ADVANCED GRAMMAR

REVIEW II
TOEIC PRACTICE
 PREPOSITIONS
• Prepositions are short words (on, in, to) that usually stand in front of nouns
(sometimes also in front of gerund verbs).

• Even advanced learners of English find prepositions difficult, as a 1:1

translation is usually not possible. One preposition in your native language
might have several translations depending on the situation.

• There are hardly any rules as to when to use which preposition. The only way
to learn prepositions is looking them up in a dictionary, reading a lot in
English (literature) and learning useful phrases off by heart (study tips).
 PREPOSITIONS OF TIME

• AT
• times: at 8pm, at midnight, at 6:30
• holiday periods: at Christmas, at Easter
• at night
• at the weekend
• at lunchtime, at dinnertime, at breakfast time
• ON
• days: on Monday, on my birthday, on Christmas Day
• days + morning / afternoon / evening / night: on Tuesday morning
• dates: on the 20th of June
 PREPOSITIONS OF TIME
• IN
• years: in 1992, in 2006
• months: in December, in June
• decades: in the sixties, in the 1790s
• centuries: in the 19th century
• seasons: in winter, in summer
• in the morning, in the afternoon, in the evening
• BY
• Deadlines: by Friday, by the end of the week
 PREPOSITIONS OF PLACE
• The preposition at is used in the following descriptions of place/position:
• With specific places/points in space
• She kept the horse at a nearby farm.
• I had a cup of coffee at Helen’s (house/flat).
• Angie’s still at home.
• I’ll meet you at reception.
• There’s a man at the door.
• I saw her standing at the bus stop.
• Turn right at the traffic lights.
• The index is at the back of the book.
• Write your name at the top of each page.
 PREPOSITIONS OF PLACE
• With public places and shops
• Jane’s at the dentist/hairdresser.
• I studied German at college/school/university.
• Shall I meet you at the station?
• We bought some bread at the supermarket.
• With addresses
• They live at 70, Duncombe Place.
• With events
• I met her at last year’s conference. She wasn’t at Simon’s party.
 PREPOSITIONS OF PLACE
• The preposition on is used in the following descriptions of place/position:
• With surfaces, or things that can be thought of as surfaces
• The letter is on my desk.
• There was a beautiful painting on the wall.
• The toy department is on the first floor.
• Write the number down on a piece of paper.
• You’ve got a dirty mark on your jumper.
• He had a large spot on his nose.
• She placed her hand on my shoulder.
 PREPOSITIONS OF PLACE
• With roads/streets, or other things that can be thought of as a line, e.g. rivers
• The bank is on the corner of King’s Street.
• Koblenz is on the Rhine.
• Bournemouth is on the south coast.
• It’s the second turning on the left.
 PREPOSITIONS OF PLACE
• The preposition in is used in the following descriptions of place/position:
• With geographical regions
• Driving in France is very straightforward.
• Orgiva is a very small village in the mountains.
• With cities, towns and larger areas
• Do you like living in Nottingham?
• They were having a picnic in the park.
• She works somewhere in the toy department.
• With buildings/rooms and places that can be thought of as surrounding a person or
object on all sides
• Can you take a seat in the waiting room, please?
• I’ve left my bag in the office.
• There’s a wedding in the church this afternoon.
• Lots of people were swimming in the lake
 PREPOSITIONS OF PLACE
• With containers
• There’s fresh milk in the fridge.
• I think I’ve got a tissue in my pocket.
• The money is in the top drawer of my desk.
• With liquids and other substances, to show what they contain
• Do you take milk in your coffee?
• I can taste garlic in this sauce.
• There’s a lot of fat in cheese and butter.
TRANSITION WORDS
 TRANSITION WORDS
• Transitions are phrases or words used to connect one idea to the next
• Transitions are used by the author to help the reader progress from one
significant idea to the next
• Transitions also show the relationship within a paragraph (or within a
sentence) between the main idea and the support the author gives for
those ideas
• Different transitions do different things....
 TRANSITION WORDS
• To signal addition of ideas:
• and, also, besides, further, furthermore, too, moreover, in addition, then, of equal
importance, equally important, another
• To signal time:
• next, afterward, finally, later, last, lastly, at last, now, subsequently, then, when,
soon, thereafter, after a short time, the next week (month, day, etc.), a minute
later, in the meantime, meanwhile, on the following day, at length, ultimately,
presently
 TRANSITION WORDS
• To signal order or sequence:
• first, second, (etc.), finally, hence, next, then, from here on, to begin with, last of
all, after, before, as soon as, in the end, gradually
• To signify space and place:
• above, behind, below, beyond, here, there, to the right (left), nearby, opposite,
on the other side, in the background, directly ahead, along the wall, as you turn
right, at the tip, across the hall, at this point, adjacent to
• To signal an example:
• for example, to illustrate, for instance, to be specific, such as, moreover,
furthermore, just as important, similarly, in the same way
 TRANSITION WORDS
• To show results:
• as a result, hence, so, accordingly, as a consequence, consequently, thus, since,
therefore, for this reason, because of this
• To signal purpose:
• to this end, for this purpose, with this in mind, for this reason, for these reasons
• To signal comparisons:
• like, in the same (like) manner or way, similarly
• To indicate contrast:
• but, in contrast, conversely, however, still, nevertheless, nonetheless, yet, and
yet, on the other hand, of course, on the contrary, or, in spite of this, actually, a
year ago, now, notwithstanding, for all that, strangely enough, ironically
 TRANSITION WORDS
• To signal alternatives, exceptions, and objections:
• although, though, while, despite, to be sure, it is true, true, I grant, granted, I admit,
admittedly, doubtless, I concede, regardless
• To dispute:
• it isn’t true that, people are wrong who say that, deny that, be that as it, may, by the
same token, no doubt, we often hear it said, many people claim, many people
suppose, it used to be thought, in any case
• To intensify:
• above all, first and foremost, importantly, again, to be sure, indeed, in fact, as a
matter of fact, as I have said, as has been noted
• To summarize or repeat:
• in summary, to sum up, to repeat, briefly, in short, finally, on the whole, therefore, as I
have said, in conclusion, as you can see
CAUSATIVE VERBS
 CAUSATIVE VERBS
• Causative Verbs, as the name implies, are the verbs that express the idea of
somebody causing someone to happen or causing another person to do
something. In English, there are three true causative verbs, and they are:
• Let
• Have
• Get
• Make
• However, there are other verbs that are similarly used as causative verbs,
such as: cause, allow, help, enable, force, require, persuade, etc.
• Let
• Means to allow someone to do something. Its form is let + object + base form of
verb.
• She lets her husband focus on his job.
• Will you let me use your computer?
• Let her say what she wants.
• They let me drink some wine after the interview.
• Have
• Is used when we arrange someone to do something. The form is have + object +
past participle of verb. For example:
• She will have her phone repaired tomorrow.
• They are having their car painted.
 CAUSATIVE VERBS
• Get
• In informal spoken English, get is used in place of have.
• She will get her phone repaired tomorrow.
• They are getting their car painted.
• Please note that we use “have + object + base form of verb” when we talk about
asking someone to do something. For instance:
• I will have my assistant deliver the papers. (I will ask my assistant to deliver the
papers.)
• I had my son make me coffee. (I asked my son to make me coffee.)
• We can also use get instead of have in informal spoken English, but the structure is
get + object + to + base form of verb.
• I will get my assistant to deliver the papers.
• I got my son to make me coffee.
 CAUSATIVE VERBS
• Make
• Means to force someone to do something. Its form is let + object + base form of verb.
• She made him promise to buy a new car.
• He was not able to make her change her mind.
• Her boss made her leave her job.
• Some common mistakes made by ESL learners are:
• 1. Using to + base form of verb after let/make.
• She lets her husband to focus on his job.
• She made him to promise to buy a new car.
• 2. Using past simple tense of verb after let.
• They let me drank some wine after the interview.
• Her boss made her left her job
• 3. Using a singular form of verb after let.
• Let her says what she wants.
• He was not able to make her changes her mind.

Remember, we always use the base form of verb after let and make regardless of the verb tense and the subject.
 OTHER “CAUSATIVE VERBS”
• Cause
• Means make (something, typically something bad) happen. The form is cause + object + to + base
form of verb.
• Their divorce caused them to sell their properties.
• The provocation done by North Korea caused the UN to give them sanctions.
• Allow
• Means to give someone permission to do something. The meaning is similar to let but the form is
different. The form is allow + to + base form of verb.
• You are not allowed to read my messages.
• They don’t allow their kids to watch movies on weekdays.
• Help
• Means assist someone to do something. After help, we can use either to + base form of verb or just
base form of verb, they are both correct and there is no difference in meaning, but without to is
more common.
• I will help you clean the house. OR I will help you to clean the house.
• My teacher helped me understand the lesson. OR My teacher helped me to understand the lesson.
 OTHER “CAUSATIVE VERBS”
• Enable
• Means to give someone the authority to do something. The form is enable + object + to +
base form of verb.
• His money enables him to buy everything he wants.
• The internet enabled me to find better opportunities.
• Force
• Means to make someone do something against their will. The form is force + object + to
+ base form of verb.
• Penny forced Roger to marry her.
• The lawyer will force the witness to tell the truth.
• Require
• Means to order someone to do something. The form is require + to + base form of verb.
• Students are required to wear their school uniform.
• Our CEO requires everyone to come on time.
 OTHER “CAUSATIVE VERBS”
• Persuade
• Means to make people to do or believe something by giving explanations.
The form is persuade + object + to + base form of verb.
• I persuaded my wife to buy me a new laptop.
• My wife is planning to persuade her dad to go see a doctor.
 PRACTICE

1. You look really great! (you, work) Have you been working out at the fitness center
______________________
recently?

were you doing

2. A: What (you, do)_______________when the accident occurred?
B: I (try) __________
was trying to change a light bulb that had burnt out.

3. I (have) __________the
have had same car for more than ten years. I'm thinking about buying a
new one.

4. If it (snow)_______ will go
snows this weekend, we (go)_______skiing near Lake Tahoe.

5. A: What do you call people who work in libraries?

B: They (call) are
__________librarians.
called
 PRACTICE

6. I (come)______________________ to England six months ago. I started my economics course three

months ago. When I return to Australia, I (study)______________________ for nine months and I (be)
___________________ in England for exactly one year.

7. Sam (arrive) _____________________ in San Diego a week ago.

8. Samantha (live) ____________________ in Berlin for more than two years. In fact, she (live)
_____________________ there when the Berlin wall came down.

9. If Vera (keep) ____________________ drinking, she ____________________(lose, eventually)

her job.

10. The Maya (establish)______________________ a very advanced civilization in the jungles of the
Yucatan; however, their culture (disappear, virtually) ______________________ by the time Europeans
first (arrive) ______________________ in the New World.
 PRACTICE

11. Shhhhh! Be quiet! John ______________________ (sleep)

12. It (rain) _____________________ all week. I hope it stops by Saturday because I (want)
_____________________ to go to the beach.

13. Listen Donna, I don't care if you (miss) _____________________ the bus this morning. You (be)
_____________________ late to work too many times. You are fired!

14. I am sick of rain and bad weather! Hopefully, when we (wake) ______________________ up
tomorrow morning, the sun ____________________ (shine)
.

15. I (not/travel)_____________________ much yet; however, I (visit) ____________________ the Grand

Canyon and San Francisco by the time I (leave) ____________________ the United States.
 PRACTICE

16. I (see) many pictures of the pyramids before I went to Egypt. Pictures of the monuments are very
misleading. The pyramids are actually quite small.

17. In the last hundred years, traveling (become) much easier and very comfortable. In the 19th
century, it (take) two or three months to cross North America by covered wagon. The trip (be)
very rough and often dangerous. Things (change) a great deal in the last hundred and fifty years.
Now you can fly from New York to Los Angeles in a matter of hours.

18. Joseph's English (improve, really) , isn't it? He (watch) American television programs and (study)
his grammar every day since he first arrived in San Diego. Soon he will be totally fluent.

19. When I (arrive) home last night, I discovered that Jane (prepare) a beautiful candlelight dinner.

20. If you (need) to contact me sometime next week, I (stay) at the Sheraton in San Francisco.