I wish you all Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Inversion refers to an irregular verb placement form:

Use of Question Form

In this case, the question form (auxiliary + subject + main verb) takes the place of the standard positive sentence structure (i.e. He goes to work every day):

Examples

Not only do I enjoy classical music, but I also have a season ticket to the symphony.
Seldom has the boss been so upset!

In this case, the question form is substituted for standard sentence structure in a statement. Generally, an inversion is used to stress the uniqueness of an event and begins with a negative.

Examples

Never have I been more insulted!
Seldom has he seen anything stranger.

Time expressions: hardly, barely, no sooner, or scarcely

These time expressions are used when a there are a succession of events in the past.

Examples

Scarcely had I got out of bed when the doorbell rang.
No sooner had he finished dinner, when she walked in the door.

After ‘Only’ Expressions such as ‘only after’, ‘only when’, ‘only then’, etc.

‘Only’ is used with a time expression.

Examples

Only then did I understand the problem.
Only after understanding the situation does the teacher make a comment.

After ‘Little’

‘Little’ is used in a negative sense.

Examples

Little did he understand the situation.
Little have I read concerning nanotechnology.

Inversion after ‘So’, ‘Such’, and ‘That’

‘So’

‘So + adjective … that’ combines with the verb ‘to be’.

Examples

So strange was the situation that I couldn’t sleep.
So difficult is the test that students need three months to prepare.

‘Such’

‘So + to be + noun … (that)’:

Examples

Such is the moment that all greats traverse.
Such is the stuff of dreams.

Rewrite each sentence using the word in brackets.

There are no circumstances where audience members may consume alcohol. (Under no circumstances)

Nobody has won so many matches for his team since 1994. (Not since)

We won’t consider you for the basketball team until you grow up. (Not until)

The gang didn’t know that the police had them under surveillance. (Little)

You can’t use my car at any time. (At no time)

They started to argue soon after they had gotten married. (No sooner)

How to write a movie review

1. Title – catchy, can indicate if review will be positive or negative, you can play with words to make it funny or different

2. Paragraph 1 – Opening paragraph – can start to summarise film and give early suggestions about your general view of it (positive/negative)

3. Paragraph 2 – Start or continue summary of film, don’t give details about the ending or else no one will go and see the film!!

4. Paragraph 3 and 4 – positive things you thought about the film, what did you like? Why? Use descriptive words, think about the story, setting, effects used, music used

5. Paragraph 5 and 6 – negative things you thought about the film, what didn’t you like? Why? Comment on the same type of things that you mentioned in paragraphs 3 and 4

6. Paragraph 7 and 8 – Characterization – talk about the characters, did you like them? Did the actors play them well? What was it about their portrayal that you liked or didn’t like? Other impressions of the characters, will certain audience members be able to relate to certain characters? How? Will certain audience members not like certain characters? Why not?

7. Paragraph 9 – Final comments – general comments that summarize your view of the film, you may want to say something inspiring to get the reader to want to go out and see the film or you might say something that would want them not to go and see it! After the paragraph you would give it a star rating out of 5 to indicate your rating for it.

Common words and phrases used in film reviews that you might want to use in your own reviews;

spectacular visual effects, excessive violence, breathtaking, evocative, mood, atmosphere, poorly, unsuccessful, detail, scenery, irresistible, perfect, moments, plot, this movie has been compared to ____ because, wonderful, hilarious, momentum, unexpected plot twists, unbelievable, phenomenal, hype, suspense, disappointing, confusion/confused, fake, imitation, genre, unoriginal, typical, thrilled, was a very moving portrayal, quality of the film, I was impressed by, credible, cliché, a mixture of, classic, captivating

Gerund and Infinitive (no difference in meaning)

Quiz – gerund or infinitive –    http://a4esl.org/q/f/z/zz97mkm.htm

English Grammar – gerund and infinitive –

http://www.englisch-hilfen.de/en/grammar_list/gerund_infinitiv.htm

Verb + preposition + gerund

We use the Gerund after the following phrases:
accuse of	They were accused of breaking into a shop.
agree with	I agree with playing darts.
apologize for	They apologize for being late.
believe in	She doesn’t believe in getting lost in the wood.
blame for	The reporter is blamed for writing bad stories.
complain about	She complains about bullying.
concentrate on	Do you concentrate on reading or writing?
congratulate sb. on	I wanted to congratulate you on making such a good speech.
cope with	He is not sure how to cope with getting older.
decide against	They decided against stealing the car.
depend on	Success may depend on becoming more patient.
dream about/of	Sue dreams of being a pop star.
feel like	They feel like going to bed.
get used to	You must get used to working long hours.
insist on	The girls insisted on going out with Mark.
look forward to	I’m looking forward to seeing you soon.
prevent sb. from sth.	How can I prevent Kate from working in this shop?
rely on sth.	He doesn’t rely on winning in the casino.
succeed in	How then can I succeed in learning chemistry?
specialize in	The firm specialized in designing websites.
stop sb. from	I stopped Andrew from smoking.
talk about/of	They often talk about travelling to New Zealand.
think of	Frank thinks of playing chess.
warn sb. against	We warned them against using this computer.
worry about	The patient worries about having the check-up.
We use the Gerund after the following verbs:
admit	He admitted having driven too fast.
avoid	They avoid going on holiday on Saturdays.
carry on	If we carry on sleeping so badly, we may need help.
consider	Ralph is considering buying a new house.
delay	I delayed telling Max the news.
deny	She denied buying new shoes.
dislike	We dislike reading poems.
can’t help	He couldn’t help falling in love with her.
enjoy	I enjoy playing chess.
finish	They finished working in the garden.
give up	Susan gives up playing ice-hockey.
imagine	He imagined driving a new car.
include	You responsibility includes taking reservations on the phone.
involve	The project will involve growing plants.
justify	I cannot justify paying $100 for this ticket.
keep (on)	They keep on running.
mention	Did Alex ever mention playing baseball?
mind	I don’t mind sleeping on the couch.
miss	They miss playing with their friends.
practise	She practised playing hockey.
regret	Do you regret having mentioned it?
risk	You risk catching a cold.
suggest	She suggested flying to Cairo.

Gerund/Infinitive – Explanations

Gerund/Infinitive – Exercises

We use the Gerund or the Infinitive after the following verbs:
begin	He began talking. He began to talk.
continue	They continue smoking. They continue to smoke.
hate	Do you hate working on Saturdays? Do you hate to work on Saturdays?
like	I like swimming. I like to swim.
love	She loves painting. She loves to paint.
prefer	Pat prefers walking home. Pat prefers to walk home.
start	They start singing. They start to sing.

We use the Gerund or the Infinitive after the following verbs. There are two possible structures after these verbs. Gerund: verb + -ing Infinitive: verb + person + to-infinitive
advise	They advise walking to town. They advise us to walk to town.
allow	They do not allow smoking here. They do not allow us to smoke here.
encourage	They encourage doing the test. They encourage us to do the test.
permit	They do not permit smoking here. They do not permit us to smoke here.

We use the following structures with the word recommend:

recommend

They recommend walking to town. They recommend that we walk to town.

Gerund and Infinitive – difference in meaning

Gerund/Infinitive – Explanations

Gerund/Infinitive – Exercises

Some verbs have different meaning. (when used with Gerund or Infinitive)

	GERUND	INFINITIVE
forget	He’ll never forget spending so much money on his first computer.	Don’t forget to spend money on the tickets.

	GERUND	INFINITIVE
go on	Go on reading the text.	Go on to read the text.

	GERUND	INFINITIVE
mean	You have forgotten your homework again. That means phoning your mother.	I meant to phone your mother, but my mobile didn’t work.

	GERUND	INFINITIVE
remember	I remember switching off the lights when I went on holiday.	Remember to switch off the lights when you go on holiday.

	GERUND	INFINITIVE
stop	Stop reading the text.	Stop to read the text.

Exercises:

http://www.englisch-hilfen.de/en/exercises_list/gerund_infinitiv.htm

Modal Verbs

Present and Future

 

 

 

Ability	Can   and  be able to	Be able is used in situations where can doesn’t have the necessary grammatical form: I’d like to be able to swim.
Certainty / uncertainty	Must an can’t	These are used to make deductions when we are more or less certain about something, especially with the verb to be: You must be tired after your journey. (I suppose you are); That can’t be true. (I’m sure that’s impossible)
Certainty / uncertainty	May, might and could	These all express uncertainty or possibility. Might is less likely than may. Could is not used with not in this context. It may not rain. I might go out, I don’t know. I could get wet.
Obligation	Must and have to	Have to describes obligations made by someone else, while must is used to describe a personal obligation. There may be no difference. You must start working harder!  (I say so.) You have to turn left here.   (It’s the law.) Sorry, I must leave/ have to leave now. (No difference)
Obligation	mustn’t and don’t have to	Mustn’t describes something which is not allowed. Don’t have to describes something which is not necessary. You mustn’t leave any bags here. (It’s against the rules) You don’t have to apply yet. (It’s not necessary)
Advice or polite instructions	Should and ought to	These have the same meaning. They describe “what’s a good idea” and can be used to give advice, or polite instructions. I think you should see a doctor.   You ought not to continue.
Expectation	Should	Should can also describe actions we expect to happen. Brenda should be home by now.  (she is expected to be)
Advice	had better	This refers to present or future time, and gives advice about how to stop something going wrong. I think you’d better leave now.  (Before it’s too late.)

 

 

 

 

 

 

Practice:

 

Complete the sentences below with the most suitable modal verb (word or phrase):

 

1.     There’s someone at the door. It ______________  be the postman.

2.     Don’t worry. You _____________________  to pay now.

3.     It’s too cold for your T-shirt. I think you __________________ take a pullover with you.

4.     Sorry, I can’t stay longer. I ______________ to go.

5.     It’s a school rule. All the pupils _________________ wear a uniform.

6.     I suppose our team _________________ win, but I’m not sure.

7.     Let’s tell Diana. She ____________ not know.

8.     In my opinion, the Government _________________ do something about this.

9.     _____I ___________  bring my passport?

10. You _________________ leave now. That’s my advice.

11. She’d like to ________________ to speak Japanese.

12. Don’t stand up in the boat. You ____________ fall in the river.

13. Tell Peter that he __________ stay the night here if he wants to.

14. Helen ___________ feel really lonely. I’m sure she does.

15. You ______________ park here. It’s forbidden

16. Brenda ____________ be over thirty. I’m sure of that. She looks so young.

17. Mark ______________ play baseball. (He knows how to play)

18. Anybody ______________ break into this house. It’s so isolated.

19. Look at him. He can hardly walk. He ___________ be awfully tired.

20. You want to drive, but you ______________not to. It might be dangerous.

 

                     Adapted from First Certificate Language Practice

Present Perfect or Simple Past?

	The present perfect is used when the time period has NOT finished:	I have seen three movies this week. (This week has not finished yet.)
	The simple past is used when the time period HAS finished:	I saw three movies last week. (Last week has finished.)
	The present perfect is often used when giving recent news:	Martin has crashed his car again. (This is new information.)
	The simple past is used when giving older information:	Martin crashed his car last year. (This is old information.)
	The present perfect is used when the time is not specific:	I have seen that movie already. (We don’t know when.)
	The simple past is used when the time is clear:	I saw that movie on Thursday. (We know exactly when.)
	The present perfect is used with for and since, when the actions have not finished yet:	I have lived in Victoria for five years. (I still live in Victoria.)
	The simple past is used with for and since, when the actions have already finished:	I lived in Victoria for five years. (I don’t live in Victoria now.)

  

Simple past or simple present perfect?

A

1. I (just / finish)__________________________________________ my homework.
2. Mary (already / write)  ______________________________________five letters.
3. Tom (move) _______________________________________to this town in 1994.
4. My friend (be) _________________________________in Canada two years ago.
5. I (not / be) ___________________________________________to Canada so far.
6. But I (already / travel) ____________________ ____to London a couple of times.
7. Last week, Mary and Paul (go) _____________________________to the cinema.
8. I can’t take any pictures because I (not / buy) _________________a new film yet.
9. (they / spend) ___________________their holiday in New Zealand last summer? 
10.  (you / ever / see) ____________________________________________a whale?

 

B

1. My friend Paulo (be/ already) _________________________to Edinburgh three times.
2. Some years ago Suzana (study) ________________________English there.
3.  Last month António (visit) ______________________some friends in Edinburgh.
4. They are all my friends, too, and I (see / not) _______________them for   ages.

    

     C

1.     My friends (visit) _________ the Grand Canyon National Park last year.

2.     I (be / never) __________________to the Grand Canyon National Park.

3.      Yesterday I (buy) _____________ a book about the Grand Canyon.

5.     I (read/ already)) ___________________ 30 pages already. It’s really interesting.

 

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