What are Verbs? The verb is king in English. The shortest sentence contains a verb.

You can make a one-word sentence with a verb, for example: "Stop!" You cannot make a one-word sentence with an other t pe of word. !erbs are sometimes described as "action words". This is partl true. "an verbs give the idea of action, of "doing" something. #or example, words like run, fight, do and work all conve action. $ut some verbs do not give the idea of action% the give the idea of existence, of state, of "being". #or example, verbs like be, exist, seem and belong all conve state. & verb alwa s has a sub'ect. ()n the sentence "*ohn speaks English", John is the sub'ect and speaks is the verb.+ )n simple terms, therefore, we can sa that verbs are words that tell us what a sub'ect does or is% the describe: action (,am pla s football.+ state (&nthon seems kind.+

There is something ver special about verbs in English. "ost other words (ad'ectives, adverbs, prepositions etc+ do not change in form (although nouns can have singular and plural forms+. $ut almost all verbs change in form. #or example, the verb to work has five forms: to work, work, works, worked, working

-f course, this is still ver few forms compared to some languages which ma have thirt or more forms for a single verb. Main Verbs

"ain verbs are also called "lexical verbs".

"ain verbs have meaning on their own (unlike helping verbs+. There are thousands of main verbs, and we can classif them in several wa s: Transitive and intransitive verbs & transitive verb takes a direct ob'ect: Somebody killed the President. &n intransitive verb does not have a direct ob'ect: He died. "an verbs, like speak, can be transitive or intransitive. .ook at these examples: transitive: ) saw an elephant. /e are watching T!. 0e speaks English.

intransitive: 0e has arrived. *ohn goes to school. 1he speaks fast.

Linking verbs & linking verb does not have much meaning in itself. )t "links" the sub'ect to what is said about the sub'ect. 2suall , a linking verb shows e3ualit (4+ or a change to a different state or place (5+. .inking verbs are alwa s intransitive (but not all intransitive verbs are linking verbs+. "ar is a teacher. (mar 4 teacher+ Tara is beautiful. (tara 4 beautiful+ That sounds interesting. (that 4 interesting+ The sk became dark. (the sk 5 dark+ The bread has gone bad. (bread 5 bad+

Dynamic and stative verbs 1ome verbs describe action. The are called "d namic", and can be used with continuous tenses. -ther verbs describe state (non-action, a situation+. The are called "stative", and cannot normall be used with continuous tenses (though some of them can be used with continuous tenses with a change in meaning+. dynamic verbs (examples): hit, explode, fight, run, go

stative verbs (examples): be like, love, prefer, wish impress, please, surprise hear, see, sound belong to, consist of, contain, include, need appear, resemble, seem

Regular and irregular verbsThis is more a 3uestion of vocabular than of grammar. The onl real difference between regular and irregular verbs is that the have different endings for their past tense and past participle forms. #or regular verbs, the past tense ending and past participle ending is alwa s the same: -ed. #or irregular verbs, the past tense ending and the past participle ending is variable, so it is necessar to learn them b heart. regular verbs: base, past tense, past participle look, looked, looked work, worked, worked

irregular verbs: base, past tense, past participle bu , bought, bought cut, cut, cut do, did, done

0ere are lists of regular verbs and irregular verbs.

-ne wa to think of regular and irregular verbs is like this: all verbs are irregular and the so-called regular verbs are simpl one ver large group of irregular

verbs.

-ften the above divisions can be mixed. #or example, one verb could be irregular, transitive and d namic% another verb could be regular, transitive and stative. Helping Verbs 0elping verbs have no meaning on their own. The are necessar for the grammatical structure 0elping verbs are also called "auxiliar verbs". of a sentence, but the do not tell us ver much alone. /e usuall use helping verbs with main verbs. The "help" the main verb (which has the real meaning+. There are onl about 67 helping verbs in English, and we divide them into two basic groups: Primary helping verbs (3 verbs) These are the verbs be, do, and have. 8ote that we can use these three verbs as helping verbs or as main verbs. -n this page we talk about them as helping verbs. /e use them in the following cases: be o o have o do o o o o to make continuous tenses (0e is watching T!.+ to make the passive (1mall fish are eaten b big fish.+ to make perfect tenses () have finished m homework.+ to make negatives () do not like ou.+ to ask 3uestions (Do ou want some coffee9+ to show emphasis () do want ou to pass our exam.+ to stand for a main verb in some constructions (0e speaks faster than she does.+

Modal helping verbs (10 verbs) /e use modal helping verbs to "modif " the meaning of the main verb in some wa . & modal helping verb expresses necessit or possibilit , and changes the main verb in that sense. These are the modal verbs: can, could ma , might will, would, shall, should must ought to

0ere are examples using modal verbs: ) can't speak :hinese. *ohn may arrive late. ould ou like a cup of coffee9 You should see a doctor. ) reall must go now.

"ain !erbs ;

Semi!modal verbs (" verbs) The following verbs are often called "semi-modals" because the are partl like modal helping verbs and partl like main verbs: need dare used to

Verb Classification /e divide verbs into two broad classifications: 1. elping !erbs )magine that a stranger walks into our room and sa s: ) can. <eople must. The Earth will.

=o ou understand an thing9 0as this person communicated an thing to ou9 <robabl not> That?s because these verbs are helping verbs and have no meaning on their own. The are necessar for the grammatical structure of the sentence, but the do not tell us ver much alone. /e usuall use helping verbs with main verbs. The "help" the main verb. (The sentences in the above examples are therefore incomplete. The need at least a main verb to complete them.+ There are onl about 67 helping verbs. ". Main !erbs 8ow imagine that the same stranger walks into our room and sa s: ) teach. <eople eat. The Earth rotates.

=o ou understand something9 0as this person communicated something to ou9 <robabl es> 8ot a lot, but something. That?s because these verbs are main verbs and have meaning on their own. The tell us something. -f course, there are thousands of main verbs. )n the following table we see example sentences with helping verbs and main verbs. 8otice that all of these sentences have a main verb. -nl some of them have a helping verb. helping verb *ohn You The The children are main verb likes lied are pla ing. coffee. to me. happ .

/e )

must do not

go want

now. an .

0elping verbs and main verbs can be further sub-divided, as we shall see on the following pages. !erb :lassification @uiA 6 B C D

The grocer clerk will The mail arrived ) have alread done

carr

our bags out for ou. after ) left. m homework.

That book ou recommended sounds interesting. ) pre#er *err studies /e looked /ould ou take ) don?t want to #ight 1he seemed cream rather than milk. for three hours ever da . at all of the art in the museum. a picture for us9 about who gets the car. like an interesting person.

7 E F G H 6 I

.esson J aBIFI ----- ke word: often :ommon adverbs of fre3uenc , &dverb placement "10-,T" &=!E,$ <.&:E"E8T: 55 /hen an adverb is "short", we usuall put it between the noun and the verb, but we can also put it at the beginning or at the end of the sentence: ("-=&. !E,$+ K 8-28 K 10-,T &=!E,$ K !E,$ 8-28 K ("-=&. !E,$+ K 10-,T &=!E,$ K !E,$ 1-"E "10-,T" &=!E,$1: alwa s, fre3uentl , habituall , never, normall , occasionall , often, rarel , sometimes, usuall -/hat time do ou normall eat dinner9 ) normall eat dinner at F:II. 8ormall ) eat dinner at F:II. ) eat dinner at F:II normall . ) don?t normall eat dinner. -=o ou drink whiske often9 Yes, ) often drink whiske . ) do not usuall drink whiske . 2suall ) do not drink whiske . ) do not drink whiske usuall . -You often forget our ke s. -You don?t alwa s speak clearl . -=oes she alwa s watch T!9 1he rarel watches T!. -=oes she travel often9 1he doesn?t usuall leave her house. -/here does he usuall go9 0e alwa s goes to the same bar. -0e doesn?t alwa s come to work. -The alwa s go to the mountains on vacation. -The don?t often use strong detergents. -/e sometimes visit her parents. -/e don?t normall go out for dinner. 55 /e use "never" in positive declarations% we use "ever" in negative declarations and 3uestions: 8-28 K "never" K !E,$ 8-28 K "-=&. !E,$ K "not" K "ever" K !E,$ "-=&. !E,$ K 8-28 K "ever" K !E,$9 -=oes he ever go to the doctor9 0e never goes to doctor. 0e doesn?t ever go to the doctor. -=o ou ever brush our teeth9 8o, ) never brush m teeth. 8o, ) don?t ever brush m teeth.

-=o the ever work9 8o, the never work. 8o, the don?t ever work. Yes, the alwa s work. ".-8L" &=!E,$1: 55 /e put "long" adverbs in the beginning or at the end of the sentence: 1-"E ".-8L &=!E,$1": a bit, a little, a lot, a ton, all the time, at times, enough, ever da , ever month, ever now and then, ever week, from time to time, in the morning, little, loads, lots, much, now and then, once a da , once a week, plent , some, three times a da , tons, twice a week, twice a ear ("-=&. !E,$+ K 8-28 K !E,$ K .-8L &=!E,$ 8-28 K ("-=&. !E,$+ K !E,$ K .-8L &=!E,$ .-8L &=!E,$ K 8-28 K ("-=&. !E,$+ K !E,$ -/hen do ou stud English9 ) stud English ever da . MMM 8-T: ) ever da stud English. -=oes she often go to the hair-dresser?s9 Yes, she goes twice a month. MMM 8-T: Yes, she twice a month goes. -=oes he ever shave9 Yes, he shaves ever morning. MMM 8-T: Yes, he ever morning shaves. -=o ou go swimming in the summer9 MMM 8-T: =o ou in the summer go swimming9 Yes, ) often go swimming in the summer. MMM 8-T: Yes, ) often in the summer go swimming. 55 /e use "much" and "at all" in 3uestions and negative declarations: -=oes he visit much9 Yes, he visits a lot. 8o, he doesn?t visit much. 8o, he doesn?t visit at all. -=o the go to church at all9 Yes, the go to church ever da . 8o, the don?t go to church much. 8o, the don?t go to church at all. )8TE81)#)E,1: <-1)T)!E 8EL&T)!E about, almost, nearl , practicall , 3uite, reall , too, ver barel , hardl , onl , scarcel

-=o ou smoke much9 Yes, ) smoke almost a pack a da . 8o, ) hardl smoke at all. -/hat does *unko do in her spare time9 1he reads a lot, she goes to the librar 3uite often, she watches T! too much, and she gets exercise hardl ever. -0ow often does 1uA swim9 1he swims almost ever da . 1he swims ver fre3uentl . 1he almost never swims.

1he swims in the morning. 1he swims once a ear. 1he swims when it?s hot. 1he swims practicall ever weekend. 1he swims at D:II ever Tuesda and Thursda . 1he doesn?t swim ver often. 1he hardl ever swims. 1he doesn?t ever swim. -1ometimes the go to the librar , and the stud for hours and hours. =o the reall 9 /hat a bunch of nerds> -=oes she stud a lot9 8o, she doesn?t. 1he ver rarel studies. -0ow often do ou go to the movies9 /e go about once a month. -&re ou ever in 8ew York9 Yes, ) go about once a ear. -=o ou ever take a bath9 Yes, ) take a shower almost ever morning. EME,:)1E1: :ombine the following sentences with the adverb (in parenthesis+: I. 6. B. C. D. 7. E. F. G. H. 6I. ) ask ou 3uestions. (hardl ever+ ) hardl ever ask ou 3uestions. ) wash m car. (once a ear+ "s. "arino goes to 1eoul Norea on business. (fre3uentl + Timoth pla s poker. (practicall never+ "ario visits $arbara. (ever now and then+ "aria and 1umiko fight. (a lot+ /e go sailing. (practicall ever weekend+ =oes he act like an idiot9 (alwa s+ 0e changes his clothes. (three times a da + =o the sing that song9 (ever night+ &re ou tired and irritable9 (ever morning+ &nswer the following 3uestions, using an adverb: I. 66. 6B. 6C. 6D. 67. 6E. 6F. 6G. 6H. BI. B6. BB. BC. BD. B7. BE. BF. BG. BH. CI. /hat is the first thing *ack does when he gets to work9 *ack gets a cup of coffee when he gets to work. =o women go shopping much9 /ho does the shopping in our famil 9 /ho cooks at our house9 /ho washes the clothes at our house9 =o ou ever go bowling9 =oes &lex ever wash the dishes9 0ow often do ou brush our teeth9 0ow often do ou see our mother9 /hat time do ou get up in the morning9 /hen does it snow9 0ow often does our car break down9 =o ou drink alcohol much9 /hen does our father go to the bank9 0ow often do ou shave9 0ow often do ou go to the movies9 /hen do ou use the telephone9 /hen do ou drive9 =o ou walk ver much9 0ow often do ou cut our hair9 /hen do ou call the doctor9

C6. CB. CC. CD. C7. CE.

=o men ever fight9 =o ou ever watch T!9 =o our friends stud much9 =oes "ark ever pla tennis9 =oes "ar ever drive to work9 =oes "artha ever visit her grandmother9 "ake 3uestions for the following answers:

I. CF. CG. CH. DI. D6. DB. DC. DD. D7. DE.

0ow often do ou go skiing9 ) go skiing sometimes. 8o, we almost never speak )talian in English class. ) usuall wash the dishes. 8o, she doesn?t drive at all. 8o, she doesn?t listen to music at all. Yes, ) take a shower ever da > Yes, he goes camping ever summer. 8o, he doesn?t pla the lotter much. Yes, we eat out ever #rida evening. Yes, m brothers fight a lot. " father almost alwa s pa s the bills at m house.

55 2sing the words given below and adding or changing a word if necessar , ask one complete 3uestion, and give one complete answer: I. DF. DG. DH. 7I. 76. 7B. 7C. 7D. shopping never her mother he goes with =oes he ever go shopping with his mother9 0e never goes shopping with his mother. is behind "ar still sitting *ohn right alwa s on T! 1tar Trek watches =avid "artin with 1am works at the restaurant never without sugar drinks coffee Tom a cold beer usuall has <eter after work our car while driving a funn noise makes gets in the winter the weather ver fogg when calculating freeAes up the computer sometimes

<-11)$.E &81/E,1 T- T0E EME,:)1E1: 6. B. C. D. 7. E. F. G. H. 6I. 66. 6B. 6C. 6D. 67. 6E. 6F. 6G. 6H. BI. B6. ) wash m car once a ear. "s. "arino fre3uentl goes to 1eoul on business. Timoth practicall never pla s poker. "ario visits $arbara ever now and then. "aria and 1umiko fight a lot. /e go sailing practicall ever weekend. =oes he alwa s act like an idiot9 0e changes his clothes three times a da . =o the sing that song ever night9 &re ou tired and irritable ever morning9 /omen go shopping all the time. " mother usuall does the shopping. " mother almost alwa s cooks% ) cook sometimes. " mother normall washes the clothes, ver rarel m father washes the clothes. 8o, ) hardl ever go bowling. &lex practicall never washes the dishes. ) usuall brush m teeth once or twice a da . ) see m mother ever weekend. ) get up at five on weekda s, and at nine on weekends. )t occasionall snows in the winter, but ver rarel . " car hardl ever breaks down.

BB. BC. BD. B7. BE. BF. BG. BH. CI. C6. CB. CC. CD. C7. CE. CF. CG. CH. DI. D6. DB. DC. DD. D7. DE. DF. DG. DH. 7I. 76. 7B. 7C. 7D.

Yes, ) drink alcohol 3uite a bit. " father goes to the bank on pa da . ) never shave% )?m a girl> /e go to the movies almost ever night. ) use the telephone once or twice a da . ) drive to work each da . 8o, ) do not walk much. ) cut m hair about once ever two months. ) rarel call the doctor. "en often fight. Yes, ) watch T! nearl ever da . 8o, m friends don?t stud hardl ever. "ark occasionall pla s tennis. Yes, "ar drives to work ever da . "artha ver rarel visits her grandmother. =o ou ever speak )talian in English class9 &t our house, who washes the dishes9 =oes our grandmother drive a car9 =oes 1hirle listen to much music9 =o ou ever wash9 =oes $ill like camping9 =oes Nim pla the lotter often9 =o ou ever eat out in restaurants9 =o our brothers ever fight9 /ho pa s the bills at our house9 )s *ohn still sitting right behind "ar 9 Yes, *ohn is still sitting right behind "ar . =oes =avid alwa s watch 1tar Trek on T!9 8o, =avid doesn?t alwa s watch 1tar Trek on T!. =oes "artin work with 1am at the restaurant9 Yes, "artin works with 1am at the restaurant. =oes Tom ever drink coffee without sugar9 8o, Tom never drinks coffee without sugar. =oes <eter usuall have a cold beer after work9 Yes, <eter usuall has a cold beer after work. =oes our car make a funn noise while driving9 Yes, m car makes a funn noise while driving. =oes it ever get ver fogg in the winter9 8o, it doesn?t ever get ver fogg in the winter. =oes the computer sometimes freeAe up when calculating9 Yes, the computer sometimes freeAes up when calculating.

Should Should is an auxiliar verb, a modal auxiliar verb. /e use should mainl to: give advice or make recommendations talk about obligation talk about probabilit and expectation express the conditional mood replace a sub'unctive structure

Structure of Should sub'ect K should K main verb

The main verb is alwa s the bare infinitive (infinitive without "to"+. sub$ect % ! 0e 0e auxiliary verb should should not shouldn't main verb go. go.

&

Should

he

go9

8otice that: Should is invariable. There is onl one form of should. There is no short form for should. The negative should not can be shortened to shouldn't. The main verb is always the bare infinitive.

The main verb is alwa s the bare infinitive. /e cannot sa : You should to go.

Use of Should should: 'iving advice( opinions /e often use should when offering advice or opinions (similar to ought to+: )* +,-: <eople often sa "The should..." 2suall , the "the " is anon mous and means the government, or the compan , or somebod else - but not us> You should see the new *ames $ond movie. )t?s great> You should tr to lose weight. *ohn should get a haircut. 0e shouldn?t smoke. &nd he should stop drinking too. /hat should ) wear9 The should make that illegal. There should be a law against that. <eople should worr more about global warming. should: .bligation( duty( correctness &nother use of should (also similar to ought to+ is to indicate a kind of obligation, dut or correctness, often when criticiAing another person: You should be wearing our seat belt. (obligation+ ) should be at work now. (dut + You shouldn?t have said that to her. (correctness+

0e should have been more careful. 1hould ou be driving so fast9

should: -robability( expectation /e use should to indicate that we think something is probable (we expect it to happen+: &re ou read 9 The train should be here soon. O6I is enough. )t shouldn?t cost more than that. .et?s call "ar . 1he should have finished work b now.

should: *onditionals /e sometimes use should (instead of would+ for the first person singular ()+ and first person plural (we+ of some conditionals: )f ) lost m 'ob ) should have no mone . ()f he lost his 'ob he would have no mone .+ /e should be grateful if ou could send us our latest catalogue.

This is not a ver important distinction. ("ore about the use of shallPwill and shouldPwould.+ should: (,# , were you , should///) /e often use the conditional structure ")f ) were ou ) should..." to give advice. )f ) were ou, ) should complain to the manager. )f ) were ou ) shouldn?t worr about it. ) shouldn?t sa an thing if ) were ou.

8ote that we can omit ")f ) were ou..." and 'ust sa : ) should complain to the manager. ) shouldn?t worr about it. ) shouldn?t sa an thing.

)n these cases, the phrase ") should" reall means something like " ou should". should: -seudo sub$unctive /e often use a special verb form called the sub'unctive when talking about events that somebod wants to happen, hopes will happen or imagines happening, for example: The president insists that the prime minister attend the meeting.

0owever, this is much more common in &merican English. $ritish English speakers would probabl conve the same idea using should: The president insists that the prime minister should attend the meeting.

0ere are some more examples:

Sub$unctive typically American nglish The president is insisting that pollution be reduced. The manager recommended that "ar 'oin the compan . )t is essential that we decide toda . )t was necessar that ever one arrive on time. should: hy should//& 1 2ow should//&

0sing should typically !ritish nglish The president is insisting that pollution should be reduced. The manager recommended that "ar should 'oin the compan . )t is essential that we should decide toda . )t was necessar that ever one should arrive on time.

)f we don?t understand (or agree with+ something, we ma use "/h should..9": /h should it be illegal to commit suicide9 )t?s our life.

"/h should..9" and "0ow should..9" can also indicate anger or irritation: ould ould is an auxiliar verb, a modal auxiliar verb. /e use would mainl to: talk about the past talk about the future in the past express the conditional mood "0elp me with this." Q "/h should )9" "/here are m ke s9" Q "0ow should ) know9"

/e also use would for other functions, such as: expressing desire, polite re3uests and 3uestions, opinion or hope, wish and regret...

Structure of Would sub'ect K would K main verb The main verb is alwa s the bare infinitive (infinitive without "to"+. sub$ect % 1he auxiliary verb would 'd ! 1he would not wouldn't like whisk . main verb like tea.

&

ould

she

like

coffee9

8otice that:

$e careful>

ould and had have the same short form 'd: 0e?d finished. (0e had finished.+ 0e?d like coffee. (0e would like coffee.+

ould is never con'ugated. )t is alwa s would or 'd (short form+. The main verb is always the bare infinitive.

The main verb is alwa s the bare infinitive. /e cannot sa : ) would to like coffee.

Use of Would would: +alking about the past /e often use would as a kind of past tense of will or going to: Even as a bo , he knew that he would succeed in life. ) thought it would rain so ) brought m umbrella.

2sing would as as a kind of past tense of will or going to is common in reported speech: 1he said that she would bu some eggs. (") will bu some eggs."+ The candidate said that he wouldn?t increase taxes. (") won?t increase taxes."+ /h didn?t ou bring our umbrella9 ) told ou it would rain> (")t?s going to rain."+

/e often use would not to talk about past refusals: 0e wanted a divorce but his wife would not agree. Yesterda morning, the car wouldn?t start.

/e sometimes use would (rather like used to+ when talking about habitual past behaviour: Ever weekda m father would come home from work at Epm and watch T!. Ever summer we?d go to the seaside. 1ometimes she?d phone me in the middle of the night. /e would alwa s argue. /e could never agree.

would: 3uture in past /hen talking about the past we can use would to express something that has not happened at the time we are talking about:

)n .ondon she met the man that she would one da marr . 0e left 7 minutes late, unaware that the dela would save his life.

would: *onditionals /e often use would to express the so-called second and third conditionals: )f he lost his 'ob he would have no mone . )f) had won the lotter ) would have bought a car.

2sing the same conditional structure, we often use would when giving advice: ) wouldn?t eat that if ) were ou. )f ) were in our place )?d refuse. )f ou asked me ) would sa ou should go.

1ometimes the condition is "understood" and there does not have to be an "if" clause: 1omeone who liked *ohn would probabl love *ohn?s father. ()f someone liked *ohn the would probabl love *ohn?s father.+ You?d never know it. (for example: )f ou met him ou would never know that he was rich.+ /h don?t ou invite "ar 9 )?m sure she?d come.

)* +,-: &lthough there is alwa s a main verb, sometimes it is understood (not stated+ as in: )?d like to sta . Q ) wish ou would. (would sta + =o ou think he?d come9 Q )?m sure he would. (would come+ /ho would help us9 Q *ohn would. (would help us+ would: Desire or inclination )?d love to live here. /ould ou like some coffee9 /hat )?d reall like is some tea.

would: -olite re4uests and 4uestions /ould ou open the door, please9 (more polite than: -pen the door, please.+ /ould ou go with me9 (more polite than: /ill ou go with me9+ /ould ou know the answer9 (more polite than: =o ou know the answer9+ /hat would the capital of 8igeria be9 (more polite than: /hat is the capital of 8igeria9+

would: .pinion or hope would: ) would imagine that the ?ll bu a new one. ) suppose some people would call it torture. ) would have to agree. ) would expect him to come. 1ince ou ask me )?d sa the blue one is best. ish ) wish ou would sta . () reall want ou to sta . ) hope ou will sta .+ The don?t like me. )?m sure the wish )?d resign.

)* +,-: 8ote that all of these uses of would express some kind of distance or remoteness:

remoteness in time (past time+ remoteness of possibilit or probabilit remoteness between speakers (formalit , politeness+

would: -resumption or expectation That would be *o calling. )?ll answer it. /e saw a police helicopter overhead esterda morning. Q ,eall 9 The would have been looking for those bank robbers.

would: 0ncertainty 0e would seem to be getting better. (less certain than: 0e seems to be getting better.+ )t would appear that ) was wrong. (less certain than: )t appears that ) was wrong.+

would: Derogatory The would sa that, wouldn?t the 9 *ohn said he didn?t steal the mone . Q /ell, he would, wouldn?t he9

would that: Regret (poetic5rare) ! with clause This rare, poetic or literar use of would does not have the normal structure: /ould that it were true> ()f onl it were true> /e wish that it were true>+ /ould that his mother had lived to see him become president.

*an( *ould( 6e able to 7ui8 6 B C D 7

he understand what ou were talking about9 " sister ) (<olite+ " grandfather night. pla tennis now. walk when ) was less than a ear old. ou tell me what time it is, please9 walk without an help last

E F G H

) would like to 0ow long have ou )?ll :an ou help me9 )

pla the piano. drive9 help ou later. never understand this.

6 I

/ill "an

live forever one da 9

Could
*ould is an auxiliar verb, a modal auxiliar verb. /e use could to:

talk about past possibilit or abilit make re3uests

#tr$ct$re o% &o$ld

sub'ect K could K main verb

The main verb is alwa s the bare infinitive (infinitive without "to"+. sub$ect auxiliary verb could could not couldn't main verb swim. walk.

% !

" grandmother 1he

&

*ould

our grandmother

swim9

8otice that:

*ould is invariable. There is onl one form of could. The main verb is always the bare infinitive.

The main verb is alwa s the bare infinitive. /e cannot sa :

'se o% &o$ld
could: Past Possibility or Ability
/e use could to talk about what was possible in the past, what we were able or free to do:

) could swim when ) was 7 ears old. " grandmother could speak seven languages. /hen we arrived home, we could not open the door. (...couldn't open the door.+ *ould ou understand what he was sa ing9

/e use could (positive+ and couldn't (negative+ for general abilit in the past. $ut when we talk about one special occasion in the past, we use be able to (positive+ and couldn't (negative+. .ook at these examples: -ast 'eneral K " grandmother could speak 1panish. " grandmother couldn't speak 1panish. Speci#ic .ccasion & man fell into the river esterda . The police were able to save him. & man fell into the river esterda . The police couldn't save him.

could: Requests
/e often use could in a 3uestion to ask somebod to do something. The use of could in this wa is fairl polite (formal+:

*ould ou tell me where the bank is, please9 *ould ou send me a catalogue, please9