Mastering English Tenses and Grammar: A Comprehensive Review

English Tenses and Grammar Review

Present Simple

  • Affirmative: They play tennis every day.
  • Negative: We don’t enjoy classical music.
  • Interrogative: Does he often chat on the internet?

Present Continuous

  • Affirmative: They are listening to music now.
  • Negative: I‘m not studying at the moment.
  • Interrogative: Are they chatting on the internet now?

Used To

  • Affirmative: I used to live in London.
  • Negative: She didn’t use to be thin.
  • Interrogative: Did you use to go to this school?

Past Simple

  • Affirmative: He performed in the concert.
  • Negative: We didn’t perform in the concert.
  • Interrogative: Did you perform in the concert?

Past Continuous

  • Affirmative: He was standing near the building.
  • Negative: I wasn’t standing near the building.
  • Interrogative: Were you standing near the building?

Present Perfect Simple

  • Affirmative: I have worked, You have worked, He has worked, She has worked, It has worked, We have worked, You have worked, They have worked.
  • Negative: I haven’t worked, You haven’t worked, He hasn’t worked, She hasn’t worked, It hasn’t worked, We haven’t worked, You haven’t worked, They haven’t worked.
  • Interrogative: Have I worked? Have You worked? Has He worked? Has She worked? Has It worked? Have We worked? Have You worked? Have They worked?

Will and Be Going To

Will

  • Affirmative: I will try later.
  • Negative: You won’t like it.
  • Interrogative: Will they go next week?

Be Going To

  • Affirmative: I am going to play tennis tomorrow.
  • Negative: She isn’t going to sing soon.
  • Interrogative: Are we going to help him?

First and Second Conditional

First Conditional

  • Affirmative: If you take a photograph, you will see the mirage.
  • Negative: He won’t be a good magician unless he practises.
  • Interrogative: What will they do if they forget the camera?

Second Conditional

  • Affirmative: If you saw the mirage, you would understand.
  • Negative: He wouldn’t be famous if he didn’t do good tricks.
  • Interrogative: If you wanted a camera, where would you buy one?

Comparison of Adjectives

Comparative

Shorter adjectives: newer than. Longer adjectives: more upbeat than.

Superlative

Examples: The scariest and The most shocking.

As…as, Not as…as

  • Affirmative: as cheap as
  • Negative: not as popular as

Too…enough…not…enough

  • Too: too offensive
  • Enough: clever enough
  • Not enough: not clever enough

Reported Speech

Direct Speech

  • Present Simple: enjoy festivals
  • Present Continuous: I’m learning Strine
  • Future: I will be at the beach
  • Modals:
    • I can’t visit Australia
    • I must leave

Reported Speech

  • Enjoyed
  • Was learning
  • Would be
  • Couldn’t
  • Had to

Relative Clauses

  • People (who/that): Keel is the journalist who/that researched the mothman.
  • Place (where): That’s the cinema where they’re showing The Mothman Prophecies.
  • Things/animals (which/that): Silver Bridge is the bridge which/that collapsed.

The Passive Voice

Present Simple Passive / Past Simple Passive

  • Affirmative: The scenery is painted at the studio. The scenery was painted by the director.
  • Negative: The scenery isn’t painted by the actors. The scenery wasn’t painted yesterday.
  • Interrogative: Is the scenery painted at the studio? Was the scenery painted at the studio?