subject + auxiliary verb + simple verb

Modal auxiliary + subject + main verb

structures
Subject + past tense

BE + subject + able to + main verb

Subject + be (past) +
verb -ing structures
Alan can swim well Be careful with may + “be” and “maybe”.

Subject + had + past

I am able to speak two
participle
languages. We use can when we speak
Modals and phrases of
examples about general ability in the
Narrative tenses are used to talk ability
Subject + had + been + present.
about past events and to tell
uses
verb -ing Narrative tenses stories uses
Brenda is able to run quickly.

You are able to program

Narrative tenses are four We use could when we speak
a computer.
tenses that we often use for about general ability in the
talking about past events. past.
He went to the station.

He had gone to the It is useful to look at these

station. tenses together in the context
of the function narrating
examples
He was going to the
station. SThe formula for the simple future is will + [root form of verb].

The simple future is a verb tense that’s used to talk about things
He had been going to that haven’t happened yet.
the station.
uses

the formula [am/is/are] + going to + [root form verb].

Use the simple future to talk about an action or condition that

will begin and end in the future.
If the temperature is structures Future forms
0°C, it snows.
the simple future negative, the formula is will + not + [root form]. I will give a speech in
the program.

When the temperature

Zero conditional
is 0°C, it snows.
examples
To ask a question in the simple future, the formula is will +
Robert will be going to
When the sun shines in [subject] + [root form].
the varsity.
Spain, the weather is When using the zero conditional, the sentence describes what
usually hot. uses is generally known to be true all the time, for instance,
scientific rules. Tom will have reached the place by now.

examples Zero and first

If the weather is nice, conditional
I’ll go to the park. When using the 1st conditional, the sentence describes
something that can really happen in the future of the current
situation.

1st conditional
If the company wins the contract,
they will give me a bonus.

structures
If the company doesn’t make a Zero conditional [If + present] + [present]
profit, they won’t give me a bonus.

1st conditional [If + present] + [will]