Adverbial phrases of time and frequency

 

These adverbs and phrases add information about time, duration and frequency.

 

1. They can tell us when. These phrases usually come at the end of the sentence:

• She was born in 1980.
• We arrived in the UK last week.
• He left China ten days ago.
• They are getting married this month.
• She’s going to start university next year.
• I went to the cinema yesterday.

 

2. They can tell us about duration:

• She has been studying maths for two years.
• We have known each other for six months.
• I have been working here since 2015.
• They have been in England since last September.

 

We often use ‘for’ and ‘since’ with the Present Perfect.

• I’ve been reading for two hours.

 

We can also use ‘for’ with other tenses:

• My uncle was in the army for thirty years.

 

We use:

 

for +	two years
	six months
	two weeks
	five minutes
	period of time

 

since +	2015
	last September
	yesterday
	10.00
	point in time

 

3. They can tell us how often:

 

Adverbs of Frequency

 

As we saw in ‘Adverbs of frequency’ (the Beginner course), we use ‘always’, ‘usually’, ‘often’, ‘sometimes’, ‘hardly ever’ and ‘never‘ to say how often we do something.

 

Be careful with the word order:

With the verb ‘to be’:

• She is never late.
• You are always tired.

 

With all other verbs:

• I usually get up at 7.00am.
• He always plays football on Saturdays.

 

Every day

We can also use phrases such as:

every + day / week / month / year

• We have breakfast every day.
• She goes to the cinema every week.

 

On Sundays

• We have breakfast in a cafe on Sundays.
• She goes to the cinema on Tuesdays.

 

Once a week

• She goes to the cinema once a week.
• He goes to the gym twice (= two times) a week.
• They play football three times a week.
• We have English lessons five times a week.

 

Note: All of these phrases usually come at the end of the sentence.

 

Adjectives: superlative

 

Adjectives can have superlative forms. They are used to show extremes when comparing people, things, actions and events.

 

We usually use ‘the’ before superlative adjective forms:

• Michael is the tallest player on our team.
• Of all her friends, Emily is the nicest.
• This is the best restaurant in town. Their pizzas are the biggest and the most delicious.

 

Rules for forming superlative adjectives

1. To make superlative forms of most one- and two-syllable adjectives, add ‘-est’ to them (or ‘-st’, if the adjective ends in ‘-e’):

• Fast → The cheetah is the fastest animal in the world.
• Old → John is the oldest son in his family.
• Low → This is the lowest point of the valley.

2. If an adjective ends in one vowel and one consonant, double the consonant before ‘-est’:

• Big → Whales are the biggest mammals.
• Hot → This has been the hottest day of the summer.

3. For two-syllable adjectives ending in ‘-y’, remove the ‘-y’ and add ‘-iest’:

• Happy → It’s my birthday, and I’m the happiest person in the world.
• Early → When does the earliest train from London arrive?    

4. Some common short adjectives have irregular forms:

• Good → better → This is the best movie I’ve ever seen.
• Bad  → worse → The worst things always happen unexpectedly.
• Far → further → Tom dreams about visiting the furthest corners of the Earth.

5. To make superlative forms of long adjectives (three syllables and more), use ‘the most’ + adjective:

• This is the most beautiful sunset I’ve ever seen.
• Sport cars are the most expensive vehicles.

The opposite of ‘most’ is ‘least’. Use ‘least’ before long adjectives:

• This region is the least comfortable for leaving.
• The first two chapters were the least interesting in the whole book.

To show that the superlative adjective belongs to a group of similar things, use ‘one of’:

• Shanghai is one of the biggest cities in the world.
• The Miniature Pinscher is one of the smallest dogs.

We can use superlative adjectives without a noun:

• These flowers are not very expensive, but they are the most beautiful.
• You wouldn’t find any other prices, these are the lowest.

Adjectives: comparative

 

Adjectives can have a comparative form. This form is used to compare people, things, actions and events.

 

When comparing two things, we usually use comparative adjective + ‘than’:

• Peter is taller than Mike.
• This city is more interesting than my hometown.
• Today I am happier than yesterday.

 

Rules for forming comparative adjectives

1. To make comparative forms of one-syllable adjectives, add ‘-er’ to them (or ‘-r’, if the adjective ends in ‘-e’):

• New → My smartphone is newer than yours.
• Old → The population in this country is getting older.
• Close → Please come closer.

2. If an adjective ends in one vowel and one consonant, double the consonant before ‘-er’:

• Big → An elephant is bigger than a car.
• Hot → It’s getting hotter outside.

3. For two-syllable adjectives ending in ‘-y’, remove the ‘-y’ and add ‘-ier’:

• Early → I’ll probably take an earlier train.
• Friendly → Dogs are usually friendlier than cats.    

4. Some common short adjectives have irregular forms:

• Good → Kate was offered a better job.
• Bad  → The weather today is worse than yesterday.
• Far → Germany is further from Belarus than Poland.

5. To make comparative forms of long adjectives (three syllables and more), use ‘more’ + adjective + ‘than’:

• This meadow is more beautiful than the other one.
• This book is more interesting than I expected.

 

The opposite of ‘more’ is ‘less’. Use ‘less’ before adjectives with two syllables and more:

• For Peter, biology is less difficult than physics.
• Squats are less tiring than push-ups.

6. To make a negative comparison, we can use ‘not as’ + adjective + ‘as’. We can also use the opposite word:

• For Peter, biology is not as difficult as physics.
• For Peter, biology is easier than physics.

7. To emphasize a comparison, we can use modifiers like ‘a lot’, ‘much’, ‘a bit’, ‘slightly’, ‘far’ before comparative forms of adjectives:

• This house is much smaller than the other houses.
• A car is a lot more expensive than a bicycle.
• The plane looks slightly bigger than I expected.
• Your shoes are much more beautiful than mine.

Nouns: possession

 

 

Possessive ’s – with People

 

We can use ’s to show possession. We can use it to describe relationships between people – or people and objects.

• Tony is Ann’s (=her) husband. (NOT: Tony is the husband of Ann.)

• Ann is Tony’s (=his) wife.
• Ann is Mark’s (=his) mother.
• Tony is Mark’s (=his) father.
• This is Martin’s camera. (NOT: This is the camera of Martin.)
• We spent the day at my sister’s house.
• These are my boyfriend’s socks.
• Mr Lewis’s house is for sale.

 

In the following examples, just use one ‘’s’:

• Mark is Ann and Tony’s (=their) son. (NOT: Mark is Ann’s and Tony’s son.)

• Ann and Tony are Sarah and Julia’s parents. (NOT: Ann and Tony are Sarah’s and Julia’s parents.)

 

When the noun is plural, write the apostrophe after the ‘s’:

• Mark’s sisters’ names are Ann and Julia. (NOT: Mark’s sister’s names are…’)

(‘Mark’ is singular but ‘sisters’ is plural.)

• Mark’s parents’ names are Ann and Tony.

 

If the plural is irregular, use ’s as normal:

• Ann is the children’s mother.
• This shop only sells women’s clothes.

 

Possessive ’s – with Animals

 

• This is the dog’s food.
• One of the cat’s feet is black.

 

Using ‘of’ with Objects

 

We usually use ‘of’ with objects:

• The windows of that house are dirty. (NOT: That house’s windows are dirty.)

• What is the name of this village? (NOT: What is this village’s name?)

• We didn’t see the first part of the movie. (NOT: We didn’t see this movie’s first part.)

Nouns: countable and uncountable — negative and questions

 

Countable Nouns

 

In positive sentences, we use:

a / an + singular countable noun

some + plural countable noun

 

In negative sentences, we use:

a / an + singular countable noun

any + plural countable noun

 

To make pancakes…

• … you need a frying pan.
• … you don’t need an electric mixer.
• … you need some plates.  
• … you don’t need any chopsticks.

 

Uncountable Nouns

 

In positive sentences, we use:

some + uncountable noun

 

In negative sentences, we use:

any + uncountable noun

 

In addition…

• … you need some flour.
• … you need some milk.
• … you don’t need any rice.
• … you don’t need any bread.

 

Summary: Positive, Negative & Question Forms

 

type of noun	+	–	?
singular countable	a(n)	a(n)	a(n)
plural countable	some	any	any
uncountable	some	any	any

 

Note the verb forms:

• There is a frying pan.  (singular noun)
• There aren’t any eggs.  (plural noun)
• There is some milk. (uncountable noun)
• There isn’t any flour. (uncountable noun)

 

How much…? & How many…?

 

We use:

How many + plural countable noun

How much + uncountable noun

 

• How many eggs are there? – Six.
• How many plates are there? – Four.
• How much milk is there? – A litre.
• How much flour is there? – 500g.

Nouns: countable and uncountable

Nouns in English can be countable or uncountable.

 

Countable Nouns

 

We can count countable nouns:

• one car, two cars, three cars…

 

Examples of countable nouns include:

• accident, banana, couch, dream, neighbourhood.

 

We can use ‘a’ and ‘an’ with singular countable nouns:

• an accident, a banana, a couch, a dream, a neighbourhood.

 

They have singular and plural forms:

 

singular	plural
accident	accidents
banana	bananas
couch	couches
dream	dreams
neighbourhood	neighbourhoods

 

We can use ‘some’ with plural countable nouns:

• I’d like some bananas, please.

 

Uncountable Nouns

 

We can’t count uncountable nouns:

• one air, two airs, three airs…

 

Examples of uncountable nouns include:

• advice, information, money, music, water.

 

We can’t use ‘a’ and ‘an’ with  uncountable nouns:

• an advice, an information, a money, a music, a water.

 

Uncountable nouns are usually liquids, materials or abstract nouns.

 

They don’t usually have plural forms:

• advices, informations, moneys, musics, waters.

 

Other common uncountable nouns include:

Food and Drink

 

coffee	juice
tea	wine
bread	cheese
fruit	meat
pasta	rice

 

accommodation	furniture
homework	news
traffic	work

 

We can use ‘some’ with uncountable nouns:

• I’d like some water, please.

 

We can also use phrases like ‘a glass of’, ‘a bottle of’ or ‘a piece of’:

• I’d like a glass of water, please.
• We bought two bottles of wine.
• This is a beautiful piece of music.

 

Nouns: common and proper

 

Nouns are words which refer to people, places or things. We can divide them into two types – common nouns and proper nouns.

 

Examples of common nouns include:

• air, cat, happiness, music, newspaper.

 

We don’t usually write them with a capital letter, unless they come at the beginning of a sentence:

• I love music.

NOT: I love Music.

• Happiness is the most important thing.

 

Proper nouns are names of people, places or things and we always write them with a capital letter:

• My sister’s name is Sarah.
• The best day of the week is Friday.

 

Examples of proper nouns include:

• Australia, Monday, Rome, Russian, Sarah.

 

Proper nouns include:

 

a) The names of people, places or institutions:

• Sarah, Mr Stevens, the United States, Beijing, Cambridge University, the Hilton Hotel.

 

b) The names of the days of the week, months of the year and public holidays:

• Saturday, Thursday, June, September, Christmas, Thanksgiving.

(But not seasons: ‘summer’ not ‘Summer’.)

 

c) The names of nationalities and languages:

• Mexican, Swiss, English, Spanish.

 

d) The names of newspapers, magazines and the titles of books and movies:

• The Guardian, Vogue, Alice in Wonderland, Moby Dick, Terminator, The Lord of the Rings.

 

Note: When the title has several words, we often write all the important words in capital letters. San Fransisco Three Men in a Boat

 

Take care with:

• I went for a walk in the park.
• I went for a walk in Central Park.

 

• I studied chemistry at university.
• I studied chemistry at London University.

 

Modal verbs: obligations, statements

 

When talking about things that need to be done (obligations), we use ‘have to’ or ‘must’:

• She must stay in bed until her back is better.
• George has to go to New York on business.

 

The verb ‘must‘ expresses stronger obligation or obligation important for a speaker.

 

The verb ‘have to‘ expresses an obligation due to circumstances or outside factors (e.g. laws, agreements, other people’s orders, etc.).

• I must stop smoking. (I really need to)
• I have to stop smoking. (doctor’s orders)

 

We form positive statements with ‘must’ like this:

 

  subject + must + the verb (base form without ‘to’):

 

Singular	Plural
I must go You must go He/she/it must go	We must go You must go They must go

• I must call my sister this evening.
• All visitors must go to the reception first.

 

We form positive statements with ‘have to’ like this:

 

  subject + have/has to + the verb (base form):

 

Singular	Plural
I have to go You have to go He/she/it has to go	We have to go You have to go They have to go

• We have to wait here for a taxi.
• Mary has to start work at 8am.

 

Modal verbs: permission, requests and offers

 

Modal verbs ‘can’, ‘could’ and ‘may’ are used to politely ask for permission, to make a request, and to offer help to someone.

 

We often use the modal verb ‘can’ to ask for permission or to make a request:

• Can I have some cookies? – Yes, you can.
• Can I borrow your pen, please? – Sure!
• Can I use your bathroom? – Of course!

 

In more formal situations, like talking to your boss or a stranger, you can use ‘could’ instead of ‘can’:

• Excuse me, could I sit here, please? – I’m sorry,  but you can’t. This seat is taken.
• Could I have your attention, sir? – Sure.
• Could you tell me the way to the town center, please? – Of course, it’s straight ahead.

 

‘May I…’ can also be used in formal situations:

• May I make an appointment for Tuesday? – Yes, you may.
• May I begin? – Of course.
• May I have a glass of water? – Sure, here you are.

 

Note: We can give someone permission with the words ‘can’ or ‘may’, or we can say ‘yes’, ‘of course’ or ‘sure.’

 

‘Can’ and ‘may’ can also be used to offer help. ‘May’ is used in more formal situations:

• Can I help you carry those bags? – Yes, please.
• Can I get you a drink? – No, thank you.
• May I take your coat? – Of course.

 

Sometimes we can use ‘shall’ to see if someone wants you to do something. This verb is not typical for US English:

• That backpack looks heavy. Shall I carry it for you? (Do you want me to?)
• Yes, please.

 

• Shall I open the window? (Do you want me to?)
• Good idea, it’s too hot in here. 

 

Present Continuous with future meaning

 

We use the Present Continuous to talk about pre-arranged future actions or events.

 

We use time markers (tomorrow, at six o’clock, on Friday, etc.), to show that the actions or events will take place at a definite time in the future.

• Jane is working at the moment (Present Continuous refers to present activity) but in the evening she is playing tennis (Present Continuous refers to planned activity in future).

 

To make the Present Continuous with future meaning, we use the verb to be (am/is/are) + the “-ing” (Gerund) form of the verb and add a time marker.

•  I’m staying at home tonight.
•  She isn’t working on Thursday.
•  We’re meeting at two o’clock.
•  John and Samantha are getting married tomorrow.

 

We form the negative by adding ‘not’ to either the full form or short (contracted) form.

•    We’re not having a meeting this afternoon.
•  =We aren’t having a meeting this afternoon.
•  =We are not having a meeting this afternoon.
•  I’m not coming to the party tonight.
• = I am not coming to the party tonight.

 

Note: We can often use ‘going to’ instead of the Present Continuous to indicate future meaning.  Nick’s spending time with his family tonight. = Nick’s going to spend time with his family tonight.

 

To form a question, we rearrange the word order, placing the verb ‘be’ before the subject.

•  Are you going to the concert tomorrow?
•  Is your mom joining us for dinner next week?