Grammatica inglese

Verb tense use example

PAST SIMPLE I didn’t pass the Russian

Regural: Verb+ed exam last year.

Irregular: first paradigm

1. Actions that started and finished in the past Kelly went to the seaside two

2. A series of completed actions in the past days ago.

3. The PAST SIMPLE gives us the events in a story. These events are in chronological order.

• often with expressions of time such as:

yesterday, the day before yesterday, last week/month/year, two minutes/anhour/three days/five years ago

PAST past simple verb to be (was/were) + verbs in the ing form A:Where was Donna last

•

CONTINUOUS Talk about actions and states in progress (happening) around a particular time in the past night?

• B:I’m not sure. I think she

It can emphasise that the action or state continued for a period of time in the past.

• was visiting her family.

When you're using the past continuous with two actions in the same sentence, it expresses the idea that (action)

both actions were happening at the same time. The actions are parallel.

• To create atmosphere: In English, they often use a series of parallel actions to describe the atmosphere at a

particular time in the past. I remember that night. You

were wearing that red dress.

• The past continuous with words such as "always" or "constantly" expresses the idea that something (state)

irritating or shocking often happened in the past. (The concept is very similar to the expression used to but

with negative emotion). Remember to put the words "always" or "constantly" between "be" and "verb+ing." She was always coming to

• We can use the past continuous with a precise hour in the past. class late.

• stative verbs cannot be used in any continuous tenses. Instead of using past continuous with these verbs,

you must use simple past.

PRESENT has/have + past participle Statement: You have

PERFECT IRR: 2nd paradygm seen that movie many times.

REG: -ed

• actions that occurred in an unspecified time in the past but has a result in the present. Question: Have you seen that

• We use the present perfect to say that an action happened at an unspecified time before now. The exact movie many times?

time is not important.

• to talk about our experiences up to now. The time of the experiences is not important Negative: You have not

• We usually use the present perfect simple with "the first time" when we’re talking about an immediate, seen that movie many times.

continuing or recent event

• We often use the present perfect simple for a 'unique experience' when we are using a superlative We haven’t met before, have

1. a finished event or state in the very recent past. We often use words like just or recently for events taking we?

place a very short time before now I felt the happiest I have ever

• When talking of a recent past: felt. My first Olympic final;

→

Almost/nearly (affirmative) I’ve almost finished the test the bronze medal; European

→

Already (affirmative) he has already had lunch. record of 9.97 seconds.

We use already + the present perfect simple when we want to emphasise that something is done or

achieved, often before the expected time.

→

Just (interrogative and affirmative) I have just met mike

→

Yet (interrogative) Have you seen the news yet?

→

Yet (negative and interrogative-negative) he hasn’t spoken to me yet

We use yet + the present perfect simple, mainly in questions and negative statements, to refer to things we

intend to do in the future but which are not done.

• Still

We use still + the present perfect simple when we want to emphasise that something we expected to

happen continues not to happen.

• How long …?

We often use expressions with for and since to answer the question How long …+ present perfect simple.

We use the How long …? question to ask about the duration of a state or activity:

• Time + for and since

We use the present perfect simple with for and since to talk about a present situation that began at a

specific point in the past and is still going on in the present. We are looking back from the present to a point

in the past.

(For refers to periods of time, e.g. three years, four hours, ages, a long time, months, years. We use for to

express the duration of the action.)

(Since refers to a previous point in time, e.g. last Monday, last year, 1987, yesterday. We use since to say

when the action begun.)

• We often use ever, not … ever and never when we talk about experiences

• We use the present perfect with adverbs and expressions of time like: this week / month / year, lately,

recently, today, in the last few days, so far, up to now. We CAN use the present perfect with unspecific

expressions such as: ever, never, once, many times, several times, before, so far, already, yet, etc.

Although we do not give a specific time, we often use general time expressions like ever, never, before, in

my life, so far, up until now

• 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.

PAST PERFECT The past perfect is made from the verb had and the past participle of a verb Mary rang John’s doorbell at

IRR: 2nd paradygm 8:15 yesterday but John had

REG: -ed already left the house.

• We use the past perfect (had left) because the action happened before another action in the past (Mary

rang the doorbell)

• Sometimes the Past Perfect starts a new narrative outside the time frame of the main narrative

PAST PERFECT had + been + present participle Statement: You had been

•

CONTINUOUS The past perfect continuous (also called past perfect progressive) is a verb tense which is used to show that waiting there for more than

an action started in the past and continued up to another point in the past. two hours when she finally

• Using the past perfect continuous before another action in the past is a good way to show cause and effect. arrived.

• "For five minutes" and "for two weeks" are both durations which can be used with the past perfect Question: Had you been

continuous. waiting there for more than

• It is important to remember that non-continuous verbs cannot be used in any continuous tenses. Also, two hours when she finally

certain non-continuous meanings for mixed verbs cannot be used in continuous tenses. Instead of using past arrived?

perfect continuous with these verbs, you must use past perfect.

Examples: Negative: You had not been

The motorcycle had been belonging to George for years before Tina bought it. Not Correct waiting there for more than

The motorcycle had belonged to George for years before Tina bought it. Correct two hours when she finally

https://www.englishpage.com/verbpage/types.html arrived.

Sam gained weight because

he had been overeating.

FUTURE Will/shall + be + -ing form Next week they will be flying

CONTINUOUS to Australia from Saudi

Arabia.

In an hour I'll still be ironing

my clothes.

1. We use the future continuous to refer to temporary actions and events that will be in progress at a particular

time in the future. We use it usually with this time tomorrow, in an hour’s time, in five years’ time

2. We use the future continuous to refer to habitual actions that happen regularly because they are habits or

because they were planned in details

3. We use the future continuous also to politely ask about someone’s future plans, probably because we need a

favor (more polite than will)

4. When combined with still, the future continuous refers to events that are already happening now and that we

expect to continue some time into the future.

- Remember: no stative verbs with continuous forms

To practice:

https://www.e-grammar.org/future-simple-continuous/test3-exercise1/

https://www.e-grammar.org/future-simple-continuous/test1-exercise4/ •

FUTURE Do you think she’ll have

PERFECT seen the doctor by four

SIMPLE o’clock?

• Next month my parents

will have been together for

thirty years.

• The bottle of milk is

empty. Zoe will have drunk

it. (I assume that she drank

it)

1. Events finished by a certain time in the future

We use the future perfect form when we look back to the past from a point in the future. We usually use a time

phrase, for example by tomorrow, for three years, by the end of the week, this time next week, in a year’s time.