Present continuous

We use ‚present continuous‘ to express that:

1. something is happening right now

2. something is happening at present period repeatedly. We also expect the action to finish at a definite point.

Form:

to be (is/are) + verb+ing

Spelling:

study, play, etc. = studying, playing (‚y‘ at the end)

write, ride, etc. = writing, riding (vowel at the end)

shop, put, etc. = shopping, putting (from the end combination consonant-vowel-consonant, the last consonant doubles)

Examples:

I am writing a letter to my dad. (happening right now)

You are shopping at M&S every Friday. (repeated activity at present)

He is studying history at university. (only this term, when it’s finished, it’s finished)

She is reading an interesting book about Greek mythology at present. (it doesn’t mean that she is reading the book at this very moment!)

It is raining outside. Take an umbrella, will you?

We are driving to work every day this week.

They are visiting her parents in Bolton this weekend.

Negative:

I am not going to school any more.

You aren’t taking a train to work this month.

He isn’t staying with his friends in Nice for a week. He is staying in a B&B.

She is not preparing for her exams properly and thus she will fail them all.

It isn’t snowing today.

We are not learning to drive this year. Maybe next year.

They are not talking to each other at the moment. (we expect it to finish)

Questions:

On the phone: ‚Are you out tonight?‘ Yes, I am.

Is he drinking with you? No, he isn’t.

Is she telling them about her plans for next year? Yes, she is.

Is it raining outside? No, it isn’t.

Are we watching TV tonight? Yes, we are.

Are they staying with you this week? No, they aren’t.

We also use ‚present continuous‘ for the future arrangements WHEN those arrangements are about 99.9% certain to happen. Only the end of the world could change our plans! (so to speak )

There are some verbs which are not normally used in ‚present continuous‘ tense.

Using them in ‚present continuous‘ could change their meaning! BUT it is possible to use some of them in informal English.

This is a list of some commonly used verbs:

• verbs of senses: feel, hear, see, smell, sound, taste
• verbs of feelings: love, hate, like, want, fear, respect, admire, adore, dislike, wish, prefer, impress, concern
• verbs of mental activity: agree, believe, expect, know, mean, remember, trust, understand, recognise, realise, suppose, imagine, doubt
• verbs of possession: belong, own, owe, possess
• other verbs: astonish, appear, deny, seem, surprise, consist, include, fit, involve

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List of irregular verbs

We use ‚Present participle‘ in past simple tense.

We use ‚Past participle‘ in all perfect tenses and in passive voice.

	Infinitive	Present participle	Past Participle
A
	arise	arose	arisen
	awake	awoke	awoken
B
	be	was,were	been
	bear	bore	borne,born
	beat	beat	beaten
	become	became	become
	begin	began	begun
	bend	bent	bent
	bet	bet	bet
	bid	bid	bid
	bind	bound	bound
	bite	bit	bitten
	bleed	bled	bled
	blow	blew	blown
	break	broke	broken
	breed	bred	bred
	bring	brought	brought
	broadcast	broadcast	broadcast
	build	built	built
	burn	burned,burnt	burned,burnt
	burst	burst	burst
	buy	bought	bought
	cast	cast	cast
	catch	caught	caught
	choose	chose	chosen
	cling	clung	clung
	come	came	come
	cost	cost	cost
	creep	crept	crept
	cut	cut	cut

D
	deal	dealt	dealt
	dig	dug	dug
	do	did	done
	draw	drew	drawn
	dream	dreamed,dreamt	dreamed,dreamt
	drink	drank	drunk
	drive	drove	driven
E
	eat	ate	eaten
F
	fall	fell	fallen
	feed	fed	fed
	feel	felt	felt
	fight	fought	fought
	find	found	found
	fit	fit	fit
	flee	fled	fled
	fling	flung	flung
	fly	flew	flown
	forbid	forbade	forbidden
	forecast	forecast	forecast
	foretell	foretold	foretold
	forget	forgot	forgotten
	forgive	forgave	forgiven
	forsake	forsook	forsaken
	freeze	froze	frozen
G
	get	got	gotten,got
	give	gave	given
	go	went	gone
	grind	ground	ground
	grow	grew	grown
H
	hang	hung	hung
	have	had	had
	hear	heard	heard
	hide	hid	hidden
	hit	hit	hit

	hold	held	held
	hurt	hurt	hurt
K
	keep	kept	kept
	kneel	knelt,kneeled	knelt,kneeled
	knit	knit,knitted	knit,knitted
	know	knew	known
L
	lay	laid	laid
	lead	led	led
	lean	leaned,leant	leaned,leant
	leap	leaped,leapt	leaped,leapt
	learn	learned,learnt	learned,learnt
	leave	left	left
	lend	lent	lent
	let	let	let
	lie	lay	lain
	light	lighted,lit	lighted,lit
	lose	lost	lost
M
	make	made	made
	mean	meant	meant
	meet	met	met

M mislay mislaid mislaid mistake mistook mistaken O overtake overtook overtaken P pay paid paid prove proved proved,proven put put put Q quit quit quit R read read read rid rid rid ride rode ridden ring rang rung rise rose risen run ran run S saw sawed sawed,sawn say said said see saw seen seek sought sought sell sold sold send sent sent set set set sew sewed sewn,sewed shake shook shaken shave shaved shaved,shaven shear sheared sheared,shorn shine shone shone shoot shot shot show showed showed,shown shrink shrank shrunk shut shut shut sing sang sung sink sank,sunk sunk sit sat sat slay slew slain sleep slept slept slide slid slid slit slit slit smell smelled,smelt smelled,smelt sneak sneaked,snuck sneaked,snuck speak spoke spoken speed sped sped spell spelled,spelt spelled,spelt spend spent spent spill spilled,spilt spilled,spilt spin spun spun spit spat,spit spat,spit split split split spoil spoiled,spoilt spoiled,spoilt spread spread spread spring sprang sprung stand stood stood steal stole stolen stick stuck stuck sting stung stung stink stank,stunk stunk strew strewed strewn strike struck struck,stricken string strung strung strive strove striven swear swore sworn sweep swept swept swell swelled swelled,swollen swim swam swum swing swung swung T take took taken teach taught taught tear tore torn tell told told think thought thought throw threw thrown thrust thrust thrust U undergo underwent undergone understand understood understood undertake undertook undertaken upset upset upset W wake woke woken wear wore worn weave wove,weaved woven,weaved weep wept wept wet wet,wetted wet,wetted win won won wind wound wound withdraw withdrew withdrawn wring wrung wrung write wrote written

Past simple tense

We use past simple tense to say that something happened in the past at a definite time (yesterday, last week, last year etc.). The time doesn’t need to be mentioned but it is clear that the action is over.

Form:

to be = was/were

I was

You were

He/She/It was

We were

They were

Examples:

I was 23 last week. I wasn’t (was not) at work yesterday.

You were happy last time I met you. You weren’t (were not) sad.

He was ill when I called him. He wasn’t in the pub last night.

She was on holiday last summer. She wasn’t in Italy.

It was a nice day yesterday. It wasn’t too hot.

We were in the pub last night. We weren’t at an opera.

They were in Paris last weekend. They weren’t at home.

Verb forms:

Regular verbs: -ed

talked, played, stayed, lived, worked, managed, watched, studied

Irregular verbs: about 290 of them, see a good dictionary for a full list, in past tense we use so-called present participle of these verbs.

Went, met, got, ran, swam, bought, found, brought etc.

Negative form: use didn’t + verb in bare infinitive (go, play, stay, sleep etc.)

was = wasn’t (was not)

were = weren’t (were not)

Examples:

I went to a shop yesterday to buy a new pair of jeans but I didn’t (did not) buy any because I didn’t like any of them.

The bus was late and thus I was late for work this morning. (It’s afternoon now).

Tom worked in the shop but now he studies at university only. (not working any more)

She wasn’t (was not) very happy with her GCSE results but her mum said it was OK.

Our car broke down on our way to the airport so we had to call a taxi.

It was just a sheer luck we weren’t (were not) late for our flight.

When they went on holiday to France last summer they didn’t have time to visit Notre Dame cathedral in the centre of Paris.

Making questions in past simple:

Are you = Were you; Were you at work last week?

Is he = Was he; Was he ill last weekend?

Is she = Was she; Was she in the cinema last night?

Is it = Was it; Was your food OK?

Are we = Were we; Were we happy about that?

Are they = Were they; Were they nice to you?

Do = Did + verb

Did you like the film you saw in the cinema yesterday?

Did she go out with him to the restaurant?

Did he offer her a lift back home?

Did they have a good time?

Answers in past simple:

Were you busy at work today? Yes, I was.

Was he nice to you? No, he wasn’t (was not).

Were they happy to see you again? Yes, they were.

Was she upset about the weather? No, she wasn’t (was not).

Were we pleased with the service? No, we weren’t (were not).

Did you visit your mum last weekend? Yes, I did.

Did he lend you his car for a day? No, he didn’t (did not).

Did she go to the cinema with him? Yes, she did.

Did your father buy you an ice cream? No, he didn’t (did not).

Did we like the film? Yes, we did.

Did they invite you to their wedding? No, they didn’t (did not).

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Comparatives and superlatives

Most one syllable adjectives, e.g. strong, fast, tall, small, short

strong – stronger – the strongest

fast – faster – the fastest

tall – taller – the tallest

small – smaller – the smallest

short – shorter – the shortest

Just add -er for comparative and -est for superlative

Adjective ending in -e, e.g. large, nice

large – larger – the largest

nice – nicer – the nicest

Just add -r for comparative and -st for superlative

Adjectives ending in consonant + vowel, e.g. big, fat, slim

big – bigger – the biggest

fat – fatter – the fattest

slim – slimmer – the slimmest

Always double the last consonant!!

Adjectives ending in -y, e.g. heavy, pretty, ugly

heavy – heavier – the heaviest

pretty – prettier – the prettiest

ugly – uglier – the ugliest

-ier for comparative and -iest for superlative

Adjectives with more than two syllables, e.g. expensive, powerful, comfortable

expensive – more expensive – the most expensive

powerful – more powerful – the most powerful

comfortable – more comfortable – the most comfortable

‚more‘ to make a comparative and ‚the most‘ to make a superlative

Irregular adjectives

good – better – the best

bad – worse – the worst

far – farther – the farthest

Don’t forget to use ‚the‘ with a superlative!

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May & Might

 

May (more formal than ‚can‘)

To give permission: (I say that you are allowed to….)

You may go home early today.

She may visit you tonight.

You may not go clubbing this weekend.

He may park his car here.

We may take our holiday in June.

They may not play football this Sunday.

Questions:

May I go to the cinema on Friday night? Yes, you may. No, you may not.

May we go camping next weekend? Yes, you may. No, you may not.

Might

Used in conditionals:

If you asked him to call you back he might do it.

If she was invited to the party, she might arrive later.

If he tells me about the problem, I might sort it out for him.

Used in indirect speech:

He said he might go on holiday to Brazil.

She mentioned she might change her job soon.

They told me they might try for a baby next year.

My GP (doctor) told me I might die of cancer if I don’t quit smoking.

May/Might for present and future possibility

Might increases the doubt.

I may go to the university next year. (thinking about it)

I might study law. (not sure about what to study)

He may/might be waiting for us at the other exit.

She may/might apply for that job.

They may/might not believe our story. (perhaps they won’t)

We may/might not arrive on time. (perhaps we’ll be late)

Live your life to the full! You might day tomorrow. (not likely to happen but you never know…)

May/ Might

For speculations about past actions

Usually use with present perfect tense

I don’t know where he is now. He may/might got lost on his way here.

He may/might have prepared the presentation for the board of trustees last weekend.

(I don’t know if it’s ready)

She may/might have gone shopping for what I know. (don’t know and don’t care)

Might

In conditionals

If you have called me last night, I might have told you about the problem.

If she left him, she might have a better life (not certainty)

If we had booked our holiday last week, we might have got a lower price.

If they had given their employees a pay rise, the workers might have stayed on.

When main verb in past

He said he might leave early yesterday.

You told me you might lend lend me your car next weekend.

She thought she might get away with it.

We told him that he might borrow our cottage for the romantic weekend.

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Will

For future events

We use ‚will‘ to say that something happens in future.

Form:

I‚ll go (will go) on holiday to France next year.

You‚ll receive a pay rise next month.

He‚ll be very happy when he hears the good news about his brother.

She will start school next week.

It will be nice weather tomorrow.

We will get married in May this year.

They‚ll come to our wedding in Leeds.

Negative

I won’t (will not) arrive on Monday.

You won’t like that cake.

He won’t be pleased to hear that.

She won’t finish her test on time.

We won’t play the piano any more, I promise.

They won’t come to our party on Friday.

Questions and answers

Will I go there next week? Yes, I will.

Will you love me for ever? Yes, I will.

Will he go to university after college? No, he won’t.

Will she visit us next summer? No, she won’t.

Will they go out with us tonight? Yes, they will.

In 1^st conditional (for present and future)

We use 1^st conditional to say that something is possible after something else happens.

Form:

If + present simple, will……

If I learn English well, I will go to study in England.

If you study hard, you will get good grades.

If you get good grades at school, your parents will buy you a new computer.

If he leaves work at 6pm, he won’t come home before 7pm.

If she starts saving money now, she’ll have enough for a decent car next year.

If they don’t stop shouting, I’ll call the police!

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Can and Can’t

1) to express ability

I can swim well.

Can you speak English? Yes, I can.

Can he touch-type? No, he can’t (cannot).

Can she drive a lorry?

Can we read Arabic?

Can they fly a plane?

2) to ask or give permission

Can I go out with my friends tonight, please? Yes, you can.

Can we leave early today, please? No, you can’t.

You can go and open a window.

He can play football in the park this afternoon.

She can’t see him any more.

We can’t park here because the road sign says No parking.

They can’t leave their dog in a car while shopping.

3) to make requests and offers

Can you lend me £20, please?

I can call your mum if you want me to.

Can he go out with me, please?

She can do it by herself, can’t she?

We can arrange a holiday for all of us.

Can they let me look after their dog for a weekend, please?

Could and Couldn’t

1) same use as ‚can‘ (less definite in some structures)

I could go and get your shopping for you.

You could lend me your car. Yes, I could.

Could he call me tomorrow evening, please? No, he couldn’t.

She could run fast if she wanted to.

We could go on holiday to Spain this year. ( we still have to decide yes or no)

Could they stop shouting, please? (very polite request)

2) ability in a past

I could speak French when I was younger.

You could play football before the accident.

He could drive before he lost his licence for drink-driving.

She could work for 14 hours in a restaurant when she was 17.

It couldn’t happen when I was a manager here!

We could play tennis for hours when we were in our early 20’s.

Could they speak any English before the language course? No, they couldn’t.

3) Could is also used to say something is/will be possible to happen.

I could start learning English one day, I suppose. (I’m not certain about that).

You could tidy up your room one day.

He could get a better job if he tries.

She couldn’t do it. (it’s impossible for her to do it)

It could rain later. (It’s possible)

Both ‚can‘ and ‚could‘ are “modal verbs“, that means ALWAYS

can/could + verb without ‚to'(bare infinitive).

can speak, can hear, can read, etc.

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Asking for permission: Can & May

Can (for present and future)

Can I go home early today, please? Yes, you can. No, you can’t.

Can we visit you on Saturday, please? Yes, you can. No, you can’t.

I can borrow my dad’s car when I want.

I can’t go out tonight, my mum said no.

He can visit his real father any time he wants.

She can play computer games every evening.

We can call our boss when we need to.

They can go to the U.S.A. because they have got the visa but they can’t stay there for more than 3 months.

Could or ‚To be allowed to‘ (for the past)

Asking with ‚Could‘ is more polite than ‚Can‘ .

Could I leave early today, please? Yes, you could. No, you couldn’t.

Could you lend me your car, please? Yes, I could. No, I could not.

I could (was allowed to) drive a lorry before the accident.

I couldn’t (wasn’t allowed to) fly a plane by myself until I passed the test.

He couldn’t come yesterday because his wife said ‚No!‘.

She couldn’t fly because her visa didn’t come on time.

We were allowed to proceed through the customs after the police checked our bags.

They weren’t allowed to call their lawyer.

May (for present and future)

May I go out tonight, please? Yes, you may. No, you may not.

May Tom visit me at the weekend, please? Yes, he may. No, he may not.

‚May‘ is more polite than ‚Could‘ . Use it when asking your boss or any authority!

I may finish work today when I complete this chart my boss said.

‚You may call your lawyer‘, said a policeman.

He may go out camping with us this weekend.

She may not use her mobile for one week.

In a normal conversation, ‚Can‘ and ‚May‘ make no difference in meaning, so do not worry about it too much!

You can/may use any.

BUT don’t forget to say ‚please‘ !!!

You can say: ‚ I’m allowed to….‘ but it’s not very common.

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Me, too.

We say ‚me, too‘ when we agree with a positive statement.

Examples:

‚I like apples.‘

‚Me, too.‘ ( I also like apples )

‚He lives in flat.‘

‚Me, too.‘ ( I also live in a flat )

‚She is married.‘

‚Me, too.‘ ( I am married too )

To disagree with a positive statement, we use ‚I don’t.‘

Examples:

‚I work in a bank.‘

‚I don’t‘ ( because I work in a bar )

‚He lives in a house.‘

‚I don’t.‘ ( I live in a flat )

‚She is a nurse.‘

‚I am not.‘ ( I’m a teacher )

Me, neither.

We say ‚ Me, neither‘ when we agree with a negative statement.

Examples:

‚I don’t live in London.‘

‚Me, neither.‘ ( I live in Leeds )

‚He doesn’t like custard.‘

‚Me, neither.‘ ( I don’t like it )

‚She isn’t married.‘

‚Me, neither.‘ ( I am single )

To disagree with a negative statement, we say ‚I do/I have‘ etc.

Examples:

‚I don’t like pizza.‘

‚I do.‘ ( I love pizza )

‚He can’t drive.‘

‚I can.‘ ( I am a good driver )

‚She hasn’t got any pets.‘

‚I have.‘ ( I have a dog )

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This, that, these, those

This (singular)

We use it when talking about a person/ thing which is near. We can touch it.

It often appears in a sentence with ‚here/over here‘.

Examples:

‚This pen over here is my father’s favourite.‘ (I’m holding the pen)

‚This is Patrick, my boyfriend.‘ (He’s standing next to the person speaking)

‚This is Jake and this is Carla.‘ (introducing somebody)

That (singular)

We use it when pointing or looking at something in the distance. You can’t reach it.

It often goes with ‚there/over there‘.

Examples:

‚That man over there looks like a famous actor.‘ (the speaker is pointing at something)

‚That car in the car park is stolen.‘ (talking about something not reachable physically)

‚Can you see that girl in the window? That’s my ex-girlfriend Petra.‘

‚I want to talk to you about that argument you had with our supervisor. ‚

These (plural)

Same use as ‚this‘ but for 2 and more subjects.

Examples:

‚These kids over here are my new students.‘ (the kids are standing next to me)

‚These keys I’m holding are from our new flat!‘

‚I don’t like these biscuits. I won’t eat them!‘ (the biscuits are on a plate in front of me)

‚Would you like to try one of these instead?‘ (the speaker is holding a plate of ……)

Those (plural)

Same use as ‚that‘ but for 2 and more subjects.

Examples:

‚Those people, you can see over there, are our new colleagues. Please be nice to them!‘ (the new staffers can’t hear me, they are too far.)

‚Those prawns you bought yesterday were awful! I threw them away.‘ (the prawns are gone)

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