Self-study Guide

Examples:

Imagine that one day Jack said:
‘My sister is coming today to collect these papers.’

A few days later, Jack reports:
I said that my sister was coming that day to collect those papers.

Somebody else refers to what Jack said:
Jack said that his sister was coming to see him that day to collect those papers.

Exercises

1 Write sentences reporting what people said.

1.     She said / in love.

She said she was in love.

2.    Pete said / like sport very much.
Pete said he liked sport very much.

3.    Tom said / can play chess.
He said he could play chess.

4.  Hilda said / eat chocolate cake every day.
She said she ate chocolate cake every day.

5.    Gail said / work in a bar last summer.
Gail said he worked in a bar last summer.

6.    Marion said / get her T-shirt from Canada.
Marion said she got her T-shirt from Canada.

2 Circle the correct verb form.

1.     They said they will / would come, and they did!

2.    Mum says I have / had to do some chores today.

3.    She said I have / had to help around the house more while I was staying with her.

4.    They said they are / were tired that day.

5.    You said you have / had  already seen that film.

6.    Mr Smith says we will / would have exams next week.

3 What did they really say? Write the original words.

1.     She said she was cold.
‘I’m cold’.

2.    Mark said it was easy.
‘It’s easy’.

3.    Helen said that that dog was hers.
‘This dog is mine’.

4.    They said they enjoyed their lessons.
‘We enjoy our lessons’.

5.    Lily said she would see me the next day.
‘She wil see me tomorrow’.

6.    Victor said he had made a mistake.
‘I made a mistake’.

7.    She said that she was pregnat.
‘I’m pregnat’.

8.  Sheila said she was going to clean up the mess.
‘I’m going to clean up the mess’.

Second Conditional

Use the second conditional to talk about imaginary situations that probably will not happen.

Condition If + past simple	Result Would (‘d) / could + base form
If I knew what to do,	I would tell you.
If he didn’t waste time,	He could pass all his tests.

With the verb be, we can use the past simple was or were. In this case, were is an old subjunctive.

If she was here, she’d know what to do.

If she were here, she’d know what to do.

Use the expression If I were you / him / her to give advice or to express an opinión.

If I were you, I’d tell your parents all about about it.

If I were him, I wouldn’t buy that car.

Note that the condition clause can go at the beginnig or end of the sentence. Use a comma after it if it goes at the beginnig.

Condition If + I/he/she/it was/were (not),	Result Would (‘d) / could (not) + base form
If I were rich,	I could give you some money.
If she knew,	she would tell us.
If it weren’t important,	I wouldn’t tell you.

Wish + Past Simple

Use wish (that) followed by the past simple or by could to express the desire that something in the present were different. There is a sense of regret about the past.

Subject + wish	Subject + past simple / could
We wish	We could help you.
I wish	Brian were here.
They wish	They were on holiday.

                                  Wish + Would

Use wish (that) followed by would + base form to express the desire for something to change in the future. It shows that we are irritated or impatient because we don’t think that things will change.

Subject + wish	Subject + would
We wish	they would go away.
I wish	he would help me more.

Exercises

1.  Match the sentences halves.

B

C

D

E

F

A

1 If I had more money,

2 If they tried harder,

3 If she talked less,

4 If you paid attention,

5 If you had a dog,

6 If they knew all the answers

a) they wouldn’t need to go to school

b) I’d be able to buy a car.

c) they would get better marks.

d) you would get more exercise.

e) she could hear what we have to say.

f) you wouldn’t miss so much.

2.  Write the words in the correct order. Start with If

1    out / go / was / we / would / if / it / sunny

If it was sunny, we would go out.

2    would / it / great / be / if / could / fly / I

If I could fly, it would be great.

3    him / to / if / you / apogolised / he / happy / would / be

If you apologised to him, he would be happy.

4    more / fitter / be / you / if / you / walked / would

If you walked more, you would be more fitter.

5    car / a / bought / walk / anywhere / if / wouldn’t / you / you

If you bought a car, you wouldn’t walk anywhere.

3.  What would these people like to change about themselves?

1 I wish  I were / was taller   . (tall)

2 She wishes   she where richer   . (rich)

3 He wishes    he were younger   . (young)

4 He wishes    he were stronger   . (strong)

5 She wishes   she were more confident   . (more confident)

6 They wish their team   were better   . (good)

4.  Circle the correct words to complete the sentences.

1 If I tell / told you a secret, would you keep it to yourself?

2 You would be / were in trouble if you cheated on the test.

3 If you really cared for me, you  won’t / wouldn’t say those things.

                  Defining Relative Clauses

·         Use:

Who or that to refer to people

Which or that to refer to things

Whose to refer to a possessor

Where to refer to places.

·         Use defining relative clauses to say precisely what persono r thing we are talking about in the main clause.

She’s a woman who knows what she wants.

I like food which / that has been cooked at home.

Is that the girl whose father works with yours?

Home is where I feel most comfortable.

·         We can omit the relative pronouns who / which / that when they are not the subject of the relative clause.

He’s the man (who) I saw.

This is the car (that) I want to buy.

·         If there is a preposition referring to the relative pronoun, put it at the end of the sentence.

Is that the girl (who) he’s in love with?

There is something (that) I want to talk to you about.

·         If we use a relative clause to define personal objects, Friends or relatives, we don’t use the possessive adjective in front of these nouns, only the definite article the.

These are the books (that) I bought.

NOT These are my books (that) I bought.

Exercises

1.  Choose the correct answer.

1 A hotel is a place where / which people stay when they're on holiday.

2 What's the name of the woman whose / who lives in that house?

3 What do you call someone which / that writes computer programs?

4 A waiter is a person whose / that job is to serve customers in a restaurant.

5 Overalls are clothes where / wich people wear to protect their clothes when they are working.

6 Is that the shop where / that you bought your new laptop?

7 He's the man who / whose son plays football for Manchester Utd.

8 Hal didn't get the job that / where he applied for.

2.  Join these sentences using relative pronouns beginning with the words given. Omit the pronoun if possible. Add commas if necessary.

1 My school is very big. It is in Madrid.

    My school, which is in Madrid, is very big    .  

2 Robert Pattinson is an actor. He plays Edward Cullen in the Twilight saga.

   Robert Pattinson is the actor who plays Edward Cullen in the Twilight saga   .

3 I bought this cake yesterday. It tastes delicious.

    The cake, that I bought yesterday, tastes delicious   .

4 Michael is a policeman. His father is a judge.

   Michael, whose father is a judge, is a policeman   .

5 I bought a computer last month. It doesn't work properly.

    The computer, that I bought last month, doesn’t work properly   .

6 Prince Charles will be the king of England one day. His mother is Queen Elizabeth.

  Prince Charles, whose mother is Queen Elizabeth, will be the King of England one day   .

7 I was given a dog. It is very friendly.

   The dog, that I was given, is very friendly   .

8 The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn was written by Mark Twain. I enjoyed it a lot.

    The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, which I enjoyed a lot, was written by Mark Twain   .

9 Mrs Kelly is the woman. She took me to hospital when I fainted at school.

  Mrs Kelly is the woman who took me to hospital when I fainted at school.

3.  Complete the text with which, who or whose

Lots of teenagers in our town  who_have nowhere to go after school behave badly, but they are not ‘difficult’ kids. Even kids  whose_ parents are interested in what their childrens are doing are on the streets-streets  which_ can be dangerous.

Third Conditional

Use the third conditional to talk about impossibilities and situations that can no longer happen because it is too late.

If you hadn’t eaten so much, you wouldn’t have made yourself so ill.

If we had spent less time watching television, we would have finished our homework.

Condition If + past perfect	Result Would (‘d) have + past participle
If I had tried,	I would have succeeded.
If she hadn’t arrived,	we would have gone without her.

Exercises

1.  Make the third conditional

1 If you  hadn’t been   (not/be) late, we  wouldn’t have missed  (not/miss) the bus.
2 If she  had studied  (study) she  would have passed  (pass) the exam.
3 If we  had arrived  (arrive) earlier, we  would have seen  (see) John.
4 If they  had gone  (go) to bed early, they  wouldn’t have woken  (not/wake) up late.
5 If he  had become  (become) a musician, he  would have recorded  (record) a CD.
6 If she  had gone  (go) to art school, she  would have become  (become) a painter.
7 If I  had been  (be) born in a different country, I  would have learned   (learn) to speak a different language.
8 If she  had gone  (go) to university, she  would have studied  (study) French.
9 If we  hadn’t gone  (not/go) to the party, we  wouldn’t have met   (not/meet) them.
10 If he  hadn’t taken  (not/take) the job, he  would have gone   (go) travelling.
11 He  would have been  (be) happier if he  had stayed  (stay) at home.
12 She  would have passed  (pass) the exam if she  had studied  (study) harder.
13 We  wouldn’t have got  (not/get) married if we  hadn’t gone   (not/go) to the same university.
14 They  would have been  (be) late if they  hadn’t taken  (not/take) a taxi.
15 She  wouldn’t have met  (not/meet) him if she  hadn’t come  (not/come) to London.
16 He  would have taken  (take) a taxi if he  had had  (have) enough money.
17 I  would have called  (call) you if I  hadn’t forgotten  (not/forget) my phone.
18 We  would have come  (come) if we  had been  (be) invited.
19 She  wouldn’t have done  (not/do) it if she  had known  (know) you were ill.
20 He  would have been  (be) on time if he  had left  (leave) earlier.

Non-Defining Relative Clauses

We use non-defining relative clauses to give extra information about the person or thing. It is not necessary information. We don’t need it to understand who or what is being referred to.

We always use a relative pronoun (who, which, whose or whom) to introduce a non-defining relative clause (In the examples, the relative clause is in bold, and the person or thing being referred to is underlined.)

Clare, who I work with, is doing the London marathon this year.

Not: Clare, I work with, is doing the London marathon this year.

Doctors use the testing kit for regular screening for lung and stomach cancers, which account for 70% of cancers treated in the western world.

Alice, who has worked in Brussels and London ever since leaving Edinburgh, will be starting a teaching course in the autumn.

Punctuation

In writing, we use commas around non-defining relative clauses:

Etheridge, who is English-born with Irish parents, replaces Neil Francis, whose injury forced him to withdraw last week.

Exercises

1.  Complete the sentences with whose, who, which, or where.

1 Dublin, which is the capital of Ireland, is my favourite city.

2 Amelia, whose mother is from Shanghai, speaks English and Chinese fluently.

3 This smartphone, which I bought last week, takes great photos.

4 Buckingham Palace, where the Queen of England lives, is in the centre of London.

5 Ferraris, which are made in Italy, are very expensive.

6 Russell Crowe, who starred in Gladiator, was born in New Zealand.

7 Emily, whose brother is a singer, is in my English class.

8 Mr Kemp, who teaches physics, is going to retire next year.

2.  Combine the first sentence with the second, using a non-defining relative clause and the Word in brackets.

1 My sister is six years older than me. She lives in Madrid. (who)

   My sister, who lives in Madrid, is six years older than me   .

2 The hospital in Southampton is going to be closed next year. I was born there. (where)

   The hospital in Southampton, where I was born, is going to be closed next year   .

3 Ferdi’s sports car is extremely expensive. It can reach speeds of 220 km per hour. (which)

   Ferdi’s sports car, which can reach speed of 220 km per hour, is extremely expensive   .

4 Emma and Joe have decide to move to Istanbul. They got married last year. (who)

   Emma and Joe, who get married last year, have decided to move to Istanbul   .

5 Scala nightclub in Manchester is an amazing place. I met Sally there. (where)

Scala night club in Manchester, where I met Sally, is an amazing place   .

6 Lindhams restaurant is very famous. It is opposite the golf club. (which)

   Lindhams restaurant, which is opposite the golf club, is very famous   .

3.  Complete the sentences with who, which or whose.

1 The students,  whose  opinions we are interested in, don’t agree with the idea.

2 The boy,  whose  father is a banker, lives in New York.

3 His girlfriend,  who  works in a fast food restaurant, is very clever.

4 The restaurant,  which  was very expensive, wasn’t very good.

5 The teacher,  who  was new to the school, had a kind face.

6 That bike,  which  he has wanted for years, is finally his.

Passive voice (Mixed Tenses)

The passive of an active tense is formed by putting the verb to be into the same tense as the active verb and adding the past participle of the active verb. The subject of the active verb becomes the ‘agent’ of the passive verb. The agent is very often not metioned. When it is mentioned it is preceded by by and placed at the end of the clause.

	ACTIVE VOICE	PASSIVE VOICE
Present Simple	He delivers the letters.	The letters are delivered.
Past Simple	He delivered the letters.	The letters were delivered.
Future Simple	He will deliver the letters.	The letters will be delivered.
Present Continuous	He is delivering the letters.	The letters are being delivered.
Past Continuous	He was delivering the letters.	The letters were being delivered.
Going To	He is going to deliver the letters.	The letters are going to be delivered.
Present Perfect	He has delivered the letters.	The letters have been delivered.
Past Perfect	He had delivered the letters.	The letters had been delivered.
Infinitive	He has to deliver the letters.	The letters have to  be delivered.
Modals	He must deliver the letters.	The letters must be delivered.

The passive is used:

·         When the agent (the person who does the action) is unknown, unimportant or obvious from the context.

Jane was shot. (we don’t know who shot her)

This church was built in 1815. (unimportant agent)

·         To make more polite or formal statements.

The car hasn’t been cleaned. (more polite)

(you haven’t leaned the car. – less polite)

·         When the action is more important than the agent, as in processes, instructions, events, reports, headlines, new ítems, and advertisements.

30 people were killed in the earthquake.

·         To put emphasis on the agent.

To change a sentence from the active voice to the passive voice:

o   The object of the active voice sentence becomes the subject of the passive voice sentence.

Agatha Christie wrote this book.

This book was written by Agatha Christie.

o   We change the main verb of the active voice sentence into the passive voice. The tense remains unchanged.

o   The subject of the active voice becomes the agent of the passive sentence. It is placed after the past participle and it is preceded by the preposition by.
Agatha Christie wrote this book.
This book was written by Agatha Christie.

Exercises

1.  Complete the sentences with the correct passive form of the verb in brackets. Use the Present Simple.

1 English  is spoken  (speak) in many countries.

2 The post  is delivered  (deliver) at about 7 o’clock every morning.

3  Is the building used (the building/use) any more?

4 How often  are the Olympic Games held  (the Olympic Games/hold)?

5 My salary  is paid  (pay) every month.

6 These cars  aren’t made  (not make) in Japan.

7 The name of the people who commited the crime  aren’t knew  (not know).

8 His travel expenses  aren’t paid  (not pay) by his Company.

2.  Change the following sentences into passive sentences using the words in brackets.

1 We sell tickets for all shows at the Box Office. (Tickets for all shows/sell/at the Box Office)

    Tickets for all shows are sold at the Box Office   .

2 Thomas Edison invented the electric light bulb. (The electric light bulb/invent/by Thomas Edison)

   The electric light bulb was invented by Thomas Edison.

3 Someone painted the office lsat week. (The office/Paint/last week)

   The office was painted the last week   .

4 Several people saw the accident. (The accident/see/by several people)

   The accident was seen by several people   .

5 Where do they make these video recorders? (Where/these video recorders/make)

   Where were these video recorders made?   .

3.  Rewrite these sentences in the passive voice.

1 Someone built this house 200 years ago.

   This house was built 200 years ago by someone   .

2 A thief stole my purse.

   My purse was stolen by a thief   .

3 The police will arrest the robbers.

   The robbers will be arrested by the police   .

4 They serve breakfast at eight o’clock every day.

   The breakfast is served at eight o’clock every day   .

5 People throw away tones of rubbish every day.

   Tones of rubbish are thrown away every day by people   .

6 They make coffee in Brazil

   The coffee is made in Brazil by them   .

7 Someone stole Jim’s bike last night.

   The Jim’s bike was stoled last night by someone   .