Essential English Grammar: Verbs, Tenses, & Adverbs

Posted on Aug 19, 2025 in English

English Grammar Essentials: Verbs, Tenses, & More

Understanding Modal Verbs & Their Usage

  • Must: Expresses moral obligation or strong necessity (e.g., You must study).
  • Have to: Indicates obligation due to a rule or external circumstance (e.g., I have to wear a uniform).
  • Mustn’t: Denotes prohibition (e.g., You mustn’t smoke here).
  • Should / Shouldn’t: Used for recommendations or advice (e.g., You should rest).
  • Don’t have to: Expresses absence of obligation or necessity (e.g., You don’t have to come).
  • Can: Indicates possibility, capability, or ability (e.g., I can swim).
  • Could: The past form of ‘can’, also used for possibility or polite requests (e.g., I could run fast when I was young).
  • May / Might: Express probability, with ‘may’ suggesting a higher chance than ‘might’ (e.g., It may rain; She might be late).

Key Adverbs for Time & Frequency

  • Already: Indicates something has happened before now (e.g., I’ve already finished).
  • Never: At no time (e.g., I have never seen that).
  • Ever: At any time (e.g., Have you ever been there?).
  • Just: Indicates something happened a very short time ago (e.g., I’ve just arrived).
  • Since: From a specific point in time (e.g., since 1977, since yesterday).
  • For: Over a period of time (e.g., for 3 years, for one week).
  • Yet: Up to the present time, often used in questions or negative sentences (e.g., Have you finished yet? I haven’t eaten yet).
  • Ago: A specified time in the past from now (e.g., two days ago).

Understanding English Verb Tenses

Present Tenses

  • Present Simple:
    • Used for habits, routines, facts.
    • Often uses adverbs of frequency (e.g., always, often, sometimes).
    • Structure: I study, he studies.
    • Questions: Do you study? Does he study?
  • Present Continuous:
    • Used for actions happening now or around now.
    • Time expressions: now, today, nowadays.
    • Structure: I am studying.
    • Questions: Are you studying?
  • Present Perfect:
    • Used for actions that started in the past and continue to the present, or past actions with present results.
    • Time expressions: since, yet, until now.
    • Structure: Have/Has + past participle (third column).
    • Examples: I have looked, he has looked.

Past Tenses

  • Past Simple:
    • Used for completed actions in the past.
    • Time expressions: yesterday, last week/month/year, a week ago.
    • Structure: He went.
    • Questions: Did he go?
  • Past Continuous:
    • Used for actions in progress at a specific time in the past, or for background actions.
    • Connectors: while, when, as.
    • Example: I was looking out the window when I saw a cat.

Mastering Question Tags

Question tags are short questions at the end of statements. They are used to ask for confirmation.

  • Present Simple: do, does, don’t, doesn’t
  • Past Simple: did, didn’t
  • Present Continuous: is, am, are, isn’t, aren’t, am not

Important Messages & Exercises

Exam Reschedule Request

You need to change the day of my English exam, please. I’m traveling with my family on Friday, so I won’t be able to take it. If the trip weren’t already planned, I would stay and attend. I have been preparing for weeks and really want to do my best. Could you reschedule it for next week? That might work better for me. If you can help, I will truly appreciate your understanding. Thanks in advance!

Gratitude to Teacher Maribel

You need to know how thankful we are, Teacher Maribel. If you weren’t so patient, this year would have been a mess! You always help us, and we will never forget it. One day, we were talking too much while you were explaining, but you didn’t get angry. You could have shouted, but you stayed calm. We should behave better! This year has been fun and full of learning. Thanks for everything, Maribel. You are the best teacher we could have!

Practice Exercises & Solutions

True/False Statements
  1. T, T, T, T, T (if it’s about best body fitness)
  2. T, F, T, T, T (if it’s about briefing and the 3rd park)
Verb Tense & Modal Verb Practice
  1. I have just written (just write) to tell you how you are.
  2. She attends (attend) lectures every morning.
  3. I must study (study) if I want to pass the exam (MODAL VERB).
  4. I might visit (visit) my cousins next week but, I am not sure yet.
  5. Did you practice (practice) the speaking yesterday in class?
  6. My friends are planning (plan) the next trip right now.
  7. If you buy (buy) a new computer, you will see (see) how your job improves.
  8. Does Peter know (know) where I live now?
  9. The teachers are coming (come) to our dinner. They told us.
  10. The boy who ran (run) the marathon last Friday won a medal.
Question Tag Exercises
  1. Tom won’t be late, will he?
  2. They don’t like us, do they?
  3. That isn’t George over there, is it?
  4. Tom should pass his exam, shouldn’t he?
  5. You like fish, don’t you?