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E1 - Verb Tenses - C2
E1 - Verb Tenses - C2
Use:
- To talk about habitual actions, often with adverbs of frequency such as:
usually, habitually, normally, ever day, daily, etc.
Ex.
- To talk about permanent states or states which are likely to last for a longer
period of time.
Ex.
“Initially, the hero decides to seek out his mother after years of separation.”
“Here comes this guy who enters the building and asks everyone to stand up...”
- In newspaper headlines
Ex.
Use:
- to describe an activity which is in progress at the present time or at the moment
of speaking; it may be associated with a number of time expressions such as:
(right) now, at the moment, as we speak, etc.
Ex.
I am cooking lunch for the kids , can I call you back later?
They are screaming for help.
The number of children who live with step parents is rising.
She is working very hard these days.
- To make predictions about the future, to talk about facts regarding the future
Ex.
Use:
- To describe an action that will be in progress at a specific moment in the future
Ex.
This time next week I’ll be sitting on the beach.
Don’t phone too early because I will be putting the baby to bed then.
Use:
- To describe an event that will be finished before a specified time in the future
Ex.
By the time we get there we will have driven for over 500 miles.
My grandparents will have been together for 50 years next June.
By the year 2020 the city hall will have completed the new resort.
She will have finished this assignment by Saturday.
When I finish this book it means I will have finished all her books.
Use:
- The duration of an activity or a state of affairs in progress for a certain period
of time up to a specified time in the future.
Ex.
We will have been living here for ten years next May.
By the time the presidential results are announced the presidential candidates will
have been campaigning for three months solid.
By this time next month we will have been working on this task for a year.
Pay attention:
Ex.
Ex.
To present a decision that we have thought about before the moment of speaking
Ex.
- “to be to + V1”
To present an official arrangement in formal language mainly
Ex.
He is to receive an award.
- Subordinate clauses beginning with: once, when, till, until, after, before, as
soon as, as long as, while, immediately, whenever, by the time can only be
followed by
a) A present form
Ex.
b) A present perfect form (when the action in the subordinate clause is finished
before the action in the main clause)
Ex.
I won’t make a decision until I have heard from you.
I’ll take up gardening when I have retired.
Stative Verbs
Describe a state rather than an event and they are not normally used in the continuous
tenses. The most common stative verb is the verb “to be”.
Ex.
I have been here for 1 hour.
Classification
- Verbs which describe mental processes such as: think, feel know, believe,
suppose, understand, realise, recognise, remember, etc.
Ex.
- Verbs which describe emotional states and senses such as: like, dislike, love,
doubt, care, hate, want, prefer, mind, care, see, smell, taste, hear, notice,
recognise, etc.
Ex.
I only want to ask you a simple question.
Do you prefer to travel by bus or by train?
- Verbs which describe possession such as: own, possess, belong to, have etc.
Ex.
Who does/is this book belong/belonging to?
My family owns/is owning three cars.
- Verbs which present inherent properties such as: be, appear, seem, sound,
weigh, measure, hold, contain, consist of, fit, cost, etc.
Ex.
What does/is this lorry contain/containing?
This dress fits/is fitting you perfectly.
- Other stative verbs: owe, matter, depend on trust, apply, deserve, etc.
Observation! Some stative verbs can be used in the continuous forms but there is a
change of meaning usually.
Ex.
I think you are right. (Have an opinion)
Be quiet while I am thinking! (a deliberate activity)
Observation! With verbs such as: see, smell, hear, taste, understand, remember, we
use “can/could” to describe what is or was happening at a particular moment.
Ex.
I can smell something burning.
I am smelling something burning.