Preliminary

GRAMMAR AND STRUCTURES

WHAT ARE THEY USED FOR?

SOME EXAMPLES

VERBS

Past Simple 
including common irregular past forms as well as regular forms, 
interrogative and negative.

Talking about past events.

We watched a football match on TV last night. 
I drove to the hotel. 
Did John drink all the orange juice?

Present Perfect Simple 
interrogative and negative.

Talking about actions only recently completed.
Talking about experiences.

The man has just eaten the sandwich. 
Have you ever been to London? 
I have never seen a dolphin.

Can + bare infinitive.

Talking about skills.

I can play the guitar.

Imperative.

Following single-step instructions in a familiar context.

Take a piece of paper. 
Stand near the door.

ADJECTIVES

Basic adjectives

For descriptive purposes, including expressing opposites.

My father bought a new car yesterday.

Comparatives and superlatives.

Talking about comparisons between people and things.

John isn’t as tall as Jane. 
Sue is the tallest / the most beautiful girl in our class. 
My rabbit is older than /more beautiful than my friend’s rabbit.

POSSESSIVES

The possessive form.

Expressing ownership.

That sandwich is Jane’s.

Mine, yours, his, hers, its, ours, theirs.

Talking about ownership, possessions, who things belong to.

My bicycle is newer than yours. 
That book is mine.

QUANTIFIERS

much, many, a lot, a lot of

Talking about amounts of things which can and cannot be counted.

How much money have you got? I’ve got a lot of it! 
It rains a lot in England. 
How  many brothers has she got?

some, any

Talking about things which can and cannot be counted, in the positive and negative.

There is some bread. 
There isn’t any butter.

PREPOSITIONS

by, with, next to

Talking about where things are.

The children are standing next to the clock.

ADVERBS

ever, never, ago, yet, just

Talking about when things happen.

I went to Paris six years ago.