OXFORD LEARNER'S GRAMMAR Grammar Finder Oxford LEARNER'S GRAMMAR Grammar • In er OXFORD U N IVERS ITY PRESS OXFORD UN1VIl\,SITY JllltiS$ CR!I.\ Clll ~ndon Slrffl O,uord Ol2 61)' Oxford Untv~nlty Prt'B IS;r dtp.ll"untnt uf 11Il' UnJlltwtyorOxford II fun tiers tht UnivenHy'5 obJl'CllYt nftx ce llrlln' In meuch schol.lnhlp lind t'duation by publIshing worldwIde In Oxford Nfw York Auckland Clpe Town Outs Salnrn HonS Kong KoIrach, Kw~ Lumpur Madnd Melbourne Muico City N!l.lrobi Ntow Drllli Shanstw 'hl~ ToronIO Wllh oftiC"ln Argentina Annna BriltJl Ch ill' Czrr h Rll'pubhe Fnno::e G~t CWltmab lIungar}' luly JaJXIn Pobnd Po~1 Singaporll' Sou th 1CO~lI Switnrtand Th:llbnd Th rkt)' Ub.llnt v,t"uum OUOIL) Ollford and OlJO RO l/'l!;;ll$)\ arr reJl.ltered t~ m;u:ksof J'rcu In tlw UK and In (enaln OIhn-COUlltnn UnlV~rslfy II Oxford UnlVll'nity PreIS "005 '1'bc! mor;al oSbu of tlw aut hor ~ve bfton iUwont'd ~t;ab;Jiot nth! Oxfon.! Uniy.,nlty ~~ Imaktrl Flnl pubhlht'd 100S JOO9 )008 lDQ? 1006 200S 10 • I No unAuthonud pIlotocopyln All "Shu rnt:rwd No poin Oflhll pubballon IIYy be ~ucf'd l10rtd In ~ n-tn1l'Vi111 system or trllnlm lntd in ny form or by ;Iny nw;lru WIthout tht prior pt'TlIUUlon m wnunll ofOllfon:l UnlVl'rslty 1'ITu or as tllprt'nJy pmrutttd by J.iw or u!ldtrh'rmsoagrrtd WIth the lIppropriJlt ~progrllphJa n&hl' orpmutJOn Enqwnn concrmmg reproduction outside Ihe KtI~ oftht above shnuld ~ lent to tht ELT R1,hlll)ep,;,r1n1enl Oxford UmYHSlty Pn1s It the ~ms 1I~ You mun DOt nrcuLue tru, book In ;Inyol'her bandlnl 01 l'Ovtr and you must Impose 1.'115 uMe condition on all)' acqUlrer AnyWf'bsltH rt'fcrredto In thts public.lnon ~ In the puhlic domam and their ~m.\n art' pl'OY\ded by Oxford Un.iwnllY I'Tfts for inform.IUOfI only O"rord Unlvtrsuy J'nou dllicl.llms lny responsi bility for the content IUN 3· 9710 1943?5\lJ I 1$114 '10' 1\l 43?5S13 Pnna4 in Chln.a ACIINOWU;l)(;(M(NTS Tht 411thorJ olld p b/WIrr OTt grot.rfollO lIIost \IIh(J haw "ven pmnWlOll «l ~t Iht folltrwrng txfnIds 38C Compare: QUCSllOll Do you like train journeys? Did they arr;lIc ar six ? C Questions without inversion In informal conversation a question can sometimes have the same word order as in a statement You're leaving tomorrow? Yes The car was blue? '"'-'That's right 1'he car was what colour? Blue They went which way? - That way TIP When you ask a question, say Are you leaving tomorrow? and not You 're leaving tomorrow? A question without inversion is not as usual in English as in some other languages and can sometimes sound a.little strange 15 Wh-questions A Question words Here are some questions with the various question words The sentence in brackets shows how each question relates to a statement Who did Luke lake to the da.nce? (lie took someone to the dance ) What are you reading? (You're reading something.) Wlilch film shall we see? (We·1I see one of th e films.) ~ose bike is thot? (ll is someonc's bike.) Where you live? (Yo u live somewhere.) When did the accident happen? {It happened at some time.} Why is your friend so upset? (She is upset for some reason ) How did you get a ticket? (You got a ticket somehow.) For short' questions, e.g Why?, > 25A For whom, > 15C NOTE a In these examples, the question word relates to somethmg III a suh·c1ause What did Emma think J said? (Emma lhought I sa id somethlllg.) Wllell would you like to lea ve? (You wOHtd like to leave a t some time.) b 20 Why (not) can come before a noun phrase or a verb Why the panic?' (:= What IS the reason for the panic?) Look at our prices· wily pay more? (= V lhy shou ld you pay more?) Why not Slay for a while? (= Why don't y Oll stay for a whIte?) 15 Wh~u estions TIP Do not confuse who's and whose Who's is a short form of who is or who has Who 's going 10 the parey? Whose parey is it? B Who, what, etc as subject and object When who or what is the subject of a qu estion , there is no inversion The word order is the sa me as in (l stat em ent Compa re th ese questions Subjec t Object \lVJw illvited you to the party? '" Laura did (Someone invited you ) Wllat caused the accident?.- The driller of the lorry fell asleep (Something caused the accident ) Who did you invite (0 the parey? - Oh, lots of people (You invited someone.) What did the accidem calise? -A 20-mi/e tailbuck (The accidelll caused so met hing.) Who saw the defective? (Someone SilW him ) Wll o did the detectille see? (He sa w so meone.) Here are some more examples of CI queslion word (or a questi on word + no un) as the s ubject lVho is organizing the 'rip? W1WI happens next? WI,;eh cam e firsl, IIle chicken or Ihe egg? Wltieh coat looks the best all me? WI,ose ca r has been stolen, did you say? We can also use how many and how lIIudl How many people know the secret? How much of the money goes to Ihose wllo really need it? 21 Questions and answers C Whom When who is the object of a qucstion, we can use whom instcad WholWhom did you in vite? Whom is formal TIP Use who, not whom Wh om is formal and rather old-fashioned Say Who can you see? not Whom can you see? Who is more usual in everyday speech D Prepositions in questions A question wo rd can be the objec t of a preposition Where does Maria come from ? (Ma ria comes from somewhere.) What are young people interested in these dtJys? (Young people are interested in something these days.) Usuall y the prcposilion comes in the same place as in a statement (come from , interested in) But in formal English the preposition can come before the question word On what evidence was it decided to make an arrest? In which direction did the me'1 go? Whe n whol whom is the object of a preposition, th ere are two possible structures Who were you talking to? To whom were you calking? (fonnal) When the question begins with a preposition, whom is used, not who (NO"'~ NOTE Since comes berore wil en even in info rmal English It ofl en suggests disagreement J always Illdp witll the washillg up "'" Oh }it's, since when? Since when has r/tu area been closed CO tile public7 The seco nd exa mple might be used 10 challenge someone trymg 10 bar people fro m a public place The sa me question with How long ? wou ld be more ne utral 16 More details about question words A Question word + noun What, which a nd whose can have a noun (or an adjective + nOlln ) after them With out a noun W1,at will you do? Wltich is best, Thursday or Friday? Whose was chis stupid idea? 22 With a noun What action will you take? Which d~ly is best? Whose stupid idea was this? I 16 More details about question words Which can come before one/ones or before an of phrase We 've got lot.;) of suitcases Which olle shall we t.ake? Which of the bands did you like besl? We can also ask Which one of ? Which one of these boxes should I tick? B The use of who, what, and which Who always refers to a human being Which can refer either to humans or to something non- human VVhat refers mostly to something non· human, but it can refer to humans when it comes before a noun Human who which what Who is your maths reacher? Which teacher/Which of lhe teachers you have? What idiot wrote chis? Non·human Which supcrmarketll'Vhicir of the supermarkets is cheapest? What book are you reading? What you in the evenings? Who cannot come before a nOlln or before an of phrase (NOT Who-ttaehe dO-ytJtl ilatle? and NOT -Who-fJ/-I.hc tf:ttcflt!H- OO-ytHt-httve?) There is a difference in meaning between what and which What you in your spare lime? \ Vh:al span YOfl play? Which is the quickest route? Which way we go now? We use what when there is an indefinite (a nd often large) number of possi ble answers We use which when there is a definit e (and often small) number of possible answers What sport? Tennis, or golf, or rootball, or Which way? Right or left? The choice of what or which depends on how the speaker sees the number of possible answers In some contexts ei ther word is possible \¥hat newspaper / Which newspaper you read? J.1Ihat parts / Which parts of France have you visited? What size / Which size you take? NOTE We can use what 10 deny Ihe exislence of somethjng juS( m~entloned Why don 'r you in /Jite a few friends? W1,at fnends? / '/lWel/ 'l gOl any friends C Question phrases What and how can co mbine with other words used to begi n a quest ion to form phrases that are often 23 Questions and answers What can corne befo re a nOlln What time is the next train?'- Ten eleven What colour shirt was he wearing? - Bl/w, J think l¥hat kind oprype opsort of compu.ter have you got?- 11, it's a laptop What make is you.r ca r?- It's a BMI!\! We use what about or how about to draw altemion to something or to make a suggestion What about/How abou.t this packaging? Are we going lO throw it away? What about/How about some /uflch ? Cood idea We use what Jor in ques ti ons abou t purpose or rcason What are these screws for ?'" To fix the handles on What did you make silch a fuss Jorr-Sorry, but I was annoyed How can co me before an adjective or an adverb How old is this building?-About two h undred years old How far did you wa lk? - Miles How often does the machine need servicing?'" Orzee a year How long can you Slay? - Not long, I'm afraid It can also co me before many or much How many people live in tile building?'" Twelve How much is the cheap ticket?-Fifteen pounds NOTE HoUl come is an mformal phrase meaning 'why' There is no inversion :trIer how come flow come all rflese papers are lying around? I'm o In tile mu1dle of sorting diem Ollt How and what like? We can use how in friendly enquiries abo ut someone 's well-bei ng, enjoyment or progress How are you r-Fine, thanks How did you like the party?-Oh, il was great Ho w are you getting on at co LLege?.- Fine, lhanks I'm enjoying it What like? asks about quality Someli mes it has a very similar meaning to How ? How was the film? I What was the film like? Bur What like? does not refer to well · being How 's your brolher?-Oh, he's fine, thanks What 's yOllr brother like? Well, he's much qu.ieter than J am itVhat does he look like? He's taLLer that.l me, and he's gOl dark hair T!P When you are introduced to someone, both of you say hello In a forma1 situalion, yo u might say How you do? (ra therold-fashionedl If someone says How you do? to you , you should reply in the same way How you ? is not a rea! question, so don't say Very well thank you A.n1ericans say How' are you? to each oth er when they are introduce,d 24 I 16 More detaI ls abo ut question words When you meet someone you know, especially when you haven 't seen them for some time, it is friendly to ask how they are How are you?- Very well, thank you And you?-Oh, I'm OK thanks E What exactly ? About how many ? etc To ask for exact information we can use exactly or precisely after a queslion word Whal precisely you want to know? We can also put exactly or precisely in end posit ion When are you coming hack exactly? To ask for approxima te informa tion, we can use roughly or appmximatelJ/ They usually go in end position How many people will Ihere be roughly? How big is the room approximately? They can also go before the question word or phrase Roughly how many people will there be? We can also put about before a question phrase such as whar time, how many, how much , or how long About luhat time )'cm think you'll be ready? About how long would the journey take? F Else Else means 'other' What else we need? (Wha t other things 1) Who else did you invite? (What other people ?) G Emphasizing a question We can emphasize a question by using on earth VVlzat on earth you think you're doing? Where on earth hal/e pUl that leller? On earth expresses the speaker's feelings In the firs t example I am surpri sed or annoyed about what you are doing In the second I am puzzled abou t the whereabouts of the letter We can also use euer What ever/Whatever can the matter be? However/However did you manage CO find us? Who ever/Whoever left lhat gale ope,,? 25 Questions and answers 17 Indirect questions We can ask a question ind irectly b y putting it into a sub-clause beginnin g with a question word or with If/ whether This makes the ques tion so un d less abrupt We need to know what the rules a re can ask you how much you're getting pa id fo r the job ? Cou.ld you tell me where Queen Street is, please? I'm trying to find out who owns th is building Do you know when the train gets in ? } was wondering ipwhether you could give me a lift There is no inversio n in the sub-clause NOTE a If the mam clause is a SI3temeni (We nee d co know), then there is no qucslio n mark b For question word + infinitive, :> 100 Could you tell me how to get there? 18 Negative questions PQWEH CUT ' Claire: Anna: Claire: Anna: Claire: Anna: Claire: Anna: Claire: Did you see 'Big Brother' last night? No, we can't watch ·l V Our electricity is still off What! Haven 't they got the power back on yet? No It's an awful nuisance It's over a week now Isn't there a deadline? Don 't they h a ve to it within a certain time? I don 't know Why don 't you refuse to pay your bill? Yes, might just that And come [0 our place tonight A Use A negat ive yes/ no qu estion often expresses s urprise Haven 't they go t the power back on yet? The co ntext shows th at the negative is true, because Anna h as just explained that the elec tricity is still off Claire is expressing her s urprise at this A negative yes / no qu es tion o r ques tion wi th why can be a comp laint Can't you be quiet? I'm trying to concentrate OK, sorry Why haven 't you done what you prom ised?- l didn 't promise We can use Why don ', / doesn 't ? or Why not ? for a suggestion Why don', you refuse to pay your bilJ? Why not use your credit card? We accept all major card.lO 26 18 Negative questions Negativc qucstions with wllo, what, or which usually ask for information Who hasn't returned lhis library book?,.", It musl be Charlolle lVhal can 'I you understand?", This sentence IJ ere Which of the guests doesn't eal m eat? - Oh, Owe's Julia We ca n use a negative question to ask the hearer to agree that something is true Isn'llhere a deadline? Don't lhey have to it within a certain time? Haven't we met somewhere before? The meaning is similar to We've met somewhere before, haven't we? > 20 B Form We make a question negative by putting n't after the auxiliary Positive Negative Are we a democratic people? Have they gal the power back on? Aren't we a democratic people? Haven't they got the power back on? The negative of am I is aren't l Why aren't I getting paid for this? We not use (NOT t\-re-'Ic9t riot after the auxiliary I.Vf ii tit!l?'tfJefflfic.- "e&,.nen In more formal English not can come after the subject Are we not a democratic people? We can use other negative words Are you 1lever going to finish ? Is there no electricilY? If the question word is the subject, n't or not comes after the auxiliary Positi ve Negative Who has filled in this form' Which program works? Who hasn't/has no/ filled in this form? Which program doesn'tldoes not work? We can also use other negative words in a wh~question Positive Nega tive Which of us has ever done anything dishonest? Which of us has never done anything dishonest? C Yes/no answers The answer no agrees that the negative is true The answer yes means thilt the positive is tru c Haven'tlhey gOl the power back on yet?-No, flat yet It 's a real nuisance Haven't they got the power back on yet?- Yes, it's back, thank goodness 27 ... roduction; 11 2 Gerund d,luses; 11 3 Some patterns Wi th the gerund; 11 4 PrepositIOn"" gerund, 11 5 Verb + preposition + gerund; 11 6 Adjective + preposition + gerund; 11 7 Noun ~ preposition + geru nd; 11 8... joining and 10 join; 11 To + gerund and the to-infinitive; 12 0 Determiner + gerund p 16 1 Participles 12 1 Introduction; 12 2 Paniciple clauses 12 3 Participle + noun ; 12 4 Verb + participle 12 5 Verb... OXFORD LEARNER''S GRAMMAR Grammar Finder Oxford LEARNER''S GRAMMAR Grammar • In er OXFORD U N IVERS ITY PRESS OXFORD UN1VIl\,SITY JllltiS$ CR!I.\ Clll ~ndon Slrffl O,uord Ol2 61) '' Oxford