H. E. Colby - 21 Essential English Grammar Lessons

To Noel, Alex, Heather, Melissa, and Winn with Love

T hank you for purchasing a copy of 21 Essential English Grammar Lessons !

Your interest in English grammar is understandable given its importance in expressing, presenting, and selling your ideas to colleagues and clients.

Whether you write for business, university or just for pleasure, you will be much more competent and start to really understand how English works with 21 Essential English Grammar Lessons .

This book is written for students and professionals who want to study the essential part of English grammar without the guidance of a teacher.

It is intended for pre-intermediate to advance level students who have fundamental questions about how the different parts of English grammar fit together.

How to use this book

The twenty-one units of grammar are not in any particular order. Each can be reviewed independently at the convenience of the student.

Exercises follow each presentation of grammar lessons which allow students to test their knowledge of each unit.

Answers follow each grammar exercise.

Finally, this book may be used simply as a reference without doing the exercises.

Good luck,

Professor H. E. Colby

About the Author

Professor Colby is an experienced English instructor who has been helping students meet their language and professional goals since 2007. Please visit her blog and sign up for the Business English Update newsletter for more tips.

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Talk about:

regular actions or events

statements of facts

facts about the near future

thoughts and feelings about the time of speaking

T alk about:

statements, facts, true at the time of speaking, but not always

present plans for the future

The stock market closes tomorrow at 4 p.m. (future fact)

The price of wheat is trending downward. (fact at time of speaking)

Ray Corp supports children literacy programs. (statement of fact)

The Board of Directors is meeting next Tuesday to discuss the company stock plan. (future plans)

D irections: Choose between the present simple and present simple continuous in the following sentences.

A NSWERS

EXERCISE 1.1

1. is sponsoring 2. gives 3. lags 4. is soaring 5. is hindering 6. are enjoying 7. is resigning 8. is advising or advises 9. declines 10. is flying or flies, is stopping by 11. portrays 12. goes or is going

Talk about completed actions and states in the past:

at a specific point in time.

for a period of time.

with time expressions such as these: yesterday , in 2012, four years ago, from July to November, last year, for 6 weeks

Talk about actions at an unspecified time in the past:

something that happened (or did not happen) before the present time. The adverbs ever , never, already , yet , still , and just are frequently used with the present perfect tense.

the repetition of an activity before the present time.

a situation that began in the past and continues to the present time, using since or for.

Messini Brothers sold two of its copper subsidiaries last quarter. (simple past)

Messini Brothers has already sold two its copper subsidiaries to R and J Metals. (present perfect)

Roth Burton, Inc. generated over $1.2 billion in shareholder value in only ten years.(simple past)

Roth Burton, Inc. has generated over $1.2 billion in shareholder value since 2003. (present perfect)

D irections: Complete the correct form of the past simple and present perfect simple in the following sentences.

1. France _____ (spend) more money than ever on railroad infrastructure since 1998.

2. Messini Brothers _______ (promise) its employees a mere two-percent pay hike despite windfall profits.

3. Shareholders ________(sue) R and L Manufacturing six times during the 1990s over improper dividend payments.

4. Shareholders ________(sue) R and L Manufacturing for three consecutive years over improper dividend payments.

5. The corporate arbitrator ______ just _____ (rule) in favor of pensioners at BL and Company.

6. The corporate arbitrator ______(rule) in favor of pensioners at BL and Company.

7. State investigators ______(uncover) gross negligence by Gee Whiz Retailers after a whistleblower ______(lodge) a complaint.

8. CEO Marta Steward ______(resign) effective immediately, according to media reports.

9. McQueenan Advisors, Ltd. _____ (counsel) Luweyn and Company in 2007 to halt all production of its silicon products, the Business Times reports today.

10. Since 1999, Belgium _______(be) the leader in the production of Chimay cheese in the European Union.

11. In 2010, China ______(edge) out Japan as the second largest economy in the world.

12. Reynolds, Spunker, and Levinson _______(report) more billable hours than any other oil and gas law firm in the Middle East last year.

ANSWERS 2.1

1. has spent 2. promised 3. sued 4. has sued 5. has just ruled 6. ruled 7. uncovered, lodged 8. has resigned 9. counseled 10. has been by 11. edged 12. reported

N OTE: Often there is little difference in meaning between the present perfect simple and the present perfect continuous. The difference is in the type of information you want to emphasize.