HP Grammar
HP Grammar
HP Grammar
SubjectObject
I me
you you
he him
she her
it it
we us
you you
they them
We use he/him to refer to men, and she/her to refer to women. When we are not
sure if we are talking about a man or a woman we use they/them.
This is Jack. Hes my brother. I dont think you have met him.
This is Angela. Shes my sister. Have you met her before?
Talk to a friend. Ask them to help you.
You could go to a doctor. They might help you.
Subject pronouns
Object pronouns
after prepositions:
His father has just retired. Was a teacher. > He was a teacher.
Im waiting for my wife. Is late. > She is late.
Look at the time! Is half past two.> Its half past two.
Go away.
Play it again please.
We use there as a dummy subject with part of the verb be followed by a noun
phrase. (see Clauses, sentences and phrases):
It
We use it to talk about:
weather:
Its raining.
Its a lovely day.
It was getting cold.
on the telephone:
when we cannot see them and we ask them for their name:
- to introduce people:
This is Janet.
These are my friends, John and Michael.
WARNING:
We dont say These are John and Michael.
We say This is John and this is Michael.
Whats that?
This is our house, and thats Rebeccas house over there.
Those are very expensive shoes.
- Im very tired.
- Why is that?
We also use this, these, that and those with nouns to show proximity
and that and those for people or things that are not near us:
Who lives in that house?
Who are those people?
See those two girls? Helen is the tall one and Jane is the short one.
Which is your car, the red one or the blue one?
My trousers are torn. I need some new ones.
See those two girls. Helen is the one on the left.
Lets look at the photographs. The ones you took in Paris.
Who is that?
Who lives here?
Who did you see?
What is that?
What do you want?
as a direct object when the object is the same as the subject of the verb:
We can use a reflexive pronoun as direct object with most transitive verbs, but these
are the most common:
Some verbs change their meaning slightly when they have a reflexive pronoun as
direct object:
We do not use a reflexive pronoun after verbs which describe things people usually do
for themselves, such as wash, shave, dress:
as indirect object when the indirect object is the same as the subject of the
verb:
as the object of a preposition when the object refers to the subject of the clause:
Warning
We often put the reflexive pronoun at the end of the clause when we are using it for
emphasis:
We use the reciprocal pronouns each other and one another when two or more
people do the same thing. Traditionally, each other refers to two people and one
another refers to more than two people, but this distinction is disappearing in modern
English.
We also use the possessive forms each others and one anothers:
that that
We use who and whom for people, and which for things.
Or we can use that for people or things.
after a noun, to make it clear which person or thing we are talking about:
My mother, who was born overseas, has always been a great traveller.
Lord Thompson, who is 76, has just retired.
We had fish and chips, which is my favourite meal.
We use indefinite pronouns to refer to people or things without saying exactly who or
what they are. We use pronouns ending in -body or -one for people, and pronouns
ending in -thing for things:
We use indefinite pronouns with no- as the subject in negative clauses (not
pronouns with any.)
Nobody came.
Nothing happened.
We use else after indefinite pronouns to refer to people or things in addition to the
ones we already mentioned.
Is that Johns car? No, its Marys [car]. > No, its Marys.
I me
You you
He him
She her
It it
We us
They them
Can you match these possessive pronouns to the right personal pronouns and
possessive adjectives?
I me my
You you your
He him his
She her her
It it its
We us our
They them their
Is that Johns car? No, its [my car] > No, its mine.
Her coat is grey, [my coat]is brown Her coat is grey, mine is brown.
We can use possessive pronouns after of.
We can say:
or
Pattern A Pattern B
-ing adjectives:
-ed adjectives:
If something annoys you, you can say you feel annoyed. If something interests you,
you can say you are interested.
Opinion adjectives:
Some adjectives give a general opinion. We can use these adjectives to describe
almost any noun:
Some adjectives give a specific opinion. We only use these adjectives to describe
particular kinds of noun:
a nice red dress; a silly old man; those horrible yellow curtains
a handsome young man; a big black car; that horrible big dog
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
General Specific
Size Shape Age Colour Nationality Material
opinion opinion
We use some adjectives only after a link verb:
Some of the commonest -ed adjectives are normally used only after a link verb:
We say:
north northern
countless eventful
south southern
occasional indoor
east eastern
lone outdoor
west western
We say:
When we want to describe how something or someone changes we can use two
comparatives with and:
We often use the with comparative adjectives to show that one thing depends on
another:
Superlative adjectives:
Intensifiers:
(Intermediate)
We use words like very, really and extremely to make adjectives stronger:
We do not normally use very with these adjectives. We do not say something is "very
enormous" or someone is "very brilliant".
Mitigators are the opposite of intensifiers. When we want to make an adjective less
strong we use these words:
We often use two nouns together to show that one thing is a part of something
else:
the village church; the car door; the kitchen window; the chair leg;
my coat pocket; London residents
Warning
We do not use a possessive form for these things. We do not talk about:
We often use noun modifiers with nouns ending in -er and -ing:
a thirty kilogram suitcase; a two minute rest; a five thousand euro platinum
watch; a fifty kilometre journey;
We often put two nouns together and readers/listeners have work out what they
mean. So:
the ice age = the time when much of the Earth was covered in ice.
Most verbs have past tense and past participle in ed (worked, played, listened). But
many of the most frequent verbs are irregular.
Most verbs have past tense and past participle in ed ( worked, played, listened). But
many of the most frequent verbs are irregular:
was/were been
be began begun
begin broke broken
break brought brought
bring bought bought
buy built built
build chose chosen
choose came come
come cost cost
cost cut cut
cut did done
do drew drawn
draw drove driven
drive ate eaten
eat felt felt
feel found found
find got got
get gave given
give went gone
go had had
have heard heard
Base form Past tense Past participle
Everybody had been working hard >> Had everybody been working hard?
English is spoken all over the world >> Is English spoken all over the world?
The windows have been cleaned >> Have the windows been cleaned?
They will have arrived by now >> Will they have arrived by now?
She would have been listening >> Would she have been listening?
The work will be finished soon >> Will the work be finished soon?
They might have been invited to the Might they have been invited to the
>>
party party?
3: The present simple and the past simple have no auxiliary. We make questions
by adding the auxiliary do/does for the present simple or did for the past simple:
1) a main verb:
Verb
We are here.
I like it
Everybody saw. the accident
We laughed.
The verb may be in the present tense (are, like) or the past tense (saw, laughed). A
verb phrase with only a main verb expresses simple aspect
Everybody is watching
We were laughing
A verb with "have" and the past participle expresses perfect aspect. A verb
with have/has expresses present perfect, and a verb with had expresses past
perfect.
4) an auxiliary verb ("have" + "been") and a main verb in the ing form:
5) a modal verb (can, could, may, might, must, shall, should, will, would) and a main
verb:
6) We can use modal verbs with the auxiliaries "be", "have", and "have been":
to talk about the past when we are telling a story in spoken English or when we are
summarising a book, film, play etc.
The present tense is the base form of the verb: I work in London.
But the third person (she/he/it) adds an -s: She works in London.
Use
With the present tense, we use do and does to make questions. We use does for the
third person (she/he/it) and we use do for the others.
We use do and does with question words like where, what and why:
With the present tense we use do and does to make negatives. We use does not
(doesnt) for the third person (she/he/it) and we use do not (dont) for the others.
The present perfect is formed from the present tense of the verb have and the past
participle of a verb:
The present perfect continuous is formed with have/has been and the -ing form of
the verb:
Use
for something that started in the past and continues in the present:
for something we have done several times in the past and continue to do:
We often use a clause with since to show when something started in the past:
Note: We often use the adverb ever to talk about experience up to the present:
My last birthday was the worst day I have ever had.
for something that happened in the past but is important at the time of speaking:
We use the present perfect of be when someone has gone to a place and returned:
We often use the present perfect with time adverbials which refer to the recent past:
ever (in questions); so far; until now; up to now; yet (in questions and negatives)
WARNING:
We do not use the present perfect with an adverbial which refers to past time which
is finished:
he present continuous tense is formed from the present tense of the verb be and the
present participle (-ing form) of a verb:
Use
These days most people are using email instead of writing letters.
What sort of clothes are teenagers wearing nowadays? What sort of music are
they listening to?
When we are summarising the story from a book, film or play etc.:
to talk about hypotheses things that are imagined rather than true.
for politeness.
Tense Form
and wishes:
We can use the past forms to talk about the present in a few polite expressions:
Excuse me, I was wondering if this was the train for York.
I just hoped you would be able to help me.
Forms
call >> called; like >> liked; want >> wanted; work >> worked
But there are a lot of irregular past tenses in English. Here are the most common
irregular verbs in English, with their past tenses:
be was/were
begin began
break broke
bring brought
buy bought
build built
choose chose
come came
cost cost
cut cut
do did
draw drew
drive drove
eat ate
infinitive irregular past
feel felt
find found
get got
give gave
go went
have had
hear heard
hold held
keep kept
know knew
leave left
lead led
let let
lie lay
lose lost
make made
mean meant
meet met
pay paid
put put
run ran
say said
sell sold
send sent
set set
sit sat
speak spoke
spend spent
stand stood
take took
teach taught
tell told
think thought
understand understood
wear wore
win won
write wrote
Use
We use didnt (did not) to make negatives with the past tense:
The past continuous is formed from the past tense of be with the -ing form of the
verb:
Compare:
I got home. The children did their homework.
and
The children did their homework when I got home.
This use of the past continuous is very common at the beginning of a story:
Compare:
We use the verb had and the past participle for the past perfect:
The past perfect continuous is formed with had been and the -ing form of the verb:
The past perfect is used in the same way as the present perfect, but it refers to a time
in the past, not the present.
We use the past perfect tense:
for something that started in the past and continued up to a given time in the past:
When George died he and Anne had been married for nearly fifty years.
She didnt want to move. She had lived in Liverpool all her life.
She didnt want to move. She had been living in Liverpool all her life.
Everything was wet. It had been raining for hours.
for something we had done several times up to a point in the past and continued to
do after that point:
We often use a clause with since to show when something started in the past:
when we are reporting our experience and including up to the (then) present:
for something that happened in the past but is important at the time of reporting:
We use the present perfect to show that something has continued up to the present
We use the past perfect to show that something continued up to a time in the past:
When George died he and Anne had been married for nearly fifty years.
We use the past perfect continuous to show that something had been continuing up
to a time in the past or was important at that time in the past:
We use will with the perfect to show that something will be complete at some time in
the future:
In a few years they will have discovered a cure for the common cold.
I can come out tonight. I'll have finished my homework by then.
We use would with the perfect to refer to something that did not happen in the past
but would have happened if the conditions had been right:
We use other modals with perfective aspect when we are looking back from a point
in time when something might have happened, should have happened or would have
happened.
Well meet again next week. We might have finished the work by then.
I will phone at six oclock. He should have got home by then.
the present:
or the past:
Hes getting on the train. [before and after the moment of speaking]
It was quarter past ten. We were watching the news on television.
active passive
The hunter killed the lion. >> The lion was killed by the hunter.
active passive
Someone has cleaned the windows >> The windows have been cleaned
The passive forms are made up of the verb be with a past participle:
be past participle
If we want to show the person or thing doing the action we use by:
I gave him a book for his birthday >> He was given a book for his birthday.
Someone sent her a cheque for a She was sent a cheque for a thousand
>>
thousand euros euros.
active passive
They called off the meeting. >> The meeting was called off.
His grandmother looked after him. >> He was looked after by his grandmother.
They will send him away to school. >> He will be sent away to school.
Some verbs very frequently used in the passive are followed by the to-infinitive:
Some verbs are followed by a direct object and the infinitive(see verbs followed by
infinitive):
disappointed
glad
sad
happy
anxious
pleased
surprised
proud
unhappy
able
unable
due
eager
keen
likely
unlikely
ready
prepared
unwilling
willing
We often use the to-infinitive with these adjectives after it to give opinions:
difficult
easy
possible
impossible
hard
right
wrong
kind
nice
clever
silly
foolish
Its easy to play the piano, but its very difficult to play well.
He spoke so quickly it was impossible to understand him.
We use the preposition for to show who these adjectives refer to:
difficult
easy
possible
impossible
hard
ability
desire
need
wish
attempt
failure
opportunity
chance
intention
as a noun:
I love swimming.
Swimming is very good for your health.
You can get fit by swimming regularly.
as an adjective:
Because the -ing noun or adjective is formed from a verb it can have any of
the patterns which follow a verb, for example:
... an object:
... or an adverbial:
... or a clause:
in front of a noun:
tiring annoying
after a noun:
and especially after verbs like see, watch, hear, smell etc.
I heard someone playing the piano.
I can smell something burning.
for something happening regularly in the present before and after a given time:
when we are talking about an event that happened at a particular time in the past
We arrived home before dark
The film started at seven thirty.
when we are talking about something that continued for some time in the past
When we are talking about something that happened several times in the past we
use
or used to
... or would
when we are talking about something which happened before and after a given time
in the past
when we are talking about something happening before and after another action in
the past:
When we are looking back from a point in the past to something earlier in the
past we use the past perfect:
Helen suddenly remembered she had left her keys in the car.
When we had done all our shopping we caught the bus home.
They wanted to buy a new computer, but they hadnt saved enough money.
They would have bought a new computer if they had saved enough money.
3 The past and the present:
when we are talking about the effects in the present of something that happened in
the past:
When we are talking about something that started in the past and still goes on:
When we talk about the future from a time in the past we use:
was/were going to
John was going to drive and Mary was going to follow on her bicycle.
It was Friday. We were going to set off the next day.
1. When we know about the future we normally use the present tense.
4. We often use verbs like would like, plan, want, mean, hope, expect to talk about
the future:
5. We use modals may, might, and could when we are not sure about the future:
In clauses with if we often use a present tense form to talk about the future:
WARNING: We do not normally use will in clauses with if or with time words:
9. We can use the future continuous instead of the present continuous or going to for
emphasis when we are talking about plans, arrangements and intentions:
Verbs in time clauses and conditionals follow the same patterns as in other
clauses except:
In clauses with time words like when, after, until we often use the present
tense forms to talk about the future:
in conditional clauses with if or unless we often use the present tense forms to talk
about the future:
Some clauses with if are like hypotheses so we use past tense forms to talk about the
present and future.
We use the past tense forms to talk about the present in clauses with if :
He could get a new job if he He cannot get a job because he has not
=
really tried tried.
If Jack was playing they would Jack is not playing so they will probably
=
probably win not win.
If I had his address I could write to I do not have his address so I cannot
=
him write to him.
We use the past tense forms to talk about the future in clauses with if:
When we are talking about something which did not happen in the past we use
the past perfect in the if clause and a modal verb in the main clause:
If you had seen him you could have You did not see him so you could not
=
spoken to him speak to him
You could have stayed with us if you You couldnt stay with us because you
=
had come to London didnt come to London.
If we hadnt spent all our money we We have spent all our money so we cant
=
could take a holiday. take a holiday
If I had got the job we would be living I did not get the job so we are not living
=
in Paris in Paris.
If the main clause is about the past we use a modal with have:
If you had seen him you You did not see him so you could not
=
could have spoken to him. speak to him.
You could have stayed with us if you had You couldnt stay with us because you
=
come to London. didnt come to London.
If the main clause is about the present we use a present tense form or a modal
without have:
If I had got the job we would be I did not get the job so we are not
=
living in Paris now. living in Paris now.
If you had done your homework You did not do your homework so you
=
you would know the answer. do not know the answer.
We use past tense modals would and could to talk about wishes for the future:
We use past tense forms to talk about wishes for the present:
We use the past perfect to talk about wishes for the past:
I wish I had worked harder when I was at school.
Mary wishes she had listened to what her mother told her.
I wish I hadnt spent so much money last month.
We use present tense forms after phrases like what if, in case and suppose to talk
about the future if we think it is likely to happen:
We use a past tense form to talk about the future after suppose and what if to
suggest something is not likely to happen:
We use would in the main clause and the past in a subordinate clause to talk about
the imagined future:
We use modals with have to talk about something that did not happen in the past:
I am We are
Present simple: Affirmative You are You are
He/She/It is They are
Am I? Are we?
Question form: Are you? Are you?
Is he/she it? Are they?
We are not/arent
I am not/ Im not
You are not/arent
Negative: You are not/ arent
They are not/aren't
He/She/It is not/ isnt
I was We were
Past simple You were You were
He/She/It was They were
1. with a noun:
My mother is a teacher.
Bill Clinton was the president of the US.
2. with an adjective:
These verbs are called link verbs. Common verbs like this are:
be
become
appear
feel
look
remain
seem
sound
Some link verbs are followed by an adjective. Common verbs like this are:
get
go
grow
taste
smell
Delexical verbs:
have, take, make, give, go and do
We often use common verbs like have and take with nouns like a shower, a drink:
We call these delexical verbs because the important part of the meaning is
taken out of the verb and put into the noun.
have
We use have with:
Food and drink: a meal, breakfast, lunch, dinner, a snack, a cup of tea
Talking: a chat, a conversation, a discussion, a talk
Washing: a bath, a shower, a wash, a scrub
Resting: a break, a holiday, a rest
Disagreeing: an argument, a dispute, a fight, a quarrel
I had a good breakfast before I left home.
We had a long talk about the problem.
The kids should have a bath before they go to bed.
She generally had a short holiday in July or August.
They had a serious quarrel about their fathers will.
can could
may might
shall should
will would
must
We use modal verbs to show if we believe something is certain, probable or possible (or
not). We also use modals to do things like talking about ability, asking permission
making requests and offers, and so on.
The modal verbs are can, could, may, might, must, shall, should, will and would.
The modals are used to show that we believe something is certain, probable or
possible:
Possibility:
We use the modals could, might and may to show that something is possible in the
future, but not certain:
We use could have, might have and may have to show that something was
possible now or at some time in the past:
We use the modal can to make general statements about what is possible:
Impossibility:
Probability:
We use the modal must to show we are sure something to be true and we have
reasons for our belief:
They hadnt eaten all day. They must have been hungry.
You look happy. You must have heard the good news.
We use the modal should to suggest that something is true or will be true in the
future, and to show you have reasons for your suggestion:
The modal verbs are can, could, may, might, must, shall, should, will and would.
The modals are used to do things like talking about ability, asking permission making
requests, and so on.
Ability:
We use could have to say that someone had the ability/opportunity to do something,
but did not do it:
She could have learned Swahili, but she didnt have time.
I could have danced all night [but didn't].
Permission:
may is another more formal and polite way of asking for permission:
may is a more formal and polite way of saying that someone has permission:
We use could you and would you as polite ways of telling or asking someone to do
something:
We sometime say I can ... or I could ... or Ill (I will) ... to make an offer:
We wont eat until they arrive. They might not have had supper.
The negative form is cant in spoken English and cannot in written English.
We sometimes say cannot, but it is very emphatic.
The negative form of could is couldnt in spoken English and could not in written
English.
We sometimes say could not.
Our teacher could be very strict when we were at school. [= Some teachers were
very strict.]
People could starve in those days. [= People sometimes starved.]
You couldnt use computers in the nineteenth century.
to show that something is possible now or was possible at some time in the past:
We use may:
We use might:
We use may have and might have to show that something has possibly happened
now or happened at some time in the past:
Its ten oclock. They might have arrived now.[= Perhaps they have arrived]
They may have arrived hours ago. [= Perhaps they arrived hours ago.]
Possibility
We use the modal can to make general statements about what is possible:
We use could to show that something is possible in the future, but not certain:
If we dont hurry we could be late. (=Perhaps/Maybe we will be late)
We use could have to show that something is/was possible now or at some time in the
past:
Impossibility:
Ability:
Permission:
We use could you and as a polite way of telling or asking someone to do something:
We use will:
would is the past tense form of will. Because it is a past tense it is used:
to talk about hypotheses things that are imagined rather than true.
for politeness.
Beliefs
We use will
to say what we believe will happen in the future:
We'll be late.
We will have to take the train.
Willingness
We had a terrible night. The baby wouldnt go to sleep. He kept waking up and
crying.
Dad wouldnt lend me the car, so we had to take the train.
to talk about something that we did often in the past because we wanted to do it:
When they were children they used to spend their holidays at their grandmothers
at the seaside. They would get up early every morning and theyd have a quick
breakfast then they would run across the road to the beach.
Conditionals
We use will in conditionals with if and unless to say what we think will happen in the
future or present:
We use would to talk about hypotheses, about something which is possible but not
real:
in conditionals with words like if and what if. In these sentences the main verb is
usually in the past tense:
would you like ...; would you like to ..., for offers and invitations:
I would like ; Id like (you)(to) ..., to say what we want or what we want to
do:
I would think, I would imagine, I'd guess, to give an opinion when we are not sure
or when we want to be polite:
We use will:
to talk about the future to say what we believe will happen
would is the past tense form of will. Because it is a past tense it is used:
to talk about hypotheses things that are imagined rather than true.
for politeness.
Beliefs
We use will
We'll be late.
We will have to take the train.
Willingness
We had a terrible night. The baby wouldnt go to sleep. He kept waking up and
crying.
Dad wouldnt lend me the car, so we had to take the train.
to talk about something that we did often in the past because we wanted to do it:
When they were children they used to spend their holidays at their grandmothers
at the seaside. They would get up early every morning and theyd have a quick
breakfast then they would run across the road to the beach.
Conditionals
We use will in conditionals with if and unless to say what we think will happen in the
future or present:
We use would to talk about hypotheses, about something which is possible but not
real:
in conditionals with words like if and what if. In these sentences the main verb is
usually in the past tense:
would you like ...; would you like to ..., for offers and invitations:
I would like ; Id like (you)(to) ..., to say what we want or what we want to
do:
Id like that one please.
Id like to go home now.
I would think, I would imagine, I'd guess, to give an opinion when we are not sure
or when we want to be polite:
We use the perfective will have when we are looking back from a point in time when
something will have happened.
By the end of the decade scientists will have discovered a cure for influenza.
I will phone at six oclock. He will have got home by then.
We use would have in past conditionals to talk about something that did not
happen:
1. Some verbs have two objects an indirect object and a direct object:
These clauses have the structure : V + N (direct object) + Prepositional phrase (indirect
object)
book
buy
get
cook
keep
bring
make
pour
save
find
They booked a table for me at the restaurant.
We made toys for all the children.
give
lend
offer
pass
post
read
sell
send
show
promise
tell
Some verbs are two part verbs (see Clauses, Sentences and Phrases). They consist of
a verb and a particle:
grow + up
>> The children are growing up.
take + after
>> She takes after her mother
= She looks like her mother, or She behaves like her mother.
count + on
>> I know I can count on you
= I know I can trust you, or I know I can believe you.
Some transitive two part verbs (see Clauses, Sentences and Phrases) have only
one pattern:
N (subject) + V + p + N (object)
Some transitive two part verbs (see Clauses, Sentences and Phrases) are phrasal
verbs. Phrasal verbs have two different patterns:
When the object is a personal pronoun,these verbs always have the pattern:
N + V +N + p:
He knocked over it
>> knocked it over
buy: out, up
call: off, up
point: out
put: across, away, down, forward, off, on, out, through, together, up
read: out
Reflexive verbs
We use a reflexive pronoun after a transitive verb (see Clauses, Sentences and
Phrases) when the direct object is the same as the subject of the verb:
These are the verbs most often found with reflexive pronouns:
cut
dry
enjoy
hurt
introduce
kill
prepare
teach
Some verbs change their meaning slightly when they have a reflexive pronoun as
direct object:
amuse
apply
busy
content
behave
blame
distance
express
find
help
see
He found himself lying by the side He was surprised when he realised that he
=
of the road. was at the side of the road.
NOTE: We do not use a reflexive pronoun after verbs which describe things
people usually do for themselves:
Ergative verbs
begin
break
change
close
drop
crack
dry
end
finish
grow
improve
increase
move
open
shake
start
stop
tear
turn
bake
boil
cook
defrost
freeze
melt
roast
back
crash
drive
fly
reverse
run
sail
start
stop
choose
decide
expect
forget
hate
hope
intend
learn
like
love
mean
plan
prefer
remember
would like
would love
Verbs of saying:
agree
promise
refuse
arrange
attempt
fail
help
manage
tend
try
want
Verbs of saying:
advise
ask
encourage
invite
order
persuade
remind
tell
warn *
expect
intend
would
prefer
want
would like
allow
enable
force
get
teach
3. Passive infinitive
detest
dislike
enjoy
hate
fancy
like
love
I love swimming but I hate jogging.
They always enjoyed visiting their friends.
A: Do you fancy going for a walk?
B: I wouldnt mind
admit
consider
deny
imagine
remember
suggest
avoid
begin
finish
keep
miss
practise
risk
start
stop
I havent finished writing this letter.
Lets practise speaking English.
Many of these verbs are sometimes followed by the passive form of -ing: being + past
participle
see
watch
hear
smell
listen to
etc.
catch
find
imagine
leave
prevent
stop
With "that"
We can use clauses with that:
think
believe
expect
decide
hope
know
understand
suppose
guess
imagine
feel
remember
forget
say
admit
argue
reply
agree
claim
deny
mention
answer
complain
explain
promise
suggest
Note: tell and some other verbs of saying almost always have an indirect object (see
clauses, sentences and phrases). There are also some fixed expressions with tell such
as tell the truth, tell a lie, tell a story, tell it like it is.
tell
convince
persuade
inform
remind
We tried to tell them that they should stop what they were doing.
The police informed everybody that the danger was over.
advice
belief
claim
feeling
argument
hope
promise
report
guess
opinion
idea
fact
advantage
effect
possibility
chance
danger
evidence
problem
difficulty
She pointed out the danger that they might be left behind.
There was a chance that we would succeed
Note: We often use a that clause to define one of these nouns after the verb be :
danger
problem
chance
possibility
fact
after some adjectives which describe feelings to give a reason for our feelings:
pleased
sorry
happy
unhappy
sad
excited
glad
disappointed
afraid