Grammar and Language Elements: Tense, Voice, Clauses, Transformation
Where the marks actually fall
Grammar is tested in context, not as definitions: tense choice, voice, clause types and sentence transformation. Apply meaning first, form second.
Core rules
- Tense and aspect: simple = fact or habit; continuous = in progress around a point; perfect = earlier event still relevant now. Time markers decide. 'Since 2019' requires a perfect form; 'by the time he arrived' needs past perfect for the earlier event; 'nowadays' needs simple present.
- Voice: active → passive moves the object to subject position, uses a form of be + past participle, and keeps the tense. Only transitive verbs take a passive. has done → has been done; will send → will be sent.
- Clauses: noun clause (subject or object - that he lied), relative/adjective clause (modifies a noun - who came late), adverb clause (time, reason, condition, concession).
- Simple, compound, complex: one finite clause; two coordinated clauses; one main plus at least one subordinate clause.
- Transformations: too...to → so...that...not; unless → if...not; no sooner...than and hardly...when take inversion; not only...but also; the cleft It is...that.
Worked example
'Unless the form is signed, it will not be accepted.' Reasoning: unless already carries the negative condition, so the main clause keeps its negative. Converted: 'If the form is not signed, it will not be accepted.' Double-negative error to avoid: 'If the form is not signed, it will be accepted.'
Traps
Changing tense during passivisation; putting a comma before a defining relative clause; using would after if in real conditions; dropping an article or changing a preposition during rewriting.