THEORY

Present Perfect

FORM

[has/have + past participle]

USE 1 Unspecified Time Before Now

We use the Present Perfect to say that an action happened at an unspecified time before now. The exact time is not important. You CANNOT use the Present Perfect with specific time expressions such as: yesterday, one year ago, last week, when I was a child, when I lived in Japan, at that moment, that day, one day, etc. We CAN use the Present Perfect with unspecific expressions such as: ever, never, once, many times, several times, before, so far, already, yet, etc.

ADJECTIVES ORDER

An adjective is a word that describes something (a noun) or someone (a person).

Adjectives sometimes appear after the verb To Be

• He is short.
• She is tall.

Adjectives sometimes appear before a noun.

• Red car
• Old hat

BUT… Sometimes you want to use more than one adjective to describe something (or someone).

What happens if a hat is both old AND ugly?

Do we say… an ugly old hat OR an old ugly hat?

An ugly old hat is correct because a certain order for adjectives is expected
(Note, you may hear the other version old ugly hat, though it doesn’t sound natural)

webgraphy:http://www.grammar.cl/english/adjectives-word-order.htm

Infinitive Verb vs. Base Verb

A lot of people think that the infinitive is the most basic form of a verb, but it isn’t. The most basic form is the base form. The base form is just the verb, without the “to.” Some people also call this a bare infinitive.

• be
• have
• hold
• sleep
• dream
• webgraphy:http://grammar.yourdictionary.com/parts-of-speech/verbs/infinitive-verb.html

Defining an Infinitive Verb

Basically, an infinitive verb is a verb with the word “to” in front of it.

• to be
• to have
• to hold
• to sleep
• to dream

When you use an infinitive verb, the “to” is a part of the verb. It is not acting as a preposition in this case. And the verb is always just the verb. It’s not conjugated in anyway – no -ed, no -ing, no -s on the end. Sometimes you’ll see sentences like this:

• She went from kissing him to slapping him in no time.

You see “to slapping,” and it’s easy to think that’s an infinitive verb, but it isn’t. It’s a preposition (to) and a gerund (slapping). You can tell it’s not an infinitive because of the -ing on the end of the verb. Infinitives never have an -ing ending.

webgraphy:http://grammar.yourdictionary.com/parts-of-speech/verbs/infinitive-verb.html

Using an Infinitive Verb

There are several possible ways to use infinitive verbs. You can use them:

1. as the subject of a sentence – To err is human; to forgive, divine.
2. like an adjective or adverb phrase that expresses purpose or intent – My instructions are to press this button every hour.
3. following a direct object – He told me to give this to you.
4. following certain other verbs:

http://grammar.yourdictionary.com/parts-of-speech/verbs/infinitive-verb.html

to + infinitive

We use the to-infinitive

• to express purpose (to answer "Why...?"):

He bought some flowers to give to his wife.
He locked the door to keep everyone out.

We sometimes say in order to or in order not to:

We set off early in order to avoid the traffic.
They spoke quietly in order not to wake the children

• after certain verbs (see verbs followed by infinitive), particularly verbs of thinking and feeling:

choose, decide, expect, forget, hate, hope, intend, learn, like,
love, mean, plan, prefer, remember, want, would like, would love

… and verbs of saying:

agree, promise, refuse

They decided to start a business together.
Remember to turn the lights out.

Some verbs are followed by a direct object and the infinitive(see verbs followed by infinitive):

advise, ask, encourage, invite, order, persuade, remind, tell, warn,
expect, intend, would prefer, want, would like

She reminded me to turn the lights out.
He encouraged his friends to vote for him.

• after certain adjectives.

Sometimes the to-infinitive gives a reason for the adjective:

• disappointed
• glad
• sad
• happy
• anxious
• pleased
• surprised
• proud
• unhappy

We were happy to come to the end of our journey
= We were happy because we had come to the end of our journey
John was surprised to see me
= He was surprised because he saw me

Other adjectives with the to-infinitive are:

• able
• unable
• due
• eager
• keen
• http://learnenglish.britishcouncil.org/es/english-grammar/verbs/infinitive

 

Too and Enough

Too and enough indicate degree. They are used with adjectives.

• Too means more than what is needed.
• Enough means sufficient.

Use of too and enough

1.Enough precedes adjectives and adverbs:

He isn't old enough to watch this program.
We're not walking quickly enough.

2.Enough may also precede nouns:

We have enough money .
I have not got enough money to buy this computer.

3.Too comes before adjectives and adverbs:

It's too hot to wear that coat.
I was driving too fast.

4. Too may also come before nouns when it is used with the expressions too much and too many.
a. Too much is used before uncountable nouns.

There is too much salt in this food.

b. Too many is used before countable nouns
There are too many students in this classroom.

Phrasal Verbs

Phrasal verbs are usually two-word phrases consisting of:

 verb + adverbor verb + preposition. 

Think of them as you would any other English vocabulary. Study them as you come across them, rather than trying to memorize many at once. Use the list below as a reference guide when you find an expression that you don't recognize. The examples will help you understand the meanings. If you think of each phrasal verb as a separate verb with a specific meaning, you will be able to remember it more easily. Like many other verbs, phrasal verbs often have more than one meaning.

As well as learning their meanings, you need to learn how to use phrasal verbs. Verb Meaning Example ask someone out invite on a date Brian asked Judy out to dinner and a movie. ask around ask many people the same question I asked around but nobody has seen my wallet. add up to something equal Your purchases add up to$205.32. back something up reverse You'll have to back upyour car so that I can get out. back someone up support My wife backed me upover my decision to quit my job. blow up explode The racing car blew upafter it crashed into the fence. blow something up add air We have to blow 50 balloons up for the party. break down stop functioning (vehicle, machine) Our car broke down at the side of the highway in the snowstorm. break down get upset The woman broke downwhen the police told her that her son had died. break somethingdown divide into smaller parts Our teacher broke the final project down into three separate parts. break in force entry to a building Somebody broke in last night and stole our stereo. break into something enter forcibly The firemen had to break into the room to rescue the children. break something in wear something a few times so that it doesn't look/feel new I need to break these shoes in before we run next week. break in interrupt The TV station broke into report the news of the president's death. break up end a relationship My boyfriend and I broke up before I moved to America. break up start laughing (informal) The kids just broke up as soon as the clown started talking. break out escape The prisoners broke outof jail when the guards weren't looking. break out insomething develop a skin condition I broke out in a rash after our camping trip. bring someone down make unhappy This sad music is bringingme down. bring someone up raise a child My grandparents broughtme up after my parents died. bring something up start talking about a subject My mother walks out of the room when my fatherbrings up sports.

Some examples about adjectives

Sunday, June 8, 2014

USED TO

FORM

[used to + VERB]

 Simple Past.

USE 1 Habit in the Past

"Used to" expresses the idea that something was an old habit that stopped in the past. It indicates that something was often repeated in the past, but it is not usually done now.

FORM

[used to + VERB]

It is better not to use "used to" in questions or negative forms; however, this is sometimes done in informal spoken English. It is better to ask questions and create negative sentences using 
Simple Past.

USE 1 Habit in the Past

"Used to" expresses the idea that something was an old habit that stopped in the past. It indicates that something was often repeated in the past, but it is not usually done now.

Prepositions at the end of questions 

 

When a question word is the object of a preposition, the preposition usually comes at the end of the clause, especially in an informal style.

What are you looking for? (More natural than ‘For what are looking?’)
Who is this present for? (For whom is this present? is extremely formal.)
Who were you speaking to? (NOT To whom were you speaking?)
Which pictures are you talking about?
What are you laughing at?
Who put the cat in?
Who turned the lights off?

Prepositions come at the end of clauses in indirect wh-questions and what-clauses which are not questions.

Tell me what you are looking for. (NOT Tell me for what you are looking.)
What a lot of trouble I have gotten into! (NOT Into what a lot of trouble I have gotten.)

Some questions consist of simply a question word and preposition.

What with?
Who for?
What about?

Note that this structure is unusual when there is a noun with the question word.

Read more at http://www.englishpractice.com/grammar/prepositions-questions/#xJhuzfwQMlbevaAd.99

WH Question Words

We use question words to ask certain types of questions (question word questions). We often refer to them as WH words because they include the letters WH (for example WHy, HoW).

Question Word	Function	Example
what	asking for information about something	What is your name?
	asking for repetition or confirmation	What? I can't hear you. You did what?
what...for	asking for a reason, asking why	What did you do that for?
when	asking about time	When did he leave?
where	asking in or at what place or position	Where do they live?
which	asking about choice	Which colour do you want?
who	asking what or which person or people (subject)	Who opened the door?
whom	asking what or which person or people (object)	Whom did you see?
whose	asking about ownership	Whose are these keys? Whose turn is it?
why	asking for reason, asking what...for	Why do you say that?
why don't	making a suggestion	Why don't I help you?
how	asking about manner	How does this work?
	asking about condition or quality	How was your exam?
how + adj/adv	asking about extent or degree	see examples below
how far	distance	How far is Pattaya from Bangkok?
how long	length (time or space)	How long will it take?
how many	quantity (countable)	How many cars are there?
how much	quantity (uncountable)	How much money do you have?
how old	age	How old are you?
how come (informal)	asking for reason, asking why	How come I can't see her?

TAG QUESTIONS

A "tag" is something small that we add to something larger. For example, the little piece of cloth added to a shirt showing size or washing instructions is a tag.

We use tag questions at the end of statements to ask for confirmation. They mean something like: "Am I right?" or "Do you agree?" They are very common in English.

The basic structure is:

statement	question tag
+ Positive statement,	- negative tag?
Snow is white,	isn't it?
- Negative statement,	+ positive tag?
You don't like me,	do you?

Notice that the question tag repeats the auxiliary verb (or main verb whenbe) from the statement and changes it to negative or positive.

Examples of HARDLY

1. It hardly matters what I think.
2. The changes in service have hardly been noticed.
3. There are hardly any new features in this software.
4. Hardly anyone showed up for the meeting.
5. Hardly a day goes by when I don't think about you.
6. This is hardly a new idea for a movie.
7. “Is this a new idea for a movie?” “Hardly! I've seen dozens of movies just like it.”

8. Hardly had I arrived home when the telephone rang.

   
    

Nothing Sentence Examples

Nothing Sentence Examples

• It seemed there was nothing he couldn't do better than her, and he was always taking command of things.
• Maybe lifting had nothing to do with it.
• There's nothing wrong with your cooking.
• But logic had nothing to do with emotion.
• If God thought it was wrong, nothing we could have done would have been successful.
• 
  

Examples of negatives with nobody, never and so on...

Examples of negatives with nobody, never and so on...

    That won’t do you no good.
    I ain’t got no time for supper.
    Nobody with any sense isn’t going.
    I can’t find my keys nowhere.
    She never goes with nobody.
    John says he has not seen neither Alice or Susan all day.
    You can’t see no one in this crowd.
    There aren’t no presents left to open.
    The secret cave did not have none of the treasures they wanted.
    All the witnesses claimed that didn’t see nothing.

Wednesday, May 28, 2014

Nobody Sentence Examples

• Nobody's fool, has paid for his merry jape, I send his tongue to you.
• Ain't nobody going to silence the Rubinman, you know what I'm sayin ' ?
• At least nobody seems much interested in discussing such matters.
• Nobody doubts that something is going wrong in S1 and S2 that needs fixing.
• It's a great shame nobody mentioned X-Press 2's gloriously appropriate house anthem, Give It.
• Nobody's fault, it's just one of those things.
• That was an innocent lie which hurts nobody; and in my position I find that inconvenient truths have to give way to lies.
• For us search in secret nobody possibly via rights june the mere.
• In the limited edition books Little Miss Stella meets Little Miss nobody, who has a problem bumping into people because nobody notices her.
• It's an ill wind that blows nobody any good.

Tuesday, May 27, 2014

Negative questions

Structure:

To form negative questions we simply add n’t (not) after the auxiliary

Negative Questions
Aren’t you married?Don’t you know English?	PRESENT SIMPLE
Isn’t Juan working?	PRESENT CONTINUOUS
Wasn’t Felipe sick?Didn’t Mary study for the test?	PAST SIMPLE
Haven’t you sent the email	PRESENT PERFECT
Aren’t you going to the doctor tomorrow?	FUTURE

 

USE of negative questions

Compare the following questions

-          Are you sick?

This is a normal information question. I want to know if the person is sick in general.

-          Aren’t you sick?

In this case you have the idea that the person is sick. For example, let’s suppose that Mario arrived late to work and said he was sick. Later that afternoon you see him drinking a cold beer. You say “Hey Mario, aren’t you sick?”

We use the negative questions:  

• To show surprise :
  Didn’t you send the email? Why? That was so important.
• To show doubt; to check information
  -Aren’t you the Carlos? Don’t you teach English on-line? Wow! Nice to meet you.
  - Doesn’t she work for City Bank. I think I know her
• When you expect the listener to agree-Isn’t it a great day. It is so sunny and the sky is blue.
  - Doesn’t this food tase delicious? Yummy Yummy.

Monday, May 26, 2014

Subject Questions

SUBJECT QUESTIONS 
To ask a question about the subject of a sentence, the word order is exactly the same as the word order for a statement. The form of the verb is exactly the same too.
Look at this statement: [s]:Subject, [v]:Verb
[s] John [v] met Maria at the station.
Now look at these two questions and answers:

[Q]:QUESTION, [A]:ANSWER
[Q] Who did John meet?
[A] Maria (not the subject)
[Q] Who met Maria?
[A] John (the subject)
In the second sentence, we are asking about the subject of the sentence. Here are some more examples of subject questions:
Something happened in the kitchen.
What happened in the kitchen?
Someone knows a lot about physics.
Who knows a lot about physics?
Someone's writing is the best.
Whose writing is the best?
Some students are leaving on Monday.
Which students are leaving on Monday?
Hundreds of workers have been given a pay raise.
How many workers have been given a pay raise?
NOTICE: We do not use when or where in subject questions.

Questions with How

  

How much - How many - How often - How long - How high - How far

 

Examples with how many and much

Many & Much

Many is used with count nouns:
Q: How many apples are there? A: There are many apples in this picture.
Q: How many chairs are there? A: There are two chairs.
Q: How many bees are there? A: Hundreds. Maybe thousands!
Q: How many apples are there in this picture? A: There is only one apple.
Q: How many men are in this picture? A: There aren't any. There is only one woman.

Much is used with noncount nouns:
Q: How much fruit is there? A: There's a lot of fruit.
Q: How much water is in the glass? A: It's almost full. There's a lot of water in the glass.
Q: How much traffic is there this morning? A: There's a lot of traffic. The cars aren't moving very fast.
Q: How much fishing does he do? A: He does a lot of fishing on the weekend.
Q: How much beer is there in his glass? A: There isn't any. It's all gone.

Tuesday, May 20, 2014

HOW MANY AND HOW MUCH

How much? vs. How many?

Remember It

Questions

Who?	People
What?	Things
Where?	Places
When?	Time
How much?	Money

Learn

A noun can be countable or uncountable.

How much ....? = uncountable nouns
For example: How much coffee do you drink?
How many ....? = countable nouns
For example: How many cups of coffee do you drink?

Countable nouns in the singular take the article a or an and can be plural.
For example:-
I bought an apple.
I bought some apples.

Countable nouns
	Noun
	Countable	A dog You can count dogs.	An apple You can count apples.	A car You can count cars.	An umbrella You can count umbrellas.	A glass You can count glasses.	A candle You can count candles.
	Question	How many dogs are there?	How many apples are there?	How many cars are there?	How many umbrellas are there?	How many glasses are there?	How many candles are there?
	Answer	There's one dog.	There are two apples.	There are three cars.	There are four umbrellas.	There are five glasses.	There are six candles.

Uncountable nouns do not take an article and do not have a plural form.
For example:-
I bought sugar.
I bought some sugar.

Uncountable nouns
	Noun
	Uncountable	Sugar You can't count sugar.	Jewellery You can't count jewellery.	Cheese You can't count cheese.	Wine You can't count wine.	Furniture You can't count furniture.	Money You can't count money.
	Question	How much sugar is in the bowl?	How much jewellery is there?	How much cheese is there?	How much wine is there in the bottle?	How much furniture is there?	How much money is in the bag?
	Answer	There is some sugar in the bowl.	There is some jewellery.	There is some cheese.	There is some wine in the bottle.	There is some furniture.	There is some money in the bag.

Monday, May 19, 2014

Modal verbs of obligation : must, have to, should and ought to

There are two types of  modal verbs of obligation ; those that primarily express a firm obligation or necessity - must and have to - and those that express a recommendation or moral obligation - should and ought to 

Firm obligation, etc. - must and have go 

The verb must only exists in the simple present and present perfect forms.
While the present form can express obligation, necessity, certainty or strongprobability, the present perfect forms only express a strongly felt opinion orsupposition.

All persons	Present	Present perfect
Affirmative	must	must have
Negative	must not, mustn't	must not have, mustn't have

If other tenses are required, the speaker or writer must use forms of the synonymous modal verb "have to" .  This modal auxiliary has all normal tenses, including progressive or continuous forms; these are not common, but need to be used in some cases.

Principal tenses	Present	Present perfect	Past	Future
Affirmative:	has to, have to	has had to have had to	had to	will have to
Negative;	does not have to, do not have to , doesn't have to don't have to	has not had to have not had to	did not have to didn't have to *	will not have to won't have to
Progressive or continuous	am having to is having to, are having to	has been having to have been having to	was having to were having to	will be having to

* The form "had not to" is sometimes used, but it is generally considered to be archaic.

Got to :

In spoken English, and in the present form only, have to is often substantiated by the word got;
     i.e. an alternative to I have to is I've got to.

Must and have to are used to express :
a. Firm obligation or necessity
b. Certainty  or strong probability.
c. Must have only :  supposition

Recommendation or moral obligation - should and ought to 

The verb should only exists in the simple present, and present perfect forms
  Forms of should

All persons	Present	Present perfect
Affirmative	should	should have
Negatve	should not, shouldn't	should not have,  shouldn't have

The verb ought to only exists in simple present and present perfect forms
  Forms of ought to

All persons	Present	Present perfect
Affirmative	ought to	ought to have
Negative	ought not to,  oughtn't to	ought not to have,  oughtn't to have

Should and ought to are more or less synonymous

Examples:a1) You should stop smoking ( = You ought to stop smoking.)
a2)  It's raining hard, the children ought to come indoors.
a3)  I didn't know you were married ! You ought to have told me !
a4) If you'd wanted to succeed, you should have worked harder at school.
a5)  This pullover's got holes in it, I should get a new one.
a6)  This pullover's got holes in it, I ought to get a new one.
a7)  That's awful ! You really oughtn't to have done that, you know !

verbs - questions and negatives

1. Yes/No questions

Yes/No questions are questions to which the answer is Yes or No
Look at these statements:

They are working hard.
They will be working hard.
They had worked hard.
They have been working hard.
They might have been working hard.

We make Yes/No questions by putting the subject, they, after the first part of the verb:

Are they working hard?
Will they be working hard?
Had they worked hard?
Have they been working hard?
Might they have been working hard?

2. Negatives

We make negatives by putting not after the first part of the verb:

They are not working hard
They will not be working hard
They had not worked hard
They have not been working hard
They might not have been working hard

In spoken English we often reduce not to n’t:

They aren’t working hard.
They won’t be working hard
They hadn’t been working hard
etc.

Friday, May 16, 2014

Have Got To

"Have got to" is used to express necessity and obligation.

Examples:

• Drivers have got to get a license to drive a car in the US. necessity
• I have got to be at work by 8:30 AM. obligation

Using "Have Got to" in Present, Past, and Future

Most modal verbs behave quite irregularly in the past and the future. Study the chart below to learn how "have got to" behaves in different contexts.

Use	Positive Forms 1. = Present   2. = Past   3. = Future	Negative Forms 1. = Present   2. = Past   3. = Future	You can also use:
have got to necessity	1. People have got to be on time if they want to get a seat in the crowded theater. 2. SHIFT TO "HAVE TO" You had to be on time if you wanted to get a seat in the crowded theater. 3. You have got to be there on time tonight if you want to get a seat in the crowded theater.	1. SHIFT TO "HAVE TO" People don't have to be there on time to get a seat. 2. SHIFT TO "HAVE TO" You didn't have to be there on time to get a seat. 3. SHIFT TO "HAVE TO" You won't have to be there on time to get a seat.	have to, must
haven't got to future obligation		Haven't you got to be there by 7:00? Haven't you got to finish that project today? "Haven't got to" is primarily used to ask about future obligations. It can be used in statements, but this is less common.	Don't you have to

Tuesday, May 13, 2014

	Have and have got
	Magrit from Germany from Subrata from Brazil writes: 'Is this correct: How many subsidiaries does your company have got?' (Magrit) 'I cannot understand the use of have had and had had.' (Subrata) 'have' / 'have got' When we are talking about possession, relationships, illnesses and characteristics of people or things we can use either have or have got. The have got forms are more common in an informal style. Have got has the same meaning as have and both are used as present tenses. Note that have got is NOT the present perfect of get. To make questions and negative sentences with have we normally use the auxiliary verb do. To make questions and negative sentences with have got we use the auxiliary verbhave. So your question, Magrit, with have got must be formed as follows: How many subsidiaries has your company got? Study these further examples and note that in informal speech we often switch from one form to the other: - How many subsidiaries does your company have? - It has two. - How many sisters do you have? - I’ve got three (sisters). - Do you all have your own bedrooms? - Sue’s got her own bedroom, but neither Debbie nor I have. We have to share. (Note in this last example that have to is used as an alternative to must because the need to share is imposed on the sisters.) - Have you got a new car, Paul? - Yes I have. I bought it last week. - Has it got air conditioning? - No it hasn’t. But it’s got a CD player. - Do you have very many CDs? - I’ve got hundreds. Note the way in which we form short answers and question tags with have got and have: - Have you got a sore throat as well as a runny nose? - No, I haven’t. - But you’ve got a high temperature, haven’t you? - Yes, I have. - Does this music school have enough pianos? - No, it doesn’t. - But you have enough opportunities to practise, don’t you? - No, we don’t. future forms of 'have' Note that we normally use the have got form of have only in the present tense. For future reference different forms of haveused. Compare the following: - Have you got tickets for the match on Saturday? - No, I haven’t. Not yet. - Will you have them by tomorrow? - I hope so. - Have you got any time to help me with my maths homework? - Not now I haven’t. Sorry. - Are you going to have any time at the weekend, do you think? - Yes, I’ll probably have some time then. past tenses with 'have' Similarly, for past tenses we use different forms of have, nothave got. Compare the following: - Have you still got a bad headache? - Yes, I have. - How long have you had it? - I’ve had it on and off since yesterday. - Did you have it at the concert last night? - Yes, I did. I couldn’t concentrate on the music properly. 'have had' / 'had had' Have had is the present perfect form of have, Subrata, describing actions or states which started in the past and continue up to the present. Had had is the past perfectform of have, which we use to talk about longer actions or situations which continued up to a past moment that we are describing. Compare the following: - I’ve had stomach ache ever since I ate those spam sandwiches. - I’ve got some pills which are good for digestion. Why don’t you take those? I started out on the five-mile swim after I’d had a good rest. If I hadn’t had a good rest, I would never have completed it. But because I had had a good rest before I started, I completed it in less than two hours. Note from the above examples that I’ve is the contracted form of I have and I’d is the contracted form of I had. It is also the contracted form of I would: If I hadn’t had a good rest beforehand, I’d never have completed the five-mile swim.

Ought To

"Ought to" is used to advise or make recommendations. "Ought to" also expresses assumption or expectation as well as strong probability, often with the idea that something is deserved. "Ought not" (without "to") is used to advise against doing something, although Americans prefer the less formal forms "should not" or "had better not."

Examples:

• You ought to stop smoking. recommendation
• Jim ought to get the promotion. It is expected because he deserves it.
• This stock ought to increase in value. probability
• Mark ought not drink so much. advice against something (notice there is no "to")

Using "Ought to" in Present, Past, and Future

Most modal verbs behave quite irregularly in the past and the future. Study the chart below to learn how "ought to" behaves in different contexts. 

Modal Use	Positive Forms 1. = Present   2. = Past   3. = Future	Negative Forms 1. = Present   2. = Past   3. = Future	You can also use:
ought torecommendation, advice	1. Margaret ought to exercise more. 2. Margaret ought to have exercised more so she would be better prepared for the marathon.  3. Margaret ought to come to the fitness center with us tonight.	1. Margaret ought not exercise too much. It might cause injury. 2. Margaret ought not have run the marathon. She wasn't in good shape.  3. Margaret ought not stay at home in front of the TV. She should go to the fitness center with us.	should
ought toassumption, expectation, probability	1. She ought to have the package by now. 2. She ought to have received the package yesterday.  3. She ought to receive the package tonight.	"Ought not" is used primarily to express negative recommendations. (See above.)	shou

Tuesday, April 29, 2014

Had Better

"Had better" is most commonly used to make recommendations. It can also be used to express desperate hope as well as warn people.

Examples:

• You had better take your umbrella with you today. recommendation
• That bus had better get here soon! desperate hope
• You had better watch the way you talk to me in the future! warning

Using "Had Better" in Present, Past, and Future

Most modal verbs behave quite irregularly in the past and the future. Study the chart below to learn how "had better" behaves in different contexts.

Use	Positive Forms 1. = Present   2. = Past   3. = Future	Negative Forms 1. = Present   2. = Past   3. = Future	You can also use:
had better recommendation	1. SHIFT TO "SHOULD" OR "OUGHT TO" People should unplug toasters before they clean them.2. SHIFT TO "SHOULD HAVE" OR "OUGHT TO HAVE" You should have unplugged the toaster before you tried to clean it. 3. You had better unplug the toaster before you try to clean it.	1. SHIFT TO "SHOULD" OR "OUGHT TO" People shouldn't clean toasters without unplugging them first.2. SHIFT TO "SHOULD HAVE" OR "OUGHT TO HAVE" You shouldn't have cleaned the toaster without unplugging it first. 3. You had better not clean the toaster until you unplug it.	should, ought to
had better desperate hope, warning	The movie had better end soon.They had better be here before we start dinner. Desperate hopes and warnings usually refer to the near future.	They had better not be late.They had better not forget Tom's birthday gift. Desperate hopes and warnings usually refer to the near future.

Wednesday, April 23, 2014

Should - Positives, Negatives, and Questions

Should is a modal verb like can or must.      Positives      You should take it easy.      She should go to bed early.      We should go somewhere exciting for our holiday.      Negatives      You shouldn't get angry.      He shouldn't work so much.      I shouldn't do it if I were you.      Questions      Should we tell her the truth?      What should I do?      Shouldn't we try to finish it now?  Should and Shouldn't - Practice Exercise. Click on the words in the correct order to make positives, negatives and questions with should and shouldn't. Tip! If you have no idea what word should go next, you can click on all the words one by one.

Monday, April 21, 2014

MUST - HAVE TO AND NEED

If you want to say the sth. is unnecessary, use needn't - not mustn't.
Be careful: The negation of must means not allowed to.

I must play football. = I have to play football.

I needn't play football. = I don't need to play football. = I don't have to play football.

I mustn't play football. = I'm not allowed to play football.

You can use must only with Simple Present benutzt. If want to use it with other tenses, you need the form have to. This form is not the same regardless the subject. Look the following table.

Modal	have to in Simple Present
I must play football.	I have to play football.
You must play football.	You have to play football.
He/She must play football.	He/She has to play football.
We must play football.	We have to play football.
They must play football.	They have to play football.

Affirmative sentences with must and have to

Modal	Form	Tense
I must play football.	I have to play football.	Simple Present
Do not use must in Simple Past.	I had to play football.	Simple Past
Do not use must in will-future.	I will have to play football.	will-future

Negations with must not, mustn't

Modal	Form	Tense
I must not play football. I mustn't play football.	I am not allowed to play football. I'm not allowed to play football.	Simple Present
Do not use must not in Simple Past.	I was not allowed to play football. I wasn't allowed to play football.	Simple Past
Do not use must not in will-future.	I will not be allowed to play football. I won't be allowed to play football.	will-future

Negations with need not, needn't, don't need, don't have to

Modal	Form	Tense
I need not play football. I needn't play football.	I do not have to play football. I don't have to play football.	Simple Present
I do not need to play football. I don't need to play football.
Do not use need not in Simple Past.	I did not have to play football. I didn't have to play football.	Simple Past
I did not need to play football. I didn't need to play football.
Do not use need not in will-future.	I will not have to play football. I won't have to play football.	will-future
I will not need to play football. I won't need to play football.

Questions

Modal	Form	Tense
Must he play football?	Does he have to play football?	Simple Present
Does he need to play football?
Do not use must in Simple Past.	Did he have to play football?	Simple Past
Did he need to play football?
Do not use must in will-future.	Will he have to play football?	will-future
Will he need to play football?

The form need is not used as a modal, this is a main verb. This form cannot be put before another verb.

I needn't sing. (Here needn't is a modal. The main verb is sing.)

We need a new computer. (Here need is a main verb).

Saturday, April 19, 2014

More about modal verb HAVE TO

Have to (objective obligation)

We often use have to to say that something is obligatory, for example:

• Children have to go to school.

Note that we can use the have to expression in all tenses, for example:
I have to, I had to, I have had to, I will have to

Structure of Have to

Have to is often grouped with modal auxiliary verbs for convenience, but in fact it isnot a modal verb. It is not even an auxiliary verb. In the have to structure, "have" is amain verb. The structure is:
subject + auxiliary verb + have + infinitive (with to)
Look at these examples in the simple tense:

	subject	auxiliary verb	main verb have	infinitive (with to)
+	She		has	to work.
-	I	do not	have	to see	the doctor.
?	Did	you	have	to go	to school?

Use of Have to

In general, have to expresses impersonal obligation. The subject of have to is obliged or forced to act by a separate, external power (for example, the Law or school rules). Have to is objective. Look at these examples:

• In France, you have to drive on the right.
• In England, most schoolchildren have to wear a uniform.
• John has to wear a tie at work.

In each of the above cases, the obligation is not the subject's opinion or idea. The obligation is imposed from outside.
We can use have to in all tenses, and also with modal auxiliaries. We conjugate it just like any other main verb. Here are some examples:

	subject	auxiliary verb	main verbhave	infinitive
past simple	I		had	to work	yesterday.
present simple	I		have	to work	today.
future simple	I	will	have	to work	tomorrow.
present continuous	She	is	having	to wait.
present perfect	We	have	had	tochange	the time.
modal (may)	They	may	have	to do	it again.

Thursday, April 17, 2014

Have To

"Have to" is used to express certainty, necessity, and obligation.

Examples:

• This answer has to be correct. certainty
• The soup has to be stirred continuously to prevent burning. necessity
• They have to leave early. obligation

Using "Have to" in Present, Past, and Future

"Have to" behaves quite irregularly in the past and the future. Study the chart below to learn how "have to" behaves in different contexts.

Use	Positive Forms 1. = Present   2. = Past   3. = Future	Negative Forms 1. = Present   2. = Past   3. = Future	You can also use:
have to certainty	1. That has to be Jerry. They said he was tall with bright red hair. 2. That has to have been the right restaurant. There were no other restaurants on the street. 3. NONE	1. SHIFT TO "MUST" That must not be Jerry. They said he has blond hair, not red hair. 2. SHIFT TO "MUST" That must not have been the right restaurant. I guess there was another one around there somewhere. 3. NONE	must, have got to
have to necessity	1. She has to read four books for this literature class. 2. She had to finish the first book before the midterm. 3. She will have to finish the other books before the final exam.	1. She doesn't have to read "Grapes of Wrath." It's optional reading for extra credit. 2. She didn't have to write a critique of "The Scarlet Letter." She had to give a presentation to her class. 3. She won't have to take any other literature classes. American Literature 101 is the only required course.

Wednesday, April 16, 2014

Examples with mustn't and needn't

mustn't or needn't 

1) I needn't take the umbrella. It won't rain. 2) I mustn't cross this bridge. It's closed. 3) We mustn't be late. The train will leave in 10 minutes. 4) You needn't hurry. We have plenty of time. 5) You mustn't smoke in here. It's forbidden. Look at that sign. 6) We have enough diesel, so we needn't stop here. 7) You needn't come if you don't want to. 8) They needn't do the washing up, they have a dishwasher. 9) You mustn't show this e-mail to anyone else. I'll trust you. 10) The students mustn't forget their homework.