High Intermediate Grammar For English Language Learners Overview of Verb Tenses

Overview of Verb Tenses 1. How many verb tenses are there in English? Can you name the different verb tenses? List them and give examples of each. Verbs come in three tenses: present, past, and future.  The present tense is used to describe things that are happening right now, or things that are continuous. o Simple Present: I walk every day. o Present Continuous: I am studying math now. o Present Perfect: I have travel to Paris three times. o Present Perfect Continuous: I have been singing since I was eight years old.  The past is used to describe things that have already happened. o Simple Past: Last night, I went to the cinema with my friends. o Past Continuous: I was doing homework in my room. o Past Perfect: I had lived in three different countries by the time I was twenty. o Past Perfect Continuous: I had been eating healthy for at least two years.  The future tense describes things that have yet to happen. o Simple Future: I will be a doctor. o Future Continuous: I will be flying to New York. o Future Perfect: I will have read at least 100 books by the end of the year. o Future Perfect Continuous: I will have been studying for my exam for four hours. 2. What are time markers in the English verb tense system? Can you give examples of time markers? English uses time markers to accurately say when something happened or happens. Yesterday, last week, last month, last year, and many more expressions tell us when of an action. These are examples of time markers for present perfect: o o o o Just Already Still Yet o For 3. What are modals in the English verb tense system? Can you give examples of Modals? Modal verbs show possibility, intent, ability, permission, suggestion, habit, obligation request or necessity. Modal verbs do not change in form to make different tenses. All the modal verbs can refer to present and future time. Only some of them can refer to past time. The most frequently used ones are:    Can May Might o o o o I can swim very well. It might rain today. You should read at lest two book per month. You must wash your hands before working.    Could Should Would   Will Must 4. What are conditionals in the English verb tense system? Can you give examples of conditionals? Conditional tenses are used to speculate about what could happen, what might have happened, and what we wish would happen. In English, most sentences using the conditional contain the word if. In many negative conditional sentences, there is an equivalent sentence construction using "unless" instead of "if". The zero conditional It is used for when the time being referred to is now or always and the situation is real and possible. The zero conditional is often used to refer to general truths. The tense in both parts of the sentence is the simple present. In zero conditional sentences, the word "if" can usually be replaced by the word "when" without changing the meaning.  If I am tired, I go to bed early. First conditional It is used to refer to the present or future where the situation is real. The first conditional refers to a possible condition and its probable result. In these sentences the if clause is in the simple present, and the main clause is in the simple future.  If I do not study, I will fail the exam. Second conditional It is used to refer to a time that is now or any time, and a situation that is unreal. These sentences are not based on fact. The second conditional is used to refer to a hypothetical condition and its probable result. In this type of conditional sentences, the if clause uses the simple past, and the main clause uses the present conditional.  If I won the lottery, I would buy a mansion. Third conditional It is used to refer to a time that is in the past, and a situation that is contrary to reality. The facts they are based on are the opposite of what is expressed. The third conditional is used to refer to an unreal past condition and its probable past result. In this type of conditional sentences, the if clause uses the past perfect, and the main clause uses the perfect conditional.  If you had studied harder, you would have passed the exam. Mixed type conditional The mixed type conditional is used to refer to a time that is in the past, and a situation that is ongoing into the present. The facts they are based on are the opposite of what is expressed. The mixed type conditional is used to refer to an unreal past condition and its probable result in the present. In mixed type conditional sentences, the if clause uses the past perfect, and the main clause uses the present conditional.  If we had locked at the map, we wouldn’t be lost.