Mastering English Grammar: Tenses, Conditionals, and Passive Voice

1B. Auxiliary Verbs

Verbs that support the main verb and provide grammatical information: am, are, is, do, does, did, have, has, was, were, would, should, will.

2A. Present Perfect Continuous vs. Simple

• Present Perfect Simple (PPS): Past actions with present relevance. Structure: Has/Have + Past Participle.
• Present Perfect Continuous (PPC): Actions started in the past that continue into the present. Structure: Has/Have + been + Verb-ing.

2B. Adjective Order

The standard order for adjectives is: Opinion, Size, Age, Shape, Color, Pattern, Origin, Material, Noun.

3A. Past Tenses

• Past Simple: Completed past actions (e.g., I walked).
• Past Continuous: Actions at specific moments in the past (e.g., Was/Were + Verb-ing).
• Past Perfect: Actions that occurred before another past action (e.g., Had + Past Participle). Example: They had studied English before going to London.
• Past Perfect Continuous: Actions in progress before another past action (e.g., Had been + Verb-ing). Example: I had been studying English for 2 years when I went to London.

4A. Future Tenses

• Future Perfect: Actions completed before a specific future point. Structure: Will have + Past Participle (e.g., I will have eaten before we meet).
• Future Continuous: Actions in progress at a specific time in the future. Structure: Will be + Verb-ing (e.g., I will be talking).

5A. English Conditionals

• Zero: General truths. If + Present Simple + Present Simple (e.g., If you heat water, it boils).
• First: Probable future outcomes. If + Present Simple + Future Simple (will) (e.g., If Raul studies, he will pass the exam).
• Second: Unreal possibilities or wishes. If + Past Simple + Would + Infinitive (e.g., If I won the lottery, I would travel the world).
• Third: Past conditions that did not happen. If + Past Perfect + Would have + Past Participle (e.g., If I had known then what I know now, I would have done things differently).

6A. Passive Voice

Used when the action is more important than the person performing it. Structure: Subject + Auxiliary Verb (to be) + Past Participle.

Example: He ate all of the cookies becomes All of the cookies were eaten.

7A. Past Modals

Structure: Must, might, may, can't, couldn't + Have + Past Participle.

7B. Verb Senses

Verbs of perception: look, feel, smell, sound, taste.