Complete English Grammar Reference and Tense Rules
Reported Speech Tense Changes
| Tense | Direct Speech | Reported Speech |
|---|---|---|
| Present Simple | "I like ice cream." | She said (that) she liked ice cream. |
| Present Continuous | "I am living in London." | She said she was living in London. |
| Past Simple | "I bought a car." | She said she had bought a car OR She said she bought a car. |
| Past Continuous | "I was walking along the street." | She said she had been walking along the street. |
| Present Perfect | "I haven't seen Julie." | She said she hadn't seen Julie. |
| Past Perfect* | "I had taken English lessons before." | She said she had taken English lessons before. |
| Will | "I'll see you later." | She said she would see me later. |
| Would* | "I would help, but..." | She said she would help but... |
| Can | "I can speak perfect English." | She said she could speak perfect English. |
| Could* | "I could swim when I was four." | She said she could swim when she was four. |
| Shall | "I shall come later." | She said she would come later. |
| Should* | "I should call my mother." | She said she should call her mother. |
| Might* | "I might be late." | She said she might be late. |
| Must | "I must study at the weekend." | She said she must study at the weekend OR She said she had to study at the weekend. |
Relative Pronouns and Their Uses
| Relative Pronoun | Use | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Who | Subject or object pronoun for people | I told you about the woman who lives next door. |
| Which | Subject or object pronoun for animals and things | Do you see the cat which is lying on the roof? |
| Which | Referring to a whole sentence | He couldn’t read, which surprised me. |
| Whose | Possession for people, animals, and things | Do you know the boy whose mother is a nurse? |
| Whom | Object pronoun for people | I was invited by the professor whom I met at the conference. |
| That | Subject or object pronoun for people, animals, and things in defining relative clauses | I don’t like the table that stands in the kitchen. |
English Verb Tenses and Usage
Present Simple
Usage: Acciones y hábitos que se hacen siempre (e.g., I play tennis on Saturdays).
- Affirmative: I work / She works
- Negative: I don't work / She doesn't work
- Interrogative: Do I work? / Does she work?
Past Simple
Usage: Describimos una acción del pasado (e.g., I had an accident and broke my leg).
- Affirmative: I played
- Negative: I didn't play
- Interrogative: Did I play?
Present Continuous
Usage: Hablamos de algo que está pasando en el momento (e.g., They're playing tennis).
- Affirmative: I'm going
- Negative: I'm not going
- Interrogative: Am I going?
Past Continuous
Usage: Describimos la escena (e.g., It was raining and I was feeling cold).
- Affirmative: I/She was skiing (You/They were skiing)
- Negative: I wasn't skiing / You weren't skiing
- Interrogative: Was I skiing? / Were you skiing?
First Conditional Structure
| Condition (If + Present Simple) | Result (will + base verb) |
|---|---|
| If I see Mary, | I will tell her. |