SO / SUCH PREPARATORY “IT” TIME CLAUSES PURPOSE CLAUSES I WISH… HAD BETTER, WOULD RATHER EXTENSION OF SOME STRUCTURES REPHRASING LAST 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 like the 1 st conditional:  Main clause  Present  Subordinate clause  Future (it changes from negative to affirmative 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 different.  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 infinitive: “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  It indicates preference.  It can be followed by a bare infinitive: “I’d rather stay at home tonight”  In negatives, we use “would rather not”: “I’d rather not follow your instructions”.  It can be followed 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 situation 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