English Grammar

Present continuous

The present continuous is used to talk about present situations which we see as short-term or temporary. We use the present simple to talk about present situations which we see as long-term or permanent.

In these examples, the action is taking place at the time of speaking.

• It's raining.
• Who is Kate talking to on the phone?
• Look, somebody is trying to steal that man's wallet.
• I'm not looking. My eyes are closed tightly.

In these examples, the action is true at the present time but we don't think it will be true in the long term.

• I'm looking for a new apartment.
• He's thinking about leaving his job.
• They're considering making an appeal against the judgment.
• Are you getting enough sleep?

In these examples, the action is at a definite point in the future and it has already been arranged.

• I'm meeting her at 6.30.
• They aren't arriving until Tuesday.
• We are having a special dinner at a top restaurant for all the senior managers.
• Isn't he coming to the dinner?

Going to

There is no one 'future tense' in English. There are 4 future forms. The one which is used most often in spoken English is 'going to', not 'will'.

We use 'going to' when we want to talk about a plan for the future.

• I'm going to see him later today.
• They're going to launch it next month.
• We're going to have lunch first.
• She's going to see what she can do.
• I'm not going to talk for very long.

Notice that this plan does not have to be for the near future.

• When I retire I'm going to go back to Barbados to live.
• In ten years time, I'm going to be boss of my own successful company.

We use 'going to' when we want to make a prediction based on evidence we can see now.

• Look out! That cup is going to fall off.
• Look at those black clouds. It's going to rain soon.
• These figures are really bad. We're going to make a loss.
• You look very tired. You're going to need to stop soon.

We can replace 'going to go' by 'going'.

• I'm going out later.
• She's going to the exhibition tomorrow.

Will - future

Some people have been taught that 'will' is 'the future' in English. This is not correct. Sometimes when we talk about the future we cannot use 'will'. Sometimes when we use 'will' we are not talking about the future.

We can use 'will' to talk about future events we believe to be certain.

• The sun will rise over there tomorrow morning.
• Next year, I'll be 50.
• That plane will be late. It always is.
• There won't be any snow. I'm certain. It's too warm.

Often we add 'perhaps', 'maybe', 'probably', 'possibly' to make the belief less certain.

• I'll probably come back later.
• He'll possibly find out when he sees Jenny.
• Maybe it will be OK.
• Perhaps we'll meet again some day.

We often use 'will' with 'I think' or 'I hope'.

• I think I'll go to bed now.
• I think she'll do well in the job.
• I hope you'll enjoy your stay.
• I hope you won't make too much noise.

We use 'will' at the moment we make a new decision or plan. The thought has just come into our head.

• Bye. I'll phone you when I get there.
• I'll answer that.
• I'll go.
• I won't tell him. I promise.

Past simple

We use the past simple to talk about actions and states which we see as completed in the past.

We can use it to talk about a specific point in time.

• She came back last Friday.
• I saw her in the street.
• They didn't agree to the deal.

It can also be used to talk about a period of time.

• She lived in Tokyo for seven years.
• They were in London from Monday to Thursday of last week.
• When I was living in New York, I went to all the art exhibitions I could.

You will often find the past simple used with time expressions such as these:

• Yesterday
• three weeks ago
• last year
• in 2002
• from March to June
• for a long time
• for 6 weeks
• in the 1980s
• in the last century
• in the past

Past continuous

We use the past simple to talk about actions and states which we see as completed in the past.

We can use it to talk about a specific point in time. We use the past continuous to talk about past events which went on for a period of time.

We use it when we want to emphasize the continuing process of an activity or the period of that activity. (If we just want to talk about the past event as a simple fact, we use the past simple.)

• While I was driving home, Peter was trying desperately to contact me.
• Were you expecting any visitors?
• Sorry, were you sleeping?
• I was just making some coffee.
• I was thinking about him last night.
• In the 1990s few people were using mobile phones.

We often use it to describe a "background action" when something else happened.

• I was walking in the street when I suddenly fell over.
• She was talking to me on the phone and it suddenly went dead.
• They were still waiting for the plane when I spoke to them.
• The company was declining rapidly before he took charge.
• We were just talking about it before you arrived.
• I was making a presentation in front of 500 people when the microphone stopped working.

 Past simple or continuous

Both the past simple and the past continuous refer to completed actions in the past.

Most of the time when we are talking about such actions, we use the past simple. This is by far the most common way of talking about the past.

• I lived there for 6 years.
• I only found out a few moments ago.
• I asked her but she didn't know anything.
• The company made 100 people redundant last year.

Only use the past continuous when you want to emphasize the continuity of the action.

• Everybody was talking about it all evening.
• They were really trying hard but couldn't do it.
• I was thinking about you the other day.
• Were you expecting that to happen?

When we use these two forms in the same sentence, we use the past continuous to talk about the "background action" and the past simple to talk about the shorter completed action.

• It was raining hard when we left the building.
• I was reading the report when you rang.
• He was going out to lunch when I saw him.
• The company was doing well when I last visited it.

Irregular verbs

All new verbs in English are regular.

• I photocopied the report.
• She faxed it to me.
• They emailed everybody about it.
• I googled my name and got more than 20 000 responses.

There are approximately 180 irregular verbs. You don't need to learn all of them because some of these are very rare but many others are very useful and you do need to know them. What's the easiest way to learn them? Some people think you should learn a list 'by heart'. Others think you should not learn them at all – you will just gradually acquire them over time. One useful method is to note down new irregular verbs as you meet them. It is useful to write these verbs (or any vocabulary you want to learn) in sentences and learn those rather than the individual word. Which is easier to learn?

• stick stuck stuck
• I stuck the photo into my album.

Another technique is to classify the irregular verbs into 4 categories. 1. All forms the same

• set set set
• cost cost cost

2. Similar sound groups

• beat beat beaten
• eat ate eaten
• blow blew blown
• throw threw thrown
• drink drank drunk
• sing sang sung
• speak spoke spoken
• wake woke woken

3. The second and third forms are the same.

• bend bent bent
• sleep slept slept
• spend spent spent
• bring brought brought
• buy bought bought
• teach taught taught
• have had had
• pay paid paid
• say said said

4. The "unclassifiables"

• come came come
• do did done
• go went gone
• show showed show

Present perfect

(Please note that British and American English have different rules for the use of this tense. The explanation and exercises here refer to British English. In American English, it is often acceptable to use the past simple in some of these examples.)

We use the present perfect when we want to look back from the present to the past.

We can use it to look back on the recent past.

• I've broken my watch so I don't know what time it is.
• They have cancelled the meeting.
• She's taken my copy. I don't have one.
• The sales team has doubled its turnover.

When we look back on the recent past, we often use the words 'just' 'already' or the word 'yet' (in negatives and questions only).

• We've already talked about that.
• She hasn't arrived yet.
• I've just done it.
• They've already met.
• They don't know yet.
• Have you spoken to him yet?
• Have they got back to you yet?

It can also be used to look back on the more distant past.

• We've been to Singapore a lot over the last few years.
• She's done this type of project many times before.
• We've mentioned it to them on several occasions over the last six months.
• They've often talked about it in the past.

When we look back on the more distant past, we often use the words 'ever' (in questions) and 'never'.

• Have you ever been to Argentina?
• Has he ever talked to you about the problem?
• I've never met Jim and Sally.
• We've never considered investing in Mexico.

Present perfect continuous

This tense is used to talk about an action or actions that started in the past and continued until recently or that continue into the future:

We can use it to refer to an action that has finished but you can still see evidence.

• Oh, the kitchen is a mess. Who has been cooking?
• You look tired. Have you been sleeping properly?
• I've got a a stiff neck. I've been working too long on computer.

It can refer to an action that has not finished.

• I've been learning Spanish for 20 years and I still don't know very much.
• I've been waiting for him for 30 minutes and he still hasn't arrived.
• He's been telling me about it for days. I wish he would stop.

It can refer to a series of actions.

• She's been writing to her regularly for a couple of years.
• He's been phoning me all week for an answer.
• The university has been sending students here for over twenty years to do work experience.

The present perfect continuous is often used with 'since', 'for', 'all week', 'for days', 'lately', 'recently', 'over the last few months'.

• I've been wanting to do that for ten years.
• You haven't been getting good results over the last few months.
• They haven't been working all week. They're on strike
• He hasn't been talking to me for weeks.
• We've been working hard on it for ages.
• I've been looking at other options recently.
• He's been working here since 2001.

Present perfect simple or continuous

Often there is very little difference between the present perfect simple and the present perfect continuous. In many cases, both are equally acceptable.

• They've been working here for a long time but Andy has worked here for even longer.
• I've lived here for 10 years and she has been living here for 12 years.

To emphasize the action, we use the continuous form.

• We've been working really hard for a couple of months.
• She's been having a hard time.

To emphasize the result of the action, we use the simple form.

• I've made fifteen phone calls this morning.
• He's written a very good report.

Look at the difference in these examples.

• I've been reading this book for two months but I've only read half of it. It's very difficult to read.
• She's been trying to convince him for 20 minutes but she hasn't managed to yet.
• They've been talking about this for month and they still haven't found a solution.

When an action is finished and you can see the results, use the continuous form.

• The phone bill is enormous. You've been calling your boyfriend in Australia, haven't you?
• You're red in the face. Have you been running?

When you use the words 'ever' or 'never', use the simple form.

• I don't know them. I've never met them.
• Have you ever heard anything so strange in your life.

Present perfect continuous

(Remember that British and American English have different rules for the use of the present perfect. The comments and the exercises here refer to correct grammar for British English. In American English, it is often considered acceptable to use the past simple in some of these examples.)

The past simple is used to talk about actions in the past that have finished. It talks about 'then' and definitely excludes 'now'.

The present perfect simple to look back on actions in the past from the present. It always includes 'now'.

These sentences are in the past with no connection to the present.

• I first got to know him 10 years ago.
• I started work here in 1989.
• I had too much to eat at lunchtime.

Now look at these same situations seen from the present.

• I've known him for 10 years.
• I've worked here since 1987.
• My stomach hurts. I've eaten too much.

We use time expressions like 'yesterday', 'ago', 'last year', 'in 1999' with the past simple.

• We spoke to him yesterday.
• He came in a few moments ago.
• We made our last purchase from them over a year ago.
• She joined the company in 1999.

We use time expressions like are 'ever', 'never', 'since' with the present perfect.

• I've never seen so many people here before.
• Have you ever been more surprised?
• I've done a lot since we last talked about it.

Typical time expressions used with the present perfect in British English but often used with the past simple in American English are 'already', 'just', 'yet'.

• I haven't done it yet. (UK)
• I didn't do it yet. (US)
• I've just done it. (UK)
• I just did it. (US)
  

  I've already done it. (UK)
• I already did it. (US)

We can use the time phrase 'for' with both forms, but with different meanings.

• I lived in Paris for a couple of years before I moved here.
• I've lived in Paris for a couple of years and still love it.

Past tense review 1

We can use the past simple to talk about actions and states which we see as completed in the past.

• I left school when I was sixteen.
• I was very happy then.
• He told me all about his childhood.

We can use the past continuous to talk about past events which went on for a period of time.

• While I was driving home, Peter was trying desperately to contact me.
• I was thinking about him last night.
• I was walking in the street when I suddenly fell over.

We can use the present perfect when we want to look back from the present to the past.

• I've broken my watch so I don't know what time it is.
• She hasn't arrived yet.
• We've been to Singapore a lot over the last few years.
• Have you ever been to Argentina?

The Present Perfect Continuous can be used to talk about an action or actions that started in the past and continued until recently or that continue into the future.

• You look tired. Have you been sleeping properly?
• I've been waiting for him for 30 minutes and he still hasn't arrived.
• He's been phoning me all week for an answer.

We can use the past perfect simple to talk about what happened before a point in the past. It looks back from a point in the past to further in the past.

• I hadn't known the bad news when I spoke to him.
• I thought we had already decided on a name for this product.

We can use the past perfect continuous to look back at a situation in progress.

• We had been thinking about buying a new house but then we decided to stay here.
• It had been snowing for a while before we left.
• She said she had been trying to call me all day.

 Past tense review 2

We can use the past simple to talk about actions and states which we see as completed in the past.

• I left school when I was sixteen.
• I was very happy then.
• He told me all about his childhood.

We can use the past continuous to talk about past events which went on for a period of time.

• While I was driving home, Peter was trying desperately to contact me.
• I was thinking about him last night.
• I was walking in the street when I suddenly fell over.

We can use the present perfect when we want to look back from the present to the past.

• I've broken my watch so I don't know what time it is.
• She hasn't arrived yet.
• We've been to Singapore a lot over the last few years.
• Have you ever been to Argentina?

The Present Perfect Continuous can be used to talk about an action or actions that started in the past and continued until recently or that continue into the future.

• You look tired. Have you been sleeping properly?
• I've been waiting for him for 30 minutes and he still hasn't arrived.
• He's been phoning me all week for an answer.

We can use the past perfect simple to talk about what happened before a point in the past. It looks back from a point in the past to further in the past.

• I hadn't known the bad news when I spoke to him.
• I thought we had already decided on a name for this product.

We can use the past perfect continuous to look back at a situation in progress.

• We had been thinking about buying a new house but then we decided to stay here.
• It had been snowing for a while before we left.
• She said she had been trying to call me all day.

Going to

There is no one 'future tense' in English. There are 4 future forms. The one which is used most often in spoken English is 'going to', not 'will'.

We use 'going to' when we want to talk about a plan for the future.

• I'm going to see him later today.
• They're going to launch it next month.
• We're going to have lunch first.
• She's going to see what she can do.
• I'm not going to talk for very long.

Notice that this plan does not have to be for the near future.

• When I retire I'm going to go back to Barbados to live.
• In ten years time, I'm going to be boss of my own successful company.

We use 'going to' when we want to make a prediction based on evidence we can see now.

• Look out! That cup is going to fall off.
• Look at those black clouds. It's going to rain soon.
• These figures are really bad. We're going to make a loss.
• You look very tired. You're going to need to stop soon.

We can replace 'going to go' by 'going'.

• I'm going out later.
• She's going to the exhibition tomorrow.

Will - future

Some people have been taught that 'will' is 'the future' in English. This is not correct. Sometimes when we talk about the future we cannot use 'will'. Sometimes when we use 'will' we are not talking about the future.

We can use 'will' to talk about future events we believe to be certain.

• The sun will rise over there tomorrow morning.
• Next year, I'll be 50.
• That plane will be late. It always is.
• There won't be any snow. I'm certain. It's too warm.

Often we add 'perhaps', 'maybe', 'probably', 'possibly' to make the belief less certain.

• I'll probably come back later.
• He'll possibly find out when he sees Jenny.
• Maybe it will be OK.
• Perhaps we'll meet again some day.

We often use 'will' with 'I think' or 'I hope'.

• I think I'll go to bed now.
• I think she'll do well in the job.
• I hope you'll enjoy your stay.
• I hope you won't make too much noise.

We use 'will' at the moment we make a new decision or plan. The thought has just come into our head.

• Bye. I'll phone you when I get there.
• I'll answer that.
• I'll go.
• I won't tell him. I promise.

The imperative

We can use the imperative to give a direct order.

1. Take that chewing gum out of your mouth.
2. Stand up straight.
3. Give me the details.

We can use the imperative to give instructions.

1. Open your book.
2. Take two tablets every evening.
3. Take a left and then a right.

We can use the imperative to make an invitation.

1. Come in and sit down. Make yourself at home.
2. Please start without me. I'll be there shortly.
3. Have a piece of this cake. It's delicious.

We can use the imperative on signs and notices.

1. Push.
2. Do not use.
3. Insert one dollar.

We can use the imperative to give friendly informal advice.

1. Speak to him. Tell him how you feel.
2. Have a quiet word with her about it.
3. Don't go. Stay at home and rest up. Get some sleep and recover.

We can make the imperative 'more polite' by adding 'do'.

• Do be quiet.
• Do come.
• Do sit down.

 The Passive

We use the active form to say what the subject does. For example:

• I speak English every day at work.
• I repaired the flat tire on the car.

We use the passive form to say what happens to people and things, to say what is done to them. For example:

• English is spoken here.
• The car is being repaired.

We use the passive form when we don't know who did the action. For example:

• The car was damaged while it was parked on the street.
• The shirts were made in Turkey.

We use the passive form when what was done is more important than who did it. For example:

• It was approved by Gerry last week.
• I was informed by the Human Resources Manager only two days ago.