118 Grammar reference

Grammar reference
, al an I the, the verb be We can use question words such as What or How if
we want more specific information than a yes I no
a/an answer will give.
We use a and an to talk about something in general. What is your job? - I'm a radio operator.

We use a + singular noun that begins with a consonant. We can use the verb be for :
• nationalities and places of origin
a pipeline, a team, a department
The team manager is from Dublin. (= subject + am I
We use an + singular noun that begins with a vowel. is I are + from + place)
an oil rig, an effect, an idea Mr Beyrand and Ms Gougelot are French. (= subject
+ am I is I are + adjective)
However, we use a before nouns that begin with a 'y' Gazprom is a Russian company. (subject + am I is I
sound, e.g. a university. are + a I an + adjective + noun)
• introductions and occupations
the My name's Don Bradman.
We use the before singular and plural nouns to talk This is Ranjit Chatterjee. He's your new manager.
about: • personal information
• a specific example of something Your employee number is 2173.
Muktar is a manager. (= one of several) What is you r address?
Muktar is the manager of thi$ department. (= there
is only one manager) there is, there are
• something that is known to everyone present We use there is, there are to say that something
He works at the university. (= everyone understands exists. We often use this phrase when describing the
which university it is) contents of an item or a building's facilities.
• something that has been mentioned earlier
A new plant has just opened. We will visit the plant We use there is + a I an , and there are + some or a
next week. number.
• some countries, regions, rivers, seas, and oceans There is a glossary atthe back of this book.
the UAE, the US, the UK, the Middle East, the There are three restaurants on this site.
Danube, the North Sea, the Pacific Ocean
Note that there is no contracted form for there are.
NOT There 're three rest6l:1:lF61l'lts ...
The verb be
In questions, we change the order to Is there .. . ? I Are
Positive
there ... ?
I am ('m) late. Is there a glossary at the back of the book?
He I She lIt is ('s) late. Are there two orthree restaurants on this level?
We I You I They are ('re) late.
We can also use a question word before Is there I Are
= subject + am / is / are
there.
Negative How many restaurants are there? - There are three.
I am not ('m not) late.
He I She l It is not (isn't) late.
We / You/They are not (aren't) late. 2 do and does, and Wh- questions
= subject + am I is I are + not ('m not I isn 't I aren't) We use do and does to form the negative and
questions in the Present Simple.
Questions Short answers
Negative
AmI late? Yes, I am. No, I'm not.
Is he I she I it late? I I You I We I You I They do not (don't) work here.
Are we I you I they late? He I She I It does not (doesn't) w ork here.
=Am I Is I Are + subject = subject + do / does + not (don't / doesn 't) + infinitive
 Grammar reference 119

Questions Short answers -ingform

Do I / you / we / you / they The rules for forming the -ing form are as follows :
work here? Yes, I do. • verb + -ing
Does he / she / it work here? No, he doesn't. talk - talking work - working
= auxiliary do / does + subject + infinitive • verbs ending in -e :
live -living take - taking
We use a question beginning with do or does to ask a not~, te:kcil'l§
question that requires a yes / no answer. • short verbs ending in consonant + vowel +
If we want to find out specific information, we can put consonant :
a question word before do or does. get - getting stop - stopping

Question words include who, what, which, when,

where,how. 4 Modal verbs can and must
Where do you work? Modal verbs never change their form and are always
What does a well test operator do? followed by the infinitive.

3 Present Continuous can

We use can to talk about ability.
Positive
Positive
I am talking.
He/She/It is ('s) talking. I / You / He I She / It / We / You / They can lift this.
We / You / They are ('re) talking. = subject + can + infinitive
=subject + am / is / are + -ing form Negative
Negative
I/You/He /She /It/We /You/They cannot
I am not ('m not) talking. (can't) lift this.
He/She/It is not (isn't) talking. = subject + cannot (can't) + infinitive
We / You / They are not (aren't) talking.
Questions Short answers
=subject + am / is / are + not ('m not / isn't / aren't) +
-ingform Can I / you / he / she / it /
we / you / they lift this? Yes, I can. No, he can't.
Questions Short answers
= Can + subject + infinitive
Am I talking? Yes, I am. No, I'm not.
Is he / she / it talking? Can / can't often refer to something that is (not)
Are we / you / they talking? possible in the circumstances.
= Am / Is / Are + subject + -ing form One of the hazards is that the load can fall on you.
lweara safety harness, sol can'tfall very far.
We use the Present Continuous to talk about what we
are doing at the moment. We do not use this tense to We also use the question form of can to ask for
talk about routines,jobs, or to give facts about ourselves. permission and to make a request or ask for help.
For those functions we use the Present Simple. Permission Can we accompany you on the tour?-
We're having trouble with one of the control panels. Yes, of course. / No, I'm afraid not.
This machine isn't working properly. Help Can you explain the process to me?
Why is the warning lightjlashing? Can I ask a question?
Can you help me prepare this load?
We often use time expressions such as (right) now, at
the moment, currently.
George is giving a talk right now.
The team is having a meeting at the moment.
120 Grammar reference

must We work with them.

He is in the same team as me.
We use must to talk about obligation, instructions,
but
and rules.
It's a CPS receiver. You use it to find your exact position
Positive on the Earth.
I / You / He / She / It / We / You / They must listen
Adjectives
carefully.
= subject + must + infinitive These are words that describe nouns. They go before
Negative nouns or after the verb be.
This a heavy piece of equipment.
I / You / He / She / It / We / You / They mustn't come
The equipment is heavy.
into this area
without shoes.
Adverbs
= subject + must + not (mustn't) + infinitive
These are words that describe a verb. The position
We often use must and mustn't when giving spoken of adverbs varies within the sentence. Adverbs of
instructions. frequency (usually, never, sometimes, etc.) go before
One man must always have radio contact with the most verbs but after be and modal verbs. Other
crane operator. adverbs, such as carefully, well, often go after the
We mustn't go beyond this line. object. Adverbs never go between the verb and the
object.
It usually takes a few seconds to do this.
5 Words in sentences You read the data from the CPS unit carefully to get the
There are three kinds of sentences : statements, position right.
questions, and imperatives.
Sentences often include phrases using prepositions
In statements, the word order is as follows : such as in, on, at, to say when or where something
subject + verb happened or to talk about conditions.
It's hard work because you 're carrying things in hot
In questions, the word order is usually:
weather.
verb + subject I prefer working at night.
In imperatives, there is no subject.
Take this to the drilling platform.
Don't do anything yet.
6 Adjective forms
We can change adjective forms to modify the
There are other words that we can use in a sentence,
meaning ofthe adjective.
such as nouns, pronouns, adjectives, and adverbs.
too, not ... enough
Nouns and pronouns
We use too + adjective and not + adjective + enough to
talk about qualities in a different way.
Nouns are the names of things, e.g. drill, platforms.
Pronouns are words such as he, it, they which can be The liquid is too thick. (= it needs to be less thick)
used instead of nouns. We do not use both together. The liquid is not thick enough. (= it needs to be thicker)
NOT The CPS it tellsY0/;lY0/;lr eXl1ctpositioR. We can use these expressions with adjectives that
Nouns and pronouns can be either the subject or the have opposite meanings to make them mean the
object of the sentence. same thing.
The job is hard work. I haven't got a job. too thin = not thick enough
It is on the chair. You're sitting on it. too dark = not light enough
 G a ,..... a e"e e ce 121

-er, -est and more, most

We can add -erto the end of an adjective or put more in front of the adjective to make a comparison between two
things or people. We add -est or put the most in front of the adjective to make a comparison between more than
two things or people. The rules are as follows :

Adjective Comparative Superlative

Short adjective + -er / -est tall taller the tallest
Adjective ending in -e + -r / -st large larger the largest
Short adjective ending double the consonant + big bigger the biggest
in consonant + vowel + -er / -est
consonant
Adjective oftwo or more / the most + modern m ore modern the m ost modern
more syllables adjective important more important the most important
Adjective ending in change -y to -i + -er / -est heavy heavier the heaviest
consonant + -y
Let's make the mud thicker.
The problem with the pump is getting more serious.

7 Countable and uncountable 8 Comparative sentences

nouns There are several ways of making comparisons.
• comparative form of the adjective + than
Nouns can be countable or uncountable. Both types
Helicopters are faster than boats.
can be used with the.
Offshore work is more hazardous than onshore work.
Countable nouns Note that some adjectives have irregular
comparative and superlative forms .
These can be singular or plural. In the singular, they
good better the best
are used with a / an or one. In the plural, they can be
bad worse the worst
used with numbers or other expressions such as some
far further the furthest
or many.
I think offshore work is better than onshore work.
a pipe three instruments
The platform was furthe rfrom land than I realized.
an inspector severalfittings
one litre Note that the comparative form of the adjective is
followed by than, not that.
The verb agrees with the countable noun.
not 13itJtJer tRlIt
The pipe carries the oil.
Some sparks are coming out of the machinery. • as + adjective + as
We use as .. . as to talk about two things or people
Uncountable nouns that are equal in some way.
The platform is as big as a football field.
These have no plural form. They are used with
The rooms are great. They're as comfortable as they
expressions such as some or much, but not a / an or
areathome.
numbers. Examples include safety, smoke, and petrol.
NOT II smoke, twopetl'Ois • not as + adjective + as
We use not as ... as to say that one thing or person
Uncountable nouns always have a singular verb form.
has less of a particular quality than another.
There is smoke inside.
The food isn't as good as it is at home.
Is there much smoke?
Onshore work is not as hazardous as offshore work.
122 Grammar reference

9 Past Simple be Questions Short answers

We use the Past Simple of be to talk about states and Did I / you / he / she / it / Yes, they did.
conditions in the past. we / you / they clean the spill No, they didn't.
right away?
Positive
= Did + subject + infinitive
I / He / She / It was late.
You/ We/You/ They were late. To form the Past Simple in the positive, we add -d or
-ed to the infinitive.
= subject + was / were
live -lived want - wanted
Negative
I waited all day for the delivery.
I / He / She / It was not (wasn't) late. He closed the main valve to make it safe.
You / We / You / They were not (weren't)
Some common verbs, such are do,go, or have, are
late.
irregular.
= subject + am / is / are + not ('m not / isn't / aren't)
do - did have - had
Questions Short answers go-went make - made
Was I / he / she / it late ? Yes, I was. No, I wasn't. Note the use of the infinitive in the negative.
Were you / we / you / It didn't arrive on time.
they late ? Yes, we were. NOT It clicll'l 't cmivecl 01'1 time.
No, we weren't.
We often use time expressions with the Past Simple.
=Am / Is / Are + subject
These can go at the beginning or end of a sentence.
We can use question words such as W hat or How if They completed the refinery in 1995.
we want more specific information than a yes / no The whole team went to the meeting on Thursday.
answer will give. Last week I worked on a risk assessment with the
What was the meeting about? ~ It was about the operations team.
introduction of a new computer sy stem.
We often use the Past Simple of be with past time 11 Present Perfect
expressions such as yesterday and last ...
Positive
I wasn't at the meeting yesterday .
We were at the refinery last month. I/You / We / You / They have ('ve) checked
the pressure.
He / She / It has ('s) checked the
10 Past Simple pressure.
We use the Past Simple to talk about completed =subject + have / has + past participle
actions in the past.
Negative
Positive
I / You / We / You / They have not (haven't)
I / You / He / She / It / We / You / They cleaned the checked the pressure.
spill right away. He / She / It has not (hasn't) checked
= subject + Past Simple the pressure.
= subject + have / has + not (haven't / hasn't ) + past
Negative
participle
I / You / He / She / It / We / You / They didn't clean
the spill right away.
= subject + did + not (didn 't ) + infinitive
 Grammar reference 123

Questions Short answers We u se will when we :

• decide what to do, often in response to a particular
Have I I you I we I you I they Yes,Ihave.
situation :
checked the pressure ? No, I haven't.
This belt is noisy. - OK, I'll tighten it.
Has he I she I it Yes, he has. The mechanic's coming to look atthat part. - I won't
checked the pressure ? No, he hasn't. touch it until he gets here, then.
= Have I Has + subject + past participle • talk about the future in general:
The new bearing will arrive tomorrow.
Many past participle forms are irregular and need t o W ill you be here for the meeting?
be learned individu ally. For example, be, go, and take.
We often u se will with future time expressions, such
Verb Past Simple Past participle as later, tomorrow, next ...
be was,were been
I' ll check the part again later.
go went been, gone
We'll reinstall the pump tomorrow afternoon.
take took taken
We use the Present Perfect to t alk about:
• recent actions 13 The Passive
We 've taken out the old switch and pu t a new one in. We use the Passive to explain actions or processes. It
They haven't repaired the faulty lights. generally isn 't important who does the action. It is the
Have you done the maintenance check? action that is the most important element.
• our lives up t o n ow, often with ever in the question Passive
form :
Have you ever worked in Kuwait? - Yes, I have. I The crude oil is stored in these tanks . (= this is the
worked there last year. / No, I haven't. process ; it doesn 't matter who stores them)
Th e refinery and pipes are hidden from the village
We don't use the Present Perfect to talk about a by t rees .
completed action. With the Present Perfect, there is
always a link with the present.
=subject + present simple of be + past participle
Active

12 will We use the Active when we know who or what does

an action, and we feel that it is relevant or im portant
Positive to give t his information.
I I You I He I She I It I We I You I They will ('11) The crude oil travels along these pipes into the tanks .
check the reports. The refinery uses river water for cooling the
= subject + will ('m + infinitive m achinery.
Negative = subject + verb

I I You IHe I She I It IWe I You I They will not When describing a process, we can sometimes choose
(won't) check the reports. to us e either the Active or th e Passive. In this case,
w e often use by with the Passive to say who does the
=subject + will + not (won't ) + infinitive action.
Questions Short answers
Active A bridge connects the refinery to the main
Will I Iyou Ihe I she I it Iwe I Yes, they will. road.
you I they check the reports? No, they won't. Tankers bring crude oil to the refinery.
=Will + subject + infinitive Passive The refinery is connected to the main road
by a bridge.
Crude oil is brought to the refinery by
tankers.
124 Grammar reference

14 if I
when I in case, Past Fortunately, I wasn't walking near the ladder when he
dropped the toolbox.
Continuous Were they working at the refinery when the explosion
happened?
if, when
We use if and when to talk about situations that we
expect to happen. Of the two, when indicates greater 15 and, but, because
probability. We can use and, but, and because to join two
When someone is sick or injured, Hake care of them. (= sentences. The linkers and, but, and because have
this is a situation that is quite common) different meanings.
[fthere 's afire, wefollowafire-fighting plan. (= this
situation doesn't happen on a regular basis) and
We use and to give additional information.
in case
Compare:
We use in case when making plans for situations that
happen more infrequently, such as an emergency. Polyethylene is the most commonly used polymer in the
We have an evacuation plan in case we need to get world. It is used as a packaging material.
everyone off the rig quickly. and:
Polyethylene is the most commonly used polymer in the
Past Continuous world and it is used as a packaging material.
Positive
but
1/ He / She / It was working.
You/We /You/They were working. We use but to contrast two ideas or to show that the
second idea is unexpected.
= subject + was / were + -ing form
Compare :
Negative
Polypropylene is also used in packaging. It is used in
1/ He / She / It was not (wasn't) working. many other products too.
You / We / You / They were not (weren't) working. and:
=subject + was / were + not (wasn't / weren't) + -ing Polypropylene is also used in packaging, but (it) is used
form in many other products too.
Questions Short answers
because
Was I / he / she / it working? Yes, I was. No, I wasn't.
Were you / we / you / Yes, we were. We use because to explain why something happened
they working? No, we weren't. or why something is true.
=Was / Were + subject + -ing form Compare :
We use the Past Continuous to describe something Polyethylene is important. It is the most commonly
that was happening over a period of time in the past. used polymer in the world.
The fire was burningfiercely. and:
I'm sorry. I wasn't listening. Polyethylene is important because it is the most
Were you training to be a medic at the time ofyour commonly used polymer in the world.
accident?
We often use the Past Continuous with the Past
Simple to describe something that was happening
when another action interrupted it.
He was working on a ladder when he fell off.