GRAMMAR A1-A2

ADJECTIVES AND PREPOSITIONS

WITH at
We use at with adjectives like good/bad/amazing/brilliant/terrible, etc. to talk about
skills and abilities.

He's really good at English.

She's amazing at the piano.
They're terrible at organising anything.
I'm not very good at drawing.

WITH about
We often use about with adjectives of feelings
like angry/excited/happy/nervous/sad/stressed/worried, etc. to explain what is causing
that feeling.

I'm angry about the decision.

He's nervous about the presentation.
She's excited about the new job.
They were worried about the exam.

WITH of

However, sometimes we use of with feelings.

She was afraid of telling her mum.

I'm frightened of having an accident.
He's scared of flying.
You should be proud of your progress.

WITH to

We can use to to show the connection between people or things.

He's married to the director.

I'm addicted to my phone.
 I'm allergic to nuts.
It's similar to the old one.

We can also use to to talk about someone's behaviour towards someone else.

They were really friendly to me.

Was he nice to you?
He is always polite to everyone.
She was very rude to the waitress.

Here are some other useful adjectives with prepositions.

WITH for

Exercise is good for you.

Stress is bad for you.
The town is famous for its cheese.
I'm responsible for the financial side of the business.

WITH in

She's interested in the project.

They want someone who's experienced in design.
I didn't want to get involved in the argument.

ADJETIVES ENDING IN ‘-ED’ AND ‘-ING’

-ed ADJETIVES
Adjectives that end in -ed generally describe emotions – they tell us how people feel.

I was so bored in that lesson, I almost fell asleep.

He was surprised to see Helen after all those years.
She was really tired and went to bed early.

-ing ADJETIVES

Adjectives that end in -ing generally describe the thing that causes the emotion – a
boring lesson makes you feel bored.
 Have you seen that film? It's really frightening.
I could listen to her for hours. She's so interesting.
I can't sleep! That noise is really annoying!

ARTICLES: ‘A’, ‘AN’, ‘THE’

JOBS

When we say what people's jobs are, we usually use a/an.

He's an architect.
She's a scientist.
My grandmother was a teacher.

SINGULAR NOUNS

Singular, countable nouns always have an article – a/an or the (or another determiner
– my, your, this, that, etc.).

We use a/an – the indefinite article – when we talk about something for the first time, or
something that is part of a group or type.

I saw a good film yesterday.

Do you want a drink?

We use a when the word that follows it begins with a consonant sound. We use an when
it's followed by a vowel sound. This makes pronunciation easier.

She has a university degree.

It took me an hour to get home.

We use the – the definite article – when the listener already knows which thing we are
talking about because it was mentioned before or because there's only one of them.
 I'm going to take the dog for a walk.
Have you seen the car key?
They go to the school next to the bridge.

THINGS IN GENERAL

When we talk about things in general, we normally use a plural or uncountable noun
with no article.

Birds eat worms.

Water freezes at 0°C.
Children need a lot of sleep.

PARTICULAR GROUPS OF THINGS

When we talk about a particular group of things, we use the.

We went to the zoo and saw the kangaroos. (These are the particular kangaroos
in that zoo – not kangaroos in general.)

ARTICLES: ‘THE’ OR NO ARTICLE

COMMON PHRASES
We don't usually use an article in expressions with bed, work and home.

go to bed / be in bed
go to work / be at work / start work / finish work
go home / be at home / get home / stay at home

We also don't normally use an article in expressions

with school, university, prison and hospital.

start school / go to school / be at school

go to university / be at university
 be sent to prison / go to prison / be in prison
go to hospital / be in hospital

But we usually use the if someone is just visiting the place, and not there as a
student/prisoner/patient, etc.

My son has started school now. I went to the school to meet his teacher.
I went to the prison a lot when I was a social worker.
I'm at the hospital. My sister has just had a baby.

PLACE NAMES

We don't normally use an article for continents, most countries, cities, towns, lakes,
mountains or universities. So, we say:

Africa, Asia, Europe

India, Ghana, Peru, Denmark
Addis Ababa, Hanoi, New York, Moscow
Lake Victoria, Lake Superior, Lake Tanganyika
Mount Everest, Mount Kilimanjaro, Mount Elbrus
Cardiff University, Harvard University, Manchester University

Some countries are different. Country names with United have the. There are other
countries which are exceptions too. So, we say:

the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom, the United States of America
the Bahamas, the Gambia

Seas and oceans, mountain ranges and rivers have the:

the Atlantic, the Pacific, the Mediterranean

the Andes, the Himalayas, the Alps
the Nile, the Amazon, the Yangtze

Universities with of in the title also have the:

the University of Cape Town, the University of Delhi, the University of Tokyo
 COMPARATIVE ADJETIVES

ADJETIVES WITH ONE SYLLABLE

To make comparative forms with one-syllable adjectives, we usually add -er:

old → older
clean → cleaner
slow → slower

If an adjective ends in -e, we add -r:

safe → safer
nice → nicer

If an adjective ends in a vowel and a consonant, we usually double the consonant:

big → bigger
hot → hotter

ADJETIVES WITH TWO OR MORE SYLLABLES

If a two-syllable adjective ends in a consonant and -y, we change -y to -i and add -er:

noisy → noisier
happy → happier
easy → easier

We use more to make comparative forms for most other two-syllable adjectives and for
all adjectives with three or more syllables:

crowded → more crowded

stressful → more stressful
dangerous → more dangerous

Exception: You can either add -er/-r or use more with some two-syllable adjectives,
such

as common, cruel, gentle, handsome, likely, narrow, pleasant, polite, simple and
stupid.
 I think life in the countryside is simpler than in the city.
It's more simple to live in the city because everything you need is there.

IRREGULAR ADJETIVES

The adjectives good, bad and far have irregular comparative forms:

good → better
bad → worse
far → further/farther

THAN

When we want to say which person or thing we are comparing with, we can use than:

Their house is cleaner than ours.

Traffic is slower in the city than in the countryside.
After the race I was more tired than Anne.

INFINITIVE OF PURPOSE

When we want to answer the question why?, we can use an infinitive of purpose. Most
of the time, we use the to-infinitive.

Why do you have the LearnEnglish Grammar app?

To improve my grammar.

Why do we always eat at home?

We eat at home to save money.

Why do you have a bicycle?

I use it to go to work.

Why does she run every morning?

She runs to keep fit.

NOUNS: COUNTABLE AND UNCOUNTABLE

COUNTABLE NOUNS

For positive sentences we can use a/an for singular nouns or some for plurals.
There's a man at the door.
I have some friends in New York.

For negatives we can use a/an for singular nouns or any for plurals.

I don't have a dog.

There aren't any seats.

UNCOUNTABLE NOUNS
Here are some examples of uncountable nouns:

bread rice coffee information

money advice luggage furniture

We use some with uncountable nouns in positive sentences and any with negatives.

There's some milk in the fridge.

There isn't any coffee.

QUESTIONS

In questions we use a/an, any or how many with countable nouns.

Is there an email address to write to?

Are there any chairs?
How many chairs are there?

And we use any or how much with uncountable nouns.

Is there any sugar?

How much orange juice is there?

But when we are offering something or asking for something, we normally use some.
 Do you want some chocolate?
Can we have some more chairs, please?

We also use some in a question when we think the answer will be 'yes'.

Have you got some new glasses?

OTHER EXPRESSIONS OF QUANTITY

A lot of (or lots of) can be used with both countable and uncountable nouns.

There are lots of apples on the trees.

There is a lot of snow on the road.

Notice that we don't usually use many or much in positive sentences. We use a lot
of instead.

They have a lot of money.

However, in negative sentences we use not many with countable nouns and not
much with uncountable nouns.

There are a lot of carrots but there aren't many potatoes.

There's lots of juice but there isn't much water.

PAST CONTINUOUS AND PAST SIMPLE

PAST SIMPLE
The past simple shows us that an action was in the past, not in the present. Regular past
simple verbs have -ed at the end (e.g. called, played, arrived). Irregular verbs have a
different form, usually with a different vowel sound
(e.g. wake → woke, break → broke, feel → felt).
My parents called me yesterday.
I woke up early this morning.
Sam played basketball when he was at university.

We make the negative with didn't and the infinitive verb.

My parents didn't call me yesterday.
I didn't wake up early this morning.
We make the question form with did and then the subject and infinitive verb.
Did you wake up early this morning?
Did Sam play basketball when he was at university?

PAST CONTINUOUS

The past continuous shows us that the action was already in progress at a certain time in
the past.
What were you doing at 8 p.m. last night? I was studying.

This means that I started studying before 8 p.m. and I continued after 8 p.m.
The past continuous can also show that an activity was in progress for some time, not
just for a moment.
We were cleaning the house all morning.

We make the past continuous with was or were and the -ing form of the verb.
She couldn't come to the party. She was working.
Three years ago, we were living in my home town.
I tried to give him some advice, but he wasn't listening.
What were you doing this time last year?

PAST CONTINUOUS AND PAST SIMPLE

When we use these two tenses together, it shows us that the past simple action happened
in the middle of the past continuous action, while it was in progress.
While I was studying, I suddenly felt sleepy.

We often use these tenses to show an action interrupting another action.

I broke my leg when I was skiing.
As I was going to work, I saw an old friend.
We were watching television when the power went off.

Can you see a difference in the meaning of these two sentences?

When the guests arrived, Jane was cooking dinner.
When the guests arrived, Jane cooked dinner.
 POSSESSIVE’S

We can use possessive 's to talk about the relationship between people or to say who
owns something. Possessive 's always comes after a noun or a name.
We often use possessive 's or s' when we talk about family and friends.
Grandma and Grandpa are my mum's parents.
Maria's best friend is Juanita.
My cousins' birthdays are both in January.

We can also use it to say that something belongs to someone.

That's Roberto's flat. He's got a flat in the city centre.
Kim's hair is very long. She's got long, black hair.
My parents' garden is beautiful. They grow a lot of flowers.

When it is one person who owns something, we usually use 's.

Our friend's car is red. She loves it.
Simon's phone is new. He bought it yesterday.
Can you see Amira's keys? She can't find them.

It is possible to use more than one possessive in a phrase.

We had lunch at my friend's father's house.

If a name or noun ends in s, we can add either ' or 's. The pronunciation can
be /zɪz/ or /sɪz/.
Is that James' bag?
That's my boss's office.

If the thing belongs to more than one person, we usually add ' after the s of the plural
noun.
Our friends' house is in the mountains. They moved there last year.
My grandparents' dog is called Bertie.
The twins' school is closed today.

If the plural noun is irregular and doesn't end in s, we add 's.

This is our children's school.
The women's clothes are on the second floor.
A lot of people's eyes are brown.
If something belongs to more than one person, and we give a list of names, the 's comes
after the last name in the list.
Liam is Anne and Gary's son.
Remember that s at the end of a word without an apostrophe (') can make it plural, but
this doesn't show possession.
I've got two brothers.
Are those your keys?

PREPOSITIONS OF PLACE: ‘IN’, ‘ON’, ‘AT’

IN

We use in to talk about a place that is inside a bigger space, such as a box, a house, a
city or a country.
The clothes are in the wardrobe.
The children are playing in the park.
There's a bookshop in the shopping centre.
My grandmother was born in Sweden.

We also use in with other physical locations such as:

in the world
in water / the sea / a river / a lake / a pool
in the mountains / the countryside / a valley / the forest
in a car / a taxi

ON

We use on to talk about location on a surface.

The books are on the desk.
We live on the fifth floor.
There are pictures on the wall.
She likes to sit on the floor.

We also use on for some types of public transport.

He's on the bus now.
You can't make phone calls on a plane.
They go to school on the train.

We also use on for lines (including rivers, borders, streets, etc.) and islands.
London is on the River Thames.
The Pyrenees are on the border of Spain and France.
There's a market on James Street.
I'd love to live on the Isle of Wight.
AT

We use at in many common phrases, especially when we are talking about a place for a
specific activity.
I'm at work.
She's working at home today.
The children are at school.
See you at the train station!
They're at the supermarket.
I met him at a party.

We also use at for addresses or exact positions.

I live at 15 Craig Street.
She's sitting at a desk.
He's waiting at the entrance.
Please sit at the back of the room.

PREPOSITIONS OF TIME: ‘AT, ‘IN’, ‘ON’

AT

We usually use at with clock times and mealtimes.

I get up at 6.30 a.m. and go for a run.
She doesn't like to leave the office at lunchtime.

We also use at with some specific phrases such as at the weekend and at night.
At the weekend, I can spend the days how I like.

We can also say on weekends or on the weekend. This is more common in American
English.
We say at night when we mean all of the night. But we say in the night when we want
to talk about a specific time during the night.
She's a nurse and she works at night.
The baby often wakes up in the night.

We use at with Christmas and other holidays that last several days.
The weather is very cold here at Christmas.
At Chinese New Year, many people go home to their families.
 at 6 o'clock
clock times at 9.30
at 13.00

at breakfast time
at lunchtime
mealtimes and breaks
at dinner time
at break time

at night
other time phrases at weekends/the weekend
at Christmas/Easter

IN

We usually use in with parts of the day and longer periods of time such as months,
seasons and years.
I usually relax in the evening.
In summer it's too hot to do anything.
I'm always really busy in December.

parts of the day in the morning/afternoon/evening

months in January/February
 seasons in (the) spring/summer/autumn/winter

in 2016
years, centuries, decades in the 21st century
in the 80s

in the past
other time phrases in the future
in the last few years/months/weeks/days

ON

We usually use on with days and dates.

On Fridays, I have a long lunch.
It's his birthday on 19 October.

on Monday/Tuesday etc.
days on my birthday
on New Year's Day

on 30 July
dates
on the second of August
 PRESENT SIMPLE

SHORT ANSWERS
We can answer questions with Yes, I/you/we/they do, Yes, he/she/it does, or No,
I/you/we/they don't or No, he/she/it doesn't.
Do you like cheese?
Yes, I do.
Does she play football on Saturdays?
No, she doesn't.

QUESTIONS WITH QUESTION WORDS

We can also put question words like what, where, who or what time before do or does.
Where do you work?
What time does he have lunch?
 PRESENT SIMPLE: ‘HAVE GOT’

We use I/you/we/they + have got or he/she/it + has got to talk about things that we have.
In many situations, have and have got mean the same thing. Have got is a little less
formal than have. We often use have got more in speaking and have more in writing.
They have got a big garden. = They have a big garden.
She has got a good job. = She has a good job.

We can use have/has got to talk about appearance, family and friends or possessions.
We often contract the verb, especially when we're speaking.
I have got brown hair. = I've got brown hair.
My sister has got long hair. = My sister's got long hair.
He has not got many friends. = He hasn't got many friends.
They have got a new car. = They've got a new car.

We can also use have/has got for timetabled events, illnesses or abstract things.
They've got basketball practice this evening.
He's got a terrible cold.
I've got a good idea!

AFFIRMATIVE

I
you have got 've got
we
they

he
she has got 's got
it

NEGATIVE

For negatives, use not after have/has. We can contract negatives.

We have not got any pets. = We haven't got any pets.
She has not got a brother. = She hasn't got a brother.
 I
you have not got haven't got
we
they

he
she has not got hasn't got
it

QUESTIONS

To make questions, use have/has + subject + got.

Have you got a big house?
How many rooms has it got?

Subject Question with question word,

yes/no question
pronoun e.g. what, who, how many, etc.

I
you Have (we) got
What have (you) got?
we (time)?
they

he Has (she) got (a

she What has (he) got?
car)?
it

SHORT ANSWERS

For yes/no questions, we can use short answers.

Have you got a new job? No, I haven't.
Has she got a meeting this morning? Yes, she has.
 Yes, I/you/we/they have. No, I/you/we/they haven't.

Yes, he/she/it has. No, he/she/it hasn't.

Have/has got is only used in the present tense. For the past, use had without got.
I had got a red bike when I was young.
I had a red bike when I was young.

PRESENT SIMPLE: ‘TO BE’

CONTRACTIONS

We can contract the verb, especially when we're speaking.

I am a shop assistant. = I'm a shop assistant.
You are a good friend! = You're a good friend!
He is my wife's brother. = He's my wife's brother.
We are very busy at the moment. = We're very busy at the moment.
They are on holiday in Italy. = They're on holiday in Italy.
NEGATIVES

For negatives, use not after the verb. We can contract the verb or not.
I am not at work. = I'm not at work. Note: I amn't is not possible.
She is not a student. = She's not a student. = She isn't a student.
Money is not important. = Money's not important. = Money isn't important.
We are not hungry. = We're not hungry. = We aren't hungry.
They are not at home. = They're not at home. = They aren't at home.

QUESTIONS

For questions, change the order of am, is or are and the person.
Are you tired?
Is she Mexican?
Is this your phone?
Are we late?
Are they your children?

SHORT ANSWERS

(Verb
Affirmative Negative (not contracted)
contracted)

No, I am
Yes, I am. No, I'm not. No, I amn't.
not.

Yes, you No, you No, you're

No, you aren't.
are. are not. not.

No, we are No, we're

Yes, we are. No, we aren't.
not. not.
 (Verb
Affirmative Negative (not contracted)
contracted)

Yes, they No, they No, they're

No, they aren't.
are. are not. not.

No, he is
Yes, he is. No, he's not. No, he isn't.
not.

No, she is No, she's

Yes, she is. No, she isn't.
not. not.

No, it is
Yes, it is. No, it's not. No, it isn't.
not.

QUESTIONS WITH QUESTION WORDS

We can also make questions by using a question word like where, when, who or what.
We put the question word at the beginning.
Where are you from? I'm from Brazil.
When is the meeting? It's next Tuesday.
Who's she? She's my sister.
What time is it? It's six o'clock.

QUANTIFIERS: ‘FEW, ‘A FEW’, ‘LITTLE’ AND ‘A BIT OF’

A few and a bit of or a little mean some. Often we feel this amount is enough or more
than we expected. We use a few with plural nouns and a bit of or a little with
uncountable nouns.
I have a few ideas.
I've brought a few friends.
There's a bit of milk left.
It needs a little more work.
We use few and very little to show that we are talking about a small amount. Often we
feel this amount is not enough or less than we expected. Few is for countable nouns
and very little is for uncountable nouns.
Few people came to the meeting.
There are few places where you can still see these birds.
We have very little time.
I have very little money.

Note that you can use little without very, but it is less common and sounds quite formal.
She had little water.

QUESTION FORMS

To make questions, we often put the verb before the subject. This is called inversion.

Affirmative Question

I am late. Am I late?

I can help. Can I help?

She is sleeping. Is she sleeping?

 Affirmative Question

We have met before. Have we met before?

If there is a question word (why, what, where, how, etc.), it goes before the verb.

Question Question with question word

Are you late? Why are you late?

Was she there? When was she there?

Can I help? How can I help?

Have we met before? Where have we met before?

This is true for sentences with be, sentences that have auxiliary verbs (e.g. They are
waiting. She has finished.) and sentences with modal verbs (can, will, should, might,
etc.).
QUESTIONS IN THE PRESENT SIMPLE AND PAST SIMPLE

For other verbs in the present simple, we use the auxiliary verb do/does in the question.

Question with question

Affirmative Question
word

You work at Do you work at

Where do you work?
home. home?

It costs £10. Does it cost £10? How much does it cost?

We use the auxiliary verb did in the past simple.

Question with question

Affirmative Question
word

She went home. Did she go home? Where did she go?

They went to the Did they go to the

Where did they go?
cinema. cinema?
SUBJECT QUESTIONS

In some questions, who or what is the subject of the verb. There is no inversion of
subject and verb in these questions.
Who broke the window?
Who is knocking on the door?

VERBS FOLLOWED BY ‘-ING’ OR INFINITIVE

VERBS FOLLOWED BY THE –ING FORM

When enjoy, admit and mind are followed by another verb, it must be in the -ing form.
I enjoy travelling.
He admitted stealing the necklace.
I don't mind waiting if you're busy.

Other verbs in this group include avoid, can't help, consider, dislike, feel
like, finish, give up, miss, practise and suggest.
Like and love can be followed by the -ing form and the to + infinitive form. They are
both correct.

VERBS FOLLOWED BY TO + INFINITIVE FORM

When want, learn and offer are followed by another verb, it must be in the to +
infinitive form.
I want to speak to the manager.
She's learning to play the piano.
He offered to help us wash up.