English Grammar Essentials: Tenses, Modals, and Passive Voice

Future Tenses in English Grammar

Understanding how to express future actions and predictions is crucial in English. Here's a breakdown of key future forms:

Future Continuous (Will be + -ing)

• Usage: Actions in progress at a specific time, duration, or interval in the future.
• Keywords: this time tomorrow, at 5 PM, for two hours, then.

Future Perfect (Will have + Past Participle)

• Usage: Actions completed before a specific moment in the future.
• Keywords: by this time, by then, by tomorrow, future adverb + perfect adverb.

Predictions and Certainty

Expressing predictions often involves specific verbs and adverbs:

• Verbs: think, believe, suppose, hope, know.
• Adverbs/Phrases: I'm sure, perhaps, probably, definitely.

Understanding English Modal Verbs

Modal verbs add specific meanings like possibility, necessity, and obligation to main verbs. Here are common modal verbs and their uses:

Modal Verbs: Possibility and Deduction

• May / Might: Expresses possibility or uncertainty.
  • Keywords: perhaps, it's possible, it's likely, maybe, I'm not sure.
• Must / Can't: Expresses strong deduction or certainty.
  • Keywords for Must (certainty): I'm sure/certain, I think, I suppose, probably.
  • Keywords for Can't (impossibility): I don't think, it's impossible.

Modal Verbs: Advice and Necessity

• Should / Ought to / Ought not to: Expresses advice or recommendation.
  • Keywords: If I were you, if you want, my advice.
• Needn't / Don't have to: Expresses lack of necessity or obligation.
  • Keywords: wasn't necessary, not obligatory, it's optional, is not required.

Modal Verbs: Prohibition and Ability

• Mustn't: Expresses prohibition.
  • Keywords: be forbidden/prohibited, not be allowed to, not let.
• Can / Could / Will / Won't be able to: Expresses ability.
  • Can: Present ability.
  • Could: Past ability.
  • Will / Won't be able to: Future ability.

Modal Verbs: Permission and Obligation

• May: Used for asking permission (more formal).
• Can / Can't: Used for giving or denying permission.
• Must / Have to / Has to / Had to: Expresses obligation or necessity.
  • Keywords: it was necessary, obligatory, it's a rule.

Essential English Vocabulary & Idioms

Expand your English fluency with these common phrases and their meanings:

• Do something standing on your head: To do something with great ease.
• Go right over one's head: To not understand something because it is too complicated.
• Set your heart on something: To have a strong desire for something.
• One's heart sank: To feel very disappointed or discouraged.

Common Phrases and Prepositions

• Decrease in: A reduction in something.
• Hope of: Expectation or desire for something.
• In charge of: Responsible for something or someone.
• Influence on: The effect of something on someone or something.
• Lack of: The state of not having enough of something.
• Lesson on: A class or instruction about a particular subject.
• Letter about: A written message concerning a topic.
• On the basis of: According to; founded on.
• Put the blame on: To attribute responsibility for a fault or wrong.
• Suggestion for: A proposal or idea for something.

Idiomatic Expressions

• Be in tears: To be crying.
• Be in trouble: To be in a difficult or problematic situation.
• Be in two minds: To be undecided about something.
• Be on edge: To be nervous or anxious.
• Be out of breath: To be panting or gasping for air.
• Be out of order: To be broken or not functioning correctly.
• Be out of the championship: To be eliminated from a competition.
• Do something on purpose: To do something intentionally.
• On one's way: In the process of traveling to a place.

Mastering the Passive Voice in English

The passive voice is used when the focus is on the action rather than the doer of the action.

Reporting Verbs in Passive Voice

When reporting what people say, think, or believe, the passive voice can be formed in two ways:

Example: They say that the company is losing a lot of money.

1. Form 1 (Subject + is/are said + to + infinitive): The company is said to be losing a lot of money.
2. Form 2 (It is said + that + clause): It is said that the company is losing a lot of money.

Common Reporting Verbs: understand, say, believe, think, consider, know, expect, suppose.

Verbs with Object and Infinitive in Passive

Some verbs, like get, ask, and tell, can be followed by an object and an infinitive (e.g., They asked him to leave). When passivized, the object becomes the subject, and the infinitive remains (e.g., He was asked to leave).

(Original note: Verbo mas get , ask y tell mas Ob I MAS TO MAS INF MAS CD)

Causative Have Something Done

This structure is used when someone else performs an action for you.

• Structure: have + direct object + past participle
• Example: A painter is painting Ann's bedroom today.
• Passive Causative: Ann is having her bedroom painted today.