Faculty of Science and Health

Academic English

Mrs Hanaa Ali Muhammad

Out lines
Grammar review:
1. Present simple
2. Present continuous
3. Past simple
4. Past continuous
5. Present perfect
6. Past perfect
7. Present perfect continuous
Present simple:
(+) S+ verb /verb (s) He plays tennis.
(-) S+ do/ does not+ verb (infinitive) She doesn’t play tennis.
(?) do/ does + S+ verb (infinitive) Do you Play tennis?
(?) Wh questions +do/does +verb Where do you play?

1. We use the present simple when something is generally or always true

• People need food.
• It snows in winter here.
• Two and two make four.
2. We need to use this tense for a situation that we think is more or less
Permanent.
• Where do you live?
• She works in a bank.
• I don't like mushrooms.

3. The next use is for habits or things that we do regularly. We often use adverbs of
frequency (such as 'often', 'always' and 'sometimes') in this case, as well as
expressions like 'every Sunday' or 'twice a month'.
• Do you smoke?
• I play tennis every Tuesday.
• I don't travel very often.
4. We can also use the present simple for short actions that are happening now. The
actions are so short that they are finished almost as soon as you've said the
sentence. This is often used with sports commentary.
• He takes the ball, he runs down the wing, and he scores!

5. For future use: We use the present simple to talk about the future when we are
discussing a timetable or a fixed plan. Usually, the timetable is fixed by an
organisation, not by us.
• School begins at nine tomorrow.
• What time does the film start?
• The plane doesn't arrive at seven. It arrives at seven thirty.
6. We also use the present simple to talk about the future after words like '
'when', 'until', 'after', 'before' and 'as soon as'. These are sometimes called
subordinate clauses of time.
• I will call you when I have time. (Not 'will have'.)
• I won't go out until it stops raining.
• I'm going to make dinner after I watch the news.

7. Conditional use: We use the present simple in the first and the zero
conditionals.
• If it rains, we won't come.
• If you heat water to 100 degrees, it boils.
Present continuons ( present progressive tense)
(+) S + am/is/are + (verb+ ing) He’s living in London.
(-) am/is/are not + (verb+ ing) I’m not living in London.
(?) am/is/are+ S + (verb+ ing)? Are they living in London?
(?) Wh questions+ is/am/ are+ s+ (v+ing) When is he working ?

How to be used:
1. First, we use the present continuous for things that are happening at the
moment of speaking. These things usually last for quite a short time and they
are not finished when we are talking about them.
• I'm working at the moment.
• Please call back as we are eating dinner now.
• Julie is sleeping.
2. We can also use this tense for other kinds of temporary situations, even if the
action isn't happening at this moment.
• John's working in a library until he finds a job in his field. (He might not be
working now.)
• I'm reading a really great book.
• She's staying with her friend for a week.

3. We can use the present continuous for temporary or new habits (for normal
habits that continue for a long time, we use the present simple). We often use this
with expressions like 'these days' or 'at the moment'.
• He's eating a lot these days.
• She's swimming every morning (she didn't use to do this).
• You're smoking too much.
4. Another present continuous use is for habits that are not regular, but that
happen very often. In this case we usually use an adverb like 'always', 'forever' or
'constantly'. Often, we use the present continuous in this way to talk about an
annoying habit.
• You're forever losing your keys!
• She's constantly missing the train.
• Lucy's always smiling!

5. The next use is for definite future arrangements (with a future time word). In
this case we have already made a plan and we are pretty sure that the event will
happen in the future.
• I'm meeting my father tomorrow.
• We're going to the beach at the weekend.
• I'm leaving at three.
 Comparison between PS and PC:

Present continuous (I’m doing) Present simple (I do)

• The water is boiling, can you turn it • Water boils at 100 °C.
off?

• Let’s go out. It isn’t raining now. • it doesn’t rain very much in summer.

• I am getting hungry. Lets go and eat. • I always get hungry in the

afternoon.

• The population of the world is • Every day the population of the

increasing very fast. world increase by about 200,000
people.
Past Simple
(+) S+ verb + (ed or d) He worked for the police.
(-) S + did not + verb She didn’t work for the police.
(?) did + S + verb ? Did they work for the police.
(?) Wh questions+ did+ S+ V Where did she work?

1. We use it with finished actions, states or habits in the past when we have a
finished time word (yesterday, last week, at 2 o'clock, in 2003).
• I went to the cinema yesterday. We spent a lot of time in Japan in 2007.

2: We use it with finished actions, states or habits in the past when we know from
general knowledge that the time period has finished. This includes when the
person we are talking about is dead.
• Leonardo painted the Mona Lisa. The Vikings invaded Britain.
3: We use it with finished actions, states or habits in the past that we have
introduced with the present perfect or another tense. This is sometimes called
'details of news'.
• I've hurt my leg. I fell off a ladder when I was painting my bedroom.
• I've been on holiday. I went to Spain and Portugal.

4. For stories or lists of events, we often use the past simple for the actions in the
story and the past continuous for the background.
• He went to a café. People were chatting and music was playing. He sat down and
ordered a coffee.
Past Continuous
(+) was/were + (verb + ing) She was watching the news.
(-) was/were not + (verb + ing) They weren’t watching the news.
(?) was/were + (verb + ing) were you watching the news?
(?) wh question + was/ were + s + (v+ing) How was she travelling?

1. An action in the past which overlaps another action or a time

The action in the past continuous starts before and often continues after the other
shorter action or time.
• I was walking to the station when I met John. (I started walking before I met
John, and maybe I continued afterwards.)
• At three o'clock, I was working. (I started before three o'clock and finished after
three o'clock.)
2. In the same way, we can use the past continuous for the background of a story.
(We often use the past simple for the actions.)
• The birds were singing, the sun was shining and in the cafés people were
laughing and chatting. Amy sat down and took out her phone.

3. Temporary habits or habits that happen more often than we expect in the past.
We often use 'always', 'constantly' or 'forever' here. This is the same as the way
we use the present continuous for habits, but the habit started and finished in
the past. This thing doesn't happen now.
• He was always leaving the tap running.
• She was constantly singing.
Present Perfect
(+) have/has+ past participle. She’s started the assignment.
(-) have/has not + past participle. I haven’t started the assignment.
(?) have/has…+ past participle. Have you started the assignment?
(?) wh question+ has/have+ s+ p.p What have you done today?

A. Unfinished action:
1. We use this tense when we want to talk about unfinished actions or states or
habits that started in the past and continue to the present. Usually we use it
to say 'how long' and we need 'since' or 'for'. We often use stative verbs.
• I've known Karen since 1994.
• She's lived in London for three years.
• I've worked here for six months.
Since' and 'For'
We use 'since' with a fixed time in the past (2004, April 23rd, last year). The fixed
time can be another action, which is in the past simple (since I was at school, since I
arrived).
• I've known Sam since 1992.
• I've liked chocolate since I was a child.
• She's been here since 2pm.

We use 'for' with a period of time (2 hours, three years, six months).
• I've known Julie for ten years.
• I've been hungry for hours.
• She's had a cold for a week.
B. Finished action:
2. Life experience. These are actions or events that happened sometime during
a person's life. We don't say when the experience happened, and the person
needs to be alive now. We often use the words 'ever' and 'never' here.
• I have been to Tokyo.
• They have visited Paris three times.
• We have never seen that film.
3. With an unfinished time word (this month, this week, today). The period of
time is still continuing.
• I haven't seen her this month.
• She's drunk three cups of coffee today.
• I've already moved house twice this year!
NOTE: We CAN'T use the present perfect with a finished time word.
I've seen him yesterday.
4. A finished action with a result in the present (focus on result). We often use the
present perfect to talk about something that happened in the recent past, but
that is still true or important now.
• She's hurt her leg (so she can't play tennis today).
• They've missed the bus (so they will be late).

5. We can also use the present perfect to talk about something that happened
recently, even if there isn't a clear result in the present. This is common when we
want to introduce news and we often use the words 'just / yet / already / recently'.
• The Queen has given a speech.
• I've just seen Lucy.
• The Mayor has announced a new plan for the railways.
Been and Gone
In this tense, we use both 'been' and 'gone' as the past participle of 'go', but in
slightly different circumstances.
A. We use 'been' (often when we talk about life experience) to mean that the
person we're talking about visited the place and came back.
• I've been to Paris (in my life, but now I'm in London, where I live).
• She has been to school today (but now she's back at home).
• They have never been to California.

B. We use 'gone' (often when we are talking about an action with a result in the
present) to mean that the person went to the place and is at the place now.
• Where's John? He's gone to the shops (he's at the shops now).
• Julie has gone to Mexico (now she's in Mexico).
• They've gone to Japan for three weeks (now they're in Japan).
Past Perfect
(+) had+ past participle. You had gone
(-) hadnot + past participle. He hadn't played
(?) had…+ past participle. Had you eaten?
(?) Wh questions + Had + past participle When had it rained?

1. A finished action before a second point in the past.

• When we arrived, the film had started (= first the film started, then we arrived).
We usually use the past perfect to make it clear which action happened first. Maybe
we are already talking about something in the past and we want to mention
something else that is further back in time. This is often used to explain or give a
reason for something in the past.
• I'd eaten dinner so I wasn't hungry.
• It had snowed in the night, so the bus didn't arrive.
If it's clear which action happened first (if we use the words 'before' or 'after', for
example), the past perfect is optional.
• The film started before we arrived / The film had started before we arrived.

2. Something that started in the past and continued up to another action or time
in the past. The past perfect tells us 'how long', just like the present perfect, but
this time the action continues up to a point in the past rather than the present.
Usually we use 'for + time'. We can also use the past perfect continuous here, so we
most often use the past perfect simple with Stative verbs.
• When he graduated, he had been in London for six years. (= He arrived in
London six years before he graduated and lived there until he graduated, or
even longer.)
• On the 20th of July, I'd worked here for three months.
The present perfect continuous tense
(+) have/has been+ verb+ ing I’ve been studying really hard.
(-) have/has not been + verb+ -ing He hasn’t been studying really hard.
(?) have/has…been+ verb+ -ing Have you been studying really hard?

A. Unfinished actions
1. To say how long for unfinished actions which started in the past and
continue to the present. We often use this with 'for' and 'since'.
• I've been living in London for two years.
• She's been working here since 2004.
• We've been waiting for the bus for hours.
This use is very similar to how we use the present perfect simple, and often it's
possible to use either tense. Of course, with stative verbs, we can't use the present
perfect continuous.
• I've been here for hours.
NOT: I've been being here for hours.

2. For temporary habits or situations. The action started in the past and continues
to the present, but we don't answer the questions about 'how long' so clearly.
Instead, we use a word like 'recently'.
• I've been going to the gym a lot recently.
• They've been living with his mother while they look for a house.
• I've been reading a lot recently.
B. Finished action
3. Actions which have recently stopped (though the whole action can be unfinished)
and have a result, which we can often see, hear, or feel, in the present. We don't
use a time word here.
• I'm so tired, I've been studying.
• I've been running, so I'm really hot.
• It's been raining so the pavement is wet.

The present perfect simple has a very similar use, which focuses on the result of the
action, whereas the present perfect continuous focuses on the action itself