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Questions and Answers
Which of the following sentences uses the to infinitive to express purpose?
Which of the following sentences uses the to infinitive to express purpose?
What is the function of the ‘-ing’ form of a verb in a sentence like 'I have always enjoyed swimming'?
What is the function of the ‘-ing’ form of a verb in a sentence like 'I have always enjoyed swimming'?
Which of the following sentences uses a bare infinitive after a modal verb?
Which of the following sentences uses a bare infinitive after a modal verb?
Which verb can be followed by both a gerund and an infinitive?
Which verb can be followed by both a gerund and an infinitive?
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What is the function of the to infinitive in a sentence like 'I'm glad to see you'?
What is the function of the to infinitive in a sentence like 'I'm glad to see you'?
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Which of the following sentences uses a gerund after the expression 'can't stand'?
Which of the following sentences uses a gerund after the expression 'can't stand'?
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Which of the following options is a correct use of the bare infinitive?
Which of the following options is a correct use of the bare infinitive?
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What is the function of the to infinitive in a sentence like 'He bought some flowers to give to his wife'?
What is the function of the to infinitive in a sentence like 'He bought some flowers to give to his wife'?
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Which of the following sentences uses a gerund as a compound noun?
Which of the following sentences uses a gerund as a compound noun?
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Which of the following verbs is followed by a gerund after the expression 'prefer'?
Which of the following verbs is followed by a gerund after the expression 'prefer'?
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Study Notes
Ways to Express Indirect Questions
- We use indirect questions to be more polite
- In indirect questions, the order is subject + verb
- Examples of indirect questions:
- Can you tell me …?
- Could you tell me …?
- Do you know …?
- Would you mind telling me …?
- Can I ask you …?
- I was wondering…
- Do you have any idea …?
Ways to Express Future
- Using present continuous for plans or arrangements
- Using present simple for something scheduled
- Using "will" to express beliefs about the future
- Using "be going to" to talk about plans and intentions
- Using "should" if we think there's a good chance of something happening
Ways to Express Purpose
- Using "to"
- Using "so as not to"
- Using "so that"
- Using "in order to"
- Using "for" + noun/gerund
Uses of Present Simple
- To talk about things that are always/generally true or facts
- To give directions or instructions
- To talk about short actions that are happening "now"
- To talk about habits or things we do regularly
- To talk about future actions or events set by a timetable
- To talk about permanent situations that we feel will continue for a long time
- To use in the first and zero conditionals
Uses of Present Progressive (Continuous)
- To talk about actions that are taking place at the moment of speaking
- To talk about actions that are taking place around "now" but not at the exact moment of speech
- To use with words such as "always" or "constantly" to express the idea that something annoying or irritating happens very often
- To talk about an action or event in the near future, which has already been planned
- To talk about temporary or new habits
- To describe situations that are changing
- To describe temporary situations
Uses of Past Simple
- To talk about a completed action in the past
- To talk about a series of completed actions in the past
- To use in stories or lists of events in the past
- To use with the second conditional
- To talk about things that are generally true, especially for laws or rules
Uses of the Passive
- When who or what causes the action is unknown or unimportant
- When is obvious to the listener or reader who the agent is
- When we want to change the focus from the agent to the recipient of the action
- To focus on objective or factual information
- With a generalised agent (people in general are the agents)
- In describing processes, when the emphasis is on the actions and not on the people who perform them
Uses of the Definite Article "the"
- With a superlative adjective
- With adjectives like rich, poor, elderly to talk about groups of people
- With countries whose names include words like kingdom, states or republic
- With nouns that refer to something or someone that is unique
- When a particular noun has already been mentioned previously
State Verbs that Change their Meaning when in the Continuous Form
- Have: I'm having breakfast now = I am eating breakfast now
- Be: Johnny is being silly again = Johnny is behaving in a silly way again
- See: We are seeing our friends tonight = We are meeting our friends tonight
- Think: She is thinking about her future = She is considering her future
- Weigh: The man is weighing the fruit = The man is measuring the weight of the fruit
Five Categories of Verbs that are not Normally Used in Progressive Forms
- Verbs of feeling: I love rain
- Verbs of thinking: She didn't believe him at first
- Verbs used for the senses: I often see her crying
- Verbs of measurement: The red dress fits me perfectly
- Verbs of possession: Does this book belong to you?
Uses of Could
- To express possibility in the present and the future
- To make suggestions
- To ask for permission
- To talk about past ability
- As a conditional
Uses of Would
- To make polite requests or offers
- As a conditional to describe what we would do in imaginary situations
- To talk about repeated actions in the past
- To describe past beliefs about the future
- As the past form of "will" in reported speech
Uses of the Pronoun "it"
- Singular noun (a thing/place/organization/animal/abstract)
- To represent a young baby of either sex
- To "anticipate" something which appears later in the sentence
- To refer to an already stated action or information
Uses of the To-Infinitive
- After certain verbs particularly verbs of thinking, feeling, and saying
- To express purpose
- With the adverbs too and enough to express the reasoning behind our satisfaction or insatisfaction
- After adjectives of emotion such as angry, happy, glad, sad, sorry, surprised
- After a WH- word such as how, what, where, whether, which, who, whom
Uses of Bare Infinitive (Short Infinitive)
- After modal verbs
- After the interrogative word 'why'
- After the expressions 'had better' and 'would rather'
- After the prepositions 'except', 'but', and 'than'
- After verbs of perception (see, watch, notice, observe, feel, hear…)
Uses of the Gerund
- In compound nouns
- After the expressions can't help, can't stand, to be worth, & it's no use
- Verbs followed by gerund/infinitive (e.g. love, prefer, remember, forget, like)
Uses of Inversion
- To be added
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Description
Learn how to form polite indirect questions in English, using phrases like 'Can you tell me...' and 'Could you tell me...'.
