MINI-GRAMMAR

Rainer Lohnes: lochness@hrz1.hrz.zu-darmstadt.de und Karl Johe: carlosjohe@t-online.de

Keep this MINI GRAMMAR in your English folder throughout classes 11-13.
Use it whenever your English teacher has marked a mistake with a number (e.g. "gr 7") in your tests or in your homework.
1
Present: simple vs. progressive
gr
He drives a Jaguar, plays roulette in Monte Carlo, hunts lions in Africa and
loves his wife. At the moment, however, he is counting his money.

11
Comparison (Steigerung)
gr
Out teacher is taller (funnier), cleverer and more handsome than most of the
students.

2
Past vs. present perfect
gr
Have you ever been to England? No, I have never been there. But I have
been to Paris lots of times. I first went there ten years ago and I have been
there twice already this year.

12 Comparison (Vergleich)
gr
It isn't as bad (so bad) as you say it is. Not as bad? It's worse than that.
One man worked like a slave but the other one worked as a slave.
You talk like a politician. (But: You talk as politicians do.)

3
Since vs. for
gr
I have been living in Frankfurt since 1970.
I have been living in Frankfurt for ten years.

13 May must need

gr
May I kiss your girlfriend? No, you mustn't. (She might like it.)
Must we always speak English in English lessons? Yes, but you needn't speak English in your French lessons.
You will have to speak English when you are in the USA.

4
Will future vs. going-to future
The radio says it will rain tomorrow.
I am going to visit my friend tomorrow.

gr

5
Simple past vs. past perfect
gr
When I got there the plane had taken off.
They had been waiting for an hour when the teacher finally arrived.
6
Reported speech
gr
She told her teacher that she didn't like Englsih, that she had never liked it
and would never like it in her life.
7
Conditional sentences (if-clause)
gr
If we take a taxi, we will catch the train.
If we took a taxi, we would catch the train.
If we had taken a taxi, we would have caught the train.
If I were you, I would do
If I were a millionaire, I would buy
10 Plural
gr
In the 19th and 20th centuries millions of soldiers lost their lives.

14 Some any
gr
My God, there isn't any beer left. Is there any whisky left for me? No, there
isn't, but you can have some more milk instead. In that case, I won't have
anything at all.
15 Article
gr
Life is short and death is so permanent.
Can people be kind to people?
Can the people in this classroom be kind to the teacher?
Normally, students are lazy, but the students in this classroom are crazy.
16 Adverbials of place and time
gr
They met in the disco at 10 p.m. (At 10 p.m. they met in the disco.)
They made love in his car two hours later. (Place before time!)
17

Adverbs: position

gr

(indefinite time, degree and manner)

Students always sleep in English lessons. They have always slept and will
always be sleeping there.
Sleeping in English lessons is certainly relaxing.
Do you really expect 15 credits? I can hardly believe it!

18 Every each any

Gr
Every student should know each of those structures at any time.

( and laid her :O) ).

Lay down your burden, down by the riverside.

19 Also either neither nor

Gr
We have some milk and there is also some orange juice left (or:o.j. left, too.)
But unfortunately we don't have any whisky and there isn't any gin either.
My friend is not drunk and neither am I.
Neither Karl nor Rainer could make this sentence finer.

33 To live lives lives live

W
He lived his life to see the Rolling Stones live.
Two fans lost their lives during the concert.

25 Do - make
W
I have made a fire, I have made tea, I have made the beds, I have done the
kitchen, I have done a lot of shopping, I have done my homework without
making any mistakes: I really can't do any more work today!
26 Remember remind
W
Must I remind you of Bill's birthday or will you remember it?
27 Look-see-watch ; listen hear
W
We looked, but we didn't see anything.
We listened to the band, but we did not hear very much.
Is watching TV really more than just looking at the screen?
28 Say tell
W
You told me you wouldn't say a word. Yes, I said I wouldn't tell him, but I
couldn't resist.
The narrator tells us the hero's secret thoughts.
29 Get become
W
When the student only got three credits in his test, he became very angry.
30 Let make leave (dt.lassen)
W
Don't let the fire go out or I'll make you eat your hamburgers raw.
Leave me alone, will you?!

34 Meaning opinion to mean

W
The meaning of opinion is "belief", "view", "judgement", etc.
Do you mean "meaning" doesn't mean "Meinung"? I certainly do!
35 Economic economical
W
An economical housewife is a solid economic basis for a family.
36 Great tall ; little - small
W
Tall friends might become great friends.
But small people will never be tall people!
37 Much many ; little / few
W
Much (a lot of) money many friends; little money few friends.
How much wine do we need? And how many wine glasses?
38 Then than
W
Then he opened his zipper. Then she opened her zipper. And then they saw
that thanks to ARIEL, his underwear was whiter than hers.
39 Quiet quite
It's quite easy to be quiet.

40 At last at least
W
When at last the gambler left the casino, he had won at least 1 million
dollars.
Last but not least I'd like to welcome my old friend Jeff.

31 Notice-realize-recognize-remark
W
Al Capone noticed a man behind the car. When he recognized him he
realized that it was too late to escape. Later, a police officer remarked:
"Capone was killed by a boy."

32 Lie lay
W
When she was lying in the bed he lay down beside her

41 During while
CON
It began to rain during the picnic.
It began to rain while we were having a picnic.

42 What (dt. "was, das")

CON
What is going on here? I am very surprised about what I have just seen.

58 Too to
I loved to love him.
Yes, I loved to love him, too.

gr

59 Adjective adverb
We pratise hard for the finals.
We hardly pratise for the finals.

gr

60 3rd person sing. s

Jim loves his car.
Everything counts in large amounts.

gr

61 Genitive ('s vs. of)

He is Jim's cousin.
This the the capital of Nebraska.

gr

62 A an
I bought a house.
I saw him an hour ago.

gr

47 Of for (dt. "fr")

P
This test is typical of our teacher; he asks us to give an example of a round
character, to name the symbols of love, peace and innocence and he also
wants us to find the reason for the hero's strange behavior.

63 Which who
It was Michael who won the race. No, it was his bike which won the race!

gr

48 Of off
P
He switched off the lights of his car and went off to bed.

64 Completeness of sentences
CON
Always write a complete sentence! Never miss the verb!

49 With on at (dt. "bei")

Last year we went to stay with out English friends. On our arrival we were
welcomed by their son with a big cake. He had bought it at the baker's.

65 Concord of tenses
CON
Never switch tenses if there is no reason!

43 want someb. to do someth.

CON
Dad wants me to come home early tonight.
44 Possibility opportunity chance
CON
There is the possibility of getting rich by hard work.
There is the possibility that one may get rich by hard work.
I have the opportunity to go (of going) to Denmark.
The Dallas Cowboys had no chance of winning (to win) the Super Bowl.
45 In into
P
When the cook saw a fly in the soup he jumped into the pot to rescue it.
46 Of from by (dt. "von")
P
The engine of his car was designed by specialists from three different
countries.

55 Irregular verbs
Find your own all-time favorites!

gr

56 There their
W
We won't let them get their books.
We won't let them get there.
57 This these ; that those
gr
I love this house.
I want to have one of these one day.
Where is your house? That one over there is mine.
But I want to have one of those further up the road one day.