Past Simple

(I did):

Very often the past simple ends In –ed (regular verbs):

è I work in a travel agency now. Before that I worked in a supermarket.

è We invited them to our organization but they decided not to come.

è The Traffic Police stopped me on my way home last night.

è She passed her examination because she studied very hard.

The past simple does not end in –ed ,

For example:

      Mozart wrote more than 600 pieces of music.

      We saw Rose in town a few days ago.

      I went to the cinema three times last week.

      It was cold, so I shut the window.

In questions and negatives we use did/didn’t +infinitive (enjoy/see/goo) etc

I	Enjoyed
She	saw
They	Went

Did

You She They

Enjoy? See? Go?

                                                     

I She They

Didn’t

Enjoy See go

v  A: Did you go out last night?

B: yes, I went to the college but I didn’t study anything.

v  When did Mr: john die?  ‘about five years ago’

v  They didn’t invite her to the party, so she didn’t go.

v  ‘Did you have time to write the letter? ’ ‘No, I didn’t.’

Be careful when do is the main verb in the sentences.

      What did you do at the weekend? (Not ‘what did you at the weekend’)

      I didn’t do anything. (Not ‘I didn’t.’)

The past of be (am/is/are) is (was/ were :)

I/He/She/it  was/wasn’t We/you/they   were/weren’t

Was   I/HE/She/It? Were we/you/they?

Note that we do not use did in negatives and questions with was/were:

      I was angry because they were late.

      Was the weather good when you were on holiday?

      They weren’t able to come because they were so busy.

      Did you go out last night or were you too tired?

Past Continuous (I was doing)

I/He/She/It       was We/you/they     were

Playing Doing Eating etc

We use the past continuous to say that somebody was in the middle of doing something at a certain time. The action or situation had already started before this time but had not finished.

I started doing   I was doing                         I  finished doing

      This time last year I was living in Brazil.

      What were you doing at 10’0 clock last night?

      I waved to her but she wasn’t looking.

Compare the past continuous (I was doing) and past simple (I did):

Past continuous (in the middle of an action)       I was walking home we I met Dave. (=in the middle of walking home)       Anne was watching television when phone rang.

Past simple (complete action)       I walked home after the party last night. (= all the way, completely)       Ann watched television a lot when she was ill last year

We often use the past simple and the past continuous together to say that something happened in the middle of something else:

      Tom burnt his hand when he was cooking the dinner.

      I saw you in the park yesterday. You were sitting on the grass and reading a book.

      While I was working in the garden, I hurt my back.

But we use the past simple to say that one thing happened after another:

Ex: I was walking along the road when I saw John. So I stopped and we had a chat:

Compare:

When mery arrived, we were having dinner. (= we had already started dinner before mery arrived.)

When mery arrived, we had dinner. (= first mery arrived and then we had dinner.)

There are some verbs (ex: know/want/believe) that are not normally used in the continuous.

      We were good friends. We knew each other well. (not ‘we were knowing’)

      I was enjoying the party but Chris wanted to go home (not ‘was wanting.’)

Present continuous and present simple

(I am doing and I do)

Present continuous (I am doing) Use the continuous for something that is Happening at or around the time of speaking. The action is not finished.

Present simple(I do) Use the simple for tings in general or things that happen repeatedly.

è The water is boiling. Can you turn it off? è Listen to those people. What language are they speaking? è Let’s go out. It isn’t raining now. è ‘Don’t disturb me. I’m busy. ’ ‘Why? What are you doing?’ è I’m going to bed now. Goodnight! è Maria is in Britain at the moment. She’s learning English. Use the continuous for a temporary situation. ->I’m living with some friends until I find a flat. -> You’re working hard today. ‘yes, I ‘ve got a lot to do.’

-> Water boils at 100 degrees Celsius.   -> Excuse me, do you speak English?. -It doesn’t rain very much in summer. -What do you usually do at weekends? -what do you do? (=what’s your job) -I always go to bed before midnight. -Most people learn to swim when they are children. Use the simple for a permanent situation: è My parents live in London. They have lived there all their lives. è John isn’t lazy. He works very hard most of the time.

I always do and I always doing

Usually we say ‘I always do something’ (=I do it every time):

I always go to work by car. (not I’m always going)

-I ‘ve lost my pen again. I’m always losing things.

‘I’m always losing things’ does not mean that I lose things every time. It means that I lose things too often, more often than normal.

‘You’re always  -ing’ means tat you do something very often, more often than the speaker tinks is normal or reasonable.

-your are always watching television. You should do something more active.

-john is never satisfied. He’s always complaining.

We use continuous tenses only for actions and happenings (they are eating/ it is raining etc.),

Some verbs (for example, know and like) are not action verbs. You cannot say ‘I am knowing’ or ‘they are liking’; you can only say ‘I know’, ‘they like’.

The following verbs are not normally used in continuous tenses:

Like	Love	Hate	Want	Need	Prefer	Know
Realize	Suppose	Mean	Understand	Believe	Remember	Belong
Contain	Consist	Consist	Depend	Seem.	--	--

è I am hungry. I want something to eat. (not I’m wanting.)

è Do you understand what I mean?

è Ann doesn’t seem very happy at the moment.

When think means ‘believe’, do not use the continuous.

è What do you think(=believe) will happen? (not ‘what are you thinking’)

But -> you look serious. What are you thinking about? (=What is going on in your mind?).

è I’m thinking of giving up my job, (= I am considering)

When have means ‘possess’ etc.., do not use the continuous.

è We ‘re enjoying our holiday. We have a nic room in the hotel. (not ‘we ’re having’).

è But-We’re enjoying our holiday. We’re having a great time.

See hear  smell   taste

We normally use the present simple (not continuous) with these verbs:

è Do you see that man over there? (not are you seeing)

è This room smells. Let’s open a window.

We often use can+ see/hear/smell/taste:

è Listen! Can you hear something?

But you can use the continuous with see(I’m seeing) when the meaning is ‘having a meeting with’(especially in the future.)

è I’m seeing the manager tomorrow morning.

He is selfish and He is being selfish

The present continuous of be is I am being/ he is being/you are being etc.

I’m being: I’m behaving /I’m acting

è I can’t understand why he’s being so selfish. He isn’t usually like that.

(being selfish=behaving selfishly at the moment.)

But – He never thinks about other people. He is very selfish.(not he is being)

(=he is selfish generally, not only at the moment)

We use am/is/are being to say how somebody is behaving. It is not usually possible in other sentences:

è It ‘s hot today. (not ‘it is being hot’)

è Sarah is very tired.(not ‘is being tired’)

Look and feel

You can use the present simple or continuous when you say how somebody looks or feels now;

è You look well today. Or you’re looking well today.

è How do you feel now? Or How are you feeling now?

è  but, I usually feel tired in the morning. (not I’m usually feeling)  .

Present Simple

We use the present simple to talk about things I general. We are not thinking only about now. We use it to say that something happens all the time or repeatedly, or that something is true in general. It is not important whether the action is happening at the time of speaking:

è Nurses look after patients in hospitals.

è I usually go away at weekends.

è The earth goes round the sun.

Remember that we say: he/she/it –s . don’t forget the s:

I work, but He works. They teach..but My sister teaches.

We use do/does to make questions and negative sentences:

Do does	I/We/you/They He/she/it	Work? Come? Do?
I/we/you/they He/she/it	Don’t Doesn’t	Work Come do

è I came from Canada. Where do you come from?

è ‘would you like a cigarette?’ ‘No thanks. I don’t smoke.’

è What does this word mean? (Not ‘What means this word? ’)

è Rice doesn’t grow in cold climates.

In the following examples do is also the main verb.

è What do you do? (=what is your job?) ‘I work in a shop.’

è He’s so lazy. He doesn’t do anything to help me. (not ‘He doesn’t anything.’)

We use the present simple when we say how often we do things:

è I get up at 8 o’s clock every morning. (not ‘I’m getting’)

è How often do you go to the dentist? (not ‘How often are you going? ’)

è Romeo doesn’t drink water very often.

è In summer john usually plays football once or twice a week.

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I promise/ I apologize etc.

Sometimes we do things by saying something. For example, when you promise to do something, you can say ‘I promise…’ when you suggest something, you can say ‘I suggest…’. We use the present simple (promise/suggest etc.) in sentences like this:

è I promise I won’t be late. (not I’m promising.)

è What do you suggest I do? ‘I suggest that you…’

In the same way we say: I advise.. /I apologize ../I insist../ I agree../ I refuse..etc.

Present continuous

Present continuous ( I am doing)

Examples:

Amy is in her car. She is on her way to work.

She is driving to work.

This means: she is driving now, at the time of speaking. The action is not finished.

Am/is/are – ing is the present continuous

I am	I’m	driving
He/she/it  is	He’s etc	working
We/you/they  are	We’re etc	Doing etc.

I am doing something=I’m in the middle of doing something; I’ve started doing it and I haven’t finished yet.

Often the action is happening at the time of speaking:

->please don’t make so much noise. I’m working.(not I work)

-> Where’s Margaret? ‘ She’s having a bath’ .(not ‘she has a bath’).

->Let’s go out now. It isn’t raining any more.(not ‘it doesn’t rain’)

->(at a party) Hello, Jane. Are you enjoying the party? (not ‘do you enjoy’)

-> I’m tired. I’m going to bed now. Goodnight!

We use present continuous when we talk about things happening in a period around now. For example: today/this week/this evening etc.

->you are working hard today. ‘yes, I have a lot to do.’(not ‘you work hard today’)

->Is Susan working this this week? ‘No she’s on holiday.’

We use the present continuous when we talk about changes happening around now:

è The population of the world is rising very fast.(not ‘rises’)

è Is your English getting better? (not ‘does your English get better’)

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