English Verb Tenses, Time Expressions, and Grammar Essentials

Present Simple

• always
• usually
• at 1 o'clock
• in the morning

Present Continuous

• now
• at the moment
• this year
• today
• tomorrow
• next day

Past Simple

• yesterday
• last week
• when
• two years ago
• then

Past Continuous

• last night/week/year
• at 4 o'clock
• when/while/as

Present Perfect

• never
• ever
• already
• just
• yet
• recently
• lately
• for
• since

Past Perfect

• already
• by the time
• after
• before
• until
• never
• just

Future Simple

• this evening
• in an hour
• at 2 o'clock
• later
• next month

Be Going To

• this evening
• later
• in an hour
• tomorrow
• soon
• in a few weeks

Present Perfect Continuous

• for a year
• since 2002
• how long?
• all night/morning

Past Perfect Continuous

• for hours
• since last April
• all morning
• when
• until

Used To, Be Used To, Get Used To

Used to: Only used for past habits.

When I was at school, I used to wear a uniform.

Be used to: Present habits or familiar situations.

I’m a teacher. I’m used to working with young people.

Get used to: Emphasizes a change of habits requiring effort.

When I arrived in Spain, I had to get used to having lunch late.

Noun Suffixes

Examples: announcement, personality, indifference, annoyance, runner, sailor, upsetting

Adjective Suffixes

Examples: countless, doubtful, suitable, loneliness, equality, truthful, painless, mysterious, harmful, bored/boring

Reported Speech

• can → could
• may → might
• must/have to → must/had to
• will → would
• now → then
• today → that day
• yesterday → the previous day
• last week → the previous week
• a month ago → the previous month
• tomorrow → the following day
• here → there
• this → that
• these → those

Conditionals

Type 0:

If + present simple → present simple (always true)

Type 1:

If + present simple → future/imperative/modal + base form (real)

Type 2:

If + past simple → would + base form (hypothetical situation)

Type 3:

If + past perfect → would have + past participle (hypothetical past situation)

Wish Clauses

• wish/if only + past simple (present)
• wish/if only + past perfect (past)
• wish/if only + could/would + base form (future)

Relative Clauses

• Who: people
• Where: place
• Which: object
• Whose: possession
• When: time

Modals

• Can: ability, request, possibility
• Be able to: possibility, ability
• Can't: inability, prohibition, deduction
• Could: past ability, polite request, possibility; could have + past participle
• Couldn't have + past participle
• May/Might: possibility; may have + past participle
• May: request, permission
• Should/Ought to: advice, opinion; must have
• Must: obligation
• Mustn't: prohibition
• Would: formal request/offer