Grammar overview
1. The tenses ....................................................................................................................................... 2
1.1. Present simple/continuous ..................................................................................................... 2
1.2. Past time .................................................................................................................................. 3
1.3. Present perfect ........................................................................................................................ 4
1.4. Future time .............................................................................................................................. 5
1.5. Tense contrasts ....................................................................................................................... 5
2. The passive ...................................................................................................................................... 6
3. Hearsay reporting ............................................................................................................................ 6
4. Have/get (something done) ............................................................................................................ 6
5. Conditionals ..................................................................................................................................... 7
6. Unreal past tense ............................................................................................................................ 7
7. Modals ............................................................................................................................................. 8
7.1. Obligation, recommendation, ability ...................................................................................... 8
7.2. Possibility, certainty ................................................................................................................ 9
7.3. Other uses ............................................................................................................................. 10
8. Would ............................................................................................................................................ 11
9. Indirect speech .............................................................................................................................. 12
10. Report verbs .............................................................................................................................. 13
11. Articles ....................................................................................................................................... 14
12. Number and quantity ................................................................................................................ 16
13. Nouns ........................................................................................................................................ 17
14. Adjectives / adverbs .................................................................................................................. 18
15. Making comparisons ................................................................................................................. 21
16. Relative / non-finite clause........................................................................................................ 22
, 1. The tenses
1.1. Present simple/continuous
Present simple – ‘I work’ Present continuous – ‘I am working’
Facts Actions happening at moment of speaking
e.g. Water boils at 100 degrees e.g. I’m listening to the teacher
Routines and habits Actions happening around time of speaking
e.g. I get up at 8 o’clock on Saturdays e.g. I’m working on my learning path
Normal state verbs State verbs that show changing situation
e.g. This car belongs to me e.g. I’m understanding more and more
State verbs with different meaning according to tense
e.g. What do you? / What are you doing?
Instructions Actions that continue for some time
e.g. You click on ‘submit’ once finished e.g. I’m playing football
Newspaper headlines Repeated actions which cause irritation
e.g. Boy spots UFO e.g. You are always complaining!
Performative verbs
e.g. I accept your offer
Performative verbs
e.g. I hear you’re getting married
Expressions with inversion
e.g. There goes your credibility
Colloquial narrative and commentary
e.g. A man enters a bar to find it empty. He is looking for the barkeeper when suddenly…
, 1.2. Past time
Past simple Past continuous Past perfect simple Past perfect cont.
‘I worked’ ‘I was working’ ‘I had worked’ ‘I had been
working’
Completed events in Continuing Events in the past that happened before
the past unfinished action in other events in the past
e.g. I was born in past
1984 e.g. I went outside
and saw that the sun
was shining
In narrative Continuing Finished events that Unfinished, recently
e.g. The door unfinished action happened before finished or
opened and two interrupted by another event in the continuing events
boys entered sudden past action past before another event
e.g. I was watching e.g. By the time I got in the past
TV when my phone to the bus stop, the e.g. I had been
rang bus had left dancing for several
years before she
joined me
Past routines and Activities as
habits background
e.g. In Egyptian description
times, other gods e.g. I entered the
were worshipped party. Everyone was
talking and dancing.
Very recent events Two continuing Used to do - ‘I used to work’
without time events happening at Habits and states in past, contrast with
e.g. Someone stole same time in past present
my purse! e.g. I was doing the e.g. I used to play tennis all the time, but I
dishes while she don’t have enough time anymore
was ironing.
In conditionals and Some same uses as Would - ‘I would work’
with ‘it’s time’ present continuous A person’s habitual activity, not with state
e.g. It’s time you left but in past verbs (more literary)
e.g. Every day, I would take the train
1. The tenses ....................................................................................................................................... 2
1.1. Present simple/continuous ..................................................................................................... 2
1.2. Past time .................................................................................................................................. 3
1.3. Present perfect ........................................................................................................................ 4
1.4. Future time .............................................................................................................................. 5
1.5. Tense contrasts ....................................................................................................................... 5
2. The passive ...................................................................................................................................... 6
3. Hearsay reporting ............................................................................................................................ 6
4. Have/get (something done) ............................................................................................................ 6
5. Conditionals ..................................................................................................................................... 7
6. Unreal past tense ............................................................................................................................ 7
7. Modals ............................................................................................................................................. 8
7.1. Obligation, recommendation, ability ...................................................................................... 8
7.2. Possibility, certainty ................................................................................................................ 9
7.3. Other uses ............................................................................................................................. 10
8. Would ............................................................................................................................................ 11
9. Indirect speech .............................................................................................................................. 12
10. Report verbs .............................................................................................................................. 13
11. Articles ....................................................................................................................................... 14
12. Number and quantity ................................................................................................................ 16
13. Nouns ........................................................................................................................................ 17
14. Adjectives / adverbs .................................................................................................................. 18
15. Making comparisons ................................................................................................................. 21
16. Relative / non-finite clause........................................................................................................ 22
, 1. The tenses
1.1. Present simple/continuous
Present simple – ‘I work’ Present continuous – ‘I am working’
Facts Actions happening at moment of speaking
e.g. Water boils at 100 degrees e.g. I’m listening to the teacher
Routines and habits Actions happening around time of speaking
e.g. I get up at 8 o’clock on Saturdays e.g. I’m working on my learning path
Normal state verbs State verbs that show changing situation
e.g. This car belongs to me e.g. I’m understanding more and more
State verbs with different meaning according to tense
e.g. What do you? / What are you doing?
Instructions Actions that continue for some time
e.g. You click on ‘submit’ once finished e.g. I’m playing football
Newspaper headlines Repeated actions which cause irritation
e.g. Boy spots UFO e.g. You are always complaining!
Performative verbs
e.g. I accept your offer
Performative verbs
e.g. I hear you’re getting married
Expressions with inversion
e.g. There goes your credibility
Colloquial narrative and commentary
e.g. A man enters a bar to find it empty. He is looking for the barkeeper when suddenly…
, 1.2. Past time
Past simple Past continuous Past perfect simple Past perfect cont.
‘I worked’ ‘I was working’ ‘I had worked’ ‘I had been
working’
Completed events in Continuing Events in the past that happened before
the past unfinished action in other events in the past
e.g. I was born in past
1984 e.g. I went outside
and saw that the sun
was shining
In narrative Continuing Finished events that Unfinished, recently
e.g. The door unfinished action happened before finished or
opened and two interrupted by another event in the continuing events
boys entered sudden past action past before another event
e.g. I was watching e.g. By the time I got in the past
TV when my phone to the bus stop, the e.g. I had been
rang bus had left dancing for several
years before she
joined me
Past routines and Activities as
habits background
e.g. In Egyptian description
times, other gods e.g. I entered the
were worshipped party. Everyone was
talking and dancing.
Very recent events Two continuing Used to do - ‘I used to work’
without time events happening at Habits and states in past, contrast with
e.g. Someone stole same time in past present
my purse! e.g. I was doing the e.g. I used to play tennis all the time, but I
dishes while she don’t have enough time anymore
was ironing.
In conditionals and Some same uses as Would - ‘I would work’
with ‘it’s time’ present continuous A person’s habitual activity, not with state
e.g. It’s time you left but in past verbs (more literary)
e.g. Every day, I would take the train
