English Grammar & Writing Tenses, Voice & Mood Syllabus

What are the four main types of conditional sentences in English?

Zero conditional (general truths), First conditional (real/likely future), Second conditional (unreal/hypothetical present or future), and Third conditional (unreal past). Each pairs a specific tense in the 'if' clause with one in the main clause.

Give the structure and use of the Zero Conditional.

Structure: If + present simple, present simple. Use: general truths, scientific facts, and things always true. Example: 'If you heat ice, it melts.'

Give the structure and use of the First Conditional.

Structure: If + present simple, will + base verb. Use: real and likely future situations. Example: 'If it rains, we will cancel the picnic.'

Give the structure and use of the Second Conditional.

Structure: If + past simple, would + base verb. Use: unreal, hypothetical, or improbable present/future situations. Example: 'If I won the lottery, I would travel the world.' Note: 'were' is often used for all subjects ('If I were you').

Give the structure and use of the Third Conditional.

Structure: If + past perfect, would have + past participle. Use: unreal situations in the past (imagining a different outcome). Example: 'If she had studied, she would have passed the exam.'

What is a mixed conditional? Give an example.

A mixed conditional combines clauses from different times, most commonly a past condition with a present result: If + past perfect, would + base verb. Example: 'If I had taken that job, I would be rich now.'

How is the passive voice formed in English?

Passive = the appropriate form of the verb 'be' + past participle of the main verb. The tense is carried by 'be.' Example: 'The letter was written by Tom.' The agent is optionally added with 'by.'

What is the difference between active and passive voice?

In active voice the subject performs the action ('The chef cooked the meal'). In passive voice the subject receives the action, and the doer becomes optional ('The meal was cooked by the chef'). Passive foregrounds the object/result rather than the agent.

Give the passive form of the Present Simple and Past Simple.

Present Simple passive: am/is/are + past participle ('The rooms are cleaned daily'). Past Simple passive: was/were + past participle ('The house was built in 1900').

Give the passive form of the Present Perfect and modal verbs.

Present Perfect passive: have/has been + past participle ('The work has been finished'). Modal passive: modal + be + past participle ('The report must be submitted').

Give the passive form of the Present Continuous and Past Continuous.

Present Continuous passive: am/is/are being + past participle ('The bridge is being repaired'). Past Continuous passive: was/were being + past participle ('The car was being washed').

Give the passive form of the Future Simple and 'be going to'.

Future Simple passive: will be + past participle ('The results will be announced'). 'Be going to' passive: am/is/are going to be + past participle ('The event is going to be held online').

When should the passive voice be used? List the main situations.

Use the passive when: 1) the agent is unknown, obvious, or unimportant; 2) the action/result matters more than the doer; 3) you want an impersonal, objective tone (scientific/formal writing); 4) to maintain focus or flow on a topic. Example: 'Penicillin was discovered in 1928.'

Why is the passive voice common in scientific and academic writing?

It creates an objective, impersonal tone by emphasizing the process, method, or result rather than the researcher. Example: 'The solution was heated to 80°C' focuses on the procedure, not who did it.

What are the steps to convert an active sentence into a passive one?

1) Move the active object to the subject position. 2) Change the verb to 'be' (in the same tense) + past participle. 3) Move the original subject to a 'by' phrase (or omit it). Example: 'Tom broke the window' → 'The window was broken (by Tom).'

When converting active to passive, what happens to a verb with two objects (e.g., 'give')?

Either object can become the passive subject, giving two possible passives. Active: 'They gave her a prize.' Passive 1: 'She was given a prize.' Passive 2: 'A prize was given to her.' The indirect-object version is more common.

Which active sentences cannot be made passive, and why?

Sentences with intransitive verbs (no object), such as 'sleep,' 'arrive,' or 'die,' cannot be passivized because the passive requires an object to become the new subject. Example: 'She arrived' has no passive form.

In the passive, when is the 'by + agent' phrase usually omitted?

The 'by' phrase is omitted when the agent is unknown, unimportant, obvious from context, or a generic 'people/they.' Example: 'My wallet was stolen' (thief unknown); 'English is spoken here' (people in general).

Distinguish Present Perfect from Simple Past in usage.

Simple Past refers to a finished action at a definite/stated past time ('I saw him yesterday'). Present Perfect links a past action to now, with no specific time, or a period continuing to the present ('I have seen him'). Present Perfect cannot be used with finished-time markers like 'yesterday.'

Distinguish Present Perfect from Present Perfect Continuous.

Present Perfect (have + p.p.) emphasizes completion/result or quantity ('I have written three letters'). Present Perfect Continuous (have been + -ing) emphasizes ongoing duration of the activity ('I have been writing letters all morning').

Distinguish Past Simple from Past Perfect.

Past Simple states a single completed past action. Past Perfect (had + p.p.) marks an action completed before another past action, clarifying sequence. Example: 'When I arrived (past simple), the meeting had already started (past perfect).'

What are stative verbs, and why are they normally not used in continuous tenses?

Stative verbs express states rather than actions — e.g., know, believe, love, own, seem, want. They describe conditions with no ongoing 'action,' so they usually appear in simple, not continuous, tenses. Correct: 'I know the answer,' not 'I am knowing.'

Which time expressions typically signal each of the Simple Present, Present Continuous, and Present Perfect?

Simple Present: always, usually, every day, often, never. Present Continuous: now, right now, at the moment, currently, these days. Present Perfect: already, yet, just, ever, never, since, for, so far.

What is the grammatical mood, and what are the three main moods in English?

Mood expresses the speaker's attitude toward the action. The three main moods are: Indicative (states facts/questions), Imperative (gives commands/requests), and Subjunctive (expresses wishes, hypotheticals, or demands). Example subjunctive: 'I suggest that he be present.'

What is the subjunctive mood, and where does it appear in modern English?

The subjunctive expresses non-real situations: wishes, hypotheticals, demands, and suggestions. It uses the base verb (no -s) or 'were.' It appears after verbs like suggest, insist, demand ('that he go') and in unreal conditions ('If I were you'). Example: 'It is essential that she be informed.'

Rewrite in reported speech: She said, 'I have finished my homework.'

She said (that) she had finished her homework. (Present perfect 'have finished' backshifts to past perfect 'had finished,' and 'my' becomes 'her.')

Convert to the passive: 'The committee will review the applications.'

The applications will be reviewed (by the committee). (Future Simple passive: will + be + past participle; the object 'applications' becomes the subject.)

Complete with the correct conditional: 'If I ___ (see) him tomorrow, I ___ (tell) him the news.'

'If I see him tomorrow, I will tell him the news.' This is a First Conditional (real future): if + present simple, will + base verb.

Why can unnecessary shifts between active and passive voice weaken writing?

Frequent, unmotivated switching between voices disrupts consistency and focus, obscures who is doing what, and can make prose vague or wordy. Good writing keeps the actor as subject when clarity and directness matter, using passive only for a deliberate reason.

Summarize the tense–aspect system by naming the four aspects English combines with time.

English combines three times (present, past, future) with four aspects: Simple (complete/general), Continuous/Progressive (in progress), Perfect (completed relative to a point, 'have + p.p.'), and Perfect Continuous (ongoing duration up to a point, 'have been + -ing'). This yields twelve basic tense forms.