English verb tenses for lazybones

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УДК 811.111'36(075.8)

ББК 81.2Англ-923

В19

Vasilyeva E. A.

One of the most effective skills in studying English is the ability to feel confident in using different grammar structures. The reference guide helps to find your way through the maze of numerous English verb forms in a short time. Such categories as voice, mood, basic verb forms, sentence structures are defined and explained in a form of tables with several examples to each rule. The combined chart of tenses is given in the guide too.

УДК 811.111'36(075.8)

ББК 81.2Англ-923

© Vasilyeva E. A., 2014

© Ltd. «Prospekt», 2014

1. Basic Forms

2. Types of Verbs

3. Regular and Irregular Verbs

4. Mood

5. Voice

6. Sentence Structure

The word order is fixed: the subject (S), the predicate (P), the Object (O), the Adverbial Modifier (Adv).

1.1.1. The Present Simple Tense

• General actions; e.g. People build houses of different materials.

• Universal truths; e.g. The sun rises in the east.

• Habitual actions; e.g. Sam reads a newspaper at breakfast.

• Time expressions: never, seldom, hardly ever, rarely, occasionally, sometimes, from time to time, regularly, often, frequently, every day/ month/year, usually, always. e.g. We often meet Liz in the sports club.

• Instructions, directions; e.g. Clean your teeth twice a day.

• Demonstrations, step by step instructions; e.g. First I wash the potatoes, peel them, cut and add a little salt.

• Timetables (verbs of movement): to arrive, to come, to start, to leave и т. д. e.g. The classes start at 9 a.m.

1.1.2. The Past Simple Tense

• Statement of facts; e.g. Columbus discovered America.

• A succession of past events; e.g. We met in the club, played a game of snooker and then went to the cinema.

• A single action in the past; e.g. Bob finished his dinner half an hour ago.

• A repeated action in the past; e.g. Every summer the Potters visited their friends in Australia.

• No connection with the present situation; e.g. I didn't have a car when I was young.

• Specific time – yesterday, some time ago, the other day, in 1995, during the trip, last Monday, then, when, just now e.g. Judy phoned just now.

1.1.3. The Future Simple Tense

• A single action in the future; e.g. I'll stop smoking one day.

A repeated action in the future; e.g. Tom will go to the swimming pool three times a week.

«Time expressions – next week, tomorrow, in 2010, in a month, later, one day etc.

• Feelings, doubts, thoughts without any objective evidences. (I think, I guess, I suppose, probably, perhaps, etc.) e.g. I won't pass the exam. e.g. It will be cold tomorrow. e.g. Cars will be very different in the year 2050.

• A future action is definite with some objective evidences at present (am/is/are going to); e.g. Look! Jack is going to jump off the tree.

• A future action is unplanned, spontaneous e.g. What will you do at the weekend? – I don't know. Perhaps I'll invite friends to my place.

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