GRAMMAR: LECTURE NOTE NO.

1
TIME ADVERBIALS: Just, already, still, yet
Just - a short time before - Subject+has/have+just+past participle
 I’ve just seen Ali coming out of the supermarket.
 Ethan’s just called. Can you ring him back, please?

Yet - At any time up to now - Subject+has/have+past participle+yet - Negative sentences and

questions

 I haven’t finished my project yet.

 I haven’t finished it yet. I’ll do it after lunch.

Still - Hasn’t happened - Subject+still+has/have+past participle - Negative sentences

 You promised me your homework yesterday, but you still hasn’t given it to me.
 I’ve been waiting for an hour and the train still hasn’t come.

Already - Before now - Subject+has/have+already+past participle

She wanted to see the ‘IT’ movie, but I have already seen it.

The train’s left already!

PERFECT TENSES:

While simple verb tense describes when an action was performed, is performed, or will be performed,
perfect verb tense expresses when an action was completed, is completed, or will be completed.
Although this is a small difference, it is an important one. Simple verb tense expresses the possibility of
an action happening while perfect verb tense expresses with absolute certainty that the action will be
completed.

This tense is expressed by adding one of the auxiliary verbs — have, has, or had — to the past
participle form of the main verb.

For example:

 I have seen the movie that was nominated for an Academy Award.

This sentence expresses that the speaker finished watching a particular movie and did not fall asleep
halfway through.

Present perfect verb tense expresses an action that occurred at an indefinite (or unknown) time in the
past or an action that started in the past and is continuing in the present time.

For example:

 The close bond between humans and dogs has continued to be a common theme in both
literature and movies.

In this example, the writer implies that the theme of dogs as “man’s best friend” started at an indefinite
or unknown time and is still relevant today.
Past perfect verb tense is created by adding have(IN QUESTION) or had to the past participle form of
the verb and is used in four distinct ways:

1. To show completed actions: I had just finished brushing my cat when she tore across the yard and
jumped into a mud puddle.
2. To express conditional statements: If she had studied for her exam, she would have passed.
3. In the form of a question: “Have you seen my hairbrush?” Larry asked Bob anxiously.
4. As a negative: He had not missed a single free-throw since the beginning of the season.

ACTIVE AND PASSIVE VOICE:

OBJECT – receives the action of the verb

DIRECT OBJECT/ Directly affected by the verb

Noun or pronoun that directly receives the action of the verb. Ask the question WHO or WHAT
after the verb.
 Chelsea threw the ball.
 Amber and Janelle ate bacon for breakfast this morning.

INDIRECT OBJECT/ indirectly affected by the verb

An indirect object receives the action directly from the direct object. Ask the question To/for
WHOM or WHAT.

 Mark gave his marker to John.

 Direct obkect – marker (Mark gave what?)
 Indirect object – John (Mark gave the marker to whom?)

Ylijah sent me a letter.

ACTIVE AND PASSIVE VOICE: PRESENT PERFECT

Active sentences

Subject + has/have + past participle form of the verb + object

Passive sentences

Object of the active sentence + has/have + been + past participle form of the verb + by + subject of
the active sentence
WHEN AND WHEN NOT TO USE PASSIVE VOICE

 In broad statements about widely held opinions or social norms

 In reports of crimes with unknown perpetrators or other actions with unknown doers
 In scientific contexts
 When the writer or speaker wants to avoid blame
 In any other situation where you want to keep the focus on an action and/or the recipient of
the action

TO SUM IT UP:

 The passive voice isn’t a grammatical error; it’s a matter of style.

 Use the active voice if it makes your sentence sound clearer and more natural.
 Forming passive voice requires the verb to be and a past participle.
 Use the active voice to create good writing even when your statements need to be passive.