Proyect

Simple Present

The simple present expresses an action in the present taking place once, never or several times. It is also used for actions that take place one after another and for actions that are set by a timetable or schedule. The simple present also expresses facts in the present.

be

Use:

am with the personal pronoun II

is with the personal pronouns he, she or it (or with the singular form of nouns)

are with the personal pronouns we, you or they (or with the plural form of nouns)

example: I am hungry.

affirmative negative question

I I am. I am not. Am I?

he/she/it He is. He is not. Is he?

you/we/they

You are. You are not. Are you?

have

Use:

have with the personal pronouns I, you, we und they (or with the plural form of nouns)

has with the personal pronouns he, she, it (or with the singular form of nouns)

example: I have a dog. / I have got a dog.

positive negative question

I/you/we/they I have got. / I have. I have not got. / I do not have.

Have I got? / Do I have?

he/she/it He has got. / He has. He has not got. / He does not have.

Has he got? / Does he have?

All other verbs

Use:

the infinite verb (play) with the personal pronouns I, you, we and they (or with the plural form of nouns)

the verb + s (plays) with the personal pronouns he, she, it (or with the singular form of nouns)

affirmative negative question

I/you/we/they

I play. I do not play. Do I play?

he/she/it He plays. He does not play. Does he play?

Tips on how to form negative sentences and questions

Negative sentences and questions are formed with the auxiliary verb 'do'.

Simple FutureSimple Future has two different forms in English: "will" and "be going to." Although the two forms can sometimes be used interchangeably, they often express two very different meanings. These different meanings might seem too abstract at first, but with time and practice, the differences will become clear. Both "will" and "be going to" refer to a specific time in the future.

FORM Will

[will + verb]

Examples:

You will help him later.

Will you help him later?

You will not help him later.

FORM Be Going To

[am/is/are + going to + verb]

Examples:

You are going to meet Jane tonight.

Are you going to meet Jane tonight?

You are not going to meet Jane tonight.

USE 1 "Will" to Express a Voluntary Action

"Will" often suggests that a speaker will do something voluntarily. A voluntary action is one the speaker offers to do for someone else. Often, we use "will" to respond to someone else's complaint or request for help. We also use "will" when we request that someone help us or volunteer to do something for us. Similarly, we use "will not" or "won't" when we refuse to voluntarily do something.

Examples:

I will send you the information when I get it.

I will translate the email, so Mr. Smith can read it.

Will you help me move this heavy table?

Will you make dinner?

I will not do your homework for you.

I won't do all the housework myself!

A: I'm really hungry.B: I'll make some sandwiches.

A: I'm so tired. I'm about to fall asleep.B: I'll get you some coffee.

A: The phone is ringing.B: I'll get it.

USE 2 "Will" to Express a Promise

"Will" is usually used in promises.

Examples:

I will call you when I arrive.

If I am elected President of the United States, I will make sure everyone has access to inexpensive health insurance.

I promise I will not tell him about the surprise party.

Don't worry, I'll be careful.

I won't tell anyone your secret.

USE 3 "Be going to" to Express a Plan

"Be going to" expresses that something is a plan. It expresses the idea that a person intends to do something in the future. It does not matter whether the plan is realistic or not.

Examples:

He is going to spend his vacation in Hawaii.

She is not going to spend her vacation in Hawaii.

A: When are we going to meet each other tonight?B: We are going to meet at 6 PM.

I'm going to be an actor when I grow up.

Michelle is going to begin medical school next year.

They are going to drive all the way to Alaska.

Who are you going to invite to the party?

USE 4 "Will" or "Be Going to" to Express a Prediction

Both "will" and "be going to" can express the idea of a general prediction about the future. Predictions are guesses about what might happen in the future. In "prediction" sentences, the subject usually has little control over the future and therefore USES 1-3 do not apply. In the following examples, there is no difference in meaning.

Examples:

The year 2222 will be a very interesting year.

The year 2222 is going to be a very interesting year.

John Smith will be the next President.

John Smith is going to be the next President.

The movie "Zenith" will win several Academy Awards.

The movie "Zenith" is going to win several Academy Awards.

IMPORTANT

In the Simple Future, it is not always clear which USE the speaker has in mind. Often, there is more than one way to interpret a sentence's meaning.

No Future in Time Clauses

Like all future forms, the Simple Future cannot be used in clauses beginning with time expressions such as: when, while, before, after, by the time, as soon as, if, unless, etc. Instead of Simple Future, Simple Present is used.

Examples:

When you will arrive tonight, we will go out for dinner. Not Correct

When you arrive tonight, we will go out for dinner. Correct

ADVERB PLACEMENT

The examples below show the placement for grammar adverbs such as: always, only, never, ever, still, just, etc.

Examples:

You will never help him.

Will you ever help him?

You are never going to meet Jane.

Are you ever going to meet Jane?

Simple PastFORM

[VERB+ed] or irregular verbs

Examples:

You called Debbie.

Did you call Debbie?

You did not call Debbie.

USE 1 Completed Action in the Past

Use the Simple Past to express the idea that an action started and finished at a specific time in the past. Sometimes, the speaker may not actually mention the specific time, but they do have one specific time in mind.

Examples:

I saw a movie yesterday.

I didn't see a play yesterday.

Last year, I traveled to Japan.

Last year, I didn't travel to Korea.

Did you have dinner last night?

She washed her car.

He didn't wash his car.

USE 2 A Series of Completed Actions

We use the Simple Past to list a series of completed actions in the past. These actions happen 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, and so on.

Examples:

I finished work, walked to the beach, and found a nice place to swim.

He arrived from the airport at 8:00, checked into the hotel at 9:00, and met the others at 10:00.

Did you add flour, pour in the milk, and then add the eggs?

USE 3 Duration in Past

The Simple Past can be used with a duration which starts and stops in the past. A duration is a longer action often indicated by expressions such as: for two years, for five minutes, all day, all year, etc.

Examples:

I lived in Brazil for two years.

Shauna studied Japanese for five years.

They sat at the beach all day.

They did not stay at the party the entire time.

We talked on the phone for thirty minutes.

A: How long did you wait for them?B: We waited for one hour.

USE 4 Habits in the Past

The Simple Past can also be used to describe a habit which stopped in the past. It can have the same meaning as "used to." To make it clear that we are talking about a habit, we often add expressions such as: always, often, usually, never, when I was a child, when I was younger, etc.

Examples:

I studied French when I was a child.

He played the violin.

He didn't play the piano.

Did you play a musical instrument when you were a kid?

She worked at the movie theater after school.

They never went to school, they always skipped class.

Present Perfect

[has/have + past participle]

Examples:

You have seen that movie many times.

Have you seen that movie many times?

You have not seen that movie many times.

USE 1 Unspecified Time Before NowWe use the Present Perfect to say that an action happened at an unspecified time before now. The exact time is not important. You CANNOT use the Present Perfect with specific time expressions such as: yesterday, one year ago, last week, when I was a child, when I lived in Japan, at that moment, that day, one day, etc. We CAN use the Present Perfect with unspecific expressions such as: ever, never, once, many times, several times, before, so far, already, yet, etc.

Examples:

I have seen that movie twenty times.

I think I have met him once before.

There have been many earthquakes in California.

People have traveled to the Moon.

People have not traveled to Mars.

Have you read the book yet?

Nobody has ever climbed that mountain.

A: Has there ever been a war in the United States?B: Yes, there has been a war in the United States.

How Do You Actually Use the Present Perfect?

The concept of "unspecified time" can be very confusing to English learners. It is best to associate Present Perfect with the following topics:

TOPIC 2 Change Over Time

We often use the Present Perfect to talk about change that has happened over a period of time.

Examples:

You have grown since the last time I saw you.

The government has become more interested in arts education.

Japanese has become one of the most popular courses at the university since the Asian studies program was established.

My English has really improved since I moved to Australia.

TOPIC 3 Accomplishments

We often use the Present Perfect to list the accomplishments of individuals and humanity. You cannot mention a specific time.

Examples:

Man has walked on the Moon.

Our son has learned how to read.

Doctors have cured many deadly diseases.

Scientists have split the atom.

TOPIC 4 An Uncompleted Action You Are Expecting

We often use the Present Perfect to say that an action which we expected has not happened. Using the Present Perfect suggests that we are still waiting for the action to happen.

Examples:

James has not finished his homework yet.

Susan hasn't mastered Japanese, but she can communicate.

Bill has still not arrived.

The rain hasn't stopped.

TOPIC 5 Multiple Actions at Different Times

We also use the Present Perfect to talk about several different actions which have occurred in the past at different times. Present Perfect suggests the process is not complete and more actions are possible.

Examples:

The army has attacked that city five times.

I have had four quizzes and five tests so far this semester.

We have had many major problems while working on this project.

She has talked to several specialists about her problem, but nobody knows why she is sick.

Tag questions

Tag questions (or question tags) turn a statement into a question. They are often used for checking information that we think we know is true.

Tag questions are made using an auxiliary verb (for example: be or have) and a subject pronoun (for example: I, you, she). Negative question tags are usually contracted: It's warm today, isn't it (not 'is it not')

Usually if the main clause is positive, the question tag is negative, and if the main clause is negative, it's positive. For example: It's cold (positive), isn't it (negative)? And: It isn't cold (negative), is it (positive)?

If the main clause has an auxiliary verb in it, you use the same verb in the tag question. If there is no auxiliary verb (in the present simple and past simple) usedo / does / did (just like when you make a normal question).

There is one wierd exception: the question tag after I am is aren't I.For example: I'm in charge of the food, aren't I?

Postive sentences, with negative tags

Present simple 'be' She's Italian, isn't she?

Present simple other verbs They live in London, don't they?Present continuous We're working tomorrow, aren't we?Past simple 'be' It was cold yesterday, wasn't it?Past simple other verbs He went to the party last night, didn't he?Past continuous We were waiting at the station, weren't we?Present perfect They've been to Japan, haven't they?Present perfect continuous She's been studying a lot recently, hasn't she?Past perfect He had forgotten his wallet, hadn't he?Past perfect continuous We'd been working, hadn't we?Future simple She'll come at six, won't she?Future continuous They be arriving soon, won't they?Future perfect They'll have finished before nine, won't they?Future perfect continuous She'll have been cooking all day, won't she?Modals He can help, can't he?Modals John must stay, mustn't he?

Negative sentences, with positive tags

Present simple 'be' We aren't late, are we?

Present simple other verbs She doesn't have any children, does she?Present continuous The bus isn't coming, is it?Past simple 'be' She wasn't at home yesterday, was she?Past simple other verbs They didn't go out last Sunday, did they?Past continuous You weren't sleeping, were you?Present perfect She hasn't eaten all the cake, has she?Present perfect continuous He hasn't been running in this weather, has he?Past perfect We hadn't been to London before, had we?Past perfect continuous You hadn't been sleeping, had you?Future simple They won't be late, will they?Future continuous He'll be studying tonight, won't he?Future perfect She won't have left work before six, will she?Future perfect continuous He won't have been travelling all day, will he?Modals She can't speak Arabic, can she?Modals They mustn't come early, must they?

Tag Questions in the Past SimpleTag questions are those short questions that are tagged onto the end of a sentence. They are used just to make sure the person you’re talking to understood what you meant or to emphasize what you said.

They’re formed either by using a positive sentence in the past simple and then adding didn’t, a pronoun (I, you, we, they, he, she, it) and a question mark.

John scored a goal, didn’t he?

Their dogs barked all night, didn’t they?

You may also add a positive tag when you’re using a negative sentence.

Kate didn’t take out the rubbish bin, did she?

The girls didn’t copy on the exam, did they?

As a rule: When the sentence is positive, the tag is negative.When the sentence is negative, the tag is positive.

Tag Questions in the Past Progressive (Continuous)

Tag questions are those short questions that are tagged onto the end of a sentence. They are used just to make sure the person you’re talking to understood what you meant or to emphasize what you said.

They’re formed by using a positive sentence in the past progressive and adding wasn’t or weren’t and a pronoun (I, you, we, they, he, she, it) and a question mark.

I was snoring last night, wasn’t I?

They were all rushing for the exit, weren’t they?

When Mr. Thomas called, David was solving crossword puzzles, wasn’t he?

You may also add a positive tag when you’re using a negative sentence.

Jennifer wasn’t trying very hard, was she?

The trains weren’t running on schedule yesterday, were they?

As a rule: When the sentence is positive, the tag is negative.When the sentence is negative, the tag is positive.

Passive VoiceThe passive voice is less usual than the active voice. The active voice is the "normal" voice. But sometimes we need the passive voice. In this lesson we look at how to construct the passive voice, when to use it and how to conjugate it.

Construction of the Passive Voice

The structure of the passive voice is very simple:

subject + auxiliary verb (be) + main verb (past participle)

The main verb is always in its past participle form.

Look at these examples:

subject auxiliary verb (to be) main verb (past participle) Water is drunk by everyone.100 people

are employed by this company.

I am paid in euro.We are not paid in dollars.Are they paid in yen?

Use of the Passive Voice

We use the passive when:

we want to make the active object more important we do not know the active subject

subject verb objectgive importance to active object (President Kennedy)

President Kennedy

was killed by Lee Harvey Oswald.

active subject unknown My wallet has been stolen.

?

Note that we always use by to introduce the passive object (Fish are eaten by cats).

Conjugation for the Passive Voice

We can form the passive in any tense. In fact, conjugation of verbs in the passive tense is rather easy, as the main verb is always in past participle form and the auxiliary verb is always be. To form the required tense, we conjugate the auxiliary verb. So, for example:

present simple: It is made

present continuous: It is being made present perfect: It has been made

Here are some examples with most of the possible tenses:

infinitive to be washedsimple present It is washed.

past It was washed.future It will be washed.conditional It would be washed.

continuous present It is being washed.past It was being washed.future It will be being washed.conditional It would be being washed.

perfect simple present It has been washed.past It had been washed.future It will have been washed.conditional It would have been washed.

perfect continuous present It has been being washed.past It had been being washed.future It will have been being washed.conditional It would have been being washed.

Indirect Speech / Reported Speech

Indirect speech (sometimes called reported speech), doesn't use quotation marks to enclose what the person said and it doesn't have to be word for word.

When reporting speech the tense usually changes. This is because when we use reported speech, we are usually talking about a time in the past (because obviously the person who spoke originally spoke in the past). The verbs therefore usually have to be in the past too.

For example:

Direct speech Indirect speech

"I'm going to the cinema", he said. He said he was going to the cinema.

Tense change

As a rule when you report something someone has said you go back a tense: (the tense on the left changes to the tense on the right):

Direct speech Indirect speech

Present simple She said, "It's cold."

› Past simple She said it was cold.

Present continuous She said, "I'm teaching English online."

› Past continuous She said she was teaching English online.

Present perfect simple She said, "I've been on the web since 1999."

› Past perfect simple She said she had been on the web since 1999.

Present perfect continuous She said, "I've been teaching English for seven years."

› Past perfect continuous She said she had been teaching English for seven years.

Past simple She said, "I taught online yesterday."

› Past perfect She said she had taught online yesterday.

Past continuous She said, "I was teaching earlier."

› Past perfect continuous She said she had been teaching earlier.

Past perfect She said, "The lesson had already started

› Past perfect NO CHANGE - She said the lesson had already

when he arrived." started when he arrived.Past perfect continuousShe said, "I'd already been teaching for five minutes."

› Past perfect continuous NO CHANGE - She said she'd already been teaching for five minutes.

Modal verb forms also sometimes change:

Direct speech Indirect speech

will She said, "I'll teach English online tomorrow."

› would She said she would teach English online tomorrow.

can She said, "I can teach English online."

› could She said she could teach English online.

must She said, "I must have a computer to teach English online."

› had to She said she had to have a computer to teach English online.

shall She said, "What shall we learn today?"

› should She asked what we should learn today.

may She said, "May I open a new browser?"

› might She asked if she might open a new browser.

Use of 'That' in reported speech

In reported speech, the word that is often used.

For example: He told me that he lived in Greenwich.

However, that is optional.

For example: He told me he lived in Canada.

Infinitive and Gerund

There are certain words in English that are usually followed by an infinitive or gerund. If you are

not sure whether to use the infinitive or gerund, check out our lists or look the words up in a

dictionary.

Infinitive

Use

Certain words are followed by an infinite verb with or without ‘to’.

Use and Word Lists Example

as the subject of a clause To know you is to love you.

after certain expressions (without ‘to’ ) Why not go to the cinema?

after certain verbs (without ‘to’ ) I can swim.

after certain verbs (with ‘to’ ) He wants to swim.

after certain verbs with interrogatives (infinitive constructions) They don’t know how to swim.

Gerund

Form

ing form of the verb

Use

Certain words are followed by an Ing-Form.

Use and Word Lists Example

as the subject of a clause Cycling is good for your health.

after certain adjectives He’s afraid of going by plane.

after certain prepositions Before going to bed he turned off the lights.

after certain verbs I enjoy cooking.

after certain verbs with prepositions I am looking forward to seeing you again.

after certain nouns We had problems finding our way back home.