- •Contents
- •The Future-In-The-Past Tense……………………………………………………………..45 the present indefinite (simple) tense
- •I. The formation of the Present Indefinite.
- •1. The Present Indefinite is formed from the infinitive without the particle to.
- •9. To denote future actions in adverbial clauses of time after conjunctions when
- •10. To denote future actions in adverbial clauses of condition after conjunctions if
- •In case
- •11. To denote future actions in adverbial clauses of concession after conjunctions
- •What do we do next?
- •The present continuous tense
- •III. The Present Continuous Tense is used to denote:
- •Actions or events which are in progress at the moment of speaking. To emphasize this, we often use adverbials like now, at the moment, just, etc.:
- •6. For a frequently repeated action, usually when the frequency annoys the speaker or
- •7. For an action which appears to be continuous:
- •8. To describe current trends:
- •Verbs not normally used in the continuous tenses
- •VII. Verbs denoting effect or influence: astonish, impress, please, satisfy, surprise. Feel, look, smell and taste used in the continuous forms
- •2. Look
- •3. Smell
- •4.Taste
- •See and hear used in the continuous forms
- •Think, assume and expect used in the continuous forms
- •The past indefinite (simple) tense
- •I. The formation of the Past Indefinite.
- •Verbs ending in -e add -d only:
- •3. The contracted negative forms are:
- •4. The negative-interrogative forms are:
- •Irregular verbs: form
- •If the period is over or reference is made to a particular past point of time within that
- •2. In narrations to express a succession of action of past actions.
- •3. To express recurrent actions. It is generally supported by the use of adverbial modifiers
- •4. To express the immediate past. We can sometimes use the simple past without a time
- •6. To express permanent actions which indicate continuous, uninterrupted processes in the past, giving a general characteristic of the person or thing denoted by the subject.
- •The past continuous tense
- •2. The Past Continuous is used to express an action going on at a given period of time in the past.
- •The future indefinite (simple) tense
- •I. The formation of the Future Indefinite Tense
- •1. The Future Indefinite is formed by means of the auxiliary verbs shall/will
- •3. To denote future habitual actions which we assume will take place.
- •4. In sentences containing clauses of condition, time and sometimes purpose
- •The future continuous tense
- •The present perfect tense
- •III. The use of the Present Perfect
- •Have you been to Denmark?
- •Is this the first time you’ve been in hospital?
- •The present perfect continuous tense
- •I. The formation of the Present Perfect Continuous Tense
- •The past perfect tense
- •Had he not worked?
- •Hadn’t you worked?
- •The Squire was purple with anger before his son had done speaking.
- •With verbs not admitting of the Continuous form:
- •In negative sentences:
- •II. The contracted affirmative forms are:
- •Had he not been working?
- •Hadn’t you been working?
- •III. The use of the Past Perfect Continuous
- •The future perfect tense
- •I. The formation of thePerfect Continuous Tense
- •Will he not have worked?
- •Shan’t we have worked?
- •III. The use of the Future Perfect
- •The future perfect continuous tense
- •I. The formation of the Future Perfect Continuous Tense
- •II. The contracted affirmative forms are:
- •The Future Perfect Continuous denotes an action begun before a definite moment in the future and continued into that future moment;
- •The future-indefinite-in-the-past
- •I. The formation of the Future-Indefinite-in-the-Past
- •II. The contracted affirmative forms are:
- •Shouldn’t I work/
- •III. The use of the Future-Indefinite-in-the-Past.
- •The future-continuous-in-the-past
- •I. The formation of the Future-Continuous-in-the-Past
- •II. The contracted affirmative forms are:
- •I. The formation of the Future-Continuous-in-the-Past
- •I. The formation of the Future-Perfect-in-the-Past
- •II. The contracted affirmative forms are:
- •Should I not have been working?
- •Wouldn’t he have been working?
- •III. The use of the Future-Perfect-Continuous-in-the-Past
- •List of irregular verbs
- •Appendix
- •I. Some spelling rules
- •I. Doubling the final consonant.
- •II. Mute Final e.
- •III. Final -y and Its Modifications.
Is this the first time you’ve been in hospital?
8. We use the Present Perfect with for + length of time and since + a time in the past. We use the Present Perfect to ask or say how long something has been happening up to now. We use the Past Indefinite to say when something happened.
How long have you been here? - I have been here for two weeks.
I have been here since Monday.
We do not use for in expressions with all (all day / all morning / all week / all my life etc.)
I’ve lived here all my life.
◆In the clause introduced by since the Past Indefinite is used to indicate the starting point of an action.
Your daughter has become a real beauty since I saw her last.
◆Note the structure How long is it since…?
-How long is it since you had a holiday?
-It’s two hours since I had a holiday. (I haven’t had a holiday for two years.)
It’s ages since Tom visited us. (He hasn’t visited us for ages.)
The present perfect continuous tense
I. The formation of the Present Perfect Continuous Tense
The Present Perfect Continuous is formed by means of the Present Perfect of the auxiliary verb to be and Participle I of the notional verb. Participle I is formed by adding the suffix -ing to the stem of the verb.
In the interrogative form the first auxiliary verb is placed before the subject.
In the negative form the negative particle not is placed after the first auxiliary verb.
|
Affirmative |
Negative |
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|
I have been working |
I have not been working |
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|
You have been working |
You have not been working |
|
|
He/she/it has been working |
He/she/it has not been working |
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|
We have been working |
We have not been working |
|
|
They have been working |
They have not been working |
|
|
Interrogative |
|
|
|
Have I been working? |
|
|
|
Have you been working? |
|
|
|
Has he/she/it been working? |
|
|
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Have we been working? |
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|
|
Have they been working? |
|
|
II. The contracted affirmative forms are:
I’ve been working
He’s been working
You’ve been working
The contracted negative forms are:
I haven’t been working
He hasn’t been working
You’ve been working
The negative-interrogative forms are:
Has he not been working?
Hasn’t he been working?
Have you not been working?
Haven’t you been working?
III.The use of the Present Perfect Continuous
1. We use the Present Perfect Continuous for action that started in the past and is still happening. Usually if the action started a few minutes or hours ago, we use the Present Perfect Continuous, and if it has been happening for longer, we can use either the simple or continuous form.
I have been studying for three hours.
(I started studying three hours ago and I am still studying.)
They have been living in Paris for three years.
(They have lived in Paris for three years, and are still there.)
2. We use the Present Perfect Continuous when we talk about an action (quite a long action) which began in the past and has recently stopped or just stopped.
You are out of breath. Have you been running?
That man over there is bright red. I think he’s been sunbathing.
3. We often use the Present Perfect Continuous with verbs like learn, lie (on the bed), live, rest, sleep, sit, stand, stay, which describe states of being rather than actions.
Alex has been sleeping for hours.
4. We can also use the continuous form when we want to emphasize how long something has been happening.
I’ve been learning Italian for six years and I still can’t speak it properly!
Sorry I’m late. Have you been waiting long?
Sometimes the action is a repeated action.
Tom has been driving for ten years.
How long have you been smoking?
The continuous or simple form can be used for actions repeated over a long period.
I’ve been collecting / I’ve collected stamps since I was a child.
5. We use the Present Perfect Continuous for actions that have just finished, often when we can see the result.
The road is wet; it has been raining.
6. For actions that are temporary, unusual or continue for some time.
I have been staying with Aunt Olga this week as my mother is in Paris.
7. Remember that some verbs are not usually used in the continuous form. So instead of the Present Perfect Continuous, they are usually used in the Present Perfect.
I’ve been sitting here in the park for an hour, and I’ve met two friends of mine.
(Not; I’ve been meeting.)
Tom and I have known each other since we were at school.
8. The Present Perfect Continuous is used with for, since and How long…? to say how long something has been happening.
-How long have you been waiting for me?
-I’ve bee waiting for you since 8 o’clock / for two hours.
We use since when we say the beginning of the period (8 o’clock).
We use for when we say the period of time (two hours).