Essential English Grammar: Modals, Conditionals, and Vocabulary

Adjectives and Corresponding Nouns

• Aggressive → Aggression
• Assertive → Assertiveness
• Confident → Confidence
• Defensive → Defensiveness
• Frustrated → Frustration
• Impatient → Impatience
• Innocent → Innocence
• Nervous → Nervousness
• Open → Openness
• Self-conscious → Self-consciousness
• Sensitive → Sensitivity
• Shy → Shyness

Modal Verbs for Ability and Requests

Requests

Structure: Can/Could + Infinitive + ?

Example: Can/Could you help me find my phone?

(Spanish translation: ¿Puedes o podrías ayudarme a encontrar mi teléfono?)

Present Ability

Structure: Can/Can't + Infinitive OR Be able to + Infinitive

Example: I can/am able to play the piano, but I can't/am not able to play the violin.

(Spanish translation: Puedo/puedo tocar el piano, pero no puedo/no puedo tocar el violín)

Future Ability

Structure: Will be able to + Infinitive

Example: I'll be able to go out tomorrow.

(Spanish translation: Podré salir mañana)

Past Ability

Structure: Could/Couldn't + Infinitive

Example: I could ride a horse when I was only five years old.

(Spanish translation: Podía montar a caballo cuando sólo tenía cinco años.)

Modal Verbs for Obligation, Prohibition, and Advice

Obligation

Structure: Have to / Must / Need to + Infinitive

Example: I have to/must/need to study harder before the exam.

(Spanish translation: Tengo que/debo/necesito estudiar más antes del examen)

Prohibition

Structure: Can't / Mustn't + Infinitive

Example: You mustn't/can't interrupt people. It's rude.

(Spanish translation: No debes/no puedes interrumpir a la gente. Es grosero.)

Lack of Obligation

Structure: Don't have to / Needn't / Don't need to + Infinitive

Example: Ava doesn't have to/needn't/doesn't need to work very hard because she's so clever.

(Spanish translation: Ava no tiene que/no necesita/no necesita trabajar muy duro porque es muy inteligente)

Advice (Recommendation)

Structure: Should / Ought to + Infinitive

Example: You should/ought to buy those shoes. They really suit you.

(Spanish translation: Deberías/deberías comprar esos zapatos. Realmente te quedan bien.)

Lack of Recommendation (Negative Advice)

Structure: Shouldn't + Infinitive

Example: Noah shouldn't stay out so late every night.

(Spanish translation: Noah no debería quedarse fuera hasta tan tarde todas las noches.)

Conditional Sentences Summary

Zero Conditional

Structure: Present Simple + Present Simple

Use: General truth or fact.

First Conditional

Structure: Present Simple + Will + Infinitive

Second Conditional

Structure: Past Simple (V2) + Would + Infinitive

(Context note: si organitcessim...,la gent donaria)

Third Conditional

Structure: Had + Past Participle (V3) + Would + Have + Past Participle (V3)

(Context note: si haguessim organitzat...,la gent hauria donat)