Summary English verb tenses.

Summary: Language study 1: Grammar




Inhoudsopgave
Present and Perfect:....................................................................................................... 2
The Present simple:..................................................................................................... 2
The Present Continuous:.............................................................................................. 3
The present perfect simple:.........................................................................................4
The present perfect continuous:..................................................................................4
The past simple:............................................................................................................. 5
The past perfect simple:..............................................................................................7
The past perfect continuous:.......................................................................................7
The Future simple:.......................................................................................................... 8
The future continuous................................................................................................. 8
The future perfect:...................................................................................................... 9
The future perfect continuous:....................................................................................9
Other ways to express the future:...............................................................................9
Verb classes:................................................................................................................. 10
Auxiliaries:................................................................................................................. 10
Primary auxiliaries..................................................................................................... 10
Modal auxiliaries....................................................................................................... 10
Copular or linking verbs............................................................................................ 16
Full or lexical verbs.................................................................................................... 16

, Summary: Language study 1: Grammar


Present and Perfect:
The Present simple:
Use:
1. Daily routines, habits, regular or repeated actions or events.
 I usually get up early
2. General truths
 water boils at 100 degrees C
3. Permanent situations, current state, or things that are generally true.
 We have a dog at home.
4. Profession or characteristics.
 I am a teacher / he is shy.
5. A series of actions in a narrative à Historic present or commentary.
 Clayton kicks the ball, and his contender goes down.
6. State verbs/ Perceptions verbs.
 Emotions: like, love, hate à He loves/hates/likes pizza
 Thoughts: know, believe, understand à She knows/
believes/understands the answer.
 Senses: see, hear, taste à This cake tastes delicious or This
flower smells nice.
 Possessions: have, own, belong à She has/owns a car.
 Being: be, seem, exist à He is/seems tired.
7. Present simple expressing future fixed plans like a timetable.
 My train to school leaves at 8:04 in Duffel.

Form:
1. Infinitive (I, you, we and they)
2. For the 3rd person singular: 3 groups. `
a. Infinitive + -s à he/she/it read, plays, walks, …
b. Infinitive + -es (when your verb end in the hissing sound) à
misses, watches, matches, washes, …
c. Infinitive + -es (when your verb ends in -o) à goes, does

3. Infinitive ending in -y à -y becomes -I + -es à tries, lies, …

Pronunciation in the 3rd person singular

Hissing sound -S sounds like a -Z -S sound as a -S
(after a voiceless
sound, P, T, K, F
(PoTKoFi)
Brushes Does Gets
Washes Goes Ask
Watches Copies Puts
Pushes Studies Jumps
Finishes Says Stops
Wishes Cleans cooks

, Summary: Language study 1: Grammar

The Present Continuous:
Use:
1. An action happening at the time of speaking (to be in the
middle of something, an action is in progress at this very
moment of speaking):
 The action is in progress right now and may continue after the
moment of speaking.
 She is writing a letter.
 They are playing football in the park.
2. An action in progress around the time of speaking:
 The action isn’t necessarily happening at the exact moment but
occurs during this general period.
 I am reading a fascinating book these days.
 We are working on a new project this week.
3. Frequent actions that are annoying (they happen more than
we would normally expect):
 Used to express annoyance or frustration.
 He is always losing his keys
 It is taking you forever to get ready.
4. Describing pictures, plots anecdotes or commentaries
 Often used in storytelling, descriptions, or sport commentaries.
 In this picture, the girl is standing by the lake.
 The hero is chasing the villain through the streets.
5. Expressing future arrangements:
 Refer to definite plans or arrangements for the near future.
 We are meeting them at 7 PM tonight.
 She is flying to Paris next week.

Form:
1. Infinitive + ing
 singing, walking, talking, washing
2. There are two forms for the second one:
A. Infinitive -e + ing
 nudge à nudging
 make à making
 dance à dancing
B. Infinitive +ing à double consonants
 run à running,
 sit à sitting
 Fit à Fitting
 Stop à Stopping
3. Infinitive – ie becomes Y +ing
1. Lying, dying, tying, …