Simple
Present Tense
The present tense is
a grammatical tense whose principal function is to
locate a situation or event in present time. The Present Tense describes the
things you do every day. Note the use of an "s" at the end of the
verb when describing a man, a woman, or a thing. The term "present
tense" is usually used in descriptions of specific languages to refer to a
particular grammatical form or set of forms; these may have a variety of uses,
not all of which will necessarily refer to present time. The Present Tense
describes the things you do every day. Note the use of an "s" at the
end of the verb when describing a man, a woman, or a thing.
USE 1 Repeated
Actions
Use the
Simple Present to express the idea that an action is repeated or usual. The
action can be a habit, a hobby, a daily event, a scheduled event or something
that often happens. It can also be something a person often forgets or usually
does not do.
Examples:
- I play tennis.
- She does not play tennis.
- Does he play tennis?
USE 2 Facts or
Generalizations
The
Simple Present can also indicate the speaker believes that a fact was true
before, is true now, and will be true in the future. It is not important if the
speaker is correct about the fact. It is also used to make generalizations
about people or things.
Examples:
- Cats like milk.
- Birds do not like milk.
- Do pigs like milk?
USE 3 Scheduled
Events in the Near Future
Speakers
occasionally use Simple Present to talk about scheduled events in the near
future. This is most commonly done when talking about public transportation,
but it can be used with other scheduled events as well.
Examples:
- The train leaves tonight at
6 PM.
- The bus does not arrive at
11 AM, it arrives at 11 PM.
- When do we board the
plane?
USE 4 Now
(Non-Continuous Verbs)
Speakers
sometimes use the Simple Present to express the idea that an action is
happening or is not happening now. This can only be done with Non-Continuous Verbsand certain Mixed Verbs.
Examples:
- I am here now.
- He needs help right now.
- He does not need help now.
ADVERB PLACEMENT
The examples
below show the placement for grammar adverbs such as: always, only, never,
ever, still, just, etc.
Examples:
- You only speak English.
- Do you only speak English?
ACTIVE / PASSIVE
Examples:
- Once a week, Tom cleans the
car. Active
- Once a week, the car is cleaned by
Tom. Passive
Simple Past Tense
The past tense is a grammatical tense whose
principal function is to place an action or situation in past time. In languages
which have a past tense, it thus provides a grammatical means of indicating
that the event being referred to took place in the past. Examples of verbs in the past tense include the English
verbs sang, went and was.
USE 1 Completed Action in the Past
Use
the Simple Past to express the idea that an action started and finished at a specific
time in the past. Sometimes, the speaker may not actually mention the specific
time, but they do have one specific time in mind.
Examples:
- I saw a movie yesterday.
- I didn't see a play yesterday.
- Last
year, I traveled to
Japan.
USE 2 A Series of Completed Actions
We
use the Simple Past to list a series of completed actions in the past. These
actions happen 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, and so on.
Examples:
- I finished work, walked to the beach,
and found a nice
place to swim.
- He arrived from the airport at 8:00, checked into the hotel at
9:00, and met the
others at 10:00.
- Did you add flour, pour in the milk, and
then add the
eggs?
USE 3 Duration in Past
The
Simple Past can be used with a duration which starts and stops in the past. A
duration is a longer action often indicated by expressions such as: for two
years, for five minutes, all day, all year, etc.
Examples:
- I lived in Brazil for two years.
- Shauna studied Japanese for five
years.
- A : How long did you wait for them?
B
: We waited for one
hour.
USE 4 Habits in the Past
The
Simple Past can also be used to describe a habit which stopped in the past. It
can have the same meaning as "used
to." To make
it clear that we are talking about a habit, we often add expressions such as:
always, often, usually, never, when I was a child, when I was younger, etc.
Examples:
- I studied French when I was a
child.
- He played the violin.
- He didn't play the piano.
USE 5 Past Facts or Generalizations
The
Simple Past can also be used to describe past facts or generalizations which
are no longer true. As in USE 4 above, this use of the Simple Past is quite
similar to the expression "used
to."
Examples:
- She was shy as a child, but now
she is very outgoing.
- He didn't like tomatoes before.
- Did you live in Texas when you were a kid?
IMPORTANT When-Clauses Happen First
Clauses
are groups of words which have meaning but are often not complete sentences.
Some clauses begin with the word "when" such as "when I dropped
my pen..." or "when class began..." These clauses are called
when-clauses, and they are very important. The examples below contain
when-clauses.
Examples:
- When I paid her one dollar, she answered my question.
- She
answered my question when I
paid her one dollar.
When-clauses
are important because they always happen first when both clauses are in the
Simple Past. Both of the examples above mean the same thing: first, I paid her
one dollar, and then, she answered my question. It is not important whether
"when I paid her one dollar" is at the beginning of the sentence or
at the end of the sentence. However, the example below has a different meaning.
First, she answered my question, and then, I paid her one dollar.
Example:
- I paid
her one dollar when she
answered my question.
ADVERB PLACEMENT
The
examples below show the placement for grammar adverbs such as: always, only,
never, ever, still, just, etc.
Examples:
- You just called Debbie.
- Did
you just call
Debbie?
ACTIVE / PASSIVE
Examples:
- Tom repaired the car. Active
- The
car was repaired by
Tom. Passive
Simple Future Tense
In grammar,
a future tense is a verb form that generally marks the event
described by the verb as not having happened yet, but expected to happen in the
future. Simple Future has two different forms in English: "will" and
"be going to." Although the two forms can sometimes be used
interchangeably, they often express two very different meanings. These
different meanings might seem too abstract at first, but with time and
practice, the differences will become clear. Both "will" and "be
going to" refer to a specific time in the future.
FORM Will
[will
+ verb]
- You will
help him later.
- Will you help him
later?
- You will
not help him later.
FORM Be Going To
[am/is/are
+ going to + verb]
Examples:
- You are
going to meet Jane tonight.
- Are you going to meet Jane
tonight?
- You are
not going to meet Jane tonight.
USE 1 "Will" to Express a Voluntary
Action
"Will"
often suggests that a speaker will do something voluntarily. A voluntary action
is one the speaker offers to do for someone else. Often, we use
"will" to respond to someone else's complaint or request for help. We
also use "will" when we request that someone help us or volunteer to
do something for us. Similarly, we use "will not" or
"won't" when we refuse to voluntarily do something.
Examples:
- I will
send you the information when I get it.
- Will you help me
move this heavy table?
- A: I'm
really hungry.
B: I'll make some sandwiches.
USE 2 "Will" to Express a Promise
"Will"
is usually used in promises.
Examples:
- I will
call you when I arrive.
- If I am
elected President of the United States, I will make sure
everyone has access to inexpensive health insurance.
- I
promise I will not tell him about the surprise party.
USE 3 "Be going to" to Express a
Plan
"Be
going to" expresses that something is a plan. It expresses the idea that a
person intends to do something in the future. It does not matter whether the
plan is realistic or not.
Examples:
- He is
going to spend his vacation in Hawaii.
- She is
not going to spend her vacation in Hawaii.
- A:
When are we going to meet each other
tonight?
B: We are going to meet at 6
PM.
USE 4 "Will" or "Be Going
to" to Express a Prediction
Both
"will" and "be going to" can express the idea of a general
prediction about the future. Predictions are guesses about what might happen in
the future. In "prediction" sentences, the subject usually has little
control over the future and therefore USES 1-3 do not apply. In the following
examples, there is no difference in meaning.
Examples:
- The
year 2222 will be a very interesting year.
- The
year 2222 is going to be a very interesting year.
- John
Smith will be the next President.
IMPORTANT
In
the Simple Future, it is not always clear which USE the speaker has in mind.
Often, there is more than one way to interpret a sentence's meaning.
No Future in Time Clauses
Like
all future forms, the Simple Future cannot be used in clauses beginning with
time expressions such as: when, while, before, after, by the time, as soon as,
if, unless, etc. Instead of Simple Future, Simple Present is used.
Examples:
- When
you will arrive tonight, we will go out for dinner. Not
Correct
- When
you arrive tonight, we will go out for dinner. Correct
ADVERB PLACEMENT
The
examples below show the placement for grammar adverbs such as: always, only,
never, ever, still, just, etc.
Examples:
- Are you ever going
to meet Jane?
ACTIVE / PASSIVE
Examples:
- John will
finish the work by 5:00 PM. Active
- The
work will be finished by 5:00 PM. Passive
- Sally is
going to make a beautiful dinner tonight. Active
- A
beautiful dinner is going to be made by Sally tonight. Passive
Present Perfect Tense
The present perfect is a grammatical combination of the present tense and
the perfect aspect,
used to express a past event that has present consequences. The term is used
particularly in the context of English grammar, where it
refers to forms such as "I have left" and "Sue has died".
These forms are present because they use the present tense of
the auxiliary
verb have, and perfect because they use
that auxiliary in combination with the past participle of
the main verb. (Other perfect constructions also exist, such as the past perfect: "I
had eaten.")
USE 1 Unspecified Time Before Now
We use the Present Perfect to say that
an action happened at an unspecified time before now. The exact time is not
important. You CANNOT use the Present Perfect with specific time expressions
such as: yesterday, one year ago, last week, when I was a child, when I lived
in Japan, at that moment, that day, one day, etc. We CAN use the Present
Perfect with unspecific expressions such as: ever, never, once, many times,
several times, before, so far, already, yet, etc.
- I have seen that movie twenty times.
- I think I have met him once before.
- There have been many earthquakes in
California.
- People have traveled to the Moon.
How Do You Actually Use the Present Perfect?
The concept of "unspecified
time" can be very confusing to English learners. It is best to associate
Present Perfect with the following topics:
TOPIC 1 Experience
You can use the Present Perfect to
describe your experience. It is like saying, "I have the experience
of..." You can also use this tense to say that you have never had a
certain experience. The Present Perfect is NOT used to describe a specific
event.
Examples:
This
sentence means that you have had the experience of being in France. Maybe you
have been there once, or several times.
- I have been to France three times.
You can
add the number of times at the end of the sentence.
- I have never been to
France.
This
sentence means that you have not had the experience of going to France.
TOPIC 2 Change Over Time
We often use the Present Perfect to
talk about change that has happened over a period of time.
Examples:
- You have grown since the last time I saw
you.
- The government has become more interested in
arts education.
- Japanese has become one of the most popular
courses at the university since the Asian studies program was established.
TOPIC 3 Accomplishments
We often use the Present Perfect to
list the accomplishments of individuals and humanity. You cannot mention a
specific time.
Examples:
- Man has walked on the Moon.
- Our son has learned how to read.
TOPIC 4 An Uncompleted Action You Are
Expecting
We often use the Present Perfect to
say that an action which we expected has not happened. Using the Present
Perfect suggests that we are still waiting for the action to happen.
Examples:
- James has not finished his homework yet.
- Susan hasn't mastered Japanese, but she can communicate.
TOPIC 5 Multiple Actions at Different Times
We also use the Present Perfect to
talk about several different actions which have occurred in the past at
different times. Present Perfect suggests the process is not complete and more
actions are possible.
Examples:
- The army has attacked that city five times.
- I have had four quizzes and five tests so
far this semester.
Time Expressions with Present Perfect
When we use the Present Perfect it
means that something has happened at some point in our lives before now.
Remember, the exact time the action happened is not important.
Sometimes, we want to limit the time
we are looking in for an experience. We can do this with expressions such as:
in the last week, in the last year, this week, this month, so far, up to now,
etc.
Examples:
- Have you been to
Mexico in the last year?
- I have seen that movie six times in
the last month.
- They have had three tests in the
last week.
- She graduated from university less than three years ago.
She has worked for three different companies so
far.
NOTICE
"Last year" and "in the
last year" are very different in meaning. "Last year" means the
year before now, and it is considered a specific time which requires Simple
Past. "In the last year" means from 365 days ago until now.
It is not considered a specific time, so it requires Present Perfect.
Examples:
- I went to Mexico last year.
I went to
Mexico in the calendar year before this one.
- I have been to Mexico in the last
year.
I have
been to Mexico at least once at some point between 365 days ago and now.
USE 2 Duration From the Past Until Now
(Non-Continuous Verbs)
With Non-Continuous Verbs and non-continuous
uses of Mixed
Verbs, we use the Present Perfect to show that something started in the
past and has continued up until now. "For five minutes," "for
two weeks," and "since Tuesday" are all durations which can be
used with the Present Perfect.
Examples:
- I have had a cold for two weeks.
- She has been in England for six months.
- Mary has loved chocolate since she was a
little girl.
Although the above use of Present
Perfect is normally limited to Non-Continuous Verbs and non-continuous uses of
Mixed Verbs, the words "live," "work," "teach,"
and "study" are sometimes used in this way even though they are NOT
Non-Continuous Verbs.
ADVERB PLACEMENT
The examples below show the placement
for grammar adverbs such as: always, only, never, ever, still, just, etc.
Examples:
- You have only seen that movie one time.
- Have you only seen that movie one time?
ACTIVE / PASSIVE
Examples:
- Many tourists have visited that
castle. Active
- That castle has been visited by many
tourists. Passive
EXERCISES
REVIEW : TENSE FORMS
1.
I spend my money → a.
I spent my money
b. I will spend my
money
c. I have spent my
money
2.
They use that one → a. They
used that one
b. They
will use that one
c. They have
used that one
3.
We study English together → a. We studied English
together
b. We will
study English together
c. we have
studied English together
4.
They discuss their work → a. They discussed their
work
b. They
will discuss their work
c. They
have discussed their work
5.
They have enough time → a. They had enough time
b. They
will have enough time
c. They
have had enough time
6.
I do all of the lessons → a.
I did all of the lessons
b. I will
do all of the lessons
c. I have
done all of the lessons
7.
He sits in that row → a.
He sat in that row
b. He will
sit in that row
c. He has
sat in that row
8.
I drive my car → a. I drove my car
b. I will
drive my car
c. I have
driven my car
9.
She hides her money → a.
She hid her money
b. She
will hide her money
c. She has
hidden her money
10.
We go to school → a. We went to school
b. We will
go to school
c. We have
gone to school
11.
He takes much time → a.
He took much time
b. He will
take much time
c. He has
taken much time
12.
Does he eat there ? → a.
Did he eat there ?
b. Will he
eat there ?
c. Has he
eaten there ?
13.
Do you enjoy that work ? → a. Did you enjoy that
work ?
b. Will
you enjoy that work ?
c. Have
you enjoyed that work ?
14.
Does he write many letters ? → a.
Did he write many letters ?
b. Will he
write many letters ?
c. Has he
written many letters ?
15.
Do you send many letters ? → a.
Did you send many letters ?
b. Will
you send many letters ?
c. Have
you sent many letters ?
16.
Do they explain everything ? → a.
Did they explain everything ?
b. Will
they explain everything ?
c. Have
they explained everything ?
17.
Does she attend that class ? → a.
Did she attend that class ?
b. Will
she attend that class ?
c. Has she
attended that class ?
18.
Do you have enough time ? → a. Did you have enough
money ?
b. Will
you have enough money ?
c. have
you had enough money ?
19.
Do they copy the sentences ? → a.
Did they copy the sentences ?
b. Will
thye copy the sentences ?
c. Have
they copy the sentences ?
20.
Does she have much trouble ? → a.
Did she have much trouble ?
b. Will
she have much trouble ?
c. Has she
had much trouble ?
21.
Does she do good work ? → a. Did she do good work
?
b. Will
she do good work ?
c. Has she
done good work ?
22.
Do the students practice ? → a.
Did the students practice ?
b. Will
the students practice ?
c. Have
the students practiced?
23.
I don’t stay there → a.
I didn’t stay there
b. I won’t
stay there
c. I
haven’t stayed there
24.
He doesn’t work hard → a.
He didn’t work hard
b. He
won’t work hard
c. He
hasn’t worked hard
25.
I don’t have any energy → a. I didn’t have any energy
b. I won’t
have any energy
c. I haven’t
had any energy
26.
He doesn’t pay the bills → a. He didn’t pay the bills
b. He
won’t pay the bills
c. He
hasn’t paid the bills
27.
We don’t see that fellow → a. We didn’t see that
fellow
b. We
won’t see that fellow
c. We
haven’t seen that fellow
28.
She doesn’t use this one → a. She didn’t use this
one
b. She
won’t use this one
c. She
hasn’t used this one
29.
They don’t remember it → a. They didn’t remember
it
b. They
won’t remember it
c. They
haven’t remembered it
30.
I don’t do much work here → a.
I didn’t do much work here
b. I won’t
do much work here
c. I
haven’t done much work here
31.
He doesn’t listen carefully → a.
He didn’t listen carefully
b. He
won’t listen carefully
c. He
hasn’t listen carefully
1. Mr. Harris taught English at this school for five years.
2. I
writen three or four letters
to that company.
3. The
students in this class done those two lessons
already.
4. I
known
professor moore for more than twelve years.
5. Richard
taken
three courses in English at this school.
6. These
steps are dangerous. I fallen on them several times.
7. Mr.
Kramer been in the United States for three years.
8. The
janitor already shut the back door.
9. The
students read all the stories in that book.
10. Marjorie
choosen
a pretty dress for the party.
11. I
spoken
to my boss about the problem several times.
12. That
tree grown
at least five feet since last year.
13. Miss
King spent
over eighteen hundred dollars since May.
14. Mr.
and Mrs. Smith bought a new house in North Plains.
15. The
real estate agent sold the Smith’s house.
16. Charless
had
a bad cold for a whole week.
17. I’m
sorry. I forgotten the name of that book.
18. We
already
heard that new song several times.
19. Mr.
Wilson isn’t here. He gone out of town for the
weekend.
20. Mr.
Kennedy worn his blue suit to the office only twice.
21. I
sat
in this same seat since the first day of classes.
22. The
money isn’t in this drawer. Someone stolen it !
23. Up
to now, I understood every lesson in the book.
24. We
had
absolutely no trouble with our car so far.
25. No
one found
that girl’s purse and gloves yet.
26. The
weather been very warm ever since last Thursday.
27. Mr.
Anderson and Mr. Brown had lunch already.
28. I
seen
the Empire State Building hundreds of time.
29. We
already
spoken to thr director and given him the message.
30. Grandmother
never
flown in an airplane before.
31. You
torn
your shirt ! There’s a hole in the left sleeve.
32. I
already
read the customer’s letter and written a reply to him.
