1、SIMPLE PRESENTThe simple present tense is used to discuss permanent situations and the frequency of events.Simple Present TimelineFor example:Q) “Where do you live?“ A) “I live in Germany.“Q) “Where does he live?“ A) “He lives in Germany.“Q) “What do you do?“ A) “Im a teacher.“Q) “What does he do?“
2、A) “Hes a teacher.“FrequencyThe simple present tense is also used to show how often something happens with adverbs of frequency - always, usually, often, sometimes, occasionally, seldom, rarely, never, etc And when discussing daily, weekly, monthly etc. routines.For example:“I always get up at 6.00.
3、“I never drink coffee before 12.00.“I work on my website every day.“Every Monday and Thursday I go to the gym.“We also use the simple present to ask for and give instructions or to discuss a series of actions.For example:Q) How do I make pancakes?“ A) Well, first you take 4 eggs and crack them into
4、a bowl, then you weigh out 4 oz. of flour and sieve it into the eggs. etc.The simple present tense can also be used to discuss future events.PRESENT CONTINIOUS TENSEWhen we talk about events that are actually happening now, we use the present continuous tense. This is formed by using the stem of the
5、 verb and adding -ing to the end, for example the verb “work“ becomes “working“. In some cases you need to alter the spelling a bit for example the verb “die“ becomes “dying“.Present Continuous TimelineFor example:Q) “What are you doing?“ A) “Im building a website.“We also use the present continuous
6、 tense to talk about things that are happening around now but are temporary.For example:Q) “What are you doing these days?“ A) “Unfortunately Im working a lot.“It is also used to describe trends or situations that are happening but may be temporary.For example:“Nowadays more and more people are shop
7、ping on the Internet.“.and habitual actions (usually negative).For example:“Hes always cleaning his car.“The present continuous tense can also be used to discuss future events:Note:-The present continuous is usually used with doing verbs (verbs of action) not with verbs of state. The following verbs
8、 are notused in the continuous form:-Conditions: belong, cost, need, own, seemFeelings: like, love, hate, want, wishBeliefs: believe, feel, know, mean, remember, think, understandSIMPLE PASTThe simple past tense is used to talk about actions that happened at a specific time in the past. You state wh
9、en it happened using a time adverb.You form the simple past of a verb by adding -ed onto the end of a regular verb but, irregular verb forms have to be learned.Simple Past TimelineDid + base form of verb + complementFor example:“Last year I took my exams.“I got married in 1992.“It can be used to des
10、cribe events that happened over a period of time in the past but not now.For example:“I lived in South Africa for two years.“The simple past tense is also used to talk about habitual or repeated actions that took place in the past.For example:“When I was a child we always went to the seaside on bank
11、 holidays.“PAST CONTINOUSWe use the past continuous tense to describe a past action over a period of time.Past Continuous TimelineWas/were + verb(-ing) + complement For example:Q) “What were they doing yesterday?“ A) “They were working all day.“It can be used to describe what someone was doing at a
12、particular point in time.For example:Q) “What were you doing at 7.30 last night?“ A) “I was watching television.“The past continuous can also be used to show that an activity frequently took place over a period of time.Q) “What did you do on holiday?“ A) “I went skiing a lot.“Often the past continuo
13、us is mixed with the past simple to show what was happening when something happened. The past continuous refers to the longer event and the simple past to the event that interrupted it.For example:“I was driving to work when I crashed my car.“orAs I was driving to work, I crashed my car.“PRESENT PER
14、FECT SIMPLE TENSEThe present perfect simple tense is used to talk about a past time, which has very strong meaning for the present.Present Perfect Simple TimelineFor example:Q) Wheres Jane?A) She has gone out. She should be back in an hour.We form the present perfect simple by using the auxilliary v
15、erb have/has and the -ed form of the regular verb (the past participle) irregular verb forms have to be learned:The present perfect simple is used to discuss events that have just been completed at the moment of speaking.For example:Q) Have you done your homework?“ A) “Yes, Ive just finished it.“It
16、is often used to suggest that a past action still has an effect upon something happening in the present.For example:“The pound has fallen against the dollar.“It is also used to discuss unfinished time.For example:Q) Have you done your homework today?A) No, I havent done it yet.Note - You are talking
17、 about today and today isnt finished, so you may do your homework later!Q) Have you ever been to England?“ A) “Yes I have.“ Note - You are talking about something that has happened in your life and your life isnt finished!You can also use the present perfect to discuss something from the past but yo
18、u dont want to say exactly when.For example:Q) “Are you learning any languages?“ A) “Yes, Ive begun to learn English.“This tense is often used to discuss events that have been happening over a period of time, but arent finished yet.For example:Q) “How long have you studied English for?“ A) “Ive stud
19、ied English for 2 years now.“However it is better (grammatically speaking) to use the Present Perfect Continuous to express yourself in this way.For example:Q) “How long have you been studying English for?“ A) “Ive been studying English for 2 years now.“!Note It is always for a length of time and si
20、nce a point in time.PRESENT PERFECT CONTINUOUS TENSEThe present perfect continuous tense is often used (with for or since) to describe how long something has been happening up to now.Present Perfect Continuous TimelineFor example:-Q) How long have you been studying English?“ A) Ive been studying Eng
21、lish for four years.“ Note - You can just say “For four years.“ Q) How long have you been living in Germany?A) Ive been living here since 1998.Note - You can just say “Since 1998“.The present perfect continuous is also used to refer to an event that may or may not be finished when its effect can be
22、seen now.For example:-Look! Its been snowing. Note - Its not necessarily snowing now but you can see the effect (the snow on the ground).You should also use the present perfect continuous when talking about how long you have been doing your current job or working on unfinished projects:-For example:
23、-I have been working at BT for three years. We have been exporting to China since 1999.!Note It is always for a length of time and since a point in time.PAST PERFECT SIMPLE TENSEThe past perfect simple tense is used to go further back in time when we are already talking about the past. It can make i
24、t clear that something had already happened at the time we are talking about.Past Perfect Simple TimelineFor example:“I had already done the shopping by the time she came home.“I was late for work, by the time I arrived the client had already left.“The past perfect simple can be used to show how oft
25、en something happened in the past.For example:Id visited the city many times before.It can also be used to express unfulfilled wishes or dreams. Sometimes called the Third Conditional.For example:“If I had won the lottery I would have bought a new car.“ Note: If I had done something I would have don
26、e something else.PAST PERFECT CONTINUOUS TENSEThe past perfect continuous tense is used to talk about longer situations that continued up to the moment in the past we are talking about.Past Perfect Continuous TimelineFor example:“By the time I left England we had been living in Bristol for five year
27、s.“Her back was sore because she had been sitting at the computer all day.“It is also used to say how long something went on for, up to a time in the past.For example:-We apologised because we had kept them waiting for 3 hours.We apologised because we had kept them waiting since lunchtime.!Note It i
28、s always for a length of time and since a point in time.SIMPLE FUTURE TENSEWe sometimes use the simple present form to discuss future events. Especially when talking about official events that happen at a set time such as timetables, meetings, itineraries, programmes etc.For example:Q) “What time do
29、es the train leave?“ A) “It leaves at 17.30.“Q) “What time does the meeting begin tomorrow?“ A) “It begins at 8.00am.“Q) “What time do you arrive at the airport tomorrow?“ A) “I arrive at 6.30pm.“FUTURE CONTINOUS TENSEThe future continuous tense is the present continuous tense recycled. It is often
30、used to ask about and discuss future arrangements or plans with just the addition of a future time, but you only use it when these arrangements are certain.For example:Q) What are you doing next week?“ A) “Im working.“Q) Whats he doing tomorrow?“ A) “Hes playing tennis.“The present continuous tense
31、is also used to talk about and make future appointments and arrangements using the words go or comeFor example:Q) When are you coming to see me?“ A) “Next week.“Q) What are you doing tomorrow?“ A) “Im going to the dentist.“.and using verbs of arrival and departure.“Were arriving in London at 2.30.“T
32、he train leaving from platform one is the 2.45 to Edinburgh.“The Future Continuous (will be doing)The use of will be doing in a sentence is often referred to as the future continuous. It is used to talk about activities that will be happening at a particular time or over a particular time in the fut
33、ure.For example:Next week we will be having a party. Can you come?You can also use it (or the present continuous form) to talk about future plans.For example:We will be leaving here at 7.30pm.PRESENT PERFECT FUTURE TENSE Discussing the future using the present perfect simple formYou can use the pres
34、ent perfect simple form to say that something will have happened by a certain time in the future.“This time next year I will have finished my exams.“Discussing the future using the present perfect continuous form (also known as the future perfect continuous using will have been doing).You can use the present perfect continuous form to say how long something will have been happening by a certain time in the future.“This time next year I will have been teaching English for 9 years.“
