Tenses
- We use the present simple tense to talk about regular or repeated actions, especially with ‘frequency adverbs’ like often or usually.
- We use the present continuous tense to describe actions that are in progress at or around the time of speaking, or to talk about continuous change that isn’t finished yet.
- Many verbs (sometimes called ‘stative’ verbs) can’t usually be used in a continuous tense because they describe states, not actions.
- We use the present perfect simple tense to talk about recent past experiences that are important at the time of speaking.
- We use the present perfect continuous tense to talk about actions that began in the past and have continued up to the present.
- We make the present perfect (simple) tense with have + the past participle of the main verb.
- The past simple tense does the main job of telling the story, and the other two give background information.
Modals of probability and the future
- We use the modal verbs might, may and could to say that something is possible.
- We use will / won’t as a modal verb when we are certain about a future event.
- When we make negative statements about possibility, we can’t use couldn’t. This is because couldn’t has another meaning (wasn’t able to).
- We can make could, might or may more certain by adding the word well.
- We make will less certain by adding the word probably.
- We use the present continuous tense to talk about things that are definitely arranged.
- We use going to (do) when we have some evidence to make us certain about the future, or to talk about things that we intend or have decided to do (but are not necessarily completely arranged).
Questions
- In direct questions, the subject comes after the verb.
- When we report questions, the subject comes before the verb, as in normal sentences.
- When reporting questions without question words, we use either if or whether.
- We don’t use question marks with reported questions.
- We can use negative questions to show doubt, anger or surprise.
- When the main sentence is positive, the tag is usually negative; when the main sentence is negative, the tag is usually positive.
- With all other verbs, we use the verb do / don’t or did / didn’t in the tag.
Reporting advice and orders; causatives
- We use the verb tell to report orders / instructions and warn to report negative advice.
- Tell, advise and warn are all followed by an object and the infinitive form of the verb (with to).
- When we use the word not, we put it between the object and the infinitive.
- After advise and warn, we can use against + the -ing form of the verb.
- We make ‘causative’ structures (to have / get something done) with the verbs have or get, followed by an object and a past participle.
- Have the figures checked by someone who understands money.
Past mistakes and past modals
- To talk about things we did wrong in the past, we can use the verb wish + the past perfect tense.
- We can use the verb regret + the -ing form to express the same idea.
- To make negative sentences with regret, we put the word not before the -ing form.
- To criticise someone’s (or your own) past actions or decisions, we use should (not) + the infinitive form of the verb have + the past participle of the main verb (should / shouldn’t have done).
- We make modal verbs refer to the past by adding have + the past participle of the main verb.
- I was born in 1942, so I must have been about six or seven at the time. (This is a logical conclusion about the past)
- I’m sure we could have afforded a fridge at the time. (It was possible but it didn’t happen.)
- I should have realised what it was. (It was important to do but I didn’t do it.)