SV English 3
1. My Green Card/ Grammar Tidbits
1) To do + infinitive/to have + past participle
- The auxiliary ‘do’ is always followed by an infinitive
Ex: does he go to school in Brussels? Did she have breakfast yet?
- The auwiliary ‘have’ is always followed by a past participle
Ex: the journalist has interviewed the Prime Minister. Have you ever
paid in dollars?
2) Irregular verbs
- If a verb is revular, the simple past and the past participle end in -ed
Ex: I finished – i have finished
- A lot of verbs in English don’t take -ed in the simple past or the past
participle. They’re called irregular verbs and lots of them are used
very often in everyday conversations
see list irregular verbs
3) Verbs + adverbs
- Adjectives are words like young, small, fat, cold, beautiful… They’re
used before nouns or after some verbs to say how something is,
seems, becomes, sounds, smells, tastes, feels or looks
Ex: the young journalist sounds honest. That greasy meal tastes
horrible
- Adverbs are linked with verbs. They express how, when, where …
something happens: easily, slowly, tomorrow, here…
Ex: She speaks English well
- Many verbs end in -ly (silently, carefully, terribly …)
Ex: he always drives slowly
- Some words ending in -ly are adjectives, not adverbs: friendly,
lively, lonly, silly, lovely, elderly
Ex: jane is a friendly girl, he often smiles in a friendly way
- Some words can be both adjectives and adverbs: fast, loud, daily
Ex: we have to act fast. Do you have to play that music so loud? The
post comes twice daily.
4) Their/they’re/there
- Their = possessive pronount
Ex: the children found out that their bikes had been stolen
- They’re = they are
Ex: our friends are coming over, they’re already at the airport
- There = used to talk about something that exists
Ex: there is a new neighbour in our street.
= also an adverb of a place
Ex: he has been living there for ages
5) Then/than
, - Then = adverb of time
Ex: then she ordered a cup of tea
- Than = only used to compare things
Ex: my brother is older than my sister
6) To/too
- To = a prepostition
Ex: the dog ran to the next tree
- Too = an adverb that can mean ‘excessively’ or ‘also’
Ex: Kurt Cobain was too young to die
7) It’s/its
- It’s = it is
Ex: it’s snowing outside
- Its = possessive form of it
Ex: The car had lost one of its wheels
8) Words ending in ‘ll’
- Quite a few words take double ‘l’ at the end when they are used on
their own (full, all, fill …)
Ex: the form was full of mistakes
- One-syllable words ending in ‘ll’ drop one of the ‘l’s when used in
compounds (two or more words combined into one)
Ex: that album is full of wonderful songs
(BUT: overalll)
9) Tensens:
Simple tense Continuous tense
Simple present Present Continuous
Ex: He speaks Ex: he is speaking
Usage: Usage
Regular action in the present Action currently taking place
General validity Action limited to a particular
Actions happening one after the timeframe
other Already planned or agreed-upon
Confirmed future actions future action
Past simple Past continuous
Ex: he spoke ex: he was speaking
Usage Usage
A single or repeated action in the Emphasis on the process of an
past action taking place in the past
Actions happening one after the Multiple actions taking place at the
other in the past same time
A new action that interrupts an An action that was taking place
action that was already taking when interrupted by a new action
place
1. My Green Card/ Grammar Tidbits
1) To do + infinitive/to have + past participle
- The auxiliary ‘do’ is always followed by an infinitive
Ex: does he go to school in Brussels? Did she have breakfast yet?
- The auwiliary ‘have’ is always followed by a past participle
Ex: the journalist has interviewed the Prime Minister. Have you ever
paid in dollars?
2) Irregular verbs
- If a verb is revular, the simple past and the past participle end in -ed
Ex: I finished – i have finished
- A lot of verbs in English don’t take -ed in the simple past or the past
participle. They’re called irregular verbs and lots of them are used
very often in everyday conversations
see list irregular verbs
3) Verbs + adverbs
- Adjectives are words like young, small, fat, cold, beautiful… They’re
used before nouns or after some verbs to say how something is,
seems, becomes, sounds, smells, tastes, feels or looks
Ex: the young journalist sounds honest. That greasy meal tastes
horrible
- Adverbs are linked with verbs. They express how, when, where …
something happens: easily, slowly, tomorrow, here…
Ex: She speaks English well
- Many verbs end in -ly (silently, carefully, terribly …)
Ex: he always drives slowly
- Some words ending in -ly are adjectives, not adverbs: friendly,
lively, lonly, silly, lovely, elderly
Ex: jane is a friendly girl, he often smiles in a friendly way
- Some words can be both adjectives and adverbs: fast, loud, daily
Ex: we have to act fast. Do you have to play that music so loud? The
post comes twice daily.
4) Their/they’re/there
- Their = possessive pronount
Ex: the children found out that their bikes had been stolen
- They’re = they are
Ex: our friends are coming over, they’re already at the airport
- There = used to talk about something that exists
Ex: there is a new neighbour in our street.
= also an adverb of a place
Ex: he has been living there for ages
5) Then/than
, - Then = adverb of time
Ex: then she ordered a cup of tea
- Than = only used to compare things
Ex: my brother is older than my sister
6) To/too
- To = a prepostition
Ex: the dog ran to the next tree
- Too = an adverb that can mean ‘excessively’ or ‘also’
Ex: Kurt Cobain was too young to die
7) It’s/its
- It’s = it is
Ex: it’s snowing outside
- Its = possessive form of it
Ex: The car had lost one of its wheels
8) Words ending in ‘ll’
- Quite a few words take double ‘l’ at the end when they are used on
their own (full, all, fill …)
Ex: the form was full of mistakes
- One-syllable words ending in ‘ll’ drop one of the ‘l’s when used in
compounds (two or more words combined into one)
Ex: that album is full of wonderful songs
(BUT: overalll)
9) Tensens:
Simple tense Continuous tense
Simple present Present Continuous
Ex: He speaks Ex: he is speaking
Usage: Usage
Regular action in the present Action currently taking place
General validity Action limited to a particular
Actions happening one after the timeframe
other Already planned or agreed-upon
Confirmed future actions future action
Past simple Past continuous
Ex: he spoke ex: he was speaking
Usage Usage
A single or repeated action in the Emphasis on the process of an
past action taking place in the past
Actions happening one after the Multiple actions taking place at the
other in the past same time
A new action that interrupts an An action that was taking place
action that was already taking when interrupted by a new action
place
