Comprehensive English Grammar Review: Tenses, Vocabulary & Expressions
Present Tenses
Present Simple and Continuous
Present Simple is for routines:
- I, You, We, They / talk, eat, learn, do, go
- He, She, It / talks, eats, learns, does, goes
It is used for things done daily.
Present Continuous is for plans already organized:
Subject / Auxiliary (to be) / Gerund
- I / am / talking, eating
- He, She, It / is / talking, eating
- You, We, They / are / talking, eating
We use it for something happening now or for something decided to be done in the near future.
Present Perfect Simple
Present Perfect is for situations that started in the past and continue in the present:
Subject / Auxiliary Verb / Short Form / Past Participle
- I, You, We, They / have / I’ve, You’ve, We’ve / talked, learned
- He, She, It / has / He’s, She’s, It’s / talked, learned
Used to describe experiences, changes over time, and actions that haven’t happened yet.
For and Since
- For – for a period – from beginning to end
- Since – from a point – from then until now
Still, Yet, Just and Already
- Already: refers to something that has happened before or sooner than expected
- Just: used for actions or events that occurred a short time ago
- Still: for actions or events that have not happened or have not finished
- Yet: used for something we expect to have happened but has not
Comparative and Superlatives
- Positive: Juan runs fast
- Comparative (-er): Juan runs faster than Mark
- Superlative (-est): Juan is the fastest
Past Tenses
Past Simple
Verb / Past Simple
- Be / was (I, he, she, it), were (you, we, they)
- Do / did Have / had
- Want -> wanted / change -> changed / stop -> stopped / study -> studied
Used to talk about actions that began and ended in the past.
Affirmative – She was a doctor / Negative – She wasn’t a doctor; I didn’t want to dance / Interrogative – Was she a doctor? Did you want to dance?
Past Continuous
Subject / Auxiliary (to be) / Gerund
- I, He, She, It / was / talking, eating
- You, We, They / were / talking, eating
For an action interrupted in the past, to talk about actions at a specific time in the past, or for 2 actions occurring simultaneously in the past.
Time Expressions
As soon as / Before / As / After / When / While
Used to and Would
- Used to: refers to situations that no longer continue in the present
- Would: used for a pleasant situation in the past that continues in the present
Future Forms
- Will + infinitive: decisions made at the time of speaking / future truths / facts (Ex: I will help you with this grammar)
- Going to + infinitive: general future plans (Ex: I’m going to Granada one day)
- Present Continuous: plans already organized (Ex: I’m traveling to Madrid on Friday night)
Conditionals
Zero, First, Second and Third Conditional
- Zero Conditional: (if + present simple, … present simple)
- First Conditional: (if + present simple, … will + infinitive)
- Second Conditional: (if + past simple, … would + infinitive)
- Third Conditional: (if + past perfect, … would + have + past participle)
Unless: Unless, if not
Had and Would:
- Had: had
- Would: would
Relative Clauses
Relative Pronouns
That / Which / What / Who / Whose / Where / When
Reported Speech
Modal Verbs in Reported Speech
Direct speech / Reported speech
Must / had to – Have to / had to – Will / would – Can / could
Say and Tell
After “say” a name or pronoun is used without “to”. After “tell” a name or pronoun is not used unless “to” is included. After both “say” and “tell”, “that” can be omitted.
Reported Questions
In reported questions:
- We omit the auxiliary verb “do”
- We use “if” or “whether” for yes/no questions
- The subject sometimes comes before the verb
The Passive
Present Simple Passive
Used to emphasize sentences, when the actor is unknown, or to avoid naming the actor.
Other Tenses in Passive
Subject + am/is/are + participle + rest of sentence (Ex: The tree is made of bills.)
Have Something Done
We use the causative “have” when we want to express that someone does something for us. (have + noun + past participle)
Vocabulary
Feelings
Angry, Upset, Frightened, Surprised, Pleased, Scared, Thrilled, Devastated, Cross, Dramatic, Happy, Miserable, Surprising, Amuse, Bore, Disappoint, Embarrass
The Environment
Climate change, Fossil fuels, Greenhouse gases, Global warming, Polar ice caps, Sea levels, Renewable energy, Wind forms, Solar panels, Unleaded petrol, Exhaust fumes, Energy-saving, Congestion charge, Environmentally friendly, Carbon offsetting, Clear up, Warm up, Cloud over, Brightened up, Cooled down
The World of Work
Part-time, Adverts, Full-time, Positions, Boss, Vacancy, Application form, Wages, Experience, Reference, Employer, Ads, Job center, Filled in, Interview, Applied for, Post, Applicant
Travel
Crossing, Flight, Journey, Travel, Trip, Voyage, Check-in desk, Departure lounge, Boarding gate, Passport control, Baggage reclaim, Customs, Arrivals hall, Set off, Stop off, Drop off, Pick up, Go away
Relationships
Dating, Date, Stood up, Dumped, Asked out, Couple, Chatting up, Going out with, Flirting with, Cheating on, Row, Break up, Get back together, Ex, Fall for, Love at first sight, Hit it off, Pop the question, The love of her life, Tie the knot, Breaks his heart
The Natural World
Carnivore: carnivoro
Predator: depredador
Food chain: cadena alimenticia
Nocturnal: nocturno
Mammal hibernates: mamíferos hibernan
Herbivores: herbívoros
Feed on: alimentar
Reptile: reptil
Lay eggs: poner huevos
Prey: presa
Invertebrate: invertebrado
Gives birth to: dar a luz
Offspring: descendencia
Young: joven
Primate: primate
Vertebrate: vertebrados
Omnivore: omnívoros
Got it straight from the horse’s mouth: lo tienes directamente en la boca del caballo
Had butterflies in her stomach: tener mariposas en el estomago
Let the cat out of the bag: dejar al gato fuera de la bolsa
Took the bull by the horns: coger el toro por los cuernos
Wouldn’t hurt a fly: no haría daño a una mosca