Conditional sentences of the second type in English. The second type of English conditional sentences. Conditional sentences in English: rules for the formation of constructions Moreover, in addition, furthermore - moreover, in addition, also

Offer This is a separate statement that has intonation and semantic completeness. A sentence is a word or group of words, organized according to the rules of grammar, that convey a specific message, question, exclamation, or incentive to action.

  • It's raining. - It's raining.
  • Go outside! - Get outside!
  • What are you doing? - What are you doing?

Offers English language, as in Russian, depending on how many grammatical bases (combinations of subject and predicate) in a sentence, are divided into simple and complex sentences.

  • Simple sentences
  • There is my house.- This is my home.
  • I have to go to the university.– I have to go to university.
  • Complex sentences
  • There is the house where my family lives.– This is the house where my family lives.
  • I have to go to the university now but I will come back soon.– I have to go to university now, but I’ll be back soon.

Simple sentence(simple sentence) is a sentence that only contains one grammatical basis(one combination of subject and predicate).

  • Kate likes dogs. Kate loves dogs.
  • We go jogging every Sunday.– We go for a run every Sunday.
  • They didn't go to school last year. They didn’t go to school last year.

Simple sentences for the purpose of the statement

All simple sentences, depending on the purpose of the statement, may be narrative, interrogative, imperative, exclamation marks.

Declarative sentences

Declarative sentence(declarative sentence) – a sentence that communicates a specific fact or information in affirmative or negative form. The intonation of such a sentence is mainly descending; direct word order is used (subject before predicate).

  • My name is Paul. - My name is Paul.
  • Kate is good at cooking. Kate is a good cook.
  • I don't like honey. - I don't like honey.
  • George hasn’t finished his work yet. George hasn't finished his work yet.

IN English language, usually, there can be only one negative in a sentence, in contrast to the Russian language, where there can be double negation (using together the particle not, nor and negative pronouns, adverbs, etc.).

  • I know nothing.- I do not know anything.
  • I don't know anything.- I do not know anything.
  • We met no one yesterday. – We didn’t meet anyone yesterday.
  • We didn’t meet anyone yesterday.– We didn’t meet anyone yesterday.

Twice no in English it can be used to further strengthen the negation, but this is not common.

  • I ain't got no money.– I don’t have any money.
  • We don’t need no education, we don’t need no thought control.“We don’t need any education, we don’t need any thought control.

Interrogative sentences

Imperative sentences

Imperative sentence(imperative sentence) - a sentence that encourages the interlocutor to action, that is, expresses an order, request, command, invitation, etc. In such sentences the subject is often omitted you(you, you), since it is clear from the context, the verb is used only in the infinitive form without a particle to.

  • Watch this!- Look at this!
  • Listen to me.- Listen to me.
  • Go and buy some bread, please.- Go buy some bread, please.

Sometimes in imperative sentences the pronoun you does not lower itself in order to emotionally highlight and strengthen an order or command.

  • You sleep now.- You're going to bed now.
  • We will rest and you drive.“We’ll rest, and you drive the car.”
  • I will go to the shop and you stay at home.– I’ll go to the store, and you stay at home.

In order to form negative imperative sentence(prohibition or request), an auxiliary verb is always used do in the negative form, even with a verb to be.

  • Don't give me orders!- Don't order me!
  • Don't touch it, please.- Don't touch this, please.
  • Don't be so silly!- Don't be so stupid!
  • Oh come on don't be mad.- Oh, come on, don't be mad.

To form an order, command directed to third parties, the verb is used to let(allow). To let also used to offer help or when asking for permission to do something.

  • Let her go.- Let her go. (Let her go.)
  • Let him do whatever he wants.- Let him do whatever he wants.
  • Let the children play with our dog.– Let the children play with our dog.
  • Let me help you.- Let me help you.
  • Let us do this.- Let us do this.

Form let's(short for let us) is used to suggest joint action. In this meaning the full form let us practically not used.

  • Let's go for a walk!- Let's go for a walk!
  • Let's play football outside.- Let's play football in the street.
  • Let's invite Paul and Janice to the party.- Let's invite Paul and Janice to the party.

Exclamatory sentences

Exclamatory sentence(exclamatory sentence) – a sentence expressing certain emotions or feelings. Often such sentences begin with the words what And how, but end exclamation mark.

IN exclamatory sentences Only direct word order is used. However, often a sentence may only consist of one or two words.

  • Marvelous! - Wonderful! (also with a hint of sarcasm)
  • How wonderful! - How wonderful!
  • It’s such a beautiful life! - How wonderful life is!
  • What a lovely day it is. – What a wonderful day today.

Types of simple sentences by structure

Simple sentences according to their structure (the presence or absence of some members of the sentence) are divided into two-part And one-piece, as well as on undistributed And common.

Two-part sentence

Two-member sentence(two-part sentence) - a sentence in which both main members of the sentence (subject and predicate) are present, or one of them is omitted because it is clear from the context or the previous sentence.

  • I don't like this book.– I don’t like this book.
  • We had a lot of fun in Brazil! Swimming in the ocean, drinking cocktails, dancing.– We had a lot of fun in Brazil! We swam in the ocean, drank cocktails, danced.

Two-Part Sentences, in turn, are divided into complete and incomplete. Complete sentence(full sentence) - a two-part sentence in which there is both a subject and a predicate.

  • The baby was smiling to us.– The child smiled at us.
  • We've bought a lot of candies for you.- We bought you a lot of sweets.
  • There was a big party at Caroline’s place. Caroline had a big party.

Incomplete sentence(incomplete sentence) - a sentence in which one of the main members of the sentence or both of them is missing, since they are clear from the context. Such proposals are often found in colloquial speech, dialogues.

  • Who did that? Mark, of course.- Who did it? Of course Mark.
  • What did he do? Nothing at all!- What did he do? Nothing at all!
  • What were we doing? Just chilling and talking.-What did we do? We just relaxed and talked.

One-part sentence

One-member sentence(one-part sentence) is a special type of sentence in which there is only one main member of the sentence, and it cannot be clearly defined as a noun or predicate. Sometimes such proposals are called in sentences-phrases.

One-part sentences can be expressed using a noun or an infinitive of a verb.

  • To be or not to be?- To be or not to be?
  • To stay here – alone, forgotten by everyone.- Stay here - alone, forgotten by everyone.
  • Spring! Birds singing, the sun shining, flowers in blossom.- Spring! The birds are singing, the sun is shining, the flowers are blooming.

Uncommon and common offers

Unextended sentence(unextended sentence) - a sentence in which there are no minor members of the sentence, but only grammatical basis. Both one-part and two-part sentences can be uncommon.

  • Spring. - Spring.
  • To live! - Live!
  • Don't talk!- Do not chat!
  • She is sleeping.- She is sleeping.
  • Matt is a student.– Matt is a student.

Extended sentence(common sentence) – a sentence in which there is one or more minor members of the sentence depending on the subject or predicate.

  • Beautiful spring!Beautiful spring!
  • Don't talk to me now!- Don't talk to me now!
  • My little sister is sleeping upstairs.- My little sister is sleeping upstairs.
  • Matt is not really a good student. Matt is not a very good student.

), conditions second type (Conditional 2)- unrealistic. Conditional sentences of the second type are used to express imaginary situations in the present and future; situations that contradict the facts. Actions that convey conditional sentences of the second type, unrealistic or unlikely.

Conditional sentences always have two parts: conditional (if-clause) And main (main clause). Conditional sentences of the second type are formed very simply:


IN conditional part(after IF ) is used only past tense, and in basic: would with infinitive without the particle to (first form of the verb, V1).

If the conditional part comes before the main part, it is separated by a comma. If the conditional part comes after the main part, it is not separated by a comma.

To correctly understand the essence of using conditional sentences of the second type, let's imagine:

1. If I lived by the sea, I would sunbathe every day.
2. If we had a million, we would help the poor.
3. If he knew English, he would find a good job.

All these situations are unrealistic because:

1. I don’t live by the sea and it’s unlikely that I will.
2. We don’t have a million and won’t have it in the near future.
3. He doesn’t know English yet, but he’s working on it.

To translate these sentences into English, we use a sentence scheme:

IFPast Simple,

If I lived near the sea,

sunbathe every day.

If we had a million,

If he knew English,

find a good job.


As you can see, in the conditional part both Russian and English use the past tense (If I lived... - If I lived...), and for all persons (I, he, we) we use would with a verb in the first form.

EXERCISE: Complete these sentences yourself and come up with a few more imaginary situations:

If I lived near the sea, ...

If I had a million, ...

If I knew English very well, ...

In conditional sentences of the second type, it is permissible to replace was with were for all persons:

If I were very rich, I would buy what I want. But I'm not so rich. - If I were rich, I would buy everything I want. But I'm not so rich.

If he were strong, he would lift this box. Unfortunately, he is not strong enough. - If he was strong, he would have lifted this box. Unfortunately, he is not strong enough.

If she were here, she would help us. She is not here now, so she can't help us. - If she were here, she would help us. She is not here now, so she cannot help us.

Although there is no difference in meaning between was and were, in sentences that indicate unlikely actions(as in the first and second examples), were sounds more formally. And in sentences indicating incredible actions(as in the third example), it is preferable to always use were .

These were the basic rules that are given at the pre-intermediate level, they are quite simple and you should not have problems using Conditional 2 at this stage. Next we will look at what changes can occur in the main and conditional parts of conditional sentences of the second type.

Conditional part

In addition to Past Simple, Past Continuous can be used in the conditional part, if we imagine the action occurring at the moment of speech:

IF Past Continuous,


If she were now was walking to the store, she would buy you some sweets, but she’s going to work. -If she were going to the shop now, she would buy you some sweets, but she is going to work.

If I were now led car, I would drive slowly. And you're driving fast. - If I were driving, I would drive slowly. And you are driving fast.

Main part

In the main part, instead of would, you can find the modal verbs could and might.

Could expresses ability (ability), A might- possibility, probability (possibility):

IF Past Continuous,


If people had wings, they could fly. - If people had wings, they could fly.

If I were taller, I might be a good basketball player. - If I were taller, I could be a good basketball player.

Now let's look at the various constructions that are used in Conditional 2 and their functions. Each design has its own characteristics and meanings.

If I were you...

Conditional 2 is used to to give advice. To do this, put yourself in the place of another person: If I were you (his/her/your) I would... .

Only in the English version the word “place” is not present in the sentence, but instead they say: If I were you... - If I were you,... :

If I were you, I would accept this job offer. - If I were you, I would accept this job offer.

What would you do if you were me? - What would you do if you were in my place?

If I were him, I would tell the truth. - If I were him, I would tell the truth.

The question arises! How to correctly: If I were him/her or If I were he/she ?

We can say that both options exist, but the option with he/she described in old grammar reference books, it is offered as a formal, “written” version. In modern spoken English it is acceptable to use him/her.

Instead of If I were you you can say If I were in your position:

If I were in your position, I would stay at home. - If I were you, I would stay at home.

If I were in his position, I wouldn't get angry. - If I were in his place, I wouldn't get angry.

It is also possible to use the inverted version, without if: Were I you ... :

Were I you, I would call them back. - If I were you, I would call them back.

Were I you, I wouldn't spend so much time surfing the net. - If I were you, I wouldn't spend so much time on the Internet.

If it were not for...

There is also a construction If it were not for (If not...), indicating why something happened or did not happen.

If it were not for your help, I would be unemployed. - If it weren't for your help, I would be unemployed.

If it weren't for Mary, we wouldn't know the truth. - If it weren’t for Mary, we wouldn’t know the truth.

This design can be inverted(reverse), without if: Were it not for (If not...). The inverted version is used in formal contexts and, unlike the direct one, never does not use short form (weren"t):

Were it not for your urgent measures, we would have problems. “If it weren’t for your urgent measures, we would have had problems.”

Were it not for his support, I would be still depressed. “If it weren’t for his support, I would still be depressed.”

To both designs you can add for the fact that:

If it weren't for the fact that you helped me, I would be unemployed. - If it weren't for the fact that you helped me, I would be unemployed.

Were it not for the fact that he supported me, I would be still depressed. “If it weren’t for the fact that he supported me, I would still be depressed.”

Please note that in the above constructions unacceptable use was instead were.

If I were to...

If you want to emphasize that the situation in the present, which the conditional part of the sentence describes, unlikely, unrealistic or very unpleasant, then instead of a semantic verb in the conditional part, you can use the If I were to construction:

If I were to lose all my money, I would be in despair. - If I lost all my money, I would be desperate. (It's an unpleasant thought)

If she were to have a car accident, she would call her husband. - If she had an accident, she would call her husband. (This is a bad situation)

This design can also refer to future actions, indicating that a future action is unlikely or very unpleasant:

If I were to immigrate in the future, I would miss my country. - If I had to move to another country in the future, I would miss my country. (I'm not planning to move, that's unlikely)

If she were to tell my secret, I would not be on speaking terms with her. “If she told me my secret, I wouldn’t talk to her.” (I'm sure she won't tell)

If only...

If you want to express regret about a current or future situation, you can use If only ... clauses:

If only I had some free time - If only I had free time/It’s a pity that I don’t have free time.

If only I knew English. - If only I knew English./It’s a pity that I don’t know English.

Offers with If only identical in meaning to sentences that use the construction I wish. You can find out more about such offers with I wish from.

Here, perhaps, is all the basic information about conditional sentences of the second type (Conditional 2). Let's summarize:

1. Conditional sentences of the second type (Conditional 2) denote unlikely, imaginary, unreal actions in the present and future.

2. In the conditional part (after IF) used only past tense(Simple or Continuous), and in the main one: would with infinitive. Except would, modal verbs can be used in the main part could And might.

3. In the conditional part, was is replaced by were.

4. Constructions with Conditional 2 have various functions:

Design

If I were you...

If I were in your position...

Were you...

We give advice:

If I were you...

If it were not for (the fact that) ...

Were it not for (the fact that) ...

We say why something happened or didn’t happen:

If not....

If I were to...

We emphasize that the situation is very unlikely or very unpleasant:

If...

If only...

We express our regret regarding the current or future situation:

It's a pity that...

If only....


To reinforce the rules you have learned, make up a few of your own examples and write them down. If the examples are from your personal experience, it will be easier for you to remember them. Good luck in learning English!

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If ... Simple Past ..., ... would + verb...
or
… would + verb... if ... Simple Past ...

Use

Conditional sentences of the second type in English describe events of the present and future. The situations described in such sentences are unreal (impossible, incredible, imaginary). Such proposals have an impossible, hypothetical connotation. Please note that these sentences are translated into Russian in the subjunctive mood, with the particle “would”.

For example:
If you asked, they would help you.
If You asked, They would help you.

If it rained, you would get wet.
If I went rain, you I would get wet.

If you loved her, she would love you.
If You I loved her, she I would love you.

I would buy a new car if I had more money.
I I would buy new car, if I have was more money.

He would pass the exam if he studied more.
He I would have passed exam, if he's bigger was studying.

I would lower the taxes if I were the President.
I would lower taxes, if I was president.

Conditional sentences of the first and second types - what to choose

Real and imaginary situations

Conditional sentences of the first type are often called feasible conditional sentences. They are used to describe real and possible situations. Conditional sentences of the second type are used to describe unreal (impossible, incredible, imaginary) situations.

Compare:
If I become the President, I will give free electricity to farmers.
If I become president I I'll do it The presidential candidate's speech is a conditional sentence of the first type.)

If I win this race, I will
If I win these races I… ( The speech of the fastest racer is a conditional sentence of the first type.)

If I became the President, I would give free electricity to farmers.
If I became president I I would do electricity is free for farmers. ( The child’s speech is a conditional sentence of the second type.)

If I won this race, I would
If I won this race I… ( The speech of the slowest racer is a conditional sentence of the second type.)

Requests and suggestions

In ordinary requests and offers, conditionals of the first type are used. To give a request or proposal a more polite tone, conditional sentences of the second type are used.

Compare:
I will be grateful if you lend me some money.
I will grateful If You will you lend me give me some money. ( )

It will be nice if you help me.
Will Fine, If you tell me will you help. (The usual request is a conditional sentence of the first type.)

I would be grateful if you tape me some money.
I will grateful If You will you lend me give me some money. ( )

It would be nice if you helped me.
Will Fine, If you tell me will you help. (A more polite request is a conditional sentence of the second type.)

Other forms of conditional sentences of the second type

Using modal verbs in a result clause

would verb can be used could meaning "to be able to". Synonymous construction - would be able to.

For example:
If you were more serious about your work, you could (= would be able to) finish it in time.
If You belonged take your work seriously, you I wish I could finish her on time.

If I had more money, I could (= would be able to) buy a new car.
If I have was more money I could buy new car.

If you spoke a foreign language, you could (= would be able to) get a better job.
If You said in some foreign language, you I wish I could find it better job.

In the result sentence, instead of would verb can be used might meaning "maybe", "possibly". Synonymous constructions – would perhaps And would probably.

For example:
If you requested them more politely, they might (= would perhaps) help you.
If You appealed they are more polite to them, Maybe, would help you.

Design were to

After the union if a conditional sentence may be followed by the construction " subject + were to" to show that we are talking about an imaginary situation.

For example:
If I were to buy a new car, what would you say?
If I bought what a new car would You said?

If you were to lose your job, what would you do?
If you were lost work that would You did?

If you were to win, what would you give me?
If you had won, What would you to me gave?

Construction if it were not for

This construction is used to show that the completion of one event depends on another, and is translated as “if not for...”.

For example:
If it weren't for his dedication, this company wouldn't exist.
If it weren't for his dedication, this company would not exist.

If it weren't for his wife's money, he wouldn't be a millionaire.
If it weren't for his wife's money, he wouldn't be a millionaire.

If it weren't for that lucky chance, they wouldn't win that competition.
If not for this lucky chance, they wouldn't have won the competition.

Using supposing

Word supposing("if", "suppose that", "suppose that") can be used instead of a conjunction if to emphasize the unreality of the situation. This use is more typical for everyday speech.

For example:
Supposing he came to visit you, what would you do? (= If he came to visit you, what would you do?)
Let's assume that If he came to you, what would you do?

Supposing I became the Miss World, what would you say?
Let's pretend that If I became Miss World, what would I say?

Conditional sentences are used when we want to make assumptions about what could happen, would happen, and what we would like to happen. In English, most conditional sentences contain the word if. In many conditional sentences in English, the verb is in one of the past tenses. This usage refers to the "unreal past" because we use the past tense but do not imply that something happened in the past. In English there are five ways of forming conditional types of sentences. Each of these types of sentences will always consist of a clause with if and main offers. For many negative conditionals, there is an analogue in the form of a sentence with an equivalent construction using "unless" instead of "if".

Conditional Sentence Type Use Verb tense in an if clause Verb tense in the main clause
Null type Common Truths Simple present tense Simple present tense
Conditional sentences of the 1st type Possible condition and probable outcome Simple present tense Simple future tense
Conditional sentences of the 2nd type Hypothetical condition and possible outcome Simple past tense Present conditional or present continuous conditional
Conditional sentences of the 3rd type An unreal condition in the past and its possible result in the past
Conditional sentences of mixed type An unreal condition in the past and its possible result in the present Past perfect tense Conditional perfect tense

Null condition type

Type zero conditionals are used when we talk about time now or always and the situation real and possible. The null type is often used when we talk about generally known truths. Both parts of this type of sentence will use the simple present tense. In type zero conditional sentences, the word "if" can be replaced by the word "when" without changing the meaning.

1st type of condition

Conditional sentences of type 1 refer to present or future and express real situation. Type 1 refers to a possible condition and its possible result. In these sentences, the if clause is in the simple present tense and the main clause is in the simple future tense.

2nd type of condition

Conditional sentences of type 2 refer to time now or any other time, the situation in this sentence unreal. Such proposals are not based on facts. The 2nd type of condition refers to a hypothetical condition and its possible result. In type 2 conditional sentences, the if clause is in the simple past tense, and the main clause is in the present conditional.

In English, as in Russian, there are five categories of sentences, the rules of construction of which must be accurately known in order to successfully communicate in the language.

  1. Simple sentence - complex sentence
  2. Declarative sentence - interrogative sentence - exclamatory sentence

Simple sentence in English

Simple sentences are those sentences in which there is only one actor(subject) and one action (predicate). With simple sentences, things are not so simple. You need to know the fixed word order - unfortunately, in English it is strict and it is highly undesirable to deviate from it.

Applies to English offer a basic rule consisting of two points:

1. The subject comes first, the predicate comes second, and then comes everything else.

Schematically, this can be depicted as follows:

Table 1. Word order in an English sentence

SUBJECT

PREDICATE

REST OF THE PROPOSAL

to work every day.

The following note should be made about this table: You can put a definition BEFORE the subject. And second: this scheme is used for affirmative English sentences, i.e. those with a period at the end.

2. An English sentence ALWAYS has a predicate, i.e. verb!

Even if you don’t hear this verb in the Russian translation of this sentence. For example: There are many wolves in the forest. (there is not a single verb here, although this sentence can be remade for a convenient translation: “There are many wolves in the forest.” This version already has a verb - there are). - There are many wolves in the forest.

Difficult sentence

We call a complex sentence a sentence made up of several simple sentences. As a rule, there are no difficulties with complex sentences, unless it is a complex sentence (that is, a sentence with a subordinate clause).

If you have already graduated from school a long time ago, then the term “ subordinate clauses"most likely won't tell you anything. Therefore, let’s refresh your memory: there are simple sentences (in which there is one predicate/verb), and there are complex sentences (they consist of several simple ones). In turn, complex sentences are divided into compound sentences (in them you can put the conjunction “and” between several simple sentences) and complex sentences (in them from one simple sentence to another you can ask the question “which? why? where? when? under what condition?” how?, etc.”) And subordinate clauses are precisely those simple ones to which we give a question. They are also called dependent in another way. The structure of a complex sentence looks like this:

As can be seen from the diagram, various conjunctions serve as a link between the main and dependent clauses: where, when, which, whose, because, if, etc.

This all seems so distant and incomprehensible, but in fact we use complex sentences much more often than we ourselves notice. So, the following are often used as unions:

    Who used in relation to persons (=who):

    I'll call George, who is good at computers.

    Which refers to inanimate objects, animals, and also to the main clause in general (=which):

    Don’t buy the lipstick which we saw yesterday.

    She has already finished the report which will allow her a pay rise.

    That refers to both animate and inanimate objects (=which):

    The man that we met yesterday is my ex.

    The car that Tim bought used to be mine.

Table 2. English words connectors of complex sentences

It is important to use correct punctuation (punctuation) in complex sentences.

Structure complex sentences, as a rule, corresponds to two possible schemes.

Main clause + conjunction + Subordinate clause

Subordinate clause + , + Main clause

Alan couldn’t come to the meeting as he was ill.

Things get more complicated if the subordinate clause begins with who, which, or where. Sometimes a comma is needed, sometimes not - it depends on how IMPORTANT this subordinate clause is for the meaning, whether emphasis is placed on it.

Main clause + conjunction + Significant subordinate clause

The driver didn’t remember the place where he had left the car.

The subordinate clause EXPLAINS the word place. Without this subordinate clause, the sentence will lose meaning, so it is meaningful. This means that there is no need for a comma in front of it - it cannot be separated in any way from the main sentence.

Main clause + , + Minor subordinate clause

The driver didn’t remember the parking lot in his neighborhood, where only expensive cars are parked.

The main sentence already contains specification - in his neighborhood. Therefore, the subordinate clause is DESCRIPTIVE, it does not provide important information. This means that it can be separated from the main clause by a comma.

Also, subordinate clauses can interrupt the main thing, “intervene” into it. In this case, we highlight or not highlight with commas on both sides.

The driver didn’t remember the place where he had left the car well.

The driver didn’t remember the parking lot in his neighborhood, where only expensive cars are parked, well.

How to make sentences in English

Declarative sentence

The classification into declarative, interrogative and exclamatory sentences is made based on punctuation marks. At the end of declarative sentences we put a period, at the end of interrogative sentences we put a question mark, at the end of exclamatory sentences we put an exclamation mark. However, they differ not only in punctuation, but also in word order. In declarative sentences, the word order is direct - we talked about them above.

Interrogative sentence

So, there are 2 basic types of questions: general and. To the first we answer “yes” or “no”, and to the second we answer something specific, special (depending on what is asked in the question itself). Remember that the word order in any English sentence is FIXED, and this also applies to questions.

0 place- QUESTION WORD

  • What - what? Which?
  • Who - who?
  • Who(m) - to whom? by whom?
  • Where - where? Where?
  • When - when?
  • Why - why?
  • How - how?
  • How much (many) - how much?
  • Which - which?
  • What - which one?
  • Whose - whose?

1 place- AUXILIARY

  • is/are/am
  • do / does / did
  • will / would / shall
  • have / has
  • can/could
  • may/might
  • ought
  • should

2nd place- SUBJECT

3rd place- BASIC (SEMINAL) VERB

4th place- REST OF THE WORDS

There are also several comments to this structure:

NOTE 1. How to choose an auxiliary verb? Very simply: the auxiliary verb is the one that appears first in the original sentence. For example:

  • Danny is a worker ---> is
  • Anna will drive ---> will
  • They have finished the report ---> have

Therefore, to ask a question, you just need to rearrange the subject and predicate.

What to do if there is no auxiliary verb? For example: We visited the museum. Here we only have the main verb - visited. Therefore, when there is no visible auxiliary verb, it is do / does / did, depending on the tense. In our case it is did, since the verb is in .

NOTE 2. The main (semantic) verb, when you ask a question, is pure, that is, without any endings, in the initial form.

NOTE 3. How to understand 0 place? This position in the question is called so because there are question words only in special questions, but not in general ones. It is by the question word that you determine what to answer. For example:

Mother gave her son a tasty medicine yesterday because he was ill.

  • Who? -Mother
  • Whom? -son
  • Whose son? - her
  • What? - medicine
  • What medicine? - tasty
  • When? - yesterday
  • Why? - because he was ill

In general questions (those to which you answer “yes” or “no”) there is no question word, that is, an auxiliary verb comes immediately.

Exclamatory sentence

As a rule, exclamatory sentences begin with what (what the..., which...) or how (how...). Here, too, you need to be careful with the word order.

What..!

Table 3. Word order of English exclamatory sentences


How..!

In exclamations, it is customary to put either an adjective or an adverb after how.

How sweet! - How nice!

How lovely! - How funny!

Sometimes you can find a more detailed construction: How + adjective/adverb + subject + predicate.

How interesting it was to hear her story!

How wonderful it is to see you!

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