The Verb Phrase

Prof. Fabián Negrelli

 Verb Tenses

Prof. Fabián Negrelli

 The Simple Present Tense

Prof. Fabián Negrelli

⚫ Water freezes at 0º centigrade.
⚫ I am twenty years old.
⚫ She works as a nurse.
⚫ She plays the piano.
⚫ She usually plays the piano.
⚫ Sampras delivers a stinging cross-court forehand;
Becker lobs it to the back of the court; Sampras
returns it down the line. Becker dashes, scoops it
up, but his shot goes into the net.
⚫ TWO HUNDRED PEOPLE DIE IN SPAIN
⚫ Classes begin next week.
⚫ You will have to show your passport when you reach
the barrier.
1
⚫ Water freezes at 0º centigrade.
⚫ Oil floats on water.
⚫ Two and two make four.
⚫ Necessity is the mother of invention.
⚫ Honesty is the best policy.
⚫ War solves no problems.
⚫ It takes two to make a quarrel.
⚫ All roads lead to Rome.
⚫ An apple a day keeps the doctor away.
⚫ He who looks, finds.
⚫ He who laughs last, laughs louder.
⚫ The Thames flows into the North Sea.
⚫ The Nile is the longest river in Africa.
⚫ Rome stands on the River Tiber.
⚫ Peru shares a border with Chile.

Prof. Fabián Negrelli

2
⚫ A postman delivers letters, telegrams and parcels.
⚫ French people drink more wine than English people.
⚫ She works as a nurse.
⚫ She plays the piano.
⚫ The baby walks.
⚫ She speaks several languages.
⚫ They live in America.
⚫ I am twenty years old.

Prof. Fabián Negrelli

3
⚫ Sharon usually gets up at four o´clock. She hates
that! She arrives at the film studio at five and has
a coffee. She prepares her room carefully. At six
she does the make-up for the newsreaders and for
the next five hours she works with guests on
morning TV shows. She never has time for a break,
but at noon she has lunch with colleagues. After
lunch, she generally orders new make-up. She
leaves the studio before two o´clock. It’s a tiring
job!

Prof. Fabián Negrelli

4
⚫ ... Martin lets fly and ... Emory has the ball. He
skakes one, ... two tackles, and he is in for the
touchdown.

⚫ Sampras delivers a stinging cross-court forehand;

Becker lobs it to the back of the court; Sampras
returns it down the line. Becker dashes, scoops it
up, but his shot goes into the net.

⚫ We add the eggs to the flour and then we bit

everything together for five minutes.

Prof. Fabián Negrelli

5 a)
⚫ My birthday is tomorrow.
⚫ Next Christmas falls on a Monday.
⚫ The museum opens at ten tomorrow morning.
⚫ Classes begin next week.
⚫ John’s plane arrives at 6:05 p.m. next Monday.
⚫ There is a train to London from here every
half an hour. The next train leaves at 15.40.

Prof. Fabián Negrelli

5 b)
⚫ You will have to show your passport when you
reach the barrier.
⚫ If I see Ginny, I´ll give her your message.
⚫ Wait here until the green light shows.
⚫ As soon as the green light shows, move
forward.
⚫ He´s going to let me know what time his train
arrives.

Prof. Fabián Negrelli

6 a)
⚫ At that moment in comes a messenger from the Head
office, telling me the boss wants to see me in a hurry.

⚫ Last week I´m in the sitting room with my wife, when

this chap next door staggers past and in a drunken fit
throws a brick through our window.

⚫ So I was standing there buying groceries, right? And

all of a sudden this guy comes in the door. He pulls
out his gun, see. It is one of those, like ... sawed-off
shotguns. And he points it at the cashier, and tells
him to hand over all the money. So, of course,
everybody in the store freaks out!
Prof. Fabián Negrelli
⚫ The story opens in 1989 on the Soul´s Day, the day
of the dead, when people carry flowers to the
cemetries. Like Grass (the author), the hero,
Alexander Reshcki, is an exile from Gdansk living in
West Germany. A widower in his sixties, he is a
professor of art history at the University of Bochum.
The Polish widow Alexandra is a restorer and gilder
by profession. She is not quite sixty when Alexander
meets her in the market.

Prof. Fabián Negrelli

6 b)
⚫ PRESIDENT FLIES TO JAPAN
⚫ BBC LAUNCHES DIGITAL MUSIC RADIO
STATION
⚫ BABY STARTS FIRE
⚫ NATIONAL TEAM LOSES 1-4 TO PERU
⚫ FLOODS ALARM ENVIRONMENTALISTS
⚫ TWO HUNDRED PEOPLE DIE IN SPAIN

Prof. Fabián Negrelli

The Present Progressive Tense

Prof. Fabián Negrelli

⚫ I’m doing the homework now.
⚫ We are getting up earlier these days beacuse
we have to get to the office at nine.
⚫ Stella, my sister, is always helping people in
need.
⚫ The children are always quarrelling.
⚫ He will soon get his degree. He is studying
harder and harder.
⚫ She is seeing Dr. North next Tuesday.
1
⚫ Mandy: John? This is Mandy.
⚫ John: Hi, Mandy. Why aren´t you here? What are you doing?
Are you coming to this party?
⚫ Mandy: I´m sitting on the bus.
⚫ John: What?
⚫ Mandy: The bus has broken down. We are waiting for
another bus to come and take us to town.
⚫ John: Oh, no!
⚫ Mandy: Yes. Some of the passengers are shouting angrily,
but what can the driver do?
⚫ John: Is he talking to them?
⚫ Mandy: No, he´s reading a newspaper. Ah, here´s the other
bus. I´m getting on to it now. The bus is leaving! I´ll be
there in five minutes.
Prof. Fabián Negrelli
2
⚫ We are getting up earlier these days beacuse we
have to get to the office at nine.
⚫ They are eating out this week beacuse they are
having their kitchen redecorated.
⚫ She is drinking tea without sugar this month; she
´s on a diet.
⚫ I’m attending classes in the morning this
semester, since I´m working in the afternoon.

Prof. Fabián Negrelli

3
⚫ He is always calling me at the oddest hours to ask some
silly question.
⚫ The children are forever quarrelling.
⚫ She is always failing her exams.
⚫ He is constantly teasing his sister. I wish he wouldn´t do
that!
⚫ You never do the homework on time: you´re for ever
making excuses.
⚫ She´s always trying to show that she knows more than
everyone else.
⚫ Amy will become conceited – she´s always being told what
a pretty girl she is.
⚫ I´m constantly having to remind you to tidy up your room.
⚫ A child is always learning.
⚫ Stella, my sister, is always helping people in need.

Prof. Fabián Negrelli

⚫ He will soon get his degree. He is studying
harder and harder.
⚫ I hope he doesn’t have an accident. He is
driving faster and faster.
⚫ I’m forgetting my English little by little.
⚫ More and more forests are disappearing
because of fire.
⚫ The children are growing so fast!
⚫ The trial is turning into a farce.

Prof. Fabián Negrelli

⚫ I’m coming back in a few minutes.
⚫ We are moving into a new flat next week.
⚫ My wife has an appointment with the doctor.
She is seeing Dr. North next Tuesday.
⚫ Sam is leaving at noon tomorrow.
⚫ After lunch, I’m meeting a friend of mine.
⚫ I can´t see you next Friday – I´m meeting Bill
for lunch that day.
⚫ John is phoning later to let us know his arrival
time.

Prof. Fabián Negrelli

 Stative vs Dynamic Verbs

Prof. Fabián Negrelli

Prof. Fabián Negrelli
 VERBS OF EXISTING
⚫ Robert is a fool.
⚫ Robert is being a fool.

⚫ Brown rice contains a lot of vitamins and minerals.

⚫ He has been containing his anger for a long time.

⚫ The price includes only breakfast.

⚫ More schools will be including Shakespeare this
year.

Prof. Fabián Negrelli

 VERBS OF THE SENSES

VOLUNTARY INVOLUNTARY

I’m listening to you. I hear you.

I’m looking at you. I see you.
I’m smelling this flower. I smell gas.
I’m tasting this sauce. I taste too much pepper in it.
I’m feeling this cushion. I feel a pin in it somewhere.

Prof. Fabián Negrelli

FEEL and LOOK

⚫I don’t feel well today.

⚫I’m not feeling well today.

⚫You look tired.

⚫You are looking tired

Prof. Fabián Negrelli

 NON CONCLUSIVE VERBS
⚫ I believe she is a good teacher.
⚫ She is always believing his lies!

⚫ She considers him a good husband.

⚫ I’m considering the idea of travelling to Europe next year.

⚫ I forgot to tell you something more.

⚫ I’m gradually forgetting my English.

⚫ She imagines herself an old woman.

⚫ She is always imagining she is an old woman.

⚫ I don’t mind.
⚫ She is minding the baby.

Prof. Fabián Negrelli

⚫ I think you are not right.
⚫ I’m thinking of a new plan.

⚫ What does it mean?

⚫ She is meaning to get a new job.

⚫ I see you are wearing a new suit.

⚫ I’m seeing John at the party tonight.
⚫ I’m seeing double.

⚫ Most people love/enjoy eating out.

⚫ She is loving/enjoying every minute of her holiday.

⚫ A: How do you like your new job?

⚫ B: I’m loving it.

Prof. Fabián Negrelli

VERBS SHOWING POSSESSION
⚫ They have a cottage in the mountains.
⚫ They are having lunch.
⚫ They are having a good time.

IDIOMS WITH “HAVE”

⚫ He’s having a problem with his car right now.

⚫ She’s having difficulty with this new computer.
Prof. Fabián Negrelli
 VERBS OF APPEARANCE
⚫ She appears to be asleep.
⚫ She is appearing on the stage

Prof. Fabián Negrelli

 OTHER EXISTING VERBS
⚫ This box weighs a lot.
⚫ The grocer is weighing the fruit.

⚫ That dress fits you perfectly.

⚫ We are fitting a new carpet in the office.

HURT and ACHE

⚫ My head hurts.
⚫ My head is hurting.

⚫ My stomach aches.
⚫ My stomach is aching.

Prof. Fabián Negrelli

John Simmons ....................... (be) an architect
who ....................... (1. work) for a London-based design
firm. Although he normally ....................... ( 2. work) in
the London area, these days he ..............(3. supervise) a
project in Latin America which ............... (4. involve) the
co-ordination of several multinational design and
engineering teams. Although he ....................... (enjoy)
the experience, he ........................ (wish) the project
could be finished sooner than is predicted at present.
The truth is that he ....................... (miss) his wife and
children, and would like to see what ................. (happen)
in his garden in England.

Prof. Fabián Negrelli

Leila Markham is an environmentalist. She is being interviewed on the radio
by Tony Hunt, a journalist.

⚫Tony: So tell me Leila, why is it important to save the rainforests?

⚫Leila: There are a number of reasons. One is that many plants
which could be useful in medicine ....................... (grow) in the
rainforest. We ....................... (not / know) all the plants yet – there
are thousands and thousands of them. Researchers .......................
(try) to discover their secrets before they are destroyed.
⚫Tony: I see. What other reasons are there?
⚫Leila: Well, I’m sure you’ve heard about global warming?
⚫Tony: You mean the idea that the world ...................... ( 1. get)
warmer and warmer?
⚫Leila: That’s right. The rainforests ....................... (have) an
important effect on the earth’s climate. They .......................
( disappear) at a terrifying rate and soon they will be gone.
People ....................... (not / do) enough to save them.
Prof. Fabián Negrelli
⚫ Tony: But is global warming really such a problem ?
I ....................... (enjoy) warm sunshine.
⚫ Leila: Well, what ....................... (happen) when you .......................
(heat) ice ?
⚫ Tony: It ....................... (melt) of course.
⚫ Leila: OK. The polar ice caps ....................... ( 2. consist) of millions
of tons of ice. If they ....................... (melt), the level of the sea
will rise and cause terrible floods. Many scientists .......................
(believe) that temperatures ....................... (already / rise). We
must do everything we can to prevent global warming, and
that ....................... (include) preserving the rainforests!
⚫ Tony: Thank you, Leila, and good luck in your campaign.
⚫ Leila: Thank you.

Prof. Fabián Negrelli

 The Present Perfect Simple
Tense

Prof. Fabián Negrelli

⚫ Jane has lived in Scotland since 1980.
⚫ Jane has usually had lunch at the hospital so
far.
⚫ Dave looks upset – has he received bad news or
something?
⚫ Have you been to the cinema lately?
⚫ I have already had breakfast.
⚫ We’ve done very little today.
⚫ I’ve read a hundred pages of this book.
⚫ As soon as I´ve made contact with Anna , I´ll
get her to phone you.
a)
⚫ Jane has lived in Scotland since 1980.
since she got married.
for five years.
so far.
up to now.
until now.
up to the present.
for ten years now.
for the past few years.
ever since she was a
child.
all her life.
Prof. Fabián Negrelli
b)
⚫ Jane has usually had lunch at the hospital so far.
⚫ She has often worked at night until now.
⚫ I have always been very religious.
⚫ Daniel has never loved the hotel business.
⚫ The province has suffered from disastrous floods
throughout its history.
⚫ The journal has been published every month
since 1850.
⚫ My parents have often mentioned you to me.
⚫ We have always vacationed in New Zeland – our
son lives there.

Prof. Fabián Negrelli

c)
⚫ I’ve finished my work. (Now I can sit and rest).
⚫ Dave looks upset – has he received bad news or
something?
⚫ I hardly recognize you – you´ve grown a moustache!
⚫ You´re very tanned – have you been on holiday?
⚫ I´m sorry – I´m not dancing tonight – I ´ve hurt my
ankle.
⚫ Sue has lost her key. (Now, she can’t open the door).
⚫ I have lost my glasses. (Now, I can’t see well).
⚫ Someone has broken her doll. (That’s why she’s
crying)
⚫ John has saved $7000. (Now he can buy a new car)
⚫ I´ve left my wallet behind. (Now I can´t pay the bill)
Prof. Fabián Negrelli
d)
⚫ I have just had lunch.
⚫ I have recently had lunch.
⚫ Have you been to the cinema lately?

Prof. Fabián Negrelli

e)
⚫ Have you ever been to America?
⚫ I have never phoned my father.
⚫ Have you had breakfast already?
⚫ Have you already had breakfast?
⚫ I have already had breakfast.
⚫ They have already gone home.
⚫ I haven’t had lunch yet.
⚫ She hasn’t yet done her homework.
⚫ She hasn’t done her homework yet.
⚫ Have you received a telegram yet?

Prof. Fabián Negrelli

 ⚫ Have you read the newspaper yet?
⚫ Haven´t you read the newspaper yet?

⚫ He hasn´t solved the problem yet.

⚫ He still hasn´t solved the problem.
⚫ He has been working on the problem for a long
time, but he still hasn´t solved it.

Prof. Fabián Negrelli

f)
⚫ He has grown over two inches in the past six
months.
⚫ The value of this house has doubled over the
past two years.
⚫ We’ve done very little today.
⚫ I haven’t seen John this week.
⚫ She has received three e-mails this morning.

Prof. Fabián Negrelli

g)
⚫ I’ve read a hundred pages of this book.
⚫ I have smoked ten cigarettes.
⚫ I´ve visited Peru only once.
⚫ I´ve travelled by boat three times.
⚫ He has failed his driving test six times.

Prof. Fabián Negrelli

h)
⚫ You will be able to play with your friends once /if you
have done your homework.
⚫ Please, don´t leave until everybody has finished
eating.
⚫ When I have finished my project, I´ll be able to
take a short rest.
⚫ After we have unpacked, let´s explore the town,
shall we?
⚫ I´ll be setting off before the sun has risen.
⚫ As soon as I´ve made contact with Anna , I´ll get
her to phone you.
⚫ We´ll go out if it has stopped raining.
⚫ It´s a very special award – you only get it if you have
achieved something amazing.
Prof. Fabián Negrelli
The Present Perfect Progressive
Tense

Prof. Fabián Negrelli

⚫ Now, wake up and get out of bed immediately.
You have been sleeping for ten hours.
⚫ He has been visiting mother on Mondays this
month.
⚫ She has been working hard today.
⚫ He has been washing his car. It’s so shiny!
⚫ Who has been reading my business papers?
1
⚫ Now, wake up and get out of bed immediately.
You have been sleeping for ten hours.
⚫ He has been studying French for two years.
⚫ They have been eating vegetables for the last
five years.

Prof. Fabián Negrelli

2
⚫ He has been visiting mother on Mondays this
month.
⚫ Lucy has been walking to work this week.
⚫ Sue has always been callecting stamps.

Prof. Fabián Negrelli

3
⚫ It has been raining all morning.
⚫ She has been working hard today.
⚫ I’ve been working in the garden all day.

Prof. Fabián Negrelli

4
⚫ You´ve been fighting again. (I can tell that
from your black eye)
⚫ Look! The ground is white. It´s been snowing.
⚫ Have you been crying? (Your eyes are red)
⚫ Have you been working in the garden? (You look
tired and your boots are dirty)
⚫ What on earth have you been doing? (Said by a
mother to her child who has come in covered in
mud)
⚫ He has been washing his car. It’s so shiny!
⚫ A: Why is the road so slippery?
⚫ B: it has been raining.

Prof. Fabián Negrelli

5
⚫ What have you been doing all day?
⚫ What have you been doing in my bedroom?
⚫ Who has been reading my business papers?
⚫ Who has been using my toothbrush?
⚫ Who has been wearing my coat?

Prof. Fabián Negrelli

 The Simple Past Tense

Prof. Fabián Negrelli

⚫ I went to the cinema yesterday.
1
⚫ Last night we ate dinner in that Italian
restaurant you like so much.
⚫ I went to the cinema yesterday.
⚫ She sat for her last exam two days ago.
⚫ That night she walked into the room with the
stolen picture and looked around carefully. She
established that she was alone and walked over
to the window. She opened it and someone
burst into the room behind her.

Prof. Fabián Negrelli

2
⚫ She studied music while she was in Paris.
⚫ He drove along the motorway for two hours.
⚫ The Greens lived in Ireland during the war.

Prof. Fabián Negrelli

⚫ He never drove faster than the speed limit.
⚫ He was furious every time he got a parking
ticket.
⚫ I used to work from 6:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

Prof. Fabián Negrelli

 The Past Progressive Tense

Prof. Fabián Negrelli

1
⚫ It was raining hard.
⚫ The children were playing football.
⚫ We were studying English.
⚫ What were you doing all morning?

Prof. Fabián Negrelli

2
⚫ I was walking to the office that week.
⚫ She was eating only one meal a day those days.
⚫ I thought John was much better; he was
gaining strength.

Prof. Fabián Negrelli

3
⚫ She was always borrowing my books.
⚫ They were all the time telling lies.
⚫ He was always catching colds as a child.
⚫ They were always turning up without having been
invited.
⚫ Harry was forever breaking the law and being
arrested on some charge or other.
⚫ I was always lending him money, which I never got
back.

Prof. Fabián Negrelli

4
⚫ It was raining when we left Orleans. Because the
roads were wet I drove quite slowly even though
everyone else was driving at their usual speed. Just
outside Amboise we had to stop because of an
accident. A crowd of people were standing at the
roadside and the police were taking statements
from them ...
⚫ When I got home, smoke was coming out of one of
the upstairs windows. When I saw the smoke, I ran
to the telephone box across the road and rang the
fire brigade. While all this was happening, my wife
was sitting quietly in the back garden. She was
lying, with her eyes closed, and didn´t notice
anything until I woke her up.
Prof. Fabián Negrelli
The Past Perfect Simple Tense

Prof. Fabián Negrelli

1
⚫ She had begun her studies when I met her.
⚫ He had already done his homework when he left.
⚫ 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.
⚫ He waited until he had completed his university
studies before he began working in his father´s
office.
⚫ He did not talk to him until after he had
apologised.
Prof. Fabián Negrelli
⚫ Before I arrived, he (had) left.
⚫ She arrived after I (had) left.

⚫ The waiter took my plate away before I had

finished eating.
⚫ I was blamed for it before I had even had a
chance to defend myself.

Prof. Fabián Negrelli

2
⚫ He had been unconscious for several hours
when we found him.
⚫ Her body had laid over there since very early
in the morning.

Prof. Fabián Negrelli

3
⚫ Bill had injured his legs in a car accident, so he
had to use a wheelchair for six months.
⚫ In her youth, my aunt had lived in Italy for
five years; that´s why she spoke Italian so
well.

Prof. Fabián Negrelli

The Past Perfect Progressive
Tense

Prof. Fabián Negrelli

1
⚫ She had been practising for a long time before
she entered the competition.
⚫ He had been waiting long before she arrived.
⚫ When the patient regained consciousness, he
had been lying in a coma for more than two
years.
⚫ He had been driving for twenty years when he
had his first car accident.

Prof. Fabián Negrelli

⚫ Tommy had been playing in the mud all the afternoon,
so he dirtied all his clothes.
⚫ She had been shouting all day, so that night she
couldn´t speak.
⚫ The children were exhausted because they had been
playing football all morning.
⚫ I had been working so hard all morning that I was
quite hungry by the time lunch was ready.
⚫ When I saw him, he had a black eye. He had been
fighting with his friends.
⚫ When they came back from the beach, their skin was
red. They had been lying in the sun for five hours!

Prof. Fabián Negrelli

 Sequence of Past Tenses

Prof. Fabián Negrelli

⚫ 1. Alison wrote a letter and sent it to her parents.
⚫ 2. Mr. Williams called the police when he found the
dead body.
⚫ 3. Alison enjoyed and admired the sonnets of Petrarch
when she was a teenager.
⚫ 4.While Alison was reading the paper, her husband was
watching T.V.
⚫ 5. He was racing down the motorway when a tyre burst.
⚫ 6. Phil was having dinner when he heard the news about
the accident.
⚫ 7. He began working in his father´s office when he had
completed his University studies.
⚫ 8. I got to work after Simon arrived / had arrived.

Prof. Fabián Negrelli