SO / SUCHPREPARATORY “IT”TIME CLAUSESPURPOSE CLAUSESI WISH…HAD BETTER, WOULD RATHEREXTENSION OF SOME STRUCTURES

REPHRASINGLAST STRUCTURES

• “SO” IS ALWAYS USED BEFORE AN ADJECTIVE .• “SUCH” IS ALWAYS USED BEFORE AN ADJECTIVE AND A NOUN .

• IT’S PRECEDED BY THE ARTICLE “A” IF THE NOUN IS COUNTABLE SINGULAR. IN THE REST OF THE CASES, IT’S NOT PRECEDED BY ANY ARTICLE.

EXAMPLES:

• “THIS EXERCISE IS SO DIFFICULT THAT I CAN’T DO IT”.• IT’S … SUCH A DIFFICULT EXERCISE THAT I CAN’T DO IT.

• “IT’S SUCH A WONDERFUL EXPERIENCE”• THIS… EXPERIENCE IS SO WONDERFUL.

• THESE COMPUTERS ARE SO FAST.• THESE ARE… SUCH FAST COMPUTERS.

BEWARE:• SO/ SUCH… THAT CAN INTRODUCE OTHER KINDS OF REPHRASING

STRUCTURES SUCH AS:• CAUSE/ CONSEQUENCE: “THE CLASS WAS SO BORING THAT WE FELL ASLEEP” “ WE… FELL ASLEEP BECAUSE THE

CLASS WAS SO BORING • CONDITIONALS: “THE WEATHER WAS SO BAD THAT WE HAD TO POSTPONE THE MATCH.” “ IF… THE WEATHER

HADN’T BEEN SO BAD, WE WOULDN’T HAVE HAD TO POSTPONE THE MATCH.”

SO / SUCH

These two sentences mean the same: Eating vegetables is healthy. It’s healthy to eat vegetables.

And these two: The fact that Barça are catching up seems evident. It seems evident that Barça are catching up.

In both cases, “it” serves to anticipate the real subject, which comes after the verb.

PREPARATORY “IT”

When… / As soon as… “I will send you a text when I arrive at my destination”. “As… soon as I arrive at my destination, I will send you a text.”

… Until / When… “I won’t have any celebrations until the exams are over.” “When the exams are over, I will have some celebrations.”

After… / (Before… / …until) After I come back from the USA, I will write my reports. I won’t write my reports before I come back from the USA.

IN ALL CASES: If they have a future reference, the tense structure is l ike the 1 s t conditional: Main clause Present Subordinate clause Future (it changes from negative to affi rmative or

vice-versa according to the sense of the sentence.

TIME CLAUSES

PURPOSE CONNECTORS: to + infinitive, in order to + infinitive , so that + clause. “I went to the pub to drink some beer.” “I study a lot in order to get the highest possible mark.” “She went to the library so that she could get as much

material as possible.”

REPHRASING APPLICATION: it may result in another type of sentence, normally cause or consequence: “I went to the pub to drink some beer.” “I wanted to drink some beer… so I went to the pub.

PURPOSE CLAUSES

“I wish” and “If only I” are structures that express the desire that something were diff erent.

The tenses of the following clause don’t match the real time. “I wish I had started (past perfect) the project earlier” past desire. “I wish I was (past simple) taller” present desire.

You normally use this type to express you are unhappy about your present condition.

I wish you would shut up (conditional) future desire. You normally use this type to express hope (and doubt) that something would

change.

In the rephrasing application, you will get a whole situation, not always formally predictable. Therefore, it’s paramount to understand it very well. I would like to play basketball, but I’m too short”

I wish… I was taller to play basketball. I didn’t memorize all the irregular verbs and I failed the exam.

I wish… I had memorized all the irregular verbs. You are making such an irritating noise.

I wish… you would stop making such an irritating noise.

I WISH… / IF ONLY I…

HAD BETTER It means the same as the

modals “should” or “ought to”. Therefore, it’s followed by a bare infi nitive: “We had better grab our books now”.

In negatives, we use “had better not”: “You’d better not talk to strangers.”

REPHRASING APP: Same situations as “should” or “ought to”: sentences with “it’s a good idea…”, “advice” or even “should” or “ought to”, with the rephrasing starting with “I’d…” or “I had…”

WOULD RATHER I t indicates preference. I t can be fo l lowed by a bare

infi nit ive: “ I ’d rather stay at home tonight”

In negatives, we use “would rather not”: “ I ’d rather not fo l low your instruct ions”.

I t can be fo l lowed by a “that sentence” with the same tense structure as “I wish”: I’d rather you didn’t tell me the truth

(present) I’d rather you hadn’t told me a lie

(past) Rephrasing app: Whenever the

situat ion denotes preference and the rephrasing starts with “I ’d…” or “ I would…”

HAD BETTER / WOULD RATHER

Present Perfect: I haven’t exercised for two months. It’s been two months since I have exercised / since I

exercised for the last time / since I last exercised. It’s been (duration) + since + present perfect / past simple

+ for the last time.

EXTENSION