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Presents & Pasts

The document summarizes different English verb tenses and their uses: 1) The present simple tense is used to describe routines, general truths, schedules, and frequencies. The present continuous tense describes actions happening now or temporary situations. 2) The past simple tense describes completed past actions, states, facts, and repeated actions. The past continuous tense emphasizes the continuity of an action in the past or the background action when used with the past simple. 3) "Used to" expresses something that happened regularly in the past but no longer occurs. "Be/get used to" something means to become accustomed to it. 4) "Would + infinitive" can express past habits but is less

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560 views3 pages

Presents & Pasts

The document summarizes different English verb tenses and their uses: 1) The present simple tense is used to describe routines, general truths, schedules, and frequencies. The present continuous tense describes actions happening now or temporary situations. 2) The past simple tense describes completed past actions, states, facts, and repeated actions. The past continuous tense emphasizes the continuity of an action in the past or the background action when used with the past simple. 3) "Used to" expresses something that happened regularly in the past but no longer occurs. "Be/get used to" something means to become accustomed to it. 4) "Would + infinitive" can express past habits but is less

Uploaded by

anabelvilches
Copyright
© Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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PRESENT SIMPLE -s / -es /-ies 3rd person singular dont /doesnt / Do / Does ...?

routines, habits: We rarely do homework at school general truths: Water boils at 100C states (STATIVE VERBS): Sorry, I dont understand you future meaning with schedules /timetables: The lesson starts in five minutes frequency adverbs (position): I am never late at school / He seldom goes out at night. temporal expressions(position): I play tennis twice a week / Everyday, they meet to chat How often?

PRESENT CONTINUOUS

TENSES FORM

be in present + -ing form -ing spelling rules: having, running, beginning, travelling, dying actions happening now: Were studying English right now a temporary situation: This year, Im doing ballet a complaint with the adverb always: Youre always interrupting a plan for near future: Were going to the cinema this afternoon.
temporal expressions denoting the present: now, at the moment, today, these days, at present... Stative verbs when denoting activity: She is thinking about leaving the school.

USES

EXPRESSIONS

STATIVE VERBS -feelings and emotions: like, dislike, love, hate, prefer, want, enjoy, hope -opinion and thoughts: think, believe, know, remember, forget, understand, guess -perception and senses: hear, see, smell, sound, taste, touch, feel -prices and measures: cost, measure, weigh -possession: have, own, possess *Some of these verbs are used in the present simple and continuous: -I think this is a wonderful film. (think means believeSTATE) -Hes thinking about leaving school. (think means planningACTIVITY)

PAST SIMPLE -ed regular verbs / 2nd column irregular verbs dint + infinitive/ Did + infinitive...? completed actions in the past (states, facts, actions): I was very excited. I lived there for 6 years. The company made 100 people redundant last year. repeated actions in the past: They had a meeting every two days. When we use both pasts in the same sentence, we use the past continuous to talk about the "background action" or interrupted action and the past simple to talk about the shorter completed action (interrupting action).

PAST CONTINUOUS

TENSES FORM

be in past + -ing form -ing spelling rules: having, running, beginning, travelling, dying completed action in the past to emphasize the continuity of the action: Everybody was talking about it all evening. They were really trying hard but couldn't do it.

USES

When we use both pasts in the same

sentence, we use the past continuous to talk about the "background action" or interrupted action and the past simple to talk about the shorter completed action (interrupting action).

CONTRAST

It was raining hard when we left the building. I was reading the report when you rang.

As / While It was raining hard, we left the building. As / While I was reading the report, you rang.

USED TO

used to work there. I didnt use to work there. Did you use to work there?
We use this structure to express something which usually happened in the past and no longer occurs now:

I used to play tennis a lot, but now Im too lazy.


It is also used for past situations that no longer exist:

We used to live in a small village, but now we live in Milan.


Used to + verb is always past. For present, we use present simple:

Past He used to smoke we used to live there used to be. Present He smokes we live there is.
BE/GET USED TO SOMETHING Jane is American, but she has lived in Britain for three years. When she first drove a car in Britain, she found it very difficult because she had to drive on the left instead of on the right. Driving on the left was strange and difficult for her because: She wasnt used to it. (No estaba acostumbrada) She wasnt used to driving on the left.(No estaba acostumbrada a conducir por la izquierda.) After a lot of practice, driving on the left became less strange: She got used to driving on the left. (Se acostumbr a conducir por la izquierda) Now after three years, driving on the left is no problem for her: She is used to driving on the left. (Est acostumbrada a conducir por la izquierda)

WOULD + INFINITIVE This structure can be used to epress past habits but it is less frequent than the past simple and used to. When I was younger, I would play tennis after school.

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