Mastering English Verb Tenses and Vocabulary

Posted on Jan 5, 2025 in English

Present Simple

Use: We use the present simple to talk about things in general, to say that something happens all the time or repeatedly, or that something is true in general.

  • (+) Subj + V infinitive + CC “I drive a car”
  • (-) Subj + Don’t + V infinitive + CC “I don’t drive a car”
  • (?) Do + Subj + V infinitive + CC? “Do I drive a car?”

Present Continuous

Use: We use the present continuous to talk about something happening at the time of speaking.

  • (+) Subj + Be + V infinitive -ing + CC “I’m driving a car”
  • (-) Subj + Be not + V infinitive -ing + CC “I am not driving a car”
  • (?) Be + Subj + V infinitive -ing + CC? “Am I driving a car?”

Present Simple or Present Continuous?

We use the present continuous to talk about something happening at the time of speaking, and we use the present simple to talk about things in general.

Past Continuous

Use: We use the past continuous to describe actions or situations that were in progress, but not completed, at a specific time in the past.

  • (+) Subj + Was/Were + V infinitive -ing + CC “I was driving a car”
  • (-) Subj + Wasn’t/Weren’t + V infinitive -ing + CC “I wasn’t driving a car”
  • (?) Was/Were + Subj + V infinitive -ing + CC? “Was I driving a car?”

Past Simple

Use: We use the past simple to describe a completed action in the past.

  • (+) Subj + V past (-ed) + CC “I drove a car”
  • (-) Subj + Didn’t + V infinitive + CC “I didn’t drive a car”
  • (?) Did + Subj + V infinitive + CC? “Did I drive a car?”

Past Simple or Past Continuous?

We use the past continuous to talk about a longer action in the past, and the past simple to talk about a shorter action that interrupts.

  • Subj + V past (-ed) + CC +When + Subj + Was/Were + V infinitive -ing + CC “The accident happened when they were skiing”
  • Subj + Was/Were + V infinitive –ing + CC + When + Subj + V past (-ed) + CC “I was skiing when the accident happened”

Present Perfect

Use: We use the present perfect to talk about an action which is finished but which still has an effect in the present.

  • (+) Subj + Have/Has + V participle (-ed) + CC “I have driven a car”
  • (-) Subj + Haven’t/Hasn’t + V participle (-ed) + CC “I haven’t driven a car”
  • (?) Have/Has + Subj + V participle (-ed) + CC? “Have I driven a car?”

Present Perfect or Past Simple?

We use the present perfect to talk about an action which is finished but which still has an effect in the present, and we use the past simple to describe a completed action in the past.

Past Perfect

Use: We use the past perfect to talk about something which happened before another action or moment in the past. We use the past perfect with because to give reasons for an action in the past.

  • (+) Subj + Had + V participle (-ed) + CC “I had driven a car”
  • (-) Subj + Hadn’t + V participle (-ed) + CC “I hadn’t driven a car”
  • (?) Had+ Subj + V participle (-ed) + CC? “Had I driven a car?”

Past Perfect or Past Simple?

When we are talking about the past, we use the past perfect to refer to a previous action or moment. We use the past simple to talk about the next action in a sequence.

  • Subj + Had + V participle (-ed) + CC + When + Subj + V past (-ed) + CC “We had gone out when Jen arrived”

Zero Conditional

Use: We use the zero conditional to talk about general truths.

  • (+) Subj + V infinitive + CC + If + Subj + V infinitive + CC “You wear a jacket if it is chilly”

First Conditional

Use: We use the first conditional to talk about a possible future event which is probable.

  • (+) Subj + will + V infinitive + CC + If + Subj + V infinitive + CC “She will call you back if you leave a message”

Second Conditional

Use: We use the second conditional to talk about an imaginary situation.

  • (+) Subj + Would + V infinitive + CC + If + Subj + V past + CC “I would tell you if I knew the answer”

Passive

Passive

Active

Present

Subj + Be + V participle + By + Obj

“CDs are made by machines”

“Machines make CDs”

Past

Subj + Was/Were + V participle + By + Obj

“His homework was done by Claudia”

“Claudia did his homework”

Future

Subj + Will be + V participle + By + Obj

“An exam will be put by the teacher tomorrow”

“The teacher will put an exam tomorrow”


Vocabulary

Climate Change

  • Global warming: Calentamiento global
  • Rise: Aumentar
  • Grow: Crecer
  • Disappear: Desaparecer
  • Melt: Derretir
  • Expand: Expandir
  • Effect: Efecto
  • Burn: Quemar
  • Create: Crear
  • Reduce: Reducir
  • Emissions: Emisiones
  • Pollution: Contaminación
  • Flood: Inundación
  • Drought: Sequía
  • Freeze: Congelar
  • Affect: Afectar

Weather

  • Thick: Espeso
  • Heavy: Pesado
  • High: Alto
  • Gentle: Suave
  • Strong: Fuerte
  • Cool: Frío
  • Severe: Grave
  • Light: Flojo
  • Wind: Viento
  • Breeze: Brisa
  • Fog: Niebla
  • Rain: Lluvia
  • Snow: Nieve
  • Sun: Sol
  • Storm: Tormenta
  • Shower: Lluvia

Synonyms

  • Deceive – Mislead: Engañar
  • Actually – Really: En serio
  • Large – Big: Grande
  • Realise – Understand: Darse cuenta
  • Major – Important: Importante
  • Record – Put on CD/DVD/film: Registrar, grabar
  • Success – Achieving something: Lograr algo
  • Assist – Help: Ayudar
  • Sensible – Rational: Racional
  • Compromise – acceptance of something different to what you really want: Aceptación de algo diferente a lo que realmente quiere.