Grammars 1

Grammar
Phrasal Verbs I
A phrasal verb is an expression consisting of a main verb together with a preposition (sometimes
two prepositions).
 Phrasal verbs without an object:
I get up at five o’clock.
We broke up yesterday.
 Phrasal verbs may be separated by an object:
He put on his sweater. / He put his sweater on. / He put it on.
Study Skills
You can group phrasal verbs by particles to learn them easily, because of particle’s tendencies in
their meaning:
go out
sell out
run out
out means ending/finish /extinguish / leave

Grammar
Inseparable Phrasal Verbs II
 Some phrasal verbs can’t be separated:
The babysitter looked after my little cousins.
I can count on my friends.
 Other phrasal verbs are linked to an object by an extra preposition:
We ran out of money.
Keep away from stray dogs; they are dangerous.

Grammar
Informal Letter Layout
There are five sections we can identify in an informal letter structure:
1. Salutation: A greeting phrase to the person you are writing to.
2. Introductory paragraph: It usually starts with an opening phrase and states the purpose of
your letter. I hope you are doing great. I’m writing to / because…
3. Body: It is usually two or more paragraphs to expand on what you mentioned in the first
paragraph (explain, give reasons, etc.).
4. Closing: It summarizes your letter and says goodbye to the reader.
I can’t wait to hear from you…
5. Signature: We commonly write a friendly phrase and our name.
Lots of love,
Richard.

Grammar
Formal Letter Layout
There are three main sections in a formal letter:
1. Address and date: Your full name, address, and contact information should be on the top-
right corner. The recipient’s information goes below yours but is aligned on the left-hand
side.
2. Beginning and ending: Most formal letters will start with ‘Dear’ before the name of the
person to which you are writing. To end the letter, you can use the phrase "Sincerely yours,"
before signing.
3. Paragraphing: The main part of your letter must be divided into paragraphs. Make sure that
each new point you make is written in a separate paragraph.
 Grammar

Present Continuous Review

We use it to talk about activities happening at the moment of speaking and about future plans or
arrangements.
Affirmative form: Subject + present tense TO BE + ing verb + complement.

Patty is driving too fast; she can have an accident.

Negative form: Subject + present tense TO BE + not + ing verb + complement.

We are not traveling to Canada soon.

Grammar

Asking about the Future (Present Continuous)

Yes / No questions: Verb to be in present + subject + ing verb + complement + ?

Are your parents coming to the city this holiday?

Short answer: Yes, they are. / No, they aren’t.

Open questions: Wh- word + verb to be in present + subject + ing verb + complement + ?

Where is Jackson staying during his trip?

Grammar
Present Continuous II
We also use present progressive to talk about:
 Two or more actions that happen simultaneously.
When I’m at work my daughter is taking classes.
 A temporary action.
Sam is working at the coffee shop this summer.
 A new and contrasting action.
At present, young people are becoming
YouTubers instead of TV presenters.
 An action that is changing, growing, or developing.
Due to pullution, more animals are dying rapidly.
 An action that happens again and again.
They are always telling jokes.

Grammar
Narrating
We can also use the present continuous to:
 Tell a story:
Today in the morning, I’m walking in a hurry as usual and there is this guy staring at me.
 Summarize a book, film, or play
In the book, a girl is driving fast, without paying attention to pedestrians…
 Grammars 2
Grammar

Future Simple
We use WILL to express:

 Decisions made at the moment of speaking.

Someone is hurt. I will call an ambulance.

 Predictions about the future. We can use verbs like think, believe, be sure, be afraid, and adverbs
like perhaps.
I think it will be cold in the evening, so take your coat.

 For requests, invitations, promises, orders, or threats.

I will help you carry those bags.
Stop that or you will be sorry!
I promise I won’t tell anybody about the incident.
Study Skills
When speaking, most of the time, we use the contraction form of WILL; ‘ll.
She’ll come.
I’ll be there

Grammar
Negative and Question Form of Simple Future
Negative form: Subject + will not + base verb + complement.
Gabriel will not/won’t win the race.
Yes / No question form: Will + subject + base verb + complement + ?
Will Denisse come? Yes, she will. / No, she won’t.
WH question form: Wh word + will + subject + base verb + complement + ?
Where will she go next vacation?

Study Skills
Negative questions are also very common in spoken English..
Won’t you come with me?
Grammar
Future Going to
Going to for future tense is used to express:

 Actions that we plan to do in the future.

I am going to travel to Canada next month.

 Predictions based on evidence.

Look at those clouds! It is going to rain.

 Intentions of doing something that we have already decided.

We’re going to quit smoking.

Negative form: Subject + verb TO BE + not+ going to + base verb + complement.

Mr. Roses isn’t going to stay late today.

Question form: Verb TO BE + subject + going to + base verb + complement + ?

Is Mr. Roses going to stay late today?

 Grammar

Will vs Going to

Remember

Will is used:
Be going to is used:
 When we express beliefs about the future.
 To talk about plans or intentions we already decided.
 To make offers and promises.
 To make predictions based on evidence we can see.
 To mean want to or be willing to.

Grammar

Discourse Markers When Speaking

Discourse markers are words or phrases we use to connect, organize and manage what we say or
write and to express attitude.

Some common discourse markers for speaking are:

For starters Great! You know I mean

Now Like As I say Right

Anyway Well So Oh!

Fine Mind you Okay Good!

Note: They do not always have a meaning we find in a dictionary. Sometimes they have certain
functions, and some have more than one function, such as "so."
Grammar

Discourse Markers for Writing

We also use discourse markers to connect, organize, order or sequence ideas when writing. You
can use some of these words as synonyms.

Sequencing Adding Contrasting Concluding

First, Also, However, In conclusion,

firstly, Moreover, Nevertheless, In summary,

First of all, Furthermore, On the contrary, To conclude,

In the first place, In addition, On the other hand, Finally,

Second, What’s more, In spite of (the fact), Lastly

Secondly, Besides, Despite (the fact),

Third, As well as... Although,

Then, Even though,

Next, Yet,

After that But

 Grammars 3
Grammar

Modals Verbs to Express Ability

We use can / be able to when we need to express ability
in the present or future.

Can you ride a motorbike?

I will be able to drive when I get my license.

We use could to express general ability in the past.

I could communicate really well with my teams.

We use was / were able to when we need to express ability in a specific

situation in the past.

The climb was difficult, so we weren´t able to finish it.

NOTE: The negative of could / was (were) able to expresses lack of ability in the
past.

I was so scared that I couldn’t scream for help.

Grammar

Have / Has to: Expressing Obligation

We use the phrase have to, followed by a base verb, to express
an obligation of doing something that somebody in authority said it is necessary
to do.

You have to follow the rules.

We have to ask for permission before going out.

We use don’t / doesn’t to express there is NOT obligation (it’s optional).

You don’t have to take your car. (it’s optional)

Note: Have to (I, you, we, they) Has to (he, she, it)
Grammar

Have to / Need to: Expressing Necessity

Have/Has to can also be used to say something is necessary.

The doctor told me that I have to wear glasses.

(He has poor sight and it is necessary for him to wear glasses)

Another phrase used to say something is necessary is need to.

Jess needs to buy a new computer; this one is not working.

Negative forms are used to say something is NOT necessary.

The doctor said I don’t have to wear glasses.

Jess doesn’t have to come if she feels sick.

Grammar
We use may /might / could to express possibility in the present or future.

Where’s Rita? She may be at work.

May not and might not express lack of possibility in the present.

Sally may not / might not be at home now.

Note: May is more formal.

Grammar

Modal Verbs for Requests

We use these modal verbs to tell or ask someone to do something.
Some are more polite than others.

Informal can Can you help me with these bags?

will Will you please take the dog for a walk?

↓ could

may
Could I have some juice, please?

May I use your computer, please?

Polite/Formal would Would you give me your phone number?

Grammar

Modal Verbs to Make Offers

We use can, could, and will to make offers.

I can help you with those bags.

I could take you home after school.
I’ll help you with your math homework.

We can use can/could in their question form to make offers.

Can I do that for you?

Grammar

Could Have
We use could have to say that someone had the ability or opportunity to do
something but did not do it.
Form: subject + could have + past participle verb + complement.

My mother could have moved to Germany, but she decided to stay in her home
country.
I could have lost my company but I fought for it.

Grammar

May have / Might have / Could have

Modals can also be used to make guesses about the past.
Form: modal + have + verb in past participle.

He didn’t hear the phone; he might have put it in silent mode.

Susan may have forgotten about our date. She’s not answering her phone.
I could have died in the accident. It was really bad.