GRAMMAR REVISION
By: Nguyen T Bich Ngoc
Foreign Languages Faculty
Thainguyen University
Mar - 2009
Vu Thi Thanh Hue
1
Language Focus
1. Tenses
2. Voices: Active, Passive
3. Models: Can, may, must, have to, should, will, would
4. Verb patters
5. Conditionals
6. Key structure (especially for rewriting and translation)
- So/such…. that
- Too + adj / not +adj + enough
- Used to; Be/get used to
- Present perfect (This is the first time…; Have never before; this is
the most….ever
- Comparison
- Although/ despite/ In spite of
- -Purpose (so that; so as; in order to)
- Direct – Indirect speech
- Inversion
- It’s (high) time…
Nov - 2010
Nguyen Thi Bich Ngoc
2
English Verbs
* Normal verbs
to run, to walk, to eat, to fly, to go, to say, to touch, etc.
Examples:
I eat dinner every day.
I am eating dinner now.
* Non-Continuous Verbs
Abstract Verbs
to be, to want, to cost, to seem, to need, to care, to contain, to owe, to exist...
Possession Verbs
to possess, to own, to belong...
Emotion Verbs
to like, to love, to hate, to dislike, to fear, to envy, to mind...
Examples:
He is needing help now. Not Correct
He needs help now. Correct
He is wanting a drink now. Not Correct
He wants a drink now. Correct
Nov - 2010
Nguyen Thi Bich Ngoc
3
Regular vs irregular verbs
Regular: cook – cooked, watch – watched
Irregular:
Infinitive
Buy
Come
Drink
Give
Eat
Nov - 2010
Past
bought
came
drank
gave
ate
Nguyen Thi Bich Ngoc
Past Participle
bought
come
drunk
given
eaten
4
VERB TENSES
Future tenses
Past tenses
Present
tenses
-Simple
- Continuous
- Perfect
Nov - 2010
Nguyen Thi Bich Ngoc
5
VERB TENSES
Present
simple
I work at the university
He often buys her flowers
The sun sets in the West.
- Permanent situations
- Repeated actions/ habit
- Facts
Nov - 2010
Present
continuous
We are learning English
Laura is sitting under the
sunshade
He’s always telling lies
-Temporary situations
- Action happening
at/around the time of
speaking
- Annoyance
- Fixed arrangement
Nguyen Thi Bich Ngoc
Present
perfect
She has lived in this house
for 2 years
He has sold his car.
He has just painted the room
-Action started in the past
continue up to present
-Actions finished recently
- Actions happened at an
indefinite time in the past
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PRESENT TENSES
Present
simple
I work at the university
He often buys her flowers
The sun sets in the West.
V (s/es)
Usually, always, never,
often, sometimes,
everyday/week/month/
year
Nov - 2010
Present
continuous
We are learning English
Laura is sitting under the
sunshade
He’s always telling lies
Is/am/are + Ving
Now, at the moment, at
present, always, tonight
Nguyen Thi Bich Ngoc
Present
perfect
She has lived in this house
for 2 years
He has sold his car.
He has just painted the room
Have/has +
past participle
Just, ever, never,
already, yet, for, since,
so far, recently, several
times
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PAST TENSES
Past simple
He sold his car 2 weeks ago
When she was young, she
lived in a small flat.
She put on her coat, took the
bag and left the house
Actions happened at a
stated time in the past
A past state or habit
Actions happened one
after the other.
Nov - 2010
Past
continuous
Past perfect
At 8 o’clock last night, she
was watching TV.
They were dancing while
he was playing the guitar
He was painting the
bedroom when suddenly
felt off the ladder.
She had already left when I
got home.
He had arrived by 8 o’clock
Actions in the middle of
happening at a stated time
in the past.
Two or more actions
happening at the same
time in the past.
Actions happened before
another action/stated time
in the past.
Nguyen Thi Bich Ngoc
8
PAST TENSES
Past simple
He sold his car 2 weeks ago
When she was young, she
lived in a small flat.
She put on her coat, took the
bag and left the house
V + ed
V irregular
Yesterday, last
week/month/year
/Monday, ago, how long
ago, then, in 1980
Nov - 2010
Past
continuous
At 8 o’clock last night, she
was watching TV.
They were dancing while
he was playing the guitar
He was painting the
bedroom when suddenly
felt off the ladder.
was/were +
Ving
At 12 last night, while,
when
Nguyen Thi Bich Ngoc
Past perfect
She had already left when I
got home.
He had arrived by 8 o’clock
had + past
participle
Already…before,
by+(time)
9
FUTURE TENSES
Simple future
I will send you the
information when I get it.
I will call you when I arrive.
The year 2222 will be a very
interesting year.
Voluntary actions
Promise
Prediction
Nov - 2010
Future
continuous
This time next week we
will be having a party
Actions that will be
happening at a particular
time or over a particular
time in the future.
Nguyen Thi Bich Ngoc
Future
perfect
By next November, I will
have received my
promotion.
I am going to see a movie
when I have finished my
homework
Actions that will occur
before another action in
the future.
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FUTURE TENSES
Simple future
I will send you the
information when I get it.
I will call you when I arrive.
The year 2222 will be a very
interesting year.
Will + Verb
Nov - 2010
Future
continuous
This time next week we
will be having a party
Will – be + V-ing
Nguyen Thi Bich Ngoc
Future
perfect
By next November, I will
have received my
promotion.
I will have finished all my
homework by 10 o’clock
Will – have + Past
participle
11
Tips to remember
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12
Voices: Active, passive
Changing from Active into Passive
Object (active) =
Subject (passive)
Picasso
Be + participle
painted
that picture
Subject
Verb
Object
Subject
Verb
Object
Verb (active) = be +
participle
Subject (active) =
Object (passive)
introduced by “by”
That picture
Nov - 2010
was painted by Picasso
Nguyen Thi Bich Ngoc
13
Voices: Active, passive
Active voice
Passive voice
Present simple
S – do/does
S - is/am/are - done
Past simple
S – did
S – was/were - done
Present perfect
S – has/have – done
S- has/have – been done
Future simple
S – will – do
S – will – be done
Past perfect
S – had done
S – had – been done
Present cont.
S – is/am/are – doing
S – is/am/are/ - being - done
Past cont.
S – was/were – doing
S – was/were – being done
Infinitive
to do
to be done
Models
S- may/might/must – do
S – may/might/must – be done
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Nguyen Thi Bich Ngoc
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Voices: Active, passive
Active voice
Passive voice
Present simple
He delivers the letters
The letters are delivered.
Past simple
He delivered the letters
The letters were delivered.
Present perfect
He has delivered the letters
The letters have been delivered
Future simple
He will deliver the letters
The letters will be delivered
Past perfect
He had delivered the letters
The letters had been delivered
Present cont.
He is delivering the letter
The letters are being delivered
Past cont.
He was delivering the letters
The letters were being delivered
Infinitive
He has to deliver the letters
The letters have to be delivered
Models
He may deliver the letters
The letters may be delivered
He must deliver the letters
The letters must be delivered
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Nguyen Thi Bich Ngoc
15
Voices: Active, passive
Use:
Example
-Jane was shot (we don’t know who shot her)
- This church was built in 1815 (unimportant agent)
- He has been arrested (obviously by the police)
- 30 people were killed in the earthquake (the action is more
important than the agent)
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Nguyen Thi Bich Ngoc
16
modals
The model verbs are:
can, could, must, need, will, would, shall, should, may, might, etc
Example
Can she play tennis?
No, she can’t play tennis but she can play golf
Models + infinitive (without “to”)
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Functions of modal verbs
We express ability with:
Can ( ability in the present or future)
Can you swim? No, I can’t. I can run fast though.
Could / was able to (ability in the past)
She could / was able to dance for hours when she was young
He was able to win the race
Couldn’t / wasn’t able to
I couldn’t / wasn’t able to find my keys.
He couldn’t / wasn’t able to ski when he was young
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Nguyen Thi Bich Ngoc
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Functions of modal verbs
We express possibility / probability with:
May ( perhaps, very possible)
Might (perhaps, very possible)
Could (possible)
Must (it’s almost certain, I think)
Can’t (it does not seem possible;
I don’t think)
Can he be? (Is it possible?)
He may be back before noon
There might be some cheese in the fridge
He could still be at home
They look alike. They must be twins
You have been sleeping all day. You can’t be tired.
Can he still be at work?
We express permission with:
Can (informal)
Could ( more polite)
May (formal)
Might (more formal)
Nov - 2010
Can I borrow your pen?
Could I borrow your car?
May I use your phone?
Might I see your driving license?
Nguyen Thi Bich Ngoc
19
Functions of modal verbs
Giving / refusing permission
can( informal, giving permission)
may( formal, giving permission)
Mustn’t (refusing permission)
Can’t (refusing permission)
You can have one more if you want
You may stay a little longer
You mustn’t park here
You can’t enter this room.
We make requests, offers or suggestions with:
Can (request)
Could (polite request/suggestion)
Would you like (polite offer)
Shall I/we (suggestion/offer)
Will (offer/request)
Nov - 2010
Can you help me tidy the room?
Could I have a little more cake please?
Would you like some more lemonade?
Shall I post this letter for you? (offer)
Shall we buy him a present?
I’ll make you some coffee if you want.
Will you do me a favour?
Nguyen Thi Bich Ngoc
20
Functions of modal verbs
We express advice with
Should / ought to
You should walk more (general advice; I advise you)
Had better
You’d better see your dentist (advice for specific situation;
it is a good idea)
We obligation/necessity with:
Must (strong obligation or personal feelings of necessity)
We must follow the school rules. (obligation; I’m obliged to)
I must see a doctor soon. (I decide if it is necessary)
Have to (external necessity)
I have to do my homework everyday (others decide it is necessary)
I’ve got to (informal; it’s necessary)
I’ve got to leave early today.
Nov - 2010
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Functions of modal verbs
We express absence of necessity or prohibition with
Mustn’t (prohibition)
You mustn’t park here. (it’s forbidden)
Can’t (prohibition)
You can’t enter the club without a card. (you are not allowed)
Needn’t ( it is not necessary)
You needn’t take an umbrella. It is not raining
Don’t need/have to (it is not necessary in the present/future)
You don’t need/have to do it now. You can do it later (it is not necessary)
Didn’t need/have to (it was not necessary in the past)
He didn’t need/ have to go to work yesterday because it was Sunday.
(it is not necessary)
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Nguyen Thi Bich Ngoc
22
conditionals
Type 1: real present
If clause
If + Present S
Unless (= If not)
Main clause
(result)
Real or very
probable situation
in the present or
future
Future
Imperative
Can/may/must +
bare infinitive
Present Simple
If he comes late, we’ll miss the bus
If you can’t afford it, don’t buy it.
Or
If you see her can you give her a message?
If water gets very cold, it turns into rice
Nov - 2010
Use
Unless you can afford it, don’t buy it
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conditionals
Type 2: unreal present
If clause
If + Past S.
Unless (= If not)
Main clause
(result)
Would/could/might
+ bare infinitive
Use
improbable
situation in the
present or future;
also used to give
advice
If I were you, I would see a doctor
If I had money, I could buy a new car.
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conditionals
Type 3: unreal past
If clause
If + Past Perfect.
Unless (= If not)
Main clause
(result)
Would/could/might
+ have + participle
Use
improbable
situation in the
past; also used to
express regrets or
criticism
If you hadn’t been rude, he wouldn’t have fired you
Nov - 2010
Nguyen Thi Bich Ngoc
25
Các dạng so sánh của tính từ và phó từ
1. So sánh bằng
Cấu trúc sử dụng là as .... as
S + V + as + adj/ adv + as + noun/ pronoun
He is not as tall as his father.
2. So sánh hơn kém
- Tính từ và phó từ ngắn (đọc lên chỉ có một vần). Tính từ và phó từ dài (2 vần trở lên).
_ Tính từ và phó từ ngắn + er.
- Tính từ tận cùng là y, dù có 2 vần vẫn bị coi là tính từ ngắn và phải đổi thành Y-IER
(happy→happier; dry→drier; pretty→prettier).
Trường hợp đặc biệt: strong→stronger; friendly→friendlier than/ more friendly than.
Đối với tính từ và phó từ dài phải dùng more/less.
S+V+
short adjective_er
+ THAN + noun/ pronoun
short adverb_er
more + long adj/adv
less + long adj/adv
Để nhấn mạnh so sánh, có thể thêm much/far trước so sánh, công thức:
S + V + far/much + Adj/Adv_er + than + noun/pronoun
S + V + far/much + more + Adj/Adv + than + noun/pronoun
Ex: Harry’s watch is far more expensive than mine
Ex: He speaks English much more rapidly than he does Spanish.
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Các dạng so sánh của tính từ và phó từ
So sánh bậc nhất
Dùng khi so sánh 3 người hoặc 3 vật trở lên:
Tính từ và phó từ ngắn +est.
Đối với tính từ và phó từ dài dùng most hoặc least.
Đằng trước so sánh phải có the.
Dùng giới từ in với danh từ số ít.
John is the tallest boy in the family
- Dùng giới từ of với danh từ số nhiều
Deana is the shortest of the three sisters
- Sau thành ngữ One of the + so sánh bậc nhất + noun phải đảm bảo
chắc chắn rằng noun phải là số nhiều, và động từ phải chia ở số ít.
One of the greatest tennis players in the world is Johnson.
-
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27
ALTHOUGH / DESPITE / INSPITE OF
1. Despite/Inspite of = bất chấp
- Đằng sau hai thành ngữ này phải dùng một ngữ danh từ, không được dùng
một câu hoàn chỉnh.
Ex: Despite his physical handicap, he has become a successful businessman.
Jane will be admitted to the university in spite of her bad grades.
2. Although/Even though/Though = Mặc dầu
- Đằng sau 3 thành ngữ này phải dùng một câu hoàn chỉnh, không được dùng
một ngữ danh từ.
Although he has a physical handicap, he has become a successful
businessman.
V-ing or To Infinitive
Động từ nguyên thể là tân ngữ
agree
desire
hope
plan
tend
attempt
expect
intend
prepare
want
claim
fail
learn
pretend
wish
decide
forget
need
refuse
demand
hesitate
offer
seem
Verb -ing dùng làm tân ngữ
admit
delay
miss
risk
appreciate
deny
postpone
suggest
avoid
can't help
enjoy
finish
practice
quit
mind
repeat
Ex: John admitted stealing the jewels.
Lưu ý rằng trong bảng này có mẫu động từ can't help doing/ but do smt: không thể đừng được phải
làm gì
Ex: With such good oranges, we can't help buying (but buy) two kilos at a time.
USED TO; BE/ GET USED TO
1. USED TO + infinitive: sự việc đã từng diễn ra trong quá khứ một cách
thường xuyên nhưng bây giờ không còn nữa.
2. (be) USED TO + V.ing: quen với một việc gì
3. (get) USED TO + V.ing: làm quen với một việc gì.
Ví dụ:
He used to work six days a week. (Now he doesn’t)
It took my brother two weeks to get used to working at night. Now
he’s used to it.
SO/ SUCH THAT
Terry ran so fast that he broke the previous speed record.
Judy worked so diligently that she received an increase in salary.
She is so beautiful that anyone sees her once will never forget her.
The little boy looks so unhappy that we all feel sorry for him.
It was such a hot day that we decided to stay indoors.
It was such an interesting book that he couldn’t put it down
TOO+ADJ / NOT+ADJ+ENOUGH
Mary is too tired to walk.
John is too busy to go to the party.
She is old enough to do what she wants
Those apples aren’t ripe enough to eat
He is tall enough to play volley ball
He is tall. He can play volleyball
INVERSION
1. Only When + S V, Vaux + S V : Chỉ khi làm gì
I didn't know she had been well-known until her friends told me.
=> Only when her friends told me did I know she had been wellknown
2. Seldom/Hardly/Scarcely/Barely + Vaux + S V : hiếm khi mà
She seldom misses a lecture
=> Seldom does she miss a lecture
3. No sooner had + S done - than S did : Vừa mới...thì đã...
Nosooner had we come home than it rained
4. Only by Doing + Vaux + S V :Chỉ bằng cách làm gì
We must take a taxi or will be late
=> Only by taking a taxi will we get there on time