There are different ways of expressing concession or contrast. Study the following sentences.

Although he is rich, he is unhappy.

The same idea can be expressed in very many ways.

Fill in the blanks with suitable pronouns. Each question is followed by four suggested answers. Choose the most appropriate one.

1. One should not waste ————— time.

Incorrect: He denied to go.
Correct: He refused to go.

Explanation

‘To deny’ is to say that something is not true. ‘To refuse’ is to show unwillingness.

Some nouns, adjectives and verbs are followed by particular prepositions. It is not always easy to say which preposition goes after a particular word. This quiz covers some of the most common combinations. Note that alternatives are sometimes possible.

We have seen that the past perfect tense is used to talk about a completed past action. Note that when two past actions have to be mentioned, the past perfect is used for the earlier of the two, and the simple past for the later.

The tense of a verb shows not only the time of the action but also whether it is complete or not. There are three tenses in English: