Materiale per l'esame di lingua Inglese, docente Valentina Rossi

ENGLISH GRAMMAR

PRESENT TENSES

Present simple

An example of this tense is:

“Some pollution comes from human activity”

“The right and left hemispheres of our brain control the opposite side of our body”

Form Affirmative

In the affirmative (that is, when we say something positive) the present simple tense is

formed with just the subject (e.g. I, You, He, She, We, They) and the verb.

When the subject is third person singular (e.g. he she, it, John, Susan etc.) we add an

“s” at the end of the verb.

I eat sandwiches for lunch

You eat sandwiches for lunch

He eats sandwiches for lunch

Interrogative

If we want to express a negative or ask a question, we use the auxiliary verb “do”.

To ask a question we invert the subject and the verb - put the auxiliary verb “do” before

the subject, for example:

Do you know John?

Does Jane have a car?

Note that the principle verb (have in this example) is used in the base form without

adding the “s”. This is because the verb “do” is conjugated in the third person and so

we do not conjugate the main verb.

Negative

If we want to express a negative idea we use the auxiliary verb “do” together with the

word “not”. We put “do not” before the main verb in the sentence, for example:

Jennifer does not work on Saturdays.

We do not eat meat.

In conversation and in informal writing we can use the contracted form. “Do not”

becomes “don’t” and “does not” becomes “doesn’t”.

Jennifer doesn’t work on Saturdays

We don’t eat meat

However, the contracted form is not appropriate for formal, scientific or academic

writing. If you are writing an article, an essay or a piece of research you should use the

extended form.

Use

We use the present simple tense in the following cases:

- To talk about habits and routines, things that happen regularly:

I have breakfast at 7

e.g.

thirty. He starts work at

9am.

We wake up early on Mondays.

When we talk about habits we often use adverbs or adverbial phrases to express

always, sometimes, usually, often, never, in the winter,

frequency, for example

on Sundays, in the evening.

- To talk about permanent situations:

My brother lives in London.

e.g. She works in urban planning.

- To talk about universally recognised truths or facts:

Water boils at 100 degrees Celsius.

e.g. The sun rises in the East.

- To talk about the speaker’s opinions or beliefs:

I think he is a terrible leader.

e.g. I don’t agree with you about that.

- To tell the story of a book, film, play etc or to tell a story or anecdote in a

dramatic way:

On his eleventh birthday Harry Potter discovers that he is a wizard and after

e.g.

that he goes to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry where he learns

how to do magic.

Present continuous

The other present tense in English is the present continuous. It is also sometimes called

the present progressive.

An example of the present continuous is:

I am working at the moment.

He is eating his dinner.

Form Affirmative

The affirmative (positive) of the present continuous is formed using the auxiliary verb

“to be” in the present and the ing form of the main verb.

I am cooking the dinner.

e.g. You are studying the human brain.

He is researching alternative energy sources.

We are analysing the effects of global warming.

They are looking for a new house.

In conversation or in informal writing we can use the contracted form of the subject and

the auxiliary verb

“to be”

I’m cooking dinner.

e.g. You’re studying the human brain.

He’s researching alternative energy sources.

We’re analysing the effects of global warming.

They’re looking for a new house.

Interrogative

When we want to ask questions in the present continuous we put the auxiliary verb

“be” before the subject and then the ing form of the main verb

Am I doing this right?

e.g. Are you studying?

Is she having a shower?

Are we watching channel 1 or 2?

Are they working on a new project?

Negative

The negative form of the present continuous is formed using the auxiliary verb “to be”

together with the word “not”, followed by the “ing” form of the main verb

I am not reading that book.

e.g. You are not walking quickly enough.

He is not taking notes.

We are not drinking the white wine.

They are not helping me at all.

In conversation or in informal writing we can use the contracted form:

I’m not reading that book.

e.g. You aren’t walking quickly enough.

He isn’t taking notes.

We aren’t drinking the white wine.

They aren’t helping me at all.

Use

We use the present continuous tense in the following situations:

- To talk about actions that are in progress in this moment

What are you doing? I’m listening to the radio.

e.g.

- To talk about temporary situations, things that are relevant to this period in time

but are not always true.

e.g. I’m working in Rome this week (but I usually work in Milan).

He’s studying English this month (but in other months he studies other

subjects).

- To talk about situations and processes that are evolving or current trends

Climate change is becoming a serious problem.

e.g. The number of people on antidepressant medications is

rising. Women are wearing longer skirts this season.

- To describe the action in a picture or photograph

In this photo I am opening my birthday presents.

e.g.

In this painting by Manet there is a barmaid who is standing behind the bar,

looking at all the people who are drinking.

Present simple vs present continuous

a) Use the present simple to say what you usually do and with expressions like once a

week/month/year (=una volta alla settimana/al mese/all’anno) and with frequency

adverbs; with questions and negatives, the auxiliary verb is DO/DOES.

b) Use the present continuous to say what you are doing now and with expressions

like: at the moment, now, right now, today; with affirmatives, questions and negatives,

the auxiliary verb is to BE.

STATIVE VERBS

There are some verbs which we call stative verbs because they usually only take the

present simple tense because they indicate permanent states and not dynamic actions.

I like classical music

e.g. (not I’m liking classical

music)

Stative verbs can be divided into different

categories:

- Verbs that express feelings and emotional state:

adore, hate, love, like, dislike, despise, want, wish,

Gerald loves his job

prefer e.g.

We hate the noise from the bar downstairs

- Verbs that express opinions, convictions and ideas:

believe, know, mean, realise, recognise, remember, suppose, understand, feel

I think

(with the meaning of believe), think (with the meaning of believe) e.g.

that’s a great idea

I suppose that’s the best solution

However, if we use the verb think with the meaning of reflect or consider, we can use

the present continuous form.

e.g. I’m thinking about changing my job.

Or if we use the verb feel to talk about a temporary state of the body or mind we can

use the present continuous form.

I’m feeling really tired at the moment. I need a holiday!

e.g.

- Verbs that express possession and belonging:

belong, have/have got (with the meaning of possess), own,

possess, contain

This phone belongs to my boss

e.g. He has a big house in the city suburbs

They own a restaurant

However, when we use the verb have with a dynamic meaning, we can use the present

continuous form

She is having soup for lunch (She is eating soup

e.g.

for lunch) He is having a bath (He is taking a

bath)

- Verbs that express senses and

perception hear, see, smell, taste

I see some clouds in the sky

e.g. Do you hear the church bells

I smell something burning in the kitchen!

In this dish I taste cumin and coriander

The dog smells terrible. We need to wash him

The cake tastes delicious

However, when we use these verbs to describe voluntary actions, we can use them in

the present continuous

I am smelling the flowers you gave me (Sto annusando…)

e.g. He is tasting the soup to see if it needs more salt (Sta assaggiando…)

PASTE TENSES

Past Simple

The past simple is one of a number of past tenses in English.

It doesn’t correspond directly with one past tense in Italian, sometimes it translates as

imperfetto, passato prossimo

the sometimes it translates as the the and in other cases

passato remoto.

as the

There are many irregular verbs in the past simple tense. Perhaps the most important

one is the verb “to be”.

The past simple of the verb “to be” is irregular and is formed as follows:

I was

You were

He/She/It was

We were

You (plural) were

They were

Form Affirmative

We form the affirmative past simple of regular verbs by adding the letters “ed” as a

suffix to the base form of the verb. The past simple is the same for all people, I, You,

He, She, It, We, They.

I worked yesterday

E.g. He started a new project last week

Verbs that already end in “e” usually just add a “d”.

You phoned me last night

e.g.

To form the past simple of a one syllable verb that ends with a consonant, a vowel and

a consonant, we double the final consonant before adding “ed”.

He stopped smoking a couple of years ago

E.g.

To form the past simple of two syllable verbs ending in a consonant, a vowel and a

consonant we follow the same rule and double to final consonant, by only if the accent

is on the second syllable.

She regretted her decision

e.g.

To form the past simple of verbs that end with the letter “y” preceded by a consonant

we must remove the “y” and replace it with the letter “i” and then add “ed”.

They studied for weeks before the final exam

e.g.

The pronunciation of the past simple affirmative in most cases sounds

like “t” or “d”

I worked there for 3 years

e.g. I jogged around the park a few times

The “ed” ending is pronounced fully only when the verb ends in a “t” or a “d” (or in a

We started playing at 9 o’clock.

“t” or “d” sound) e.g.

My grandma mended the hole in my cardigan.

The dog waded into the river.

Interrogative

To ask a question in the past simple tense we use the auxiliary verb “to do” in the past

simple – “did” – followed by the subject and then the main verb in the base form

Did he find a solution?

e.g. Did they arrive yesterday morning?

Negative

To form a negative sentence in the past simple, we use the auxiliary verb “to do” in the

past simple – “did” – followed by the word “not” and the base form of the main verb.

I did not enjoy the film

e.g. He did not speak at the conference

In conversation and in informal writing we can use the contracted form of “did not”

which becomes “didn’t”

I didn’t enjoy the film

e.g. He didn’t speak at the conference

Use

The past simple tense is used in the following cases:

- To talk about a finished action that took place in a specific moment or period in

He went to Paris last Tuesday We saw a great film yesterday

the past e.g.

I broke my leg on holiday in 2015

- To talk about a sequence of actions or events in the past

I woke up early and then I took a shower and made breakfast.

e.g.

- To talk about permanent or long-term situations in the past

e.g. I grew up in the South of Italy.

They spent four years working in the same team

- To talk about repeated actions in the past

My brother and I stayed with our grandparents every Easter

e.g.

We often use the past simple to indicate the specific moment or period in the past in

which an action/event or a series of actions/events took place. As a result, the past

simple is often accompanied by adverbs or time expressions:

Last night, last week, last month, last year, last winter, last Monday, 5 minutes

ago, 2 hours ago, 6 weeks ago, 3 months ago, 10 years ago, In 1998, in March,

at 11 o’clock (alle 11)

Past simple vs. past continuous

We often use the past continuous together with a simple past tense. The past

continuous refers to a longer “background” action or situation; the simple past refers to

a shorter action or event that happened in the middle of the longer action, or that

interrupted it.

EXAMPLE: As I was walking down the road, I met Bill. (Mentre stavo camminando per la

stada, ho incontrato Bill); The phone rang, while I was having breakfast. (Il telefono

suonò, mentre stavo facendo colazione)

The past continuous, like other progressive forms, is used for temporary actions and

situations. When we talk about longer situations we use simple past. Compare:

1) It happened while I was living in London last year. (Successe mentre stavo vivendo a

Londra l’anno scorso)

2) I lived in London for ten years when I was a child. (Vissi a Londra per dieci ani

quando ero piccolo)

Present Perfect

The present perfect tense allows us to express the relationship between something in

the past and the present moment. It can be difficult for Italian students to fully

understand it’s use because, as with the past simple, it is not possible to translate it

with just one tense in Italian. It sometimes corresponds with the passato prossimo, but

not always. Sometimes it is translated with the presente.

The present perfect tense is formed with the auxiliary verb “to have” in the present

simple (have or has for the third person) and the past participle of the main verb.

For regular verbs, the past participle is the same as the past simple, and is formed by

adding “ed” as a suffix to the base form of the verb. For example: WORK – I worked

(past simple), I have worked (present perfect).

However, there are a lot of irregular verbs which do not follow this rule. For some

irregular verbs the past participle is the same as the past simple, but for many it is

different.

Form Affirmative

We form the affirmative of the present perfect with the auxiliary verb have (has for the

third person) and the past participle of the main verb.

For example: If we take the verb TO ARRIVE

I have arrived

You have arrived

He/She/It has arrived

We have arrived

You have arrived

They have arrived

In conversation or in informal writing we can use the contracted form of the auxiliary

verb have:

I’ve arrived

You’ve arrived

He’s arrived / She’s arrived / It’s arrived

We’ve arrived

You’ve arrived

They’ve arrived

Interrogative

To ask a question in the present perfect we use the auxiliary verb have (has for the

third person) followed by the subject and then the past participle of the main verb.

For example: if we take the verb TO ARRIVE the interrogative would be as follows:

Have I arrived?

Have you arrived?

Has he arrived? / Has she arrived? / Has it arrived?

Have we arrived?

Have you arrived?

Have they arrived?

Negative

To express a negative sentence in the present perfect we use the auxiliary verb have

not

(has for the third person) and the word followed by the past participle of the main

verb.

I have not arrived

You have not arrived

He has not arrived / She has not arrived / It has not arrived

We have not arrived

You have not arrived

They have not arrived

In conversation or in informal writing we can use the contracted form of the auxiliary

verb and the word not.

I haven’t arrived

You haven’t arrived

He hasn’t arrived / She hasn’t arrived / It hasn’t arrived

We haven’t arrived

You haven’t arrived

They haven’t arrived

Remember, although in Italian for certain verbs we use the auxiliary verb essere, in

English we always use the verb “to have” (avere) to form the present perfect tense.

Jenny is gone to the supermarket, Jenny has gone to the

e.g. We DO NOT say but

supermarket.

Use

We use the present perfect tense in the following cases:

- To talk about an action that is finished in a time period that is still in

progress

I have worked a lot this week

E.g. (the week is not finished yet)

You have sent me five emails today (the day is not finished yet)

She has drunk three cups of coffee this morning (the morning is not finished yet)

- To talk about an action in the past at an indeterminate moment in the past

- when the time is not specified or defined

We have eaten all the chocolates

e.g. (the chocolates are finished, we ate them, don’t

say when)

He has been to New York (he went to New York at some point, but we don’t say

when)

They have seen that film (they saw that film at some point, we don’t say when)

- To talk about an action in the past when the time is indefinite (using ever

or never)

Have you ever eaten octopus?

e.g. (in your whole life)

She has never seen The Godfather (in her whole life)

They have never travelled abroad (in their whole life)

- To talk about a state/situation that began in the past and is still in progress

He has lived in Paris for two years

e.g. (he arrived in Paris two years ago and he still

lives there)

I have worked for this company since 2012 (I started working there in 2012, still

work there)

We have played football in this team for six months (we started playing 6 months

ago, we still play there)

- To talk about an action or event that happened in the past, but has a

consequence or is relevant in the present

e.g. I can’t go skiing because I have broken my leg (it happened in the past, but my leg

is still broken)

She has lost her keys so she can’t get into her hous