Verbs (动词) are the action words in a sentence that describe what the subject is doing.

- All verbs can develop into five forms:

Present verb form Past verb form Past Participle Present

verb form Participle
Plural verb form Singular verb form
verb form
(root word /
base word)

see sees saw seen seeing

fall falls fell fallen falling

swim swims swam swum swimming

go goes went gone going

sink sinks sank sunk sinking

grow grows grew grown growing

are is was/were been being

catch catches caught caught catching

play plays played played playing

come comes came come coming

Simple Grammar Time:

1. After ‘to’, we use root word.
Example: I am going to do my homework soon.
2. After modal verb, we use root word.
Modal verb: can, could, may, might, must, shall, should, will, would
Example: My keys must be in the car.
It might rain tomorrow.
I can't swim.
May I ask a question?
Could I have some tea, please?
Would you like some help?

There is a total of 12 tenses in English

Simple Continuous Perfect (have, Perfect

(be, is, are, has, had) Continuous
was, were,) (has been,

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 have been,
had been)

Present Present simple Present Present perfect Present perfect

continuous continuous

Past Past simple Past continuous Past perfect Past perfect

continuous

Future Future simple Future Future perfect Future perfect

continuous continuous

1. Present simple tense is used to state habits/routines and facts.

Form: subject + present verb form

Side note:

I / You / We / They He / She / It / Daniel / Anyone / Everyone

Evaluate 估计、估算、评价 Evaluates

Eliminate 消除、排除 Eliminates

Investigate 调查 Admires

Obtain 得到 Accomplishes

Admire 崇拜 Investigates

Commend 称赞 Commends

Succeed 成功 Succeeds

Arrest 逮捕 Arrests

Example: Habits and routines

1. I drink coffee every morning.
2. Shawn goes to the beach on Sundays.
3. Children often play video games after school
Facts
1. Cathy works as a teacher.
2. You sing very well.
3. Water boils at 100oC.

2. Present continuous tense is used to talk about the actions happening currently.

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Form: Subject + am / is / are + verb(-ing)
Side note:

I am

He / She / It / Johnny is

You / We / They / Police / Fish / Sheep are

Example: He is evaluating the impact of climate change.

Johnny is eliminating the weeds from his garden.
The police are investigating the cause of the fire.
Stock investing is becoming very popular these days.

3. Past simple tense is used to describe completed actions in the past.

Form: subject + past verb form

Example: He commended Serena on her ability to read quickly.
The residents arrested the criminal in the garden.
Jimmy finally succeeded in the mission.

4. Past continuous tense in used to talk about ongoing actions in the past.
Form: subject + was / were + verb(-ing)
Side note:

I / He / She / It was

You / We / They were

Example: I was having dinner with my family when the doorbell rang.
It was raining when Priya left for work.
While we were waiting at the bus stop, we saw a car accident.

(recap time)

5. Present perfect tense (已经) is used to talk about experiences or recent events.

Form: subject + have / has (已经) + past participle verb

Side notes:

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 I / You / We / They Have

He / She / It Has

Example: Experience
1. I have taught English to many students.
2. Ashley has already visited France four times.
3. We have seen two movies this week.
Recent Events:
1. I have finished my homework.
2. Arthur has lost his glasses.
3. The police have arrested a young man involved in the robbery.

When compared to past tense:

1. I taught many students when I was a teacher.
2. Ashley visited France in 2015.
3. We saw two movies last week.
1. I finished my homework at 6.30 p.m.
2. Arthur lost his glasses at the party.
3. The police arrested a young man involved in the robbery last night.

Exercise Time!
Fill in the present perfect simple or the past simple.
1. I   a great film yesterday. (see)
2.   a cheap laptop? (you ever buy)
3. Sue   the flu last winter. (have)
4. A few days ago, we   to his uncle. (drive)
5. They   bingo on Wednesday afternoon. (play)
6. He   the bus to get there. (already take)
7. Last week my rabbit   away. (run)
8. We   a lot last Sunday. (do)
9. I   him last Monday. (meet)
10. She   yet. (not wake up)

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11. I   her since last Thursday. (not meet)
12. Bob   well last night. (sleep)
13. I   a letter from her two days ago. (get)
14. They   in Germany. (already arrive)

6. Present perfect continuous tense talks about actions that started in the past and are
still continuing.
Form: subject + has been / have been + present perfect tense (-ing)
Example: I have been waiting to see the doctor for two hours.
I have been waiting since 5 p.m.
He has been playing tennis since he was a child.
He has been playing tennis for 20 years.
It has been raining all morning / all day / all week.

Exercise Time:
Identify whether the following sentences are correct.
1. I used the computer since this morning. (correct / wrong)
2. He has been waiting for her for two hours yesterday. (correct / wrong)
3. It rained for two hours. (correct / wrong)

7. Past perfect tense is used to clearly show which action happened first when there are
two actions in the past. (both events happen in the past)
Form: subject + had + past participle verb form
Comparison: When we got to the theatre, the movie started. (past simple)
1. got to 2. started
When we got to the theatre, the movie had started. (past perfect)
1. started 2. got to

Example: 1. I was sick because I had eaten too much the previous night.
2. The girl looked very familiar. I had seen her somewhere before.
3. Joe rushed to his boss’s office, but she had gone home already.

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Exercise Time!
Complete the sentences with the past perfect of the verb in brackets.
Use contractions where possible.
1. Kevin (go) home by the time I arrived.
2. Ethan suddenly realised that he (leave) his laptop on the train.
3. Mum was annoyed because I (not clean) my room.
4. They (study) English before they went to the USA?
5. We were hungry because we (not eat).
6. My phone didn't work because I (charge) it.
7. I (see) the film before, so I didn’t want to watch the film.
8. Sally was embarrassed because she (forget) her dad's birthday.

8. Past perfect continuous tense is just like past perfect tense, except the first past action is
continuous.
Form: subject + had been + verb(-ing)
Example: 1. I felt really tired because I had been driving all day.
‘had been driving’ is the first past continuous action, while ‘felt’ is the second past action.
2. She had been waiting for two hours when the doctor finally arrived.
3. The ground was wet because it had been raining.
4. When he quit his job at the factory, he had been working there for 12 years.

(recap time)

9. Future simple tense shows actions in the future. There are three situations when future
simple tense can be used:
(a.) Form: subject + am / is / are going to + base word
Purpose: It is used to state plans and intentions.
Examples: 1. We are going to buy a car.
2. I am going to start exercising regularly.
3. Rahul is going to take a vacation from work.
(b.) Form: subject + am / is / are + verb(-ing)
Purpose: It is used to tell fixed arrangements.
Example: 1. I am having lunch with my parents on Saturday.

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 2. We are flying to Mumbai the day after tomorrow.
3. Josh is giving a presentation to the teachers on this Saturday.

(a.) versus (b.)

1. I am going to see the dentist next week. (plan) (no exact date)
I am seeing the dentist tomorrow afternoon. (fixed arrangement)
2. We are going to get married this year. (plan)
We are getting married on this Saturday (fixed arrangement)

(c.) Form: subject + will + verb (base word)

Purpose: It is used to express three things: instant decisions, offers, and promises
Example: 1. “May I take your order?”
“Yes, I will have the burger and fries combo, please.” (instant decision)
2. “These files are really heavy.”
“I will help you with them” (offer)
3. It’s hard to get a cab at this hour. I will give you a ride home. (offer)
4. Can you lend me RM50? I will pay you back next week. (promise)
5. Thank you for your email. We will respond within two business days. (promise)

(a. am/is/are going to) and (c. will) can both be used to make predictions about the future.
Example: I think Spain will win the 2018 World Cup.
You should watch this movie. I am sure you will love it.
Look at the sky. It is going to rain soon.
Mom is going to be really happy when she sees my grades.

CONCLUSION: am/is/are going to = plan

am/is/are + verb(-ing) = fixed arrangement
will = instant decision, offer, promise
am/is/are going to AND will = prediction

Exercise Time!
Choose the correct answer.

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1 According to this time table a train______________at 3 o'clock

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 will leave
is leaving
is going to leave

2 Look, that plane____________!

is crashing
is going to crash
will crash

3 My elder son says he_____________a doctor when he grows old

is going to be
will be
is being

4 Tomorrow _____________ a cold sunny day, according to forecast.

will be
is going to be
is being

5 _______________anything tomorrow evening ? No, nothing special.

Will you do
Are you doing
Are you going to do

6 Don't worry, I_____________ the windows for you !

am opening
will open
am going to open

7 My wife's parents_____________for dinner tomorrow, so we're preparing

something special
are coming
will come
are going to come.

8 We're sort of tired. We_______________ another house on the beach next year.
are not renting
are not going to rent
won't rent

9 The witch said, ' You_________________another love and you'll be alone for a
long time.'
are not going to find
won't find

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 aren't finding

1 _________________show me what you've done while I've been out ?

0
Will you
are you going to
are you

10. Future continuous tense expresses ongoing actions in the future.

Form: subject + will be + verb(-ing)

Example: At 11 a.m. tomorrow, I will be driving to KLCC.

I will be working until late on Sunday.

I will be staying at the Hilton hotel in Portland. (am staying, am going to stay = correct)

11. Future perfect tense shows completed actions in the future.

Form: subject + will have + past participle verb

Example: By August, Aaron will have saved RM600.

By 5 p.m., we will have finished painting the room.

12. Future perfect continuous tense shows ongoing actions in the future (with duration)

Form: subject + will have been + verb(-ing)

Example: By August, Aaron will have been saving money for six months.

By 4 p.m., we will have been painting the room for 10 hours.

SUMMARY!!!!!
● Present Simple
I do
● Present Continuous
I am doing
● Present Perfect
I have done
● Present Perfect Continuous
I have been doing
● Past Simple
I did

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● Past Continuous
I was doing
● Past Perfect
I had done
● Past Perfect Continuous
I had been doing
● Future Simple
I will do / I am going to do / I am doing
● Future Continuous
I will be doing
● Future Perfect
I will have done
● Future Perfect Continuous
I will have been doing

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