Master English Verb Tenses, Grammar, and Structure

Posted on Feb 4, 2025 in Hospitality and Tourism

Verb Tenses

Present Simple

Used for habits and routines, with adverbs of frequency:

  • Every, on + day of the week, once a…, in the morning
  • Always, usually, often, never, seldom, sometimes

Present Continuous

Used for actions happening now or around now, and for future arrangements:

  • Now, right now, at the moment, today
  • Tomorrow, next…

Past Simple

Used for completed actions in the past:

  • …ago, when + short actions

Past Continuous

Was/were + -ing. Used for actions in progress in the past, often interrupted by a shorter action in the past simple:

  • While + long actions (studying, cooking, etc.)

Present Perfect

  • He/she/it: has + past participle
  • I/we/you/they: have + past participle

Used for actions that started in the past and continue to the present, or for experiences:

  • Already, yet, just, since, for
  • Have you ever…?, never, how long have you…?

Past Perfect

Had + past participle. Used for an action that happened before another action in the past. Often used with the past simple and introduced by ‘by’ (for):

Future Simple

Used for spontaneous decisions, promises, and predictions:

  • I think, I hope, I’m sure, probably
  • Will + infinitive / won’t + infinitive

Be Going To

Subject + verb to be + going to + infinitive. Used for future intentions and predictions based on present evidence:

  • Look, look out, be careful, listen

Future Continuous

Subject + will be/won’t be + -ing. Used for an action in progress at a specific time in the future.

Relative Clauses

  • Who: people
  • Which: things
  • Whose: possessives
  • Where: places
  • When: times

Conditionals

First Conditional

If + subject + present simple, subject + (will, can, may) + infinitive.

Second Conditional

If + subject + past simple, subject + (would, could, might) + infinitive.

Third Conditional

If + subject + past perfect, subject + (would have, could have, might have) + past participle.

Passive Voice

Object Pronouns: me, him (he), her (she), us, you, them.

Changes in the passive voice:

  1. Opens (present simple) – is opened
  2. Is opening (present continuous) – is being opened
  3. Has opened (present perfect) – has been opened
  4. Opened (past simple) – was opened
  5. Was/were opening (past continuous) – was/were being opened
  6. Had opened (past perfect) – had been opened
  7. Will open (future simple) – will be opened
  8. Is going to open (going to) – is going to be opened
  9. Can/must open (modal verb) – can/must be opened
  10. Would open (conditional) – would be opened

Comparatives and Superlatives

Equality

As + adjective + as

Superiority

  • 1 or 2 syllables: adjective + -er + than
  • 3 or more syllables: more + adjective + than
  • Exceptions: good – better, bad – worse, far – farther/further, little – less

Superlative

  • 1 or 2 syllables: the + adjective + -est
  • 3 or more syllables: the most + adjective
  • Exceptions: good – the best, bad – the worst, far – the farthest/the furthest, little – the least

Modal Verbs

Can (ability), must (obligation), should (advice), may (possibility), might (possibility).
Subject + modal verb + infinitive without ‘to’.

Have To

Have to (external obligation) is formed similarly but with ‘to’.

Reported Speech

  • Say: to tell something
  • Tell: to give an order, to scold, to warn

Tense changes:

  • Present simple – past simple
  • Past simple – past simple or past perfect
  • Present continuous – past continuous
  • Present perfect – past perfect
  • Will – would
  • Can – could
  • Shall – should

Other changes:

  • This – that
  • Verb in infinitive – to + infinitive
  • With (she, he…) – her, him…
  • Asked – if