Content tagged with "emphasis"

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DO, DOES, DID + bare infinitive

The auxiliary verbs do, does and did are followed by the bare infinitive to form negative and interrogative sentences in the past simple and present simple tenses:

Future time clauses

In time clauses that refer to future time (clauses with if, when, after, before, as soon as, once, until, while etc.) we use the present tenses:

IF, EVEN IF, ONLY IF, AS LONG AS, PROVIDED, SUPPOSING, UNLESS, BUT FOR, IF NECESSARY, IF SO, IN CASE etc.

IF and WHEN

When can replace if in zero conditionals:

If you heat water to 100 degrees Celsius, it boils.
When you heat water to 100 degrees Celsius, it boils.

In the other types of conditionals, we cannot use when instead of if.

IT'S (BEEN) + DAYS / WEEKS / MONTHS / etc. + SINCE

The structure it's (been) + days / weeks / months / etc. + since is used to emphasise the length of time that has passed since a past event:

Modals to express habits: WILL, WOULD, USED TO

Present

Would can express annoying habits which are typical of a person:

Tom would do something like that, wouldn't he? It's so typical of him!

Will is used to emphasise the characteristics of a person rather than describing the person himself or herself:

ONLY AFTER, ONLY IF, ONLY IN THIS WAY etc., NOT UNTIL

When only after, only if, only in this way etc. are placed at the beginning of the sentence for rhetorical effect, the subject and auxiliary are inverted:

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