Passive Verb Constructions

You must know the verb's third form to build passive sentences.

An active sentence expresses what the subject does.

A passive sentence expresses what happens to the subject; who or what causes the action is often unknown, or left unsaid.

To form passives: use the verb "to be" plus the 3rd form of the verb. Passives can be constructed in any tense.

In passive constructions, the verb "to be" shows the tense. The third form of the verb does not change in form.

I am finished with my work. My work is being finished. My work will be finished. My work is going to be finished. My work will be completed soon. The work had been completed. The work was being completed. The work will have been completed by next Thursday.

As to the point above, regarding who or what causes the action:  English often uses the preposition "by" to indicate the doer of the action in passive constructions.

• That bridge was designed by a famous architect.

Relative Clauses

A clause is a group of words which includes a subject and a predicate.

A main clause expresses the main idea of a sentence.  The main clause is able to stand on its own as a grammatically correct sentence.  A relative clause however, is not able to do so.

• That man who is sitting over there is my brother.

"That man is my brother" is the main clause.  "Who is sitting over there" is a relative clause: more specifically, a defining relative clause.

In this post, I will discuss these kinds of relative clauses:  Defining, Non-Defining, Participial, and Time.

NON-DEFINING RELATIVE CLAUSES:

A non-defining relative clause gives extra information about the person or thing you are talking about.  The person or thing has already been identified!

"That" is not normally used to introduce a non-defining clause.

• Professor Marvin, who was always early, was there already.
• Heath Robinson, who died in 1944, was a graphic artist and cartoonist.

"Which" can introduce a non-defining clause to give more information about a thing:

• She was a little tense, which was understandable.

Various phrases, such as "many of whom", can introduce non-defining clauses to give more information about groups of people or things:

• They were all friends, many of whom had known each other for years.

"When" and "Where" can be used to given information about expressions of time and place:

• That happened in 1957, when I was still a baby.

A non-defining relative clause often is shortened:

• For a list of the facilities which are available here, ask the secretary.
• For a list of the facilities available here, ask the secretary.

PARTICIPLE CLAUSES:

Using the -ing present participle:  this kind of clause is used to say what someone or something is doing or was doing at a particicular time:

• The young girl sitting opposite him was his daughter.

or, after a noun to describe something in general:

• Problems facing parents should be discussed.

Using the past participle 3rd form of the verb ending in -ed, etc.:  this kind of clause is an adjectival phrase, describing how someone or something has been affected by an action:

• The man injured in the accident was taken to hospital.

What relative pronoun should I use?

IN DEFINING RELATIVE CLAUSES:

• "who" is used for only for people
• "that" is used for people or things
• "which" is used only for things

IN NON-DEFINING RELATIVE CLAUSES:

• "that" is normally not used
• "who" is used for people
• "which" is used for things

Word Order for Questions Quiz

This quiz tests your knowledge of word order for questions.  Type your answer into the space and then click the "Check" button.

Present Continuous and Present Simple Quiz

This quiz tests your ability to choose between the Present Simple and the Present Continuous.

You may also need to review State and Mixed Verbs before taking this quiz.

Current Time Period

Understanding what a Current Time period means is essential to understanding the use of the Present Perfect, because:

• the Present Perfect must not be used for past time periods.

A current time period is any period of time of any length which we are now experiencing.

Examples:

1. Today
2. This week
3. This month
4. This year
5. This decade
6. This century
7. The lifetime of someone still alive

Each of the above time periods are still continuing, no matter how far back in the past the period began.

Future Perfect

By a Particular Time:

The Future Perfect tense is used in English to express an action or state of being which the speaker believes will be completed in the future by or before a particular time.

Example:

1. By this time next year I will have been living in London for five years.
2. I will have completed the report by next Thursday.
3. I will have called her sometime before your arrival.
4. I will have finished cleaning before she arrives.
5. Everyone is going to have finished eating by the time we have gotten there.

Note: In Sentence 4 "she arrives" is in the Present Simple.  It is an example of the Present Simple being used for a Zero Conditional.

Forming the Future Perfect:

The Future Perfect is formed much like the Present Perfect.  Both tenses use the helping verb have.  Both tenses use the 3rd principal part of the verb.  The Future Perfect differs by placing a marker for the future, either the modals will or is / are going to before the helping verb have:

• Subject + Future marker + have  + 3rd principal part
• I will have left by the time you wake up.

NB! The helping verb have does not change in the Future Perfect.

• I will have left by the time you wake up.
• She will have left by the time you wake up.
• They will have left by the time you wake up.

The Future Perfect tense can be thought of in this way:  take the Present Perfect and shift the perspective to the future.  While the Present Perfect looks at an event completed during the current time period from a present perspective, the Future Perfect does the same thing from a future perspective. 

• Present Perfect:  I have worked here for three years.
• Future Perfect: By this time next year I will have worked here for four years.
• Present Perfect: He has just arrived.
• Future Perfect: By this time tomorrow he will have just arrived.

Why does the helping verb have not change in the Future Perfect?

• English language main verbs do not change in the third person when used with a modal verb. See modal verbs for more information.

Conjunction

A conjunction is a word or a phrase which is used to connect words or clauses.

Examples: and, but, while, as soon as, as

1. I am working and she is singing.
2. This cup is green but that one is black.
3. I will tell you my secret as soon as you promise to tell no one else.
4. Children were laughing and playing as they were sitting in the park.