ENGLISH WORK

Tenses

The tenses of a verb tell you when a person did something or when something existed or happened.

There are three types of tenses in English, such as:

Present tense;
Past tense;
Future tense

After that every tense is divided into four sections, such as:

Indefinite/simple
Continuous;
Perfect;
Perfect continuous

PRESENT TENSE

The present tense predominantly describes a current events or state of being. However somewhat
unusually, the present tense can also be used to describe past and future events (more on this below)

Examples:

I jump in lake every Saturday – present event;

I’m happy – present state of being.

The meeting ends at 6 o’clock – future event

Present simple tense

We use the present simple to describe things that are always true, or situations that exist now and, as
far as we know, will go on indefinitely.
Examples:
They live in Lichinga.
Mr. George goes to work at 7.00 am.
His father works in a factory.
Present continuous tense
The continuous tense indicate duration. The present continuous tense shows that the activity is still
going on at the time of speaking.
Examples:
I’m going to school.
She is drinking milk.
They are talking each other.
The children are singing and dancing.
The Present perfect tense

This tense is used to express an action that has just been completed but which still has current relevant.

Examples:

I have written a later to my sister.

I have jut locked a car.

Mr. Martins has bought a car.

I have finished my work.

The present perfect continuous tense

This tense may be used to indicate the duration of an activity which is still considered incomplete.

Example:

I have been reading this book for two weeks – I still have not finished.

We have been studying French for two years – we are still studying it.

PAST TENSE

Simple past tense

This tense is used to express actions which took place in the past.

Example:

I bought this watch last year.

I lived here a long time ago.

I saw him yesterday.

The past continuous

This tense is used to show that an activity was happening at a time when another activity occurred.

Examples:

When I was going to church I meet Mr. Sérgio.

Was it when raining when the accident occurred?

The past perfect tense

This tense is used to show that of two activities which took place in in the past, one happened before
the other.

Examples:

He had already left when I arrived.

They had got everything ready for him before he arrived.

The past perfect continuous tense

This tense is used to indicate that a continuous activity had not been completed before another activity
took place at same later period in the past.

Example:

When I came to school in 1958, Mr. Danito had been teaching for 5 years.

When I first meet him, he had been studying for a degree.

FUTURE TENSE

The Simple future tense

This tense is used to indicate the future activities, especially where the events referred to are not
influenced by such factors as willingness, intention or likelihood.

Examples:

I shall be thirty tomorrow.

The goods will be here in a few days.

When shall we know the result of this examination?

The future continuous tense

This tense is used to express an activity which will begin before and continue after a given period of
time in the future.

Examples:

His friends will be waiting at the bus stop to welcome him.

I wonder what they will be doing at this time tomorrow.

The future perfect tense

This tense is used to express an activity which will have been completed by a certain time in the
future.

Examples:

I shall have finished this work by 4 o’clock.

I shall have read this book by next week.

My uncle will have gone by the time you arrive.

The future perfect continuous tense

This tense is used to refer to an activity which extends from the past, through the present into the
future. The activity is represented as being continuous over a period of time which will end in the
future.

Example:

By the time we arrive he will have been waiting for many hours.

When Pessulo gets his degree, he will have been studying at Up for four years.

AUXILIARY VERBS

Verb

A verb may be defined as a ‘doing’ word or one that shows action.

In a sentence the verb is the word which express as action or a state, or a change of state (run, jump,
became, eat work etc).

Auxiliary verbs

Auxiliary verbs are those which help other verbs to form their tense. These verbs are also used to show
the interrogative, negative and emphatic forms of verbs.

There are four (4) primary auxiliary verbs in English, such as:

To be (am, is, are/ was were)

To have (has, have/ had)
To do (does, do/ did)

Examples:

I am going home.

Will you came with me?

The boys were playing football.

Marcelina is writing.

John did not visit his parents.

SHORTS ANSWERS

The short answers are open-ended questions that require students to create an answer, such as: Yes or
No.

In English is more politely saying Yes, I do/ No, I don’t, than just saying Yes/No

To form the short answer, you have to the first word from the question

Examples:

Do we know him?

Answer: yes, we do./no, we don’t

Have they read the book?

Answer: yes, they have/no, they haven’t.

WHAT’S IN A WORD?

Word

In linguistics, a word is the smallest element that can be uttered in isolation with objective or practical
meaning. These contrasts deeply with a morpheme, which is the smallest unit of meaning but will not
necessarily stands on its own.

This contrast deeply with a morpheme which is the smallest unit of meaning but will not necessarily
stand on its own. A word may consist of a single morpheme.

Examples:

Oh!, rock, red, kick, run etc

SOCIAL EXPRESSIONS

Social expressions are the expressions or vocabulary that are used in social situation, such as “be
careful, bless you, sorry, thanks, excuse, please.

Example:

A. Can you help me my work, please?

Sorry, I have no enough time.

B. Excuse me could I just squeeze past?

Sure, go a head

C. How it’s going?

Pretty good, thanks. How about you?