Modal Verbs and their substitutes

Modal verbs are for example may, can, must, should, need. They express an ability, permission, wish etc. to do something. (I may,
can, must swim.) Many modal verbs cannot be used in all of the English tenses. That's why we need to know the substitutes to these
modal verbs.

Modal Verb Substitute Example

must to have to I must swim. = I have to swim.

must not not to be allowed to I must not swim. = I am not allowed to swim.

can to be able to I can swim. = I am able to swim.

may to be allowed to I may swim. = I am allowed to swim.

need to have to I need to swim. = I have to swim.

need not not to have to I need not swim. = I don't have to swim.

shall / should/ to be supposed to / to be expected I shall / should / ought to swim. = I am supposed to swim. / I am expected
ought to to / to be to to swim. / I am to swim.

Auxiliary Verbs
Exercises on Auxiliary Verbs

Auxiliary Verbs are the verbs be, do, have, will when they are followed by another verb (the full verb) in order to form a question, a
negative sentence, a compound tense or the passive.

The verb "be"

The verb be can be used as an auxiliary and a full verb. As an auxiliary we use this verb for compound tenses and the passive voice.
Note that be is an irregular verb:
Simple Present:
I am, he/she/it is, we/you/they are
Simple Past:
I/he/she/it was, we/you/they were
Past Participle:
been

You can tell that in the following sentences be is an auxiliary because it is followed by another verb (the full verb). (For progressive
forms use the "-ing" form of the full verb; for passive voice, use the past participle of the full verb.)

Progressive Forms
Present Progressive:
He is playing football.
Past Progressive:
He was playing football.
Present Perfect Progressive:
He has been playing football.
 Past Perfect Progressive:
He had been playing football.

Passive
Simple Present/Past:
The house is/was built.
Present/Past Perfect:
The house has/had been built.
Future I:
The house will be built.

"be" as a full verb

The verb be can also be a full verb. In this case, it's not followed by another verb. If be is used as a full verb, we do not need an
auxiliary in negative sentences or questions.
positive sentence:
They are fifteen years old.
negative sentence:
They are not fifteen years old.
question:
Are they fifteen years old?

The verb "have"

The verb have, too, can be used both as an auxiliary and as a full verb. As an auxiliary we use this verb to form compound tenses in
active and passive voice. (Use the past participle of the full verb.)

Compound Tenses - Active Voice

Present Perfect Simple:
He has played football.
Past Perfect Simple:
He had played football.
Present Perfect Progressive:
He has been playing football.
Past Perfect Progressive:
He had been playing football.

Compound Tenses - Passive Voice

Present/Past Perfect:
The house has/had been built.

Note that have is an irregular verb, too:

Simple Present:
I/we/you/they have, he/she/it has
Simple Past:
I/he/she/it/we/you/they had
Past Participle:
had

"have" in positive sentences

As a full verb have indicates possession. In British English, however, we usually use have got (have being the auxiliary, got the full
verb).
full verb:
I have a car.
auxiliary verb:
I have got a car.
"have" in negative sentences and questions

When we use have as a full verb, we must use the auxiliary do in negative sentences and questions. If we use have got, however, we
do not need another auxiliary.
have as a full verb:
I do not have a car.
Do I have a car?
have as an auxiliary verb:
I have not got a car.
Have I got a car?

The verb "will"

The verb will can only be used as an auxiliary. We use it to form the future tenses.

The auxiliary verb "will"

Future I:
He will not play football.
Future II:
He will have played football.

The verb will remains the same for all forms (no "s" for 3rd person singular). The short form for negative sentences is won't.'
Examples:
I will, he will
I will not = I won't

The verb "do"

The verb do can be both an auxiliary and a full verb. As an auxiliary we use do in negative sentences and questions for most verbs
(except not for be, will, have got and modal verbs) in Simple Present and Simple Past. (Use the infinitive of the full verb.)

The auxiliary "do" in negative sentences

Simple Present:
He does not play football.
Simple Past:
He did not play football.

The auxiliary "do" in questions

Simple Present:
Does he play football?
Simple Past:
Did he play football?

The verb do is irregular:

Simple Present:
I/we/you/they do, he/she/it does
Simple Past:
I/he/she/it/we/you/they did

The full verb "do"

As a full verb we use do in certain expressions. If we want to form negative sentences or questions using do as a full verb, we need
another do as an auxiliary.
positive sentence:
She does her homework every day.
negative sentence:
She doesn't do her homework every day.
question:
 Does she do her homework every day?

Sentences without the auxiliary "do"

In the following cases, the auxiliary do is not used in negative sentences/questions:

the full verb is "be"

Example:
I am not angry. / Are you okay?

the sentence already contains another auxiliary (e.g. have, be, will)
Example:
They are not sleeping. / Have you heard that?

the sentence contains a modal verb (can, may, must, need, ought to, shall, should)
Example:
We need not wait. / Can you repeat that, please?

the question asks for the subject of the sentence

Infinitive and Gerund

Exercises and Tests on Infinitive and Gerund

There are certain words in English that are usually followed by an infinitive or gerund. If you are not sure whether to use the
infinitive or gerund, check out our lists or look the words up in a dictionary.

Infinitive
Use
Certain words are followed by an infinite verb with or without ‘to’.

Use and Word Lists Example

as the subject of a clause To know you is to love you.

after certain expressions (without ‘to’) Why not go to the cinema?

after certain verbs (without ‘to’) I can swim.

after certain verbs (with ‘to’) He wants to swim.

after certain verbs with interrogatives (infinitive constructions) They don’t know how to swim.

after certain verbs with objects (without ‘to’) He made her swim.

after certain verbs with objects (with ‘to’) They wanted him to swim.

after certain adjectives and their comparisons It’s easier to swim downstream.

after nouns deriving from the verbs mentioned above We made a promise to swim. (derived from the verb ‘to promise’)

Gerund
Form
ing form of the verb

Exceptions in Spelling
See → Present Progressive – Exceptions

Use
Certain words are followed by an Ing-Form.

Use and Word Lists Example

as the subject of a clause Cycling is good for your health.

after certain adjectives He’s afraid of going by plane.

after certain prepositions Before going to bed he turned off the lights.

after certain verbs I enjoy cooking.

after certain verbs with prepositions I am looking forward to seeing you again.

after certain nouns We had problems finding our way back home.

Words followed either by Infinitive or Ing-Form

Use and Word Lists Example

same meaning I started to read. / I started reading.

same meaning but different use She forbids us to talk. / She forbids talking.

different meaning He stopped to smoke. / He stopped smoking.

infinitive or present participle

Passive Voice
Exercises on Passive

Use of Passive
Passive voice is used when the focus is on the action. It is not important or not known, however, who or what is performing the
action.

Example: My bike was stolen.

In the example above, the focus is on the fact that my bike was stolen. I do not know, however, who did it.

Sometimes a statement in passive is more polite than active voice, as the following example shows:

Example: A mistake was made.

 In this case, I focus on the fact that a mistake was made, but I do not blame anyone (e.g. You have made a mistake.).

Form of Passive
Subject + finite form of to be + Past Participle (3rd column of irregular verbs)

Example: A letter was written.

When rewriting active sentences in passive voice, note the following:

 the object of the active sentence becomes the subject of the passive sentence
 the finite form of the verb is changed (to be + past participle)
 the subject of the active sentence becomes the object of the passive sentence (or is dropped)

Examples of Passive
Tense Subject Verb Object

writes a letter.
Simple Present Active: Rita

Passive: A letter is written by Rita.

Simple Past Active: Rita wrote a letter.

Passive: A letter was written by Rita.

Present Perfect Active: Rita has written a letter.

Passive: A letter has been written by Rita.

Future I Active: Rita will write a letter.

Passive: A letter will be written by Rita.

Hilfsverben Active: Rita can write a letter.

Passive: A letter can be written by Rita.

Examples of Passive
Tense Subject Verb Object

is writing a letter.
Present Active: Rita
Progressive
Passive: A letter is being written by Rita.

Past Progressive Active: Rita was writing a letter.

Passive: A letter was being written by Rita.

Past Perfect Active: Rita had written a letter.

Passive: A letter had been written by Rita.

Future II Active: Rita will have written a letter.

Passive: A letter will have been written by Rita.

Conditional I Active: Rita would write a letter.

Passive: A letter would be written by Rita.

Conditional II Active: Rita would have written a letter.

Passive: A letter would have been written by Rita.

Passive Sentences with Two Objects

Rewriting an active sentence with two objects in passive voice means that one of the two objects becomes the subject, the other one
remains an object. Which object to transform into a subject depends on what you want to put the focus on.

Subject Verb Object 1 Object 2

wrote a letter to me.

Active: Rita

Passive: A letter was written to me by Rita.

Passive: I was written a letter by Rita.

.
As you can see in the examples, adding by Rita does not sound very elegant. That’s why it is usually dropped.

Personal and Impersonal Passive

Personal Passive simply means that the object of the active sentence becomes the subject of the passive sentence. So every verb that
needs an object (transitive verb) can form a personal passive.

Example: They build houses. – Houses are built.

Verbs without an object (intransitive verb) normally cannot form a personal passive sentence (as there is no object that can become
the subject of the passive sentence). If you want to use an intransitive verb in passive voice, you need an impersonal construction –
therefore this passive is called Impersonal Passive.

Example: he says – it is said

Impersonal Passive is not as common in English as in some other languages (e.g. German, Latin). In English, Impersonal Passive is
only possible with verbs of perception (e. g. say, think, know).

Example: They say that women live longer than men. – It is said that women live longer than men.

Although Impersonal Passive is possible here, Personal Passive is more common.

Example: They say that women live longer than men. – Women are said to live longer than men.

The subject of the subordinate clause (women) goes to the beginning of the sentence; the verb of perception is put into passive voice.
The rest of the sentence is added using an infinitive construction with 'to' (certain auxiliary verbs and that are dropped).

Sometimes the term Personal Passive is used in English lessons if the indirect object of an active sentence is to become the subject of
the passive

Personal Pronouns Possessive Adjectives and Pronouns

Reflexive Pronouns
subject form object form possessive adjective possessive pronoun

I me my mine myself

you you your yours yourself

he him his his himself

she her her hers herself

it it its its itself

we us our ours ourselves

 you you your yours yourselves

they them their theirs themselves

Prepositions
Übungen zu Präpositionen

Präpositions are short words (on, in, to) that usually stand in front of nouns (sometimes also in front of gerund verbs).

Even advanced learners of English find prepositions difficult, as a 1:1 translation is usually not possible. One preposition in your
native language might have several translations depending on the situation.

There are hardly any rules as to when to use which preposition. The only way to learn prepositions is looking them up in a dictionary,
reading a lot in English (literature) and learning useful phrases off by heart (study tips).

The following table contains rules for some of the most frequently used prepositions in English:

Präpositions – Time
English Usage Example

 on days of the week on Monday

 in months / seasons in August / in winter

time of day in the morning
year in 2006
after a certain period of time (when?) in an hour

 at for night at night

for weekend at the weekend
a certain point of time (when?) at half past nine

 since from a certain point of time (past till now) since 1980

 for over a certain period of time (past till now) for 2 years

 ago a certain time in the past 2 years ago

 before earlier than a certain point of time before 2004

 to telling the time ten to six (5:50)

 past telling the time ten past six (6:10)

 to / till / marking the beginning and end of a period of time from Monday to/till Friday
until

till / until in the sense of how long something is going to last He is on holiday until Friday.

 by in the sense of at the latest I will be back by 6 o’clock.

up to a certain time By 11 o'clock, I had read five pages.

Präpositions – Place (Position and Direction)

English Usage Example

 in room, building, street, town, country in the kitchen, in London

 English Usage Example

book, paper etc. in the book

car, taxi in the car, in a taxi
picture, world in the picture, in the world

 at meaning next to, by an object at the door, at the station

for table at the table
for events at a concert, at the party
place where you are to do something typical (watch a at the cinema, at school, at work
film, study, work)

 on attached the picture on the wall

for a place with a river London lies on the Thames.
being on a surface on the table
for a certain side (left, right) on the left
for a floor in a house on the first floor
for public transport on the bus, on a plane
for television, radio on TV, on the radio

by, next to, left or right of somebody or something Jane is standing by / next to / beside the car.
beside

 under on the ground, lower than (or covered by) something the bag is under the table
else

 below lower than something else but above ground the fish are below the surface

 over covered by something else put a jacket over your shirt

meaning more than over 16 years of age
getting to the other side (also across) walk over the bridge
overcoming an obstacle climb over the wall

 above higher than something else, but not directly over it a path above the lake

 across getting to the other side (also over) walk across the bridge
getting to the other side swim across the lake

 through something with limits on top, bottom and the sides drive through the tunnel

 to movement to person or building go to the cinema

movement to a place or country go to London / Ireland
for bed go to bed

 into enter a room / a building go into the kitchen / the house

 towards movement in the direction of something (but not go 5 steps towards the house
directly to it)

 onto movement to the top of something jump onto the table

 from in the sense of where from a flower from the garden

Other important Prepositions

English Usage Example

 from who gave it a present from Jane

 English Usage Example

 of who/what does it belong to a page of the book

what does it show the picture of a palace

 by who made it a book by Mark Twain

 on walking or riding on horseback on foot, on horseback

entering a public transport vehicle get on the bus

 in entering a car / Taxi get in the car

 off leaving a public transport vehicle get off the train

 out of leaving a car / Taxi get out of the taxi

 by rise or fall of something prices have risen by 10 percent

travelling (other than walking or horseriding) by car, by bus

 at for age she learned Russian at 45

 about for topics, meaning what about we were talking about you

TIEMPOS VERBALES

tense Affirmative/Negative/Question Use Signal Words

action in the present taking place always, every …,

Simple Present A: He speaks. never, normally, often,
N: He does not speak. once, never or several times seldom, sometimes,
Q: Does he speak? facts usually
if sentences type I (If I
actions taking place one after
talk, …)
another
action set by a timetable or
schedule
Present Progressive A: He is speaking. action taking place in the at the moment, just,
N: He is not speaking. just now, Listen!,
Q: Is he speaking? moment of speaking Look!, now, right now
action taking place only for a
limited period of time
action arranged for the future
Simple Past A: He spoke. action in the past taking place once, yesterday, 2 minutes
N: He did not speak. ago, in 1990, the other
Q: Did he speak? never or several times day, last Friday
actions taking place one after if sentence type II (If I
another talked, …)

action taking place in the middle of

another action
Past Progressive A: He was speaking. action going on at a certain time in when, while, as long
N: He was not speaking. as
Q: Was he speaking? the past
actions taking place at the same
time
 action in the past that is interrupted
by another action
Present Perfect Simple A: He has spoken. putting emphasis on the result already, ever, just,
N: He has not spoken. never, not yet, so far,
Q: Has he spoken? action that is still going on till now, up to now
action that stopped recently
finished action that has an
influence on the present
action that has taken place once,
never or several times before the
moment of speaking
Present Perfect Progressive A: He has been speaking. putting emphasis on the course or all day, for 4 years,
N: He has not been speaking. since 1993, how
Q: Has he been speaking? duration (not the result) long?, the whole week
action that recently stopped or is
still going on
finished action that influenced the
present
Past Perfect Simple A: He had spoken. action taking place before a certain already, just, never,
N: He had not spoken. not yet, once, until that
Q: Had he spoken? time in the past day
sometimes interchangeable with if sentence type III (If
past perfect progressive I had talked, …)

putting emphasis only on the fact

(not the duration)
Past Perfect Progressive A: He had been speaking. action taking place before a certain for, since, the whole
N: He had not been speaking. day, all day
Q: Had he been speaking? time in the past
sometimes interchangeable with
past perfect simple
putting emphasis on the duration
or course of an action
Future I Simple A: He will speak. action in the future that cannot be in a year, next …,
N: He will not speak. tomorrow
Q: Will he speak? influenced If-Satz Typ I (If you
spontaneous decision ask her, she will help
you.)
assumption with regard to the
assumption: I think,
future probably, perhaps
Future I Simple A: He is going to speak. decision made for the future in one year, next
N: He is not going to speak. week, tomorrow
(going to) Q: Is he going to speak? conclusion with regard to the future
Future I Progressive A: He will be speaking. action that is going on at a certain in one year, next
N: He will not be speaking. week, tomorrow
Q: Will he be speaking? time in the future
action that is sure to happen in the
near future
Future II Simple A: He will have spoken. action that will be finished at a by Monday, in a week
N: He will not have spoken.
Q: Will he have spoken? certain time in the future
Future II Progressive A: He will have been speaking. action taking place before a certain for …, the last couple
N: He will not have been of hours, all day long
speaking. time in the future
Q: Will he have been speaking? putting emphasis on the course of
an action
Conditional I Simple A: He would speak. action that might take place if sentences type II
 N: He would not speak. (If I were you, I would
Q: Would he speak? go home.)
Conditional I Progressive A: He would be speaking. action that might take place
N: He would not be speaking.
Q: Would he be speaking? putting emphasis on the course /
duration of the action
Conditional II Simple A: He would have spoken. action that might have taken place if sentences type III
N: He would not have spoken. (If I had seen that, I
Q: Would he have spoken? in the past would have helped.)
Conditional II Progressive A: He would have been speaking. action that might have taken place
N: He would not have been
speaking. in the past
Q: Would he have been speaking? puts emphasis on the course /
duration of the action

IRREGULAR VERBS

Infinitive Simple Past Past Participle

alight alighted, alit alighted, alit

arise arose arisen

awake awoke, awaked awoken, awaked

be was, were been

bear bore borne, born

beat beat beaten, beat

become became become

beget begot begotten

begin began begun

bend bent bent

bereave bereaved, bereft bereaved, bereft

beseech besought, beseeched besought, beseeched

bet bet, betted bet, betted

bid bade, bid bidden, bid, bade

bide bade, bided bided

bind bound bound

bite bit bitten

bleed bled bled

bless blessed, blest blessed, blest

blow blew blown

break broke broken

breed bred bred

bring brought brought

broadcast broadcast, broadcasted broadcast, broadcasted

build built built

burn burnt, burned burnt, burned

burst burst burst

bust bust, busted bust, busted

buy bought bought

can could (kein Participle)

cast cast cast

catch caught caught

choose chose chosen

cleave cleft, cleaved, clove cleft, cleaved, cloven

cling clung clung

clothe clothed, clad clothed, clad

come came come

cost cost cost

creep crept crept

crow crowed crew, crowed

cut cut cut

deal dealt dealt

dig dug dug

do did done

draw drew drawn

dream dreamt, dreamed dreamt, dreamed

drink drank drunk

drive drove driven

dwell dwelt, dwelled dwelt, dwelled

eat ate eaten

fall fell fallen

feed fed fed

feel felt felt

fight fought fought

find found found

flee fled fled

fling flung flung

fly flew flown

forbid forbad, forbade forbid, forbidden

forecast forecast, forecasted forecast, forecasted

forget forgot forgotten

forsake forsook forsaken

freeze froze frozen

geld gelded, gelt gelded, gelt

get got got, gotten

gild gilded, gilt gilded, gilt

give gave given

gnaw gnawed gnawed, gnawn

go went gone

grind ground ground

grip gripped, gript gripped, gript

grow grew grown

hang hung hung

have had had

hear heard heard

heave heaved, hove heaved, hove

hew hewed hewed, hewn

hide hid hidden, hid

hit hit hit

hold held held

hurt hurt hurt

keep kept kept

kneel knelt, kneeled knelt, kneeled

knit knitted, knit knitted, knit

know knew known

lay laid laid

lead led led

lean leant, leaned leant, leaned

leap leapt, leaped leapt, leaped

learn learnt, learned learnt, learned

leave left left

lend lent lent

let let let

lie lay lain

light lit, lighted lit, lighted

lose lost lost

make made made

may might (kein Participle)

mean meant meant

meet met met

melt melted molten, melted

mow mowed mown, mowed

pay paid paid

pen pent, penned pent, penned

plead pled, pleaded pled, pleaded

prove proved proven, proved

put put put

quit quit, quitted quit, quitted

read read read

rid rid, ridded rid, ridded

ride rode ridden

ring rang rung

rise rose risen

run ran run

saw sawed sawn, sawed

say said said

see saw seen

seek sought sought

sell sold sold

send sent sent

set set set

sew sewed sewn, sewed

shake shook shaken

shall should (kein Participle)

shear sheared shorn, sheared

shed shed shed

shine shone shone

shit shit, shitted, shat shit, shitted, shat

shoe shod, shoed shod, shoed

shoot shot shot

show showed shown, showed

shred shred, shredded shred, shredded

shrink shrank, shrunk shrunk

shut shut shut

sing sang sung

sink sank sunk

sit sat sat

slay slew slain

sleep slept slept

slide slid slid

sling slung slung

slink slunk slunk

slit slit slit

smell smelt, smelled smelt, smelled

smite smote smitten

sow sowed sown, sowed

speak spoke spoken

speed sped, speeded sped, speeded

spell spelt, spelled spelt, spelled

spend spent spent

spill spilt, spilled spilt, spilled

spin spun spun

spit spat spat

split split split

spoil spoilt, spoiled spoilt, spoiled

spread spread spread

spring sprang, sprung sprung

stand stood stood

steal stole stolen

stick stuck stuck

sting stung stung

stink stank, stunk stunk

stride strode stridden

strike struck struck

string strung strung

strive strove striven

swear swore sworn

sweat sweat, sweated sweat, sweated

sweep swept swept

swell swelled swollen, swelled

swim swam swum

swing swung swung

take took taken

teach taught taught

tear tore torn

telecast telecast, telecasted telecast, telecasted

tell told told

think thought thought

throw threw thrown

thrust thrust thrust

tread trod trodden

understand understood understood

wake woke, waked woken, waked

wear wore worn

weave wove woven

wed wed, wedded wed, wedded

weep wept wept

wet wet, wetted wet, wetted

win won won

wind wound wound

wring wrung wrung

write wrote written

TAG QUESTION

Present Tense/To Be Verb/Affirmative

When using tag questions, watch for 4 points:

* What tense is the verb?
* What kind of verb is it? (to be/other verbs)
* Is the sentence affirmative or negative?
* Does the pronoun need to be changed?
*present tense
*present tense ->
*to be verb -> Look at these changes:
*to be verb
*affirmative ->
*negative
Jack's happy, isn't he? he is -> isn't he?
Susan's tired, isn't she? she is -> isn't she?
It's warm today, isn't it? it is -> isn't it?
They're busy, aren't they? they are -> aren't they?
You and I are fun people, aren't we? we are -> aren't we?
You're quiet, aren't you? you are -> aren't you?
aren't I?
I'm intelligent,
am I not?