UNIT 1

TENSES REVIEW

PRESENT & PAST TENSE: ACTIVE AND PASSIVE

 

 

1. SIMPLE PRESENT

 

• FORM

[VERB] + s/es in third person

 

Affirmative	Negative	Interrogative	Negative interrogative
I work You work We work They work He/she/ it works	I do not work You do not work We do not work They do not work He/she/ it does not work	Do I work? Do you work? Do we work? Do they work? Does he/she/it work?	Do I not work? Do you not work? Do we not work? Do they not work? Does he/she/it not work ?

• SPELLING NOTES

Verbs ending in ss, sh, ch, x and o add es, instead of s alone, to form the thirs person singular:

I kiss, he kisses                            I rush, he rushes                     I watch, he watches

I box, he boxes                             I do, he does

 

When y follows a consonant, we change the y into i and add es:

I carry, he carries             I copy, he copies                     I try, he tries

 

But verbs ending in y following a vowel obey the usual rule:

       I obey, he obeys               I say, he says

• USAGE

USE 1 Repeated Actions                                                                   

Use the Simple Present to express the idea that an action is repeated or usual. The action can be a habit, a hobby, a daily event, a scheduled event or something that often happens. It can also be something a person often forgets or usually does not do.

Examples:

• I play
• She does not play
• Does he play tennis?

USE 2 Facts or Generalizations

The Simple Present can also indicate the speaker believes that a fact was true before, is true now, and will be true in the future. It is not important if the speaker is correct about the fact. It is also used to make generalizations about people or things.

Examples:

• Cats like
• Birds do not like
• Do pigs like milk?
• California is in America.

USE 3 Scheduled Events in the Near Future

Speakers occasionally use Simple Present to talk about scheduled events in the near future. This is most commonly done when talking about public transportation, but it can be used with other scheduled events as well.

Examples:

• The train leaves tonight at 6 PM.
• The bus does not arrive at 11 AM, it arrives at 11 PM.
• When do we board the plane?
• The party starts at 8 o’clock.
• When does class begin tomorrow?

USE 4 Now (Non-Continuous Verbs)

Speakers sometimes use the Simple Present to express the idea that an action is happening or is not happening now. This can only be done with Non-Continuous Verbs and certain Mixed Verbs.

Examples:

• I am here now.
• She is not here now.
• He needs help right now.
• He does not need help now.

ADVERB PLACEMENT

The examples below show the placement for grammar adverbs such as: always, only, never, ever, still, just, etc.

Examples:

• You only speak English.
• Do you only speak English?

1. SIMPLE PAST

• FORM

 

[VERB+ed] or irregular verbs

 

The simple past tense in regular verbs is formed by adding ed to the invitive:

Infinitive: to work            Simple past: worked

 

Verbs ending in e add d only:

Infinitive: to love             Simple past: loved

 

The negative of regular and irregular verbs is formed with did not (didn’t) and the infinitive:

     I did not work

You did not work

 

Verbs ending in y following a consonant change the y into I before adding ed:

carry, carried               try, tried

 

By y following a vowel does not change:

     obey, obeyed

 

• USAGE

USE 1 Completed Action in the Past

Use the Simple Past to express the idea that an action started and finished at a specific time in the past. Sometimes, the speaker may not actually mention the specific time, but they do have one specific time in mind.

Examples:

• I saw a movie yesterday.
• I didn’t see a play yesterday.
• Last year, I traveled to Japan.
• Last year, I didn’t travel to Korea.

USE 2 A Series of Completed Actions

We use the Simple Past to list a series of completed actions in the past. These actions happen 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, and so on.

Examples:

• I finished work, walked to the beach, and found a nice place to swim.
• He arrived from the airport at 8:00, checked into the hotel at 9:00, and met the others at 10:00.
• Did you add flour, pour in the milk, and then add the eggs?

 

USE 3 Duration in Past

The Simple Past can be used with a duration which starts and stops in the past. A duration is a longer action often indicated by expressions such as: for two years, for five minutes, all day, all year, etc.

Examples:

• I lived in Brazil for two years.
• We talked on the phone for thirty minutes.
• A: How long did you wait for them?
  B: We waited for one hour.

USE 4 Habits in the Past

The Simple Past can also be used to describe a habit which stopped in the past. It can have the same meaning as “used to.” To make it clear that we are talking about a habit, we often add expressions such as: always, often, usually, never, when I was a child, when I was younger, etc.

Examples:

• I studied French when I was a child.
• He played the violin.
• He didn’t play the piano.

USE 5 Past Facts or Generalizations

The Simple Past can also be used to describe past facts or generalizations which are no longer true. As in USE 4 above, this use of the Simple Past is quite similar to the expression “used to.”

Examples:

• She was shy as a child, but now she is very outgoing.
• He didn’t like tomatoes before.
• Did you live in Texas when you were a kid?
• People paid much more to make cell phone calls in the past.

EXERCISE 1 SIMPLE PRESENT

Complete each sentence below using simple present. Use the key word from the bracket.

Mary and I _______(1. work) in the same office, but we’re completely different. She  ____ (2. like) coffee, but I _______ (3. like) tea. She  _______ (4. wash) her car every weekend, but I never  _______ (5. clean) mine. She  _______ (6. smile) all the time at work, but I _______ (7. feel) miserable. I _______ (8. complain) about the boss all the time, but Mary_______ (9. think) the boss is a nice person. When I  _______ (10. finish) work, I like to drink beer with my friends, but Mary _______ (11. study) at night school. The boss _______ (12. think) Mary is perfect, but she  _______ (13. drive) me nuts!

 

Exercise 2 SIMPLE PRESENT TENSE

Supply a suitable present tense of the given verb

1. She (go) __________ to school every day.
2. The sun always (shine) __________ in Egypt.
3. Bad students never (work) __________ hard.
4. It (rain) __________ in winter.
5. I (wake up) __________ at seven and (have) __________ breakfast at half past.
6. He generally (sing) __________ in English.
7. The teacher (point) __________ at the blackboard when he (want) to explain something.
8. Mother always (cook) __________ in the mornings.
9. The sun (rise) __________ in the east.
10. Architect (make) __________ the plans of buildings.

 

EXCERCISE 3 SIMPLE PAST: NEGATIVE

Change each sentence into a negative.

For example: John had a warm coat, becomes: John didn’t have a warm coat.

 

1. The pot was expensive.

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2. Some First Nations people lived in tents.

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3. We were on the beach.

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4. She drank all the wine.

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5. Kyoko bought a new car.

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6. His team won the championship.

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7. Maroon 5 released their new single.

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8. Students despised this subject.

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9. Mike’s car hit other car on the highway.

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10. The boxer puched his opponent on the face.

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EXCERCISE 4 SIMPLE PAST: YES/NO QUESTION

Change each sentence into a yes/no question in the past tense.

For example: John had red hair becomes Did John have red hair?.

 

1. They talked about their homework.

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Top of Form

Bottom of Form

2. The soup was hot.

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Top of Form

Bottom of Form

3. He played hockey every day.

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Top of Form

Bottom of Form

4. A raccoon ate Sally’s lunch.Top of Form

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5. They were happy together.

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6. She had a baby this week.

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7. They sat down on a free table.

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8. He made a lot of friend since he moved here.

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9. Her family spent their holidays by the sea this winter.

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10. You were asleep when we came.

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EXCERCISE 5 SIMPLE PAST: WH-QUESTION

 

Change each sentence into a WH- question in the past tense, using the question word in brackets.

For example: John lived in Victoria. (where) becomes Where did John live?.

1. The fox was in the garden. (where)

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2. They travelled across Canada by bike. (how)

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3. She bought an old car. (what)

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4. Beavers were common on Vancouver Island. (where)

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5. Jan studied for three hours (how long)

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1. ACTIVE AND PASSIVE VOICE

 

• THE FORM

Tense/verb form	Active voice	Passive voice
Simple present Present continues Simple past Past continuous Present perfect Past perfect Future Conditional Perfect conditional Present infinitive Perfect infinitive Present participle/gerund Perfect participle	keeps is keeping kept was keeping has kept had kept will keep would keep would have kept to keep to have kept keeping having kept	is kept is being kept was kept was being kept has been kept had been kept will be kept would be kept would have kept to be kept to have been kept being kept having been kept

 

• THE USE

1. When it is not necessary to mention the doer of the action as it is obvious who he is/was/will be:

The rubbish hasn’t been collected.

Your hand will be x-rayed.

1. When we don’t know, or don’t know exactly, or have forgotten who did the action:

The minister was murdered.

You’ll be met at the station.

1. When the subject of the active verb would be ‘people’:

He is suspected of receiving stolen goods. (People suspect him of…)

They are supposed to be living in New York. (People suppose that they are living …)

1. When we are more interested in the action than the person who does it:

The house next door has been bought (by a Mr Jones).

1. If, however, we know Mr. Jones, we would use the active:

Your father’s friend, Mr. Jones has bought the house next door.

 

MORE EXAMPLES

 

Active:                            Someone has stolen my books.

Passive:                         My books have been stolen

 

Active:                            Someone gave me a book.

                                                                                1       2

Passive:                         I was given a book (by someone)

 

Active:                            They will look after you well.

Passive:                         You will be well looked after. (Note the position of adverb of manner)

 

People say = it is said

Active:                            People say that figs are better for us than bananas

Passive (1) :                  it is said that figs are better for us than bananas

Passive (2):                   Figs are said to be better for us than bananas.

(Passive (2) is the best)

 

 

EXERCISE 6 ACTIVE/PASSIVE

All of the following sentences should be completed using the Simple Present. Hint: some of the sentences will require the passive verb form.

EXAMPLE:
a) John (feed, always) always feeds the neighbors’ cat while they are on vacation.
b) The neighbors’ cat (feed, always) is always fed by John while they are on vacation.

1. The library (locate)__________________ at 1207 Main Street.
2. Susan (ride, often)__________________ the bus to work.
3. The students (teach, usually) _______________ by Mrs. Brown, the new teacher from Boston.
4. I (study, not)_________________ at Georgetown University.
5. The earth (circle)_______________ the sun, but it (circles, not)_______________ the moon.
6. Good art (make)____________ by creative artists.
7. A: What do you call people who work in libraries?
   B: They (call)______________ librarians.
8. A: Do you usually eat big dinners?
   B: No, I (eat, not, usually)______________________ big dinners. Most of the time, I
   (snack, just)_________________ at night.
9. The most beautiful sculptures (carve, carefully)___________________ by the Zuni Indians.
10. The most important decisions (make, always)__________________ by Tim’s wife.

 

EXERCISE 7 ACTIVE TO PASSIVE

Put the following sentences into the passive voice using the part in bold type as the subject where shown:

• Somebody has found the boy the people wanted (2 passives)

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• People ought not to speak about such things in public.

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• The window blew his hat down the street,

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• People should make lessons more interesting for children

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• They had eaten all the dinner before they finished the conversation. (2 passives)

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• Somebody left the light on all night.

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• We shall lock the house up for the summer and the old gardener will look after it (2 passives).

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• No one can answer your questions.

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• Somebody has spilt tea all over the tablecloth

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• His brother just beat John in the 100-yard race.

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• Has someone mended that chair yet?

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• Somebody must have taken it while I was out.

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• You must iron this dress for tonight.

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• Did the noise frighten you?

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• The doctor had to operate on him to find out what was wrong.

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• Didn’t anybody ever teach you how to behave?

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• I can assure you I will arrange everything in time. (2 passives)

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• A sudden increase in water pressure would break the dam.

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• One cannot eat an orange if nobody has peeled it.

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• They took the collection half way through the meeting.

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