B2 grammar topics

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1. FUTURE PERFECT

Use:

Use the future perfect to talk about an event that will be finished and complete before a

specified time in the future.

This time next week, I’ll will have finished this project.

Phrases often seen with this use of the future continuous include:

By ..., This time next week..., In __ years’ time...; when + present simple; by the time + present

simple.

When you arrive, I’ll have prepared the dinner.

By the time I get home, my mum will probably have tidied the house.

The future perfect is also use to make predictions about future events that will be complete

before a specified future time.

Do you think Mel will have eaten all the chocolate cake?

No, she won’t have done that!

Form:

Make the future continuous this way:

Positive and Negative

I

you

he / she it

we

they

will have

won’t have

past participle

Questions

Will

Won’t

I

you

he / she it

we

they

have

past participle?

Be going to is rarely used to make the future perfect tense.

Tom’s going to have finished his lecture by the time we get there

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2. FUTURE PERFECT CONTINUOUS

Use:

Use the future perfect continuous to talk about an event that will be in progress for some time

before a specified time in the future.

Janet will be really tired when we get home. She will have been looking after the children all day!

It can be used to make predictions about event that will be in progress before a specified time

in the future.

Joe won’t mind that we are late. He won’t have been waiting long.

It can be used to predict what was happening in the past.

“What do you think the men were doing in the store room?”

“Don’t worry. They will have been unpacking boxes.”

Both the fixed future time and the length of time of are often mentioned in future perfect

continuous sentences.

By the end of this week, I’ll have been working here for five months.

Fixed future time: the end of this week

Length of time: five months

But this is not always the case.

Anne will be in a bad mood at the party this evening because she’ll have been doing housework.

Form:

Positive and Negative

I

you

he / she it

we

they

will have

won’t have

been + verb-ing

Questions

Will

Won’t

I

you

he / she it

we

they

have

been + verb-ing?




3. MIXED CONDITIONALS

Use:

Mixed conditional sentences combine two different conditional patterns.

Several patterns can be used:

mixed first conditional sentences

First conditional sentences can use a variety of modal verbs.

If + present simple, can / may / might / will / should + verb (infinitive)

If you give me some money, I can buy some milk.

If I finish my homework, may I go out with my friends?

If you switch the photocopier off and on again, it should work.

First conditional sentences can also use going to, as well as will.

If + present simple, going to + verb (infinitive)

If you don’t get ready soon, we’re going to be late!

The present continuous and going to can also appear in the If clause

If you’re going to the shop, can you buy me some cola?

If you’re going to pay him, make sure you get a receipt.

The present perfect may also appear in the If clause.

If you’ve finished your work, you can go home.

mixed third / second conditional

This combination describes an imagined event in the past and the present result.

If + past perfect, would + verb (infinitive)

If he'd taken the medicine, he wouldn't still be sick.

He wouldn’t still be sick if he’d taken the medicine.

mixed second / third conditional

This combination describes a situation which is never true, and the past consequence of this situation.

If + past simple, would have + verb (infinitive)

If you were better at speaking in public, the presentation would have been more successful.

The presentation would have been more successful if you were better at speaking in public.




4. DEFINING RELATIVE CLAUSES

Use:

Use defining relative clauses to give information about a noun in a sentence. The listener or reader

NEEDS this information to understand the sentence.

A doctor is a person who cures sick people.

The girl who sits next to me at work has a bag just like yours.

Form:

Use who to give more information about a person.

An architect is a person who designs buildings.

Use which or that to give more information about a thing.

A corkscrew is a thing which you use to open bottles.

The book that you gave me for my birthday is really interesting.

Use where to give more information about a place.

That’s the place where we got married.

The town where my uncle lives is a few miles from here.

Because non-defining relative clauses give essential information, no commas (,) are needed.

If the noun which the relative clause describes (usually at the beginning of the sentence) is the

OBJECT of the sentence, you can delete which, that or who.

The man who is wearing the blue suit is my brother.

The man is the subject of the sentence. You cannot delete who.

The man (who) George is talking to is my brother.

George is the subject of the sentence.

The man is the object of the sentence.

(The sentence can be rewritten: George is talking to a man. The man is my brother). So

you can delete who.

The book you lent me is really good.

You is the subject of the sentence.

The book is the object of the sentence.

(The sentence can be rewritten: You lent me a book. The book is really good. Which /

that is not necessary.)

The book which is on the table is really good.

The book is the subject of the sentence. (The sentence can be rewritten: The book is on the table.

It’s really good. Which / that is necessary.)




5. NON DEFINING RELATIVE CLAUSES

Use:

Use non-defining relative clauses to give extra information about a noun in a sentence, or part of a

sentence. The listener or reader does not need this information to understand the sentence.

Relative clauses can define the subject of the sentence:

Miranda, who used to go to the same university as me, is having a baby.

Or the object of a sentence:

We went to a lovely restaurant, where we both had steak.

Or the sentence as a whole.

She gave me some money, which was very nice of her.

Form:

Always put the relative clause as close as possible to the noun that you are describing.

Use who to give information about a person, whose to introduce a possession, and which to

give information about a thing. Do not use that.

Use where to give information about a place ONLY if you introduce another subject after

where. Otherwise, use which.

We met at Bristol University, where we both studied Biology.

We met at Bristol University, which is in the west of England.

Who, which, where and whose cannot be omitted in defining relative clauses.

As non-defining relative clauses are not necessary to understanding the sentence, they are

always placed within commas.

The man who lives next to me has five motorbikes.

In this sentence, ‘who lives to me’ is necessary. Without it, the sentence (‘The man has five

motorbikes’) is meaningless because it is not clear which man is being talked about. Therefore,

commas are NOT necessary.

Tom, who lives next to me, has five motorbikes.

In this sentence, ‘who lives to me’ is not necessary. Without it, the sentence (‘Tom has five

motorbikes’) still has meaning. ‘Who lives next to me’ adds more information, therefore, commas ARE

necessary.

Common Mistakes

Some Students do not put the non-defining relative clause close to the noun it describes.

The chemicals flow into rivers, which are toxic. => The chemicals, which are toxic, flow into rivers.




6. PAST PERFECT CONTINUOUS

Use:

The past perfect continuous is used when telling a story about the past. It is generally used alongside

other narrative tenses such as the past simple.

The past perfect continuous describes an event which was in progress for a period of time before

another event in the past. We use it when we do not want to say the events in the order they

happened.

Example:

A sentence with the events in the order they happened:

John was having trouble sleeping, so he went to the doctor late.

A sentence in which the events are NOT in order:

John went to the doctor because he had been having trouble sleeping.

The continuous event which happened before the other verb is in the past perfect tense.

b) Write any adverbs between had and been

They had already been waiting for half an hour.

He’d only been working there a week before he got fired.

Form:

I

you

he / she / it

we

they

had / ‘d

hadn’t

been + verb-ing




7. WILL / BE GOING TO FOR PREDICTION

Use:

Both be going to and will can be used to predict future events. In many cases they can be used

interchangeably.

Experts believe that the recession will continue.

Experts believe that the recession is going to continue.

However, in some cases they are used differently:

Use going to when there is evidence about what is going to happen.

Look at the time! We’re going to be late!

Use will / won’t when guessing about the future.

I bet Robin will be late again.

Will is often used with phrases such as I think…, I expect…, I don’t think…, I bet… , I’m

sure…, I doubt if/that… when making predictions

It is more common to use I don’t think + will, not I think + won’t

I think it won’t rain => I don’t think it will rain

Form:

be going to

Positive

I am / ‘m going to verb (infinitive form)

you / we / they are / ‘re

he / she / it is / ‘s

Negative

I ‘m not going to verb (infinitive form)

you aren’t OR ‘re not

he / she / it isn’t OR ‘s not

Questions

Am I going to verb (infinitive form) ?

Are you / we / they

Is he / she / it

Short Answers

Yes,

I am. No, I’m not.

you / we / they are. you / we / they ‘re not / aren’t

he / she / it is. he / she / it ‘s not / isn’t




will

Positive / Negative

I / You / He / She / It / We / They

will verb (infinitive form).

won’t

Will

I / you / he / she / it / we / they / verb (infinitive form)?




8. USED TO / WOULD

Use:

We say Used to to talk about something that was true in the past, but is not true now.

There used to be a park here, but now there’s a shopping centre.

My grandmother used to have beautiful blonde hair, but now her hair is grey.

You can say used to to talk about states (things that were true for a long period of time) or repeated

actions (things that happened several times).

I used to live in Denver. (True for a long period of time)

I used to go to the park every Friday. (A repeated action)

Write adverbs before used to.

I always used to cycle to school.

I never used to eat vegetables.

You can use Would in a similar way to used to. It describes things that were true in the past

but are not true now.

When I was a child, my dad would read to me every night.

Would CANNOT be used to talk about states. It can only be used to talk about repeated actions.

There would be a park here. => There used to be a park here.

Write adverbs after would.

I would always talk to my grandma when I had a problem.

Form:

I / You / He / She / It / They / We

used to

didn’t use to / never used to

verb (infinitive)

would

wouldn’t

Questions

Did

you / he / she / it / they

use to + verb (infinitive)

Would verb (infinitive)

Common Mistakes:

Many students confuse used to do and be used to doing. This is another phrase. It means ‘be

familiar with doing something’.

I am used to live near here. => I used to live near here.




9. WISH / IF ONLY

Use:

Wish and If only can be used:

a) To wish for an ability now or in the future.

I wish I could play the guitar!

If only I could dance like that!

I wish I could go to your wedding next week, but I can’t.

If only I could see my grandmother more often, but I can’t.

b) To wish that something could be true at the moment.

I wish I had long hair! If only I were taller!

c) To wish that something was happening at the moment.

I wish I was lying on the beach right now! If only I was lying on the beach right now!

d) To wish that something kept happening again and again, or to wish it could stop happening.

I wish you wouldn’t shout so loudly. If only he wouldn’t shout so loudly.

e) To wish that something in the past had happened in a different way.

I wish I had studied for my exam! If only I hadn’t argued with him!

Form:

To wish for an ability now or in the future.

I wish (that) / If only + subject + could + infinitive verb

I wish that I could sing.

If only I could come to Australia too!

To wish that something could be true at the moment.

I wish (that) / If only + subject + past simple

I wish I had a pony.

I wish I was rich.

When using the verb ‘be’, you can use ‘were’ for all persons.

I wish I were rich. If only I were rich.

To wish that something was happening at the moment.

I wish (that) / If only + subject + past continuous

I wish that this traffic was moving.

If only this traffic was/were moving!

To wish that something kept happening again and again, or to wish it could stop happening.

I wish (that) / If only + subject + would + past participle

I wish you would tidy up more often.

Often: I wish (that) / If only + subject + would stop + verb-ing

I wish he would stop shouting.

I wish (that) / If only + subject + wouldn’t keep + verb-ing

I wish you wouldn’t keep hitting me.

To wish that something in the past had happened in a different way.




I wish (that) / If only + past perfect

I wish I had studied for my exam!

If only I hadn’t argued with him!




Table of contents

1. Future perfect................................................................................................................................22. Future perfect continuous..............................................................................................................33. Mixed Conditionals.........................................................................................................................44. Defining Relative Clauses................................................................................................................55. Non Defining Relative Clauses........................................................................................................66. Past Perfect Continuous.................................................................................................................77. will / be going to for prediction......................................................................................................88. Used to / Would...........................................................................................................................109. Wish / If only................................................................................................................................11

Source: www.examenglish.com




B2 grammar topics

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