Mastering English Grammar: Modals, Gerunds, and Syntax

Modal Verbs: Obligation, Advice, and Probability

• Obligation or Necessity: must, have to (S+M+V / V+S+M+V?)
• Suggestions: Shall?, Let's, What about + gerund, Why don't we + V
• Polite Requests: could, would, may (M+S+V?)
• Probability:
  • 100%: Must
  • 100-50%: Will, probably, likely
  • 50%: May, might, could, can
  • 50-0%: Will not, probably, unlikely
  • 0%: Can't
• Permission: allow, may, might, can
• Offers: S+will+V, would you like...?, Shall I...?
• Capacity: can, be unable to
• Prohibition: can't, mustn't
• Advice: should, ought to
• Lack of Necessity: S+needn't+V

Gerunds (-ing)

Used in the following contexts:

• After verbs: avoid, delay, deny, dislike, enjoy, finish, imagine, include, involve, keep, mind, miss, prevent, regret, risk, stop, suggest
• As the subject of a sentence
• After prepositions and phrasal verbs
• In expressions: can't stand, can't help, it's worth, it's no good, don't mind, feel like, get used to, be used to

Infinitives (to + V)

Used in the following contexts:

• After verbs: afford, agree, appear, decide, happen, ask, want, hope, learn, manage, offer, plan, expect, wish, promise, refuse, seem, advise, allow, help, would like, encourage, force, forbid, invite, order, intend, persuade, remind, teach, tell, warn, mean
• After modal verbs
• To express purpose
• After adjectives
• After arranged, with want, and after question words (how, where, etc.)

Relative Clauses

Non-defining clauses: These are placed between commas and add information about the antecedent using who, which, when, where, and whose.

• Example: The shamrock, which is one of the emblems of Ireland, is a lucky kind of leaf.
• Example: One of the emblems of Wales is the daffodil, which is a yellow spring flower.

Reported Speech

Tense Changes: eat → ate, ate → had eaten, will eat → would eat, are eating → were eating, were eating → had been eating, have eaten → had eaten, have been eating → had been eating.

Other Changes: can → could, may → might, will → would, now → then, today → that night, yesterday → the previous day, tomorrow → the following day, here → there, this/these → that/those.

• Yes/No Questions: Use if/whether (e.g., They asked if she liked chocolate).
• Wh-Questions: Maintain the question word (e.g., Frank asked what my favourite flavour was).

Passive Voice

• Standard: My mother admires you → You are admired by my mother.
• Double Objects: They gave Susan a gift → Susan was given a gift.
• Impersonal Passive: It is said that the man was in Madrid → The man is said to have been in Madrid.
• Causative: The hairdresser cut my hair yesterday → I had my hair cut the day before.