Unit 4 English - Modal and phrasal modals

Modals and phrasal modals

Could is used to say that someone was able to do something in general at any time:

She could read music by the time she was three.

Was/were able to is used to indicate someone managed to do something once:

He was able to finish the race in under an hour.

May and can  are often used to give permission.  There is no past form of may for giving permission.

You may use your dictionaries to complete this exercise.
You may / You're allowed to park here after 7 pm

Must is used to express an obligation or sense of urgency.  Have to is more commonly used to express necessity, especially when spekain in the past tense.

It's not safe here.  Everyone must leave the building immediately.
At the lecture last night, I had to show my identification card to enter the building.

Should have is used to show regret about the past:
I should've gone to Hawaii when I had the chance.


Additional Resources

Great Powerpoint Presentation on Modals and phrasal modals

Modals from GeorgeKnapman

Read More

Unit 3 English - Adverb Clauses

Adverb clauses of purpose, contrast and time


Adverb clauses answer the questions, why, when, how, or where something happened:

I left the party early because I wasn't feeling well.

Adverb clauses with because, since, and so that answer the question why:

I can't go out tonight because / since I have a lot of homework.

Adverb clauses with when or whenever answer the question when:

When (ever) I have to speak in front of the class, I get nervous.

Adverb clauses with though, although, and even though are used to introduce a different or surprising idea:

Although / Even though / Though the cell phone was expensive, I bought it anyway.

Additional Resources

The Adverb Clause from Woodward Academy

Read More

Unit 2 English - Passive Voice

In a passive sentence, the object of an active sentence becomes the subject:

ACTIVE: Willem Kolff invented the fist artificial heart.

PASSIVE: The first artificial heart was invented by Willem Kolff.

Tense	Active Voice	Passive Voice
Present	People in Morocco speak Arabic and French.	Arabic and French are spoken in Morocco.
Present continuous	They're building a new library on Campus,	A new library is being built on campus.
Present perfect	the airlines have cancelled all flights due to bad weather.	All flights have been cancelled due to bad weather.
Past	The police arrested twenty people at yesterday's demonstration.	Twenty people were arrested at yesterday's demonstration.
Future with will	The embassy will mail your visa to you.	Your visa will be mailed to you.

Additional Resources:

English Club - Passive Voice

English Page - Passive Voice

Read More

Great Game for Learning American Idioms

Read More