Grammar reference 115 _———————— Grammar reference 1 Routines and activities, Describing responsibilities Routines and activities We use both the Present Simple and Present Continuous to talk about routines, and to describe activities. Present Simple Positive Iwork with several other nationalities. = subject + infinitive (+-s for he / she it) He works on an oil rig. Not Heworkenaneilrig. Negative Idon't work on an oil rig. = subject + do / does + not (don’t / doesn’t) + infinitive He doesn't work onan oil rig. Not Hedon'tworkonanoilrig. Questions Short answers Do they work at the main refinery? Yes, they do. No, they don't. = Do/ Does + subject + infinitive We use the Present Simple totalk about © general facts Oil travels to the refinery in a tanker or by pipeline. things that happen regularly Two billion tonnes of il travel by tanker each year. © personal information travel to work by car. Itis common to use an adverb of frequency with the Present Simple, such as: never, hardly ever, sometimes, often, usually, always. Note that these go before the main verb, but after be. Ioften play volleyball after work. Weare usually very tired after our shifts. We also use other time expressions such as: most of the time, twice a week, every day. These can go at the beginning orat the end ofa clause. Most of the time, Iwork offshore. Iwork offshore most of the time. Present Continuous Positive Lam working on a design fora pipeline. = subject++am/ is/are +-ing form Negative ‘The system isn’t working properly. =subject+am/ is/are +not +-ing form Questions Short answers : Yes,lam. Are you rking offshore t! 2 hi youworking offshore thisweek? SYST = Am /Is/ Are + subject +-ing form We use the Present Continuous to talk about anaction that is happening now They're talking to the designer right now. © anaction that is happening over a longer period around now © He's studying to bean engineer. achange in routine Tusually play volleyball twice a week, but this evening I'm working late. ‘We use the Present Continuous with time expressions suchas:now, right now, currently, at the moment, this week, today. These can go at the beginning or at the end of aclause. Right now we are updating the control rooms for the refinery. Anew trainee is following me around this week. Note that with a continuous tense suchas the Present Continuous, we can’t use non-action verbs such as: believe, cost, dislike, hate, know, like, mean, prefer, remember, understand, want. Iwant to know more about petroleum engineering. Not Fmwantingtoknowmoreabout.. Describing responsibilities ‘We can use verbs as well as expressions to talk about our jobs and responsibilitiesM6 Grammar reference Verbs ‘These include look after, monitor, oversee. Ilook after the machinery on the oil rig. He monitors safety on board the rig. The head of the team oversees every stage of the process. Note the use of the Present Simple to give general facts about ourselves or others. Expressions These are used with be, and include: © (be) in charge of + noun or-ing form She's in charge of the facility. Imin charge of ensuring that safety procedures are followed. © (be) involved in+noun or -ing form I'mnot involved in the exploration stage. We are involved in identifying the best places to drill for oil and gas. © (be) responsible for + noun or -ing form I'm responsible for the safe arrival of vessels in our port. They're responsible for designing the piping systems. ‘We can also introduce our job responsibilities by saying My jobs to + infinitive My job is to ensure that safety procedures are followed. 2 Past Simple We use the Past Simple to talk about completed actions in the past. Past Simple Positive People in Egypt and China used oil as medicine. = subject + Past Simple Negative Oildidn’t become an important fuel until much later. = subject + did + not (didn’t) + infinitive Questions Short answers Did people realize how Yes, they did. important oil could be? No, they didn't. = Did + subject + infinitive ‘To form the Past Simple in the positive, we addd ored tothe infinitive. live lived want— wanted Some common verbs, such are be, do, go, or have, are irregular. be was, were dom did go went have had ‘There are many other irregular verbs (find found, take — took), whose forms have to be learned individually. (See irregular verbs, p.114) Note that when we use the Past Simple with be, we donot use the auxiliary did in the negative or in questions. ‘Was oil as important as salt in the past? Not Didoitbeasimportantassalt? Time expressions ‘We often use time expressions with the Past Simple, In 1929, Venezuela was the second largest oil exporter inthe world. 3 Nouns and articles Nouns can be countable or uncountable. Both types canbe used with the. Countable nouns ‘These can be singular or plural. Inthe singular, they are used witha / an or one. Inthe plural, they can be used with numbers or other expressions. three molecules several platforms atanker anoilrefinery one litre The verb agrees with the countable noun. The tankers carry huge amounts of oil.Grammar reference 117 Uncountable nouns ‘These have no plural form, Nor do we use a / an or numbers with uncountable nouns, as they cannot be counted. Examples include fuel, mud, oil, time, Not amud-twefuels Uncountable nouns always have a singular verb form, Oilis transported in tankers. Somenouns, such as fuel, oil,and rock, can be both countableand uncountable. The rig is built on rock. (= rock as a material) Some rocks contain both oil and gas. (= individual rocks) When talking about quantities in negatives and questions, we can use much with uncountable nouns and many with countable nouns. We can use a lot of with countable and uncountable nouns. There isn’t much /a lot of time. Are there many /a lot of pipelines? Articles: a / an, the or no article We use a/an with singular countable nouns to talk about something in general. They are building a new pipeline. We use the before countable and uncountable nouns @ when weare referring to a specificthing orto something that is known to the speaker or listener Hes working on the rig. (= everyone knows whichrig) © when something has already been mentioned Anerror occurred in the system. Unfortunately, the error was not spotted. © with the names of rivers, seas, oceans, canals, and with mountain ranges and many regions the Amazon, the Pacific Ocean, the Himalayas, the FarEast ‘We use noarticle when we refer to uncountable and plural countable nouns in a general sense. Compare the following two sentences: The organic matter is compressed and air cannot reach it. When the valve is opened, the air inside escapes. 4 The Passive Active We use the Active when we know who or what does an action, and we feel that itis relevant or important to give this information. = subject + verb Passive ‘We use the Passive when we don't know who does an action, or when itis irrelevant. = subject + present simple of be + past participle Inthe examples of the Passive above, we use the present simple of be. tis also possible to use other tenses of be to describe actions in the past or future. We can use Active and Passive forms with structures such as can and will. active — Wecan drill from onshore. Twill contact the exploration team. Passive Oilcan be drilled from onshore. (- afact about oil) The exploration team will be contacted (= itdoesn’t matter who contacts ther) Passive with by We often use the Passive when describing a process orsystem. If we want to say who or what causes something to happen ina process, we often use by after the Passive rather than changing the sentence to an Active form. Shock waves are produced by explosives in the ground.18 Grammar reference 5 Prepositions We can use prepositions to describe where people orthings are, and to describe movement. Common prepositions of place include above, around, at, behind, between, from, in, in front of next to, opposite, outside, over, under, up. ‘These are used with be. Pipelines under the sea are expensive to build. His job is to stand on the monkey board. There isn’t much space between the two sections. Prepositions of movement are used with many verbs suchas jump, move, rotate, travel. Many prepositions of place can also be used as prepositions of movement. The apparatus moves between the two sections. Other prepositions that are commonly used to describe movement are across, along, into, onto, through, to The mud carries the rock to the surface. The kelly goes through the rotary table. 6 Cause and result There are several ways of describing how one action (cause) leads to another action (result). The following examples are all followed by nouns or noun phrases. Cause — Result ‘technical problems — oil spills Technical problems cause oil spills Technical problems are responsible for oil spills. Technical problems account for oil spills. Technical problems result in oil spills Note that we use can before the verb to sound less direct or certain, Technical problems can result in oil pills. Other ways of expressing cause and result are is / are the result of and happen because of. When we use these expressions, the order of the cause and result is, changed. Result — Cause oilspills + technical problems Oil spilis are the result of technical problems. Oilspills happen because of technical problems. 7 Talking about ability, Asking questions Talking about ability We can talk about whatis possible and impossible in the following ways. © can/can't+ infinitive They can drill in deep water. ® is/are (not) able to+ infinitive The oil is able to move freely in the pipe. © allow(s) +object + to + infinitive The hot water jacket allows the oil to move freely in the pipe. ‘We can use the above structures in the Passive, though is/are (not) able totends to be used in the Active. The rig can’t be moved quickly, The crown block allows the pipe to be lifted. Note that the infinitive form of be is used with these expressions in the Passive. Not Fherigean'tismoved quickly Another expression we use when talking about ability is let(s). This is slightly less formal than allow(s), and is not followed by to. © let(s) + object + infinitive This action lets the rig go down into the water. Let(s) is more commonly used in the Active. Asking questions Yes /no questions Toaska simple question that requires a yes or no answer, we begin with an auxiliary verb such as be, do, have, will, can, etc. Was the project successful? Did you go into the sub-sea centre? Has the platform got eight legs? Can it accommodate many people? (= auxiliary + subject) We can use these questions to check information. Wh- questions To ask a question that requires more specific information, we begin with a wh- word, or question word. The most common are when, where, what, which, who, why,and also how.Grammar reference 119 When did production start? Why does the carrier pipe have a hot water jacket? Howis the oil brought ashore? (question word + auxiliary + subject) ‘We can combine which, what, and how with other words. Which part of the platform is underneath the sea? How many people live in the sub-sea centre? 8 Past Simple v Present Perfect Past Simple ‘We use the Past Simple to talk about completed actions in the past. We often use past time expressions such as yesterday, last week, in 1990, ago, orfor (but not since). We can use this tense to answer ‘the question When...? He started the course two years ago. Ididn't work in India for very long. Why did you come back to England? Present Perfect We use the Present Perfect to talk about a period of time that began in the past and which continues up tothe present. Positive I've lived in India all my life, = subject + have / has + past participle Negative ‘We haven't met the CEO, =subject + have / has-+not (haven't / hasn’)+ past participle Questions Short answers Have you finished reading the report? R = Have / Has + subject + past participle haven’ We often use the time expressions for (+ period of time) and since (+ specific point in time). We can use this tense to answerthe question How long...? I've worked in Nigeria for five years. He's been on the North Sea FPSO since 2006. NoT ...since,fiveyears 9 Comparative / superlative adjectives ‘We use comparatives to say that two things are different in some way. Pipelines are cheaper than tankers and can carry larger amounts of oil or gas. Pipelines under the sea are more expensive than over land. ‘We use superlatives to compare three or more things, This isn’t the deepest part of the North Sea. What's the most complicated part ofthe process? Spelling rules ‘Adjective | Comparative | Superlative Short [+-er/ small smaller smallest adjective |-est Adjective |+-r/-stlarge | larger largest endingin e Short [double | big bigger _ | biggest adjective |the fendingin | conson- | vowel+ —|ant+ consonant, |-er/ except -w | -est Adjective |more/ |modern | more the most oftwo most + modern | modern Siete adject- | expensive | more ‘the most. eecoee he expensive _| expensive ‘Adjective |change leary earlier earliest endingin | yto-i consonant |+-er/ +y est Irregular good [better | best adjective ba lise | A far farther/ farthest / further _| furthest ‘Note that the comparative form is followed by than, not that. With adjectives of two or more syllables, we can use less tomean the opposite of more and the least to mean the opposite of the most. Undersea pipelines are less economical than those built over land. This is the least expensive option.120 Grammar reference 10 Forms of the verb 1 Some verbs are followed by the infinitive with to,and others are followed by the-ing form. Infinitive with to ‘We use the infinitive with to © after certain verbs, including agree, decide, forget, help, hope, help, manage, need, offer, plan, want They wanted to create a terminal that would operate all year round. We are hoping to complete the project by next year. Thaven't managed to identify the problem. © tointroducea purpose An icebreaker and tug are used to keep the area ice-free. ‘The company worked hard to meet the deadline, -ing form We use the -ing form © asanoun Working in these conditions is an enormous challenge. Taking care of the environment is the most important part of my job. © after certain verbs, including avoid, consider, involve, mean, risk, suggest Itinvolved building an enormous structure. The thickness of the ice meant building the loading Jetty far offshore. © after prepositions, or verbs and adjectives followed by prepositions After travelling by pipeline from the Timan- Pechora province oilfields... The refinery succeeds in processing 300,000 barrels ofcrudea day. Itis responsible for supplying 13% of the UK's petroleum products. Time clauses We use time words to link one action with another. when We use when to show actions that happen close together in time. The action in the when clause must happen before the action in the main clause can occur. Gas is pumped down. It pushes out the water. + When gas is pumped down, it pushes out the water. as We use as to show actions happening at the same time Gas travels through the system. It is pushed by passing through compressor stations. -* As the gas travels through the system, itis pushed by passing through compressor stations. before and after We use before or after to put actions ina clear sequence. I check what each station sells well. [choose what to buy. + Icheck what each station sells well before I choose what to buy. The gas leaves the gas terminals. Itis carried to the customers who need it. -» After the gas leaves the gas terminals, it is carried to the customers who require it Note that when the time clause comes first, we use a comma. We never use the future after time words when we are talking about a future action. When the pipelines finished, we will be able to supply gas more efficiently. Not Wherthepipelinewilibefinished .. 12 Obligation and necessity ‘There are several ways of talking about obligation and necessity. The following structures are all followed by the infinitive. ‘must / mustn't ‘We use must / mustn’tto say that something is necessary, often because the speaker thinks it is You must make this your top priority. We mustn't miss this deadline. Not Wemuste-ttemtiss have to ‘We use have to when the situation or circumstances make it necessary to do something. Thave to show something to the design group. Dowe have to prepare the schedule or will Ranjit’s team do this?Grammar reference 121 TE ee OD RETR 13 don’t / doesn’t have to ‘We use don’t / doesn't have to to say that something isn’t necessary. It is not an order or instruction like mustn't, but instead expresses an absence of obligation. Youdon't have to finish the report today. Tomorrow will be fine. The summary doesn’t have to be too detailed. It up to you how long to make it. need to We use need to in a similar way to have to, to talk about general rules or the requirements of a situation. Tneed to receive your estimate today if you want to be considered for this contract. Dowe both need to.attend the meeting? don't / doesn’t need to We use don't / doesn’t need to in the same way as don't / doesn’t have to,ie. to express an absence of obligation. You don't need to finish the report today. The summary doesn't need to be too detailed. Note that we don't use must as frequently as have to or need to. First conditional, should have done First conditional We use the first conditional to talk about a situation and its probable result. We use ifto introduce the situation, while the main clause expresses the likely result. If clause ‘Main clause Uf + Present Simple + will (‘ll)+infinitive ‘The order of the clauses can be changed round, but note that the subject of the sentence should be clear. Your tools will harm someone if they fall while you're working up there. NoT Fheywillharmsomeoneifyourtools fall Note that when the if clause comes first, it is followed bya comma. ‘We can use a negative verb in either or both clauses. fit gets too dangerous to work in an area, you won't find people to work there Ifyou don’t wear a lifeline, you'll be in great danger as the conditions are slippery up there. If don’t work overtime, Iwon't earn enough money to support my family. should have done ‘We use should (not) have + past participle when we think that someone didn’t take the right course of action. The equipment should have been checked every day. (- the fact that it wasn’t caused a problem) The accident was caused by a spark froma vehicle, but the vehicle shouldn't have been there. Note that thisis a fixed expression. Not Heshowldnothas 14 Predicting the future ‘Two ways of predicting the future are to use the Present Continuous and will / won't. Present Continuous We use the Present Continuous to talk about fixed plans in the future. As the plans have been decided ‘upon, we don’t generally use this tense fora period of, time a long way ahead. I'mdoing a course in deep-sea diving. (= Ihave booked a place on the course) ‘We often use a future time expression with the Present Continuous to make it clear that we are talking about the future rather than the present. Future time expressions include: later, tomorrow, soon, next week. She's starting her course soon.122 Grammar reference 15 will | won’t We use will / won't + infinitive to talk about things that we expect or are sure will happen in the future, and for general predictions. When oil and gas run out, we'll have to get ourenergy from other sources. Itwon't be an easy task, but 'm sure it will be interesting. ‘When we think something is possible but we are not sure it will happen, we can use the verb think before will /won’t. Ithink I'Illook for a job on an oil platform. When the prediction is negative, we use I don't think +will. Idon’t think it'll be easy. Not Hhinkitwon'tbeeasy. We can also use could, may,or might + infinitive to make uncertain predictions about the future. Icould live with my brother or Imight get a flat with my friend. They may not finish the project on time. Talking about the future There are several ways of talking about the future, going to "We use be + going to+ infinitive when we can see the probable result ofa situation that is happening now. It's going to be difficult to find a job in the present economicclimate. You're going to find the exam tough if you don't start revising now. Wealso use this structure to talk about intentions and fixed plans. The National Oil Company is recruiting staff, so I'm going to apply for it We're going to visit the new oil rig next week will / won't ‘We use will / won't + infinitive fora prediction about ‘the future which is not based on a present situation. You'll find the course challenging, but interesting. It will be useful to have as much information as you can give me. We also use will ('Il) to make an instant decision about something. ‘Mrs Taylor isn’t here today, so show you where everything is, Present Continuous We use the Present Continuous to talk about future plans and arrangements. In order to make it clear that ‘we are referring to the future rather than the present, wwe often use future time expressions such as later, tomorrow, on (Friday), next (month). We're all doing a safety course in May. I’m working at Head Office next week. Note that the Present Continuous and going to are used ina similar way when talking about arrangements. However, the Present Continuous suggests that the plan or arrangement is definite, while going to can convey simply an intention. He's leaving his job on Friday. (= definite) He's going to leave his job on Friday. (= definite) He's going to leave his job. (= this may be definite or simply an intention to leave) Present Simple ‘We use the Present Simple to talk about events that are part of a timetable. As with the Present Continuous, we use future time expressions to make itclear that we referring to a situation in the future. The course starts tomorrow. The flight leaves at 06.10.