The indefinite articles 1. We use the article a / an when we are talking about something for the first time or not specific things. I've got a new job. (the listener doesn't know what the job is) Would you like a drink? (unspecific drink - i.e., any drink) 2. The indefinite article can be used only in front of a singular noun. a user a piece of cake 3. The article a is used in front of words that begin with a consonant sound. a book a small apartment a house a university (the letter u sounds like a consonant) 4. The article an is used in front of words that begin with a vowel sound. an elephant an old car an apple an hour (we use an because the letter h is not pronounced) ------------- Present Simple Tense - Form I play. I do not play. Do I play? You play. You do not play. Do you play? We play. We do not play. Do we play? They play. They do not play. Do they play? He plays. He does not play. Does he play? She plays. She does not play. Does she play? It plays. It does not play. Does it play? To Be I am. I am not. Am I? He is. He is not. Is he? She is. She is not. Is she? It is. It is not. Is it? You are. You are not. Are you? We are. We are not. Are we? They are. They are not. Are they?
We use the Present Simple to talk about: 1. Facts. Water boils at 100 C. The earth circles the sun. The sun rises in the east. 2. Habits, daily routines or something that often happens. We play football every weekend. She usually gets up at 6 o'clock. He doesn't come very often. They often go to the cinema. 3. Schedules The plane leaves tonight at 8 o'clock. The next train comes in 10 minutes. The library open at 10. The lesson starts at 7 tomorrow morning. ------------------ Present Continuous Tense - Form I am sleeping. I am not sleeping. Am I sleeping? You are sleeping. You are not sleeping. Are you sleeping? We are sleeping. We are not sleeping. Are we sleeping? They are sleeping. They are not sleeping. Are they sleeping? He is sleeping. He is not sleeping. Is he sleeping? She is sleeping. She is not sleeping. Is she sleeping? It is sleeping. It is not sleeping. Is it sleeping? We use the Present Continuous to talk about: 1. Actions taking place at the moment of speaking. I'm working at the moment. It's raining. They are swimming now. He is having a bath. We are playing football. 2. Something which has been arranged or planned in the near future. We are going to Singapore on Sunday. She is not going to the party tonight. I am meeting my parents at the airport tomorrow. 3. Longer actions in progress now.
I am taking driving lessons. They are preparing for their exams. She is writing a book. 4. An annoying and repeated actions. She is always coming late. It's always raining in Tokyo. He is always complaining. 5. Temporary Actions. I'm living in South Korea for the next two years. He's staying with his friend for a few days. She is working in Singapore at the moment. ------------------------ Present Perfect Tense - Form I have done. I have not done. Have I done? You have done. You have not done. Have you done? We have done. We have not done. Have we done? They have done. They have not done. Have they done? He has done. He has not done. Has he done? She has done. She has not done. Has she done? It has done. It has not done. Has it done? We use the Present Perfect to talk about: 1. Something that happened in the past without mentioning the exact time, it is not important when it happened. I have seen that movie twice. I have met that boy before. I have been to Singapore. Have you ever been to South Korea? 2. Something that started in the past and continues in the present. He has lived in Singapore for 5 years. I have known him since 2010. 3. Unfinished actions. Have you spoken to her yet? He has not finished his homework yet. 4. Recently finished actions They have just arrived.
I have just got back from my holidays. ------------- Present Perfect Continuous Tense - Form I have been working. I have not been working. Have I been working? You have been working. You have not been working. Have you been working? We have been working. We have not been working. Have we been working? They have been working. They have not been working. Have they been working? He has been working. He has not been working. Has he been working? She has been working. She has not been working. Has she been working? It has been working. It has not been working. Has it been working? We use the Present Perfect Continuous to talk about: 1. Something started in the past and has continued up until now. I have been waiting for her for 20 minutes. We have been living in Singapore for 10 years. He has been working here since June. 2. Actions that have just stopped. He has been studying hard lately. She has been eating too much lately. Recently, I have been feeling really tired. -------------------- Past Simple Tense - Form I played. I did not play. Did I play? You played. You did not play. Did you play? We played. We did not play. Did we play? They played. They did not play. Did they play? He played. He did not play. Did he play? She played. She did not play. Did she play? It played. It did not play. Did it play? To Be I was. I was not. Was I? He was. He was not. Was he? She was. She was not. Was she? It was. It was not. Was it? You were. You were not. Were you? We were. We were not. Were we? They were. They were not. Were they? We use the Past Simple to talk about:
1. Something that happened in the past. I went to the party last night. I didn't go to work yesterday. Did you go to the party? I was at work yesterday. 2. Conditional sentences - type II (Extra) If I had a lot of money, I would buy an iphone. 3. Series of completed actions in the past. I got up, had breakfast and then went to school. ----------------- Past Continuous Tense - Form I was sleeping. I was not sleeping. Was I sleeping? You were sleeping. You were not sleeping. Were you sleeping? We were sleeping. We were not sleeping. Were we sleeping? They were sleeping. They were not sleeping. Were they sleeping? He was sleeping. He was not sleeping. Was he sleeping? She was sleeping. She was not sleeping. Was she sleeping? It was sleeping. It was not sleeping. Was it sleeping? We use the Past Continuous to talk about: 1. Two actions happening at the same time in the past. I was studying while my mother was making dinner. While my mother was washing the dishes, my father was watching TV. She wasn't listening while I was talking 2. A longer action in the past which is interrupted by a shorter action or a specific time. We were playing football when it suddenly began to rain. Yesterday at 4 we were playing football. I was doing my homework when my mother got home. I was doing my homework last night at 10. 3. An annoying and repeated actions in the past. He was always coming late. She was always complaining. --------------------
Past Perfect Tense - Form I had done. I had not done. Had I done? You had done. You had not done. Had you done? We had done. We had not done. Had we done? They had done. They had not done. Had they done? He had done. He had not done. Had he done? She had done. She had not done. Had she done? It had done. It had not done. Had it done? We use the Past Perfect to talk about: 1. Something occurred before something else in the past. When I got home last night, my mother had already cooked dinner. He had already done his homework when he went to the cinema. She had gone home when I arrived. 2. Something that started in the past and continued up until another action in the past. By the time she graduated, he had been in New York for over two years. 3. Conditional sentences - type III (Extra) I would help her if she had asked. If I had had enough Money, I would have bought a new car. I would have done my homework if she had helped me. ----------------------- Future Simple Tense - Form Will I will play. I will not play. Will I play? You will play. You will not play. Will you play? We will play. We will not play. Will we play? They will play. They will not play. Will they play? He will play. He will not play. Will he play? She will play. She will not play. Will she play? It will play. It will not play. Will it play? Be Going to I am going to play. I am not going to play. Am I going to play? You are going to play. You are not going to play. Are you going to play? We are going to play. We are not going to play. Are we going to play? They are going to play. They are not going to play. Are they going to play? He is going to play. He is not going to play. Is he going to play? She is going to play. She is not going to play. Is she going to play? It is going to play. It is not going to play. Is it going to play?
We use the Future Simple to talk about: 1. A prediction I think I will arrive in Singapore tomorrow morning. They will win the competition. It will rain tonight. 2. A spontaneous decision at the moment of speaking (not planned). I think I will go to bed now. Wait, I will close the door. I will help you. 3. A promise. I will send you some photos when I get there. I will not tell her. I will call you tomorrow. 4. A plan. I am going to buy a new car. She is going to sing at the party We are going to spend our holidays in Dubai. 5. When we see that something is going to happen based on present evidence. The sky is getting darker. It is going to rain. Look at them! They are going to fall. Present simple and continuous Present simple tense Form Affirmative: I play, He plays Negative: I do not play (I don't play), He does not play (He doesn't play) Question: Do you play? Does he play? Negative question: Do you not play? (Don't you play?) Does he not play? (Doesn't he play?) We only use the -s ending (plays) and -es ending (does) with he, she and it.
Do / does is not used to make questions and negatives with modal verbs and the verb to be. Are you a student? He is not happy. Can you sing? He mustn't stay. If the wh- pronoun introducing the question (who, which, what ) is the subject of the question, we do not use do to make the question. Who knows you? (who is the subject) Which cars belong to you? (which cars is the subject) But: Who do you know? (who is the object) The negative questions normally express a surprise. Doesn't he work? Spelling We add -es to the verb that ends in ss, sh, ch, x and o: miss - misses, fix - fixes, go - goes. If the verb ends in a consonant and -y we change -y into -i and add -es: carry - carries, try - tries. But: play - plays (it ends in a vowel and -y. Use We use the present simple for activities that happen again and again (every day, sometimes, ever, never). I sometimes ride a bike. You don't go to school. Does he get up early? We use it for facts that are always true. Our planet moves round the sun. Lions eat meat. She doesn't speak Spanish. With a future time expression (tomorrow, next week) it is used for planned future actions (timetables). The train leaves at 8.15. They return tonight.
Present continuous tense Form Affirmative: I am playing, You are playing, He is playing Negative: I am not playing (I'm not playing), You are not playing (You aren't playing), He is not playing (He isn't playing) Question: Are you playing? Is he playing? Negative question: Are you not playing? (Aren't you playing?) Is he not playing? (Isn't he playing?) It is formed with the verb to be and the present participle (-ing ending). The negative questions normally express a surprise. Isn't he working? Use We use the present continuous for activities that are happening right now. I am learning English at the moment. You aren't listening! Why is he sitting here? We use it for an action happening about this time (today, this week). It is temporary. I am staying at the hotel this week. She is writing her essay today. With a future time expression (soon, on Monday) it is used for definite arrangements in the near future. The present continuous is more personal than the present simple, because it expresses the speaker's plan. I am leaving soon. We are meeting on Monday.
Charts
Links: http://www.ecenglish.com/learnenglish/subject/grammar http://www.ecenglish.com/learnenglish/lessons/modal-verbs-1-permission-prohibition-obligationno-obligation https://learnenglish.britishcouncil.org/en/grammar-reference/modals-1 http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/flatmates/episode101/languagepoint.shtml http://www.myenglishpages.com/site_php_files/grammar-lesson-modals.php http://www.ats.edu.mx/ifs/salc/