Tense Structure Example Use

 Routines and habits

Present Simple Subject +VerbINFINITIVE I play videogames  General truths
 Jokes and stories
 Something happening right now
 Temporary situations
Present Continuous Subject +to be+ Verb-ING I am playing videogames
 Definite future plans
 With verbs as look and feel
 Completed actions
Past Simple Subject+ VerbPAST I played videogames  Completed periods of time
 Narrative sequences
 Actions in progress in the past
Past Continuous Subject+ was/were+ VerbPAST I was playing videogames  Setting the scene for a story
 Simultaneous actions
 Relating past and present
 Unspecified time
Present Perfect Simple Subject+ have/has+ VerbPAST PARTICIPLE I have played videogames  New information
 The first time something has
happened
 Recent activities
Present Perfect
Subject+ have/has+ been+ Verb-ING I have been playing videogames  Situations that started in the past
Continuous
and continue in the present
 To talk about two events and clarify
Past Perfect Subject+ had+ VerbPAST PARTICIPLE FORM I had played videogames
what happened first
 Predictions
Future simple (will) Subject+ will+ VerbINFINITIVE I will play videogames  Spontaneous decisions
 Offering to do something
 Future plans and intentions
Future with ‘going to’ Subject+ to be + ‘going to’+ VerbINFINITIVE I am going to play videogames
 Evidence-based predictions
 Actions in progress in the future
Future continuous Subject+ will be+ Verb-ING I will be playing videogames
 Future arrangements
 Actions that will be finished before
Future perfect Subject+ will have+ VerbPAST PARTICIPLE I will have played videogames
a future certain time
Future perfect  Actions that started in the past and
Subject+ will have been+ VerbPAST PARTICIPLE I will have been playing videogames
continuous haven’t finished yet
 Modals
Could(n’t Conditional Structure Example Use
Can(‘t) Be able If+ Present simple+, +Present If I play videogames, I feel
)  Things that are
Zero conditional
(Don’t)Hav simple happy always true
May Might
e to  Situations that
If+ Present simple+, + Future If I play videogames, I will
Must Ought Shall First conditional are possible in
simple feel happy
(Don’t)Nee the future
Needn’t Should If I played videogames, I  Hypothetical
d to Second conditional If+ Past simple+, + would+ verb
would be happy situations
 Things that
didn’t happen in
If+ Past perfect+, + past If I had played videogames, I the past but if
Third conditional
participle would have felt happy they happened,
things would be
different

Relative Pronouns
My cat, who is very smart, *) The bold ones can be replaced by that or by nothing
Who To speak about people
broke a vase yesterday
This is the house which
Which To speak about a subject
Mary bought
This is the place where I met
Where To speak about a place
my best friend
They were all gone when I
When To speak about time
went there
To speak about possession
I have a friend whose dad is
Whose for people, animal, and
an engineer
things
 Linkers
Type Coordinators Adverbial connectives Subordinators Prepositions
 In addition
Addition  And  Furthermore
 Moreover
 In spite of
 However  Although
 Despite
 Nonetheless  Even
 But  Unlike
Adversative (Contrast)  Nevertheless though
 Yet  In
 On one hand…/On  Whereas
contrast
the other hand…  While
to
 Because
of
 Therefore  Due to
 Because
 Consequently  On
Cause/effect  So  Since
 As a result account
 As
 In consequence of
 As a result
of
 Likewise
Comparison  Like
 Similarly
 In conclusion
Conclusion
 To conclude
 First/Firstly/In the
first place/First of all
 Second/Secondly/In
Enumeration the second place
 Third
 Last/Finally/In the
last place
 For example
Exemplificatory  For instance
 To illustrate
 In general
 Generally (speaking)
Generalization
 On the whole
 Overall
 In fact
Intensifying  Indeed
 As a matter of fact
 Afterward  When
 Meanwhile while after
Temporal
 Next  Before
 Then  Until
Reformulation/  In other words
Explanation  That is
 To sum up
Summary
 In short
 UNREAL PAST
Structure Verb tense that goes with What it is used for/ notes Example
To express frustration/annoyance because It’s hight time that I started
It’s high/about time Past simple
something hasn’t happened yet studying for my exams
To express what the speaker would like to It’s time you and I have a chat about
It’s time Infinitive
happen now/ in the future: the state of things
I (would) prefer… (same subject) To Infinitive - I would prefer to read a book
I (would) prefer… (different subject) Subject+ To Infinitive - I prefer you to tidy your room
I (would) rather/sooner… (same subject) Bare Infinitive You can add “than” I would rather read than dance
I would rather you read a book than
I (would) rather/sooner… (different subject) Subject+ Past tense You can add “than”
dance

EXPRESSING WISHES, REGRETS AND COMPLAINTS

What we express Structure Example Use
 To express a wish in the present or in the
future.
Wishes If only / I wish + simple past I wish I was rich  The simple past here is an unreal past.
 When you use the verb to be the form is
“were”.
If only she had gone to sleep  To express a regret.
Regrets If only / I wish + past perfect
earlier…  The action is past.
 To complain about a behaviour that you
disapprove.
Complaints I wish / if only + would + verb I wish he would stop complaining
 Expressing impatience, annoyance or
dissatisfaction with a present action.

CONDITIONAL CONNECTORS
Connector Example
If If I see her, I will give her your message
Whether I don’t know whether we will agree on this
Unless You will not pass unless you study
Providing/provided Providing that it does not rain, we will go for a walk
As long as As long as you have money, you can buy it
In case In case you forgot, you are cool
 Passive Voice Have something done (passive)
You turn a sentence from active to passive when u change the DO with the
subject and put the verb in a past tense Structure Example Function

Active voice Passive voice To express that we got

Subject + to have+
I had my hair cut something done but we
object+ verb
didn’t do it by ourselves
The Browns bought the house by the Last week, the house by the lake was
lake last week bought by the Browns

Impersonal passive
Structure Example
It structure
It is + passive verb+ that+ rest of the sentence It is believed that the president is corrupt

Object structure
TENSE FORM
Present simple To + inf. Object +is/are(conjugated) + verb(2º column)+ to
Present continuous To + being + rest of the sentence (if there’s more verbs, we The president is believed to be corrupt
Past simple To + have+ V 3º column put them in special passive)
Past continuous To + have been+ V
3ºcolumn
 Reported Speech
Used to tell something that has been said before.
Statements Questions Commands/Requests
That clause Whether/if Wh- Structure Example
The nurse asked Joel She asked me who I was
The guide told
I told them (that) I was tired. if/whether he was +) to + infinitive
us to be early
ready.
My mum told
-) not to +
me to not eat
infinitive
candy

Reported speech changes

Original Changed
Present simple Past simple
Present continuous Past continuous
Past simple Past perfect
Will Would
Can could
May (probability) Might
May (permission) Could
Must have/ have to Had to