Mind Map: Prepositions of time (at/ on/ in)

Prepositions of time (at/in/on) can be confusing for English learners. To find out the differences, read
the post:
We use: AT for the time of the day:
At five oclock
At 11.45
At midnight
At lunchtime
At sunset
We use: ON for days and dates
On Friday/ on Fridays
On 16 May 2013
On Christmas Day
On my birthday
We use: IN for longer periods (for example: months/years/seasons)
In June
In 2015
In (the) winter
In the 19th century
In the past
In the future
In the Renaissance
We use AT in these expressions:
At night
At the weekend/ at weekends
At Christmas
At the moment/ at present
At the same time
We say:
In the morning(s)
In the afternoon(s)
In the evening(s)
But:
On Friday morning(s)
On Sunday afternoon(s)
On Monday evenyng(s)
Future Tenses in English
One can easily get confused when it comes to expressing futurity in English, for there are so many
rules to follow. To make things easier for English learners, we have created a new mind map, thus
summarizing four basic ways to explain which tenses are used to express future events and
concepts. (Note: we assume that the learner has already acquired the basic knowledge of English
tenses, i.e. Present Simple, Present Continuous) So, we are not focusing on the form now, but
only on the use of English tenses or modals to express futurity.
Lets look at the blue branch first (will). Many students learn this modality first when they are taught
Future and presuppose that they can always use it when they wish to convey ideas concerning the
future. But they are wrong. We can use will mostly in the following cases:
When we promise to do something (The scout in the picture says: On my honor, I promise that I
will do my best)
When we make a resolution (e.g. I will work hard at school this year.)
When we decide to do something at the time of speaking, when we make spontaneous decisions
the most important rule about the use of will! (e.g. I forgot to phone Jim. I will phone him now.)
When we havent planned anything in advance (e.g. Its getting cold. Ill take a taxi.)
When we volunteer to do something (e.g. This room looks so dirty. Ill help you tidy it).
Next, lets focus on the red branch. It shows when to use the Present Continuous Tense with a
future meaning:
When we plan to do something. This means that we have already decided to do something (e.g.
Helen is travelling to Paris tomorrow.)
When we talk about near future (e.g. Im going to bed now.)
When we have already decided and arranged to do some things. (Karen is flying to Cuba this
summer.)
Now, take a look at the purple branch. It sums up the rules for (be) going to (do) phrase with a
future meaning:
When we predict that something is going to happen in the future based on present evidence (e.g.
There are so many black clouds in the sky! Its going to rain.)
When we have decided to do something and have the intention to do it, but not necessarily
arranged to do it (e.g. I am going to watch the new James Bond film next Saturday.)
Finally, the green branch explains when to use the Present Simple tense to express a future
aspect:
When we talk about fixed future events (e.g. The party starts at 8!)
When we talk about programmes (e.g. What time does the movie begin this evening?)
When we talk about schedules, timetables, etc. (e.g. The train for Edinburgh leaves at 7:00.)
Now it seems a lot easier, doesnt it


Mind Map: the Present Simple Tense
The first idea that came to my mind when I was developing the map was to draw a really eye-
catching symbol in the central position so that it can easily be associated with the tense given. Why
Superman? The initial S is a really distinctive feature of the Present Simple Tense, since it is added
to the verb used with the third person singular. In particular, English-learners will often forget to
add s when they use the Present Simple. The central drawing is here to remind the visual types of
learners not to forget the most specific fact concerning the grammatical form.
As you can see, the purple branch gives a clear illustration of the positive form of the verb given.
The ant here represents plural since ants are innumerable insects.
The light blue branch gives examples of the negative verb form. So, for the negative form, auxiliary
verbs do not/ does not (dont/ doesnt) are used. It can be noticed that the auxiliary for the third
person singular contains the notorious s once again (not the main verb!). It is emphasized in the
same way once again.
The light green branch gives a vivid picture of how questions are formed in the Present Simple
Tense. The train engine is an optional part of a question, since it stands for wh-words. The next,
obligatory carriage, shows the place of the auxiliary verb do/ does in the Present Simple Tense
questions. Then comes the subject that waves at the window of the third carriage. The main verb
follows.
The pink branch is booked for the smiling sheep. The verb to be is represented by a black sheep,
the one regarded as the exception by the rest. The symbol is useful here since the verb to BE is
really an exception, concerning the negative and question forms, which are formed without any
auxiliary forms. For negatives, only NOT is added (e.g. am not/is not/ are not), and for questions, the
sheep will jump in front of the subject to make a question (inversion) (e.g. Am I? Are you? Is he?)
Finally, the use of the Simple Present is shown in the left upper corner of the map. It is used
for stating facts (e.g. The Sun rises in the East), general truths (e.g. Water freezes at 0 degrees
Celsius), habits and routines (e.g. I have coffee first thing in the morning), for expressing states
and emotions (Ian loves Mary)
In addition, there are branches showing the most common adverbs used with this
tense:EVERY (day, week, month,
January), always, usually, often, sometimes, seldom (rarely),never
Now, dont hesitate! Take your markers, colour pencils and crayons and draw whatever you learn.
You will absorb the new content much faster!

Mind Map: the Present Perfect Tense
Have you ever ridden a horse? Have you ever seen a chinchilla? Have you ever eaten caviar?
And, most importantly: Have you ever been confused about the Present Perfect Tense? If you have,
now is the perfect moment to clear things up!
Before we start, pay attention to the tense used above the Present Perfect itself!
Now, have a look at the enthusiastic scientist who is working hard in his laboratory. What do you
think he is doing? Well, a very important thing, obviously. He is making things easier for you, mixing
two ingredients the present tense and the past tense, forming a completely new blend
the PRESENT PERFECT TENSE! Try to memorize the picture, since it is actually the basis of the
Present Perfect, which represents a mixture of the past and the present And not only that.
I Let us start from the first branch on the right, that is, the navy blue one. It explains the positive
form of the tense used in a sentence. Imagine that the train is an English sentence. As you can see,
every English sentence must start with a subject (of course, there are always exceptions to the rule),
so the subject in the locomotive here waves to us, showing his rightful place in the world of rules.
The next part of a sentence is reserved for the predicate. Here, the predicate consists of two
compartments the auxiliary (have/has) and the main verb (past participle form).
Notice:
has is used only for the third person singular (he, she, it)
past participle
- if the verb is irregular, past participle is the third column of irregular verbs
- if the verb is regular, suffix ed is added to the infinitive.
Example: The train has just arrived.
(Note: In the sentence above just is an adverb, meaning a short time ago and it is typically used
between the auxiliary and the main verb).
II Now that we have learned the positive form, lets proceed to explain the green branch, pertaining
to the negative form. Basically, it is very simple. For negative form, auxiliarieshave not/ has
not (havent/hasnt) are used, and again, followed by the main verb in the past participle form.
III The red branch explains the question form. The locomotive, which comes first, stands for the wh-
question word (what, where, how, which, when). It is optional (in brackets) because a question
need not always begin with a question word. If you want to make a question in the Present Perfect
Tense, use the auxiliary have/has, then place the subject and then the main verb, again in the past
participle. (to sum up: use inversion to make questions)
IV And now, the most confusing part (the red branch) when to use the Present Perfect Tense?
The good news is it is not confusing at all if you just evoke to your mind the picture of the scientist
mixing the present and the past! So, again, the Present Perfect is always some kind of mixture
of the past and the present!
As you can see, the first use outlined stands for an action which started in the past and is
still going on in the present. It is a rather simple rule, but many students find it ambiguous
since they dont have such a tense in their language. So, let us illustrate the rule with an
example:
- She has worked as a teacher for five years. (She started working as a teacher five years ago
and is still working as a teacher.)
Secondly, use the Present Perfect Tense for an unspecified action which happened
before now. What does it mean? It means that we just state what has happened, without
mentioning when it happened (we do not know when it happened, or, simply, it is not
important).
Example: I have planted a tree.
Note: if we state when something happened, then the Past Simple Tense should be used.
Example: I planted a tree yesterday.
Thirdly, whenever we talk about life experiences, we should use the Present Perfect
Tense.
Examples:
- She has been to London twice.
- Have you ever ridden a horse?
Further on, use the Present Perfect when you talk about present results (an action in the
past has a result now). As you can see in the picture, there is a small key drawn, suggesting
the following example: I have lost my key (the result: Now I cannot enter my apartment). Or:
She has broken her leg. (Now she cannot walk).
The following branch says that you should use the Present Perfect Tense when youstate
new information. And, if you havent noticed so far, pay attention to how much the Present
Perfect is used in the news!
Examples: -Novak Djokovic has not lost in 42 matches in a row.
-There have been 16 major earthquakes in California since 1950.
When it comes to adverbs, try to memorize which adverbs go with which tense, because it
will simplify things to a great extent. If you have been preparing for a test in English,
remember that these adverbs require the Present Perfect
tense: ever, never,since, for, already, just, yet, recently, lately, so far, up to now
Examples:
- Have you ever been to the USA?
- She has never flown by plane.
- John has worked as an engineer since 2005.
- Maria has lived in Italy for ten years.
- Mike has already done his homework.
- They have just left.
- Havent you got ready yet?
- I havent seen Diane recently.
- She hasnt slept much lately.
- Jane has seen that movie several times so far.
- I have worked very hard up to now.


Mind Map: Welcome to the world of articles!
We will start from the very beginning. There are two types of articles: indefinite (a/an) anddefinite
(the). As we can see in the map, there is, apart from the green and the light blue branch, the red
one, which explains the use of the zero article (), which explains when we do not use any articles
at all.
So, lets begin! Take a look at the green branch. It explains the use of the indefinite article
(a/an). A/an is a short form of one or any, which suggests that we can use it only with countable
singular nouns. (for example: a dog, a car, NOT: a dogs!)
Golden rule number 1: Never use a countable singular noun without an article! (NOT: I
saw _ kangaroo in the zoo. CORRECT: a kangaroo)
Golden rule number 2: Never use plural nouns with indefinite articles! (NOT: I saw akangaroos in
the zoo(?!?). CORRECT: kangaroos).
Use a before nouns beginning with consonants (for example: a book, a dog, a picture).
Usean before nouns beginning with vowels (for example: an apple, an orange, an egg).
We use the indefinite article when we do not know which one. For example: Give
me achair! (I need any chair, or one chair, Im not interested in any particular chair.) If we
say, for example, Give me the chair!, it means that I know exactly which chair I need.
We use the indefinite article when we introduce a noun into a context for the first time, that is,
that noun is not mentioned before. (for example: A man came to my office.) If we continue
talking about the man, we will use the: The man was looking for you.)
We use the indefinite article when we describe peoples professions. For example: My
mother is a teacher, my brother is an engineer.
Lets go on! Now we will focus on the red branch. As the name of the zero article ()suggests, we
will not use articles here:
We do not use indefinite articles with uncountable nouns (examples of uncountable nouns:
water, sand, money, rice etc.) So, we do NOT say: I eat a rice every day (?!?).CORRECT: I
eat rice every day.
We do not use any articles when we talk about things in general. For example: People
like music.
We do not use articles when we talk about languages. For example: I like English and
French. BUT we say: the English language, the French language.
We do not need articles when we talk about magazines. For example: My sister likes
reading Cosmopolitan. BUT newspapers take the. For example: My uncle reads theTimes
every morning.
When we talk about meals we do not use articles: What did you have for lunch?
We do NOT use articles with the names of countries, continents, cities, states,
mountains and lakes! For example: Serbia (NOT: the Serbia), Asia (NOT: the Asia), Berlin
(NOT: the Berlin), Idaho (NOT: the Idaho), Everest (NOT: the Everest), Michigan (NOT: the
Michigan).
We do NOT use articles with names of people and places/regions! For example:
Catherine (NOT: the Catherine), Central Europe (NOT: the Central Europe)
We do not use articles with names of streets, roads, squares and parks. For example:
Oxford Street (NOT: the Oxford Street), Victoria Road (NOT: the Victoria Road), Trafalgar
Square (NOT: the Trafalgar Square), Hyde Park (NOT: the Hyde Park).
We do not use articles with the names of shops and restaurants. For example: Harrods
(NOT: the Harrods), McDonalds (NOT: the McDonalds)
And, finally, lets analyze the light blue branch with most of the rules of the definite article (the)! To
begin with, the is the short form of this/that or these/those.
We use the with both countable and uncountable nouns, both singular and plural forms,
when everybody knows which noun we are referring to! For example: Will you, please, pass
me the salt? Or: The news passed quickly through the crowd outside thepalace.
As we have already pointed out, we use the when we go on talking a person/thing/event etc.
for the second time, that is, it was mentioned before. For example: I saw a dog in the
schoolyard yesterday. The dog was dangerous.
We use the when the noun is defined by a phrase that follows, that is, there is a post-
nominal modifier which makes the noun familiar to the listener. For example: Can you give
me the bag thats on the floor by your feet? (The underlined post-nominal modifier makes
definite which bag the speaker wants.)
We use the with OF phrases. For example: The advantage of living alone is that you can do
what you like. Or: The beginning of the month was very difficult. (Please note that there are
always exceptions in a language).
We use the when we talk about inventions and musical instruments: Who
invented thetelephone? The guitar is my favorite instrument.
We use the when we talk about republics and kingdoms. For example: the Dominican
Republic, the United Kingdom, etc.
We use the when we use plural names: I like to watch the Simpsons. She lives in theStates.
We use the with theatres, cinemas, hotels, galleries, museums: the Palace
theatre; theOdeon Cinema; the Hilton hotel; the Tate gallery; the British museum, etc.
We use the with mountain ranges (BUT: we do not use the in front of mountains!), for
example: the Alps, BUT: Old mountain.
We use the with the names of oceans, seas, rivers and canals (all water areas except
lakes!). For example: the Atlantic Ocean, the Black Sea, the Danube, the Suez Canal,
BUT: Lake Ohrid.
To sum up, there are many rules which we must apply if we want to speak correctly. When we talk
about the use and non-use of articles, it is a never-ending story. But, dont give up! Draw the map for
yourself and stick it on a visible place in your room or working place and relax! You will adopt the
rules gradually when you watch the map and do lots of exercises! So, dont hesitate and start using
articles!
Mind Map: PAST TENSE
Firstly, take a look at the blue branch on the right which will explain the affirmative (positive) form of
the Past Simple tense. As you can see, the branch is splitting into 2 smaller branches, thus
introducing two different types of verbs in English: regular and irregular. As it is shown in the map,
when the verb is regular, all you have to do is add ED to the verb and thats it! (For example,
Mike played football yesterday. Linda visited her sister in New York last month. I watched that film 3
days ago.
If the verb is irregular, you will have to learn it by heart! Memorize the second column of the
irregular verbs! Its illogical, but its unavoidable! You will find a list of irregular verbs in EVERY
English book! For instance, the past tense of fly is flew (fly/ flew/ flown). For the time being we are
only interested in the second column, because its the Past Simple Tense! But, since you will need
the third column as well, to form other tenses in English, it is advisable to learn both the second and
the third column of irregular verbs. BUT remember: you will only use the 2
nd
column to express a
past finished action! (Examples: Susan went to Florida on business. GO /WENT/ GONE).
Remember: the Past Simple Tense has the same form for every person, both singular and plural.
Secondly, we will focus on the negative form, that is, the light blue branch. The train stands for the
negative form sentence word order. So, the subject comes first, the negative auxiliary verb did
not (didnt) follows and then the main verb in the infinitive form. (For example: Jackdidnt
play football yesterday. Or: I didnt go to the cinema yesterday.) As you can notice, we do not need
the 2
nd
column any more. Neither do we need to add ed. We only require the bare infinitive form
(infinitive without to).
Thirdly, the question form of the Past Simple Tense can be analyzed looking at the brown branch.
The locomotive, which comes first, stands for the wh- question word (what, where, how, which,
when). It is optional (in brackets) because a question need not begin with a question word. Now,
the most important thing when the Past Simple questions are concerned is: we must use the
auxiliary verb did when we make questions! (For example: Where did you go yesterday? Or:
What did Jack play?). Bare this in mind!
Further, we shall focus on the cute black sheep, that is, the verb to BE! The association with the
sheep is used because in Serbian, the onomatopoeic sound that sheep produce is /be/. Likewise,
the black sheep is always an exception; in this case, the verb to BE does not need any auxiliary verb
when the question or negative form is concerned. For questions, we use inversion: Was the film
good? For negative forms, we just add not to the verb (No, it wasnt.)
And finally, lets see when we should use the Past Simple Tense and observe the violet branch. As
we have already stated, it is used for short past finished actions! (Example: Louisbrought a photo
out of his wallet and showed it to us. Or: Columbus reached America in 1492.) Then, we use the
Past simple tense when we talk about a past habit. (Example: Before the accident,
she played tennis twice a week.) In addition, the Past Simple Tense is used to list a series of
completed actions in the past. (For instance: I woke up at half past seven yesterday, I had a shower
and ate some breakfast.) Last but not least, we use the Past Simple tense with the
following adverbs: 1) LAST (week, month, year, May), examples: I saw her in London last
summer; 2) YESTERDAY, example: Did you watch the film on TV yesterday? ; 3) in 1980, in the
autumn of 1995, example: I applied for the job in May 1996; 4) 3 days ago, 5 years ago,
example: Dinosaurs mysteriously died out 65 million years ago
Now you are ready to talk about the past! Do not hesitate to use the tense even if you are not sure
about the grammar form! Learning a language is a process and it requires time!


Mind Map: Comparison of Adjectives in short
So, what do you think? Which animal is faster, the rabbit or the turtle? Common sense says the
rabbit, but one fable says differently Nevertheless, let us focus on some adjective forms here (if
you have forgotten what adjectives are, here are some examples: tall, beautiful, clean, clever, etc.)
Click here for larger mind map photo.
And, of course, adjectives have a comparative and superlative form. (ex: fast faster the fastest)
You must have already noticed the two worms on each side of the central drawing which represent
adjectives, short and long ones (adjectives with one and two syllables, and adjectives with more
than two syllables, respectively).
Basically, all you have to learn about adjective comparisons for now is the following: there isone rule
pertaining to adjectives with one and two syllables (the small warm) and another rule
pertaining to adjectives with more than two syllables (the longer warm).
Now, take a look at the little worm on the right side and the (we will always start reading a
map clockwise). As you can see, the rule is to add ER to the adjective if you want to form
the comparative form, or add EST to the adjective if you want to form the superlative.
Remember: you should always use THE with superlatives!
Let us try out the rule for short adjectives: clean cleanER the cleanEST
small smallER the smallEST
rich richER the richEST

Its very easy, isnt it?
Lets continue. Now have a look at the next light blue branch related to spelling. The rule that
you should now is: when the adjective ends in consonant, vowel, consonant, the final
consonant will double.
For example: big bigger the biggest
(Note: vowels are: a, e, i, o, u; the rest are consonants).
One more thing, if the adjective ends in y, change the y to i and add -er or -est
Now, focus on the green branch and the long worm on it. As I have already mentioned, it is a
visual representative of adjectives with more than two syllables, or simply, long adjectives.
Since it would be too much to add suffixes to already long words, the rule is: make two words the
comparative form: MORE + adjective; the superlative form THE MOST+ adjective.
Let us try out tre rule: beautiful MORE beautiful THE MOST beautiful
important MORE important THE MOST important
Again, it is so sipmle!
And, finally, in every language there are some exceptions. Here they are (the purple branch)
when we talk about adjectives:
Good better- the best
Bad worse the worst
Little less the least
Far further the furthest
Much/many more the most
Note: when we talk about the adjective far, it is worth mentioning that the comparative form can also
be farther, and superlative the farthest (only in contexts relating to distance), butfurther and the
furthest can be used in all contexts (both distance and tiem), so I just put this one form here, to make
it easier.