Location via proxy:   [ UP ]  
[Report a bug]   [Manage cookies]                

English Grammar

Download as pdf or txt
Download as pdf or txt
You are on page 1of 15

ENGLISH 2019-2020 : GRAMMAR –1 : the verb

THE VERB

I-Introduction
A verb is a word or a combination of words that indicates action or a state of being or condition. A verb is
the part of a sentence that tells us what the subject performs. Verbs are the hearts of English sentences.
Examples:
o Jacob walks in the morning. (A usual action)
o Mike is going to school. (A condition of action)
o Albert does not like to walk. (A negative action)
o Anna is a good girl. (A state of being)
Verbs are related to a lot of other factors like the subject, person, number, tense, mood, voice, etc.

II-Basic Forms of Verbs


There are six basic forms of verbs. These forms are as follows:
o Base form: Children play in the field.
o Infinitive: Tell them not to play
o Past tense: They played football yesterday.
o Past participle: I have eaten a burger.
o Present participle: I saw them playing with him today.
o Gerund: Swimming is the best exercise.

III-Different Types of Verbs


1-Finite Verbs:
Finite verbs are the actual verbs which are called the roots of sentences. It is a form of a verb that is
performed by or refers to a subject and uses one of the twelve forms of tense and changes according to the
number/person of the subject.
Example:
o Alex went to school. (Subject – Alex – performed the action in the past. This information is
evident only by the verb ‘went’.)
o Robert plays hockey.
o He is playing for Australia.
o He is one of the best players. (Here, the verb ‘is’ directly refers to the subject itself.)
2-Auxiliary Verbs:
Auxiliary verbs are also called helping verbs. An auxiliary verb extends the main verb by helping to show
time, tense, and possibility. The auxiliary verbs are – be verbs, have, and do.
They are used in the continuous (progressive) and perfect tenses.
Linking verbs work as main verbs in the sentence, but auxiliary verbs help main verbs.
Do is an auxiliary verb that is used to ask questions, to express negation, to provide emphasis, and more.
Example:
o Alex is going to school.
o They are walking in the park.
o I have seen a movie.
o Do you drink tea?
o Don’t waste your time.
o Please, do submit your assignments.
ENGLISH 2019-2020 : GRAMMAR –1 : the verb

3-Modal Verbs:
A modal verb is a kind of an auxiliary verb. It assists the main verb to indicate possibility, potentiality,
ability, permission, expectation, and obligation.
The modal verbs are can, could, must, may, might, ought to, shall, should, will, would.
Example:
o I may want to talk to you again.
o They must play their best game to win.
o She should call him.
o I will go there.
Modal verbs Modal verbs are used to talk about ability, possibility, obligation,
prohibition, or to make requests or offers. Form Modal verb + Verb (bare infinitive)
Modal verbs Usages Examples
Ability I can play the piano very well.
Permission Can I go now?
Possibility It can be a very good day tomorrow.
Offer I can help you with this homework. Don’t worry!
Can Request Can you please pass me the salt?
Ability in the past I could play the piano well when I was 9.
Polite permission Excuse me, could I come in?
Possibility A hailstorm could come here tomorrow.
Polite offer No problem. I could give you a lift.
Could Polite request Could you please move to the next slide?
Permission May I leave early?
May Possibility Astronauts may discover life in other planets.
Polite permission Might I take you home?

Might Possibility I might visit him tomorrow if the weather is nice.


Obligation You must do homework.
He must be at the cinema now. He told me about that
Must Certainty yesterday.
Mustn't Prohibition You mustn’t play here. It’s dangerous.
Prediction The weather forecast predicts that it’ll rain tonight.
Promise I’ll finish all the homework by Friday.
Spontaneous decision I’ll lend you some money.
Will Request/ demand Will you please give me that book?
My dad said that he would give me some toys on my
Used as the past form of “will” birthday.
Would Polite request/ demand Would you mind closing the door, please?
ENGLISH 2019-2020 : GRAMMAR –1 : the verb

Modal verbs Usages Examples

Prediction This time tomorrow I shall be in London.


Shall Offer/ suggestion Shall we discuss this further with him?
Advice You should see the doctor. It’s swollen.
Prediction/ expectation The project should be done before May.
Should Polite suggestion Should I call her to say sorry?
Obligation You ought to say good bye to your parents when you
leave.
Ought to Advice You ought to sleep early. You look really tired.
Used to talk about something You needn’t give him any advice. He won’t listen.
Needn't not necessary
Modal verb + Verb (bare infinitive)

4-Regular and Irregular Verbs


All English verbs are either regular or irregular, depending on how they are conjugated. The majority are
regular verbs, which means that “-d” or “-ed” is added to their base form (the infinitive of the verb
without to) to create both the past simple tense and past participle.

The past simple tense and past participles of irregular verbs, on the other hand, have many different forms
that do not adhere to a distinct or predictable pattern. Much of the time, their past tense and past participle
forms are completely different from one another. Unfortunately, this means that there is no way of
determining how to conjugate irregular verbs—we just have to learn each one individually.

A-What is a regular verb?


Regular verbs are defined as having both their past simple tense and past participle forms constructed by
adding the suffixes “-d” or “-ed” to the end of the word. For most regular verbs, this is the only change to
the word’s spelling.

Here are some examples of common regular verbs:

Base Form Past Simple Tense Past Participle


play played played

bake baked baked

listen listened listened

approach approached approached

gather gathered gathered

climb climbed climbed

walk walked walked


ENGLISH 2019-2020 : GRAMMAR –1 : the verb

arrive arrived arrived

bolt bolted bolted

In all of the previous examples, the only alteration to the verb has been the addition of “-d” or “-ed.” Notice,
too, that the past tense and past participle forms are identical in each case—this is a defining feature of
regular verbs.

For example:

Base Form Past Simple Tense Past Participle


chop chopped chopped

copy copied copied

panic panicked panicked

Example sentences
 “I walk around the park each evening.” (base form)
 “I walked around the park in the afternoon.” (past simple tense)

 “I have walked around the park a few times this morning.” (past participle)

 “I’m going to chop some vegetables for the salad.” (base form)
 “He chopped some vegetables for the salad before dinner.” (past simple tense)
 “He had already chopped some vegetables for the salad.” (past participle)

 “Don’t copy other students’ answers or you will get an F.” (base form)
 “I think he copied my answers.” (past simple tense)
 “The only answers he got right were the ones he had copied.” (past participle)

 “Your father’s fine—don’t panic!” (base form)


 “I panicked when I heard he was in the hospital.” (past simple tense)
 “I wish I hadn’t panicked like that.” (past participle)

B-Irregular verbs
Irregular verbs, by their very definition, do not have spelling rules that we can follow to create the past simple tense
and past participles. This means that the only way of knowing how to spell these forms is to memorize them for each
irregular verb individually. Below are just a few examples of some common irregular verbs.

Base Form Past Simple Tense Past Participle


be was/were been

see saw seen


ENGLISH 2019-2020 : GRAMMAR –1 : the verb

grow grew grown

give gave given

think thought thought

throw threw thrown

drive drove driven

ride rode ridden

run ran run

swim swam swum

sit sat sat

As you can see, irregular verbs can have endings that are dramatically different from their base forms; often,
their past simple tense and past participles forms are completely different, too. Again, the only way to learn
these variations is to memorize them.

Examples
Let’s look at some sentences that use irregular verbs in their various forms:

 “I drive to work every morning.” (base form)


 “I drove for nearly an hour yesterday.” (past simple tense)
 “I had already driven halfway to the office when I realized I forgot my briefcase.” (past participle)

 “I would love to grow vegetables in my garden.” (base form)


 “I grew some juicy tomatoes last summer.” (past simple tense)
 “He has grown a lot of different vegetables already.” (past participle)

 “I think I would like to get a dog.” (base form)


 “She thought a dog would provide some good company.” (past simple tense)
 “She hadn’t thought about how much work they are.” (past participle)
ENGLISH 2019-2020: GRAMMAR –2: THE PRESENT TENSE

THE PRESENT TENSE

I-Present Simple Tense

The simple present is a verb tense with two main uses. We use the simple present tense when an action is
happening right now, or when it happens regularly (or unceasingly, which is why it’s sometimes called
present indefinite).

Form :Depending on the person, the simple present tense is formed by using the root form or by adding -s
or -es to the end.

I/ you/ we/ they


I/ you/ we/ they + bare infinitive
Positive We go to bed early.
He/ she/ it/ James
He/ she/ it/ James + Verb – s/ es
She goes to bed early.
I/ you/ we/ they + do not + bare infinitive
Do not = don’t
Negative They don’t go to bed early.
He/ she/ it/ James + does not + bare infinitive
Does not = doesn’t
James doesn’t go to bed early.
Do + I/ you/ we/ they + bare infinitive?
Question Do they go to bed early?
Does + he/ she/ it/ James + bare infinitive?
Does she go to bed early?

Usages

 To describe habits, timetables, repeated actions or events


 She usually wakes up at 6 o’clock.
 To talk about general truths
 The Sun rises in the East
 To give instructions or directions
 Don’t open that box. Throw it away.
 To talk about something that is fixed in the future
 The bus leaves at 8 pm. Hurry up!

Signal words:

Always, usually, often, sometimes, seldom, never, every day, every week, every month, every year, on
Sundays, after school, before school

For most regular verbs, you put the negation of the verb before the verb, e.g. “She won’t go” or “I don’t
smell anything.”
ENGLISH 2019-2020: GRAMMAR –2: THE PRESENT TENSE

The verb to be is irregular:

First-person singular: I am
Second-person singular: You are
Third-person singular: He/she/it is
First-person plural: We are
Second-person plural: You are
Third-person plural: They are

Next, here's the negative. It's very easy. You only add 'not'.
Negative Negative short form

I am not I'm not

you are not you aren't

he is not he isn't

she is not she isn't

it is not it isn't

we are not we aren't

they are not they aren't

And finally let's talk about the question form of the present simple with 'be'.
Firstly, here's the 'yes / no' question form:
Yes / No Questions

am I ?

are you ?

is he ?

is she ?

is it ?

are we ?

are they ?
ENGLISH 2019-2020: GRAMMAR –2: THE PRESENT TENSE

II-Present Continuous Tense

Typically, when we want to describe a temporary action that is currently in progress, we use
the present continuous: Pauline can’t come to the phone right now because she is brushing her teeth.

Form : The present continuous of any verb is composed of two parts - the present tense of the verb to be +
the present participle of the main verb.

Subject + am/ is/ are + Verb - ING


Positive She is writing to her grandma now.
Subject + am/ is/ are + not + Verb – ING
Is not = isn’t
Are not = aren’t
Negative She isn’t writing to her grandma now.
Am/ is/ are + Subject + Verb – ING?
Question Is she writing to her grandma now?

Usages

 To talk about things which are happening at the moment of speaking


 Don’t go out. It’s raining outside now.
 To talk about things which happen again and again (a complaint)
 He’s always talking in class.
 To talk about things which are planned or arranged in the near future
 I am leaving for London tomorrow.
 To talk about things which are changing or developing
 More and more English centers are mushrooming nowadays.

Signal words:

at the moment, now / just now / right now, look, listen

Exercice 1
Entourez la bonne réponse:

1.We (am watching / are watching / is watching ) a movie.


2.Tina (am eating / are eating / is eating ) a pizza.
3.You (am wearing / are wearing / is wearing) a beautiful dress.
4.I (are learning / am learning / is learning) Japanese language.
ENGLISH 2019-2020: GRAMMAR –2: THE PRESENT TENSE

5.Paul (am talking / are talking / is talking) to his friend.

Exercice 2
Mettez le verbe entre parenthèses au Present Simple ING:

1.Sam (play) ____________ tennis at the moment.


2.Her dog (run) ____________around in the park.
3.They (go/not) ____________to London next week.
4.John (smoke) ____________a cigarette outside.
5.I (swim) ____________in the lake.
6.Tina (clean) ____________her house.
7.They (watch/not) ____________a movie.

Exercice 3
Construisez des questions au Present Simple ING:

1.(he / visit / Paris / today) ? => _______________________


2.(you / eat/ sushis) ? => _______________________
3.(you / read / the newspaper) ? => _______________________
4.(we / go / to the supermarket) ? => _______________________
5.(she /make / dinner) ? => _______________________

III-Present Perfect Tense

The present perfect is used to indicate a link between the present and the past. The time of the action
is before now but not specified, and we are often more interested in the result than in the action itself.

THE PRESENT PERFECT IS USED TO DESCRIBE


 An action or situation that started in the past and continues in the present. I have lived in Bristol
since 1984 (= and I still do.)
 An action performed during a period that has not yet finished. She has been to the cinema twice this
week (= and the week isn't over yet.)
 A repeated action in an unspecified period between the past and now. We have visited Portugal
several times.
 An action that was completed in the very recent past, expressed by 'just'. I have just finished my
work.
 An action when the time is not important. He has read 'War and Peace'. (= the result of his reading
is important)

Form
ENGLISH 2019-2020: GRAMMAR –2: THE PRESENT TENSE

Subject + has/ have + Past Participle


Has = ‘s
Have = ‘ve
Positive She’s done her homework.
Subject + has/ have + not + Past Participle
Negative She has not done her homework.
Has/ Have + Subject + Past Participle?
Question Has she done her homework?
Usages

 To talk about things which happened in the past, and continue to the present
 My parents have lived in England for 20 years.
 To talk about things which happened in the past, but not at a specific time
 My mom has gone to work.
 To talk about things we have done many times in the past and continue to do
 She has practiced the piano since she was 6.
 To talk about an experience which is connected to the present
 This is the most beautiful flower I have ever seen.
Signal words:

Already, yet, ever, never, just, only just, recently, so far, until now, up to now

Make the present perfect - choose positive, negative or question:


1. (I / go / to the library today)
_____________________________________________________________
2. (you / keep a pet for three years)
_______________________________________________________________
3. (you / eat Thai food before?)
_______________________________________________________________
4. (it / rain all day?)
_______________________________________________________________
5. (who / we / forget to invite?)
_______________________________________________________________
6. (we / not / hear that song already)
_______________________________________________________________
7. (he / not / forget his books)
_______________________________________________________________
8. (she / steal all the chocolate!)
_______________________________________________________________
9. (I / explain it well?)
_______________________________________________________________
ENGLISH 2019-2020: GRAMMAR –2: THE PRESENT TENSE

10. (who / he / meet recently?)


_______________________________________________________________
ENGLISH 2019-2020: GRAMMAR –3-:SIMPLE PAST TENSE (preterite)

SIMPLE PAST TENSE (preterite)


I-DEFINITION OF THE SIMPLE PAST TENSE (preterite)
The simple past tense, sometimes called the preterite, is used to talk about a completed action in a
time before now. The simple past is the basic form of past tense in English. The time of the action can be in
the recent past or the distant past and action duration is not important.
EXAMPLES

 John Cabot sailed to America in 1498.


 My father died last year.
 He lived in Fiji in 1976.
 We crossed the Channel yesterday

You always use the simple past when you say when something happened, so it is associated with certain
past time expressions

 frequency: often, sometimes, always


I sometimes walked home at lunchtime.
I often brought my lunch to school.
 a definite point in time: last week, when I was a child, yesterday, six weeks ago
We saw a good film last week.
Yesterday, I arrived in Geneva.
She finished her work atseven o'clock
I went to the theatre last night
 an indefinite point in time: the other day, ages ago, a long time ago
People lived in caves a long time ago.
She played the piano when she was a child.

Note: the word ago is a useful way of expressing the distance into the past. It is placed after the period of
time: a week ago, three years ago, a minute ago.
II-FORMING THE SIMPLE PAST TENSE
PATTERNS OF SIMPLE PAST TENSE FOR REGULAR VERBS
1-Affirmative
Subject + verb + ed
I skipped.
2-Negative
Subject + did not + infinitive without to
They didn't go.
3-Interrogative
Did + subject + infinitive without to
Did she arrive?
1
ENGLISH 2019-2020: GRAMMAR –3-:SIMPLE PAST TENSE (preterite)

4-Interrogative negative
Did not + subject + infinitive without to
Didn't you play?
TO WALK
Affirmative Negative Interrogative
I walked I didn't walk Did I walk?
You walked You didn't walk Did you walk?
He walked He didn't walk Did he walk?
We walked We didn't walk Did we walk?
They walked They didn't walk Did they walk?

III-SIMPLE PAST TENSE OF TO BE, TO HAVE, TO DO


Subject Verb
Be Have Do
I was had did
You were had did
He/She/It was had did
We were had did
You were had did
They were had did

IV-NOTES ON AFFIRMATIVE, NEGATIVE, & INTERROGATIVE FORMS


1-AFFIRMATIVE
The affirmative of the simple past tense is simple.

 I was in Japan last year


 She had a headache yesterday.
 We did our homework last night.

2-NEGATIVE AND INTERROGATIVE


For the negative and interrogative simple past form of "to do" as an ordinary verb, use the
auxiliary "did", e.g. We didn't do our homework last night.
The negative of "have" in the simple past is usually formed using the auxiliary "did", but sometimes by
simply adding not or the contraction "n't".
The interrogative form of "have" in the simple past normally uses the auxiliary "did".
EXAMPLES

 They weren't in Rio last summer.


 We didn't have any money.

2
ENGLISH 2019-2020: GRAMMAR –3-:SIMPLE PAST TENSE (preterite)

 We didn't have time to visit the Eiffel Tower.


 We didn't do our exercises this morning.
 Were they in Iceland last January?
 Did you have a bicycle when you were young?
 Did you do much climbing in Switzerland?

Note: For the negative and interrogative form of all verbs in the simple past, always use the auxiliary 'did''.
V-SIMPLE PAST, IRREGULAR VERBS
Some verbs are irregular in the simple past. Here are the most common ones.
TO GO

 He went to a club last night.


 Did he go to the cinema last night?
 He didn't go to bed early last night.

TO GIVE

 We gave her a doll for her birthday.


 They didn't give John their new address.
 Did Barry give you my passport?

TO COME

 My parents came to visit me last July.


 We didn't come because it was raining.
 Did he come to your party last week?

Complete the sentences. Use the negative form of the underlined verbs.
Yesterday ...

1. I (eat)___________ dinner at six o’clock yesterday.


2. A: ___________ Helen (drive)___________ to work? B: Yes, she ___________.
3. My neighbor (buy)___________ a new car last week.
4. They (go)___________ to Italy on their last summer holiday.
5. A: ___________ they (swim)___________ at the beach? B: No, they __________.
6. My family and I (see)___________ a comedy movie last night.
7. First, we (do)___________ exercise, and then we (drink)___________ some water.
8. Suddenly, the animal jumped and (bite)___________ my hand.
9. What time (do)___________ you (get up)___________ this morning?
10. The Wright brothers (fly)___________ the first airplane in 1903.
11. I think I (hear)___________ a strange sound outside the door one minute ago.
12. When I was ten years old, I (break)___________ my arm. It really (hurt) __________.
13. The police (catch)___________ all three of the bank robbers last week.
3
ENGLISH 2019-2020: GRAMMAR –3-:SIMPLE PAST TENSE (preterite)

14. How many times (do)___________ you (read)___________ that book?


15. Unfortunately, I (forget)___________ to (bring)___________ my money
16.I drank coffee but I........................................tea.
17.She found her purse but she............................................her keys.
18.The children broke the window but they............................................the door.
19.He had a shower but he.............................................breakfast.
2 0.My father made a cake but he...........................................any pastries.
21.We spoke English and French but we………………………………… German

You might also like