TENSES

PRESENT TENSE

SIMPLE PRESENT PRESENT CONTINUOUS PRESENT PERFECT PRESENT PERFECT CONTINUOUS

SIMPLE PRESENT
Use for permanent situations Use to describe things that are generally true

Giraffes live in Africa.

It

rains more in winter.

Use for habits

bite my nails. She smoke cigars. Does he usually wear white socks with black shoes? They play bingo on Monday nights. Her parents go to Mekah every year.

Things that happen regularly

with verbs that describe current states

She loves chocolate. He owns his flat.

In informal reports or instructions When we perform action by speaking, e.g promise to do something

It says here the strike is over. You go to the end and turn left.

I accept their decision I promise to be more careful.

PRESENT CONTINUOUS TENSE

Use for actions in progress or to talk about being in the middle of an activity.

Hi. Im calling to let you know Im coming, but its raining and the traffic is moving slowly.

PRESENT SIMPLE VS. PRESENT CONTINUOUS PRESENT SIMPLE Describe current situations as permanent My brother lives in London and works for a magazine PRESENT CONTINUOUS Temporary situations My sister is living with my brother. She is not working and she is looking for a job.

Use be and have for typical situation or For a temporary or special situation. state Wendy s being wild tonight. Shes Wendys normally a quite person. having a graduation party. She has a gentle voice.

SIMPLE PRESENT VS. PRESENT CONTINUOUS

Today (be) ___1____ the second day of my trek around Mount Annapurna. I am exhausted and my legs (shake) _____2____ ; I just hope I am able to complete the trek. My feet (kill, really) ____3_____ me and my toes (bleed) ____4____ , but I (want, still) ____5___ to continue. Nepal is a fascinating country, but I have a great deal to learn. Everything (be) ____6___ so different, and I (try) ___7____ to adapt to the new way of life here. I (learn) ____8_____ a little bit of the language to make communication easier; unfortunately, I (learn, not) _____9____ foreign languages quickly. Although I (understand, not) ___10_____ much yet, I believe that I (improve, gradually) ____11______. I (travel, currently) ____12______ with Liam, a student from Leeds University in England. He (be) ___13____ a nice guy, but impatient. He (walk, always) _____14_____ ahead of me and (complain) ____15_____ that I am too slow. I (do) ___16_____ my best to keep up with him, but he is younger and stronger than I am. Maybe, I am just feeling sorry for myself because I am getting old. Right now, Liam (sit) ___17_____ with the owner of the inn. They (discuss) ____18____ the differences between life in England and life in Nepal. I (know, not) ____19____ the real name of the owner, but everybody (call, just) just calls him Tam. Tam (speak) ___20______ English very well and he (try) ___21_____ to teach Liam some words in Nepali. Every time Tam (say) ___22_____ a new word, Liam (try) __23____ to repeat it. Unfortunately, Liam (seem, also) ___24_____ to have difficulty learning foreign languages. I just hope we don't get lost and have to ask for directions.

PRESENT PERFECT TENSE

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H
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1997.

W i t t

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PRESENT PERFECT CONTINUOUS

r ri r t t t t rd r r t. ti it i r t. ri ti ri d f tim

T
d it r l m .

r i

iri

r tr t l t f tr ffi

T k w i t t

H I

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PRESENT PERFECT VS. PRESENT PERFECT CONTINUOUS

Pr W w t T d H f r PRESENT PERFECT tr lt f rli r ti . m d r i ri ri ll d f tim . i k ti . f r tim .T r t d ti ti . k d PRESENT PERFECT CONTINUOUS A ti r i fr m rli r t t r t. W m ki i k . i t d t m . T t i w t kit T d ti H it ri m t i if it i ti t t r lli . r i i l tl t l . t.

PRESENT PERFECT VS. PRESENT PERFECT CONTINUOUS

1. Judy: How long (be) ________ in Canada? Claude: I (study) _________ here for more than three years. 2. I (have) ________ the same car for more than ten years. I'm thinking about buying a new one. 3. I (love) ________ chocolate since I was a child. You might even call me a "chocoholic." 4. Matt and Sarah (have) _________ some difficulties in their relationship lately, so they (go) ___________ to a marriage counselor. I hope they work everything out. 5. John (work) __________ for the government since he graduated from Harvard University. Until recently, he (enjoy) __________ his work, but now he is talking about retiring. 6. Lately, I (think) _________ about changing my career because I (become) ___________ dissatisfied with the conditions at my company. 7. I (see) ________ Judy for more than five years and during that time I (see) __________ many changes in her personality.

PAST TENSE

SIMPLE PAST PAST CONTINUOUS PAST PERFECT PAST PERFECT CONTINUOUS

SIMPLE PAST
Dickens wrote Oliver Twist. Edison invented the light bulb. The Beatles sang Yesterday/.

Use for completed actions in the past

Use for two or more past actions in sequence, especially in narrative.

I tripped and landed on my knees. He knocked her down , grabbed her purse and ran off.

Form used to to make a stronger contrast with the present

There used to be a shop on the corner. He used to smoke a lot. We did not use to have a car.

PAST CONTINUOUS

Describe actions in progress at a specific time in the past. What were you doing at 8.30 last night? I wasnt doing anything special. I was just reading. Use with some verbs (wonder, hope) to make a request more polite. I was wondering when I could talk to you. We were hoping you might have a free moment. When- and while- clauses, we can use past continuous to describe an activity in one clause that starts before and action in another clause. While he was driving, I fell asleep I saw my ex-boyfriend while I was running in the park. Use with simple past to show interruption of activity. I was listening to the news when she phoned. When I was running, I slipped and fell.

SIMPLE PAST VS. PAST CONTINUOUS

Last night, while I was doing my homework, Angela (call) ____1___. She said she (call) ___2___ me on her cell phone from her biology classroom at UCLA. I asked her if she (wait) ___3___ for class, but she said that the professor was at the front of the hall lecturing while she (talk) ____4____ to me. I couldn't believe she (make) ____5____ a phone call during the lecture. I asked what was going on. She said her biology professor was so boring that several of the students (sleep, actually) ____6____ in class. Some of the students (talk) ____7___ about their plans for the weekend and the student next to her (draw) ____8_____ a picture of a horse. When Angela (tell) told me she was not satisfied with the class, I (mention) ___9___ that my biology professor was quite good and (suggest) ____10___ that she switch to my class. While we were talking, I (hear) ____11___ her professor yell, "Miss, are you making a phone call?" Suddenly, the line went dead. I (hang) ____12___ up the phone and went to the kitchen to make dinner. As I (cut) ___13____ vegetables for a salad, the phone rang once again. It (be) ___14___ Angela, but this time she wasn't sitting in class.

PAST PERFECT
Use past perfect when describing an action with past simple and to refer to an action further in the past.

We went to his office, but he had left. Emma did not have the money
because she has spent it.

For earlier events after clauses with reporting or thinking verbs in the past

Joe told me our team had scored twice. I thought we had won.

PAST PERFECT CONTINUOUS

Use for events in progress before another event in the past. I had been thinking about that before you mentioned it.

PAST PERFECT VS. PAST PERFECT CONTINUOUS

PAST PERFECT Describe an action as the result of an action before a past event. We had made chicken soup and we offered her some when she came in. PAST PERFECT CONTINUOUS Describe an action as a process before another event in the past. We had been making chicken soup so the kitchen was still hot and steamy when she came in.

PAST PERFECT VS. PAST PERFECT CONTINUOUS

I'm sorry I left without you last night, but I told you to meet me early because the show started at 8:00. I (try) ____1______ to get tickets for that play for months, and I didn't want to miss it. By the time I finally left the coffee shop where we were supposed to meet, I (have) ____2_____ five cups of coffee and I (wait) ____3____ over an hour. I had to leave because I (arrange) _____4____ to meet Kathy in front of the theater. When I arrived at the theater, Kathy (pick, already) ____5_____ up the tickets and she was waiting for us near the entrance. She was really angry because she (wait) ____6_____ for more than half an hour. She said she (give, almost) ____7___ up and (go) ____8____ into the theater without us. Kathy told me you (be) ____9___ late several times in the past and that she would not make plans with you again in the future. She mentioned that she (miss) ____10_____ several movies because of your late arrivals. I think you owe her an apology. And in the future, I suggest you be on time!

FUTURE TENSE
FUTURE TENSE
Simple Future

FUNCTIONS
To show that an action will take place in the future, and when no other idea, such as continuity or the completion of the action in the future, needs to mentioned or conveyed. He will join the firm next year. We shall join you when we finished this work. Used to express something that will be continuing or going on at some point of time. I shall be doing my work when you come in afterwards, so do not disturb me then. Used to express an action that is not completed now, but will already be completed at some point of time in the future. I shall have finished reading this book by Saturday. Used when we look ahead to a future time and imagine an action lasting from a point before that time up to the future. On the 10th of next month, I will have been living here for exactly two years.

Future Continuous

Future Perfect

Future Perfect Continuous

SIMPLE PAST VS. PRESENT CONTINUOUS

Since computers were first introduced to the public in the early 1980's, technology (change) ____1____ a great deal. The first computers (be) ____2___ simple machines designed for basic tasks. They (have, not) ____3____ much memory and they (be, not) ____4___ very powerful. Early computers were often quite expensive and customers often (pay) ____5___ thousands of dollars for machines which actually (do) ____6___ very little. Most computers (be) ____7____ separate, individual machines used mostly as expensive typewriters or for playing games. Times (change) ____8___ .Computers (become) _____9___ powerful machines with very practical applications. Programmers (create) ____10____ a large selection of useful programs which do everything from teaching foreign languages to bookkeeping. We are still playing video games, but today's games (become) ____11_______ faster, more exciting interactive adventures. Many computer users (get, also) ____12______ on the Internet and (begin) ___13______ communicating with other computer users around the world. We (start) ____14______ to create international communities online. In short, the simple, individual machines of the past (evolve) ____15_______ into an international World Wide Web of knowledge.