Basic English

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Sunday, October 3, 2010

Grammar Tenses

PAST PERFECT

Form of the Past Perfect

We form the Past Perfect with had and the past participle (regular verbs: infinitive + -ed; irregular verbs: 3rd column of the table of the irregular verbs)

had + past participle

We use the same form of the auxiliary had every time regardless the subject.

past participle:
- regular verbs: infinitive + -ed
- irregular verbs: 3rd column of the table of the irregular verbs

Affirmative sentences

regular verbs	irregular verbs
I/you/he/she/it/we/they had played hockey.	I/you/he/she/it/we/they had gone home.

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Negative sentences

regular verbs	irregular verbs
I/you/he/she/it/we/they had not played hockey.	I/you/he/she/it/we/they had not gone home.

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Questions

regular verbs	irregular verbs
Had I/you/he/she/it/we/they played hockey?	Had I/you/he/she/it/we/they gone home?

Past Perfect - Use

1) Together with the Simple Past

When two past actions are combined - the first action, which was completed before the second one began, is put into Past Perfect.
Mary had read the book before she watched a film.
After Amy had gone home it started to rain.

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2) the past equivalent of the Present Perfect

He had played hockey.

Besonderheiten

Present Perfect	Past Perfect
The bike is new. I've bought it.	The bike was new. I had bought it.

Past Perfect - Simple Past	Simple Past - Simple Past
The match had started before he arrived.	The match started when he arrived.

PAST CONTINUOUS

Form of the Past Progressive/Continuous

We use a form of to be (was or were), the infinitive of the verb and the ending –ing.

to be (was, were) + infinitive + -ing

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Affirmative sentences:

I/he/she/it was playing football.
We/you/they were playing football.

NOTE: Use was with I, he, she, it -
and were with all other pronouns.

In affirmative sentences we do not use short forms in the Past Progressive.

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Negative sentences:

I/he/she/it was not playing football.
We/you/they were not playing football.

We use short forms in the Past Progressive in negative sentences:

I/he/she/it wasn't playing football.
We/you/they weren't playing football.

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Questions:

In the Past Progressive we put the auxiliary (was or were) before the subject
(Auxiliary - Subject - Verb - Rest).

Was I/he/she/it playing football?
Were we/you/they playing football?

Past Progressive/Continuous - Use

The Past Progressive is used when we talk about something which was happening at a special time in the past. It is also called Past Continuous. Have a look at the following examples:

1) action was in progress at special time in the past

Peter was reading a book yesterday evening.
She was listening to the radio.

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2) two actions were happening at the same time (the actions do not influence each other)

Anne was writing a letter while Steve was reading the New York Times.

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3) together with the Simple Past

While we were sitting at the breakfast table, the telephone rang.
Note:
Past Progressive: were sitting at the table
Simple Past: the telephone rang.
The action in the Simple Past interrupted the action in the Past Progressive.

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4) repeated actions irritating the speaker (with always, constantly, forever)

Andrew was always coming in late. (I don't like it.)
Simple Past:
Andrew always came late. (Here I don't give a comment.)

PRESENT PERFECT

Form of the Present Perfect

We form the Present Perfect with have and the past participle
(regular verbs: infinitive + -ed; irregular verbs: 3rd column of the table of the irregular verbs)

have/has + past participle

has: 3rd person singular (he, she, it)

have: all other forms

past participle:
- regular verbs: infinitive + -ed
- irregular verbs: 3rd column of the table of the irregular verbs

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Affirmative sentences

regular verbs	irregular verbs
I/we/you/they have played football.	I/we/you/they have gone to the supermarket.
He/she/it has played football.	He/she/it has gone to the supermarket.

NOTE: We use has in the 3rd person singular (he, she, it).

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Negative sentences

regular verbs	irregular verbs
I/we/you/they have not played football.	I/we/you/they have not gone to the supermarket.
He/she/it has not played football.	He/she/it has not gone to the supermarket.

NOTE: We use has in the 3rd person singular (he, she, it).

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regular verbs	irregular verbs
Have I/we/you/they playedfootball?	Have I/we/you/they gone to the supermarket?
Has he/she/it played football?	Has he/she/it gone to the supermarket?

Questions      NOTE: We use has in the 3rd person singular (he, she, it).

Present Perfect - Use

The Present Perfect is not easy to understand for ESL learners. It is a combination of past and present. An actions in the past has something to do with the present.

1) Result of an action in the past is important in the present (It is not important when this action happened. When we use a specific time in the past - e.g. yesterday - then we use the Simple Past.)

I have cleaned my room. (It is clean now.)
Has Peggy ever been to Tokyo? (Has Peggy been there or not?)

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2) Recently completed actions

He has just played handball. (It is over now.)

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3) Actions beginning in the past and still continuing - mostly with since (point of time) or for (period of time)

We have lived in Canada since 1986. (We still live there.)

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4) together with lately, recently, yet

I have been to London recently. (no specific point of time)
He has not written the e-mail yet. (He has not done it.)

PRESENT PERFECT CONTINUOUS

Form of the Present Perfect Progressive

We form the Present Perfect with have, been and the verb with the ending -ing.

have/has + been + infinitive + -ing

has: 3rd person singular (he, she, it)
have: all other forms

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Affirmative sentences

I/we/you/they have been playing volleyball.
He/she/it has been playing volleyball.

NOTE: We use has in the 3rd person singular (he, she, it).

---

Negative sentences

I/we/you/they have not been playing volleyball.
He/she/it has not been playing volleyball.

NOTE: We use has + not in the 3rd person singular (he, she, it).

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Questions

Have I/we/you/they been playing volleyball?
Has he/she/ity been playing volleyball?

NOTE: We use has in the 3rd person singular (he, she, it).

Present Perfect Progressive - Use

The Present Perfect Progressive is not easy to understand for ESL students. It is a combination of past and present where actions in the past have something to do with the present. The focus is not on the result (this is the Present Perfect) but on the action itself.

1) Actions beginning in the past and still continuing (focus is on the action) - mostly with since (point of time) or for (period of time)

I have been waiting for you for three hours. (It was a long time.)

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2) Recently completed actions (focus is on the action)

She has been watching too many videos. (It was too much time.)

PRESENT CONTINUOUS

Form of the Present Progressive/Continuous

We use a form of to be (am, are or is), the infinitive of the verb and the ending –ing.
to be (am, are, is) + infinitive + -ing

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Affirmative sentences:

I am playing volleyball.
He/she/it is playing volleyball.
We/you/they are playing volleyball.
NOTE: Use am with I - is with he, she, it - and with all other pronouns are.
We often use short forms in affirmative sentences in the Present Progressive.

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Negative sentences:

I am not playing volleyball.
He/she/it is not playing volleyball.
We/you/they are not playing volleyball.
NOTE: We often use short forms in negative sentences in the Present Progressive.

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Questions:

In the Present Progressive we put the auxiliary (am, are or is) before the subject
(Auxiliary - Subject - Verb - Rest).
Am I playing volleyball?
Is he/she/it playing volleyball?
Are we/you/they playing volleyball?

 

 

 

Present Progressive/Continuous - Use

The Present Progressive is used when we talk about something which is happening now. It is also called Present Continuous. Have a look at the following examples:

1) actions happening at the moment of speaking (now, at the moment)

Peter is reading a book now.
She’s listening to the radio.

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2) fixed plan in the near future

She is going to Basel on Saturday.

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3) temporary actions

His father is working in Rome this month.
Note:
We do use verbs which express states and are normally not used with the Present Progressive. Watch the difference in meaning.
They love being together. (They are not together now.)
They are loving being together. (They are together now.)

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4) actions happening around the moment of speaking (longer actions)

My friend is preparing for his exams.

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5) trends

More and more people are using their computers to listen to music.

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6) repeated actions which are irritating to the speaker (with always, constantly, forever)

Andrew is always coming in late. (I don't like it.)
Simple Present:
Andrew always comes late. (Here I don't give a comment.)

SIMPLE PAST

Form of the Simple Past

Form the Simple Past:
- with regular verbs: infinitive + -ed
- with irregular verbs: 2nd column of the table of the irregular verbs

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Affirmative sentences:

Use the same form of the verb every time regardless the subject.

regular verbs	irregular verbs
I played football.	I went to the supermarket.

---

Negative sentences:

Use the auxiliary did (Simple Past of do) every time regardless the subject.

regular verbs	irregular verbs
I did not play football.	I did not go to the supermarket.

NOTE: Short forms in negative sentences in the Simple Past are used quite often.

regular verbs	irregular verbs
I didn't play football.	I didn't go to the supermarket.

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Questions:

Use the auxiliary did (Simple Past of do) every time regardless the subject.

regular verbs	irregular verbs
Did you play football?	Did I go to the supermarket?

Simple Past - Use

The Simple Past is used to talk about actions or situations in the past. It is also called Past Simple.
Have a look at the following examples:

1) action finished in the past (single or repeated)

I visited Berlin last week.
Andrew watched TV yesterday.

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2) series of completed actions in the past

First I got up, then I had breakfast.

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3) together with the Past Progressive/Continuous - The Simple Past interrupted an action which was in progress in the past.

They were playing cards when the telephone rang.
1st action: Past Progressive were playing
2nd action: Simple Past rang

SIMPLE PRESENT

Form of the Simple Present

We use the infinitive of the verb. In the 3rd person Singular (he, she, it - or a name) we put an -s at the end of the infinitive.

infinitive - 3rd person Singular (he, she, it) infinitive + -s

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Affirmative sentences:

I/we/you/they play football.
He/she/it plays football.

NOTE: he, she, it - Do not forget the -s.

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Negative sentences:

We use the auxiliary do.
I/we/you/they do not play football.
He/she/it does not play football.

NOTE: We often use short forms in negative sentences in the Simple Present:
I/we/you/they don't play football.
He/she/it doesn't play football.

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Questions:

Do I/we/you/they play football?
Does he/she/it play football?

Simple Present - Use

The Simple Present is frequently used in English. It is also called Present Simple. Have a look at the following examples:

1) repeated actions (every day, always, often, sometimes or never)

My friend often draws nice posters.
I never drink milk.

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2) things in general

The sun rises in the East.

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3) fixed arrangements, scheduled events (e.g. timetable)

The plane flies to London every Monday.

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4) actions in the present - one follows after the other (first - then, after that)

First I get up, then I have breakfast.

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5) instructions

Open your books at page 34.

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6) after special verbs, which are normally not used with the Present Progressive (These verbs express states, possessions, feelings etc.)
be, believe, belong, hate, hear, like, love, mean, prefer, remain, realize, see, seem, smell, think, understand, want, wish

I understand English.
He doesn't like fish.

FUTURE TENSE

Form of the going to-future

We use a form of to be (am, are or is), going to and the infinitive of the verb.
to be (am, are, is) + going to + infinitive

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Affirmative sentences

Example:

I am going to play handball.
He/she/it is going to play handball.
We/you/they are going to play handball.
NOTE: Use am with I, is with he, she, it and with all other pronouns are.
We often use short forms in affirmative sentences in the going to-future:

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Negative sentences

Example:

I am not going to play handball.
He/she/it is not going to play handball.
We/you/they are not going to play handball.
NOTE: We often use short forms in negative sentences in the going to-future.

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Questions

In the going to-future we put the auxiliary (am, are or is) before the subject
(Auxiliary - Subject - going to - Verb - Rest).

Example:

Am I going to play handball?
Is he/she/it going to play handball?
Are we/you/they going to play handball?

going to-future - Use

The going to-future is one future tense. There are other future tenses, like the will-future, the Present Progressive, the Future Progressive/Continuous and the Simple Present.
We use the going to-future:

1) planned actions in the future

We are going to sing at the party.
They are going to fly to South Africa.

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2) You are certain that sth. is going to happen in the future.

Look at this car! It is going to crash into the yellow one.

Form of the will-future

We form the will-future with the auxiliary will and the infinitive of the verb.

We use the the same form of the verb every time regardless the subject.

In British English we sometimes use shall instead of will for the first persons (I/we).

will + infinitive

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Affirmative sentences

Example:
He will play football.

NOTE: short/contracted form in the will-future:
He'll play football.

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Negative sentences

Example:
He will not play football.

NOTE: short/contracted forms in the will-future:
He won't play football. or
He'll not play football.

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Questions

Example:
Will he play football?

will-future - Use

The will-future is one future tense. There are other future tenses, like the going to-future, the Present Progressive, the Future Progressive/Continuous and the Simple Present.
We use the will-future:

1) Future actions happen without the speaker's intention (birthday, weather, etc.)

The sun will shine tomorrow.
Peter will be 15 next Tuesday.

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2) Predictions, assumptions (I think, I hope, I'm sure, I'm afraid)

I think Sue will arrive in Paris at 6 pm.

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3) Spontaneous actions (not planned)

Hang on! I'll have a word with you.