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1

GRAMMAR. BASIC REVIEW (FCE Challengers).
Issues
Present simple & present continuous. ....................................................................................................... 2
Present perfect simple & present perfect continuous. ............................................................................... 2
Comparative and superlative (adjectives). .................................................................................................. 3
Past simple, Past continuous, Past perfect simple, Past perfect continuous & Used to............................. 4
So & Such. .................................................................................................................................................... 4
Quantity & Quality. ...................................................................................................................................... 5
Zero, first and second conditionals. ............................................................................................................ 5
Third conditional. ........................................................................................................................................ 6
Ways of expressing the future. ................................................................................................................... 7
The passive. ................................................................................................................................................. 7
Reported speech (I). .................................................................................................................................... 8
Questions in reported speech. .................................................................................................................... 8
Reported speech (II). ................................................................................................................................... 9
Certain verbs govern certain forms. .......................................................................................................... 10






Notes had been taken from
Complete First Certificate (Students book). Guy Brook-Hart. Cambridge University Press.
Objective First Certificate. Capel and Sharp. Cambridge University Press.

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Present simple & present continuous.

Present simple is used to describe Present continuous is used to describe
A permanent state or situation I live in the city where I was born

A temporary situation Im living in a hotel while the builders finish
decorating my house


A fact or something which is always true The Earth revolves around
the sun.

An activity happening at the present moment I am having a shower

An activity which happened regularly I get up at six oclock every
day

An activity in progress, but not necessary at the present Im
studying two foreign languages


An activity which is changing or developing Lots of people are
coming to live here, so Melbourne is growing up very quickly



Things that the speaker finds strange or irritating (with always) You
are always using your cell phone



Something which always happens frequently (with always) My
girlfriend is always cooking me special meals.


There are verbs which describe states, not actions, so they are not usually used in the continuous
(believe, feel, know, rememberetc.)


Present perfect simple & present perfect continuous.

Both of them talk about something that started in the past and:

Either has a result in the present Ive partying all the weekend, so I am feeling pretty tired
now.
or is still happening now Weve been building an extension to our house (and we havent
finished yet).


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Often theyre interchangeable. However:
Present perfect simple Present perfect continuous

Emphasizes the result Ive phoned all my friends (and they are
coming to the party)

Emphasizes the activity Ive been phoning all my friends (thats why
I havent done my housework).


Say so much you have work Ive cooked three pizzas


Says how long youve been doing something Ive been cooking all
afternoon


May give the idea that something is more permanent He has
worked in this store all his life. Ive always lived here.


May give the idea that something is temporary Ive been working
here for the last two months until I go to the University. Weve been
eating dinner in the garden while the weather has been so warm.


Is used to say how many times something has been repeated Ive
invited her two or three times but she always says shes busy.


When we want to emphasize the process of change over a period of
time and these changes are not finished Your English has been
improving tremendously since you started doing your homework


Comparative and superlative (adjectives).

Add er and est with: One-syllable, and two-syllable adjectives ending in -y and -ly.
Ronaldinho is fitter than last year.
Use more and most with: the other
Biking could be the most dangerous activity.
Remember the irregular forms
Adjective Comparative Superlative
Good Better Best
Far Farther/further Farthest/Furthest
Much More Most
Little Less Least
Old Elder Eldest (for brothers and sisters)
Bad Worse Worst
Many More Most

To say two things are the same, use as + adjective + as
She finds aerobics as interesting as playing team sports.
To say one thing is less than another, use not so + adjective + as, or, less + adjective + than
Window shopping is not so interesting as clubbing.
Playing chess is less healthy than playing team sports. Clubbing is the less healthy.


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Past simple, Past continuous, Past perfect simple, Past perfect
continuous & Used to.

Past simple is used
for
Past continuous is used
for
Used to is used
for
Past perfect simple is
used for
Past perfect continuous
is used for

Actions or events in the
past I visited Egypt last
year


An activity started before
and continued until an
event in the past He was
driving to work when his
car broke down


Situations or states in
the past that arent
true now He used to
be in the army but now
he is a teacher

To indicate that were
talking about something
which happened before
something which is
described in the past
simple When I got to
the station, the train had
already left


To indicate that we are
talking about something
that happened before
something which is
described in the past
simple, but it focuses on
the length of time
Mandy needed a walk
because she had been
sitting down all day


Actions or events that
happened one after
another I saw the
Pyramids, then I went to
the Cairo Museum.


An activity which started
before and continued after
an event in the past I was
watching TV when the
news was announced

Repeated activities in
the past that dont
happen now She
used to run in the
London Marathon
every year until she
injured her leg.


With time expressions
(when, as soon as)
She started driving before
hed fastened his seat
belt

To indicate that we are
talking about something
that happened before
something which is
described in the past
simple, but it says how
long something happen up
to a point in the past He
had been playing for
Arsenal for only two games
when he scored his first
goal.


Things that happened for
a long time in the past
She lived in Zurich for ten
years, from 1992 to 2002.


Often with these adverbs
(already, just, never) He
had never eaten steak
and kidney pie until he
came to the UK



So & Such.

So and such mean very extremely.
So and such (a/an) are used to talk about cause and effect.

So + adjective + (that):
He was so nervous before the exam that he couldnt sleep at all.
That remark was just so lazy.
He cooks so very well that I think he will win the competition.

Such + adjective + uncountable noun/plural noun + (that):
She has such nice children.
Switzerland has such spectacular scenery that we always choose it for our holidays.

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So + much/many/few/little + noun + (that):
We had so little money left at the end of our holiday that we had to sleep in the station.
Marta makes so many mistakes when shes speaking.

Such a/an + adjective + singular countable noun + (that):
Why did you wear such an old pair of jeans?
It was such a beautiful day that we decided to go for a picnic.

Such a lot of:
Elena has got such a lot of friend that the phone never stops ringing.

Quantity & Quality.

Countable Uncountable
Excess/Insufficiency Too many/too few Too much/too little

Enough + noun (countable or uncountable) = quantity.
I havent got enough money to buy a new car.
Adverb or adjective + enough = quality.
You are old enough to do it on your own.

Zero, first and second conditionals.

Zero conditional If + Present tense + Present tense
If water boils, it evaporates.
If the boss is late, it sets a bad example to the
staff.
First conditional If/Unless + Present tense + Future tense/modal verb
If you wash the car, it will look much smarter.
If he phones, tell him I am in a meeting.
I wont phone him unless it is urgent.
If I get a job, I will buy myself a brand new car.
Second conditional If/Unless + Past tense + Would/Could/Might (+infinitive)
If I was a rich as Warren Buffet, I wouldnt
work anymore.
I would go for a walk if it wasnt so cold.
Her English would be better if she came to class
more often.



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Zero conditional is used to express:
Things which are always or generally true.
Scientific facts.

First conditional is used to express:
A future condition the speaker thinks is possible or likely.

Second conditional is used to express:
A present or a future condition which is imaginary, contrary to the facts, impossible or
improbable.

Third conditional.

Third conditional is used to talk about:
Something which did not happen in the past and its results, which are imaginary.
The third conditional has the following form If + Past Perfect tense + Would have + Past Participle.
You can contract the third conditional as follows:
If I lived in the 19
th
century, Id have gone to Liverpool by horse.
If he hadnt been in such hurry, he wouldnt have had an accident.
You can use could or might instead of would:
If our team had played harder, they could have won the match.
If the weather had been better, we might have gone swimming.


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Ways of expressing the future.

Tense Use Example

Future simple
With things which are not certain She will probably phone later
I think itll be warmer next week
Predictions for the future Sea levels will rise by several
centimeters.
It can also be used to make request,
promises, offersetc.
Will you help with my homework?
Ill buy you a sandwich if you are
hungry.
Future continuous
For something happening at a specific time
in the future, or over a period of time in the
future
Dont phone at nine oclock, Ill
be having dinner.
Future perfect
For things completed before a time
mentioned in the future
You can phone me at ten oclock
because Ill have finished dinner
by then.
He will have made a fortune by
the time he is 25 years old.
Future with going to
Predictions about the future based on
present evidence
Look at the clouds! I think it is
going to snow.
Future plans and intentions Im going to study architecture at
University.
Present continuous
Things arranged between people for the
future
I am seeing the dentist tomorrow,
I made de appointment last week
Present simple
Events fixed on a timetable The flight to Paris takes off at six.

The passive.

The passive is formed by the verb to be + past participle.
Active Passive
They ate all the food very quickly All the food was eaten very quickly
We have sold the car The car has been sold
It is nice when people invite you to dinner It is nice when youre invited to dinner
On a clear day, you can see Tangier from the
mainland
On a clear day Tangier can be seen from the
mainland

You can use to get instead of to be to form the passive in a more informal way:
Only use get when something happens or changes:
He got hurt when he was playing football.
He got arrested by the police.

The passive with reporting verbs.

Said, considered, thought + infinitive Elena is thought to be intelligent. Lions are known to hunt in this area
It is (RV) + that + sentence It is thought that Elena is intelligent. It is known that lions hunt in this area
It is (RV) + infinitive It has been agreed to change the budget. Dogs are forbidden in this area.



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Reported speech (I).

If the reporting verb (say, tell, admit, warn, etc.) is in the past, makes the following changes.
Present simple Past simple: I live in Berlin She said she lived in Berlin
Present continuous Past continuous: I am watching TV He said he was watching
TV.
Present perfect Past perfect: Ive seen this film already She said she had seen this
film already.
Past simple Past perfect: I missed the concert He told me he had missed the
concert.
Will Would: Ill phone you soon She promised she would phone me soon.

Modal verb also change:
Can could: I can understand German, but I cant speak it He said he could
understand German, but he couldnt speak it.
May might: I may give the book to John The teacher suggested that she might
give the book to John.
Must Had to: I must cook supper Tania said she had to cook supper.

The following verbs do not change in reported speech: could, might, should, would, ought to
and used to.
Must usually changes to had to: You must read this text for the next lesson My teacher told
me that I had to read this text for the next lesson. Must doesnt change when it is negative or
when it expresses a deduction.
Questions in reported speech.

Use the same questions words.
Question marks are not used.
How long have you been living in London? She asked to me how long Id been living
in London.
When can I phone you? He wanted to know when he could phone him.
The auxiliary verbs are not used.
What time does the lesson starts? He wondered what time the lesson started.
Yes/No questions use if, whether or whether or not.
Can I come to your party? She wanted to know whether she could come to their
party.


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Reported speech (II).

There are many verbs which can be used to introduce reported speech, each followed by different
grammatical patterns. Youll see that the most verbs can be followed by the more than one
grammatical pattern.
Pattern Example
Verb + Infinitive
Agree: Magda agreed to look after their children
Offer: She offered to take the children to the zoo
Promise: She has promised to phone me later.
Verb + Object + Infinitive
Advise: The doctor advised Mrs. Carter to take a holiday.
Ask: The neighbors asked us to turn the music down.
Invite: Patty has invited me to go to the party tonight.
Order: The police ordered to everyone to leave the
building.
Persuade: I persuaded my mother to take a holiday.
Remind: Can I remind to phone Stephen?
Tell: Carl told Jane to close all the windows.
Warn: They warned us not to walk on the ice.
Verb + Preposition + noun or verb + -ing
Accuse of: Thomas was accused of robbery. Sophie was
accused of stealing the books.
Admit to: Bill admitted to the mistake. Susan admitted to
taking the money.
Apologize for: Tommy apologized for the accident. Mandy
apologized for being late.
Complain about: The neighbors have been complaining
about the noise. We complained about being given too
much housework to do.
Verb + noun or ver + -ing
Admit: Bill admitted the theft. Susan admitted stealing
the money.
Deny: Silvia denied the theft. Susan denied stealing the
money.
Recommend: I can recommend this book. I recommend
cycling as a good way of getting fit.
Suggest (*): Jasmine suggested the solution. Mike
suggested going climbing at the weekend.
Verb + (that) + sentence
Admit: Sally admitted that she had taken the money.
Agree: The head-teacher agreed that the exam had been
too difficult.
Complain: We complained that we had been given too
much homework.
Deny: Pablo denied that he had caused the accident.
Explain: She explained that she wasnt feeling very well.
Promise: Mandy promised that she would phone later.
Recommend: The doctor recommended that I take more
exercise.
Say: Robin said that she was going to swimming later.
Suggest: Liz suggested that I should try the shopping
center on the edge town.
Verb + object + (that) + sentence
Persuade: I persuaded my mother that she would take a
holiday.
Promise: Mandy promised Charlie that she would phone
him later.
Remind: Can I remind you that you have to phone
Stephen?
Tell: The College told the students that they had the rest
of the day free.
Warn: Nobody warned me that my grandmother was
visiting us today.
Others
Ask + If/What + Sentence: She asked to me what I was
doing. He asked me if I was free.
Invite + Object + to + noun: Patty has invited me to the
party.
Suggest is never followed by the infinitive: Maria
suggested buying a new laptop. Phil suggested the idea.
Tony suggested that they play football that afternoon.
Chantal suggested I should write a letter.



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Certain verbs govern certain forms.

Gerund Infinitive Plain infinitive (with modal verbs (*))
Enjoy Used Can
Succeed in Know Must
Insist on Let (+ pronoun) Should
Depend on Try Would
Avoid Arrange Rather
Begin/Stop To attempt Let
Prevent Begin Shall
Admitted Ought (*)
Go Choose