Verbs and Tenses

Course: Bahasa Inggris Matematika

By Radhiatul Husna
 Verbs and Tenses

Auxiliary Verbs

Linking Verbs

Modal Verbs

Kinds of Tenses
 Auxiliary Verbs

Auxiliary Verbs: also known as helping verbs
• do – does – did
• is – am – are – was – were
• have – has - had

Used to:
• assist the main verb
• make sentences negative
• ask questions

Cannot be used without a main verb

Cannot be used with modal verbs
 Linking Verbs

Other verbs like be that may be followed by an adjective are called linking
verbs.

The adjective following a linking verb describes the subject of a sentence.

Linking Verbs: feel, look, smell, sound, taste, appear, seem, become (and
get, turn, grow when they mean “become”).

Examples:
• The room got quiet when the professor entered.
• The sky grew dark as the storm approached.
• This math problem looks difficult for me.
 Modal Verbs
Modals
Auxiliary Uses Present/Future Past
may polite request May I borrow your note book?
formal permission You may leave the class.
less than 50% certainty Where’s Ana? She may be at the She may have been at the
library. library.
might less than 50% certainty Where’s Ana? She might be at the She might have been at the
library. library.
polite request (rare) Might I borrow your note book?
should advisability I should study tonight for the I should have studied last
exam. night.
90% certainty He should do well on the test. He should have done well on
(future only, not present) the test.
 Modal Verbs
Modals
Auxiliary Uses Present/Future Past
ought to advisability I ought to study tonight I ought to have studied
last night,
90% certainty He ought to do well on the test. He ought to have done
(future only, not present) well on the test.
had better advisability with You had better be on time, or we
threat of bad result will leave without you.
be supposed to expectation Class is supposed to begin at 10. Class was supposed to
begin at 10.
 Modal Verbs
Modals
Auxiliary Uses Present/Future Past
be to strong expectation You are to be here at 9:00. You were to be here at 9:00.
must strong necessity I must go to class today. I had to go to class
yesterday.
prohibition (negative) You must not close that
window.
95% certainty Ami isn’t in class. She must be Ami must have been sick
sick. (present only) yesterday.
Have to necessity I have to go to class today. I had to go to class today.
lack of necessity (negative) I don’t have to go to class today. I didn’t have to go to class
yesterday.
 Modal Verbs
Modals
Auxiliary Uses Present/Future Past
have got to necessity I have got to go to class today. I had got to go to class yesterday.
will 100% certainty He will be here at 6:00. (future only)
willingness The phone’s ringing. I‘ll get it.
polite request Will you please pass the sugar?
be going to 100% certainty He is going to be here at 6:00. (future
only)
definite plan I’m going to clean my room. (future I was going to clean my room, but
only) I didn’t have time.
 Modal Verbs
Modals
Auxiliary Uses Present/Future Past
can ability/possibility I can run fast. I could run fast when I was a
child, but now I can’t.
informal permission You can use my laptop tomorrow.
informal polite request Can I borrow your note book?
impossibility (negative only) That can’t be true! That can’t have been true!

could past ability I could run fast when I was a

polite request
suggestion
less than 50% certainty
Impossibility (negative only)
Could I borrow your note book?
I need help in math. You could talk to
your teacher.
Where’s Ana? He could be at home.
That could’t be true!
child.
You could have talked to your
teacher.
He could have been at home.
That could’t have been true!
 Modal Verbs
Modals
Auxiliary Uses Present/Future Past
be able to ability I am able to help you. I was able to help you.
I will be able to help you.
would polite request Would you please pass the sugar?
Would you mind if I left early?
preference I would rather go to the park than I would rather have gone to the
stay at home. park.
Repeated action When I was a child, I would visit
in the past my grandparents every weekend.
 Modal Verbs
Modals
Auxiliary Uses Present/Future Past
used to Repeated action in I used to visit my grandparents every
the past weekend.
shall polite question to Shall I close the door?
make a suggestion
Future with “I” or I shall arrive at nine. I would rather have gone to the park.
“we” as subject (will: more common)

Note: Modal Verbs are also known as modals or modal auxiliaries.

 Kinds of Tenses
Tenses
Time Simple Continuous Perfect Perfect Continuous
Present S + V1 S + is/am/are + Ving S + has/have + V3 S + has/have been + Ving
S + do/does not + V1
Do/Does + S + V1?
Past S + V2 S + was/were + Ving S + had + V3 S + had been + Ving
S + did not + V1
Did + S + V1?
Future S + will/shall + V1 S + will/shall be + Ving S + will have + V3 S + will have been + Ving
S + wiil/shall not + V1
Will/Shall + S + V1?
Past Future S + would/should + V1 S + would/should be + Ving S + would have + V3 S + would have been + Ving
S + would/should not + V1
Would/Should + S + V1?
 Kinds of Tenses
1. Simple Present

Talk about something in general or something which happen repeatedly; e.g.
Water consists of hydrogen and oxygen.
I usually go swimming on Sundays.

Use for a permanent situation; e.g.
My parents live in Padang. They have been there for 30 years.
2. Simple Past

Talk about something which happened in the past; e.g.
We went shopping last night.

Use for a situation in the past; e.g.
He was sick last week.
 Kinds of Tenses
3. Simple Future

Talk about something which will happen in the future at one particular time.
I will finish my study next year.

Use “be going to” for something that has arranged to do or intends to do.
He is going to play tennis on Saturday.

Use “will” for something that we decide to do at the time of speaking.

“will” is also used for offering to do something, promising to do something, asking someone to do
something, and agreeing or refusing to do something.
4. Present Continuous (Present Progressive)

Talk about something which is happening at or around the time of speaking.
I am studying now. Please don’t make so much noise.

Talk about a period around the present; e.g. He isn’t playing football this season.

Talk about changing situations; e.g. The population of the world is rising very fast.

Use for a temporary situation; e.g. I’m living with some friends until I can find a flat.
 Kinds of Tenses
5. Past Continuous (Past Progressive)

Talk about someone who was in the middle of doing something at a
certain time; e.g.
This time last year I was living in Bandung.

Use the past continuous and the simple past together to say that
something happened in the middle of something else; e.g.
It was raining when I got up.
6. Future Continuous (Future Progressive)

Talk about something which will happen before something else
happens and it will be in the progress at a particular time in the future.
She will be cooking when we arrive.
 Kinds of Tenses
7. Present Perfect

Talk about a period of time that continues up to the present; e.g.
I have already seen that movie.

Express the repetition of an activity before now; e.g.
I have flown on an airplane many times.

Express a situation that began in the past and continues to the present; e.g.
We have been here for two weeks.
8. Past Perfect

Talk about something that had already happened before this time; e.g.
My parents had already eaten by the time I got home.

Express an activity that was completed before another activity or time in the past; e.g.
When I arrived at the party, he had already gone home.
 Kinds of Tenses
9. Future Perfect

Express an activity that will be completed before another time or event in the
future.
I will finish my homework by the time I go out on a date tonight.
10. Present Perfect Continuous (Present Perfect Progressive)

Indicate the duration of an activity that began in the past and continues to the
present.
I have been studying for two hours.

Used without any specific time expressing a general activity in progress
recently.
I have been thinking changing my major.
 Kinds of Tenses
11. Past Perfect Continuous (Present Perfect Progressive)

Emphasize the duration of an activity that was in progress before another
activity or time in the past; e.g.
I have been studying for two hours before my friend came.

Express an activity in progress recent to another activity or time in the past;
e.g.
Her eyes were red because she had been crying.
12. Future Perfect Continuous (Present Perfect Progressive)

Emphasize the duration of an activity that will be in progress before another
activity or time in the future; e.g.
He will be sleeping when we arrive.
 Exercise 1
Use one of the modal verbs in brackets to fill each gap.
1. They (can/might)________________ be away for the weekend but I'm not sure.
2. You (may/might)________________ leave now if you wish.
3. (Could/May)________________ you open the window a bit, please?
4. He (can/could)________________ be from Sheffield, judging by his accent.
5. (May/Can)________________ you swim?
6. Listen, please. You (may not/might not)________________ speak during this exam.
7. They (can't/may not)________________ still be out!
8. You (couldn't/might not)________________ smoke on the bus.
9. With luck, tomorrow (can/could)________________ be a cooler day.
10. You (can/might)________________ be right but I'm going back to check the times.
 Exercise 2
Identify the error of the underline words in the following sentences!
1. Representative democracy seemed (A) evolve (B) simultaneously (C) during the
eighteenth and nineteenth centuries in Britain, Europe, and (D) the United
States.
2. When Columbus (A) seen the New World, he (B) thought that he (C) had reached
the East Indian (D) by way of a Western route.
3. Many birds will, in the normal course of (A) their migrations, (B) flying (C) more
than three thousand miles (D) to reach their winter house.
4. In (A) today’s competitive markets, even small businesses had better (B) to
advertise (C) on TV and radio in order (D) to gain a share of the market.
5. People who have very (A) little technical background have (B) learn (C) to
understand (D) computer language.