Aula 6

Verb phrases – structure

A complex verb frase will assume at least one of the following structures

1 – Auxiliary or modal verb + lexical verb

He does know the answer
I may call you tomorrow

2 – Perfect aspect [auxiliary have + -ed participle of lexical verb]

The president has finished his speech

3 – Progressive aspect [auxiliary be + -ing participle of lexical verb]

The president was speaking for hours

4 – Passive voice [auxiliary be + -ed participle of lexical verbs]

The president’s speech was interrupted

Modal + progressive/continuous – He might be visiting Russia soon [1-3-5]

Modal + perfect – He might have finished his speech [1-2-5]
Perfect + progressive/continuous – They might have been scheming to rig the
elections [2-3-5]
Progressive + passive – We are being misled by the news [3-4-5]
Perfect + passive – He has been asked to intervene in the crisis [2-4-5]
Modal + perfect + progressive – He must have been waiting for hours [1-2-3-5]
Modal + perfect + passive – He could have been unmasked [1-2-4-5]

Indication of person, number & tense in English

Not all verb forms are tensed. The -ed participle and the -ing participle are used to form
verb phrases that are not tensed, and so is the to-infinitive

- Having heard the news, he could not help shrugging

- Her reaction, caused by her loss, was criticized
- To solve the matter, they will need to talk

Past Simple
Most verbs add -ED to the base form
Base forms ending in a single stressed vowel and a consonant (except W, X or Y)
double the consonant
Irregular forms have different patterns
The negative form takes DID NOT + XXX

Present perfect vs past simple

Present perfect
- Unfinished state
- Unfinished time
- Present relevance
- Indefinite time
Past simple
- Finished state/action
- Finished time
- No present relevance
- Definite time

Present perfect – The US has been the hegemonic power for some decades [it was and
still is]
Brazil has won the World Cup 5 times [it might win more]
Past simple – The US was the hegemonic power for some decades [it was and no
longer is]
Brazil won the World Cup 5 times [it will probably not win more]

Past continuous
1) To describe an action in progress at a point of the future in the past (that is, the action
before this point in time and continued after it)
Was/Were + present participle (-ING) of the main verb
Ex: at that time, no one was thinking of establishing a new international organization
Ex: China was developing its BRI project

2) To contrast an ongoing action with a single event that interrupts it

Ex: Leaders were still deciding what to do when Germany invaded Poland

3) To describe past arrangements (but the arranged event may or not happen)
Ex: She was meeting her boss for lunch, so she finished her tasks earlier

Past perfect
HAD + past participle of the main verb (regulares -ED)
1) To describe an action which is completed before a time in the past
Ex: He had been [even more in the past] to Paris ten times before being appointed [in
the past] as ambassador
Ex: Brazil had already engaged in many territorial disputes with Spain by the time
Portugal decided to invest more in security

2) To make a sequence of events clear

Ex: She had just left when I arrived
Past perfect continuous
Temporary or interrupted actions before past events [etc]
HAD BEEN + present participle of the MAIN VERB
1) To describe an ongoing situation or action which continued up to, or stopped just
before, a time in the past
Ex: She had been dancing for three hours before her foot started to hurt [this tense
places emphasis on duration]

HELP/MAKE – pedem INFINITIVO

Future
Future Simple – Will
1) We use future simple with ‘will’ to predict the future. We use it for future facts, for
opinions and for things that are less certain. We use this form when there is no reason to
use another future tense – é um uso residual
Ex: the sun will go down at 6 p.m.
Ex: I think my parents will return at 21 pm

2) We may also use the future simple to make promises/requests, to refuse things and to
offer other things
Ex: I will help you move back home
Ex: Will you tell me how to get there?
Ex: I won’t go

3) Similarly, we use ‘will’ to refer to decisions we make at the moment we’re speaking
Ex: I’ll open the door

4) We may also use ‘will’ to mean ‘want’ or ‘be willing to’

Ex: I hope you will come to the exhibition next week

5) We use the simple future with ‘will’ in the first conditional and in sentences that
express conditional ideas
Ex: If you call me at 9, I’ll talk to you
Ex: Moving back home will give me peace of mind

Shall – In British English – we use to get someone’s opinion, to make offers and to
provide suggestions
Shall we go now?
Where shall I find your address?

Be going to
1) We often use ‘be going to’ to talk about our future intentions and plans when we’ve
made such plans before the moment of speaking
Ex: I’m going to go buy some cake; I’ve noticed you were craving for it

2) The construction ‘be going to’ may also be used to make a prediction about the
future. We will use ‘be going to’ if we can see evidence (uncountable) in the present
Ex: Look at the sea! There’s going to be a tsunami here!

Present continuous tense

We use the present continuous tense for definite future arrangements. We may also use
‘be going to’ interchangeably in most cases
Ex: I’m going to Paris tomorrow
Ex: I’m going to go to Paris tomorrow

Present simple tense

1) We use the present simple tense for a scheduled event in the future, such as the
timetable of transport, a meeting or the start of a class
Ex: my plane leaves at 4:50 in the morning
Ex: The presidents will meet next Tuesday at 2

2) We may also use the present simple tense after certain words, when the sentence has
a future meaning – before/after/as soon as/until/when
Ex: I’ll treat you to cake when we get home

Future continuous – we may use future continuous instead of present continuous or

‘going to’ to emphasize when we are talking about plans arrangements and intentions –
will + verb to be + present participle (ing form)
Ex: I will be moving to Paris next week