2nd partial

2nd partial

1. Verb patterns with reporting verbs

   • Verb + infinitive
     • We use the infinitive after agree, offer, promise, refuse, swear and threaten
       • Jack offered to take a photo of me.
       • He swore to tell the truth.
   • Verb + object + infinitive
     • We use it after advise, ask, beg, convince, encourage, invite, persuade, recommend, urge, and warn
       • Julia asked me to drive her to the airport
       • I don’t like concerts, but Max convinced me to come
   • Verb + preposition + -ing
     • We use -ing after verb + preposition combinations, e.g., apologize for, complain about, confess to, insist on, and object to.
       • You should apologize for being so rude.
       • Sara insisted on eating at home.
   • Verb + object + preposition + -ing
     • With some other verb + preposition combinations, we place object between the verb and preposition, e.g., accuse… of, blame … for, criticize … for, congratulate … on, praise … for, thank … for.
       • Anna always accused me of being lazy
       • Lars praised his son for winning the competition.
   • Important: Note that when we use reporting verbs, we often have to make changes to pronouns, time expressions, etc.
     • “You’ve broken my phone!” She blamed me for breaking her phone.
     • “I’ll be back tomorrow” She promised to be back the next day
   • Some reporting verbs can also be followed by that + clause. When we use a reporting verb + that, we often make a change to the tense.
     • “We’ll be late” I warned you that we would be late

2. COULD, WAS ABLE TO, MANAGED TO, AND SUCCEEDED IN

   • We use could, was able to, managed to, and succeeded in to talk about ability and possibility in the past.
     • General ability
       • We use could and couldn't + base verb to describe a general ability to do something in the past.
         • Jacky could run really fast when she was a teenager.
         • I couldn't speak Trench until I went to study in Paris.
       • We also use was/were able to for the same meaning. It is more formal than could/couldn't.
         • Jacky was able to run really fast when she was a teenager.
         • I wasn't able to speak Trench until I went to study in Paris.
     • Success/failure in a specific task
       • We cannot use could to talk about success in a specific task in the past. We use was/were able + to + base verb, managed + to + base verb, or succeeded in + -ing instead.
         • I was able to get/managed to get /succeeded in getting tickets for the concert! I bought the last three tickets available.
       • We normally use managed to + base verb and succeeded in + -ing when the task was difficult. We tend to use succeeded in (and was/were able to) in more formal contexts.
       • In informal contexts, we often use the simple past to talk about success in a specific task in the past, especially if we don't want to suggest it was difficult.
         • I got tickets for the concert. There were plenty left.
       • Note that we DO use couldn't to describe failure in a specific task in the past.
         • We couldn't find a karate class, so we decided to take ludo instead.
   • Possibility/opportunity in the past
     • We also use could and was/ were able to to say we had a possibility or opportunity to do something in the past.
       • I really loved the class because we could / were able to practice all the theory we had studied.

3. Focus adverbs: only, just, even

   • We use the focus adverbs only, just, and even to focus on or draw attention to particular information in a clause. The focus adverb comes directly before the word or phrase it is emphasizing.
     • We use only:
       • • to emphasize that a number, size, age, etc., is small or smaller than we expected.
         • Our flights cost only $90.
       • • to emphasize that something is true only for a single person/thing or a limited number of people/things.
         • Only customers can park here.
       • • to say that something is unimportant.
         • Don't be offended—I was only joking.
       • • with not to say that more than one thing is true.
         • I'm not only interested in money; I also want to find a job that is interesting.
     • We use just:
       • • to emphasize that a number, size, age, etc., is small or smaller than we expected.
         • She left the job after just six weeks.
       • • to emphasize that something happened recently or will be finished soon.
         • They've just arrived home.
       • • to mean "simply." There's a good bus service in my town, but I normally just walk wherever I want to go.
         • • with not to say that more than one thing is true.
           • They're not just friends—they're married! Note that we can sometimes use both only and just without any change of meaning.
     • We use even:
       • • to introduce something surprising.
         • Even I enjoyed the concert, and I don't like rock music!
       • • with not to emphasize that something isn't true or doesn't happen.
         • The city was so busy that we couldn't even find a room in the worst hotels.
       • • in a comparison, to say that although something is good, bad, big, etc., another thing is better, worse, bigger, etc.
         • Her latest movie is even better than her last one.
   • Position of focus adverbs We can put only, even, and just in different places in a sentence. If the focus of the adverb is on the subject, we put it at the beginning of the sentence.
     • Even summer is quite cool in this part of the world.
   • If the focus of the adverb is on another part of the sentence, we normally put it in the middle of the sentence, before the main verb or after auxiliary verbs (have, do, be) and modal verbs.
     • My phone can't make long-distance calls. It can only make local calls. I'm just getting ready. I won't be long.

4. Causatives have and get

   • We use have and get in different ways to say that we cause something to happen or cause somebody to do something.
     • have/get + something + past participle
       • We use have/get + something + past participle when we pay somebody to do something for us. We don't say who does the job. Get something done is more informal than have something done.
         • She got her hair cut yesterday. I'm having my computer fixed this morning.
       • We also use have/ get + something + past participle to say that we experienced something bad.
         • Maria had/got her phone stolen last night. (She didn't want this to happen.)
   • have + someone + base form of the verb
     • We use have + someone + base verb when we ask or tell somebody to do something for us. We normally use this structure when we have some kind of power over the other person, because he or she is our employee, child, etc. It is quite formal.
       • Jose had his lawyer write a new contract.
       • We always say who did the action with this structure.
   • get + someone + infinitive
     • We also use get + someone + infinitive when we ask or tell somebody to do something for us. We use this structure in any context (not just with people we have power over). It is informal.
       • We got our teacher to explain the grammar again.
       • We always say who did the action with this structure.