Mastering English Grammar: Passive Voice, Causative, and More

Passive Voice

• Active: The secretary types the letter.
• Passive: The letters are typed by the secretary.

• Future Simple: Will type / Will be typed
• Past Simple: Typed / Were typed
• Modal: Can type / Can be typed
• Present Continuous: Am/is/are being + past participle
• Present Perfect Simple: Have / has been + past participle

Impersonal Voice

1. It is thought/said/believed + that...
2. Subject + is considered/thought/said + to be...

The Causative (get/have + object + verb 3rd form)

Often associated with professions. Changes depending on the verbal tenses.

Ex: The painters painted my house / I had my house painted by the painters.

Wish Clauses

1. Wish + subject + past simple (about the future): Not reality, but you want it to happen. Ej: I wish I were a rich man.
2. Wish + could + infinitive (about the future): Ej: I wish we could go to the beach this weekend.
3. Wish + conditional simple (an annoying situation): Ej: I wish they would stop making that noise.
4. Wish + past perfect (regret): Already happened. Ej: I wish I hadn't told him my secret.

I wish = If only

Relative Clauses

Relative pronouns: Who or that / which or that / whose / whom / where / when / why

Defining Clauses

• Essential information.
• We can use "that" instead of "who" or "which."

Ej: The boy who lives next door is a tennis player.

* The relative pronouns can be omitted in some cases: The task the teacher corrected was really hard.

Non-Defining Clauses

• Extra information.
• We use commas around them.
• "That" is NOT an option.
• The relative pronouns cannot be omitted.

Ej: María, who won a medal last year, is going to take part in the marathon.

Conditionals

Zero Conditional: If + present simple - present simple

• Facts.
• It always happens.

Ej: If I drink coffee, I don't sleep.

First Conditional: If + present simple - will + infinitive

• Probable situations.

Ej: If I stay at home tonight, I will watch series.

Second Conditional: If + past simple - would + infinitive

• Not probable situations.
• Unreal situations.
• Hypothesis.
• Advice.

Ej: If I won the lottery, I would travel around Europe. Advice: If I were you, I would order a pizza.

Third Conditional: If + past perfect (had + verb 3rd form) - would have + verb 3rd form

• Regrets.
• Past situations.

Ej: If I had studied, I wouldn't have failed the exam.

English Tenses

• Present: simple - I do / continuous - I am doing / perfect - I have done / perfect continuous - I have been doing.
• Past: simple - I did / continuous - I was doing / perfect - I had done / perfect continuous - I had been doing.
• Future: simple - I will do / continuous - I will be doing / perfect - I will have done / perfect continuous - I will have been doing.