Present continuous

The present continuous tense is formed from the present tense of the verb be and the present participle
(-ing form) of a verb: - Use:

1. We use the present continuous tense to talk about the present:

 for something that is happening at the moment of speaking:

I’m just leaving work. I’ll be home in an hour.

Please be quiet. The children are sleeping.

 for something which is happening before and after a given time:

At eight o’clock we are usually having breakfast.

When I get home the children are doing their homework. 

 for something which we think is temporary:

Michael is at university. He’s studying history.

I’m working in London for the next two weeks.

 for something which is new and contrasts with a previous state:

These days most people are using email instead of writing letters.

What sort of clothes are teenagers wearing nowadays? What sort of music are they listening to?

 to show that something is changing, growing or developing:

The children are growing quickly.

The climate is changing rapidly.
Your English is improving.

 for something which happens again and again:

It’s always raining in London.

They are always arguing.
George is great. He’s always laughing.

Note: We normally use always with this use.

2. We use the present continuous tense to talk about the future:

 for something which has been arranged or planned:

Mary is going to a new school next term.

What are you doing next week?

3. We can use the present continuous to talk about the past:

 When we are telling a story: 

 When we are summarizing the story from a book, film or play, etc.

Positive Positive Short Form

I am sleeping I'm sleeping
you are sleeping you're sleeping
he is sleeping he's sleeping
she is sleeping she's sleeping
it is sleeping it's sleeping
we are sleeping we're sleeping
they are sleeping they're sleeping

Negative Negative Short Form

I am not sleeping I'm not sleeping
you are not playing you aren't playing
he is not reading he isn't reading
she is not working she isn't working
it is not raining it isn't raining
we are not cooking we aren't cooking
they are not listening they aren't listening

Yes / No Questions
am I eating chocolate ?
are you studying now ?
is he working ?
is she doing her homework ?
is it raining ?
are we meeting at six ?
are they coming ?
For 'wh' questions, just put the question word at the front:

Wh Questions
Why am I eating chocolate ?
What are you studying now ?
When is he working ?
What is she doing ?
Why is it raining ?
Who are we meeting ?
How are they travelling ?

Put the verbs into the present continuous:

Listen to the birds. They (sing) _____________ .
 Look at that one. It (fly)___________ high in the sky.

The other one (play)__________ with a worm.

I feel happy because I (have)__________ a good time here in these woods.

Put the verbs into the correct tense (simple present or present progressive)
Look! Sara (go)__________ to the movies.

On her right hand, Sara (carry)________ her handbag.

The handbag (be__________) very beautiful.

Sara usually (put)________ on black shoes but now she (wear)__________ white trainers.

And look, she (take)________ an umbrella.

Past simple
Forms: With most verbs the past tense is formed by adding -ed: call >> called; like >> liked; want >>
wanted; work >> worked.
Use: We use the past tense to talk about:

 something that happened once in the past:

I met my wife in 1983.

We went to Spain for our holidays.
They got home very late last night.

 something that happened again and again in the past:

When I was a boy I walked a mile to school every day.

We swam a lot while we were on holiday.
They always enjoyed visiting their friends.

 something that was true for some time in the past:

I lived abroad for ten years.

He enjoyed being a student.
She played a lot of tennis when she was younger.

 we often use phrases with ago with the past tense:

I met my wife a long time ago.

Questions and negatives

We use did to make questions with the past tense:

When did you meet your wife?

Where did you go for your holidays?
Did she play tennis when she was younger?
Did you live abroad?

But look at these questions:

Who discovered penicillin?

Who wrote Don Quixote?

We use didn’t (did not) to make negatives with the past tense:

They didn’t go to Spain this year.

We didn’t get home until very late last night.
I didn’t see you yesterday. 

But there are a lot of irregular past tenses in English. Here are the most common irregular verbs in
English, with their past tenses:

Infinitive Irregular Past

be was/were
begin began
break broke
bring brought
buy bought
build built
choose chose
come came
cost cost
cut cut
do did
draw drew
drive drove
eat ate
feel felt
find found
get got
give gave
go went
have had
hear heard
hold held
keep kept
know knew
leave left
lead led
let let
lie lay
lose lost
 make
made
mean
meant
meet
met
pay
paid
put
put
run
ran
say
said
sell
sold
send
sent
set
set
sit
sat
speak
spoke
spend
spent
stand
stood
take
took
teach
taught
tell
told
think
thought
understan
understood
d
wore
wear
won
win
wrote
write

Put the verbs into the simple past:

Last year I (go)_______ to England on holiday.

It (be)_______ fantastic.

I (visit)______ lots of interesting places. I (be)_______ with two friends of mine .

In the mornings we (walk)_______ in the streets of London.

In the evenings we (go)_______ to pubs.

The weather (be)______ strangely fine.

It (not / rain)______ a lot.

But we (see)______ some beautiful rainbows.

Where (spend / you)_______ your last holiday?

 Write the past forms of the irregular verbs.

Infinitive Simple Past

1. meet __________
.
2. drive __________
.
3. speak __________
.
4. put __________
.
5. write __________
.
6. sing __________
.
7. do __________
.
8. sit __________
.
9. stand __________
.
10. run __________

Put the sentences into simple past.

We move to a new house. →

They bring a sandwich. →

He doesn't do the homework. →

They sell cars. →

Does he visit his friends? →

Past continuous

The past continuous is formed from the past tense of be with the -ing form of the verb: We use the past
continuous to talk about the past:

 for something which continued before and after another action:

The children were doing their homework when I got home.

Compare:
I got home. The children did their homework. / The children did their homework when I got
home.

As I was watching television the telephone rang./______________________________

 This use of the past continuous is very common at the beginning of a story:

The other day I was waiting for a bus when …

Last week as I was driving to work … 

 for something that happened before and after a particular time:

It was eight o’clock. I was writing a letter. / At eight o’clock I wrote some letters.

 .to show that something continued for some time:

My head was aching.

Everyone was shouting.

 for something that was happening again and again:

I was practising every day, three times a day.

They were meeting secretly after school.
They were always quarrelling.

 with verbs which show change or growth:

The children were growing up quickly.

Her English was improving.
My hair was going grey.
The town was changing quickly.

Put the verbs into the correct form (past progressive(continuous).

When I phoned my friends, they (play)________________ monopoly.

Yesterday at six I (prepare)__________________ dinner.

The kids (play)____________ in the garden when it suddenly began to rain.

I (practice)______________ the guitar when he came home.

We (not / cycle)_______________ all day.

While Alan (work) _____________ in his room, his friends (swim) in the pool.

I tried to tell them the truth but they (not / listen )______________.

What (you / do) ________________ yesterday?

Most of the time we (sit) ______________ in the park.

I (listen)______________ to the radio while my sister (watch) TV.

When I arrived, They (play)_____________ cards.

We (study)________________ English yesterday at 4:00 pm .

Write positive sentences in past progressive.

My mother / read / a novel _____________________________________________________

My father / watch / a movie ____________________________________________________

My elder sister / writing / in her diary _____________________________________________

My two brothers / listen / to the radio ____________________________________________

My little sister and I / not / watch / a movie ________________________________________

We / talk / about school_________________________________________________________

Future Simple
Simple Future has two different forms in English: "will" and "be going to." Although the two forms can
sometimes be used interchangeably, they often express two very different meanings. These different
meanings might seem too abstract at first, but with time and practice, the differences will become clear.
Both "will" and "be going to" refer to a specific time in the future.

FORM Will - [will + verb] - Examples:

 You will help him later.

 Will you help him later?
 You will not help him later.

FORM Be Going To -[am/is/are + going to + verb] - Examples:

 You are going to meet Jane tonight.

 Are you going to meet Jane tonight?
 You are not going to meet Jane tonight.

USE 1 "Will" to Express a Voluntary Action

"Will" often suggests that a speaker will do something voluntarily. A voluntary action is one the speaker
offers to do for someone else. Often, we use "will" to respond to someone else's complaint or request
for help. We also use "will" when we request that someone help us or volunteer to do something for us.
Similarly, we use "will not" or "won't" when we refuse to voluntarily do something. Examples:

 I will send you the information when I get it.

 I will translate the email, so Mr. Smith can read it.
 Will you help me move this heavy table?
 Will you make dinner?
 I will not do your homework for you.
 I won't do all the housework myself!
 A: I'm really hungry.
B: I'll make some sandwiches.
  A: I'm so tired. I'm about to fall asleep.
B: I'll get you some coffee.
 A: The phone is ringing.
B: I'll get it.

USE 2 "Will" to Express a Promise - "Will" is usually used in promises. Examples:

 I will call you when I arrive.

 If I am elected President of the United States, I will make sure everyone has access to
inexpensive health insurance.
 I promise I will not tell him about the surprise party.
 Don't worry, I'll be careful.
 I won't tell anyone your secret.

USE 3 "Be going to" to Express a Plan

"Be going to" expresses that something is a plan. It expresses the idea that a person intends to do
something in the future. It does not matter whether the plan is realistic or not. Examples:

 He is going to spend his vacation in Hawaii.

 She is not going to spend her vacation in Hawaii.
 A: When are we going to meet each other tonight?
B: We are going to meet at 6 PM.
 I'm going to be an actor when I grow up.
 Michelle is going to begin medical school next year.
 They are going to drive all the way to Alaska.
 Who are you going to invite to the party?
 A: Who is going to make John's birthday cake?
B: Sue is going to make John's birthday cake.

USE 4 "Will" or "Be Going to" to Express a Prediction

Both "will" and "be going to" can express the idea of a general prediction about the future. Predictions
are guesses about what might happen in the future. In "prediction" sentences, the subject usually has
little control over the future and therefore USES 1-3 do not apply. In the following examples, there is no
difference in meaning. Examples:

 John Smith will be the next President.

 John Smith is going to be the next President.
 The movie "Zenith" will win several Academy Awards.
 The movie "Zenith" is going to win several Academy Awards.

Put the verbs into the correct form (simple future)

James, 18 years old, asked an ugly fortune teller about his future. Here is what she told him:
You (be)___________ very happy. - Negative____________________

You (get)_________ __a lot of money. - Neg. ___________________________

You (buy)_________ __ a beautiful house. - Neg. ________________________

Your friends (envy)___________ you. – Neg. ___________________________

You (meet)_________ a beautiful girl. – Neg. ______________________________

You (marry) ___________ her. – Neg. ______________________________

You and your wife (travel)___________ around the world. - Neg.________________________

People (serve) ____________ you. – Neg.___________________________

They (not/refuse)___________ to make you happy. – Neg._____________________

But all this (happen / only)_________ when you are 70 years old. – Neg.____________________

Type in the verbs in the future I (going to).

Mr Potts (sell) __________ his house.

Our neighbours (spend)__________  their next holidays in the Caribbean.

I (move)___________  to another town.

My husband (build)__________  a tree house for the kids.

His friends (learn)___________  English.

I (tell/not)__________  you the secret.

She (ring/not) __________ me.

We (invite/not) ____________ him to our party.

Greg (work/not)__________  abroad.

Her parents (lend/not)___________  her any more money.

Write questions in the future (form - going to)

(you/help/me) _____________________?

(she/study/in Glasgow)___________________ ?

(they/paint/the room) _____________________?

(he/apply/for that job) __________________________?

(what/you/do)___________________________  about this?

Write questions in the future (form – will)

She is late (she / come) __________________ ?

It is not interesting (they / watch it) ________________________ ?

It is dangerous (he / do it) ____________________________?

Your sister is pale (she / be ill) ___________________________?

The ring is beautiful (she / like it) _______________________?

It is very dark in the cellar (you / see the bottles) _____________________________?

Mark is very lazy (he / revise) ____________________________?

The suitcase is very heavy (you / carry it) _____________________?

They are very angry (they / speak to you) __________________________ ?

She is a very aggressive person (she / be nice with me) _________________________?

Perfect tenses
Present Perfect: I have seen it.

(Present tense of to have plus participle. Action is completed with respect to the present.)

Past Perfect: I had seen it.

(Past tense of to have plus participle. Action is completed with respect to the past.)

Future Perfect: I will have seen it.

(Future tense of to have plus participle. Action is completed with respect to the future.)

Past Perfect Progressive: It had been snowing for two days before it stopped.

Had been + -ing verb + for/since

Present Perfect Progressive: It has been snowing all month long.

Has/have + -ing verb + for/since

Future Perfect Progressive: It will have been snowing for three days by the time it stops.

Will have been + -ing verb + for/since

Conditional
1. First conditional: If I have enough money, I will go to Japan.

2. Second conditional: If I had enough money, I would go to Japan.

3. Third conditional: If I had had enough money, I would have gone to Japan.

Conditional clause Main clause

1. If + Present Tense will + inf / present tense / imperative
a. If you help me with the dishes (if + pres),
I will help you with your homework. (will + inf)
b. If the sum of the digits of a number is divisible by three,
the number is divisible by three (Pres. tense)
c. If you see Mr Fox tonight, tell him I am ill. (imperative).

2. If + Past Tense would + inf

3. If + Past Perfect Tense would have + past participle
We do not normally use will or would in the conditional clause,
only in the main clause