Basic English Grammar (Part 7) - English Language Proficiency & Communication Skills

ENGLISH GRAMMAR – TENSES

1. Simple Past Tense

The Simple Past Tense, often just called the Past Tense, is easy to use in English.

In general, the Past Tense is used to talk about something that started and finished at a definite time in the past.

How to form the Past Tense in English

The main rule is that for every verb in English, there is only one form of it in the past tense. 
(The exception is the Past tense of To Be, which has two forms: was and were)

This is totally different from other languages such as Spanish, French, and Italian etc. where you change the verb ending for every subject.

For example: The past tense of the verb want is wanted.
Wanted is used as the past tense for all subjects/pronouns.

Past Tense Regular Verbs

To change a regular verb into its past tense form, we normally add –ED to the end of the verb.

• play – played
• cook – cooked
• rain – rained
• wait – waited

Examples of sentences using regular verbs in the past tense

• Last night I played my guitar loudly and the neighbors complained.
• She kissed me on the cheek.
• It rained yesterday.
• Angela watched TV all night.
• John wanted to go to the museum.

Negative sentences in the Past Tense

We use didn't (did not) to make a negative sentence in the past tense. 
This is for regular AND irregular verbs in English. 

Examples of negative sentences in the Past Tense

• I didn't want to go to the dentist.
• She didn't have time.
• You didn't close the door.
• He didn't come to my party.
• They didn't study so they didn't pass the test.
• We didn't sleep well last night.

Questions in the Past Tense

We use did to make a question in the past tense. 
This is for regular AND irregular verbs in English. 

Compare the following:

Present: Do they live in France?
Past: Did they live in France?

The main verb (live in the example above) is in its base form (of the infinitive). The auxiliary DID show that the question is in the past tense.

We can also use a question word (Who, What, Why etc.) before DID to ask for more information.

• Did you study? – Yes, I did.
• When did you study? – I studied last night.
• Where did you study? – I studied at the library.

Irregular Verbs in the Past Tense

Irregular verbs are ONLY irregular in affirmative/positive sentences.
(An exception to this is with the verb TO BE in the Past Tense).

For example: The past tense of GO is WENT.
It does not end in –ED so it is considered irregular.

The word went is used for all subjects – I, you, we, they, he, she, it.

• I went to the beach
• He went to the park.
• She went to the zoo.
• They went to the library.

BUT, as we mentioned before, it is only in its irregular form (went) in sentences that are affirmative/positive.

Compare the following using GO in the past tense.

• They went to the beach
• They didn't go to the beach --- Didn't shows that we are talking in the past tense.
• Did they go to the beach? --- Did show that we are talking in the past tense.

Another example with an irregular verb
The past of EAT is ATE.

• You ate my cake.
• You didn't eat my cake.
• Did you eat my cake?

Past Tense Irregular Verbs List

Part I - The following is a list of Irregular Verbs in English:

Verb	Past Simple	Past Participle
arise	arose	arisen
babysit	babysat	babysat
be	was / were	been
beat	beat	beaten
become	became	become
bend	bent	bent
begin	began	begun
bet	bet	bet
bind	bound	bound
bite	bit	bitten
bleed	bled	bled
blow	blew	blown
break	broke	broken
breed	bred	bred
bring	brought	brought
broadcast	broadcast	broadcast
build	built	built
buy	bought	bought
catch	caught	caught
choose	chose	chosen
come	came	come
cost	cost	cost
cut	cut	cut
deal	dealt	dealt
dig	dug	dug
do	did	done
draw	drew	drawn
drink	drank	drunk
drive	drove	driven
eat	ate	eaten
fall	fell	fallen
feed	fed	fed
feel	felt	felt
fight	fought	fought
find	found	found
fly	flew	flown
forbid	forbade	forbidden
forget	forgot	forgotten
forgive	forgave	forgiven
freeze	froze	frozen
get	got	gotten
give	gave	given
go	went	gone
grow	grew	grown
hang*	hung	hung
have	had	had
hear	heard	heard
hide	hid	hidden
hit	hit	hit
hold	held	held
hurt	hurt	hurt
keep	kept	kept
know	knew	known
lay	laid	laid
lead	led	led
leave	left	left
lend	lent	lent
let	let	let
lie **	lay	lain
light	lit	lit
lose	lost	lost
make	made	made
mean	meant	meant
meet	met	met
pay	paid	paid
put	put	put
quit	quit	quit
read ***	read	read
ride	rode	ridden
ring	rang	rung
rise	rose	risen
run	ran	run
say	said	said
see	saw	seen
sell	sold	sold
send	sent	sent
set	set	set
shake	shook	shaken
shine	shone	shone
shoot	shot	shot
show	showed	shown
shut	shut	shut
sing	sang	sung
sink	sank	sunk
sit	sat	sat
sleep	slept	slept
slide	slid	slid
speak	spoke	spoken
spend	spent	spent
spin	spun	spun
spread	spread	spread
stand	stood	stood
steal	stole	stolen
stick	stuck	stuck
sting	stung	stung
strike	struck	struck
swear	swore	sworn
sweep	swept	swept
swim	swam	swum
swing	swung	swung
take	took	taken
teach	taught	taught
tear	tore	torn
tell	told	told
think	thought	thought
throw	threw	thrown
understand	understood	understood
wake	woke	woken
wear	wore	worn
win	won	won
withdraw	withdrew	withdrawn
write	wrote	written

* HANG - Hang has two different meanings. The first is "to attach (or hang) something in a high position" (e.g. on the wall or on a hook). In this case we use the above verbs Hang-Hung-Hung.

BUT when Hang means "to kill someone by putting a rope around someone's neck and leaving them in a high position without any support", we use different verbs: Hang-Hanged-hanged. This verb is typical of public executions in the past. (e.g. They hanged him in the main square.)

** LIE - Lie has two meanings. When it means "to put your body in a horizontal position" (normally on a bed) it uses the Lie-Lay-Lain verbs.

BUT it is regular Lie-Lied-Lied when it has the other meaning of "not to say the truth".

*** READ - Even though they are written the same, the pronunciation is different in the Past Tense and Past Participle form.

Part II - Verbs that have the same form in Present, Past and Past Participle form:

Verb	Past Simple	Past Participle
bet	bet	bet
broadcast	broadcast	broadcast
cut	cut	cut
hit	hit	hit
hurt	hurt	hurt
let	let	let
put	put	put
quit	quit	quit
read	read	read
set	set	set
shut	shut	shut
spread	spread	spread

Present Tense - Third Person

Normally in the present tense we add S to the end of the verb in the 3rd person (He, She, It).

Verb	3rd Person
Speak	Speaks
Play	Plays
Give	Gives
Make	Makes

• He speaks three languages.
• She drinks coffee every morning.
• My dog hates my cat.

Irregular Verbs

Irregular verbs in English in the present tense follow very simple rules. The only change that is made to these verbs is in the third person – for He, She or It.

1. If the verb ends in SS, X, CH, SH or the letter O, we add + ES in the third person.

Verb	3rd Person
Kiss	Kisses
Fix	Fixes
Watch	Watches
Crash	Crashes
Go	Goes

• A mechanic fixes cars.
• She watches soap operas every afternoon.
• He kisses his wife before he goes to work.

2. If the verb ends in a Consonant + Y, we remove the Y and + IES in the third person.

Verb	3rd Person
Carry	Carries
Hurry	Hurries
Study	Studies
Deny	Denies

• Isabel studies every night.
• The baby cries all the time.
• He denies all responsibility.

Negative Sentence

To form the negative we use the auxiliary do not. Again, the only variation occurs in the 3rd person where we use does not.

Positive	Negative
I talk	I do not talk
She talks	She does not talk
You sleep	You do not sleep
He sleeps	He does not sleep
Carol studies	Carol does not study
We study	We do not study

In the negative, the main verb is always in the bare infinitive (without TO). It doesn't change for the third person. We don't put an S on the end of the verb in the negative form. In the examples above - talk, sleep and study do not change in the 3rd person.

• He speaks Italian
  He doesn't speak Italian.

Remember: Do not can be abbreviated to Don't and Does not can be abbreviated to Doesn't.

Present Tense vs Progressive Tense

Simple Present Tense

We use the simple present tense:

1. For facts

• Whales live in the ocean.
• Aconcagua is the highest mountain in Latin America.
• The flight from Chile to Australia is thirteen hours.

2. For repeated or regular actions

• Flights to Buenos Aires leave every hour.
• I eat breakfast at the table.
• We work every day of the week.

3. For habits

• I brush my teeth three times a day.
• He only drinks Martinis.
• We celebrate Christmas on the twenty-fifth of December.

4. For things that are generally true in the present time period:

• Boca Juniors is the best team in Argentina at the moment.
• She is my girlfriend.
• We study English.

Present Progressive Tense

We use the present progressive tense:

1. When somebody is doing something at this moment.

• Sarah is changing her clothes right now.
• Her boyfriend is waiting for her.
• We are learning the progressive tense in English.

2. When something is happening at this moment. When the action has started but hasn't finished.

• It is snowing at the moment.
• The economy is growing at an exponential rate.
• The children are sleeping, so please be quiet.

3. To talk about something that is happening around the time of speaking but not necessarily at that exact moment.

• Alfredo is studying a lot for his exam.
• I'm reading a great book. (not necessary right at this moment)
• We are planning a trip to Jamaica.

Present vs. Progressive Tense

A significant difference between these two tenses is we use the simple present tense for things that are permanent or are in general and the present progressive tense for things that may change or are temporary.

Compare:

Permanent	Temporary
Simon lives in Birmingham.	Simon is living with his friends for now.
James smokes.	James is smoking in the kitchen.
We walk to work.	We're walking in the park.
I speak English.	I am speaking English right now.

Verbs that we don't use in the Progressive Tense

Another difference is that there are some verbs in English that we don't use in the progressive tense. These include:

Belong - Cost - Hate - Have (possession) - Hear - Know - Like - Love - Need - Own - Remember - Seem - Smell - Understand - Want

Different Meanings

In questions the same verb can change the meaning depending on if it is in the present or the present progressive tense.

Differences in meaning of verb
Statement	Meaning
What do you do?	What is your job?
What are you doing?	What are you doing at the moment?
What do you read?	What do you like to read?
What are you reading?	What are you reading right now?

Present vs Progressive vs Past Tense

Present Tense

We use the present tense:

1. For facts.

• A square has four equal sides.
• Copenhagen is the capital of Denmark.

2. For repeated or regular actions in the present time period.

• Flights to Buenos Aires leave every thirty minutes.
• The bells of the town clock ring every hour.

3. For habits

• I brush my teeth every morning.
• He goes to the gym after work.

4. For things that are generally true in the present time period.

• Manchester United is the best team in European football at the moment.
• My friend lives in San Francisco.

We use the present tense when the beginning or ending of an action, event or condition is unknown or unimportant to the meaning of the sentence.

Progressive Tense

We use the present progressive tense:

1. When somebody is doing something at the moment.

• Carla is washing her hair.
• Christian is playing table-tennis.

2. When something is happening at the moment.

• It is snowing at the moment.
• The Christmas sales are happening as we speak.

3. To talk about something that is happening around the time of speaking but not necessarily at that exact moment.

• My brother is learning how to play the violin at school.
• Computers are becoming smaller and faster all the time.

A sentence in the Present Continuous indicates that the action, event or condition is ongoing. It is happening at this point in time and emphasizing the continuing nature of an act, event or condition.

Past Tense

The Past Tense is used:

1. To indicate that an action, event or condition has started and finished. It can be included with a time reference (for more information) or without.

• They went to the beach.
• Peter slept for ten hours.

2. To talk about something this was true in the past.

• Kyoto was the capital of Japan for 1100 years.
• Margaret Thatcher was the Prime Minister of Great Britain.

3. When we are talking about a particular time in the past.

• I visited Egypt in 2000.
• Marta spoke to her sister last night.

It can be included with a time reference (for more information) or without it.

Comparing the Tenses

A sentence in the Present Continuous indicates that the action, event or condition is ongoing. It is happening at this point in time and emphasizing the continuing nature of an act, event or condition.

A significant difference between the simple present tense and the Progressive Tense is:

We use the Simple Present Tense for things that are permanent
We use the Present Progressive for things that may change (are temporary).

Compare:

• Simon lives in Birmingham. (Permanent)
• Simon is living in Birmingham for six months. (Temporary)
• It rains a lot in winter (Permanent)
• It is raining outside (temporary)

Present	I live in Chile	Right now - Permanent
Progressive	I am living in Chile	For the moment - Temporary
Past	I lived in Chile	Happened in the past (not now)

	Affirmative	Negative	Question
Present	I live in Peru.	I don't live in Peru.	Do you live in Peru?
Progressive	I'm living in Peru	I'm not living in Peru.	Are you living in Peru?
Past	I lived in Peru.	I didn't live in Peru.	Did you live in Peru?

 

Present Perfect Tense

The Present Perfect Tense is formed using the following structure:

Affirmative: Subject + Have / Has + Past Participle

Negative: Subject + Haven't / Hasn't + Past Participle

Question: Have / Has + Subject + Past Participle

Affirmative Sentences

Subject	Have	Past Participle	Rest of the Sentence
I	have	studied	for the exam.
You	have	bought	a new computer.
He	has	eaten	my chocolate.
She	has	written	an e-mail.
It	has	been	cold this month.
We	have	won	the championship.
You	have	tried	to learn a lot.
They	have	forgotten	my birthday.

Contractions

The contracted form of the perfect tense is quite common:

Have	Contraction	Examples
I have	I've	I've spent all my money.
You have	You've	You've worn that dress before.
He has	He's	He's slept all morning.
She has	She's	She's lost her purse.
It has	It's	It's fallen off the wall.
We have	We've	We've chosen you for the job.
You have	You've	You've begun to annoy me.
They have	They've	They've drunk too much.

We use contractions a lot when we are speaking.

Negative Sentences

The contraction of the perfect tense in negative form is:
Have not = Haven't
Has not = Hasn't

Subject	Have	Past Participle	Rest of the Sentence
I	haven't	studied	for the exam.
You	haven't	bought	a new computer.
He	hasn't	eaten	my chocolate.
She	hasn't	written	an e-mail.
It	hasn't	been	cold this month.
We	haven't	won	the championship.
You	haven't	tried	to learn a lot.
They	haven't	forgotten	my birthday.

Questions

Have	Subject	Past Participle	Rest of the Sentence
Have	I	been	chosen for the team?
Have	you	bought	a new car?
Has	he	eaten	my sandwich?
Has	she	written	the letter?
Has	it	started	on time?
Have	we	won	a trophy?
Have	you	kept	my secret?
Have	they	driven	there?

When do we use the Present Perfect Tense?

1. Unspecified point in the past

• I have been to Spain three times.
  (At some unspecified time in the past, I went to Spain).

Compare with the simple past:

• I went to Spain three times in 2005.
  (specified time in the past - the year 2005)

2. An action that occurred in the past, but has a result in the present (now)

• We can't find our luggage. Have you seen it?
  (The luggage was lost in the past, do you know where it is now?)

3. Talking about general experiences (ever, never)

It usually refers to an event happening at some moment in your life.

• Has she ever tried Chilean wine before? (in her life)
• I've never eaten monkey brains before. (in my life)

4. Events that recently occurred (just)

• Do you want to go to a restaurant with me?
  No, thanks. I've just eaten lunch. (I recently ate lunch.)

5. Events that have occurred up to now (yet)

• Are Carlos and Rodrigo here? No, they haven't arrived yet. (they're still not here now)

6. Events that occurred before you expected (already)

• I've already graduated from University. (I expected to graduate at a later date.)

7. Events that began in the past and haven't changed (for, since)

• Mike has worked at Woodward for 3 years.
  (Mike started working at Woodward 3 years ago and he still works there now.)
• Julie has worked at Woodward since September last year.
  (Julie began working at Woodward in September of last year, and that hasn't changed - she still works here now.)