8/18/2019 The Four Present Tenses

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Grammar:   :Tenses...........   ,   .

:   PRESENT

habitual actions or 

permanent states

 H e   g oes   swimming ever  yda y.

She   works   in   a bank .

arranged future actions

(timetables, progr ammes,

ete)

The mat ch   begins   at   8 :30

ne xt   M onda y   evening.

laws   of   nature/scientific

facts   and instr uctions

 Ice  melts   when heat ed .

First you   chop   the meat  ,

then   you   f r y   it.

dramatic nar ration

The light s   ga   out and a

 figure   tearsou f    of the villa.

repeated actions   with

always, f or ever , c o n stan tly(often to show annoyance)

You' re   always leaving   the

cap of  f t he toot hpast e.

actions in progress/

temporary actions

 He' s   sleeping   at t he

moment .

The y' re   hunting   for a flat .

fixed ar rangements for the

near   futur e

The y   are going   on an

e xcursion tomorrow.

current   tr ends   and

developments

Oil prices   are rising   at 

 present.

Ti m e Ex pr ess ions :   usuall y ,   Tim e Expr ess ions :   now ,   at 

of t en ,   alwa ys ,   ever  y   da y ,   in present  ,   at   the moment  ,

t he morning ,   on M onda ys   et c   t hese da ys ,   still ,   t oda y ,

tonight  ,   nowada ys etc

r ecently   completed   actions

S he   h as   jus t painted    her room.

actions beginning   in the

past   and continuing up   to

the present,   focusing   on the

r esult

 He   has writ ten   three books.

indefinite past actions or 

experiences

She   h a s seen   this film.   {We

do not know when. }

 I've been   to Ber lin t wice.

repeated actions still

continuing

 He   has wo r ke d    as a

teacher for four   years.   {He

is  still a teacher . }

T im e Expr ess ions :   since ,

 yet  ,   for  ,   alread  y ,   just  ,   ever  ,

so   for  ,   recent l y ,   lat el y,   still ,

how   long etc

past   actions   pr oducing

visible results in the present

She   h as   been pai nti ng   her 

room.   {Itsmells of paint . }

an action beginning in the

past   and continuing up to

the present,   focusing on   the

action especially   with   for   or 

since

She   ha s been waitin g   for 

two hours but there' s still nosign of him.

action showing annoyance,

ir r itation or surpr ise

W hat   h ave   y ou   been doi ng

to my computer?

Tim e Exp r ess ions :   for,

since ,   how   long ,   latel y ,

recentl y   etc

sen sest h ink ing

em ot ion   &   feeling

other  

see, hear, smell, feel, tastethink,   agree,   believe, consider ,   doubt, expect,   feel l=think)

feel, forgive,   hate,   loathe,   like,   dislike,   love,   mind,   wish,   etc

appear /seem,   be,   belong,   have l=possess),   keep l=continue),   matter ,   owe,   possess/own ete

No te s

•   Ver bs of the senses can have continuous   f orms, but   then   there's a change in meaning.

 I 'm seeing   m y   dentist   tomorrow.   {=   a pr ior  arrangement}   b u t:   Do   you   see   those birds?   {ability to see}

•   The ver bs   th in k , c o n s id er   and   expect   can have continuous forms when they refer   to an activity.

 Be   quiet  ,   please! I 'm   thinking .   b u t :   I  t hin k you are   wr ong.   {=   I believe}

•   Hav e   can   have continuous   f orms in   cer tain expressions   such as:   h a v e a   ba t h , h ave   a n a p ,   h a v e f u n , h a v e a g o odtime,   etc.

We   were   havi ng   a   good    time at   the part  y when the fire broke out .   but:   S ince   you   have   his phone number  ,

 you can call   him.   {=   possess}

8/18/2019 The Four Present Tenses

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1   Put the ver bs in brackets into the appropriate present    tense.

o   Our firm   is launching   ( la u n c h )   two new products

next week.

"Why   (h e/ le a v e )? "

"Beca use he   (p la y )   footba II

at 6:30 this evening."

2   Dancer s   at the ballet school   .

(t r a i n )   for the performance since last   November .

3   You   (n o t / rea l l y /e xp ec t )

me to eat this stew!   It   (sm e l l )   awful!

4   I   ( t r y )   to com plete that

 jigsaw f or over three months now!

5   "Why   (yo u / fee l )   Annie's

for ehead?"

"I   ( t h in k)   she's got   a temperature."

6   The place looks like a bombsite!   What   .

.... ...... ... ..... .. .. (d o )   all day?

7   Come on John!   you   (k n o w )

me   since high school! You   .

(n o t / rea l l y /b e l ie ve )   I would do such a terrible thing.

8   The opposition party   (ap p ear )   to be

making   ground in the opinion polls.

9   Randall   ( k i c k )   the ball into the net and

it   (b e)   a goal!

10   He   (s tu d y)   most  of the year,

but now   it's summer, he   (w o rk )   in a

shop.

11   you   (a lw ay s /l e a v e )   the

bathroom tap running .

. . . . ?   .

:  HAS BEEN   TO / HAS BEEN IN / HAS GONE TO

 He   h a s bee n   to   Berlin.   (= He   has   gone   and come back .)

 He   has been in Buenos Aires for a year .   (=;Helives there.)

 He   has   g one   to Toledo.   (=He hasn' t come back yet .)

2   Fill in   the blanks with   have been   to ,   have beenin   or   have gone   to   in their correct for m.

o   I  have never been to   (n  ev e r )   Cambodia, but  I  might

include it on my itinerary next year.

Mr s Bates Cologne.   She

won't be back for at   least   three weeks.

2   Nick   Wales for three years

now, studying for   his degree.

3   Why don't you ask   Clar e about the tr opics? She

........................................ Thailand.

4   He visit his father  .   I'm afr aid

you've just missed him.

3   Put the verbs in brackets int o   t he   Simpl e Presentor   Presen t Conti nuou s .

er ry Poole ( 0 )   is   (b e )   an engineer who   (1 )   .

w o r k )   for an   international aid organisation.   Although he

ormally   (2 ) (w o r k )   in   Indonesia,   at   pr esent he

3 )   ( s u p e rv i s e )   a   project in   Rwanda

which   (4 ) ( i n vo lv e )   the co-ordination of local

eople, aid worker s and engineers   like himself.   Although

e   (5 ) (e n jo y )   the experience, he

6 )   (d o u b t)   the project   will be finished soon.

4   Put   the   verbs i n br ack ets   into the   Present Perf ec t

or   Present Perfect Continuous .

Stonehenge   (0 )   has been   (b e)   the subject of  

archaeological debate for many year s. No one

(1 )   (y e t / ex p lai n )   satisfactorily

why   or how   it was built, although teams of experts

(2 ) (e x c a v a t e )   the site for 

years   and a t eam of   Amer ican   scientists   (3 )   .

.. . .   . .   . .   ( r ece n t l y / s t a r t )   worki ng in the  area

with   sophisticated new   equipment.   Popular    theories

(4 ) (s u g g e s t )   that Stonehenge   wasbuilt  as  a temple,   but no one   (5 )   .

(m an ag e)   to work out how   the stones  were transported

here.   A   gr oup of students   fr om   Bangor University

(6 ) (d i s c u s s )   the

possibility   of re-enacting the journey from   Wales,   where

such stones are to be found, overland to   Stonehenge   and

sponsor s (7)   (co m e)

forward   with   offers of f  inancial assistance. The   British

Museum   (8 ) (a ls o /a n n o u n c e )   a

forthcoming exhibition of artefacts from the Stonehengeper iod   which they   (9 ) (g a t h e r )   over the

last f ive year s   f rom   all over Nor thern Europe.