Mood, voice & verb patterns

if + present, present — for general truths: "If you heat ice, it melts."

if + present, will + base verb — for a real future: "If it rains, we'll stay in."

if + past, would + base verb — for an unreal present: "If I had time, I'd learn the piano."

if + past perfect, would have + past participle — for an unreal past: "If I'd known, I would have helped."

Never put 'will' or 'would' in the if-clause: "If it rains…" (not "If it will rain…").

The second conditional; we use 'were' for all subjects to give advice: "If I were you, I would apologise."

Comma when the if-clause comes first ("If it rains, we'll stay in"); no comma when the main clause comes first.

'If not': "You'll miss the bus unless you leave now" = "…if you don't leave now".

would (second conditional — an unlikely/imaginary present).

had studied (third conditional — if + past perfect).

No 'would' in the if-clause: "If I had time, I would help."

The zero conditional — present tense in both clauses: "If you mix the two, you get a reaction."

Further back: present (zero/first) → past (second) → past perfect (third); the result climbs will → would → would have.

They show a range of tenses and structures — a key part of Criterion A (Language).

A bare infinitive — the base verb with no 'to': 'should rest', 'can swim'.

No — 'he can', 'she must', 'it might'; never 'cans' or 'musts'.

Invert: Modal + subject + verb — 'Can you help?', 'Should I go?'. No 'do'.

Add 'not' to the modal: 'must not / mustn't', 'cannot / can't', 'should not'.

can (present) and could (past): 'I can swim', 'I could read at four'.

can and may: 'You can leave', 'May I come in?' (may is more formal).

may, might and could: 'It might rain', 'That could be true'.

must and have to: 'You must stop', 'I have to work on Saturday'.

should and ought to: 'You should rest', 'We ought to leave early'.

mustn't = it is forbidden; don't have to = it is not necessary (you can choose).

'She can drive.' — a modal never takes -s.

'You should study.' — a modal is followed by a bare infinitive, no 'to'.

should (or ought to) — softer than 'must', which is a command.

They turn a flat statement into an argument: 'we should…', 'we must…', 'we could…'.

A form of "be" + the past participle (is cleaned, was built, has been sold).

The active OBJECT becomes the passive SUBJECT; the doer goes after "by" (and can be dropped).

The office is cleaned.

The bridge was built.

The car has been sold.

The results will be announced.

The room must be cleaned.

Only the form of "be"; the past participle stays the same (built / was built / has been built).

The optional "by …" phrase naming the doer; leave it out if the doer is unknown or unimportant.

When the action matters more than the doer, the doer is unknown, or you want a formal/impersonal tone.

Dropping "be": write "The house was built", not "The house built".

Wrong participle: write "was written", not "was wrote".

Wrong agreement: "be" matches the new subject — "The books were sold", not "was sold".

No — mix active and passive; too much passive sounds heavy and impersonal.

He said (that) he was tired. (am → was, I → he)

She said (that) she would help me. (will → would, you → me)

He said (that) he could drive. (can → could)

They said (that) they had to leave. (must → had to)

She asked where I lived. (question word + statement order, no 'do')

He asked if / whether I was ready. (yes/no → if/whether)

She told me to close the window. (command → told someone to + infinitive)

He told me not to be late. (negative command → not to + infinitive)

Moving the verb one step into the past after a past reporting verb: is → was, will → would, can → could.

'say' is used without a person (She said that…); 'tell' needs a person object (She told me that…).

today → that day, tonight → that night, tomorrow → the next day, here → there, now → then.

asked + if / whether + statement word order, no question mark: "Are you ok?" → She asked if I was ok.

told / asked + someone + to + infinitive (negative: not to + infinitive): "Sit down" → She told me to sit down.

It appears whenever a text reports a conversation or interview; using it accurately scores Criterion A (Language).

The -ing form of a verb used as a noun: swimming, reading. 'I enjoy reading.'

to + the base verb: to swim, to read. 'I want to read.'

enjoy + GERUND: 'I enjoy reading.' (never 'enjoy to read').

want + INFINITIVE: 'I want to read.' (never 'want reading').

Always a GERUND: 'good at cooking', 'interested in learning', 'before leaving'.

enjoy, avoid, finish, suggest (also: mind, keep, practise, miss, can't stand).

want, decide, hope, plan (also: promise, agree, learn, need, would like).

'stopped smoking' = quit the activity; 'stopped to smoke' = paused in order to smoke.

'remember locking it' = recall a past action; 'remember to lock it' = don't forget a future task.

'try turning it off' = experiment to see if it works; 'try to finish' = make an effort.

'She is good at cooking.' — a preposition ('at') is followed by a gerund.

'They decided to go home.' — 'decide' takes an infinitive.

A GERUND: 'suggested keeping a notebook' (never 'suggested to keep').

The MAIN VERB in front (or a preposition) — not the subject. Identify it, then recall its pattern.