- •Present Simple Tense.
- •Habitual or repeated actions.
- •It doesn’t often snow in winter here.
- •In May 1979 Margaret Thatcher becomes the first woman Prime Minister in the history of Great Britain.
- •I’ll phone you as soon as I come back home.
- •I don’t know where we are going.
- •It’s raining all day.
- •Actions or states having a dynamic character (changing and developing situations).
- •I’m leaving at the end of the week.
- •I’m going to explore the neighbourhood.
- •I’m feeling fine.
- •Past Simple (Indefinite) Tense.
- •I felt very happy in those days.
- •Repeated, habitual past actions or states.
- •Past Continues (Progressive) Tense.
- •I looked out of the window. The sun was shining and the birds were singing.
- •In those days he was always borrowing money and forgetting to pay it back.
- •I was wondering if you’d like to come out with me one evening.
- •I picked up a cake and bit a piece off to see how it tasted.
- •The Present Perfect Tense.
- •Actions completed in the past but connected in their result with the present:
- •I have only recently sent her an invitation.
- •I’ve done a lot of work today.
- •It’s one of the most boring books I’ve ever read.
- •I haven’t heard anything from him since he moved to Leeds.
- •I’ve never tasted papaya.
- •The Present Perfect Continuous (Progressive) Tense.
- •I am learning English at High School. I have been learning English for 6 years. (period of duration)
- •The Past Perfect Tense.
- •The Past Perfect Tense is used to denote a past action completed before another past action or before a moment in the past.
- •I knew the Horns had been married for nearly fifty years.
- •I was sure they had known each other since childhood.
- •The Past Perfect Continuous (Progressive) Tense.
- •It was clear they had long known each other.
- •The Future Simple (Indefinite) Tense.
- •The Future Continuous (Progressive) Tense.
- •To denote a future action which is part of a regular routine (a matter-of-course event), which does not need any special arrangement.
- •I’ll be passing the post-office on my way home from work, so I’ll buy you a newspaper.
- •The Future Perfect Tense.
- •Compare the Present Simple and The Present Cont. Tense.
- •Compare the Present Perfect and The Present Perfect Cont. Tense.
- •I have planted a lot of new rose bushes.
Present Simple Tense.
The Present Simple Tense is formed from the infinitive without the particle to. In the 3rd person singular the ending –s is added. In the interrogative (вопросительный) and negative sentences the auxiliary (вспомогательный) verb do (does) is added.
The verb ‘to be’ forms the Present Simple in the interrogative and negative sentences without the auxiliary ‘do’.
According to the general rule the 3rd person singular is formed with the help of the ending –s (works, drives, plays, runs).
-s is changed to 1) –es for verbs which end in –o (does, goes) and in –s, -x, -ch/sh (misses, mixes, catches, pushes), 2) –ies for verbs which end in –y with a preceding consonant (study – studies, fly – flies). But if the letter –y is preceded by a vowel, only –s is added (stay – stays, play – plays).
Main Uses
The Present Simple (Indefinite) Tense is used to denote:
Habitual or repeated actions.
Regular activities and events typically with adverbials (наречие) frequency (частота, частотность) such as always , usually, generally, occasionally, frequently, sometimes, often, every day, hardly ever, seldom, rarely, monthly, etc.
They always go out on Sundays.
As a rule, she has three meals a day.
It doesn’t often snow in winter here.
We never come late from work.
Permanent (постоянные, неизменные) characteristics and properties (состояние), hobbies, habits (привычка) and customs; attitudes (отношение) and feelings.
As a hobby Ken designs and makes paper airlines.
British people drink a lot of tea.
Cycling doesn’t appeal to me at all.
Universal truth and generalizations (обобщение) (e.g. in proverbs – пословица, поговорка, and sayings, rules and common statements).
Summer follows spring.
Extremes meet.
Time-table, itineraries (курс, маршрут), working hours.
The shop opens at 9 a.m.
Classes last till 3 p.m.
‘Immediate’ present actions or states:
Feelings, opinions with the so-called stative verbs such as like, know, see, agree, hear, believe, think, be, taste, understand, want, wish, prefer, own, realize, cost, depend, belong, etc.
Stage directions, sports commentaries, instructions, declarations, demonstrations.
Now I peel the apples, slice them and put into the bowl. (a recipe)
They shake hands and he bids her good-night. (a stage remark)
Past activities:
In summaries (сводка) of historical events.
In May 1979 Margaret Thatcher becomes the first woman Prime Minister in the history of Great Britain.
Plots (сюжет) of films, plays, books, etc.
Informal story-telling (jokes, anecdotes).
Headlines.
People SAY No To Terrorism.
Future activities:
In subordinate (придаточный) clauses of time and condition (условие) after the conjunctions (связь, соединение) when , after, before, as soon as, until, if, in case, unless, etc.
I’ll phone you as soon as I come back home.
In schedules, time-tables, plans.
In suggestions, offers, invitations.
Present Continues Tense.
The Present Continues (Progressive) Tense is formed with the help of the auxiliary be and Participle I (-ing) of the main verb.
Main Uses
The Present Continues (Progressive) Tense is used to denote:
Actions in progress:
Happening at the present moment, i.e. at the time of speaking, this is either shown by an adverbial (at the moment, now, at present, just now, right now, etc.) or made clear by the situation.
We are working with Brian at the moment.