Essential English Grammar Summary

English Verb Tenses

Present Simple

Form: verb or verb + -s/-es (for third person singular)

Use: Habits, routines, facts, schedules.

Keywords: Frequency adverbs (e.g., always, often, sometimes, never), words like 'every day', 'every week'.

Present Continuous

Form: am / is / are + verb + -ing

Use: Actions happening now, temporary situations, immediate plans.

Keywords: now, right now, at the moment.

Past Simple

Form: verb + -ed or irregular verb

Use: Completed actions in the past.

Negation: didn't + infinitive

Past Continuous

Form: was / were + verb + -ing

Use: Actions in progress at a specific time in the past, background actions.

Present Perfect

Form: have / has + past participle

Use: Actions that started in the past and continue to the present, actions completed in the past with a result in the present, life experiences.

Past Perfect

Form: had + past participle

Use: Action completed before another action or time in the past.

Simple Future

Will

Use: Predictions, promises, offers, spontaneous decisions.

Be Going To

Form: am / is / are + going to + infinitive

Use: Plans, intentions, predictions based on present evidence.

Present Simple (for future)

Use: Schedules, timetables.

Present Continuous (for future)

Use: Immediate plans, fixed arrangements.

Modals

• Can: Ability, possibility.
• Can't: Lack of ability, prohibition.
• Could: Past ability, possibility, polite requests.
• Couldn't: Lack of past ability.
• May / Might: Possibility (around 50%).
• Be Able To: Ability (similar to 'can').
• Should: Advice.
• Shouldn't: Advice (negative).
• Must: Obligation (internal or strong recommendation).
• Need To: Necessity.
• Have To / Has To: Obligation (external circumstances).
• Don't / Doesn't Have To: Lack of obligation.
• Mustn't: Prohibition.

Relative Pronouns

• Who: For people.
• Which: For things.
• Where: For places.
• When: For time.
• Whose: For possession (people or things).
• That: Can replace who/which in restrictive clauses (no commas).

Conditionals

Zero Conditional

Form: if + present simple, present simple

Use: Facts, general truths.

First Conditional

Form: if + present simple, will + infinitive

Use: Real or likely situations in the future.

Second Conditional

Form: if + past simple, would + infinitive

Use: Unreal or unlikely situations in the present or future.

Third Conditional

Form: if + past perfect, would have + past participle

Use: Unreal situations in the past (regrets, hypothetical past).

Passive and Active Voice

Passive Voice

Form: subject + be + past participle (+ by + agent)

Use: When the action is more important than the doer, or the doer is unknown/obvious.

Transformation from Active: The subject of the active sentence becomes the agent (often introduced by 'by') or is omitted. The object of the active sentence becomes the subject of the passive sentence.

Reported Speech

Changes

When reporting speech, tenses and time/place references often shift back:

• Present Simple → Past Simple
• Present Continuous → Past Continuous
• Past Simple → Past Perfect Simple
• Present Perfect Simple → Past Perfect Simple
• will → would
• can → could
• must → had to

Time and Place Adverbials:

• now → then
• today, tonight → that day, that night
• tomorrow → the next day / the following day
• yesterday → the day before / the previous day
• last night → the night before / the previous night
• next week, year → the following week, year
• last week, year → the week before, the year before / the previous week, year
• a month ago → a month before / the previous month
• here → there
• this, these → that, those
• my → his/her/etc. (Possessive adjectives change according to context)

Reporting Statements

Structure: Said that... or Told (person) that... + changes (tense, pronouns, time/place).

Reporting Questions

Yes/No Questions

Structure: Ask + if/whether + subject + verb (in affirmative structure)

Wh- Questions

Structure: Ask + wh- word + subject + verb (in affirmative structure)

Reporting Commands

Structure: Use verbs like 'tell', 'ask', 'order' + object + infinitive.

Affirmative: tell/ask (person) + to + infinitive

Negative: tell/ask (person) + not to + infinitive

Reporting Suggestions

Structure: Suggested + verb + -ing or Suggested that + subject + should + infinitive