1 Present Simple

"regular actions and routines especially with frequency

adverbs

Do you go to school by car every day?

I don't often watch TV.

*permanent situations

Pierre comes from France.

"general truths

Snow melts in the sun.

*time clauses with a future meaning, after: when, after,

as soon as, until

I'll ring you when I get home.

*f ixed timetables

Our plane goes at midday.

*'state' verbs which are not usually used in the

continuous

I love rock music!

I don't understand what he's saying.

State verbs

be, have

feel, hear, see, taste, smell, sound

like, dislike, love, hate

know, realize, understand, think, imagine

recognize, remember, appear, look, seem, need,

want, wish, prefer, agree, disagree, believe,

doubt, suppose, deny, impress, mean, promise,

belong to, own

! Some state verbs can be used in the continuous

but with a change of meaning.

You look happy! I'm looking at you!

(=appearance) (=action)

My girlfriend has We're having a party

blue eyes. (=givmg/organizing)

(=possession)

Similar verbs: appear, be, feel, forget, remember,

see, smell, taste, think, try, weigh

2 Present Continuous: be + verb + -ing

*actions happening now

Look! It's snowing!

*actions happening around the time of speaking

The world's climate is changing.

temporary situations

My uncle's visiting the USA but he'll be back

tomorrow.

*plans and arrangements in the future

I'm meeting Jane tonight.

*with always, to describe annoying or surprising

habits

You're always loosing things!

3 keep + -ing

*to describe habitual actions which may be

irritating

my uncle keeps making silly jokes.

File 5: Present perfect

1 Present perfect simple: have/has + past participle

*events that began in the past and are still

continuing

I've been here for ten minutes.

*events that started in a time period that is not

finished

The phone has rung ten times today.

*past actions/situations that have a connection

to the present

Look at this cheque. I've won first prize!

*past actions, when the time is not known

They've made a new Star Wars film.

*with just, for actions that happened very

recently

Il've just got home.

* with time expressions like How long...?, for and since

How long have you been here?

*with time expressions that mean 'up to the present

time', e.g. ever, never, already, yet, recently, so far

Have you ever been to Paris?

*after superlatives

It's the best book I've ever read.

*after phrases like It's the first/last time...

It's the first time I've ever been abroad.

2 Present perfect continuous: have/has + been + -ing

*actions that started in the past and are still continuing

I've been living in this flat since 2000.

*to emphasise how long something has been going on

I've been waiting for ages!

*recent continuous activities, when we can see the result

I'm hot! I've been running.

File 6: Past tenses

1 Past simple

*events that happened at a definite past time or are

clearly finished__________

I saw John last week.

Agatha Christie wrote detective stories.

*a sequence of completed past events

1 got up, had breakfast and went to school.

2 Past continuous: was/were + -ing

*interrupted actions__________

I was (still) having dinner when my friend called. *two actions that were happening at the same time in the past

I was reading a book while my brother was playing his guitar.

3 Past perfect: had + past participle/had + been + -ing

*for events that finished before other past events

or times _____

My brothers had (already) gone to bed by the time I

got home.

By midnight, all the guests had left.

*the past perfect continuous focuses on the duration of

an action

We were tired because we had been playing volleyball

all morning.

File 7: used to/would