Can/ Could I? Can/Could you?

1.- We form questions with can, may and could like this:

Questions

Can
May --------> I/He/She/It/We (etc.) wait?
Could

2.- We use can, may and could to ask for things:

Can etc. + I/we + have ...?

Can I have a coffe?


Example

Could we have two tickets,please?
Can I have some sugar?

3.- We use can, may or could to ask for permission. Could I and May I are more formal and polite than Can I:

Can/May/ Could + I/We + INFINITIVE...?

Example:

Could we look at your map, please?
Can I borrow your tennis racquet, please?

We use can or may to give permission:
You can leave your bag here. (Or... may leave...)

If we talk about what is allowed in general, rather than by a particular person, we use can:

People can drive on the roads when they are seventeen.

But official notices often use may:
BAGS MAY BE LEFT HERE.

4.- We use Can you, Could you and Would you (but not May you) when we ask someone to do something. Could and would are more formal and polite than can.

Can/ Could/ Would + you + INFINITIVE ...?
Could you help me?

Example:

Could you buy me a newspaper?


A: I'm cold. Can you close the windows?
B: Yes, of course.

Ability: can, can't, could, couldn't

1. We form sentences with can like this:

can+ infinitive

I can ski.

Positive

I/He/She/It/We/You/They can ski

Negative Full Short
Form Form

I/He/She/It/We/You/They cannot ski can't ski.

Questions

Can I/He/She/It/We/You/They (etc) ski?

In spoken English cannot is possible, but we normally use can't:

He can't swim

2.- We use can and can't to talk about things we are able to do generally.

She can speak Japanese. (= She is able to speak Japanese)
He can't ski. (= He isn't able to ski.)

We also use can and can't to talk about things we are able to do at the moment:
I can see the moon. (= I am able yo see it now).

3.- We form sentences with could like this:

could + infinitive

I could swim

Positive

I/He/She/It/We/You/They. could ski.

Negative Full Short

Form Form

I/He/She/It/We/You/They could not ski. couldn't ski.

We use could to talk about things we were able to do generally in the past:

I could run 100 metres in 12 seconds when i was young

Susan could read when she was three years old.

4.- We do not normally use could for something that happened on an particular occasion in the past. We use was able to or managed to:

The boat was in difficulties, but in the end it managed to reach the port. (Or... it was able to reach...; Not... it could reach...)

5.- When we talk about person's ability to do something in the future, we use will be able to.

The baby will be able to talk soon.

So am I, I am too, Neither am I, etc

1. Look at this.

She is saying that she is also tired.

2.- Here are some more examples:

He was very angry. ----> So was I

My flat's quite small. -->So is mine.
They were waiting --> So was she.
I'm going to have tea --> So am I
Ann has finished her work and so has Mary.
They've been waiting. --> So has she.
I work in an office. --> So do I.
I enjoyed the film.--> So did I.
Philip will pass the exam and so will you.
He can drive. --> So can she.

Note:

----> we use so after a positive statements;
----> the verb we use after so depends on the verb used in the positive statement.

3.- Instead of so am I, we can say I am too, with the same meaning. Here are some examples:

I'm tired. ---> I am too.
We've got a small flat. ---> We have too.
I work in an office. ---> I do too.
Bill enjoyed the film and I did too.

4.- We can use expression like neither am I to reply to a negative statement:

I'm not tired. ----> Neither am I (= and I'm not tired.)
I haven't seen that film.---> Neither have I
I don't like this pleace. ---> Neither do I
I didn't see that play. ---> Neither did I
His sister can't drive and neither can he.

5.- We can say I'm not either to mean the same as neither am I:

I'm not tired. ---> I'm not either. (= And I'm not tired.)

I haven't seen that film. ---> I haven't either.
I don't like this place . ---> I don't either.
I didn't see that play. ---> I didn't either.
His sister can't drive and he can't either.

Short answers

1. Look at this example:

Question + Short Answer

Is he at work? -- Yes, he is.
Can I come? -- No, you can't.
Do you like it? -- Yes, I do.
Does she live here? -- No, she doesn't.

We call these 'short answer' because they are not 'full' answers:

Is she sick? --> Yes, she is sick. (full answer)
--> Yes, she is. (short answer)

We use short answers to reply to 'yes/ no' questions.

Are you coming? --> Yes, I am
--> No, I'm not

2. We form short answers by not using the main verb from the question:

Have they gone? -->Yes, they have gone.
Did he go to Paris? --> Yes, he did go.
Is she waiting? --> Yes, she is waiting.

When the main verb is be, we use be:

Are you tired? --> Yes, I am.

When use answer No, we use a negative verb:

Will they win? -->No, they won't.
Did Paul come? -->No, he didn't.
Are you cold? --> No, I'm not.

We never use positive short forms in short answers:

Are you tired? --> Yes, I am. ( not Yes, I'm.)
Is he happy?--> Yes, he is. ( not Yes, he's.)

3. We can also use short answers to reply 'yes' or 'no' to statements:

Statement + Reply

He's working hard --> Yes, he is.
She's at work. --> No, She isn't.
She loves films. --> Yes, she does.

Note that with Present Simple or Past Simple verbs, we use do, does or did in the reply:

She loves films -->Yes, she does.
He liked the book --> Yes, he did.

4. When we write, we normally put a 'comma' (,) after Yes or No in short answers:

He lives in London. -->No, her doesn't

Question tags

1. A question tag is a short question (e.g. isn't it? haven't we?) that we can add at the end of a statement:

Henry: We've met before, haven't we?
Jeff: Yes, we have.

2. Look at this part of a conversation:

Anna: Sandra is Swiss.
David: No, she's French, isn't she?

(= I thought she was French, but am I wrong?)


When tag question really are questions, like David's the voice up at the end.

but when tag questions are not really questions, the voice goes down at the end:

That was a boring programme, wasn't it?
(=I think that was a boring programme.)


3. Note that the verb we use in the tag depends on the verb used in the statement:

Verb + Tag

be: You're French aren't you?

verbs: He plays golf doesn't he?

auxiliary verb: It has arrived hasn't it?

Thus, most verbs use do/does, while be and auxiliary verbs use the same verb in the question tag.

4. A positive statement has a negative tag:

Positive + Negative

I'm right aren't I?
(Not am't I?)
You're 18, aren't you?
They're getting tired, aren't they?
They were friendly, weren't they?
He lives in France, doesn't he?
You speak Spanish, don't you?
You passed your exams, didn't you?
She has left, hasn't she?
You can drive, can't you?
The bus will come soon, won't it?

5. A negative statement has a positive tag:

Negative + Positive

It isn't very cheap, is it?

We aren't going to be late, are we?

She wasn't angry, was she?
You don't like this, do you?
She didn't win, did she?
She hasn't visited Ireland, has she?
She can't drive, can she?
It won't rain today, will it?

Whose is this? - It's John's

1. 's and'

We use the apostrophe ( ' ) to talk about possesion:

This is Mike's house. ( = The house belongs to Mike.)

Here are the rules:

---> Singular noun ( e.g. Mary) +'s:
Where is Tom's bike?

---> Irregular plural noun ( e. g. men) + ' s:
Have you got the children's books?

---> Regular plural noun ( e. g. teachers) + ' :
We have eight children. This is the boys' bedroom, and this is the girls' bedroom.


2. We use the apostrophe for people, but not normally for things. We use of for things:
The boys' room. ( Not The room of the boys.)
The end of the film. ( Not the film's end.)

We say:

I'm going to the newsagent's, the baker's the butcher's. . . .
because we mean "the newsagent's shop/ the baker's shop/ the butcher's shop.


3. We use whose to ask about possesion:

A:Whose car is that? (= Who does that car belong to? )

B: It's John's. (= It belongs to John.)

A: Whose shoes are those?

B:They're mine. (=They belong to me.)


The word whose does not change:

Whose book is that?
Whose books are those?

We often use this, that, these and those in our questions. We often use mine, yours, his, etc. in our answers:

Whose watch is that ? --->It's Steven's.
---> It's his.

( We don't need to say: It's Steven's watch.)


4. Whose sounds the same as who's but it is different in meaning:

Whose coat is this? (= Who does this coat belong to?)
Who's coming? (=Who is coming?)
Who's finished? (=Who has finished?)

Who and what : subject and object

1. Compare these examples:

Ann: Who told you?
Mary: James told me


who -----> Subject

This is a subject question.


Ann: Who did you tell?
Mary: I told Bill.


Who ----->Object


This is an object question



2. Compare subject and object questions with who:

in the sentence Who told you? Who is the subject. Here is another example:

Who -----> Subject

Ann: Who wrote Hamlet?
(= Somebody wrote Hamlet. Who?)

Mary: Shakespeare wrote Hamlet.

When who is the subject, the order of the word is the same as in a statement:


Who is going to come with me?
Who lives in that old house?
Who wants some more coffee?


In the sentence Who did you tell? Who is the object. Here is another example:

Who -----> Object

Ann: Who did you meet last night?
(=You met somebody. Who?)

Mary: I met a couple of friends.


When who is the object, we use an auxiliary ( be, do, have, etc.) before the subject:

Who are you going to invite?
Who did Laura ask for help?
Who have you told about this?


3. Compare subject and object questions with what:

What -----> Subject

What is in this dish?
(= Something is in it. What?)

What -----> Object

What did you buy at the shops?
(= You bought something. What?)

What ... like?

1. Look at this questions and answer:

A: What's Julie like?
B: She's very pretty and she's very kind, but she's not very clever.


We use What ... like? to ask about person's physical appareance ( tall, short, pretty, etc.) or character (interesting, boring, friendly, unfriendly, etc).

We can also use What ... like? to ask about places, books, films and events (e.g. a party, a football match):

A:What's Rio de Janeiro like?
B: Well, the beaches are wonderfull but the traffic is awful.

A:What's Spielberg's latest film like?
B: It's excellent.

2. We use look like? to talk about someone's appearance:

A:What does Julie look like?
B: She's tall with brown hair.

We can also use like with taste, feel, sound and smell:

A:What does that taste like?
B: It taste like cheese.

A: What is this material?
B: I don't know. It looks like wool but it feels like cotton.

3. We can also use like, with the question word Who and in statements, to mean "similar to":

A: Who's Julie like- her father or her mother?
B: She's like her mother. (= she is similar to her mother.)

Rio de Janeiro is like Buenos Aires. (= Rio is similar to Buenos Aires.)

4. The word like in What's she like? is a preposition; it is not the verb like. Here is an example of like used as a verb:

A: What music does Julie like?
B: She likes rock music.

5. We usually use How?, not What ... like?, when we ask about someone's health or temporary state:

A: How's your brother today?
B: He's feeling much better.

A: How was your boss today?
B: He was very friendly today!

How long/far/often...?

1. We use How long...? to ask about a period of time:

How long have you been waiting?- About twenty minutes.

How long will the journey take?- Three hours.

We use from... to or from... until to talk about a period of time:

She was a student from 1995 to 2000

Tomorrow I'm working from 8.30 until 6.


2. We use How far...? to ask about the distance from one place to another. We can use from and to with the places we are asking about:

How far is it from Amsterdam to Paris? 475 kilometres.

How far are the shops from here?- Not far.


3. We use How often...? to ask about the number of times something happens. We can use phrases like every day, once a week, etc. In the answer:

How often do the buses run?- Every hour.

How often do you play squash?- Twice a week.


4. We can use How much...? to ask about the price of something:

How much is a return ticket to Florence?

How much did you pay for this car?


5. We use How much...?with an uncountable noun to ask about the amount of something.

An uncountable noun cannot be plural beacuse it describes something that cannot be counted (e.g. bread, work, weather, money, music,meat,milk, cheese.)

How much bread is there in the cupboard?

How much work have you done today?


6.We use How many...? with a plural noun to ask about numbers:

How many student are in your class?- Fifteen.

How many people went to the party?- Ten.


7. We use How old...? to ask about someone's age:

How old are you?- I'm 19.

Note that we say:

I am 19, or:19. (not I have 19.)

We can also say: I'm 19 years ols. But we cannot say: I'm 19 years.

How long/far/often...?

Who, what, which

1. We use who to ask about people:

• who are you going to visit?
• I'm going to visit my sister
• who did Jane invite to her party?

2. We use what and which to ask about things:

• What film did you see at the cinema?
• Which newspaper do you want, The Times or the Daily Telegraph?

We normally use what when there are many possible answers:


We normally use which when there is a small number of possible answers:

3. When we form questions, we normally put a form of be or an auxiliary verb (e.g. can, will, do) after who, what and which?

• Who is the President of Peru?
• Who can speak Chinese?
• Who did you meet at the party?
• What's the capital of India?- New Delhi
• What's she doing?
• What was the name of your teacher?
• What does your father do?
• Which car will you buy, the Fiat or the Ford?
• Which shirt do you prefer, the red one or the blue one?
  

Where, when, why, how

1. Where, when, why and how are question words. We use them like this:

---> Where
We use Where to ask about places:
Where is Mike? He´s at home

---> When
We use When to ask about times and dates:
When will you phone? At six o´clock.

---> Why
We use Why to ask about the reason for something:
Why is Mary taking a taxi? Because her car isn´t working

---> How
We use how to ask "in what way?":
How did he get to Brighton? He wen by train.



We also use how to ask about people´s health or happiness:

Hello. how are you? I´m fine, thanks.


2. We form questions with where, when , why and how like this:

---> In questions with be, we put the subjects after be:

be+ subject

Why is Paul angry?
Where are they?
Why is he here?

---> In questions with an auxiliary verb (will, is, are, can, must, etc.), we put the subject after the auxiliary verb:

verb + subject + verb

Why are they leaving?
How will she get there?
When will you phone ?

--->In questions with a Present Simple or Past Simple verb, we put a form of do before the subject:

do + subject + verb

Where does she live?
Why did you phone the police?
Where did he live?

"Yes/ No" Questions

1. Here are some "yes/ no" questions:

Are you hungry?

Shall I answer the phone?

Did you enjoy the film?

We call them "yes/no" questions because the answer either "yes" or" no":

Are you hungry? Yes, I am

No, I'm not.

2. We form 'yes/ no' questions like this:

---> We put the verb be before the subject:

be + Subject

Are they busy?

Is he ready?

Was she here?

Or, we put an auxiliary verb (be, have, will, shall, can, may, etc.) before the subject:

Auxiliary + Subject + Verb

Is Mark leaving?

Have they gone?

Will they win?

Can you sing?

---> With the Present Simple verbs, we put do or does before the subject:

Do + subject + verb

Does she work in Paris?

Do they live in New York?

Do you play tennis?

Does he like ice- cream?

Note that we say:

Does she play tennis?

not (Does she plays tenis)

--->With Past Simple verbs, we put did before the subject:

Did + subject + verb

Did she visit Paris?

Did he go to Spain?

3. Here are all the forms of do questions:

Present Simple

Do I/ you/ we/ they ---> work?

Does He/ she/ it ------> work?

Past Simple

Did I/ you/ he/ she/ it/ we/ you/ they ---> work?

Word order: subject, verb, obejct

1. In English, the order of words in a statement is subject + verb+ object:

Subject + Verb + Object

I enjoy good food

Peter is watching Tv.

She drank a cup of coffee

2. Some verbs (e.g. like) always need an object:

Subject + Verb + Object

I like music

She wants a drink

3. After the verb be, we can use an object or an adjective:

She is a doctor--------> object

Mary is tired---------> adjective

We can also put adjectives after the verbs look, seem and feel.

Mary looks tired

4. now look at this example:

John gave Mary an apple.

John gave her an apple.

After some verbs (e.g. give, send, bring), we can talk about a person (Mary, her) and an object:

Verb + Person + Object

He sent Jane a book

Ann made Tom a cup of tea

Ann brought him a cup of tea.

He left them some money

She wrote him a letter

5. We usually put information about times or places at the end of the sentence:

I had a holiday in Spain----->Place

They gave their son a watch yesterday----->time

Nouns, verbs, adjectives, etc.

1. Look at this

Steven bought an expensive new car on Friday

Steven--->Noun
bought --------> verb
expensive -----------> adjective
new----> adjective
car-------> noun
friday------->noun

He drove it carefully to Manchester

He, it ----> pronouns
carefully -----> adverbs
to, on -------> preposition
Manchester -----> noun

2. Nouns describe things or people or animals

Butter car woman dog problem


Some nouns (proper nouns) are the names of people, places and things. We begin proper nouns with capital letters ( A, B...):


Jane, Paris, Oxford Street, June, a Rolls- Royce, the Tower London.


3. Verbs describe actions or situations:


Work, play, live, meet, stay, see



They work hard (work= verb)


I saw Peter (Saw= verb)



4. We use auxiliary verbs (be, have, do, will, can, may, must, etc.)
before another verb:

They are working hard. (are= auxiliary)

I have seen Peter. (have = auxiliary)

I must go now. (must= auxiliary)



5. We put adjectives (e.g wonderful) before nouns:

We had a wonderful day


We can also use adjectives after the verbs be, look, seem, feel:

He's hungry She looks tired.


Sometimes we put very before adjectives:

It's very hot today.

he bought a very expensive car


6. We normally use adverbs to describe verbs:

She walked quickly. He sings well


7. We use pronouns (I, you, he, she,etc.) to replace nouns:


David has a new job.
He is enojoying it


8. We use prepositions (in, on, at, etc.) when we are talking about places and times:


Place: She's at home
It's in the box


Time: I'll see you on monday
They went on holiday in June