Gerunds and Infinitives

Gerunds and Infinitives 

Gerunds
A gerund can be one word (driving) or part of a longer phrase, with an adverb (driving slowly), a prepositional phrase (driving in traffic), or an object (driving a big car).

Gerunds can function as the subject of a sentence. Gerunds function as singular nouns and take singular verbs. A gerund can be replaced by the pronoun it. 

Owning a car costs a lot.      ( It cost a lot)

In that list you can see verbs that you use for make sentences with gerunds.
 http://www.ecenglish.com/learnenglish/lessons/verbs-followed-gerunds-list
http://www.grammaring.com/verb-preposition-gerund 
http://www.englishpage.com/gerunds/adjective_prep_gerund_list.htm 

Infinitive
 An infinitive can be to words (to drive) or part of a longer phrase with an adverb (to drive slowly), a prepositional phrase  (to drive in traffic), or an object (to drive a big car)

Although an infinitive can function as the subject of a sentences (To own a car is expensive) this is not common. Instead, the pronoun it begins the sentence. It has the same meaning as the infinitive it replaces. 

 It costs a lot of to own a car (It= to own a car)

In that list you can see verbs that you use for make sentences with infinitive.
http://www.edufind.com/english-grammar/verbs-followed-infinitives/ http://www.grammar-quizzes.com/infinitive3c.html

LOVE, LIKE, HATE AND PREFER THE INFINITIVE AND GERUND ARE SIMILAR MEANING. 
HOWEVER, SOMETIMES IT IS MORE COMMON TO USE AN INFINITIVE TO TALK ABOUT AN ACTIVITY AT A SPECIFIC TIME AND A GERUND TO TALK ABOUT AN ACTIVITY IN GENERAL.

I LIKE TO SWIM EARLY IN THE MORNING.(SPECIFIC TIME)
I LIKE SWIMMING AND BOATING.(ROUTINE, IN GENERAL)

AFTER FORGET, REMEMBER, REGRET AND STOP THE INFINITIVE REFER AN ACTION THAT HAPPENS AFTER ACTION OF THE MAIN VERB. GERUND REFERS TO AN ACTION THAT HAPPENED BEFORE THE ACTION OF THE MAIN VERB.

I REMEMBERED TO MAIL THE LETTER.(I REMEMBERED THE LETTER. THEN I MAILED IT)

I REMEMBERED THE MAILING THE LETTER.(I MAILED THE LETTER. LATER I REMEMBERED DOING IT)   

FORGET IS USED WITH INFINITIVE, WITH GERUND, IT OCCURS MOSTLY IN SENTENCES WITH WILL NEVER.

I FORGOT TO PAY MY TELEPHONE.(I FORGOT SO I DIDN'T PAY THE BILL)
I WILL NEVER FORGET LIVING IN ECUADOR.(I LIVED THERE. NOW I'LL NEVER FORGET IT)  

REGRET CAN TAKE EITHER AN INFINITIVE OR GERUND WITH VERB SUCH AS INFORM, TELL, SAID AND ANNOUNCE.

I REGRET TO INFORM YOU THAT I'M LEAVING.(I FEEL REGRET. THEN I INFORM YOU)
I REGRET INFORMING YOU THAT I'M LEAVING.(I INFORMED YOU. NOW I REGRET IT)

AFTER TRY, INFINITIVE AND GERUND ARE SIMILAR IN THE MEANING.

TRY TO RELAX MORE.
TRY RELAXING MORE.

WHEN TRY IN IN THE PAST, THE INFINITIVE OFTEN IMPLIES THAT AN ACTION DID NOT OCCUR. THE GERUND IMPLIES THAT AN ACTION OCCURRED BUT MAY NOT HAVE BEEN SUCCESSFULL.

I TRIED TO TAKE SOME ASPIRIN FOR THE PAIN, BUT I COULDN'T OPEN THE BOTTLE.(I DIDN'T TAKE THE ASPIRIN)

I TRIED TAKING SOME ASPIRIN  FOR THE PAIN BUT IT DIDN'T HELP.(I TOOK SOME ASPIRIN)

FOR TO PRACTICE 
http://www.englishpage.com/gerunds/ 
https://www.ego4u.com/en/cram-up/grammar/infinitive-gerund

 

 

CONDITIONAL

CONDITIONALS

First Conditional
The first conditional has the present simple after 'if', then the future simple in the other clause

If it rains, I won't  go out.
I won't go out if it rains.
If I go to the beach, I will tan.
I will tan if I go to the beach.

 If + present +complement+ will +present tense+complement.

USES 
 
Nature: Open condition, what is said in the condition is possible.

Time: This condition refers either to present or to future time.
 If he is late, we will have to go without him.

 

Second Conditional
The second conditional uses the past simple after if, then 'would' and the infinitive.

If I had a super power, I  would kill bad people.
I would kill bad people if I had a super power.
If I had money, I would buy a house
I would buy an house if I had money.

If+ past simple+complement+ would+present+complement

USES

 Nature: unreal (impossible) or improbable situations.

Time: present; the TENSE is past, but we are talking about the present, now.
 If I won a million pounds, I would stop teaching. (improbable)

 Third Conditional 
We make the third conditional by using past perfect the after 'if' and then 'would have' and the past participle in the second part of the sentence.

If I had studied, I would have passed the exam.
I would have passed the exam If I had studied.
If I had gone to the party, I would have met people.
I would have met people if I had gone to the party.  

If+past perfect+complement+would have+ past participle+complement.

USES 


Nature: unreal

Time: Past (so we are talking about a situation that was not so in the past.
If you had warned me, I would not have told your father about that party.(But you didn't, and I have).

ZERO CONDITIONAL 

We can make a zero conditional sentence with two present simple verbs (one in the 'if clause' and one in the 'main clause').

If I go to shopping, I buy many shoes.
I buy many shoes if I go to the shopping. 
If people eat too much, they get fat 
they get fat if peolpe eat too much.

if+ present+complement+ present+ complement

 

 link for to practice.....
http://www.perfect-english-grammar.com/first-conditional-exercise-1.html
http://www.learnenglishfeelgood.com/grammar-secondconditional2.html 
http://www.perfect-english-grammar.com/third-conditional-exercise-1.html
http://www.learnenglish-online.com/grammar/tests/zeroconditional.html 
http://www.englishexercises.org/makeagame/viewgame.asp?id=3226 
 

Modal auxiliary verb of probalbility.

 

Modal Auxiliary Verb of probability

The main modal auxiliary verbs that express probability are described here in order of certainty.

WILL
Will and won't are used to predict a future action. the truth or certainty of what is asserted
is more or less taken for granted.

I'll see you later.
His latest book will be out next month.

MUST AND CAN'T
Must is used to assert what we infer or conclude to be the most logical or rational interpretation of a situation. We do not have all facts, so it is less certain than will.


You say he walked across the Sahara Desert! He must be crazy!
You must be joking! I simply don't believe you.  

Can't is use in negative form

She can't have a ten-years-old daughter. She's only 21 herself.

SHOULD
Should expresses what may reasonably be expected to happened. This use of should has the idea of if everything has gone according to plan.

Our guests should be here soon (if they haven't gotten lose)
This homework shouldn't take you too long( if you've understood  what you have to do)

Should in this use has the idea that we want the action to happen. It is not used to express negative or unpleasant ideas.

You should pass the exam. You've worked hard
You should fail the exam INCORRECT

MAY AND MIGHT
May expresses the possibility that and event will happen or is happening.

We may go to Greece this year. We haven't decided yet.
Where is Ann? She may be taking a bath, I don't know.

Might is more tentative and slightly less certain than may.

It might rain. Take an umbrella.
Where is Peter? He might be upstairs. There is a light on.

COULD
Could has the similar meaning to might.

You could be right. I'm not sure.
That movie could be worth seeing. It got good reviews.

Couldn't is not used to express a future possibility. The of could in this use is might not.

You might not be right.
That movie might not be any good.

Couldn't has a similar meaning to can't above, only slightly weaker.

She couldn't have a ten-years-old daughter! She's only 21 herself.



 These links are for to practice.

http://speakspeak.com/english-grammar-exercises/intermediate/intermediate-grammar-exercise-modal-verbs-for-present-probability-must-cant-could-may-might
http://www.autoenglish.org/gr.may3.i.htm

Active and Passive Voice

Do you know about active or passive voice?
Well, today you can learn about active and passive voice structure.

Active voice

Active voice describes a sentence where the subject performs the action stated by the verb.

 

The dog bit the postman
Subject + verb + object.


Passive voice
The passive voice is a grammatical construction. 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.

The postman was bitten by the dog.
Object + finite form of "to be"+ past participle + subject 


Examples

Harry ate six shrimp at dinner. (active)
At dinner, six shrimp were eaten by Harry. (passive)

Beautiful giraffes roam the savannah. (active)
The savannah is roamed by beautiful giraffes. (passive)

Sue changed the flat tire. (active)
The flat tire was changed by Sue. (passive)

We are going to watch a movie tonight. (active)
A movie is going to be watched by us tonight. (passive)

I ran the obstacle course in record time. (active)
The obstacle course was run by me in record time. (passive)

These pages are for to practice passive and active voice.
http://www.myenglishpages.com/site_php_files/grammar-exercise-passive.php

http://www.agendaweb.org/verbs/passive-verbs-exercises.html