PRESENT SIMPLE

1. something is always true.

example: Summer follows spring.

2. facts and statements

example: My father works in a bank.

3. activities or things that happen regularly (often using adverbs of frequency)

example: I play tennis every afternoon.
He always forgets his homework.

4. stative verbs (verbs that do no normally have the continuous form)

example: I believe in science.

5. for timetables
example: The train leaves at 11 o’clock.

PRESENT CONTINUOUS

1. describe actions in progress at the moment of speaking (things that are happening
now)

example: Look, they are winning the watch!

2. express temporary situations (something that is true for a short period of time)

example: Mary is doing an English course for two weeks.

3. for description.

example: At the moment the sun is shining.

4. describe future arrangement (usually near future)

example: I am meeting my friends this afternoon.

5. describe actions that happen very often (usually to criticise something or to

complain about something)

example: Paul is always losing things.

PAST SIMPLE

Use: - situations that happened in the past

started and finished in the past
- past habits → I usually watched TV when i
was younger
Signal words:
last (year, month, Monday) ago, yesterday, in (year), at Christmas etc, when..?

PAST CONTINUOUS

- action in progress in the past

e.g what were you doing yesterday at 11 o’clock?

- description in the past

e.g. The sun was shining

- two parallel actions in the past

e.g. While I was doing my homework my brother was singing.

- two actions in the past, for longer, interrupted action we use Past Continuous, for
the shorter interrupting action, we use Past Simple
e.g. While I was looking outside the window, my mom came in.

FUTURE TENSES

Form: will + base form

We use will + future

to make predictions (to say what we think will happen based on our opinions or
beliefs)
ex. Tomorrow it will rain.

to express hopes and expectations ( with verbs like assume, be afraid, expect, hope,
suppose, think, etc. and expressions such as perhaps, possibly etc.)
ex. I hope she’ll get the job she’s applied for.

We also use the will - future to express requests and promises.

ex. Will you marry me? Yes, I will.

sudden/spontaneous decision (=decision taken at the moment of speaking)

ex. We’re lost. I’ll stop and ask for directions.
GOING TO
Form: am/are/is going to + base form

We use the Going to - Future to express a prediction when you can see something is
about to happen.
ex. Oh look at the clouds. It is going to rain.

We use it for a intention or planned action

ex. I’m going to practice the piano for two hours this evening.

other ways to express future actions

might/may + base form (if something is possible in the future) (unlikely but not
impossible)
ex. Tiny robots might invade our planet one day.

Present Continuous (arrangements in the near future)

ex. Tonight I’m meeting my friends.

Present Simple (for timetables, events that we cannot change or in time clauses,
because after when, as soon as, until, before and after we do not use will)
ex. When you get home, you’ll receive good news.

Present Perfect (to emphasize that an activity will be finished before another one
happens)
ex. I’ll help you as soon as I’ve finished the washing up.
PRESENT PERFECT SIMPLE
Form:
Have/Has + third form (=past participle)

Use:
1. Describe actions or states beginning in the past and continuing up to the
present and possibly into the future
example: I’ve read two “Harry Potter” novels up to now.

2. Describe actions that happened some time before now (=we do not know or
are not interested in when they happened → NO time indicator)
example: My father has lived in India.

3. Describe recent actions

example: I’ve just met Julia at the supermarket.

4. With the following signal words: just, ever, never, already (positive sentences),
yet (questions and negative sentences), since (point of time), for (period of
time), up to now, until now, all my life, so far)
examples: Have you ever eaten a banana?
She’s never eaten a mango until now.
We haven’t been to China since 2014.

PRESENT PARTICIPLE ing

No change of meaning:

like I like to go out with my friends. I like going out with my friends
hate She hates to do that exercise. She hates doing that exercise
start They start learning a new language. They start to learn a new language
begin We began to sing in the class. We began singing in the class
continue You continue to scream a lot. You continue screaming a lot
intend I intend to go for a walk. I intend going for a walk.

Change of meaning:

stop:
I stopped learning because I was tired
Yesterday I stopped singing to bake a cake

remember:
I remember playing with Lego when I was a child.
Remember to give mi the kie

forget:
I forgot doing my homework
Don't forget to clean the bathroom

PRESENT PERFECT CONTINUOUS

FORM

have/has + been + -ing

ex. I have been working on this project for months

USE

- actions that started in the past, continue up to now and are not finished

- focus is on the duration.

ex. I’ve been trying to make this cake for hours.
(Present Perfect Simple: focus is on the result. ex. I’ve made three cakes up to now.)

- for repeated actions that started in the past and continue up to now.
ex. I’ve been learning Latin again and again up to now

SIGNAL WORDS

since, for, again and again, how long etc.

PASSIVE FORM

The direct object of the active sentence becomes the subject of the passive sentence.
The subject of the active sentence becomes the b-object of the passive sentence.

I eat an apple.
An apple is eaten by me.

Subject turns into the object. Object becomes the subject.

We use the passive either to stretch the subject or the object.

We use the passive if we don’t know or mention the object. (The bike was stolen)

Note:
Usually the direct object of the active sentence becomes the subject of the passive
sentence. However, if the indirect object of the active sentence is a person, it can also
become the subject of the passive sentence (more common).

My husband gave me a wonderful ring.

Subject Verb indirect object direct object

A wonderful ring was given to me by my husband.

Subject Verb indirect object by object

Conditional:

type 0
It is used for asking/talking about something that is always true (e.g. rules):

If - clause: Main clause:

If + Present Simple Present Simple

If it’s nine o’clock in Rome, it’s eight o’clock in London.

type 1
It is used for asking/talking about something that is quite possible in the future:

If - clause: Main clause:

If + Present Simple Will - Future

If I lose my job , I will go abroad.

Other possibilities:
If + Present Simple can/may + verb
If I save enough money, I can/may go abroad.

If + Present Simple imperative

If he turns up, tell him to call me.

type 2
It is used for asking/talking about imagined, impossible or unlikely events, situations or
consequences now or in the future:

If clause: Main clause:

If + Past Simple would + verb

If I lost my job, I would go abroad

Other possibilities:
If + Past Simple could/might + verb
If I had enough money, I could/might go abroad.

type 3
It is used for asking/talking about imaginary or unreal situations or consequences in the past:

If-clause: Main clause:

If + Past Perfect would + Present Perfect

If I had lost my job, I would have gone abroad.

Other possibilities:
If + Past Perfect could/might + Present Perfect
If I had enough money, I could/might have gone abroad

Reported speech

reporting verbs
In order to report what someone has said, we have to use an introductory (or reporting) verb.
The most important reporting verbs are:

- to say (that)
- to tell somebody (that)
- to answer (that)
- to ask whether/if (or question word)

Other important verbs are:

for questions:
admit, agree, announce, claim, continue, deny, declare, explain, go on to say, note, insist,
observe, remark, reply, suggest, warn

For questions:
inquire, want to know, wonder,

Imperatives are reported with appropriate verbs (e.g. advise, ask, beg, instruct, order,
promise, remind, tell, warn) followed by (an object and) an infinitive.
Tom (to Harriet): “ Be careful” Tom to Harriet : “Don’t shout at me”
Tom told Harriet to be careful. Tom told Harriet not to shout at him

If the reporting verb is in the present, the tenses in the phrase usually do not change.
e.g. Tom: “I’m waiting for Harriet”
Tom says that he’s waiting for Harriet”

However, if the reporting verb is used in a past tense, the verb moves one tense back.
Direct Speech

Present Simple: Tom (to Harriet): “I love you.”

Present Continuous: Tom: “I’m waiting for Harriet.”

Present Perfect Simple: Tom: “I’ve moved to another flat.”

Past Simple: Tom: “ We met in 1987.”

Past Continuous: Tom: “Harriet was snoring.”

Past Perfect SImple: Tom: “ I had met her before you.”

Will - Future: Tom (to Harriet): “I’ll mend it for you.”

Going to - Future: Tom: “I’m going to fly to Canada.”

can: Tom: “I can swim.”

may: Tom: “He may come.”

Reported speech:

Present simple: Tom told Harriet that he loved her.

Past Continuous: Tom said he was waiting for Harriet.

Past Perfect Simple: Tom said he had moved to another flat.

Past Perfect simple: Tom said they had met in 1987.

Past Perfect Continuous: Tom said that Harriet had been snoring.

Past Perfect Simple: Tom said he had met her before him.

would: Tom told Harriet he would mend it for her

was/were going to: Tom said he was going to fly to Canada.

could: Tom said he could swim.

might: Tom said he might come.

It is often necessary to make time and place changes in reported statements.
Some examples for those changes:

Time:
now → then: at that moment
at the moment → at that moment
today → (on) that day
tonight → that night
tomorrow → the next/following day, the day after
yesterday → the previous day/the day before
last night → the night before
two days ago → two days before/earlier

Places:
here → there
this place → that place
these places → those places

Note:
The tense of the verb in the main clause does not change if
a) we report a general truth
e.g.: She said: “The UN is an international organization.”
She said that the UN is an international organization.

b) we report a future event that has not happened yet at the moment of reporting:
e.g.: She said: “Tony and Louise are getting married next year.”
She said that Tony and Louise are getting married next year.”

In indirect speeches, the first conditional is often reported as a second conditional.

The second conditional and the third conditional do not change.