“Be yourself; everyone else

is already taken.” 

 Oscar Wilde

HAVE + object + past participle

This structure is usually used when we talk about professional services provided for a customer. It means that we do not do something ourselves but arrange for someone to do it for us:

I had my hair cut this morning. (A hairdresser cut my hair.)
I'm going to have my apartment painted. (I'm going to ask someone to paint my apartment.)

Compare:

I cut my hair this morning. (I did it myself.)
I'm going to paint my apartment. (I'm going to do it myself.)

Have + object + past participle is different from have/has + past participle (present perfect tense) and had + past participle (past perfect tense):

I had my hair cut. (causative: have + object + past participle)
I had cut my hair. (past perfect tense: had + past participle)

In this structure, have is not an auxiliary but a main verb and can be used in the same way as ordinary verbs:

I'd like to have my photo taken.
Could you have this jacket cleaned?
When are you having the heater installed?
Have you ever had your ears pierced?

Have + object + past participle can also have the non-causative meaning "experience something unpleasant". In this case, the subject of the sentence did not initiate the action:

I had my bike stolen. (My bike was stolen.)
He had his leg broken in a car crash. (His leg was broken in a car crash.)

GET + object + past participle

 

This structure has the same meaning as have + object + past participle, but get is more informal:

I got my hair cut this morning.
Could you get this jacket cleaned?
They finally got the car serviced.

It can also be used to express accidents or misfortunes happening to someone in the same way as have + object + past participle can:

I got my bike stolen. (My bike was stolen.)
He got his leg broken in a car crash. (His leg was broken in a car crash.)

HAVE, GET + object + past participle

 

Have/get + object + past participle means "cause something to be done". We use this structure when we arrange for a professional to do something for us. Get is more informal:

Did you have your computer fixed?
I need to get my suit cleaned.

This structure can also mean "experience something unpleasant":

They had their house destroyed by a hurricane.
He got his arm bruised in the accident.

Time is a concept which is related to our perception of reality. There are three times: past, present and future. Tense is a grammatical category which is marked by verb inflection and expresses when an event or action happens in the flow of time.

Strictly speaking, only two English tenses are marked by the inflection of the verb:

past (talked)
present (talks)

Other tenses are marked by auxiliaries (be, have):

past continuous (was/were talking)
past perfect (had talked)
past perfect continuous (had been talking)
present continuous (am/are/is talking)
present perfect (have/has talked)
present perfect continuous (have/has been talking)

As future time is expressed with the modal will + infinitive and not with inflection, the forms with will (will talk, will be talking, will have talked, will have been talking) are not considered to be tenses. However, for the sake of convenience, we refer to them as such throughout this book.

Therefore, the twelve basic tenses of English are:

Note that certain tenses in English may refer to a different time than that expressed by their names. For example, the present continuous tense may refer to either present or future time:

"What are you doing?" "I'm reading." (present reference)
"What are you doing on Wednesday evening?" "I'm visiting my grandma." (future reference)

For diagrams and quotes related to this topic, check out our e-book The Grammaring Guide to English Grammar.

"Don't be so humble - you are not that great."

- Golda Meir (1898-1978) to a visiting diplomat

"If a man does his best, what else is there?"

- General George S. Patton (1885-1945)

"You can avoid reality, but you cannot avoid the consequences of avoiding reality."

- Ayn Rand (1905-1982)

"A lie gets halfway around the world before the truth has a chance to get its pants on."

- Sir Winston Churchill (1874-1965)

"The only way to get rid of a temptation is to yield to it."

- Oscar Wilde (1854-1900)

"We have art to save ourselves from the truth."

- Friedrich Nietzsche (1844-1900)

"Never interrupt your enemy when he is making a mistake."

- Napoleon Bonaparte (1769-1821)

"If you are going through hell, keep going."

- Sir Winston Churchill (1874-1965)

"The average person thinks he isn't."

- Father Larry Lorenzoni

The difference between finite and non-finite verb forms

The difference between the gerund and the present participle

Inversion is the reversal of the normal word order in a sentence or phrase. There are two types of inversion:

1. Subject-verb inversion, where the subject and the main verb switch positions and the word order becomes verb + subject:

On the top of the hill stood an old oak tree.

1. Subject-auxiliary inversion, where the subject and the auxiliary switch positions and the word order becomes auxiliary + subject (+ verb):

Hardly had I arrived home when my phone rang.
When does the bus leave?
You're hungry, aren't you?

So - Neither - Either

English Grammar Rules

SO

SO is used to show agreement with positive statements.

SO + Auxiliary + Subject (pronoun)

The Auxiliary needs to agree with the verb tense in the original statement.

It is similar to using TOO at the end of a sentence.

NEITHER

Neither is used to show agreement with negative statements.

Neither + Auxiliary + Subject (pronoun)

The Auxiliary needs to agree with the verb tense in the original statement.

It is similar to using either at the end of a sentence, although Neither is more commonly used, especially in spoken English.

A: I don't understand Spanish.
B: Neither do I. (= I don't understand Spanish either.)

A: I cannot swim.
B: Neither can I. (= I can't swim either.)

Sometimes people respond Me Neither instead of Neither + Auxiliary + Subject though this is very informal spoken English.

The Adverb Clause

Recognize an adverb clause when you see one.

An adverb clause will meet three requirements:

• First, it will contain a subject and verb.
• You will also find a subordinate conjunction that keeps the clause from expressing a complete thought.
• Finally, you will notice that the clause answers one of these three adverb questions: How?When? or Why?

Read these examples:

Tommy scrubbed the bathroom tile until his arms ached.

How did Tommy scrub? Until his arms ached, an adverb clause.

Josephine's three cats bolted from the driveway once they saw her car turn the corner.

When did the cats bolt? Once they saw her car turn the corner, an adverb clause.

After her appointment at the orthodontist, Danielle cooked eggs for dinner because she could easily chew an omelet.

Why did Danielle cook eggs? Because she could easily chew an omelet, an adverb clause.

Kinds of adverbial clauses[edit]

kind of clause	common conjunctions	function	example
time clauses	when, before, after, since, while, as, as long as, until,till, etc. (conjunctions that answer the question "when?"); hardly, scarcely, no sooner, etc.	These clauses are used to say when something happens by referring to a period of time or to another event.	Her goldfish died when she was young.
conditional clauses	if, unless, at lest	These clauses are used to talk about a possible or counterfactual situation and its consequences.	If they lose weight during an illness, they soon regain it afterwards.
purpose clauses	in order to, so that, in order that	These clauses are used to indicate the purpose of an action.	They had to take some of his land so that they could extend the churchyard.
reason clauses	because, since, as, given	These clauses are used to indicate the reason for something.	I couldn't feel anger against him because I liked him too much.
result clauses	so...that	These clauses are used to indicate the result of something.	My suitcase had become so damaged on the journey home that the lid would not stay closed.
concession clauses	although, though, while	These clauses are used to make two statements, one of which contrasts with the other or makes it seem surprising.	I used to read a lot although I don't get much time for books now.
place clauses	where, wherever, anywhere, everywhere, etc. (conjunctions that answer the question "where?")	These clauses are used to talk about the location or position of something.	He said he was happy where he was.
Clause of Comparison	as	Adverb as is a clause which states comparison.	Johan can speak English as fluently as his teacher.
clauses of manner	as, like, the way	These clauses are used to talk about someone's behavior or the way something is done.	I was never allowed to do things as I wanted to do them.They also Answer the question , "How".

References

 Pressent participle clause

A present participle clause can express:

an action happening at the same time as the action in the main clause:

Tom lost his keys (while) walking through the park. (Tom lost his keys while he was walking through the park.)
She left the room singing happily. (She left the room as she was singing happily.)

The participle clause can come first in literary styles:

(While) walking through the park, Tom lost his keys.

an action happening just before another action:

Opening the envelope, I found two concert tickets. (I opened the envelope and I found two concert tickets.)

an action that is the result of another action:

Moments later a bomb exploded, leaving three people dead and twelve other injured.
When I entered they all looked at me, making me feel uncomfortable.

a reason for the action in the main clause:

Having nothing left to do, Julie went home. (Since Julie had nothing left to, she went home.)
Knowing a little French, I had no difficulty making myself understood. (As I knew a little French, I had no difficulty making myself understood.)
Working as a sales rep, I get to travel a lot. (I travel a lot because I work as a sales rep.)

Here the subjects of the two actions can be different:

The weather being nice, we decided to go for a picnic. (As the weather was nice, we decided to go for a picnic.)

Perfect participle clauses

If we want to make it clear that an action happens before another one, we use a perfect participle for the earlier action:

Having washed the car, I noticed a small scratch on the front right fender. (After I washed the car, I noticed a small scratch on the front right fender.)

Here the present participle (washing the car) would mean while I was washing the car.

If the two actions do not follow each other immediately, or if the first action happens over a period of time, we use a perfect participle instead of a present participle for the earlier action:

Having seen the film before, I didn't want to go to the cinema.
Mark knew the town well, having lived there all his life.

Past participle clauses

Past participle clauses replace passive voice finite clauses:

Shocked by the explosion, the people ran for shelter. (The people were shocked by the explosion and ran for shelter.)
The musicians stood up, surrounded by thunderous applause. (The musicians stood up while they were surrounded by thunderous applause.)

If we want to emphasise that an action happens before another one, we use a passive perfect participle:

Having been nominated three times for an Oscar, he is one of today's most acclaimed film directors.

Participle clauses replacing a relative clause

A present participle clause can replace an active voice finite relative clause. The noun before the participle is the doer of the action:

The man driving the car was not injured. (The man who was driving the car was not injured.)

Present participle clauses are possible even with verbs which are not normally used in the continuous form (state verbs):

If you think you have received an e-mail containing a virus, you should delete it immediately. (If you think you have received an e-mail which contains a virus, delete it immediately.)

A past participle clause can replace a passive voice finite relative clause. The noun before the participle is its object:

This is the last photograph taken of my grandmother. (This is the last photograph that was taken of my grandmother.)