This chapter reviews the small words that make English correct and polite: modals, comparatives, relative pronouns, possessives, and quantity words.
| Modal | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| can / could / be able to | Ability, possibility ; polite request (could) | Could you send me the price list? |
| may / might | Permission (may) ; possibility | May I use your phone? The flight might be late. |
| must / have to | Obligation (must: the speaker decides ; have to: a rule) | You must sign here. Passengers have to check in 60 minutes before departure. |
| mustn't | Prohibition (interdiction) | You mustn't smoke in the office. |
| don't have to / needn't | No obligation | You don't have to book: you can buy the ticket at the station. |
| should / ought to | Advice | You should check the invoice. |
| had better | Strong advice | You'd better send the parts back. |
| Adjective | Comparative | Superlative |
|---|---|---|
| cheap (short) | cheaper than | the cheapest |
| big | bigger than | the biggest |
| expensive (long) | more expensive than | the most expensive |
| good / bad | better / worse than | the best / the worst |
who (people), which (things), that (people or things), whose (possession), where (place), when (time). « The man whose car is parked outside is a doctor. » « The hotel where they stayed has a good restaurant. »
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| Subject | Object | Possessive adjective | Possessive pronoun | Reflexive |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| I | me | my | mine | myself |
| you | you | your | yours | yourself |
| he / she / it | him / her / it | his / her / its | his / hers | himself / herself / itself |
| we | us | our | ours | ourselves |
| they | them | their | theirs | themselves |
Uncountable in English (no plural, no « a »): information, advice, equipment, furniture, research, work, money, news, help, machinery. Use much and a lot of with uncountable nouns, many with countable nouns: « How much information? » « How many machines? » For one item: « a piece of information / advice ».
Verb + -ing after enjoy, finish, avoid, consider, look forward to, mind ; verb + to after want, decide, agree, hope, plan, would like. « I look forward to hearing from you. » « We would like to place an order. »
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Complete with the right modal: 1. You ___ tell her! (prohibition) 2. She ___ come in. (permission) 3. You ___ be quiet now! (obligation) 4. They ___ help you. (possibility / ability) 5. We've got plenty of time: you ___ hurry. (no obligation) 6. Passengers ___ use mobile phones during take-off. (prohibition)
1. mustn't ; 2. may (can) ; 3. must ; 4. can ; 5. don't have to (needn't) ; 6. mustn't.
Complete with who, which, whose or where: 1. Can you see the woman ___ is sitting on the bench? 2. Penny, ___ father is a judge, is going to study law. 3. The hotel ___ they stayed has a very good restaurant. 4. He gave Tom the book ___ he had just read.
1. who ; 2. whose ; 3. where (in which) ; 4. which (or that).
1. How ___ equipment do you need? 2. I can't give you ___ information. 3. There aren't ___ machines working today. 4. How ___ people were at the meeting? 5. I haven't done ___ work today.
1. much ; 2. much ; 3. many ; 4. many ; 5. much.
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