English Grammar Rules: Passive voice, prepositions, and the verbs to Be, to Go, to Have. Past tense forms

This article is designed to help you practically grasp several key topics, such as the use of the passive voice, prepositions, and verb forms in different tenses. Since grammatical tests can be challenging, we will cover the rules that will assist you in solving them.

In this article, we will focus on the fundamentals of English grammar by exploring four key topics essential for understanding the language:

1. Passive Voice: Learn how the passive voice is formed and used to emphasize the object of the action rather than the doer.
2. Prepositions: Master the basic prepositions and their usage to accurately express spatial, temporal, and other relationships.
3. The verbs “to be,” “to go,” and “to have” in different forms: Examine how these verbs change in the past tense and other forms to improve your grammatical accuracy and ability to use them in various contexts.
4. Past tense forms: Understand how to correctly use different past tense forms, including Past Simple, Past Continuous, Past Perfect, and Past Perfect Continuous, to accurately describe events that occurred in the past.

Below, you will find practical exercises to reinforce these grammatical rules. Each task requires you to select the correct answer based on the grammatical structures described in the article.

Grammar Exercise: Passive voice, prepositions, and verbs in the past tense

In these tasks, you need to choose the correct answer using your knowledge of the passive voice, prepositions, and the verbs “to be,” “to go,” and “to have” in various forms. Complete the exercises carefully, applying the grammatical rules outlined in the article below.

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Practice. English grammar. Passive voice, prepositions and verbs (quiz, test)

‘Are you going to the shops this afternoon?’
‘No, I’ve already ____ . I went this morning.’

being

been

going

gone

‘When’s your holiday?’
‘We’ve already _____ . We went to France.’

being

gone

were

been

A new prime minister _____ .

elected

has been elected

has elected

have elected

Thousands of people are _____ work in this town. It’s really difficult to get a job.

of

out of

in

on

How much money _____ for your retirement?

saved

you saved

have you been saved

have you saved

‘Where’s Peter?’
‘He’s _____ on holiday.’

in

been

gone

being

‘Where’s Harry these days?’
‘Didn’t you know? He’s _____ to another company.’

gone

went

being

been

I had a crash this morning. Fortunately, I didn’t do much damage _____ my car.

to

in

on

out of

The Prime Minister of Italy ____ .

has resigned

has been resigned

have resigned

resigned

You are always _____ trouble because you don’t listen to anybody.

in

of

on

with

‘Can I speak to Jenny, please?’
‘I’m afraid she’s _____ to lunch. Can I take a message?’

being

gone

been

going

“____ John ever ____ to Paris?”
“Oh, yes. Five times.”

Has / gone

Has / been

Did / go

Does / go

The Italian people ____ of his resignation on television yesterday evening.

was told

have been told

were told

told

The factory workers are _____ strike because they want more money.

in

out of

of

on

I got a cheque _____ a hundred pounds this morning.

out of

on

of

in

How much do you spend a week _____ average?

out of

of

on

in

I _____ my glasses. _____ them anywhere?

lost / Did you see

have lost / Did you see

have been lost / Have you seen

lost / Have you seen

I’ve never _____ to Australia, but I’d like to go.

went

been

gone

being

They ______ more money by the management.

haven’t been offered

offer

haven’t offered

offered

Can you tell the difference _____ butter and margarine.

between

of

on

out of

“Where _____ Liz _____ on holiday?”
“She went to Paris.”

has / gone

has / been

did / went

did / go

You’re really annoying me. You’re doing it _____ purpose, aren’t you?

of

out of

on

in

Where have you ____? You’re so brown!

been

gone

being

in

I’m fed up _____ cooking. Let’s eat _____ for a change.

with / out

on / now

in / out

at / out

Watch your step with Dad. He’s _____ a terrible mood.

on

of

in

out of

Could you take a photo _____ me, please?

on

in

of

with

The police _____ the public that the man is dangerous.

has warned

warned

have been warned

have warned

There have been a lot of complaints _____ your behavior.

about

on

out of

in

“Where _____ Liz _____ on holiday?”
“She’s in Paris.”

has / been

has / gone

did / went

did / go

Your score is

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Prepositions in English

Prepositions are words that show the relationship between different elements in a sentence. They indicate place, time, direction, reason, and other connections between parts of speech. Correct use of prepositions is crucial for constructing grammatically accurate sentences in English.

Types of Prepositions

• Prepositions of Place
  Indicate location or place.
  • in — inside something:
    • Example: The book is in the bag.
  • on — on a surface:
    • Example: The keys are on the table.
  • at — at a specific point:
    • Example: She is at the door.
  • between — in the middle of two things:
    • Example: The cat is between the two chairs.
  • behind — at the back of something:
    • Example: The house is behind the trees.
  • under — directly below:
    • Example: The dog is under the table.
  • next to — beside:
    • Example: The bank is next to the post office.
• Prepositions of Time
  Indicate when an action takes place.
  • in — for months, years, seasons, parts of the day:
    • Example: I was born in 1990.
    • Example: We will meet in the morning.
  • on — for days of the week, dates, and holidays:
    • Example: I have a meeting on Monday.
    • Example: The party is on Christmas Day.
  • at — for specific times:
    • Example: The train leaves at 6 pm.
  • since — from a specific point in the past to now:
    • Example: She has lived here since 2010.
  • for — for a duration of time:
    • Example: He has been studying for three hours.
  • before — prior to a time or event:
    • Example: We should finish this before dinner.
  • after — following a time or event:
    • Example: Let’s meet after the movie.
• Prepositions of Direction and Movement
  Indicate direction or movement towards something.
  • to — towards a place:
    • Example: She is going to the store.
  • into — towards the inside of:
    • Example: He walked into the room.
  • out of — from the inside to the outside:
    • Example: She ran out of the house.
  • through — from one side to the other:
    • Example: The cat walked through the door.
  • over — above or across:
    • Example: They flew over the mountains.
  • across — from one side to the other horizontally:
    • Example: They walked across the street.
  • up — towards a higher place:
    • Example: We are going up the stairs.
  • down — towards a lower place:
    • Example: She ran down the hill.
• Prepositions of Cause and Purpose
  Indicate reason or purpose.
  • because of — due to:
    • Example: The flight was delayed because of the weather.
  • due to — because of (formal):
    • Example: The cancellation was due to technical issues.
  • for — for the purpose of:
    • Example: I am studying English for better job opportunities.
• Prepositions of Relation
  Indicate relationships between objects.
  • about — concerning:
    • Example: We talked about the new project.
  • with — together with:
    • Example: She is working with her team.
  • by — by means of:
    • Example: The book was written by a famous author.
  • of — belonging to:
    • Example: She is a friend of mine.
  • from — originating from:
    • Example: The letter is from my colleague.

Examples of Prepositions in Tests

In your test exercises, prepositions are used to indicate various relationships, places, and reasons:

• “The factory workers are on strike because they want more money.”
  • The preposition on is used in the context of “on strike,” indicating that the workers are striking.
• “Thousands of people are out of work in this town.”
  • The preposition out of is used to express the lack of work for people.
• “You’re doing it on purpose, aren’t you?”
  • The preposition on is used in the phrase “on purpose,” meaning intentionally.

Useful Expressions with Prepositions

• In time: before a specific moment.
  • Example: He arrived in time for the meeting.
• At the moment: currently.
  • Example: She is busy at the moment.
• On time: precisely at the scheduled time.
  • Example: The train arrived on time.
• Out of order: not functioning.
  • Example: The vending machine is out of order.

Tips for Using Prepositions

• Learn prepositional phrases as they are often used in fixed expressions, and using the wrong preposition can change the meaning of a sentence.
• Practice translating sentences into and out of English to become familiar with the correct use of prepositions.
• Read English texts and pay attention to how prepositions are used in different contexts.

Understanding and correctly using prepositions will help you better comprehend and use English in everyday situations.

Using the verbs “to be”, “to go”, and “to have” in different forms

The verbs “to be”, “to go”, and “to have” are among the most commonly used verbs in English. They play a crucial role in forming various grammatical structures and are used to express states, actions, possession, and other relationships.

1. The Verb “to be”

The verb “to be” is used to express existence, state, or characteristic. It changes depending on tense, person, and number.

Forms of “to be”:

• Present Simple:
  • am — used with I:
    • Example: I am a teacher.
  • is — used with he, she, it:
    • Example: She is happy.
  • are — used with we, you, they:
    • Example: They are students.
• Past Simple:
  • was — used with I, he, she, it:
    • Example: He was tired yesterday.
  • were — used with we, you, they:
    • Example: We were at the park.
• Future Simple:
  • will be — used with all persons:
    • Example: She will be there tomorrow.
• Present Continuous:
  • am/is/are being — used to describe an action happening now:
    • Example: You are being silly.
• Present Perfect:
  • has/have been — used to describe an action or state that started in the past and continues to the present:
    • Example: She has been sick for two days.

Typical Uses of “to be”:

• To describe a state:
  • Example: I am tired.
• To indicate location:
  • Example: The keys are on the table.
• In passive constructions:
  • Example: The cake was eaten by the kids.

2. The Verb “to go”

The verb “to go” means “to move” or “to travel”. It also changes depending on tense, person, and number.

Forms of “to go”:

• Present Simple:
  • go — used with I, we, you, they:
    • Example: I go to work every day.
  • goes — used with he, she, it:
    • Example: He goes to school by bus.
• Past Simple:
  • went — used with all persons:
    • Example: She went to the store yesterday.
• Future Simple:
  • will go — used with all persons:
    • Example: We will go to the beach tomorrow.
• Present Continuous:
  • am/is/are going — used to describe an action happening now or planned for the future:
    • Example: They are going to the movies tonight.
• Present Perfect:
  • has/have gone — used to describe an action completed in the past but relevant now:
    • Example: She has gone home.

Typical Uses of “to go”:

• To describe movement:
  • Example: We go to the gym after work.
• To describe plans or intentions:
  • Example: I am going to visit my grandparents this weekend.

3. The Verb “to have”

The verb “to have” means “to possess” or “to hold”. It can be used as a main verb (to express possession) or as an auxiliary verb (to form tenses like Present Perfect).

Forms of “to have”:

• Present Simple:
  • have — used with I, we, you, they:
    • Example: I have a car.
  • has — used with he, she, it:
    • Example: She has a new phone.
• Past Simple:
  • had — used with all persons:
    • Example: They had a party last night.
• Future Simple:
  • will have — used with all persons:
    • Example: He will have an exam next week.
• Present Continuous:
  • am/is/are having — used to describe an action happening now:
    • Example: We are having lunch.
• Present Perfect:
  • has/have had — used to describe an action completed in the past but relevant now:
    • Example: She has had a headache all day.

Typical Uses of “to have”:

• To express possession:
  • Example: They have a big house.
• To form complex tenses:
  • Example: She has finished her homework.

Understanding and correctly using the verbs “to be”, “to go”, and “to have” in their various forms is essential for constructing grammatically correct sentences in English. They allow for a wide range of expressions, from simple statements to complex actions and states.