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Overview of English Tenses for Speaking

Sep 24, 2024,

English Speaking Course: Tenses Overview

Present Simple Tense

  • Structure: Subject + have/has + past participle
  • Key Examples:
    • She is beautiful.
    • I drink coffee every morning.
    • Age doesn’t matter.
  • Usage: To express general facts and habitual actions.

Present Continuous Tense

  • Structure: Subject + am/is/are + verb-ing
  • Key Examples:
    • I am cooking.
    • He is watering the plants.
    • The man is stealing.
  • Usage: To express actions happening at the moment.

Present Perfect Tense

  • Structure: Subject + have/has + past participle
  • Key Examples:
    • Have you ever met him?
    • I haven't seen her today.
  • Usage: To express actions that have relevance to the present.

Present Perfect Continuous Tense

  • Structure: Subject + have/has been + verb-ing
  • Key Examples:
    • How long have you been studying French?
    • I have been doing my homework for three hours.
  • Usage: To emphasize duration of an action that started in the past and continues into the present.

Simple Past Tense

  • Structure: Subject + past form of the verb
  • Key Examples:
    • I met a girl who made my heart flutter.
    • He kissed me.
  • Usage: To express completed actions in the past.

Past Continuous Tense

  • Structure: Subject + was/were + verb-ing
  • Key Examples:
    • What were you doing last evening?
    • I was watching football.
  • Usage: To describe actions that were ongoing in the past.

Past Perfect Tense

  • Structure: Subject + had + past participle
  • Key Examples:
    • I had fallen asleep.
    • She had already left.
  • Usage: To express an action completed before another past action.

Past Perfect Continuous Tense

  • Structure: Subject + had been + verb-ing
  • Key Examples:
    • I had been working for five years when I got the promotion.
  • Usage: To emphasize the duration of an action before another past event.

Future Simple Tense

  • Structure: Subject + will + base form of the verb
  • Key Examples:
    • I will help you.
    • Who will you become when you grow up?
  • Usage: To express actions that will happen in the future.

Future Continuous Tense

  • Structure: Subject + will be + verb-ing
  • Key Examples:
    • We will be watching a movie at this time tomorrow.
  • Usage: To describe ongoing actions that will be happening at a specific future time.

Future Perfect Tense

  • Structure: Subject + will have + past participle
  • Key Examples:
    • I will have finished this book by tomorrow.
  • Usage: To express an action that will be completed before a specific future moment.

Future Perfect Continuous Tense

  • Structure: Subject + will have been + verb-ing
  • Key Examples:
    • I will have been living with him for a year by the end of the semester.
  • Usage: To emphasize the duration of an action up to a certain point in the future.

Grammar Points

  • Present Simple: Regular habits, general facts.
  • Present Continuous: Ongoing actions.
  • Present Perfect: Actions relevant to the present.
  • Past Tenses: Completed actions, ongoing past actions.
  • Future Tenses: Predictions, planned future actions.

Study Tips

  • Practice speaking and listening daily.
  • Use video resources to enhance learning.
  • Engage in conversations to apply grammar in real-life situations.

These notes summarize the lecture on English speaking focusing on various tenses along with their structures, examples, and usage. They are structured for easy review and understanding.

Full transcript