Inversions
Rewrite:
I had barely arrived when it started raining.
Barely had I arrived when it started raining.
Tense(s):
If she had left earlier, she wouldn’t be late now.
Past and Present
Meaning:
She must be exhausted.
Logical deduction (present).
Identify the cleft focus:
It was the director who approved the project.
The director
Identify the tense:
She has been considering leaving her job.
Present perfect continuous
Correct:
Seldom people realize how dangerous it is
Seldom do people realize how dangerous it is.
Create a mixed conditional (past to present) with the verb work:
(Variable)
If I had worked harder, I’d be more confident now.
Rewrite with a past modal of deduction:
Maybe he forgot.
He might have forgotten.
Create an “It-cleft” focusing on “yesterday”.
(Variable)
It was yesterday that I called you.
Rewrite using future perfect:
She plans to finish by Monday.
She will have finished by Monday.
Add “no sooner”:
He finished speaking and the audience applauded.
No sooner had he finished speaking than the audience applauded.
Correct:
If I knew the answer, I would have helped you yesterday.
If I had known the answer, I would have helped you yesterday.
Contrast the meanings:
He could have told me.
VS
He should have told me.
Possibility not taken vs obligation not met
Turn into a wh-cleft:
I love your attitude.
What I love is your attitude.
Transform to past perfect continuous:
They argued for two hours.
They had been arguing for two hours.
Create an inversion using “Under no circumstances”:
You cannot reveal this information.
Under no circumstances can you reveal this information.
Complete:
If they hadn’t ignored the warning, they ______ (not suffer) these losses now.
If they hadn’t ignored the warning, they wouldn’t be suffering these losses now.
Create a sentence with couldn’t have + past participle.
(Variable)
He couldn't have been at movies, he was sick.
Improve the cleft:
It was honesty what impressed me.
It was honesty that impressed me.
Fix tense logic:
By the time he arrives, we ate.
(Variable)
By the time he arrives, we will have eaten.
Rewrite:
I had never seen such a chaotic event before.
Never had I seen such a chaotic event before.
Mixed conditional (present to past):
I’m not rich, so I didn’t travel last year.
If I were rich, I would have traveled last year.
Correct the modal:
She mustn’t have left already; her car is gone.
She must have left already; her car is gone.
Transform using an all-cleft:
I want a simple answer.
All I want is a simple answer.
Create an example of a tense shift:
→ “I am leaving,” she said.
→ She said she was leaving.
(Variable)