Mastering Essential English Grammar Concepts

Posted on Jun 11, 2025 in English

Understanding Future Tenses

Will + Infinitive

  • Used for predictions.
  • Used for decisions made at the moment of speaking.

Be Going To + Infinitive

  • Used for plans or intentions based on present evidence.

Present Perfect Tenses

Present Perfect Simple

  • Example: I have walked / He has walked.

Present Perfect Continuous

  • Example: I have been walking / He has been walking.

Direct and Reported Speech Rules

Tense Changes in Reported Speech

  • Present Simple becomes Past Simple
  • Present Continuous becomes Past Continuous
  • Present Perfect Simple becomes Past Perfect Simple
  • Past Simple becomes Past Perfect Simple
  • Past Perfect Simple remains Past Perfect Simple
  • is going to becomes was going to
  • will becomes would
  • can becomes could
  • must becomes had to (or must if obligation is still present)

Time and Place Adverb Changes

  • now becomes then or at that time
  • today becomes that day
  • tonight becomes that night
  • this morning becomes that morning
  • yesterday becomes the day before or the previous day
  • last… becomes the previous… or the… before
  • …ago becomes …before or …earlier
  • tomorrow becomes the following day or the next day
  • these becomes those
  • here becomes there

The Passive Voice

  • Structure: be + past participle.
  • The be verb is conjugated to match the tense of the active sentence.

Key Conjunctions and Connectors

Conditional Conjunctions

  • As long as: provided that, on condition that
  • Even if: although, despite the possibility that
  • Providing that: on condition that, if
  • Unless: if not, except if

English Conditional Sentences

Zero Conditional (Type 0)

  • Structure: If + present simple / present simple
  • Used for: General truths or facts.

First Conditional (Type 1)

  • Structure: If + present simple / will + infinitive
  • Used for: Probable or possible situations.

Second Conditional (Type 2)

  • Structure: If + past simple / would + infinitive
  • Used for: Imaginary or improbable situations in the present or future.

Third Conditional (Type 3)

  • Structure: If + past perfect (e.g., had applied) / would have + past participle
  • Used for: Hypothetical situations in the past.

Understanding English Modal Verbs

Modal Verb Functions

  • Prohibition: can’t, mustn’t
  • Permission: can, may, be allowed to
  • Ability: can, could, be able to, managed to
  • Obligation: must, have to, need to
  • No Obligation: don’t have to, needn’t
  • Advice: should, ought to, had better
  • Possibility: may, might, could
  • Deduction: can’t, must

Gerunds and Infinitives

Verbs Followed by Gerunds (-ing)

  • admit, advise, avoid, can’t help, can’t imagine, can’t stand, complete, consider, discuss, dislike, don’t mind, enjoy, finish, give up, imagine, love, like, hate, prefer.
  • Also used: after prepositions, after be/get used to, as the subject of a sentence.

Verbs Followed by Infinitives (to + verb)

  • afford, agree, appear, arrange, ask, attempt, beg, choose, dare, decide, demand, deserve, expect, fail, hesitate, hope, intend, learn, manage, mean, need, offer, prepare, pretend, promise, refuse, seem, threaten, wait, want, wish, ‘d/would like.
  • Also used: after adjectives, to express a reason or purpose.

Common Word Transformations

Nouns/Adjectives to Verbs

  • Critic – criticize
  • Horror – horrify
  • Beauty – beautify
  • Dark – darken
  • Just – justify
  • Smart – smarten
  • Special – specialize
  • Sympathy – sympathize

Spanish to English Translation Practice

Translation 1: Cosmetic Surgery

Original Spanish: A cada vez más gente le parece que vale la pena hacerse la cirugía estética. No importa ni el dolor ni el dinero que se gastan.

Corrected English: More and more people believe it’s worth having cosmetic surgery. They don’t mind either the pain or the money they spend.

Translation 2: Judging by Appearance

Original Spanish: Aunque nunca se debe juzgar a la gente por la apariencia, por lo general los hombres de aspecto desalineado, con el pelo largo y con muchos tatuajes, tienen escasas posibilidades de ser aceptados en determinados trabajos.

Corrected English: Although people should never be judged by their appearance, generally speaking, scruffy-looking men with long hair and many tattoos have slim chances of being accepted for certain jobs.

Translation 3: Job Application Tips

Original Spanish: Si al terminar tu carrera universitaria quieres solicitar un trabajo tienes que tener en cuenta varios factores: presentar un CV bien organizado, hablar sobre logros y tu carrera profesional. Por último debes rellenar una solicitud dirigida al director de la empresa.

Corrected English: If you want to apply for a job after finishing your university studies, you need to consider several factors: presenting a well-organized CV, discussing your achievements and your professional career. Finally, you must fill out an application addressed to the company director.