English Grammar Cheat Sheet: Tenses, Forms, and More

English Grammar Cheat Sheet

Word Formation

Prefixes

• semi-
• under-
• over-
• re-
• co-
• inter-
• un-

Suffixes

• -ism
• -er
• -or
• -ly
• -able
• -fy
• -ty

Past Simple

• Positive: -ed or irregular verbs
• Negative: didn't + infinitive
• Questions: did + person + infinitive
• Specific situations in the past: last year; at 8:00; in 1990

Present Perfect

• Positive: has/have + -ed/irregular verbs
• Negative: haven't/hasn't + -ed/irregular verbs
• Questions: have/has + person + -ed/irregular verbs
• Have: I, you, we, they
• Has: he, she, it

Future Forms

Present Simple (for facts or generalizations)

• Positive: verb + -es/-s (3rd person)
• Negative: don't + verb + -es/-s (3rd person)
• Questions: do + person + verb + -es/-s (3rd person)

Present Continuous (for ongoing actions)

• Positive: am/is/are + verb + -ing
• Negative: am/is/are + not + verb + -ing
• Questions: am/is/are + person + verb + -ing

Future Perfect (for actions completed before something in the future)

• Positive: will + have + verb (-ed/irregular)
• Negative: will + not + have + verb (-ed/irregular)
• Questions: will + person + have + verb (-ed/irregular)

Future Continuous (for interrupted actions in the future)

• Positive: will + be + verb + -ing
• Negative: will + not + be + verb + -ing
• Questions: will + person + be + verb + -ing

Adverbs to Show Attitude

• surprisingly
• obviously
• sadly
• luckily
• to be honest

Giving Good/Bad News

• Good: You're kidding! That's great news! I'm really happy for you. Congratulations! Well done!
• Bad: I'm sorry to hear that. You must be feeling upset.

Asking for and Expressing Opinions

• Asking: What do you think? What do you reckon?
• Expressing: If you ask me, I think…; It would be a good idea to…
• Reacting/Suggesting: I'm not so sure. That's just what I was thinking. That's a great idea.

Protests: Opinions and Speculation

• Opinions: I think…; I believe…; In my opinion…; It's my view that…
• Speculation: will probably/might/may/maybe