● I wash my hair every day.

● I never go to the library.

● I go to the library on Saturdays.

Permanent situations or things that are always or often

true

● I don’t drink coffee.

● She’s very tall.
● I have two brothers.
● Water boils at 100 degrees.
● I like soup.

Adverbs and expressions of frequency

We use adverbs and expressions of frequency with the

present simple to talk about how often something happens.

● We usually order a pizza on Fridays.

● I go running twice a week.
Present simple Stative or non-action verbs
We use the present simple for habits or permanent Some verbs don’t describe actions. These verbs are called
situations. stative or non-action verbs, and we can use these verbs in
the present simple but NOT in the present continuous.
We use the present simple for habits or actions that we
Some of these verbs are be, have (=possess/own), like,
repeat regularly:
love, hate, prefer, need, want, know, etc.
 ● He‘s a little boy.
● She‘s beautiful.
● I like this TV. It‘s very big.

We use they for people and for things.

● I love Sara and Jonas. They are my friends.

● I love these chairs. They are very beautiful.

Don’t forget the subject

We always need a subject before the verb.

● It is cold.
● Is cold.
● Sally is a wonderful woman.
● Is a wonderful woman.

The present simple of the verb be has three forms:

● I am.
● He/She/It is.
● We/You/They are.

They= people and things

We use he for a man, she for a woman, and it for a thing.

 ● Feelings: I‘m scared. She is very tired.
● Colour: Our dog is black. His eyes are blue.
● Prices: It‘s seven pounds. This T-shirt is twenty
dollars.
● The weather: It‘s sunny today. It is very cold this
morning.
● The time: What time is it? It‘s ten past four.
● Descriptions in general: He is very short and thin.
The cars are old and cheap.

We use the verb be to talk about:

● Who we are: I‘m Steven, and this is Isabella. And

this is my daughter, Alicia.
● Age: I‘m 24 years old, and my father is 50.
● Job: I‘m a teacher, and my wife is a doctor.
● Nationality: Alex is from Ireland, and Sonia is from
Spain.
 ● We didn’t go out last Saturday. We stayed at home.
● She moved to Chester three years ago.

Past habits

We use the past simple to talk about past habits (things

that we did more or less often).

● She washed her hair every day.

● She worked as a nurse.
● I often played in the park when we were children.

Situations that were true in the past

We also use the past simple to talk about things that were
true in the past.

● My grandfather had two brothers.

● He lived with my grandparents as a child.

Events in chronological order

Past simple – Use We use the past simple to describe the main events of a
story in chronological order.
We use the past simple to talk about actions or events that
● When I arrived home, I took off my shoes and then
happened in the past. We know, or we say, when the
I relaxed on the sofa.
events happened.

● I saw Jim yesterday.

Present continuous
We use the present continuous for things that are
happening now (at the moment of speaking) or for
temporary things that are happening around now (these
days or weeks, etc.). You can revise the form of the
present continuous tense here.

Actions happening now

We use the present continuous for things happening now,

at the moment of speaking.

● ‘What are you doing?’ ‘I‘m watching TV.’

Actions happening around now

We use the present continuous tense for temporary things

that are happening around now (=not at the moment of
speaking but these days, weeks, etc.)

● I‘m reading a very good book at the moment.

(=I’m not reading it at the moment I’m speaking,
but I’m reading it these days.)
● What TV series are you watching these days?
(=You are not watching it at the moment of
speaking, but these days.)
The past continuous – Use
Now, these days, at the moment, etc.
Actions in progress
We use the present continuous with time expressions that
mean now or around now. Some of these expressions are: We use the past continuous to talk about actions that were in
now, at the moment, at present, today, these days, this progress (not finished) at a specific moment in the past.
week, etc.
 ● ‘What were you doing at 9?’ ‘I was studying.’ ● We were eating at 9. (the action was not finished)
● When I saw them yesterday, they were arguing.
The past continuous describes a longer action or situation, and
The specific moment in the past can be described by a time the past simple describes a shorter action or event.
expression (at 9 a.m., at midday, at lunchtime, all morning, all
day, etc.): ● When I met Susan, she was having a drink at a terrace
with a friend.
● They were swimming at 7 in the morning. ● We didn’t go out because it was raining.
● At midday, they were still working.
The short action in past simple often interrupts the longer
Or by a simple past sentence: action in past continuous.

● They were swimming when I saw them. ● He was playing football when he broke his arm.
● When she arrived, they were still working. ● When I went to bed, it was raining.

Describing a scene We use the past simple for completed actions that happened
one after the other. Compare:
We often use the past continuous at the beginning of a story to
describe the situation. ○ When he arrived, she was having a shower.
(The action of having a shower started before
● It was getting dark, and I was walking fast. Suddenly he arrived)
… ○ When he arrived, she had a shower. (The action
of having a shower started after he arrived)
Past simple vs Past continuous
We use the past simple for completed actions in the past, and
we use the past continuous for actions in progress (not
finished) in the past.

● We ate out yesterday. (the action is finished)

Present perfect – Use
We normally use the present perfect to talk about past
events that have a connection with the present, for
example, news or past experiences. We can also use the
present perfect to talk about situations that started in the ● I’ve passed the test!
past but which are still true in the present. Check the ● She’s broken her arm.
grammar chart below: ● The president has travelled to Cuba.

⇒ Just, yet, already

We often use the present perfect with the words just, yet,
already.

We use just in (+) sentences to say that something

happened very recently (like minutes ago).

● I’ve just seen Peter in the street.

● He looks happy because he’s just got married.

We use yet in (-) and (?) sentences. We put it at the end of

the sentence.

● Have you washed the dishes yet?

● I haven’t called him yet.
● She hasn’t arrived yet.

We use already in (+) sentences to say that something

happened before now (usually earlier than we expected).

● I have already finished.

● We have already arrived.
Recent events and news
Life experiences
We use the present perfect to talk about recent events or
news. We don’t say when these events happened.
We often use the present perfect to talk about past ● They have been married for 25 years. (=They got
experiences in our lives. We don’t say when these married 25 years ago and they are still married)
experiences happened.
We use how long in questions to ask about the duration of
● I’ve run the Boston Marathon twice. an action or situation.
● She’s never been on a cruise.
● I’ve been here before. ● How long has she been a teacher?
● How long has she had her car?
⇒ Never, ever, before

When we ask about someone’s life experiences, we often We use for + a period of time, e.g. for two weeks, for ten
use the word ever. years, for ten days, for a few hours, etc.

● Have you ever read this book? ● We’ve been here for a few hours.
● Have you ever been to India? ● They’ve been married for 10 years.

When we talk about life experiences, we often use the We use since + a moment in the past (the beginning of a
words never or before. period of time), e.g. since I was born, since 10 o’clock,
● She has never been late. since last Wednesday, etc.
● I think I have seen this film before.
● We’ve been here since 4 o’clock.
● They’ve been married since 2010.
Unfinished actions
⇒ How long, for, since

We use the present perfect with the words how long, for,
since to talk about actions or situations that started in the
past and still continue or are still true now.

● I’ve lived in Oslo since I was born. (=I was born in

Oslo and I still live in Oslo)
 ● When I left work, I saw that somebody had stolen
my car.
● Yesterday my mother told me that she had seen you
in the park.

Past perfect or past simple?

We use the past simple to describe a series of past events
in chronological order, and we use the past perfect to
make clear that one of the events happened before.
Compare these two sentences:

● When I arrived, she left. (=She left after I arrived.)

● When I arrived, she had left. (She left before I
arrived.)

Past perfect use

We use the past perfect when we are talking about the past
and then we want to talk about something that happened
earlier in the past.
Position

Adverbs of frequency go before the verb but after the

verb be.

In negative sentences, the adverb of frequency goes after

don’t/doesn’t:

● We don’t often go to bed late.

 ● He doesn’t always agree with me.

In questions, adverbs of frequency go after the subject.

● Is he always late?
● Do they often go to the library?

Never/hardly ever

The adverbs never and hardly ever (=almost never) have

a negative meaning, but they are used with a positive verb:

● He is never late.
● He isn’t never late.
● They hardly ever go to the library.
● They don’t hardly ever go to the library.

Expressions of frequency
There are other expressions that we use to talk about Use
frequency: once a day, twice a week, three times a
I + verb – my + noun
month, every day, etc. These expressions are longer (2
words or more), and they go at the end of the sentence. We use subject pronoun + verb, and we use possessive
adjective + noun.
● I brush my teeth three times a day.
● I see her every day. ● These are Susan and Thomas; they are from Ohio.
And that’s their house.
 ● I love my friend Sheila.

Possessive adjectives are always singular

Adjectives in English have no plural form. Possessive

adjectives are always singular.

● These are their suitcases.

● These are theirs suitcases.

It/its for things and they/their for people and things

We use he/his and she/her for people, and we use it/its for
things. But in the plural, we use they/their for people and
things.

● The hotel has its own spa. It is a relaxing place.

● I like those chairs, they are beautiful. But their legs
are too long.

It’s for time and weather

We use it’s (=it is) to talk about the time or the weather.

● It’s very windy today, but it’s sunny.

This, these
● ‘What time is it?’ ‘It’s three o’clock.’
We use this and these for things that are here (near). This
Is it or its? is singular and these is plural.

Its = possessive adjective. It’s = it is (subject + verb be) ● This is my new watch.
● These are my sisters Anna and Jenny.
● Look at that dog. It’s beautiful. I like its hair.
That, those
We use that and those for things that are there (not near).
That is singular and those is plural.

● That man is very strange.

● I need those boxes over there.

With a noun or without a noun

We can use this, that, these, those with a noun (this box,
that car, etc.) or without a noun.

● This watch is very expensive.

● I like that woman in the park.
● Who is that? (= that person)
● ‘What are those?’ ‘They are old pictures.’

This is John (introductions and

on the phone) Meaning
We use this is when we introduce people and on the
Question tags are used at the end of statements to turn the
telephone.
statements into questions. We usually use question tags to
● Hi, this is Tim. (Tim on the telephone) confirm something that we believe to be true or to invite
● Laura: ‘Hi, Sara. This is my friend Paul.’ Sara: ‘Hi, the listener to agree or disagree with a statement.
Paul. Nice to meet you.’
When we use question tags, the way our voice goes up or
down at the end can change the meaning.
Voice goes up ↗ This means we’re not sure about what ● You don’t like it, do you?
we’re saying, and we’re really asking for help to know if
it’s true or not. For example, “You’re coming to the party, Aren’t I?
aren’t you?” said with your voice going up is like saying,
“Please tell me if you are coming because I don’t know.” Note when we have an affirmative sentence with I am, the
question tag is aren’t I?
Voice goes down ↘ This means we’re pretty sure about
what we’re saying, and we just want the other person to ● I’m totally wrong, aren’t I?
agree with us. For example, “It’s hot today, isn’t it?” said
with your voice going down is like saying, “I think it’s hot
and I believe you think so too, right?”

Form
Use the same auxiliary verb as in the main sentence. If
there is no auxiliary verb, use do for present and did for
past.

Use a comma before the question tag and a subject

pronoun at the end (I, you, he, she, it, we, you, they).

● You are his brother, aren’t you?

● He will be there, won’t he?
● You work here, don’t you?
● Sam used to live in Scotland, didn’t he?

If the main sentence is positive, use a negative auxiliary.

If the main sentence is negative, use a positive auxiliary.

● You like it, don’t you?