Mastering Essential English Grammar Structures

Posted on Oct 28, 2025 in English

1. Conditionals (Condicionales)

Type	Structure	Example
Zero Conditional	If + present simple, present simple	If you heat water, it boils.
First Conditional	If + present simple, will + base verb	If you study, you will pass the exam.
Second Conditional	If + past simple, would + base verb	If I had more money, I would travel the world.
Third Conditional	If + past perfect, would have + past participle	If you had studied, you would have passed.
Mixed Conditional	If + past perfect, would + base verb (or vice versa)	If I had studied, I would be a doctor now.

The Passive Voice is formed using the following structure:

Active: Subject + Verb + Object

Passive: Object + To Be (conjugated) + Past Participle (by Subject)

Tense	Active Example	Passive Example
Present Simple	She writes a book.	A book is written (by her).
Past Simple	They built a house.	A house was built (by them).
Future Simple	She will finish the project.	The project will be finished (by her).
Present Perfect	They have made a cake.	A cake has been made (by them).
Past Perfect	They had repaired the car.	The car had been repaired (by them).

Modal	Use	Example
Can	Ability / Permission	I can swim. / Can I go out?
Could	Past ability / Polite request	She could run fast when she was young. / Could you help me?
Must	Obligation / Deduction	You must wear a seatbelt. / He must be at home.
May / Might	Possibility	It may rain tomorrow.
Shall	Formal suggestion / Future intention	Shall we go?
Should / Ought to	Advice / Probability	You should study more. / He should be there by now.
Would	Hypothetical situations / Politeness	I would love to visit Japan. / Would you like some coffee?

Structure	Example
Wish + past simple (for present regrets)	I wish I had more money. (= I don’t have money now.)
Wish + past perfect (for past regrets)	I wish I had studied harder. (= I regret not studying.)
If only + past simple/past perfect	If only I knew her number! / If only I had arrived earlier!
Should have + past participle	I should have called you earlier.
Could have + past participle	I could have won the race, but I was too slow.

Structure	Example
Verb + -ing (gerund)	I enjoy reading.
Verb + to-infinitive	I want to travel.
Verb + object + to-infinitive	She told me to stay.
Verb + object + bare infinitive (without “to”)	I made him leave.
After prepositions + -ing	She is good at dancing.
Gerund as subject	Swimming is fun.
Infinitive after adjectives	It’s easy to learn English.
Infinitive of purpose	She left early to catch the train.

The following verbs are typically followed by a gerund:

The following verbs are typically followed by the to + infinitive form:

Common relative pronouns include: Who, Whose, That, Which, Where.