t-+ o r''z'

\tto cuur* Bootc

Soff f{ern6.tt

Brief guide to the English verb

Examples

.
,

He usually drives to work.

The sun rises in the east.

I don't eat meat.

What time does Your train leave?

Form

Uses

to talk about routines and habits

to talk about things that are always true
to talk about schedules and timetables

form of the verb

negative subje ct + will + n of + base form o the
verb
question r.u'l/ + subject + base form of the verb

affirmative

base

form of the verb (+

-s

in the

third person)
negative subje ct + do/does + /tot + base Iorm
question do/does + subject + base form

Examples
for England in the 1970s'
see

them.

When did you wake uP?

Use

Examples
lookfor a new job.
Are you going to see Juliet later?
I thnk it's going to snow later.
She's going to

Uses

Past simPle

didn't

+ base

Future with going to

Form

We

to make predictions about the future

to express decisions made at the time o
speaking
to give acts about the future

affirmative wll/

He played

W>tk^vV Gt

Uses

Present simPle

.
.
.

to talk about completed actions in the past

.
'

to talk about plans

to make predictions about the future

Form
+base orm of the verb
negative subj e ct + be + not + going to + base
form of the verb
question e + srtbject + going to + base form of
the verb

affirmative

be +

gling

to

Form

form + -ed (for regular verbs)

negative subje ct + did + nol + base form
question dld + subject + base form

affirmative

base

Present continuous
ExamPles
He's playing upstairs at the moment

Future with will

The climate is changing quite quickly'

What time are we meeting?

Examples
won't win the lottery'
We'll droP bY later.
You

The President

will

meet the PM on Tuesday'

Uses

to talk about things happening now, or

around now

201

Resource

.
.

file

to talk about future plans and arrangements

to talk about changes

Present perfect simple

Examples

Form

Hdve you seen 'Casablanca'?

afirrnative am/is/are + present pafticiple

negative subject + am/is/are + nof + present

They've lved in the same house for years.

I've fed the cats.

participle

question am/is/are + sttbjecf

+ present participle

Past continuous

Uses

'
.
.

Examples
They were havng dinner at the Mermaid Inn when
we saw them.

to talk about an indefinite point in the past

to talk about something started in the past
and continuing to the present
to talk about a recently completed action

Form

Where were they going?

afrrrnativ e have/has + past particrple

negative subje ct + have/has + nlt + pasl

Use

participle
qu'eston have/has + subject + past participle

to tak about an action happening before (and

perhaps after) another point in time

Past perfect simple

Form
+ pesenf participle
negative subject + was/were + nof + present
participle
qvestiofl was/were + subjec + present participle

affirmative

was lwere

Examples
him before we met.
Hadyou known each other long before you married?
She had decided to leave

Use

Future continuous

to sequence two past actions

Examples

Form

I'll

afvrnative

working all day tomorrow.

Phone her now - she'll be watching the oicket.
He'll be meeting the PM later today.
be

Uses

.
.
.

to talk about things happening around a

point of tirne in the future
to talk about planned future events
to make predictions about things happening
at the time of speaking

had + past participe

negative subje a + had + nof + past participle
qluestiolr had + subject + past paiciple

Future perfect simple

Examples
They'Il have been marriedfor three years in June.
Some types of frog wiII have become extinct by 2050.
He'll have arrived by now, I expeo.

Form

Uses

affirmative

lral/ + e + present participle

negative subje ct + will + be + not + pl.eser]r

participle

question
202

r'n'l/ + e + subject + present participle

to say how long something will have been in

prgress by a point in the future
to say that something will be finished before a
paicular point in the future

Brief guide to the English verb

to make predictions about things

at the time ol speaking

happening

Use

to say how long something had been in

progress before another point in the past

Fo

rm

Form

paficiple
negative subject + wil/ + no+ have + past
participe
question wil/ + stbjecr + have + past paniciple
affirmative

wi ll + have + past

ftad + been + present participle

negative had + nlt + been + present participle
questior^ had +subject + been + presenr

affirmative

Participle

Present perfect continuous

ExamplesFutureperfectcontinuous
years.
Have you been working all night?
What have you been doing?

Examples

She's been commutng for

By nert month,

Uses
! to talk about something started in the past
and continuing to the present
. to talk about recently completed actions

he'll have been running marathons

for fourteen years.

How long wll we have been dating by October?

Use

to say how long something will have been in

p.ogi.$ ,rp to u point in the future

(particularly if there is some evidence)

Form

Fofm
atrmative have/has + been
negative

have/has +

+ presentparticipre

nlt + been + ptesenf

participle
question have/has + subject + been +

present

participle

Past perfect conti

till

+ have + been + present

lt"TilTt"t

negative will + not + have + been + presenf

participle
quest ion wiII + xtbiect + have +
participle

been

+ presett

uous

Examples
We had been

playing there for

ages before anyone

complained.

I hadn't

been looking to change my

job, but this offer

was too good to turn down-

20t