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SIMPLE TENSES

 
A. Simple present = base form: I work.  OR base form + -s:  He works. She works. It
works. OR base form + -es : I watch / she watches; I study / he studies
1. A general truth.
            The sky is blue.
2. A typical activity.
            I always brush after I eat.
            Bob watches TV every night.
            Sara works 5 days a week.
3. A statement of something existing at the time of speaking.
            I hear the train coming. 
            I smell smoke.
4. A scheduled event or activity.
            My plane leaves at 8:30 tomorrow.
 
B. Simple past = base form + -ed for regular verbs : I worked yesterday. The simple
past for irregular verbs varies : He ate lunch at noon. (irregular verb)
1. An activity begun and completed at a particular time in the past.
            I went to work yesterday morning.
2. Commonly used with “after” and “before” clauses.
            After Bob ate dinner, he drove to CEC.
            The students arrived in class before the teacher.
3. “Used to” = past habits  (used to  + base form)
            I used to ride horses when I was a kid.
 
C. Simple future  = will + base form:  I will work tomorrow.  He will eat dinner later. 
OR am / is / are + (going to + base form):  I am going to work tomorrow.   She is
going to eat dinner at Al’s Restaurant.  We are going to study Unit 1 tonight.
1. A future event or activity.
            Our break will begin at  8:10.
            I will study later.
            I’m going to study later.
2. Use will (not: going to) to volunteer.
            A. Wait a second. I will help you with that sofa. If you try to move it by
yourself, your back will be out for a week.
3. Use going to  (not: will) with a preconceived plan.
            I’m going to mow my lawn tomorrow.
 
D. Present perfect = have + past participle : I have worked.  I have eaten.  OR has
+ past participle: She has worked.  She has eaten.
1. An activity that began  in the past and continues into the present , often
using “since, ” “since...ago,”  or “for”:
            “since” = a particular time:  I have / She has   studied English since
1997.
            “since...ago” = a particular time:  I’ve / She’s   studied English since 5
years ago.
            “for” = a duration of time:     I’ve / She’s   studied English for 5 years.
2. A repeated activity.
            I have / He has   gone to ESL class every day this week.
3. An activity that occurred at an unspecified time in the past.
            A. Have you ever visited New York?    B. No, but I have visited New
Orleans.
4. An activity in a time clause (e.g., when..., while..., after...) that ends before
the main clause activity begins.
            I will go to the  movie after I have studied Unit 1.               

E. Past perfect =  had + past participle : I had worked. She had


eaten.                                        
An activity in the past that ended before another activity in the past.
e.g. They had already gone to Lab by the time I  arrived.
 
F. Future perfect = will have + past participle : I will have worked. She will have
eaten.
An activity in the future that will end before another activity in the future.
            e.g. They will have left Lab by the time I arrive.
 
PROGRESSIVE TENSES
 
A. Present progressive = am  + (base form + -ing) :  I am working.  OR is + (base
form + -ing) : She is eating. OR  are + (base form + -ing) :  We are studying.
1. A planned activity.
            Sofia is starting school at CEC tomorrow
2. An activity that is occurring right now.
            Jan is watching TV right now.
3. An activity that is in progress, although not actually occurring at the time of
speaking.
            Sara is learning English at CEC.
 
B. Past progressive = was  + (base form + -ing) : I was working.  OR were + (base
form + -ing) : They were eating.
1. A past activity in progress while  another activity occurred.
            At 6:00 yesterday I was eating dinner.
            The phone rang while I was eating.
2. Two past activities in progress at the same time.
            While I was answering the phone, my wife was cooking dinner.
 
C. Future progressive = will be + (base form + -ing): I will be working. He will be
eating.
 An activity that will be in progress.
            Tomorrow Sam will be studying for the test on Unit 1.
 
D. Present perfect progressive = have + (base form + -ing): I have been working. 
OR has + (base form + -ing): She has been eating.
 
1. This tense emphasizes the duration of an activity that began in the past and
continues into the present.  It often uses time words or phrases. It may be
used to refer to continuing activity that is recent.
            He has been painting houses all summer.
            I’ve been studying English for 2 years.
2. It may be used to refer to continuing activity that is recent.
            He has been going to school at CEC.
 
E. Past perfect progressive  = had + (base form + -ing) : I had been working. He
had been eating.
 
            When the teacher arrived, I had been waiting almost 10 minutes.
            He was out of breath because he had been running to catch the bus.
 
F. Future perfect progressive = will  have + (base form + -ing): I will have been
working. She will have been eating.
This tense emphasizes the duration of a continuing activity in the future that
ends before another activity or time in the future.
 
            By 2003 Janet will have been studying English at CEC for 3 years.
            By 9:45 tonight I will have been sitting in class for 2 hours and 45
minutes.
ADVERBS
 
1. Adverbs tell how (“eagerly”), when (“lately,” “often”), where (“there,”
“outside”), how much (“very,” “too”), and why (“therefore”).
 
2. Adverbs usually modify verbs, other adverbs, or adjectives.
Bob drives carefully . (“Carefully” modifies the verb “drives.”)
Bob drives very carefully.  (“Very” modifies the adverb “carefully.”)
Bob is quite tall. (“Quite” modifies the adjective “tall.”)
 
3. Adverbs are often “adjective + -ly”: 
patient--patiently
careless--carelessly
expensive--expensively
probable--probably
certain--certainly
happy--happily
honest--honestly
personal--personally
real--really
direct--directly
fair-fairly
serious--seriously
 
4. But not all adverbs end in –ly:
again, ago, all, almost, also, always, any, anyhow, anymore, anyplace,
anytime, anyway, anywhere, better, best, enough, far, farther, fast,
further, furthest, here, how, inside, just, later, maybe, more, most,
much, never, next, now, often, once, outside, quite, rather, slow  (also
slowly), so, some, somehow, sometime, sometimes, somewhat, still,
straight, there, therefore, too, very, well, what, whatever, when,
whence, whenever, where, whereby, wherein, wherever, yet.
 
5. Not all words that end in -ly are automatically adverbs;
“friendly,” “likely,” “lonely,”  and “lovely” are adjectives. 
“Early” can be an adjective OR an adverb.
 
6. “Fast,” “slow,”  “quick,” “early,” and “straight” are examples of other
words that can be adjectives AND adverbs, BUT have the same
meaning:
 
Sara walks fast.  (adverb) = Sara is a fast walker. (adjective). 
The early bus (adjective) = the bus that arrives early (adverb).
 
7. Most adverbs, like adjectives, can be compared using “more” and
“most”: sharply--more sharply--most sharply. One- syllable adverbs are
compared using “-er” and “-est”: straight--straighter--straightest.
 
Some adverbs are irregular: 
well--better--best,  
badly (ill)--worse--worst,  
much--more--most,  
little--less--least,  
far--farther (further)--farthest (furthest).
 
PARTS OF SPEECH                                                                                              
 
1.  NOUN
A noun is the name of a person, place, thing, idea, or quality.
Examples:  John, Mary, boy, girl, children; Pasadena, CEC;  classrooms, notebooks;
freedom, intelligence; hope, anger, joy
 
2.  PRONOUN
A pronoun is usually a substitute for a noun. The noun is called the "antecedent" (but
an indefinite pronoun has no antecedent).
 
Examples:
  a.  Personal pronouns:  I, mine, me; you, yours; he, his, him; she, hers, her; it, its;
we, ours, us; they, theirs, them.
  b.  Interrogative pronouns:  who, whose, whom, which, what
  c.  Relative pronouns (include):  who, who, whose, which, that;  whoever,
whomever, whichever
  d.  Demonstrative pronouns:  this, that, these, those
  e.  Indefinite pronouns (include):  all, another, any, anybody, anyone, anything,
both, each, either, everybody, everyone, everything, many, neither, nobody, no one,
none, one, others, some, somebody, someone, such
  f. Intensive or reflexive pronouns:  myself, yourself, himself, herself, itself,
ourselves, themselves
 
3.  VERB
A verb expresses an action or a condition (a state of being).
Examples:  Robert will eat the hamburger.  (action)           Sara is happy.  (condition
or state of being)
                    Robert won’t eat the hamburger.                  Sara isn’t happy.
                    Will Robert eat the hamburger?                   Is Sara happy?
 
4.  ADVERB     
An adverb describes a verb, adjective, or other adverb. Adverbs usually tell how (for
example: slowly), when (e.g., lately), where (e.g., there), how much (e.g., very), or
why (e.g., therefore).
Example:  He always chews his gum loudly.
 
5.  ADJECTIVE
An adjective describes or limits a noun.
Examples:  tall, young, pretty, light, blue, new, white  (The tall, young, pretty girl is
wearing a light blue dress with her new white shoes.)  (NOT:  ...a light dress
blue with her new shoes white.)
 
Adjectives and adverbs have three degrees of comparison:  positive, comparative,
superlative.  Examples:
Mary has a smart child.  Sara has a smarter child.  Nancy has the smartest child.
Robert is an intelligent student. William is more intelligent than Robert.  Kim is the
most intelligent student.
The red car is expensive.  The white car is less expensive.  The blue car is the least
expensive.
I’m a good painter.   She’s a better painter.   He’s the best painter.
I’m a bad singer.  She’s a worse singer.   He’s the worst singer.
 
6.  PREPOSITION
A preposition usually  shows the relationship between a noun or pronoun and
another part of a sentence.
There are many prepositions, including:  about, above, across, after, against, along,
among, around, as, at, before, behind, below, beneath, between, beyond, beside,
besides, by, down, during, except, from, for, in, inside, into, like, near, next, of, off,
on, out, out of, outside, over, past, round, since, than, through, till, to,  toward,
towards, under, underneath, unless, until, upon, up, with, within, without.
Examples:  My pencil is under my desk by my foot.         Martha
drove from LA to NY.
  
7.  CONJUNCTION
A conjunction connects words, phrases, and clauses.
Coordinate conjunctions connect words, phrases, and clauses of equal value:  and,
or, nor, but (and sometimes for).  e.g., The dog and the cat are hungry.
Correlative conjunctions occur in pairs:  both-and, either-or, neither-nor, not only-but
also.  e.g., Both the fish and the snake are thirsty.
Subordinate conjunctions connect unequal clauses (dependent clauses with
independent clauses). They include:  after, although, as, because, before, if, since,
than, though, unless, until, when, where, while.   e.g.,After they ate, they had
dessert.
 
8.  INTERJECTION
An interjection is a word that expresses feeling or emotion; usually it is followed by
an exclamation mark.
Examples:  Oh!  Ah!  Wow!  Darn!  Gosh!  Golly!  Gee!  Ow!  Ouch!  Yikes!  Holy
moly!  Yippee!  Hooray!  Boo!   Whew!    
 
The Present Continuous Tense

The present continuous tense is most often used for the following:

- For actions happening now


- For future arrangements
- To express annoyance at repeated actions

How to form the present continuous

For actions happening now

When we want to talk about an action that is happening now or at this time (and is
unfinished), we use the present continuous tense. We also use this tense when we
want to make clear that the action is temporary.

 Sorry, she can't come to the phone right now; she is having a bath.
 Look! Someone is trying to break into your car.
 This work is good! Your handwriting is getting better and better.
 I'm wearing these old trousers to school this week, as we're doing a pottery
course and it's very messy work!
 Of course she likes you. You're just being stupid!
 Where's John? - He's playing soccer in the sports hall.
 This calculator isn't working properly. Do you have another one.
 You can go outside now. It isn't raining any more.
 What are you doing? - My watch is broken and I'm trying to fix it.
 Why are you talking? You should be listening to me.

For future arrangements

We usually use the present continuous tense for future events that have already
been arranged:

 I'm meeting my mother at the airport tomorrow.


 Our grandmother is visiting us at Christmas.
 Sorry, I can't stay after school today; I'm playing tennis with Jun-Sik.
 My mother's going to the dentist tomorrow.
 I'm not going home at Christmas, so I can come to your party after all!
 Are you doing anything on Sunday morning?
 Do you know if he is going to the dance with Maiko next week?

To express annoyance at repeated actions

Usually the present simple is used for repeated actions. For example, He always
gets up before 7 o'clock, but .. the present continuous is the correct choice when the
speaker wants to express annoyance at a repeated action. (Note how often the word
"always" is used in such statements):
 You are always interrupting me when I'm talking and I don't like it!
 She's always tapping her pencil on the desk and it's getting on my nerves!
 My ESL teacher's always giving detentions; how can anyone be so mean?
 I'm getting tired of you always coming late to class.
 Why is it always raining in Germany?
 Why are you always criticising me?

This use of the present continuous is not possible as a negative statement.


The Past Continuous Tense

The past continuous tense is most often used for actions happening at some time in
the past.

How to form the past continuous

For actions happening at some time in the past

When we want to talk about an action that was happening over a period of time in
the past, we use the past continuous tense. Look at these examples:

 At this time last week I was lying on the beach in Florida.


 My mother was working in the garden so she didn't hear the telephone when
I called her yesterday.
 I had my car fixed because it wasn't working properly.
 Sorry, I wasn't listening. Can you say it again please?
 What were you doing at 8 o'clock yesterday?
 Why were you talking to John when I saw you in the cafeteria yesterday?
 I went to lunch too early. The food was still being cooked. (passive)

The past continuous is very often used with the past simple to say that something
happened in the middle of something else. In each of the following examples, the
single event (past simple) happens in the middle of a longer action (past continuous).

 You phoned while I was having a bath.


 When I got home yesterday, a cat was sitting on the roof.
 It started to rain just as we were getting ready to have our picnic.
 The boy was standing on the table when the principal came into the room.
 Many people were shopping in the market when the bomb exploded.
 I saw Noriko in town yesterday. She was wearing a pink dress and an orange
hat!
 When I went to bed last night the sun was already beginning to rise.
 It was lucky we weren't sitting under that tree when the lightning hit.
 What were you doing when the lights went off last night?
 Were you watching me when I showed you how to do it?
 How fast was she driving when she had the accident?
The Present Perfect Tense

The present perfect tense is most often used for the following:

- For past events with a connection to the present


- With words of unfinished time

How to form the present perfect  |  Present perfect continuous

For past events with a connection to the present

The present perfect tense is quite complicated to explain. It is used when an action
that happened in the past continues to have a strong connection in the present. The
best way to understand it is to look at some examples. They are followed in each
case by a short explanation:

 I have lost my dictionary. (I don't have my dictionary now; can you help me
find it?)
 Mary has fixed my computer (My computer is working now and I'm happy
about it!)
 You haven't eaten very much. (Don't you feel well? Don't you like it?)
 I haven't read his letter. (I haven't had time yet. What does he say?)
 Have you seen my calculator? (- I want to use it now!)
 Has she had an accident? (- Someone said she's in hospital!)
 Have you done your homework? (- It's due in today!)

With words of unfinished time

The present perfect tense is used with words or expressions of unfinished


time. Unfinished time started in the past and continues into the present. (So you can
see how this use of the present perfect is connected with use 1 above.) Here are
some sentences in the present perfect. The expressions of unfinished time are
shown in bold.

 I've played tennis 3 times already this week and it's only Thursday!


 She's been back to Korea twice already this year, and she's going again next
week!
 Sorry, I've seen that film already. I don't want to see it again.
 I've lived in Germany since 1986.
 She's had a lot of bad luck recently.
 I haven't seen my mother for 2 months.
 No, you can't use the bathroom. You haven't finished the exerciseyet.
 She hasn't called me lately? Do you think she's sick?
 Have you ever seen a ghost?
 Has he lived here all his life?
 Has the postman been yet?
** Be careful: sometimes an expression of unfinished time can be used with the past
simple tense. Look at these examples and explanations:

 I drank three cups of coffee this morning.

The speaker is talking in the evening so for him this morning is finished time.

 I didn't see John today.

The student is talking after school when there is no more possibility of seeing John
on this day. Today becomes an expression of finished time.

 This year was a very good year for me!

This is possible if the speaker is talking very near to the end of the year, and so in
her opinion the year is finished. Therefore she uses the past simple was.
The Past Perfect Tense

The past perfect tense is most often used for the following:

- For actions that happened before a past event


- In reported speech
- In if (conditional) sentences

How to form the past perfect  |  Past perfect continuous

For actions that happened before a past event

When we want to talk about an action that happened before a past event, we often
use the past perfect. Look at these examples:

 When I got home yesterday, my father had already cooked dinner.


 I didn't want to go to the movies with my friends because I had seen the film
already.
 My friend offered me an apple in class yesterday, but I wasn't hungry because
I had just eaten lunch.
 I arrived very late at the party. All my friends had already gonehome.
 As soon as she had done her homework, she went to bed.
 I was very tired as I hadn't slept well for several days.
 Had you seen the film before?

Notice how often words like already, just, never etc. are used with the past perfect.

In reported speech

The past perfect is common when we report people's words or thoughts .., as in the
following examples:

 John said that he had never eaten sushi before.


 She told me that she had finished, but I knew she had not.
 She wondered why he had been so unkind to her.
 He told me he hadn't done his homework, but he was hoping to finish it on
the bus.
 I thought I had sent her a birthday card, but I was wrong.

In if (conditional) sentences

The past perfect tense is used in unreal or hypothetical stituations, as in the following
sentences:

 If I had known you were in Frankfurt, I would have called you. (but I didn't
know you were here so I didn't call you!)
 If I had had enough money, I would have bought you a better present. (but I
didn't have enough money.)
 I would have been very angy if you had laughed when I got the answer
wrong. (but you didn't laugh, so I wasn't angry.)
 She wouldn't have been able to finish, if you hadn't helped her. (but you did
help her and she did finish.)
 I wish I had studied for my exams. (but I didn't study - and I got bad grades!)
 I would have been in big trouble if you hadn't helped me. (but you did help
me so I stayed out of trouble.)
More tenses

Below is a list of some of the less common tenses, followed in each case by
examples. Note that the continuous tenses convey the idea of an event or state
going on for a period of time:

Present perfect continuous

 I have been working in the garden all day, and now I'm extremely tired.
 She has been living in a one-room appartment since she left home.
 How long have you been playing the piano?
 He's been learning German for two years, but he still can't speak it very well.
 We've been painting our house since last Friday, but we're still a long way
from finishing.
 We haven't been living in Germany very long.
 Why are you sweating? Have you been running?

Do a quiz on this grammar topic.

Past perfect continuous

 I had been working in the garden all day, and all I wanted to do was sleep.
 She had been living in a one-room appartment for a year before getting
married.
 How long had you been playing the piano before the accident with your
hand?
 He'd been learning German for two years, but he stopped when he returned
to Japan.
 We'd been painting our house for two weeks, but we were still a long way
from finishing.

Future continuous

 At this time next week I will be sitting in the plane on the way to New York.
 Don't call me after 10 o'clock. I'll be sleeping.
 If you want to see Miho tomorrow, you will have to go to the school. She will
be taking a test all afternoon.
 I won't be working on my car this weekend. My mother-in-law will be here.

Future perfect

 I hope my mother will have finished cooking dinner by the time I get home.


 You can come at 6 o'clock. I will have done my homework by then.
 There's no point calling her at home. She will have left for work already.
 On June 25 2020 they will have been married for 60 years.

Future perfect continuous


 By the time I retire I will have been working here for 45 years!
 If she reaches her 60th birthday, she will have been smoking for half a
century!

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