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English
PRESENT TENSE
Present tense shows the current action that is going to be performed. It has four types which are briefly
described here.
Examples:
1. I take exercise daily.
2. She reads a book in the library.
2. Present Continuous Tense
Structure:
Subject + is/am/are + Verb(+ing)
Example:
1. He is playing football.
2. I am studying in a high school.
3. Present Perfect Tense
Structure:
Subject + Has/have + Verb (v3)
Example:
1. He has made this colorful chart.
2. I have completed my assignment.
4. Present Perfect Continuous Tense
Structure:
Subject + Has/have + been + Verb(+ing)
Example:
1. I have been completing my assignment for the last three days.
2. She has been working in this department since 2017.
PAST TENSE
Past tense expresses the actions that happened in the past. It has also four types.
Example:
1. He completed the assignment.
2. I read the newspaper.
6. Past Continuous Tense
Structure:
Subject + was/were + Verb(+ing)
Example:
1. He was reading the book.
2. I was going to the park for a morning walk.
7. Past Perfect Tense
Structure:
Subject + had + Verb (v3)
Example:
1. I had finished my homework.
2. He had completed his task.
8. Past Perfect Continuous Tense
Structure:
Subject + had + been + Verb(+ing)
Example:
1. He had been completing his assignment for the last two hours.
2. I had been playing football since morning.
FUTURE TENSE
Future tense expresses the actions that have not happened yet OR “the actions that will likely to happen
in future”. Its four types are described here.
Example:
1. I shall go to the park for a walk.
2. She will perform his duty.
10. Future Continuous Tense
Structure:
Subject + will be/shall be + verb(+ing)
Example:
1. He will be playing football.
2. We shall be eating the meal.
11. Future Perfect Tense
Structure:
Subject + will have + verb(v3)
Example:
1. He will have played football.
2. I will have completed my assignment.
12. Future Perfect Continuous Tense
Structure:
Subject + will have been + verb(+ing)
Example:
He will have been watching the football match for over fifty minutes.
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DURING, WHILE & FOR
How to use during
during is a preposition which is used before a noun (during + noun) to say when something happens.
It does not tell us how long it happened. Unlike "while" it’s a preposition that should be followed by
either a noun or a pronoun. For example:
When is used to talk about two things that are happening at the same time. The length of time is not
important. Remember that while is used with a subject and a verb (while + subject + verb). Like "during",
it indicates a parallelism between two events happening at the same time. However, it is a conjunction;
so, it should be followed by a clause (a subject and a verb). For example:
For is a preposition which is used with a period to say how long something goes on:
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THE FOUR CONDITIONALS
Each conditional sentence has an 'if clause' and a 'main clause'. With all conditional sentences, the
order of the clauses is not fixed. You may have to rearrange the pronouns and adjust punctuation when
you change the order of the clauses, but the meaning is identical.
If I practice, I will get better.
I will get better if I practise.
THE ZERO CONDITIONAL
A zero conditional sentence consists of two present simple verbs. One is in the ‘if clause’, and one is
in the ‘main clause’. Both parts of the sentence are in the simple present tense.
Zero Conditional: time = now/always, situation = general truths
If + present simple, ...present simple.
If this thing happens, that thing happens.
We use the zero conditional when, in general, there is a guaranteed result, like scientific facts. The
most important thing to note is that zero conditionals are about conditions which are generally true,
NOT about conditions on specific occasions.
Zero conditionals have the following characteristics:
You can usually replace the ‘if’ with ‘when’ or ‘whenever’ without changing the meaning.
When I am happy, I smile.
When we use the word 'you' in zero conditionals, it often refers to people in general, not somebody in
particular.
If you don’t eat enough, you lose weight.
Examples:
If I am sad, I eat chocolate.
People die if they don’t drink enough water.
If dogs get angry, they growl.
If you melt ice, it becomes a liquid.
If British people are bored, they talk about the weather.
It is also often used to give instructions, with the imperative in the main clause.
If she rings the doorbell, tell her to go away!
Text me if you get lost!
THE FIRST CONDITIONAL
The first conditional has the present simple after 'if', then the future simple in the other clause\
1st Conditional: time = present or future, situation = real/specific
If + present simple, ...will + infinitive.
If this thing happens, that thing will happen.
We use the first conditional to talk about things which might happen in the future. We can’t know for
sure what will happen in the future, but we can use the first conditional to talk about possible things that
could easily come true. We use the first conditional to make statements about the real world, and about
particular situations. With the zero conditional we spoke in general.
Examples:
If we don't leave now, we will miss the train.
If you study hard, you will pass the exam.
If I see my boss, I will ask her.
If it gets colder, we will light a fire.
I'll finish my painting if I have time.
If he were younger, I would ask him out.
If I were you, I would stop poking the cat.
If I was taller, I wouldn't wear high heels.
You can also use modals in the ‘main clause’ instead of ‘will’ to express the degree of certainty or
permission, or a recommendation.
If we don't leave now, we might miss the train.
If you study hard, you could pass the exam.
If I see my boss, I shall ask her.
If it gets colder, we should light a fire.
I will be able to finish my painting if I have time.
THE SECOND CONDITIONAL
The second conditional uses the past simple after if, then 'would' and the infinitive, or ‘would’ and the
present continuous.
2nd Conditional: time = now or future, situation = unreal
If + past simple, ...would + infinitive OR present continuous
If this thing happened, that thing would happen.
If this thing happened, that thing would be happening.
We can use it to talk about things in the future that are probably not going to be true. We often use it to
talk about fantasies.
If I won the lottery, I would buy a house in Barbados.
If he had more money, he would buy a boat.
We can also use it to talk about something in the present which is impossible. It is very common to say
‘If I were’ instead of ‘if I was’.
In type 2 conditional sentences, the continuous form of the present conditional may be used to talk
about something that is impossible.
If I spoke French, I would be living in Paris.
If I had an exam tomorrow, I'd be revising now.
THE THIRD CONDITIONAL
We use the third conditional to talk about the past. It's used to describe a situation that didn't happen,
and to imagine the result of this imaginary situation.
3rd Conditional: time = in the past, situation = contrary to reality
If + past perfect, ...would + have + past participle
If this thing had happened, that thing would have happened.
Examples:
If I had studied harder, I would have passed passed the exam.
If we had left earlier, we wouldn't have arrived late.
You wouldn't be so tired if you had gone to bed earlier.
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DRINK & TAKE
I have seen my people use 'drink' for water, beverages, buttermilk, milk, juices etc, and 'take' for hot
things that are usually made on stove...
e.g:
And:
The reason that they give is that as coffee or tea cannot be drunk as water or other beverages - because
we take coffee/tea with sips, so that's why we use 'take' with hot things...
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UNLES & UNTILL
Unless and until are subordinating conjunctions, which have conditional connotations, so they are quite
easily misconstrued. Unless refers to a conjunction that implies an exception, to the given statement.
On the other hand, until is both a preposition and a conjunction at the same time that expresses
continuance of an action up to a specified time. Now let’s take a look at these examples, to understand
their differences:
• You will not get the first prize unless and until you try hard to win the race.
• The parcel will not be handed over to the recipient unless and until the recipient signs the
acknowledgement.
Here, in the given example, unless denotes a precondition, whereas until means till the time. Have
a look at the article to understand the difference between them clearly.
Definition of Unless
The simple meaning of unless is except if, which implies a precondition that is required to be satisfied.
It is a conjunction which is used to add conditional clauses in a sentence. Now let’s understand where
to use unless in our sentences:
Definition of Until
The word until means, up to the particular time or event. It is used in sentences to denote how long the
situation continues. Now let’s discuss where can we use ‘until’ in our sentences:
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MAY AND MIGHT
“Might” vs. “May”: Look at the Verb Tense
“Might” and “may” discuss the possibility of something happening in a situation. However, how they are
used in a sentence can vary. One clear way to know which one to use is by looking at the tense of the
sentence. “Might” is the past tense of “may.” When deciding which one to use, you can use
the sentence tense to decide on “might” or “may.”
• He might have called me after the game, but they got busy.
• I might have gotten into Harvard, if I had studied harder.
• We might have walked to the park, but it was raining.
• The boy might not have gotten caught stealing but there were cameras.
• She might not have fallen, but they forgot to salt the sidewalk.
Since all these sentences are in past perfect tense, “might” was the choice to make. Notice how they
all had the word “have” as well, as in “might have”? That’s a good indication of the past perfect tense.
Now, you can see how “may” is used with present tense:
The clear winner is easy when it comes to tense. Now, you can look at gauging probability with “may”
and “might.” This choice isn’t as clear, but there is a simple way to remember which to choose.
Do you know how probable it is that you are going to go to that football game? What is the probability
of you scoring an “A” on your test? Determining whether something is very likely or remotely likely is
the difference between choosing “may” or “might” for your sentence.
Sound confusing? Examples can work to really clear this up for you.
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Use of “May” in a Sentence
When you use “may,” it means something is probably going to happen. So, you will probably go
somewhere or probably get something. It has a high likelihood of happening, like:
• We may go to the park after dinner.
• You may get a car after graduation.
• I may go on vacation up north.
• The family may go camping.
• Tyler may get a raise at work.
In these examples, the probability of something happening is pretty high. There is still a little question
or doubt about whether or not it will happen, but it is very possible.
When you use “might,” it is less likely to happen. So, to keep it simple, you will probably not go
somewhere or probably not get something. It has a very low likelihood of happening, like:
Here, you can see the probability of something happening is really low. It could happen, but it’s not
likely.
When it comes to asking for permission, “may” and “might” are a couple of your go-to words. They’re
right up there with “can.” These words can be used interchangeably to ask for permission, especially in
less formal situations. However, you’ll notice that “may” sounds more polite.
There is one area that gets a little muddy when it comes to “may” or “might” for permissions. That is
when you use a negative hypothetical situation.
For example, “She may not go to the party.” In this sentence, it sounds like she doesn’t
have permission to go to the party. If you are trying to clarify probability, you will always use “might”
instead: “She might not go to the party.” Compare the two sentences to see the difference.
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YET & STILL
Yet and still are used to talk about things that have (or haven’t) happened over time. Their meanings
and uses are distinct. However, there is a situation in which they are used in a similar way to convey a
similar idea. This is why learners get confused.
Let's look at the uses of these two words separately, and then look at how their uses converge.
YET
The word yet is mainly used to refer to something that a person is waiting for and expecting, but that
hasn’t happened so far. It is most common in negative statements and questions:
• Negative statement: It isn’t raining yet. (=Rain is expected, but it has not started.)
• Negative statement: The research has not been completed yet. (=Research has started, and the
speaker thinks or hopes it will be completed soon, but so far it has not been completed.)
• Question: Have the kids had dinner yet? (=It is expected that the kids will have dinner; the
speaker is asking whether this has happened already or not.)
STILL
The word still is used mainly to refer to something that began in the past and is continuing into the
present. It is most common in affirmative statements and questions:
• Affirmative statement: He still lives far away. (=He used to live far away, and he continues to live
far away now.)
• Affirmative statement: It’s still snowing! (=It was snowing in the past, and it continues to snow
now.)
• Question: Do you still want to come over for dinner? (=Earlier you said you wanted to come over
for dinner. Is that also true now?)
YET and STILL
Both yet and still can be used in negative statements to talk about something that wasn’t true in the
past and continues not to be true in the present. This is where yet and still converge. For example, the
two sentences in each pair below, one with yet and one with still, mean nearly the same thing.
Notice however that yet is usually placed at the end of the sentence1, and still is placed before the verb.
In addition, most English speakers would say that the sentences with still include a sense of impatience
that the sentences with yet do not have.
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SINCE & FOR
One common problem that English learners face is how to use prepositions of time. Two of the most
common prepositions of time are for and since.
English learners often have difficulties with these two prepositions, because their native languages may
use prepositions differently.
Today, you will learn about why you should use for in the first sentence, and since in the second
sentence.
For
In English, we use the preposition for to talk about an amount of time or space. The amount of time
could be seconds, minutes, hours, days, months or even years.
The amount of time does not need to be exact. You could use for when you are talking
about vague periods of time, like "for the weekend", "for ages" or "for a long time".
For can be used when talking about the past, present or future.
Here are three example sentences that use similar vocabulary, but use different verb tenses.
Regardless of the verb tense, the preposition for is still followed by a period of time.
Since
In English, we use since to refer to a point of time. Since can refer to a point after a specific time or
event in the past. Or it can refer to a particular point beginning sometime in the past and continuing
until the present time. The particular point in time could be anything – last Tuesday, 2008 or midnight,
for example.
The important point is that since is used with a particular point in time.
In sentences with since, we usually use perfect tenses. When using since, we normally use present
perfect and past perfect tenses in the main clause of the sentence. You wouldn't use since when you
are talking about the future because, by definition, since refers to specific point in the past.
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Either/Or & Neither/Nor
The main difference between these two pairs of words is that either & or are used when you are faced
with a positive decision about what you will do (“I will do either this or that”), while neither & nor are
used when you are faced with a negative decision and are describing things you won’t do (“I will
do neither this nor that”).
As we mentioned above, there are 4 general ways that these terms are used, and we’ll go through all
of them.
Use 1: Adverb
When these words function as adverbs, then both either and neither act as connecting words.
Use 2: Determiner
In instances where either and neither are used as determiners (giving additional information about the
subject without describing it. Unlike an adjective, they do not tell us about the properties of the object,
but merely indicate whether a known or unknown object is being spoken, all or a part of it, or indicate
its quantity or its absence. Determiners also point to who owns an object or point to the item itself.),
they are placed before the noun.
For example:
• The house has a door at either end. (This refers to parts of the house, perhaps a front and
back entrance.)
• Neither journalist could finish their articles, as there wasn’t enough time.
Use 3: Pronoun
In all instances where either and neither are used as pronouns, the sentence structure will be as
follows:
When they act as pronouns, either means “one or the other,” while neither means “not one or the other.”
For example:
Often when either and neither are used as conjunctions, they are used together with the
words or and nor.
For example:
Neither/nor – when they are used together, they negate both parts of the statement.
For example:
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WHAT TO SPEAK OF ?
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