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Conjunctions

If clauses

If clauses are usually used to talk about uncertain events and situations. They often refer to a condition - something which must happen first, so that something else can happen.

• If you love me, I will love you.
• If you study well, you will pass the exam.
• If you marry me, I will make you my queen.
• If you don't hurry up, you will be late.

Clauses of this kind are often called conditional clauses. There are four main types of conditional clauses in English. They are:

1. Zero conditional
2. Type 1 conditional
3. Type 2 conditional
4. Type 3 conditional
   

   Position of an if clause

   An if-clause can come at the beginning or end of a sentence. When an if-clause begins a sentence, we use a comma to separate it from the rest of the sentence.
   

   Compare:

   • I will phone you if I have time.
   • If I have time, I will phone you.

   Leaving out If

   In a formal or literary style if can be dropped and an auxiliary verb put before the subject. This is common with had, should and were.
   
   • Were I you I would accept the offer. (= If I were you I would accept the offer.)
   • Had he not received her help he wouldn't have become a millionaire. (= If he had not received...)

When do we use Rather in English?

A) We use rather as an adverb of degree:

Modifying an adjective:

• The film was rather good.


Modifying an adverb:

• It happened rather quickly.


Notes:

1. It is stronger than fairly, but not as strong as very.

2. It can modify a noun, often coming before the article:

3. It's rather a problem.

4. It can modify some verbs: I rather like it.

B) To express preference.

Rather than:

Rather than is normally used to compare parallel structures:

• Let's take the train rather than the bus.

• Rather you than me!

• I decided to write rather than email.


Would rather:

Would rather + infinitive without 'to':

• I'd rather leave now.

Would rather + pronoun + past tense:

• I'd rather he came early.

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How to use adverbs

Using correct grammar both in your writing as well as in your speech shows others your intelligence. The correct use of adverbs can be tricky, but by following a few simple guidelines when using adverbs, you will understand just how adverbs function. Below are some rules for using adverbs correctly:

Use adverbs to indicate manner, time, place, cause or degree. Adverbs answer questions like "how," "when," "where," "how much." Ask yourself if the word is answering one of these questions. If so, then it is an adverb.

Identify adverbs in a sentence by looking for words that end in "ly." This is only one step in finding an adverb. Some adverbs do not end in "ly," and not all words ending in "ly" are adverbs. Check to see if it answers one of the questions above first.

Practice using adverbs that modify the verb. For example, "The rain fell hard." The adverb "hard" tells how the rain fell. In the sentence, "He will arrive soon," the adverb "soon" tells when he will arrive. Notice that neither of these adverbs end in "ly".

Look for adverbs that modify adjectives. For example, "The softly-spoken whisper was barely audible." "Softly" modifies the adjective "spoken" which describes "whisper".

Locate adverbs that modify the entire sentence such as "Unfortunately, the game was cancelled due to rain." "Unfortunately" is being applied to the entire sentence in this case.

Be careful of misusing adverbs in speech. People do things "well" not "good". Use adverbs to tell how something is done instead of adjectives. Say "speak slowly" or "come quickly" rather than "speak slow" or "come quick".

Prepositions of Time

We use:

• at for a PRECISE TIME
• in for MONTHS, YEARS, CENTURIES and LONG PERIODS
• on for DAYS and DATES

at	in	on
PRECISE TIME	MONTHS, YEARS, CENTURIES and LONG PERIODS	DAYS and DATES
at 3 o'clock	in May	on Sunday
at 10.30am	in summer	on Tuesdays
at noon	in the summer	on 6 March
at dinnertime	in 1990	on 25 Dec. 2010
at bedtime	in the 1990s	on Christmas Day
at sunrise	in the next century	on Independence Day
at sunset	in the Ice Age	on my birthday
at the moment	in the past/future	on New Year's Eve

Look at these examples:

• I have a meeting at 9am.
• The shop closes at midnight.
• Jane went home at lunchtime.
• In England, it often snows in December.
• Do you think we will go to Jupiter in the future?
• There should be a lot of progress in the next century.
• Do you work on Mondays?
• Her birthday is on 20 November.
• Where will you be on New Year's Day?

Notice the use of the preposition of time at in the following standard expressions:

Expression	Example
at night	The stars shine at night.
at the weekend	I don't usually work at the weekend.
at Christmas/Easter	I stay with my family at Christmas.
at the same time	We finished the test at the same time.
at present	He's not home at present. Try later.

Notice the use of the prepositions of time in and on in these common expressions:

in	on
in the morning	on Tuesday morning
in the mornings	on Saturday mornings
in the afternoon(s)	on Sunday afternoons
in the evening(s)	on Monday evening

When we say last, next, every, this we do not also use at, in, on.

• I went to London last June. (not in last June)
• He's coming back next Tuesday. (not on next Tuesday)
• I go home every Easter. (not at every Easter)
• We'll call you this evening. (not in this evening)

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Dictionaries

Using dictionaries are always a good way to increase your vocabulary and get the meaning of new words, but as your English level improves you also need to improve your search, as well.
Here's an example on how you should do it according to your increasing level:

• starter students must use their native language / English language dictionaries.
• intermediate students must start using both their native language / English language and English / English dictionaries, as well. This way, they will force themselves to search the meanings into the studied language and start getting a high control of it.
• advanced students are not allowed to use a native language / English language dictionary anymore, unless they're searching for a new word.

So, dear students, if you're in an intermediate or advanced level and you're reading a magazine or something like that in English, try to search the new vocabulary on an English / English dictionary. This way, you'll get enough fluency and whole control of the language.

On the right sidebar you will find some useful links including dictionaries... English / English ones!

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Welcome to my classroom! Such a kind of place where you will find some tips to improve your daily life through English language. Here, I'll share not only tips but also my own experiences, as my inner student is still alive inside me. We live and learn and our daily routine is always showing us something brand new.

This is my first post and it's just to say to all of you "welcome" to my crazy and funny English world!

Learning a foreign language has been openning so many doors during my lifetime and that's all I wish you all: open doors to the world and great opportunities for improving your lives into a so amazing way.

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