Basics of day to day English

Basic Tenses
For past and present, there are 2 simple tenses + 6 complex tenses (using auxiliary verbs). To these, we can add 4 "modal tenses" for the future (using modal auxiliary verbs will/shall). This makes a total of 12 tenses in the active voice. Another 12 tenses are available in the passive voice. So now we have 24 tenses. 24 Tenses simple tenses past past past perfect ACTIVE past continuous complex tenses formed with auxiliary verbs PASSIVE past perfect continuous past past perfect past continuous past perfect continuous present present present perfect present continuous present perfect continuous present present perfect present continuous present perfect continuous future* future future perfect future continuous future perfect continuous future future perfect future continuous future perfect continuous

Some grammar books use the word progressive instead of continuous. They are exactly the same.

The use of tenses in English may be quite complicated, but the structure of English tenses is actually very simple. The basic structure for a positive sentence is: subject + auxiliary verb + main verb

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An auxiliary verb is used in all tenses. (In the simple present and simple past tenses, the auxiliary verb is usually suppressed for the affirmative, but it does exist for intensification.) The following table shows the 12 tenses for the verb to work in the active voice. structure past auxiliary main verb normal simple intensive Do perfect Have base past participle present participle ing present participle ing I did work I had worked I was working I had been working I do work I have worked I am working I have been working I will have worked I will be working I will have been working I worked I work I will work present future*

continuous

Be

continuous perfect

have been

* Technically, there are no future tenses in English. The word will is a modal auxiliary verb and future tenses are sometimes called "modal tenses". The examples are included here for convenience and comparison.

English Tenses Graphic Comparison Language Guide German + Dictionary for iPhone and iPodTouch (made by ego4u) Problems with the English tenses? Have a look at the time line, it might help you understand when to use which tense. As there is a similarity between past, present and future tenses, there are just a few rules to keep in mind.

Basics of day to day English

If you know how to use the present progressive correctly to express present actions, you will as well be able to use the past progressive correctly to express past actions.

Legend

Basics of day to day English

Legend

moment in time

action that takes place once, never or several times actions that happen one after another actions that suddenly take place action that started before a certain moment and lasts beyond that moment actions taking place at the same time action taking place before a certain moment in time puts emphasis on the result action taking place before a certain moment in time puts emphasis on the course or duration of the action

period of time

Result

Course / Duration

Table of English Tenses

tense Affirmative/Negative/Question

Use
action in the present taking place once, never or several times facts actions taking place one after another action set by a timetable or schedule

Signal Words
always, every , never, normally, often, seldom, sometimes, usually if sentences type I (If I talk, )

Simple Present A: He speaks. N: He does not speak. Q: Does he speak?

Basics of day to day English

Present Progressive

A: He is speaking. N: He is not speaking. Q: Is he speaking?

action taking place in the moment of speaking action taking place only for a limited period of time action arranged for the future action in the past taking place once, never or several times actions taking place one after another action taking place in the middle of another action action going on at a certain time in the past actions taking place at the same time action in the past that is interrupted by another action putting emphasis on the result action that is still going on action that stopped recently finished action that has an influence on the present action that has taken place once, never or several times before the moment of speaking putting emphasis on the course or duration (not the

at the moment, just, just now, Listen!, Look!, now, right now

Simple Past

A: He spoke. N: He did not speak. Q: Did he speak?

yesterday, 2 minutes ago, in 1990, the other day, last Friday if sentence type II (If I talked, )

Past Progressive

A: He was speaking. N: He was not speaking. Q: Was he speaking?

when, while, as long as

Present Perfect A: He has spoken. N: He has not spoken. Simple Q: Has he spoken?

already, ever, just, never, not yet, so far, till now, up to now

Present Perfect A: He has been speaking. N: He has not been speaking. Progressive Q: Has he been speaking?

all day, for 4 years, since 1993, how

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long?, the result) whole week action that recently stopped or is still going on finished action that influenced the present action taking place before a certain time in the past sometimes interchangeable with past perfect progressive putting emphasis only on the fact (not the duration) action taking place before a certain time in the past sometimes interchangeable with past perfect simple putting emphasis on the duration or course of an action action in the future that cannot be influenced spontaneous decision assumption with regard to the future already, just, never, not yet, once, until that day if sentence type III (If I had talked, )

Past Perfect Simple

A: He had spoken. N: He had not spoken. Q: Had he spoken?

Past Perfect Progressive

A: He had been speaking. N: He had not been speaking. Q: Had he been speaking?

for, since, the whole day, all day

Future I Simple

A: He will speak. N: He will not speak. Q: Will he speak?

in a year, next , tomorrow If-Satz Typ I (If you ask her, she will help you.) assumption: I think, probably, perhaps

Future I Simple (going to) Future I Progressive

A: He is going to speak. N: He is not going to speak. Q: Is he going to speak?

decision made for the in one year, next week, future tomorrow conclusion with regard to the future in one year, action that is going on at a certain time in next week, tomorrow the future

A: He will be speaking. N: He will not be speaking. Q: Will he be speaking?

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action that is sure to happen in the near future action that will be finished at a certain time in the future action taking place before a certain time in the future putting emphasis on the course of an action action that might take place by Monday, in a week for , the last couple of hours, all day long

Future II Simple Future II Progressive

A: He will have spoken. N: He will not have spoken. Q: Will he have spoken?

A: He will have been speaking. N: He will not have been speaking. Q: Will he have been speaking?

Conditional I Simple

A: He would speak. N: He would not speak. Q: Would he speak?

if sentences type II (If I were you, I would go home.)

Conditional I Progressive

A: He would be speaking. N: He would not be speaking. Q: Would he be speaking?

action that might take place putting emphasis on the course / duration of the action action that might have taken place in the past if sentences type III (If I had seen that, I would have helped.)

Conditional II Simple

A: He would have spoken. N: He would not have spoken. Q: Would he have spoken?

Conditional II Progressive

A: He would have been speaking. N: He would not have been speaking. Q: Would he have been speaking?

action that might have taken place in the past puts emphasis on the course / duration of the action

Prepositions
Every language has a categorization of words according to their functions. Same is the case with the English language. This traditional categorization of words is called parts of speech. The parts of speech in the English language are nouns, pronouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs, prepositions, conjunctions and interjections. In this article we will deal with prepositions in general, and

Basics of day to day English

examples of prepositions in particular. What is a Preposition? A preposition is a word, which is used to indicate different relations, such as place, time, method, manner, reason and purpose, possession, direction and motion. It is placed before a noun or a pronoun. The most common examples of prepositions in grammar are on, in, beside, etc. These words show location. Prepositions are often used to indicate location in the physical world. What is a Prepositional Phrase? We also make use of prepositional phrases. According to rules of English grammar, the structure of a prepositional phrase is a preposition followed by optional modifiers and either nouns, pronouns or gerund. Some of the examples of prepositional phrases in a sentence are: 1. "At school she enjoys herself a lot." In this sentence 'at' is the preposition and 'school' is a noun. 2. "According to us, she was a very helpful person". 'According to' is a preposition and 'us' is a pronoun. 3. "By chewing tobacco over the years, he became a prey to cancer". In this example 'by' is a preposition and 'chewing' is a gerund. 4. "Under the stove, there is a plate." In this sentence 'under' is the preposition, 'the' is a modifier and 'stove' is a noun. Examples of Preposition Words We have seen what is a preposition, what is a prepositional phrase, as well as examples of prepositional phrase. Now we will see the examples of prepositions Preposition Examples About Above Across After Against Along Among Around At Before Behind Below Beneath Beside Besides Between Beyond But By I will tell you a story about a lion. The plane flies above the clouds. They walked across the field. After lunch, I shall complete the remaining task. I helped her going against the wishes of my loved ones. All along the way, she did not speak a word. The profit was shared among the shareholders. Due to the snow, we turned around to return home. The land is at war with its neighbor. She had decided to quit before Christmas, but changed her plan. The church is located behind the supermarket. The temperatures have dipped below freezing point. The water level is beneath the average level. When we were in school, I used to sit beside her in class. Besides maths, I am very fond of history. The profit was shared between the three of them. The play was beyond my expectations. Everyone but her agreed with the arrangement. A house by the sea, to retire, is my dream

Concerning He is always curious about anything concerning her.

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Despite Down During Except For From In Inside Into Like Minus Near Of Off On Onto Opposite Out of Outside Over Past Per Plus Since Through To Toward (s) Under Until Upon Up Up to Versus Via With Within Without Despite the snowfall, she decided to carry on with her journey. Jimmy lives down the street. She works during the day and studies at night. Except her no one has any objections to the plan. I jog for 10 miles everyday. She comes from Argentina. When in Rome, do as the Romans do. Inside the tough exterior, lies a gentle soul. As soon as she stepped into the room, there was pin drop silence. She looks like her father. Ten minus eight equals two. They have bought a new home near the school. A friend of mine recommended the beautician to me. To regain her lost health, it is important, she stays off her fad diet programs. There is an apple on the table. He always climbs onto the table. Her desk is located diagonally opposite my desk. Out of sheer curiosity, I asked her the question. Outside the house lies a beautiful garden. The journey cost me way over my budget. She walked past me, but refused to acknowledge my presence. What was the per person cost incurred? Eight plus six equals fourteen. She was waiting for him since ten in the morning. I slept all through the day. I am going to Atlanta, before I head back home. It started raining towards the evening. The road is under repair. I did not get the documents until 5 pm. Once upon a time, there lived a king. I walked up the stairs, to see the problem. The decision is up to the both of them. The last game was England versus France. I will go via Sydney. She walked in with her new boyfriend. She caters to customers within a radius of 5 miles. I never leave my house without an umbrella, due to the uncertain weather.

Throughout Throughout winter, she has been sick.

Underneath She found her earring underneath the carpet.

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List of Prepositions in Telugu

Below is a list of the Time place and demonstrative pronouns in Telugu placed in a table. Memorizing this table will help you add very useful and important words to your Telugu vocabulary.

English Prepositions
gurinchi

Telugu Prepositions

about

Above

paina

Across

dati,addamgaa -

After

taruvatha -

Against

edurugaa -

Among

madhyalo -

Around

chuttoo

As

alaga

At

vadda

Before

mundhu

Behind

venauka

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English Prepositions
krindha

Telugu Prepositions

Below

Beneath

krindha

beside

prakkana

between

madhyalo -

beyond

paina

But

kani

By

che,cheta,daggara -

despite

aaina,undi -

down

krindha

during

ala

except

tappa

for

kroraku

from

nunchi

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English Prepositions
lo, lopala ,

Telugu Prepositions

In

inside

lopalipakka -

into

lo, laopalaki -

Near

daggara

Next

taruvatha -

Of

yaokka

On

meedi

opposite

edurugaa -

Out

ba yata -

outside

bayativaipu -

Over

paina,minchi -

per

ku

plus

koodi

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English Prepositions
chutti

Telugu Prepositions

round

since

nunchi

than

kante

through

gunda,dwara -

Till

varaku

To

ku

toward

vaipu

under

krindha

unlike

alaakaakunda -

Until

antavaraku -

Up

ppakkana -

via

dvaraa -

with

to

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English Prepositions
lo, lopala ,

Telugu Prepositions

within

without

leka,lekunda,bayata -

two words

rendu matalu -

according to

prakaaram

because of

anduvalana

close to

antaramgika,daggara -

due to

kaaranamga

except for

tappa,tappinchi -

far from

chaalaadooram,jraragani -

inside of

lopal,lopali -

instead of

badhuluga

near to

daggaramsa, sameepamlo -

next to

prakkane

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English Prepositions
bayatane

Telugu Prepositions

outside of

prior to

,kritam,mundauga - ,

three words

moodu matalu -

as far as

veelainamtavaraku

as well as

adikooda,danimadire -

in addition to

paipechhu,paiga -

in front of

mundauga

in spite of

aainakooda

on behalf of

tarafuna

on top of

paipechhu,paiga -

demonstrative prepositions

upadha pratyayaalu -

this

idi

that

adi

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English Prepositions
ivi\ \

Telugu Prepositions

these

those

avi

Wh questions (Question Words)

Types of questions
There are two types of questions:

Yes or no questions Wh questions

Question words
Question words are also called wh questions because they include the letters 'W' and 'H'. Question words who where why Person place reason Meaning Examples Who's that? That's Nancy. Where do you live? In Boston Why do you sleep early? Because I've got to get

Basics of day to day English up early when how what which whose whom what kind what time how many how much how long how often how far how old how come time manner object, idea or action choice possession object of the verb description time quantity (countable) amount, price (uncountable) duration, length frequency distance age reason When do you go to work? At 7:00 How do you go? By car What do you do? I am an engineer Which one do you prefer? The red one. Whose is this book? It's Alan's. Whom did you meet? I met the manager. What kind of music do you like? I like quiet songs What time did you come home? How many students are there? There are twenty. How much time have we got? Ten minutes How long did you stay in that hotel? For two weeks. How often do you go to the gym? Twice a week. How far is your school? It's one mile far. How old are you? I'm 16. How come I didn't see at the party?

Asking questions
1.If you ask about the subject of the sentence, simply add the question word at the beginning: Example: James writes good poems. Who writes good pems? 2.If you ask about the predicate of the sentence (the part of a sentence which contains the verb and gives information about the subject), there are three options:

If there is a helping (auxilary) verb that precedes the main verb ( foe example, can, is, are, was, were, will, would...), add the question word and invert the subject and the helping (auxilary) verb. Examples:

Basics of day to day English He can speak Chinese. What can he speak? They are leaving tonight. When are they leaving? If you ask about the predicate and there is no helping (auxilary) verb and the verb is "to be", simply add the question verb and invert the subject and the verb. Example: The play was interesting. How was the play? If there is no helping (auxilary) verb in the the predicate and the main verb is not "to be", add the auxilary "do" in the appropriate form. Examples: They go to the movies every Saturday. Where do they go to the movies? He wakes up early. When does he wake up? They sent a letter. What did they send?

Do vs. Does
English Grammar Rules
To make a question in English we normally use Do or Does. It has no translation in Spanish though it is essential to show we are making a question. It is normally put at the beginning of the question. Affirmative: You speak Spanish. Question: Do you speak Spanish? You will see that we add DO at the beginning of the affirmative sentence to make it a question. We use Do when the subject is I, you, we or they. Affirmative: He speaks Spanish. Question: Does he speak Spanish? When the subject is he, she or it, we add DOES at the beginning to make the affirmative sentence a question. Notice that the letter S at the end of the verb in the affirmative sentence (because it is in third person) disappears in the question. We will see the reason why below. We DON'T use Do or Does in questions that have the verb To Be or Modal Verbs (can, must, might, should etc.)

Word Order of Questions with Do and Does The following is the word order to construct a basic question in English using Do or Does.

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Do/Does Do Does

Subject I / you / we / they he / she / it

Verb* have / buy eat / like etc.

The Rest of the sentence

cereal for breakfast?

*Verb: The verb that goes here is the base form of the infinitive = The infinitive without TO before the verb. Instead of the infinitive To have it is just the have part. Remember that the infinitive is the verb before it is conjugated (changed) and it begins with TO. For example: to have, to eat, to go, to live, to speak etc.

Examples of Questions with Do and Does:

Do you speak English? Does John speak French? Do we have time for a quick drink? Does it rain a lot in the South? Do they want to come with me? Does she like chocolate?

Short Answers with Do and Does In questions that use do/does it is possible to give short answers to direct questions as follows: Sample Questions Do you speak English? Do I need a dictionary? Do you both speak English? Do they speak English? Does he speak English? Does she speak English? Short Answer (Affirmative) Yes, I do. Yes, you do. Yes, we do. Yes, they do. Yes, he does. Short Answer (Negative) No, I don't. No, you don't. No, we don't. No, they don't. No, he doesn't.

Yes, she does. No, she doesn't.

Basics of day to day English Does it have four legs? Yes, it does. No, it doesn't.

However, if a question word such as who, when, where, why, which or how is used in the question, you can not use the short answers above to respond to the question.

Question Words with Do and Does The order for making sentences with Questions words is the following: Question Word What What Where When How Do/Does do does do do do Subject you she you you you Verb have for breakfast? have for breakfast? live? study? spell your name?

TO vs FOR
English grammar rules
TO

is used with verbs as you all know (e.g. the verb "to be").

t is also used in cases where a "transfer" happens. E.g. I will give this book to you. (from me to you) I will go to work. (from home to work) I will talk to her. (information goes from me to her)

Basics of day to day English

FOR is used in the following situations: for the benefit of e.g. I will do that for you. purpose e.g. This brush is for painting.

Those aren't rules written in stone, they are just general guidelines to help ESL students (especially Portuguese speakers) better grasp this concept. Here is an example with both: Give this book to him but it is for his father. Another: I will speak to her for you.

WHILE vs WHEN
You can choose either one of your whiles. lasting action: More seriously, while is often used to refer to long-

The phone rang while/when I was taking a bath. But: I bumped into an old friend when I turned a corner. ( It doesn't take you a long time to turn a corner.) While I went out, it was raining. -- unacceptable When I went out, it was raining. -- acceptable While it was raining, I went out. -- acceptable When it was raining, I went out. also acceptable ?While it was raining, I was going out. -- questionable ?When it was raining, I was going out.-- questionable

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Comments: While and when are very often used in sentences that have both the past progressive and simple past tenses. When this happens, while refers only to a (comparatively) long action, but when can refer to either a (comparatively) long or short action. In these situations, the short action interrupts the long action (which began before the short action happened). In the first example, went out is a shorter action than was raining, so when should be used, not while. In the third and fourth examples, both while and when are possible, since when can refer to both (comparatively) long actions and (comparatively) short ones and while is appropriate with (comparatively) long actions only. The last two examples are grammatical, but probably not logical. They mean that for the entire period of time that it was raining, you were going out. It's much more logical that "go out" is short, while "rain" is long. For that reason, having two past progressive verbs doesn't seem logical.

Comment: They can have the same meaning if one or both of the actions is/are long. However, if both actions are short, we use "when." e.g. When/While I was eating dinner, I was watching TV. When/While I was watching TV, I threw up! When I threw up, I dropped my fork. We prefer when to refer to ages and periods of life. When I was a child we lived in London. -- acceptable *While I was a child we lived in London. unacceptable His parents died when he was twelve. -- acceptable *His parents died while he was twelve. -- unacceptable

Basics of day to day English

PERHAPS

Pronunciation (US):
Dictionary entry overview: What does perhaps mean?

PERHAPS (adverb) The adverb PERHAPS has 1 sense: 1. by chance Familiarity information: PERHAPS used as an adverb is very rare.

Dictionary entry details

PERHAPS (adverb)

Sense 1
Meaning: By chance Synonyms: maybe; mayhap; peradventure; perhaps; possibly; perchance Context examples: perhaps she will call tomorrow / we may possibly run into them at the concert / it may peradventure be thought that there never was such a time

have to vs need to
'Have to' means must. I have to go = I must go. Whether this is because someone is requiring you to go or whether you have your own urgent reasons for going is not specified. 'Need to' is more specific. It means you must do something for your own reasons, and usually that there is some urgency involved.

dont have to vs dont need to

don't have to - you are not pressed by circumstances outside you to act, the reason is outside you don't need to - you don't see it as your moral duty or necessity to act, the reason is inside you <-->, your third sentence exemplifies that difference perfectly well: They don't have to see their grandpa - nobody is forcing them to. They don't need to see their grandpa - they simply have no love for him

Basics of day to day English

May vs might
may
We can use 'may' to ask for permission. However this is rather formal and not used very often in modern spoken English May I borrow your pen? May we think about it? May I go now? We use 'may' to suggest something is possible It may rain later today. I may not have time to do it today. Pete may come with us

might
We use 'might' to suggest a small possibility of something. Often we read that 'might' suggests a smaller possibility that 'may', there is in fact little difference and 'might is more usual than 'may' in spoken English. She might be at home by now but it's not sure at all. It might rain this afternoon. I might not have time to go to the shops for you. I might not go. For the past, we use 'might have'. He might have tried to call while I was out. I might have dropped it in the street.

Simple (Yes / No) Questions (#1)

Simple (Yes/ No) questions in English are formed in three similar but different ways. The form of simple questions depends on whether the statement from which the question is made has BE(but no other verb), an auxiliary verb (includingBE) and a main verb, or only a main verb (not BEand not with an auxiliary.) Making Simple Questions with BE

Basics of day to day English

To make simple questions with a form of BE (is, am, are, was, were), the form isBE+ subject + other words ? Examples: Joe is here today. --->Is Joe here today? Alice and Bob were in an accident. ---> Were Alice and Bob in an accident? I'm on time. --->Am I on time? The weather was nice yesterday. ---> Was the weather nice yesterday? You're tired. --->Are you tired?

Answering Simple Questions with BE

For simple questions with BE, there are three possible answers: with Yes, with No, and I don't know. The answers with Yesand Nocan be either complete sentences or "abbreviated forms": Examples: Is Joe here today? ---> Yes, Joe (he) is here today. Yes, he is. Yes. No, Joe (he) isn't here today. No, he isn't. (No, he's not.) No. I don't know. Were Alice and Bob in an accident? ---> Yes, Alice and Bob (they) were in an accident. Yes, they were. Yes.

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No, Alice and Bob (they) were not (weren't) in an accident. No, they weren't. No. I don't know. etc. Special Notes: 1. Contractions are very common in complete answers--with both Yes and No: Were Alice and Bob in an accident? Yes, they were in an accident. No, they weren't in an accident. Am I on time? Yes, you're on time. No, you aren't (you're not) on time. 2. Contractions are also common in"abbreviated" answers, but onlywith No: Is Joe here today? Yes, he is. No, he isn't (he's not). wrong: *Yes, he's. Was Joe here yesterday? Yes, he was. No, he wasn't. 3. The full form for "I don't know" is almost never

Basics of day to day English

used, but it is "I don't know whether (or not) _____ (or not)" or "I don't know if _____ or not): Is Joe here today? ---> I don't know whether or not he's here today. / I don't know whetherhe's here today or not. / I don't knowif he's here today. / I don't know ifhe's here today or not. Were Alice and Bob in an accident? ---> I don't know whether or not theywere in an accident. / I don't know whether they were in an accident or not. / I don't know if the were in an accident. / I don't know if they were in an accident or not. etc.

Simple (Yes / No) Questions #3

Simple (Yes/ No) questions in English are made in three similar but different ways. The form of simple questions depends on whether the statement from which the question is made has 1. BE (but no other verb), or 2. anauxiliary verb (including BE) and a main verb, or 3. only a main verb (not BE and not with an auxiliary.)

Making Simple Questions:

Sentences without BE and without Auxiliary Verbs

Basics of day to day English

If the sentence to which a simple question is related does not have BE or an auxiliary verb (BE, has / have / had, modal auxiliary), use do, does, or did. The form is Do / Does / Did + subject + verb + other words?

Do
Use do for yes/no questions in simple present tense if the subject is (or means) I, you, we, or they: I need this. ---> Do I need this? You understand me. ---> Do you understand me? We have a test tomorrow. ---> Do we have a test tomorrow? They like sashimi. ---> Do they like sashimi?

Does

Use does for yes/no questions in simple present tense if the subject is (or means) he, she, or it: He loves her. ---> Does he love her? She misses him. ---> Does she miss him? His computer works. ---> Does his computer work?

Did
Use did for yes/no questions in simple past tensefor all subjects--I, you, he, she, it, we, they: I forgot something. ---> Did I forget something? You lost something. ---> Did you lose something? He left. ---> Did he leave? She quit her job. ---> Did she quit her job? Her computer crashed. ---> Did her computer crash? We needed that. ---> Did we need that?

Basics of day to day English

They had a good time. ---> Did they have a good time?

Answering Simple Questions:

Sentences without BE and without Auxiliary Verbs For simple questions with an auxiliary verb before the mainverb, there are three possibleanswers: with Yes, withNo, and with I don't know. The answers with Yes and Nocan be completesentences or "abbreviated forms." In the "abbreviated forms," the auxiliary verb is do, does, or did. Examples: Did Fred talk to you? ---> Yes, Fred talked to me. / Yes, he did. / Yes. No, Fred didn't talk to me. / No, he didn't. / No. I don't know. Did Sophie pass the test? ---> Yes, Sophie passed the test. Yes, she did. Yes. No, Sophie didn't pass the test. No, she didn't. No. I don't know. Did Bill go to the party? --->

Basics of day to day English

Yes, Bill went to the party. Yes, he did. Yes. No, Bill didn't go to the party. No, he didn't. No. I don't know. etc.

Special Notes:
1. The common verbs do and have can be both main verbs and auxiliary verbs: Toby did a good job. (main verb) Did Toby do a good job? (auxiliary verb, main verb)

Toby didn't do a good job. (auxiliary verb,main verb) Alice has two brothers. (main verb) Alice doesn't have any brothers. (auxiliary verb: does(n't); main verb: have. Does Alice have two brothers? (auxiliary verb: does; main verb: have.

We have had enough.(auxiliary verb: have; main verb: have (past participle) They had had breakfast before we saw them. (auxiliaryverb: had; main verb: have (past participle)

Basics of day to day English

2.
Contractions are also common in "abbreviated" answers, but only with No: Does Joe have red hair? Yes, he does. No, he doesn't.

Do you want something to eat? Yes, I do. No, I don't. Did Marcia call you? Yes, she did. No, she didn't.

3.
When does is the auxiliary verb, there is no -s ( -es, -ies ) on the main verb: wrong: *Does she wants something? right: *Does she want something? wrong: *Does he has a new car? right: *Does he have a new car? 4. When did is the auxiliary verb, the main verb is in simple form, not past:

Basics of day to day English

wrong: *Did she wanted something? right: *Did she want something? wrong: *Did they had a good time? right: *Did they have a good time?

5.
Remember: Do, does, and did are used when the sentence on which the question is based does not have BE or an auxiliary + a main verb. wrong: *Does she is here today? wrong: *Did she was here yesterday? wrong: *Did she already been here? etc.

Did or Done?

Many people tend to misuse did and done, using done when they should use did. Use did for the simple past tense, use done for the present perfect and past perfect tenses. (forms of to do)

Examples:

. . . .We did all our chores.................................... simple past tense . . . .She has already done the work...................... present perfect tense . . . .We have done many things........................... present perfect tense . . . .No one had done that before......................... past perfect tense

Basics of day to day English

HAVE DONE vs DID

Have done" is used when you say you've done something before at a unspecified time, as in "I have done that before", "I have seen that movie before" "did" is used when talking about a specific point in the past "I did that yesterday" "I did that when I went to Canada". You would never used "I have done that a week ago" or "I did that before". It would always be: "I did that a week ago" and "I've done that before".

ANYWAY vs ANYWAYS

The adverb "anyway" is the correct word. However, you will hear people say "anyways" throughout North America. It is very casual, but it is certainly not "ghetto English."