Present Tenses

Simple Present

FORM

[VERB] + s/es in third person

Examples:

    You speak English.

    Do you speak English?

    You do not speak English.

Complete List of Simple Present Forms

USE 1 Repeated Actions

Use the Simple Present to express the idea that an action is repeated or usual. The action can be a habit, a hobby, a daily event, a scheduled event or something that often happens. It can also be something a person often forgets or usually does not do.

Examples:

    I play tennis.

    She does not play tennis.

    Does he play tennis?

    The train leaves every morning at 8 AM.

    The train does not leave at 9 AM.

    When does the train usually leave?

    She always forgets her purse.

    He never forgets his wallet.

    Every twelve months, the Earth circles the Sun.

    Does the Sun circle the Earth?

USE 2 Facts or Generalizations

The Simple Present can also indicate the speaker believes that a fact was true before, is true now, and will be true in the future. It is not important if the speaker is correct about the fact. It is also used to make generalizations about people or things.

Examples:

    Cats like milk.

    Birds do not like milk.

    Do pigs like milk?

    California is in America.

    California is not in the United Kingdom.

    Windows are made of glass.

    Windows are not made of wood.

    New York is a small city. It is not important that this fact is untrue.

USE 3 Scheduled Events in the Near Future

Speakers occasionally use Simple Present to talk about scheduled events in the near future. This is most commonly done when talking about public transportation, but it can be used with other scheduled events as well.

Examples:

    The train leaves tonight at 6 PM.

    The bus does not arrive at 11 AM, it arrives at 11 PM.

    When do we board the plane?

    The party starts at 8 o'clock.

    When does class begin tomorrow?

USE 4 Now (Non-Continuous Verbs)

Speakers sometimes use the Simple Present to express the idea that an action is happening or is not happening now. This can only be done with Non-Continuous Verbs and certain Mixed Verbs.

Examples:

    I am here now.

    She is not here now.

    He needs help right now.

    He does not need help now.

    He has his passport in his hand.

    Do you have your passport with you?

ADVERB PLACEMENT

The examples below show the placement for grammar adverbs such as: always, only, never, ever, still, just, etc.

Examples:

    You only speak English.

    Do you only speak English?

Future Tense

Simple Future

Simple Future has two different forms in English: "will" and "be going to." Although the two forms can sometimes be used interchangeably, they often express two very different meanings. These different meanings might seem too abstract at first, but with time and practice, the differences will become clear. Both "will" and "be going to" refer to a specific time in the future.

Past Tenses (complete version)

Simple Past

FORM

[VERB+ed] or irregular verbs

Examples:

• You called Debbie.
• Did you call Debbie?
• You did not call Debbie.

USE 1 Completed Action in the Past

Use the Simple Past to express the idea that an action started and finished at a specific time in the past. Sometimes, the speaker may not actually mention the specific time, but they do have one specific time in mind.

Examples:

• I saw a movie yesterday.
• I didn't see a play yesterday.
• Last year, I traveled to Japan.
• Last year, I didn't travel to Korea.
• Did you have dinner last night?
• She washed her car.
• He didn't wash his car.

USE 2 A Series of Completed Actions

We use the Simple Past to list a series of completed actions in the past. These actions happen 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, and so on.

Examples:

• I finished work, walked to the beach, and found a nice place to swim.
• He arrived from the airport at 8:00, checked into the hotel at 9:00, and met the others at 10:00.
• Did you add flour, pour in the milk, and then add the eggs?

USE 3 Duration in Past

The Simple Past can be used with a duration which starts and stops in the past. A duration is a longer action often indicated by expressions such as: for two years, for five minutes, all day, all year, etc.

Examples:

• I lived in Brazil for two years.
• Shauna studied Japanese for five years.
• They sat at the beach all day.
• They did not stay at the party the entire time.
• We talked on the phone for thirty minutes.
• A: How long did you wait for them?
  B: We waited for one hour.

USE 4 Habits in the Past

The Simple Past can also be used to describe a habit which stopped in the past. It can have the same meaning as "used to." To make it clear that we are talking about a habit, we often add expressions such as: always, often, usually, never, when I was a child, when I was younger, etc.

Examples:

• I studied French when I was a child.
• He played the violin.
• He didn't play the piano.
• Did you play a musical instrument when you were a kid?
• She worked at the movie theater after school.
• They never went to school, they always skipped class.

USE 5 Past Facts or Generalizations

The Simple Past can also be used to describe past facts or generalizations which are no longer true. As in USE 4 above, this use of the Simple Past is quite similar to the expression "used to."

Examples:

• She was shy as a child, but now she is very outgoing.
• He didn't like tomatoes before.
• Did you live in Texas when you were a kid?
• People paid much more to make cell phone calls in the past.

IMPORTANT When-Clauses Happen First

Clauses are groups of words which have meaning but are often not complete sentences. Some clauses begin with the word "when" such as "when I dropped my pen..." or "when class began..." These clauses are called when-clauses, and they are very important. The examples below contain when-clauses.

Examples:

• When I paid her one dollar, she answered my question.
• She answered my question when I paid her one dollar.

When-clauses are important because they always happen first when both clauses are in the Simple Past. Both of the examples above mean the same thing: first, I paid her one dollar, and then, she answered my question. It is not important whether "when I paid her one dollar" is at the beginning of the sentence or at the end of the sentence. However, the example below has a different meaning. First, she answered my question, and then, I paid her one dollar.

Example:

• I paid her one dollar when she answered my question.

ADVERB PLACEMENT

The examples below show the placement for grammar adverbs such as: always, only, never, ever, still, just, etc.

Examples:

• You just called Debbie.
• Did you just call Debbie?

ACTIVE / PASSIVE

Examples:

• Tom repaired the car. Active
• The car was repaired by Tom. Passive

  Past Continuous

  FORM

  [was/were + present participle]
  Examples:
  

  • You were studying when she called.
  • Were you studying when she called?
  • You were not studying when she called.
  
  

  USE 1 Interrupted Action in the Past

  
  Use the Past Continuous to indicate that a longer action in the past was interrupted. The interruption is usually a shorter action in the Simple Past. Remember this can be a real interruption or just an interruption in time.
  Examples:
  

  • I was watching TV when she called.
  • When the phone rang, she was writing a letter.
  • While we were having the picnic, it started to rain.
  • What were you doing when the earthquake started?
  • I was listening to my iPod, so I didn't hear the fire alarm.
  • You were not listening to me when I told you to turn the oven off.
  • While John was sleeping last night, someone stole his car.
  • Sammy was waiting for us when we got off the plane.
  • While I was writing the email, the computer suddenly went off.
  • A: What were you doing when you broke your leg?
    B: I was snowboarding.

  USE 2 Specific Time as an Interruption

  
  In USE 1, described above, the Past Continuous is interrupted by a shorter action in the Simple Past. However, you can also use a specific time as an interruption.
  Examples:
  

  • Last night at 6 PM, I was eating dinner.
  • At midnight, we were still driving through the desert.
  • Yesterday at this time, I was sitting at my desk at work.

  IMPORTANT

  In the Simple Past, a specific time is used to show when an action began or finished. In the Past Continuous, a specific time only interrupts the action.
  Examples:
  

  • Last night at 6 PM, I ate dinner.
    I started eating at 6 PM.
  • Last night at 6 PM, I was eating dinner.
    I started earlier; and at 6 PM, I was in the process of eating dinner.

  USE 3 Parallel Actions

  
  When you use the Past Continuous with two actions in the same sentence, it expresses the idea that both actions were happening at the same time. The actions are parallel.
  Examples:
  

  • I was studying while he was making dinner.
  • While Ellen was reading, Tim was watching television.
  • Were you listening while he was talking?
  • I wasn't paying attention while I was writing the letter, so I made several mistakes.
  • What were you doing while you were waiting?
  • Thomas wasn't working, and I wasn't working either.
  • They were eating dinner, discussing their plans, and having a good time.

  USE 4 Atmosphere

  In English, we often use a series of parallel actions to describe the atmosphere at a particular time in the past.
  Example:
  

  • When I walked into the office, several people were busily typing, some were talking on the phones, the boss was yelling directions, and customers were waiting to be helped. One customer was yelling at a secretary and waving his hands. Others were complaining to each other about the bad service.

  USE 5 Repetition and Irritation with "Always"

  
  The Past Continuous with words such as "always" or "constantly" expresses the idea that something irritating or shocking often happened in the past. The concept is very similar to the expression "used to" but with negative emotion. Remember to put the words "always" or "constantly" between "be" and "verb+ing."
  Examples:
  

  • She was always coming to class late.
  • He was constantly talking. He annoyed everyone.
  • I didn't like them because they were always complaining.

  While vs. When

  Clauses are groups of words which have meaning, but are often not complete sentences. Some clauses begin with the word "when" such as "when she called" or "when it bit me." Other clauses begin with "while" such as "while she was sleeping" and "while he was surfing." When you talk about things in the past, "when" is most often followed by the verb tense Simple Past, whereas "while" is usually followed by Past Continuous. "While" expresses the idea of "during that time." Study the examples below. They have similar meanings, but they emphasize different parts of the sentence.
  Examples:
  

  • I was studying when she called.
  • While I was studying, she called.

  REMEMBER Non-Continuous Verbs / Mixed Verbs

  It is important to remember that Non-Continuous Verbs cannot be used in any continuous tenses. Also, certain non-continuous meanings for Mixed Verbs cannot be used in continuous tenses. Instead of using Past Continuous with these verbs, you must use Simple Past.
  Examples:
  

  • Jane was being at my house when you arrived. Not Correct
  • Jane was at my house when you arrived. Correct

  ADVERB PLACEMENT

  The examples below show the placement for grammar adverbs such as: always, only, never, ever, still, just, etc.
  Examples:
  

  • You were just studying when she called.
  • Were you just studying when she called?

  ACTIVE / PASSIVE

  Examples:

  • The salesman was helping the customer when the thief came into the store. Active
  • The customer was being helped by the salesman when the thief came into the store. Passive

    Past Perfect

    FORM

    [had + past participle]
    Examples:
    

    • You had studied English before you moved to New York.
    • Had you studied English before you moved to New York?
    • You had not studied English before you moved to New York.
    
    

    USE 1 Completed Action Before Something in the Past

    
    The Past Perfect expresses the idea that something occurred before another action in the past. It can also show that something happened before a specific time in the past.
    Examples:
    

    • I had never seen such a beautiful beach before I went to Kauai.
    • I did not have any money because I had lost my wallet.
    • Tony knew Istanbul so well because he had visited the city several times.
    • Had Susan ever studied Thai before she moved to Thailand?
    • She only understood the movie because she had read the book.
    • Kristine had never been to an opera before last night.
    • We were not able to get a hotel room because we had not booked in advance.
    • A: Had you ever visited the U.S. before your trip in 2006?
      B: Yes, I had been to the U.S. once before.

    USE 2 Duration Before Something in the Past (Non-Continuous Verbs)

    
    With Non-Continuous Verbs and some non-continuous uses of Mixed Verbs, we use the Past Perfect to show that something started in the past and continued up until another action in the past.
    Examples:
    

    • We had had that car for ten years before it broke down.
    • By the time Alex finished his studies, he had been in London for over eight years.
    • They felt bad about selling the house because they had owned it for more than forty years.
    Although the above use of Past Perfect is normally limited to Non-Continuous Verbs and non-continuous uses of Mixed Verbs, the words "live," "work," "teach," and "study" are sometimes used in this way even though they are NOT Non-Continuous Verbs.

    IMPORTANT Specific Times with the Past Perfect

    
    Unlike with the Present Perfect, it is possible to use specific time words or phrases with the Past Perfect. Although this is possible, it is usually not necessary.
    Example:
    

    • She had visited her Japanese relatives once in 1993 before she moved in with them in 1996.

    MOREOVER

    If the Past Perfect action did occur at a specific time, the Simple Past can be used instead of the Past Perfect when "before" or "after" is used in the sentence. The words "before" and "after" actually tell you what happens first, so the Past Perfect is optional. For this reason, both sentences below are correct.
    Examples:
    

    • She had visited her Japanese relatives once in 1993 before she moved in with them in 1996.
    • She visited her Japanese relatives once in 1993 before she moved in with them in 1996.

    HOWEVER

    
    If the Past Perfect is not referring to an action at a specific time, Past Perfect is not optional. Compare the examples below. Here Past Perfect is referring to a lack of experience rather than an action at a specific time. For this reason, Simple Past cannot be used.
    Examples:
    

    • She never saw a bear before she moved to Alaska. Not Correct
    • She had never seen a bear before she moved to Alaska. Correct

    ADVERB PLACEMENT

    The examples below show the placement for grammar adverbs such as: always, only, never, ever, still, just, etc.
    Examples:
    

    • You had previously studied English before you moved to New York.
    • Had you previously studied English before you moved to New York?

    ACTIVE / PASSIVE

    Examples:
    

    • George had repaired many cars before he received his mechanic's license. Active
    • Many cars had been repaired by George before he received his mechanic's license. Passive
      

      Past Perfect Continuous

      FORM

      [had been + present participle]
      
      Examples:
      

      • You had been waiting there for more than two hours when she finally arrived.
      • Had you been waiting there for more than two hours when she finally arrived?
      • You had not been waiting there for more than two hours when she finally arrived.
      
      

      USE 1 Duration Before Something in the Past

      
      We use the Past Perfect Continuous to show that something started in the past and continued up until another time in the past. "For five minutes" and "for two weeks" are both durations which can be used with the Past Perfect Continuous. Notice that this is related to the Present Perfect Continuous; however, the duration does not continue until now, it stops before something else in the past.
      
      Examples:
      

      • They had been talking for over an hour before Tony arrived.
      • She had been working at that company for three years when it went out of business.
      • How long had you been waiting to get on the bus?
      • Mike wanted to sit down because he had been standing all day at work.
      • James had been teaching at the university for more than a year before he left for Asia.
      • A: How long had you been studying Turkish before you moved to Ankara?
        B: I had not been studying Turkish very long.

      USE 2 Cause of Something in the Past

      
      Using the Past Perfect Continuous before another action in the past is a good way to show cause and effect.
      
      Examples:
      

      • Jason was tired because he had been jogging.
      • Sam gained weight because he had been overeating.
      • Betty failed the final test because she had not been attending class.

      Past Continuous vs. Past Perfect Continuous

      If you do not include a duration such as "for five minutes," "for two weeks" or "since Friday," many English speakers choose to use the Past Continuous rather than the Past Perfect Continuous. Be careful because this can change the meaning of the sentence. Past Continuous emphasizes interrupted actions, whereas Past Perfect Continuous emphasizes a duration of time before something in the past. Study the examples below to understand the difference.
      
      Examples:
      

      • He was tired because he was exercising so hard.
        This sentence emphasizes that he was tired because he was exercising at that exact moment.
      • He was tired because he had been exercising so hard.
        This sentence emphasizes that he was tired because he had been exercising over a period of time. It is possible that he was still exercising at that moment OR that he had just finished.
        

      REMEMBER Non-Continuous Verbs / Mixed Verbs

      It is important to remember that Non-Continuous Verbs cannot be used in any continuous tenses. Also, certain non-continuous meanings for Mixed Verbs cannot be used in continuous tenses. Instead of using Past Perfect Continuous with these verbs, you must use Past Perfect.
      
      Examples:
      

      • The motorcycle had been belonging to George for years before Tina bought it. Not Correct
      • The motorcycle had belonged to George for years before Tina bought it. Correct

      ADVERB PLACEMENT

      The examples below show the placement for grammar adverbs such as: always, only, never, ever, still, just, etc.
      
      Examples:
      

      • You had only been waiting there for a few minutes when she arrived.
      • Had you only been waiting there for a few minutes when she arrived?

      ACTIVE / PASSIVE

      Examples:
      

      • Chef Jones had been preparing the restaurant's fantastic dinners for two years before he moved to Paris. Active
      • The restaurant's fantastic dinners had been being prepared by Chef Jones for two years before he moved to Paris. Passive
      NOTE: Passive forms of the Past Perfect Continuous are not common.
      
      source : englishpage.com

Direct and Indirect Speech

What is Direct Speech?

Direct or quoted speech is a sentence (or several sentences) that reports speech or thought in its original form, as phrased by the original speaker. It is usually enclosed in quotation marks. The cited speaker is either mentioned in the inquit (Latin "he/she says") or implied.

What is Indirect Speech? 

Indirect speech, also called reported speech or indirect discourse, is a means of expressing the content of statements, questions or other utterances, without quoting them explicitly as is done in direct speech. For example, He said "I'm coming" is direct speech, whereas He said he was coming is indirect speech. Indirect speech should not be confused with indirect speech acts.

In terms of grammar, indirect speech often makes use of certain syntactic structures such as content clauses ("that" clauses, such as (that) he was coming), and sometimes infinitive phrases. References to questions in indirect speech frequently take the form of interrogative content clauses, also called indirect questions (such as whether he was coming).

Direct Speech and Indirect Speech "While direct speech purports to give a verbatim rendition of the words that were spoken, indirect speech is more variable in claiming to represent a faithful report of the content or content and form of the words that were spoken. It is important to note, however, that the question of whether and how faithful a given speech report actually is, is of a quite different order. Both direct and indirect speech are stylistic devices for conveying messages. The former is used as if the words being used were those of another, which are therefore pivoted to a deictic center different from the speech situation of the report. Indirect speech, in contrast, has its deictic center in the report situation and is variable with respect to the extent that faithfulness to the linguistic form of what was said is being claimed." (Florian Coulmas, "Reported Speech: Some General Issues." Direct and Indirect Speech, ed. by F. Coulmas. Walter de Gruyter, 1986) 

In indirect speech, words generally have referents appropriate to the context in which the act of reporting takes place, rather than that in which the speech act being reported took place (or is conceived as taking place). The two acts often differ in reference point (origo) – the point in time and place and the person speaking – and also in the person being addressed and the linguistic context. Thus when a sentence involves words or forms whose referents depend on these circumstances, they are liable to change when the sentence is put into indirect speech. In particular this commonly affects:

• personal pronouns, such as I, you, he, we, and the corresponding verb forms (in pro-drop languages the meaning of the pronoun may be conveyed solely by verb inflection).
• demonstratives, such as this and that.
• phrases of relative time or place such as now, yesterday and here.

There may also be a change of tense or other modifications to the form of the verb, such as change of mood. These changes depend on the grammar of the language in question – some examples can be found in the following sections.

It should be noted that indirect speech need not refer to a speech act that has actually taken place; it may concern future or hypothetical discourse; for example, If you ask him why he's wearing that hat, he'll tell you to mind your own business. Also, even when referring to a known completed speech act, the reporter may deviate freely from the words that were actually used, provided the meaning is retained. This contrasts with direct speech, where there is an expectation that the original words will be reproduced exactly.

Some examples of changes in form in indirect speech in English are given below. See also Sequence of tenses, and Uses of English verb forms: Indirect speech.

• It is raining hard.

  She says that it is raining hard. (no change)

  She said that it was raining hard. (change of tense when the main verb is past tense)

• I have painted the ceiling blue.

  He said that he had painted the ceiling blue. (change of person and tense)

• I will come to your party tomorrow.

  I said that I would come to his party the next day/the following day. (change of tense, person and time expression)

• How do people manage to live in this city?

  I asked him how people managed to live in that city. (change of tense and question syntax, and of demonstrative)

• Please leave the room.

  I asked them to leave the room. (use of infinitive phrase)

The tense changes illustrated above (also called backshifting), which occur because the main verb ("said", "asked") is in the past tense, are not obligatory when the situation described is still valid:

• Ed is a bore.

  She said that Ed was/is a bore. (optional change of tense)

• I am coming over to watch television.

  Benjamin said that he is/was coming over to watch television. (change of person, optional change of tense)

In these sentences the original tense can be used provided that it remains equally valid at the time of the reporting of the statement (Ed is still considered a bore; Benjamin is still expected to come over).

Comparison between direct, indirect and free indirect speech

• Quoted or direct speech:

He laid down his bundle and thought of his misfortune. "And just what pleasure have I found, since I came into this world?" he asked.

• Reported or normal indirect speech

He laid down his bundle and thought of his misfortune. He asked himself what pleasure he had found since he came into the world.

• Free Indirect Speech

He laid down his bundle and thought of his misfortune. And just what pleasure had he found, since he came into this world?

 source :

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Direct_speech

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indirect_speech

Present Simple Tense

How do we make the Present Simple Tense?

subject	+	auxiliary verb	+	main verb
		do		base

There are three important exceptions:

1. For positive sentences, we do not normally use the auxiliary.
2. For the 3rd person singular (he, she, it), we add s to the main verb or es to the auxiliary.
3. For the verb to be, we do not use an auxiliary, even for questions and negatives.

Look at these examples with the main verb like:

	subject	auxiliary verb		main verb
+	I, you, we, they			like	coffee.
	He, she, it			likes	coffee.
-	I, you, we, they	do	not	like	coffee.
	He, she, it	does	not	like	coffee.
?	Do	I, you, we, they		like	coffee?
	Does	he, she, it		like	coffee?

Look at these examples with the main verb be. Notice that there is no auxiliary:

	subject	main verb
+	I	am		French.
	You, we, they	are		French.
	He, she, it	is		French.
-	I	am	not	old.
	You, we, they	are	not	old.
	He, she, it	is	not	old.
?	Am	I		late?
	Are	you, we, they		late?
	Is	he, she, it		late?

How do we use the Present Simple Tense?

We use the present simple tense when:

• the action is general
• the action happens all the time, or habitually, in the past, present and future
• the action is not only happening now
• the statement is always true

John drives a taxi.
past	present	future
It is John's job to drive a taxi. He does it every day. Past, present and future.

Look at these examples:

• I live in New York.
• The Moon goes round the Earth.
• John drives a taxi.
• He does not drive a bus.
• We meet every Thursday.
• We do not work at night.
• Do you play football?

Note that with the verb to be, we can also use the present simple tense for situations that are not general. We can use the present simple tense to talk about now. Look at these examples of the verb "to be" in the present simple tense - some of them are general, some of them are now:

Am I right? Tara is not at home. You are happy.
past	present	future
The situation is now.

 

I am not fat. Why are you so beautiful? Ram is tall.
past	present	future
The situation is general. Past, present and future.

http://www.englishclub.com/grammar/verb-tenses_present.htm