1. Verb Patterns: Gerunds (-ing) vs.

Infinitives (to + verb)

Explanation:
Some verbs in English are followed directly by a gerund (the -ing form of a verb
used as a noun), others by the infinitive (to + base verb), and some by either,
sometimes with a change in meaning.

● Verbs followed by a Gerund (-ing): These verbs often describe activities or

experiences.
○ Common verbs: enjoy, love, like, hate, dislike, avoid, finish, suggest,
practice, imagine, consider.
○ I enjoy swimming.
○ She practices playing the piano every day.
● Verbs followed by an Infinitive (to + verb): These verbs often relate to plans,
decisions, or desires.
○ Common verbs: want, need, plan, decide, hope, promise, offer, agree,
refuse, pretend.
○ He wants to leave early.
○ They decided to buy a new car.
● Verbs that can be followed by either (with little or no change in meaning):
begin, start, continue, like, love, hate, prefer.
○ It started raining. / It started to rain. (Same meaning)
● Special Cases (Change in Meaning):
○ Remember / Forget / Stop / Try
■ Remember + -ing: Recall a past memory. I remember meeting
him years ago.
■ Remember + to: Not forget to do a task. Please remember to lock
the door.
■ Try + -ing: Experiment with a method. I tried restarting the
computer.
■ Try + to: Make an effort. I will try to finish on time.
● Would like / Would prefer: These are always followed by the infinitive.
○ I would like to go home now.
○ She would prefer not to speak.

2. Present Perfect Simple vs. Present Perfect Continuous

Explanation:
Both tenses connect the past to the present, but they emphasize different things.

● Present Perfect Simple (has/have + past participle):

○ Focuses on the result or completion of an action. It answers "What has
been done?" or "How many/much?"
○ I have written five emails this morning. (The result: five finished emails).
○ She has visited Paris three times. (The experience/achievement).
● Present Perfect Continuous (has/have been + verb-ing):
○ Focuses on the duration or ongoing activity of an action. It answers
"How long?" It often describes a temporary or recently stopped activity.
 ○ I have been writing emails all morning. (The activity itself, not the
number).
○ She has been visiting her family. (The recent, ongoing activity).
● With for and since (to indicate duration): Both tenses can use these.
○ I have lived here for ten years. (Permanent situation).
○ I have been living here for ten years. (Temporary feel, though often
interchangeable).

3. Articles and Quantifiers

Explanation:
Quantifiers are words that express quantity.

● For Large Quantities (Countable & Uncountable Nouns):

○ A lot of / Lots of: Used in positive statements. (a lot of books, lots
of time)
○ Plenty of: Means "more than enough." (plenty of options, plenty of
food)
● For Small Quantities:
○ A few: + countable nouns (a few apples).
○ A little: + uncountable nouns (a little water).
○ A couple of: + countable nouns (informal, means two or a small
number).
● In Questions and Negatives:
○ Any: Used in questions and negatives with both countable and
uncountable nouns. (I don't have any money. Do you have any
questions?)
○ Many: + countable nouns in questions/negatives. (Were there many
people?)
○ Much: + uncountable nouns in questions/negatives. (I don't have much
time.)
● Question Words:
○ How many + countable noun (How many sisters?)
○ How much + uncountable noun (How much sugar?)

4. The Passive Voice

Explanation:
The passive voice is used when the focus is on the action or the object of the action,
not on who or what is performing the action (the agent).

● Structure: [form of "be"] + [past participle]

● When to use it:
○ The agent is unknown. My bike was stolen. (We don't know who did it).
○ The agent is obvious or unimportant. The thief was arrested. (It's
obvious the police did it).
○ We want to emphasize the action or the object. A new hospital will be
built next year. (The hospital is more important than the builders).
● Tenses in Passive Voice:
 ○ Present Simple: am/is/are + past participle (The room is cleaned
every day.)
○ Present Continuous: am/is/are being + past participle (The meal
is being cooked.)
○ Present Perfect: has/have been + past participle (A new school
has been built.)
○ Future Simple: will be + past participle (A new product will be
launched.)
○ Past Simple: was/were + past participle (The window was broken
yesterday.)

5. Used to vs. Would for Past Habits

Explanation:
Both describe past habits or repeated actions that are no longer true.

● Used to + base verb:

○ Can describe past habits OR past states.
○ I used to play tennis every weekend. (Habit)
○ He used to live in London. (State)
○ She used to have long hair. (State)
● Would + base verb:
○ Only describes repeated past actions (habits), NOT states. It often
introduces a nostalgic story.
○ When we were kids, we would build forts in the garden. (Habit - Correct)
○ I would live in London. (State - INCORRECT. Use "used to" instead).
● Simple Past: Can also be used for past habits, often with a time expression
like every day, last year.
○ I played tennis every weekend when I was younger.

Part 2: Practice Section

Exercise 1: Verb Patterns

Choose the correct option (-ing form or infinitive) to complete the sentences.
Sometimes both are possible.

1. I hope ____________ (visit) Japan next year.

2. She avoids ____________ (eat) too much sugar.
3. Do you remember ____________ (lock) the door when we left?
4. He promised ____________ (help) me with my homework.
5. We finished ____________ (decorate) the room around midnight.

Exercise 2: Present Perfect Simple vs. Continuous

Complete the sentences with the correct form (Present Perfect Simple or Continuous)
of the verb in parentheses.
 1. How long ____________ (you / learn) English?
2. I ____________ (read) three books this month.
3. She's tired because she ____________ (study) all afternoon.
4. They ____________ (not / finish) the project yet.
5. He is dirty. He ____________ (paint) the garage.

Exercise 3: Articles and Quantifiers

Complete the dialogue with the correct quantifier: a lot of, a couple of, plenty of,
any, how much, a little.

A: Do we need to buy groceries?

B: Yes, we need (1) ____________ things. We don't have (2) ____________ milk or bread.
A: Okay. (3) ____________ milk do we need?
B: Just (4) ____________ for my coffee tomorrow. But we need (5) ____________ apples;
we have none.

Exercise 4: Passive Voice

Rewrite the following sentences in the passive voice.

1. Someone cleans the windows every Friday.

2. The company has fired the manager.
3. The dog bit the mailman.
4. They are building a new stadium downtown.
5. The chef will prepare a special menu for the event.

Exercise 5: Used to / Would / Simple Past

Complete the text with used to, would, or the simple past form of the verb in
parentheses.

When I was a child, we (1) ____________ (live) in a small village. In the summer, we (2)
____________ (spend) all day outside. My brother and I (3) ____________ (build)
treehouses in the old oak tree. Our mother (4) ____________ (be) a fantastic cook, and
she (5) ____________ (make) us lemonade every afternoon. I (6) ____________ (have) a
dog named Spot.

Exercise 6: Reading Comprehension

Read the paragraph and answer True or False.

The Digital Nomad

Mark is a web developer who has been working remotely for the past five years. He
has visited over twenty countries during this time, but he has never stayed in one
place for more than six months. He is currently living in Bali, where he has been
renting a small villa for the past three months. He loves the culture and the food. He
has made many friends from all over the world. However, he misses his family back
in Canada, whom he hasn't seen in over a year. Next month, he is going to travel to
Thailand to start a new chapter.
 1. Mark's job requires him to be in an office. True / False
2. He has lived in Bali for five years. True / False
3. He has formed international friendships. True / False
4. He visited his family in Canada last month. True / False
5. His plans for the near future involve moving to a new country. True / False

Answer Key

Exercise 1:

1. to visit
2. eating
3. locking (or "to lock" if the meaning is "not forgetting to do it")
4. to help
5. decorating

Exercise 2:

1. have you been learning

2. have read
3. has been studying
4. haven't finished
5. has been painting

Exercise 3:

1. a couple of / a few
2. any
3. How much
4. a little
5. plenty of / a lot of

Exercise 4:

1. The windows are cleaned every Friday.

2. The manager has been fired (by the company).
3. The mailman was bitten (by the dog).
4. A new stadium is being built downtown.
5. A special menu will be prepared for the event (by the chef).

Exercise 5:

1. lived / used to live

2. would spend / spent / used to spend
3. would build / built / used to build
4. was (Note: would is NOT used for states)
5. would make / made / used to make
6. had / used to have (Note: would is NOT used for states)
Exercise 6:

1. False
2. False
3. True
4. False
5. True