YC LEUNG Mid-Year F2 English Mid-Year Grammar Notes
1. Simple Present Tense
Usage : To talk about facts (general truths ) or habits (repeated
actions )
Keywords : on a daily basis , every Sunday ……
Structure :
I + am
He/She/It + is
You/We/They + are
Example sentence : Little Timmy goes to school by bus.
2. Present Continuous Tense
Usage : To talk about actions that occur at / around the time of
speaking
Keywords : Look , Wow , Now……
Structure : (is/am/are) + ing [in gerund form ]
Example : ‘ Look ! A man is crossing the road ! ’ said Little Timmy.
3. Present future Tense
Usage : To talk about things in the future
Keywords : Next Monday , tomorrow
*You must distinguish between will and be going to
Will : expected to happen / actions that were just decided
Be going to : planned actions / results that will happen based on current
information
Example : I am going to visit grandma tomorrow morning.
I believe( he will not win / won’t win ) any awards in this
year’s Happy TV awards due to his poor performance.
4. Simple Past Tense
Usage : To talk about things in the past
Keywords : Last week , yesterday , when I was 7 years old ……
Structure : mostly add -ed (y ied ; e d )
*Some need to double the consonant, then add ed (when they end in
a vowel + a consonant ) : Example : dropped
Look out for those irregular verbs (example : go went ; do did ;
hurt hurt )
5. Present Perfect Tense
Usage : To talk about actions in the past have a connection to the
present
Connection : the actions hasn’t ended yet / time not worth
mentioning or unknown
Structure :
Statement form : Has /Have + (NOT ) + Past Participle
Question form : Has /Have + Subject + (EVER ) + Past Participle
Look out for those irregular verbs (example : dodone ; take taken ;
hurt hurt )
*If you want to find out more about the irregular verbs, please refer to
appendix 1 (irregular verb table from Cambridge.
6. Passive Voice
Active Voice ( Common structure ) : Subject + Verb + Object SVO
structure
Active Voice emphasize the subject [what the doer does ]
Example : I (Subject ) open (verb ) the door (object ).
Passive Voice : Object + Verb + Subject OVS structure
Passive Voice emphasize the object [ what has been done by the
subject ]
Usage : When it is impossible to tell the doer ( if you want to add the
doer , use by before the doer )
Example : The door (object ) was opened (verb ) by me (subject ) .
Passive Voice in Different Tenses
Present Tense :
Structure : Is/am/are + (NOT ) + Past Participle
Example : Is the door opened by Sam ?
No, the door (isn’t opened / is not opened) by Sam.
Past Tense :
Structure : Was/Were + (NOT ) + Past Participle
Example : Was the bird cage cleaned by Sam yesterday ?
Yes , the bird cage was cleaned by Sam yesterday.
Future Tense :
Structure : Will + (NOT ) + be + Past Participle
Example : Will the cat be fed by Sam tomorrow ?
No, the cat will not be fed by Sam tomorrow.
Perfect Tense :
Structure : has/have + (NOT ) + been + Past Participle
Example : Has the cage been cleaned by Sam yet ?
No, the cage hasn’t been cleaned by Sam yet.
7. Conditionals ( Types 0 + 1 )
Zero Conditional : General truths / Facts (100% true )
Tense used : Simple Present
Example : If we mix red and blue (if clause ) , we get purple (main
clause ).
First Conditional : Possible future consequences that will happen if
something (the if clause ) is satisfied
Tense used :
If clause : Present Tense
Main clause : Future Tense
8. Participle adjectives
Definition : Gerund form (-ing form ) / Participle form (-ed form )
-ing form present participle; -ed form past participle
Present Participle
Active meaning active / continuous action
Someone / Something produce certain feeling
Past Participle
Passive meaning passive / completed action
OUR feelings
9. Past Continuous Tense
Usage 1 : An event in the past that lasted for some time
Example : Mary was watching a film at 8:00 pm last year.
Please note that she was watching the film before 8:00pm and was
still watching it after 8:00 pm.
Usage 2 : A short event happened when a longer event was
happening
Example : Little Johnny was having a math class when the fire alarm
rang.
Note : You must identify the long and short action. In the example,
the long action is the math class as a lesson usually lasts for half an
hour or more. However, the ringing of the fire alarm is only for a few
seconds.
Usage 3 : Two events that happen at the same time
Example : Mr.Leung was teaching in the classroom while Ms. Leung
was preparing for her upcoming lesson in the staff room.
Use of when and while in the past continuous tense
When : In usage 2 ONLY
While : Used in BOTH usages 1 and 3
10. Indefinite Pronouns :
Usage : To refer to people and things
Example : Someone/Anybody People ; Something/Nothing Thing
Different indefinite pronouns and their usage :
Refer to people ;
Someone/Somebody Make requests in positive statements
Anyone/Anybody Refer to people indirectly in questions/negative
statements
None/Nobody Not one
Refer to things :
Something Refer to things in positive statements / Make requests in
questions
Anything Referring to something indirectly in negative statements /
questions
Nothing : Not a thing
11. Zero article
Previously, we learnt about articles. The table below indicates the articles
and their usage :
Article Usage
1. a A single countable noun which the
first syllable is not a vowel
2. an A single countable noun which the
first syllable is a vowel
3. the Mentioned before
Certain countries
One and only one (sth)
Inventions / Instruments
Zero article : Using Nothing (Put an X )
Example : Local folklore claims that ___X__ people living in that house often
get sick.
Usage of this item :
Plurals (More than 1 )
Uncountable nouns
Names (Mostly )
12. Relative Clauses
Usage : To add information about nouns
Two types : Defining/ Non-defining
I) Defining relative clauses
To give essential information identify person/things that is
referred to
Come immediately after the noun
Words to use : who/which/when/where/that 5W1H
Note : Who/Which/That must be included when they are subject of
the main verb (object omitted )
Remember : Delete the pronoun
Example : Here are some people who are affected by the recent fire
in LA.
II) Non-defining relative clauses
To add opitional, non-essential information (WITHOUT CHANGING
THE MEANING )
Words to use : Who, Which ,When, Where (Separated with comma
)
Note : Which and who cannot be left out at the start of a non-
defining relative clause (even if they serve as the subject of the
main verb ).
Example : Melvina , who was my classmate in 11 th grade , is my first
love.
13. Reported statements
Direct Speech: use the own words of the speaker
Example : I said, ‘I am hungry.’
Indirect Speech : Summarize what a person said IN THE PAST
Example : He said that he was hungry.
Direct Reported
1. Take away the quotation mark
2. Change the tense
Present Past
Continuous Past Continuous
Present perfect Had + past participle
Simple Past Had + past participle
Will Would
3. Mention who the speaker is said/told/claimed
4. Change the pronoun
I/Me/My He/She
We/Us/Our They/Them
You/Your They/Theirs
Yours/Ours His/Hers
14. Connectives of reason and result
Connectives of reason :
Introduce reasons : as, because (of) , since, due to
Usage : Connect 2 parts/clauses of a sentence
Connectives of result :
Introduce results : so,therefore,as a result
Usage : To connect two clauses (ONLY ) (Sentence X okay )
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