Mastering English Grammar: Tenses, Clauses, and Usage

1. Verb Tenses and Conditionals

• a) Valerie left an hour ago. By this time tomorrow, she will be relaxing on the beach.
• b) Alan warned me not to take advice from Pete. Unfortunately, I didn’t listen to him. If I had listened to Alan, I would not have made such a terrible mistake.
• c) Sue asked me if I wanted to go to the cinema with her. I told her that I had already seen the film.
• d) I haven’t met Jane yet. I am meeting her tonight.

2. Relative Clauses

• a) I would love to go back to the restaurant which you had recommended.
• b) The student whose mobile phone rang during the lesson was punished by the teacher.
• c) Have you been to the restaurant where the waiters sing?
• d) My friend, who is very tall, is beautiful.
• e) I met a lovely girl whose name I have forgotten.
• f) The Empire State Building, which is one of the tallest buildings in the world, is very famous.

3. Reported Speech

• a) Oliver wanted to know if Grace had already gone home.
• b) Joe said to me that it was a good idea to do my shopping on Tuesdays.
• c) Karen explained that she hadn’t understood the lecture.
• d) The teacher commanded us not to shout while he/she was talking.
• e) Joanne promised to call me the next day.
• f) Lisa told me that the film started at 8.
• g) Jack advised her to ask the teacher to explain the homework.

4. Causative Structures

• a) Bob fell off the fence. He injured himself, so his mother is taking him to have his leg examined.
• b) You really should have your house painted. It looks really dirty. While it is being painted, you should cover all the furniture so that it is not damaged.
• c) I really love it when it snows. Everything is covered with snow. Sometimes when the snow is really deep, my dad’s car breaks down and he has to have it repaired.

5. Gerunds and Infinitives

• a) We have succeeded in cleaning up a polluted river, but we need to educate others about the dangers of dumping waste.
• b) Did you remember to fill up the car with petrol? I remember running out of petrol when I was with you last year.
• c) The giraffes didn’t stop running until the lions left. Only two giraffes stopped to protect their young, and they were killed.
• d) I regret to tell you that the tigers we released into the wild didn’t survive the winter. I now regret letting them go.
• e) I’ll never forget watching the documentary about elephant poaching. My friend had seen it but forgot to warn me how upsetting it would be.