PRESENT SIMPLE

Used when talking about things in general, to state facts, permanant situations, things
that happen on a regular basis.
CLUES: Normally, every day/week/month etc, often, usually.
EXAMPLES:
I live in spain.
The sun rises in the East.
What do you do?
She gets up at 7.30 every morning.
I don´t go out very often.

PRESENT CONTINUOUS
Describes an action in progress at the time of speaking or around the time of speaking.
CLUES: Now, this week/month/year, today, at the moment,
EXAMPLES:
I am studying English at the moment.
It´s raining.
I´m getting tired.
The cost of living is increasing.
The summers are getting hotter.

PAST SIMPLE
Describes a completed action in the past.
CLUES: In 1985/1564 etc, yesterday, last year/week etc…
EXAMPLES:
I got up at 8.30 this morning.
I went to Africa in 1999.
Did you do your homework last night?
Julius Caesar invaded Britain in 55 BC.
I missed the bus.
PAST CONTINUOUS
Describes an action in progress at a point of time in the past.
I was earning a lot of money when I was working for the BBC.
Describes an action which forms the setting or background of a past event. The past
event uses the past simple, the setting/background uses the past continuous.
The sun was setting as I walked home (“the sun was setting” is the background, “I
walked home” is the past event).
He took a Photo of me while I wasn´t looking.
An itterupted event: The interrupted event takes the past cont. And the event which
interrupts it takes the past simple.
I was running a marathon when I broke my leg.
EXAMPLES:
I was having dinner when Lucy called.
We didn´t hear the phone ring because we were sleeping.
What were you doing when it happened?
I was doing my homework when the police knocked on the door.

PRESENT PERFECT
Describes events which start in the past and continue into the present, an action that
happened in the past and may happen again in the future, or a past state which has
relevance in the present.
Has/Have + Past Participle
Have you finished the washing up?
CLUES: For, since, ever, never, so far, already, yet, still.
EXAMPLES:
I have never been to Australia.
My family has lived in Africa since 1995.
I still haven´t seen them.
Have you done the exam yet?
The floods have destroyed the city.
PAST PERFECT
To decribe an action which is completed before a time in the past.
Had + Past Participle
EXAMPLES:
By the time the UN arrived, the rebel forces had taken the province.
When we got back the babysitter had already gone home.
I left university before I´d taken the final exams.
She went before I had a chance to explain. (Or, She went before I had explained).

FUTURE
I WILL AND I´M GOING TO
WILL is used to talk about predictions, decisions to do something at the time of
speaking, and when we´re not 100% sure that something is going to happen.
I think the exam papers will be difficult.
Tom will probably arrive at 10 o´clock.
I don´t think the party will last long.
GOING TO is used when we have already decided to do something or when we say
something is going to happen, because of the situation now.
Look at those clouds, there´s going to be a storm.
I feel terrible, I think I´m going to be sick.
I´m going to visit my Mum this evening (You have already decided to go and visit her).
Sometimes there´s not much difference between WILL and GOING TO.
I think the weather will be nice this afternoon.
I think the weather is going to be nice this afternoon.
WE CAN USE THE PRESENT CONTINOUS TO DESCRIBE AN EVENT IN THE
FUTURE THAT WE HAVE ALREADY ARRANGED.
I am taking my exams next week.
James is going on holiday on Tuesday.
I´m going to England next summer.
-.&3! =12,%>?%
%&! PASSIVE =1))'7$%7)5%@+,'7$%A/'+$%
!
E&15.!*,)!5&!&2$%&1!(,..2=&!/1!,*$2=&9!!F/).2'&1!$%&!#/++/72)6!
$.% .&)$&)*&.G!
!
*8% ! ,-)./0&)*(1).&()7,.!(-5+2.%&'!2)!HIJK!5;!B/%)!L$&2)5&*A9!
!
% ! B/%)!L$&2)5&*A!(-5+2.%&'!,-)./0&)*(1).&()2)!HIJK9!
!
?%&.&!$7/!.&)$&)*&.!*,11;!$%&!.,0&!0&..,6&3!;&$!$%&;!,1&!7/1'&'!
'2##&1&)$+;9!!?%&!#21.$!.&)$&)*&3!712$$&)!2)!B1))'7$%7/'+$3!0,A&.!$%&!
.-5>&*$!4,-)./0&)*(1).&(8!1&*&2=&!$%&!,*$2/)!/#!$%&!=&15!42*3)
4$5+/3"&189!!?%&!.&*/)'!.&)$&)*&3!712$$&)!2)!1+,'7$%7/'+$3!0,A&.!$%&!
1&! .-5>&*$!46#"()7!&/(5&085'#$)'(,%)-4'%>'#$)'10#"%6';4$5+/3"&189!
!
L&)$&)*&.!712$$&)!2)!,*$2=&!=/2*&!,1&!0/1&!'21&*$!.2)*&!$%&!.-5>&*$!
'/&.!$%&!,*$2/)!/#!$%&!=&159!!M,..2=&!=/2*&3!/)!$%&!/$%&1!%,)'3!2.!+&..!
(1&#&1,5+&!.2)*&!2$!/#$&)!/02$.!$%&!.-5>&*$!/#!$%&!,*$2/)9!!?%&!
#/++/72)6!&N,0(+&.!.%/7!$%,$!(,..2=&!.&)$&)*&.!'/!)/$!62=&!*1&'2$!
6!
$/!$%&!.-5>&*$!/#!$%&!,*$2/)!7%2+&!,*$2=&!.&)$&)*&.!'/G!
(&'! !
! ?%&!A&;!7,.!+/.$9!CB1))'7$D!
/*A9! ! O2)',!+/.$!$%&!A&;9!C1+,'7$D%
%
% ?%&!0,)!7,.!.$1-*A!5;!+26%$&)2)69!CB1))'7$D!
! O26%$&)2)6!.$1-*A!$%&!0,)9!C1+,'7$D!
%
L$-'&)$.!.%/-+'!,=/2'!-.2)6!(,..2=&!=/2*&!2)!,*,'&02*!712$2)6P!
%/7&=&13!7%&)!$%&!.-5>&*$!/#!$%&!,*$2/)!2.!-)A)/7)3!/5=2/-.3!/1!
0,A&! -)20(/1$,)$3!(,..2=&!=/2*&!2.!,**&($,5+&9!!Q/1!&N,0(+&3!2)!.*2&)$2#2*!
+,5!1&(/1$.3!$%&!(,..2=&!=/2*&!2.!/#$&)!-.&'!5&*,-.&!$%&!.-5>&*$!/#!
"/'
$%&!,*$2/)!2.!-)20(/1$,)$G!
7)! !
! M,1$2*2(,)$.!2)!$%&!.$-';!7&1&!,.A&'!$/!1&*/1'!$%&21!1&.(/).&.9!
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!B1))'7$%7/'+$!
0&3!
!
! ?%&!/1262),+!7,$&1!+&=&+!7,.!.-5$1,*$&'!#1/0!$%&!#2),+!,0/-)$9!
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!B1))'7$%7/'+$!

TENSE ACTIVE PASSIVE

Present Lucy does the cooking. The cooking is done by
Lucy.
Present Cont. Lucy is doing the cooking. The cooking is being done
by Lucy.
Past I built the house. The house was built by me.

Past Cont. I was building the house The house was being built
this time last year. this time last year.
Future Sam will do his homework. Sam´s homework will be
done.
Present Perfect Somebody has cleaned the The house has been
house. cleaned.
Past Perfect The room looked nice, The room looed nice, it had
somebody had already already been cleaned.
cleaned it.

CONDITIONAL SENTENCES
FIRST CONDITIONAL
If + present simple + will + infinitive.
If you see the film, you´ll understand.
We use the first conditional to talk about possible or likely future situations, promises
and warnings.
If it´s cold tomorrow, I won´t walk to college.
If she doesn´t go to the party, she won´t see David.
If you forget her birthday, she´ll be upset.

SECOND CONDITIONAL
If + past simple + would + infinitive.
If you saw the film, you´d understand.
We use the second conditional for unreal or improbable situations now or in the future,
or to give advice.
If I had money, I´d buy you a present.
If you had a car, you could/would learn to drive.
If I were you, I´d put some suntan lotion on.

THIRD CONDITIONAL
If + Past Perfect + would have + past participle
If you had seen the film, you would have understood.
We use the third conditional to talk about things in the past which didn´t happen.
If I had known you were coming, I would have made some dinner.
DIRECT AND INDIRECT (REPORTED) SPEACH

DIRECT SPEECH INDIRECT (REPORTED) SPEECH

She said "I love the hotel".
"We´re having a great time".
He said "I worked for ten hours".
"You´ve never written to me".
"I´ll see you soon".
She said that she loved the hotel.
He said that they were having a great time.
He said he´d worked for ten hours.
She said he´d never written to her.
He said he´d see her soon.

If the reporting verb (said or told) is in the past, the verb in the reported statement moves back a
tense into the past.

present simple - past simple

present continuous - past continuous

past simple - past perfect

present perfect - past perfect

will - would

can - could

The modal verbs should, could, would, might and ought to do not change.

Pronouns and possessive adjectives also change:

"I am watching you". He said that he was watching her.

"we´ve got you a surprise". She said that they had got him a surprise.

"I´ve forgotten my keys". He said that he had forgotten his keys.

TIME EXPRESSIONS IN REPORTED SPEECH

this - that these - thoses now - then next week - the following week

today - that day tomorrow - the next day yesterday - the day before

last week - the week beofre here - there ago - before

If the reporting verb is in the simple present, presesent perfect or future, the verb in the reported
statement does not change. Don´t forget you still need to change the pronouns and possessive
adjectives.

DIRECT SPEECH INDIRECT (REPORTED) SPEECH

They say "things never change". They say that things never change.
She has said "I always tell the truth". She has said that she always tells the truth.
He will/is going to say "I did it yesterday". He will/is going to say that he did it
yesterday.
PRONOUNS
Subject Pronouns - I, you, he, she, it, we, you, they - function as the subject of a
sentence:
I live in New York.
They bought a new car last month.

Object Pronouns - me, you, him, her, it, us, you, them serve as the object of a verb.
Give me the book.
He told you to come tonight.

Possessive Pronouns - mine, yours, his, hers, its, ours, yours, theirs show that
something belongs to someone.
Note that the possessive pronouns are similar to possessive adjectives (my, his, her).
The difference is that the object follows the possessive adjective but does not follow the
possessive pronoun.
For example - Possessive Pronoun: That book is mine. - Possessive Adjective: That is
my book.
I'm sorry, that's his.
Those students are ours.

Demonstrative Pronouns - this, that, these, those refer to things. 'this' and 'these' refer
to something that is near. 'that' and 'those' refer to things that are farther away.
These are my colleagues in this room.
Those are beautiful flowers in the next field.

Possessive adjectives - my, your, his, her, its, our, your, their are often confused with
possessive pronouns. The possessive adjective modifies the noun following it in order
to show possession.
I'll get my books.
Is that your car over there?