ENGLISH ESSENTIALS is a concise guide to the basic rules of English grammar.

It is designed to serve as a handy reference to first year students. It covers the

fundamental rules and exceptions for parts of speech.
ENGLISH ESSENTIALS emphasizes the building blocks of language and their
grammatical functions. Examples show proper usage of each part of speech as well
as common grammatical errors to avoid.

To make things brighter, we use some pictures in this course, they can
be helpful to you:
 when we give examples. This way, you find them very easy!!

when we want to emphasize something important.

this announces a test paper!

announces the objectives of the chapter

ENJOY!
CHAPTER I. THE VERB

The first chapter, THE VERB gives special attention to verb forms and
tenses a subject that is often confusing. It has two subchapters, HELPING VERBS
and ACTION VERBS, accompanied by lots of examples and conjugations

A verb is a word that expresses action or otherwise helps to make a statement.

Verbs are divided into two main categories:

verbs of being or condition (helping verbs) (I1.) and action verbs (I2.)

Action verbs are the more common verbs, and they are easy to spot. Words such as
come, go and write are action verbs. Sometimes action verbs express an action that
cannot be seen: believe, remember, know, think and understand.

The four basic forms of a verb are called the principal parts of a verb.
The four principal parts of a verb are:
 The infinitive
 The present participle
 The past
 The past participle

Examples:
 I do my homework after supper. (short infinitive)
  I am doing my homework now. (present participle)
 I did my homework yesterday. (past)
 I have done my homework. (past participle)

The way a verb forms its past tense determines its classification as regular or
irregular.

A verb that forms its past and past participle forms by adding –d
and –ed to the first principal part (infinitive) is a regular verb.

Examples:

INFINITIVE PRESENT PAST PAST

PARTICIPLE PARTICIPLE
Use Using Used Used
Ask Asking Asked Asked
Suppose Supposing Supposed Supposed

You will observe that the present participle of many regular verbs ending in –e
drops the –e before adding –ing.

A verb that forms its past and past participle in some other way
than a regular verb is an irregular verb.
Irregular verbs form their past in past participle in various ways: by changing the
vowel, by changing consonants, by adding –en, or by making no change at all. For
irregular verbs, the past tense ending and the past participle ending is variable, so it
is necessary to learn them by heart.

Examples:

INFINITIVE PAST PAST PARTICIPLE

Begin Began Begun
Bring Brought Brought
Sit Sit Sit

I1. Helping Verbs (auxiliaries)

Helping verbs have no meaning on their own. They are necessary for the
grammatical structure of a sentence, but they do not tell us very much alone. We
usually use helping verbs with action verbs. They “help” the action verb (which
has the real meaning). There are only about 15 helping verbs in English, and we
divide them into two basic groups:

I1.1. Primary helping verbs (3 verbs)

These are the verbs be, do, and have. Note that we can use these three verbs as
helping verbs or as action verbs.
 be
 do
 have

I1.2. Modal helping verbs (10 verbs)

We use modal helping verbs to “modify” the meaning of the main verb in some
way. A modal helping verb expresses necessity or possibility, and changes the
action verb in that sense. These are the modal verbs:
 can, could
  may, might
 will, would,
 shall, should
 must
 ought to
I1.1.
THE VERB BE
 to make continuous tenses (He is watching TV.)
 to make the passive (Small fish are eaten by big fish.)

Present affirmative:

I am I’m
You are You’re
He, she, it is He’s, She’s, It’s
We are We’re
You are You’re
They are They’re

Present negative:

I am not I’m not I ain`t

You are not You’re not You aren’t
He, she, it is not He’s, She’s, It’s not He isn’t
We are not We’re not We aren’t
You are not You’re not You aren’t
They are not They’re not They aren’t

Present interrogative (Aff/Neg):

Am I (not)?
Are you (not)? / Aren’t you?
Is he (not)? / Isn’t he?
Are we (not)? / Aren’t we?
Are you (not)? / Aren’t you?
Are they (not)? / Aren’t they?

Past affirmative:

I was
You were
He, she, it was
We were
You were
They were

Past negative:

I was not I wasn’t

You were not You weren’t
He, she, it was not He, she , it wasn’t
We were not We weren’t
You were not You weren’t
They were not They weren’t

Past interrogative:

Was I (not)? / Wasn’t I?

Were you (not)? / Weren’t you?
Was he (not)? / Wasn’t he?
Were we/ you/ they (not)? / Weren’t we/ you/ they?

Present participle: being

Past participle: been

It can also be used to denote existence (there is, there are)

 Example:
 There is a book on the table.

As a full verb followed by an adjective:

Examples:
 I am happy.
 Peter is hungry.

THE VERB DO
 to make negatives (I do not like you.)
 to ask questions (Do you want some coffee?)
 to show emphasis (I do want you to pass your exam.)
 to stand for a main verb in some constructions (He speaks faster than she
does.)

Present affirmative:

I/you/we/they do
He, she, it does

Present negative:
I/you/we/they do not/ don’t
He, she, it does not/ doesn’t

Present interrogative:

Do/ Don’t I/ you/ we/ they?

Does/ Doesn’t he, she, it?

Past affirmative:

I/ you/ he/ we/ you/ they did

Past negative:

I/ you/ he/ we/ you/ they did not/ didn’t

Past interrogative (Aff/Neg):

Did/ Didn’t I/ you/ he/ we/ you/ they?

Present participle: doing

Past participle: done

 The verb DO is used as an auxiliary to form questions and negative statements

in the present simple and past simple. It is never used in wh- questions, or
yes- no questions.

Examples:
 Does he drink coffee?
  He didn’t drink any coffee.

 What happened?
 He wrote that? (Yes/No)

THE VERB HAVE

 to make perfect tenses (I have finished my homework.)

Present affirmative:

I/ you/ we/ they have

He, she, it has

Present negative:

I/ you/ we/ they have not/ haven’t

He, she, it has not/ hasn’t

Present interrogative:

Have/ Haven’t I/ you/ we/ they?

Has/ Hasn’t he, she, it?

Past affirmative:

I/ you/ he, she, it/ we/ you/ they had

Past negative:

I/ you/ he, she, it/ we/ you/ they had not/ hadn’t
Past interrogative:

Had/ Hadn’t I/ you/ he, she, it/ we/ they?

Present participle: having

Past participle: had

 As a full verb with the meaning “to posses” (have got).

Example:
You have a new car.

Note:
Have a look = look
Have a swim = swim
Have dreams = dream
I must have my hair cut. (Trebuie sa merg la tuns.)
He had his car repaired. (El si-a dat masina la reparat.)

I1.2.

What are Modal Verbs?

Modal verbs are special verbs which behave very differently from normal verbs.
Here are some important differences:
  Modal verbs do not have ‘to’ in the infinitive:
can, may, should, etc.
When we need to use this, the modal substitutes are used instead of the modals.

 Do not have all tense forms.

We use substitutes for the missing forms:
To be able to (for can)
To be allowed to, be permitted to (for may)
To have to (for must)
To want to (for will), etc

 Modals are followed by a short infinitive:

Mary can swim.

 They form the negative by simply adding the negation ‘not’:

Mary cannot swim.

 Modals form the interrogative by inversion:

May I come in?

 Do not get ‘-s’ in the third person singular indicative present:

Tom must be back before five o'clock.

Can
Can is one of the most commonly used modal verbs in English. It can be used to
express ability or opportunity, to request or offer permission, and to show
possibility or impossibility.
 Examples:
 I can ride a horse. ABILITY
 We can stay with my brother when we are in Bucharest. OPPORTUNITY
 She cannot stay out after 11. PM. PERMISSION
 Can you hand me the salt? REQUEST
 Any child can grow up to be president. POSSIBILITY

Could
Could is used to express possibility or past ability as well as to make suggestions
and requests. Could is also commonly used in conditional sentences as the
conditional form of can.

Examples:
 Extreme rain could cause the river to flood the city. POSSIBILITY
 She could swim like a pro by the age of 11. PAST ABILITY
 Tom could see a movie or go out to dinner. SUGGESTION
 Could I use your computer to email my boy friend? REQUEST
 We could go on the trip if I didn't have to work this weekend. CONDITIONAL

May
May is most commonly used to express possibility. It can also be used to give or
request permission, although this usage is becoming less common.
 Examples:
 Clare may be at home, or perhaps at work. POSSIBILITY
 Johnny, you may leave the table when you have finished your dinner. GIVE
PERMISSION
 May I use your bathroom? REQUEST PERMISSION

Might
Might is most commonly used to express possibility. It is also often used in
conditional sentences. English speakers can also use might to make suggestions or
requests, although this is less common in American English.

Examples:
 Your purse might be in the car. POSSIBILITY
 If I didn't have to study, I might go with you. CONDITIONAL
 You might visit the botanical gardens during your visit. SUGGESTION
 Might I borrow your pen? REQUEST

Must
Must is most commonly used to express certainty. It can also be used to express
necessity or strong recommendation, although native speakers prefer the more
flexible form have to. Must not can be used to prohibit actions, but this sounds
very severe; speakers prefer to use softer modal verbs such as should not or ought
not to dissuade rather than prohibit.
 Examples:
 This must be the right address! CERTAINTY
 Students must pass an entrance examination to study at this school.
NECESSITY
 You must take some medicine for that cough. STRONG RECOMMENDATION
 Children, you must not play in the street! PROHIBITION

Have To

Have to is used to express certainty, necessity, and obligation.

Examples:
 This answer has to be correct. CERTAINTY
 The soup has to be stirred continuously to prevent burning. NECESSITY
 They have to leave early. OBLIGATION

Ought To
Ought to is used to advise or make recommendations. Ought to also expresses
assumption or expectation as well as strong probability, often with the idea that
something is deserved. Ought not (without to) is used to advise against doing
something, although Americans prefer the less formal forms should not or had
better not.
 Examples:
 You ought to stop smoking. RECOMMENDATION
 Jim ought to get the promotion. IT IS EXPECTED BECAUSE HE DESERVES IT.
 This stock ought to increase in value. PROBABILITY
 Mark ought not drink so much. ADVICE AGAINST SOMETHING (NOTICE THERE
IS NO "TO")

Note: Ought not

Remember that ought to loses the to in the negative. Instead of ought not to, we
say ought not.

Examples:
 You ought not smoke so much.
 She ought not take such risks while skating.
 They ought not carry so much cash while traveling.

Shall
Shall is used to indicate future action. It is most commonly used in sentences with
I or we, and is often found in suggestions, such as Shall we go? Shall is also
frequently used in promises or voluntary actions. In formal English, the use of
shall to describe future events often expresses inevitability or predestination. Shall
is much more commonly heard in British English than in American English;
Americans prefer to use other forms, although they do sometimes use shall in
suggestions or formalized language.
 Examples:
 Shall I help you? SUGGESTION
 I shall never forget where I came from. PROMISE
 He shall become our next king. PREDESTINATION
 I'm afraid Mr. Smith shall become our new director. INEVITABILITY

Should
Should is most commonly used to make recommendations or give advice. It can
also be used to express obligation as well as expectation.

Examples:
 When you go to Rome, you should visit the Vatican. RECOMMENDATION
 You should focus more on school and less on your friends. ADVICE
 I really should be in the office by 7:00 AM. OBLIGATION
 Tom should be here by now. EXPECTATION

Will

Will is used with promises or voluntary actions that take place in the future. Will
can also be used to make predictions about the future.

Examples:
 I promise that I will write you every single day. PROMISE
 I will make dinner tonight. VOLUNTARY ACTION
 He thinks it will rain tomorrow. PREDICTION
Would
Would is most commonly used to create conditional verb forms. It also serves as
the past form of the modal verb will. Additionally, would can indicate repetition in
the past.

Examples:
 If he were an actor, he would be in adventure movies. CONDITIONAL
 I knew that she would be a very successful model. PAST OF “WILL”
 When they had a dog, they would always take him for long walks.
REPETITION

I2. Action Verbs

Action verbs are the more common verbs, and they are easy to spot. Words such as
come, go and write are action verbs. Sometimes action verbs express an action that
cannot be seen: believe, remember, know, think and understand.

VERB TENSES- allow us to talk about time, to place an action or state

of being in the past, present or future. They also allow us to talk about intention,
what would, could or should be done.

Simple Present
FORM

AFFIRMATIVE
Short infinitive + s/ es in third person
Verbs ending in ‘-o’ add ‘es’:
to go => goes
to do => does

Verbs ending in ‘-y’ (if preceded by a consonant) change the ‘y’ into ‘i’ before
adding the ending ‘es :
to try => tries

Verbs ending in ‘-y’ (if preceded by a vowel) simply add the ending ‘s’:
to stay=> stays

Verbs ending in ‘x’, ‘s’, ‘ss’, ‘z’, ‘zz’, ‘sh’, ‘ch’ add 'es' to the infinitive in the
third person singular:
to wash => washes

NEGATIVE:

The negative form of the present simple is formed with the help of the verb to do
which is found in the short infinitive in all persons except the third person singular,
and the negation not:
do (does III) + not + short infinitiv

INTERROGATIVE:

The interrogative form of the present simple is formed according to the following
pattern: do (does III) + subject + short infinitive:

Examples:
 You speak English.
 Do you speak English?
 You do not speak English.
Present Continuous
FORM

AFFIRMATIVE
(am / is / are + present participle)
the present of the verb ‘to be’ + verb + ‘-ing’

Verbs ending in a consonant preceded by short stressed vowel double the

consonant before adding the ending. One-syllable verbs always double the end
consonant:
to sit => sitting

Two (or more)-syllable verbs double the end consonant only if the final syllable is
stressed:
to begin => beginning
but
to differ => differing, to refer => referring

Verbs ending in silent '-e' drop the '-e' before adding the ending '-ing':
to make => making

Verbs ending in ‘-y’ keep the 'y' when ‘-ing’ is added:

to try => trying

Verbs ending in ‘-ie’ change the ending into ‘-y’ when ‘-ing’ is added:
to lie => lying

Verbs ending in ‘-ic’ change ‘ic’ into ‘-ick’ before adding the ending ‘-ing’:
to picnic => picnicking

NEGATIVE:
the present of the verb ‘to be’ + NOT + short infinitive + ‘-ing’

INTERROGATIVE:
the present of the verb ‘to b’'+ SUBJECT + short infinitive + ‘-ing’:
 Examples:
 You are watching TV.
 Are you watching TV?
 You are not watching TV.

Simple Past
FORM
AFFIRMATIVE:
Short infinitive + ed or irregular verbs

The regular verbs form the past by adding the ending ‘-ed’ to the short
infinitive:
to happen => happened

Verbs ending in a consonant preceded by a short vowel double the consonant:

to stop => stopped

Verbs ending in '-y' preceded by a consonant change the ‘y’ into ‘i’:
to try => tried

Verbs ending in silent ‘-e’ drop the ‘e’ before the ending ‘-ed’ is added:
to live = lived

The negative and interrogative are formed with the help of the past tense form of to
do (did) both for regular and irregular verbs.
 ! ! BE CAREFUL, DO NOT PLACE AFTER ‘ DID’ THE
AFFIRMATIVE PAST FORM INSTEAD OF THE SHORT INFINITIVE.

NEGATIVE:
did + not + short infinitive of verb
.
INTERROGATIVE:
did + subject + short infinitive of verb

Examples:
 You called Susan.
 Did you call Susan? ( Did you called Susan?-not correct)
 You did not call Susan. (You did not called Susan.-not correct)

Past Continuous
FORM

AFFIRMATIVE
was/were + present participle
(past of the verb ‘to be’ + the short infinitive + ‚-ing’)

NEGATIVE:
past of the verb ‘to be’+ NOT+ the short infinitive +’-ing’

INTERROGATIVE:
past of the verb ‘to be’+ SUBJECT+ the short infinitive +’ –ing’
 Examples:
 You were writing when I called.
 Were you writing when I called?
 You were not writing when I called.

Simple Future
Simple Future has two different forms in English: will and be going to. Although
the two forms can sometimes be used interchangeably, they often express two very
different meanings. Both will and be going to refer to a specific time in the future.

FORM : Will/Shall
Although shall and particularly will are the closest approximation to a colorless,
neutral future, they do not form a future tense comparable to the present or past
tenses. They do simply refer to future time.

AFFIRMATIVE
shall/will + short infinitive
Shall/will may be abbreviated in the affirmative: ’ll:

NEGATIVE
shall/will + NOT + short infinitive
Shall/will may be abbreviated in the negative:
will not => won’t, shall not => shan’t

INTERROGATIVE
shall/will + SUBJECT + short infinitive
 Examples:
 You will come later.
 Will you come later?
 You will not come later.

FORM: Be Going To

AFFIRMATIVE:
the present simple of the verb ‘to be’ + going+ to +verb

NEGATIVE:
the present simple of the verb ‘to be’ +NOT+ going+ to +verb

INTERROGATIVE:
the present simple of the verb ‘to be +SUBJECT+ going+ to + verb

Examples:
 You are going to meet Susan tonight.
 Are you going to meet Susan tonight?
show TestResults
 You are not going to meet Susan tonight.
 TEST PAPER 1

1. We … from them for three months

a. heard
b. haven’t heard
c. didn’t hear
d. can hear
2. I think he … work harder
a. would
b. would have
c. should
d. may have
3. He … for the bus since 9 o’clock
a. waited
b. has been waiting
c. waits
d. can wait
4. There … an accident at the crossroads last week
a. was
 b. will be
c. has been
d. would be
5. The thief … climb the wall and he ran away
a. was able to
b. can
c. could have
d. might
6. What … on Sundays?
a. are you doing
b. do you do
c. do you
d. you are doing
7. By this time tomorrow I … finished my work
a. will
b. have
c. will have been
d. will have
8. How long ago … your house?
a. have you been buying
b. did you buy
c. have you had
d. have you bought
9. I wish they … me
a. knew
b. will know
c. would know
d. had known

10.She’d never have done that if …

a. she’s known
b. she’d known
c. she knew
d. she’ll know
11.I didn’t know when my parents … back
a. get
b. will get
c. would get
d. are getting
12.When Mr. Smith retired, he … for IBM for 15 years
 a. worked
b. was working
c. had been working
d. has been working
13.He … come with us if he doesn’t want to
a. needn’t
b. needs not
c. doesn’t need to
d. needs not to
14.We … here since January
a. lived
b. have been living
c. will live
d. are living
15.What … when I arrived ?
a. were you doing
b. have you done
c. did you do
d. have you been doing
16.Why did you walk there? I … you in my car
a. will have taken
b. could have taken
c. may take
d. will take
17.He looked at me and said: “ Let him …”
a. goes
b. to go
c. go
d. gone
18.Your friend Allan … upon us three days ago
a. had called
b. has called
c. was calling
d. called
19.When I got there, the play… already… .
a. has begun
b. was beginning
c. had begun
d. should begin
20. Tom told me she … for hours. Would she ever stop?.
 a. was talking
b. would talk
c. had been talking
d. is talking

TEST PAPER 2

1.You (nu e nevoie sa iei) those tablets so often.

SECTIA……………….
a. shouldn’t take
b. mustn’t take
c. needn’t take
d. aren’t allowed to take
2.Frank (se poate sa nu fi vazut) “Sherlock Holmes” while he was in London.
a. might not see
b. may not have seen
c. couldn’t see
d. couldn’t have seen
3.She said she (trebuia sa trimita) a telegram to her husband.
a. must have send
b. must send
c. had to send
d. had had to send
4.He told us that he (trebuie sa fi vazut) that film before.
a. had to see
b. had had to see
c. must see
d. must have seen
5.You (nu era nevoie sa irosesti ) so much time.
a. didn’t have to waste
b. needn’t have wasted
c. needn’t waste
d. shouldn’t have wasted
6.I’m sure we ( urmeaza sa asteptam) for them at the hotel.
a. have to wait
 b. are to wait
c. will have to wait
d. are have to wait
7.Kate (ar fi trebuit sa fie dusa) to hospital a long time ago.
a. ought to be taken
b. should have taken
c. should take
d. should have been taken
8.Tom (se poate sa nu fie nevoit sa schimbe) his job.
a. may not change
b. might not change
c. may not have to change
d. may not have had to change
9.I’m very sorry but (nu voi putea sa particip) the conference in Brussels.
a. am not able to attend
b. can’t attend
c. couldn’t attend
d. won’t be able to attend
10.Somebody (trebuie sa fi luat ) the keys , they aren’t here!
a. had to take
b. had to have taken
c. must have taken
d. may have taken
11.They ( se poate sa fi iesit) for a walk.
a. may go out
b. might go out
c. may have gone out
d. may have to go out
12.He (ar fi trebuit sa stea) in bed yesterday, but he went for a party instead. Now
he isn’t feeling well!
a. would have stayed
b. could have stayed
c. should have stayed
d. shouldn’t have stayed
13.They (ar fi putut sa obtina ) such information from the Embassy.
a. were able to get
b. could get
c. could have got
d. have been able to get
14.Professor Smith (nu se poate sa fi intarziat) for the lecture.
 a. wasn’t able to come late
b. might not come late
c. couldn’t have come late
d. might not have come late
15.What’s the matter with John? Is he still at work? No, he (nu se poate sa
lucreze ) at this time!
a. can’t work
b. can’t be working
c. isn’t able to work
d. isn’t able to be working
16.I’m afraid I (va trebui sa fiu de serviciu) next Sunday.
a. must be on duty
b. will be on duty
c. will have to be on duty
d. have to be on duty
17.She ( ar fi facut ) that favor for you!
a. may do
b. could have done
c. would do
d. would have done
18.Somebody ( trebuie ca a fost ) here, since all the food has been eaten.
a. must be
b. would have to be
c. must been
d. must have been