VERB TENSES

SIMPLE PRESENT
AFFIRMATIVE SENTENCE
Personal Pronouns SENTENCE
I play basketball
You play basketball
He Third Person (check rules)
She Third Person (check rules)
It Third Person (check rules)
We play basketball
You play basketball
They play basketball

RULE EXAMPLES
a) Add “s” to most verbs Close-Closes Love-Loves Stop-Stops Dance-Dances
Open-Opens Take-Takes Exercise-Exercises Play-Plays
Write-Writes Feed-Feeds Put-Puts Work-Works
b) Add “es” to verbs ending in “sh, ch, s, x, z Wash-Washes Dress-Dresses Buzz-Buzzes
and o” Teach-Teaches Relax-Relaxes Watch-Watches
Do-Does Go-Goes
c) Verbs ending with “y”, change the letter Carry-Carries Copy-Copies Study-Studies
to “ i “ and add “es”

NOTE: These SIMPLE PRESENT RULES only apply for third persons HE / SHE / IT in the
affirmative sentence
Examples.
(Study). She studies math in the afternoon.
(Go). The cat goes to the kitchen.
(Write). My teacher writes in the whiteboard.
NEGATIVE SENTENCE (SIMPLE PRESENT)
DON’T / DOESN’T
EXAMPLES:
DON’T DOESN’T
I don’t play piano. She doesn’t play piano.
We don’t play piano. He doesn’t play piano.
You don’t play piano It doesn’t play piano.
They don’t play piano.

*NOTE: When we use DON’T / DOESN’T in negative, the verb is in

INFINITIVE

QUESTION
DO / DOES
DO DOES
Do I play piano? Does she play piano?
Do we play piano? Does he play piano?
Do you play piano? Does it play piano?
Do they play piano? ANSWERS:
ANSWERS: Yes, ____ does. / No, ___ doesn’t.
Yes, ___ do. / No, ___ don’t.
 SIMPLE PAST
In simple past tense you only need to check your verb lists
(REGULAR / IRREGULAR)
AFFIRMATIVE SENTENCE
I
You
He
She VERB IN PAST + COMPLEMENT
It
We
You
They

NEGATIVE SENTENCE
I
You
He
She DIDN’T + VERB IN INFINITIVE + COMPLEMENT
It
We
You
They
QUESTION
I
You
He
DID She VERB IN INFINITIVE + COMPLEMENT ?
It
We
You
They
ANSWERS:
Yes, ___ did. / No, ___ didn’t.
 FUTURE SIMPLE
WILL
AFFIRMATIVE SENTENCE
I
You
He
She WILL + VERB IN INFINITIVE + COMPLEMENT
It
We
You
They
NEGATIVE SENTENCE
I
You
He
She WILL NOT + VERB IN INFINITIVE + COMPLEMENT
It
We
You
They
QUESTION
I
You
He
WILL She VERB IN INFINITIVE + COMPLEMENT ?
It
We
You
They
ANSWERS:
Yes, ___ will. / No, ___ will not.
 FUTURE SIMPLE
GOING TO

AFFIRMATIVE SENTENCE
I am
You are
He is
She is GOING TO + VERB IN INFINITIVE + COMPLEMENT
It is
We are
You are
They are
NEGATIVE SENTENCE
I am
You are
He is
She is NOT GOING TO + VERB IN INFINITIVE + COMPLEMENT
It is
We are
You are
They are
QUESTION
Am I
Are you
Is he
Is she GOING TO + VERB IN INFINITIVE + COMPLEMENT ?
Is it
Are we
Are you
Are they

ANSWERS:
Yes, ___ I am. / No, ___ I’m not.
Yes, ___ is. / No, ___ isn’t.
Yes, ___ are. / No, ___ aren’t.
 PRESENT PROGRESSIVE

Verb ending in... How to make the -ING form Examples

one vowel + one Double the consonant, then swim -

consonant add -ING swimming
hit - hitting
get - getting
one vowel + one Remove E, then add -ING come - coming
consonant + E lose - losing
live - living

[anything else] Add -ING say - saying

go - going
walk - walking

AFFIRMATIVE SENTENCE
I am
You are
He is
She is VERB (ing) + COMPLEMENT
It is
We are
You are
They are
NEGATIVE SENTENCE
I am
You are
He is
She is NOT + VERB (ing) + COMPLEMENT
It is
We are
You are
They are

QUESTION
Am I
Are you
Is he
Is she VERB (ing) + COMPLEMENT ?
Is it
Are we
Are you
Are they
ANSWERS:
Yes, ___ I am. / No, ___ I’m not.
Yes, ___ is. / No, ___ isn’t.
Yes, ___ are. / No, ___ aren’t.
 PRESENT PERFECT
AFFIRMATIVE SENTENCE
I have
You have
He has
She has VERB (PAST PARTICIPLE) + COMPLEMENT.
It has
We have
You have
They have

NEGATIVE SENTENCE
I have
You have
He has
She has NOT + VERB (PAST PARTICIPLE) + COMPLEMENT.
It has
We have
You have
They have
QUESTION
Have I
Have you
Has he
Has she VERB (PAST PARTICIPLE) + COMPLEMENT ?
Has it
Have we
Have you
Have they

ANSWERS:
Yes, ___ have. / No, ___ have not.
Yes, ___ has. / No, ___ has not.
 PAST PERFECT
AFFIRMATIVE SENTENCE
I
You
He
She HAD + VERB (PAST PARTICIPLE) + COMPLEMENT.
It
We
You
They

NEGATIVE SENTENCE
I
You
He
She HAD NOT + VERB (PAST PARTICIPLE) + COMPLEMENT.
It
We
You
They
QUESTION
I
You
He
HAD She VERB (PAST PARTICIPLE)+ COMPLEMENT ?
It
We
You
They

ANSWERS:
Yes, ___ had. / No, ___ had not.
 PRESENT PERFECT PROGRESSIVE
AFFIRMATIVE SENTENCE
I have
You have
He has
She has BEEN+VERB (ing) + COMPLEMENT.
It has
We have
You have
They have

NEGATIVE SENTENCE
I have
You have
He has
She has NOT BEEN+VERB (ing) + COMPLEMENT.
It has
We have
You have
They have
QUESTION
Have I
Have you
Has he
Has she BEEN+VERB (ing) + COMPLEMENT ?
Has it
Have we
Have you
Have they

ANSWERS:
Yes, ___ have. / No, ___ have not.
Yes, ___ has. / No, ___ has not.
 PAST PERFECT PROGRESSIVE
AFFIRMATIVE SENTENCE
I
You
He
She HAD BEEN+VERB (ing) + COMPLEMENT.
It
We
You
They

NEGATIVE SENTENCE
I
You
He
She HAD NOT BEEN+VERB (ing) + COMPLEMENT.
It
We
You
They
QUESTION
I
You
He
HAD She BEEN+VERB (ing) + COMPLEMENT ?
It
We
You
They
Answers:
Yes, ____ had. / No, ____ had not.
 AUXILIAR ITEMS

WH-QUESTIONS FREQUENCY ADVERBS

What Always
Where Usually
When Often
Which Frequently
Who Sometimes
Why Rarely
How Hardly ever
How often Almost never
How many Never
How much
How far

ARTICLE “A / an”
Explanation Example
“An” is used before a vowel An artist from the local community painted the wonderful mural at
sound. Chemainus.
“A” is used before a consonant. I need a bottle of milk.

THERE IS / THERE ARE

Explanation Example
“There is”, is used to point only one specific item. There is a gas station near my house.
“There are”, is used to point 2 or more items. There are four cars in the garage.

PREPOSITIONS OF PLACE
In / on / over / under / in front of / next to / between / behind
 COMPARATIVES AND SUPERLATIVES (ADJECTIVES)
Adjective form Comparative Superlative
Only one syllable, ending in E. Add -R: Add -ST:
Examples: wide, fine, cute wider, finer, cuter widest, finest, cutest
Only one syllable, with one vowel and Double the consonant, and Double the consonant,
one consonant at the end. add -ER: and add -EST:
Examples: hot, big, fat hotter, bigger, fatter hottest, biggest, fattest
Only one syllable, with more than one Add -ER: Add -EST:
vowel, or more than one consonant at the lighter, neater, faster lightest, neatest, fastest
end.
Examples: light, neat, fast
Two syllables, ending in Y. Change Y to I, then add - Change Y to I, then add -
Examples: happy, silly, lonely ER: EST:
happier, sillier, lonelier happiest, silliest,
loneliest
Two syllables or more, not ending in Y. Use MORE before the Use MOST before the
Examples: modern, interesting, beautiful adjective: adjective:
more modern, more most modern, most
interesting, more beautiful interesting, most
beautiful

COMPARATIVE (AS …. AS)

Explanation Example
We can use this type of comparative when we find some My cellphone is as new as
similarities between two or more things. your cellphone.

THIS IS/ THAT IS /THESE ARE/THOSE ARE

SINGULAR PLURAL DISTANCE REFERENCE
This is my laptop. These are my notes. Near

That is my mother’s painting. Those are my new shoes. Far