English
grammar
Present simple
The present tense is the base form of the verb:
§ I work in London.
Is used with:
➪ Timetables
➪ Permanent situations
➪ Habits
➪ Truths and scientific facts
➪ Conditional sentences (types 0 and 1)
Note: Conditional type 0 - I eat if I am hungry.
Conditional, type 1 - I will tell her to call you if I see her.
Present continuous
The present continuous is made from the present tense of the verb
be and the –ing form of a verb:
§ I'm just leaving work. I'll be home in an hour.
Is used with:
➪ Things that are happening now
➪ Temporary situations
➪ Future arrangements already planned using a future time
expression (tomorrow, next Monday, etc.)
Present perfect simple
The present perfect tense is an English verb tense used for past
actions that are related to or continue into the present. It’s easily
recognized by the auxiliary verbs (or helper verbs) have and has.
The present perfect is formed from the present tense of the verb
have and the past participle of a verb.
Is used with:
➪ Unfinished sentences which started in the past and are still
continuing now, using “since” (a point in time) or “for” (a period in
time)
§ They've been married for nearly fifty years.
➪ Finished action at an unspecified point in the past, to express
a life experience (ever- positive, never-negative)
§ I've never seen that film before.
➪ An action completed recently with a result in the present
§ I can't get in the house. I've lost my keys.
➪ An action already completed in a time period that is still
continuing, using a time expression (today, this week, this year, etc.).
§ I’ve lived in Lagos my whole life.
Note: We do not use the present perfect with adverbials which
refer to a finished past time (yesterday, last week, in 2017, when
I was younger, etc.). Instead, we use the Past Simple.
Using the Present Perfect tense with a general time range is
perfectly acceptable.
Present perfect continuous
The present perfect continuous tense (also known as the present
perfect progressive tense) shows that something started in the past
and is continuing at the present time.
The present perfect continuous is formed using the construction
has/have been + the present participle (root + -ing).
Is used with:
➪ Unfinished actions which started in the past and continue into
the present
§ I have been reading War and Peace for a month now.
➪ Temporary habits or states, using a time expression (recently, in
the last few weeks, etc.)
§ They have been staying with us since last week.
➪ An activity completed recently, but with a visible result in the
present moment
§ I’m tired out. I’ve been working all day.
Common time expressions: ever, yet, already, so far, until now, just
(now), right now, recently, lately, since, for, over the last weeks, these
few months, right now, How long, Have you ever...
Note: We do not use continuous tenses with stative verbs. In
this case, we use the present perfect simple instead.
Stative verbs often relate to:
thoughts and opinions- agree, believe, doubt, guess, imagine,
know, mean, recognise, remember, suspect, think, understand
feelings and emotions- dislike, hate, like, love, prefer, want, wish
senses and perceptions- appear, be, feel, hear, look, see, seem,
smell, taste
possession and measurement- belong, have, measure, own,
possess, weigh.
Past simple
The simple past tense shows that you are talking about something
that has already happened.
For regular verbs, add -ed to the root form of the verb (or just -d if
the root form already ends in an e)
Is used with:
➪ A completed action that happened at a specific time in the
past
§ I watched that documentary last Saturday.
➪ A sequence of past events
§ Yesterday evening, we first met in the café and then we
went to the conference.
➪ A past state of being.
§ Peter was proud of his hula hoop victory.
Common time expressions: Yesterday, a week ago, in 2019, in
December, at Easter, when I was 19, last week, last time, first time,
later, before, next, then, after (that)…
Past continuous § They were meeting secretly after school.

The past continuous tense, also known as the past progressive
tense, refers to a continuing action or state that was happening at
some point in the past.
The past continuous tense is formed by combining the past tense
of to be (i.e., was/were) with the verb’s present participle (-ing
word).
Is used with:
➪ An action or event in progress in the past at the same time as
another action
§ I was watching the news, Ana was packing her bags.
➪ A continuous past action which was interrupted by another
action in the past
§ While I was planning my trip, I suddenly remembered to
call Mark.
➪ For something that happened before and after a specific time.
§ It was 8 o’clock. I was writing some letters
➪ For something that happened again and again, in the past.
Common time expressions: While, as, when, all morning…
Signal words
There are some signal words such as ever that can only be used
with a perfect tense. But note that other signal words can be used
with many tenses. For example, although we learn the prepositions
of time for and since with the Present Perfect Tense, for can also
be used with the Past Simple, Present Continuous, Present
Simple and many other tenses.
Examples: I’ve lived in Mexico for 3 years. (I’m still in Mexico-
Present Perfect).
I lived in Mexico for 3 years. (I don’t live in Mexico anymore- Past
Simple)
I’m staying here for 3 months. (I’m here at the moment but will leave
in the future- Present Continuous)
I work for 3 hours every day. (My daily routine- Present Simple)

vocabulary

acid rain noun rain that contains harmful chemicals that collect in the atmosphere when fossil fuels are burned

ban verb to not allow something (eg. smoking, alcohol, plastic bags, protest marches, etc.)

carbon footprint noun a measurement of the amount of carbon-dioxide a person adds to the atmosphere

carpool verb to share a car instead of driving one alone

clear-cut verb to destroy a forest by cutting down all the trees

climate change noun global changes in temperature, wind patterns, rainfall, etc. mainly caused by the burning of fossil
fuels like coal and oil

compost verb to put organic waste like vegetable peels, uneaten food, grass clippings and leaves into a
large container that breaks it down into healthy soil
commute verb to travel from home to work and back

conservation noun the protection and preservation of natural environments and resources

contaminated adj. carrying harmful bacteria or toxins that can cause disease or death

domestic waste (also household rubbish or garbage from a house or apartment

waste) noun

eco-community or ecovillage noun a community with environmentally-friendly buildings, clean technology and renewable energy like
solar and wind

endangered species noun animals or plants in danger of becoming extinct or disappearing in the near future

energy-efficient adj. able to use less energy (esp. of vehicles, appliances, buildings, etc.)

environmentalist noun a person who protects the natural world and educates others about environmental problems

industrialization noun process of transforming the economy of a nation or region from a focus on agriculture to a
reliance on manufacturing

fossil fuel noun a fuel like oil or coal formed from very old plant and animal fossils

global warming (also climate higher air and sea temperatures partly caused by man-made increases in greenhouse-gas
change) noun levels

greenhouse gas noun a gas in the atmosphere that stops heat from escaping into space

overconsumption noun consumer overuses their available goods

hazardous waste noun dangerous substances that need careful disposal (eg. toxic or nuclear waste)

pesticide noun a chemical that's sprayed on crops to stop insects from destroying them

pollutant noun a substance or material that damages the natural environment

pollute verb to release waste substances into the air, water and soil

pollution noun the contamination of the environment, esp. by industrial waste products and chemicals like
pesticides

recycle verb to make something new from materials that have been used before

reforestation noun the planting of trees and plants to help a damaged or destroyed forest recover

renewable adj. can be used without running out, esp. of energy sources like solar and wind

self-sufficient adj. able to function, or produce all that's needed, without outside help

smog noun a thick dirty cloud at ground level caused by pollutants reacting to sunlight

toxin (toxic chemical) noun a poisonous substance that damages health or the environment

use up verb to use something until there's none left

wildlife noun animals, birds, insects, etc. living naturally in the wild

zero-emission adj. releasing no greenhouse gases like carbon-dioxide or methane