Have is sometimes a main verb and sometimes an auxiliary verb. When have is a main verb, the auxiliary verb is not have (unless we are using the present perfect) so we have to use a different auxiliary verb. Look at these sentences: Have as main verb Action verb Positive Negative Question I have a shower every day I don’t […]
Read moreBasically we use to be going to when we intend to do something, we are probably going to do it but we have not confirmed it 100%. I‘m going to watch the match tonight. I‘m going to meet my friends tomorrow. I‘m going to eat pizza tonight. If I now call the pizzeria to book a table for two for 8 o’clock this evening […]
Read moreGiving When we give something to somebody we can use one of the following expressions: Here you are. There you are. Here’s your drink. There’s your change. Receiving When we take something off somebody we can use one of the following expressions: Thank you. Thanks very much (indeed). Cheers. (Informal) Replying Not everybody responds when you thank them, but it […]
Read moreWhen someone has a problem, we can give them advice in the following ways: “I have a headache.” You should take some medicine. Subject should base form You should study more. You shouldn’t smoke so much. You ought to take some medicine. Subject ought to base form You ought to do more exercise. You oughtn’t to think so negatively. Why don’t you take some medicine? […]
Read moreThe most used future form in English is to be going to + verb. I‘m going to eat pizza tomorrow. They‘re going to play tennis next Saturday. Look at the construction: Subject to be going to base form of verb We are going to have a party next week. She is going to visit her mother tonight. They are going to listen to […]
Read moreTo understand the future perfect simple just think about the present perfect simple: I‘ve been to Spain. I was born in 1970 and at some point since my birth and now I went to Spain. It doesn’t matter when. The future perfect has a similar idea but refers to some point in the future. The keyword is “by“. By 2015 I will have learnt to speak Japanese. […]
Read moreTo understand the future perfect continuous we need to think about the present perfect continuous. I have been playing the guitar for 3 years. I started playing the guitar 3 years ago and I’m still playing the guitar. We use the future perfect continuous when we want to talk about something which will continue until a certain point in the future. As with the future […]
Read moreWe use the present continuous to talk about an exact moment in the present, that is now (I am writing); we use the past continuous to talk about an exact moment in the past (I was sleeping at 6 o’clock this morning), we use the future continuous to talk about an exact moment in the future. I will be having dinner at 7 o’clock this evening. The […]
Read moreYou can introduce your opinion or show that you agree or disagree wth someone by starting your sentence with one of the following expressions: Introducing opinion (Personally), I think (that) In my opinion… In my view… I’d say (that)… If you ask me… I believe (that)… I’m sure (that)… I reckon (that)… To my mind… I feel (that)… As far […]
Read moreWhen we want to say how much we like something or dislike something, we can use one of the following expressions: Positive Normal Negative I love it. I quite like it. I don’t like it at all. I really like it. It’s ok. I hate it. I like it very much. It isn’t bad. I really don’t like it
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