When to use To and For

To is used to say many things:

• Why someone does something, i.e. My mother called to tell me about dinner. This means that it shows the reason for the action.
• Something’s purpose, or why it exists, i.e. We took our computer to the repairman because we want it to work properly.
• When doing something, i.e. to walk, to go, to think.
• When saying what must or can be done with something, i.e. I need to buy something to clean the floors with.

Use TO in these cases:

Destination

“We’re going to Paris.”

What time it is

“It’s a quarter to 2.”

Distance

“It’s about ten miles from my house to the university.”

Comparing

“I prefer sleeping to working.”

Giving

“I gave the book to my sister.”

Motive/Reason – with verb

“I came here to see you.”

For is used in two main ways:

• For + -ing verb to show the general purpose of something, i.e. This cup is used for measuring cooking ingredients.
• For somebody + to do something, i.e. I just called for him to come and fix the light in the kitchen.

Here are some more examples of how to use the word “to”:

• “Sharon decided to tell us about her pregnancy now instead of later so we could start planning our trip to visit her before the baby will be born.” – she told us about her pregnancy now so we would have time to plan our visit accordingly
• “The cleaning lady comes every day to clean our office kitchen and toilets.” – the purpose of the cleaning lady coming to our office is to clean the kitchen and toilets
• “I need to buy some hair dye to color my hair with before the party.” – the speaker needs to buy something to make their hair a different color before the party

Use FOR in these cases:

Benefits

“Yogurt is good for your digestion.”

Period of time

“We’ve lived here for 2 years.”

Schedule

“I made an appointment for May 3.”

Agree with

“Are you for or against the development of nuclear weapons?”

Doing something to help someone

“Could you carry these books for me?”

Motive/Reason – with noun

“Let’s go out for a drink.”

Function – with verb (-ing form)

“A ladle is a big spoon used for serving soup.”

The Second Conditional

Definition of the second conditional

The second conditional is used to describe an imaginary or highly improbable situation and its imaginary result in the present or future.

How to form the second conditional

Examples of the second conditional

More example and explanations of the second conditional

If I had her number, I would call her – An imaginary situation as I don’t have her number.

If I wasn’t doing my homework now, I would be watching TV – I am doing my homework, but I am imagining an alternative activity that I would be doing if I wasn’t doing my homework (watch TV).- This example is using the past continuous tense

As with all conditional sentences, the order of the clauses can be changed. However, you may have to rearrange the pronouns and correct the punctuation..

Here are some more examples of the second conditional.

1. If I had enough money, I would buy a big house.

(This implies that currently, I do not have enough money, but if the situation were different, I would buy a house.)

2. If I studied harder, I would pass the exam.

(This suggests that I am not studying hard enough at the moment, but if I did, then I would probably pass the  e.)

3. If it rained tomorrow, we would cancel the barbecue.

(This is a hypothetical situation about the future, assuming that rain is unlikely but possible. If it did happen, the barbecue would be canceled.)

4. If we lived closer to grandmother, we would visit her more often.

(Here, it implies we currently live far away from grandmother, but if we lived closer, we would visit her more often)

What is a conditional sentence?

Conditional sentences are sentences that discuss known factors or hypothetical situations and their consequences.

A conditional sentence consists of two clauses: the condition or if-clause and the main or result clause.

Overview conditional sentences

There are five main types of conditional sentences.

The Zero Conditional: (if + present simple, … present simple)

The First Conditional: (if + present simple, … will + infinitive)

The Second Conditional: (if + past simple, … would + infinitive)

The Third Conditional. (if + past perfect, … would + have + past participle)

Mixed Conditional. (if + Present conditional… Past perfect)

Adverbs of Place – explanations and examples

What is an Adverb of Place?

.Adverbs of Place help a speaker express where the verb is happening. They don’t usually end in -ly and are usually placed after the main verb or object or at the end of the sentence. 

For example – I’ve lived here for 3 months.

List of common Adverbs of Place

Above

Below

Everywhere

Here

In

Inside

Into

Nowhere

Out

Outside

There

Down

Near

Nearby

Away

.

Examples of Adverb of Place

Is that your hat there?

I’ve lived here for about two months.

The sun’s going down and it’ll be dark soon.

Paul is away on holiday until the end of the month.

I fell asleep while driving and drove into a ditch.

We went into the cave, and there were bats everywhere!

Scotland is located north of London.

They travelled down the mountain.

Sally is sitting close to me.

The treasure is in the box.

The dog is sleeping on the bed.

Why are you standing in the middle of the road?

Adverbs of Frequency. Explanations and Examples

What is an Adverbs of Frequency?

Adverbs of Frequency help a speaker let us know how often something happens. They can be divided into two groups. Indefinite and definite,

Indefinite adverbs of frequency are placed before the main verb of the sentence while definite adverbs of frequency are placed at the end of the sentence. 

For example, I hardly ever drink alcohol. (indefinite) and We get paid hourly (definite)

Indefinite adverbs of frequency give us an idea of how often something happens (not exactly how often something happens) – usually, often etc

Definite adverbs of frequency tell us exactly how often something happens – monthly, daily etc

We separate them into two groups because they normally go in different positions in the sentence.

List of Common Adverbs of Frequency

Always
Never
Normally
Rarely
Seldom
Sometimes
Usually
Often
Again
Once
Occasionally

Examples of Adverbs of Frequency

Examples of adverbs of frequency in sentences (indefinite)
I always read a book before bed.
Does he normally walk his dog at this time?
It’s always hot in this room.
I usually just have toast for breakfast.
I normally go for a run.
I often go out for dinner.
Sometimes it’s best to keep your shut.
I occasionally eat healthy food.
I seldom read magazines.
I hardly ever drink wine.

Adverbs of definite frequency will usually be placed at the end of the sentence.
We get paid hourly.
The situation changes monthly.
The newspaper is printed daily

The First Conditional

In English, we use the First Conditional to express a possible situation with a result in the future.  It describes events that are likely to happen if certain conditions are met.

There are two clauses used when forming a First Conditional sentence

• Condition Clause: This part of the sentence says what the condition has to be and uses the present simple tense.
• Result Clause: This part says what will happen if the first clause is fulfilled, and it uses “will” followed by the base form of the verb.

How to form the First Conditional

Examples of the First Conditional

Like with all conditional sentences, the order of the clauses can be changed. However, you may have to rearrange the pronouns and correct the punctuation..

English Grammar – Hypothesis – Explanations with examples

In English grammar, we use the term “hypotheses” (the plural of “hypothesis”) to describe explanations or theories that are subject to testing and validation. Although it is more commonly used in scientific contexts, in English grammar, it is used via conditional statements or situations that are imagined or considered for discussion.

Hypotheses are often formed by using conditional clauses, typically using “if” and “then.” For example: “If it snows, then we will go skiing” Here, the hypothesis is the condition that needs to be fulfilled (it will snow) to reach a conclusion (go skiing).

Expressions commonly used when forming Hypothesis sentences

• What…if?
• In case
• Suppose – that
• Supposing – that
• Imagine – if/that

Examples of Hypothesis sentences

• We use  present tense forms when we want to talk about the present or future if we think something is probably  true or is going to happen:

We should phone them in case they are lost.

• We use  past tense forms when we want to talk about the present or future to suggest something is probably not  true or will not happen:

Imagine you won the lottery. What would you buy with the money?
What if he lost his job? What would happen then?

• with the past perfect to talk about things in the past which did not happen:

Suppose you hadn’t passed your exams. What would you have done?
What if we discovered life on another planet? What do you think they would look like

Adverbs of Degree

What is an Adverbs of Degree?

Adverbs of degree allow a speaker to express the intensity of a verb or the extent to which something occurs. 

These adverbs can modify verbs, adjectives, and other adverbs, and they are typically placed before the word they modify. For instance, in the sentence “I am almost 40,” the adverb “almost” modifies the adjective “50.”

Common Adverbs of Degree

Below is a list of common adverbs of degree that a learner should know

Almost

Enough

Hardly

Just

Nearly

Quite

Simply

So

Too

Fully

Perfectly

Examples of Adverbs of Degree

• Can I come with you to the cinema too?
• Aren’t you thirsty? You’ve hardly drunk anything since we started hiking this morning.
• I entirely agree with Jasmine.
• Kate is very hard-working.
• I am fully prepared for my maths exam.
• I will be extremely busy next week.
• I am almost 45

In Summary

Adverbs of degree, like “almost”, show how much or to what extent something happens. They can modify verbs, adjectives, and other adverbs, usually coming before the word they describe. For example, in “I am almost 50,” “almost” tells us how close to 50 the speaker is.

In English, the word “wish” generally refers to expressions of hope or desire for something that isn’t currently true or possible at the moment. In other words, talk about things which we want but which are not possible to have at present.

These expressions often use a specific verb form or grammatical structure in English, commonly involving the word “wish.” 

When expressing wishes about the present or future, a subjunctive form or a past simple tense is often used, even though the tense might not match the actual time frame: Note: The subjunctive form is a verb mood used to express wishes, hypothetical situations, demands, or suggestions

• Present Wishes: When talking about something in the present that you wish were different, we use the past simple tense. For example: “I wish I had some money.” (But I don’t have any money.). Note: We use the past tense even though we are talking in the present.
  
• Wishes about the Future: For things we wish would change in the future, It is formed as follows:   “would” + base verb. For example: “I wish it would stop snowing.” (But it might keep snowing.)
• Past Wishes: When referring to things or regrets you wish had been different in the past, use the past perfect tense. For example: “I wish I had practised more for my driving test.” (But I didn’t practise a lot.)

This sentence expresses regret about not practising more in the past, using “had practised,” which is the past perfect form.

These structures allow English speakers to convey their wishes for things to be different than they currently are, whether in the past, future, or present.

Yes/No questions – Explanations and how to form them

A question is a sentence or expression designed to obtain information or get a response or answer from someone

It can be typically recognized by the presence of interrogative words (like why, when, where, what, who, or how) or by the inversion of the subject and auxiliary verb in a sentence. Questions come in different types, including yes/no questions, open-ended questions, and choice questions, each aimed at gaining different kinds of information.

In this post, we will give examples of yes/no questions and how to form them.

A yes/no question in English is a type of question that is structured to receive a “yes” or “no” answer. These questions typically begin with an auxiliary verb, such as “do,” “does,” “is,” “are,” “can,” “will,” or “have.” For example:

• Is it sunny outside?
• Do you like ice cream?
• Can you play tennis?
• Have you finished your homework?

Yes/No questions are named this way because they typically require answers like “Yes” or “No.” These questions begin with an auxiliary verb

In order to choose the correct auxiliary verb, we need to think about the time of the event (present, past, future) and whether the subject is singular or plural.

If the affirmative sentence includes an auxiliary verb, we can turn it into a yes/no question by inverting the subject and auxiliary verb. 

Note: An affirmative sentence is a statement that expresses a fact or opinion and confirms the truth of a given situation. It typically expresses positive information and is the opposite of a negative sentence. For example, “We are going to the cinema,” or “They have finished cleaning their bedroom”

Auxiliary verbs that are commonly used to form YES/NO questions.

 Common auxiliary verbs that appear in the affirmative sentences are:

1) Verb be: is, are, am, was, were 

The verb BE can be the main verb of sentences. In such cases, we use them to form questions in the same way that we use the verb BE as an auxiliary verb.

2) Modals: will, would, shall, should, could, can, must, might, may

Have a look at the following YES/NO question examples to get a better understanding.

• Affirmative: I am on time. 
• Question: Am I on time? (Answer: Yes, you are. OR No, you aren’t.

• Affirmative: The girls are playing tennis. 
• Question: Are the girls playing tennis? (Answer: Yes, they are. OR No, they aren’t.

• Affirmative: He can sing. 
• Question: Can he swim? (Answer: Yes, she can. OR No, she can’t.

If you want to ask questions in the present simple and past simple tenses, we then use does or do in the present and did in the past. 

Here are some examples.

• Affirmative: I eat a lot for breakfast 
• Question: Do I eat a lot for breakfast?
• Answer: Yes, you do. OR No, you don’t.

• Affirmative: She enjoys driving. 
• Question: Does she enjoy driving?
• Answer: Yes, she does. OR No, she doesn’t.

• Affirmative: He ate late. 
• Question: Did he eat late?
• Answer: Yes, he did. OR No, he didn’t.

The Simple Past

The simple past is a tense used to express the idea that an action or event that started and finished at a specific time in the past. 

Formation:

• For regular verbs, the simple past is formed by adding “-ed” to the base form of the verb.
• Irregular verbs have unique endings that you need to learn.

Explanation of the Present Perfect with examples

1. A completed event in the Past

The simple past is used to express the idea that an event started and finished at a specific time in the past.

• I saw a movie last week.
• I didn’t see a movie last week
• I travelled to Paris last year.
• I didn’t travel to Paris last year
• I cleaned my room this morning.
• I didn’t clean my room this morning.

2. More finished actions in the Past

We can the simple past to talk about a series of completed actions in the past. These actions happen in the order that the users say them

• I finished work, drove home, and watched TV.

3. Single duration

The simple past can be used with a duration which starts and stops in the past.

• I lived in London for 5  years.
• Shauna studied French for three years.]

List of regular and irregular verbs in the past tense

List of regular and irregular verbs in the past tense

List of common regular past tense verbs that you should know.tense

List of other regular past tense verbs

List of common irregular past tense verbs that you should know.

List of other irregular past tense verbs