POWERED BY C O B U ILD

Worfc on your
Grammar
Over 200 exercises to improve your English grammar
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Contents
Introduction 6
Is this the right book for me? 6
What does this book contain? 6
I'm a student: how can I use this book? 6
Study tips 7
I want to improve my grammar 7
I'm a teacher: how can I use this book with my classes? 8
Lesson plan 8
1 Present continuous, present simple and will
Talking about the future 10
2 Present perfect
Talking about the past and present together
[have + past participle) 13
3 Prepositions
Using prepositions after certain verbs 18
4 A little and a few
Using (a) little and (a) few when talking about things 22
5 Possessive pronouns
Using pronouns to show who things belong to (mine, yours,
his, hers, ours, theirs; one/ones; no/none) 25
6 Possessive's and s'
Using s to show who things belong to ('s/s' + people,
things, places) 28
7 Articles and other words before nouns
both/all; a/the; zero article 32
8 Past continuous
Talking about two events in the past (was/were + -ing ) 36
9 There and It sentences
Using There and It at the beginning of sentences 40
10 Questions
Asking questions in the past and present 43
11 Adjectives
Talking about people and things, and comparatives
and superlatives {be + adjective + preposition) 46
12 Link words
both ... and, either ...or, neither... nor, not only... but also,
s o ... that 49
13 Time clauses
Using adverbs to talk about time and other connections 52
14 Zero and first conditionals
Talking about if something happens (Zero conditional:
lf+ present simple + present simple; First conditional:
lf+ present simple + will; will + if+ present simple) 56
15 Adverbs
Talking about when, where and how often
things happen 60
16 Adverb position
Using adverbs correctly in sentences 63
17 Modal verbs (1)
Talking about what you can and must do {con, be able to,
must, have to) 66
18 Modal verbs (2)
Talking about what you might do, but aren't sure about
{could, might, may, will probably) 70
19 Modal verbs (3)
Giving advice {should, ought to, had better) 73
20 Modal verbs (4)
Making and responding to offers and promises {will, shall) 76
21 Passive
Passive verbs in the present and past {is, are, was, were + past
participle) 79
22 Question tags
Using question tags with present and past meanings
{isn't it?, didn't you?) 83
23 Verbs not normally used in continuous forms
think, believe, know, understand, like, hate, have, feel, smell,
taste, etc. 86
24 Verbs followed by two objects
(verb + object + verb) 89
25 Pronouns and adjectives
{other, another, one/s) 92
26 Relative pronouns and reflexive pronouns
who, which, that; myself, yourself 95
27 Phrasal verbs
Common phrasal verbs in the past and present
{look after, put away, get up) 100
28 Requests, offers and invitations
let me, shall, would you, can, could, may 104
 Contents

29 Agreeing, disagreeing and telling people what you

want and need 108
30 Suggesting, advising and saying that you're sure 111

Answer key 115

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Introduction
Welcome to Work on your Grammar - Pre-intermediate (A2),

Is this the right book for me?

This book, Work on your Grammar - Pre-intermediate (A2), helps students to learn and practise
English grammar at CEF level A2.This book is suitable for you to use if you are at CEF level A2, or
just below.

So, what is CEF level A2? Well, there are six Common European Framework levels. They go up
from A1 for beginners, A2, B1, B2, Cl and finally C2.

If the description below sounds like you, then this is probably the right book for you. If not,
choose Work on your Grammar - Elementary (A1), below this level, or Work on your Grammar -
Intermediate (B1), above this level.

• I can understand and use sentences about my daily life and many common topics, such as
work, family, shopping, geography, and so on.

• I can talk and write in a basic way, asking questions and explaining what I need.

• I know I make mistakes, but I try to talk about the past, present and future.

What does this book contain?

This book contains 30 units to help you learn and practise important grammar for this
pre-intermediate (A2) level.

Each unit explains the grammar point and then there is a series of exercises that gives you
useful practice in this particular area. The exercises are there to help you really understand the
grammar point and how to use it correctly. There are different types of exercise. This helps you
to see different aspects of the grammar, and it means you have a range of practice to do.

The answers to all the exercises are at the back of the book.

Remember! boxes highlight important information about the grammar points, so it is a good
idea to read them and think about them.

I'm a student: how can I use this book?

You can use this book in different ways. It depends on your needs, and the time that you have.

• If you have a teacher, he or she may give you some advice about using the book.

• If you are working alone, you may decide to study the complete book from beginning to
end, starting with Unit 1 and working your way through to the end.

• You might find that it is better to choose which units you need to study first, which might
not be the first units in the book. Take control of what you learn and choose the units you
feel are the most important for you.

Work on your Grammar Pre-intermediate (A2)

 Introduction

• You may also decide to use the book for reference when you are not sure about a particular
grammar point.

• You can find what you want to learn about by looking at the Contents page.

• Please note that, if you do not understand something in one unit, you may need to study a
unit earlier in the book, which will give you more information.

Study tips
1 Read the aim and introduction to the unit carefully.
2 Read the explanation. Sometimes there is a short text or dialogue; sometimes there are
tables of information; sometimes there are examples with notes. These are to help you
understand the most important information about this grammar point.
3 Don't read the explanation too quickly: spend time trying to understand it as well as you
can. If you don't understand, read it again more slowly.
4 Do the exercises. Don't do them too quickly: think carefully about the answers. If you
don't feel sure, look at the explanation again. Write your answers in pencil, or, even better,
on a separate piece of paper. (This means that you can do the exercises again later.)
5 Check your answers to the exercises using the Answer key at the back of the book.
6 If you get every answer correct, congratulations! Don't worry if you make some mistakes.
Studying your mistakes is an important part of learning.
7 Look carefully at each mistake: can you now see why thecorrect answer is what it is?
8 Read the explanation again to help you understand.
9 Finally, if the unit includes a Remember! box, then try really hard to remember what it
says. It contains a special piece of information about the grammar point.
10 Always return: come back and do the unit's exercises again a few dayslater. Thishelps you
to keep the information in your head for longer.

I want to improve my grammar

Good! Only using one book won't be enough to really make your grammar improve. The most
important thing is you!

Of course, you need to have a paper or electronic notebook. Try these six techniques for getting
the best from it.

• Make it real: It's probably easier to remember examples than it is to remember rules. Often,
it's better to try to learn the examples of the grammar, not the explanations themselves.
For example, rather than memorizing 'You can use the present simple to talk about the
future', you should learn 'My holiday starts on Monday'.

• Make it personal: When you're learning a new structure or function, try to write some
examples about yourself or people or places you know. It's easier to remember sentences
about your past than someone else's! For example, 'I'm studying art this year'.

• Look out: Everything you read or hear in English may contain some examples of the new
grammar you're learning. Try to notice these examples. Also, try to write down some of
these examples, so that you can learn them.

7
 • Everywhere you go: Take your notebook with you. Use spare moments, such as when you're
waiting for a friend to arrive. Read through your notes. Try to repeat things from memory.
A few minutes here and there adds up to a useful learning system.
• Take it further: Don't just learn the examples in the book. Keep making your own examples
and learning those.

• Don't stop: It's really important to keep learning. If you don't keep practising, you won't
remember for very long. Practise the new grammar today, tomorrow, the next day, a week
later and a month later.

I'm a teacher: how can I use this book with my classes?

The content of this book has been very carefully selected by experts from Language Testing 123,
using the Common European Framework for Reference, English Profile, the British Council Core
Inventory, the Collins Corpus and material created for Collins COBUILD English Grammar, Collins
COBUILD Pocket English Grammar and Collins COBUILD English Usage. As such, it represents a
useful body of knowledge for students to acquire at this level. The language used is designed to
be of effective general relevance and interest to any learner aged 14+.

The exercises use a range of types to engage with students and to usefully practise what they
have learnt from the explanation pages. There are a lot of exercises in each unit so it is not
necessary for students to do all the exercises at one sitting. Rather, you may wish to return in
later sessions to complete the remaining exercises.

The book will be a valuable self-study resource for students studying on their own. You can also
integrate it into your teaching.

The explanations and exercises are designed for self-study, but they can be easily adapted to
provide useful interactive work for your students in class.

You can use the units in the book to extend, back up or consolidate language work you are
doing in class. The Contents will help you choose which units are most appropriate.

You may also find that you recommend certain units to students who are experiencing
particular difficulty with specific language areas. Alternatively, you may use various units in the
book as an aid to revision.

Lesson plan
1 Read the aim and introduction to the unit carefully: is it what you want your students to
focus on? Make sure the students understand it.
2 Go through the explanation with your students. You may read it aloud to them, or ask
them to read it silently to themselves. With a confident class, you could ask them to read
some of it aloud.
3 If there is a dialogue, you could ask students to perform it. If there is a text, you could
extend it in some way that makes it particularly relevant to your students. Certainly, you
should provide a pronunciation model of focus language.
4 Take time over the explanation page, and check students' understanding using concept-
checking questions. The questions will vary according to content, but they may be based
on checking the time in verb tenses. For example, with the sentence, 'She came on the
train that got here yesterday,' you could ask, 'When did she arrive?'This might elicit the

Work on your Grammar Pre-intermediate (A2)

 Introduction

correct answer'yesterday'and the incorrect answer'tomorrow', and you would know if

your students understood the meaning of the past simple verb. Or you could ask, 'Where
is she now?'and correct answers would include'here'while incorrect answers would
include'on the train'.
5 Perhaps do the first exercise together with the class. Don't do it too quickly: encourage
students to think carefully about the answers. If they don't feel sure, look together at the
explanation again.
6 Now get students to do the other exercises. They can work alone, or perhaps in pairs,
discussing the answers. This will involve useful speaking practice and also more careful
consideration of the information. Tell students to write their answers in pencil, or, even
better, on a separate piece of paper. (This means that they can do the exercises again
later.)
7 Check their answers to the exercises using the Answer key at the back of the book.
Discuss the questions and problems they have.
8 If the unit includes a Remember! box, then tell students to try really hard to remember
what it says. It contains a special piece of information about the grammar point.
9 Depending on your class and the time available, there are different ways you could
extend the learning. If one of the exercises is in the form of an email, you could ask your
students to write a reply to it. If the exercises are using spoken language, then you can
ask students to practise these as bits of conversation. They can rewrite the exercises with
sentences that are about themselves and each other. Maybe pairs of students can write an
exercise of their own together and these can be distributed around the class. Maybe they
can write short stories or dialogues including the focus language and perform these to
the class.
10 Discuss with the class what notes they should make about the language in the unit.
Encourage them to make effective notes, perhaps demonstrating this on the board for
them, and/or sharing different ideas from the class.
11 Always return: come back and repeat at least some of the unit's exercises again a few days
later. This helps your students to keep the information in their heads for longer.

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 Present continuous, present
simple and will
Talking about the future
In this unit you learn to use different tenses to talk about the future. You learn when you use
the present continuous, the present simple and will.

Sophie Hi, Tom. What are you doing this weekend?

Tom I’m visiting my sister in London. The train leaves
in a few minutes. I’ll text you when I get there.

Sophie OK. Have a great time!

When you talk about plans for the future, you often use the present continuous.
What are you doing this weekend?
I ’m getting the train to London this afternoon.
We’re going to that new restaurant tonight.

When you talk about something in the future which happens at a definite time, you often use
the present simple. You often use a time expression too.
The train leaves in a few minutes.
My holiday starts on Monday.
When do your exams finish?

When you promise or offer to do something in the future, you use will.
I’ll text you when I get there.
I’ll give it back to you next week.

You can also use will when you are sure about something in the future.
She’s working late tonight. She’ll be home after 7.00.
We won’t be at school tomorrow. It’s a holiday.

10 Work on your Grammar Pre-intermediate (A2)

 UNIT 1 Present continuous, present simple and will

Remember!
There are three forms of will:
• positive
You can use either will or Tl. These forms do not change.
r u n wm see you next week.
They’ll be here at 6 p.m.
• negative
You can use either will not or won’t. These forms do not change.
She won’t / will not be here until this evening.
We won’t / will not be very late.
Ml • question
Will you call me when you get there?
Will we be home by tomorrow?
' 1PM

Exercise 1
Write the present continuous form of the verb in brackets to complete each sentence, as shown.
1 Next weekend we nsih n tjf (visit) my sister in Brisbane.
2 I _________________ (see) Rachel on Saturday.
3 Jane and I _________________ (go out) tonight.
4 Martha (swim) this afternoon.
5 W e ___ __(have) a Halloween party on Saturday.
6 I ______ (take) Sophie out for a birthday dinner tonight.

Exercise 2
Complete the sentences by writing one word in each gap, as shown.

are does will be is am

1 What time wi/f _ you be back tonight?

2 What time _ your train leave?
3 He won't _ home before midnight.
4 I ________
______________ seeing Guy and Miranda tonight.
5 W hat_________________ you doing this summer?
6 Where exactly in Germany_________________ Liz staying?

Exercise 3
Match the questions to the answers, as shown.
1 When do you leave tom orrow ?----- a Saturday, August 26th
2 Which restaurant are you going to tonight?\ b We're going cycling.
3 What are you doing this weekend? \c Probably not. I won't be home before midnight,
4 Will I see you later tonight? d We fly at 3 o'clock in the afternoon,
5 Is Rebecca coming tonight? e That French restaurant on Hills Road.
6 What day do you come back from your f Yes, she said so.
holiday?

11
Exercise 4
Choose the correct word, as shown.
1 What time(floe$> is your bus leave?
2 I'm see / seeing Paolo tonight.
3 The last train leaves / leaving King's Cross at midnight.
4 Are you doing / do anything pleasant tonight?
5 I won't being / be back till after 11.00.
6 When are / do you leave tomorrow?

Exercise 5
Match the sentence halves, as shown.
1 I'm spending___ a around the US this summer.
2 We're travelling b in at 3 o'clock in the morning.
3 His flight gets c be back until November.
4 We're having a meeting N. d working this weekend.
5 Adrian won't n. e next Tuesday to discuss the matter.
6 Unfortunately, I'm the holidays with my family.

Exercise 6
Put the correct word in each gap, as shown.

I'll | see | won't | meeting | doing | going

Hi there!

I hope your afternoon is going OK. Have you remembered I'm \___ ^ __________
out tonight? I'm 2_________________ Greg in town for a drink. 13__________________be
late - 4_________________ probably be back by 10. Are you 5__________________ your exercise
class as usual?

I'll6_________________ you later.

Love

Work on your Grammar Pre-intermediate (A2)

Present perfect
Talking about the past and present together
have + past participle

In this unit you learn ways to talk about the past and present together using the present
perfect.

Form of the present perfect

Have + past participle
The past participle of regular verbs is formed by adding -ed to the infinitive.

Infinitive Past participle Example

cook cooked He has cooked dinner for us.
work worked Have you worked hard today?
finish finished She hasn't finished it.

Remember!
You can use a short form of have.
■pm j ’ve - i have they haven’t = they have not
he’s = he has she hasn’t = she has not
r? we’ve = we have

• If the infinitive ends in -e, you add only -d.

Infinitive Past participle

live lived

• Many common verbs have irregular forms. Here are a few.

....................
Infinitive Past participle
be been
have had
go gone
see seen
eat eaten

13
 Uses of the present perfect
You can use the present perfect

• to talk about something that happened in the past but that is still important in the present:

• to describe something that started in the past and is still happening now:
A: Do you know this part o f town?
B: Yes, I ’ve lived here fo r ten years.

• to talk about things you have done at some time in the past:
I’ve been to America three times.
Vve never read any Harry Potter books.

• with just to talk about the recent past:

Vve just finished my exams. I ’m so happy.
A: Do you want some o f my chocolate?
B: No thanks, I ’ve just eaten.

• with ever to ask questions to find out things that people have done:
A: Have you ever eaten Japanese food?
B: Yes, many times.

• with yet and already:

Have you done your homework yet?
Don’t tell me what happens at the end o f the film . I haven’t seen it yet.
We don’t need any more milk. Vve already bought some.

bj Remember!
You use already in positive sentences, and yet in negative sentences
[a* and questions.

14 Work on your Grammar Pre-intermediate (A2)

 UNIT 2 Present perfect

with for (for a period of time) or since (from a point in time):

I ’ve lived in Paris since 2010.
2010 NOW

moved to Paris still living in Paris

He’s worked th erefor three months.

3 months
July NOW (October)

started work still working there

She’s been a fan since she saw them in concert.

2012 NOW

saw them in concert still a fan

Present perfect with been and gone

Look at these examples:
Sam’s gone to the shops to buy a newspaper. He’ll be back in a few minutes.
This means that Sam is still at the shops.

Julia’s been to the shops so we’ve got enough fo o d fo r dinner.

This means that Julia has gone to the shops and come back.

15
 Exercise 1
Match the sentences with the pictures, as shown.
1 He's already eaten a
the sandwich.

2 She hasn't drunk

her coffee yet.

3 She hasn't got up

yet.

4 He's already had a

shower.

5 She hasn't made

her bed yet.

6 She's already
tidied her room.

Exercise 2
Match the sentence halves.
1 Jack has worked in the same office for a he was five,
2 I've lived in the same house since b she started last term,
3 They've been in love since c they met at school,
4 The food has been in the microwave for d three years,
5 Sarah has been away at university since e I was born,
6 Tim's brother has been good at maths since f three minutes.

16 Work on your Grammar Pre-intermediate (A2)

 UNIT 2 Present perfect

Exercise 3
Choose the correct word.
1 Have you never / ever eaten fish and chips?
2 I've ever / never been to the US.
3 Tessa has never / ever had a cold.
4 Has Ben ever / never worked in an office?
5 Have Mary and Bill ever / never invited you to their home?
6 Amy's teachers have never / ever known such a clever student.

Exercise 4
Match the sentence halves.
1 He's already put a to work yet.
2 She hasn't had b breakfast yet.
3 He's already cleaned c the car.
4 It hasn't stopped d the dishes in the cupboard.
5 She's already taken e raining yet.
6 He hasn't gone f the dog for a walk.

Exercise 5
Choose the correct word.
1 Sally isn't here. She's gone / been to the bank.
2 I'm tired because I've just been / gone for a swim.
3 Kevin's back now - he's just been / gone to the supermarket.
4 Rita's gone / been to buy some lunch. She'll be back in a minute.
5 Have you ever gone / been to the mountains?
6 Tom has been / gone to a meeting, so he won't be in the office today.

Exercise 6
Which sentences are correct?
1 Donald has lived in France since two years. □
2 I've known my friend Sasha for a long time.
3 Liz has never learnt to swim. □
4 Sarah has ever been to China. □
5 Peter has washed already the dishes. □
6 Claire hasn't had her lunch yet. □

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Prepositions
Using prepositions after certain verbs
In this unit you learn about which preposition you use after some common verbs. You also
learn which common verbs have no preposition after them.

▲
To: David
From: Alice
Subject: Last night

Hi David
How are you? 1was very busy yesterday evening. 1listened to music for a
few minutes but my mum shouted at me because it was too loud. Then 1
talked to some friends on the phone. We talked about music and films.
Then 1wrote an email to my friend in Australia. She’s just got engaged to
her boyfriend and she’s marrying him next year.
After that 1watched a funny DVD and laughed at all the jokes. 1borrowed
it from the library. 1can lend it to you if you like.

Speak to you soon.

Alice
▼

Read the email. The table below shows you which prepositions are used with which verbs, or if
prepositions are needed at all.

Verb Preposition(s) Verb Preposition(s)

agree with / to speak to / about
arrive at / in tell -
laugh at think about
listen to watch -
look at write about, to
shout at borrow -
hear - lend to
smile at get / be engaged to
ask - get / be married to
talk to, about marry -

Work on your Grammar Pre-intermediate (A2)

 UNIT 3 Prepositions

discuss and agree

I discussed the holiday with my parents.
He agreed with everything I said.
speak and tell
I spoke to him about the job.
I told him about my plans.

Exercise 1
Match the sentences with the pictures.
1 He's looking at the cat. a

2 She's listening to music.

3 It's thinking about food.

4 They're laughing at the TV

programme.

5 They're getting married.

6 They're arriving at school.

19
Exercise 2
Match the sentence halves.
1 They wrote notes a from friends.
2 We all agree b 'Come here!'to the cat.
3 Fred borrowed some money c with you.
4 We were discussing d our plans for next year,
5 Rachel is looking e at the holiday photos,
6 The man shouted f to their friends.

Exercise 3
Choose the correct word.
1 I lent some money to / from my friend.
2 You need to talk about / to Ellie and ask her to help you.
3 That girl is smiling of / at me!
4 Steve agreed to / with Carlos about their trip.
5 I'm going to write about / to my friend Teresa and tell her the news.
6 We all laughed at/to the funny film.

Exercise 4
Put the correct word in each gap.

tell | think j agree | watch | ask | talk

Hi Natasha!

Thanks for your email. 11_________________ with you about the date of our team meeting -
the 22nd will be much better than the 16th as we're all so busy at the moment. I'm going to
2
Heinrich Schmidt if he can come to the meeting. He can
us all about the recent business trips he's been on. We can also 4 the film that
he made. Is there anything else you 5 we need to 6. about
together at the meeting?

Alex

Work on your Grammar Pre-intermediate (A2)

 UNIT 3 Prepositions

Exercise 5
Put the correct word in each gap.

with | about | of | at | from | to

When I was on holiday, I spent a lot of time walking the streets of the old city and taking photos
1_________________ the buildings there. I also listened 2__________________local people talking
3_________________ the history of their city, and I agreed 4__________________them that it is very
beautiful. I went into several museums to look5_________________ the amazing paintings in
them, and I borrowed some useful books 6_________________ the big library there, too. It was a
very interesting holiday, and I'm going back again next year.

Exercise 6
Which sentences are correct?
1 Tony is going to get engaged with his girlfriend next month. O
2 I had to borrow some money to the bank. Q
3 I need to discuss a few things with my colleague. Q
4 Everyone is looking to something strange in the sky. □
5 The speaker is talking about the history of the city. Q
6 We've just arrived at the train station. L)

21