue looking round later.)

● for changing or developing situations:

e.g. Navy blue bags are getting really fashionable.

The Earth’s temperature is rising.

● with a word like always or continually if we want to criticize or complain:

e.g. You’re always buying new clothes! (= you buy too many)

He’s always complaining about things.

● with always when something unexpected happens several times:

e.g. I’m always meeting my neighbor John near the station. I guess he works
somewhere near there.

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Exercise 1

Complete these sentences with the present simple or present continuous form of the verbs.

0. My father knows (know) all about mending cars, but nothing about bicycles.

1. This pie ______________ (smell) a bit odd. What’s in it?

2. I _____________ (like) the jacket of this suit, but unfortunately the trousers

______________ (not fit) me anymore.

3. You’re very quiet this evening. What ______________ (you / think) about?

4. Who _______________ (be) that man? Why ________________ (your sister / be) so

rude to him? She ______________ (have) such beautiful manners normally.

Past Tense Review

Past Simple
• We use the simple past to talk about completed actions and events in the past. We often
include a time phrase (yesterday, last year, etc.).

e.g. She lived in Los Angeles when she was in college.

They started a new company a couple of months ago.

I worked in Seoul last year.

I learned a lot about ways to reduce pollution at the workshop last week.

• To form negative sentences and questions in the simple past, we use did/didn’t + the
main verb.

e.g. I didn’t know so much food was wasted.

Did you see the presentation on solar energy?

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Past Continuous
We use the past continuous to:

• talk about something that continued before and after another action.

e.g. I was watching TV when she called.

We were studying ways to help the environment.

• show that something continued for some time.

e.g. I was living in Los Angeles.

• talk about past trends

e.g. The number of volunteers was increasing.

• To form negative sentences and questions in the past continuous, we use was/weren’t
+ the main verb with -ing.

e.g. He wasn’t working last weekend.

They weren’t studying when I arrived.

Were you helping out this morning?

Were they volunteering last Sunday?

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Past Simple Vs Past Continuous

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Exercise 2

Choose the correct answer.

1. I heard a knock at the front door so I (went / was going) to answer it.

2. At this time yesterday, I (wrote / was writing) an essay.

3. The football season (began / was beginning) a month ago.

4. She (had graduated / graduated) from school in 2001.

5. We entered the house quietly because everyone (was sleeping / had slept).

6. The children (were playing / played) in the garden while their parents were watching
them.

Present Perfect
We use the present perfect to:

• talk about experiences or things that happened at an unspecified time in the past.

e.g. He has been to many countries.

• show that something is important in the present.

e.g. The Internet has made a huge difference in how we get information.

• show that something continues up to the present.

e.g. They have lived in Tokyo for nine years.

Cell phones have changed how we keep in touch.

He has spent the past two days collecting trash for recycling.
+
They haven’t met the other volunteers yet.
- She hasn’t worked for a charity before.

Have you ever done any volunteer work?

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 Has he received the letter we sent?
?
Exercise 3

Complete the sentences with the PRESENT SIMPLE, PRESENT PROGRESSIVE or PRESENT PERFECT
SIMPLE form of the world in the box.

THINK - SEE - TASTE - LOOK

1. I _______________ The Killers on Wednesday- I can't wait.

2. What ____________ you ______________ of the new song by Adele?

3. _____________ you _______________ what I mean?

4. I _____________ fish and chips before, but I don't like them.

5. I _____________ never _____________ Snow Patrol perform live, although I'd

love to.

6. The ice cream _______________ fantastic.

7. I _______________________ for my coat, but I can’t find it.

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 Unit 2: Review of Future Tenses

Will and going to

will + base form am/is/are + going to+ base form

 We use will to make predictions about the
future that we are certain about.
e.g. I’m sure machines will replace people in
most jobs.
 We form negative sentences with won’t (= will
not).
e.g. There won’t be many people without
access to the Internet in a few years.
 We can also use going to to make
predictions about the future. The meaning in
most cases is the same as using will or
won’t.
e.g. Connected devices are going to be
everywhere in a few years.

Exercise 4
Put in ‘will’ or ‘be going to’:
1. A: We don’t have any bread.

B: I know. I __________________ get some from the shop.

2. A: Oh no! I don’t have any eggs for the omelette.

B: Really? Don’t worry. I _______________________ go to the supermarket.

3. A: Why do you need my car?

B: I ____________________________ pick up my sister from the airport.

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4. A: So, what are your plans for next weekend?

B: We ________________________ visit my mother in Valparaiso.

5. A: Are you going to the barbecue tonight?

B: Yes. If you go I ___________________________ give you a lift.

6. A: What are her plans after she leaves university?

B: She _____________________________ work in a school in Arica.

7. (Knocking at the door) A: I ________________________ get it!

8. A: Are you ready to order?

B: Erm… I think I _________________________ have the fish and chips, please.

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Unit 3: Conjunctions for Cause and Effect
 Introduce an effect:

e.g. Diabetes is a preventable disease, so it’s important to have a healthy lifestyle to

avoid it.

 Introduce a cause:

e.g. A lot of people use health and fitness wearables because they want to monitor
their activity.

Many governments are spending more on health care due to aging populations.

You should exercise for at least 150 minutes a week as it has multiple health
benefits.

As a result of early treatment, the patient made a full recovery.

Because of improvements in medical technology, cancer survival rates have

increased.

We use the words so, because, due to, as, as a result of, and because of to link two parts of a
sentence. All these words except so introduce a cause.

Other common linking words are owing to and since. They both introduce a cause.

• Owing to has a similar meaning to due to, as a result of, and because of.

e. g. Owing to the heavy traffic, the doctor was late.

• Since has a similar meaning to because.

e.g. He was told by his doctor to cut down on red meat, since too much of it
can lead to heart disease.

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How to Use Transition Words & Commas

If the transition word comes at the beginning of the sentence, we use a comma; otherwise, we do
not.

Examples:

Because it was sunny, we went to the beach → We went to the beach because it was sunny.

Since it was raining, we stayed home. → We stayed home since it was raining.

As I was late, I didn’t eat breakfast. → I didn’t eat breakfast as I was late.

Due to the traffic, we were late. → We were late due to the traffic.

Because of the traffic, we were late. → We were late because of the traffic.

Exercise 5
Combine the two sentences using an appropriate transition word or phrase. Do not
repeat transition words or phrases! Each one may only be used once!

Due to As a result Because As Because of Since

0. He can’t eat eggs. He has high cholesterol.

He can’t eat eggs since he has high cholesterol.

1. We stayed inside. There was a tropical storm.

________________________________________________________________________________

2. Tracy failed the exam. She didn’t study.

________________________________________________________________________________

3. Dave had a car accident. The slippery road.

________________________________________________________________________________

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4. The match was postponed. Heavy rain.

________________________________________________________________________________

5. My flight was delayed. I didn’t make it home in time for the wedding.

________________________________________________________________________________

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Unit 4: Comparatives and Superlatives

Comparative adjectives

Comparative adjectives are used to compare differences between the two objects they modify
(larger, smaller, faster, higher). They are used in sentences where two nouns are compared, in this
pattern:

Noun (subject) + verb + comparative adjective + than + noun (object).

The second item of comparison can be omitted if it is clear from the context (final example below).

EXAMPLES

 My house is larger than hers.

 This box is smaller than the one I lost.
 Your dog runs faster than Jim's dog.
 The rock flew higher than the roof.
 Jim and Jack are both my friends, but I like Jack better. ("than Jim" is understood)

Superlative adjectives
Superlative adjectives are used to describe an object which is at the upper or lower limit of a
quality (the tallest, the smallest, the fastest, the highest). They are used in sentences where a
subject is compared to a group of objects.

Noun (subject) + verb + the + superlative adjective + noun (object).

The group that is being compared with can be omitted if it is clear from the context (final example
below).

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EXAMPLES

 My house is the largest one in our neighborhood.

 This is the smallest box I've ever seen.
 Your dog ran the fastest of any dog in the race.
 We all threw our rocks at the same time. My rock flew the highest. ("of all the rocks" is
understood)

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Exercise 6

Complete the sentences with the correct form of the adjective in brackets:

0. Carol is as good (good) as you at sport.

1. We like wearing the ________________ (late) fashion.

2. These trousers are ____________________ (comfortable) than those jeans.

3. She is ______________________ (happy) now than he was last year.

4. You are the ________________________ (pretty) girl in class.

5. My grandma is _______________________ (old) than my grandpa.

6. The red dress is the ______________________ (attractive) in the shop.

7. I always tell the _______________________ (fun) jokes.

8. Your hair is ____________________ (curly) than my hair.

9. My hair is ______________________ (short) than yours.

10. Mary is as ______________________ (tall) as Henry now.

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Unit 7: The Present Perfect Progressive
We use the present perfect progressive to talk about:

 The duration of an action that started in the past and is continuing now.

e.g. They have been arguing about this for three hours / since 2 p.m.

 How someone has spent their time recently.

e.g. My friends have been chatting all evening.

 We form the present perfect progressive with have/ has + been + -ing.
 We use for to introduce the duration of an event or action and since to say when the
event/action began.
 Stative verbs are used to express a state, rather than an action. We don’t use these verbs
with the progressive form.
e.g. She has always believed that migrants contribute greatly to society.

Stative verbs:

believe know like

belong hate recognize

Forming Present Perfect Continuous Tense.

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Exercise 7
Complete the following sentences using the present perfect continuous tense form of the verbs
in brackets.

0. Mrs. Rose has been teaching (teach) English for ten years.

1. Her grandma ________________ (talk) for three hours.

2. A little boy _______________ (stand) at the door since noon.

3. I want to help Kelly. She ______________ (not work) for months.

4. Those strange men _______________ (follow) us for hours.

5. The baby ________________ (cry) for fifteen minutes.

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Unit 9: Used to
• We use used to to talk about habits or states that took place in the past but do not happen or
exist now.

e.g. I used to work as a dictionary editor, but now I write novels.

• We can also use would to talk about the past. In such cases, it has a similar meaning to used to.

e.g. When I was studying Spanish, I would write down a few new words to learn every
day.

I used to write letters to my friends.

+ He used to look up words he didn’t know in the dictionary.
Cell phones didn’t use to be small and light.
- English didn’t use to be a global language.
When did people use to use the word groovy?
? Did your teacher use to encourage you to keep a journal?

Exercise 8
Choose the correct words to complete each sentence.

1. Why did people _______________ mend their clothes?

a) used to b) use to c) didn’t used to

2. I _______________ like watching football, but now I do.

a) used to b) use to c) didn’t use to

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3. What did you _______________ like doing when you were young?

a) used to b) use to c) didn’t use to

4 John _______________ like Mary, but now he doesn’t.

a) used to b) use to c) didn’t use to

5 People _______________ produce as much rubbish as we do nowadays.

a) used to b) use to c) didn’t use to

6 Did you _______________ collect anything when you were young?

a) used to b) use to c) didn’t use to

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Unit 11: Modals of Necessity
 We use must, have to, and need to to say that something is necessary. We often use
must and have to to talk about rules.
 We use mustn’t to talk about things that are not permitted, when there is an obligation
not to do them.
 We use don’t have to and don’t need to to say something is not necessary, or there is no
obligation to do something.
 We use should and shouldn’t to give advice or to make a recommendation about what is
the right or wrong thing to do.
You must be flexible to be a good leader.

MUST If you want to succeed, you mustn’t give up.

Companies have to accept that failure is often a necessary part of business.

You don’t have to have a degree to start your own business.
HAVE TO

You need to take risks sometimes to grow your business.

People don’t need to be ruthless to get to the top.
NEED TO

Businesses should aim to give customers something exciting and new.

Leaders shouldn’t forget that employee job satisfaction is very important for success.
SHOULD

Exercise 9

Rewrite these sentences using a modal (obligation / absence of obligation/ prohibition).

1. It's not necessary to go to school on Saturdays.

You ........................................................................................................................................

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2. It's obligatory for all drivers to have a driving license.

All drivers.................................................................................................................................

3. It's compulsory for Peter to learn Spanish.

Peter ........................................................................................................................................

4. It's not obligatory for customers to go on the trips organized by the hotel.

Customers ...............................................................................................................................

5. Passengers aren't allowed to smoke in this compartment.

Passengers ...............................................................................................................................

6. It’s necessary to book in advance.

You ..............................................................................................................................................

7. It's essential to have a visa to travel to India.

You ................................................................................................................................................

8. It's not necessary for you to shout. I can hear you perfectly well.

You ................................................................................................................................................

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Unit 12: Second Conditional
We use the second conditional to:
 talk about situations that are imaginary or not probable.
e.g. If I had my own gym, I would use it every day.
 give advice (with were)
e.g. If I were you, I would exercise more.
 talk about hypothetical outcomes with no if-clause.
e.g. Getting more sleep would be good.

We form the second conditional using:

If + simple past, would + infinitive (without to)

if-clause main clause

If + simple past would + infinitive (without to)

 We can use if in two positions: if-clause first or main clause first. When the if-clause is at

the beginning of the sentence, we use a comma to separate it from the main clause.

e.g. If I ate less fast food, I would lose weight.

I would lose weight if I ate less fast food.

EXAMPLES:

If workdays were shorter, I would have more time to relax.

If I had more time, I would go to the gym.

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 If I could do any job, I would be a dance instructor.

If she lived by the sea, she would go for a swim every day.

Eating more fruits and vegetables would help.

Exercise 10
Write sentences using the prompts.

0. I / win €1 million / go on holiday

If I won €1 million, I would go on holiday.

1. I / be a millionaire / travel around the world

_______________________________________________________

2. We / live in Europe / visit a different country every year

_______________________________________________________

3. He / save money for a year / have enough money for a new car

_______________________________________________________

4. I open my own restaurant / I be a chef

I’d ________________________________________________________

5. You / come to visit me / show you my new country house

_________________________________________________________

6. I / be so much happier / you be here (*)

I’d _________________________________________________________

7. I / sleep more hours / feel much better

__________________________________________________________

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Key/Respuestas
Exercise 1
1. smells2. Like / don’t fit 3. Are you thinking 4. Is / is you sister / has

Exercise 2
1. went 2. Was writing 3. began 4. graduated 5. Was sleeping
6. were playing

Exercise 3
1. Haven’t seen 2. Do you think 3. Do you see 4. Have tasted
5. have never seen 6. Tastes 7. Am looking

Exercise 4
1. will 2. will 3. ‘m going to 4. ‘re going to 5. Will 6. ‘s going to 7. Will 8. Will

Exercise 5
1. As/because 2. Because/as 3. Because of 4. Due to 5. As a result

Exercise 6
1. latest 2. More comfortable 3. Happier 4. Prettiest 5. Older
6. most attractive 7. Funniest 8. Curlier 9. Shorter 10. As tall as

Exercise 7
1. has been talking 2. Has been standing 3. Hasn’t been working
4. have been following 5. Has been crying

Exercise 8
1. B 2. C 3. B 4. A 5. C 6. B

Exercise 9
1. You don’t have to go to school on Saturdays
2. All drivers must have a driving licence
3. Peter has to learn Spanish
4. Customers don’ have to go on trips organized by the hotel
5. Passengers mustn’t smoke in this compartment
6. You need to book in advance
7. You need a visa to travel to India
8. You don’t have to shout. I can hear you perfectly well
Exercise 10

1. If I were a millionaire, I’d travel around the world.

2. If we lived in Europe, we’d visit a different country every year.

3. If he saved money for a year, he’d have enough money for a new car.

4. I’d open my own restaurant if I were a chef.

5. If you came to visit me, I’d show you my new country house.

6. I’d be so much happier if you were here.

7. If you slept more hours, you’d feel much better.

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Referencias bibliográficas
Adaptado de plataforma MyTimeEnglish http://myelt.heinle.com

Adaptado de Education First. Recuperado de http://www.ef.com/english-

resources/english-grammar/simple-present-tense en abril de 2017.

Adaptado de ejercicio de ingles.com Recuperado de

http://www.ejerciciodeingles.com/expresiones-cantidad-ingles-some-any en abril

de 2017.

Adaptado de Learn English Language. Recuperado de

http://www.englishlanguage.com/blog/aprenda-ingles/gramatica/preguntas-

informativas en abril de 2017.

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