Master Key English: Phrasal Verbs, Conditionals, Vocabulary & Grammar

Essential English Phrasal Verbs

Phrasal Verbs with 'Come'

• Come across (encontrarse algo/a alguien por casualidad): He came across an old photo.
• Come apart (desmontarse, hacerse pedazos): My new suitcase has come apart.
• Come back (regresar): Please, come back soon!
• Come down (descender, bajar): Prices have come down recently.
• Come off (desprenderse, salirse del sitio): The handle came off the door.
• Come on (¡vamos!, ¡venga!): Come on, let’s go!
• Come over (visitar, ir a casa de alguien): He came over to speak to her.
• Come up to (acercarse a alguien): She came up to me.
• Come up with (proponer, ocurrirse una idea, presentar algo novedoso): They have come up with a new invention.

Phrasal Verbs with 'Get'

• Get ahead (progresar, adelantar): He’s getting ahead in his job.
• Get away (escaparse, huir): The thief got away.
• Get away with (salir impune, librarse de un castigo): He got away with the offence.
• Get back (volver, regresar): We have just got back from there.
• Get by (arreglárselas, apañárselas): I haven’t got much money but I get by.
• Get down (bajar, descender): Help! I can’t get down.
• Get hold of (agarrar, conseguir, contactar): Please, get hold of the bag.
• Get in (entrar): Please, open the door, I can’t get in.
• Get off (bajarse de un transporte): He got off the bus by the post office.
• Get on (with) (llevarse bien con alguien): I get on with my brother.
• Get out of (evitar hacer algo, perder la costumbre de): I got out of doing my homework.
• Get over (recuperarse, superar): He soon got over the disappointment.
• Get together (reunirse, juntarse): We must get together sometime.
• Get up (levantarse): Get up, your breakfast is ready!

Phrasal Verbs with 'Give'

• Give away (revelar un secreto, regalar): She gave away the surprise.
• Give back (devolver): He gave back the money he had taken.
• Give in (rendirse, ceder): Don’t give in, keep trying!
• Give out (repartir, distribuir; agotarse): They’re giving out leaflets.
• Give up (rendirse, dejar un hábito): Despite the difficulties, he didn’t give up.

Phrasal Verbs with 'Go'

• Go along (ir, acompañar): We went along for the ride.
• Go away (marcharse, irse): We have to pay the bills. They won’t go away.
• Go down (bajar, descender): Prices have gone down recently.
• Go off (marcharse, explotar, sonar una alarma, caducar comida): She’s going off travelling next week.
• Go on (continuar, seguir): He went on telling the story.
• Go out (salir): He’s gone out for a walk.
• Go through with (llevar a cabo, seguir adelante con algo a pesar de las dificultades): He went through with his plan.

Phrasal Verbs with 'Hang'

• Hang around (pasar el rato, holgazanear): They’re hanging around the park.
• Hang out (pasar el rato, salir con amigos): We used to hang out in the park.
• Hang up (colgar el teléfono): I hang up the telephone.

Key English Vocabulary and Expressions

Connectors and Useful Phrases

• Unless (a menos que)
• As long as (siempre que, con tal de que)
• Provided that (siempre y cuando, a condición de que)
• Even if (incluso si)
• Have to (tener que)
• As I see it (bajo mi punto de vista, tal como yo lo veo)
• In spite of (a pesar de)

General Vocabulary

• To afford it (permitírtelo económicamente)
• Unreliable (poco fiable, no confiable)
• Spare cash (dinero suelto, dinero extra)
• Isolated (aislado/a)
• Outsiders (forasteros, gente de fuera, extraños)
• Heritage (patrimonio, herencia cultural)
• Can afford (poder permitirse económicamente)
• Main (principal)
• Tiny (diminuto/a, minúsculo/a)
• Launch (lanzar, inaugurar)
• Sew (coser)
• By heart (de memoria)
• Device controlled (controlado por dispositivo, aparato controlado)
• Ironing board (tabla de planchar)
• Dishwasher (lavaplatos)
• Sewing machine (máquina de coser)
• Good-looking (atractivo/a, guapo/a)
• Badly paid (mal pagado/a)
• Part time (a tiempo parcial)
• First hand (de primera mano)
• Clumsy (patoso/a, torpe)
• Apologise (pedir perdón, disculparse) (BrE) / Apologize (AmE)
• Exhibition (exposición)
• Self-portraits (autorretratos)
• Landscapes (paisajes)
• Paintings (cuadros, pinturas)
• Cast (elenco, reparto)
• Choreography (coreografía)
• Box office (taquilla)
• Songwriter (compositor/a, letrista)
• Performance (actuación, representación, interpretación)
• Conductor (director/a de orquesta)
• Leading role (papel principal, protagonista)
• Playwright (dramaturgo/a, autor/a de obras de teatro)
• Rehearsal (ensayo)

Understanding Conditional Sentences in English

Zero Conditional (Situations that are always true, facts, general truths)

Structure: If + Present Simple, Present Simple

• If you heat water to 100ºC, it boils.
• If you can drive this car, you can drive any car.

First Conditional (Possible or likely situations in the future)

Structure: If + Present Simple, will/won’t/may/might/could + base infinitive (without 'to')

• If it rains, I won’t come.
• If there’s something good on TV, I’ll stay at home tonight.
• I might come to the cinema with you if I finish all my homework.

Second Conditional (Hypothetical or unlikely situations in the present or future)

Structure: If + Past Simple, would/might/could + base infinitive (without 'to')

• If I had a million pounds, I would travel around the world.
• If he weren't playing, we might be able to win. (Note: 'wasn't' is common in informal speech, but 'weren't' is grammatically preferred for the subjunctive mood here.)

Third Conditional (Hypothetical situations in the past and their imaginary results)

Structure: If + Past Perfect, would/might/could + have + Past Participle

• If I’d gone out on Saturday, I’d have been tired on Sunday.
• If you had won that game, you would have been out of the competition.

Expressing Wishes and Regrets: 'I wish' and 'If only'

Desire for a Different Present Reality or Regret about the Present

Structure: I wish / If only + Past Simple (using subjunctive mood, e.g., 'were' for all persons)

• (Context: I’ll never be able to afford to buy a flat.) If only I were rich, I’d be able to buy a really nice place.
• I wish we had a bigger house. Ours is so small and crowded.

Regret About Past Actions or Situations

Structure: I wish / If only + Past Perfect

• If only I’d worked harder at school, I wouldn’t be doing this boring job now. I’d be at university.
• She made a big mistake when she married him. I wish I’d been able to stop her, but she didn’t listen to me.

Expressing Annoyance or Desire for a Change in Someone's Habits/Actions

Structure: I wish / If only + subject + would + base infinitive (without 'to')

• I wish you wouldn’t bite your nails.
• (Expressing a wish about one's own habit, often with 'could'): If only I could stop biting my nails.

Expressing a Wish for a Situation to Change or Happen

Structure: I wish / If only + subject + would + base infinitive (without 'to')

• If only the train would hurry up. I’m sick of waiting for it.
• I wish it would rain. It’s so hot.

Mastering Reported Speech: Key Transformations

Tense Changes (Direct Speech → Reported Speech)

• Present Simple → Past Simple
• Present Continuous → Past Continuous
• Present Perfect Simple → Past Perfect Simple
• Present Perfect Continuous → Past Perfect Continuous
• Past Simple → Past Perfect Simple
• Past Continuous → Past Perfect Continuous
• Past Perfect → Past Perfect (no change)

Modal Verb Changes

• Can → Could
• Will → Would
• Would → Would (often no change, or may change to 'would have' depending on context)
• May → Might
• Must → Had to (for obligation) / Must (for deduction, often no change)
• Shall → Should (for advice) / Would (for future)

Conditional Changes

• First Conditional → Second Conditional

Changes in Time and Place Expressions

• This → That
• These → Those
• Here → There
• Now → Then / At that time
• Today → That day
• Tonight → That night
• This evening → That evening
• Tomorrow → The next day / The following day
• Next week/month/year → The following week/month/year
• Yesterday → The day before / The previous day
• Last week/month/year → The week before / The previous week/month/year
• Ago → Before / Previously

Note: Pronoun changes (e.g., I → he/she, my → his/her, we → they) also occur depending on the context of who is speaking and who is reporting.