Grammar With Tanveer
5000 Words
Present perfect
Definition of the present perfect tense
The present perfect is used to indicate a link between the present and the past. The time of the action is before now but not specified, and we are often more interested in the result than in the action itself.
BE CAREFUL! There may be a verb tense in your language with a similar form, but the meaning is probably NOT the same.
The present perfect is used to describe
An action or situation that started in the past and continues in the present. I have lived in Bristol since 1984 (= and I still do.)
An action performed during a period that has not yet finished. She has been to the cinema twice this week (= and the week isn't over yet.)
A repeated action in an unspecified period between the past and now. We have visited Portugal several times.
An action that was completed in the very recent past, expressed by 'just'. I have just finished my work.
An action when the time is not important. He has read 'War and Peace'. (= the result of his reading is important)
Note: When we want to give or ask details about when, where, who, we use the simple past. Read more about choosing between the present perfect and the simple past tenses.
Actions started in the past and continuing in the present
They haven't lived here for years.
She has worked in the bank for five years.
We have had the same car for ten years.
Have you played the piano since you were a child?
When the time period referred to has not finished
I have worked hard this week.
It has rained a lot this year.
We haven't seen her today.
Actions repeated in an unspecified period between the past and now.
They have seen that film six times
It has happened several times already.
She has visited them frequently.
We have eaten at that restaurant many times.
Actions completed in the very recent past (+just)
Have you just finished work?
I have just eaten.
We have just seen her.
Has he just left?
When the precise time of the action is not important or not known
Someone has eaten my soup!
Have you seen 'Gone with the Wind'?
She's studied Japanese, Russian, and English.
Read more about using the present perfect with the words "ever", "never", "already", and "yet", and about using the present perfect with the words "for" and "since".
Forming the present perfect
The present perfect of any verb is composed of two elements : the appropriate form of the auxiliary verb to have (present tense), plus the past participle of the main verb. The past participle of a regular verb is base+ed, e.g. played, arrived, looked. For irregular verbs, see the Table of irregular verbs in the section called 'Verbs'.
Affirmative
Subject +to have +past participle
She has visited.
Negative
Subject +to have + not +past participle
She has not (hasn't) visited.
Interrogative
to have +subject +past participle
Has she visited?
Negative interrogative
to have + not +subject +past participle
Hasn't she visited?
To Walk, present perfect
Affirmative Negative Interrogative
I have walked I haven't walked Have I walked?
You have walked You haven't walked. Have you walked?
He, she, it has walked He, she, hasn't walked Has he, she, it walked?
We have walked We haven't walked Have we walked?
You have walked You haven't walked Have you walked?
They have walked They haven't walked Have they walked.
Present perfect continuous
The present perfect continuous is used to refer to an unspecified time between 'before now' and 'now'. The speaker is thinking about something that started but perhaps did not finish in that period of time. He/she is interested in the process as well as the result, and this process may still be going on, or may have just finished.
Actions that started in the past and continue in the present
She has been waiting for you all day (= and she's still waiting now).
I've been working on this report since eight o'clock this morning (= and I still haven't finished it).
They have been travelling since last October (= and they're not home yet).
Actions that have just finished, but we are interested in the results
She has been cooking since last night (= and the food on the table looks delicious).
It's been raining (= and the streets are still wet).
Someone's been eating my chips (= half of them have gone).
Forming the present perfect continuous
The present perfect continuous is made up of two elements: the present perfect of the verb 'to be' (have/has been), and the present participle of the main verb (base+ing)
Subject +has/have been +base+ing
She has been swimming
Affirmative: She has been / She's been running.
Negative: She hasn't been running.
Interrogative : Has she been running?
Interrogative negative: Hasn't she been running?
Example: present perfect continuous, TO LIVE
Affirmative Negative Interrogative
I have been living I haven't been living Have I been living?
You have been living You haven't been living Have you been living?
He, she, it has been living He hasn't been living Has she been living?
We have been living We haven't been living Have we been living?
You have been living You haven't been living Have you been living?
They have been living They haven't been living Have they been living?
Verbs without continuous forms
With verbs not normally used in the continuous form, use the simple present perfect instead (verbs such as: know, hate, hear, understand, want).
I've wanted to visit China for years.
She's known Robert since she was a child.
I've hated that music since I first heard it.
I've heard a lot about you recently.
We've understood everything.
Present participle
The present participle of most verbs has the form base+ing. It is used in many different ways.
The present participle as part of the continuous form of a verb
Examples
I am working.
He was singing.
They have been walking.
We will be staying.
She would have been expecting me.
The present participle after verbs of movement & position
This construction is particularly useful with the verb to go.
Examples
She went shopping.
I go running every morning.
He lay looking up at the clouds.
She came running towards me.
The present participle after verbs of perception
The pattern for this usage is verb + object + present participle. There is a difference in meaning when such a sentence contains a zero infinitive rather than a participle. The infinitive refers to a complete action while the present participle refers to an ongoing action.
Examples
I heard someone singing.
He saw his friend walking along the road.
I can smell something burning!
I watched the birds flying away.
The present participle as an adjective
Examples
It was an amazing film.
Dark billowing clouds often precede a storm.
He was trapped inside the burning house.
Many of his paintings show the setting sun.
The present participle with the verbs spend and waste
The pattern with these verbs is verb + time/money expression + present participle.
Examples
My boss spends two hours a day travelling to work.
Don't waste time playing computer games!
They've spent the whole day shopping.
I wasted money buying this game.
The present participle with the verbs catch and find
The pattern with these verbs is verb + object + present participle. With catch, the participle always refers to an action which causes annoyance or anger. This is not the case with find, which is unemotional.
Examples
If I catch you stealing my apples again, there'll be trouble!
Don't let him catch you reading his letters.
I caught him going through my bag.
We found some money lying on the ground.
They found their mother sitting in the garden.
The present participle for two actions at the same time
When two actions occur at the same time, and are done by the same person or thing, we can use a present participle to describe one of them. When one action follows very quickly after another done by the same person or thing, we can express the first action with a present participle.
Examples
Whistling to himself, he walked down the road. = He whistled to himself as he walked down the road.
They went laughing out into the snow. = They laughed as they went out into the snow.
Dropping the gun, she put her hands in the air. = She dropped the gun and put her hands in the air.
Putting on his coat, he left the house. = He put on his coat and left the house.
The present participle to explain a reason
The present participle can be used instead of a phrase starting with as, since, or because. In this usage the participial phrase explains the cause or reason for an action.
Examples
Feeling hungry, he went into the kitchen and opened the fridge.
Being poor, he didn't spend much on clothes.
Knowing that his mother was coming, he cleaned the flat.
He whispered, thinking his brother was still asleep.
Simple past tense
Definition of the simple past tense
The simple past tense, sometimes called the preterite, is used to talk about a completed action in a time before now. The simple past is the basic form of past tense in English. The time of the action can be in the recent past or the distant past and action duration is not important.
Examples
John Cabot sailed to America in 1498.
My father died last year.
He lived in Fiji in 1976.
We crossed the Channel yesterday.
You always use the simple past when you say when something happened, so it is associated with certain past time expressions
frequency: often, sometimes, always
I sometimes walked home at lunchtime.
I often brought my lunch to school.
a definite point in time: last week, when I was a child, yesterday, six weeks ago
We saw a good film last week.
Yesterday, I arrived in Geneva.
She finished her work atseven o'clock
I went to the theatre last night
an indefinite point in time: the other day, ages ago, a long time ago
People lived in caves a long time ago.
She played the piano when she was a child.
Note: the word ago is a useful way of expressing the distance into the past. It is placed after the period of time: a week ago, three years ago, a minute ago.
Be Careful: The simple past in English may look like a tense in your own language, but the meaning may be different.
Forming the simple past tense
Patterns of simple past tense for regular verbs
Affirmative
Subject + verb + ed
I skipped.
Negative
Subject + did not + infinitive without to
They didn't go.
Interrogative
Did + subject + infinitive without to
Did she arrive?
Interrogative negative
Did not + subject + infinitive without to
Didn't you play?
To Walk
Affirmative Negative Interrogative
I walked I didn't walk Did I walk?
You walked You didn't walk Did you walk?
He walked He didn't walk Did he walk?
We walked We didn't walk Did we walk?
They walked They didn't walk Did they walk?
Simple past tense of to be, to have, to do
Subject Verb
Be Have Do
I was had did
You were had did
He/She/It was had did
We were had did
You were had did
They were had did
Notes on affirmative, negative, & interrogative forms
Affirmative
The affirmative of the simple past tense is simple.
I was in Japan last year
She had a headache yesterday.
We did our homework last night.
Negative and interrogative
For the negative and interrogative simple past form of "to do" as an ordinary verb, use the auxiliary "did", e.g. We didn't do our homework last night.
The negative of "have" in the simple past is usually formed using the auxiliary "did", but sometimes by simply adding not or the contraction "n't".
The interrogative form of "have" in the simple past normally uses the auxiliary "did".
Examples
They weren't in Rio last summer.
We didn't have any money.
We didn't have time to visit the Eiffel Tower.
We didn't do our exercises this morning.
Were they in Iceland last January?
Did you have a bicycle when you were young?
Did you do much climbing in Switzerland?
Note: For the negative and interrogative form of all verbs in the simple past, always use the auxiliary 'did''.
Simple past, irregular verbs
Some verbs are irregular in the simple past. Here are the most common ones.
to go
He went to a club last night.
Did he go to the cinema last night?
He didn't go to bed early last night.
to give
We gave her a doll for her birthday.
They didn't give John their new address.
Did Barry give you my passport?
to come
My parents came to visit me last July.
We didn't come because it was raining.
Did he come to your party last week?
Past continuous tense
Functions of the past continuous
The past continuous describes actions or events in a time before now, which began in the past and were still going on when another event occurred.
It is used:
Often, to describe the background in a story written in the past tense, e.g. "The sun was shining and the birds were singing as the elephant came out of the jungle. The other animals were relaxing in the shade of the trees, but the elephant moved very quickly. She was looking for her baby, and she didn't notice the hunter who was watching her through his binoculars. When the shot rang out, she was running towards the river..."
to describe an unfinished action that was interrupted by another event or action, e.g. "I was having a beautiful dream when the alarm clock rang."
to express a change of mind: e.g. "I was going to spend the day at the beach but I've decided to get my homework done instead."
with 'wonder', to make a very polite request: e.g. "I was wondering if you could baby-sit for me tonight."
Examples
They were waiting for the bus when the accident happened.
Caroline was skiing when she broke her leg.
When we arrived he was having a bath.
When the fire started I was watching television.
Note: with verbs not normally used in the continuous form, the simple past is used.
Forming the past continuous
The past continuous of any verb is composed of two parts : the past tense of the verb "to be" (was/were), and the base of the main verb +ing.
Subject +was/were +base + ing
They were watching
Affirmative
She was reading
Negative
She wasn't reading
Interrogative
Was she reading?
Interrogative negative
Wasn't she reading?
To play, past continuous
Affirmative Negative Interrogative
I was playing I was not playing Was I playing?
You were playing You were not playing Were you playing?
He was playing He wasn't playing Was he playing?
We were playing We weren't playing Were we playing?
They were playing They weren't playing Were they playing?
Past perfect tense
Functions of the past perfect
The past perfect refers to a time earlier than before now. It is used to make it clear that one event happened before another in the past. It does not matter which event is mentioned first - the tense makes it clear which one happened first.
In these examples, Event A is the event that happened first and Event B is the second or more recent event:
Event A Event B
John had gone out when I arrived in the office.
Event A Event B
I had saved my document before the computer crashed.
Event B Event A
When they arrived we had already started cooking.
Event B Event A
He was very tired because he hadn't slept well.
Forming the past perfect
The Past Perfect tense in English is composed of two parts: the past tense of the verb to have (had) + the past participle of the main verb.
Subject +had +past participle
Affirmative
She had given
Negative
She hadn't asked.
Interrogative
Had they arrived?
Interrogative Negative
Hadn't you finished?
To decide, past perfect
Affirmative Negative Interrogative
I had decided I hadn't decided Had I decided?
You had decided You hadn't decided Had you decided?
She had decided She hadn't decided Had she decided?
We had decided We hadn't decided Had we decided?
They had decided They hadn't decided Had they decided?
Past perfect + just
'Just' is used with the past perfect to refer to an event that was only a short time earlier than before now, e.g.
The train had just left when I arrived at the station.
She had just left the room when the police arrived.
I had just put the washing out when it started to rain.
Past perfect continuous
Functions of the past perfect continuous
The past perfect continuous corresponds to the present perfect continuous, but with reference to a time earlier than 'before now'. As with the present perfect continuous, we are more interested in the process.
Examples
Had you been waiting long before the taxi arrived?
We had been trying to open the door for five minutes when Jane found her key.
It had been raining hard for several hours and the streets were very wet.
Her friends had been thinking of calling the police when she walked in.
This form is also used in reported speech. It is the equivalent of the past continuous and the present perfect continuous in direct speech:
Jane said, "I have been gardening all afternoon." = Jane said she had been gardening all afternoon.
When the police questioned him, John said, "I was working late in the office that night." = When the police questioned him, John told them he had been working late in the office that night.
Forming the past perfect continuous
The past perfect continuous is composed of two elements - the past perfect of the verb to be (=had been) + the present participle (base+ing).
Subject +had been +verb + ing
I had been walking
Affirmative
She had been trying
Negative
She hadn't been sleeping
Interrogative
Had you been eating?
Interrogative negative
Hadn't they been living?
To buy, past perfect continuous
Affirmative Negative Interrogative
I had been buying I hadn't been buying Had I been buying?
You had been buying You hadn't been buying Had you been buying?
She had been buying She hadn't been buying Had she been buying?
We had been buying We hadn't been buying Had we been buying?
They had been buying They hadn't been buying Had they been buying?
Simple future tense
Functions of the simple future tense
The simple future refers to a time later than now, and expresses facts or certainty. In this case there is no 'attitude'.
The simple future is used:
To predict a future event:
It will rain tomorrow.
With I or We, to express a spontaneous decision:
I'll pay for the tickets by credit card.
To express willingness:
I'll do the washing-up.
He'll carry your bag for you.
In the negative form, to express unwillingness:
The baby won't eat his soup.
I won't leave until I've seen the manager!
With I in the interrogative form using "shall", to make an offer:
Shall I open the window?
With we in the interrogative form using "shall", to make a suggestion:
Shall we go to the cinema tonight?
With I in the interrogative form using "shall", to ask for advice or instructions:
What shall I tell the boss about this money?
With you, to give orders:
You will do exactly as I say.
With you in the interrogative form, to give an invitation:
Will you come to the dance with me?
Will you marry me?
Note:In modern English will is preferred to shall. Shall is mainly used with I and we to make an offer or suggestion, or to ask for advice (see examples above). With the other persons (you, he, she, they) shall is only used in literary or poetic situations, e.g. "With rings on her fingers and bells on her toes, She shall have music wherever she goes."
Forming the simple future
The simple future tense is composed of two parts: will / shall + the infinitive without to
Subject +will +infinitive without "to"
Affirmative
I will go
I shall go
Negative
They will not see
They won't see
Interrogative
Will she ask?
Interrogative negative
Won't they try?
Contractions
I will = I'll
We will = we'll
You will = you'll
He will = he'll
She will = she'll
They will = they'll
Will not = won't
The form "it will" is not normally shortened.
To see: simple future tense
Affirmative Negative Interrogative Interrogative negative
I will see I won't see Will I see? Won't I see?
*I shall see
*Shall I see?
You will see You won't see Will you see? Won't you see?
He will see He won't see Will he see? Won't he see?
We will see We won't see Will we see? Won't we see?
*We shall see
*Shall we see?
They will see They won't see Will they see? Won't they see?
*Shall is dated, but it is still commonly used instead of "will" with the affirmative or interrogative forms of I and we in certain cases (see above).
Future continuous
Form
The future continuous is made up of two elements:
the simple future of the verb "to be" + the present participle (base+ing)
Subject +simple future of the verb "to be" +present participle
You will be watching
I will be staying
To stay, future continuous
Affirmative Negative Interrogative Negative interrogative
I will be staying. I won't be staying. Will I be staying? Won't I be staying?
You will be staying. You won't be staying. Will you be staying? Won't you be staying?
He will be staying. He won't be staying. Will he be staying? Won't he be staying?
She will be staying. She won't be staying. Will she be staying? Won't she be staying?
It will be staying. It won't be staying. Will it be staying? Won't it be staying?
We will be staying. We won't be staying. Will we be staying? Won't we be staying?
They will be staying. They won't be staying. Will they be staying? Won't they be staying?
Functions
The future continuous refers to an unfinished action or event that will be in progress at a time later than now. The future continuous is used for quite a few different purposes.
The future continuous can be used to project ourselves into the future.
Examples
This time next week I will be sun-bathing in Bali.
By Christmas I will be skiing like a pro.
Just think, next Monday you will be working in your new job.
The future continuous can be used for predicting or guessing about future events.
Examples
He'll be coming to the meeting, I expect.
I guess you'll be feeling thirsty after working in the sun.
You'll be missing the sunshine once you're back in England.
In the interrogative form, the future continuous can be used to ask politely for information about the future.
Examples
Will you be bringing your friend to the pub tonight?
Will Jim be coming with us?
Will she be going to the party tonight?
Will I be sleeping in this room?
The future continuous can be used to refer to continuous events that we expect to happen in the future.
Examples
I'll be seeing Jim at the conference next week.
When he is in Australia he will be staying with friends.
I'll be eating with Jane this evening so I can tell her.
When combined with still, the future continuous refers to events that are already happening now and that we expect to continue some time into the future.
Examples
In an hour I'll still be ironing my clothes.
Tomorrow he'll still be suffering from his cold.
Next year will she still be wearing a size six?
Won't stock prices still be falling in the morning?
Unfortunately, sea levels will still be rising in 20 years.
Future Perfect
Form
The future perfect is composed of two elements
the simple future of the verb "to have" (will have) + the past participle of the main verb
Subject + will have + past participle of the main verb
He will have finished.
I will have finished.
To arrive, future perfect tense
Affirmative Negative Interrogative Negative interrogative
I will have arrived I won't have arrived Will I have arrived? Won't I have arrived?
You will have arrived You won't have arrived Will you have arrived? Won't you have arrived?
He will have arrived He won't have arrived Will he have arrived? Won't he have arrived?
We will have arrived We won't have arrived Will we have arrived? Won't we have arrived?
They will have arrived They won't have arrived Will they have arrived? Won't they have arrived?
Function
The future perfect tense refers to a completed action in the future. When we use this tense we are projecting ourselves forward into the future and looking back at an action that will be completed some time later than now. It is most often used with a time expression.
Examples
I will have been here for six months on June 23rd.
By the time you read this I will have left.
You will have finished your report by this time next week.
Won't they have arrived by 5:00?
Will you have eaten when I pick you up?
Future perfect continuous
Form
The future perfect continuous is composed of two elements
the future perfect of the verb "to be" (will have been) + the present participle of the main verb (base + ing)
Subject + will have been + present participle
He will have been playing.
I will have been playing.
To live, future perfect continuous tense
Affirmative Negative Interrogative Negative interrogative
I will have been living I won't have been living Will I have been living? Won't I have been living?
You will have been living You won't have been living Will you have been living? Won't you have been living?
He will have been living He won't have been living Will he have been living? Won't he have been living?
We will have been living We won't have been living Will we have been living? Won't we have been living?
They will have been living They won't have been living Will they have been living? Won't they have been living?
Function
Like the future perfect simple, this form is used to project ourselves forward in time and to look back. It refers to events or actions that are currently unfinished but will be finished at some future time. It is most often used with a time expression.
Examples
I will have been waiting here for three hours by six o'clock.
By 2001 I will have been living in London for sixteen years.
When I finish this course, I will have been learning English for twenty years.
Next year I will have been working here for four years.
When I come at 6:00, will you have been practicing long?
The Gerund - English Grammar
1. What is the Gerund?
-ing form used as a noun
2. Form
infinitive + -ing
3. Examples
Gerund as Subject:
Going to parties is fun.
Gerund as Object:
I enjoy reading.
4. Gerund after the following verbs
admit
He admitted having driven too fast.
avoid
They avoid going on holiday on Saturdays.
carry on
If we carry on sleeping so badly, we may need help.
consider
Ralph is considering buying a new house.
delay
I delayed telling Max the news.
deny
She denies reading the book.
dislike
We dislike reading poems.
can't/couldn't help
He couldn't help falling in love with her.
enjoy
I enjoy playing chess.
finish
They finished working in the garden.
give up
Susan gives up playing ice-hockey.
imagine
He imagined driving a new car.
include
Your responsibility includes taking reservations on the phone.
involve
The project will involve growing plants.
justify
I cannot justify paying $100 for this ticket.
keep (on)
They keep on running.
mention
Did Alex ever mention playing baseball?
mind
I don't mind sleeping on the couch.
miss
They miss playing with their friends.
practise
She practised playing hockey.
regret*
Do you regret having mentioned it?
risk
You risk catching a cold.
suggest
She suggested flying to Cairo.
* After regret the to-infinitive is used when announcing bad news: We regret to inform you that the flight to Munich has been cancelled.
5. Gerund after special phrases
to be busy
He is busy reading the paper.
don't mind
I don't mind telling them my opinion.
feel like
We feel like having a cup of tea.
how about
How about walking home instead of taking the car?
it's (no) good
It's no good talking to this girl.
it's no use
It's no use talking to the headmaster.
spend one's time
They spend their time reading.
there's no
There's no cheating anymore.
there's no point
There's no point in complaining further.
what about
What about going to the zoo?
worth
The book is worth reading.
Gerund after prepositions
1. Gerund after prepositions that stand alone
after
After having a shower, I waited for Steven.
before
The tablet must not be taken before getting up in the morning.
by
I manage it by working much longer than 40-hour weeks.
in spite of
In spite of studying a lot he didn't pass the exams.
on
What was her reaction on hearing the news?
without
He told the joke without laughing.
2. Gerund after Adjective + Preposition
afraid of
They are afraid of losing the match.
angry about/at
Pat is angry about walking in the rain.
bad at/good at
John is good at working in the garden.
crazy about
The girl is crazy about playing tennis.
disappointed about/at
He is disappointed about seeing such a bad report.
Only for Educational purpose.
Author note
- Writer
