Mastering English Modals, Conditionals, Passive Voice, Reported Speech & Vocabulary
Modal Verbs
- Can: ability or capacity, requests, asking for permission, possibility, suggestion. (saber poder) - I can swim, I can lend you my car.
- Be able: ability, possibility (ser capaz de) – They will be able to see (podrían ver).
- Can't: inability, prohibition, deduction (no poder, no saber) – I can't swim.
- Could: ability or capacity, more polite than can, possibility and suggestion (supo/e, podría): She could run before (podía correr antes).
- May/might: possibility (puede podría) – The tourist might be disappointed (puede que estén disgustados).
- May: polite question (puede) - May I borrow...? (puedo tomar prestado...)
- Should: advice and recommendation (deberías) - She should be (ella debería estar).
- Need to: obligation and necessity (necesitar): I need to know (necesito saber).
- Have to: obligation and necessity (tener que) - I have to...
- Must: obligation, necessity, an imposed law (deber que) - They must evacuate (deberían evacuar).
- Mustn't: prohibition (no debes).
- Don't have to: necessity and no obligation (no tienes que).
- Needn't to: necessity or no obligation (no es necesario que).
- Would: to ask or offer in a polite way, conditional - Would you like some more? (¿quieres algo más?)
Formality
- Can: friends
- Could: if you don't know the person well
- May/Might: if you don't know the person at all
Deduction
- 100%: will
- 50%: might
- 30%: can
- 0%: can't
Perfect Modals
In the past, negated in the modal, always have, not has.
- Must have: certainty that a fact is true (I must have been very exciting for her to make that trip - debe haber sido).
- May/might have: supposition of a past fact (She may have forgotten the meeting - puede que).
- Could have: something could have been done in the past but wasn't (It was a stupid action, you could have hurt yourself – podrías haberte hecho daño).
- Couldn't have: certainty that something did not happen (They couldn't have predicted the rain - no podrían haber predicho).
- Would have: desire to have done something in the past but it didn't happen (I would have gone with you, but I was too scared - habría ido).
- Should/ought to have: criticism of a past fact (You should/ought to have warned me earlier - deberías haberme).
- Shouldn't have: criticism of a past fact (I shouldn't have taken so much luggage - no tenía que haber).
- Needn't have: something unnecessary in the past (You needn't have bought the tickets - no tenías por qué).
Conditionals
- 1st Conditional: if + present simple, present simple. Example: If I do sport, I feel energetic.
- 2nd Conditional: if + past simple, [would + infinitive without to OR modal in past [could, should, might]]. Example: If I won the lottery, I would buy a car.
- 3rd Conditional: if + past perfect (had + ed/3rd column), conditional present perfect (would + have + ed/3rd column).
Passive Voice
- Simple present: makes - is made
- Present continuous: is making - is being made
- Simple past: made - was made
- Past continuous: was making - was being made
- Present perfect: has made - has been made
- Past perfect: had made - had been made
- Will: will make - will be made
- To be going to: is going to make - is going to be made
- Modal verbs: can/could - can/could be made
Reported Speech
- Present simple: past simple: I like coffee - he said that he liked coffee.
- Present continuous: past continuous: I am doing my homework - she announced she was doing...
- Simple past: past perfect: I gave her a present - he confirmed he had given her a present.
- Present perfect: past perfect: I have never been there - he said he had never been there.
- Past continuous: past perfect continuous: I was walking when... - he reported he had been walking when...
- Future: conditional: I will help you - she said she would help me.
- Imperative: infinitive without to: open the door - he told me to open the door / don’t cheat: the teacher advised not to cheat.
Writing Connectors
- However: sin embargo
- In short: como conclusión
- Somehow: por decirlo de otra manera
- All in all: todo ello
- In fact: de hecho
- Despite + noun / In spite of...: a pesar de
- After all: a pesar de todo
- Whether: si...
- Meanwhile: mientras tanto
- According to: según
- But instead of... (ing): pero en vez de...
- By the time: por aquel entonces...
- While: mientras tanto
- First and foremost: lo primero de todo
- Though: aunque
Personality Vocabulary
- Confident: seguro
- Generous: generoso
- Impulsive: impulsivo
- Bossy: mandón
- Open-minded: abierto
- Talkative: hablador
- Helpful: humanitario
- Stubborn: cabezota
- Considerate: considerado
- Romantic: romántico
- Nosy: cotilla
- Calm: tranquilo
- Straight-wavy-curly: liso-ondulado-rizado (hair)
- Chubby: regordete
- Slim: delgado
- Skinny: en los huesos
- Fair: claro
- Plain: simple
- Shy: tímido
- Selfish: egoísta
- Spiky: de punta
- Unattractive: feo
- Good-looking: guapo
- Well-built: cachas
- Petite: pequeño
- Muscular: musculoso
- Gorgeous: hermoso
- Shoulder-length: pelo por el hombro
- Big-headed: engreído
- Broad-shouldered: ancho de espalda
- Long-legged: patilargo
- Old-fashioned: pasado de moda
- Kind-hearted: bondadoso
- Short-tempered: mal genio