Course 1 Higher Institute of Computer Science of Kef

Grammar

Tenses:

In English, there are 12 basic tenses.

The Present tense: Present Simple – Present Continuous – Present Perfect – Present Perfect Continuous.

The Past tense: Past Simple – Past Continuous – Past Perfect – Past Perfect Continuous.

The Future tense: Future Simple – Future Continuous – Future Perfect – Future Perfect Continuous.

I. The Present Tense:

1. Present Simple:

The Present Simple tense is the most basic tense in English and uses the base form of the verb (except for the
verb be). The only change from the base is the addition of s for third person singular (he/she/it).
There are two basic structures for the Present Simple:
 Positive Sentences: Subject + main verb
Example: I study Computer Science/ I develop software/ I study at the Higher Institute of C.S
 Negative and question sentences: Subject + auxiliary do + main verb
Example: I do not speak Spanish/ He does not like programming/ Do you study Software
Engineering?

Emphatic do: Normally, for positive sentences, we do not use the auxiliary verb do. However, if we want to
emphasize (stress) something, we may use it. For example, instead of saying “I appreciate your support”, we
could say “I do appreciate your support”.

When do we use the Present Simple tense?

We use the Present Simple to talk about:
 General time (action verbs)
 Situations now (stative verbs)
 General time and situation now (verb be)

Present Simple for general time:

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Course 1 Higher Institute of Computer Science of Kef

- We use the Present Simple to talk about repeated actions or habits

- The action is general
- The statement is always true
Examples:
 Software Engineering is a branch of Computer Science.
 Software Engineering deals with the design, development, testing, and maintenance of
software applications.
 Software Engineering focuses on discovering, creating, and designing a practical solution to a
program with a system.
Present Simple for Now Situations:
- We use the present simple to talk about situations which are permanent (continuing for a long time).
- To describe state, we always use Stative Verbs such as: like, sound, seem, belong to, need, know,
understand, believe, think, feel, prefer, see, look…
Examples:
 The Master of Science in Information Systems sounds interesting.
 The Bachelor of Science in Multimedia Computing seems promising.
 I need some help with my homework.
General time and situation now (verb be):
- The verb be is always special. It is a stative verb, and we use it in the Present Simple tense to talk
about now situations and general situations.
Examples:
 I am smart and confident.
 The professor is in the classroom.
 We are lost.

Note: Spelling rules for third person singular forms in Present Simple Tense

-Add “s” to infinitive verbs finishing with a vowel+ ”y”: stays/ plays/ says.
-Verbs ending with Consonant+ “y”: change “y” to “ies”: cries/ flies/ tries.
-Verbs ending in sibilant sounds s, z, ch, sh, -x: add “es” to infinitive: pushes/ catches/ fixes.
-Add “es” to verbs ending with “o”: goes/ does/ echoes.

2. Present Continuous:
We use the Present Continuous to talk about something which is in progress at the moment of speaking.
Form: Subject + be (conjugated in simple present: am, are, is) + main verb (present participle: ing)

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Course 1 Higher Institute of Computer Science of Kef

Examples:
- I am speaking to you.
- You are learning English grammar.
- She is studying Computer Science.
- Is he looking for a job?

When do we use the Present Continuous Tense?

i. For actions happening exactly now (at the moment of speaking)
I am teaching English grammar.
I am writing on the board.
ii. For actions happening around now
The action may not be happening exactly now, but it is happening just before and just after now, and it is not
permanent or habitual.
She is learning to drive.
Computers are becoming more and more important in our lives.
I am writing an article on Artificial Intelligence.
You are working on your Master’s degree dissertation.
iii. Present Continuous for the future
We can also use the Present Continuous tense to talk about the future- if we add a future word- We must
add (or understand from the context) a future word such as: tomorrow, next year, in June, at Christmas etc.
We only use the Present Continuous tense to talk about the future when we have planned to do something
before we speak. We have already made a decision and a plan before speaking.
- I am defending my thesis next week.
- We are eating at Joe’s Café tonight. We have already booked a table.

Note: if the base verb ends in Consonant + stressed vowel + consonant, double the last letter: stop-
stopping/ run- running/ begin- beginning.
If the base verb ends in ie, change the ie to y: lie- lying/ die- dying.
If the base verb ends in vowel + consonant = e, omit the e: come- coming/ mistake- mistaking

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