English Grammar Essentials: Tenses, Speech & Vocabulary
English Grammar Fundamentals
Present Simple Tense
Form: Subject + Base Verb (-s/-es for He/She/It)
Uses of Present Simple
- Actions or routines
- General truths or facts
- Scheduled events
- States or permanent situations
- Feelings, opinions, and senses
Present Continuous Tense
Form: Subject + Am/Is/Are + Verb-ing
Uses of Present Continuous
- Actions happening now
- Temporary situations
- Future arrangements (planned)
- Annoying habits
Present Perfect Tense
Form: Subject + Have/Has + Past Participle (V3)
Uses of Present Perfect
- Actions or situations that started in the past and continue into the present
- Life experiences (unspecific time in the past)
- Recent past actions with results in the present
- Actions completed in the past but in a time period that has not finished
Present Perfect Time Expressions
- **Since**: specific point in time
- **For**: duration of time
- **Already**: actions completed earlier than expected
- **Ever / Never**: for life experiences
- **Just**: recently completed actions
- **Yet**: used in negative sentences and questions (“until now”)
- **Recently / Lately**: actions that happened in the recent past
Present Perfect Continuous
Form: Subject + Have/Has + Been + Verb-ing
Uses of Present Perfect Continuous
- Actions started in the past and are still continuing
- Actions that have recently stopped
- Emphasis on the duration of an action
Present Perfect Continuous Time Expressions
- **For**: duration of time
- **Since**: specific point in time
- **Lately / Recently**: actions happening over a recent period
Past Simple Tense
Form: Subject + Verb in Past (V2)
Uses of Past Simple
- Completed actions in the past (e.g., “She woke up, had breakfast, left the house.”)
- Past habits
- Situations or states in the past (e.g., “He lived in Spain when he was a child.”)
Past Simple Time Expressions
- Yesterday
- Last night/week/year
- Two days ago
- In 2010
Past Continuous Tense
Form: Subject + Was/Were + Verb-ing
Uses of Past Continuous
- Actions in progress at a specific time in the past
- Actions interrupted by other actions
- Parallel actions in the past
- Background description
Past Continuous Time Expressions
- While
- At that moment
- When
- All day / All night
- At (hour) yesterday
- This morning
Past Perfect Simple
Form: Subject + Had + Past Participle
Uses of Past Perfect Simple
- Action completed before another action in the past
- Action completed before a specific time in the past
- To give a reason for something in the past
Past Perfect Simple Time Expressions
- Before
- After
- By the time
- By (a specific time)
Past Perfect Continuous
Form: Subject + Had Been + Verb-ing
Uses of Past Perfect Continuous
- To describe an ongoing action that happened before another action in the past
- To show cause or reason for something in the past
- To emphasize the duration of an action
Reported Speech & Questions
Direct Speech
It is used to quote the exact words of someone, using quotation marks.
Structure: Subject + Verb + Complement “I will come tomorrow.”
Reported Speech
To report what someone said:
Structure: Subject + Reporting Verb + That + Reported Speech
Tense and Pronoun Changes in Reported Speech
- Present Simple → Past Simple
- Present Continuous → Past Continuous
- Present Perfect → Past Perfect
- Past Simple → Past Perfect
Pronoun Changes
- I → He/She
- You → I/They
- We → They
- My → His/Her
- Your → My/Their
- Our → Their
Modal Verb Changes
- Will → Would
- Can → Could
- May → Might
- Must / Have to → Had to
- Shall → Should
Types of Questions
WH-Questions
- What
- When
- Which
- Where
- Who
- How
- Why
Yes/No Questions
Tag Questions
A short question added at the end of a statement to confirm information.
Example: “You are coming to the party, aren’t you?”
Indirect Questions
Introductory phrase + WH-question or Yes/No question.
Examples: *I wonder if…*, *Could you tell me…?*
Auxiliary Verbs & Modals
Used To + Infinitive
Form: Subject + Used To + Infinitive
Uses of “Used To”
- To express past habits or repeated actions
- To describe past states
- To show a change from the past to the present
Would + Infinitive
(Note: ‘Would’ is not typically used with stative verbs for past habits.)
Form: Subject + Would + Infinitive
Uses of “Would”
- To express past habits or repeated actions
- To express hypothetical or imaginary situations
- To make polite requests or offers
- To express future in the past
- To express wish or desire in the past
Understanding “Have”
Uses of “Have”
- **Possession**: “I have a car.”
- **Obligation or necessity**: “I have to go.”
- **Experience**: “I had a great party.”
- **Health/state of being**: “I have a headache.”
- **Expressions with “have got”**
- **Causative** (have + object + past participle): “I had my car washed.”
Understanding “Get”
Uses of “Get”
- Obtain or receive
- Become or change
- Movement or arrival
- Causative (get + object + past participle)
- Have the opportunity
Descriptive Language
Describing Character Traits
Positive Character Traits
- Generous
- Honest
- Kind
- Friendly
- Hardworking
Negative Character Traits
- Arrogant
- Rude
- Stubborn
- Greedy
- Lazy
Gradable and Non-Gradable Adjectives
Gradable Adjectives
These adjectives can vary in intensity (e.g., “so hot,” “slightly hot,” “very hot”).
Non-Gradable Adjectives
These adjectives describe absolute qualities and cannot vary in intensity (e.g., “impossible,” “perfect,” “dead,” “unique”).
Essential Parts of Speech
Nouns
- Common
- Proper
- Abstract
- Concrete
Verbs
- Stative/Dynamic
- Transitive/Intransitive
Pronouns
- He
- You
- Mine
- Yours
- Myself
Adjectives
Adverbs
Describe when, how, or where (e.g., quickly, slowly, well, yesterday).
Prepositions
Conjunctions
But, Or, Although
Articles
The, An, A
Common Phrasal Verbs
- Go back: regresar (to return)
- Hold on: esperar (to wait)
- Put on: ponerse (to wear/apply)
- Put away: guardar (to store/tidy)
- Put out: apagar (to extinguish)
- Put off: posponer (to postpone)
- Put down: poner en el suelo (to place on the ground)
- Speak up: hablar más alto (to speak louder)
- Cross out: tachar (to strike through)
- Turn over: dar vuelta (to flip/turn)
- Bring up: criar (hijo) (to raise a child)
- Look up: buscar (to search for information)
- Take off: quitarse/despegar (to remove clothing/to depart (plane))
- Get back together: reencontrarse (to reunite)
- Hurry up: darse prisa (to rush)
- Run out of: quedarse sin (to deplete/run short of)
- Look after: cuidar de (to take care of)
- Write down: escribir (algo) (to make a note of)
- Go over: repasar (to review)
- Turn on: encender (to activate/switch on)
- Get over: superar (to recover from/overcome)
- Give back: devolver (to return something)
- Take after: parecerse a alguien (to resemble someone)
- Go up: subir (to ascend/increase)
- Turn up: aparecer/llegar (to appear/arrive)
- Look forward to: esperar con ansia (to anticipate eagerly)
- Break up: romper relación (to end a relationship)