English Tenses and Grammar: A Comprehensive Reference
English Tenses
Present Simple
Affirmative: Person + verb (s/es). Negative: Person + don’t/doesn’t + verb (infinitive). Interrogative: Do/Does + person + verb (infinitive)?
Present Continuous
Affirmative: Am/is/are + person + verb + ing (e.g., I am eating).
Past Simple
Affirmative: Person + 2nd column (past tense) of the verb. Negative: Person + didn’t + verb (infinitive). Interrogative: Did + person + verb (infinitive)?
Past Continuous
Affirmative: Person + was/were + verb + ing.
Present Perfect Simple
Affirmative: Person + has/have + 3rd column (past participle) of the verb.
Present Perfect Continuous
Affirmative: Person + has/have + been + verb + ing. Interrogative: Has/Have + person + been + verb + ing?
Past Perfect Simple
Affirmative: Person + had + 3rd column (past participle) of the verb.
Future Simple (Will)
Affirmative: Person + will + 1st column (infinitive) of the verb.
Future (Going To)
Affirmative: Person + am/is/are + going to + 1st column (infinitive) of the verb.
Future Continuous
Affirmative: Person + will be + verb + ing. Interrogative: Will + person + be + verb + ing?
Future Perfect
Affirmative: Person + will have + 3rd column (past participle) of the verb.
Modal Verbs
Affirmative: Person + modal verb + have + 3rd column (past participle) of the verb. Interrogative: Modal verb + person + have + 3rd column (past participle) of the verb?
Conditional Sentences
- 1st Conditional: If + person + present simple, person + will + 1st column (infinitive).
- 2nd Conditional: If + person + past simple, person + would + 1st column (infinitive).
- 3rd Conditional: If + person + past perfect, person + would have + 3rd column (past participle).
Comparatives and Superlatives
Comparative: is + -er than. Superlative: is the + -est.
Reported Statements
Present simple = past simple / Present continuous = past continuous / Present perfect simple = past perfect simple / Past simple = past perfect simple / Am/is/are going to = was/were going to.
Passive Voice
Subject + to be + 3rd column (past participle) (if there is mention of the subject agent, use ‘by’).
Vocabulary
Question Words
- Who: Person
- Whose: Possession
- Which: Thing
- Where: Place
- When: Time
Other Useful Words
- Ever: Never
- Never: Never
- For: Something concrete (dates)
- Since: Concrete date
- As…as: Equal
- Lest: Less than
- Least: Less than (inferior)
- Ever: Ever
- Still: Still
- Yet: Yet
- Already: Already
- Just: Just
- None: None
- Both: Both
- All: All
- Neither: Neither
Modal Verbs
- Can: Can (ability)
- Could: Could (past ability, polite request)
- Be able to: Be able to
- Must: Must (advice)
- Have to: Have to
- Mustn’t: Shouldn’t
- Don’t have to: Don’t have to
- Should, Ought to: Should, ought to (recommendation)
- Might: Might (possibility)
Irregular Verbs
Here are some common irregular verbs:
- Be – was/were – been
- Become – became – become
- Begin – began – begun
- Bring – brought – brought
- Buy – bought – bought
- Choose – chose – chosen
- Come – came – come
- Do – did – done
- Drink – drank – drunk
- Drive – drove – driven
- Eat – ate – eaten
- Fall – fell – fallen
- Feel – felt – felt
- Find – found – found
- Fly – flew – flown
- Forget – forgot – forgotten
- Get – got – got
- Give – gave – given
- Go – went – gone
- Have – had – had
- Hear – heard – heard
- Keep – kept – kept
- Know – knew – known
- Leave – left – left
- Lend – lent – lent
- Lose – lost – lost
- Make – made – made
- Meet – met – met
- Pay – paid – paid
- Put – put – put
- Read – read – read
- Run – ran – run
- Say – said – said
- See – saw – seen
- Sell – sold – sold
- Send – sent – sent
- Sing – sang – sung
- Sit – sat – sat
- Sleep – slept – slept
- Speak – spoke – spoken
- Stand – stood – stood
- Swim – swam – swum
- Take – took – taken
- Teach – taught – taught
- Tell – told – told
- Think – thought – thought
- Understand – understood – understood
- Wear – wore – worn
- Write – wrote – written