"at your English Tips 5"

Unless
Use "unless" to mean "if not" in the first conditional.

Unless you come, we won't be able to make a decision.

She will give up unless she has some success soon.

Would Like vs. Do You Like
We Use the form "Would you like to ..." when inviting someone to do something specific. Use the form "Do you like to ..." when asking a general question.

Would you like to come over this weekend?

Do you like playing golf?

Question Tags
Question tags are formed by the auxiliary verb in the opposite sense of the main statement (here negative because the principle phrase is positive) followed by the subject.

You're leaving town soon, aren't you?

She hasn't seen him in a long time, has she?nam

As ... As

Use "as ... as" to express comparative equality. Do not use the comparative form of the adjective (i.e. hotter, more difficult, etc.

This test is as difficult as the test last week.

London is as expensive as Tokyo.

Indirect Questions

- require the question phrase be put into regular statement order. Direct questions are inverted. Indirect questions begin with phrases such as "Do you know if..., Would you mind if..., Do you think that..."

Would you mind if I sat down?

Do you think that he is going to attend the conference?

Reported Speech

In reported speech go one step back into the past and change the time signifier as well as the pronoun.

"I'm going to the supermarket.: BECOMES He said he was going to the supermarket.

"She's seeing him tomorrow." BECOMES She said she was seeing him the next day.

Should or Shouldn't
Use "should" or "shouldn't" as a modal verb to give advice.

He should get a check up soon. He doesn't look too well.

His mother told him he shouldn't worry about the test.