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VERBS - Coggle Diagram
VERBS
Present Simple
Regular activities
+ adverbs of frequency or time expressions
such as "every day", "on Saturdays", etc.
Facts and truths
Habits
Permanent situations
NOT
for things that you have arranged to do; use the present continuous, instead
For
future events on timetables and programs
"The supper starts at ten"
In temporal clauses after a time conjunction
"When you arrive in Beijing, go directly to the hotel"
Plans and intentions for the future
"I plan to study arts next year", "Joe intends to move to Mexico"
As a
past form
To tell a story
"(...) when suddenly I see a car approaching (...)"
To write newspaper headlines
"Laura Palmer dies in forest fire"
To tell jokes
"A man walks into a bar (...)"
With
hear, tell, gather, say
To emphasize the information heard
"I hear you're getting married"
Present Continuous
Things happening now
+ at the moment, this week, these days,
etc.
Activities in progress
Temporary situations
Talking about the future as something certain; for activities/events which have
already been arranged
or are definite
The
future continuous
can also be used in this sense (more formal)
"I'll be travelling on the Orient Express to Venice"
To avoid "going to + go"
"He's going climbing in the Alps next summer"
For surprising or unexpected events
"Paula is taking her mother on their honeymoon!"
Future arrangements
(usually with a time expression)
"I'm seeing the doctor on Tuesday morning"
NOT
commonly used with stative verbs
Past Simple
Something that happens and finishes in the past (
completed action
)
One usually says or knows
when
it happens
Usually defined by adverb, previous day, year, "ago" etc.
An
expression of time or place
helps defining when the experience happened
Yesterday, last month, many years ago, when sme. was a child...
Positive:
-ed or irregular
Negative:
"didn't" + verb
Questions:
can also use "how long (...)?", but only for situations which are over
To describe events in stories
For plans and intentions for the future
"We decided to kill these bugs tomorrow", "he arranged to meet next Saturday"
To sound
more urgent
"It's time we left" (= we should have left already)
With
wish, if only, suppose
and
what if
Past Continuous
Something that was
not finished
at a particular time
For
exact time
or
simultaneous activity
To talk about something which
continued to happen
before and after a given event
"While Kevin was away visiting friends in Italy, his flat was burgled"
For a
temporary situation
in the past
For
uncertain plans for the future
(in a less assertive way if compared with the present continuous)
"I was thinking of going to that event later"
To be
polite
"I was wondering if our report was ready"
Present Perfect
Life experiences and events/situations that started in the past and are still true
Precisely when is not important, because the interest is in the
experience
With
never/ever
"I've seen all Lynch's films"
"Have you ever eaten pavlova?"
Present effects
of sth. that happened in the past
Recent past actions, events or situations that are important now
"The president has resigned"
Sth. that will happen at some time in the future
Expressing regret
"should" or "ought to" + present perfect
Ever and never
Never
= not at any time
Ever
= at any time in sme.'s life; more natural in questions
Since and for
With
since
= from an exact point in time; until now OR past simple
With
for
= throughout a period of time; length of time
NOT
for present simple or present continuous
Questions
for "since" and "for" usually come with "
how long
(...)"
For situations which are more permanent (long time)
"I've lived here for 20 years"
Just, already and yet
Usage
Already
Before now or earlier than you/I expected
Yet
Before now or until now
At the end of a negative sentence or question
Just
A very short time ago
Mainly in positive sentences
Used to say whether an action has happened or not at the present time
To talk about recent events in the past
Past situations still happening now
With
since/for
Past Perfect
Generally used to
clarify the timing of an event
When two things happened in the past and we need to show which one happened first
"When I arrived at work, my boss had already started the meeting"
Equivalent to:
past simple (first action) + then + past simple (second action)
"My boss started the meeting and then I arrived at work"
To refer to an event that took place before sth. else
Sometimes used with
already
or
just
"I had just taken off my shirt when my mobile rang"
Often used with time expressions, such as
when
and
by the time
"By the time she concluded her task, I had already praised her for her hard work"
For
completed actions
in the past
"I had already finished my homework assignment"
To say
how many times
sth. happened
"He had read the magazine five times"
Modal Verbs
May
May have
+ past participle
To express uncertainty or possibility about something in the past
Possibility
To talk about the possibility of something in the present or the future, when we are making a guess about a present situation, or we aren’t sure if something will happen in the future
Negative possibility:
may not
Please see "Questions" in "Might"
With reference to the
future, present or past
To make
guesses and suggestions
using the information we have
Must
Necessary because of one's opinion or own rule
Formal written notices or organization rules
Mustn't:
one should not do something
Mustn't is
NOT USED
for guesses about what is possible or true; use
can't
instead
"These figures don't add up, they can't be correct"
No future and no past
- instead, use "will have to" and "had to"
Certainty
Must have
+ past participle
To express certainty or near-certainty about something in the past
"They must have made a mistake"
When one believes strongly that sth. is certain
"There must be another explanation"
Deduction
Must be
or
must have been
"You must be tired after your performance"
Will
Please refer to "Future with 'will'".
Should
Deduction
Should be
or
should have been
"He should have been able to play at the concert, his hand was no longer hurting"
Could
Uncertainty
Could have
+ past participle
To express uncertainty or possibility about something in the past
Impossibility
Couldn't have
+ past participle
To express impossibility about something in the past
Could not
For sth. that is completely impossible
Possibility
To talk about the possibility of something in the present or the future, when we are making a guess about a present situation, or we aren’t sure if something will happen in the future
NO negative possibility:
we don’t use "couldn’t" in the same way as might not/mightn’t/may not, because "couldn’t" means that something is impossible
Please see "Questions" in "Might"
With reference to the
future, present or past
Criticism
To imply criticism or irritation (with adequate intonation)
"You could practice a bit more!"
Ability
Same meaning as
be able to
(past)
For a single event in the past, we use
be able to
(not could) in
positive statements
To make
guesses and suggestions
using the information we have
Might
Uncertainty
Might have
+ past participle
To express uncertainty or possibility about something in the past
Possibility
To talk about the possibility of something in the present or the future, when we are making a guess about a present situation, or we aren’t sure if something will happen in the future
Negative possibility:
mightn't or might not
Questions:
"Do you think he might/may/could (...)?" (informal) or "Might/may/could he (...)?" (formal)
With reference to the
future, present or past
Criticism
To imply criticism or irritation (with adequate intonation)
"You might have told me you'd be coming late!"
To make
guesses and suggestions
using the information we have
Ought to
Shall
Please refer to "Future with 'shall'".
Would
To talk about events which occurred
regularly or habitually in the past
Used to
To talk about something we did
regularly in the past
, but we don’t do now
For
habits and states
Please see "Action verbs and state/stative verbs"
The action is repeated many times
To talk about a past fact which is
no longer true
One does not need to add
adverbs
most of the time, but if one wants to stress a time period, one can add an adverb
"Often", "yearly", etc.
Carry idea of
comparison or change
over time
Form:
subject + used to + infinitive
In the
negative form
, the structure
subject + used not to + infinitive
is more
formal
"I used not to get any exercise"
For the
present
, the form is
usually + verb + something
For
habits only
(repetition in the past)
"I would sit by the window and cry every single morning"
It already shows that something happened in the past, adverbs are optional
To express a conditional and the consequence of an imagined event or situation
"I would memorize these verbs if I were you"
To give advice
To express a desire/inclination, a polite request, a wish/regret
"Would you turn up the volume, please?"
To express the future in the past
"When you started learning French, you knew you would be fluent one day"
Have
Have to
Don't have to:
optional behavior, not necessary
Have got to:
informal version of "have to"
Necessary because of law, obligation, or fact
Have no + abstract noun
"I have
no objection to
staying at home"
"I have
no interest in
going somewhere like Las Vegas"
"I have
no alternative but
to leave"
"I have
no intention of
ever going to Disneyland"
Have something done
See
causative structures
below
Can
Impossibility
Cannot
or
can't
Can't have
+ past participle
To express impossibility about something in the past
Possibility
To express possibility
WITHOUT
reference to
past, present or future
"He can sound off-key at times when he sings"
Ability
Same meaning as
be able to
(present),
BUT
only
can
may be used with
stative verbs
"Be able to" is more frequent in unusual/surprising situations
Manage to
Used instead of a modal verb for sth.
very difficult
to do or when one is
very successful
Negative form: can’t manage to
(present) and
couldn’t
or
didn’t manage to
(past)
Can
has
no infinitive form or present perfect
form; instead, use
be able to
Present Perfect Continuous
Sometimes used
instead of present perfect
To stress the period of time involved (e.g. "all day")
To refer to a situation that continues (e.g. "year by year")
To emphasize the
continuous, ongoing nature of the activity
or how long it has continued
"It's been snowing all morning"
To focus on the present effects of a recent event
To refer to sth. that has recently stopped
With
just
"I've just been painting the bedroom"
For situations which are
temporary
(short time, e.g. "I've been working here for a week")
Frequently used with
lately/recently
NOT
common with
be
and
know
Past Perfect Continuous
To stress the continuity of an event at an earlier point in time
To describe a situation/action happening over a period of time up to another past event or point in time
Often used to give background information
"I had been waiting for two hours before the train arrived"
Often used with the
past simple
Can be used with a
relative clause
, a
time conjunction
or to
give reasons
"Samantha took the exam in 2020, for which she had been studying since 2018"
"After I had been devouring meat for some hours, I was so fed up of eating I had to stop"
"I felt extenuated because I had been swimming all day long"
For
incomplete actions
in the past
When the
process or duration
is the focus, rather than the end result
"I had been playing the piano when I suddenly noticed it was time to proceed with my work"
Action verbs and state/stative verbs
Action verbs
To describe things we do or things that happen
Play, rise, etc.
Used in all tenses
State/stative verbs
To talk about attitudes, thoughts, senses or belonging
Cannot be used in continuous forms
, except when it is a
temporary situation
or there is a
change of meaning
"I'm lovin' it!"
"The boy is smelling the flowers"
"Joe is being crazy"
"They are seeing their aunts soon"
Common state/stative verbs
Appear, be, believe, belong, consider, consist, contain, cost, doubt, exist, fit, hate, hear, have, know, like, love, matter, mean, need, owe, own, prefer, remember, resemble, seem, suppose, think, understand, want, wish
Future with will
To
predict
what is going to happen based on past experience or opinion
In
formal contexts
for arrangements made in detail
For
instant decisions
made on the spur of the moment
Deduction
Will be
or
will have been
"That'll be my piano teacher; I heard her ring the door bell"
For
promises
and
voluntary offers
Future Perfect
To refer to events which have not yet happened, but will do so at a given time in the future
"This time next year, I will have finished my course"
To say when sth. will be completed by
"I hope they will have finished the building work on the hotel before we go on holiday"
For
plans and predictions
To
make educated guesses
about what will happen or that have happened
For guesses
based on what one knows now
or activities expected to be completed
It envolves
assumptions and expectations
, it is a present form
Often used with
by
and
in
By the time (that) + present simple, by the summer/winter, by the end of the week...
In (x days/months/weeks/years) time, in (x days/months/weeks/years) from now...
Possible with
other modals
instead of will
Will
Quite sure
Should
Reasonably sure
"By this time next year, I should have passed my language test"
May
Not so sure
Might
Not so sure
Shall
Quite sure
For
I
and
we
(more formal)
The
assumption
is made on the information the speaker has at the moment speaking
By the time (that)/When + present simple
Do not
use
will
in the first part of the sentence
"By the time/When he gets here, he will have completed his main tasks"
Future Perfect Continuous
To indicate duration at a specified time in the future
Also for
assumptions and expectations
To emphasize how long sth. has been going on for by a particular point in the future
To talk about an ongoing event/situation that will still be in progress at a particular time
"The airline will have been carrying passengers for 50 years at the end of March"
Usually with
for
to define time
To emphasize the continuous nature of an action
To show cause and effect in the future
"She'll be exhausted because she'll have been working all morning"
Often used with
by
and
in
See the information below in "Future Perfect"
Future with be going to
To talk about something that we have decided to do in the future or future plans, but
not arranged yet
; it's possible that the plan might change
For something that we expect to happen because we can see
from the present situation that it is very likely
; to
predict
sth. that you have
physical evidence
for
We
CANNOT
use the present continuous in this way
For present situations that extend into the future
"The government is going to raise fuel taxes"
To express plans, intentions or decisions
Future with shall
To talk about the future instead of "will" with "I" and "we"
For
offers
"Shall I carry your bags?"
Shall
may replace
will
in future continuous sentences
"I shall be arriving late tonight"
Future Continuous
To talk about sth. that is going on at a particular time or over a particular period in the future
For
plans, intentions or predictions
Regarding plans and intentions, it can be replaced by the
present continuous
or
be going to + verb
"We won't be leaving the hotel any time soon" = "We aren't leaving/aren't going to leave the hotel any time soon"
For sth. that has been
arranged previously
"Luisa will be visiting us again in the fall"
When you want to appear very
polite
"Will you be needing anything to drink?"
To say a future action will be in progress
at the same time
as another action
"I will be thinking of him when I'm away for vacation"
For
assumption, enquiries and emphasis
For future events which occur
effortlessly
or
don't require any decision
"I'll bring you the goods as I'll be going into town anyway to buy spaghetti"
Future with be + infinitive
For
official notices/arrangements
, newspaper reports and formal instructions
To give
orders
"Passengers are to leave by the rear door"
For future events which involve
instruction or necessity
"The children are to do their homework tomorrow"
More
formal
For
expressing near certainty
that the forecast will happen
"A woman is to appear in court later today charged with murder"
We can
cut the verb
"Paris trains to strike this afternoon"
Future with expressions
Be about to
(informal)
To talk about sth. that will happen
in the near future
"She is about to leave"
Be on the verge/point of
+ gerund/noun (formal)
Be bound/certain/likely/unlikely to
To express a(n)
(im)probable action
"Is Joe likely to come?"
"It is unlikely to rain"
Be on the brink of
+ noun (formal)
Gerunds and Infinitives
Gerunds
Verbs followed by a gerund (-ing) form
Admit, advise, consider, discuss, dislike, dread, enjoy, finish, mind, practise, recommend, suggest
Negative:
"He enjoys
not
working."
Not
is used before the gerund
Possessive:
"Do you mind
my going out
for a while?"
Infinitives
Verbs followed by an infinitive (to + base form)
Agree, appear, ask, choose, decide, expect, fail, hope, learn, need, offer, promise, propose, refuse, seem, wait, want
Negative:
"Frank hopes
not
to travel"
Not
is used before the infinitive
Verb + someone + infinitive
Advise, ask, invite, promise, tell, warn
Splitting infinitives
is usually a mistake, but might not be an error depending on the context
WRONG:
"I need to quickly stop at the bank"
CORRECT:
"I quickly need to stop (...)" or "I need to stop (...) quickly"
CORRECT:
"I want our profits to more than double this year"
Both
With a change in meaning
Forget, regret, remember, stop, try
With no change in meaning
Begin, continue, hate, like, love, prefer, start
They can act as
nouns
!
Possible structures
Verb + (object) + bare infinitive
Some verbs are followed by a bare infinitive after an object
Hear, feel, make, notice, see, watch, let, etc.
Example: "I made him shave his moustache off"
Verb + to-infinitive or -ing?
Some verbs are followed by a to-infinitive
Agree, aim, ask, demand, prepare, hope, manage, wish
Some verbs are followed by -ing
Consider, avoid, envisage, miss, imagine and
all phrasal verbs
Some verbs take either a to-infinitive or -ing with little or no change in meaning
Begin, start, cease, continue
Some verbs take a to-infinitive or -ing but change their meaning
Go on, stop, try, remember, forget, regret, mean, come, hear, etc.
Verb + object + to-infinitive
Some verbs include an object before a to-infinitive
Example: "I encouraged her to sell her dress"
Consider, warn, allow, believe, encourage, etc.
Some verbs don't require an object
Decide, refuse, hope, fail, agree, start, etc.
Example: "I decided to leave"
Some verbs sometimes take an object and sometimes don't
Hate, help, like, love, want, prefer, need, etc.
Examples: "I like to swim every evening" versus "I would like you to swim today"
Verb + -ing
Some verbs must have an object before an -ing when they are in the active
Catch, discover, observe, see, watch, etc.
Example: "I overheard them telling her the news"
Some verbs don't have an object before -ing
Admit, advise, consider, deny, face, finish, suggest, etc.
Example: "I suggested going to the mall as soon as possible"
+ that (clause)
Verbs followed by a that + clause structure
Advise, ask, explain, promise, propose, recommend, suggest, tell, warn
Negative:
"The driver asked that we
not
smoke inside the bus"
Not
is used before the infinitive/gerund (second verb)
Usually with sentences that make promises, warnings, offers, suggestions, or recommendations
Infinitives of purpose
To explain
why
we are doing sth.
"You are studying to get better at speaking Japanese"
Sometimes with
for + someone
to say we're doing sth. on behalf of someone else
"We are preparing classes for you to get better at Japanese"
Equivalent to
in order to
and
so as to
May be used
after a noun or pronoun
to explain what we need it for or intend to do
"I want a house to live in"
"Are you bringing with you anything to eat?"
Irregular Verbs
Please refer to the list of irregular verbs.
Passive
Form:
subject + to be (present or past) + past participle (+ by + agent + object)
Examples: "was invented by", "were being made", "have been used" etc.
With or without
modals
In
informal
contexts,
get
is used instead of be
"I got arrested for taking part in the riots yesterday"
The present and perfect forms are the most common ones
Passive infinitives:
often used after the verbs "appear", "prove" and "seem"
Examples: "needs to be eaten", "seem to have been made"
It focuses on the
receiver of the action
"Cathy was sent a gift by John"
"The test was passed by only six students"
The agent may be left out if it is unimportant, unknown or obvious
Usually, the
receiver, action or process
is more important
The active voice object becomes the passive voice subject
The choice of active or passive voice often defines the focus of the sentence
It can produce an
official or impersonal tone
"Visitors must be accompanied by a member of staff at all times"
It is
less direct
because it doesn't sound like an order, accusation, or criticism
It avoids saying the other person's name
"I was told to complete the task"
It's useful when we don't want to emphasize someone's responsibility
"Your notebook was dropped"
Continuous passive
Used the same way as the other regular continuous forms
"The property will be being decorated next week"
Form:
be + being (present participle of to be) + past participle
"I am being chased"
It has present, past, and future uses, but it isn't used in a perfect structure
Passive reporting structures
To report information or facts in a
formal style
They hide the source of information
Form #1:
it + passive reporting verb + that-clause
It is known that (...)
"It is known that women are underpaid in Brazil"
It is thought that (...)
"It is thought that chocolate is a delightful food"
Form #2:
subject + passive reporting verb + to-infinitive
"The sky is known to be blue"
"Berries are thought to be a healthy type of fruit"
Wish and if only
To talk about the
present
Use the
past tense
"I wish I could speak Japanese" (= I don't speak it right now, maybe I will never)
To talk about the
past
Use the
past perfect
When we are sorry about sth. in the past and imagine doing things differently
"If only they had listened to their parents"
The uses of wish
To express
irritation or criticism
Use
would
, except when object and subject are the same
"I wish she would treat me better" (= I believe she can treat me better, I hope she does)
For sth.
unlikely or impossible
to be true
"I wish you hadn't started the meeting without Carly"
For a
strong wish
"I wish
for
a prosperous life"
For hopes related to
someone else
Form:
wish + someone (indirect object) + something (direct object)
"I wish you an excellent week"
To make a formal
complaint or request
"I wish to see the manager"
For the
future
, do not use wish
Use
hope
instead
"I hope you will succeed tomorrow"
Form:
wish + past subjunctive/past perfect
or
if only + past subjunctive/past perfect
Would rather and it's (high/about) time
To express a
present idea
with an object
Use the
past tense
"It's time I left this building, the class finished a long time ago"
"She would rather you learned some good manners at the table"
To make a
general statement
Use the
infinitive
"It's time to leave"
"I'd rather learn valuable skills than useless things"
Phrasal verbs
Prepositions behave like adverbs
and extend the meaning of the verbs on their own
Key particles:
around, about, away, down, in, off, on, out
Other prepositions:
for, from, to, with
The meaning is different from the original verbs without the adverb
The meaning of a phrasal verb can be similar or it can completely change
Transitive or intransitive
Object pronouns
may only fit in the middle of the phrasal verb, between the verb and the adverb
Me, you, him, her, it, us, them
Some verbs have three parts:
verb + adverb + preposition
Noun objects may be placed before or after the adverb in phrasal verbs
Noun objects
cannot
be placed before the adverb in prepositional verbs
In
pronunciation
, the main stress in on the
adverb
for most phrasal verbs
In
prepositional verbs
, the stress is often on the
main verb
, not on the preposition
They combine two or more
particles
(adverbs or prepositions)
Often used in
spoken and informal English
Types of phrasal verbs
Type 2: non-separable phrasal verbs (1)
Transitive
Not separable
Prepositional verbs
are always of this type
Disagree with, consist of...
Type 3: non-separable phrasal verbs (2)
Intransitive
Not separable
Watch out, fall through, drop in...
Some of them may also be type-4 verbs (with preposition and object)
Run out (of)...
Type 1: separable phrasal verbs
Transitive
Object between verb and particle or after both of them
Set up, work out...
Object pronouns
always come between the main verb and the particle
"He'll call it off"
Type 4: three-part phrasal verbs
Adverb + preposition + direct object
Come up with, go through with, stand up for...
Transitive
Some of them may also be type-3 verbs
Narrative tenses
To talk about the
past
and
past events
To tell a
story
Four narrative tenses
Past continuous
For background information
For the description of a scene or situation
Past perfect
For a past action that happened before another one
Past simple
For actions started and finished in the past
For stories and dialogues
Together with the past continuous when one action
interrupts
another
Past perfect continuous
For sth. that has been happening over a long period
"Brazil had been trying to prevent famine for a decade, but the current government has no commitment to social priorities"
Linking devices
To join sentences or clauses
To help the narrative to flow in a more interesting and natural way
Please see the other mind map
Be/get used to
Form:
subject + be/get used to + noun/pronoun or -ing
Never
followed by an infinitive
Be used to
To say sth. isn't new, unusual, or difficult for you
"I'm used to getting up early in the morning"
Get used to
To say you're gradually finding sth. less unusual or difficult
"He didn't get used to it in a timely manner"
Let and allow
Both are related to
giving permission
Followed by nouns or pronouns
Let + infinitive without to
"They let him leave earlier today"
Allow + infinitive with to
(often in the passive voice)
"He is not allowed to lock up our belongings"
"She allowed her father to hug her"
See
causative structures
above
Need + -ing
To talk about sth. that must be done, but we choose not to say who needs it
"This apartment needs tidying"
"My hair needs cutting"
"Her computer doesn't need repairing"
The person who needs to do it is
unknown, obvious or unimportant
Causative structures
Used when one thing or person causes another thing or person to do sth.
The basic structures are either
active or passive
Active form:
subject + causative verb + agent + action verb + object
"I had Joe fix the car"
Passive form:
subject + causative verb + object + action verb (past participle)
"I had the car fixed"
Common verbs
Have
Meaning: arrange for sth.
"She'll have the kitchen cleaned"
Make
Meaning: force, compel
"Jenny made me lie to you"
Get
Meaning: arrange for sth. (+ to)
"I got John to pick me up at the train station"
Let
Meaning: allow
"I let her borrow my bag"
Subjunctive
For events that are
desired, imagined or uncertain
When someone wants, anticipates, or imagines sth.
Present subjunctive (base subjunctive)
Used with base verb forms (infinitive without to)
"We request that it compensate the damages caused"
"I advise she be here on time"
Usually in
that clauses
with specific nouns, verbs, or adjectives
Suggest-verb or noun + that
[Verbs] Advise, ask, command, demand, desire, insist, order, prefer, propose, recommend, request, suggest
"The board recommend that he join the company"
[Nouns] Command, demand, order, proposal, recommendation, request, suggestion
"She made a proposal that the company buy more vehicles"
[It + be (in any tense) +] advise/anxious-adjective + that
[Adjectives] Advisable, best, crucial, desirable, essential, imperative, important, necessary, unthinkable, urgent, vital
"It is vital that every person not wear a face mask with holes"
[Adjectives] Adamant, anxious, determined, eager, keen
"John Doe is anxious that Kerry leave soon"
In
British English
, structures with should are more common
"They request that we should come tomorrow"
Used in
fixed expressions
"Bless you!"
"God bless America"
"God save the Queen"
"Long live the President"
"Heaven forbid!"
"Heaven help us!"
After
if/whether
with
be
"If that be (not) the case, I want to report a crime"
"Whether they be prepared or not, I will tell them the truth"
Past subjunctive (were subjunctive)
Used after
if, as if, as though, wish, suppose
, etc.
"He would go if he were younger"
"I would tell her if I were you"
"It is not as if he were handsome"
"I wish I weren't so narrow-minded"
"Suppose he were graduated - what kind of job would he have?"
To express regret, longing, doubt, improbability...
Come and bring, go and take
Come and bring
For movements
towards the speaker/listener
"If you come for lunch, bring some wine, will you?"
Go and take
For movements
away from the speaker/listener
"When I go to the pub later, I will take your bag, OK?"
Subject-verb agreement
General rules for singular and plural nouns
However, one should know whether a particular noun takes a singular or plural verb in English
Singular and plural nouns may be the same
Species
Sheep
Fish (most common form)
Series
Economics
Politics
Headquarters
Some nouns have
no plural
Pay attention to singular nouns ended in -s
Gymnastics
Physics
Mathematics
Dominos
Measles
Darts
News
Some nouns have
no singular
Usually, collective nouns
Cattle
Thanks
Congratulations
Staff
Fishes (meaning different species in the same place)
"Pair" nouns
Trousers
Tights
Scissors
Tweezers
Jeans
Glasses
The + adjective (meaning "all of (...)")
"The rich only think about their assets"
"The sick need proper care"
"The Japanese are coming"
Police
Some nouns may
either be collective (group of individuals) or singular (unit)
In a
relative clause
,
who
is used with collective nouns and
which
with units
Government
"The government is/are debating a new project"
Public
Jury
"The jury hasn't/haven't yet made a decision"
Committee
Crew
Team
Family
Verbs always agree with the subject noun in a sentence
Quantities, amounts, portions, and mathematics
Amounts, distances, periods of time, quantities, weights, sums of money, etc.
The sentence uses a
singular verb
(quantity = it)
"5 minutes is perfect for reheating the soup"
"$100 is the right amount for this trip"
"24 hours is good break from work, indeed"
Same logic with
expressions with one
"One of her friends is gay"
"More than one of us is thrilled with this trip"
With
portions
, the noun after
of
dictates the agreement
"Half of the cake was devoured"
"Half of the cakes were devoured"
With
mathematics
, singular or plural verbs depend on the
phrasing
"Two and three is/are five"
"Two plus three is five"
"Two times three is six"
Indefinite nouns
They take
singular verbs
"Everyone was elated"
"Nobody knows it, but you've got a secret smile and you use it only for me"
"Someone is at the door"
"Something is coming"
However, if one refers to the same noun again, the impersonal pronoun
they
is used with
plural
"Nobody has arrived, they are late"
And, or, neither, nor
Nouns joined with
and
Plural verb
"Joe and Moe are coming over"
If both nouns are
treated as a unit
Singular verb
"Fish and chips is a delicious meal"
One should pay attention to the
singularity or plurality of the subject
"The new CEO and majority shareholder has arrived" (one person, two functions)
"The new CEO and majority shareholder have arrived" (two people, two functions)
Nouns joined with
or, either/or, neither/nor
The verb agrees with the
closest noun to it
"A pizza or 3 curries are being delivered"
"Either the cat or the dog goes"
"Neither my family nor I have lived here"
Separated subjects and verbs
With
prepositional phrases
(of, about, with, on, off, above, around, etc.)
Ignore all of them and look for the first noun
"This bunch of bananas is rotten"
"The attitudes of the people have remained unchanged"
However,
portions
agree with the last word (see comments above)
Cleft sentences
The verb can agree
with the subject or the complement
"What really makes me mad is/are people who scream at the library"
"The most astounding thing I saw yesterday was/were people without face masks strolling in an unswerving way"
Tenses in English
Times
Past, present, future
Aspects
Simple, continuous, perfect
They add meaning and reflect the perception of the speaker
Continuous
It makes events seem in progress, temporary or unfinished; it stretches verbs and gives them duration
Perfect
It joins the events or actions of two time periods together
Simple
The verb alone suffices to fully understand the speaker