Verb In the following table we see example

sentences with helping verbs and main

Classificati verbs. Notice that all of these sentences
have a main verb. Only some of them have
on a helping verb.
We divide verbs into two
broad classifications: helping main
verb verb
1. Helping John likes coffee.
Verbs
You lied to me.
Imagine that a stranger walks
They are happy.
into your room and says:
The
 I can. are playing.
children
 People must.
 The Earth will.
We must go now.
Do you understand anything? I do not want any.
Has this person communicated
anything to you? Probably not!
That's because these verbs are Helping verbs and main verbs can be further sub-
helping verbs and have no divided, as we shall see on the following pages.
meaning on their own. They
are necessary for the Helping Verbs >>
grammatical structure of the
sentence, but they do not tell
us very much alone. We
usually use helping verbs with
main verbs. They "help" the
main verb. (The sentences in
the above examples are
therefore incomplete. They
need at least a main verb to
complete them.) There are
only about 15 helping verbs.
 2. Main Verbs
Now imagine that the same
stranger walks into your room
and says:

 I teach.
 People eat.
 The Earth rotates.

Do you understand something?

Has this person communicated
something to you? Probably
yes! Not a lot, but something.
That's because these verbs are
main verbs and have meaning
on their own. They tell us
something. Of course, there
are thousands of main verbs.

Helping Verbs
Helping verbs have no meaning on their own. They are necessary for the grammatical
structure of a sentence, but they do not tell us very much alone. We usually use helping
verbs with main verbs. They "help" the main verb (which has the real meaning). There
are only about 15 helping verbs in English, and we divide them into two basic groups:

Primary helping verbs (3 verbs)

These are the verbs be, do, and have. Note that we can use these three verbs as helping
verbs or as main verbs. On this page we talk about them as helping verbs. We use them in
the following cases:

 be
o to make continuous tenses (He is watching TV.)
o to make the passive (Small fish are eaten by big fish.)
  have
o to make perfect tenses (I have finished my homework.)

 do
o to make negatives (I do not like you.)
o to ask questions (Do you want some coffee?)
o to show emphasis (I do want you to pass your exam.)
o to stand for a main verb in some constructions (He speaks faster than she
does.)

Modal helping verbs (10 verbs)

We use modal helping verbs to "modify" the meaning of the main verb in some way. A
modal helping verb expresses necessity or possibility, and changes the main verb in that
sense. These are the modal verbs:

 can, could
 may, might
 will, would,
 shall, should
 must
 ought to

Here are examples using modal verbs:

 I can't speak Chinese.

 John may arrive late.
 Would you like a cup of coffee?
 You should see a doctor.
 I really must go now.
Simple Present

How do we make the Simple Present Tense?

subject + auxiliary verb + main verb

do base

There are three important exceptions:

1. For positive sentences, we do not normally use the auxiliary.

2. For the 3rd person singular (he, she, it), we add s to the main verb or es to the
auxiliary.
3. For the verb to be, we do not use an auxiliary, even for questions and negatives.

Look at these examples with the main verb like:

subject auxiliary verb main verb

I, you, we, they like coffee.

+
He, she, it likes coffee.

I, you, we, they do not like coffee.

-
He, she, it does not like coffee.

Do I, you, we, they like coffee?

?
Does he, she, it like coffee?

Look at these examples with the main verb be. Notice that there is no auxiliary:

subject main verb

 I am French.

+ You, we, they are French.

He, she, it is French.

I am not old.

- You, we, they are not old.

He, she, it is not old.

Am I late?

? Are you, we, they late?

Is he, she, it late?

How do we use the Simple Present Tense?

We use the simple present tense when:

 the action is general

 the action happens all the time, or habitually, in the past, present and future
 the action is not only happening now
 the statement is always true

John drives a taxi.

past present future

It is John's job to drive a taxi. He does it every day. Past, present and future.

Look at these examples:

 I live in New York.

 The Moon goes round the Earth.
 John drives a taxi.
 He does not drive a bus.
 We do not work at night.
 Do you play football?
Note that with the verb to be, we can also use the simple present tense for situations that
are not general. We can use the simple present tense to talk about now. Look at these
examples of the verb to be in the present simple tense—some of them are general, some
of them are now:

Am I right?
Tara is not at home.
You are happy.
past present future

The situation is now.

I am not fat.
Why are you so beautiful?
Ram is tall.
past present future

The situation is general. Past, present and future

Present Continuous
How do we make the Present Continuous Tense?

The structure of the present continuous tense is:

subject + auxiliary verb + main verb

be base + ing

Look at these examples:

subject auxiliary verb main verb

+ I am speaking to you.

+ You are reading this.

- She is not staying in London.

- We are not playing football.

? Is he watching TV?

? Are they waiting for John?

Phrasal Verbs
Phrasal Verbs and other multi-word verbs

Phrasal verbs are part of a large group of verbs called "multi-word verbs". Phrasal verbs
and other multi-word verbs are an important part of the English language. Multi-word
verbs, including phrasal verbs, are very common, especially in spoken English. A multi-
word verb is a verb like "pick up", "turn on" or "get on with". For convenience, many
people refer to all multi-word verbs as phrasal verbs. These verbs consist of a basic verb
+ another word or words. The other word(s) can be prepositions and/or adverbs. The
two or three words that make up multi-word verbs form a short "phrase"—which is why
these verbs are often all called "phrasal verbs".

The important thing to remember is that a multi-word verb is still a verb. "Get" is a verb.
"Get up", is also a verb, a different verb. "Get" and "get up" are two different verbs. They
do not have the same meaning. So you should treat each multi-word verb as a separate
verb, and learn it like any other verb. Look at these examples. You can see that there are
three types of multi-word verb:

single-word verb look direct your eyes in a You must look before
certain direction you leap.

multi- prepositional look after take care of Who is looking after

word verbs the baby?
verbs
phrasal verbs look up search for and find You can look up my
information in a number in the
reference book telephone directory.
 phrasal- look anticipate with
I look forward to
prepositional forward pleasure
meeting you.
verbs to

In this lesson we look at the three types of multi-word verbs, including phrasal verbs,
followed by a quiz to check your understanding:

Interjection

interjection meaning example

expressing pleasure "Ah, that feels good."

expressing realization "Ah, now I understand."

ah
expressing resignation "Ah well, it can't be heped."

expressing surprise "Ah! I've won!"

alas expressing grief or pity "Alas, she's dead now."

expressing pity "Oh dear! Does it hurt?"

dear
expressing surprise "Dear me! That's a surprise!"

"It's hot today." "Eh?" "I said it's hot

asking for repetition
today."

expressing enquiry "What do you think of that, eh?"

eh
expressing surprise "Eh! Really?"

inviting agreement "Let's go, eh?"

er expressing hesitation "Lima is the capital of...er...Peru."

expressing greeting "Hello John. How are you today?"

hello, hullo
expressing surprise "Hello! My car's gone!"

hey calling attention "Hey! look at that!"

 expressing surprise, joy etc "Hey! What a good idea!"

hi expressing greeting "Hi! What's new?"

expressing hesitation, doubt or

hmm "Hmm. I'm not so sure."
disagreement

expressing surprise "Oh! You're here!"

oh, o expressing pain "Oh! I've got a toothache."

expressing pleading "Oh, please say 'yes'!"

ouch expressing pain "Ouch! That hurts!"

"Uh...I don't know the answer to

uh expressing hesitation
that."

uh-huh expressing agreement "Shall we go?" "Uh-huh."

um, umm expressing hesitation "85 divided by 5 is...um...17."

expressing surprise "Well I never!"

well
introducing a remark "Well, what did he say?"
English Preposition Rule

English Preposition Rule Here are some examples:

There is one very simple rule about Subject preposition "noun"

prepositions. And, unlike most rules, + verb
this rule has no exceptions.
The food
Rule on the table.
is
A preposition is followed by a "noun".
It is never followed by a verb. She lives in Japan.

By "noun" we include: Tara is

for you.
looking
 noun (dog, money, love)
 proper noun (name) The your blue
(Bangkok, Mary) under
letter is book.
 pronoun (you, him, us)
 noun group (my first job) Pascal is English
 gerund (swimming) to
used people.

A preposition cannot be followed by a She isn't

to working.
verb. If we want to follow a used
preposition by a verb, we must use the
"-ing" form which is really a gerund I ate before coming.
or verb in noun form.
Answer to Quick Quiz: In these sentences,
 Quick Quiz: In the following "to" is not a preposition. It is part of the
sentences, why is "to" followed by a infinitive ("to go", "to smoke").
verb? That should be impossible,
according to the above rule:

 I would like to go now.

 She used to smoke.

Prepositions of Place:
at, in, on

Prepositions of Place: Notice the use of the prepositions of

place at, in and on in these standard
at, in, on expressions:
In general, we use:
at in on
 at for a POINT
 in for an ENCLOSED SPACE at home in a car on a bus
 on for a SURFACE
at work in a taxi on a train

at in on in a
at school on a plane
helicopter
ENCLOSED
POINT SURFACE
SPACE at
in a boat on a ship
university
at the
in the garden on the wall
corner at college in a lift on a
(elevator) bicycle,
 at the bus on the on a
in London
stop ceiling motorbike

at the door in France on the door on a

in the horse, on
at the top
at the top newspaper an
on the
of the in a box elephant
cover
page
on the
at the
at the end in the sky radio, on
in my pocket on the floor bottom
of the road television

at the on the on the

in my wallet
entrance carpet at the side in a row left, on
the right
at the on the
in a building
crossroads menu at in Oxford on the
reception Street way
at the
in a car on a page
entrance
See also Prepositions of Time: at, in,
on
Look at these examples:

 Jane is waiting for you at the bus

stop.
 The shop is at the end of the street.
 My plane stopped at Dubai and
Hanoi and arrived in Bangkok two
hours late.
 When will you arrive at the office?
 Do you work in an office?
 I have a meeting in New York.
 Do you live in Japan?
 Jupiter is in the Solar System.
 The author's name is on the cover
of the book.
 There are no prices on this menu.
 You are standing on my foot.
 There was a "no smoking" sign on
the wall.

 I live on the 7th floor at 21 Oxford

Street in London.
Prepositions of Time:
at, in, on

Prepositions of Time: Notice the use of the preposition

of time at in the following
at, in, on standard expressions:
We use:
Expression Example
 at for a precise time
 in for months, years, centuries and The stars
long periods at night shine at
 on for days and dates night.

I don't
at in on usually
at the weekend
work at the
months, weekend.
years,
precise days and
centuries at I stay with
time dates
and long Christmas/Easter my family
periods
 at 3 at
in May on Sunday
o'clock Christmas.

at 10.30am in summer on Tuesdays We finished

the test at
at the same time
in the the same
at noon on 6 March
summer time.

at on 25 Dec. He's not

in 1990
dinnertime 2010 home at
at present
present. Try
in the on Christmas later.
at bedtime
1990s Day

on Notice the use of the prepositions

in the next of time in and on in these
at sunrise Independence
century common expressions:
Day

in the Ice on my in on
at sunset
Age birthday
on Tuesday
at the in the on New in the morning
morning
moment past/future Year's Eve
in the on Saturday
Look at these examples: mornings mornings

 I have a meeting at 9am. in the on Sunday

 The shop closes at midnight.
 Jane went home at lunchtime.
 In England, it often snows in
December.
 Do you think we will go to Jupiter
in the future?
 There should be a lot of progress
in the next century.
 Do you work on Mondays?
 Her birthday is on 20 November.
 Where will you be on New Year's
Day?
afternoon(s) afternoons
in the on Monday
evening(s) evening
When we say last, next, every,
this we do not also use at, in, on.
 I went to London last
June. (not in last June)
 He's coming back next
Tuesday. (not on next
Tuesday)
 I go home every Easter.
(not at every Easter)
  We'll call you this
evening. (not in this
evening)

Determiners: A, An or The?

Determiners: A, An or Look at these examples:

The?
the a, an
When do we say "the dog" and when
do we say "a dog"? (On this page we  The  I was
talk only about singular, countable capital of born in a
nouns.) France is town.
Paris.  John had
The and a/an are called "articles". We  I have an
divide them into "definite" and found the omelette
"indefinite" like this: book that for
I lost. lunch.
 Have you  James
Articles cleaned Bond
 Definite Indefinite the car? ordered
 There are a drink.
the a, an six eggs  We want
in the to buy
fridge. an
We use "definite" to mean sure, umbrella
certain. "Definite" is particular.  Please .
switch off
We use "indefinite" to mean not sure, the TV  Have
not certain. "Indefinite" is general. when you you got
finish. a pen?
When we are talking about one thing
in particular, we use the. When we are
talking about one thing in general, we Of course, often we can use the or
use a or an. a/an for the same word. It depends on
the situation. Look at these examples:
Think of the sky at night. In the sky
there is 1 moon and millions of stars.  We want to buy an umbrella.
So normally we could say: (Any umbrella, not a particular
umbrella.)
 I saw the moon last night.
 Where is the umbrella? (We
 I saw a star last night. already have an umbrella. We
are looking for our umbrella, a
particular umbrella.)

Determiners: Each can be used in front of the verb:

Each, Every  The soldiers each received a

Each and every have similar but not
always identical meanings.
Each = every one separately
Every = each, all
medal.
Each can be followed by 'of':
 The President spoke to each of
the soldiers.
 He gave a medal to each of
them.

Sometimes, each and every have the

same meaning: Every cannot be used for 2 things. For
  Prices go up each year.
 Prices go up every year. 2 things, each can be used:

 He was carrying a suitcase in

But often they are not exactly the
same.
Each expresses the idea of 'one by
one'. It emphasizes individuality.
Every is half-way between each and
all. It sees things or people as singular,
but in a group or in general.
each hand.
Every is used to say how often
something happens:
 There is a plane to Bangkok
every day.
 The bus leaves every hour.

Consider the following:

 Every artist is sensitive.

 Each artist sees things
differently.
 Every soldier saluted as the
President arrived.
 The President gave each
soldier a medal.

Determiners: Some, Look at these examples:

Any  He needs some

stamps.
 I must go. I have some
Some = a little, a few or a small number or homework to do.
amount  I'm thirsty. I want
something to drink.
Any = one, some or all  I can see somebody
coming.
Usually, we use some in positive (+) sentences
and any in negative (-) and question (?)  He doesn't need any
sentences. stamps.
 I can stay. I don't have
any homework to do.
  I'm not thirsty. I don't
some any example want anything to
drink.
I have  I can't see anybody
+ some I have $10. coming.
money.
 Does he need any
I don't have $1
stamps?
I don't and I don't have
 Do you have any
- have any $10 and I don't
homework to do?
money. have $1,000,000.
 Do you want anything
I have $0.
to drink?
 Can you see anybody
Do you Do you have $1
coming?
? have any or $10 or
money? $1,000,000?
We use any in a positive
sentence when the real sense
is negative.
In general, we use something/anything and
somebody/anybody in the same way as some/any.  I refused to give them
any money. (I did not
give them any money)
 She finished the test
without any difficulty.
(she did not have any
difficulty)

Sometimes we use some in a

question, when we expect a
positive YES answer. (We
could say that it is not a real
question, because we think we
know the answer already.)