THE VERB

CONTENTS 2

1. PRESENT TENSES

2. PAST TENSES

3. FUTURE TENSES
 Read the text and match the parts of speech a-l below to each underlined word or phrase. 3
According to 1) the ancient Greek historian Herodotus, 2) in the 7th century BC, the king of Egypt, Psamtik 1,
decided to conduct a 3) scientific experiment. Using his absolute power over his subjects, 4) he took two
newborn babies and handed them to a shepherd, with instructions that they were to be 5) brought up in total
isolasion. Most importantly, no-one was to speak in the babies’ presence. Psamtik wanted to find out what
language the children could speak if left to themselves. He thought that the language they produced would be the
6) oldest in the world - the original language of the human race. After two years, the shepherd heard the two
children 7) repeatedly pronounce the word 'becos'. This was identified as meaning 8) 'bread’ in the language of
the Phrygians, a people then living in central Turkey. From this experiment, Psamtik deduced that the Phrygian
language 9) must be the first ever spoken. Nobody now believes Psamtik's 10) conclusion - a few commentators
suggest that the infants 11)were imitating the sound of the shepherd’s sheep, but no-one since 12) has had any
better success in discovering what man's very first spoken language was like.
a) Present Perfect b) Past Continuous c) uncountable noun d) phrasaI verb e) article
f) preposition g) countable noun h) superlative i) adjective j) adverb k) pronoun
l) modal verb
 4

1.
PRESENT TENSES
PRESENT SIMPLE 5
» 1. situations or states that are always or usually true
e.g. We live in a flat.
» 2. habits and events or actions that happen regularly, often with
adverbs of frequency: always, often, usually, sometimes, never, every
day/month/year/Sunday etc., hardly ever, rarely, seldom,
occasionally, frequently, once a week/year…
e.g. He goes to the gym every week.
» 3. facts that are always true (general truths)
e.g. The sun rises in the east.
 PRESENT SIMPLE 6
» 4. in instructions and directions
e.g. To get to my house, you take the first turning on the left.
» 5. in film reviews and plot summaries
e.g. Sandra Bullock gives a plausible performance in the lead
role.
» 6. in sports commentaries to describe what is happening as the
commentator speaks
e.g. Beckham passes the ball to Cole- and he scores!
PRESENT CONTINUOUS 7

» 1. something that is happening now

e.g. Wait a minute. I’m texting my friend.
» 2. temporary situations
e.g. She’s from Peru, but she is studying in Spain this year.
» 3. with the following time words: now, right now, at the moment,
today, still, currently
e.g. We’re getting ready to go out now.
PRESENT CONTINUOUS 8

» 4. with always to show that something happens often and is

surprising or annoying
I’m always losing my keys!

» 5. for situations/states that are changing

e.g. Our summers are getting hotter.
 COMMON STATE VERBS 9

ATTITUDE SENSE/PERCEPTION BEINNG, POSSESSION

VERBS VERBS be*, have* (=possess),
like, love, hate, hear, see*, smell*, taste* belong, own, consist of,
want, prefer, contain, include
need, wish

MENTAL/THINKING VERBS APPEARANCE/QUALITY OTHER VERBS

believe, think*, know, VERBS come*, depend*, cost,
remember*, understand, agree, appear, look* (= seem), fit, matter, mean,
disagree, doubt, expect*, resemble, seem, sound owe, weigh*
forget*, realise, suppose
 STATE VERBS 10
I think you are right. (= This is my opinion.)
I’m thinking of buying a new car. (= I’m considering it)

He is nice. (= It’s one his character traits.)

He is being nice. (= He is behaving in a nice way at the moment.)

With verbs like feel and look (=seem), we can use either the simple or
continuous form with no change in meaning: I feel/ am feeling ill.
PRESENT PERFECT SIMPLE 11

» 1. to talk about an action that happened in the past and has

a result in the present.

e.g. I have forgotten her name. (I can’t remember it now.)

He hasn’t washed his car. (It is not clean now.)
 PRESENT PERFECT SIMPLE 12
» 2. just, already and yet with the present perfect.
- Just = “a very short time ago”:
e.g. It has just stopped raining.
- Already = “before now” or “before we expected”:
e.g. Tom has already gone to bed. (He went to bed before I expected.)
- Yet = “up to now”. We use yet with negative verbs and in questions:
e.g. The train hasn’t arrived yet.
Have you done your homework yet?!
* Already and just come after have/has. Yet comes at the end of a sentence or
question.
 PRESENT PERFECT SIMPLE 13
3. we often use ever and never to talk about experiences
- Never  statements
e.g. We have never been to New York.
- Ever  questions
e.g. Have you ever been to New York?

!!! Ever and never come between have/has and the past participle.
 PRESENT PERFECT SIMPLE 14

4. with since and for to talk (action or state that started in the past and continues in the
present)
e.g. I have lived here for six years.
We haven’t seen Paul since Friday.
- for + a period of time to say how long something has continued: for an hour, for two days
- since + a point in time to say when something began: since Monday, since 2003, since I
saw her

‼ Difference between have/has gone and have/has been

Mike has been to Rome. (He went to Rome in the past but he’s back now.)
Mike has gone to Rome. (He is in Rome now.)
PRESENT PERFECT SIMPLE 15
5. to refer to a period of time that is still continuing, we use the
present perfect with expressions like today, this week, this year etc.

Compare:
I have seen Beth this morning. (It is still morning.)
I saw Beth this morning. (It’s now the afternoon or evening.)
 PRESENT PERFECT SIMPLE 16
6. with state verbs
e.g. I have known him since 2003.

B.E. vs. Am.E.

British English American English

They have just arrived. They just arrived.
I have already eaten. I already ate.
Have they come yet? Did they come yet?
PRESENT PERFECT CONTINUOUS 17
» 1. focus on a recent action
e.g. You have been cooking. I can smell it.

» 2. incomplete action
e.g. I have been painting the kitchen. I have got one wall to do.

» 3. temporary situation
e.g. I have been living here this summer, but I am leaving next week.
PRESENT PERFECT CONTINUOUS 18
» 4. With work, teach, study and live we can use the present perfect simple or
continuous + for/since with no change in meaning:
e.g. I have worked/have been working here for years.
» 5. To focus on an activity and not on its result or consequence
e.g. What have you been doing? I have been working hard.
» 6. To emphasise how long an activity has been going on
e.g. He has been reading that book for over two weeks.
» 7. ‼ we DON’T use the present perfect continuous with verbs describing an
action that lasts a short time: begin, break, finish, start, stop
e.g. He has started a new job. (Not He has been starting a new job.)
 19

2.
PAST TENSES
PAST SIMPLE 20

» 1. single actions that started and finished in the past, often

with definite time expressions like yesterday, last week, a
year ago
e.g. I finished college a year ago.
» 2. actions that happened regularly in the past, often with
expressions of frequency (often, always, every week etc.) or
duration (for a year, when I was a child)
e.g. I played football every week when I was a child.
PAST SIMPLE 21

» 3. states and situations that were true in the past but are not
true now
e.g. I lived in London when I was young, but now I live in
Liverpool.

» 4. a habit in the past:

e.g. When we were children, we often went to the cinema.
 PAST CONTINUOUS 22

» 1. an action that was in progress at a particular time in the past,

often with time expressions like at one o’clock, last night etc. This
action started before that time and continued after that time.
e.g. At one o’clock yesterday we were having lunch.

» 2. an action or state that continued for a long time, often with

expressions like all day, all morning
e.g. I was working all day yesterday.
 PAST CONTINUOUS 23
» 3. two actions that were in progress at the same time in the past, often
with the word while.

Notice when we use a comma:

John was washing the car while Mary was watching TV.
While Mary was watching TV, John was washing the car.

!!! We use the past simple, not the past continuous, with state verbs.
e.g. I heard a noise outside. (Not I was hearing a noise outside.)
 PAST CONTINUOUS 24
» 4. to describe the background scene in a story
e.g. The sun was shining and I was walking along the High
Street.

» 5. to talk about something we were planning or expected to

happen
e.g. We were planning to move to Canada but decided to stay
here instead.
 PAST PERFECT SIMPLE 25
» 1. to talk about a past action that happened before a particular time in
the past
e.g. By ten o’clock this morning, I had had three cups of coffee.
» 2. to describe an event or action that happened before another past
event or action. The past perfect simple makes it clear that one action or
event was completed before the second one started.
Compare
When I arrived, the train had left. (= The train left before I arrived.)
When I got there, the train left. (=The train left as I was arriving or immediately
after I arrived.)
PAST PERFECT SIMPLE 26
» 3. with before, earlier, by + time reference:
e.g. I had met him before.

» 4. with because:
e.g. He was tired because he hadn’t slept well.

» 5. With just, already, yet, ever and never. Just, already, ever and never
come after had. Yet usually comes at the end of the sentence.
e.g. The kids had already seen the movie.
PAST PERFECT CONTINUOUS 27

» 1. to emphasise how long an event or action lasted:

e.g. It had been raining for three days when the dam
burst.

» 2. to describe an action whose effects, results or

consequences were clear in the past:
e.g. I had been moving house and I was tired and dirty.
PAST TENSES IN NARRATIVES 28

Read this short narrative:

Jack got up early and opened his curtains. The sun was
shining. He went downstairs. A letter was lying on the
floor by the front door. The postman had delivered it
earlier. Jack opened the letter and was delighted to
learn that he had won a car in a competition.
PAST TENSES IN NARRATIVES 29
 past simple  main events, to say what happened next: Jack got up. He went
downstairs. He opened the letter.
 past continuous  background actions that continued while the main
events happened: The sun was shining. A letter was lying on the floor.
 past perfect  refer back to something that happened earlier: The postman
had delivered it earlier. He had won a car in a competition.

!!! When we have used the past perfect once to refer to an earlier time, we then
use the past simple to talk about what happened next: The postman had delivered
it earlier. Jack opened the letter and…
 30

3.
FUTURE TENSES
 FUTURE SIMPLE 31
» 1. a “neutral” future event, a general prediction about the future, without
any colouring, volition, or promise
e.g. I shall go on an interesting trip next week.
» 2. a future action in the main clause of conditional sentences
e.g. I shall read a book if she gives it to me.
We often use I think, I’m sure, probably, definitely, etc. to show how certain we feel:
e.g. I think he’ll do well in his exams.
» 3. for offers and promises
e.g. Don’t worry, I’ll pay you back.
»
“BE GOING TO” FUTURE 32
1. intention in the future (fulfilment of present intention):
e.g. What is Jane going to tell us?

» 2. prediction- when we know that something will take place in the future:
e.g. My sister is going to graduate from university next May.

» 3. when something is about to happen:

e.g. It is going to rain in a few minutes. There are a lot of clouds in the sky.

» 4. planned actions:
e.g.My uncle is going to buy a boat next year.
 “BE GOING TO” FUTURE 33
!!! There is a difference between the intention expressed by will and the one expressed by be
going to. This is because the going to-construction expresses not only intention, but also
premeditation. Therefore to be going to is not used where premeditation is not employed:
Example:
A: John cannot do this exercise.
B: I will help him. (Not I am going to help him.)

!!! Compare:
Student numbers are going to fall over the next five years. (The speaker is thinking of present
trends and has evidence for the statement.)
Student numbers will fall over the next five years. (This is the speaker’s opinion or belief.)
 FUTURE CONTINUOUS 34
» 1. to express a future activity or state that will begin before and will continue
after a certain moment in the future:
e.g. This time tomorrow we shall be watching our favourite movie.

» 2. to indicate that an activity or state will extend over a whole future period:
e.g. Lucy will be doing her homework all day.

» 3. to express future events that are planned:

e.g. We shall be spending our next holiday in the mountains.
FUTURE PERFECT SIMPLE 35
» 1. an action which will be finished before another action in the future. In this
case it is usually associated with the preposition by in such constructions as by
Monday/ by that time/ by the end of …etc.
e.g. It is nine o’clock. I’m sure my sister will have written her composition
by eleven o’clock.

» 2. possibility or assumption:
e.g. If Jack has taken a taxi, he will have arrived at the railway station in
time. (I assume that he has arrived.)
FUTURE PERFECT SIMPLE 36
» 3. the duration up to a certain time in the future:
e.g. Tomorrow we shall/will have been on holiday for one month.

!!! Future Perfect is NOT used in time clauses, in which case the Present
Perfect is used:
e.g. You will be able to translate such a difficult text only
when/after you have learnt all the new words. (not will have learnt).
FUTURE PERFECT CONTINUOUS 37
» 1. to express duration of an action up to a certain moment in the future:

e.g. At 6 o’clock, your sister will have been sleeping for two hours.

We use for to emphasise the duration of a state or action which will

probably continue after the time mentioned:
e.g. We’ll have been living here for two years in January.
FUTURE IN THE PAST SIMPLE 38
Affirmative: S+ should/would + short infinitive
Negative: S+ shouldn’t/wouldn’t+ short infinitive
Interrogative: Should/Would+ S+ short infinitive?

Or

Affirmative: S+ was/were going to+ verb

Negative: S+ wasn’t/weren’t going to+ verb
Interrogative: Was/Were+ S+ going to+ verb?
FUTURE IN THE PAST SIMPLE 39
» 1. to express a future action or state seen from a viewpoint in the past. It
occurs in object clauses
e.g. She told me that she would go there soon.

» 2. a planned action in the past that didn’t happen:

e.g. I’m sorry. I was going to phone you, but I didn’t have time.

» 3. for a prediction in the past, often after think or know:

e.g. At last we were safe. Everything was going to be OK.
FUTURE IN THE PAST CONTINUOUS 40
» Affirmative: S+ should/would + be+ present participle (verb-ing)
» Negative: S+ shouldn’t/wouldn’t+ be+ verb-ing
» Interrogative: Should/Would+ S+ be+ verb-ing

» Uses:
1. to express a Future Continuous from a past viewpoint
e.g. The woman assured us that, in less than half an hour, her baby would
be sleeping.
EXPRESSING FUTURITY 41

1. Present Simple
• in conditional clauses: She will catch the train if she takes a taxi.
• in time clauses: You will like the picture when you see it.
• actions that are part of an officially settled programme/timetable: Our plane leaves at 10
o’clock.

!!! We use will (not the Present Simple) for decisions we make at the time of speaking, or for
offers and promises:
Wait, I’ll come with you. (Not I come with you.)
I’ll meet you at the cinema. (Not I meet you at the cinema.)
EXPRESSING FUTURITY 42
2. Present Continuous
- a planned action, a fixed arrangement:
e.g. We are visiting our neighbours tomorrow.
- a future action with verbs of movement (to go, to arrive, to leave, to come etc.)
e.g. My cousin is leaving in the afternoon.

!!! Difference between be going to and Present continuous

be going to  things that we plan to do in the future, but have not yet arranged to
do:
e.g. We are going to buy a new car soon. (We don’t know when yet.)
EXPRESSING FUTURITY 43

3. Present Perfect

• in a time clause, to express an action that will take place before

another future action:

e.g. The children will play in the garden after they have finished
their homework.
EXPRESSING FUTURITY 44

4. Past Tense

• to express a future action, in a time clause, simultaneous with another

action expressed by a Future-in-the-Past:

e.g. I was sure they would like this book when they understood it.
EXPRESSING FUTURITY 45

5. Past Perfect

• in a time clause, to express an action that will take place before

another action expressed by a Future-in-the-Past:

e.g. My friend explained to his parents that he would go on a trip

abroad after he had passed his exams.
EXPRESSING FUTURITY 46

6. To be to
• Something that is destined to happen: The famous tennis player began the
match in which he was to break his arm.
• An official plan or arrangement: The president was to arrive at 10 o’clock.
• The will of a person, different from the speaker’s: The bad news is to be given
to him after his exam.
• Duty: What exercises are we to do?
• Possibility, probability: Prices are to be much higher soon.
• Instructions: You are to be there no later than eight o’clock.
EXPRESSING FUTURITY 47

7. Be due+ to+ infinitive

• is used to talk about events that we expect to take place at a fixed

time (e.g. with timetables)

e.g. The bus is due to arrive any minute.

EXPRESSING FUTURITY 48

8. To be about to

• to express something that will happen in the immediate future:

e.g. Our guests are about to leave.

I am about to go to the seaside.
EXPRESSING FUTURITY 49

9. Verbs that refer to the future

plan/ hope/ intend + to-infinitive

e.g. The company plans to build a new supermarket.

I hope to study law next year.