PRESENT TENSE SIMPLE / PRESENT TENSE PROGRESSIVE

SIMPLE PRESENT (I WORK, HE WORKS) 1.) Permanent truths 2.) Habitual actions 3.) Regular or repeated actions 4.) Actions that follow each other The sun rises in the east. I get up at 7 and stay up till midnight. He often goes to the cinema. He sits down, drinks a coffee, and leaves again.

5.) to talk about the future (timetables, routines, schedules) Next term starts on 6 April. My train leaves at 3.15 p.m. 6.) with STATIVE VERBS (=verbs that refer to states. A state has no beginning and no end) o Five groups: a) feelings b) thinking c) wants d) perception e) being, having, owning (like, love, hate) (think, understand, believe) (want, prefer, wish) (hear, see, smell, taste notice) (appear, seem, belong, have)

Signal words:

often, usually, sometimes, always, never, seldom, normally, every, occasionally

PRESENT PROGRESSIVE (I AM WORKING, SHE IS WORKING, YOU ARE WORKING) 1.) Actions in progress at the moment of speaking He is just watching a film. 1.) Temporarily limited actions I am studying business administration. I am helping him just this week. 2.) to describe trends or changing and developing situations The climate is getting warmer. That child is growing bigger every day. 3.) to describe future actions that are planned We are having a party next weekend. He is spending next winter in Australia.

Signal words: just, just now, now, at the moment, Look!, Listen!, right now, next,

SIMPLE PAST / PAST PROGRESSIVE

SIMPLE PAST (I WORKED) 4.) to talk about events, actions and situations in the past which are now finished. We always have to say (or imply) when the action happened, so we often use time references (see signal words). We spent our holidays in Spain last year. I did the homework yesterday. If we do not use time references, we imply them: I saw Jack in town. (e.g. when I was there this morning) 2.) to describe actions in the recent or distant past (es ist egal, wie lange die Handl. zurckliegt) Sam phoned a moment ago. The Goths invaded Rome in A.D. 410.

3.) to talk about events or actions that followed each other He climbed through the window, switched on the lights and went into the kitchen. 4.) to describe past habits. I smoked 40 cigarettes a day. (= I used to smoke 40 cigarettes a day.) 5.) The Simple Past is common in story-telling One day the Princess decided that she didnt like staying at home all day, so she told her father that she wanted to get a job

Signal words:

yesterday, ago, last, in 1960,

PAST PROGRESSIVE (I WAS WORKING / YOU WERE WORKING) 1.) Temporary (limited) actions in progress in the past. It was raining all day. I was living abroad in 1988. 2.) Actions in progress at the same time. (often with while) While I was reading, John was playing the piano. 3.) Actions which were in progress when something else happened. When I was reading, the phone rang. I was driving along a lonely street when suddenly a man jumped out of the wood. Verlaufshandlung im Past Progressive, dazukommende im Simple Past. 4.) Repeated actions with always When I worked there, I was always making mistakes. 5.) Polite inquiries (hfliche Bitten) I was wondering if you could give me a lift. (wonder = sich fragen, ob...)

SIMPLE PRESENT PERFECT / PRESENT PERFECT PROGRESSIVE

SIMPLE PRESENT PERFECT (I HAVE WORKED) - The Simple Present Perfect connects the past and the present 1.) Actions which happened at an unspecific time in the past. They are finished but important now. (ERGEBNIS wird betont) I have hurt my leg. (Result: I cant walk now) He has lost his keys. (Result: Now he cannot unlock the door) 2.) With time expressions meaning any time up to now (bis jetzt) e.g. ever, never, before, recently, often, already, yet, so far (= no exact time) I have never been to America before. I have not done my homework yet. 3.) Actions beginning in the past and continuing up to now, especially when we say how long they have lasted (ERGEBNIS betont) Alex has worked with children all his life. I have lived here since 1983. 4.) Activity is finished, time period (mentioned in the sentence) still goes on. I have played a lot of tennis this year. I have been to Dresden this week.

Signal words:

just*, already*, since, for, till now, up to now, so far, notyet, ever*, never*, this morning

Words marked with * come before the main verb.

PRESENT PERFECT PROGRESSIVE (I HAVE BEEN WORKING) 1.) for actions beginning in the past and continuing up to now, especially when we want to emphasize that they have been in progress It has been snowing since Tuesday. How long have you been learning English?

2.) Some verbs like learn, lie live, rain, sit, sleep, stand, study, wait, work, naturally suggest continuity (often used with since and for) These verbs can be used in the simple present perfect tense. But they are most often used in the progressive.

WE OFTEN ANNOUNCE A PIECE OF NEWS WITH THE PRESENT PERFECT. WHEN WE GIVE MORE DETAILS, WE USUALLY CHANGE TO THE SIMPLE PAST. I have had a terrible day at the office. My secretary went home sick and we lost three customers.

SIMPLE PAST PERFECT / PAST PERFECT PROGRESSIVE

SIMPLE PAST PERFECT (I HAD WORKED) 1.) to refer to an earlier past (Vorvergangenheit = Plusquamperfekt) to express that something was completely finished when something else happened. (AFTER/WHEN) = eine Handlung in der Vergangenheit war abgeschlossen (Past Perfect), als eine weitere Handlung in der Vergangenheit begann (Simple Past) When we arrived, the party had finished. (First the party finished. Then we arrived.) N.B. When I arrived, Ann left. (Ich kam an und Ann ging aufeinanderfolgende Handl.) When I arrived, Ann was leaving. (Als ich ankam war Ann gerade dabei zu gehen.) When I arrived, Ann had left. (Als ich ankam, war Ann bereits gegangen.)

PAST PERFECT PROGRESSIVE (I HAD BEEN WORKING) 1.) to emphasize the continuity of an action in progress which was already finished in the past. (Verlaufshandlungen, die schon in der Vergangenheit endeten.) After I had been walking for over an hour, I decided to have a rest. All the roads were blocked because it had been snowing all night long.

FUTURE TENSES
SIMPLE FUTURE (Future I / Will-Future) (I WILL WORK) 1.) to give information about the future (on which the speaker has no influence) He will be 70 next year. It will be spring soon. 2.) for spontaneous decisions Wait a minute. I will help you. I will stop and ask the way. 3.) for predictions or assumptions I think Mary will arrive late. You will never finish that book. 4.) for promises I will buy you a bicycle for your birthday. 5.) for threats Just wait! You will regret this!

N.B.

British people use I shall / I will and we shall / we will with no difference of meaning in most situations. Shall is not normally used in American English. We shall need the money on the 15th. I shall be rich one day.

FUTURE PROGRESSIVE (I WILL BE WORKING) 1.) to talk about actions that will be in progress at a certain time in the future This time tomorrow I will be skiing. When you are asleep, I will be sitting in the train. 2.) to soften the effect of will in order to sound more polite When will you be calling Mr. Jones? (secretary to boss) 3.) for planned actions (see also present progressive) We will be spending next summer in Canada.

FUTURE PERFECT SIMPLE (I WILL HAVE WORKED) 1.) to show that an action will be completed at a certain time in the future By the time Mary gets home her mother will have finished cooking. The car will soon have done 100,000 miles.

FUTURE PERFECT PROGRESSIVE (I WILL HAVE BEEN WORKING) 1.) to say that what is in progress now will be in progress in the future By the end of March I will have been working in this firm for 2 years. Next Christmas she will have been teaching for twenty years.

GOING-TO- FUTURE (I AM GOING TO WORK) 1.) to predict the future, especially when we can see something that is about to happen (Anzeichen vorhanden) Billy is coughing. He is going to be ill tomorrow. Look those black clouds! It is going to rain soon. 2.) to talk about planned actions (like present progressive or future progressive) We are going to spend next summer in Canada. OR: We are spending next summer in Canada. OR: We will be spending next summer in Canada.

SIMPLE PRESENT TO TALK ABOUT THE FUTURE 1.) to talk about timetables, routines and schedules The new film starts next Friday. His train arrives at 5.30.

PRESENT PROGRESSIVE TO TALK ABOUT THE FUTURE 1.) to talk about future personal arrangements and fixed plans. We often give the time, date or place I am meeting Mr. Jones tomorrow at 12. Sue and Simon are getting married next week.