English Grammar Rules: Conditionals, Passive Voice, and Reported Speech

English Grammar Structures

Conditionals

Zero Conditional (0)

If you don't wash your socks, they smell bad. (Present + Present: Instruction/Order)

First Conditional (1)

If you don't clean the house, you will sleep on the sofa. (Present + Will + Verb: Probable/Real situations in the future)

Second Conditional (2)

• If I won the lottery, I would move to Japan. (Unlikely situation)
• If I were you, I would... (Advice)
• Structure: Past Simple + Would + Verb

Third Conditional (3)

If you hadn't been looking at your phone, you wouldn't have burnt my toast. (Imaginary past situation)

Structure: Past Perfect + Would + Have + Past Participle

Passive Voice Forms

Active: Maria eats apples. Passive: Apples are eaten by Maria.

Present Simple

Structure: am, are, is + Past Participle

Past Simple

Active: Maria ate an apple. Passive: Apples were eaten by Maria.

Structure: was, were + Past Participle

Present Continuous

Active: Maria is eating apples. Passive: Apples are being eaten by Maria.

Structure: is/are + being + Past Participle

Past Continuous

Active: Maria was eating apples. Passive: Apples were being eaten by Maria.

Structure: was/were + being + Past Participle

Present Perfect

Active: Maria has eaten apples. Passive: Apples have been eaten by Maria.

Structure: have/has + been + Past Participle

Past Perfect

Active: Maria had eaten apples. Passive: Apples had been eaten by Maria.

Structure: had + been + Past Participle

Future Simple

Active: Maria will eat apples. Passive: Apples will be eaten by Maria.

Structure: will + be + Past Participle

Going To

Active: Maria is going to eat apples. Passive: Apples are going to be eaten by Maria.

Structure: is/are + going to + be + Past Participle

Future Perfect

Active: Maria will have eaten apples. Passive: Apples will have been eaten by Maria.

Structure: will + have + been + Past Participle

Causative (Get/Have + Object + V3)

• Active: The optician checked my sight last month. Causative: I had my sight checked last month.
• Active: Someone is repairing my TV right now. Causative: I am getting my TV repaired right now.
• Active: Carla will dye my hair next week. Causative: I will have my hair dyed next week.
• Active: Someone should shorten your dress for the wedding. Causative: You should get your dress shortened for the wedding.
• Active: My students usually rub out the blackboard before the class. Causative: I usually get the blackboard rubbed out before the class.

Reported Speech Rules

Tense Changes

• Present Simple $\rightarrow$ Past Simple
• Present Continuous $\rightarrow$ Past Continuous
• Past Simple $\rightarrow$ Past Perfect
• Present Perfect $\rightarrow$ Past Perfect

Examples and Modal Changes

• Direct: "I am booking a flight now." Reported: He said he was booking a flight at the moment.
• Direct: "I drove to Paris yesterday." Reported: He said he had driven to Paris the day before.
• Direct: "I’ve bought a new cushion." Reported: She said she had bought a new cushion.
• Can $\rightarrow$ Could: "I can't understand Scottish people." She said she couldn't understand Scottish people.
• May $\rightarrow$ Might: "I may be slightly late." He said he might be slightly late.
• Will $\rightarrow$ Would
• Would $\rightarrow$ Would

Requests and Commands

• Direct: "Would you like a drink?" Reported: He asked me if I would like a drink.
• Direct: "Don't answer the door." Reported: He told me not to answer the door.

Verb Tense Summary (Active Voice)

Simple Tenses

• Present Simple: I study
• Past Simple: I studied
• Future Simple: I will study

Continuous Tenses

• Present Continuous: I am studying
• Past Continuous: I was studying
• Future Continuous: I will be studying

Perfect Tenses

• Present Perfect: I have studied
• Past Perfect: I had studied
• Future Perfect: I will have studied

Perfect Continuous Tense

• Present Perfect Continuous: I have been studying