Present Perfect: I have lived here since 1987.
Present perfect continuous: I have been living here for years.
Past perfect: We had been to see her several times before she visited us.
Past perfect continuous: He had been watching her for some time when she turned and smiled.
Future perfect: We will have arrived in the States by the time you get this letter.
Future perfect continuous: By the end of your course, you will have been studying for five years.

Future tenses

Simple future: They will go to Italy next week.
Future continuous: I will be travelling by train.

Conditional tenses

Present conditional: If he had the money he would go
Present continuous conditional: He would be getting up now if he was in Australia.
Perfect conditional: She would have visited me if she had had time.
Perfect continuous conditional: I would have been playing tennis if I hadn't broken my arm.

Verb Tenses: Simple Present

SIMPLE PRESENT

(See also Verbs -'Regular verbs in the simple present')

Simple present, third person singular

Note:

1. he, she, it: in the third person singular the verb always ends in -s:
he wants, she needs, he gives, she thinks.

2. Negative and question forms use DOES (=the third person of the auxiliary'DO') +the infinitive of the verb.
He wants. Does he want? He does not want.

3.     Verbs ending in -y : the third person changes the -y to -ies:
fly  flies, cry  cries

Exception: if there is a vowel before the -y:
play  plays, pray  prays

4. Add -es to verbs ending in:-ss, -x, -sh, -ch:
he passes, she catches, he fixes, it pushes

See also Verbs -'Regular verbs in the simple present', and 'Be, do & have'

Examples:

1. Third person singular with s or -es

· He goes to school every morning.

· She understands English.

· It mixes the sand and the water.

· He tries very hard.

· She enjoys playing the piano.

2. Simple present, form

Example: to think, present simple

Affirmative	Interrogative	Negative
I think	Do I think ?	I do not think.
You think	Do you think?	You don't think.
he, she, it thinks	Does he, she, it think?	He, she, it doesn't think.
we think	Do we think?	We don't think.
you think	Do you think?	You don't think.

The simple present is used:

1. to express habits, general truths, repeated actions or unchanging situations, emotions and wishes:
I smoke (habit); I work in London (unchanging situation); London is a large city (general truth)

2. to give instructions or directions:
You walk for two hundred metres, then you turn left.

3. to express fixed arrangements, present or future:
Your exam starts at 09.00

4. to express future time, after some conjunctions: after, when, before, as soon as, until:
He'll give it to you when you come next Saturday.

BE CAREFUL! The simple present is not used to express actions happening now. See Present Continuous.

Examples:

1. For habits
He drinks tea at breakfast.
She only eats fish.
They watch television regularly.

2. For repeated actions or events
We catch the bus every morning.
It rains every afternoon in the hot season.
They drive to Monaco every summer.

3. For general truths
Water freezes at zero degrees.
The Earth revolves around the Sun.
Her mother is Peruvian.

4. For instructions or directions
Open the packet and pour the contents into hot water.
You take the No.6 bus to Watney and then the No.10 to Bedford.

5. For fixed arrangements
His mother arrives tomorrow.
Our holiday starts on the 26th March

6. With future constructions
She'll see you before she leaves.
We'll give it to her when she arrives.

Present Continuous or Present Progressive

Present Continuous or Present Progressive Verb Form

1. Present continuous, form

The present continuous of any verb is composed of two parts - the present tense of the verb to be + the present participle of the main verb.

(The form of the present participle is: base+ing, e.g. talking, playing, moving, smiling)

Affirmative
Subject	+ *to be*	+ base+*ing*
she	is	talking

Negative
Subject	+ to be + not	+ base+*ing*
she	is not (isn't)	talking

Interrogative
*to be*	*+ subject*	+ base+*ing*
is	she	talking?

Example: to go, present continuous

Affirmative	Negative	Interrogative
I am going	I am not going	Am I going?
You are going	You aren't going.	Are you going?
He, she, it is going	He, she, it isn't going	Is he, she, it going?
We are going	We aren't going	Are we going?
You are going	You aren't going	Are you going?
They are going	They aren't going	Are they going?

Note: alternative negative contractions: I'm not going, you're not going, he's not going etc.

2. Present Continuous, function

As with all tenses in English, the speaker's attitude is as important as the time of the action or event. When someone uses the present continuous, they are thinking about something that is unfinished or incomplete.

The present continuous is used:

· to describe an action that is going on at this moment e.g.
You are using the Internet. You are studying English grammar.

· to describe an action that is going on during this period of time or a trend, e.g.
Are you still working for the same company? More and more people are becomingvegetarian.

· to describe an action or event in the future, which has already been planned or prepared (See also 'Ways of expressing the future) e.g.
We're going on holiday tomorrow. I'm meeting my boyfriend tonight. Are they visitingyou next winter?

· to describe a temporary event or situation, e.g.
He usually plays the drums, but he's playing bass guitar tonight. The weather forecast was good, but it's raining at the moment.

· with 'always, forever, constantly', to describe and emphasise a continuing series of repeated actions, e.g.
Harry and Sally are always arguing! You're forever complaining about your mother-in-law!

BE CAREFUL! Some verbs are not used in the continuous form - see below.

3. Verbs that are not normally used in the continuous form

The verbs in the list below are normally used in the simple form, because they refer tostates, rather than actions or processes:

List of common verbs normally used in simple form:

Senses / Perception

feel*, hear, see*, smell, taste

Opinion

assume, believe, consider, doubt, feel (= think), find (= consider), suppose, think*

Mental states

forget, imagine, know, mean, notice, recognise, remember, understand

Emotions / desires

envy, fear, dislike, hate, hope, like, love, mind, prefer, regret, want, wish

Measurement

contain, cost, hold, measure, weigh

Others

look (=resemble), seem, be (in most cases), have (when it means to possess)*

Notes:

· 'Perception' verbs (see, hear, feel, taste, smell) are often used with 'can': e.g.
I can see...

· * These verbs may be used in the continuous form but with a different meaning, compare:

· This coat feels nice and warm. (= your perception of the coat's qualities)

· John's feeling much better now (= his health is improving)

· She has three dogs and a cat. (=possession)

· She's having supper. (= She's eating)

· I can see Anthony in the garden (= perception)

· I'm seeing Anthony later (= We are planning to meet)

Examples

· I wish I was in Greece now.

· She wants to see him now.

· I don't understand why he is shouting.

· I feel we are making a mistake.

· This glass holds half a litre.

Present Perfect Verb Tense

PRESENT PERFECT

1. Present Perfect - Form

The present perfect of any verb is composed of two elements : the appropriate form of the auxiliary verb to have (present tense), plus the past participle of the main verb. The past participle of a regular verb is base+ed, e.g. played, arrived, looked. For irregular verbs, see the Table of irregular verbs in the section called 'Verbs'.

Affirmative
Subject	to have	past participle
She	has	Visited
Negative
Subject	to have + not	past participle
She	hasn't	Visited
Interrogative
to have	subject	past participle
Has	she	visited..?
Interrogative negative
to have + not	subject	past participle
Hasn't	she	visited...?

Example: to walk, present perfect

Affirmative	Negative	Interrogative
I have walked	I haven't walked	Have I walked?
You have walked	You haven't walked	Have you walked?
He, she, it has walked	He, she, it hasn't walked	Has he,she,it walked
We have walked	We haven't walked	Have we walked?
You have walked	You haven't walked	Have you walked?
They have walked	They haven't walked	Have they walked?

2. Present perfect, function

The Present Perfect is used to indicate a link between the present and the past. The time of the action is before now but not specified, and we are often more interested in the resultthan in the action itself.

BE CAREFUL! There may be a verb tense in your language with a similar form, but the meaning is probably NOT the same.

The Present Perfect is used to describe:

1. An action or situation that started in the past and continues in the present. Example: I have lived in Bristol since 1984 (= and I still do.)

2. An action performed during a period that has not yet finished. Example: She has been to the cinema twice this week (= and the week isn't over yet.)

3. A repeated action in an unspecified period between the past and now. Example: We have visited Portugal several times.

4. An action that was completed in the very recent past, (expressed by 'just'). Example: I have just finished my work.

5. An action when the time is not important. Example: He has read 'War and Peace'. (the result of his reading is important)

Note: When we want to give or ask details about when, where, who, we use the simple past. Example: He read 'War and Peace' last week.

Examples:

1. Actions started in the past and continuing in the present.

· They haven't lived here for years.

· She has worked in the bank for five years.

· We have had the same car for ten years.

· Have you played the piano since you were a child?

2. When the time period referred to has not finished.

· I have worked hard this week.

· It has rained a lot this year.

· We haven't seen her today.

3. Actions repeated in an unspecified period between the past and now.

· They have seen that film six times.

· It has happened several times already.

· She has visited them frequently.

· We have eaten at that restaurant many times.

4. Actions completed in the very recent past (+just).

· Have you just finished work?

· I have just eaten.

· We have just seen her.

· Has he just left?

5. When the precise time of the action is not important or not known.

· Someone has eaten my soup!

· Have you seen 'Gone with the Wind'?

· She's studied Japanese, Russian and English.

Present perfect + ever,never,already,yet

PRESENT PERFECT + ever, never, already, yet

The adverbs ever and never express the idea of an unidentified time before now e.g. Have youever visited Berlin?

'Ever' is used

· in questions. e.g.
Have you ever been to England?
Has she ever met the Prime Minister?

· in negative questions e.g.
Haven't they ever been to Europe?
Haven't you ever eaten Chinese food?

· and in negative statements using the pattern nothing.......ever, nobody.......evere.g.
Nobody has ever said that to me before.
Nothing like this has ever happened to us.

· 'Ever' is also used with 'The first time.... e.g.
It's the first time (that) I've ever eaten snails.
This is the first time I've ever been to England.

'Never' means at no time before now, and is the same asnot ..... ever:

· I have never visited Berlin

BE CAREFUL!

You must not use never and not together:

· ~~I haven't never been to Italy.~~

· I have never been to Italy.

Position

'Ever' and 'never' are always placed before the main verb (past participle).

Already and yet

Already

refers to an action that has happened at an unspecified time before now. It suggests that there is no need for repetition, e.g.
a. I've already drunk three coffees this morning. (and you're offering me another one!)
b. Don't write to John, I've already done it.

It is also used in questions:

· Have you already written to John?

· Has she finished her homework already?

Position

already can be placed before the main verb (past participle) or at the end of the sentence:

· I have already been to Tokyo.

· I have been to Tokyo already.

Yet

is used in negative statements and questions, to mean (not) in the period of time between before now and now, (not) up to and including the present. e.g.

· Have you met Judy yet?

· I haven't visited the Tate Gallery yet.

· Has he arrived yet?

· They haven't eaten yet.

Position

Yet is usually placed at the end of the sentence.

Present Perfect of Simple Past?

How to choose between the Present Perfect and Simple Past Tenses

· Always use the Present Perfect when the time is not important, or not specified.

· Always use the Simple Past when details about the time or place are specified or asked for.

Compare:

Present Perfect	Simple Past
I *have lived* in Lyon.	I *lived* in Lyon in 1989.
They *have eaten* Thai food.	They *ate* Thai food last night.
*Have you seen* 'Othello'?.	Where *did you see* 'Othello'?
We *have been* to Ireland.	When *did you go* to Ireland?

There is also a difference of attitude that is often more important than the time factor.

· "What did you do at school today?" is a question about activities, and considers the school day as finished.

· "What have you done at school today?" is a question about results - "show me", and regards the time of speaking as a continuation of the school day.

Present Perfect + for and since

PRESENT PERFECT + for, since

Using the present perfect, we can define a period of time before now by considering its duration,with for + a period of time, or by considering its starting point, with since + a point in time.

For + a period of time

· for six years, for a week, for a month, for hours, for two hours.

· I have worked here for five years.

Since + a point in time

· since this morning, since last week, since yesterday,

· since I was a child, since Wednesday, since 2 o'clock.

· I have worked here since 1990.

present perfect with for

· She has lived here for twenty years.

· We have taught at this school for a long time.

· Alice has been married for three months.

· They have been at the hotel for a week.

present perfect with since

· She has lived here since 1980.

· We have taught at this school since 1965

· Alice has been married since March 2nd.

· They have been at the hotel since last Tuesday.

Note:

· For and since can both be used with the past perfect.

· Since can only be used with perfect tenses, for can also be used with the simple past.

Present Perfect Continuous

PRESENT PERFECT CONTINUOUS

Present Perfect Continuous, Form

The present perfect continuous is made up of two elements:

1. the present perfect of the verb 'to be' (have/has been), and

2. the present participle of the main verb (base+ing).

Subject	has/have been	base+ing
She	has been	swimming

Affirmative
She has been / She's been	running
Negative
She hasn't been	running
Interrogative
Has she been	running?
Interrogative negative
Hasn't she been	running?

Example: to live, present perfect continuous

Affirmative	Negative	Interrogative
I have been living	I haven't been living	Have I been living?
You have been living	You haven't been living	Have you been living?
He, she, it has been living	He hasn't been living	Has she been living?
We have been living	We haven't been living	Have we been living?
You have been living	You haven't been living	Have you been living?
They have been living	They haven't been living	Have they been living?

Present perfect continuous, function

The present perfect continuous refers to an unspecified time between 'before now' and 'now'. The speaker is thinking about something that started but perhaps did not finish in that period of time. He/she is interested in the process as well as the result, and this process may still be going on, or may have just finished.

Examples

1. Actions that started in the past and continue in the present.

· She has been waiting for you all day (=and she's still waiting now).

· I've been working on this report since eight o'clock this morning (=and I still haven't finished it).

· They have been travelling since last October (=and they're not home yet).

2. Actions that have just finished, but we are interested in the results:

· She has been cooking since last night (=and the food on the table looks delicious).

· It's been raining (= and the streets are still wet).

· Someone's been eating my chips (= half of them have gone).

Verbs without continuous forms

With verbs not normally used in the continuous form, use the present perfect simple. See list of these verbs under 'Present Continuous':

· I've wanted to visit China for years.

· She's known Robert since she was a child.

· I've hated that music since I first heard it.

· I've heard a lot about you recently.

· We've understood everything we've heard this morning.

Simple Past

SIMPLE PAST

BE CAREFUL!

The simple past in English may look like a tense in your own language, but the meaning may be different.

1. Simple Past: Form

Regular verbs: base+ed
e.g. walked, showed, watched, played, smiled, stopped

Irregular verbs: see list of verbs

Simple past, be, have, do:

Subject	Verb
Subject	Be	Have	Do
I	was	had	did
You	were	had	did
He, she, it	was	had	did
We	were	had	did
You	were	had	did
They	were	had	did

Affirmative

· I was in Japan last year

· She had a headache yesterday.

· We did our homework last night.

Negative and interrogative

Note:

For the negative and interrogative simple past form of "do" as an ordinary verb, use the auxiliary "do", e.g. We didn't do our homework last night. The negative of "have" in the simple past is usually formed using the auxiliary "do", but sometimes by simply adding not or the contraction "n't".

The interrogative form of "have" in the simple past normally uses the auxiliary "do".

· They weren't in Rio last summer.

· We hadn't any money.

· We didn't have time to visit the Eiffel Tower.

· We didn't do our exercises this morning.

· Were they in Iceland last January?

· Did you have a bicycle when you were a boy?

· Did you do much climbing in Switzerland?

Simple past, regular verbs

Affirmative
Subject	verb + ed
I	washed
Negative
Subject	did not	infinitive without to
They	didn't	visit ...
Interrogative
Did	subject	infinitive without to
Did	she	arrive...?
Interrogative negative
Did not	subject	infinitive without to
Didn't	you	like..?

Example: to walk, simple past.

Affirmative	Negative	Interrogative
I walked	I didn't walk	Did I walk?
You walked	You didn't walk	Did you walk?
He,she,it walked	He didn't walk	Did he walk?
We walked	We didn't walk	Did we walk?
You walked	You didn't walk	Did you walk?
They walked	They didn't walk	Did they walk?

Note: For the negative and interrogative form of all verbs in the simple past, always use the auxiliary 'did''.

Examples: Simple past, irregular verbs

to go

· He went to a club last night.

· Did he go to the cinema last night?

· He didn't go to bed early last night.

to give

· We gave her a doll for her birthday.

· They didn't give John their new address.

· Did Barry give you my passport?

to come

· My parents came to visit me last July.

· We didn't come because it was raining.

· Did he come to your party last week?

2. Simple past, function

The simple past is used to talk about a completed action in a time before now. Duration is not important. The time of the action can be in the recent past or the distant past.

· John Cabot sailed to America in 1498.

· My father died last year.

· He lived in Fiji in 1976.

· We crossed the Channel yesterday.

You always use the simple past when you say when something happened, so it is associated with certain past time expressions

Examples

· frequency:
often, sometimes, always;

· a definite point in time:
last week, when I was a child, yesterday, six weeks ago.

· an indefinite point in time:
the other day, ages ago, a long time ago etc.

Note: the word ago is a useful way of expressing the distance into the past. It is placedafter the period of time e.g. a week ago, three years ago, a minute ago.

Examples

· Yesterday, I arrived in Geneva.

· She finished her work at seven o'clock.

· We saw a good film last week.

· I went to the theatre last night.

· She played the piano when she was a child.

· He sent me a letter six months ago.

· Peter left five minutes ago.

Verb Tenses: Past Continuous

PAST CONTINUOUS

Past continuous - form.

The past continuous of any verb is composed of two parts : the past tense of the verb to be (was/were), and the base of the main verb +ing.

Subject	was/were	base-ing
They	were	watching

Affirmative
She	was	reading
Negative
She	wasn't	reading
Interrogative
Was	she	reading?
Interrogative negative
Wasn't	she	reading?

Example: to play, past continuous

Affirmative	Negative	Interrogative
I was playing	I was not playing	Was I playing?
You were playing	You were not playing	Were you playing?
He, she, it was playing	She wasn't playing	Was she playing?
We were playing	We weren't playing	Were we playing?
You were playing	You weren't playing	Were you playing?
They were playing	They weren't playing	Were they playing?

Past continuous, function

The past continuous describes actions or events in a time before now, which began in the past and was still going on at the time of speaking. In other words, it expresses anunfinished or incomplete action in the past.

It is used:

· often, to describe the background in a story written in the past tense, e.g. "The sunwas shining and the birds were singing as the elephant came out of the jungle. The other animals were relaxing in the shade of the trees, but the elephant moved very quickly. She was looking for her baby, and she didn't notice the hunter who was watching her through his binoculars. When the shot rang out, she was running towards the river..."

· to describe an unfinished action that was interrupted by another event or action: "Iwas having a beautiful dream when the alarm clock rang."

· to express a change of mind: e.g. "I was going to spend the day at the beach but I've decided to go on an excursion instead."

· with 'wonder', to make a very polite request: e.g. "I was wondering if you could baby-sit for me tonight."

More examples

· They were waiting for the bus when the accident happened.

· Caroline was skiing when she broke her leg.

· When we arrived he was having a bath.

· When the fire started I was watching television.

Note: with verbs not normally used in the continuous form, the simple past is used. See list in Present continuous

Verb Tenses: The Past Perfect

PAST PERFECT

Past perfect, form

The Past Perfect tense in English is composed of two parts: the past tense of the verb to have (had) + the past participle of the main verb.

Subject	had	past participle
We	had	decided...
Affirmative
She	had	given.
Negative
We	hadn't	asked.
Interrogative
Had	they	arrived?
Interrogative negative
Hadn't	you	finished?

Example: to decide, Past perfect

Affirmative	Negative	Interrogative
I had decided	I hadn't decided	Had I decided?
You had decided	You hadn't decided	Had you decided?
He, she, it had decided	He hadn't decided	Had she decided?
We had decided	We hadn't decided	Had we decided?
You had decided	You hadn't decided	Had you decided?
They had decided	They hadn't decided	Had they decided?

Past perfect, function

The past perfect refers to a time earlier than before now. It is used to make it clear that one event happened before another in the past. It does not matter which event is mentioned first - the tense makes it clear which one happened first.

In these examples, Event A is the first or earliest event, Event B is the second or latest event:

Event B Event B

a.	John *had gone* out	when I arrived in the office.
a.	Event A	Event B
b.	I *had saved* my document	before the computer crashed.
b.	Event A
c.	When they arrived	we *had already started* cooking
c.	Event B	Event A
d.	He was very tired	because he *hadn't slept* well.
d.	Event B	Event A

Past perfect + just

'Just' is used with the past perfect to refer to an event that was only a short time earlier than before now, e.g.

· The train had just left when I arrived at the station.

· She had just left the room when the police arrived.

· I had just put the washing out when it started to rain.

Nyari duit mudah disini...

Monday, January 10, 2011

Grammar : Verbs and Verb Tenses

Summary of Verb Tenses in English

SUMMARY OF VERB TENSES

Present tenses

Past tenses

Perfect tenses

Future tenses

Conditional tenses

Verb Tenses: Simple Present

SIMPLE PRESENT

Simple present, third person singular

Examples:

2. Simple present, form

Example: to think, present simple

The simple present is used:

Examples:

Present Continuous or Present Progressive

Present Continuous or Present Progressive Verb Form

1. Present continuous, form

Example: to go, present continuous

2. Present Continuous, function

Examples

Present Perfect Verb Tense

PRESENT PERFECT

1. Present Perfect - Form

2. Present perfect, function

Examples:

Present perfect + ever,never,already,yet

PRESENT PERFECT + ever, never, already, yet

'Ever' is used

'Never' means at no time before now, and is the same asnot ..... ever:

Position

Already and yet

Already

Position

Yet

Position

Present Perfect of Simple Past?

How to choose between the Present Perfect and Simple Past Tenses

Present Perfect + for and since

PRESENT PERFECT + for, since

For + a period of time

Since + a point in time

present perfect with for

present perfect with since

Note:

Present Perfect Continuous

PRESENT PERFECT CONTINUOUS

Present Perfect Continuous, Form

Example: to live, present perfect continuous

Present perfect continuous, function

Examples

Verbs without continuous forms

Simple Past

SIMPLE PAST

1. Simple Past: Form

Simple past, be, have, do:

Affirmative

Negative and interrogative

Simple past, regular verbs

Example: to walk, simple past.

Examples: Simple past, irregular verbs

2. Simple past, function

Examples

Examples

Verb Tenses: Past Continuous

PAST CONTINUOUS

Past continuous - form.

Example: to play, past continuous

Past continuous, function

More examples

Verb Tenses: The Past Perfect

PAST PERFECT

Past perfect, form

Example: to decide, Past perfect

Past perfect, function

Past perfect + just

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