Category: Beginning English

The present perfect is used to say what has happened recently and has an effect on the present moment. We often use ‘just’, ‘yet’ and ‘already’ to express the relationship to the present moment.

• Have you seen Mary yet?
• They’ve already had dinner.
• She’s just been to the dentist.

The present perfect is also used to express something which has happened up to the present moment of time.

• Have you worked here for a long time?
• Peter’s lived here since 1987.
• She hasn’t had much fun this week.

Positive Form

Subject + have + past participle + object(s)

• Peter’s lived here since 1987.
• We’ve been very busy today.

Negative Form

Subject + have + not + past participle + object(s)

• I haven’t been to class very often this month.
• She hasn’t had much fun this week.

Question Form

(Wh?) + have + subject + past participle?

• Have you worked here for a long time?
• Where have you been?

Present Perfect for Unspecified Past

When speaking about an experience that has happened at an unspecified point in time before the present moment, use the present perfect.

• I’ve been to New York three times.
• They’ve lived in many places.
• She’s studied in London.

NOTE: In this use of the present perfect, we are talking about things that have happened up to the present moment. Whenever you speak about something that has happened up to now without giving a precise point in time, use the present perfect.

Use of ‘For’, ‘Since’ and ‘How long’

Always use the present perfect with for, since, and how long.

‘For’ is used to indicate a duration or period of time.

• He has lived here for seven years.
• We have been here for six weeks.
• Shirley has played tennis for a long time.

Use ‘Since‘ to Indicate a Specific Point in Time.

• I’ve worked here since 2004.
• She’s gone to dancing lessons since April.
• They’ve been unhappy since they left college.

Use ‘How long‘ in the question form to ask about duration.

• How long have you played the piano?
• How long has he worked here?
• How long has she been with you?

Lesson 22:  Past Simple Tense

Use the past simple to talk about activities or routines which take place at a specified time in the past. Notice that all subjects take the same conjugation of the verb. Regular verbs end in ‘-ed’.

• visit – visited
• enjoy – enjoyed

Irregular verbs have various forms, and each verb needs to be learned.

• see – saw
• think – thought

The past simple is used to express a finished past action which occurs at a specific moment in the past.

• She visited Iran last month.
• They didn’t go to Tom’s party last weekend.
• Where did you go on vacation last summer?

The following time signifiers often indicate a specific point in time and indicate that the past tense should be used.

• last
• ago
• in … (plus a year or month)
• yesterday
• when … (plus a phrase)

Examples

• They had lunch at home last week.
• He left the company many years ago.
• Susan bought a new car in May.
• He telephoned his friend in Rome yesterday.
• I played golf when I was a teenager.

Positive Form

Subject + past form of verb + object(s) + time

• They flew to Chicago last month.
• Peter completed his course three weeks ago.

Negative Form

Subject + did + not + base form of verb + object(s) + (time)

• They didn’t expect to see you at Christmas.
• She didn’t understand the question.

Question Form

(Wh?) + did + subject + base form of verb + (object(s))+ (time)?

• Where did you study French?
• When did you arrive last week?

Source:  thoughtco.co©

Lesson 19:  Imperative Form

Use the imperative form when giving instructions or orders. The imperative is also very common in written instructions. Be careful when you use the imperative, as it is often considered impolite in English. If someone asks you for instructions, use the imperative. If, on the other hand, you would like to request that someone do something use a polite question form.

There is only one imperative form for both ‘you’ singular and plural.

Examples:

• Hurry up!
• Take the first left, go straight on and the supermarket is on the left.

Positive: Base Form of Verb + Objects

• Turn the music down, please.
• Insert coins into the slot.

Negative: Do + Not + Base Form of Verb + Objects

• Do not smoke in this building.
• Don’t rush, I’m not in a hurry.

Adjectives modify nouns and are placed directly before them.

• Tom is an excellent singer.
• I bought a comfortable chair.
• She’s thinking about buying a new house.

Adjectives are also used in simple sentences with the verb ‘to be’. In this case, the adjective describes the subject of the sentence:

• Jack is happy.
• Peter was very tired.
• Mary’ll be excited when you tell her.

Adverbs modify verbs, adjectives, and other adverbs. They are easily recognized because they end in ‘-ly’ (with a few exceptions!):

• Adjective – careful / Adverb – carefully
• Adjective – quick / Adverb – quickly

Adverbs are often used at the end of a sentence to describe (modify) the verb:

• Jack drove carelessly.
• Tom played the match intelligently.
• Jason talks about his classes constantly.

Source:  thoughtco.com©

Time expressions are used to indicate the time at/during which an action took place. Common time expressions include:

Present forms: everyday, on Fridays, at the moment, now, as well as adverbs of frequency such as always, usually, sometimes (for present habits and routines). Days of the weeks followed by ‘s’ such as Mondays, Tuesdays, etc.

Examples

• He sometimes finishes work early.
• Marjorie is listening to the radio at the moment.
• Peter goes jogging on Saturdays.

Past forms: when I was …, last week, day, year, etc., yesterday, ago (two weeks ago, three years ago, four months ago, etc.)

Examples

• He visited his friends last week.
• I didn’t see you two days ago.
• Jane flew to Boston yesterday.

Future forms: next week, year, etc., tomorrow, by (the end of the week, Thursday, next year, etc.) in X time (in two weeks time, in four months time, etc.)

Examples

• I’m going to attend a conference next week.
• It won’t snow tomorrow.
• They’re going to visit New York in two weeks.

Perfect forms: since, yet, already, just, for

Examples

• Michael has worked here since 1998.
• Have you finished reading the paper yet?
• He’s just gone to the bank.

Adverbs of Frequency – Rules for Use

Use adverbs of frequency to say how often you do something. Adverbs of frequency are often used with the present simple because they indicate repeated or routine activities. For example, They often go out for dinner.

Adverbs of frequency include (form most often to least often):

• always
• usually
• often
• sometimes
• occasionally
• seldom
• rarely
• never

If the sentence has one verb (e.g. no auxiliary verb) put the adverb in the middle of the sentence after the subject and before the verb.

Examples

• Tom usually goes to work by car.
• Janet never flies. She always goes by bus.

Adverbs of frequency come after the verb ‘be’:

Examples

• I am never late for work.
• Peter is often at school.

If the sentence has more than one verb (e.g. auxiliary verb), put the adverb of frequency before the main verb.

Examples

• I can never remember anything!
• They have often visited Rome.

When using adverbs of frequency in the question or negative form, put the adverb of frequency before the main verb.

Examples

• She doesn’t often visit Europe.
• Do you usually get up early?

Source:  thoughtco.com©

Lesson 15: Comparative Forms in English

We use the comparative and superlative form to compare and contrast different objects in English. Use the comparative form to show the difference between two objects. Example: New York is more exciting than Seattle. Use the superlative form when speaking about three or more objects to show which object is ‘the most’ of something. Example: New York is the most exciting city in the USA.

Here is how to construct the comparative form in English. Notice in the example sentences that you use ‘than’ to compare the two objects:

One-Syllable Adjectives

add ‘-er’ to end of the adjective (Note: double the final consonant if preceded by a vowel) remove the ‘y’ from the adjective and add ‘ier’

Example: cheap – cheaper / hot – hotter / high – higher

• Yesterday was hotter than today.
• This book is cheaper than that book.

Two-Syllable Adjectives Ending in ‘-y’

Example: happy – happier / funny – funnier

• I am happier than you.
• That joke was funnier than his joke.

Adjectives With Two, Three, or More Syllables 

place ‘more’ before the adjective

Example: interesting – more interesting / difficult – more difficult

• London is more expensive than Madrid.
• This test is more difficult than the last test.

Important Exceptions

There are some important exceptions to these rules. Here are two of the most important exceptions:

Good

• good – adjective
• better – comparative

Example:

• This book is better than that one.
• I am better at tennis than my sister.

Bad

• bad – adjective
• worse – comparative

Example:

• His French is worse than mine.
• His singing is worse than Tom’s.

Lesson 16:  Superlative Forms – Understanding the English Superlative Form

Here is how to construct the superlative form in English.

One-Syllable Adjectives

Place ‘the’ before the adjective and add ‘-est’ to end of the adjective (Note: double the final consonant if preceded by a vowel).

Example: cheap – the cheapest / hot – the hottest / high – the highest

• Today is the hottest day of the summer.
• This book is the cheapest I can find.

Two, Three or More Syllable Adjectives

Place ‘the most’ before the adjective.

Example: interesting – the most interesting/difficult – the most difficult

• London is the most expensive city in England.
• That is the most beautiful painting here.

Two-Syllable Adjectives Ending in ‘-y’ Place ‘the’ before the adjective and remove the ‘y’ from the adjective and add ‘iest’.

Example: happy – the happiest / funny – the funniest

• New York is the noisiest city in the USA.
• He is the most important person I know.

Important Exceptions

There are some important exceptions to these rules. Here are two of the most important exceptions:

Good

• good – adjective
• the best – superlative

Example:

• Peter is the best golf player in the school.
• This is the best school in the city.

Bad

• bad – adjective
• the worst – superlative

Example:

• Jane is the worst student in the class.
• This is the worst day of my life.

Source:  thoughtco.com©

Countable nouns are individual objects, people, places, etc. which can be counted.

• books, Italians, pictures, stations, men, etc.

A countable noun can be both singular – a friend, a house, etc.—or plural—a few apples, lots of trees, etc.

Use the singular form of the verb with a singular countable noun:

• There is a book on the table.
• That student is excellent!

Use the plural form of the verb with a countable noun in the plural:

• There are some students in the classroom.
• Those houses are very big, aren’t they?

What are Non-countable Nouns?

Non-countable (or uncountable) nouns are materials, concepts, information, etc. which are not individual objects and can not be counted.

• information, water, understanding, wood, cheese, etc.

Uncountable nouns are always singular. Use the singular form of the verb with uncountable nouns:

• There is some water in that pitcher.
• That is the equipment we use for the project.

Adjectives with Countable and Uncountable Nouns

Use a/an with countable nouns preceded by an adjective(s):

• Tom is a very intelligent young man.
• I have a beautiful grey cat.

Do not use a/an with uncountable nouns preceded by an adjective(s):

• That is very useful information.
• There is some cold beer in the fridge.

Some uncountable nouns in English are countable in other languages. This can be confusing! Here is a list of some of the most common, easy to confuse uncountable nouns in English.

• accommodation
• advice
• baggage
• bread
• equipment
• furniture
• garbage
• information
• knowledge
• luggage
• money
• news
• pasta
• progress
• research
• travel
• work

Lesson 15: Comparative Forms in English

We use the comparative and superlative form to compare and contrast different objects in English. Use the comparative form to show the difference between two objects. Example: New York is more exciting than Seattle. Use the superlative form when speaking about three or more objects to show which object is ‘the most’ of something. Example: New York is the most exciting city in the USA.

Here is how to construct the comparative form in English. Notice in the example sentences that you use ‘than’ to compare the two objects:

One-Syllable Adjectives

add ‘-er’ to end of the adjective (Note: double the final consonant if preceded by a vowel) remove the ‘y’ from the adjective and add ‘ier’

Example: cheap – cheaper / hot – hotter / high – higher

• Yesterday was hotter than today.
• This book is cheaper than that book.

Two-Syllable Adjectives Ending in ‘-y’

Example: happy – happier / funny – funnier

• I am happier than you.
• That joke was funnier than his joke.

Adjectives With Two, Three, or More Syllables 

place ‘more’ before the adjective

Example: interesting – more interesting / difficult – more difficult

• London is more expensive than Madrid.
• This test is more difficult than the last test.

Important Exceptions

There are some important exceptions to these rules. Here are two of the most important exceptions:

Good

• good – adjective
• better – comparative

Example:

• This book is better than that one.
• I am better at tennis than my sister.

Bad

• bad – adjective
• worse – comparative

Example:

• His French is worse than mine.
• His singing is worse than Tom’s.

Source:  thoughtco.com©