Past Perfect Tense

Past Perfect

FORM

[had + past participle]

Examples:

• You had studied English before you moved to New York.
• Had you studied English before you moved to New York?
• You had not studied English before you moved to New York.

USE 1 Completed Action Before Something in the Past

The Past Perfect expresses the idea that something occurred before another action in the past. It can also show that something happened before a specific time in the past.

Examples:

• I had never seen such a beautiful beach before I went to Kauai.
• I did not have any money because I had lost my wallet.
• Tony knew Istanbul so well because he had visited the city several times.
• Had Susan ever studied Thai before she moved to Thailand?
• She only understood the movie because she had read the book.
• Kristine had never been to an opera before last night.
• We were not able to get a hotel room because we had not booked in advance.
• A: Had you ever visited the U.S. before your trip in 2006?
  B: Yes, I had been to the U.S. once before.

USE 2 Duration Before Something in the Past (Non-Continuous Verbs)

Examples:

• We had had that car for ten years before it broke down.
• By the time Alex finished his studies, he had been in London for over eight years.
• They felt bad about selling the house because they had owned it for more than forty years.

Although the above use of Past Perfect is normally limited to Non-Continuous Verbs and non-continuous uses of Mixed Verbs, the words "live," "work," "teach," and "study" are sometimes used in this way even though they are NOT Non-Continuous Verbs.

IMPORTANT Specific Times with the Past Perfect

Unlike with the Present Perfect, it is possible to use specific time words or phrases with the Past Perfect. Although this is possible, it is usually not necessary.

Example:

• She had visited her Japanese relatives once in 1993 before she moved in with them in 1996.

MOREOVER

If the Past Perfect action did occur at a specific time, the Simple Past can be used instead of the Past Perfect when "before" or "after" is used in the sentence. The words "before" and "after" actually tell you what happens first, so the Past Perfect is optional. For this reason, both sentences below are correct.

Examples:

• She had visited her Japanese relatives once in 1993 before she moved in with them in 1996.
• She visited her Japanese relatives once in 1993 before she moved in with them in 1996.

If the Past Perfect is not referring to an action at a specific time, Past Perfect is not optional. Compare the examples below. Here Past Perfect is referring to a lack of experience rather than an action at a specific time. For this reason, Simple Past cannot be used.

Examples:

• She never saw a bear before she moved to Alaska. Not Correct
• She had never seen a bear before she moved to Alaska. Correct

ADVERB PLACEMENT

The examples below show the placement for grammar adverbs such as: always, only, never, ever, still, just, etc.

Examples:

• You had previously studied English before you moved to New York.
• Had you previously studied English before you moved to New York?

ACTIVE / PASSIVE

Examples:

• George had repaired many cars before he received his mechanic's license. Active
• Many cars had been repaired by George before he received his mechanic's license. Passive

Taken from EnglishPage.com

Present Perfect Tense

Present Perfect

FORM

[has/have + past participle]

Examples:

· You have seen that movie many times.

· Have you seen that movie many times?

· You have not seen that movie many times.

USE 1 Unspecified Time Before Now

We use the Present Perfect to say that an action happened at an unspecified time before now. The exact time is not important. You CANNOT use the Present Perfect with specific time expressions such as: yesterday, one year ago, last week, when I was a child, when I lived in Japan, at that moment, that day, one day, etc. We CAN use the Present Perfect with unspecific expressions such as: ever, never, once, many times, several times, before, so far, already, yet, etc.

Examples:

· I have seen that movie twenty times.

· I think I have met him once before.

· There have been many earthquakes in California.

· People have traveled to the Moon.

· People have not traveled to Mars.

· Have you read the book yet?

· Nobody has ever climbed that mountain.

· A: Has there ever been a war in the United States?
B: Yes, there has been a war in the United States.

How Do You Actually Use the Present Perfect?

The concept of "unspecified time" can be very confusing to English learners. It is best to associate Present Perfect with the following topics:

TOPIC 1 Experience

You can use the Present Perfect to describe your experience. It is like saying, "I have the experience of..." You can also use this tense to say that you have never had a certain experience. The Present Perfect is NOT used to describe a specific event.

Examples:

· I have been to France.
This sentence means that you have had the experience of being in France. Maybe you have been there once, or several times.

· I have been to France three times.
You can add the number of times at the end of the sentence.

· I have never been to France.
This sentence means that you have not had the experience of going to France.

· I think I have seen that movie before.

· He has never traveled by train.

· Joan has studied two foreign languages.

· A: Have you ever met him?
B: No, I have not met him.

TOPIC 2 Change Over Time

We often use the Present Perfect to talk about change that has happened over a period of time.

Examples:

· You have grown since the last time I saw you.

· The government has become more interested in arts education.

· Japanese has become one of the most popular courses at the university since the Asian studies program was established.

· My English has really improved since I moved to Australia.

TOPIC 3 Accomplishments

We often use the Present Perfect to list the accomplishments of individuals and humanity. You cannot mention a specific time.

Examples:

· Man has walked on the Moon.

· Our son has learned how to read.

· Doctors have cured many deadly diseases.

· Scientists have split the atom.

TOPIC 4 An Uncompleted Action You Are Expecting

We often use the Present Perfect to say that an action which we expected has not happened. Using the Present Perfect suggests that we are still waiting for the action to happen.

Examples:

· James has not finished his homework yet.

· Susan hasn't mastered Japanese, but she can communicate.

· Bill has still not arrived.

· The rain hasn't stopped.

TOPIC 5 Multiple Actions at Different Times

We also use the Present Perfect to talk about several different actions which have occurred in the past at different times. Present Perfect suggests the process is not complete and more actions are possible.

Examples:

· The army has attacked that city five times.

· I have had four quizzes and five tests so far this semester.

· We have had many major problems while working on this project.

· She has talked to several specialists about her problem, but nobody knows why she is sick.

Time Expressions with Present Perfect

When we use the Present Perfect it means that something has happened at some point in our lives before now. Remember, the exact time the action happened is not important.

Examples:

· Have you been to Mexico in the last year?

· I have seen that movie six times in the last month.

· They have had three tests in the last week.

· She graduated from university less than three years ago. She has worked for three different companies so far.

· My car has broken down three times this week.

NOTICE

"Last year" and "in the last year" are very different in meaning. "Last year" means the year before now, and it is considered a specific time which requires Simple Past. "In the last year" means from 365 days ago until now. It is not considered a specific time, so it requires Present Perfect.

Examples:

· I went to Mexico last year.
I went to Mexico in the calendar year before this one.

· I have been to Mexico in the last year.
I have been to Mexico at least once at some point between 365 days ago and now.

USE 2 Duration From the Past Until Now (Non-Continuous Verbs)

With Non-Continuous Verbs and non-continuous uses of Mixed Verbs, we use the Present Perfect to show that something started in the past and has continued up until now. "For five minutes," "for two weeks," and "since Tuesday" are all durations which can be used with the Present Perfect.

Examples:

· I have had a cold for two weeks.

· She has been in England for six months.

· Mary has loved chocolate since she was a little girl.

Although the above use of Present Perfect is normally limited to Non-Continuous Verbs and non-continuous uses of Mixed Verbs, the words "live," "work," "teach," and "study" are sometimes used in this way even though they are NOT Non-Continuous Verbs.

ADVERB PLACEMENT

The examples below show the placement for grammar adverbs such as: always, only, never, ever, still, just, etc.

Examples:

· You have only seen that movie one time.

· Have you only seen that movie one time?

ACTIVE / PASSIVE

Examples:

· Many tourists have visited that castle. Active

That castle has been visited by many tourists. Passive

Taken from: englishpage.com

ADJECTIVE ORDER

In English, it is common to use more than one adjective before a noun -- for example, "He's a silly young fool," or "she's a smart, energetic woman." When you use more than one adjective, you have to put them in the right order, according to type. This article will explain the different types of adjectives and the correct order for them.

The basic types of adjectives

An opinion adjective explains what you think about something (other people may not agree with you). Examples: silly, beautiful, horrible, difficult

A size adjective, of course, tells you how big or small something is. Examples: large, tiny, enormous, little

An age adjective tells you how young or old something or someone is. Examples: ancient, new, young, old

A shape adjective describes the shape of something. Examples: square, round, flat, rectangular

A colour adjective, of course, describes the colour of something. Examples: blue, pink, reddish, grey

An origin adjective describes where something comes from. Examples: French, lunar, American, eastern, Greek

A material adjective describes what something is made from. Examples: wooden, metal, cotton, paper

A purpose adjective describes what something is used for. These adjectives often end with "-ing". Examples: sleeping (as in "sleeping bag"), roasting (as in "roasting tin") Some examples of adjective order Opinion Size Age Shape Colour Origin Material Purpose a silly young English man a huge round metal bowl a small red sleeping bag Another Example : a beautiful young Indonesian girl. a nice huge antique American ship. a beautiful medium new red Germany metal mixing mixer

Simple Future Tense

This material is taken from english page.com

Simple Future

(Will or Be Going To)

Simple Future has two different forms in English: "will" and "be going to." Although the two forms can sometimes be used interchangeably, they often express two very different meanings. These different meanings might seem too abstract at first, but with time and practice, the differences will become clear. Both "will" and "be going to" refer to a specific time in the future.

FORM Will

[will + verb]

Examples:

· You will help him later.

· Will you help him later?

· You will not help him later.

FORM Be Going To

[am/is/are + going to + verb]

Examples:

· You are going to meet Jane tonight.

· Are you going to meet Jane tonight?

· You are not going to meet Jane tonight.

USE 1 "Will" to Express a Voluntary Action

"Will" often suggests that a speaker will do something voluntarily. A voluntary action is one the speaker offers to do for someone else. Often, we use "will" to respond to someone else's complaint or request for help. We also use "will" when we request that someone help us or volunteer to do something for us. Similarly, we use "will not" or "won't" when we refuse to voluntarily do something.

Examples:

· I will send you the information when I get it.

· I will translate the email, so Mr. Smith can read it.

· Will you help me move this heavy table?

· Will you make dinner?

· I will not do your homework for you.

· I won't do all the housework myself!

· A: I'm really hungry.
B: I'll make some sandwiches.

· A: I'm so tired. I'm about to fall asleep.
B: I'll get you some coffee.

· A: The phone is ringing.
B: I'll get it.

USE 2 "Will" to Express a Promise

"Will" is usually used in promises.

Examples:

· I will call you when I arrive.

· If I am elected President of the United States, I will make sure everyone has access to inexpensive health insurance.

· I promise I will not tell him about the surprise party.

· Don't worry, I'll be careful.

· I won't tell anyone your secret.

USE 3 "Be going to" to Express a Plan

"Be going to" expresses that something is a plan. It expresses the idea that a person intends to do something in the future. It does not matter whether the plan is realistic or not.

Examples:

· He is going to spend his vacation in Hawaii.

· She is not going to spend her vacation in Hawaii.

· A: When are we going to meet each other tonight?

B: We are going to meet at 6 PM.

· I'm going to be an actor when I grow up.

· Michelle is going to begin medical school next year.

· They are going to drive all the way to Alaska.

· Who are you going to invite to the party?

· A: Who is going to make John's birthday cake?
B: Sue is going to make John's birthday cake.

USE 4 "Will" or "Be Going to" to Express a Prediction

Both "will" and "be going to" can express the idea of a general prediction about the future. Predictions are guesses about what might happen in the future. In "prediction" sentences, the subject usually has little control over the future and therefore USES 1-3 do not apply. In the following examples, there is no difference in meaning.

Examples:

· The year 2222 will be a very interesting year.

· The year 2222 is going to be a very interesting year.

· John Smith will be the next President.

· John Smith is going to be the next President.

· The movie "Zenith" will win several Academy Awards.

· The movie "Zenith" is going to win several Academy Awards.

IMPORTANT

In the Simple Future, it is not always clear which USE the speaker has in mind. Often, there is more than one way to interpret a sentence's meaning.

No Future in Time Clauses

Like all future forms, the Simple Future cannot be used in clauses beginning with time expressions such as: when, while, before, after, by the time, as soon as, if, unless, etc. Instead of Simple Future, Simple Present is used.

Examples:

· When you will arrive tonight, we will go out for dinner. Not Correct

· When you arrive tonight, we will go out for dinner. Correct

ADVERB PLACEMENT

The examples below show the placement for grammar adverbs such as: always, only, never, ever, still, just, etc.

Examples:

· You will never help him.

· Will you ever help him?

· You are never going to meet Jane.

· Are you ever going to meet Jane?

ACTIVE / PASSIVE

Examples:

· John will finish the work by 5:00 PM. Active

· The work will be finished by 5:00 PM. Passive

· Sally is going to make a beautiful dinner tonight. Active

· A beautiful dinner is going to be made by Sally tonight. Passive

WILL OR BE GOING TO

1. A: Why are you holding a piece of paper?
B: I (write) _____________ a letter to my friends back home in Texas.
2. A: I'm about to fall asleep. I need to wake up!
B: I (get) _____________ you a cup of coffee. That will wake you up.
3. A: I can't hear the television!
B: I (turn) ___________ it up so you can hear it.
4. We are so excited about our trip next month to France. We

(visit)____________Paris, Nice and Grenoble.
5. Sarah (come) ___________to the party. Oliver (be) _________ there as well.
6. Ted: It is so hot in here!
Sarah: I (turn) ____________ the air-conditioning on.
7. I think he (be) ___________ the next President of the United States.

8. After I graduate, I (attend) ______________ medical school and become a

doctor. I have wanted to be a doctor all my life.

9. A: Excuse me, I need to talk to someone about our hotel room. I am afraid it is

simply too small for four people.
B: That man at the service counter (help) ____________ you.
10. As soon as the weather clears up, we (walk)___________ down to the beach

and go swimming.

11. Mark: What are you doing with those scissors?
Beth: I (cut) _________that picture of the ocean out of the travel magazine.
Mark: What (you, do) _________with it?
Beth: I (paint) ___________ a watercolor of the ocean for my art class, and I

thought I could use this photograph as a model.
12. John: Wow, it's freezing out there.
Jane: I (make) _________some coffee to warm us up.