Grammar and accuracy

📌 Key points

1. Use the present perfect (have/has + past participle) for past actions linked to now, often with 'since', 'for', 'already' and 'yet': 'I have lived here since 2019.'
2. Use the past simple for finished actions at a stated past time: 'I visited Rome last year.' (not 'I have visited Rome last year').
3. The verb must agree with its subject: 'She goes', 'They go', 'Everyone is here', 'The news is good'.
4. Use a before a consonant sound and an before a vowel sound: 'an hour', 'an umbrella', 'a university', 'a European city'.
5. Conditionals: first — 'If it rains, I will stay home'; second — 'If I had more time, I would travel'; third — 'If I had known, I would have helped'.
6. The passive is formed with 'be' + past participle and focuses on the action: 'The bridge was built in 1990.'
7. In reported speech, tenses usually move back: 'I am tired' becomes 'She said (that) she was tired.'
8. Comparatives and superlatives: 'bigger', 'more interesting', 'better', 'the best'; never 'more better'.
9. Some verbs are followed by '-ing': 'I enjoy swimming', 'I look forward to hearing'; others by 'to': 'I want to go', 'I decided to stay'.
10. Punctuation: use a capital letter and a full stop for each sentence; do not join two complete sentences with only a comma; use an apostrophe for possession ('the girl's bag') and contractions ('it's' = it is).

📖 Key terms

Present perfect

have/has + past participle, used for past actions with a link to the present.

Past simple

The tense for completed actions at a specific time in the past, e.g. 'walked', 'went'.

Subject-verb agreement

Using the correct verb form for a singular or plural subject.

Passive voice

A structure (be + past participle) where the subject receives the action.

Conditional

A sentence with 'if' describing a condition and its result.

Reported speech

Reporting what someone said without quoting their exact words.

Comma splice

The error of joining two complete sentences with only a comma.