Mastering English Grammar: Genitive, Adverbs, Present Simple & Verb Preferences

Genitive Case: The Possessive 's

There are two ways to express the possessive case: the construction with "of" or the possessive 's (also known as the Saxon Genitive).

Example: The bird of Pablo is big. → Pablo's bird is big. (El pájaro de Pablo es grande.)

Rules of the Possessive 's

To form the possessive 's, remove "of", remove the article "the" (if present), and change the order. Place the possessor first, followed by the possessed. Add 's to the possessor to indicate possession.

• If the possessor ends in -s, add only an apostrophe (').

Examples:

• The car of Carlos is red and white. → Carlos' car is red and white.
• The friends of the boys are German. → The boys' friends are German.

• If both the possessor and the possessed are objects, the order can be changed, but often neither ' nor s is added. The "of" construction is also acceptable.

Examples:

• The tree of the garden is high. → The garden tree is high.
• The window of the classroom is broken. → The classroom window is broken.

• If two possessors share the same possession, add 's only to the last possessor.

Examples:

• The car of Peter and Mary is fast. → Peter and Mary's car is fast.
• The flat of Jane and Carlos is small. → Jane and Carlos' flat is small.

• If two possessors have separate possessions, add 's to each possessor.

Examples:

• The books of Almudena and Jimmy are interesting. (Each possessor has their own books.) → Almudena's and Jimmy's books are interesting.
• The skates of Mary and Tom are new. (Each possessor has their own skates.) → Mary's and Tom's skates are new.

Frequency Adverbs

Frequency adverbs indicate how often an action occurs.

• Always: Siempre
• Usually: Normalmente
• Often: A menudo, con frecuencia
• Sometimes: A veces, algunas veces
• Hardly Ever: Apenas nunca
• Rarely: Rara vez
• Never: Nunca

Position in a Sentence

Frequency adverbs are generally placed before the verb in a sentence.

Example: He usually rides his bike.

Exceptions:

1. If the verb is "to be", the adverb is placed after the verb.

   Example: My sister is rarely in the swimming pool.

2. If the verb is in a compound tense, the adverb is placed after the first auxiliary verb.

   Examples:

   • Her cousins don’t often watch TV.
   • Our friend has never been to London.
   • These men have always been living in Scotland.

Present Simple

Divide verbs into three groups:

1. Auxiliary Verbs:
   • To be (ser, estar)
   • To have (got) (tener, haber)

   *Negate by adding "not" after the verb: Jane is not at home / You have not got a car.

   *Interrogate by placing the verb before the subject: Is Jane at home? / Have you got a car?

2. Modal Verbs:
   • Can: Poder
   • Could: Pudo, podría
   • Might: Podría
   • May: Poder
   • Have to: Tener que
   • Ought to: Tener que
   • Must: Deber
   • Should
   • Would
3. Non-Auxiliary and Non-Modal Verbs:

   All other verbs in English.

Non-Auxiliary and Non-Modal Verbs

Affirmative Form

Non-auxiliary and non-modal verbs have the same form for all persons, except for the 3rd person singular, which adds -s / -es.

Rules for Forming the 3rd Person Singular in the Present Simple

1. If the verb ends in: -o / -h / -sh / -ch / -ss / -x, add -es.

   Examples:

   • Go → Goes
   • Teach → Teaches
   • Do → Does
   • Pass → Passes
   • Fish → Fishes
   • Mix → Mixes
2. If the verb ends in: -e, add -s.

   Examples:

   • Make → Makes
   • Live → Lives
3. If the verb ends in: vowel + y, add -s.

   Examples:

   • Play → Plays
   • Buy → Buys
4. If the verb ends in: consonant + y, change the -y to -i and add -es.

   Examples:

   • Try → Tries
   • Fly → Flies
   • Study → Studies
5. If the verb ends in two consonants (the last not being -h, -x, -s), add -s.

   Examples:

   • Walk → Walks
   • Find → Finds
6. If the verb ends in vowel + consonant (the consonant not being -h, -x, -s), add -s.

   Examples:

   • Know → Knows
   • Begin → Begins

Negative Form

Non-auxiliary and non-modal verbs form the negative by adding auxiliary particles before the verb:

• Use "do not / don't" for all persons except the 3rd person singular.
• Use "does not / doesn't" only with the 3rd person singular.

When using "does not / doesn't", remove the 3rd person singular marker (-s / -es) from the verb in the affirmative form.

Schema:

Subject + do not/ don’t / does not/ doesn’t + verb + complements.

Examples:

• The men do not/ don’t work hard.
• My sister does not/doesn’t live in America.

Interrogative Form

Non-auxiliary and non-modal verbs form the interrogative by placing auxiliary particles at the beginning of the sentence.

• Use "do" with all persons except the 3rd person singular.
• Use "does" only with the 3rd person singular.

When using "does", remove the 3rd person singular marker (-s / -es) from the verb in the affirmative form.

Schema:

Do / Does + subject + verb + complements?

Examples:

• Do the men work hard?
• Does my sister live in America?

Short Answers:

Affirmative Form: Yes, subject (personal pronoun) + do / does

Negative Form: No, subject (personal pronoun) + don’t / doesn’t

Examples:

• Do you like watching TV? Yes, I do / No, I don’t
• Does your friend arrive today? Yes, she does / No, she doesn’t.

Difference Between Present Simple and Present Continuous

• Use the present continuous to express actions happening at the current moment. Sentences with the present continuous may include complements like: 'at the moment', 'now', 'today'...

  Example: She is reading a book now.

• Use the present simple to indicate habitual actions (habits). Sentences with the present simple often include complements like: 'on Mondays', 'every week', 'every day'...

  Example: He goes to London every summer.

Verbs: Love / Hate / Like / Don’t Like / Doesn’t Like

• Love: Amar, encantar
• Hate: Odiar
• Like: Gustar
• Don’t / Doesn’t Like: No gustar

These verbs can be followed by a noun or a verb.

• Noun: I like fish / I hate football / I love sport.
• Verb:
  • Infinitive with 'to': Shows actions that are not habitual.

    Example: He likes to play football this afternoon.

  • Gerund (-ing): Shows habitual actions.

    Example: She likes playing chess every Sunday.