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You use the present simple to talk about facts, habits and routines.
Jack lives in the U.S.
She doesn't use a laptop computer.
Do they go to the gym every day?
Affirmative
Negative
I
live I
do not (don't)
He / She / It
lives He / She / It
does not (doesn't)
live
You / We / They
live You / We / They
do not (don't)
Short answers
Question
Affirmative
Negative
Do I
I
do
I
do not (don't)
Does he / she / it
live? Yes, he / she / it
does No, he / she / it
does not (doesn't)
Do you / we / they
you / we / they do
you / we / they do not (don't)
Spelling:
Most verbs add -s in the third person singular.
live lives She lives in France.
Add -es to do and go and verbs ending in -ch, -sh, -s and -x.
watch watches He watches a movie every night.
Verbs ending in consonant + -y, change to -i and add -es.
study studies She studies all the time.
Note:
The third person singular of have is has.
He has a big apartment in the city.
Present Continuous
You use the present continuous to talk about things that are happening now.
I'm reading the report.
He isn't working.
Are they having lunch?
You also use the present continuous for things that are temporary or happening around now.
I'm reading a good book at the moment.
He's working in London this week.
You use the present continuous to talk about fixed arrangements you have made for the future.
They're having dinner with Sam tomorrow tonight.
writing?
Negative
am not ('m not)
is not (isn't)
writing
are not (aren't)
Short answers
Affirmative
Negative
I
am
I
'm not
Yes, he / she / it
is No, he / she / it
isn't
you / we / they are
you / we / they aren't
Spelling:
Add -ing to most verbs.
play playing I'm playing tennis.
Verbs ending in consonant + -e, take away -e and add -ing.
write writing He's writing a letter.
Verbs ending in a vowel + a consonant, double the consonant.
sit sitting They're sitting in a park.
I
Did he / she / it
you / we / they
watch?
I
Yes, he / she / it
you / we / they
I
did No, he / she / it
you / we / they
didn't
Spelling:
Add -ed to most regular verbs.
call called They called last night.
Add -d to verbs ending in consonant + -e.
arrive arrived We arrived at 9 o'clock.
Verbs ending in a consonant + -y, change -y to -i and add -ed.
study studied I studied all evening.
Question Words:
You use question words like who, when, where, what with past simple questions.
Who did she talk to?
When did they leave?
Where did you go?
What did you say?
see
didn't
Was/Were (Be)
You use the past simple of the verb be to give and ask for information about yourself and other
people in the past.
I
he / she / it
you / we / they
Affirmative
I
Yes, he / she / it
you / we / they
Negative
was not (wasn't)
was not (wasn't)
were not (weren't)
Short answers
Negative
was
I
was No, he / she / it
were
you / we / they
wasn't
wasn't
weren't
Past Continuous
You use the past continuous to say what was happening at a particular time in the past.
At midnight last night, I was singing at a club.
She wasn't listening to me.
Were they dancing?
Affirmative
Negative
I
was
I
was not (wasn't)
He / She / It
was working He / She / It
was not (wasn't)
working
You / We / They were
You / We / They
were not (weren't)
Short answers
Question
Affirmative
Negative
Was I
I
was
I
wasn't
Was he / she / it
working? Yes, he / she / it
was No, he / she / it
wasn't
Were you / we / they
you / we / they were
you / we / they weren't
Spelling:
Add -ing to most verbs.
play playing I was playing tennis.
Verbs ending in consonant + -e, take away -e and add -ing.
write writing He was writing a letter.
Verbs ending in a vowel + a consonant, double the consonant.
Used to
You use used to + infinitive to talk about things that happened regularly in the past, but don't
happen now.
I used to drink a lot of tea.
(But now I don't.)
Women didn't use to smoke in public.
Negative
did not (didn't)
use to swim
Short answers
Affirmative
Negative
I
use to swim? Yes, he / she / it
you / we / they
I
did No, he / she / it
you / we / they
didn't
Note:
You use the past simple for a completed action in the past.
I drank a lot of tea yesterday.
John smoked all my cigarettes last night!
FUTURE
Present Continuous (Future Arrangements)
You use the present continuous to talk about fixed arrangements you have made for the future.
I'm having dinner with Sam tonight.
Peter isn't interviewing anyone tomorrow.
Affirmative
Negative
I
He / She / It
You / We / They
am ('m)
I
is ('s)
meeting He / She / It
are ('re)
You / We / They
Question
Am I
Is
he / she / it
Are you / we / they
meeting?
Spelling
Add -ing to most verbs.
play playing I'm playing tennis next week.
Verbs ending in a consonant + -e, take away -e and add -ing.
write writing She's writing to him tomorrow.
Verbs ending in a vowel + a consonant, double the consonant.
get getting They're getting married next week.
going to stay?
Affirmative
Negative
am not ('m not)
is not (isn't)
are not (aren't)
Short answers
going to stay
Negative
I
am
I
'm not
Yes, he / she / it
is No, he / she / it
isn't
you / we / they are
you / we / they aren't
Going to (Predictions)
You use going to to make predictions about the future. You make these predictions because of
what you can see now.
Look at that blue sky! It's going to be a beautiful day.
Watch out! You're going to hit that car.
Future Simple
You use will and will not to give opinions and to make predictions about the future.
I'll have a new job in 2003.
Sally won't get the manager's job.
Will you buy a new computer next year?
You often use will when you are not sure about your exact plans.
We'll probably visit the factory on Tuesday.
I don't think I'll be late for the meeting.
Affirmative
Negative
I
I
He / She / It
will ('ll) leave He / She / It
will not (won't)
leave
You / We / They
You / We / They
Short answers
Question
Affirmative
Negative
I
I
I
Will he / she / it
leave? Yes, he / she / it
will No, he / she / it
won't
you / we / they
you / we / they
you / we / they
Note:
You say: I don't think I'll go. (I think I won't go.)
AUXILIARY VERBS
Can (Ability)
You use can/can't to talk about your abilities in the present.
I can speak French.
He can't drive.
They can use spreadsheets.
Affirmative
Negative
I
I
He / She / It
can ski He / She / It
cannot (can't)
You / We / They
You / We / They
Question
Short answers
ski
I
Can he / she / it
you / we / they
ski?
Affirmative
Negative
I
Yes, he / she / it
you / we / they
I
can No, he / she / it
you / we / they
can't
Note: can and can't are followed by the infinitive (without "to")
Could (Ability)
You use could/couldn't to talk about your abilities in the past.
I could read when I was four.
Peter couldn't use a computer when he was fifteen.
Could they speak English?
Affirmative
Negative
I
I
He / She / It
could drive He / She / It
could not (couldn't)
drive
You / We / They
You / We / They
Short answers
Question
Affirmative
Negative
I
I
I
Could he / she / it
drive? Yes, he / she / it
could No, he / she / it
couldn't
you / we / they
you / we / they
you / we / they
Note:
could and couldn't are followed by the infinitive (without "to")
Can't
You use can't + infinitive (without "to") when you are almost sure (but not 100%
sure) that something is not true.
The plane can't be in Miami yet.
(The plane took off just 30 minutes ago.)
Might / May
You use might/may + infinitive (without "to") to say that something is possible.
I think he might be on a Cathay Pacific flight.
He may be on a United Airlines flight, but I'm not certain.
Note:
When speculating, you can't use must in a negative sentence.
They can't be in the meeting.
(NOT: They mustn't be in the meeting.)
When speculating, you can't use can in an affirmative sentence.
They might be in the meeting.
(NOT: They can be in the meeting.)
Should (Advice)
You use should and shouldn't to ask for and to give advice.
You use should to say that something is a good idea, and shouldn't to say that it's a bad idea.
You should take more exercise.
You shouldn't smoke.
Should I ask for a raise?
Affirmative
Negative
I
I
He / She / It
should go He / She / It
should not (shouldn't)
go
You / We / They
You / We / They
Short answers
Question
Affirmative
Negative
I
I
I
Should he / she / it
go? Yes, he / she / it
should No, he / she / it
shouldn't
you / we / they
you / we / they
you / we / they
Note:
should and shouldn't are followed by the infinitive (without "to")
Note:
must is more common in U.K. English than in U.S. English.
must and have to are followed by the infinitive (without "to")
PASSIVE
Passive Voice
You use the passive when you are interested in the object of the action, not the subject.
Coffee is grown in Africa.
(It is not important WHO makes the coffee.)
Our workers are paid monthly.
(It is not important WHO pays the workers.)
You can say who did the action by adding by + noun to the sentence.
His proposal was accepted by the board of directors.
Form:
subject + be + past participle
Tense
Affirmative
I am paid
Present
He/She/It is paid
Simple
We/You/They are paid
I/He/She/It was paid
Past Simple
We/You/They were paid
Present I/You/We/They have been paid
Perfect
He/She has been paid
Going to
Will
Modals
I am going to be paid
He/She/It is going to be paid
We/You/They are going to be paid
Question
Am I paid?
Is he paid?
Are we paid?
Was I paid?
Were we paid?
Have I been paid?
Has he been paid?
Am I going to be
paid?
Is he going to be
paid?
Are we going to be
paid?
I/You/He/She/It/We/They will be
Will I be paid?
paid
I/You/He/She/It/We/They should be
Should I be paid?
paid
Negative
I'm not paid
He isn't paid
We aren't paid
I wasn't paid
We weren't paid
I haven't been paid
He hasn't been paid
I'm not going to be
paid
He isn't going to be
paid
We aren't going to be
paid
He won't be paid
They shouldn't be
paid
CONDITIONAL
First Conditional
You use the first conditional to talk about things that may or may not happen in the future.
If you go out tonight, I'll come with you.
(You may or may not go out tonight.)
We'll repair the photocopier if it goes wrong.
(The photocopier may or may not go wrong.)
Form:
If + present, will/won't + infinitive (without "to")
Note:
The if-clause often comes first, but it can come second.
When the if-clause comes first, put a comma after it.
You don't need a comma when it comes second.
If it rains tomorrow, we'll stay in.
We'll stay in if it rains tomorrow.
Second Conditional
You use the second conditional to talk about real situations in the present and imaginary
situations in the future.
If I had a lot of money, I'd buy a sports car.
(But I haven't got a lot of money, so I won't.)
If I became a millionaire, I'd give all my money away.
(But I probably won't become a millionaire.)
Note 1:
You use were or was with I, he, she and it.
Form:
If + past simple, would/wouldn't + infinitive.
OR
If + past simple, could/couldn't + infinitive.
Note 2:
The if-clause often comes first, but it can come second.
When the if-clause comes first, put a comma after it.
You don't need a comma when it comes second.
If I were fitter, I'd be happier.
I'd be happier if I were fitter.