PORTFOLIO 1 – GRAMMAR SUMMARY

VERB BE PRESENT TENSE

USE
To use the verb “to be” in present simple tense, pair it with a personal pronoun.

AFFIRMATIVE NEGATIVE QUESTION

Subject + To Be (Am, Is, Are) Subject + To Be (Am, Is, Are) To Be (Am, Is, Are) + Not +
+ Complement + Not + Complement Subject + Complement + ?

You are a teacher. I’m not sick. Is she lucky? / Isn’t she
lucky?

VERB BE PAST TENSE

USE

To talk about things that happened or existed before now.

AFFIRMATIVE NEGATIVE QUESTION

Subject + To Be (Was / Subject + To Be (Was / To be (Was, Were) + Subject

Were) + Complement Were) + Not + Complement + complement + ?
She was happy. She wasn’t happy. Was she happy?

SIMPLE PRESENT TENSE

USE
When an action is happening right now, or when it happens regularly (or
unceasingly, which is why it's sometimes called present indefinite).

AFFIRMATIVE NEGATIVE QUESTION

Subject + verb + complement Subject + Do / Does + Not + Do /Does + Subject + verb +
verb + complement complement + ?

I work all week. I don’t work all week. Do you work all week?

PAST SIMPLE TENSE

USE

To refer to actions that were completed in a time period before the present time.
TO BE
 PORTFOLIO 1 – GRAMMAR SUMMARY

AFFIRMATIVE NEGATIVE QUESTION

Subject + was / were Subject + was not / were not Was / Were + Subject +
+ complement complement + ?

They were friends. They weren’t friends. Were they friends?

VERBS

AFFIRMATIVE NEGATIVE QUESTION

Subject + Verb -ed Subject + did not + verb Did + Subject + verb (in base
(base form) form) + ?

She worked yesterday. She didn’t work yesterday. Did she work yesterday?

PRESENT CONTINUOUS TENSE

USE

To describe when an action happened, or may happen.

AFFIRMATIVE NEGATIVE QUESTION

Subject + To be (Am, Is, Are) Subject + To be (Am, Is, Are) To be (Am, Is, Are) + Subject
+ Verb-ing + ... + Not + Verb-ing + ... + Verb-ing + … + ?
We are starting. We aren’t starting. Are we starting?

PAST CONTINUOUS TENSE

USE
Refers to a continuing action or state that was happening at some point in the past.

AFFIRMATIVE NEGATIVE QUESTION

Subject + To be (Was / Were) Subject + To be (Was / Were To be (Was / Were) + Subject
+ Verb-ing + ... + Not + Verb-ing + ... + Verb-ing + … + ?

She was cooking all morning. She wasn’t cooking all Was she cooking all
morning. morning?

FUTURE WITH WILL

USE

We use will to predict the future, future predictions.

 PORTFOLIO 1 – GRAMMAR SUMMARY

AFFIRMATIVE NEGATIVE QUESTION

will + infinitive won’t + infinitive (question word)+ will +
subject + infinitive

I will buy a car soon. She won’t pass the course. What will you do for New
year eve?

FUTURE WITH BE GOING TO

USE

We use “be going to “ to talk about plans and intentions for the future.
AFFIRMATIVE NEGATIVE QUESTION

Subject+ be+ going Subject+ be (not)+ (question word)+be+ Yes/No Questions and
to+infinitive going to+infinitive subject+ going to+ Short answers
infinitive
I´m going to travel I’m not going to What are they going Are you going to move
to Oxapampa. cook tomorrow. to do for her birthday? to the USA? Yes, I am /
No, I am not.

Is she going to get

married? Yes, she is/
No, she isn’t.

PRESENT PERFECT TENSE

USE
We use the present perfect tense to talk about experiences in someone's life, without saying
when something happened.

AFFIRMATIVE NEGATIVE QUESTION

Subject+ to Subject+to To have + subject + To have
have+past participle have+not+ past past participle not+subject+past
participle participle

We have climbed We haven't read the Have you been to Has´t she visited?
the mountain. book. Mexico?
 PORTFOLIO 1 – GRAMMAR SUMMARY

FIRST CONDITIONAL
USE

-The first conditional is used to express the future consequence of a realistic possibility now or
in the future.

- The if- clause can come at the beginning or the end of a sentence.
FIRST FORM SECOND FORM

If+present simple, will/won’t + verb Will+verb if+present simple

If the sun rises, we will go to the beach. I´ll celebrate if I pass the final exam.

If I pass this exam, I won’t have to do it again I won’t have to do this exam again if I pass it.

SECOND CONDITIONAL

USE
The second conditional is used to express the consequence of an unrealistic action or situation
in the present or future. The situation can be very improbable (1-5% probability) or completely
unrealistic (with a 0% probability)

FIRST FORM SECOND FORM

If + past simple, would/wouldn’t + verb. Would + verb if + past simple.

If I lived in a big city, I would go out more I’d travel more often if I had an airplane.
often.

If I lived in a big city, I wouldn’t need a car.