Laser b1 grammar bank

7 Present simple and present continuous We use present simple for: @ actions that happen always, usually, often, regularly, every day/week/month/ year, etc, sometimes, rarely, never stat

Intermediate

LỘ cRAMMAR BANK

7 Present simple and present continuous

We use present simple for:

@ actions that happen always, usually,

often, regularly, every day/week/month/

year, etc, sometimes, rarely, never

states

e

@ general truths and facts

e.g She usually goes to bed at ten o’clock

e.g His hair is quite long at the moment e.g Water freezes at 0° C

I am tall (I’m) I arm not tall (I’m not) Am I tall? You are tall (You're) You are not tall (You aren’t, You're not) Are you tall?

He is tall (He’s) He is not tall (He isn’t, He’s not) Is he tall? She is tall (She’s) She is not tall (She isn’t, She’s not) Is she tall?

It is tall (It's) It is not tall (It isn't, It's not) Is it tall?

We are tall (We're) We are not tall (We aren’t, We're not) Are we tall? You are tall (You re) You are not tall (You aren’t, You’re not) Are you tall?

They are tall (They’re) They are not tall (They aren’t, They’re not) _— Are they tall?

present simple: regular verbs

I do not like pizza (don’t)

You do not like pizza (don’t)

He does not like pizza (doesn’t) She does not like pizza (doesn’t)

It does not like pizza (doesn't)

We do not like pizza (don’t)

You do not like pizza (don’t)

They do not like pizza (don’t)

question

Do I like pizza?

Do you like pizza? Does he like pizza? Does she like pizza? Does it like pizza?

Do we like pizza?

Do you like pizza?

Do they like pizza?

I have - he/she has

I go - he/she goes

I do - he/she does

Emphatic present simple

We can use the emphatic present simple to emphasise an action or state part ois

to emphasise that it is true, or that it’s different from what someone else thinks

Emphatic present sirmple = subject + do/does + bare infinitive

e.g present simple: Pete knows the answer

emphatic present simple: Pete does know the answer

Note:

We use present continuous for:

We CANNOT use the emphatic present simple with the verb to be

@ actions happening at the moment e.g Tracy is having a bath at the

@ temporary situations and actions e.g This week we are learning about

in the present the present continuous

We can also use present continuous for repeated actions (with always) to emphasise that the action is annoying or unexpected

e.g You are always complaining!

He is always giving me little surprise presents

We can also use present continuous for changing situations (usually with more and more, better and better, etc)

e.g The weather is getting worse and worse every day

See Grammar Bank 10 for information on use of present continuous to

Note: talk about the future

(You aren’t, You're not)

He is not doing it now

(He isn’t, He’s not)

She is not doing it now

(She isn’t, She’s not)

It is not doing it now

(It isn’t, It's not)

We are not doing it now

(We aren’t, We’re not) You are not doing it now

(You aren’t, You're not)

They are not doing it now

(They aren’t, They're not)

Are we doing it now?

Are you doing it now?

Are they doing it now?

5

imagine | know | understand | mean remember forget

be used for states rather than actions

e.g It is three o’clock

have possess, own; experience an

1 'nsation, state, etc

used for temporary behaviour and action

at the present time e.g You’re being lazy

used for actions

® completed actions at a specific time in the past

es I bought three CDs yesterday

e.g I’m having a bath at the moment

@ repeated actions in the past

e.g We played football every Saturday

@ the main events and situations in a story

e.g Ivan out of the house, crossed the road and jumped ori ine ti

Regular verbs

positive = subject + bare infinitive + -ed

e.g appear: I/You/He/She/We/You/They appeared

negative = subject + did not (didn’t) + bare infinitive

e.g I/You/He/She/We/You/They didn’t appear

question form = Did + subject + bare infinitive

e.g Did I/you/he/she/we/you/they appear?

Irregular verbs

For a list of irregular verbs, see Laser Intermediate Student’s Book, page 173

The negative and question form for irregular verbs are the same as for regular verbs

positive: Inga went to London

negative: Inga didn’t go to London

question form: Did Inga go to London?

The only exception is the verb to be:

positive: You were in London / Inga was in London

negative: You were not (weren’t) in London / Inga was not (wasn’t) in London

question form: Were you in London? / Was Inga in London?

Emphatic past simple

We can use the emphatic past simple to emphasise an action or situation in the past,

particularly to emphasise that it actually happened, or that it’s different to what

someone else thinks

emphatic past simple = subject + did + bare infinitive

past simple: I know you don’t believe me but I saw a ghost

emphatic past simple: I know you don’t believe me but I did see a ghost

Note: We CANNOT use the emphatic past simple with the verb to be

We use past continuous for:

@ an action or situation in the past which was already happening when another action

or situation happened (usually used with past simple)

e.g I was walking down the street when I had a great idea

past continuous §9«——————) _ (I was walking down the street)

(I had a great idea)

|

@ an action or situation in the past which is interrupted or stopped by another action

or situation (usually used with Past Simple)

e.g I was riding my bike when I had an accident

@ background information and description (i.e not main events) in a story

e.g We got to the beach at half past two Hundreds of people were sunbathing on the & P peop ig golden sand (i.e when we got there)

@ two unfinished situations or events in progress at the same time

e.g I was doing my homework while Dan was playing his computer game

| past continuous ‘4

| past continuous

-—> (I was doing my homework)

=p (Dan was playing)

We do NOT use past continuous for regular or repeated actions

in the past So, we do NOT say:

I was-playing football every Saturday

Iplayed football every Saturday

‘We were cating

‘You were eating

‘negative

I was not eating (wasn’t)

You were not eating (weren’t)

He was not eating (wasn’t) She was not eating (wasn’t)

It was not eating (wasn’t)

We were not eating (weren’t)

You were not eating (weren’t) They were not eating (weren't)

Were they eating?

Used to and would

“#2 saw in Grammar Bank 3 that we can use past simple (and NOT past continuous)

221 repeated actions in the past

e.g I played basketball every Saturday when I was a teenager

We can also use used to + bare infinitive or would + bare infinitive

e.g I used to play basketball every Saturday when I was a teenager

I would play basketball every Saturday when I was a teenager

{ For continuing states and situations (rather than actions), we

Be CAN use past simple or used to, but we CANNOT use would

— e.g Iloved toy shops when I was a kid /

Tused to love toy shops when I was a kid / BUT NOT: I would love toy shops when I was a kid X

There are several ways of expressing the negative with used to The most common is

with never

e.g I never used to like chocolate, but I do now

These forms are also possible, but they are less common:

I didn’t used to like chocolate, but I do now

I didn’t use to like chocolate, but I do now

I used not to like chocolate, but I do now

There are two main ways of asking questions with used to:

e.g Did you used to live in Germany? (more common)*

Did you use to live in Germany? (less common)

*Note: Some people think this form is grammatically incorrect

Countable and uncountable nouns

Countable nouns are nouns we can count They have a singular and a plural form

e.g one cat, two cats

a person, five people

One sheep is in the field Two sheep are in the field

Uncountable nouns are nouns we cannot count They only have one form

e.g some music, a lot of information

We CANNOT say musics or informations

Uncountable nouns are usually followed by a singwar verb

e.g That information is really important

Some nouns are countable with one meaning and uncountable with another meaning

e.g uncountable: That chicken was delicious (the meat)

countable: The chickens were eating (the birds)

in positive sentences it is much more common to use a Jot of

or lots of (because many and much are very formal in positive sentences)

@ itis also very common to use 4 Jot ofand lots ofin negatives and questions

@ fewusually means not many whereas 4 few usually means some

e.g Few people believe in ghosts these days (= not many)

I know a few people who believe in ghosts (= some)

@ with uncountable nouns, little usually means not much

whereas a little usually means some

e.g There's very little milk left (= not very much)

There's alittle milk left (= some)

@ Note: only a little means not much

TT pope eevee ene OETA ILLES 2 Tà BRƯỢN TT nụ, HAT” T0 TT T9 UU tiên an tr AA11000144009 40007 TM 10g HỘ tha ghỚNG G9 0g18t 7714/2478 THnng9 Thôn ác tong,

Articles |

There are three articles in English: a, an and the How we use them depends on whether

a noun is singular or plural, countable or uncountable

singular one non-specific thing: ® one specific thing:

countable — e.g That’s a book e.g This is the book

nouns (it doesn’t matter which which I told you about

book it is) (a specific book) x

@ generally:

e.g The car is a great invention

(= cars generally)

countable x e.g These are the books e.g Cars are a great

(specific books) (= cars generally)

nouns furniture Paul gave me expensive

(specific furniture) (= furniture

Z7 —

entertainment, @ the television = the piece of equipment, e.g Turn on the TV

media and sport @ watch television, on television

but: listen to the radio, on the radio

@ go tothe cinema/the theatre

@ no article for games and sports, e.g I love tennis

time @ for years, usually no article, e.g in 2002

but: inthe 1990s, inthe 20th century, etc

@ for seasons, with in and during, the meaning is usually the same either

with or without article, e.g In winter or In the winter

@ for months, no article, e.g in January

@ for days, no article, e.g on Monday

@ inthe morning/the afternoonAhe evening

geographical @ use the with: seas, mountain groups, rivers, island groups, regions, areas e.g the Mediterranean, the Alps, the Thames, the Bahamas, the Arctic

@ don’t use fhe with: planets, continents, countries, towns/cities, streets,

lakes, most mountains, individual islands e.g Mars, Hurope, Germany, London, Carnaby Street, Lake Superior, (Mount) Everest, Crete

but: the Harth, the world, the Moon, the Sun, the USA

|||

jobs @ usually with aor an, e.g She is an engineer

but: use the with positions of authority, e.g the Mayor

© go to work, be at work organisations @ usually use the, e.g the army/the navy/the police, etc public buildings @ usually use the,e.g the bank/the post office, etc

but: go to prison/hospital, be in prison/hospital

@ note: He’s gone to the prison/Athe hospital is possible when the person is only visiting

nationalities @ no article for particular people, e.g She’s Nigerian

but: use the when talking about nationalities in general, e.g The French drink a lot of wine

education @ go to school/university, etc, be at school/university, etc

but: He’s gone to the school is possible when the person is only visiting

@ for subjects, usually no article, e.g I love Chemistry

‘a’ or ‘an’? @ We put an before singular countable nouns with a vowel sound It ‡

does NOT depend on spelling

e.g an umbrella, a university, an hour, a holiday, etc

We use present perfect simple for: sud 2 yereeted: teehee?

@ actions and situations that happened at an unspecified time before the moment of | speaking

e.g I have seen that film loads of times (before now) I’ve never heard of that pop group before

® actions and situations that started in the past and still happen, or are still true, at the

moment of speaking

eg She has written short stories since she was a child (she still writes short stories)

I have believed in ghosts ever since that night (I still believe in ghosts)

Present perfect simple (positive):

1 You! We/They + have + past participle

present perfect simple (negative):

I/You/We/They + haven’t / have not + past participle

He/She + hasn’t / has not + past participle

present perfect simple (question form):

Have + I/you/we/they + past participle .?

Has + he/she + past participle .?

Time expressions often used with present perfect simple

for (+ period of time) e.g I have lived in Belgium for three years

“since (+ time when it started) e.g I have lived in Belgium since 2003

just e.g He has just woken up

eg Ï haue already got that CD

‘yet (with negatives and questions) : e.g I haven’t seen that film yet

_ eg Have you seen the new Mel Gibson film yet? still (with negatives) e.g; I still haven’t found my sunglasses

So far pocux nop, “

‘before

g I’ve bought a lot of magazines recently

g I’ve read 100 pages of this book so far

e.g Have you eaten Chinese food before?

g Have you ever been to Germany?

e.g It’s the best film Pve ever seen

It’s the first time Pve been to South America

Carl has been to Mexico = Carl is not in Mexico now

Carl has gone to Mexico = Carl is in Mexico or on his way to Mexico now

We use present perfect continuous for:

@ actions and situations that started in the past and still continue at the moment of

speaking

e.g She has been working as a journalist for three years

@ temporary actions and situations in the recent past

e.g I’ve just been reading an interesting article about celebrities

” _" _ TTIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIffÂWNRMMIIIIIII: Ilii:ˆ ˆ

present perfect continuous (positive):

I/You/We/They + have + been + -ing form

He/She + has + been + -ing form

present perfect continuous (negative):

1/You/We/They + haven’t / have not + been + -ing form

He/She + hasn’t/has not + been + -ing form

present perfect continuous (question form):

Have + I/you/we/they + been + -ing form .?

Has + he/she + been + -ing form .?

Time expressions often used with present perfect continuous

for (+ period of time) “e.g I have been living in Belgium for three years since (+ time when it started) e.g Ihave been living in Belgium since 2003

recently / lately : e.g I’ve been seeing a lot of Karen recently

all day, all morning, etc eg I've been doing my homework all evening I need

a break now

Sometimes there is very little difference in meaning between

present perfect simple and present perfect continuous:

e.g Ihave lived here for two years now (= I moved here two years ago.)

Thave been living here for two years now (= I moved here two years ago.)

Sometimes there is a big difference in meaning:

e.g I've lived in Paris, London and Rome (= I don’t live in Paris now.)

Pve been living in Paris for two years now (= I live in

Paris.)

Comparatives and superlatives

We use comparative adjectives and adverbs to compare things or reitls St xe

e.g Justine is taller than Melissa and Eliot

Adam reads more slowly than his brother

We use superlative adjectives and adverbs to compare one member of a group with

the whole group

e.g Justine is the tallest person in the family

Of all the students in the class, Pete did the best in the test

Note: Superlative adverbs are not used very often in English

@ To compare two or more things that are the same, we use as

+ adjective /adverb + as

e.g Dave is as clever as Barbara

Dave ran as quickly as Barbara and Alan

@ We-can also use the negative form of this

e.g Tim isn’t as tall as Jan (= Tim is shorter than Jan.)

typeof adjective adjective comparative _ superlative _

with one syllable _e.g old e.g older e.g oldest

with one syllable + -er letter + -est

(ending in vowel e.g big e.g bigger e.g biggest

+ consonant)

regular adjectives replace -y with -ier replace -y with -iest

with two syllables e.g happy e.g happier e.g happiest

ending in ~y

adjectives with two

or more syllables e.g comfortable

adjective e.g more comfortable

adjective e.g most comfortable

regular more/less + adverb mmost/least + adverb adverbs e.g slowly e.g more slowly e.g most slowly

® usually:

comparative adjective/adverb + than (bigger than, more

quickly than, etc) the + superlative adjective/adverb (the best, the most dangerously, etc)

@ we often use even with comparatives:

e.g Your computer is cool, but mine is even cooler!

We use both will and be going to to talk about the future Sometimes there is very little difference in meaning It is often just a matter of formality Will is generally more

formal than be going to

We can use either will or be going to for:

@ tacts about the future

e.g There will be an eclipse of the sun tomorrow (formal)

There’s going to be an eclipse tomorrow (informal)

@ predictions (opinions about the future) not based on present evidence

e.g One day people will have holidays on Mars (formal)

One day people are going to have holidays on Mars (informal)

@ decisions made at the moment of speaking

e.g I know! PU ger Dad a DVD for Christmas

I know! I’m going to get Dad a DVD for Christmas

@ most first conditional sentences

e.g If we leave now, we'll be there by six o’clock

@ offers, suggestions and requests

e.g Pll help you

Will you help me?

We can use be going to for:

@ plans and intentions (which you already have when you speak)

e.g I’m going to be an astronaut when I grow up

®@ predictions based on present evidence

e.g Look out! You’re going to fall!

You are going to + bi You are not going to+ bi Are you going to + bi ?

(You're) (You're not, You aren’t)

He is going to + b.i He is not going to + b.i Is he going to + b.i ?

She is going to + bi She is not going to + b.i Is she going to + b.i ?

It is going to i It is not goin to ste Dds

f7

»

about the future

We can also use present simple or present continuous to talk about the future

We can use present simple:

@ for timetables, arrangements and fixed events, which the speaker cannot change e.g The flight leaves at 3pm tomorrow

@ after ifin first conditional and zero conditional sentences (see Grammar Bank 15)

e.g If it rains tomorrow morning, we'll cancel the match

@ after certain time expressions, such as when and while (see Grammar Bank 16)

e.g I'll see you when I get home next week

We can use present continuous for:

@ arrangements made before the moment of speaking

e.g We're leaving at 3pm next Thursday

ear ctl { We CANNOT say: ‘I’m working as a doctor when I'm older.’ X

because it is NOT an arrangement

Modals I (ability, obligation, advice, permission) —

The modals are:

can (can’t / cannot) could (couldn’t / could not)

may (may not) might (mightn’t / might not)

will (won't / will not) would (wouldn’t / would not)

shall (shan’t / shall not) should (shouldn’t / should not)

must (mustn’t / must not)

8 ero —_ ~ Modals have only one form For example, they do NOT take an ‘.g’ in the third person singular He coulds X

The semi-modals are:

have to

It has a similar meaning to must, but it does change its form depending on person and

tense:

have/has (got) to (don’t/doesn’t have to/do/does not have to, haven’thasn’t got to/

have/has not got to + didn’t have to, etc)

ought to (oughtn’t to/ought not to)

It has a similar meaning to should It doesn't change its form depending on person and

tense

bare infinitive

86 e.g Ican’t to go to the party X

Z T can’t go to the party /

abitity

| f Modals are never followed by the full infinitive (with to) Use the

can

now: e.g Ican help you now, if you like

generally: e.g Paul can play the guitar really well

B9 ert! a For future ability we usually use will be able to: She be able to swim after a few more lessons

But we use can when we make decisions now about future ability:

Jean help you tomorrow, if you like

Can CANNOT be used as an infinitive Use to be able to:

e.g I’d love to can swim X

I'd love to be able to swim /

& eer ctl Ỉ To talk about the hypothetical past with could, we haveto tse the

modal perfect (could + have + past participle) See-Grammar

Z Bank 13 for further information “

#

must (personal obligation)

TIOW: e.g I must call Pete now

future: e.g I must call Pete tonight

generally: e.g I must try harder at school

have to (external obligation)

now: e.g He has to go now

future: e.g I have to go in 5 minutes or I'll have to go in 5 minutes

generally: e.g She has to go to bed at 10pm on school nights

When talking about the past for personal or external obligation,

Ỉ use had to:

l0 g ft e.g [had to call the doctor last night

oe e.g Youmustn’t do Exercise C = Don’t do Exercise C

e.g Youdon’t have to do Exercise C = You can if you want

to but it isn’t necessary

It is very unusual to use must for questions Use have to:

e.g Do we have to have a test next Tuesday?

Must CANNOT be used as an infinitive Use have to:

e.g I’d hate to must move house X I'd hate to have to move house /

advice

We can use should and ought to to ask for and give advice There is very little

difference in meaning between should and ought to However, should is more

common in spoken and written English (both formal and informal) than ought to

now: e.g You should /ought to go to bed if you’re tired

future: e.g You should/ought to have a party next week

generally: e.g You should/ought to exercise more

now: e.g Can/Could/May I have some more ice cream?

fature: e.g Can/Could/May I go to a party on Tuesday night?

ki

war ana hh

genera: e.g Can/Could/May I invite my friends round whenever I like?

To talk about past permission in reported speeeh*, use øouid:

2 gusñ e.g You said Icould go to a party last week so why can’t I this

week?

* see Grammar Bank 24

To talk about past permission (but not in reported speech), we don't use a modal:

I could go to the party last week X

I was allowed to go to the party last week /

They/you let me go to the party last week /

Modals 2 (possibility, probability, certainty) #72

We can use may, might and could to say that something is possible They have a

similar meaning, but sometimes we use might to show something 1s less likely to

happen

now: e.g That may/might/could be the postman

Ỉ For non-stative verbs, we often use the continuous infinitive

8 eer ht after may, might or could when talking about actions happening

now

+ Anne may/might/could be driving home from work now

future: e.g I think it may/might/could snow later today

generally: e.g There may/might/could be penguins in Antarctica, but I’m not sure

Ỉ To talk about past possibility with may, might or could, we have R2 to use the modal perfeot: may/ might/ eould + have + past

ao participle (See Grammar Bank 13)

probabitity

We can use should and ought to to say that something is quite likely There is little

difference in meaning between should and ought to However, should is more

common in spoken and written English (both formal and informal) than ought to

now: e.g Anne should/ought to be on the way home now

{ For non-stative verbs, we often use the continuous infinitive

earch ater should or ought to when talking about actions happening

“% e.g Anne should/ought to be driving home from work now ture: e.g I should/ought to finish the project tomorrow, if all goes well

nena e.g Most people should/ought to be able to understand this

} at Ỉ To talk about past probability with ought to or should, we have to

use the modal perfect: ought to/should + have + past participle

<< (See Grammar Bank 13)

future: e.g The film must be on tomorrow (= I’m sure it’s on tomorrow.)

generally: e.g You must get lonely living on your own (= I’m sure you get lonely.)

can’t

now: e.g He can’t be tired (= I’m sure he’s not tired.)

For non-stative verbs, we often use the continuous infinitive

earttl { after can’t when talking about actions happening now

0= e.g Billcan’t be walking the dog (= I’m sure he’s not

future: e.g The film can’t be on tomorrow (= I’m sure it’s not on tomorrow.)

generally: e.g She can’t be American (= I’m sure she’s not American.)

Ỉ To talk about past certainty with must or can’t, we have to use

# the modal perfect: musứ/oan † + have + past participle (See

= Grammar Bank 13)

Modal perfect ˆ

We can use the modal perfect to talk about the past

modal perfect = modal + have + past participle

e.g You should have seen what Emma wore to the party

possibility Simon may /might/could have been at the party I can’t really remember

(= It’s possible he was at the party.)

certainty Francis must have been 11 when he moved to France (= I’m sure he

was 11.)

Francis can’t/couldn’t have been 10 when he moved to France

(= I’m sure he wasn’t 10.)

hypothetical I could/would have passed the exam if I'd studied harder

situations (= I didn’t pass because I didn’t study hard enough.)

note: here could = would have been able to opinion You ought to/should have called me (= You didn’t call me but I wish

you had called me.)

He oughtn’t to/shouldn’t have spoken to her like that (= He did speak

to her like that but I think what he did was wrong.)

Note: modal perfect continuous = modal + have + been + -ing form e.g We must have been dancing for hours

We use the modal perfect continuous:

@ for actions in progress or interrupted when another action happens

e.g He can’t have been driving carefully when he crashed the car

@ to emphasise that an action continued for a long time

e.g Jan must have been talking on the phone for at least 3 hours!

-ing form or full infinitive? oe ee

|

verbs and verb phrases followed by the -ing form

be good/bad, etc at be interested in can’t help can’t stand

verbs and verb phrases followed by the full infinitive

attempt be pleased/able/surprised, etc

verbs and verb phrases followed by both the -ing form and the full infinitive with little or no difference in meaning

remember a previous experience

Do you remember going to that

great restaurant in Paris last summer?

forget a previous experience

I'll never forget going to that great

_ restaurant in Paris last summer

stop an action or situation

Stop talking and listen to me!

continue

Are you going to go on collecting

pencils all you life?

be sorry for what has happened

I regret giving up stamp-collecting

It was a great hobby

enjoy

Do you like collecting postcards?

do something to see what will

happen

Try asking Bob He should know

what to do

+ full infinitive

carry out an intention —

I must remember to go to the post office on my way home

not carry out an intention

I forgot to go to the post office on

my way home

stop something it in order to do something else

We stopped to buy some sweets on

_the way home —- start something n nW 7

I started by collecting pencils, but then I went on to collect ink pens

and biros _

be sorry for what you a are about

to say

I regret to inform you that your

application was not successful

choose to/be in the habit of/ — think it right to do

Ilike to have a healthy diet

make an effort/see if you can -

do something difficult

I tried to jump up and touch

the ceiling but it was too high

There are four main types of conditional sentences These are often called the zero

conditional, the first conditional, the second conditional and the third

conditional.(See Grammar Bank 17 for information about the third conditional)

he zero conditional

Use: to talk about general truths

Structure: If + present simple, present simple

e.g If you have a brother or sister, you are not an only child

We can also swap the two halves of the sentence round:

e.g You are not an only child if you have a brother or sister

e.g If it rains tomorrow, we'll stay at home

If it rains tomorrow, we won’t go to the beach

We can also swap the two halves of the sentence round:

e.g We won't go to the beach if it rains tomorrow

It is possible to use other modals instead of will, depending on meaning:

Note: eg If you finish the test early, you can go home

If you work hard, you should pass the exam

If I'm tired, Imay /might decide not to go to the party

We can also use the imperative for commands, instructions and advice:

e.g If you have any problems, tell me

ANNIE REL VENI SỐ

16

e second conditional

thai Pu) Ôcbk—) 2 méprotonent Use: to talk about impossible, unlikely or hypothetical situations now, in

the future or generally

Structure: If + past simple, would/wouldn’t + bare infinitive

e.g If I had lots of money, I would buy a new CD player

If I won the lottery, I wouldn’t quit my job

Note: @ We can also swap the two halves of the sentence round:

e.g [would buy a new CD player if Ihad lots of money

@ There are two forms of the verb to be with the second conditional

1 IfI/he/she was (informal, often used in speech) e.g If I was rich, I'd buy a big house

2 IfI/he/she were (formal, often used in writing) e.g If were rich, I would buy a big house

@ It is possible to use other modals instead of would, depending on meaning:

e.g If I lived on my own, Icould do exactly what I wanted! (= would

e.g If it rains tomorrow,

The same thing is true with these time words and phrases We use the present simple and NOT will to talk about the future

when e.g I'll call you when I get home

as soon as e.g I’ll call you as soon as I get home

before e.g I'll call you before I leave

after e.g I’ll call you after I speak to Susan

until/till e.g Ill stay here until Dave arrives

while e.g I'll stay here while you do the shopping

Note: It is also sometimes possible to use the present continuous and present

perfect with these time phrases

e.g I’! call you after I’ve spoken to Susan

I'll think of you while I'm swimming in the Aegean