Time, tense and form
Sophia works at that other school now.
Time is used to refer to a partiuuar period (yesterday, at six o’iuoik, in medievau tmess in tte
past, present or future.
Now à present
Tense is a grammatiau expression ttat indiiates tte tme of an aiton.
Works à present
Form is tte way in wtiit tte tense is represented (simpue, iontnuouss.
Works à simpue
TIME
TENSE past tme present tme future tme
present simpue I want a ioffee. I ueave tomorrow.
Ste uikes ioffee.
iontnuous I am taving dinner. I am taking my exam
next montt.
Ttey are uiving in London.
perfeit I tave seen ET. I tave fnisted.
perfeit I tave been
iontnuous puayingtennis.
We tave been working for four tours.
past simpue I fnisted one tour If ste uoved you now, ste wouud marry you. If you iame tomorrow,
ago. you wouud see ter.
iontnuous I was working at 2am
ttis morning.
perfeit I tad not eaten for 24
tours.
perfeit We tad been If I tad been working now, I wouud tave If I tad been working
iontnuous working for 3 tours. missed you. tomorrow, I iouud not
tave agreed.
1
,future simpue Houd on. I'uu do it now. I'uu see you tomorrow.
iontnuous I wiuu be working at 9pm
tonigtt.
perfeit I wiuu tave fnisted by
9pm tonigtt.
We wiuu tave been married for ten years next montt.
perfeit Ttey may be tred wten
iontnuous you arrive beiause
ttey wiuu tave been
working.
In 30 minutes, we wiuu tave been working for four tours.
Week 2. Present tense
Tte six tenses
Past
Present
Future
Past Perfect
Present Perfect
Future Perfect
Present simple:
1. Form
Positve: I live in London. My sister lives in Madrid
Negatve: I do not live in an apartment. He does not live in a touse
Queston: Do you work in an ofiec
2. Facts, permanent situatons and opinions (Neutral present)
- For faits (ttings ttat are auways trues
- Permanent situatons
- To desiribe opinions and ideas
- To desiribe uikes and disuikes
3. Regular actons, habits and routnes (Habitual present)
- adverbs of frequeniy (e.g. markers: auways, ofen, never, usuauuy, s
- otter tme expressions (every day, onie a years
2
, 4. Describing flms, plaas and books (Historic present)
Historic present: To give a vivid descripton of something that happened in the past (I was
walking home from work yesterday. All of a sudden my phone rings and it is my ex. So I say to
him “look if you can’t make it then please tell me so immediately.” )
The present simple is also used:
5. To express fixed arrangements in the futured
Your exam starts at 09.00.
6. for vivid storytelling
So Superman walks into a store and says to the lady behind the counter …
Present continuous
1. Form
Positve: I’m having lunch. He’s watching TV
Negatve: I’m not watching TV.
Questons: Are you watching TV?
2. Actons happening no or around no
- Aitons tappening wtiue we are speaking
- Aitons tappening around tte tme of speaking
- Temporary situaton
3. Changes and trends (Priies are going up agains
4. Describing pictures (Tte woman in tte middue is holding a iups
5. Habitual present: indicates a source of irritaton (my sister is always nagging!)
Present simple or continuous?
1. Basii differenies in us
Present simpue Present iontnuous
Permanent situatonss ttings we do not expeit Temporary situatons, for a uimited period of
to itange tme
Reguuar aitons, tabits and routnes Aitons ttat are tappening at/aaround tte tme
we are speaking
Permanent situatonss ttins we do not expeit Sometting ttat is itanging
to itange
To desiribe events in a book, puay or fum To desiribe wtat is tappening in a ptoto or
piiture
2. Acton verbs+ can be usualla be used in both simple and contnous
Janice flies around the world. She’s flying to Sydney today
3. State verbs+ describes states rather than actons, e.g. aas of thinking or feeling. These
verbs are not usualla used in the contnuous form.
4. State verbs and the contnuous form
State (Present simpues Aiton (present iontnuouss
Have I have two sisters (=possesss I’m having breakfast rigtt now
(=eatngs
Ttink Wtat do you think of itc Wtat are you ttinking aboutc
(=Wtat is your opinioncs (=ionsidering at tte moments
Appear It appears ttat ttey’re going to Tte Gypsy Kings are appearing
iuose tte tteatre (=seems ttat/a at tte uoiau tteatre next week
3
, uooks uikes (=performings
Taste Your soup tastes wonderfuu (= I’m tastng tte soup to iteik if
a quauity of tte soups it needs any more saut (=I’m
testng its
See Do you see tte differenie Are you seeing your friends a
between tte two piitures (=ian uot at tte momentc (=meetng
you notie its reguuarys
Week 3. Past tense + irregular verbs
Past simple
1. Form
Possitve: I staaed witt my friend uast nigtt
Negatve: I did not staa witt ter uast nigtt
Queston: Did aou staa witt terc
2. Past simple for past actons and situatons
- A singue iompueted aiton in tte past (He died in
1539s
- Repeated aitons in tte past (He uearned severau
natve Ameriian uanguagess
- A series of aitons in tte past
- Situatons ttat fnisted in tte past (He uived from 1500 to 1539s
3. Past simple + adverbs(bijwoorden) of tme+ hen, afer
- Ago (We arrived at tte airport ten minutes agos
- For (tte eionomii irisis uasted for two yearss
- Last week/amontt/ayear (Marieua started iouuege uast montts
à which are all over and done with; there is no connecton with the present.
How do you know when to use the Past Simple?
Time is given I met tim yesterday.
Time is asked about. Wten did you meet timc
Time is impuied. How did you get ttis jobc
(You now tave tte job.s
Tte event took puaie in a period of Ste uived in Rome wten ste was a
tme ttat tas now ended. teenager.
(Ste is now an aduut.s
Past tabits (= used tos Ttey never drank /a used to drink wine.
(But ttey do now.s
The Past Simple – Form
• Reguuar forms (wauked, traineds
4
The benefits of buying summaries with Stuvia:
Guaranteed quality through customer reviews
Stuvia customers have reviewed more than 700,000 summaries. This how you know that you are buying the best documents.
Quick and easy check-out
You can quickly pay through credit card or Stuvia-credit for the summaries. There is no membership needed.
Focus on what matters
Your fellow students write the study notes themselves, which is why the documents are always reliable and up-to-date. This ensures you quickly get to the core!
Frequently asked questions
What do I get when I buy this document?
You get a PDF, available immediately after your purchase. The purchased document is accessible anytime, anywhere and indefinitely through your profile.
Satisfaction guarantee: how does it work?
Our satisfaction guarantee ensures that you always find a study document that suits you well. You fill out a form, and our customer service team takes care of the rest.
Who am I buying these notes from?
Stuvia is a marketplace, so you are not buying this document from us, but from seller cmdejong58. Stuvia facilitates payment to the seller.
Will I be stuck with a subscription?
No, you only buy these notes for $3.21. You're not tied to anything after your purchase.
