| ENGLISH GRAMMAR for Spanish Speakers |
1. Finite Forms
*
We have to consider: mood, number, person, tense, voice
2. Regular and irregular verbs
* Regular Verbs: those which form the past and the past participle adding -ed
* Irregular Verbs: those which do not fulfil this condition.
a. Present = Past = Past Participle à to put
b. Present # Past = Past Participle à to find
c. Present # Past # Past Participle à to see
3. The most common irregular verbs
*
About two-hundred
4. Transitive and intransitive verbs
*
Transitive: those which have a direct object
* Intransitive: those that do not
Notes - There is not a rigid division between the two
- Some
Change their meaning according to whether they are transitive or intransitive: à
The boy has grown a lot / We grow vegetables.
- There
is a group naturally intransitive, but they become transitive when accompanied by a direct object: à He lived in the country / He lived a happy life
- Neither
English nor Spanish intransitive verbs can be put into the passive, but in English, verbs which are formed with a preposition can be used in the passive, with the prepositional object becoming the subject of the passive sentence, which the preposition itself is placed at the end of the sentence: à
They laughed at him / He was laughed at
5. Person and number concord
*
General rule: the verb agrees with its subject in person and number
* Special cases:
1. Subject + and + subject - verb in plural
- verb in
singular (the two nouns one unit)
2. Subject (collective noun) - Verb in singular (the group as a whole)
- Verb in
plural (as individuals within the group)
3. Subject + [either...or / neither...nor] + subject - verb in singular or plural according with the latter
4. Subject + [as well as] + subject: - verb in singular
5. Distributive + Subject - verb in singular à Every room, every corner has been searched.
1. Indicative
* It expresses the action as a true fact.
2. Imperative
* Basically expresses a command or a request.
a. Formation of the Imperative
Two persons
- 1st (Plural): let us go (let's go / let's not go)
- 2nd (Singular and Plural): go (don't go)
b. Emphatic Form: 2nd (Singular and Plural): Do come (don't you believe it)
c. Uses of the Imperative
1. As a command à
Go on
2. As a request à
Please, come
3. To make a suggestion à
Ring him up
4. To make an invitation or offer à
Have another cup
5. To give instructions à
Go straight on and then turn to the right
6. Advice or recommendation à
Lock the door before you go to bed
7. Warning à
Be careful!
8. Plea à
Help!
9. Imprecation à
Go to hell!
10. Even as a condition à
Tell him that and you'll be asking for trouble.
d. Pronunciation of the Imperative
1. Falling (normally)
2. Rising (suggest, request)
3. Subjunctive
a. Expresses: the action not as fact, but as something which depends upon the volition, the desire or, in general, the state of mind of the speaker.
b. Use: * in subordinate clauses
* occasionally in independent sentences.
c. Form: * The base of the verb (the infinitive without to)
*
It is necessary to specify their uses because they do not always coincide with real time.
1. Present Progressive
* Equivalent to the Spanish estar
+ gerundio
Formation: The Present of to be + -ing form of the verb
Spelling changes 1. Final silent -e drop
Exceptions:
dye, singe, tinge, eye, canoe
2. Final -ie changes to y
3. Final single vowel + single consonant double
Polysyllable
with stress on the last syllable double
The most important uses of the Present Progressive
1.
For actions in the process of taking place à
he is eating
2. For
future actions (generally the near future) à he is leaving Rome tomorrow
Other less frequent uses of the Present Progressive
1.
For temporary activity à
I'm working at night this month
2. To
indicate the constant repetition of an action (accompanied by the adverbs 'always, invariably'
or
similar meaning à
He is always grinning stupidly
3. To
indicate one's intention or otherwise of doing something à
Are you selling the house? No,
I'm not
selling it
Verbs which are not usually used in the progressive tenses
1. Verbs
of involuntary sense perception like: see, hear, smell...
When the perception is voluntary, the progressive form can be used.
2. The
so-colled group of stative verbs: se, seem, hope, love, like, dislike, prefer...
2. Simple Present
* Broadly equivalent to Present Indicativo
Formation
* By the
base of the verb
* 3rd
person singular + s. Verbs finished in sibilant or vowel +es
*
Negative and interrogative: with do
The most important uses of the Simple Present
1. For
habitual actions (habitual present) à he gets up at eight o'clock
2. For
general timeless statements or eternal truths
Other less frequent uses of the Simple Present
1. For
actions scheduled in the future (usu. with adverb of time) à
We sail on Monday
2.
Historic present: to recount events à I open the door and I see John
3. To
indicate futurity (in conditional clauses) à If she comes, we'll tell her.
4. In
exclamations with here/there à
Here comes the bus
5.
Instantaneous present: in live commentaries (broadcasts, ...) à
Now he passes the ball to the ...
6. In
instruction manuals à
Now you insert the pointed en of
7. With
some verbs, such as to hear, to tell with the value of the present perfect à They tell me that...
8. In
newspaper headlines to report recent events à Earthquake rocks Chile.
3. Present Perfect
*
It correspond more or less to Preterito Perfecto or Indefinido
Formation
* With
the present of the verb to have and the past participle of the verb being conjugated
Spelling changes to the Past Participle
1. Double
- Finished in single vowel + consonant à stopped
- More than one syllable when the stress falls on the last syllable à permit-permitted
- Ending in l, only in BrE à traveled
2. Change
- Finished in consonant + y = i à try - tried
3. Ending
in e only add d.
Uses of the Present Perfect
1. For a
past action which maintains some relation with the present (with adverbs or adverbial
phrases: today, this week, already, just) à
I've just got your letter.
2. To
indicate an action or state begun in the past and still going on in the present à
Susan has
been ill
since Tuesday
3. For
past actions provided that the time is not indicated à
Have you ever been to Brighton? Yes,
I've been there / Yes, I was there last Spring.
Present Perfect and Simple Past
* The
simple past: the action is regarded as over (accompanied by adverbs)
* The
present perfect: the past action is seen as being related in someway to the present.
4. Present Perfect Progressive
Introduction
* The
Present Perfect Progressive is the equivalent to to the Spanish Pretérito Perfecto of the
verb estar + gerundio or the construction llevar + gerundio.
Formation
* With
the Present Perfect of the verb to be + the -ing form of the verb being conjugated.
Use of the Present Perfect Progressive
* It is
used for an action which extends from the past up to the present moment and which may
continue into the future.
Structures with since and for
1.
Present Perfect Progressive + since + precise moment in time à
I've been living in London
since May.
2.
Present Perfect Progressive + for + period of time à
I've been living in London for two months.
Present Perfect and Present Perfect Progressive
1.
Present Perfect Progressive: emphasis on the developing action
2.
Present Perfect: emphasis on the present results (as finished)
1. Past Progressive
Introduction
* It
corresponds to the Spanish past (Pretérito Perfecto) of estar + gerundio
Formation
* With
the past of the auxiliary to be + -ing form of the verb being conjugated.
The most important uses of the Past Progressive
1. For an
action that was taking place at a particular moment in the past (generally has a
descriptive value) à
It was raining.
2. In
indirect speech it corresponds to the present progressive in direct speech: à
'I'm working
hard' Peter said <> Peter said that he was working
Other less frequent uses of the Past Progressive
1. To
express an action occurring simultaneously with another in the past à
As I was having a
bath, the telephone rang.
2. To
express the notion of inconclusiveness, in contrast to the simple past which indicates the
event is over: à
Were you hearing about it? / Did you heard about it?
3. To
express the irritating repetition of the fact (with always or similar): à
He was always
teasing
her.
4. For an
action which is agreed or scheduled for the future: à
She started to pack, for she was
leaving the following morning.
2. Simple Past
Introduction
* It
embraces the aspects covered in Spanish by the Indefinido and Pretérito Perfecto
Formation
*
Affirmative form * Regular verbs + -ed
*
Irregular verbs: each individual case has to be studied.
Pronunciation of the ending + -ed
1. Ends
in a voiceless consonant (p, k, f, q, s, ∫, tò)
except t à
/t/
2. Ends
in a voiced consonant (b, g, d,
z, , z, dz, m, n, n, l) except d à
/d/
3. Ends
in -d, -t à
/id/
Spelling changes
* The
same as in Past Participle
Negative and interrogative forms
1. The
negative form: subject + did + not + the verb being conjugated
2. The
interrogative form: did + subject + the verb being conjugated.
The most important uses of the Simple Past
1. For
past actions: an action completed at a certain point or period of time in the past. It is the
equivalent of the Spanish Indefinido à I saw him yesterday
2. For
narrative in the past. Nearly equivalent of Pretérito Imperfecto àThey lived in the country
3. In
indirect speech, it corresponds to the simple present in direct speech à
'I like fish', Paul said
/Paul
said that he liked fish.
Other less frequent uses of the Simple Past
1. To
express simultaneity with another action also in the past. Equivalent of al + infinitivo or
cuando + infinitivo à
As she came in, she saw him lying on the floor.
2. In
subordinate conditional clauses, when the main verb is in the conditional. Equivalent of
Imperfecto Subjuntivo à
If he came, I would tell him
3. To
reflect various attitudes of the speaker (modesty, politeness...). Equivalent of Pretérito
Imperfecto à
I wondered if you could help me.
3. Past Perfect
Introduction
* It
corresponds broadly with the Spanish Pluscuamperfecto Indicativo
Formation
* Simple
Past of to have + Past Participle of the verb being conjugated.
The most important uses of the Past Perfect
1. Mainly
for actions taking place prior to other actions also in the past à
When we arrived, the
concert had already begun
2. In
indirect speech, it corresponds to the simple past or present perfect in direct speech à
I
worked a lot, he said / He said that he had worked a lot.
Other less frequent uses of the Past Perfect
1. To
express duration up to a certain moment in the past: à
By the time I left the school, I had
taught
there for twenty years.
2. In
subordinate conditional clauses in the past with a negative implications. à
If I had known it,
I would
have told you.
4. Past Perfect Progressive
Introduction
* It is
the equivalent of the Past Perfect of estar + gerundio
Formation
* It is
formed with the Past Perfect of to be + the -ing form
Uses of the Past Perfect Progressive
1. Mainly
for an action in the process of taking place in the past anterior à
The telephone had
been ringing for five minutes, before he answered it
2. In
indirect speech, corresponding to the present perfect progressive in direct speech: à
'I've
been
drinking' he said / He said that he had been drinking.
1. Simple Future
* It is
used, in principle, to translate future actions
Other ways of expressing the Future
1. With going
to (immediate future) à
I'm going to eat
a) Speaker's intention to do or not to do something
b) Speaker's certainty that something is to happen immediately
2. With
the Present Progressive: à We're playing tennis this afternoon
3. With
the Simple Present: à
We leave on Monday
4. With to
have to = tener que: à
We have to go to the doctor's
5. With to be + infinitive (to express an order, plan or agreed arrangement) à
They are to do it
today.
6. With to be about to + infinitive or to be on the point of + -ing to express the idea of estar a
punto de hacer algo à
They are about to begin. I'm on the point to leaving
7. With
to intent to = querer o intentar hacer algo): à
I intend to England this Summer.
Probability and Future (Possibility or probability)
1.
To be + sure/certain + infinitive à He's sure/certain to come
2. May
express a likely possibility à It may happen this afternoon (Puede que...)
Might express a more remote one à
It might happen this afternoon (Pudiera ser que...)
3. Other
expressions - to be bound to =
tener que
- to
be liable to = estar expuesto a
-
to be likely to = ser probable que
-
to be unlikely to = ser improbable que
Other ideas expressed by the Future
* It can
express other ideas as well as simple futurity
Formation of the Future
* With
the auxiliaries shall/will + the base of the verb being conjugated.
2. Future Progressive
Introduction
* It is
the equivalent of the Spanish future of estar + gerundio
Formation
* With
the future of to be + -ing form of the verb being conjugated
Main use of the Future Progressive
*
Progressive future action: an action taking place at a specific time in the future à
This time
tomorrow I shall be flying to London.
Other less frequent uses of the Future Progressive
1. Plans
for the future à
They will be staying with us in August
2. Future
actions in which the idea of volition is not impliedà
I won't be sweeping the room today
3.
Preestablished or customary order of things à I'll be seeing him this afternoon
4.
Probability, deduction à
Mother will be expecting me, and getting upset.
3. Future Perfect
Introduction
*
Equivalent to the Spanish Futuro Perfecto
Formation
* Future
of to have + Past Participle of the verb being conjugated.
The main use of the Future Perfect
* To
express an action which will have finished at a particular time in the future (frequently with
by)
à I'll have finished by then o'clock.
Other less frequent uses of the Future Perfect
1.
Duration up to a certain moment in the future (Spanish prefers llevar + gerundio) à
When I
leave the school next month I shall have taught there for 20 years
2. For
supposition / prediction à He will have done it by now.
4. Future Perfect Progressive
Introduction
* The
same as the future perfect of estar + gerundio of the verb being conjugated
Formation
* With
the future perfect of the verb to be + -ing form of the verb being conjugated.
Use of the Future Perfect Progressive
* To express actions which last until a particular moment in the future, when they may or may not finish (Spanish prefers llevar + gerundio) à
When he leaves the school, he will have been teaching English.
5. The Simple Conditional
* It is formed with the auxiliaries should
/ would
* They can represent other sorts of meaning which sometimes have nothing to do with the idea of
condition
* In modern English there is a certain tendency to use would
for all persons of the verbs.
Uses of the Simple Conditional
1. It is
used in the main verb in conditional sentences, for hypothetical or theoretical conditions à
If
you studied harder, you would pass your exam.
2. Where
Spanish also uses the conditional (assertions, opinions, ...) à
I should like to go too.
3. In
indirect speech, corresponding to the future in direct speech à
'I'll do it' - He said he would
do it.
6. Past Conditional
* Equivalent in practice to the Spanish Conditional
Compuesto.
* Formed: Simple Conditional of to have + Past Participle of the verb being conjugated.
* Used: mostly in conditional sentences (impossible conditions) in the verb in the main clause; the
verb in
the subordinate clause: Past Perfect (Pluscuamperfecto).