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Modal Auxillary verbs :The 'modals'are can,could,may,white,shall,should,will,would,must,haveto,have got to,need to,need'nt,and ought to.They are used before other verbs to add meaning to the main verb.Modals can be used to express a number of ideas, such as: Obligation :I really must go now, my friend's expecting me. Possibility/probability :I might go shopping tomorrow. Permission /prohibition :You may leave now. Ability :I can speak six languages. Advice : you should see a doctor about that . Modal verbs don't change in form according to person. Compare the person I can play/he can play with the present simple I play/he plays. Active Voice In active voice, the subject performs the action expressed by the verb: The student wrote a song. Passive Voice In passive voice, the subject receives the action expressed by the verb: A song was written by the student. Forming Tenses of Passive Verbs The passive voice always consists of two parts: a form of the verb "to be" + past participle: Tense Passive voice form Present it is cleaned Past it was cleaned Future it will be cleaned Present perfect it has been cleaned Past perfect it had been cleaned Future perfect it will have been cleaned Uses of Passive Voice Use the passive voice to: Call attention to receiver of the action rather than the performer: The professor was hit by three snowballs. Point out the receiver of the action when performer is unknown or unimportant: A love letter was slipped under the door. The signs will be posted. Avoid calling attention to the performer of the action (known as the "institutional passive"): The fines will be collected on Monday. Active and Passive Voice in Writing The choice between using the active or passive voice in writing is a matter of style, not correctness. However, most handbooks recommend using active voice, which they describe as more natural, direct, lively, and succinct. The passive voice is considered wordy and weak (except when used in cases above). Examine the following examples. weak, passive: The skater was slammed into the wall by Maria. strong, active: Maria slammed the skater into the wall. weak, passive: The book was enjoyed by me because the events of her childhood were described so well by the author. strong, active: I enjoyed the book because the author described the events of her childhood so well. Hints for Identifying the Passive Voice An active verb may or may not have a direct object, but the passive verb almost never does. "It is...That" construction (It is clear that... It is noted...) Use of the verbs To Be, Make, or Have Passive: Your exits should be made quickly. Active: Leave quickly. Endings that turn verbs into abstract nouns: -ion,-ing,-ment: Passive: When application of force is used, the lid will open. Active: Apply force to open the lid. Relative clauses are clauses starting with the relative pronouns who*, that, which, whose, where, when. They are most often used to define or identify the noun that precedes them. A clause is a group of related words that contains both a subject and a verb. ... An independent clause is a group of words that can stand on its own as a sentence: it has a subject, a verb, and is a complete thought. Examples: He ran. In English grammar, a dependent clause is a group of words that has both a subject and a verb but (unlike an independent clause) cannot stand alone as a sentence. Also known as a subordinate clause. Dependent clauses include adverb clauses, adjective clauses, and noun clauses. Phrasal verbs. A phrasal verb is a verb that is made up of a main verb together with an adverb or a preposition, or both. Typically, their meaning is not obvious from the meanings of the individual words themselves. For example: She has always looked down on me. Some verbs, such as arrive, go, lie, sneeze, sit, and die, are always intransitive; it is impossible for a direct object to follow. Other action verbs, however, can be transitive or intransitive, depending on what follows in the sentence. Verbs can be tricky things, and the difference between transitive and intransitive verbs often confounds even the best grammar students and writers. An intransitive verb is simply defined as a verb that does not take a direct object. There's no word in the sentence that tells who or what received the action.