The Basics of English Language

Grammar
	Articles "a/an and the"
-	Use of Articles "a/an and the"
	Sentence
	Sentence, Subject, Predicate, Object
	Kinds of Sentences        (According to function)
	The Phrase and The Clause -  Comparison
	Clause
	Types of Clauses
-	Main Clause and Subordinate Clause
	Types of Subordinate Clause
-	Noun Clause, Adjective Clause, Adverb Clause
	Phrase
	Types of Phrase
-	Noun Phrase, Adjective Phrase, Adverb Phrase, Verb Phrase, Gerund Phrase
-	Infinitive Phrase, Participle Phrase.
	Kinds of Sentences         (According to structure)

Parts of Speech
	Noun
-	Types of Noun: Proper and Common Noun,
-	Countable and Uncountable Nouns
	Verb
-	Forms of Verbs: Simple Form, Past Simple, Past Participle, Auxilliary Verbs
-	Main Verb and Auxilliary Verbs, Modal Verbs, Transitive and Intransitive Verbs

Present Continuous Tense

It is used to express a continued or ongoing action at present time. It expresses an action which is in progress at the time of speaking. For example, a person says, “I am writing a letter”. It means that he is in the process of writing a letter right now. Such actions which are happening at time of speaking are expressed by present continuous tense. Present Continuous tense is also called Present progressive tense.

Rules. Auxiliary verb “am or is or are” is used in sentence. 1st form of verb or base verb + ing (present participle) is used as main verb in sentence.

                                    Structure of sentence

Positive Sentence
    • Subject + auxiliary verb + main verb-ing (Present participle) + object
    • Subject + am/is/are + (1st form of verb or base verb + ing) + object
If the subject is “I” then auxiliary verb “am” is used after subject in sentence.
If the subject is “He, She, It, singular or proper name” then auxiliary verb “is” is used after subject in sentence.
If subject is “You, They or plural” then auxiliary verb “are” is used after subject in sentence.
The participle “ing” is added to the 1st form of verb i.e. going (go) writing (write)

Examples
        I am playing cricket.
        He is driving a car
        They are reading their lessons.

Negative Sentence
      • Subject + auxiliary verb + not + main verb-ing (Present participle) + object
      • Subject + am/is/are + not + (1st form of verb + ing) + object
Rules for using auxiliary verbs (am or is or are) after subject in negative sentences are same as mentioned above.

Examples.
         I am not playing cricket.
         He is not driving a car
         They are not reading their lessons.

Present Simple Tense

It is used to express an action in present time, habitual or usual actions or daily event or universal fact. It is used to express an action in present time which is usually done on a regular basis. For example a student says, “I go to school”. It is a daily activity of a student to go to school, so such actions are expressed by present simple tense. Another example is, “I work in a factory”. It tells about a usual action of a person that he works in a factory on regular basis.

Rules. 1st form of verb or base verb is used as main verb in sentence.

 

                         Structure of sentence – Rules

Positive Sentence
     • Subject + Main verb + Object
     • Subject + 1st form of verb (or base verb) + Object
Note: If the subject in a sentence is “he, she, it, singular or proper noun” then “s” or “es” is added to the first form of verb or base form in the sentence.
Examples.
         I write a letter.
         He gets up early in the morning.
         Sun rises in east.

Negative Sentences
   • Subject + auxiliary verb +NOT + Main verb +object
   • Subject + Do not/Does not + 1st form of verb (or base form) + object
Examples.
         I do not write a letter.
         He does not get up early in the morning.
         Sun does not rise in east.

Note: In negative sentence auxiliary verb “do or does” along with “not” is used. If the subject in a sentence is “he, she, it, singular or proper noun”, then “Does not” is used after subject in sentence. If subject is “I, we, they, you or plural” then “Do not” is used after subject in sentence. “s” or “es” is not added to main verb in negative sentence

What Is the Present Tense? (with Examples)

The present tense predominantly describes a current event or state of being. However, somewhat unusually, the present tense can also be used to describe past and future events (more on this below). For example:

• I jump in the lake every Saturday.
(present event)
• I am happy.
(present state of being)
• The meeting ends at 6 o'clock.
(future event)
(See "Uses" for Simple Present Tense in the table below.)
• A man walks into a bar. Ouch!
(past event)
(See "Uses" for Simple Present Tense in the table below.)

The tense of a verb is determined by when the action took place. The three main tenses are:

• past tense
• present tense
• future tense

Examples of the Types of Present Tense

The present tense is categorised further depending on whether the action is in progress or completed. The four present tenses are:

The 4 Present Tenses	Examples	Uses
simple present tense	I go. I like chocolate. The train gets in at 5 o'clock. A horse walks into a bar, and the barman says, "why the long face?"	The simple present tense is used: (1) To describe facts and habits. (2) To describe scheduled events in the future. (3) To tell stories to make your listener or reader feel more engaged with the story.
present_progressive tense	I am going. Barny is looking for the latest brochure.	The present progressive tense is used for an on-going action in the present.
present perfect tense	I have gone. David has worked alongside two of the world's finest scientists in the field of entomology.	The present perfect tense is used to describe actions that began in the past and are still continuing into the present.
present perfect progressive	I have been going. Amanda has been relying on a pay rise to pay her student loan.	The present perfect progressive tense is used for: (1) a continuous activity that began in the past and continues into the present, or (2) a continuous activity that began in past but has now finished (usually very recently).

Diagrams for the Four Present Tenses

The infographics below show how each present tense is formed and a quick overview of how each one is used:

Simple Present Tense

For example:

• I play every Tuesday

Pronunciation

Pronunciation is very difficult to correct if you have been speaking English for a long time. As you know, practice does not make perfect, it makes permanent. That means if you practice incorrectly, it will become permanent. You need to correct this problem before moving forward because having bad pronunciation is one of the most difficult aspects of speaking to someone who does not speak English well.

The pronunciation lessons provided here are American English pronunciation and will provide you with an explanation, instruction, and audio files to help you pronounce sounds correctly. If you don't have access to a native speaker to give you feedback, I encourage you to record and listen to yourself. Although it might be tedious, you'll be surprised at how helpful this actually is.

Pronouncing the letters B and P

Pronouncing the letters B and P

Listen to the lesson

The letters P and B are similar.

Instruction: Have your lips pressed together and then slighly push air out of your mouth forcing your lips apart.

These two letters do not require any nasal sound.

Here are some words and sentences to help you hear what they should sound like. Click on any word or sentence to hear the correct sound.

Border
Baseball
Abnormal

"The baseball player got hurt when he went to bat"
"The border patrol was given the best officer award"
"The Abnormal tissue was being carefully examined"

Painting
Appeal
Lapse

"The painting that was stolen was a precious art piece"
"The pesty lawyer went to appeal his case"
"The lapse of time caused him to bite his lip"

Learn English speaking much FASTER by downloading the TalkEnglish Offline Package and submerge yourself with over 8,000 audio files and over 800 pages of lessons! Then you can study without Internet connection and also listen to audio files using your MP3 player at any time. Go to the English Download page and download today!

Pronouncing the letters D and T
Instruction: Have the tip of your tongue pressed against the top of your mouth right behind the front tooth. Then slightly push air separating your tongue and upper mouth.

Every time the letters D and T are spoken, the tip of your tongue should touch the upper part of your mouth.

Here are some words and sentences to help you hear what they should sound like. Click on any word or sentence to hear the correct sound.

Dentist
Ladder
Blood

"The dentist did a great job on the filling"
"He was a little nervous climbing down the ladder"
"The blood on his shirt indicated that he got a cut somewhere"

Terrible
Computer
Fast

"He felt terrible after eating the soup"
"His computer stopped working after he installed the service pack"
"The fleet footed runner couldn't be caught"


Pronouncing the letters G and K
This lesson will cover the hard sound for letter G. For the soft sound of letter G, please refer to the CH and J lesson.

Instruction: The rear portion of your tongue should move up towards the rear part of the mouth, slightly touching it when the sound is made.

Here are some words and sentences to help you hear what they should sound like. Click on any word or sentence to hear the correct sound.

Goose
Together
Tug

"The big goose flew off with my golf ball"
"The guests won't mind if we pay together"
"The constant tug of the little girl finally woke up the father"

Kelly
Making
Potluck

"My friend Kelly said she will come by soon"
"I was making the ingredients for breakfast"
"I didn't need to bake anything for the potluck"



Pronouncing the letters CH and J
Instruction: Just like the letters D and T, have the tip of your tongue pressed against the top of your mouth right behind the front tooth. At the same time, press your side cheeks inward so both cheeks are firmly pressing against your side teeth. Then slightly blow out.

Here are some words and sentences to help you hear what they should sound like. Click on any word or sentence to hear the correct sound.

Cherry
Catcher
Batch

"The little cherries were very delicious"
"The catcher gave the wrong signal to the pitcher"
"The batch of cookies were perfect"

Jam
Bridging
Ridge

"What is the difference between a jam and a jelly spread"
"Bridging the gap between the two rivals was very difficult"
"You can see the house just beyond the ridge"
Pronouncing the letter H
Instruction: The whole mouth is open. This sound is made by using the vocal chord in the throat. The difference between a h sound and an "ah" or an "eh" sound is that it is more hollow in the mouth when the air passes.

Here are some words and sentences to help you hear what it should sound like. Click on any word or sentence to hear the correct sound.

Home
Doghouse
Helium

"After the long day, he went home to sleep"
"The little puppy didn't like the big doghouse"
"The helium balloons filled the room for the birthday girl"
Pronouncing the letters F and V
Instruction: Press the top front teeth against the bottom lip and release as you blow air out.

Here are some words and sentences to help you hear what they should sound like. Click on any word or sentence to hear the correct sound.

Fiction
Inflicted
Laugh

"Even though the story was a fiction, the children were afraid"
"The damage the car inflicted was too severe to fix"
"His laugh was so loud, the whole floor was shaking"

Vase
Curveball
Believe

"This vase is over a hundred years old and is very important to the country"
"The batter had a hard time hitting the curveball"
"Whether you believe it or not, I was victorious"
Pronouncing the letters S and Z
Instruction: Slightly press the middle portion or your tongue to the top of your mouth. More pressure should be on the side of the tongue than the center as you press the top portion of your mouth. Then blow air outward through the small opening.

Here are some words and sentences to help you hear what they should sound like. Click on any word or sentence to hear the correct sound.

Salad
Massive
House

"He bought some lettuce to make salad for dinner"
"The massive tornado only left a few number of houses standing"
"The small green house was on a large piece of land"

Zebra
Resume
Rose

"The zebra was too quick for the lion"
"The game will resume after a brief intermission"
"The cozy house had a beautiful rose bush in the backyard"
Pronouncing the letters M, N, and NG
Instruction: These three sounds are mostly made with the nasal pathway. For M, press the lips together and make a sound blowing air out of the nose. For N, press the tongue on top of the upper portion of the mouth and blow air out of the nose. And for NG, press the very rear portion of the tongue and upper mouth together and blow air out of the nose.

These three sounds are made the same way using the air you breath out of the nose. The only difference is the lip and mouth position. If you plug your nose and try to make this sound, it will not be correct.

Here are some words and sentences to help you hear what they should sound like. Click on any word or sentence to hear the correct sound.

Mary
Amount
Drum

"Mary was very moody after the mid-term exam"
"The amount of sugar she used for the muffins was perfect"
"Stop beating the drum at 1 in the morning"

Nice
Nancy
Pedestrian

"They could not be any nicer."
"Nancy was not herself that morning"
"The pedestrian helped the old lady cross the street"

Bring
Dancing

"Tell the young maid to bring the mop"
"The couple were dancing all night long"

Pronouncing the letter L
Instruction: Slightly press the tip of your tongue on the top portion of your mouth. The position of the mouth is similar to the D and T sound, but is much softer.

Here are some words and sentences to help you hear what they should sound like. Click on any word or sentence to hear the correct sound.

Little
Reflect
All

"The little cat was chasing the mouse below the deck"
"He often came to this quiet place to reflect on his performance"
"All the people were laughing at his jokes"
Pronouncing the letter R
The letter R is difficult for many English learners. I will try to provide a good explanation with many examples to help students practice pronouncing the letter R.

Instruction: To successfully make the R sound, curl the tongue upward without touching the top portion of the mouth. You should also curl the sides of the tongue upward so it is very close to the upper molars. In this position, make a roaring sound like a lion forcing air out of the nose and mouth at the same time. If you are confused about how you should position the tongue, try to make the shape of a bowl with your tongue. The sides should touch the top, but the tip of the tongue should not touch the top part of the mouth.

Here are some words and sentences to help you hear what they should sound like. Click on any word or sentence to hear the correct sound.

Racing
Road
Growl
Carry
Very
Faster

"He got a speeding ticket for racing"
"The road home is usually long and lonely"
"The dog was growling at the cat"
"She hurt her leg so he had to carry her home"
"You did a very good job"
"If the zebra doesn't run any faster, the lion will catch up"
Pronouncing the letter W
Pronunciation for the W sound is not too difficult. This sound is very close to vowel sounds.

Instruction: Make the lips narrow and close to each other without the lips touching. Also make the inside of the mouth closer together. Then move the lips and mouth further apart as you make this sound.

Here are some words and sentences to help you hear what they should sound like. Click on any word or sentence to hear the correct sound.

When
Work
Away

"When will you do your homework"
"Who is going to drive you to work"
"How far away do you live"
Pronouncing the letter Y

Pronouncing the sound TH
Instruction: To create the TH sound, place the tongue on the bottom of the upper tooth. Your tongue should almost be sticking out. Then blow air between the tongue and the top teeth.

Here are some words and sentences to help you hear what they should sound like. Click on any word or sentence to hear the correct sound.

There
Toothpaste
Bath

"There is a bike in front of that store"
"Brush your teeth with a toothpaste that has fluoride"
"My son played in the mud puddle, so I am going to give him a bath"
Pronouncing the sound SH
Instruction: To create the SH sound you should make your mouth in a small position. Bring the top and bottom teeth close together without having them touch. Also, curve the tongue so the middle portion of the tongue is elevated slightly.

Here are some words and sentences to help you hear what they should sound like. Click on any word or sentence to hear the correct sound.

Shape
Hash brown
Hush

"The shape of that shoe was very unique"
"Hash browns are my favorite breakfast item"
"Hush! The show is about to start"
Pronouncing the various sounds of the letter A
There are multiple sounds using the letter A. The difference is where the sound is created within the mouth. There are sharp sounds, regular sounds, and hollow sounds. In order to pronounce the various sounds of A correctly, we should look at the differences and practice them separately.

First, the sound of A that comes from the front of the mouth are the opposite of hollow sounds so I will call them sharp sounds (although the A sound is not really sharp).

Here are some words that come from the front of the mouth.

Bat
Base
Ate
Great
Fake

"The batter at bat was known to be a good slugger"
"He was running the bases so slow that he was thrown out at second"
"The little boy ate the whole pizza"
"He was a great man"
"It was hard to tell which one was real and which one was fake"

"A" Sounds that come from the center of the mouth are a little different. Pay close attention to the different sounds from the audio files and copy after what you hear.

Zebra
Farmer
Barn
Water

"The constant kicking of the zebra made the tiger give up the attack"
"The farmer was tired from harvesting crops all day long"
"The barn was filled with animals"
"Clean water is not available in all countries"

Finally, the "A" sound that is hollow and deep comes from the rear of the mouth. You should put focus on creating the sound in the back of the mouth.

Clock
Fall
Mall
Raw

"The clock wasn't moving because the batteries were dead"
"Fall is a busy shopping period for the Christmas season so the malls are usually packed"
"Raw fish is very popular in Japan"

Review: Hear the difference between using the front, middle, and rear part of the mouth.
Ah (front)
Ah (middle)
Ah (Rear)
Pronouncing the various sounds of the letter E
There are three common sounds using the letter E. The ee sound is used with the front part of the mouth, the eh sound is used with the middle portion of the mouth, and the er sound is used with the rear portion of the mouth.

Here are some words that come from the front of the mouth using the sound ee.

Meat
Week
Beat

"I like my meat fully cooked"
"What day of the week is it"
"If you beat me tonight, I'll buy you dinner"

An example of sounds coming from the middle portion of the mouth is seen through eh.

Bet
Bread
Fed

"I will bet you that I will not lose tonight"
"We need to go to the grocery store to buy some bread"
"I am so fed up with him"

For sounds that come from the back part of the mouth, we can look at the sound er.

Earth
Purr
After

"The earth moves at a constant speed"
"The purr of the cat was all anyone could hear"
"I will go home after dinner"

Like most vowels, the sound of E varies according to which consonant is next to it. The R sound uses the middle to back portion of the mouth so combining the letter E with R makes it so you use the back portion of the mouth.
Pronouncing the letter I
There are two sounds using the letter I. The short of way saying "I" is very similar to the ee sound such as pin and win. The long sound is like the letter "I" that is actually considered a multi-vowel sound with A and I together such as pie and fry.

Let's first take a look at the short "I" sound.

Swim
Primrose
Trim
Fish

"Do you know how to swim"
"How to grow primroses in your garden"
"You need to trim off the fat"
"The fin was small in comparison to the size of the fish"

The long "I" sound is a combination of "A" and "I" together. The sound starts with ah and ends with ee as in "I"

Aisle
Try
Comply

"Who is going to walk you down the aisle"
"Don't try so hard or you'll burn out before finishing"
"You should comply with all the rules and regulations"
Pronouncing the letter O
There are multiple sounds using the letter O. In most cases, you make this sound with the rear portion of the mouth. You start with your mouth in an open state. Your tongue should also be away from the top part of the mouth. Then you make the sound by bringing in the lips in a circular manner and the tongue moving upward and towards the front of the mouth ending right in the middle.

If you combine the "oh" and "oo" sound, you have the sound of the letter "O". Along with these sounds, it is common to use "O" with other vowels such as "OU" as in Hour. We will see examples for all these types below.

Let's first take a look at the "oh" sound.

Boat
Older
Mold

"He bought a nice big boat"
"My parents object to my girlfriend because she is much older than I am"
"The mold in the walls is a major cause for concern

Here are some examples of the "oo" sound.

True
Blue
Flu

"The examination was in the standard true and false question format"
"My favorite color is blue"
"I got the flu this year because I didn't take the flu shot"

Two variations of the "O" sound is when it is combined with a different vowel. Let's take a look at them both.

The first one is when you combine "O" and "U". It starts with the "ah" sound and ends with the "oo" sound.

Hour
Sour
Coward
South

"How many hours are you going to study for?"
"The lemon was too sour"
"He was such a coward"
"Ducks fly south for the winter"

The second variation of "O" is when you combine the letters "o" and "i" together.

Oil
Boy
Troy

"The tanker spilled oil that ultimately spoiled the water"
"The little boy wanted to be a cowboy"
"The story of Troy is quite interesting" |
Pronouncing the letter U
There are multiple sounds using the letter U. The sound of "U" is usually created using the center portion of your mouth.
Many of the sounds created from the standard "U" sound is captured in many different sounds such as "oo" and the "Y" lesson, but the short form of "U" as in fun and run will be covered here.

Umbrella
Fun
Crumb

"It's going to rain in the afternoon, so don't forget to bring your umbrella"
"It's so much more fun when the sun is out"
"My poor little dog eats the crumbs that fall off the table" 
Source;http://www.talkenglish.com/LessonDetails.aspx?ALID=019

Greeting - Basic

There are many ways to greet someone. We'll learn about the most common way to greet someone in this lesson. I'll give a variety of example sentences.

Greeting someone you never met:
"Hi, my name is Steve. It's nice to meet you."
You can respond to this by saying,
"It's a pleasure to meet you. I'm Jack."

Another common question to ask is

"What do you do for a living?"

You can respond to this by saying,

"I work at a restaurant."
"I work at a bank."
"I work in a software company."
"I'm a dentist."

Usually, you will not need to ask for a name. It is implied that each person should say their name. But in case they don't, you can ask,

"What is your name?"

Many times, I don't hear the name. If you would like for them to repeat their name, you can say,

"What was that again?"
"Excuse me?"
"Pardon me?"

Learn English speaking much FASTER by downloading the TalkEnglish Offline Package and submerge yourself with over 8,000 audio files and over 800 pages of lessons! Then you can study without Internet connection and also listen to audio files using your MP3 player at any time. Go to the English Download page and download today!

English Vocabulary

How many words do you need to know in English? This is a very common question and it varies depending on your goal. Because TalkEnglish.com focuses on speaking, the vocabulary presented in this section will be the most commonly used words in speaking.

1. There are roughly 100,000 word-families in the English language.
2. A native English speaking person knows between 10,000 (uneducated) to 20,000 (educated) word families.
3. Professor Paul Nation found that a person needs to know 8,000-9,000 word families to enjoy reading a book.
4. Studying heritage language learners reveal that a person with a vocabulary size of 2,500 passive word-families and 2,000 active word-families can speak a language fluently.

Many people do not know what a heritage language learner is. Let's say a person from Mexico moves to the US at the age of 5. The person knows basic Spanish and is fluent for a 5 year old but eventually English will become dominant. This person whose first language is Spanish actually does not know many Spanish words and must study Spanish to retain it. Because they grew up for 5 years speaking Spanish, they are a different type of language learners. This type of person is considered a heritage language learner.

GOOD NEWS - If your goal is to speak English fluently, you are not required to study 10,000 words. 2,000 is enough to get you started.

Here is another list of things to consider before studying vocabulary

English Prepositions List

There are about 150 prepositions in English. Yet this is a very small number when you think of the thousands of other words (nouns, verbs etc). Prepositions are important words. We use individual prepositions more frequently than other individual words. In fact, the prepositions of, to and in are among the ten most frequent words in English. Here is a short list of 70 of the more common one-word prepositions. Many of these prepositions have more than one meaning. Please refer to a dictionary for precise meaning and usage.

Want the full list of 150 prepositions, with example sentences?

• aboard
• about
• above
• across
• after
• against
• along
• amid
• among
• anti
• around
• as
• at

• before
• behind
• below
• beneath
• beside
• besides
• between
• beyond
• but
• by

• concerning
• considering

• despite
• down
• during

• except
• excepting
• excluding

• following
• for
• from

• in
• inside
• into

• like

• minus

• near

• of
• off
• on
• onto
• opposite
• outside
• over

• past
• per
• plus

• regarding
• round

• save
• since

• than
• through
• to
• toward
• towards

• under
• underneath
• unlike
• until
• up
• upon

• versus
• via

• with
• within
• without

Pronouns

Pronouns are words that replace nouns. He, she, I, myself, yourself, these, who and what are all examples of pronouns.
A pronoun saves us from repeating a noun. Compare:

• Anthony lives in London. Anthony works in a shop near Anthony’s brother’s house. 
• Anthony lives in London. He works in a shop near his brother’s house.
  [He and his are pronouns. They replace Anthony and Anthony's brother's.]

There are many different types of pronouns in English. Here are some lists, with explanations and examples:

• Personal pronouns: I, me, you, him, . . .
• Reflexive pronouns: myself, yourself, ourselves, . . .
• Possessive pronouns: mine, yours, ours, . . .
• Interrogative pronouns: what, who, whom, . . .

• Relative pronouns: who, which, that, . . .
• Demonstrative pronouns: this, that, these, . . .
• Intensive pronouns vs. reflexive pronouns
  

Adjectives and adverbs

What is the difference between an adverb and an adjective? When and how do we use adjectives an adverbs?

Adjectives

• What are adjectives?
• Comparative and superlative forms of adjectives bigger, older, more expensive, . . .
• Possessive adjectives and pronouns my, mine, your, yours, . . .

Adverbs

• What are adverbs?
• Adverbs of frequency – word order always, never, usually, . . .
• Adverbs of manner: list of 50
• Irregular adverbs well, fast, . . .

Prepositions

A preposition can show us the position of something. It can also express time. Sometimes a preposition follows a verb, sometimes it follows an adjective.
Here are some examples of different types of prepositions:

• Prepositions of place  on, under, next to, among, . . .
• Prepositions of direction to, from, in, into, through, . . .
• Prepositions of time in, on, during, for, over, by, until, . . .
• Prepositions: in, on, at

• Prepositional verbs agree to, apologise for, . . .

• Prepositions after adjectives (1) afraid of, angry about, . . .
• Prepositions after adjectives (2) aware of, depend on, . . .

Modal verbs

Modal verbs, sometimes called modals, are auxiliary verbs (helping verbs). They express such things as possibility, probability, permission and obligation.

• Can, could, might, may, must, should, will, would and shall are modal verbs.
• We use a modal verb before a second verb.
• Modal verbs are not followed by ‘to’.
• Modal verbs can have more than one meaning and usage.

Modal verbs to express ability

• Can, could, was able to – modal verbs to express ability
  

Modal verbs to express permission

• Can, can’t, could, may: modal verbs for permission

Modal verbs to express probability and certainty (modal verbs of deduction)

• Present tense modal verbs of deduction: must, can’t, may, might, could
• Past tense modal verbs of deduction: must have, can’t have, couldn’t have

Modal verbs to express obligation

• Should – to express weak obligation, advice
• Should have – to express unfulfilled obligation in the past

Modal verbs – past tense forms and negatives

• Modal verbs – past tense forms
• Modal verbs – negative forms
• ‘Had to’ vs. ‘must have’

Verb structures in English

Verb forms can be confusing in English. For instance, when do we use the infinitive form go and when should we use the -ing form going?
These are the different structures that we use when there are two verbs together in a sentence:

• Verb + bare infinitive - I can go there.
• Verb + -ing - I love going there.
• Verb + to + infinitive - I want to go there.
• Verb + object + to + infinitive - He wants me to go there.

Conditional sentences

Learners of English often have problems with conditional sentences. One problem is knowing which conditional to use. We may then have difficulties with the construction of the conditional sentence.
Here are all four conditional forms in English, with examples and explanations of when and how to use them.
Zero conditional
If people eat too, much they get fat.
Zero conditional – examples, structure, usage

First conditional
If I have time, I will visit you.
First conditional – examples, structure, usage
Second conditional
If I had more time, I would travel the world.
Second conditional – examples, structure, usage
Third conditional
If I had had time, I would have gone to the football match.
Third conditional – examples, structure, usage
See also: Stuart’s article Common mistakes in conditional sentences.

List of all English tenses

A list of all English tenses, including:

- the structure of each tense
- explanations of usage
- examples of common errors and how to avoid making them.

Present tenses

• Structure of present simple
• Structure of present continuous

Past tenses

• Structure of past simple
• Structure of past continuous

Present perfect tenses

• Structure of present perfect (simple)
• Structure of present perfect (continuous)

• Past perfect tenses

• Structure of past perfect (simple)
• Structure of past perfect (continuous)

Future tenses

• Structure of future simple
• Structure of future continuous
• Structure of ‘going to’ future
• Present tenses used for the future
• Structure of future perfect (simple)
• Structure of future perfect (continuous)

Passive tenses

• Structure of passive forms
• Structure of all past tense passive forms

 

Tenses

Simple Tense

Verb tense tells you when the action happens. There are three main verb tenses: present, past, and future. Each main tense is divided into simple, progressive, perfect, and perfect progressive tenses.

	Simple	Progressive	Perfect	Perfect Progressive
Present	finish	am/is/are finishing	have/has finished	have/has been finishing
Past	finished	was/were finishing	had finished	had been finishing
Future	will finish	will be finishing	will have finished	will have been finishing

Verbs

Verb Tense Tutorial

Verb tenses are tools that English speakers use to express time in their language. You may find that many English tenses do not have direct translations in your language. That is not a problem. By studying this verb tense tutorial, you will learn to think like a native English speaker. If you prefer to use the verb tense pages as a reference only and do not want to complete the tutorial, Click Here.

The tutorial should be completed as follows:

1. Read this introduction page.
2. Prepare for the exercises by reading: Types of Verbs,  Active vs. Passive, and the verb tense descriptions that you want to practice.
3. Complete the exercises below. After each exercise, we have listed the tenses covered. Just click on the name of a tense to learn more about its use.

EXERCISES	TOPICS COVERED
Verb Tense Exercise 1	Simple Present and Present Continuous
Verb Tense Exercise 2	Simple Present and Present Continuous
Verb Tense Exercise 3	Simple Past and Past Continuous
Verb Tense Exercise 4	Simple Past and Past Continuous
Verb Tense Exercise 5	Simple Past and Present Perfect
Verb Tense Exercise 6	Simple Past and Present Perfect
Verb Tense Exercise 7	Present Perfect and Present Perfect Continuous
Verb Tense Exercise 8	Present Perfect and Present Perfect Continuous
Verb Tense Exercise 9	Present Continuous and Present Perfect Continuous
Verb Tense Exercise 10	Present Continuous and Present Perfect Continuous