Grammar

Some materials that make us feel in doubt sometimes

A. PERFECT TENSE

The pattern is:

(+) Subject + have/has + Verb-III + Object

(-) Subject + have/has + not + Verb-III + Object

(?) Have/has + subject + Verb-III + Object

The usages for this pattern are:

1. To tell about an activity that we have done it and we haven’t known the exactly time or over a period time in the past.

She has gone to Banjarmasin

2. To describe an action or situation which began in the past and which continue in the present time.

We have studied since seven o’clock

3. To indicate that something happened in a short time, but still relevant in the present time.

I have just eaten

4. The time of the action is not mentioned and it is not implied.

They have told my students

We use auxiliary have for the subject I, You, They, and We, or we have known as the first speaker, the second speaker, and the third speaker, but not alone. We use auxiliary has for the subject she, he, it, and Andi.

B. PAST TENSE

The pattern is:

(+) Subject + Verb-II + Object

(-) Subject + did + not + Verb-I + Object

(?) Did + Subject + Verb-I + Object

The usages for this pattern are:

1. To report a state or activity which can be ascribed to a definite past time.

The air plane arrived this morning

2. To describe an activity that occurred over a period of time in the past, but don’t occur now.

His mother wrote to him every day

C. PAST PERFECT TENSE

The pattern is:

(+) Subject + had + Verb-III + Object

(-) Subject + had + not + Verb-III + Object

(?) Had + Subject + Verb-III + Object

The usages for this pattern are:

1. To show that the action of the verb in the past perfect tense had happened a very short time before the time of reference: the verb in the simple past tense. The word when often introduces the clause containing the simple past tense verb.

The lecturer did not begin until everyone had arrived

2. To replace the present perfect or simple past tense when a direct quotation is changed into reported speech.

The lecturer said “I have studied the problem for years”

The lecturer said that he had studied the problem for years.

3. To express an unrealized wish that something in the past had been different.

If only you had told me

I wish you had come with us

4. In certain contrary-to-fact conditional sentences.

If Cleon had known the facts, he would have told you.

D. Future Perfect

The pattern is:

(+) Subject + will/shall + have + Verb-III + Object

(-) Subject + will/shall + have + not + Verb-III + Object

(?) Will/shall + Subject + have + Verb-III + Object

The usages for this pattern are:

1. It shows that an action will take place or be completed before another time or action in the future. Time expressions that are usually used or understood include expressions with by and in: by then, by that time, by next year and so on.

I will have finished my work by the end of this week.

E. The Will and be Going To Future

The two most common future constructions are will (or shall) + the simple form of the verb and be going to + the simple form of the verb. While these constructions are often used interchangeably, each has functions distinctly its own. The be going to future shows that the subject consciously intends or plans the future action, while the will future is more likely to be used for actions that are to be taken impulsively or without prior thought.

I am going to talk to my teacher to night.

But:

I just heard that my teacher is back in the house; I think I will phone him.

The will future expresses futurity when the futurity depends on a condition or circumstance which is expressed in an accompanying adverbial clause. The clause is introduced by such conjunctions as if, when, as soon as, whenever and so on. The be going to future is rarely used in such sentence.

F. CONDITIONAL SENTENCE

A conditional sentence contains two clauses: a dependent clause beginning with if (or another conjunction performing the same general function) and a main clause. The main clause gives the result of the if clause. There are three different types of conditional sentences. Each type is composed of a different combination of tenses:

I. Future-Possible Condition

A sentence that expresses a future-possible condition refers to an action that may or may not take place in the future. The present tense of the verb is used in the if clause, and the future tense is used in the main clause.

If Ann comes, I will give her the book.

They will not go to the campus if it is in the holiday.

When, as soon as, until, before, and so on, may take the place of the if and as with the if clause, the order of clauses may be reversed. We can also use the other modal auxiliaries may, can, and must, or the auxiliary be going to.

If we go first, they are not going to follow us.

II. Present-Unreal Condition

This kind of conditional sentence describes a situation which doesn’t exist or unreal. We don’t expect the condition in the if clause to become a fact. The past tense of the verb is used in the if clause in these sentence, and the modals would, should, could, and might are used in the main clause. This if clause is what is traditionally called a subjunctive. The order of the clauses can be reversed.

I am not rich man

If I was a rich man, I would go abroad

The subjunctive were in the if clause is used for all persons. If can be omitted when it is followed by were, had, should, would, and other auxiliaries. The auxiliary then precedes the subject. This results in the somewhat more formal language.

If he/she were here, he/she should take care of the children

III. Past-Unreal Condition

This conditional sentence indicates past time and indicates an unreal and unfulfilled situation. The past perfect tense is used in the if clause. And would have, should have, and might have are used in the main clause. Notice that the order of the clauses can be reversed.

I didn’t know about her

If I had known her, I would have told you everything about her

If can be replaced by but for, provided (that), supposing (that), and so on in both present-unreal and past-unreal sentences.

If there were no water, what would the world be like?

Supposing there were no water, what would the world be like?

G. COORDINATE CONJUCTIONS

These conjunctions join equal sentence parts. We have seen that compound subjects and predicates are joined together by these words. They are actually used to join any parallel of the sentence. by examining the preceding sentences. Basic sentence pattern, as can be seen When a coordinate conjunction joins two sentences, the conjunction is normally preceded by a comma. Sentences joined by coordinate conjunctions may or may not be of the same. There are seven coordinate conjunctions, notice that they have distinct meanings:

a. And shows augmentation. My brother moved to Banjarmasin, and I moved to Barabai.

b. But and yet show contrast. My mother moved away, but/yet my father stayed away here. Yet is sometimes considered a conjunctive adverb like however, rather than a coordinate conjunction. Ana earns a good salary; yet he never seems to have any money.

c. Or and nor show contrast or alternation. Are you going to the party, or will stay here/I don’t write Arabic, nor do I speak it very well. Notice, that after nor, the sentence pattern takes question word order, the verb or auxiliary before the subject.

d. For and so show reason. That student failed, for he was very ill this year/the books were cheap, so I bought all of them.

H. CORRELATIVE CONJUNCTIONS

These conjunctions, as seen in the case of compound subjects and predicates, are used in pairs. They may be used to join two basic sentence patterns or two parallel elements of any kind. They are:

a. (either…. or…..) Either you will go, or I will force you.

b. (neither... nor…) He is neither clever nor handsome.

c. (both…. And…) Both Yuda and Andin are intelligent students.

d. (not only… but also) She is not only the beautiful girl, but she is also the wonder girl.

Not only is she the beautiful girl, but she is also the wonder girl.