English Grammar: Tenses, Conditionals, and Passive Voice

English Grammar Essentials

Verb Tenses

Present and Past Tenses

• Present Simple (Past Simple)
• Present Continuous (Past Continuous)
• Present Perfect (Past Perfect)
• Past Simple (Past Perfect)
• Past Continuous (Past Perfect Continuous)

Future Tenses and Modals

• Be Going To (Was/Were Going To)
• Will (Would)
• Would (Would)
• Can (Could)
• Could (Could)
• May (Might)
• Might (Might)
• Must (Had To)
• Mustn't (Mustn't)
• Should/Ought to (Should/Ought to)

Adverbs of Time

• Now (Then)
• Today (That Day)
• Tonight (That Night)
• Yesterday (The Previous Day)
• Tomorrow (The Next Day)
• Next Week (The Following Week)
• Last Week (The Previous Week)
• A Week Ago (The Week Before)
• This (That)
• These (Those)
• Here (There)

Reported Speech

Statements

Use verbs like "say" or "tell." Look for time shifts. Example: Simon said, "David was ill." (Simon said that David had been ill.)

Questions

• With question words (who, what, when, where, why, how): Use the same question word and apply necessary tense changes. Example: Betty asked, "When did you come?" (Betty asked when I had come.)
• Without question words: Use "if/whether" and apply necessary tense changes. Example: Jose asked, "Do you want to dance?" (Jose asked me if I wanted to dance.)

Commands

Use "order" or "tell." Use the infinitive form with "to" or "not to." Example: Karen said, "Don't play football in the garden." (Karen told me not to play football in the garden.)

Conditional Sentences

Zero Conditional

For universally true statements. Structure: If + Present Simple, Present Simple. Example: If I don't eat, I die.

First Conditional

For likely future events. Structure: If + Present Simple, Will + Infinitive. Example: If you drink too much coffee, you will be so nervous.

Second Conditional

For hypothetical or unlikely future events. Structure: If + Past Simple, Would/Wouldn't + Infinitive. Example: If I won the lottery, I would travel around the world.

Third Conditional

For past events that didn't happen. Structure: If + Past Perfect, Would Have + Past Participle. Example: If the problem had been easier, we would have solved it.

Passive Voice

Object becomes the subject. Structure: Subject + To Be (conjugated) + Past Participle (+ By + Agent). Example: The apple was eaten (by me).

• By me
• By you
• By him
• By her
• By us
• By you
• By them

Relative Clauses

Defining Relative Clauses

Essential information, no commas. Use "who," "which," "that," "where," "whose," "when."

Non-Defining Relative Clauses

Extra information, use commas. Use "who," "which," "where," "whose," "when." Do not use "that."