Grammar Lessons
Master grammar patterns used in real news articles, organized by CEFR level.
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Adjective + preposition: afraid of, keen on, responsible for
“She is responsible for managing the entire department.”
Adjective + preposition: aware of, familiar with, interested in
“Are you aware of the risks involved in this investment?”
Adjective + preposition: similar to, different from, capable of
“This new model is similar to the previous one but more efficient.”
Advanced passive: It is said/believed that
“It is believed that the company will announce layoffs.”
Advanced passive: Subject + is said to + infinitive
“He is said to be one of the richest people in the country.”
Advanced passive: Subject + is said to have + past participle
“The painting is reported to have been stolen in the 1990s.”
Binomials and fixed expressions: pros and cons, trial and error
“We weighed up the pros and cons before making a decision.”
Binomials and fixed expressions: sooner or later, by and large
“By and large, the new system has been working well.”
Cleft sentence: It was ... who/that
“It was John who suggested the idea.”
Cleft sentence: The reason ... is that
“The reason I called is that I wanted to check on you.”
Cleft sentence: What ... is/was
“What I need is a good night's sleep.”
Collocations with make/do
“We need to make a decision before the deadline.”
Collocations with take/have/get
“You should take responsibility for your actions.”
Comparative: not so much ... as
“The problem is not so much the cost as the lack of time.”
Comparative: the more ... the more
“The more you practise, the better you get.”
Complex prepositions: by means of, in accordance with
“The data was collected by means of an online survey.”
Complex prepositions: in spite of, on behalf of
“In spite of the bad weather, the event was a success.”
Complex prepositions: regardless of, on account of, in view of
“The match was cancelled on account of the heavy snow.”
Concessive clause: however + adjective/adverb
“However hard she tried, she couldn't solve the problem.”
Concessive clause: much as
“Much as I admire her talent, I disagree with her methods.”
Concessive clause: no matter + wh-word
“No matter what happens, I'll always support you.”
Concessive clause: whatever/whoever/wherever
“Whatever decision you make, I'll respect it.”
Conditional with as long as
“You can borrow my laptop as long as you return it by Friday.”
Conditional with even if
“Even if he apologizes, I won't forgive him.”
Conditional with provided/providing (that)
“You may leave early provided that you finish your work.”
Conditional with suppose/supposing
“Suppose you lost your job, what would you do?”
Conditional with what if
“What if it rains and we can't go outside?”
Discourse marker: in contrast, with regard to, in terms of
“In terms of cost, this option is the most affordable.”
Discourse marker: it is worth noting that
“It is worth noting that not all participants completed the survey.”
Discourse marker: nevertheless, furthermore, consequently
“The experiment failed.”
Discourse marker: on the whole, to a certain extent
“On the whole, the project was a success.”
Ellipsis: I think so / I hope not
“Will it rain tomorrow?”
Ellipsis: If necessary / If possible
“We can postpone the meeting if necessary.”
Ellipsis: So do I / Neither did she
“I love Italian food.”
Emphatic do/does/did
“I do understand your concern, but we have no alternative.”
Formal register: passive voice in academic writing
“The samples were analysed using a standard procedure.”
Formal subjunctive: It is essential/vital that
“It is essential that every student be treated fairly.”
Formal vs informal register: Latinate verbs vs phrasal verbs
“The researchers discovered (formal) / found out (informal) that the data was inaccurate.”
Fronting: adjective + though/as + subject + verb
“Interesting though it may be, the proposal is not practical.”
Fronting: On no account + inversion
“On no account should you open this door.”
Future continuous: action in progress at a future point
“This time tomorrow, I'll be flying to Paris.”
Future continuous: polite inquiry
“Will you be using the car this evening?”
Future in the past: was about to
“She was about to leave when the phone rang.”
Future in the past: was going to
“I was going to call you, but my phone died.”
Future in the past: would + base verb
“He didn't know that the decision would change his life.”
Future perfect continuous
“By June, I will have been working here for ten years.”
Future perfect: completed action before a future time
“By 2030, they will have finished the new railway.”
Future perfect: negative
“She won't have arrived by the time we leave.”
Gerund vs infinitive: go on doing vs go on to do
“He went on talking for an hour.”
Gerund vs infinitive: mean doing vs mean to do
“Taking the job means moving to London.”
Gerund vs infinitive: regret doing vs regret to say
“I regret telling her the news.”
Get something done: arranged service (informal)
“I need to get my laptop repaired.”
Have something done: arranged service
“I'm having the house painted next week.”
Have something done: misfortune/experience
“She had her wallet stolen on the train.”
Hedging: It could be argued that
“It could be argued that social media does more harm than good.”
Hedging: It would seem that
“It would seem that the policy has had little effect.”
Hedging: tend to, seem to, appear to
“Young people tend to prefer online communication.”
If only + would
“If only it would stop raining!”
Inversion in conditionals: Had I known
“Had I known about the delay, I would have taken a different route.”
Inversion in conditionals: Should you need
“Should you need any further information, please contact us.”
Inversion in conditionals: Were she to
“Were she to resign, the company would be in trouble.”
Inversion: Hardly had ... when
“Hardly had I sat down when the doorbell rang.”
Inversion: Never have I
“Never have I seen such a beautiful sunset.”
Inversion: No sooner ... than
“No sooner had we arrived than it started to rain.”
Inversion: Not only ... but also
“Not only did he win the race, but he also broke the record.”
Inversion: Seldom/Rarely do
“Seldom do we get the chance to travel abroad.”
Mixed conditional: past condition, present result
“If I had studied medicine, I would be a doctor now.”
Mixed conditional: present condition, past result
“If she weren't so shy, she would have spoken up at the meeting.”
Nominalization: verb to noun in formal writing
“Our investigation revealed several inconsistencies.”
Noun clause: The fact that
“The fact that she passed the exam surprised everyone.”
Noun clause: The idea/belief/notion that
“The idea that money can buy happiness is questionable.”
Noun clause: whether/if as subject or object
“Whether he will accept the offer remains to be seen.”
Past participle clause
“Built in 1900, the house still stands on the hill.”
Perfect participle clause
“Having finished her work, she went home early.”
Present participle clause
“Walking home from work, I noticed a fox in the garden.”
Reduced adverb clause with if + past participle
“If asked, he would have told the truth.”
Reduced adverb clause with while + verb-ing
“While working at the hospital, she met her husband.”
Reported speech: accuse someone of -ing
“She accused him of lying about his qualifications.”
Reported speech: blame someone for -ing
“He blamed his colleague for losing the contract.”
Reported speech: congratulate someone on -ing
“They congratulated her on winning the competition.”
Reported speech: warn someone against -ing
“The doctor warned her against eating too much sugar.”
Subjunctive after insist/suggest/recommend
“The doctor recommended that she take a week off work.”
Substitution with so/not/do
“Is the report ready?”
Verb + preposition: accuse of, blame for
“They accused him of stealing the documents.”
Verb + preposition: apologize for, congratulate on
“He apologized for arriving late to the meeting.”
Verb + preposition: consist of, succeed in, object to
“She finally succeeded in passing the driving test.”
Verb + preposition: depend on, insist on, result in
“The outcome depends on how hard you work.”
Verb + preposition: prevent from, discourage from
“The heavy rain prevented us from going outside.”
Were to: formal hypothetical conditional
“If I were to ask you for help, would you agree?”
Wish + would: annoyance at habits
“I wish you wouldn't leave your clothes on the floor.”