Modal verbs

The modal verbs include can, must, may, might, will, would, should. They
are used with other verbs to express ability, obligation, possibility, and so
on. Below is a list showing the most useful modals and their most
common meanings:

Modal Meaning Example

can to express ability I can speak a little Russian.
can to request permission Can I open the window?
may to express possibility I may be home late.
may to request permission May I sit down, please?
must to express obligation I must go now.
must to express strong belief She must be over 90 years old.
should to give advice You should stop smoking.
would to request or offer Would you like a cup of tea?
would in if-sentences If I were you, I would say sorry.

Modal verbs are unlike other verbs. They do not change their form
(spelling) and they have no infinitive or participle (past/present). The
modals must and can need substitute verbs to express obligation or
ability in the different tenses. Here are some examples:

Past simple Sorry I'm late. I had to finish my math test.

Present perfect She's had to return to Korea at short notice.
Future You'll have to work hard if you want to pass the exams.
Infinitive I don't want to have to go.
Past simple I couldn't/wasn't able to walk until I was 3 years old.
Present perfect I haven't been able to solve this problem. Can you help?
Future I'm not sure if I will be able to come to your party.
Infinitive I would love to be able to play the piano.

Modals are auxiliary verbs. They do not need an additional auxiliary in

negatives or questions. For example: Must I come? (Do I must come?),
or: He shouldn't smoke (He doesn't should smoke).

ACTIVE AND PASSIVE VOICE

Level: beginner
Transitive verbs have both active and passive forms:

active passive

The hunter killed the lion. > The lion was killed by the hunter.

Someone has cleaned the windows. > The windows have been cleaned.

Passive forms are made up of the verb be with a past participle:

be past participle

English is spoken all over the world.

The windows have been cleaned.

Lunch was being served.

The work will be finished soon.

They might have been invited to the party.

If we want to show the person or thing doing the action, we use by:
She was attacked by a dangerous dog.
The money was stolen by her husband.

Level: intermediate
The passive infinitive is made up of to be with a past participle:
The doors are going to be locked at ten o'clock.
You shouldn't have done that. You ought to be punished.
We sometimes use the verb get with a past participle to form the passive:
Be careful with that glass. It might get broken.
Peter got hurt in a crash.
We can use the indirect object as the subject of a passive verb:

active passive

I gave him a book for his birthday. > He was given a book for his birthday.

Someone sent her a cheque for a thousand She was sent a cheque for a thousand
>
euros. euros.

We can use phrasal verbs in the passive:

active passive

They called off the meeting. > The meeting was called off.

His grandmother looked after him. > He was looked after by his grandmother.

They will send him away to school. > He will be sent away to school.

WHAT ARE AUXILIARY VERBS?

Auxiliary verbs are so called because they help to form the various tenses, moods,
and voices of other verbs. The principal ones are be, do, and have.

Be is used with other verbs to form continuous tenses and the passive voice:
She is reading a magazine.
We were talking to them for ages.
England were beaten by Germany in the final.

Have is used to make perfect tenses:

The judge had asked her to speak up.
In two years, we will have established community gardens.

Do is used:
for emphasis:
He did look tired.

to make questions:
Do you want a coffee?

to form negative statements or questions:

I don’t like meat.
Didn’t he know how to play football?

Infinitive Verbs
The infinitive form of a verb is the verb in its basic form. It is the version of
the verb which will appear in the dictionary. The infinitive form of a verb is
usually preceded by "to" (e.g., "to run," "to dance," "to think"). The infinitive
form is not always preceded by "to." Look at these examples:
 I need to run every day.
(The infinitive form with the word "to" is called the "full infinitive" or
"to-infinitive.")
 I must run every day.
(After certain verbs, the "to" is dropped. The word "to" is not
a preposition. It is often called the "sign of the infinitive." There's
more on this below.)
 I run every day.
(This is not in the infinitive form. This is a finite verb, i.e., a verb
functioning as the main verb.)
An infinitive is a non-finite verb. In other words, it cannot be the main verb
in a sentence. An infinitive can be used as a noun, an adjective, or
an adverb.

Examples of Infinitives as Nouns

Here are some examples of infinitive verbs as nouns:

 To dance was her passion.
(The infinitive is the subject of "was.")
Compare it to this:
 Dancing was her passion.
(This proves that the infinitive "to dance" is being used a noun.)
Here is another example:
 He likes to hunt.
(The infinitive is the direct object of "likes.")
Compare it to this:
 He likes hunting.
(This proves that the infinitive "to hunt" is being used a noun.)

Examples of Infinitives as Adjectives

An adjective modifies a noun to tell us something about the noun (e.g., its colour,
type, or number). You have to bear this in mind when working out how infinitives
function as adjectives. Here are some examples of infinitive verbs as adjectives:
 Give him an ornament to polish.
(The infinitive modifies "ornament." This means it is functioning as an
adjective.)
Compare it to this:
 Give him an ornament that he can polish.
(The clause "that he must polish" is an adjective clause. This proves that the
infinitive "to polish" is being used an adjective.)
Here is another example:
 I need a volunteer to take the minutes.
(The infinitive modifies "volunteer." This means it is functioning as an
adjective.)
Compare it to this:
 I need a volunteer who is prepared to take the minutes.
(The clause "who is prepared to take the minutes" is an adjective clause.
Therefore, the infinitive "to take" is being used an adjective. Note how "to
take" is grouped with "the minutes." This is an infinitive phrase.)
An infinitive that acts as an adjective usually appears immediately after the noun it is
modifying.

What Are Definite and Indefinite Articles?

Articles are words that refer to nouns. The English articles are: a, an, the and some.
In English, “the” is considered a definite article because it refers to a defined, specific
object.
Pass me the salt.
The car is around the corner.
A, an and some are indefinite articles because they refer to a general idea of an
object, rather than a specific object.
She has an older brother.
There’s some cheese in the refrigerator.
Note the difference between these two sentences:
The hamburger on that plate looks delicious.
I want a hamburger.
The first sentence uses a definite article because it refers to a specific hamburger—
the one on the plate. The second sentence uses an indefinite article because it’s not
talking about one particular hamburger, but rather, the concept of a hamburger.

Definite article

the (before a singular or plural noun)

Indefinite article

a (before a singular noun beginning with a consonant sound)

an (before a singular noun beginning with a vowel sound)

Count nouns - refers to items that can be counted and are either singular or plural

Non-count nouns - refers to items that are not counted and are always singular