English Grammar Essentials: Tenses and Structures

Present Simple

Affirmative: I like tennis, she likes football, they like sport.

Negative: I don't like tennis, she doesn't like football, they don't like sport.

Interrogative: Do you like football? Yes, I do. Does she play tennis? Yes, she does. Does he live in France? No, he doesn't. Do they go cycling? No, they don't.

There's / There Are

There's is used with singular countable nouns and uncountable nouns.

There are is used with plural countable nouns.

Affirmative: Use a or an with singular countable nouns. Use some with plural and uncountable nouns.

Negative and Interrogative: Use a or an with singular countable nouns. Use any with plural and uncountable nouns.

How much/how many: How much is used with uncountable nouns. How many is used with plural countable nouns.

Past Simple (Regular Verbs)

Affirmative: I listened to music, you played tennis, he/she/it watched TV, we/you/they studied for the test. (Infinitive to past simple: visit - visited)

Past Simple (Irregular Verbs)

Affirmative: Infinitive: begin - Past simple: began; fly - flew; go - went; leave - left; see - saw; take - took; write - wrote.

Be Past Simple (Affirmative and Negative): I was (affirmative) - wasn't (negative); you were (a) - weren't (n); he/she/it was (a) - wasn't (n); we/you/they were (a) - weren't (n).

Past Simple (Regular and Irregular Verbs)

Negative: It didn't disappear into the sea, they didn't have electricity.

Interrogative: Did you go to the cinema? Yes, I did. Did he meet you? Yes, he did. Did you enjoy it? No, we didn't.

Will Future

Affirmative: Your sister will live in Europe, but you will live in the USA.

Negative: You won't win the lottery, but your family won't be poor.

Interrogative: Will you be at school tomorrow? Yes, I will/No, I won't. Will the computer have a mouse? Yes, it will/No, it won't. Will your meats be perfect? Yes, they will/No, they won't.

Question Words

Where - donde, what - que, when - quan, why - perque, who - qui, how - com.

Comparatives and Superlatives

Short adjectives: rich - richer (comparative) - the richest (superlative); nice - nicer - the nicest.

Two-syllable adjectives ending in -y: easy - easier - the easiest; happy - happier - the happiest.

Longer adjectives: stressful - more stressful - the most stressful; dangerous - more dangerous - the most dangerous.

Irregular forms: good - better - the best; bad - worse - the worst.

Present Perfect (Regular Verbs)

Affirmative: I/you've stopped, he/she/it's stopped, we/you/they've stopped. (The past participle ends in -ed.)

Present Perfect (Irregular Verbs)

Affirmative: bite (infinitive) - bit (past simple) - bitten (past participle); break - broke - broken; buy - bought - bought; come - came - come; cut - cut - cut; drink - drank - drunk; eat - ate - eaten; hurt - hurt - hurt; see - saw - seen.