English Grammar: Tenses and Usage

Past Perfect Tense

• Used to describe an action that happened before another action in the past.
• Example: "By the time I arrived, they had left."
• Key feature: "had" + past participle (e.g., "had left")

Used to, Be Used To, Get Used To

• All related to habits.
• Used to: Describes past habits that no longer happen. Example: "I used to play soccer every weekend."
• Be used to: Indicates current comfort with something. Example: "I'm used to waking up early."
• Get used to: Describes the process of becoming comfortable with something. Example: "I'm getting used to my new job."

Gerunds and Infinitives

• Gerund: The -ing form of a verb. Example: "swimming".
• Infinitive: The "to" form of a verb. Example: "to swim".
• Verbs have preferences for gerunds or infinitives.
• Example: "I enjoy swimming" (uses a gerund) vs. "I want to swim" (uses an infinitive)

Conditionals

• Used to discuss possibilities, regrets, or imagination.
• Second Conditional: For unreal situations in the present. Example: "If I won the lottery, I would travel the world."
• Third Conditional: For unreal situations in the past. Example: "If I had studied, I would have passed the exam."

Relative Clauses

• Provide extra information about a noun.
• Essential relative clauses: Provide crucial information. Do not use commas. Example: "The book that I borrowed is interesting".
• Non-essential relative clauses: Provide extra information. Use commas. Example: "My teacher, who is very kind, helped me."

Modal Verbs and Passive Voice

• Modal verbs: Add advice, necessity, or prohibition. Example: "You must wear a helmet," or "You should eat more vegetables".
• Passive voice: Shifts focus from the doer to the action; usually for neutrality or formality. Example: "The room was cleaned" instead of "They cleaned the room".