Verb Forms

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Verb Forms

• Tenses

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Verbs are words which refer to actions or to
states

• Talk
• Move
• Seem
• Run
• Gossip
• Develop

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The building blocks of the verb

• Any verb in English is made from
• two blocks
• she is moving
• she has moved

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The two blocks
First block 0 part of be part of have modal e.g. She is Second block main verb moving
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Worksheet no. 1

• NB!
• Dont go further until you have done worksheet
  no.1

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The Cat, the Tortoise and the Law of
GravityUnderline verb forms

• A cat and a tortoise were having an argument.
• Im very fast and youre very slow,said the
  cat.
• All right,said the tortoise, well have a
  competition.
• Ill win, said the cat at once.
• We shall see, replied the tortoise, quietly
  smiling to himself
• I bet you that I can travel much faster than
  any tortoise.
• They shook hands, and the tortoise led the cat
  to the top of a
• tower which was exactly 100 meters high. You
  see, the
• tortoise had learned about the law of gravity at
  school. One
• day, his teacher had said Force mass x
  acceleration.

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The Cat, the Tortoise (part 2)

• What does that mean?the tortoise had asked. It
  means,
• said the teacher, that two bodies of different
  mass will fall
• at the same speed, and will reach the ground at
  the same
• moment.The cat looked down anxiously at the
  ground far
• below them.
• What are you going to do?he asked in a small
  voice.
• Were going to jump when I count three,replied
  the tortoise.
• 1-2-3, go!They jumped and, thanks to the law of
  gravity,
• fell together and hit ground at the same moment
  exactly. The
• cat landed on his feet, but the tortoise landed
  on his back,
• breaking his shell and most of his bones. He was
  in hospidal
• for a long time afterwards.
• Moral Gravity is strictly for cats.

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Check your answers

• A cat and a tortoise were having an argument.
• Im very fast and youre very slow,said the
  cat.
• All right,said the tortoise, well have a
  competition.
• Ill win, said the cat at once.
• We shall see, replied the tortoise, quietly
  smiling to himself
• I bet you that I can travel much faster than
  any tortoise.
• They shook hands, and the tortoise led the cat
  to the top of a
• tower which was exactly 100 meters high. You
  see, the
• tortoise had learned about the law of gravity at
  school. One
• day, his teacher had said Force mass x
  acceleration.

9
The Cat, the Tortoise (part 2)

• What does that mean?the tortoise had asked. It
  means,
• said the teacher, that two bodies of different
  mass will fall
• at the same speed, and will reach the ground at
  the same
• moment.The cat looked down anxiously at the
  ground far
• below them.
• What are you going to do?he asked in a small
  voice.
• Were going to jump when I count three,replied
  the tortoise.
• 1-2-3, go!They jumped and, thanks to the law of
  gravity,
• fell together and hit ground at the same moment
  exactly. The
• cat landed on his feet, but the tortoise landed
  on his back,
• breaking his shell and most of his bones. He was
  in hospidal
• for a long time afterwards.
• Moral Gravity is strictly for cats.

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Verbs Meaning and usesThe two elements of
meaning

• Every verb form (tense) has two elements of
• meaning
•    ? Time - the time when the action
• happens 
•  ? Attitude - our interest in the action
•  
•  

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Time

• present
• past
• future
• point of time
• period of time
• completed period
• incomplete period

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Attitude

• We choose the verb form which expresses our point
  of view, the way we interprete the situation
• We express 0 attitude about events that are
  always true

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The present tensesPresent Continuous
? Time Now, the moment of speaking, this
week, this period of time we are in
?Attitude We are talking about an action
which is unfinished, incomplete, in
progress, going on during the period of time
we are in.
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Present Continuous

Line of time
At the moment, John is living with his parents
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Examples(Present continuous)

• Going on at this moment
• Im making a birthday cake.
• Going on during this period of time
• Are you taking lessons?
• Everything is ready for something which will
  happen soon
• What are you doing tomorrow night?
• Describing something which is temporary
• John is normally a sensible man, but he is being
  very stupid now.
• Describing a never-ending series of events
• Shes always borrowing money.

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Present Simple

• Time - 0 time, any time, all the time, no
  particular time
• Attitude - 0 attitude, concern only to state
  the fact of the action without referring to
  time

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Examples(Present simple)

• General, universal, true statements
• The Earth goes round the sun.
• Describing the regular features of ones life
• I live in asmall town.
• Describing an event which depends on a fixed
  timetable or schedule
• The next train leaves at 5.40.
• Describing a demonstration, events in a play
• At this moment Hamlet enters.

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Present perfect

• Time a moment or period of time between
  before now and now
• Attitude We are talking about an action
  which took place at an unspecified time
  before now. We are usually interested in the
  result of the action

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Present perfect

Before now
Now
Someone has drunk up my soup
Line of time
Focus on the result
20
Present Perfect Continuous

• Time an unspecified time in the period
  between before now and now
• Attitude We are talking about something
  which began but did finish in the period
  beyween now and now. We are interested in the
  process of the action

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Present perfect continuous

now
Before now
It has been raining
The streets are wet
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Examples(Present perfect continuous)

• He s been sitting there for hours just staring
  at the wall.
• Have you been waiting long?
• Who has been drinking my soup?
• (the dish is only half full now)
• Have you been working in the garden?
• (you look tired and your boots are dirty)

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Worksheet no. 2

• NB!
• Dont go further until you have done worksheet
  no.2

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Exercise 1. Identify the tenses, then match them
with the description.

1. Actions taking place at or around the moment of
   speaking temporary situations
2. Emphasis on duration of an action which began in
   the past and continues up to the present
3. Reviews/sports commentaries/dramatic narratives
4. Actions started at a stated time in the past and
   continuing up to the present
5. Fixed arrangements in the near future
6. Timetables/programmes (future meaning)
7. Permanent truths or laws of nature
8. Permanent situations or states
9. Personal experience or changes

1. He runs a large travel agency.
2. The thief enters the room and opens the safe.
3. Skill comes with practice.
4. Shes been practising that song for hours.
5. Hes working hard these days.
6. Hes gained a lot of weight recently.
7. Tom s picking me up at 7 oclock tonight.
8. She s staying with a friend in London at
   present.
9. The ferry arrives at 10.00 am.
10. 10. Theyve been talking on the phone since 9
    oclock

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Check your answers

• Exercise 1
• Present forms
• 1 h 6 i
• 2 c 7 e
• 3 g 8 a
• 4 b 9 f
• 5 a 10 b/d

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The past tensesPast Simple

• Time a time before now, earlier than now
• Attitude describes something which began
  and ended before the present

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Examples(Past simple)

• The duration is not important
• I was born in a little village.
• The tense can describe something which happened a
  long time ago, or which happened a moment ago
• The French Revolution broke out in 1789.

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Past Continuous

• Time a time before now, earlier than now
• Attitude describes something which began in
  the past but which had not finished at the
  time of speaking

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Past continuous
Now-present
Before now
It was raining
Line of time
we left Orleans
Line separating past from present
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Examples(Past continuous)

• When you want to show deference to another
  persons wishes or idea, i.e. when you want to
  suggest that they are more important than yours
  are
• What are you doing this evening?
• Well, I was thinking of going to the
  pictures..
• This suggests but I am sure oyu have a much
  better idea
• It can also be a way of showing your interest in
  the other person
• I was wondering if ..is a way of asking a favour
  very politely
• It is used to a change in mind
• I was going to stay in but Ive changed my mind

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Past Perfect Simple

• Time Earlier than a time before now
• Attitude We use this tense when we want
  to make it clear that action A took place
  in a time before and separate from the time
  when action B took place

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Past perfect simple
now
Earlier than before now
Before now
I gave her the present
I had bought it the day before
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Examples(Past perfect simple)

• I gave my wife the present which I had bought her
  the day before.
• (Action B) (Action A)
• When I arrived at the station, the train had
  already left
• (Action B) (Action A).

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Worksheet no.3

• NB!
• Dont go further until you have done worksheet
  no.3

35
Exercise 2Identify the tenses, then match them
with the description.

1. She opened the cupboard, took out a dress and
   put it on.
2. They received the telegram at 10 oclock that
   evening.
3. She was upset because she had been waiting to
   hear from her son for days.
4. They were still discussing the plan at midnight.
5. They were flying over the Andes when the plane
   crashed.
6. James Dean made one film with Natalie Wood.

1. Past action in progress interrupted by another
   past action
2. Past action which occurred before another action
   or before a stated past time
3. Two or more simultaneous past actions
4. Action continuing over a period up to a specific
   time in the past
5. Complete past action which had visible results in
   the past
6. Fast actions which happened immediately one after
   the other PTO

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Exercise 2 continued

1. Past action of certain duration which had
   visible results in the past
2. Past habit or state
3. Past Perfect as the past equivalent of the
   Present Perfect
4. Action in the middle of hsappening at a stated
   past time
5. Past Perfect Continuous as the past equivalent of
   the Present Perfect Continuous
6. Action not connected to the present which
   happened at a definite past time not mentioned
7. Complete action or event whish happened at a
   stated past time

1. Tom was reading out the data while Sara was
   writing it down.
2. She had finished most of the work by the time her
   boss arrived.
3. She missed the end of the film because she had
   fallen asleep.
4. Ahe always went to work by train.
5. She was pleased because she had been given the
   job.
6. We had been living in the same house for twelve
   years befor ewe decided to move.
7. He had left his job because he had been feeling
   dissatified for months.

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Check your answers

• Exercise 2
• Past tenses
• 1.f 8.I/b
• 2.m 9.b
• 3.g 10.h
• 4.j 11.e/b
• 5.a 12.d
• 6.l 13.k/b
• 7.c

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The Future

• We cannot be certain about the future, because we
  are talking about things that have not yet
  happened. For this reason , we express the future
  in different ways Attitude is much more
  important than time. The form we choose depends
  on such things as
• how sure we are that something will happen
• whether we want sommething to happen
• whether we are talking about ourselves or others

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Future with will/shall (-ll)

• Time a moment or period later than now
• Attitude we are making a simple statement
  of fact about something which will
  definitely
• happen or not happen. Our attitude is
  0 it is the time of the event which matters

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Examples(future with will)

• We use will
• to indicate an activity decided at the time of
  speaking
• .Ill bring them to your office as soon as Ive
  finished
• after verbs of mental activity e.g. think, hope,
  expect
• I expect that this decision will cause a lot of
  contoversy
• Telling or ordering to do something
• you will go alone and you will tell no-one
  about this
• Making predictions about the future
• dont worry! You wont feel a thing!
• Polite requests
• Will you just hold this for me

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Future continuous
now
later

we shall be landing .
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Future continuouswill be moving

• This form is used in questions to show that we
  are simply asking for information
• Will you be bringing Jill with you?
• The action may be going on now, and we think of
  it continuing into the future
• I wonder if it will be raining this afternoon.
• It is also used when we project ourselves into a
  future time and see something happening
• In a few minutes we shall be landing at
  Barcelona airport.

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Future perfectwill have( moved)/been moving

• Time a completed period of time in the
  future, later than now
• Attitude we want to project ourselves into
  the future and look back in order to say
  that an action has finished.

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Future perfect
now
later

I will have left
45
Future with going to

• The form going to is common in speaking and in
  informal writing. It is a way of referrring to a
  future event which expresses a strong attitude
  the time is less important
• Time a time later than now, the moment of
  speaking
• Attitude when we want to say a future
  action depends on present facts

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Examples(going to)

• We are often concerned with our own or other
  peoples plans, decisions, intentions
• Im going to sell my car and get a new one.
• We use present facts to make predictions
• Its going to rain (black clouds)
• Youre going to fall off if youre not careful

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Worksheet no.4

• NB!
• Dont go further until you have done worksheet
  no.4

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Exercise 3Identify the tenses, then match them
with the description

1. I think Ill go home now.
2. The bus for Brighton departs in an hour.
3. Well be sailing around the islans this time next
   month.
4. By May he will have been living abroad for six
   years.
5. The men are delivering the furniture tomorrow.
6. Look at the baby! Hes going to eat that worm.

1. Action which may (not) happen in the future
2. Action in progress at a stated future time
3. Fixed arrangement in the near future
4. Action which will be finished before a stated
   future time
5. Timetable/programme
6. Decision taken at the moment of speaking PTO

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Exercise 3 continued

• g. Action which is the result of a routine
• h. Duration of an action up to a certain time
  in the future
• Prediction about the future
• Action intended to be performed in the near
  future
• Asking politely about peoples arrangements
• Evidence that will definitely happen

1. Perhaps well see Nicky at school today.
2. Hes going to take a few days off next week.
3. Im sure youll have a wonderful holiday.
4. Will Fo be staying with tou this Easter?
5. Ill be having lunch with Sam tomorrow as usual
6. They will have made a decision by Friday.

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Check your answers

• Exercise 3
• Future tenses
• 1.f 7.a
• 2.e 8.j
• 3.b 9.i
• 4.h 10.k
• 5.c 11.g
• 6.l 12.d