How to use should in English sentences

 

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Feel free to leave a comment if you find any errors or if you have any suggestions to make to improve this lesson.

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Should is a modal verb. It is the preterite of shall (not used as often). We use should to give advice or suggest something, or to give our opinion. It’s less strong than must or have to. Should also serves to express a certainty.

Give advice or make a suggestion

Should indicates what should be done and is used as a recommendation or advice:

• You should read this book, it’s great. 
• You look tired. You should go to bed.
• You should go out more often. 
• When you go to Paris, you should visit the Louvres. 

To say that something is wrong:

We can use should in negative form to advise against or say that something is wrong:

• We shouldn’t leave without saying goodbye.
• I shouldn’t listen to you. 
• She shouldn’t eat too much. 
• You shouldn’t work so much. 
• He shouldn’t talk like that to his mother. 
• You shouldn’t believe everything he says. 

To request an opinion or advice

• Should we invite Kevin to the party? – Yes, I think we should. 
• What should I do? 

Express a regret or reproach

With the formula should + have + verb in the past participle, we express a regret or a reproach:

• You should have checked the timetable.
• I should have studied more but I was too tired. 
• We should have taken the train. 
• You should have come to the party last night. 
• You should have given your brother the key yesterday when he asked for it. 

Compare should (go) and should have (gone) in the following examples:

• You should eat your breakfast. 
• You should have eaten your breakfast. 

Give your opinion

We often use should with I think / I don’t think / Do you think… ? at the beginning of the sentence. This allows for the expression of personal judgment.

• I think she should stop smoking. 
• I don’t think we should tell her.
• You should be more careful.
• Do you think Sarah should see a doctor? 

Express a certitude

We also use should to express a certainty, a very high probability:

• This is not normal, he should be here by now. 
• She should pass her exams.
• By now, they should already be in Singapore.
• There are plenty of restaurants in the town. It shouldn’t be difficult to find somewhere to eat.

When the probability concerns the past, we use should have + past participle:

• They should have finished already. 
• He should have eaten by now. 

Express an obligation that is less than necessary

Sometimes should be used instead of must to make instructions, orders or rules more polite and less strong (we often see this on notices or information boards):

• Passengers should check in at least 2 hours before departure time. 
• On hearing the fire alarm, hotel guests should leave their room immediately. 

Express an unfulfilled obligation

In this case, we use should + be + verb -ing, to say that the subject does not act as it should.

• You should be wearing your seatbelt. 
• We should be studying for the test. 

OTHER VALUES OF SHOULD

One can use should in two types of subordinates in that:

1 – To express a judgment, after a sentence beginning with an adjective such as strange, funny, interesting, interesting, surprised, surprised, surprising + that… or by ‘it’s important/necessary/essential/vital that … should’.

• It’s strange that you should say that. 
• I’m amazed that he should think that. 
• It’s essential that everyone should be here on time. 

2 – After some verbs expressing an order, a request, such as suggest, insist, propose, request, recommend:

• She insisted that we should sing the song aloud. 
• They demanded that he should repay the money. 
• She insisted that I should have dinner with her. 

⚠️ However, it is not mandatory to use should in the above sentences!

• It’s strange that you should say that. = It’s strange that you say that. 
• I’m amazed that he should think that. = I’m amazed that he think that.
• It’s essential that everyone should be here on time. = It’s essential that everyone be here on time.
• She insisted that we should sing the song aloud. = She insisted that we sing the song aloud.
• They demanded that he should repay the money. = They demanded that he repay the money.
• She insisted that I should have dinner with her. = She insisted that I have dinner with her. 

With if or in case, to express a possibility:

• If/in case they should come, tell them to telephone. 

⚠️ To express an obligation we use would have to… and not should:

• If my dad was sent abroad I should would have to quit my school. 

 

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Either and Neither, what is the difference?

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We use either and neither to talk about two similar things and choices to be made. They can be determinants, pronouns or adverbs.

1 – EITHER

Either is always associated with the idea of a choice between several alternatives. It is always followed by a name in the singular:

• Either day suits me = A day or another day is ok for me.
• Either solution is good. = Both solutions are good.

When it is subject (whether it is a determinant or a pronoun), the verb is in the singular:

• Which pub shall we go? – We can go to either pub. 
• We have two choices. Either (of them) is fine. 

Either is often followed by of and it can also be used with a plural name or pronoun in this case:

• You can have either of the books. 
• Either of the hotels will be fine. 

Not… either is the negative equivalent of too. It is often placed at the end of the sentence:

• I don’t like wasting my time. – I don’t like it either. 
• She hasn’t had anything to eat and I haven’t either. 

Either is often used with ‘or’:

• You can either come with me or stay here. 
• He’s either shy or bored. 

If this conjunction is used with the subject, the following verb is in the singular:

• Either Sam or Tina has have taken it. 

⚠️ You can use Either alone, without any names:

• Do you want tea or coffee ? – Either. I don’t mind. 

⚠️To say “in any case”, “in either case”, we use the formula “Either way,…”:

• You can stay, or you can go. Either way, I’m going home. 

⚠️’On either side‘ means “on both sides, on both sides”:

• You can park on either side of the road.

2 – NEITHER

Neither is negative, it is used to express a double refusal. It is always used with an affirmative verb.

• Neither movie is any good. 
• Neither of them came. 
• Neither is fine with me.
• Neither solution is good. 

When it is subject (whether it is a determinant or a pronoun), the verb is in the singular

• We have two players, but neither of them is ready for the game. 

Neither… nor: we find this formula mainly in writing, it is not normally used orally:

• I like neither pizza nor pasta. (⚠️ but we normally say ‘I don’t like pizza or pasta‘).
• It’s neither good nor bad.  (⚠️ but we normally say ‘It’s not good or bad‘).
• They can neither read nor write. (⚠️ but we normally say ‘They can not read or write‘).

If this conjunction is used with the subject, the following verb is in the singular:

• Neither John nor Tina is coming tonight. 

⚠️Neither can be used alone, without any names:

• Is your friend British or Australian? – Neither. he’s Canadian. 

⚠️How can I say “me neither”?

It is necessary to take the affirmative form of the auxiliary of the starting sentence:

• She can’t swim. Neither can I.

The following formulas can be used:

Neither do I. (formal)  /  Me neither. (very familiar)  / I don’t either. (very familiar)

• He doesn’t like running. Neither do I. /Me neither. 

We can also say “Neither do we”, “we don’t either”, “neither do they”… to answer a negative sentence.

 

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How to use contractions in a sentence

 

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Feel free to leave a comment if you find any errors or if you have any suggestions to make to improve this lesson.

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Used every day orally but also in writing in a familiar language register, contractions (or contracted forms) are part of the basic things to know in English: it is relatively simple, it is just a matter of shortening and combining two words by putting an apostrophe where the letters have disappeared.

Contractions can be made with the auxiliary verbs be, have and do, and modal auxiliaries. In affirmative sentences, only be, have, will/shall and would have contracted forms.

BE

In the affirmative form:

Only the forms of the present tense are contracted:

• I am = I’m
• you are = you’re
• he is = he’s
• she is = she’s
• it is = it’s
• we are = we’re
• they are = they’re

Examples:

• Hi, I‘m Kevin
• She‘s very kind 

In negative form:

To make the negative form of the first person singular, simply contract I am (= I’m) and add not: I am not becomes I’m not

• I’m not going to the party.

Be careful, in interro-negative sentences and tags, am not becomes aren’t:

• Aren’t I going to see you again? 
• She is right, aren’t she? 

are not becomes aren’t

• Aren’t you Frank’s sister? 

was not becomes wasn’t

• The water was not cold. 

is not becomes isn’t

• This isn’t free.

were not becomes weren’t

• Why weren’t you at school? 

HAVE

The forms of the present and the past can be contracted:

In the affirmative form and in the present

• I have = I’ve
• you have = you’ve
• he has = he’s
• she has = she’s
• it has = it’s
• we have = we’ve
• they have = they’ve

Examples:

• I‘ve been to New York twice (= I have been to New York twice) 
• My sister’s got married (= My sister has got married) 

⚠️ has is usually not contracted with a subject when it is the main verb of the sentence. Instead, we use got (which is the past participle of get):

• We have a yellow house : we don’t say We’ve a yellow house but We’ve got a yellow house
• I have good news : we don’t say I’ve good news but I’ve got good news

⚠️How not to confuse has and is when they are contracted? 

The contraction -‘s can be put in place of is as well as has:

She’s forgotten can mean the following:

• She has forgotten.
• She is forgotten.

To distinguish them it is simple: when it is followed by the past participle, it means that the contraction has been formed with has. In other cases, it is a question of is:

• He’s eaten = He has eaten
• He’s eating = He is eating 
• It’s rained = It has rained 
• It’s rain = It is rain

HAVE contracted in the past

• I had = I’d
• you had = you’d
• he had = he’d
• she had = she’d
• it had = it’d
• we had = we’d
• they had = they’d

Examples:

• I’d decided to leave (= I had decided to leave) 
• He’d changed his mind (= He had changed his mind) 

HAVE contracted to negative form:

have becomes haven’t

• We haven’t eaten yet.

has becomes hasn’t

• He hasn’t got it.

had becomes hadn’t

• I hadn’t seen my parents in five years.

WILL

Will is transformed into ‘ll with a contracted form:

• I‘ll come tomorrow.
• It‘ll be all right.

WOULD

Would is transformed into d’ in the contracted form:

• Tina said she‘d help me.
• I‘d rather have juice.

ATTENTION

The -‘d contraction can be put in place of had as well as would. The -d’ used for had only appears in past perfect sentences and is always followed by a past participle.

I wish that he’d leave can mean the following:

• I wish that he had left.
• I wish that he would leave.

Other common contractions

• that is / that has = that’s
• that will = that’ll 
• that would = that’d 
• that had = that’d
• there is / there has = there’s
• there has = there’s
• there will = there’ll
• there had = there’d
• there would = there’d
• let us = let’s 
• here is = here’s
• what is / what has = what’s
• what will / what shall = what’ll 
• where is / where has = where’s 
• who is / who has = who’s
• who have = who’ve
• who had / who would = who’d 
• who will / who shall = who’ll 

Negative contractions

DO

do becomes don’t

• I don’t live here.

does becomes doesn’t

• She doesn’t agree.

did becomes didn’t

• Why didn’t you tell me? 

MODAL AUXILIARIES

In negative and interrogative sentences, all auxiliaries have contracted forms (except may):

can becomes can’t

• Sarah can’t speak french.

could becomes couldn’t

• When I was young, I couldn’t eat cheese.

should becomes shouldn’t

• You shouldn’t smoke.

would becomes wouldn’t

• I wouldn’t say that if I were you.

must becomes mustn’t

• You mustn’t be so slow.

will becomes won’t

• I won’t go to Japan.

need becomes needn’t

• You needn’t call him. He will be here in five minutes.

might becomes mightn’t

• He mightn’t have come.

CONTRACTIONS: SOME TIPS TO KNOW

⚠️Contractions with BE cannot be used alone, in response to a question 

• Who is leaving? → I am. I’m.
• Is it ok? → Yes, it is Yes, it’s.
• Are they gone? → Yes, they are. Yes, they’re.

⚠️Do not confuse the’d’ of the contracted form of would and had 

The auxiliary verbs would and had both contract with ‘d. How to distinguish them?

Would is always followed by an infinitive verb (without to)

• I‘d like some water please. (= I would like some water please.) 
• I‘d be glad to meet her. (= I would be glad to meet her.) 

Had is followed by a past participle and allows to conjugate to the perfect past, EXCEPT for some expressions (had better, had best…) that use had without being followed by a past participle:

• She‘d been in my room for three hours. (= She had been in my room for three hours.) 
• He‘d been watching TV for hours. (= He had been watching TV for hours.) 

– Would rather / had rather ? –

In the contracted form, they cannot be distinguished… but they mean the same thing:

• I’d rather stay at home tonight = I would rather stay at home tonight / I had rather stay at home tonight

⚠️In spoken and familiar language, and especially in American English, the preposition sometimes contracts with the verbal form or name preceding it: 

• I gotta go (= I got to) 
• She’s kinda strange (= kind of) 
• I’m gonna kill you! (= going to) 
• Where are y’all at? (= Where are you all at?) 

⚠️Be careful not to confuse it’s and its in writing! 

it’s is the contraction of it is or it has

• I think it’s going to rain on Friday. 

its is a possessive pronoun:

• That’s its car.

To find out if you should use it’s or its in writing, just try to replace the word with it is or it has and see if it makes a correct sentence.

 “Its raining outside” doesn’t mean anything, for example. We must therefore say: It’s (= It is) raining outside.

⚠️They’re, Their and There 

Be careful not to confuse the three!

• They’re = they are (They’re happy to see me)
• Their = possessive pronoun  (What is their phone number?)
• There = indicates the location  (There is a present on the table)

⚠️A few contractions formed by compressing a word: 

Mr. = Mister
Dr. = Doctor
Prof. = Professor
o’ = of
o’clock = of the clock
Ma’am = Madam

⚠️An apostrophe does not necessarily mean that it is a contraction 

You can add an apostrophe to a name to indicate ownership, belonging:

• Sam’s house  = The house belongs to Sam 
• The dogs’ food  = The food belongs to the dogs 

 

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Must and have to – Grammar rules

 

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To express obligation, constraint or certainty, in the present tense, we have the choice between MUST and HAVE TO. There are some small differences between the two:

MUST is a modal, it is always in the present tense and always expresses the point of view of the speaker, to give his opinion or impose an obligation on himself or someone else. It is often found in written rules or to give instructions.

HAVE TO is used to say that someone is obliged to do something because they are obliged by law to do so, a rule or they simply have no choice. Have to does not express an opinion. Rather, it translates as ‘it is necessary that…’.

To put it simply, must is more accurate and strong than have to.

Examples:

• I must wake up early tomorrow.
• I have to quit smoking. 
• He has to go to school tomorrow. 
• Do I have to wear this suit? 
• Applications must be sent to the following address.

You can’t use must in the future or in the past, you have to use have to:

• present: I must quit my job. 
• past: I had to quit my job. 
• future: I will have to quit my job. 

⚠️ We can not say ‘I will must…’ or ‘She had must…’, these are mistakes!!!!

MUST NOT (MUSTN’T) and DON’T HAVE TO

Remember, the negative form of Must and Have to are completely different, do not confuse them!

Must not expresses a prohibition (to forbid something), something that it is necessary not to do (you can also use mustn’t instead of must not, it’s the same thing).

Doesn’t have to / Don’t have to express an absence of obligation and means “not to be obliged to…”. Do not confuse:

• You don’t have to leave, but you can if you want to (= You needn’t leave) 
• You mustn’t leave  (it’s a prohibition).
• He’s rich. He doesn’t have to work. 
• You’re pregnant. You mustn’t smoke. 

MUST KNOW:

⚠️ To give orders, is/are can also be used, especially for children:

• You’re not to do that.

⚠️ When you want to give advice, you have to use should:

• She should not eat that.

⚠️ If you want to talk about a potential obligation, use would have to:

• You would have to work if I left my job.

⚠️ You can also use needn’t instead of don’t have to.

• She doesn’t have to eat / She needn’t eat.

⚠️ We can use have got to instead of have to.

• I‘ve got to see that movie = I have to see that movie.

 

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When and how to use Must and mustn’t?

 

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Feel free to leave a comment if you find any errors or if you have any suggestions to make to improve this lesson.

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Must is a modal. It exists only in the present tense and always expresses the point of view of the enunciator.

Must allows you to express the obligation (or constraint), a recommendation, but also the probability (or certainty).

1 – Obligation and constraint

You use must to put pressure on yourself or someone else by expressing:

An obligation or constraint with must:

• You must be back before ten.
• He must be careful.
• I must hurry.

Must may also make a recommendation:

• You must visit the Colosseum when you will go to Roma.
• You must see this movie ! 

In the negative form, an interdiction with must not (or mustn’t).

• You mustn’t show it to anybody.
• She must not climb on the table.
• We mustn’t wear a cap in the classroom.

2 – Probability and certainty

Must also express a high probability or certainty. It is used when you are almost sure of what you are saying:

• She must be Japanese.
• He must be tired. 
• You must be John’s brother. 
• There must be some mistake. 

In the negative form, to say that something is impossible, we use can’t (and not mustn’t):

• He can’t be Spanish.
• They can’t be sleeping, it’s already noon.

To express the probability/certainty in the interrogative form, we use can (not must):

• Can it be false? 

To express certainty or probability in the past tense, we use must + have + verb in the past participle:

• I must have left my phone at home.
• Paul must have seen this movie before.
• It must have been raining last night.
• He must have missed the train.
• Someone must have taken my umbrella by mistake.

Be careful not to confuse the two possible meanings of must + have + verb in the past participle: either obligation or probability:

• Paul must have learned this lesson by monday  (obligation)
• Paul must have learned this lesson before  (probability)

In the future tense, we use ‘have to‘:

• When you’ll be in Paris you will have to see the Eiffel tower.

3 – Must or Have to ?

You will find the complete lesson on the difference between must and Have to in this lesson!

 

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Direct and Indirect speech with rules and examples

 

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Feel free to leave a comment if you find any errors or if you have any suggestions to make to improve this lesson.

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In English, to report someone’s words or their own words, you can use direct or indirect speech. These may include statements, questions, orders, advice…

When moving from direct to indirect style, it is often necessary to change personal pronouns, demonstrative and possessive pronouns according to who says what:

• I → he / she
• me → him / her
• my → his / her
• we → they
• this → that
• us → them
• mine → his / hers
• ours → theirs
• our → their

Here are some examples:

Direct speeches	Indirect speeches
She says: “My dad likes onion soup.”	She says that her dad likes onion soup.
Kevin said, ‘I’m tired.’	Kevin said (that) he was tired.
Have you ever been to Japan?	She asked me if I had ever been to Japan.
Open the door!	He told me to open the door.

Note: That is often implied in indirect speech. It is not mandatory to use it, so it is indicated in brackets in this lesson.

Introductory verbs

To relate someone’s words to both direct and indirect speech, you need an introductory verb.

The two most frequent are tell and say, but there are many other possible ones like:

• ask 
• reply 
• warn 
• answer 
• point out 
• state 
• write 
• add 
• exclaim 
• protest 
• report 
• explain 
• think 
• admit 
• declare 
• mention 
• suggest 
• advise 
• claim 
• forbid 
• order
• hope 
• inquire 
• want to know 
• wonder 

Say or tell ?

Be careful to distinguish SAY from TELL. The two verbs may have the same meaning, but their use is different. With TELL, the interlocutor is quoted: the name or pronoun is placed immediately after tell (tell somebody something).

With SAY, the interlocutor is not necessarily quoted; if he is, he is introduced by the preposition to (say something to somebody):

• He says (that) he is English. 
• He tells me (that) he is English. 

However, tell is used in some expressions without mentioning a contact person:

• tell the truth 
• tell a story 
• tell the time 

Note: the wording ‘He said to me…‘ is possible but seems clumsy. It is best to use ‘He told me…‘.

TIMES MODIFICATIONS

The shift to indirect speech leads to changes in the tense, depending on whether the verb is in the present tense or in the past tense.

If the introductory verb is in the present tense, the tense (or modal) does not change. 

• “I’m sorry.” → He says he is sorry. 
• “I hate driving” → He says he hates driving.

Be careful, if the statements reported are still true now you must not change the tense!

• He said this morning (that) he hates driving. (= He still hates driving now).

If the introductory verb is in the past, the verb tense changes:

Examples of major changes in time:

Direct speeches	Indirect speeches
Present simple He said: “I am happy”	Preterite He said (that) he was happy.
Present continue / progressive He said: “I‘m looking for my phone”	Past Continuous He said (that) he was looking for his phone.
Preterite He said: “I visited Paris last year”	Past Perfect Simple He said (that) he had visited Paris the previous year.
Present Perfect He said: ” I‘ve lived in London for a long time “	Past Perfect He said (that) he had lived in London for a long time.
Past Perfect He said: “They had cleaned the kitchen when I arrived“	Past Perfect He said (that) they had cleaned the kitchen when he had arrived.
Past Continuous He said: “I was watching TV when the accident occurred“	Past Perfect Continuous He said (that) he had been watching TV when the accident had occurred.
Present Perfect Progressive He said:”I have been swimming for one hours.”	Past Perfect Continuous He said (that) he had been swimming for one hours.
Past Perfect Continuous He said: “I had been reading a book when the light went off“	Past Perfect Continuous He said (that) he had been reading a book when the light had gone off.
Future simple (will+verb) He said: “I will open the door.”	Conditional (would+verb) He said (that) he would open the door.
Conditional (would+verb) He said: “I would buy a plane if I were rich”	Conditional (would+verb) He said (that) he would buy a plane if he had been rich.

MODALS

The modals could, should, would, might, needn’t, ought to, used to don’t change when used with indirect speech.

Those who change are will → would, can → could, may → might:

• I will come with you. → Tina promised she would come with me. 
• I can help you. → He said he could help me. 
• It may be a good idea. → I thought it might be a good idea.

Modals	Direct speeches	Indirect speeches
will	“They will call you.”	He told her that they would call her.
would*	“I would help, but I’m sick.”	She said (that) she would help but she was sick.
can	“I can do it.”	He said he could do it.
could*	“I could swim when I was four”	She said (that) she could swim when she was four.
should*	“I should call my mother”	She said (that) she should call her mother.
may	“May I go out?”	He wanted to know if he might go out.
must	“She must apply for the job.”	He said that she must/had to apply for the job.

* do not change

TIME, PLACE AND DEMONSTRATIVE MARKERS

Expressions of time, place and demonstratives change if the context of indirect speech is different from that of direct speech.

She said “I saw him yesterday.” → She said she had seen him the day before. 

Direct speeches	Indirect speeches
Time marker
today	that day
now	then
yesterday	the day before
… days ago	… days before
last week	the week before
next week	the following week
next year	the following year
tomorrow	the next day / the following day
Location marker
here	there
Demonstrative
this	that
these	those

 

Orders and prohibitions to indirect speech

To relate an order or prohibition to indirect speech, verbs such as tell, order or forbid are used… Be careful, remember to replace Don’t by NOT when it is the main verb of the sentence!

For affirmative sentences, use to + infinitive

For negative sentences use not to + infinitive

• Don’t worry! → He told her not to worry.
• He said, “go to bed!” → He ordered the child to go to bed.
• Don’t marry him! → She forbade me to marry him.
• Please don’t be late. → She asked us not to be late.

Questions to the indirect speech

If there is an interrogative word like where/who/when/why… in direct speech, we keep it in indirect speech:

• What are you doing? → She asked me what I was doing. 
• Who was that beautifl woman? → He asked me who that beautiful woman had been.
• Where do you live? → He wanted to know where I lived.
• “Why don’t you speak Spanish?” → He asked me why I didn’t speak Spanish.

If it is a closed-ended question or you have to answer yes/no, you use if or whether:

• “Do you like chocolate?” → She asked me if I liked chocolate.
• “Are you living here?” → She asked me if I was living here.
• “Have you ever been to Paris?” → He asked me if I had ever been to Paris.

When the question contains a modal, it is preterite in the reported question:

• How will he react? → He wondered how he would react.

Some examples of indirect questions:

• I wondered what they were talking about.
• I don’t know if they’ll come or not.

OTHER CHANGES

Expressions of advice such as must, should and ought are usually reported using the verbs advise or urge:

• “You must read this book.” → He advised / urged me to read that book.

The expression let’s is usually reported using the verb suggest, with gerund or with should:

• “Let’s go to the cinema.” → He suggested going to the cinema. OR He suggested that we should go to the cinema.

 

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Interrogative sentences in English (examples list)

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HOW TO ASK QUESTIONS IN ENGLISH: The Interrogative sentence

Summary:

1. The interrogative words in WH-
2. Direct questioning
3. Indirect questioning (politeness)
4. The interrogative words with HOW

1. The interrogative words in WH-

Interrogative words are used to obtain information. They are used to ask indirect questions. Here are the most common ones:

• what :  What’s on TV tonight? 
• when :  When did you see her? 
• where :  Where do you live? 
• which :  Which of these cars is yours? 
• who/whom :  Who’s that? 
• whose :  Whose phone is this? 
• why :  Why didn’t she call back? 

What about + v-ing (or how about + v-ing):

• What about eating out? 

What + noun and which + noun:

• What colour is your car? 
• Which colour do you prefer? Blue or green? 

2. Direct questioning

Closed questions (answered by yes or no): if there is no question word, the order of the question is ‘auxiliary (or modal) + subject + verb + complement’.

• Are you sleeping? 
• Did you like the party? 

Open-ended questions: with an interrogative word, the order is “interrogative word + auxiliary + subject”.

Question word	Auxiliary	Subject	Verb
What	were	you	doing there?
Who	did	they	talk to?
Where	will	she	go?
What	have	you	done?
When	did	you	meet him?
Why	didn’t	she	call back?

When the interrogative word is subject, the auxiliary do is not used.

• What happened? 
• Who wants some more tea? 

When the question concerns a complement introduced by a preposition, it is placed at the end of the sentence.

• What are you thinking about? 
• Who was he dancing with?

The interro-negative sentences combine interrogation and negation. The order is auxiliary + not + subject. It is mainly used to express surprise or ask for confirmation, and is most likely to be answered in the affirmative.

• Don’t you like the sea? 
• Aren’t you comming? 

3. Indirect questioning (politeness)

Indirect questions are more polite and formal than direct questions. They are used to talk to people you don’t know very well, or in professional situations for example. In fact, the indirect question is not even a real question: it is more of an affirmative sentence that invites the person to give more information.

Indirect questions are preceded by introductory formulas such as:

• Could you tell me…
• Do you know…
• Would it be possible…
• Is there any chance…
• I was wondering…
• I’d like to know…
• Do you have any idea…
• I wonder if…

In indirect questions with the verb be, the verb comes after the subject:

Direct Interrogation	Indirect Interrogation
How much is it?	Can you tell me how much it is?
Where is the post office?	Could you tell me where the post office is?

If the direct question contains the auxiliary do/does/did, it must be removed from the indirect question:

Direct Interrogation	Indirect Interrogation
What do you want?	Can you tell me what you want?
When did she leave?	I’d like to know when she left.

For closed direct questions (answered by yes or no), put “if” when you want to transform them into indirect questions:

Direct Interrogation	Indirect Interrogation
Does Tina like Italian food?	Do you know if Tina likes Italian food?
Do they speak Japanese?	I was wondering if they speak Japanese.
Are your friends joining us for dinner?	Could you tell me if your friends are joining us for dinner?

4. The interrogative words with HOW

‘How’ alone at the beginning of a question can be translated as ‘in what way…’:

• How do you spell your name? 
• How do you go to school? 

But it can be used in other ways and have different meanings according to its uses:

We use How to ask questions about intensity, measurement with How + adjective + be:

• How tall was she? 
• How high is this tower? 
• How far is it? 
• How big is your house? 
• How long is this beach? 

We can add many adjectives after how: how small, how wide… don’t forget to add BE conjugated! (is / are / was / were / were)

Ask a question about frequency with How often…. ?

• How often do you go to new York? 
• How often do you see him? 

To ask about a repetition of times: How many times… 

• How many times did you go there? 

To ask about a length of time: How long ago…

• How long ago did they move out? 

A starting point in time: How long + present perfect or past perfect

• How long have you been together? 
• How long had you been together?

The duration: How long + present or preterite:

• How long are you here for? 
• How long did you live in Spain?

The degree: How well….

• How well do you know him? 

How much + singular and How many + plural:

• How much is it? 
• How many cars have you got? 

How is often used in questions with a perception verb such as look, be, feel, smell, smell, taste, appear or sound:

• How does it feel to be your own boss? 
• How does it taste? 

©Englishfornoobs.com

The exclamation in English grammar

 

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The exclamation is often made with what, so, such and how.

With How and So

How and so are followed by an adjective or adverb:

• How ludicrous it was! 
• She is so nice! She has so many friends! 

⚠️ don’t confuse How old are you? (= What’s your age?) and How old you are! (= You are really old!)

The structure how + subject + verb is also possible:

• How you have grown! 
• How he loves you! 

We often use how followed only by an adjective:

• How sweet! 
• How beautiful! 

In informal style, we can also use How + adjective + verb + subject (especially in American English):

• How clever am I! 
• How crazy is that!

Finally, keep in mind that How can cover an entire statement:

• How she loves him! 

With Such and What

What and such are followed by a name. There are several possible structures:

• What an amazing car! 
• They’re such nice people!
• Such delicious cooking! 

Such is not necessarily used in an exclamation:

• such situations…

Remember to put a or an in front of countable names:

• She is such a lovely girl! (NOT She is a such lovely girl!)
• What a beautiful flower! (NOT What beautiful flower!)

Some uncountables are preceded by a in fixed exclamations:

• What a pity! 
• What a shame! 
• What a mess! 
• What a relief! 

Be careful not to invert the verb at the end: What + object + subject + verb:

• What a beautiful smile you have! (NOT What a beautiful smile have you!)
• What a beautiful day it is! (NOT What a beautiful day is it!)

©Englishfornoobs.com

How to use the verb to have in English?

 

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Have can be a main verb or an auxiliary verb that is used to indicate the tense or appearance of another verb.

HAVE as a main verb

To have is used as the main verb to indicate possession, a characteristic, relationships….

• I have 20€ in my pocket.
• She has a lot of free time these days. 

1. IN THE SIMPLE PRESENT

Pronouns	Affirmative sentence	Negative sentence	Questions (add Do or Does)
I, we, you, they	I have a new car.	I don’t have a new car.	Do I have a new car?
he, she, it	She has a new car.	She doesn’t have a new car.	Does she have a new car?

The contracted form

• I have → I’ve
• You have →You’ve
• He / She / It has → He’s / She’s / It’s
• We have → We’ve
• You have → You’ve
• They have → They’ve

The negative contraction:  has not = hasn’t         have not = haven’t

⚠️ have got OR have? Both mean the same thing, there is no difference. Have got is more commonly used in British English to indicate the possession of objects, characteristics or relationships (‘got’ is the verb ‘get’ in the present perfect):

• I have got an Iphone. = I have an Iphone.
• I’ve got a headache. = I have a headache.
• Kevin has got three cousins. = Kevin has three cousins. 
• She’s got long hair. = She has long hair.
• He has got some friends in Berlin. = He has some friends in Berlin.

In the end, for negative questions and sentences there are therefore three possible forms:

• Have you got any money? → I haven’t got any money.
• Do you have any money? → I don’t have any money.
• Have you any money? (not really used) → I haven’t any money. (not really used)
• Has she got a pen? → She hasn’t got a pen.
• Does she have a pen? → She doesn’t have a pen.
• Has she a pen? (not really used) → She hasn’t a pen. (not really used)

2. IN THE PRETERIT OR SIMPLE PAST

Pronouns	Affirmative sentence	Negative sentence	Questions (add Do or Does)
I, he, she, it, we, you, they	I had a new car.	I did not have a new car.	Did I have a new car?

The contracted form

Have has always the same form when it’s used at the preterit: had (without got). The contracted form is used only for have as an auxiliary : you can not say I’d a new car BUT I had a new car.

• I had → I’d 
• You had → You’d
• He / She / It had → He’d / She’d / It’d
• We had → We’d
• You had → You’d
• They had → They’d

The negative contraction:      had not = hadn’t

Questioning and negative forms: we use did and didn’t

In the preterite, have is conjugated like ordinary verbs, with the auxiliary did.

• What did you have for lunch today? 
• I didn’t have time to watch TV yesterday. 
• Did you have a car when you were living in Japan? 

Be careful not to use got in the past!

• Tina had long hair when she was a child. (NOT Tina had got)

Have as an auxiliary

Have is used as an auxiliary verb in the so-called ‘perfect’ tenses: it must be conjugated according to the time you want to use. Here is a quick overview of the tenses that use have as an auxiliary verb:

• Present Perfect: I have seen this film twice. 
• Present Perfect Continuous: They have been waiting for over an hour. 
• Past Perfect: The meeting had already started by the time I arrived. 
• Past Perfect Continuous: They had been talking for over an hour before Kevin arrived. 
• Future Perfect: She will have finished before nine o’clock. 
• Future Perfect Continuous: Next year I will have been working here for two years. 

As an auxiliary, Have places itself in front of the subject in an interrogative form.

• Have you ever used a smartphone? 

In the negative form, it is followed by not. There is a contracted form.

• Has not → hasn’t
• have not → haven’t

Example: Have you seen him? → No, I haven’t seen him. 

The different uses of HAVE:

Have can mean different things:

• have breakfast / lunch / a pizza / a drink / a cup of coffee
• have dinner
• have a bath / a shower
• have a walk
• have a good time
• have a dream
• have a holiday
• have a rest
• have a break
• have a party
• have a look
• have a nice day
• have a try
• have a chat, a conversation, a discussion
• have a fight, an argument

Some examples:

• Samantha is having a bath at the moment.
• We’re going to have a party next saturday.
• She usually has breakfast at eight o’clock.

The modal verb ‘have to’:

Have to express the obligation, or that something is necessary:

• I have to get up early tomorrow.
• Do we have to leave now?
• You have to go and see her.
• I have to wash my car today.
• He has to write a report.
• I had to go to the bank yesterday.

When used in negative form, have to means that something is not necessary or mandatory:

• We don’t have to work tomorrow.
• He doesn’t have to work in the evening.
• I didn’t have to make my bed when I was living with my parents.

Combining have and had:

Have had is the perfect present tense of the verb “to have”.

• I have had a lot of homework this week.
• Have you had your breakfast?
• I haven’t had any rest since morning.

©Englishfornoobs.com

How to use the verb to be in English

 

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Be in the present simple tense

Affirmative form

Construction: subject + be

• I am
• you are
• he / she / it is
• we are
• you are
• they are

The contracted form is very common (especially orally):

• I am → I’m
• you are → you’re
• he is → he’s
• she is → she’s
• it is → it’s
• we are → we’re
• you are → you’re
• they are → they’re

Negative form

Simply add NOT after the verb:

• I am not
• you are not
• he / she / it is not
• we are not
• you are not
• they are not

The negative form can be contracted:

• I am not → I’m not
• he is not → he isn’t OR he’s not
• you are not → you aren’t OR you’re not

Interrogative form

To ask a question, it’s simple: you have to reverse the subject and be. The verb Be is then placed at the beggining of the sentence:

• am I making myself clear?
• are you happy?
• is he ok?
• are we arrived yet?

Be in preterite (= past simple)

Affirmative form

• I was
• you were
• he / she / it was
• we were
• you were

Be careful, there is no contracted form.

Negative form

• I was not
• you were not
• he / she / it was not
• we were not
• you were not
• they were not

The negative form can be contracted:

• was not → wasn’t
• were not → weren’t

Interrogative form

Just like the present, be is placed at the beginning of the sentence, but at the preterit tense (was or were):

• was I?
• were you?
• was he / she / it?
• were we?
• were vou?
• were they?

How to use the verb to be

In English, the verb BE can be either verb or auxiliary.

As a main verb:

With a name, to talk about a characteristic:

• Sam is very tall.
• My mother was a teacher.
• This cake is very tasty.
• The children were good.
• Paul and his wife are from New York.
• The flowers are on the table.

As an auxiliary:

To make the continuous form with -ing:

• They are eating 
• It had been raining for hours.

To do the passive voice:

• It’s broken
• This car was made in Japan.

REMEMBER!

Be has a lot of different meanings:

To talk about a state:

• I’m hungry / thirsty  
• I’m lucky 

To say the age of someone:

• I’m 24. 
• He is 17. 
• She is my age. 

To talk about the weather

• It’s hot / it’s cold today. 

To talk about size:

• She is the same height as her husband. 
• He is 6 feet tall. 
• How tall are you?  (NOT How high are you?)
• That tree is about 20 metres high. 

⚠️ to talk about weight, do not use to be but the verb weigh: He weighs 70 kilos. (He is 70 kilos. = ❌)

To indicate a distance:

• It’s 5 km to the next town. 

⚠️ There are often mistakes with Born

• I was born (NOT: I am born)
• He was born (NOT: He is born)
• They were born (NOT: They are born)

Question tags with TO BE

The following formula must be used: be (contracted if negative) + personal pronoun.

Positive sentences are followed by a negative question tag, and negative sentences by a positive question tag:

• You are Paul, aren’t you?
• Miguel is from Spain, isn’t he?
• He isn’t coming, is he?
• Linda was tired, wasn’t she?
• This isn’t working, is it?
• We weren’t late, were we?

Phrasal verbs with BE

There are many of them! Here are some of the most common ones:

be about to (= be ready to do something)

• The bus is about to leave
• He was about to say something.

be off (= to leave / to stop working)

• Bye guys, I’m off!
• Make sure the lights are off.

be out (= be absent from home or work)

• You can’t talk to my boss. He’s out.

be out of (= to run out of something)

• I am out of flour, I can’t make pancakes.
• He’s been out of work for a long time. 

be up (= be awake / increase / expire)

• It’s ten o’clock and Tina isn’t up yet.
• The price of bread is up again this week.
• The warranty on the camera is up. If it breaks now we’ll have to pay for it.

be up to (= planning a bad move, something bad)

• What are those children up to now?

BE + GOING TO

Be + going to express an intention in the future, or a certainty:

• We’re going to have a party.
• He’s going to wash the car.
• I think it’s going to rain.

©Englishfornoobs.com