Mastering English Verb Tenses and Modal Verbs

English Verb Tenses and Structures

• Present Simple: Subject + do/does + verb. (Keywords: always, never, every, today).
• Past Simple: Subject + verb-ed / Subject + did + verb. (Keywords: yesterday, last, ago).
• Past Continuous: Used with when and while.
• Present Perfect: Subject + have/has + past participle (e.g., have eaten). (Keywords: for, since, yet, already).
• Past Perfect: Subject + had + past participle. (Keywords: before, after).
• Future Continuous: Subject + will be + verb-ing.
• Future Perfect: Subject + will have + past participle.

Modal Verbs and Manners

Structure: Modal + infinitive without "to".

1. Obligation: Must (present), have to (all tenses).
2. Lack of Obligation: Need not (present only; used when not forcing oneself or choosing), do not have to (all tenses).
3. Prohibition: Must not.
4. Capacity: Can (present), could (past), be able to (all tenses).
5. Possibility and Permission: Can, could, may, might.
6. Advice: Should.
7. Deductions: Must (affirmative evidence), cannot (negative evidence).
8. Suggestions: Shall.

Perfect Modals

Structure: Modal + have + past participle.

• Must have, could have, should have, ought to have: Used to express regret about something that did not happen.
• Should not have, must not have, could not have: Used to express regret about something that did happen.

Conditionals

Structure: If-clause + consequence (or vice versa).

• Type 0 (Certainty): If + present simple, consequence in present simple. (Example: If I heat up ice, it melts).
• Type 1 (Probability): If + present simple, consequence with will (80% probability), mandatory, or modal verb.
• Type 2 (Unlikely): If + past simple, consequence with would, could, or might.
• Type 3 (Impossible): If + past perfect, consequence with could/would + have + past participle.

Reported Speech: Direct and Indirect Style

Indirect Style

Reporting what another person has said previously. Example: Mary said that I was an idiot.

Direct Style

Reporting the exact words a person said. Example: Mary said: "You are an idiot."

Tense and Word Shifts

• Present Simple becomes Past Simple.
• Past Simple becomes Past Perfect. (Example: Lola: "I cut myself with a knife yesterday" → Lola told John that she had cut herself with a knife the previous day).
• Past Continuous remains Past Continuous or becomes Past Perfect Continuous.
• Will becomes Would.
• Can becomes Could.
• Must becomes Had to.

Time and Place Changes

• Now: Then, in that moment.
• This: That.
• These: Those.
• Today: That day.
• Yesterday: The previous day.
• Tomorrow: The following day.
• Next: The following.
• Here: There.
• Tonight: That night.

Relative Clauses

• Defining (Specify): Specifies who we are talking about; the information is required. (Example: The woman who lives next door is a doctor.)
• Non-Defining (Explain): Placed between commas; gives an extra explanation and can be omitted. (Example: My father, who lives in NY, is a doctor.)