Verbs

Level: beginner

Verbs in English have four basic parts:

 Base form   -ing form   Past tense   Past participle 

work working worked worked

play playing played played

listen listening listened listened

Most verbs are regular: they have a past tense and past participle with –
ed (worked, played, listened). But many of the most frequent verbs are irregular.
Basic level

 Verb phrases
 Irregular verbs
 Questions and negatives
 Short forms
 The verb be
 Present tense
 past tense
 perfective aspect
 continuous aspect
 modal verbs
 active and passive voice
 to + infinitive
 -ing forms
 talking about the present
 talking about the past
 talking about the future
 verbs in time clauses and if clauses
 wishes and hypotheses
 delexical verbs like have, take, make and give
 double object verbs
 link verbs
 phrasal verbs
 reflexive and ergative verbs
 verbs followed by -ing clauses
 verbs followed by that clause
 verbs followed by to + infinitive

Verb phrases
Verb phrases in English have the following forms:

Level: beginner

1. a main verb:

  main verb  

We are here.

I like it.

Everybod the
saw
y accident.

We laughed.  

The verb can be in the present tense (are, like) or the past tense (saw, laughed).

2. the auxiliary verb be and a main verb in the –ing form:

auxiliary b
  -ing form
e

Everybod watching
is
y .
 auxiliary b
  -ing form
e

We were laughing.

A verb phrase with be and –ing expresses continuous aspect. A verb

with am/is/areexpresses present continuous and a verb with was/were expresses past
continuous.

3. the auxiliary verb have and a main verb in the past participle form:

auxiliary hav past
   
e participle

themselves
They have enjoyed
.

Everybod
has worked hard.
y

He had finished work.

A verb phrase with have and the past participle expresses perfect aspect. A verb

with have/has expresses present perfect and a verb with had expresses past perfect.

4. a modal verb (can, could, may, might, must, shall, should, will, would) and
a main verb:

  modal verb main verb

The
will come.
y
   modal verb main verb

He might come.

Level: intermediate

5. the auxiliary verbs  have and been and a main verb in the –ing form:

auxiliary have bee
  -ing form  
n

Everybod hard
has been working
y .

He had been singing.  

A verb phrase with have, been and the -ing form expresses both perfect

aspect and continuous aspect. A verb with have/has expresses present perfect
continuous and a verb with had expresses past perfect continuous.

6. a modal verb and the auxiliaries be, have and have been:

  modal auxiliary verb

The listening
will be
y .

migh
He have arrived.
t

She must have listening

   modal auxiliary verb

been .

7. the auxiliary verb be and a main verb in the past participle form:

  auxiliary be past participle  

all over the

English is spoken
world.

The
have been cleaned.  
windows

Lunch was being served.  

The work will be finished soon.

might have
They invited to the party.
been

A verb phrase with be and the past participle expresses passive voice.

Level: advanced
We can use the auxiliaries do and did with the infinitive for emphasis:
It was a wonderful party. I did enjoy it.
I do agree with you. I think you are absolutely right.
We can also use do for polite invitations:
Do come and see us some time.
There will be lots of people there. Do bring your friends.
Irregular verbs
Level: beginner
Most verbs have a past tense and past participle with –ed:

worked
played    
listened

But many of the most frequent verbs are irregular:

Base for Past tense Past participle

be was/were been

begin began begun

break broke broken

bring brought brought

buy bought bought

build built built

choose chose chosen

come came come

cost cost cost

 Base for Past tense Past participle

cut cut cut

do did done

draw drew drawn

drive drove driven

eat ate eaten

feel felt felt

find found found

get got got

give gave given

go went gone

have had had

hear heard heard

 Base for Past tense Past participle

hold held held

keep kept kept

know knew known

leave left left

lead led led

let let let

lie lay lain

lose lost lost

make made made

mean meant meant

meet met met

pay paid paid

 Base for Past tense Past participle

put put put

run ran run

say said said

see saw seen

sell sold sold

send sent sent

set set set

sit sat sat

speak spoke spoken

spend spent spent

stand stood stood

 Base for Past tense Past participle

take took taken

teach taught taught

tell told told

think thought thought

understan understoo
understood
d d

wear wore worn

win won won

write wrote written

Questions and negatives

Level: beginner

Yes/No questions
Yes/No questions are questions which we answer with Yes or No. Look at these
statements:
They are working hard.
They will be working hard.
They had worked hard.
They have been working hard.
They might have been working hard.

We make Yes/No questions by putting the first part of the verb in front of the subject:

Are they working hard? 
Will they be working hard?
Had they worked hard?
Have they been working hard?
Might they have been working hard?

Negatives
We make negatives by putting not after the first part of the verb:
They are  not working hard.
They will  not be working hard.
They had  not worked hard.
They have  not  been working hard.
They might  not have been working hard.

In spoken English, we often reduce not to n’t:

They aren't  working hard.
They won't be working hard.
They hadn't been working hard.
They haven't  been working hard.
They mightn't have been working hard.

Present simple and past simple questions and

negatives
For all verbs except be and have, we use do/does or did to
make Yes/No questions in the present simple and past simple:

They work hard. > Do they work hard?

Does he work
He works hard. > 
hard?

They worked >  Did they work

hard. hard?

For all verbs except be and have, we use do/does + not or did + not to

make negatives in the present simple and past simple:

They work hard. > They do not (don't) work hard.

He does not (doesn't) work

They work hard. >
hard.

They worked
> They did not (didn't) work hard.
hard.

Here are the question forms and negative forms for be in the present simple and past
simple:

Positives Questions Negatives

I am (I'm) Am I? I am not (I'm not)

He is (he's) Is he? He is not (He's not/He isn't)

She is (she's) Is she? She is not (She's not/She isn't)

It is (it's) Is it? It is not (It's not/It isn't)

You are (you're) Are you? You are not (You're not/You aren't)

 Positives Questions Negatives

They They are not (They're not/They

Are they?
are (they're) aren't)

Positives Questions Negatives

I was Was I? I was not (I wasn't)

He was Was he? He was not (He wasn't)

She was Was she? She was not (She wasn't)

It was Was it? It was not (It wasn't)

You were Were you? You were not (You weren't)

They Were They were not (They

were they? weren't)

We make questions and negatives with have in two ways. Usually we

use do/does or did:
Do you have plenty of time?
Does she have enough money?
Did they have any useful advice?

I don't have  much time.

She doesn't have any money.
They didn't have any advice to offer.

but we can also make questions by putting have/has or had in front of the subject:

Have you plenty of time?
Has she enough money?
Had they any useful advice?

and make negatives by putting not or n't  after have/has or had:

I haven't  much time.
She hasn't  any money.
He hadn't  any advice to offer.

Wh-questions
Wh-questions are questions which start with a word
like what, when, where, which, who, whose, why and how.

Questions with when, where, why
We form wh-questions with these words by putting the question word in front of
a Yes/No question:

They are working in a shop. > Where are they working?

They have been working hard for their Why have they been working
>
exams. hard?

They arrived at six. > When did they arrive?

Questions with who,  what, which

When we ask who, what and which about the object of the verb, we put the question
word in front of a Yes/No question:

He is seeing Joe tomorrow. > Who is he seeing tomorrow?

I want a computer for my > What do you want for your birthday?

birthday.

Which would you prefer, tea or

I'd prefer some tea. >
coffee?

When we ask who, what and which about the subject of the verb, the question word

takes the place of the subject:

Barbara gave me the
> Who gave you the chocolates?
chocolates.

Something funny happened. > What happened?

Which dog frightened the

The dog frightened the children >
children?

We sometimes use what or which with a noun:

What  subjects did you study at school?
Which  English newspaper started in 1986?
What  subjects does everyone have to study?
Which  newspaper do you prefer, the Times or the Guardian?

Questions with how
We use how for many different questions:
How  are you?
How  do you make questions in English?
How long  have you lived here?
How often  do you go to the cinema?
How much  is this dress?
How old  are you?
How many  people came to the meeting?

Questions with verbs and prepositions

When we have a question with a verb and a preposition, the preposition usually comes
at the end of the question:
I gave the money to my
> Who did you give the money to?
brother.

She comes  from Madrid. > Where does she come  from?

They were waiting  for an How long were they

>
hour. waiting  for?

Level: intermediate

Other ways of asking questions

We sometimes use phrases like these in front of a statement to ask questions:
Do you know…?    
I wonder …    
Can you tell me …?

For Yes/No questions, we use the phrases with if:

This is the right

> Do you know  if this is the right house?
house.

Everyone will agree. > I wonder  if  everyone will agree.

Can you tell me if  Mr Brown lives

Mr Brown lives here. >
here?

For wh-questions, we use the phrases with a question word:

 Do you know  who lives here?
I wonder  how much this dress is.
Can you tell me  where she comes from?

We often use do you think …? after question words:

How much do you think this dress is?
Where do you think she comes from?
Who do you think lives here?

Negatives with the to-infinitive

 When we make a negative with the to-infinitive, we put not in front of the to-infinitive:

He told us not  to make so much noise.

We were asked not  to park in front of the house.

Short forms
Level: beginner

Short answers
1. We often use short forms to answer questions. Usually we repeat the first
word of the verb phrase:

A: Can you come round tomorrow?

B: Yes, I  can. / No, I  can’t.

A: Have you seen Jack lately?

B: Yes, I have. / No, I haven’t.

A: Do you like living here?

B: Yes, I do. / No, I  don’t.

Sometimes we change the verb:

A: Will you come to the party?

B: Yes, we might.

A: Do you think they might come?

B: Yes, I think they will.
2. We often use verbs like think, suppose, expect and hope to answer questions.
When the answer is positive, we add so:

A: Can you come tomorrow?

B: I hope so.

A: Will they be at home?

B: I expect so.

When the answer is negative, we use don’t and so:

A: Is Amsterdam the capital of The Netherlands?

B: I don't think so.

but with hope we use not:

A: Do you think it's going to rain?

B: I hope not.

3. We often use adverbials
of probability like perhaps, probably, possibly, maybe, definitely and certainly a
s short answers:

A: Do you think it's going to rain?

B: Yes, possibly.

A: Can you come round tomorrow?

B: Definitely!

When the answer is negative, we put not after the adverbial:

A: Do you think it's going to rain?

B: Probably  not.

A: Can you come round tomorrow?

B: Maybe  not.

Agreeing and disagreeing

4. We can use short forms to agree or disagree with what someone says. Usually we

repeat the first word of the verb phrase:
A: It's a lovely day.
B: Yes, it is.
A: I think they might have missed their train.
B: Yes, I think they might.
A: The children will be coming to see us next week.
B: No, they won't. They're going to their grandparents.

Sometimes we change the verb:

 A: The children will be coming to see us next week.
B: Yes, they might.
A: The children might be coming to see us next week.
B: No, they won't. They're going to their grandparents.

We use do/does/don't/doesn't to agree or disagree with statements in the present simple:

A: Your grandmother looks very well.
B: Yes, she does.
A: I think Jack lives here.
B: No, he doesn't.

and we use did/didn't for the past simple:
A: Everybody really enjoyed the trip.
B: Yes, they did.
A: The children went to Malaysia last year.
B: No, they didn't. They went to Singapore.

Tags
5. We sometimes put a short tag at the end of an agreeing comment. We use a
Yes/No question form for the tag. If the comment is positive, we normally use
a negative tag:
A: It's a lovely day.
B: Yes, it is, isn't it.
A: Your grandmother looks very well.
B: Yes, she does, doesn't she.
A: Everybody really enjoyed the trip.
B: Yes, they did, didn't they.

If the comment is negative, we normally use a positive tag:

A: They didn't seem to enjoy the trip very much.
B: No, they didn't, did they.

A: It's not a very nice day.

B: No, it isn't, is it.

A: They haven't done much.

B: No, they haven't, have they.

6. Sometimes we put a tag at the end of a statement:

It's a lovely day, isn't it?
Your grandmother looks very well, doesn't she?
 They haven't done much, have they?
They all seemed to enjoy the trip, didn't they?

so and neither/nor
7. We use so and neither/nor to add to what other people say. We use so to add to
a positive statement:
A: John is working in Barcelona.
B: So is Maria.  [= Maria is working in Barcelona too.]
A: I love Indian food.
B: Yes,  so do  I.  [= I love Indian food too.]

A: They've just bought a new computer.

B: Really? So have we.  [= We’ve also bought a new computer.]

We use neither or nor to add to a negative statement:

A: I don't smoke any more.
B: Neither do I.  [= I also don't smoke.]

A: They haven't written to us for ages.

B: Nor has  Peter.  [= Peter hasn't written to us for ages too.]
A: We won't be taking a holiday this year.
B: Neither will  we.  [= We also won't be taking a holiday this year.]
A: I never have time for breakfast.
B: Nor have I.  [= I am as busy as you.]

Short questions
8. We often use short forms to ask questions when we want more information:
A: I'll see you on Monday.
B: What time?
A: We are going on holiday next week.
B: Where?
A: You can get a new computer very cheaply.
B: How?

If we want to be more polite, we can use a longer question:

A: I'm going to London on Monday.
B: What time  are you going?
A: We are going on holiday next week.
B: Where  are you going?
 A: You can get a new computer very cheaply.
B: How  can I do that?

9. We often use questions with What about … or How about … to refer back to

what we’ve just said:
A: I love the Beatles. What about you?
B: Yes, me too.
A: Your father seems well. What about your mother?
B: Yes, she's fine too.
A: I'm exhausted. How about you?
B: No, I'm fine.
A: I really enjoyed the film. How about you?
B: No, I didn't like it very much.

10. We can use echo questions to check what someone has just said. In this kind of
question, we repeat the first word of the verb phrase:
A: They've just had a baby.
B: Have they?
A: He'll be here soon.
B: Will he?

or we use do/does/did:
 A: Sophie wants to move to another school.
B: Does she?
A: George phoned last week.
B: Did he?

Leaving words out

11. When we speak we can often leave words out if our meaning is still clear. For
example, we could use any of these to offer someone a cup of coffee:
Would you like a cup of coffee?
You like a cup of coffee?
Like a cup of coffee?
A cup of coffee?
Cup of coffee?
Coffee?

and someone could reply:

Yes, please. I would like a cup.
Yes, please. I would.
Yes, please.
Please.
12. We often leave words out to avoid unnecessary repetition:
I asked him to come but he wouldn't come.
Jack can come but Jill can't come.
He didn't come even though she asked him to come.
Jack wanted to come but Jill didn't want to come.

He opened the door and he went in.

They play billiards but they do not play snooker.
I know George but I do not know his brother 
She likes Indian food, but she does not like Chinese food.

The verb be
Level: beginner

The verb be has the following forms:

The verb be

Infinitive form be

Present simple: I am, I'm We are, we're

+ You are, You're You are, you're
He/She/It is, He/She/It's They are, they're

? Am I? Are we?
Are you? Are you?
Is he/she it? Are they?
 The verb be

We are not, We aren’t, We're not

I am not, I’m not
You are not, You aren’t, You're not
You are not, You aren’t, You're not
- They are not, They aren't, They're
He/She/It is not, He/She/It isn’t, He's
not
not
 

I was We were
+ You were You were
He/She/It was They were

Was I? Were we?

Past simple ? Were you? Were you?
Was he/she/it? Were they?

I  was not, I wasn't We were not, We weren't

- You were not, You weren't You were not, You weren't
He/She/It was not, He/She/It wasn't They were not, They weren't

Past participle been

Present perfect has/have been

Past perfect had been

Present participle being

Present
am/is/are being
continuous
 The verb be

Past continuous was/were being

We use the infinitive form be with modal verbs:

It will be dark soon.

They might be tired.

The verb be is a link verb. It is used:

 with a noun phrase:

My mother is a teacher.
Bill Clinton was the president of the US.

 with an adjective:

This soup is very tasty.

The children were good.

 with a prepositional phrase:

John and his wife are from Manchester.

The flowers are on the table.

Level: intermediate

 with the -ing form to make the continuous aspect:

We were walking down the street. Everything was wet.
It had been raining for hours.

 with the past participle to make the passive voice:

The house was built in 1890.
The street is called  Montague Street.
This car was made in Japan.

Level: advanced
We use some nouns with the verb be followed by a that clause:
The problem was that I had no money.
The obvious explanation is that he simply forgot.
The danger is that the whole thing might catch fire.
It's a pity that the children aren't here.
The lucky thing is that nobody was hurt.

Nouns commonly used in this way are:

answer hope
argument idea
assertion (a) pity
belief rule
claim (a)
explanatio shame
n thing
feeling  

We use some nouns with the verb be followed by a to infinitive:

The only way is to start all over again.
His answer is to work a bit harder.
Her only hope was to find a new job as soon as possible.
The easiest thing would be to ask your father.

Nouns commonly used in this way are:

answer promis
decision e
hope thing
idea way
intentio wish
n  

To comment on statements, we use some adjectives with it  and the verb be and

a that clause or wh-clause:
It's lucky that we met.
It's not clear what happened.
It was amazing how he managed to escape.

Adjectives commonly used in this way are:

awful lucky
bad obvious
clear possible
extraordinar probabl
y e
funny sad
good true
 interesting unlikely

Present tense
Level: intermediate

There are two tenses in English: past and present.

The present tense is used to talk about the present and to talk about the future.

There are four present tense forms:

Present simple I work

Present continuous I am working

Present perfect I have worked

Present perfect I have been

continuous working

We can use all these forms:

 to talk about the present:

London is the capital of Britain.

He works at McDonald’s.
He is working at McDonald's.
He has worked there for three months now.
He has been working there for three months now.

 to talk about the future:

The next train leaves this evening at 1700 hours.

I'll phone you when I get home.
He is meeting Peter in town this afternoon.
I'll come home as soon as I have finished work.
You will be tired out after you have been working all night.

Level: advanced
We can use present forms to talk about the past:
 when we are telling a story:
Well, it's a lovely day and I'm just walking down the street when I see this funny guy
walking towards me. Obviously he's been drinking, because he's moving from side to
side …

 when we are summarising something we have read, heard or seen:

I love Ian Rankin's novels. He writes about this detective called Rebus. Rebus lives in
Edinburgh and he's a brilliant detective, but he's  always getting into trouble. In one
book, he gets suspended and they tell him to stop working on this case. But
he takes no notice …

Present simple
Level: beginner

The present tense is the base form of the verb:

I work in London. 

But with the third person singular (she/he/it), we add an –s:

She works in London.

Present simple questions

Look at these questions:

Do you play the piano?
Where do you live?
Does Jack play football?
Where does he come from?
Do Rita and Angela live in Manchester?
Where do they work?

We use do and does to make questions with the present simple. We use does for the third

person singular (she/he/it) and do for the others.

We use do and does with question words like where, what and when:

Where do Angela and Rita live?

What does Angela do?
When does Rita usually get up?

But questions with who often don't use do or does:

Who lives in London?

Who plays football at the weekend?
Who works at Liverpool City Hospital?

Here are some useful questions. Try to remember them:

 Where do you come What work do you
from? do?
Do you come from …? Do you like …?
Where do you live? Do you know …?
Do you live in ...?  

Present simple negatives

Look at these sentences:
I like tennis but I don't like football. (don't = do not)
I don't live in London now.
I don't play the piano but I play the guitar.
They don't work at the weekend.
John doesn't live in Manchester. (doesn't = does not)
Angela doesn't drive  to work. She goes by bus.

We use do and does to make negatives with the present simple. We use doesn't for the

third person singular (she/he/it) and don't for the others.

Present simple and present time

We use the present simple to talk about:

 something that is true in the present:

I'm nineteen years old.
I'm a student.
He lives in London.

 something that happens regularly in the present:

I play football every weekend.

 something that is always true:

The human body contains 206 bones.
Light travels at almost 300,000 kilometres per second.

We often use adverbs of frequency like sometimes, always and never with the present

simple:
I sometimes go to the cinema.
She never plays football.

Here are some useful sentences. Complete them so they are true for you and try to
remember them:
 My name is … .
I'm a(n) … .
I'm … years
I … at the
old.
weekend.
I come from
I often … .
….
I never … .
I live in … .

Complete these sentences so they are true for a friend and try to remember them:

Her/His name is … . She's/He's a(n) … .

She's/He’s … years old. She/He … at the
She/He comes from weekend.
…. She/He often … .
She/He lives in … . She/He never … .

Level: intermediate

Present simple and future time

We also use the present simple to talk about:

 something that is fixed in the future:

The school term starts next week.
The train leaves at 19.45 this evening.
We fly to Paris next week.

 something in the future after time

words like when, after and before and after ifand unless:
I'll talk to John when I see him.
You must finish your work before you go home.
If it rains we'll get wet.
He won't come unless you ask him.

Level: advanced

We sometimes use the present simple to talk about the past when we are: 

 telling a story:

I was walking down the street the other day when suddenly this man comes up to me
and tells me he has lost his wallet asks me to lend him some money. Well
 he looks a bit dangerous so I'm not sure what to do and while we are standing
there  …

 summarising a book, film or play:

Harry Potter goes to Hogwarts School. He has two close friends, Hermione and …

Shakespeare's Hamlet is the Prince of Denmark. One night he sees his father's ghost.

The ghost tells him he has been murdered  …

Present continuous
Level: beginner
The present continuous is made from the present tense of the verb be and the –
ingform of a verb:

workin
I am
g

You are playing

He is talking

She is living

It is eating

We are staying

They  ar sleepin
e g

We use the present continuous to talk about:

 activities at the moment of speaking:

 I'm just leaving work. I'll be home in an hour.
Please be quiet. The children are sleeping.

 future plans or arrangements:

Mary is going to a new school next term.
What are you doing next week?

Present continuous questions

We make questions by putting am, is or are in front of the subject:
Are  you  listening?
Are  they  coming to your party?
When is  she going home?
What am  I  doing here?

Present continuous negatives

We make negatives by putting not (or n't) after am, is or are:
I'm  not  doing that.
You aren't listening. (or You're  not listening.)
They aren't coming to the party. (or They're  not coming to the party.)
She isn't  going home until Monday. (or She's  not going home until Monday.)

Stative verbs
We do not normally use the continuous with stative verbs. Stative verbs include:

 verbs of thinking and feeling:

believ love recognise understan

e hate remember d
dislike prefer suppose want
know realis think (= wish
like e believe)  

 verbs of the senses:

appea look smell tast

r see soun e
feel m d  
 others:

agre belong nee own

e disagre d posses
be e owe s

We normally use the simple instead:

I understand you. (NOT I am understanding you.)
This cake tastes wonderful. (NOT This cake is tasting wonderful.)

Level: intermediate
We also use the present continuous to talk about:

 something which is happening before and after a specific time:

At eight o'clock we are usually having breakfast.
When I get home the children are doing their homework.

 something which we think is temporary:

Michael is at university. He's studying history.
I'm working in London for the next two weeks.

 something which is new and contrasts with a previous state:

These days most people are using email instead of writing letters.
What sort of clothes are teenagers wearing nowadays?
What sort of music are they listening to?

 something which is changing, growing or developing:

The children are growing up quickly.
The climate is changing rapidly.
Your English is improving.

 something which happens again and again:

It's always raining in London.
They are always arguing.
George is great. He's always laughing.

Note that we normally use always with this use.

Level: advanced
We can use the present continuous to talk about the past when we are:

 telling a story:
 The other day I'm  just  walking down the street when suddenly this man comes up to
me and asks me to lend him some money. Well he's carrying a big stick and he looks a
bit dangerous, so I'm wondering what to do …

 summarising a book, film or play:

Harry Potter is a pupil at Hogwarts school. One day when he  is playingQuidditch he
sees a strange object in the sky. He wonders what is happening

present perfect
The present perfect is formed from the present tense of the verb have and the past
participle of a verb:

The present perfect continuous is formed with have/has been  and the -ing form of

the verb:

Use

We use the present perfect tense:

 for something that started in the past and continues in the present:

They’ve been married for nearly fifty years.

She has lived in Liverpool all her life.

Note: We normally use the present perfect continuous for this:

She has been living in Liverpool all her life.

It’s been raining for hours.

  for something we have done several times in the past and continue to do:

I’ve played the guitar ever since I was a teenager.

He has written three books and he is working on another one.
I’ve been watching that programme every week.

We often use a clause with since  to show when something started in the past:

They’ve been staying with us since last week.

I have worked here since I left school.
I’ve been watching that programme every week since it started.

 when we are talking about our experience up to the present:

Note: We often use the adverb ever  to talk about experience up to the present:

My last birthday was the worst day I have ever had.

Note: and we use never for the negative form:

 Have you ever met George?
Yes, but I’ve never met his wife.

 for something that happened in the past but is important at the time of speaking:

I can’t get in the house. I’ve lost my keys.

Teresa isn’t at home. I think she has gone shopping.
I’m tired out. I’ve been working all day.

 We use the present perfect of be when someone has gone to a place and returned:

A: Where have you been?

B: I’ve just been out to the supermarket.

A: Have you ever been to San Francisco?

B: No, but I’ve been to Los Angeles.

But when someone has not returned we use have/has gone:

A: Where is Maria? I haven’t seen her for weeks.

B: She's gone to Paris for a week. She’ll be back tomorrow.

We often use the present perfect with time adverbials which refer to the recent past:

just; only just; recently;

Scientists have recently discovered a new breed of monkey.

We have just got back from our holidays.

or adverbials which include the present:

ever  (in questions); so far; until now; up to now; yet (in questions and negatives)

Have you ever seen a ghost?

Where have you been up to now?
Have you finished your homework yet?
No, so far I’ve only done my history.

WARNING:

We do not use the present perfect with an adverbial which refers to past time which

is finished:

I have seen that film yesterday.

We have just bought a new car last week.
When we were children we have been to California.

But we can use it to refer to a time which is not yet finished:

Have you seen Helen today?

We have bought a new car this week.
 past tense
There are two tenses in English – past and present.

The past tense in English is used:

 to talk about the past

 to talk about hypotheses – things that are imagined rather than true.

 for politeness.

There are four past tense forms in English:

Tense Form

Past simple: I worked

Past continuous: I was working

Past perfect: I had worked

Past perfect continuous: I had been working

We use these forms:

 to talk about the past:

He worked at McDonald’s. He had worked there since July..

He was working at McDonald’s. He had been working since July.

 to refer to the present or future in conditions:

He could get a new job if he really tried.

If Jack was playing they would probably win.

and hypotheses:

It might be dangerous. Suppose they got lost.

I would always help someone who really needed help.

and wishes:
 I wish it wasn’t so cold.

 In conditions, hypotheses and wishes, if we want to talk about the past, we

always use the past perfect:

I would have helped him if he had asked.

It was very dangerous, What if you had got lost?
I wish I hadn’t spent so much money last month.

 We can use the past forms to talk about the present in a few polite

expressions:

Excuse me, I was wondering if this was the train for York.

I just hoped you would be able to help me.

past simple

Forms

With most verbs the past tense is formed by adding -ed:

call >> called; like >> liked; want >> wanted; work >> worked

But there are a lot of irregular past tenses in English. Here are the most common
irregular verbs in English, with their past tenses:

infinitive irregular past

be was/were
begin began
break broke
bring brought
buy bought
build built
choose chose
come came
cost cost
cut cut
do did
draw drew
drive drove
eat ate
feel felt
find found
get got
give gave
 infinitive irregular past

go went
have had
hear heard
hold held
keep kept
know knew
leave left
lead led
let let
lie lay
lose lost
make made
mean meant
meet met
pay paid
put put
run ran
say said
sell sold
send sent
set set
sit sat
speak spoke
spend spent
stand stood
take took
teach taught
tell told
think thought
understand understood
wear wore
win won
write wrote

Use

We use the past tense to talk about:

 something that happened once in the past:

 I met my wife in 1983.
We went to Spain for our holidays.
They got home very late last night.

 something that happened again and again in the past:

When I was a boy I walked a mile to school every day.

We swam a lot while we were on holiday.
They always enjoyed visiting their friends.

 something that was true for some time in the past:

I lived abroad for ten years.

He enjoyed being a student.
She played a lot of tennis when she was younger.

 we often use phrases with ago  with the past tense:

I met my wife a long time ago.

Questions and negatives

We use did  to make questions with the past tense:

When did you meet your wife?

Where did you go for your holidays?
Did she play tennis when she was younger?
Did you live abroad?

But look at these questions:

Who discovered penicillin?

Who wrote Don Quixote?

For more on these questions see our question forms page

We use didn’t (did not) to make negatives with the past tense:

They didn’t go to Spain this year.

We didn’t get home until very late last night.
I didn’t see you yesterday. 

past continuous
The past continuous is formed from the past tense of be with the -ing form of the verb:

We use the past continuous to talk about the past:

 for something which continued before and after another action:

The children were doing their homework when I got home.

Compare:
 I got home. The children did their homework.
and
The children did their homework when I got home.

As I was watching television the telephone rang.

This use of the past continuous is very common at the beginning of a story:

The other day I was waiting for a bus when …

Last week as I was driving to work … 

 for something that happened before and after a particular time:

It was eight o’clock. I was writing a letter.

Compare:

At eight o’clock I wrote some letters.

In July she was working in McDonald’s.

 .to show that something continued for some time:

My head was aching.
Everyone was shouting.

 for something that was happening again and again:

I was practising every day, three times a day.

They were meeting secretly after school.
They were always quarrelling.

 with verbs which show change or growth:

The children were growing up quickly.

Her English was improving.
My hair was going grey.
The town was changing quickly.

past perfect
We use the verb had and the past participle for the past perfect:

I had finished the work.

She had gone .

The past perfect continuous is formed with had been  and the -ing form of the verb:

I had been finishing the work

She had been going.
 The past perfect is used in the same way as the present perfect, but it refers to a time in
the past, not the present.

We use the past perfect tense:

 for something that started in the past and continued up to a given time in the
past:

When George died he and Anne had been married for nearly fifty years.
She didn’t want to move. She had lived in Liverpool all her life.

We normally use the past perfect continuous for this:

She didn’t want to move. She had been living in Liverpool all her life.
Everything was wet. It had been raining for hours.

 for something we had done several times up to a point in the past

and continued to do after that point:

He was a wonderful guitarist. He had been playing ever since he was a teenager.

He had written three books and he was working on another one.
I had been watching the programme every week, but I missed the last episode.

We often use a clause with since  to show when something started in the past:

They had been staying with us since the previous week.

I was sorry when the factory closed. I had worked there since I left school.
I had been watching that programme every week since it started, but I missed the
last episode.

 when we are reporting our experience and including up to the (then) present:

My eighteenth birthday was the worst day I had ever had.

I was pleased to meet George. I hadn’t met him before, even though I had met his
wife several times.

 for something that happened in the past but is important at the time of reporting:

I couldn’t get into the house. I had lost my keys.

Teresa wasn’t at home. She had gone shopping.

We use the past perfect to talk about the past in conditions, hypotheses and wishes:

I would have helped him if he had asked.

It was very dangerous. What if you had got lost?
I wish I hadn’t spent so much money last month.

perfective aspect
We use the present perfect to show that something has continued up to the present

They’ve been married for nearly fifty years.

She has lived in Liverpool all her life.
… or is important in the present:

I’ve lost my keys. I can’t get into the house.

Teresa isn’t at home. I think she has gone shopping.

We use the present perfect continuous to show that something has been continuing
up to the present:

It’s been raining for hours.

We’ve been waiting here since six o’clock this morning.

We use the past perfect to show that something continued up to a time in the past:

When George died he and Anne had been married for nearly fifty years.

... or was important at that time in the past:

I couldn’t get into the house. I had lost my keys.

Teresa wasn’t at home. She had gone shopping.

We use the past perfect continuous to show that something had been continuing up
to a time in the past or was important at that time in the past:

Everything was wet. It had been raining for hours.

He was a wonderful guitarist. He had been playing ever since he was a teenager.

We use will  with the perfect to show that something will be complete at some time in
the future:

In a few years they will have discovered a cure for the common cold.
I can come out tonight. I'll have finished my homework by then.

We use would  with the perfect to refer to something that did not happen in the past
but would have happened if the conditions had been right:

If you had asked me I would have helped you.

I would have helped you, but you didn’t ask me.
You didn’t ask me or I would have helped you.

We use other modals with perfective aspect when we are looking back from a point in

time when something might have happened, should have happened or would have
happened.

The point of time may be in the future:

We’ll meet again next week. We might have finished the work by then.
I will phone at six o’clock. He should have got home by then.

the present:

It’s getting late. They should have arrived by now.

He’s still not here. He must have missed his train.

or the past:
 I wasn’t feeling well. I must have eaten something bad.
I checked my cell phone. She could have left a message.

continuous aspect
Both tenses have a continuous form. These continuous tenses are formed with the
verb be and the –ing form of the verb:

We use continuous aspect:

 for something happening before and after a given time.

He’s getting on the train. [before and after the moment of speaking]

It was quarter past ten. We were watching the news on television.

 for something continuing before and after another action:

Mother will be cooking the dinner when we get home.

We were waiting for the bus when it started to rain.

 for something continuing for some time:

Everybody will be waiting for us.

They had been working hard all day.

 for something happening again and again:

They’ve been doing that every day this week.

The children were always shouting.
He will be practising the piano every night.

 for something temporary:

We are renting an apartment until our house is ready..

He was working in a garage during the vacation.

 for something new:

We have moved from Birmingham. We’re living in Manchester now.

He had left university and was working in his father’s business.

 to describe something changing or developing:

Everything has been getting more difficult.

He was growing more bad-tempered every day. 
 modal verbs
The modal verbs are:

can could

may might

shall should

will would

mus
 
t

We use modal verbs to show if we believe something is certain, probable or possible (or

not). We also use modals to do things like talking about ability, asking permission
making requests and offers, and so on.
 

 certain, probable or possible

 ability, permission, requests and advice
 modals + have
 can, could and could have
 may, might, may have and might have
 can or could
 will or would
 will have or would have

certain, probable or possible

The modal verbs are can, could, may, might, must, shall, should, will and would.

The modals are used to show that we believe something is certain, probable or possible:

Possibility:

We use the modals could, might  and may  to show that something is possible in the

future, but not certain:

They might come later. (= Perhaps/Maybe they will come later.)

They may come by car. (= Perhaps/Maybe they will come by car.)
If we don’t hurry we could be late. (= Perhaps/Maybe we will be late)

We use could have, might have  and may have  to show that something was

possible now or at some time in the past:

It’s ten o’clock. They might have arrived now.

They could have arrived hours ago.
We use the modal can  to make general statements about what is possible:

It can be very cold in winter. (= It is sometimes very cold in winter)

You can easily lose your way in the dark. (= People often lose their way in the
dark)

We use the modal could  as the past tense of can:

It could be very cold in winter. (= Sometimes it was very cold in winter.)

You could lose your way in the dark. (= People often lost their way in the dark)

Impossibility:

We use the negative can’t  or cannot  to show that something is impossible:

That can’t be true.
You cannot be serious.

We use couldn’t/could not  to talk about the past:

We knew it could not be true.

He was obviously joking. He could not be serious.

Probability:

We use the modal must  to show we are sure something to be true and we have

reasons for our belief:

It’s getting dark. It must be quite late.

You haven’t eaten all day. You must be hungry.

We use must have  for the past:

 They hadn’t eaten all day. They must have been hungry.
You look happy. You must have heard the good news.

We use the modal should  to suggest that something is true or will be true in the

future, and to show you have reasons for your suggestion:

Ask Miranda. She should know.

It's nearly six o'clock. They should arrive soon.

We use should have  to talk about the past:

It's nearly eleven o'clock. They should have arrived by now.

ability, permission, requests and advice

The modal verbs are can, could, may, might, must, shall, should, will  and would.

The modals are used to do things like talking about ability, asking permission making
requests, and so on.

Ability:

We use can  to talk about someone’s skill or general abilities:

She can speak several languages.

He can swim like a fish.
They can’t dance very well.

We use can  to talk about the ability to do something at a given time in

the present or future:

You can make a lot of money if you are lucky.

Help. I can’t breathe.
They can run but they can’t hide.

We use could  to talk about past time:

She could speak several languages.

They couldn’t dance very well.

We use could have  to say that someone had the ability/opportunity to do something,

but did not do it:

She could have learned Swahili, but she didn’t have time.

I could have danced all night [but didn't].

Permission:

We use can  to ask for permission to do something:

Can I ask a question, please?

Can we go home now?

could  is more formal and polite than can:

 Could I ask a question please?
Could we go home now?

may  is another more formal and polite way of asking for permission:

May I ask a question please?

May we go home now?

We use can  to give permission:

You can go home now if you like.

You can borrow my pen if you like.

may  is a more formal and polite way of giving permission:

You may go home now, if you like.

We use can  to say that someone has permission to do something:

We can go out whenever we want.

Students can travel free.

may  is a more formal and polite way of saying that someone has permission:

Students may travel free.

Instructions and requests:

We use could you  and would you  as polite ways of telling or asking someone to do
something:

Could you take a message please?

Would you carry this for me please?
Could I have my bill please?

can and will  are less polite:

Can you take a message please?

Will you carry this for me please?

Suggestions and advice:

We use should  to make suggestions and give advice:

You should send an email.

We should go by train.

We use could  to make suggestions:

We could meet at the weekend.

You could eat out tonight.

We use conditionals to give advice:

Dan will help you if you ask him.

Past tenses are more polite:

Dan would help you if you asked him.

Offers and invitations:

We use can I… and to make offers:

Can I help you?
Can I do that for you?

We can also use shall I …

Shall I help you with that?

Shall I call you on your mobile?

We sometime say I can  ... or I could ... or I’ll (I will) ... to make an offer:
I can do that for you if you like.
I can give you a lift to the station.
I’ll do that for you if you like.
I’ll give you a lift to the station.

We use would you like (to) ... for invitations:

Would you like to come round tomorrow?

Would you like another drink?

We use you must  or we must  for a very polite invitation:

You must come round and see us.

We must meet again soon.

Obligation and necessity

We use must  to say that it is necessary to do something:

You must stop at a red light.

Everyone must bring something to eat.
You can wear what you like, but you must look neat and tidy.
I’m sorry, but you mustn’t make a noise in here.

We use had to  for this if we are talking about the past:

Everyone had to bring something to eat.

We could wear what we liked, but we had to look neat and tidy.

modals + have
We use a modal verb with have and the past participle:

Subject Modal Hav Past Participle  

 e

They will have arrived by now

You might have seen the film

Jack and
would have been late
Jill

 We use a modal verb with have  to refer back:

 … from a point of time in the past:

We were very worried. Someone might have taken the car.

 … from the present

It is nearly eight o’clock. They will have arrived by now.

 …or from the future:

We won’t eat until they arrive. They might not have had supper.

 or to refer to past time:

You should have helped her when she asked.

They might have got lost. Nobody knows where they are.

can, could and could have

Questions and negatives:

We make questions by putting the subject after can/could:

Can I …? Can you …? Could I … Could you …? and so on.

The negative form is can’t in spoken English and cannot  in written English.

We sometimes say cannot, but it is very emphatic.

The negative form of could  is couldn’t  in spoken English and could not  in written
English.
We sometimes say could not.
 We use can  and can’t  :

 To talk about ability:

Maria can speak four languages.

I can’t swim, but my sister can.

 To say that something is possible or impossible:

Learning English can be difficult [= Learning English is sometimes difficult.]

Children can be very naughty [= Children are sometimes very naughty.]
It’s still light. It can’t be bedtime.
 

 For requests and refusals of requests

Can I go home now?

You can go whenever you like.
You can borrow the car today, but you can’t have it tomorrow.

 To offer to help someone:

Can I help you?
Can I carry that bag for you?

We use could  and couldn’t  as the past tense of can/can’t:

 To talk about ability:

I could run very fast when I was younger.

She couldn’t get a job anywhere.

 To say that something was possible or impossible:

Our teacher could be very strict when we were at school. [= Some teachers were
very strict.]
People could starve in those days. [= People sometimes starved.]
You couldn’t use computers in the nineteenth century.

 To make a polite request:

Could I go now please?

Could you lend me a dictionary please?

 To make a polite offer:

Could I give you a lift?

I could carry that for you.

We use could have:

 to show that something is possible now or was possible at some time in the past:

 It’s ten o’clock. They could have arrived now.
They could have arrived hours ago.

may, might, may have and might have

Questions and negatives:

We make questions by putting the subject after may/might:

May I …? Could I … Might I …?  Etc.

The negative forms are may not  and might not..

We use may:

 when we are not sure about something:

Jack may be coming to see us tomorrow.

Oh dear! It’s half past ten. We may be late for the meeting.
There may not be very many people there.

 to make polite requests:

May I borrow the car tomorrow?

May we come a bit later?

When we use may not  for a refusal it is emphatic:

You may not!
You may not borrow the car until you can be more careful with it.

We use might:

• when we are not sure about something:

I might see you tomorrow.

It looks nice, but it might be very expensive.
It’s quite bright. It might not rain today.

• As the past tense of may for requests:

He asked if he might borrow the car.

They wanted to know if they might come later.

• For very polite requests:

Might I ask you a question?

Might we just interrupt for a moment?
We use may have  and might have to show that something has possibly happened now
or happened at some time in the past:

It’s ten o’clock. They might have arrived now.[= Perhaps they have arrived]
They may have arrived hours ago. [= Perhaps they arrived hours ago.]

can or could

Possibility

We use the modal can  to make general statements about what is possible:

It can be very cold in winter. (= It is sometimes very cold in winter)

You can easily lose your way in the dark. (= People often lose their way in the
dark)

We use could  as the past tense of can:

It could be very cold in winter. (=Sometimes it was very cold in winter.)

You could lose your way in the dark. (=People often lost their way in the dark)

We use could  to show that something is possible in the future, but not certain:

If we don’t hurry we could be late. (=Perhaps/Maybe we will be late)

We use could have to show that something is/was possible now or at some time in the
past:

It’s ten o’clock. They could have arrived now.

They could have arrived hours ago.

Impossibility:

We use the negative can’t or cannot  to show that something is impossible:

That can’t be true.
You cannot be serious.

We use couldn’t/could not  to talk about the past:

We knew it could not be true.

He was obviously joking. He could not be serious.

Ability:

We use can  to talk about someone’s skill or general abilities:

 She can speak several languages.
He can swim like a fish.
They can’t dance very well.

We use can  to talk about the ability to do something at a given time in

the present or future:

You can make a lot of money if you are lucky.

Help. I can’t breathe.
They can run but they can’t hide.

We use could  to talk about past time:

She could speak several languages.

They couldn’t dance very well.

Permission:

We use can  to ask for permission to do something:

Can I ask a question, please?

Can we go home now?

could  is more formal and polite than can:

Could I ask a question please?

Could we go home now?

We use can  to give permission:

You can go home now if you like.

You can borrow my pen if you like.

We use can  to say that someone has permission to do something:

We can go out whenever we want.

Students can travel free.

Instructions and requests:

We use could you  and as a polite way of telling or asking someone to do something:

Could you take a message please?

Could I have my bill please?

can  is less polite:

Can you take a message please?

Offers and invitations:

We use can I … to make offers:

 Can I help you?
Can I do that for you?

We sometimes say I can ... or I could  ... to make an offer:

I can do that for you if you like.

I can give you a lift to the station.

will or would
We use will:

 to talk about the future – to say what we believe will happen

 to talk about what people want to do or are willing to do

 to make promises and offers

would  is the past tense form of will. Because it is a past tense it is used:

 to talk about the past.

 to talk about hypotheses – things that are imagined rather than true.

 for politeness.

Beliefs

We use will

 to say what we believe will happen in the future:

We'll be late.
We will have to take the train.

We use would  as the past tense of will:

 to say what we believed would happen:

I thought I would be late …… so I would have to take the train.

Offers and promises

We use I will or We will  to make offers and promises:

I’ll give you a lift home after the party.

We will come and see you next week.

Willingness
 to talk about what people want to do or are willing to do:

We’ll see you tomorrow.

Perhaps dad will lend me the car.

We use would  as the past tense of will:

 to talk about what people wanted to do or were willing to do:

We had a terrible night. The baby wouldn’t go to sleep. He kept waking up and
crying.
Dad wouldn’t lend me the car, so we had to take the train.

 to talk about something that we did often in the past because we wanted to do it:

When they were children they used to spend their holidays at their grandmother’s
at the seaside. They would get up early every morning and they’d have a quick
breakfast then they would run across the road to the beach.

Conditionals

We use will  in conditionals with if and unless to say what we think will happen in the

future or present:

I’ll give her a call if I can find her number.

You won’t get in unless you have a ticket.

We use would  to talk about hypotheses, about something which is possible but not
real:

 to talk about the result or effect of a possible situation:

It would be very expensive to stay in a hotel.

 in conditionals with words like if  and what if. In these sentences the main verb is
usually in the past tense:

I would give her a call if I could find her number.

If I had the money I'd buy a new car.
You would lose weight if you took more exercise.
If he got a new job he would probably make more money.
What if he lost his job. What would happen then?

We use conditionals to give advice:

Dan will help you if you ask him.

Past tenses are more polite:

Dan would help you if you asked him.

Phrases with would:

 would you…, would you mind (not) -ing, for requests:

Would you carry this for me please?

Would you mind carrying this?
Would you mind not telling him that?

 would you like ...; would you like to ...,  for offers and invitations:

Would you like to come round tomorrow?

Would you like another drink?

 I would like …; I’d like … (you)(to) ..., to say what we want or what we want
to do:

I’d like that one please.

I’d like to go home now.

 I’d rather… (I would rather) to say what we prefer:

I’d rather have that one.

I’d rather go home now.

 I would think, I would imagine, I'd guess, to give an opinion when we are not
sure or when we want to be polite:

It’s very difficult I would imagine.

I would think that’s the right answer.

will have or would have

We use the perfective will have  when we are looking back from a point in time when
something will have happened.

By the end of the decade scientists will have discovered a cure for influenza.
I will phone at six o’clock. He will have got home by then.

or looking "back" from the present:

Look at the time. The match will have started.

It’s half past five. Dad will have finished work.

We use would have  as the past tense form of will have:

I phoned at six o’clock. I knew he would have got home by then.

It was half past five. Dad would have finished work.

We use would have  in past conditionals to talk about something that did not happen:

If it had been a little warmer we would have gone for a swim.

He would have been very angry if he had seen you.
active and passive voice
Transitive verbs have both active and passive forms:

active   passive

The hunter killed the lion. >> The lion was killed by the hunter.

Someone has cleaned the

>> The windows have been cleaned
windows

The passive forms are made up of the verb be with a past participle:

  be past participle  

English is spoken all over the world

The windows have been cleaned  

Lunch was being served  

The work will be finished soon

They might have been invited to the party

   be past participle  

We sometimes use the verb get to form the passive:

Be careful with the glass. It might get broken.

Peter got hurt in a crash.

If we want to show the person or thing doing the action we use by:

She was attacked by a dangerous dog.

The money was stolen by her husband.

We can use the indirect object as the subject of a passive verb:

active   passive

I gave him a book for his birthday >> He was given a book for his birthday.

Someone sent her a cheque for a thousand euros >> She was sent a cheque for a thousand euros.

We can use phrasal verbs in the passive:

active   passive

They called off the meeting. >> The meeting was called off.

His grandmother looked after him. >> He was looked after by his grandmother.

 active   passive

They will send him away to school. >> He will be sent away to school.

Some verbs very frequently used in the passive are followed by the to-infinitive:

be supposed to be expected to be asked to

be scheduled
be allowed to be told to
to

John has been asked to make a speech at the meeting.

You are supposed to wear a uniform.
The meeting is scheduled to start at seven. 

to + infinitive
We use the to-infinitive:

• to express purpose (to answer "Why...?"):

He bought some flowers to give to his wife.

He locked the door to keep everyone out.

We sometimes say in order to  or in order not to:

We set off early in order to avoid the traffic.

They spoke quietly in order not to wake the children

… or we can say so as to  or so as not to:

We set off early so as to avoid the traffic.

They spoke quietly so as not to wake the children.

• after certain verbs (see verbs followed by infinitive), particularly verbs

of thinking and feeling:
 choose, decide, expect, forget, hate, hope, intend, learn, like,
love, mean, plan, prefer, remember, want, would like, would love

… and verbs of saying:

agree, promise, refuse

They decided to start a business together.

Remember to turn the lights out.
Some verbs are followed by a direct object and the infinitive(see verbs followed by
infinitive):

advise, ask, encourage, invite, order, persuade, remind, tell, warn,

expect, intend, would prefer, want, would like

She reminded me to turn the lights out.

He encouraged his friends to vote for him.

• after certain adjectives.

Sometimes the to-infinitive gives a reason for the adjective:

 disappointed

 glad

 sad

 happy

 anxious

 pleased

 surprised

 proud

 unhappy

We were happy to come to the end of our journey

= We were happy because we had come to the end of our journey
John was surprised to see me
= He was surprised because he saw me

Other adjectives with the to-infinitive are:

 able

 unable

 due

 eager
 keen

 likely

 unlikely

 ready

 prepared

 unwilling

 willing

Unfortunately I was unable to work for over a week.

I am really tired. I’m ready to go to bed.

We often use the to-infinitive with these adjectives after it to give opinions:

 difficult

 easy

 possible

 impossible

 hard

 right

 wrong

 kind

 nice

 clever

 silly

 foolish

It’s easy to play the piano, but it’s very difficult to play well.

He spoke so quickly it was impossible to understand him.

We use the preposition for  to show who these adjectives refer to:

 difficult

 easy

 possible

 impossible

 hard
 It was difficult for us to hear what she was saying.
It is easy for you to criticise other people.

We use the preposition of  with other adjectives:

It’s kind of you to help.

It would be silly of him to spend all his money.
• As a postmodifier (see noun phrases) after abstract nouns like:

 ability

 desire

 need

 wish

 attempt

 failure

 opportunity

 chance

 intention

I have no desire to be rich.

They gave him an opportunity to escape.
She was annoyed by her failure to answer the question correctly.
• We often use a to-infinitive as a postmodifier after an indefinite pronoun (See indefinite
pronouns):

When I am travelling I always take something to read.

I was all alone. I had no one to talk to.
There is hardly anything to do in most of these small towns.

-ing forms
We can use the -ing form of the verb:

• as a noun:

I love swimming.
Swimming is very good for your health.
You can get fit by swimming regularly.

-ing nouns are nearly always uncount nouns

 as an adjective:
 The main problem today is rising prices.
That programme was really boring.
He saw a woman lying on the floor.

Because the -ing noun or adjective is formed from a verb it can have any of

the patterns which follow a verb, for example:

 ... an object:

I like playing tennis.
Can you imagine living on the moon?

 ... or an adverbial:

You can earn a lot of money by working hard.

There were several people waiting for the bus.

 ... or a clause:

I heard someone saying that.

The -ing noun can be used:

 as the subject of a verb:

Learning English is not easy.

 as the object of a verb:

We enjoy learning English.

Common verbs followed by an -ing object are:

admit like hate start avoid

sugges dislik
enjoy begin finish
t e

 as the object of a preposition

Some people are not interested in learning English.

The -ing adjective can come:

 in front of a noun:
 I read an interesting article in the newspaper today.
We saw a really exciting match on Sunday.

 The commonest –ing adjectives used in front of the noun are

amusin
interesting worrying shocking disappointing
g

terrifyin
boring surprising  exciting frightening
g

tiring annoying      

 after a noun:

Who is that man standing over there?

The boy talking to Angela is her younger brother.

 and especially after verbs like see, watch, hear, smell  etc.

I heard someone playing the piano.
I can smell something burning.

talking about the present

1. We use the present simple:

 to talk about something happening regularly in the present:

The children come home from school at about four.

We often see your brother at work.

  to talk about something happening continually in the present:

They live next door to us.

He works for the Post Office.

  to talk about things which are generally or always true:

Water boils at 100 degrees Celsius.

The Nile is the longest river in Africa.
 2. We use the present continuous:

 to show that something in the present is temporary:

We are living in a rented flat at present.

My wife usually goes in to the office, but she is working at home today.

 for something happening regularly in the present before and after a given

time:

I’m usually getting ready for work at eight o’clock.

When I see George he’s always reading his newspaper.

 for something happening before and after the moment of speaking:

I can’t hear you. I’m listening to my iPod.

Be quiet. The children are sleeping.

3. We use modal verbs

 to talk about the present when we are not sure of something:

I don’t know where Henry is. He might be playing tennis.

Who’s knocking at the door? I don’t know. It could be the police.

talking about the past

1 Talking about past events and situations:

We use the past simple:

 when we are talking about an event that happened at a particular time in the
past

We arrived home before dark

The film started at seven thirty.

 when we are talking about something that continued for some time in the past

Everybody worked hard through the winter.

We stayed with our friends in London.

When we are talking about something that happened several times in the past we use

 the past simple:

Most evenings we stayed at home and watched DVDs.

Sometimes they went out for a meal.

 … or used to
 Most evenings we used to stay at home and watch DVDs.
We used to go for a swim every morning.

 ... or would

Most evenings he would take the dog for a walk.

They would often visit friends in Europe.

WARNING: We do not normally use would  with stative verbs.

We use the past continuous:

 when we are talking about something which happened before and after a

given time in the past

It was just after ten. I was watching the news on TV.

At half-time we were losing 1-0.

 when we are talking about something

happening before and after another action in the past:

He broke his leg when he was playing rugby.

She saw Jim as he was driving away.

2 The past in the past

When we are looking back from a point in the past to something earlier in the

past we use the past perfect:

Helen suddenly remembered she had left her keys in the car.

When we had done all our shopping we caught the bus home.
They wanted to buy a new computer, but they hadn’t saved enough money.
They would have bought a new computer if they had saved enough money.

3 The past and the present:

We use the present perfect:

 when we are talking about the effects in the present of something

that happened in the past:

I can’t open the door. I’ve left my keys in the car.

Jenny has found a new job. She works in a supermarket now.

 When we are talking about something that started in the past and still goes on:

We have lived here since 2007. (and we still live here)

I have been working at the university for over ten years.

4 The future in the past

 When we talk about the future from a time in the past we use:

 would  as the past tense of will

He thought he would buy one the next day.

Everyone was excited. The party would be fun.

 was/were going to

John was going to drive and Mary was going to follow on her bicycle.

It was Friday. We were going to set off the next day.

 the past continuous:

It was September. Mary was starting school the next week.

We were very busy. The shop was opening in two weeks' time.

talking about the future

1. When we know about the future we normally use the present tense.

 We use the present simple for something scheduled or arranged:

We have a lesson next Monday.

The train arrives at 6.30 in the morning.
The holidays start next week.
It is my birthday tomorrow.

 We can use the present continuous for plans or arrangements:

I’m playing football tomorrow.

They are coming to see us tomorrow.
We’re having a party at Christmas.

2. We use will to talk about the future:

 When we make predictions:

It will be a nice day tomorrow.

I think Brazil will win the World Cup.
I’m sure you will enjoy the film.

 To mean want  to or be willing to:

I hope you will come to my party.

George says he will help us.

 To make offers and promises:

I'll see you tomorrow.

We'll send you an email.
 To talk about offers and promises:

Tim will be at the meeting.

Mary will help with the cooking.

3. We use (be) going to:

 To talk about plans and intentions:

I’m going to drive to work today.

They are going to move to Manchester.

 When we can see that something is likely to happen:

Be careful! You are going to fall.

Look at those black clouds. I think it’s going to rain.

4. We often use verbs like would like, plan, want, mean, hope, expect to talk about

the future:

What are you going to do next year? I’d like to go to University.

We plan to go to France for our holidays.
George wants to buy a new car.

5. We use modals may, might, and could  when we are not sure about the future:

I might stay at home tonight, or I might go to the cinema.

We could see Mary at the meeting. She sometimes goes.

6. We can use should  if we think something is likely to happen:

We should be home in time for tea.

The game should be over by eight o’clock.

7. Clauses with time words:

In clauses with time words like when, after, and until  we often use a present

tense form to talk about the future:

I’ll come home when I finish work.

You must wait here until your father comes.
They are coming after they have had dinner.

8. Clauses with if:

In clauses with if we often use a present tense form to talk about the future:

We won’t be able to go out if it rains.

If Barcelona win tomorrow they will be champions.

WARNING: We do not normally use will  in clauses with if or with time words:

I’ll come home when I will finish work.

We won’t be able to go out if it will rain rains.
 But we can use will  if it means a promise or offer:

I will be very happy if you will come to my party.

We should finish the job early if George will help us.

9. We can use the future continuous instead of the present continuous or going to for

emphasis when we are talking about plans, arrangements and intentions:

They’ll be coming to see us next week.

I will be driving to work tomorrow.

verbs in time clauses and if clauses

Verbs in time clauses and conditionals follow the same patterns as in other
clauses except:

 In clauses with time words like when, after, until  we often use the present

tense forms to talk about the future:

I’ll come home when I finish work.

You must wait here until your father comes.
They are coming after they have had dinner.

  in conditional clauses with if  or unless  we often use the present tense forms to

talk about the future:

We won’t be able to go out if it is raining.

If Barcelona win tomorrow they will be champions.
I will come tomorrow unless I have to look after the children.

 We do not normally use will  in clauses with if  or with time words:

I’ll come home when I will finish work.

We won’t be able to go out if it will rain. rains.
It will be nice to see Peter when he will get home gets home.
You must wait here until your father will come comes.

 but we can use will  if it means a promise or offer:

I will be very happy if you will come to my party.

We should finish the job early if George will help us.

"if" clauses and hypotheses

Some clauses with if  are like hypotheses so we use past tense forms to talk about the
present and future.

We use the past tense forms to talk about the present in clauses with if  :

 for something that has not happened or is not happening:

 He could get a new job if he really tried   =  He cannot get a job because he has not tried.

If Jack was playing they would probably

 = Jack is not playing so they will probably not win.
win

If I had his address I could write to him  = I do not have his address so I cannot write to him.

 We use the past tense forms to talk about the future in clauses with if:

 for something that we believe or know will not happen:

  We won’t go by train because it is too

We would go by train if it wasn’t so expensive
= expensive.

 I would look after the children for you at the weekend if   I can’t look after the children because I will not
I was at home = be at home.

  to make suggestions about what might happen:

If he came tomorrow we could borrow his car.

If we invited John, Mary would bring Angela.

When we are talking about something which did not happen in the past we use
the past perfect in the if  clause and a modal verb in the main clause:

If you had seen him you could have spoken to him  = You did not see him so you could not speak to him

You could have stayed with us if you had come to You couldn’t stay with us because you didn’t come to
 =
London London.
If we hadn’t spent all our money we could take a We have spent all our money so we can’t take a
 =
holiday. holiday

If I had got the job we would be living in Paris  = I did not get the job so we are not living in Paris.

 If the main clause is about the past we use a modal with have: 

If you had seen him you could have spoken to him.  = You did not see him so you could not speak to him.

You could have stayed with us if you had come to You couldn’t stay with us because you didn’t come to
 =
London. London.

If you had invited me I might have come.  = You didn’t invite me so I didn’t come.

If the main clause is about the present we use a present tense form or a modal

without have:

If I had got the job we would be livingin Paris now.  = I did not get the job so we are not living in Paris now.

If you had done your homework you would You did not do your homework so you do not know
 =
know the answer. the answer.

wishes and hypotheses

Wishes

We use past tense forms to talk about wishes:

 We use past tense modals would  and could  to talk about wishes for the future:

I don’t like my work. I wish I could get a better job.

That’s a dreadful noise. I wish it would stop.
I always have to get home early. I wish my parents would let me stay out later.

  We use past tense forms to talk about wishes for the present:

I don’t like this place. I wish I lived somewhere more interesting.

These seats are very uncomfortable. I wish we were travelling first class.
Everyone wishes they had more free time.
John wishes he wasn’t so busy.
I wish it wasn’t so cold.

 We use the past perfect to talk about wishes for the past:

I wish I had worked harder when I was at school.

Mary wishes she had listened to what her mother told her.
I wish I hadn’t spent so much money last month.

Hypotheses (things that we imagine)

When we are talking about hypotheses:

 We use present tense forms after phrases like what if, in

case  and suppose  to talk about the future if we think it is likely to happen:

Those steps are dangerous. Suppose someone has an accident.

We should leave home early in case we are late.

 We use a past tense form to talk about the future after suppose  and what if  to

suggest something is not likely to happen:

It might be dangerous. Suppose they got lost.

What if he lost his job. What would happen then?

 We use modals would, could  for a hypothesis about the future:

We can’t all stay in a hotel. It would be very expensive.

Drive carefully. You could have an accident.

 We use would  in the main clause and the past  in a subordinate clause to talk

about the imagined future:

I would always help someone who really needed help.

I would always help someone if they really needed it.

 We use modals with have  to talk about something that did not happen in the

past:
 I did not see Mary, or I might have spoken to her.
It’s a pity Jack wasn’t at the party. He would have enjoyed this party.
Why didn’t you ask me. I could have told you the answer.

delexical verbs like have, take, make and give

Delexical verbs:
have, take, make, give, go and do
We often use common verbs like have and take with nouns like a shower, a drink:

I took  a shower. = I showered.

She had  a drink. = She drank something.

We call these delexical verbs because the important part of the meaning is

taken out of the verb and put into the noun.

We often put adjectives in front of the noun:

I took a  cold shower.
She had a nice, refreshing  drink.

The verbs used most frequently in this way are:

have        take        make        give

have
We use have  with:

Food and drink: a meal, breakfast, lunch, dinner, a snack, a cup of tea
Talking: a chat, a conversation, a discussion, a talk
Washing: a bath, a shower, a wash, a scrub
Resting: a break, a holiday, a rest
Disagreeing: an argument, a dispute, a fight, a quarrel

I had a good breakfast  before I left home.

We  had a long talk about the problem.
The kids should  have a bath before they go to bed.
She generally  had a short holiday in July or August.
They  had a serious quarrel about their father’s will.

We also use have  with nouns formed from verbs:

I think you should have a look at this.

She had a bite of the cake.
I’m thirsty. I’m going to have a drink of water.
I had a listen to that new CD in the car.
They are going to have a swim.
take
We use take  with:
Washing: a bath, a shower, a wash
Resting: a break, a holiday, a rest
I always  take a cold shower in the morning.
You look tired. You need to  take a break.
and with these words:

a a
care trouble a decision
turn chance

care the a
turns a risk
of trouble photograph

We  took hundreds of photographs  on holiday.

Jane always  takes a lot of trouble  with her homework.
We also use take  with some nouns formed from verbs:
I think you should take a look at this.
Let’s take a walk.
They are going to  take a swim.

give
We use give  with:
Noises: a cry, a laugh, a scream, a shout, a whistle
Facial expressions: a smile, a grin, a look, a glance
Hitting: a kick, a punch, a slap, a push, a knock, a blow
Affectionate actions: a hug, a kiss, a stroke
Talking: some advice, an answer, some information, an interview,
a lecture, some news, a report, a speech, a talk, a warning
She gave a loud laugh.
John gave a happy smile.
He gave me a nasty kick on the leg.
She gave the children a goodnight kiss and put them to bed.
I have to give a speech at the meeting tomorrow.

make
We use make  with:
Talking and sounds: a comment, an enquiry, a noise, a point,
a promise, a sound, a speech, a suggestion
Plans: arrangements, a choice, a decision, a plan, plans, an appointment, a date
 Try not to make a noise.
They  made arrangements to meet the next day.

go and do
We also use go and do as delexical verbs:
Shall we go swimming this afternoon? Or shall we go for a walk?
It’s your turn to do the cooking.
I’ll have to  do my hair before the party.

go
We use go  with –ing verbs for common activities:
We usually go walking at the weekend.
He  goes running every evening after supper.
Mum’s out. She’s gone shopping.
We use  go for a with verbs to do with moving:
a jog     a ride     a swim     a run     a stroll     a walk
I want to get out of here. Let’s  go for a walk.
He’s gone for a ride on his bike.

do
We use do the with  –ing nouns to do with work, especially work in the house:
It’s your turn to do the cooking.
You do the washing up and I’ll do the drying.
and with other nouns to do with work:
I need to  do a few jobs around the house.
I can’t come out this evening. I have a lot of work to do.
We use do  with nouns when it is obvious what the action is:
I’ll have to  do my hair  before we go out. = I’ll have to brush my hair.
Have you done your teeth? = Have you cleaned your teeth?
A question like
Have you done the car?
could mean
Have you washed the car?
Have you mended the car?
Have you put petrol in the car?
depending on the context.
double object verbs
1. Some verbs have two objects –an indirect object and a direct object:

Subjec
Verb Indirect object Direct object
t

My wife sent me an email

He brought his mother some flowers

He cooked all his friends a delicious meal

These clauses have the structure: V + N (indirect object) + N (direct object)

2. We can use a prepositional phrase with to  or for  with an indirect object:

Subject Verb Direct object Prepositional phrase

My
sent an email to me
wife

He brought some flowers for his mother

He cooked a delicious meal for all his friends.

These clauses have the structure : V + N (direct object) + Prepositional phrase (indirect
object)

3. Common verbs with for  and an indirect object are:

 book

 buy

 get

 cook

 keep

 bring

 make

 pour

 save

 find

They booked a table for me at the restaurant.

We made toys for all the children.

4. Common verbs with to  and an indirect object are:

 give

 lend

 offer

 pass

 post

 read

 sell

 send

 show

 promise

 tell

He gave his programme to the man sitting next to him.

They sent Christmas cards to all their customers.

5. If the indirect object is a long phrase we normally use to  or for:

He showed his ticket to the policeman standing by the door.

We kept something to eat and drink for all the people who arrived late.

6. If the indirect object is a pronoun we normally use the N + V + N + N pattern:

 I poured him another drink.
Their mother read them another story.

link verbs
Some verbs are followed by either a noun or an adjective:

She was a good friend. =  N + V + N

She was very happy. =  N + V + Adj.

He became headmaster. =  N + V + N

He became angry. =  N + V + Adj.

These verbs are called link verbs. Common verbs like this are:

 be

 become

 appear

 feel

 look

 remain

 seem

 sound

She seemed an intelligent woman.

She seemed intelligent.
He looked hungry.
He looked a good player.

After appear  and seem  we often use to be:

She appeared to be an intelligent woman.

He seemed to be angry.

Some link verbs are followed by an adjective. Common verbs like this are:
 get

 go

 grow

 taste

 smell

He got hungry in the evening.

She grew stronger every day.

phrasal verbs
Some verbs are two part verbs (see Clauses, Sentences and Phrases). They consist of
a verb and a particle:

 grow + up
>> The children are growing up.

Often this gives the verb a new meaning:

 take + after
>> She takes after her mother
= She looks like her mother, or She behaves like her mother.
 count + on
>> I know I can count on you
= I know I can trust you, or I know I can believe you.

Some transitive two part verbs (see Clauses, Sentences and Phrases) have only

one pattern:

N (subject) + V + p + N (object)

[Note: N = noun; V = verb; p = particle]

N
 Verb Particle  N (Object)
(Subject)

She takes after her mother

I can count on you
My father comes from Madrid

Some transitive two part verbs (see Clauses, Sentences and Phrases) are phrasal
verbs. Phrasal verbs have two different patterns:
 • The usual pattern is: N + V + N + p

N
Verb (N) Object Particle
(Subject)

She gave the money back

He knocked the glass over
We will be leaving our friends and neighbours behind

 
• But sometimes these verbs have the pattern: N (subject) + V + p + N (object)

N
Verb Particle N (Object)
(Subject)

She gave back the money

He knocked over the glass
We will be leaving behind our friends and neighbours

When the object is a personal pronoun,these verbs always have the pattern:
N + V +N + p:

 She gave back it

>> She gave it back
 He knocked over it
 >> knocked it over
 We will be leaving behind them
>> We will be leaving them behind

• Phrasal verbs are nearly always made up of a transitive verb and

a particle. Common verbs with their most frequent particles are:

bring: about, along, back, forward, in, off, out, round, up

buy: out, up

call: off, up

carry: off, out

cut: back, down, off, out, up

give: away, back, off

hand: back, down, in, on out, over, round

knock
down, out, over
:

leave: behind, out

let: down, in, off, out

pass: down, over, round

point: out
push: about, around, over

put: across, away, down, forward, off, on, out, through, together, up

read: out

set: apart, aside, back, down

shut: away, in, off, out

take: apart, away, back, down, in, on, up, over

think: over, through, up

   

reflexive and ergative verbs

Reflexive verbs

1 The reflexive pronouns (see pronouns) are:

Singular
myself; yourself; himself; herself; itself
:

Plural: ourselves; yourselves; themselves

 We use a reflexive pronoun after a transitive verb (see Clauses, Sentences and
Phrases) when the direct object is the same as the subject of the verb:

I am teaching myself to play the piano.

Be careful with that knife. You might cut yourself.

These are the verbs most often found with reflexive pronouns:
 

 cut

 dry

 enjoy

 hurt

 introduce

 kill

 prepare

 teach

Some verbs change their meaning slightly when they have a reflexive pronoun as

direct object:

 amuse

 apply

 busy

 content

 behave

 blame

 distance

 express

 find

 help

 see

Would you like to help yourself to another

= Would you like to take another drink?
drink?
I wish the children would behave themselves. = I wish the children would behave well.

He found himself lying by the side of the He was surprised when he realised that he was at the side of
=
road. the road.

I saw myself as a famous actor. = I imagined that I was a famous actor.

She applied herself to the job of mending the

= She worked very hard to mend the lights.
lights.

He busied himself in the kitchen. = He worked busily in the kitchen.

I had to content myself with a few Euros. = I had to be satisfied with a few Euros.

     

The verb enjoy  always has an object:

We all enjoyed the party.
I really enjoyed my lunch.

If enjoy  has no other object, we use a reflexive pronoun:

They all enjoyed  They all enjoyed themselves.
I really enjoyed  I really enjoyed myself.

NOTE: We do not use a reflexive pronoun after verbs which describe things

people usually do for themselves:

He washed in cold water.

He always shaved before going out in the evening.
Michael dressed and got ready for the party.

We only use reflexives with these verbs for emphasis:

He dressed himself in spite of his injuries.

She’s old enough to wash herself.
 Ergative verbs

1. Ergative verbs are both transitive and intransitive:

 

Peter closed the door   Transitive: N + V + N

The door closed   Intransitive: N + V

I boiled a pan of water   Transitive: N + V + N

The pan boiled   Intransitive: N + V

2. Common ergative verbs are:

 begin

 break

 change

 close

 drop

 crack

 dry

 end

 finish

 grow

 improve

 increase

 move

 open

 shake

 start
 stop

 tear

 turn

I broke the glass.
I dropped the glass and it broke.

The referee blew his whistle and started the match.

The match started at 2.30.

We grew some tasty potatoes.
The potatoes were growing well.

The wind shook the trees.

The trees shook in the wind.

3. Many verbs to do with cooking are ergative verbs:

 bake

 boil

 cook

 defrost

 freeze

 melt

 roast

You should roast the meat at 200 degrees centigrade.

The meat was roasting in a hot oven.

I always defrost meat before I cook it.

I am waiting for the meat to defrost.

Melt the chocolate and pour it over the ice cream.

The chocolate was melting in a pan.

4. Verbs to do with vehicles are often ergative:

 back

 crash

 drive

 fly

 reverse

 run
 sail

 start

 stop

I’m learning to fly a plane.

The plane flew at twice the speed of sound.

He crashed his car into a tree.

His car crashed into a tree.
 

5. We use some ergative verbs with only a few nouns:

 catch: dress, coat, clothes, trousers etc.

 fire  : Gun, pistol, rifle, rocket.

 play: guitar, music, piano, violin, CD, DVD etc.

 ring: bell, alarm

She caught her dress on a nail.

Her dress caught on a nail.

He fired a pistol to start the race.

A pistol fired to start the race.

verbs followed by -ing clauses

Common verbs followed by –ing nouns are:

Verbs of liking and disliking:

 detest

 dislike

 enjoy

 hate

 fancy

 like

 love

I love swimming but I hate jogging.

They always enjoyed visiting their friends.
A: Do you fancy going for a walk?
B: I wouldn’t mind
 Phrases with mind:

 wouldn’t mind (= would like)

 don’t mind (= I am willing to)

 would you mind (= will you please…?)

I wouldn’t mind having some fish and chips.

I don’t mind waiting for a few minutes.
Would you mind holding this for me?

Verbs of saying and thinking:

 admit

 consider

  deny

 imagine

 remember

 suggest

Our guide suggested waiting until the storm was over.

Everyone denied seeing the accident.

Other common verbs are:

 avoid

 begin

 finish

 keep

 miss

 practise

 risk

 start

 stop

I haven’t finished writing this letter.

Let’s practise speaking English.

Passive form of -ing

 Many of these verbs are sometimes followed by the passive form of -ing: being + past
participle

I don’t like being interrupted.

Our dog loves being stroked under the chin.

Noun + -ing clause

Some verbs are followed by a noun and an -ing clause:

Verbs to do with the senses:

 see

 watch

 hear

 smell

 listen to

 etc.

We saw everybody running away.
I could hear someone singing.
 

Other common verbs:

 catch

 find

 imagine

 leave

 prevent

 stop

I caught someone trying to break into my house.

We couldn’t prevent them getting away.

erbs followed by that clause

With "that"

We can use clauses with that:

 • after verbs of thinking:

 think

 believe

 expect

 decide

 hope

 know

 understand

 suppose

 guess

 imagine

 feel

 remember

 forget

I hope that you will enjoy your holiday.

She didn’t really think that it would happen.
I knew that I had seen her somewhere before.

• after verbs of saying:

 say

 admit

 argue

 reply

 agree

 claim

 deny

 mention

 answer

 complain

 explain

 promise
 suggest

They admitted that they had made a mistake.

She argued that they should invest more in the business.
The children complained that they had nothing to do.

Note: tell  and some other verbs of saying almost always have an indirect object (see
clauses, sentences and phrases). There are also some fixed expressions with tell such
as tell the truth, tell a lie, tell a story, tell it like it is.

 tell

 convince

 persuade

 inform

 remind

We tried to tell them that they should stop what they were doing.

The police informed everybody that the danger was over.

• as postmodifiers after nouns to do with thinking or saying:

 advice

 belief

 claim

 feeling

 argument

 hope

 promise

 report

 guess

 opinion

 idea

He made a promise that he would do all he could to help.

I had a funny feeling that something was wrong.

• after some nouns to say more about the noun:

 fact

 advantage

 effect
 possibility

 chance

 danger

 evidence

 problem

 difficulty

She pointed out the danger that they might be left behind.

There was a chance that we would succeed

Note: We often use a that  clause to define one of these nouns after the verb be :

 danger

 problem

 chance

 possibility

 fact

The danger is that we will be left behind.

The fact is that it is getting very late.

• after some adjectives which describe feelings to give a reason for our feelings:

 pleased

 sorry

 happy

 unhappy

 sad

 excited

 glad

 disappointed

 afraid

I am sorry that you can’t come.

Everybody was pleased that the danger was past.
It is lucky that you were able to drive us home.

No "that"
  NOTE: We can always use a clause without the word that:

They admitted [that] they had made a mistake.

The police informed everybody [that] the danger was over.
I am sorry [that] you can’t come.
There was chance [that] we would succeed.

verbs followed by to + infinitive

1 Some verbs are followed by the to-infinitive:

I decided to go home as soon as possible.

We all wanted to have more English classes.

Common verbs followed by the to-infinitive are:

Verbs of thinking and feeling:

 choose

 decide

 expect

 forget

 hate

 hope

 intend

 learn

 like

 love

 mean

 plan

 prefer

 remember

 would like

 would love

Verbs of saying:

 agree

 promise
 refuse

Other common verbs are:

 arrange

 attempt

 fail

 help

 manage

 tend

 try

 want

2 Some verbs are followed by a noun and the to-infinitive:

She asked him to send her a text message.

He wanted all his friends to come to his party.

Common verbs with this pattern are:

Verbs of saying:

 advise

 ask

 encourage

 invite

 order

 persuade

 remind

 tell

 warn *

*Note: The verb warn is normally used with not

The police warned everyone  not  to drive too fast.

Verbs of wanting or liking:

 expect

 intend

 would
 prefer

 want

 would like

Other verbs with this pattern are:

 allow

 enable

 force

 get

 teach

3. Passive infinitive

Many of these verbs are sometimes followed by a passive infinitive

(to be + past participle):

I expected to be met when I arrived at the station.

They wanted to be told if anything happened.
I don’t like driving myself. I prefer to be driven.