Preposition of Time : In, On, And At

·      I live in Palangka Raya.

·      We will meet the principal on Monday.

·      My sister and I always study at night.

The bold-typed words are prepositions. A preposition is a word or groups of words used before a noun or a pronoun to show place, position, time or method.

Preposition	Usage
in	You use ‘in’ with periods of times and places. Example: ·       Months " in May ·       Seasons " in winter ·       Country " in France ·       City or town names " in Paris ·       Times of the day " in the morning, afternoon or evening. Exception: at noon, at night
on	You use ‘on’ with specific days. Examples: on Friday, on New Year’s Day, on August 7th Note: American English " ‘on the weekend’ or ‘on weekends’
at	You use ‘at’ with specific times and specific places. Examples: at 7 o’clock, at 7.30, at night, at school Note: British English " ‘at the weekend’ or ‘at weekends’

Look at these examples:

>>       I have a meeting at 9am.

>>       The shop closes at midnight.

>>      Mitchie went home at lunchtime.

>>       In England, it often snows in December.

>>       Do you think we will go to Jupiter in the future?

>>       There should be a lot of progress in the next century.

>>       Do you work on Mondays?

>>       Her birthday is on 7 August.

>>       Where will you be on New Year's Day?

Notice the use of the preposition of time at in the following standard expressions:

Expression	Example
at night	The stars shine at night.
at the weekend	I don't usually work at the weekend.
at Christmas/Easter	I stay with my family at Christmas.
at the same time	We finished the test at the same time.
at present	He's not home at present. Try later.

Notice the use of the prepositions of time in and on in these common expressions:

in	on
in the morning	on Tuesday morning
in the mornings	on Saturday mornings
in the afternoon(s)	on Sunday afternoons
in the evening(s)	on Monday evening

When we say last, next, every, this we do not also use at, in, on.

• I went to French last August. (not in last August)
• He's coming back next Tuesday. (not on next Tuesday)
• I go home every Easter. (not at every Easter)
• We'll call you this evening. (not in this evening)

Modals In The Past Form

Modals
present	Past
can	could
will	would
shall	should
may	might

1. Could + Verb base

>>      To offer suggestions or possibilities

Example:          

Jason      :  Oh, no! I left my shorts.

Nate       : Don’t worry, Jason. You could borrow my shorts.

Mitchie  : I’m having trouble with English.

Demi : Why don’t you ask Tess? Perhaps she could help you.

>>      To indicate that the ability existed in the past but doesn’t exist now.

Example: 

Mitchie  : Ras, can you climb the coconut tree?

Shane     : Well… I could climb coconut tree when I was so young. But I think I’m too heavy to climb it.

Selena      : Grandpa, what could you do when you were younger?

Grandpa   : When I was younger, I could swim across the big river very well and faster.

>>      To express polite requests

Example:   

*      Could I borrow your pencil (please)?

*      Could you lend me your jacket now?

*      Could you please close the door?

*      Could you pass the salt?

2.    Would + Verb base

>>      For an action that was repeated regularly in the past

Example:          

*      When I was a child, I would visit my grandparents every weekend.

*      On Sundays, when I was a child, we would all get up early and go fishing.

>>      Insert rather into the pattern and use this expression to express preferences

Example:          

Troy     :  What would you rather do in the weekend, go to the party or stay home?

Ryan    :  I would rather go to the party than stay home.

Gabriella  :  Which country would you rather visit?

Sharpay    :  I would rather visit Italia than Somalia.

>>      To express polite requests

Example:          

Nick       :  Would you mind cycling with me, Selena?

Selena    :  No, not at all. It would be nice.

Joey     : Would you please pass the helmet, Mary?

Mary   :  No problem.

3. Should + Verb base

>>      To give definite advice (advisability)

Example:          

Mom      : Putri, you should study tonight. You will have English test tomorrow, won’t you?

Mitchie  : I will, Mom.

Joe       : You should paint your door, Kevin. It looks terrible.

Kevin   : Yes, I know I should.

>>      To express the subject’s obligation or duty:

Example:          

*      You should practice for more than an hour.  (to musical friend)

*      They shouldn’t allow parking here; the street is too narrow.

*      Application should be sent before March 25^th.

4. Might + Verb base

>>      To tell possibilities

Example:          

Nick     :   Where is Joe?

Kevin   :   He might be in the studio with Stella.

 

>>      To express polite requests

Example:          

Demi   : Might I borrow your coat?

Miley   : I’m afraid not. It has been brought by Hannah for weeks and I don’t know when he’ll return it.

Passive Voice

                            S          V          O

ACTIVE     :  (a) Mary helped the boy.

                               S             V

PASSIVE    :  (b) The boy was helped by Mary

Form of the passive : be + past participle

In the passive voice, the object of an active verb becomes the subject of the passive verb: “the boy” in (a) becomes the subject of the passive verb in (b). (a) and (b) have the same meaning.

ACTIVE     :  (c) An accident happened.

PASSIVE    :  (d) (none)

Only transitive verbs (verbs that are followed by an object) are used in the passive. It is not possible to use verbs such as happen, sleep, come, and seem (intransitive verbs) in the passive.

Examples of Passive Voice:

*      Simple Present

ACTIVE (A)    : Mitchie helps Shane

PASSIVE (P)   : Shane is helped by Mitchie

*      Present Continuous

A : Mitchie is helping Shane

P : Shane is being helped by Mitchie

*      Present Perfect

A : Mitchie has helped Shane

P : Shane has been helped by Mitchie

*      Simple Past

A : Mitchie helped Shane

P : Shane was helped by Mitchie

*      Past Continuous

A : Mitchie was helping Shane

P : Shane was being helped by Mitchie

*      Past Perfect

A : Mitchie had helped Shane

P : Shane had been helped by Mitchie

*      Simple Future

A : Mitchie will help Shane

P : Shane will be helped by Mitchie

*      Be going to

A : Mitchie is going to help Shane

P : Shane is going to be helped by Mitchie

*      Future Perfect

A : Mitchie will have helped Shane

P : Shane will have been helped by Mitchie

Using Passive Voice

(a)     Rice is grown in India.

(b)     Our house was built in 1890.

(c)      This olive oil was imported from Spain.

Usually passive voice is used without a “by phrase.” The passive is most frequently used when it is not known or not important to know exactly who performs an action.

In (a) : Rice is grown in India by people, by farmers, by someone. In sentence (a), it is not known or important to know exactly who grows rice in India.

(a), (b), (c) illustrate the most common use of the passive, i.e., without the “by phrase.”

(d)     Life on the Mississippi was written by Mark Twain.

The “by phrase” is included only if it is important to know who performs an action. In (d), by Mark Twain is important information.

(e)     My aunt made this rug. (active)

(f)       This rug was made by my aunt.

(g)     That rug was made by my mother.

If the speaker/writer knows who performs an action. Usually the active is used, as in (e).

The passive may be used with the “by phrase” instead of the active when the speaker/writer wants to focus attention on the subject of a sentence. In (f) the focus of attention is on two rugs.

Simple Future

Simple Future has two different forms in English: "will" and "be going to." Although the two forms can sometimes be used interchangeably, they often express two very different meanings. These different meanings might seem too abstract at first, but with time and practice, the differences will become clear. Both "will" and "be going to" refer to a specific time in the future.

Form “Will”

[will + verb]

Example : (+) I will go to your home tonight.

                      (-)  I will not go to your home tonight.

                      (?) Will I go to your home tonight?

Form “Be Going To”

[am/is/are + going to + verb]

Example : (+) She is going to go to French next week.

                 (-)  She is not going to go to French next week.

                 (?) Is she going to go to French next week?

USE 1 "Will" to Express a Voluntary Action

"Will" often suggests that a speaker will do something voluntarily. A voluntary action is one the speaker offers to do for someone else. Often, we use "will" to respond to someone else's complaint or request for help. We also use "will" when we request that someone help us or volunteer to do something for us. Similarly, we use "will not" or "won't" when we refuse to voluntarily do something.

Examples:

·       I will send you the information when I get it.

·       I will translate the email, so Mr. Smith can read it.

·       Will you help me move this heavy table?

·       Will you make dinner?

·       I will not do your homework for you.

·       I won't do all the housework myself!

·       A: I'm really hungry.
B: I'll make some sandwiches.

·       A: I'm so tired. I'm about to fall asleep.
B: I'll get you some coffee.

·       A: The phone is ringing.
B: I'll get it.

USE 2 "Will" to Express a Promise

"Will" is usually used in promises.

Examples:

·       I will call you when I arrive.

·       If I am elected President of the United States, I will make sure everyone has access to inexpensive health insurance.

·       I promise I will not tell him about the surprise party.

·       Don't worry, I'll be careful.

·       I won't tell anyone your secret.

USE 3 "Be going to" to Express a Plan

"Be going to" expresses that something is a plan. It expresses the idea that a person intends to do something in the future. It does not matter whether the plan is realistic or not.

Examples:

·       He is going to spend his vacation in Hawaii.

·       She is not going to spend her vacation in Hawaii.

·       A: When are we going to meet each other tonight?
B: We are going to meet at 6 PM.

·       I'm going to be an actor when I grow up.

·       Michelle is going to begin medical school next year.

·       They are going to drive all the way to Alaska.

·       Who are you going to invite to the party?

·       A: Who is going to make John's birthday cake?
B: Sue is going to make John's birthday cake.

USE 4 "Will" or "Be Going to" to Express a Prediction

Both "will" and "be going to" can express the idea of a general prediction about the future. Predictions are guesses about what might happen in the future. In "prediction" sentences, the subject usually has little control over the future and therefore USES 1-3 do not apply. In the following examples, there is no difference in meaning.

Examples:

·       The year 2222 will be a very interesting year.

·       The year 2222 is going to be a very interesting year.

·       John Smith will be the next President.

·       John Smith is going to be the next President.

·       The movie "Zenith" will win several Academy Awards.

·       The movie "Zenith" is going to win several Academy Awards.

USE 4 "Will" or "Be Going to" to Express a Prediction

Both "will" and "be going to" can express the idea of a general prediction about the future. Predictions are guesses about what might happen in the future. In "prediction" sentences, the subject usually has little control over the future and therefore USES 1-3 do not apply. In the following examples, there is no difference in meaning.

Examples:

• The year 2222 will be a very interesting year.
• The year 2222 is going to be a very interesting year.

• John Smith will be the next President.
• John Smith is going to be the next President.

• The movie "Zenith" will win several Academy Awards.
• The movie "Zenith" is going to win several Academy Awards.

 

IMPORTANT

In the Simple Future, it is not always clear which USE the speaker has in mind. Often, there is more than one way to interpret a sentence's meaning.

No Future in Time Clauses

Like all future forms, the Simple Future cannot be used in clauses beginning with time expressions such as: when, while, before, after, by the time, as soon as, if, unless, etc. Instead of Simple Future, Simple Present is used.

Examples:

• When you will arrive tonight, we will go out for dinner. Not Correct
• When you arrive tonight, we will go out for dinner. Correct

ADVERB PLACEMENT

The examples below show the placement for grammar adverbs such as: always, only, never, ever, still, just, etc.

Examples:

• You will never help him.
• Will you ever help him?

• You are never going to meet Jane.
• Are you ever going to meet Jane?

ACTIVE / PASSIVE

Examples:

• John will finish the work by 5:00 PM. Active
• The work will be finished by 5:00 PM. Passive

• Sally is going to make a beautiful dinner tonight. Active
• A beautiful dinner is going to be made by Sally tonight. Passive