Grammar Points
English grammar patterns — tenses, modals, conditionals, articles, clauses, and voice. Each entry pairs the form's structure with a plain-English summary, example sentences, and the mistakes learners most often make.
36 grammar points
Tenses (10)
Present Simple
A1
Use the present simple for facts, habits, routines, and things that are generally true. Add -s/-es to the verb with he, she, and it.
Present Continuous
A1
Use the present continuous for actions happening now, around the present time, or for temporary situations. It is also used for fixed future arrangements.
Past Simple
A1
Use the past simple for completed actions at a definite time in the past. Regular verbs add -ed; many common verbs are irregular.
Future with 'Going To'
A2
Use 'going to' for plans and intentions decided before now, and for predictions based on present evidence.
Future with 'Will'
A2
Use 'will' for predictions, instant decisions made at the moment of speaking, promises, and offers.
Past Continuous
B1
Use the past continuous for an action in progress at a moment in the past, often interrupted by a shorter past simple action, or for two parallel ongoing actions.
Present Perfect
B1
Use the present perfect to connect a past action to the present — for life experiences, recent changes, and unfinished time periods. The exact time is not stated.
Present Perfect Continuous
B2
Use the present perfect continuous to emphasize the duration of an action that started in the past and is still happening or has just stopped.
Past Perfect
B2
Use the past perfect to show that one past action happened before another past action. It is the 'past of the past'.
Future Continuous
B2
Use the future continuous for an action that will be in progress at a specific time in the future, or for planned, expected future events.
Modals (6)
Can / Could (Ability and Permission)
A2
Use 'can' for present ability and informal permission or requests. Use 'could' for past ability and for more polite requests.
Must / Have To (Obligation)
B1
Use 'must' and 'have to' to express obligation or necessity. 'Mustn't' means something is forbidden, while 'don't have to' means there is no obligation.
Should (Advice)
B1
Use 'should' and 'shouldn't' to give advice, make recommendations, or say what is the right thing to do.
May / Might (Possibility)
B1
Use 'may' and 'might' to talk about present or future possibility. 'May' is also used for formal permission.
Would for Past Habits
B2
Use 'would' to talk about repeated past actions and habits, similar to 'used to'. Unlike 'used to', 'would' is not normally used for past states.
Would (Polite Requests and Hypotheticals)
B1
Use 'would' for polite requests and offers, for hypothetical results (especially in conditionals), and to describe imagined situations.
Conditionals (5)
First Conditional
B1
Use the first conditional for real or likely situations in the future and their probable results.
Zero Conditional
B1
Use the zero conditional for facts and things that are always true — when one thing happens, the result always follows.
Second Conditional
B2
Use the second conditional for unreal, hypothetical, or unlikely situations in the present or future, and their imagined results.
Third Conditional
B2
Use the third conditional to talk about imagined past situations that did not happen, and to express regret or criticism about the past.
Mixed Conditional
C1
Use a mixed conditional when the time of the condition and the time of the result are different — for example, a past condition with a present result, or a present condition with a past result.
Articles (4)
A / An (Indefinite Article)
A1
Use 'a' or 'an' before singular countable nouns when you mention something for the first time or talk about it in a general, non-specific way. Use 'a' before a consonant sound and 'an' before a vowel sound.
The (Definite Article)
A2
Use 'the' when it is clear which specific thing you mean — because it was already mentioned, is unique, or is known from the situation.
Zero Article (No Article)
A2
Use no article with plural and uncountable nouns when talking generally, and with most names of people, countries, meals, languages, and abstract ideas.
Quantifiers and Articles Review: A / An / The / Zero
B1
Choose between a/an (one of many, first mention), the (specific or known), and no article (general plural/uncountable) depending on whether the noun is specific and countable.
Clauses (3)
Relative Clauses (Defining)
B1
Use defining relative clauses to give essential information that identifies which person or thing you mean. Use who for people, which for things, and that for both. No commas are used.
Reported Speech
B2
Use reported speech to tell someone what another person said without quoting their exact words. Tenses usually shift back, and pronouns and time expressions often change.
Relative Clauses (Non-Defining)
B2
Use non-defining relative clauses to add extra, non-essential information about a noun. These clauses are separated by commas, and 'that' cannot be used.
Voice (1)
Other (7)
Plural and Quantifiers: Some / Any
A1
Use 'some' in positive sentences and offers/requests, and 'any' in negatives and most questions. They work with plural countable nouns and uncountable nouns.
Comparatives and Superlatives
A2
Use comparatives to compare two things and superlatives to compare three or more. Short adjectives add -er/-est; longer ones use more/most.
Used To (Past Habits and States)
A2
Use 'used to' to talk about habits or states that were true in the past but are not true now.
Quantifiers: Much / Many / A Lot Of
A2
Use 'many' with countable nouns and 'much' with uncountable nouns, especially in questions and negatives. 'A lot of' works with both and is common in positive sentences.
Question Formation
B1
Form most questions by inverting the subject and an auxiliary verb (be, do, have, or a modal). Wh- words (what, where, when, why, how) go at the start.
Gerunds vs Infinitives
B2
Some verbs are followed by a gerund (-ing form) and others by an infinitive (to + verb). The choice depends on the first verb, and a few verbs change meaning depending on which form follows.
Phrasal Verbs (Introduction)
B1
A phrasal verb is a verb combined with a particle (like up, off, on, out) that often creates a new meaning. Some can be separated by their object, and some cannot.