Welcome to ESL Printables, the website where English Language teachers exchange resources: worksheets, lesson plans,  activities, etc.
Our collection is growing every day with the help of many teachers. If you want to download you have to send your own contributions.
 


 
 

 

ESL Forum:

Techniques and methods in Language Teaching

Games, activities and teaching ideas

Grammar and Linguistics

Teaching material

Concerning worksheets

Concerning powerpoints

Concerning online exercises

Make suggestions, report errors

Ask for help

Message board

 

ESL forum > Grammar and Linguistics > grammar    

grammar



samahdaba1983**
Syria

grammar
 
hello everyone!
Could you please answer all of my questions!

1- I´d like to know what we call these words and phrases: (in order to, because, so that, with the result that) 
 
2- Are these two possibilities correct :
 people move away from desert areas in order to find food and water.
 people move away from desert areas so that they can find food and water.

3- In these sentences which one is correct? or in some could both be correct?      (please give me an explanation)
 A) Damascus has a long history and (was occupied/had been occupied) by many peoples before becoming the Syrian capital.   

B) a huge variety of items (is sold/are sold) in the souk of Damascus.

C) Hillary climbed Mount Everest in 1953.He (had attempted/had been attempting) several times before.

D) were you expecting a letter?
Yes,but it (could be sent/could have been sent) to the wrong address.

Million thanks!

23 Jan 2015      





Gi2gi
Georgia

Hi
1)  The words are conjunctions; some prefer to call them link(ing) words
2)both are correct
3) a) is sold (the subject "a variety of items" is singular)
 b) had been occupied (past perfect is needed to indicate that the action ("occupation") had ended before something else happened (before it became a capital)
c) had attempted.
d)could have been sent. A perfect infinitive after a modal verb indicates that the action expressed by the infinitive happened earlier/in the past. 
 
 
 

23 Jan 2015     



alien boy
Japan

With regard to 3)

     As a collective noun, variety, when preceded by a, is often treated as a plural: A variety of inexpensive goods are sold                 here. When preceded by the, it is usually treated as a singular: The variety of products is small.

 
Cheers,
AB 

23 Jan 2015     



samahdaba1983**
Syria

Excuse me  Gi2Gi!
I haven �t understood what you said about (could have been sent) could you explain it again.
and concerning (Had attempted / had been attempting) why it �s wrong to use the perfect continuous?
Thanks a lot. 

24 Jan 2015     



cunliffe
United Kingdom

3 A - Damascus - I �m sure Giorgi �s explanation is correct, but I would accept both. �Was occupied � here is a description of how it was. 
 
Conjunctions are often referred to as connectives and there are various sub-divisions. Plenty of wss on here about them!
 
 

24 Jan 2015     



Gi2gi
Georgia

Ok,I �ll try :) When you use a simple infinitive after a modal verb of probabiltity, it generally shows that we mean present or future. E.g. He might be at home now. (Present probability) She might visit us tomorrow (future) But when an infinitive is used after a modal to express a past probability it takes a perfect form. E.g. He might have been at home yesterday. She might have visited us last week if we had invited her. (Past probability) As your sentence indicates that the letter had probably been sent by the time of speaking, you should use a perfect infinitive after the modal, hence the correct option - could have been sent.

24 Jan 2015