Past tenses
Past tenses are used to talk about things that started and ended in the past or things that started in the past and continue to the present.
There are a number of ways of talking about the past:
Past Perfect Simple
Subject + Auxiliary verb “HAD” + Past Participle
The past perfect is a verb tense which is used totalk about an action that took place once or many times before another point in the past.
We use the past perfect simple:
to indicate that we are talking about something which happened before another action which happened in the past:
When he got to the station, his train had already left.
Compare this with:
When he got to the station, his train left.
This indicates that the train left at the same time he arrived.
It is typically used with time expressions such as when, as soon as, after, before.
She started driving before he’d fastened his seatbelt.
Often with these adverbs: already, just, never
When he got to the station, his train had already left.
Past Perfect Continuous
Subject + Auxiliary Verb ”HAD” + Past participle ”BEEN”+ Verb-ing.
We use the past perfect continuous toalso talk about something which happened before another action in the past, but it:
focuses on the length of time:
I had been sleeping all day that I didn’t realize you were here.
says how long something happened up to a point in the past:
He had been playing for Manchester for only three games when we scored his first goal.
Past Simple
Subject+ Regular Verb - ed.
As a general rule, the past simple is formed by adding “-ed” to the infinitive (dropping any unpronounced “e” in the final position, and changing any final “y” to “i“)
The past simple expresses actions complete in the past. Unlike those described by the present perfect, these actions do not continue in the present. Unlike the past continuous, the past simple does not describe the process or duration of actions, it states them only as completed actions:
She went to the store this afternoon.
The duration of the action is not important: the past simple may describe an action lasting an instant or many years. Verbs indicating belief, emotion, possession, location, etc. will often be expressed in the past simple:
I lived in London for three years.
In the negative and interrogative, the auxiliary verb “to do” conjugated in the past simple is used with the infinitive to express the past:
Did you arrive on time?
Past Continuous
Subject + Auxiliary Verb “WAS/WERE” + Verb-ing.
The past continuous is used to emphasize the ongoing nature of the action described. It is formed using the auxiliary “to be” with the present participle (verb–ing):
He was eating his dinner when the phone rang.
Normally, if an idea can be expressed with the expression “was in the process of doing” or with “was in the middle of doing,” the past continuous is more appropriate than the past simple.
Consequently, state verbs indicating belief, emotion, possession, etc., are rarely conjugated in the past continuous.
We use the past continuous to talk about:
an activity which started before and continued until an event in the past:
He was riding to school when his motorbike broke down.
an activity which started before and continued after an event in the past:
I was watching television when the news was announced.
Do not use the past continuous to describe habitual actions in the past.
Used to
To describe habits or states in the past that are not true now, we use the construction “used to + verb.“
When I was little, we used to go camping a lot.
We use “used to” to talk about:
situations or states in the past which are not true now
My maths teacher used to be in the army.
repeated activities or habits in the past which do not happen now
She used to run in the London Marathon every year until she injured her leg.
*In spoken English, we often use the modal ”would,” followed by the main verb to replace “used to” when describing past habitual actions only, not states/situations.
When I was little, we would go camping a lot.
Present tenses
Present Perfect
Subject + Auxiliary Verb “HAVE/HAS” + PAST PARTICIPLE
The present perfect describes an action or emotion which began in the past and continues in the present. It is formed by using theauxiliary “to have” with the past participle:
I have always wanted to visit Israel.
After such expressions as “since,” “for,” “how long,” etc., we generally use the present perfect or even the present perfect continuous:
How long have you lived in Quebec?
In the negative, the present perfect expresses an action which has not yet occurred:
I haven’t cooked yet.
Using the word “just”, the present perfect or the past simple can be used to express the recent past:
I (have) just arrived.
Note: do not confuse this use of “just” (which indicates the recent past) with “just about,” which indicates, to the contrary, something which will happen in the near future:
I have just about finished. (I have almost finished; I will finish soon.)
Present Perfect Continuous
Subject + Auxiliary Verb “HAVE/HAS” + BEEN + Verb-ing
Both the present perfect simple and present perfect continuous talk about something which started in the past and:
either has a result in the present:
I’ve been partying all weekend, so I’m feeling tired now.
or is still happening now:
We’ve been building an extension to our house (and we haven’t finished yet).
Present Simple
Subject + Verb(-s)
The present simpleis used to express actions which take place in the present or which occur regularly. It also expresses general or absolute statements not connected to a specific time frame.
Jill speaks four languages fluently.
In the interrogative, the present is introduced by a form of the verb “to do” (“do / does“):
Does your father like to cook?
The appropriate form of the verb “to do” is also used for the negative:
No, he does not (doesn’t) like to cook.
After the conjunctions “when,” “as soon as,” etc., the present is used, even though actions expressed may refer to the future:
He’ll pay us as soon as we finish
State Verbs
We usually use verbs that describe states, not actions, in the present simple.
These verbs describe:
thoughts: believe, know, remember, think (meaning ‘believe’), feel (meaning ‘believe’), suppose, etc.
feelings: love, like, hate, want, prefer, etc.
senses: smell, hear, taste, see, feel, touch
possession: have, belong, own, etc.
the verb “to be”
When “think” means ‘to use your brain to plan something, solve a problem, make a decision’, etc., it can be used in the continuous:
I’m thinking about what to do today. (I’m planning.)
When “feel” means ‘to experience something physical or ‘emotional’, it can be used in the continuous:
I don’t want to come to the party because I’m feeling tired.
Present Continuous
Subject + AM/ARE/IS + verb-ING
The present continuous is used for actions that are still in progress (or are continuing) at the time of speaking. It is formed by using the auxiliary “to be” with the present participle:
He is eating his dinner.
Usually, the present continuous indicates that you are “in the process of” or “in the middle of” doing something. If you cannot replace “to be” form with “in the process of,” the present continuous should probably not be used.
Indications of emotion, belief, and possession are rarely conjugated in the present continuous:
Cheryl owns her own house.
In certain situations, the present continuous can be used for future plans or arrangements:
They are leaving tomorrow.
Present continuous in the negative
The word “not” comes after the auxiliary “to be”:
You are not driving fast enough.
Going to
“BE” going to + verb
“Going to” is used to talk about future plans and intentions, to make predictions based on current evidence or to express that something is about happen.
They are going to regret that decision.
*Note: The near future can also be used in past constructions, in which case the verb “to go” is conjugated in the past progressive:
She was going to leave, but the telephone rang.
Future tenses
Future simple
Subject + WILL + verb
The future simple uses the auxiliary “will” followed by the infinitive without “to”. It is used to express actions which take place at a specific time, to make promises, offers, requests or refusals in the future. It is also used to make predictions based on opinion or experience.
She will go to the library this evening.
To describe a future action which is in progress and/or to emphasize a period of time, we use the future continuous.
We will be dancing all night long.
“Shall” is used in place of “will” in questions when making suggestions or offers
Shall I open the window?
“Shall” can also replace “will” in sentences to sound more formal
I shall meet her at the library.
Future continuous
Subject + WILL BE + verb-ING
The future continuous is used to express a future action which is in progress at a future point in time.
I will be waiting for you at six o’clock.
Future continuous or the future simple?
If it is possible to use the expression “will be in the process of,” use the future continuous. It indicates that an action will continue at a given moment. The future simple suggests that the action will be complete. Consequently, the tense choice can influence meaning.
I will be finishing my homework at 10:00.
This suggests that at 10:00, I will be in the process of finishing my homework. It will be almost complete, in the process of completion.
I will finish my homework at 10:00.
This suggests that I will finish at 10:00 without doubt.
Future perfect
Subject + WILL HAVE + Verb-ED
The future perfect is used to express an action will finish before a specific point in the future or to say how long. The action is currently unfinished and will be finished at a future point.
She will have finished before eight o’clock.
The future simple can be used instead of the future perfect, but the idea that the action is complete before a certain point is lost.
Tomorrow morning, they will all leave.
Future perfect continuous
Subject + WILL HAVE BEEN + Verb – ING
Like the future perfect simple, this form is used to express an action will finish before a specific point in the future. It is usually used to emphasize the length of time of the action. It refers to events or actions that are currently unfinished but will be finished at some future time. It is most often used with a time expression.
I will have been living in Sydney for 2 years when I finish my studies.
Order of Adjectives
Descriptive Adjectives; General Opinion Adjectives; Specific Opinion Adjectives
There is a convention in English that multiple adjectives are presented in the following order:
General Opinion; Specific Opinion; Descriptive
Therefore, we get the following order of adjectives:
He is a wonderful, intelligent, old man.
Wonderful is the general opinion adjective, since almost anything can be wonderful.
Intelligent is the specific opinion adjective, since this is a word applied mostly to living beings.
Old is the descriptive adjective, in that it offers no opinion, but describes the person (and can be used as a descriptor for any noun.)
However, by swapping the order of adjectives, emphasis and effect can be created. This is best used sparingly. In the example below, there is greater emphasis placed on the fact the man is wonderful, because it is the final adjective used.
He is an old, intelligent, wonderful man.
Comparatives and Superlatives
What is a Comparative?
A comparative is an adjective which compares the noun it describes with another. Comparatives often end in ‘er’.
What is a Superlative?
The superlative is the most extreme something can be. Superlatives often end in ‘est’.
The table below shows some adjectives with their comparatives and superlatives, to help us understand the pattern. There are some common irregular versions (where the pattern is not followed) at the end.
Adjective Comparative Superlative
Hard Harder Hardest
Strong Stronger Strongest
Red Redder Reddest
Silly Sillier Silliest
Old Older Oldest
Good Better Best
Bad Worse Worst
Far Further Furthest
Grateful More grateful Most grateful
Intensifiers and Mitigators
Sometimes, words hold little meaning by themselves, but when applied to an adjective help to make that descriptive word clearer.
Consider the example below:
He did well.
Here we can see that the person performed to a good standard, but the range of that standard is undefined. By adding the intensifier ‘really’, the meaning becomes much clearer.
He did really well.
The opposite words to intensifiers are mitigators. These work in a similar way but reduce the impact of the adjective. So, using the same example, we can see that:
He did well.
Becomes…
He did fairly well.
Which brings an element of weakness to the person’s performance.
Here is a list of the most common intensifiers and mitigators. Note, these words are not adjectives in themselves, they are adverbs. However, when applied to the adjective they make it into a more specific descriptive term.
IntensifiersMitigators
Utterly Fairly
Very Slightly
Extremely Rather
Enough Quite (note, this can also be an intensifier, depending on how it is used.)
Totally Pretty
Completely A bit
A note on ‘quite’. This can be confusing as it works as both an intensifier and a mitigator. The examples below illustrate this.
I was quite horrified by his performance.
In this sense, the word means ‘very’.
I was quite happy with your score of 5 out of 10.
Here the word implies that, in fact, the happiness of the subject was limited.
There is a danger of using mitigators and, far more significantly, intensifiers, and the same applies to comparative adjectives. The danger is that they can lead to hyperbole. That is when statements go over the top.
That was the greatest goal the game has ever seen!
She is the finest Prime Minister the country has ever known!
‘Much’ and ‘many’ are two words a lot of my students mix up and confuse regularly. To help you with your English learning, let’s take a look at how to use each word.
‘Much’ is used when we are speaking about a singular noun.
‘Many’ is used when we are speaking about a plural noun.
When we speak about ‘many’ and ‘much’, it’s worth mentioning countable and uncountable nouns. Countable nouns can be used with a number and have singular and plural forms. Uncountable nouns can only be used in singular and cannot be used with a number.
Examples:
“How much money do you have?”
“How many friends do you have?”
Wait a second! I know what you’re thinking. We can count money, right? Yes, you’re correct, however we must use the precise currency (dollars, pesos, euros) to use the word ‘many’. We wouldn’t say: “I have 100 money”. We would say: “I have 100 pesos.” Or “How many dollars do you have?”
‘Much’ and ‘many’ are often used with questions and negative clauses.
Examples:
“I don’t have many friends.”
“How much money did you spend last night?”
With positive clauses they are used with the words: ‘so’, ‘as’, or ‘too’.