Tenses

PROGRESSIVE TENSES

A. Present progressive = am + (base form + -ing) : I am working. OR is + (base form + -ing) : She is eating. OR are + (base form + -ing) : We are studying. 1. A planned activity. Sofia is starting school at CEC tomorrow 2. An activity that is occurring right now. Jan is watching TV right now. 3. An activity that is in progress, although not actually occurring at the time of speaking. Sara is learning English at CEC.

B. Past progressive = was + (base form + -ing) : I was working. OR were + (base form + -ing) : They were eating. 1. A past activity in progress while another activity occurred. At 6:00 yesterday I was eating dinner. The phone rang while I was eating. 2. Two past activities in progress at the same time. While I was answering the phone, my wife was cooking dinner.

C. Future progressive = will be + (base form + -ing): I will be working. He will be eating. An activity that will be in progress. Tomorrow Sam will be studying for the test on Unit 1.

D. Present perfect progressive = have + (base form + -ing): I have been working. OR has + (base form + -ing): She has been eating.

1. This tense emphasizes the duration of an activity that began in the past and continues into the present. It often uses time words or phrases. It may be used to refer to continuing activity that is recent. He has been painting houses all summer. Ive been studying English for 2 years. 2. It may be used to refer to continuing activity that is recent. He has been going to school at CEC.

E. Past perfect progressive = had + (base form + -ing) : I had been working. He had been eating.

When the teacher arrived, I had been waiting almost 10 minutes. He was out of breath because he had been running to catch the bus.

F. Future perfect progressive = will have + (base form + -ing): I will have been working. She will have been eating. This tense emphasizes the duration of a continuing activity in the future that ends before another activity or time in the future.

By 2003 Janet will have been studying English at CEC for 3 years. By 9:45 tonight I will have been sitting in class for 2 hours and 45 minutes.

Simple Present Tense

I sing

How do we make the Simple Present Tense?

subject + auxiliary verb + main verb do base There are three important exceptions: 1. For positive sentences, we do not normally use the auxiliary. 2. For the 3rd person singular (he, she, it), we add s to the main verb or es to the auxiliary. 3. For the verb to be, we do not use an auxiliary, even for questions and negatives. Look at these examples with the main verb like: subject I, you, we, they + He, she, it I, you, we, they do He, she, it Do ? Does he, she, it like coffee? does I, you, we, they not like like coffee. coffee? not likes like coffee. coffee. auxiliary verb main verb like coffee.

Look at these examples with the main verb be. Notice that there is no auxiliary: subject I main verb am French. French. French. not old. not old. not old.

+ You, we, they are He, she, it I is am

You, we, they are He, she, it is

Am ? Are Is

I you, we, they he, she, it

late? late? late?

How do we use the Simple Present Tense?

We use the simple present tense when:

the action is general the action happens all the time, or habitually, in the past, present and future the action is not only happening now the statement is always true John drives a taxi. past present future

It is John's job to drive a taxi. He does it every day. Past, present and future. Look at these examples:

I live in New York. The Moon goes round the Earth. John drives a taxi. He does not drive a bus. We meet every Thursday. We do not work at night. Do you play football?

Note that with the verb to be, we can also use the simple present tense for situations that are not general. We can use the simple present tense to talk about now. Look at these examples of the verb "to be" in the simple present tense - some of them are general, some of them are now: Am I right? Tara is not at home. You are happy. past present future

The situation is now.

I am not fat. Why are you so beautiful? Ram is tall. past present future

The situation is general. Past, present and future.

Simple Present
[VERB] + s/es in third person Examples:

You speak English. Do you speak English? You do not speak English.

Complete List of Simple Present Forms

USE 1 Repeated Actions

Use the Simple Present to express the idea that an action is repeated or usual. The action can be a habit, a hobby, a daily event, a scheduled event or something that often happens. It can also be something a person often forgets or usually does not do. Examples:

I play tennis. She does not play tennis. Does he play tennis? The train leaves every morning at 8 AM. The train does not leave at 9 AM. When does the train usually leave? She always forgets her purse. He never forgets his wallet. Every twelve months, the Earth circles the Sun. Does the Sun circle the Earth?

USE 2 Facts or Generalizations

The Simple Present can also indicate the speaker believes that a fact was true before, is true now, and will be true in the future. It is not important if the speaker is correct about the fact. It is also used to make generalizations about people or things. Examples:

Cats like milk. Birds do not like milk. Do pigs like milk? California is in America. California is not in the United Kingdom. Windows are made of glass. Windows are not made of wood. New York is a small city. It is not important that this fact is untrue.

USE 3 Scheduled Events in the Near Future

Speakers occasionally use Simple Present to talk about scheduled events in the near future. This is most commonly done when talking about public transportation, but it can be used with other scheduled events as well. Examples:

The train leaves tonight at 6 PM. The bus does not arrive at 11 AM, it arrives at 11 PM. When do we board the plane? The party starts at 8 o'clock. When does class begin tomorrow?

USE 4 Now (Non-Continuous Verbs)

Speakers sometimes use the Simple Present to express the idea that an action is happening or is not happening now. This can only be done with Non-Continuous Verbs and certain Mixed Verbs. Examples:

I am here now. She is not here now. He needs help right now. He does not need help now. He has his passport in his hand. Do you have your passport with you?

ADVERB PLACEMENT

The examples below show the placement for grammar adverbs such as: always, only, never, ever, still, just, etc. Examples:

You only speak English. Do you only speak English?

ACTIVE / PASSIVE

Examples:

Once a week, Tom cleans the car. Active Once a week, the car is cleaned by Tom. Passive