A proficiency course in english pdf

Did you have pleasant dream? How do you feel now after your night's rest? Consequently a sentence like: 'I have seen her yesterday' is impossible. It would mean: 'I know what she is like yesterday'-which is nonsense. The present perfect tense simple or continuous is also used for something that has happened within a period of time not yet finished. I have been working hard this week. She has had two holidays so far this year. I have had a cold all this month. Already, yet and just meaning a short time ago are never used with thesimple past.

The present perfect simple is the tense most frequently used with them, though others are possible. I have just run the bath for you. Haven't you finished reading the chapter yet? The speaker was already addressing the crowd when I arrived. Just however, can also mean only and in this case it is used with the simple past.

I just came in to say goodbye. The present perfect continuous tense can never be used for intermittent actions: an idea of continuity is implied in it. It is correct to say: I have been teaching here for several years. She has been wanting to visit India all her life. It is not correct to say: I have been going to three films this week.

I have been going to the cinema ever since I was ten years old. He has been writing tetters to newspapers ever since I have known him.

I have been popping in to see her two or three times a week for some time now. I was hoping to go last week, but unfortunately I couldn't manage it. He was going to see his uncle on Saturday, but he was taken ill and couldn't. The past perfect tense must be used for an action thatis finished before another in the past if there is a logical connection between the two actions.

Many European Kings felt happier after Napoleon had disappeared from the scene. If there i s no logical connection the past perfect need not be used. Napoleon died before my grandfather was born. Shall and will. In modem English shafl is never used in the second person. Whereas a Victorian mother might have said: 'If you are a good girl you shaU go to the zoo', a modern one would say: 'If you are a good girl I'll take you to the zoo' or 'If you are a good girl you can go to the zoo'.

S M I nowadays is used in the third person only for legal or formal undertakings or guarantees. A condition of publication is that the book shall not contain offensive material. The tenant shall hereafter be held responsible for all internal repairs ' and decorations.

No-one shall be allowed in unless he can give the password. Notices shall be put in conspicuous places announcing the date from which this is to be a smokeless zane c. Shall is always used in the first person singular and plural in the interrogative ShaNI? I shall be 65 next birthday.

Willingness e. Another use of the future both simple -and continuous is to indicate I suppose, though the words I suppose are often inserted as unnecessarily but to make quite sure there is no ambiguity. I suppose. They will be hearing their examination results soon. He'll be wondering where on earth we have got to. I shall be looking like a tramp by the time I get there. The future perfect simple and continuous can also be used in this way. You'll have heard people talking about him, no doubt.

He'll have been seeing quite a lot of Mary recently. I daresay. They'll have been playing pranks on everyone as usual. It is only fair to say that, although in my pattern of tenses I have marked the future continuous passive and all the perfect continuous passives as missing because I think their use very rare and possibly dialect English , some grammarians disagree and declare that they use them not infrequently.

I, personally. I must add. I recently came across the following sentence in a very reputable newspaper. Never use the future or, in sentences in the past, the conditional in adverbial clauses after such words as before. Write to me as soon as you get home. After you have finished that book will you lend it to me? I won't go there unless you want me to. The same rule applies to ifand when in adverbial clauses.

If and when, however, can be used in noun clauses which are the object of a verb. In npun clauses they are used with the future or conditional. Write to me when you get home. There is no reason why you shouldn't telephone me if you want to. I don't know his planslwhen he will come Noun clause I didn't hear that remarklwhen lw would be coming backlifhe would do it or not. Noun clause N.

In studying the conditional further exceptions to the main rule will be noted. Is going to can be used instead of shall or will to indicate: a. That it is your will or intention to do something: I am going to study Russian next year. That an action is imminent: I think it is going to rain in a few minutes. The future continuous can be used to convey the idea that something is not at all exceptional but quite a normal happening.

Indeed, it could be said that, although there are immense subtleties in the use of the future continuous, it generally has a greater idea of informality that the future simple. For example: 'What time will you be coming tomorrow? How can I ever concentrate if you continually interrupt me with idiotic questions?

I am afraid the Director cannot see you at present. He see a candidate for a vacancy. He hope to go to University next year but his parents decide that they will not be able to afford it unless he succeed in getting a Government grant. He know her a long time before he marry her. When you nish with that book, just pop it in my pigeon-hole, will you?

Come and look what happen in the street: a woman rob of her handbag and point to a man who chase along the street by a policeman. I wonder if he catch. I expect you see the Headmaster in the normal course of events, so you can tell him then.

I am not sure whom that house belong to now but I do know that a few years ago it live in by a strange old recluse. I teach English for several years before I realise why students of certain nationalities make certain mistakes. I go to see him as soon as I receive his wife's telegram yesterday, but he already relapse into a coma before I get there. Explain the differetlce of meaning between: 1. What is he doing? What does he do?

They talked as I came in. He had learnt English before he came to England. He had been learning English before he came to England. You are very stupid. You are being very stupid. Tell me when he comes. Tell me when he will come. A new cinema is being built there. A new cinema has been. Last year he wrote a book. Last year he was writing a book. He is always going to Paris. He always goes to Paris.

My car always breaks down. My car is always breaking down. Have you seen that film? Did you see that film? I shall go to Paris next month. I will go to Paris next month. Give the opposite of: 2.

He enjoyed that party. He enjoyed going to that party. He enjoyed himself at thatparty. The reflexive use. Dare 1. In an affirmative sentence dare is always used as a principal verb and is therefore used with to before the infinitive. He dares to say that, does he? In questions and negatives, however, in the present simple tense, dare can be used either as a principal or an auxiliary verb, without any change of meaning.

If it is a principal verb it is like almost all other principal verbs used with do and followed by to before the infinitive. If it is an auxiliary verb it is like other auxiliary verbs used without do and without s in the third person singular, and without to before the infinitive. Does he dare to do it? I dared him to jump over the ditch. The meaning is: I challenged him to jump over it. I did it for a dare. The meaning is I daresay you know this already.

This exists only in the first person singular and means I expect. Decide 1. I decided on Paris for my holiday. I decided against Paris for my holiday. The meaning is: I decided not to go. I decided on going to Paris for my holiday. The same preposition as in 1 before a gerund. I decided against going to Paris for my holiday. I decided the marter then. No preposition before an ordinary noun, the direct object. I decided togo to Paris then.

No preposition here. T o only indicates the infinitive. This is an alternative construction to 3. I decided how to do it. Infinitive phrase. I decided that I would go to Paris.

The clause is an alternative to 3 and 6. Excuse 1. Please excuse m y lateness. Please excuse my being late. Please excuse me for m y lateness, An alternative to 1. Please excuse me for being late. An alternative to 2. The same preposition is used before a gerundive noun. There is no excuse for such behavwur.

The same preposition after the noun excuse. Explain 1. I explained the construction to him. No preposition before the direct object, to before the indirect object. I couldn't explain being found on thepremises.

The meaning is: I could not satisfactorily explain why I was in the building. I explained to him how to do it.

Please explain why you did that. He explained that he had been taken ilL Clause. Please explain yourself. The meaning is: Please make your meaning clear. She expected a letter this morning. She expected to get a letter this morning. No preposition before a verb. She expected me to get a letter.

The object and infinitive. She expected that I would get a letter. An alternative to 3. Your expectations of coming into a lot of money have not been fulfilled. The noun expectations is followed by of and the gerund. For a list of some of the commonest nouns followed by of and the gerund see pages Thatfilm did not come up to my expectations.

An idiom. The meaning is: Thatfilm was not as good as I expected it to be. Fancy This verb has two quite distinct meanings-to like and to think. In the meaning of like: 1. I don't fancy the prospect of a night in the open. I don't fancy spending the night in the open. I don't fancy your spending the night in the open. A different person is doing the action of the gerund from the subject of the sentence.

She rather fancies herself. Reflexive use. The meaning is: She has a very high opinion of herself. I took a fancy to him at once. A colloquial idiom. The meaning is: I liked him immediately. In the meaning of think: 6.

I fancy that he is clever. I fancy him to be clever. This is the Latin accusative and infinitive construction, which is rather literary in English. In this case it is better not to omit the infinitive. Find 1. I found the course of study to be difficult. This is the same construction as the last one with fancy, but here it is much commoner to omit the infinitive. Ifound earning Latin difficult. I found his learning Latin inexplicable. A different person is finding and learning.

Ifound it diflcult to learn Latin Jlearning Latin. This is an alternative to 2. The infinitive construction is the commoner of the two.

The it is a kind of extra or pleonastic object preceding the real object, which is the infinitive or gerund. For a fuller explanation of the use of it, see page I found that he was wrong. Ifound out how to do it. Note the preposition before the infinitive phrase. Thefindings of the court have not been made public.

The meaning is: The results of the court enquiry.. D-G 29 Forget 1. I forgot that appointment. Iforgot to keep that appointment. No preposition before the verb. To is only a sign of the infinitive. I shall never forget seeing that film. The gerund is only used after forget to indicate that something made an indelible impression on your mind. I forgot that I had to keep that appointment. Clause as an alternative to 2. I forgot how to do it.

Get 1. I got him to do it for me. This is the causative use of get and is commoner than the alternative construction with have I had him do it for me. The meaning is: I asked him to do it for me.

Igot it done yesterday. This is also the causative use of get but with the passive construction. The alternative with have I had it done yesterday is equally common with the passive construction. See also have page 39 and the exercise on this construction, pages and He got drowned trying to swim these straits. This is a form of the passive that is most commonly used in the case of misfortune, i. Get moving: get cracking: get going.

This is a form of the imperative and is the only occasion when get is followed by the gerund. It is colloquial. Get cracking is slang. Igot to know her at John's party, The meaning is: I made her acquaintance there. It is important to remember that to know in English is only a verb of state, never a verb of action, so that get to know will often be necessary to translate know in, for example, Romance languages. When not used in the above mentioned constructionsget has five principal meanings: a.

Do what is necessary to the verbs in brackets. They will be in the infinitive or present participle. It may be necessary for you to add prepositions or put the possessive adjective before the gerund.

They are very important. It was rash of you not to allow miss the train. Hk mother doesn't fancy he marry a girl of such a different background. I shall never forget go abroad for thefirst time. He could not explain be found in possession of the stolen articles.

She looked for him everywhere and eventually found him sleep in the shade of some bushes. She agreed institute divorce proceedings.

What a pity that you forgot meet me yesterday as arranged. Why do you always expect I take an interest in your love-affairs? Queen Victoria did not allow smoke in her presence; she only allowed her son smoke if he lay on thefloor with his head in thefireplace.

You must get go ifyou want to catch that train. I found she be a very superficial person. Why won't you consider share a flat witbme? Wozdd you advise I book accommodation in advance? I do hope you will excuse I be so late; I am dreadfully sorry. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies.

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These cookies do not store any personal information. Menu Home. The constructions with basic verbs A—C. Pattern of verb tenses excluding conditionals. Notes on the uses of basic tenses. The constructions with basic verbs D-G. Conditionals 2 3 4 5. Theconstructions with basic verbs H—1 7. Points to remember about using the passive in English 8.

The constructions with basic verbs K—N 9. Thesubjunctive Theconstructions with basic verbs O-S 1. Inversion The constructions with basic verbs T—Z The gerund The infinitive Compound or phrasal verbs B Interrogative sentences 19, Relative pronouns