Grammar
Grammar 6 - ELP:
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Learning Objectives:
By the end of this class I can:
(Adjective)
use 'one of/some of/among' in phrases with superlative adjectives.
ie. one of the best schools / among the richest people / some of the finest examples
(Adverb)
correctly place adverbs of comment and manner in longer sentences.
ie. You're ^ going to have to take it back ^. (probably) / He ^ explained the problem to me ^. (carefully)
use a range of adverbial intensifiers with adjectives.
ie. extremely hot / amazingly difficult / surprisingly cheap
use common adverbials to express disjunction of nouns and phrases.
ie. John's not here either. / Neither John nor Mary was at home.
correctly use 'so' and 'such (a)' with adjectives and nouns respectively.
ie. There's such a lot of rain. / It's so wet.
correctly use 'such' and 'such a' with mass and count nouns respectively.
ie. It was such fun! / He is such a nice boy!
use 'neither … nor …' to connect two words or phrases.
ie. I neither speak nor write Chinese. / It's neither funny nor interesting.
construct a range of phrases using compound adverbials composed of wh- words + '-ever'.
ie. Wherever you go, I'll be there. / I don't have time to see him, whoever he is.
correctly use 'even' and 'not even' in the right position to emphasise a point.
ie. She even wanted me to pay her hotel bill. / Not even a dog would eat that.
use 'about to' to talk about imminent events in the present and past.
ie. She's about to have a baby. / We were about to go out when Jane called.
use 'beforehand'/'afterwards' to express sequences of events or actions.
ie. I arrived at the hotel late, but I had booked a room beforehand. / They went to the play first and had dinner afterwards.
use 'only' as an adverb in the correct position.
ie. I only wanted to help. / It's only a small flat.
use 'so' in sentence-final positions as a placeholder (substitute) for verbs and verb phrases.
ie. It was too expensive. - I told you so. / John is from Seattle. - I thought so.
(Clause)
give advice using 'If I were you …'
ie. I wouldn’t do that if I were you. / If I were you, I’d apologise.
report current and future plans and intentions.
ie. He says he can do it. / She said she is happy. / She says she’ll do it.
use an object relative clause to specify or define.
ie. This is the film that/which I wanted you to see. / Susie is someone whom I'd very much like to get to know.
use embedded defining (restrictive) relative clauses.
ie. The car we rented broke down outside Reno. / The woman who was looking for you also called the office.
use 'so … that ..' to express results and consequences.
ie. He ate so much that he fell ill. / It was so cold that we all went home.
ask indirect questions using 'would like to know' with if- clauses.
ie. I'd like to know if it's available now. / Would you like to know if she calls?
ask indirect questions using 'would like to know' with wh-clauses.
ie. I'd like to know whether it's available now. / Would you like to know how much it costs?
construct complex comparisons with noun and verb phrases.
ie. Being happy is more important than making money. / The loss of his job made a bigger difference than the end of his marriage.
report yes/no questions with 'if/whether'.
ie. She asked whether I was feeling better. / He wanted to know if I’d finished the work.
construct "reduced" defining relative clauses with verb +'-ing'.
ie. … the man driving the car / the person ending with the most cards
construct defining relative clauses with 'to' + infinitive verb phrases.
ie. … the first person to fly / the only one to stay up late
make the necessary tense changes in reported speech.
ie. He said (that) he was tired. / She told me (that) she wasn’t feeling well.
use 'get/have' to refer to having things done by other people.
ie. I’m having my flat painted. / I've just had my car repaired.
use 'in case' as a subordinating conjunction to refer to eventualities.
ie. Keep my dinner warm, in case I'm late. / In case no one there speaks English, I'm bringing Paul as an interpreter.
use 'so …' and 'therefore …' to express conclusions and inferences.
ie. It's got my name on it, so it must be mine. / I think, therefore I am.
omit words and phrases in a range of parallel structures.
ie. My parents expected me to go to college, but I didn't want to. [go to college] / We need money for the flight and [money] to pay for the hotel.
soften orders and requests using 'think', 'imagine', 'wonder', etc.
ie. I wonder if you'd like to come for a walk. / Do you think you'll be able to lend me some money?
use non-defining (non-restrictive) relative clauses to add information.
ie. My sister, who is married, lives in Prague. / His house, which is for sale now, is beautiful.
use 'thought' with the past tense to express disappointment.
ie. I thought you were going to do that. / I thought we were friends.
describe hypothetical (counterfactual) past results of a previous action or situation using the third conditional.
ie. I could have passed, if I’d studied harder. / If we’d left earlier, we wouldn’t have missed her.
express various degrees of likelihood and possibility using complement clauses.
ie. It's unlikely that they'll come. / It's possible I'm wrong.
make complex comparisons between phrases and clauses.
ie. There's more work to do than we have time to do it. / She was more concerned with getting the job done than with doing it well.
(Conjunction)
use 'despite'/'in spite of' with noun phrases to express concession.
ie. Despite the terrible weather, we had a lovely day. / He climbed the mountain in spite of his limp.
use 'though' and 'although' as conjunctions to express concession.
ie. She'll listen to you, although she won't like it. / Though we're poor, we're happy.
(Determiner)
correctly use 'little/a little' and 'few/a few' to refer to quantities with mass and count nouns respectively.
ie. There's little food available to distribute. / We have a little money left. / Few people understand statistics. / A few people came to the party.
(Modal Verb)
express indirect requests with 'would like' + noun phrase + verb (infinitive).
ie. I’d like you to stay. / Would you like Mustafa to come as well?
make requests using 'Will you (please) ...?'
ie. Will you tell me something? / Will you please stop doing that?
refer to general truths using 'could'.
ie. Letters could take days to arrive in those days.
use 'would' and 'used to' to refer to past habits and routines.
ie. used to / didn’t use to / did you use to? / I would / would you?
use 'would rather … (than) …' to express preference.
ie. I’d rather not eat there. / I’d rather take a taxi. / We’d rather stay in tonight than go out.
use 'may not' to express prohibition in the present and near future.
ie. You may not leave without permission. / Passengers may not use this door.
make polite requests with 'would you' + verbs in the infinitive.
ie. Would you stop talking, please? / Would you explain something?
use 'I wish/if only' to express wishes and dreams related to the present or future.
ie. I wish you were here. / If only we had more time.
use 'had/'d better (not)' + verb for advice and recommendations.
ie. You'd better not tell anyone. / Your brother had better try to get a job.
use 'should(n't) have …' to express regrets and wishes about the past.
ie. I should have gone to bed earlier. / You shouldn't have bought that house.
(Noun)
use '‘s' in time expressions.
ie. a week’s holiday / a year’s break / a day’s rest
use genitive '‘s' + genitive '‘s' in a noun phrase.
ie. my brother’s girlfriend’s car / her teacher’s computer’s password
(Phrase)
construct phrases with wh-question words followed by verbs in the infinitive.
ie. where to go / what to do / how to get there / who to ask / when to leave / which to order
express (absence of) necessity with '(not) necessary to …'
ie. Is it necessary to fill this in? / It's not necessary for the children to stay.
use a range of common verb + verb combinations using the '-ing' form.
ie. begin/start watching / consider leaving / imagine living abroad / look forward to hearing
talk about permission using '(not) allowed/ permitted to …'
ie. Children are not allowed to come in here. / Will we be permitted to see her?
use 'mean'/'plan'/'intend' + 'to' + infinitive to talk about present and future plans and intentions.
ie. Do you intend to stay in this house? We're planning to sell our car. / I mean to get this job.
express intentions and plans with 'thinking of' and verbs in the gerund.
ie. I'm thinking of going back to the States. / Is he thinking of leaving?
express preference with regard to actions using 'prefer … to …'
ie. They preferred staying silent (to speaking). / Most people prefer drinking tea with milk.
make statements about plans using 'plan' and 'intend to' + infinitive.
ie. Do you intend to stay in this house? / They're planning to go to Egypt for their holidays.
refer to indirect causation with 'get/make' + person + action.
ie. I'll get a friend to pick you up. / You can't make people like you.
use 'meant'/'planned'/'intended' + 'to' + infinitive to talk about past plans and intentions.
ie. Did you intend to invite so many people? / They planned to go to Egypt for their holidays. / I meant to tell her, but I forgot to.
make statements about appearance using 'seem/appear' with verbs in the infinitive.
ie. He seems to be quite rich. / She appears to work hard.
(Preposition)
discuss sources of information using 'hear' + 'of/ about' with nouns and noun phrases.
ie. I've never heard of him. / Have you heard about the fire?
use 'as' with a noun or noun phrase referring to a job, instrument or means of doing something.
ie. work as a waiter / use it as a guide / think of it as a way of speaking
use 'except', 'except for' and 'apart from' after general and other noun phrases.
ie. I've seen all their films apart from/except (for) True Grit. / The house was silent, apart from/ except for the ticking of the clock.
use 'in case of' with noun phrases to speak of eventualities.
ie. In case of fire, break the glass. / Call this number in case of accident.
use 'due to' and 'owing to' to express causation and consequence.
ie. Due/Owing to the hot weather, the school is closed today. / Many restaurants have closed recently, due/owing to the availability of fast food.
(Pronoun)
correctly use 'each other' and reflexive pronouns.
ie. They were looking at themselves in the mirror. vs. They were looking at each other.
use reflexive pronouns for emphasis.
ie. I made it myself. / Do it yourself.
(Verb)
express agreement and disagreement with '… hope so/not'.
ie. Is she coming? - I hope so/not.
use a range of positive question tags.
ie. They're not here, are they? / It isn't true, is it? / It wasn't too cold, was it?
use 'do'/'did' as a general placeholder (substitute) for verbs.
ie. She asked me to buy it, so I did. / He doesn't think I like him, but I do.
use phrasal verbs with two particles.
ie. Stand up for yourself. / We've run out of milk.
use the correct verb form (infinitive or '-ing') following a range of phrasal (separable) and prepositional (inseparable phrasal) verbs.
ie. … think about leaving / … expect to go / … manage to finish / … succeed in finishing
use the past continuous to refer to temporary or changing past states or situations.
ie. I was living in Rome at the time. / I was studying in Germany during the early 1990s. / Everyone was living on credit at the time.
use the present continuous with adverbs of frequency to express negative attitude.
ie. You're always working. / She's usually talking on the phone when I go round.
ask negative questions with 'wasn't', 'didn't', etc.
ie. Wasn’t the film rubbish? / Didn't you enjoy the book?
use the present perfect passive with 'just/ already'.
ie. It’s just been done. / It’s just been fixed. / They’ve already been marked.
use the present perfect passive with 'yet'.
ie. It hasn’t been delivered yet. / They haven’t been told yet. / Has it been released yet?
use 'so' and 'neither' in short phrases to express agreement and disagreement.
ie. so am/do I / me too / neither do I / nor do I / same here
use verbs of state change in the passive with object complements.
ie. This cathedral was built in the thirteenth century. / The house hasn't been painted for years.
use 'get' with the passive in informal speech to express unexpected or dramatic change.
ie. He got killed in a fight outside a pub. / You'll never get hired if you wear that shirt at the interview.
use the past perfect in a range of common situations.
ie. I remembered it after I’d already left home. / By the time I got there she’d gone.
use the present continuous passive.
ie. The house is being renovated. / It’s being discussed. / The book is being printed. / Your son is being spoken to.
make passive statements with ditransitive verbs like 'tell' and 'give'.
ie. He was given a book. / The children love to be told stories.
use a range of verbs in the past continuous to refer to past plans and intentions.
ie. I was planning to buy a car. / I wasn’t intending to talk about it, but I changed my mind.