Grammar 1

Lecturer: NguyenThi
Thanh Hue MA
 Chapter 1
Present and Past
Grammar
Present
continuous
tense
 Usage
1. Action happening (at this moment, now, at present,...)
● Ex: I am playing soccer now
2. Longer Actions in Progress Now (this second, today,
this month, this year, this century,…)
Ex: The company I work for isn’t doing well this year
3. Complaint (always)
Ex: You’re always going late!
 Usage
4. A change that has started to happen. We often use these
verbs in this way: getting, becoming changing, improving,
starting, beginning, increasing, rising, falling, growing
Ex: Is your English getting better?
At first, I didn’t like my job, but I’m starting to enjoy it now.
(not I start
5. Planed events in the near Future
Ex: I am visiting my parents tomorrow
(+)
Structure
S + am/is/are + V_ing I am reading a book.
We are doing homework.
He is watching TV now.

(-) S + am/is/are + NOT + V_ing I am not sleeping.

You are not talking.
He is not reading.

(?) Am/Is/Are + S + V_ing? A: Are you studying English now?

B: Yes, I am.

A: Is he working?
B: No, he isn’t.
 Time adverbials

●Now, right now, at the

moment, at present, today,
this year, at the progress,…
Grammar
Simple
Present
tense
 Usage
1. Regular habits or daily routine
● Ex: I play soccer everyday
● The school opens every morning at 7 o’clock
2. Truth
The Earth rises in the East
3. Scheduled events in the near Future
Ex: The bus leaves tonight at 6 o’clock
 Usage
4. I promise / I apologise etc.
When you promise to do something, you can say ‘I promise … ’;
when you suggest something, you can say ‘I suggest … ’:
Ex: I promise I won’t be late.
‘What do you suggest I do?’ ‘I suggest that you …’
In the same way we say: I apologise … / I advise … / I insist … / I
agree … / I refuse … etc
(+) S + V1/ V (s/es)
Structure
I go to school by bus
She goes to school by a Lamborghini

(-) S + Don’t/ Doesn’t + V1 I don’t love you

She doesn’t love you either

(?) Do/ Does + S + V1? A: Do you often go out for coffee in your free time?
B: Yes, I do / No, I don’t.

A: Does Hoa work for a foreign company?

B: Yes, she does/ No, she doesn't.

(?) Wh_Q + do/does + S + V1? A: What time do your children often get up?
B: At 6:00
 Frequency adverbs
Always I always go to school on time
Often = frequently I often do the housework

Usually I usually play badminton in the

afternoon
Sometimes = Occasionally She sometimes smiles at me
Seldom = Rarely He seldom gives me gifts
Hardly / Never I never lie to you
 COMPARISON Present
Simple Present
tense Continuous tense
Usage Usage

Structure Structure

Frequency Adverbials Time Adverbials

Start
 Simple Present tense and
Present Continuous tense
We use the simple for permanent We use the continuous for
situations temporary situations
(things that continue for a long (things that continue for a short
time): time):
My parents live in London. They I’m living with some friends until I
have lived there all their lives. find a place of my own.
Joe isn’t lazy. He works hard most A: You’re working hard today.
of the time B: Yes, I have a lot to do
.
 Simple Present tense and
Present Continuous tense
Always
Often = frequently
Usually Now, right now,
Sometimes = Occasionally
Seldom = Rarely at the moment, at
Hardly present, today,
Never
Every year = annual year /
this year, at the
one a day/ twice a progress,…
week/ three times a
year/ on Sundays…
 Pay attention!
Simple Present tense and Present
Continuous tense
Note 1: Do not use these verbs in the present continuous
tense

● Like, want, need, prefer,

● Know, realise, understand, recognize,
● Believe, suppose, remember, mean,
● Belong, fit, contain, consist, seem
 Note 2: always

I’m always doing

I always do something something = I do it
= I do it every time too often or more
often than normal.
 Note 3: think
When “think” means When “think” means
‘believe’ or ‘have an ‘consider’, the
opinion’, we do not use continuous is possible:
the continuous: I’m thinking about what
I think Mary is Canadian, happened. I often think
but I’m not sure. about it.
What do you think of my Nicky is thinking of giving
idea? (= what is your up her job. (= she is
opinion?) considering it
 Note 4: see hear smell taste look
feel
● We normally use the present simple (not continuous)
with see/hear/smell/taste:
● Do you see that man over there? (not are you seeing)
● The room smells. Let’s open a window.
● This soup doesn’t taste very good.
● You can use the present simple or continuous to say how
somebody looks or feels now:
● You look well today. or You’re looking well today.
● How do you feel now? or How are you feeling now?
● but
● I usually feel tired in the morning. (not I’m usually
feeling)
 Note 5: am/is/are being
● You can say he’s being … , you’re being … etc.
- to say how somebody is behaving now:
- To say how a person is behaving (= doing something they can control)
now.

● I can’t understand why he’s being so selfish. He isn’t usually like that.
● (being selfish = behaving selfishly now)
Compare:
● He never thinks about other people. He’s very selfish.
● (= he is selfish generally, not only now)
● It is not usually possible in other situations:
● Sam is ill. (not is being ill)
● Are you tired? (not are you being tired
Grammar

Past Simple
tense
 Usage
1. something that happened once in the past:
Ex: We went to Spain for our holidays
2. something that happened several times in the
past:
We swam a lot while we were on holiday
3. something that was true for some time in the
past:
Ex: He enjoyed being a student
Structure

Past Simple
tense
 regular and irregular
Verb “To be”
verbs
S + V2 + …
I/he/she/it + was + …
POSITIVE (+)
We/you/they + were + … - We visited Australia last
- I was at my uncle’s house yesterday summer
afternoon
- They were in Hanoi last month

S + did not ( didn’t) + V1 + …

I/he/she/it + was not (wasn’t) + …
NEGATIVE (-)
We/you/they + were not (weren’t) + … - She didn’t show me how to
- He wasn’t at home last Monday open the computer
- We weren’t happy because our team lost

Did + S + V1 + …?
was + he/she/it + …?
 Time adverbials
●Yesterday, ago, last (week,
year, month), in the past, the
day before, in the last
century, in (2002/June –
tháng cũ),…
Grammar
Past
Continuous
tense
 Usage
1. for something which happened before and after
another action:
Ex: The children were doing their homework when I
got home
2. for something that happened before and after a
specific time:
It was eight o'clock. I was writing a letter
 Usage
3. for actions that happened at the same time in
the past
Ex: The light went out when we were watching TV

4. for something that happened again and again

Ex: I was practising every day, three times a day
Structure
Past
Continuous
tense
 S + was/were + V-ing Ex:
POSITIVE (+)
- We were just talking about it
Note:
before you arrived
I/He/She/It/Danh từ số ít – Was

We/You/They/Danh từ số nhiều – Were

S + was/were + not + V-ing Ex:

NEGATIVE (-)
Note:
- He wasn’t working when his boss

Was not = wasn’t came yesterday

Were not = weren’t

A: Was / Were + S + V-ing? Ex:

QUESTION (?)
A: Was your mother going to the
B: Yes, S + was/were.
 Time adverbials

●At this time last month/year,

while, At 8p.m last night,…
 COMPARISON
Past Continuous
Past Present
tense tense
Usage Usage

Structure Structure

Start
 Past Simple tense and Past
Continuous tense

Regular past simple verbs have “-

ed” at the end (e.g. called, played,
We make the past continuous with
arrived). Irregular verbs have a
was or were and the “-ing” form of
different form, usually with a
the verb.
different vowel sound (e.g. wake →
woke, break → broke, feel → felt).
 Past Simple tense and Past
Continuous tense

Time: rather indefinite (vague)

Time: definite
Ex:
Ex:
yesterday
at 6 o’clock yesterday morning
last Monday
when Jill came in
on 16th May
 Past simple Past contimuous

‘did’ (is irregular; 2nd column of the ‘was doing’ (I, he, she, it)

irregular verbs) ‘were doing’ (we, you, they)

‘talked’ (is regular; verb + ‘-ed’) All main verbs end with ‘-ing’.

A fixed point in time is not mentioned An action is happening (ongoing) at a

(unless it is an action that took place for certain (fixed) point in time in the past.

a very short time).

If the statement contains a number of In case of more than one action, they

actions, they took place one after the were happening at the same time.
Pay attention!
Past Simple tense and Past
Continuous tense
Note: Do not use these verbs in the past continuous
tense

● Like, want, need, prefer,

● Know, realise, understand, recognize,
● Believe, suppose, remember, mean,
● Belong, fit, contain, consist, seem
Thank you! Any
questions?