The first English

Lesson 1: The verbs "to be" and "to have"

to be

I am

you (singular) are

he/she/it is

we are

you (plural) are

they are

to have

I have

you (singular) have

he/she/it has

we have

you (plural) have

they have

Both above mentioned verbs are expressed in the present tense. The use of the present tense will be discussed later. In order to proceed, please study both verbs by heart.

Examples :

It is my dog.

I am John.

You are fantastic!

I have two breads.

Lesson 2: Personal pronouns

A personal pronoun is a pronoun that expresses a person. Persons appear in singular (one person) and in plural (more than one persons). They also appear in different genders (male, female and asexual).

as subject

1st person singular is I

1st person plular is we

2st person singular is you

2st person plular is you

3st person singular (male) is he

3st person singular (female) is she

3rd person singular (asexual: objects and animals) is it

3rd person plural (male, female & asexual) is they

as Object

1st person singular is me

1st person plular is us

2st person singular is you

2st person plular is you

3st person singular (male) is him

3st person singular (female) is her

3rd person singular (asexual: objects and animals) is it

3rd person plural (male, female & asexual) is them

as Reflexive

1st person singular is myself

1st person plular is ourself

2st person singular is yourself

2st person plular is yourselves

3st person singular (male) is himself

3st person singular (female) is herself

3rd person singular (asexual: objects and animals) is itself

3rd person plural (male, female & asexual) is theirselves

"It" is used for both animal and objects, while "he" is used for a male person and "she" is used for a female person.

Examples :

Awch! I hurt myself!

I love you.

What an agry dog! It just bit me.

Lesson 3: Possessive pronouns

A possessive pronoun expresses a possession of a person.

Pronoun

1st person singular (I) to be mine

1st person plural (we) to be ours

2nd person singular (you) to be yours

2nd person plural (you) to be yours

3rd person singular (male) (he) to be his

3rd person singular (female) (she) hers

3rd person singular (asexual: objects and animals) (it) to be its

3rd person plural (male, female & asexual) (they) to be theirs

Adjective

1st person singular (I) to be my

1st person plural (we) to be our

2nd person singular (you) to be your

2nd person plural (you) to be your

3rd person singular (male) (he) to be his

3rd person singular (female) (she) to be her

3rd person singular (asexual: objects and animals) (it) to be its

3rd person plural (male, female & asexual) (they) to be their

Examples :

It is my book. The book is mine.

It is your book. The book is yours.

It is his book. The book is his.

It is her book. The book is hers.

It is the dog's cage. It is its cage. The cage is its.

It is their cage. The book is theirs.

Verb Tense Overview with Examples

Simple Present :

I study English everyday.

Simple Past :

Two years ago, I studied English in England.

Simple Future :

1. If you are having problems, I will help you study English.
2. I am going to study English next year.

Present Continuous :

I am studying English now.

Past Continuous :

I was studying English when you called yesterday.

Future Continuous :

1. I will be studying English when you arrive tonight.
2. I am going to be studying English when you arrive tonight.

Present Perfect :

I have studied English in several different countries.

Past Perfect :

I had studied a little English before I moved to the U.S.

Future Perfect :

1. I will have studied every tense by the time I finish this course.
2. I am going to have studied every tense by the time I finish this course.

Present Perfect Continuous :

I have been studying English for five years.

Past Perfect Continuous :

I had been studying English for five years before I moved to the U.S.

Future Perfect Continuous :

1. I will have been studying English for over two hours by the time you arrive.
2. I am going to have been studying English for over two hours by the time you arrive.

Types of Verbs

Before you begin the verb tense lessons, it is extremely important to understand that NOT all English verbs are the same. English verbs are divided into three groups:

Group I Continuous Verbs

The first group, called "Continuous Verbs", contains most English verbs. These verbs are usually physical actions which you can see somebody doing. These verbs can be used in all tenses.

Continuous Verbs

to run, to walk, to eat, to fly, to go, to say, to touch etc.

Examples:

I eat dinner every day. Correct

I am eating dinner now. Correct

Group II Non-continuous Verbs

The second group, called "Non-continuous Verbs", is smaller. These verbs are usually things you cannot see somebody doing. These verbs are rarely used in "continuous" tenses. They include:

Abstract Verbs

to be, to want, to cost, to seem, to need, to care, to contain, to owe, to exist...

Possession Verbs

to possess, to own, to belong...

Emotion Verbs

to like, to love, to hate, to dislike, to fear, to envy, to mind...

Examples:

He is here now. Correct

He is being here now. Not Correct

He wants a drink now. Correct

He is wanting a drink now. Not Correct

Group III Mixed Verbs

The third group, called "Mixed Verbs", is the smallest group. These verbs have more than one meaning. Some meanings behave like "Non-continuous Verbs", while other meanings behave like "Continuous Verbs."

Mixed Verbs

to have, to appear, to see, to hear, to feel, to weigh, to look ...

List of Mixed Verbs with Examples and Definitions:

to appear:

Donna appears confused. Non-continuous Verb

(Donna seems confused.)

My favorite singer is appearing at the jazz club tonight. Continuous Verb

(My favorite singer is giving a performance at the jazz club tonight.)

to have:

I have a dollar now. Non-continuous Verb

(I possess a dollar.)

I am having fun now. Continuous Verb

(I am experiencing fun now.)

to hear:

She hears the music. Non-continuous Verb

(She hears the music with her ears.)

She is hearing voices. Continuous Verb

(To hear something others cannot hear. She is hearing voices in her mind.)

to miss:

John misses Sally. Non-continuous Verb

(He is sad because she is not there.)

Debbie is missing her favorite TV program. Continuous Verb

(She is not there to see her favorite program.)

to see:

I see her. Non-continuous Verb

(I see her with my eyes.)

I am seeing the doctor. Continuous Verb

(To visit or consult with a doctor, dentist, or lawyer.)

I am seeing her. Continuous Verb

(I am having a relationship with her.)

He is seeing ghosts at night. Continuous Verb

(To see something others cannot see. For example ghosts, aura, a vision of the future etc.)

to smell:

The coffee smells good. Non-continuous Verb

(The coffee has a good smell.)

I am smelling the flowers. Continuous Verb

(I am sniffing the flowers.)

to taste:

The coffee tastes good. Non-continuous Verb

(The coffee has a good taste.)

I am tasting the cake. Continuous Verb

(I am trying the cake to see what it tastes like.)

to think:

He thinks the test is easy. Non-continuous Verb

(He considers the test to be easy.)

She is thinking about the question. Continuous Verb

(She is pondering the question, going over it in her mind.)

to weigh:

The table weighs a lot. Non-continuous Verb

(The table has a great weight.)

She is weighing herself. Continuous Verb

(She is determining her weight.)

Some Verbs Can Be Especially Confusing:

to be:

Joe is American. Non-continuous Verb

(Joe is an American citizen.)

Joe is being very American. Continuous Verb

(Joe is behaving like a stereotypical American.)

Joe is being very rude. Continuous Verb

(Joe is behaving very rudely. Usually he is not rude.)

Joe is being very formal. Continuous Verb

(Joe is behaving very formally. Usually he is not formal.)

NOTICE: Only rarely is "to be" used in a continuous form. This is most commonly done when a person is temporarily behaving badly or stereotypically. It can also be used when someone's behavior is noticeably different.

to feel:

The massage feels great. Non-continuous Verb

(The massage has a pleasing feeling.)

I don't feel well today. Continuous or Non-continuous Verb

I am not feeling well today.

(I am a little sick.)

NOTICE: Feel is very flexible and there is no difference in meaning in the two sentences above.

Active/Passive Verb Forms

Sentences can be active or passive. Therefore, tenses also have "Active Forms" and "Passive Forms". You must learn to recognize the difference to successfully speak English.

ACTIVE FORM

In active sentences, the thing doing the action is the subject of the sentence and the thing receiving the action is the object. Most sentences are active.

[Thing doing action] + [VERB] + [thing receiving action]

EXAMPLES:

The professor teaches the students.

(subject doing action) + (active verb) + (object receiving action)

John washes the dishes.

(subject doing action) + (active verb) + (object receiving action)

PASSIVE FORM

In some sentences, speakers use the passive form. In the passive form, the thing receiving the action is the subject of the sentence and the thing doing the action is optionally included at the end of the sentence. You can use the passive form if you think the thing receiving the action is more important or should be emphasized.

[Thing receiving action] + [BE] + [past participle of verb] + [by] + [thing doing action]

EXAMPLES:

The students are taught by the professor.

(subject receiving action) + (passive verb) + (doing action)

The dishes are washed by John.

(subject receiving action) + (passive verb) + (doing action)

Simple Present

FORM Simple Present

EXAMPLE: [to run]

I run

you run

he runs

she runs

it runs

we run

they run

USE 1 Repeated Actions

Use the Simple Present to express the idea that an action is repeated or usual. The action can be a habit, a hobby, a daily event, a scheduled event or something that often happens. It can also be something a person often forgets or usually does not do.

EXAMPLES:

I play tennis.

She does not play tennis.

The train leaves every morning at 8 am.

The train does not leave at 9am.

She always forgets her purse.

He never forgets his wallet.

Every twelve months, the Earth circles the sun.

The sun does not circle the Earth.

USE 2 Facts or Generalizations

The Simple Present can also indicate the speaker believes that a fact was true before, is true now, and will be true in the future. It is not important if the speaker is correct about the fact. It is also used to make generalizations about people or things.

EXAMPLES:

Cats like milk.

Birds do not like milk.

California is in America.

California is not in the United Kingdom.

Windows are made of glass.

Windows are not made of wood.

New York is a small city. (It is not important that this fact is untrue.)

USE 3 Now (Non-Continuous Verbs)

Sometimes speakers use the Simple Present to express the idea that an action is happening or is not happening now. This can only be done with Non-Continuous Verbs and certain Mixed Verbs.

EXAMPLES:

I am here now.

She is not here now.

He needs help right now.

He does not need help now.

He has a car.

ACTIVE / PASSIVE Simple Present

EXAMPLES:

Once a week, Tom cleans the car. ACTIVE

Once a week, the car is cleaned by Tom. PASSIVE

Present Continuous

FORM Present Continuous:

[AM / IS / ARE] + [VERB+ing]

EXAMPLES:

I am watching TV.

He is quickly learning the language.

NOTE: When you are using a verb tense with more than one part such as Present Continuous (is learning), adverbs often come between the first part and the second part (is quickly learning).

USE 1 Now

Use the Present Continuous with Continuous Verbs to express the idea that something is happening now, at this very moment. It can also be used to show that something is not happening now.

EXAMPLES:

You are learning English now.

You are not swimming now.

I am sitting.

I am not standing.

They are reading their books.

They are not watching television.

What are you doing?

Why aren't you doing your homework?

USE 2 Longer Actions in Progress Now

In English, now can mean "this second," "today," "this month," "this year," "this century" and so on. Sometimes we use the Present Continuous to say that we are in the process of doing a longer action which is in progress; however, we might not be doing it at this exact second.

EXAMPLES: (All of these sentences can be said while eating dinner in a restaurant.)

I am studying to become a doctor.

I am not studying to become a dentist.

I am reading the book Tom Sawyer.

I am not reading any books right now.

Are you working on any special projects at work?

Aren't you teaching at the University now?

USE 3 Near Future

Sometimes, speakers use the Present Continuous to indicate that something will or will not happen in the near future.

EXAMPLES:

I am meeting some friends after work.

I am not going to the party tonight.

Is he visiting his parents next weekend.

Isn't he coming with us tonight.

USE 4 Repetition and Irritation with "Always"

The Present Continuous with words such as "always" or "constantly" expresses the idea that something irritating or shocking often happens. Notice that the meaning is like Simple Present but with negative emotion. Remember to put the words "always" or "constantly" between "be" and "verb+ing."

EXAMPLES:

She is always coming to class late.

He is constantly talking. I wish he would shut up.

I don't like them because they are always complaining.

IMPORTANT Non-Continuous Verbs/ Mixed Verbs

It is important to remember that Non-Continuous Verbs cannot be used in any "continuous" tenses. Also, certain "non-continuous" meanings for Mixed Verbs cannot be used in "continuous" tenses. To express the idea of "happening now", you must use Simple Present USE 3.

EXAMPLES:

She is loving chocolate. Not Correct

She loves chocolate. Correct

ACTIVE / PASSIVE Present Continuous

EXAMPLES:

Right now, Tom is writing the letter. ACTIVE

Right now, the letter is being written by Tom. PASSIVE

Simple Past

FORM Simple Past

[VERB+ed]

EXAMPLES:

I visited my friends.

I often visited my friends.

NOTE: When you are using a verb tense with only one part such as Simple Past (visited), adverbs usually come before the verb (often visited). Please remember this is different from verbs with more than one part such as Present Continuous.

USE 1 Completed Action in the Past

Use the Simple Past to express the idea that an action started and finished at a specific time in the past. Sometimes the speaker may not actually mention the specific time, but they do have one specific time in mind.

EXAMPLES:

I saw a movie yesterday.

I didn't see a movie yesterday.

Last year, I traveled to Japan.

Last year, I didn't travel to Japan.

She washed her car.

She didn't wash her car.

USE 2 A Series of Completed Actions

We use the Simple Past to list a series of completed actions in the past. These actions happen 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th...

EXAMPLES:

I finished work, walked to the beach, and found a nice place to swim.

He arrived from the airport at 8:00, checked into the hotel at 9:00, and met the others at 10:00.

USE 3 Single Duration

The Simple Past can be used with a duration which starts and stops in the past. A duration is a long action often used with expressions like "for two years," "for five minutes," "all day" or "all year."

EXAMPLES:

I lived in Brazil for two years.

Shauna studied Japanese for five years.

They sat at the beach all day.

We talked on the phone for thirty minutes.

How long did you wait for them?

We waited for one hour.

USE 4 Habit in the Past

The Simple Past can also be used to describe a habit which stopped in the past. It can have the same meaning as "used to". To make it clear that we are talking about a habit we often use expressions such as "always," "often," "usually," "never," "...when I was a child" or "...when I was younger" in the sentence.

EXAMPLES:

I studied French when I was a child.

He played the violin.

She worked at the movie theater after school.

They never went to school, they always skipped.

IMPORTANT "When clauses" happen first

Clauses are groups of words which have meaning but are not complete sentences. Some clauses begin with the word when such as "When I dropped my pen..." or "When class began..." These clauses are called "when clauses" and they are very important. The examples below contain "when clauses."

EXAMPLES:

When I paid her one dollar, she answered my question.

She answered my question, when I paid her one dollar.

"When clauses" are important because they always happen first when both clauses are in the Simple Past. Both of the examples above mean the same thing. First, I paid her one dollar, and then, she answered my question. However, the example below has a different meaning. First, she answered my question, and then, I paid her a dollar.

EXAMPLE:

I paid her a dollar, when she answered my question.

ACTIVE / PASSIVE Simple Past

EXAMPLES:

Tom repaired the car. ACTIVE

The car was repaired by Tom. PASSIVE

Past Continuous

FORM Past Continuous

[WAS / WERE] + [VERB+ing]

EXAMPLES:

I was studying when she called.

I was carefully picking up the snake when it bit me.

NOTE: When you are using a verb tense with more than one part such as Past Continuous (was picking), adverbs often come between the first part and the second part (was carefully picking).

IMPORTANT

Clauses are groups of words which have meaning but are not complete sentences. Some clauses begin with the word when such as "...when she called " or "...when it bit me." Clauses with the Past Continuous usually start with while. While expresses the idea "during the time." Study the examples below. They have the same meaning.

EXAMPLES:

I was studying when she called.

While I was studying, she called.

USE 1 Interrupted Action in the Past

Use the Past Continuous to indicate that a longer action in the past was interrupted. The interruption is usually an action in the Simple Past. Remember this can be a real interruption or just an interruption in time.

EXAMPLES:

I was watching TV when she called.

When the phone rang, she was writing a letter.

While we were having a picnic, it started to rain.

Sally was working when Joe had the car accident.

While John was sleeping last night, someone stole his car.

USE 2 Specific Time as an Interruption

In USE 1, described above, the Past Continuous is interrupted by an action in the Simple Past. However, you can also use a specific time as an interruption.

EXAMPLES:

Last night at 6 p.m., I was eating dinner.

At midnight, we were still driving through the desert.

IMPORTANT

In the Simple Past a specific time is used to show when an action began or finished. In the Past Continuous a specific time only interrupts the action.

EXAMPLES:

Last night at 6 p.m., I ate dinner.

(I started eating at 6 p.m.)

Last night at 6 p.m., I was eating dinner.

(I started earlier and at 6 p.m. I was in the process of eating dinner.)

USE 3 Parallel Actions

When you use the Past Continuous with two actions in the same sentence, it expresses the idea that both actions were happening at the same time. The actions are parallel.

EXAMPLES:

I was studying while he was making dinner.

While Ellen was reading, Tim was watching television.

They were eating dinner, discussing their plans and having a good time.

USE 4 Atmosphere

In English we often use a series of Parallel Actions to describe atmosphere in the past.

EXAMPLE:

When I walked into the office, several people were busily typing, some were talking on the phones, the boss was yelling directions, and customers were waiting to be helped. One customer was yelling at a secretary and waving his hands. Others were complaining to each other about the bad service.

USE 5 Repetition and Irritation with "Always"

The Past Continuous with words such as always or constantly expresses the idea that something irritating or shocking often happened in the past. The concept is very similar to the expression used to but with negative emotion. Remember to put the words always or constantly between "be" and "verb+ing."

EXAMPLES:

She was always coming to class late.

He was constantly talking. He annoyed everyone.

I didn't like them because they were always complaining.

IMPORTANT Non-Continuous Verbs/ Mixed Verbs

It is important to remember that Non-Continuous Verbs cannot be used in any "continuous" tenses. Also, certain "non-continuous" meanings for Mixed Verbs cannot be used in "continuous" tenses. To express the idea of Past Continuous with these verbs, you must use Simple Past.

EXAMPLES:

Jane was being at my house when you arrived. Not Correct

Jane was at my house when you arrived. Correct

ACTIVE / PASSIVE Past Continuous

EXAMPLES:

The salesman was helping the customer when the thief came into the store. ACTIVE

The customer was being helped by the salesman when the thief came into the store. PASSIVE