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TABLE OF CONTENTS

THE USES AND FORMATION OF THE ENGLISH VERB TENSES

THE ACTIVE VOICE OF THE VERB TO SHOW

THE VERB TO BE AND THE PASSIVE VOICE OF THE VERB TO SHOW

COMMON ENGLISH IRREGULAR VERBS

CHAPTER 1. The simple present of the verb to be
    1. Grammar
    2. Verb forms
    3. Uses of the simple present tense
    4. The simple present of the verb to be
         a. Affirmative statements
         b. Questions
         c. Negative statements
         d. Negative questions
         e. Tag questions
    Exercises

CHAPTER 2. The simple present of verbs other than the verb to be
    1. The formation of the simple present
         a. The simple present of the verb to have
    2. Spelling rules for adding s in the third person singular
         a. Verbs ending in y
         b. Verbs ending in o
         c. Verbs ending in ch, s, sh, x or z
    3. Pronunciation of the es ending
    4. The auxiliary do
         a. Questions
         b. Negative statements
         c. Negative questions
         d. Tag questions
         e. The verb to have
    Exercises

CHAPTER 3. The present continuous
    1. Uses of the present continuous
    2. Formation of the present continuous
    3. Spelling rules for the formation of the present participle
         a. Verbs ending in a silent e
         b. Verbs ending in ie
         c. One-syllable verbs ending in a single consonant preceded by a single vowel
         d. Verbs of more than one syllable which end in a single consonant preceded by a single vowel
    4. Questions and negative statements
         a. Questions
         b. Negative statements
         c. Negative questions
         d. Tag questions
    5. Comparison of the uses of the simple present and present continuous
    Exercises

CHAPTER 4. The present perfect and the present perfect continuous
    1. Use of the present perfect
    2. Formation of the present perfect: Regular verbs
    3. Spelling rules for adding ed to form the past participle
         a. Verbs ending in a silent e
         b. Verbs ending in y
         c. Verbs ending in a single consonant preceded by a single vowel
    4. Pronunciation of the ed ending
    5. Formation of the present perfect: Irregular verbs
    6. Questions and negative statements
         a. Questions
         b. Negative statements
         c. Negative questions
         d. Tag questions
    7. The present perfect continuous
         a. Use
         b. Formation
         c. Questions and negative statements
    Exercises

CHAPTER 5. The simple past
    1. Uses of the simple past
    2. Formation of the simple past
         a. The verb to be
             i. Questions and negative statements
         b. Other verbs
             i. Questions and negative statements
    3. The simple past of to use followed by an infinitive
    Exercises

CHAPTER 6. The past continuous, the past perfect and the past perfect continuous
    1. Summary of the uses of the English tenses
    2. The past continuous
         a. Use
         b. Formation
         c. Questions and negative statements
    3. The past perfect
         a. Use
         b. Formation
         c. Questions and negative statements
    4. The past perfect continuous
         a. Use
         b. Formation
         c. Questions and negative statements
    5. Summary of the formation of the English present and past tenses
    6. Emphatic statements
    Exercises

CHAPTER 7. The future tenses
    1. The simple future
         a. Use
         b. Formation
         c. Questions and negative statements
    2. The conjugation expressing determination and compulsion
    3. The present continuous of to go followed by an infinitive
    4. The future continuous
         a. Use
         b. Formation
         c. Questions and negative statements
    5. The future perfect
         a. Use
         b. Formation
         c. Questions and negative statements
    6. The future perfect continuous
         a. Use
         b. Formation
         c. Questions and negative statements
    7. Summary of the formation of the English future tenses
    8. Clauses
         a. Coordinate clauses
         b. Subordinate clauses
         c. The past perfect and the simple past
         d. The use of the present in subordinate clauses to express future actions
    Exercises

CHAPTER 8. Conjugations with the auxiliary would
    1. Uses of the auxiliary would
    2. Formation of conjugations with the auxiliary would
         a. The simple conjugation with the auxiliary would
         b. The continuous conjugation with the auxiliary would
         c. The perfect conjugation with the auxiliary would
         d. The perfect continuous conjugation with the auxiliary would
    3. Summary of the formation of the conjugations with the auxiliary would
    4. The "future in the past"
    Exercises

CHAPTER 9. The subjunctive
    1. Uses of the subjunctive
    2. Formation of the subjunctive
    3. Formal commands and requests
    4. Wishes
         a. An earlier time
         b. The same time
         c. A later time
         d. Summary
         e. Use of the auxiliary could in expressing wishes
    5. Conditions which are false or improbable
         a. Forms of the verb used in the main clause
             i. Referring to present or future time
             ii. Referring to past time
             iii. Summary
             iv. Use of the auxiliary could in sentences containing false or improbable conditions
         b. Forms of the verb used in the subordinate clause
             i. Referring to present or future time
             ii. Referring to past time
             iii. Summary
         c. Changing a statement containing a probable condition into a statement containing an improbable condition
    6. The imperative mood
    Exercises

CHAPTER 10. Modal verbs
    1. Formation of the modal conjugations
         a. Questions
         b. Negative statements
         c. Negative questions
         d. Tag questions
    2. Relationships among the modal auxiliaries
    3. Can and could
    4. May, might and must
    5. Should
    6. Expressions Which are synonymous with the modal auxiliaries
         a. The pronunciation of have to
    7. The use of auxiliaries in tag questions, short answers and ellipsis
         a. Negative tag questions
         b. Affirmative tag questions
         c. Short answers
         d. Ellipsis
    Exercises

CHAPTER 11. Transitive and intransitive verbs
    1. Direct objects
    2. Lay and lie, raise and rise and set and sit
         a. To lay and to lie
         b. To raise and to rise
         c. To set and to sit
    3. Indirect objects
    Exercises

CHAPTER 12. The passive voice
    1. Use of the passive voice
    2. Formation of the indicative mood of the passive voice
         a. The Simple Present indicative
         b. The other indicative tenses
         c. Summary of the formation of the indicative tenses of the passive voice
    3. Questions and negative statements
         a. Questions
         b. Negative statements
         c. Negative questions
    4. Changing the voice of a verb
    5. Changing the voice of a verb while preserving the meaning of a sentence
         a. Changing the verb from the active voice to the passive voice
         b. Changing the verb from the passive voice to the active voice
         c. Changing the voice of a verb which takes both a direct object and an indirect object
    6. The subjunctive mood of the passive voice
         a. Use of the simple present subjunctive
         b. Use of the past forms of the subjunctive
    Exercises

CHAPTER 13. Nouns: The formation of plurals
    1. Proper nouns
    2. Countable nouns
    3. The formation of plurals
         a. Nouns ending in ch, s, sh, x or z
         b. Nouns ending in y
         c. Plurals of proper nouns
         d. Nouns ending in f or fe
         e. Nouns ending in o
         f. Foreign words
         g. Hyphenated nouns
         h. Numbers and letters
         i. Irregular plurals
    Exercises

CHAPTER 14. Singular countable nouns
    1. The use of determiners with singular countable nouns
    2. A and an
    3. The use of a and an before singular countable nouns
         a. A weakened form of one
         b. Naming a profession
         c. Making a general statement
         d. Referring to something not mentioned before
         e. A or an with the meaning of per
    4. The use of the before singular countable nouns
         a. Referring to something mentioned before
         b. Referring to something unique
         c. Referring to something when it is considered obvious what is meant
         d. Referring to something as a class
    Exercises

CHAPTER 15. Plural countable nouns
    1. The absence of a determiner before plural countable nouns
         a. Making a general statement
         b. Referring to something not mentioned before
         c. Naming a profession
    2. The Use of The Before plural countable nouns
         a. Referring to something mentioned before
         b. Referring to something when it is considered obvious what is meant
         c. Names of nationalities
         d. Adjectives referring to classes of people
    3. The use of the with proper nouns
         a. Names of people
         b. Names of places
    4. Nouns used only in the plural
    Exercises

CHAPTER 16. Uncountable nouns
    1. The absence of a determiner before uncountable nouns
         a. Making a general statement
         b. Referring to something not mentioned before
    2. The use of the before uncountable nouns
         a. Referring to something mentioned before
         b. Referring to something when it is considered obvious what is meant
    3. The use of uncountable nouns to refer to individual things
    4. Nouns which can be either countable or uncountable
         a. Differences in meaning
         b. Referring to a type of something
         c. Referring to places used for specific activities
         d. Names of meals
    5. Infinitives used in the place of nouns
    6. Gerunds
    7. Specific verbs followed by infinitives and gerunds
         a. Verbs followed by infinitives
         b. Verbs followed by either infinitives or gerunds
         c. Verbs followed by gerunds
    Exercises

CHAPTER 17. Nouns indicating possession and compound subjects
    1. Ways in which possession is indicated
         a. The ending s
         b. The ending s'
         c. Phrases beginning with of
         d. Two consecutive nouns
    2. Agreement of verbs with collective nouns and compound subjects
         a. Collective nouns
         b. Amounts considered as a whole
         c. Compound subjects
             i. Compound subjects with and
             ii. Compound subjects with or or nor
         d. Nouns followed by descriptive phrases
    Exercises

CHAPTER 18. Personal pronouns
    1. The subjective case
    2. Agreement of personal pronouns with their antecedents
         a. Male and female antecedents
         b. Singular and plural antecedents
         c. Human and non-human antecedents
    3. Special uses of it
    4. The objective case
    5. Possessive personal pronouns
         a. Possessive adjectives
             i. Possessive adjectives used with gerunds
         b. Possessive pronouns
    6. Reflexive pronouns
    Exercises

CHAPTER 19. Other pronouns
    1. Indefinite pronouns
         a. The use of one in general statements
    2. Reciprocal pronouns
    3. Demonstrative pronouns
    4. Interrogative pronouns
         a. Direct questions
         b. The pronoun who
             i. Who
             ii. Whom
             iii. Whose
         c. What and which
         d. Indirect questions
             i. Interrogative word as the subject
             ii. Interrogative word as the object of a verb or preposition
             iii. The verb to be with a noun or pronoun complement
    5. Relative pronouns
         a. Defining and non-defining relative clauses
             i. Non-defining relative clauses
             ii. Defining relative clauses
         b. That
         c. Which
         d. Who, whom and whose
         e. Comparison of the use of that, which and who
         f. Other relative pronouns
    Exercises

CHAPTER 20. Determiners
    1. Determiners used to refer to groups of two persons or things
    2. Determiners used as singular or plural pronouns
    3. The use of all, both and each
    4. The use of no, none and not
    5. The use of some and any
    6. The use of another, other, others and else
    7. The use of only
    8. The use of few, little and several
    9. The expressions such ... that, so ... that and too
         a. Such ... that
         b. So ... that
         c. Too
    Exercises

CHAPTER 21. Adjectives: Position in a sentence
    1. Proper adjectives
    2. Attributive adjectives
         a. Order of attributive adjectives
             i. Determiners
             ii. General descriptive adjectives
             iii. Adjectives indicating color
             iv. Adjectives indicating materials
             v. The position of proper adjectives
             vi. Defining adjectives
             vii. Ordinal adjectives
         b. Punctuation used with attributive adjectives
         c. Stress used with attributive adjectives
             i. Adjectives indicating materials
             ii. Defining adjectives indicating location or time
             iii. Defining adjectives indicating purpose
    3. Predicate adjectives
         a. Attributive adjectives which can be used as predicate adjectives
             i. Order
             ii. Punctuation
         b. Adjectives which can be used only as predicate adjectives
         c. Linking verbs
    4. Interpolated adjectives
    5. Adjectival phrases and clauses
    6. Participles used as adjectives
         a. Present participles
         b. Past participles
         c. Dangling participles
         d. Past participles which follow the verb to be
    Exercises

CHAPTER 22. Adjectives used in comparisons: Part I
    1. Positive forms of adjectives preceded and followed by as
         a. The positive form combined with a noun
         b. The use of ellipsis
         c. The use of the subjective case
    2. Comparative and superlative forms of adjectives which use endings
         a. Comparative forms of adjectives which use endings
             i. Spelling rules
             ii. Irregular adjectives
             iii. The comparative form followed by than
             iv. The comparative form followed by a noun, followed by than
             v. The use of ellipsis
             vi. The use of the subjective case
             vii. Progressive comparisons
         b. Superlative forms of adjectives which use endings
             i. Spelling rules
             ii. Irregular adjectives
             iii. The superlative form preceded by the
             iv. The use of ellipsis
             v. The comparison of one or more things with a group
    Exercises

CHAPTER 23. Adjectives used in comparisons: Part 2
    1. Comparative and superlative forms of adjectives which do not use endings
         a. Comparative forms: The use of more
             i. The comparative form followed by than
             ii. Progressive comparisons
         b. The use of less
             i. The construction less ... than
             ii. The construction not as ... as
             iii. The construction less and less
         c. Superlative forms
    2. The adjectives many, much, few and little used to compare quantities
         a. The use of many, much, few and little with countable and uncountable nouns
         b. Synonyms for many and much
         c. Positive forms used in comparisons
         d. Comparative forms used in comparisons
         e. Superlative forms used in comparisons
    3. The adjectives similar, different and same used in comparisons
    4. Making logical comparisons
    Exercises

CHAPTER 24. Adverbs: Position in a sentence
    1. Adverbs which modify adjectives and other adverbs
         a. Intensifiers
    2. Adverbs which modify verbs
         a. Adverbs of frequency
         b. Adverbs of time
         c. Adverbs of manner
         d. Connecting adverbs
         e. Adverb phrases and clauses of purpose
         f. Adverbs of location
             i. Here and there
             ii. There used as an introductory word
             iii. Inverted word order
         g. Negative adverbs
             i. Double negatives
             ii. Inverted word order
    3. Interrogative adverbs
    Exercises

CHAPTER 25. Adverbs of manner and adverbs used in comparisons
    1. Adverbs of manner
         a. Spelling rules for adding ly
             i. Adjectives ending in ic
             ii. Adjectives ending in le
             iii. Adjectives ending in ll
             iv. Adjectives ending in ue
             v. Adjectives ending in y
         b. Adverbs which do not use the ending ly
         c. The differing functions of adjectives and adverbs
             i. Adjectives which modify nouns compared with adverbs which modify verbs
             ii. Adjectives which modify nouns compared with adverbs which modify adjectives
             iii. Predicate adjectives which modify the subjects of verbs compared with adverbs which modify verbs
    2. Adverbs used in comparisons
         a. The formation of comparative and superlative forms of adverbs
             i. Adverbs used with more and most
             ii. Adverbs used with the endings er and est
             iii. Irregular adverbs
         b. Positive forms of adverbs used in comparisons
             i. The construction with as ... as
             ii. Ellipsis
         c. Comparative forms of adverbs used in comparisons
             i. The construction with than
             ii. Progressive comparisons
             iii. The construction with less and less
             iv. The construction with the ..., the ...
         d. Superlative forms of adverbs used in comparisons
             i. The construction with the
             ii. The construction with the least
    Exercises

CHAPTER 26. Prepositions
    1. The meanings of prepositions
    2. Idioms beginning with prepositions
    3. Nouns followed by prepositions
    4. Adjectives and verbs in the passive voice followed by prepositions
    5. Verbs followed by prepositions
    Exercises

CHAPTER 27. Phrasal verbs
    1. Phrasal verbs consisting of a verb followed by a preposition
         a. The position of the object of the preposition
         b. The position of an adverb of manner modifying the verb
         c. Stress in spoken English
         d. Expressions in which the verb has an object
    2. Phrasal verbs consisting of a verb followed by an adverb
         a. The position of the object of the verb
         b. The position of an adverb of manner modifying the verb
         c. Stress in spoken English
         d. Ergative verbs
    3. Distinguishing between verbs followed by prepositions and verbs followed by adverbs
         a. Adverb phrases of location compared with phrasal verbs followed by objects
         b. Words used as prepositions or adverbs
    4. Phrasal verbs consisting of a verb followed by a word which can function either as an adverb or as a preposition
         a. Expressions in which the verb has an object
    5. Phrasal verbs consisting of a verb followed by an adverb followed by a preposition
         a. Expressions in which the verb has an object
    Exercises

CHAPTER 28. Conjunctions
    1. Coordinate conjunctions
    2. Correlative conjunctions
    3. Subordinate conjunctions
    4. Connecting adverbs
         a. Stress and punctuation
         b. Connecting adverbs used to connect sentences
         c. Position in a clause
         d. Examples of connecting adverbs
    5. Parallel construction
    Exercises

Kitabın Alfabetik İçeriği:

ALPHABETICAL INDEX

A
a and an
a and an, summary of use of
a, as a weakened form of one
a few, use of
a great deal of
a little, use of
a lot of
a or an, with the meaning of per
a, used in making a general
a, used in naming a profession
a, used to refer to something not mentioned before
about, use of
about, used after certain adjectives and verbs in the passive voice
about, used after certain verbs
above, use of
accordingly, used as connecting adverb
across, use of
across, used as preposition or adverb
Adjectival phrases and clauses
Adjectives and adverbs, use of
Adjectives and verbs in the passive voice followed by prepositions
Adjectives, attributive
Adjectives, comparative form of adjectives which use endings
Adjectives, comparative form of irregular adjectives
Adjectives, comparative form followed by than
Adjectives, defining
Adjectives, definition of
Adjectives, examples of general descriptive adjectives
Adjectives indicating color
Adjectives indicating materials
Adjectives indicating size
Adjectives indicating weight
Adjectives, interpolated
Adjectives, order of predicate adjectives
Adjectives, order of
Adjectives, ordinal
Adjectives, position of general descriptive adjectives
Adjectives, position of proper adjectives
Adjectives, positive forms preceded and followed by as
Adjectives, possessive
Adjectives, predicate adjectives compared with adverbs
Adjectives, proper
Adjectives, summary of comparative forms
Adjectives, superlative form of adjectives which use endings
Adjectives, superlative form of irregular adjectives
Adjectives, superlative form with most
Adjectives used in comparisons
Adjectives used to compare quantities and amounts, summary
Adjectives which can be used as predicate adjectives
Adjectives which can be used only attributively
Adjectives which can be used only as predicate adjectives
Adjectives which do not use endings
Adjectives which end in ly
Adjectives which modify nouns compared with adverbs which modify verbs
Adjectives which modify nouns compared with adverbs which modify adjectives
Adjectives which use endings
Adverb phrases and clauses of purpose
Adverb phrases and clauses, position in a clause
Adverb phrases of location compared with phrasal verbs followed by objects
Adverb phrases, usual order following a verb
Adverbs and adjectives which have the same form
Adverbs and adjectives, use of
Adverbs compared with predicate adjectives
Adverbs of frequency ending in ly
Adverbs of frequency
Adverbs of location
Adverbs of manner, position in a clause
Adverbs of manner
Adverbs of time, position in a clause
Adverbs, connecting adverbs compared with conjunctions
Adverbs, connecting
Adverbs, definition of
Adverbs, following not
Adverbs, interrogative
Adverbs, inverted word order with negative adverbs
Adverbs, irregular
Adverbs, negative
Adverbs, position in a clause
Adverbs, position of connecting adverbs
Adverbs, progressive comparisons
Adverbs, summary of meanings of connecting adverbs
Adverbs, summary of position in a clause
Adverbs, use of
Adverbs used in comparisons
Adverbs used with more and most
Adverbs used with the endings er and est
Adverbs which modify adjectives and other adverbs
Adverbs which modify adjectives compared with adjectives which modify nouns
Adverbs which modify verbs compared with adjectives which modify nouns
Adverbs which modify verbs, types and examples
Adverbs with ly ending
Affirmative statements, simple present of to be
Affirmative tag questions
after, use of
after, used as subordinate conjunction
against, use of
against, used after certain nouns
against, used after certain verbs
ago
Agreement of personal pronouns with their antecedents
Agreement of possessive adjectives with their antecedents
Agreement of third person pronouns with their antecedents, summary
Agreement of verbs with compound subjects, summary
all
all, position in sentence
all, used as defining appositive
along, use of
also, used as connecting adverb
although and despite
although, used as subordinate conjunction
am
am, used as an auxiliary
among, use of
an
and, in compound subjects
and, used as coordinate conjunction
another, use of
Antecedent, definition of
any
any, use of
anybody, use of
anyone, use of
anything, use of
anywhere, use of
Apostrophe, use of
appear
Apposition
are
are, used as an auxiliary
aren't
aren't I?
around, use of
around, used as preposition or adverb
as ... as, used with adverbs in comparisons
as if and like
as if
as long as
as soon as
as though
as, followed by subjective case
as, used as subordinate conjunction
as, used in comparisons
as, used in not as ... as
at, use of
at, used after certain adjectives and verbs in the passive voice
at, used after certain verbs
at, used in idioms
Attributive adjectives

B
be, complete conjugation of
be, simple past
be, simple present
because of and because
because, used as subordinate conjunction
been, used as an auxiliary
before, use of
before, used as subordinate conjunction
behind, use of
behind, used in idioms
below, use of
beneath, use of
beside, use of
beside, used in idioms
besides, use of
besides, used as connecting adverb
between, use of
between, used after certain adjectives and verbs in the passive voice
between, used in idioms
beyond, use of
beyond, used in idioms
both ... and
both, position in sentence
both, used as defining appositive
both, used as determiner
but, used as coordinate conjunction
but, used as preposition
by, use of
by, used after certain adjectives and verbs in the passive voice
by, used in idioms

C
can
can't
Clauses, coordinate
Clauses, subordinate clauses
Clauses
Collective nouns
Commands and requests, formal
Commands, imperative mood
Commas, used with adverb phrases
Commas, used with attributive adjectives
Commas, used with interpolated adjectives
Commas, used with non-defining relative clauses
Commas, used with ordinal adjectives
Commas, used with predicate adjectives
Comparative and superlative forms of adverbs
Comparative form of adjectives which use endings
Comparative form of adjectives using more
Comparative forms of adverbs used in comparisons
Comparisons, making logical comparisons
Comparison of one or more things with a group
Comparisons with as, use of subjective case
Comparisons with than, use of subjective case
Compound subjects, verb agreement
Compound subjects with and
Compound subjects with or or nor
concerning, use of
Conditions, probable and improbable
Conditions which are false or improbable
Conjunctions
Conjunctions, compared with connecting adverbs
Conjunctions, coordinate
Conjunctions, correlative
Conjunctions, correlative conjunctions used with parallel construction
Conjunctions, subordinate
Connecting adverbs, compared with conjunctions
Connecting adverbs compared with conjunctions, position in a clause
Connecting adverbs, examples
Connecting adverbs, introduction
Connecting adverbs, position in a clause
Connecting adverbs, stress and punctuation
Connecting adverbs, summary of meanings
Connecting adverbs used to connect sentences
consequently, used as connecting adverb
Contractions, simple present of be
Coordinate clauses
Coordinate conjunctions
Correlative conjunctions used with parallel construction
Correlative conjunctions
could
could, used in expressing wishes
could, used to express false or improbable conditions
couldn't
Countable nouns
Countable nouns, use with determiners

D
Dangling participles
Defining adjectives
Defining and non-defining relative clauses
Defining relative clauses
definite article, definition of
Demonstrative pronouns
despite and although
despite, use of
Determination, the use of shall and will
Determiner, definition of
Determiners, position in sentence
Determiners, summary of use of
Determiners, use of
Determiners used as pronouns
Determiners used as adjectives
Determiners used as singular or plural pronouns
Determiners used to refer to two persons or things
didn't
different from
Direct and indirect questions, summary of word order
Direct objects
do, used as an auxiliary verb
does
doesn't
don't
Double negatives
down, use of
Dual forms
during and while
during, use of

E
each other
each, position in sentence
each, used as defining appositive
each, used with singular verb
ed ending
either ... or
either, used as determiner
either, used with singular verb
Ellipsis, use of
Ellipsis, used in comparisons with the comparative form of the adjective
Ellipsis, used in comparisons with the superlative form of the adjective
Ellipsis, used with as in comparisons
Ellipsis, used with adverbs in comparisons
else, use of
Emphatic statements
Ending 's, used to indicate possession
Ending s', used to indicate possession
English, related to French and German
enough, position in sentence
er ending, spelling rules
er ending, use of
er ending, used with adverbs
Ergative verbs
es ending, pronunciation of
es ending, used to form plurals
est ending, spelling rules
est ending, use of
est ending, used with adverbs
even if
every, used with singular verb
except, use of

F
f changed to v in the plural
few, use of
few, use of
few, used with as
fewer and fewer, followed by a noun
fewer, use of
fewer, used with than
fewest, use of
fewest, used with the
first, used as ordinal adjective
for, use of
for, used after certain adjectives and verbs in the passive voice
for, used after certain nouns
for, used after certain verbs
for, used as subordinate conjunction
for, used in idioms
Foreign words, formation of plurals
Formal commands and requests
from, use of
from, used after certain nouns
from, used after certain adjectives and verbs in the passive voice
from, used after certain verbs
from, used in idioms
furthermore, used as connecting adverb
Future continuous tense, formation of
Future continuous tense, use of
"Future in the past"
Future perfect continuous tense, use of
Future perfect continuous tense, formation of
Future perfect tense, formation of
Future perfect tense, use of
Future tenses
Future tenses, summary of the formation of

G
Gerunds
Gerunds, used as defining adjectives
Gerunds, used with possessive adjectives
go, present continuous followed by an infinitive
going to
Grammar, definition of
grow

H
had been
had, used as an auxiliary
hadn't
hard and hardly
hardly ... when
has been
has
has, used as an auxiliary
hasn't
have been
have to, pronunciation
have, simple present
have, used as an auxiliary
haven't
he
he'd (he had)
he'd (he would)
he'll
he's (he has)
he's (he is)
hence, used as connecting adverb
her, objective case
her, possessive
here and there
hers
herself
high and highly
him
himself
his
his or her
how, use of
however
however, used as connecting adverb
Hyphenated nouns, formation of plural

I
I
I'd (I had)
I'd (I would)
I'll
I'm
I've
ic ending
Idioms, prepositional phrases
if, conditions which are false or improbable
if ... then
if, used as subordinate conjunction
Imperative mood
in case
in, use of
in, used after certain adjectives and verbs in the passive voice
in, used after certain nouns
in, used after certain verbs
in, used as preposition or adverb
in, used in idioms
Indefinite pronouns
Indirect objects
Indirect questions, introduction
Indirect questions, summary of word order
Indirect questions with the verb to be
Indirect questions, word order
Infinitive, split
Infinitives used in the place of nouns
ing ending
inside, use of
inside, used in idioms
instead
Intensifiers, definition of
Interpolated adjectives
Interrogative adverbs
Interrogative pronouns
Interrogative pronouns, used in direct questions
into, use of
into, used after certain nouns
into, used after certain verbs
into, used in idioms
Inverted word order, used with verbs of motion
Inverted word order, used with negative adverbs
Irregular adjectives, comparative form
Irregular adjectives, superlative form
Irregular adverbs
Irregular plurals
Irregular verbs, 140 common irregular verbs
Irregular verbs, present perfect tense
Irregular verbs, simple past
is
is, used as an auxiliary
isn't
it'd (it had)
it'd (it would)
it'll
it's (it has)
it's (it is)
it, objective case
it, special uses of
it, subjective case
its
its and it's
itself

L
late and lately
late, meaning of
lay and lie
lay, verb forms
least, use of
least, used with the
least, used with adverbs in comparisons
less ... than
less and less
less and less, followed by a noun
less and less, used with adverbs
less, use of
less, used in comparisons
less, used with than
lest, used as subordinate conjunction
lie, verb forms
like and as if
like, use of
likewise, used as connecting adverb
Linking verbs
little, meaning
little, use of
little, used with as
Logical comparisons
look
lots of
ly added to adjectives ending in ic
ly added to adjectives ending in le
ly added to adjectives ending in ll
ly added to adjectives ending in ue
ly added to adjectives ending in y
ly ending, spelling rules

M
Main clause of conditional statement, verb forms
Main clause of conditional statement, present or future time
Main clause of conditional statement, past time
Main clause of conditional statement, summary
many, use of
many, used with as
may
me
might
mightn't
mine
minus, use of
Modal auxiliaries, meaning
Modal auxiliaries, relationships among
Modal conjugations, formation of
Modal verbs
Modal verbs, negative questions
Modal verbs, negative statements
Modal verbs, questions
Modal verbs, tag questions
more and more, followed by a noun
more and more, used with adverbs
more and more
more and most
more, comparative form of an adjective
more, used with than
more, used with adverbs
moreover, used as connecting adverb
most, superlative form of an adjective
most, used with the
most, used with adverbs
much, use of
much, used with as
must
mustn't
my
myself

N
Names of meals
Names of people
near and nearly
near, use of
Negative adverbs
Negative adverbs, inverted word order
Negative questions, modal verbs
Negative questions, passive voice
Negative questions, present continuous tense
Negative questions, present perfect tense
Negative questions, simple present of to be
Negative questions, simple present
Negative statements, modal verbs
Negative statements, passive voice
Negative statements, present continuous tense
Negative statements, present perfect tense
Negative statements, simple present of to be
Negative statements, simple present
Negative tag questions, summary
neither ... nor
neither, used as determiner
neither, used as determiner at beginning of clause
neither, used with singular verb
nevertheless
nevertheless, used as connecting adverb
no sooner ... than
no, use of
Non-defining relative clauses
none, use of
none
nonetheless, used as connecting adverb
nor, in compound subjects
nor, used as coordinate conjunction
not as ... as
not only ... but also
not, use of
Nouns, collective
Nouns, countable
Noun, definition of
Nouns ending in ch, s, sh, x or z
Nouns ending in f or fe
Nouns ending in o
Nouns ending in y
Nouns followed by descriptive phrases, verb agreement
Nouns followed by prepositions
Nouns, formation of plurals
Nouns indicating possession
Nouns, proper
Nouns, uncountable
Nouns used only in the plural
Nouns which can be either countable or uncountable
Nouns with irregular plurals
Numbers and letters, formation of plural

O
Objective case, pronouns
Objects, direct
Objects, indirect
Object of a verb
of, use of
of, used after certain adjectives and verbs in the passive voice
of, used after certain nouns
of, used after certain verbs
of, used in idioms
of, used to indicate possession
of, used with uncountable nouns
off, use of
off, used as preposition or adverb
off, used in idioms
on, use of
on, used after certain adjectives and verbs in the passive voice
on, used after certain nouns
on, used after certain verbs
on, used as preposition or adverb
on, used in idioms
one another
one, used as indefinite pronoun
one, used in general statements
only, use of
onto, use of
opposite, use of
or else
or, in compound subjects
or, used as coordinate conjunction
Ordinal adjectives
other, use of
others, use of
otherwise, used as connecting adverb
ought
our
ours
ourselves
out of, use of
out of, used in idioms
outside, use of
over, use of
over, used after certain verbs
over, used as preposition or adverb

P
pair of
Parallel construction
Participles, dangling
Participles used as adjectives
Passive voice, formation of
Passive voice, indicative tenses other than the simple present
Passive voice, questions and negative statements
Passive voice, simple present indicative
Passive voice, subjunctive mood
Passive voice, summary of formation of the indicative tenses
Passive voice, summary of formation of the subjunctive tenses
Passive voice, use of past forms of the subjunctive
Passive voice, use of the simple present subjunctive
Passive voice, use of
Past and present tenses, summary of the formation of
Past continuous tense, formation of
Past continuous tense, use of
Past participles used as adjectives
Past participles which follow the verb to be
Past perfect and simple past, use of
Past perfect continuous tense, use of
Past perfect continuous tense, formation of
Past perfect tense, formation of
Past perfect tense, use of
past, use of
per, use of
Period, use of
Personal pronouns
Personal pronouns, agreement with their antecedents
Personal pronouns, introduction
Personal pronouns, possessive
Personal pronouns, summary of
Personal pronouns with human antecedents
Personal pronouns with non-human antecedents
Phrasal verbs consisting of a verb followed by a preposition
Phrasal verbs consisting of a verb followed by an adverb
Phrasal verbs, examples of ergative phrasal verbs
Phrasal verbs, examples of intransitive verb + adverb
Phrasal verbs, examples of intransitive verb + preposition or adverb
Phrasal verbs, examples of transitive verb + adverb
Phrasal verbs, examples of transitive verb + preposition or adverb
Phrasal verbs, examples of transitive verb + adverb + preposition
Phrasal verbs, examples of verb + preposition
Phrasal verbs, examples of verb + adverb + preposition
Phrasal verbs followed by objects compared with adverb phrases of location
Phrasal verbs, introduction
Place names
Places used for specific activities
Plural antecedents of personal pronouns
Plural countable nouns, absence of a determiner
Plural countable nouns, used in making a general statement
Plural countable nouns, used to refer to something not mentioned before
Plural countable nouns, used in naming a profession
Plurals
Plurals of proper nouns
plus, use of
poor, meaning of
Position of adverbs in a negative statement
Possession
Possession, phrases beginning with of
Possession, the 's ending
Possession, the s' ending
Possession, two consecutive nouns
Possessive adjectives
Possessive adjectives, agreement with their antecedents
Possessive adjectives used with gerunds
Possessive personal pronouns
Predicate adjectives
Predicate adjectives compared with adverbs
Predicate adjectives, order
Prepositions, introduction
Prepositions, meanings and examples
Prepositions, use of
Prepositions, used in idioms
Prepositions which follow certain nouns
Prepositions which follow certain adjectives and verbs in the passive voice
Prepositions which follow certain verbs
Prepositions with pronoun objects
Present and past tenses, summary of the formation of
Present continuous tense, formation of
Present continuous, uses of, compared with the simple present
present, meaning of
Present participles used as adjectives
Present perfect continuous tense, use of
Present perfect continuous tense, formation of
Present perfect tense, irregular verbs
Present perfect tense, regular verbs
Present perfect tense, use of
Present tense, used in subordinate clauses to express future actions
Progressive comparisons with adverbs
Progressive comparisons, adjectives which use endings
Progressive comparisons, adjectives which do not use endings
Pronoun, object of a preposition
Pronouns, agreement of third person pronouns with their antecedents
Pronouns, defined
Pronouns, demonstrative
Pronouns, indefinite
Pronouns, interrogative
Pronouns, objective case
Pronouns, personal
Pronouns, possessive
Pronouns, reciprocal
Pronouns, reflexive
Pronouns, relative
Pronouns, subjective case
Pronouns, summary of personal pronouns
Pronouns, unambiguous use of
Pronunciation of the ed ending
Pronunciation of the es ending
Proper adjectives
Proper adjectives, position of
Proper nouns
Proper nouns, plural forms
provided or providing, used as subordinate conjunction
Punctuation, use of period
Punctuation, use of question mark
Punctuation used with attributive adjectives
Punctuation used with predicate adjectives

Q
Question mark, use of
Questions and negative statements, simple present of to have
Questions and negative statements, present perfect continuous tense
Questions and negative statements, simple past of to be
Questions and negative statements, simple past
Questions and negative statements, past continuous tense
Questions and negative statements, past perfect tense
Questions and negative statements, past perfect continuous
Questions and negative statements, simple future
Questions and negative statements, future continuous
Questions and negative statements, future perfect
Questions and negative statements, future perfect continuous
Questions and negative statements, passive voice
Questions, modal verbs
Questions, passive voice
Questions, present continuous tense
Questions, present perfect tense
Questions, simple present of to be
Questions, simple present
Questions, word order of direct and indirect questions

R
raise and rise
raise, verb forms
rather ... than
Reciprocal pronouns
Reflexive pronouns
Regular verbs, present perfect tense
Regular verbs, simple past
Relative clauses, defining and non-defining
Relative clauses, defining
Relative pronouns
rise, verb forms
round, used as preposition or adverb

S
s ending, third person singular
s ending, used to form plurals
s' ending, used to indicate possession
same as
scarcely ... when
second, used as ordinal adjective
set and sit
set, verb forms
several, use of
shall and will
shan't
she
she'd (she had)
she'd (she would)
she'll
she's (she has)
she's (she is)
Short answers
should
shouldn't
similar to
Simple future tense, formation of
Simple future tense, use of
Simple past and past perfect, use of
Simple past of to be
Simple past of to use followed by an infinitive
Simple past tense, formation of
Simple past tense, uses of
Simple present of to be
Simple present of to have
Simple present tense, formation of
Simple present tense, uses of
Simple present, uses of, compared with the present continuous
since, use of
since, used as subordinate conjunction
Singular antecedents of personal pronouns
sit, verb forms
so ... that
so as to
so, used as subordinate conjunction
some, use of
somebody, use of
someone, use of
something, use of
sometime and sometimes
somewhere, use of
Spelling rules for adding ed to form the past participle
Spelling rules for adding s in the third person singular
Spelling rules for adjectives with er ending
Spelling rules for adjectives with est ending
Spelling rules for adverbs with ly ending
Spelli

THE USES AND FORMATION OF THE ENGLISH VERB TENSES

The Uses of the English Tenses

THE ACTIVE VOICE OF THE VERB TO SHOW

Simple Past: showed
Past Participle: shown

INDICATIVE MOOD

Simple Present	Simple Past
I show	I showed
you show	you showed
he shows	he showed
she shows	she showed
it shows	it showed
we show	we showed
they show	they showed
Present Continuous	Past Continuous
I am showing	I was showing
you are showing	you were showing
he is showing	he was showing
she is showing	she was showing
it is showing	it was showing
we are showing	we were showing
they are showing	they were showing
Present Perfect	Past Perfect
I have shown	I had shown
you have shown	you had shown
he has shown	he had shown
she has shown	she had shown
it has shown	it had shown
we have shown	we had shown
they have shown	they had shown
Present Perfect Continuous	Past Perfect Continuous
I have been showing	I had been showing
you have been showing	you had been showing
he has been showing	he had been showing
she has been showing	she had been showing
it has been showing	it had been showing
we have been showing	we had been showing
they have been showing	they had been showing
Simple Future	Simple Conjugation with Would
I will (shall) show	I would show
you will show	you would show
he will show	he would show
she will show	she would show
it will show	it would show
we will (shall) show	we would show
they will show	they would show
Future Continuous	Continuous Conjugation with Would
I will (shall) be showing	I would be showing
you will be showing	you would be showing
he will be showing	he would be showing
she will be showing	she would be showing
it will be showing	it would be showing
we will (shall) be showing	we would be showing
they will be showing	they would be showing
Future Perfect	Perfect Conjugation with Would
I will (shall) have shown	I would have shown
you will have shown	you would have shown
he will have shown	he would have shown
she will have shown	she would have shown
it will have shown	it would have shown
we will (shall) have shown	we would have shown
they will have shown	they would have shown
Future Perfect Continuous	Perfect Continuous Conjugation with Would
I will (shall) have been showing	I would have been showing
you will have been showing	you would have been showing
he will have been showing	he would have been showing
she will have been showing	she would have been showing
it will have been showing	it would have been showing
we will (shall) have been showing	we would have been showing
they will have been showing	they would have been showing

 

SUBJUNCTIVE MOOD

Simple Present	Simple Past
I show	I showed
you show	you showed
he show	he showed
she show	she showed
it show	it showed
we show	we showed
they show	they showed
Present Continuous	Past Continuous
I be showing	I were showing
you be showing	you were showing
he be showing	he were showing
she be showing	she were showing
it be showing	it were showing
we be showing	we were showing
they be showing	they were showing
Present Perfect	Past Perfect
I have shown	I had shown
you have shown	you had shown
he have shown	he had shown
she have shown	she had shown
it have shown	it had shown
we have shown	we had shown
they have shown	they had shown
Present Perfect Continuous	Past Perfect Continuous
I have been showing	I had been showing
you have been showing	you had been showing
he have been showing	he had been showing
she have been showing	she had been showing
It have been showing	it had been showing
we have been showing	we had been showing
they have been showing	they had been showing

THE VERB TO BE AND THE PASSIVE VOICE OF THE VERB TO SHOW

INDICATIVE MOOD

Simple Present	Simple Present
I am	I am shown
you are	you are shown
he is	he is shown
she is	she is shown
it is	it is shown
we are	we are shown
they are	they are shown
Present Continuous	Present Continuous
I am being	I am being shown
you are being	you are being shown
he is being	he is being shown
she is being	she is being shown
it is being	it is being shown
we are being	we are being shown
they are being	they are being shown
Present Perfect	Present Perfect
I have been	I have been shown
you have been	you have been shown
he has been	he has been shown
she has been	she has been shown
it has been	it has been shown
we have been	we have been shown
they have been	they have been shown
Present Perfect Continuous	Present Perfect Continuous
have been being	I have been being shown
you have been being	you have been being shown
he has been being	he has been being shown
she has been being	she has been being shown
it has been being	it has been being shown
we have been being	we have been being shown
they have been being	they have been being shown
Simple Past	Simple Past
I was	I was shown
you were	you were shown
he was	he was shown
she was	she was shown
it was	it was shown
we were	we were shown
they were	they were shown
Past Continuous	Past Continuous
I was being	I was being shown
you were being	you were being shown
he was being	he was being shown
she was being	she was being shown
it was being	it was being shown
we were being	we were being shown
they were being	they were being shown
Past Perfect	Past Perfect
I had been	I had been shown
you had been	you had been shown
he had been	he had been shown
she had been	she had been shown
it had been	it had been shown
we had been	we had been shown
they had been	they had been shown
Past Perfect Continuous	Past Perfect Continuous
I had been being	I had been being shown
you had been being	you had been being shown
he had been being	he had been being shown
she had been being	she had been being shown
it had been being	it had been being shown
we had been being	we had been being shown
they had been being	they had been being shown
Simple Future	Simple Future
I will (shall) be	I will (shall) be shown
you will be	you will be shown
he will be	he will be shown
she will be	she will be shown
it will be	it will be shown
we will (shall) be	we will (shall) be shown
they will be	they will be shown
Future Continuous	Future Continuous
I will (shall) be being	I will (shall) be being shown
you will be being	you will be being shown
he will be being	he will be being shown
she will be being	she will be being shown
it will be being	it will be being shown
we will (shall) be being	we will (shall) be being shown
they will be being	they will be being shown
Future Perfect	Future Perfect
I will (shall) have been	I will (shall) have been shown
you will have been	you will have been shown
he will have been	he will have been shown
she will have been	she will have been shown
it will have been	it will have been shown
we will (shall) have been	we will (shall) have been shown
they will have been	they will have been shown
Future Perfect Continuous	Future Perfect Continuous
I will (shall) have been being	I will (shall) have been being shown
you will have been being	you will have been being shown
he will have been being	he will have been being shown
she will have been being	she will have been being shown
It will have been being	it will have been being shown
we will (shall) have been being	we will (shall) have been being shown
they will have been being	they will have been being shown

 

SUBJUNCTIVE MOOD

Simple Present	Simple Present
I be	I be shown
you be	you be shown
he be	he be shown
she be	she be shown
it be	it be shown
we be	we be shown
they be	they be shown
Present Continuous	Present Continuous
I be being	I be being shown
you be being	you be being shown
he be being	he be being shown
she be being	she be being shown
it be being	it be being shown
we be being	we be being shown
they be being	they be being shown
Present Perfect	Present Perfect
I have been	I have been shown
you have been	you have been shown
he have been	he have been shown
she have been	she have been shown
it have been	it have been shown
we have been	we have been shown
they have been	they have been shown
Present Perfect Continuous	Present Perfect Continuous
I have been being	I have been being shown
you have been being	you have been being shown
he have been being	he have been being shown
she have been being	she have been being shown
it have been being	it have been being shown
we have been being	we have been being shown
they have been being	they have been being shown
Simple Past	Simple Past
I were	I were shown
you were	you were shown
he were	he were shown
she were	she were shown
it were	it were shown
we were	we were shown
they were	they were shown
Past Continuous	Past Continuous
I were being	I were being shown
you were being	you were being shown
he were being	he were being shown
she were being	she were being shown
it were being	it were being shown
we were being	we were being shown
they were being	they were being shown
Past Perfect	Past Perfect
I had been	I had been shown
you had been	you had been shown
he had been	he had been shown
she had been	she had been shown
it had been	it had been shown
we had been	we had been shown
they had been	they had been shown
Past Perfect Continuous	Past Perfect Continuous
I had been being	I had been being shown
you had been being	you had been being shown
he had been being	he had been being shown
she had been being	she had been being shown
it had been being	it had been being shown
we had been being	we had been being shown
they had been being	they had been being shown

COMMON ENGLISH IRREGULAR VERBS

Bare Infinitive	Simple Past	Past Participle
be	was/were	been
bear	bore	born
beat	beat	beaten
become	became	become
begin	began	begun
bend	bent	bent
bind	bound	bound
bite	bit	bitten
bleed	bled	bled
blow	blew	blown
break	broke	broken
breed	bred	bred
bring	brought	brought
build	built	built
burst	burst	burst
buy	bought	bought
cast	cast	cast
catch	caught	caught
choose	chose	chosen
cling	clung	clung
come	came	come
cost	cost	cost
creep	crept	crept
cut	cut	cut
deal	dealt	dealt
dig	dug	dug
do	did	done
draw	drew	drawn
drink	drank	drunk
drive	drove	driven
eat	ate	eaten
fall	fell	fallen
feed	fed	fed
feel	felt	felt
fight	fought	fought
find	found	found
flee	fled	fled
fling	flung	flung
fly	flew	flown
forbid	forbade	forbidden
forecast	forecast	forecast
forget	forgot	forgotten
forgive	forgave	forgiven
forsake	forsook	forsaken
freeze	froze	frozen
get	got	got
give	gave	given
go	went	gone
grind	ground	ground
grow	grew	grown
hang	hung	hung
have	had	had
hear	heard	heard
hide	hid	hidden
hit	hit	hit
hold	held	held
hurt	hurt	hurt
keep	kept	kept
kneel	knelt	knelt
know	knew	known
lay	laid	laid
lead	led	led
leave	left	left
lend	lent	lent
let	let	let
lie	lay	lain
lose	lost	lost
make	made	made
mean	meant	meant
meet	met	met
mistake	mistook	mistaken
partake	partook	partaken
pay	paid	paid
put	put	put
read	read	read
rid	rid	rid
ride	rode	ridden
ring	rang	rung
rise	rose	risen
run	ran	run
say	said	said
see	saw	seen
seek	sought	sought
sell	sold	sold
send	sent	sent
set	set	set
shake	shook	shaken
shed	shed	shed
shine	shone	shone
shoe	shod	shod
shoot	shot	shot
show	showed	shown
shrink	shrank or shrunk	shrunk
shut	shut	shut
sing	sang	sung
sink	sank	sunk
sit	sat	sat
sleep	slept	slept
slide	slid	slid
sling	slung	slung
slink	slunk	slunk
slit	slit	slit
speak	spoke	spoken
speed	sped	sped
spend	spent	spent
spin	span or spun	spun
spit	spit or spat	spat
split	split	split
spread	spread	spread
spring	sprang	sprung
stand	stood	stood
steal	stole	stolen
stick	stuck	stuck
sting	stung	stung
stink	stank	stunk
stride	strode	strode
strike	struck	struck
string	strung	strung
strive	strove	striven
swear	swore	sworn
sweep	swept	swept
swim	swam	swum
take	took	taken
teach	taught	taught
tear	tore	torn
tell	told	told
think	thought	thought
thrive	throve	thriven
throw	threw	thrown
thrust	thrust	thrust
tread	trod	trodden
understand	understood	understood
wake	woke	woken
wear	wore	worn
weave	wove	woven
weep	wept	wept
win	won	won
wind	wound	wound
wring	wrung	wrung
write	wrote	written

CHAPTER 1.  THE SIMPLE PRESENT OF THE VERB TO BE

1. Grammar

The grammar of a language is an analysis of the various functions performed by the words of the language, as they are used by native speakers and writers.

There are many different ways of analyzing a language. In such an analysis, words can be given various names, depending on the function which they perform. For instance, words which perform the function of naming things are commonly referred to as nouns, and words which perform the function of expressing states or actions are commonly referred to as verbs.

It should be kept in mind that many English words can perform more than one function. For instance, in the following sentences, the underlined words can be referred to as nouns because they perform the function of naming things.

e.g. I have lost my comb.

e.g. Water is one of the necessities of life.

However, in the following sentences, the same words can be referred to as verbs because they perform the function of expressing actions.

e.g. I comb my hair every morning.

e.g. Do you water your plants once a week?

In this book, widely used terms such as noun, verb, pronoun and so on, will be used in order to explain the way in which words function in the English language.

 

2. Verb forms

English verbs may have different forms, depending on the subject of the verb, and depending on when the action expressed by the verb takes place.

In the following sentences, the subjects of the verbs indicate who or what is performing the actions expressed by the verbs. The verbs in these examples are underlined.

e.g. We live in the city.

e.g. He lives on Queen Street.

These examples illustrate how the form of a verb may vary, depending on the subject of the verb. In the first example, the subject is we, and the form of the verb is live. In the second example, the subject is he, and the form of the verb is lives.

The different verb forms which indicate when the action expressed by a verb takes place are usually referred to as tenses.

e.g. We always walk to work.

e.g. We walked to work yesterday.

In the first sentence, the verb walk is in the Simple Present tense. In the second sentence, the verb walked is in the Simple Past tense. Present tenses are usually used to express actions which are taking place in the present; whereas past tenses are usually used to express actions which took place in the past.

The infinitive form of a verb can be used without reference to any particular subject or any particular time. In English, the infinitive form of a verb begins with the word to. For instance, to walk is the infinitive of the verb used in the two preceding examples.

 

3. Uses of the simple present tense

The Simple Present is one of four present tenses in English, and is used in various ways. In the examples given below, the verbs in the Simple Present tense are underlined.

For instance, the Simple Present can be used to refer to actions which occur at regular intervals.

e.g. We visit our friends every Sunday.

e.g. They take a holiday once a year.

e.g. Geese fly south every fall.

The Simple Present is also used in stating general truths.

e.g. Gas expands when heated.

e.g. The Pacific Ocean is the largest ocean in the world.

e.g. Canada lies north of the United States.

In addition, the Simple Present is used when referring to printed material, and when describing events portrayed in a book, film, or other work of art.

e.g. The report presents the information clearly.

e.g. At the end of the film , the hero finds the hidden treasure.

Occasionally, the Simple Present is used to express actions occurring in the future or the past.

e.g. Our plane leaves at eight o'clock tomorrow night.

e.g. Burglar Steals Valuable Paintings.

In the first example, the Simple Present is used to refer to something which will happen in the future. In the second example, which is written in the style of a newspaper headline, the Simple Present is used to refer to something which happened in the past.

 

4. The simple present of the verb To Be

A conjugation of a verb is a list showing the different forms a verb may take. When a verb is conjugated, it is usually accompanied by all of the personal pronouns which can act as subjects of a verb. Thus, a conjugation can show the different forms a verb must take when it is used with different subjects.

The English personal pronouns which may be used as subjects of verbs are as follows:

   I  ,   you  ,   he  ,   she  ,   it  ,   we  ,   they

It should be noted that in modern English, the same verb forms are used with the subject you, whether you refers to one or more than one person or thing. In an older form of English, there was another personal pronoun, thou, which was used with different verb forms, and which generally referred to one person or thing.

The Simple Present of the verb to be is conjugated as follows. In spoken English, contractions are often used.

Without contractions	With contractions
I am	I'm
you are	& you're
he is	he's
she is	she's
it is	it's
we are	we're
they are	they're

In written English, an apostrophe: ' is used in a contraction, to indicate that one or more letters have been omitted.

 

4a. Affirmative statements

An affirmative statement states that something is true. In an affirmative statement, the verb follows the subject.

e.g. I am awake.

e.g. They are ready.

In the first example, the verb am follows the subject I. In the second example, the verb are follows the subject they.

In written English, statements are always followed by a period: . Statements and questions must begin with a capital letter.

In order to review the preceding points, see Exercise 1.

 

4b. Questions

For the Simple Present of the verb to be, questions are formed by reversing the order of the subject and the verb, so that the verb precedes the subject.

e.g. Am I awake?
e.g. Are they ready?

In the first example, the verb am precedes the subject I. In the second example, the verb are precedes the subject they.

In written English, questions are always followed by a question mark: ?

See Exercise 2.

 

4c. Negative statements

In the Simple Present of the verb to be, negative statements are formed by adding the word not after the verb.

e.g. I am not awake.

e.g. They are not ready.

In the first example, not follows the verb am. In the second example, not follows the verb are.

In spoken English, the following contractions are often used:

Without contractions	With contractions
is not	isn't
are not	aren't

See Exercise 3.

 

4d. Negative questions

In the Simple Present of the verb to be, negative questions are formed by reversing the order of the subject and verb, and adding not after the subject.

e.g. Am I not awake?
e.g. Are they not ready?

In spoken English, contractions are usually used in negative questions. In the contracted form of a negative question, the contraction of not follows immediately after the verb. For example:

Without contractions	With contractions
Are you not awake?	Aren't you awake?
Is he not awake?	Isn't he awake?
Are we not awake?	Aren't we awake?
Are they not awake?	Aren't they awake?

It should be noted that there is no universally accepted contraction for am not. In spoken English, am I not? is often contracted to aren't I?. However, although the expression aren't I? is considered acceptable in informal English, it is not considered to be grammatically correct in formal English. In formal English, no contraction should be used for am I not.

See Exercise 4.

 

4e. Tag questions

A tag question is a question added at the end of a sentence. A tag question following an affirmative statement generally has the form of a negative question, with the meaning: Isn't that true? In some languages, such tag questions are invariable. However, in English, tag questions vary, depending on the verbs and subjects of the preceding statements.

In the following examples, the tag questions are underlined. Contractions are usually used in negative tag questions. For example:

Affirmative statement	Affirmative statement with tag question
Are you not awake?	Aren't you awake?
I am awake.	I am awake, am I not?
You are awake.	You are awake, aren't you?
She is awake.	She is awake, isn't she?
We are awake.	We are awake, aren't we?
They are awake.	They are awake, aren't they?

These examples illustrate how the subjects and verbs of the preceding statements are repeated in tag questions. For instance, in the first example, the subject I and the verb am are repeated in the tag question. In the second example, the subject you and the verb are are repeated in the tag question.

In spoken English, the expression aren't I? is often used as a tag question. However, this is not considered to be grammatically correct in formal, written English.

See Exercises 5 and 6.

 

EXERCISES for CHAPTER 1. THE SIMPLE PRESENT OF THE VERB TO BE

1. Change the following pairs of words into sentences, using the correct forms of the Simple Present of the verb to be. For example:
      I, cautious
      I am cautious.

      they, friendly
      They are friendly.

1. you, careful
2. it, warm
3. he, here
4. we, bold
5. they, careless
6. she, clever
7. we, ready
8. you, reckless
9. I, shy
10. they, polite
Answers

2. Change the affirmative statements resulting from Exercise 1 into questions. For example:
      I am cautious.
      Am I cautious?

      They are friendly.
      Are they friendly?
Answers

3. Change the affirmative statements resulting from Exercise 1 into negative statements. For example:
      I am cautious.
      I am not cautious.

      They are friendly.
      They are not friendly.
Answers

4. Change the affirmative statements resulting from Exercise 1 into negative questions. Except where the subject of the verb is I, write both the form without contractions and the form with contractions. For example:
      I am cautious.
      Am I not cautious?

      They are friendly.
      Are they not friendly?
      Aren't they friendly?
Answers

5. Add negative tag questions to the ends of the affirmative statements resulting from Exercise 1. Except where the subject of the verb is I, use contractions for the tag questions. For example:
      I am cautious.
      I am cautious, am I not?

      They are friendly.
      They are friendly, aren't they?
Answers

6. Using the Simple Present of the verb to be, and making sure that the word order is correct, form the following groups of words into grammatically correct statements or questions. If the symbol ? is present, form the words into a question. If the word not is present, form the words into a negative statement or negative question. Do not use contractions in this exercise. For example:
      it, brown
      It is brown.

      you, ?, excited
      Are you excited?

      I, satisfied, not
      I am not satisfied.

      not, ?, they, ready
      Are they not ready?

1. you, ?, hungry
2. we, ?, not, correct
3. he, ?, happy
4. not, ?, it, cold
5. she, here
6. I, early, ?
7. they, wrong, not
8. you, ?, comfortable
9. they, ?, not, strong
10. not, ?, I, fortunate
11. it, slippery, ?
12. not, you, late
13. it, not, ?, important
14. we, famous
15. they, present, ?
Answers

 

ANSWERS for CHAPTER 1. THE SIMPLE PRESENT OF THE VERB TO BE

Answers to Exercise 1:
1. You are careful. 2. It is warm. 3. He is here. 4. We are bold. 5. They are careless. 6. She is clever. 7. We are ready. 8. You are reckless. 9. I am shy. 10. They are polite.

Answers to Exercise 2:
1. Are you careful? 2. Is it warm? 3. Is he here? 4. Are we bold? 5. Are they careless? 6. Is she clever? 7. Are we ready? 8. Are you reckless? 9. Am I shy? 10. Are they polite?

Answers to Exercise 3:
1. You are not careful. 2. It is not warm. 3. He is not here. 4. We are not bold. 5. They are not careless. 6. She is not clever. 7. We are not ready. 8. You are not reckless. 9. I am not shy. 10. They are not polite.

Answers to Exercise 4:
1. Are you not careful? Aren't you careful? 2. Is it not warm? Isn't it warm? 3. Is he not here? Isn't he here? 4. Are we not bold? Aren't we bold? 5. Are they not careless? Aren't they careless? 6. Is she not clever? Isn't she clever? 7. Are we not ready? Aren't we ready? 8. Are you not reckless? Aren't you reckless? 9. Am I not shy? 10. Are they not polite? Aren't they polite?

Answers to Exercise 5:
1. You are careful, aren't you? 2. It is warm, isn't it? 3. He is here, isn't he? 4. We are bold, aren't we? 5. They are careless, aren't they? 6. She is clever, isn't she? 7. We are ready, aren't we? 8. You are reckless, aren't you? 9. I am shy, am I not? 10. They are polite, aren't they?

Answers to Exercise 6:
1. Are you hungry? 2. Are we not correct? 3. Is he happy? 4. Is it not cold? 5. She is here. 6. Am I early? 7. They are not wrong. 8. Are you comfortable? 9. Are they not strong? 10. Am I not fortunate? ii. Is it slippery? 12. You are not late. 13. Is it not important? 14. We are famous. 15. Are they present?

CHAPTER 2.  THE SIMPLE PRESENT OF VERBS OTHER THAN THE VERB TO BE

1. Formation of the simple present

The Simple Present of any verb other than the verb to be is formed from the bare infinitive of the verb. As shown in the following examples, the bare infinitive of a verb consists of the infinitive without the word to. The bare infinitive is the form in which English verbs are usually listed in dictionaries. For example:

Infinitive	Bare Infinitive
to be	be
to walk	walk
to work	work

In the Simple Present of verbs other than the verb to be, the form of the verb used with the subjects I , you, we and they is the same as the bare infinitive. The form of the verb used with the subjects he, she and it has the ending s added to the bare infinitive.

For example, the Simple Present of the verb to work is conjugated as follows:

I work

you work

he works

she works

it works

we work

they work

The form of the verb used with the subjects he, she and it is generally referred to as the third person singular.

See Exercise 1.

 

1a. The simple present of the verb To Have

The Simple Present of the verb to have is slightly irregular, since the bare infinitive is have, whereas the form of the verb used in the third person singular is has. The Simple Present of the verb to have is conjugated as follows:

I have

you have

he has

she has

it has

we have

they have

See Exercise 2.

 

2. Spelling rules for adding s in the third person singular

Some verbs change their spelling when s is added in the third person singular.

 

2a. Verbs ending in y

The English letters a, e, i, o and u are generally referred to as vowels. The other English letters are generally referred to as consonants.

When a verb ends in y immediately preceded by a consonant, the y is changed to ie before the ending s is added. In each of the following examples, the consonant immediately preceding the final y is underlined.

Bare Infinitive	Third Person Singular
study	studies
fly	flies
carry	carries

However, when a verb ends in y immediately preceded by a vowel, the y is not changed before the ending s is added. In each of the following examples, the vowel immediately preceding the final y is underlined.

Bare Infinitive	Third Person Singular
say	says
enjoy	enjoys
buy	buys

See Exercise 3.

 

2b. Verbs ending in o

When a verb ends in o, the letter e is added before the s ending. For example:

Bare Infinitive	Third Person Singular
do	does
echo	echoes
go	goes

 

2c. Verbs ending in ch, s, sh, x or z

When a verb ends in a sibilant sound such as ch, s, sh, x or z, the letter e is added before the s ending. For example:

Bare Infinitive	Third Person Singular
pass	passes
push	pushes
watch	watches
fix	fixes
buzz	buzzes

See Exercise 4.

 

3. Pronunciation of the es ending

A syllable is a unit of pronunciation, usually consisting of a vowel sound which may or may not be accompanied by consonants.

When a verb ends in a sibilant sound such as ch, s, sh, x or z, the es ending of the third person singular is pronounced as a separate syllable. The reason for this is that these sounds are so similar to the sound of the es ending, that the ending must be pronounced as a separate syllable in order to be heard clearly.

In each of the following examples the bare infinitive consists of one syllable, whereas the form of the verb used in the third person singular consists of two syllables.

Bare Infinitive	Third Person Singular
pass	passes
push	pushes
catch	catches
mix	mixes

Similarly, when s is added to verbs ending in ce, ge, se or ze, the final es is usually pronounced as a separate syllable. In each of the following examples the bare infinitive consists of one syllable, whereas the form of the verb used in the third person singular consists
of two syllables.

Bare Infinitive	Third Person Singular
race	races
rage	rages
praise	praises
doze	dozes

However, when s is added to a verb ending in e preceded by a letter other than c, g, s or z, the final es is not pronounced as a separate syllable. In each of the following examples, both the bare infinitive and the form of the verb used in the third person singular consist of one syllable.

Bare Infinitive	Third Person Singular
make	makes
smile	smiles
dine	dines
save	saves

See Exercise 5.

 

4. The auxiliary Do

With the exception of the verb to be, verbs in modern English use the auxiliary do to form questions and negative statements in the Simple Present.

The Simple Present of the verb to do is conjugated as follows:

I do

you do

he does

she does

it does

we do

they do

Auxiliaries are verbs which are combined with other verbs to form various tenses. It should be noted that when an auxiliary is combined with another verb, it is the auxiliary which must agree with the subject, while the form of the other verb remains invariable.

When the auxiliary do is combined with another verb, the other verb always has the form of the bare infinitive.

 

4a. Questions

In order to form a question in the Simple Present of any verb other than the verb to be, the Simple Present of the auxiliary do is added before the subject, and the bare infinitive of the verb is placed after the subject. For example:

Affirmative Statement	Question
I work.	Do I work?
You work.	Do you work?
He works.	Does he work?
She works.	Does she work?
It works.	Does it work?
We work.	Do we work?
They work.	Do they work?

See Exercise 6.

 

4b. Negative statements

In order to form a negative statement, the Simple Present of the auxiliary do followed by the word not is placed before the bare infinitive of the verb. For example:

Affirmative Statement	Negative Statement
I work.	I do not work.
You work.	You do not work.
He works.	He does not work.
She works.	She does not work.
It works.	It does not work.
We work.	We do not work.
They work.	They do not work.

See Exercise 7.

In spoken English, the following contractions are often used:

Without contractions	With contractions
do not	don't
does not	doesn't

 

4c. Negative questions

To form a negative question, the Simple Present of the auxiliary do is placed before the subject, and the word not followed by the bare infinitive is placed after the subject. However, when contractions are used, the contracted form of not follows immediately after the Simple Present of the auxiliary do. For example:

Without contractions	With contractions
Do I not work?	Don't I work?
Do you not work?	Don't you work?
Does he not work?	Doesn't he work?
Does she not work?	Doesn't she work?
Does it not work?	Doesn't it work?
Do we not work?	Don't we work?
Do they not work?	Don't they work?

See Exercise 8.

 

4d. Tag questions

The auxiliary do or does is used for a tag question which follows a statement containing the Simple Present of a verb other than the verb to be. In the following examples, the negative tag questions are underlined. Contractions are usually used in negative tag questions.

Affirmative Statement	Affirmative Statement with Tag Question
I work.	I work, don't I?
You work.	You work, don't you?
He works.	He works, doesn't he?
She works.	She works, doesn't she?
It works.	It works, doesn't it?
We work.	We work, don't we?
They work.	They work, don't they?

See Exercise 9.

 

4e. The verb To Have

It should be noted that, particularly in British English, in the case of the Simple Present and Simple Past of the verb to have, questions and negative statements are sometimes formed in the same way as for the verb to be, without the use of the auxiliary do.

e.g. He has a sister, hasn't he?

 

EXERCISES for CHAPTER 2.  THE SIMPLE PRESENT OF VERBS OTHER THAN THE VERB TO BE

1. Using the Simple Present tense, fill in the blanks with the correct forms of the verbs shown in brackets. For example:
      I ______ to the radio. (to listen)
      I listen to the radio.

      He _______ to the radio. (to listen)
      He listens to the radio.

1. She __________ the guitar. (to play)
2. We __________ soccer. (to play)
3. They _________ to talk. (to like)
4. He __________ ice cream. (to like)
5. You _________ your friends often. (to call)
6. He _________ the office every day. (to call)
7. She __________ regularly. (to practise)
8. They __________ once a week. (to practise)
9. We __________ here. (to shop)
10. It __________ delicious. (to taste)
Answers

2. Using the Simple Present tense, fill in the blanks with the correct forms of the verb to have. For example:
      I ____ a pen.
      I have a pen.

      He ___ two pencils.
      He has two pencils.

1. I _______ many books.
2. You _______ an apartment.
3. He _______ a bicycle.
4. We _______ fun.
5. They _______ two sleds.
6. She _______ milk in her tea.
7. I _______ a warm sweater.
8. We _______ breakfast at eight o'clock.
9. He _______ an alarm clock.
10. They ________ a sense of humor.
Answers

3. Paying attention to which verbs change their spelling before adding s in the third person singular, fill in the blanks with the Simple Present of the verbs shown in brackets. For example:
      He always _______ promptly. (to reply)
      He always replies promptly.

      She _____ little. (to say)
      She says little.

      They _____ bridge once a week. (to play)
      They play bridge once a week.

1. He __________ it. (to deny)
2. They __________ to be on time. (to try)
3. It _________ to be careful. (to pay)
4. She __________ hard. (to study)
5. You __________ good manners. (to display)
6. He always __________ himself. (to enjoy)
7. She __________ to Ireland once a year. (to fly)
8. We __________ five people. (to employ)
9. He __________ his friends. (to accompany)
10. She __________ chocolate chip cookies every week. (to buy)
Answers

4. Paying attention to which verbs take s and which take es in the third person singular, fill in the blanks with the Simple Present of the verbs shown in brackets. For example:
      He ____ everywhere on foot. (to go)
      He goes everywhere on foot.

      It _____ surprising. (to seem)
      It seems surprising.

      They _____ skiing. (to teach)
      They teach skiing.

1. She __________ a great deal of work. (to do)
2. He __________ television every evening. (to watch)
3. She __________ a horse. (to own)
4. We __________ the dishes every night. (to do)
5. She __________ she had a pair of skates. (to wish)
6. He _________ us to call him. (to want)
7. She __________ she made a mistake. (to confess)
8. He usually __________ the truth. (to tell)
9. They __________ apples to make cider. (to press)
10. It __________ out easily. (to wash)
Answers

5. For each of the following verbs, underline the letter or letters representing the sound preceding the es ending, and then indicate the number of syllables in the verb. For example:
      wishes __
      wishes 2

      laces __
      laces 2

      takes __
      takes 1

1. watches __
2. teases __
3. likes __
4. rushes __
5. faces __
6. dines __
7. misses __
8. tames __
9. scares __
10. passes __
11. pinches __
12. wades __
Answers

6. Change the following affirmative statements into questions. For example:
      She walks to work.
      Does she walk to work?

      They take the bus.
      Do they take the bus?

1. I hurry home.
2. He drives a truck.
3. You follow the news.
4. They want a pet.
5. She likes flowers.
6. We need tea.
7. She answers the questions.
8. He drinks coffee.
9. I learn quickly.
10. It rains heavily.
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7. Change the affirmative statements given in Exercise 6 into negative statements. For example:
      She walks to work.
      She does not walk to work.

      They take the bus.
      They do not take the bus.
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8. Change the affirmative statements given in Exercise 6 into negative questions. Give both the forms without contractions, and the forms with contractions. For example:
      She walks to work.
      Does she not walk to work?
      Doesn't she walk to work?

      They take the bus.
      Do they not take the bus?
      Don't they take the bus?
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9. Add negative tag questions to the affirmative statements given in Exercise 6. Use contractions for the tag questions. For example:
      She walks to work.
      She walks to work, doesn't she?

      They take the bus.
      They take the bus, don't they?
Answers
 

ANSWERS for CHAPTER 2. THE SIMPLE PRESENT OF VERBS OTHER THAN THE VERB TO BE

Answers to Exercise 1:
1. plays 2. play 3. like 4. likes 5. call 6. calls 7. practises 8. practise 9. shop 10. tastes

Answers to Exercise 2:
1. have 2. have 3. has 4. have 5. have 6. has 7. have 8. have 9. has 10. have

Answers to Exercise 3:
1. denies 2. try 3. pays 4. studies 5. display 6. enjoys 7. flies 8. employ 9. accompanies 10. buys

Answers to Exercise 4:
1. does 2. watches 3. owns 4. do 5. wishes 6. wants 7. confesses 8. tells 9. press 10. washes

Answers to Exercise 5:
1. watches 2 2. teases 2 3. likes 1 4. rushes 2 5. faces 2 6. dines 1 7. misses 2 8. tames 1 9. scares 1 10. passes 2 11. pinches 2 12. wades 1

Answers to Exercise 6:
1. Do I hurry home? 2. Does he drive a truck? 3. Do you follow the news? 4. Do they want a pet? 5. Does she like flowers? 6. Do we need tea? 7. Does she answer the questions? 8. Does he drink coffee? 9. Do I learn quickly? 10. Does it rain heavily?

Answers to Exercise 7:
1. I do not hurry home. 2. He does not drive a truck. 3. You do not follow the news. 4. They do not want a pet. 5. She does not like flowers. 6. We do not need tea. 7. She does not answer the questions. 8. He does not drink coffee. 9. I do not learn quickly. 10. It does not rain heavily.

Answers to Exercise 8:
1. Do I not hurry home? Don't I hurry home? 2. Does he not drive a truck? Doesn't he drive a truck? 3. Do you not follow the news? Don't you follows the news? 4. Do they not want a pet? Don't they want a pet? 5. Does she not like flowers? Doesn't she like flowers? 6. Do we not need tea? Don't we need tea? 7. Does she not answer the questions? Doesn't she answer the questions? 8. Does he not drink coffee? Doesn't he drink coffee? 9. Do I not learn quickly? Don't I learn quickly? 10. Does it not rain heavily? Doesn't it rain heavily?

Answers to Exercise 9:
1. I hurry home, don't I? 2. He drives a truck, doesn't he?
3. You follow the news, don't you? 4. They want a pet, don't they? 5. She likes flowers, doesn't she? 6. We need tea, don't we? 7. She answers the questions, doesn't she? 8. He drinks coffee, doesn't he? 9. I learn quickly, don't I? 10. It rains heavily, doesn't it?

CHAPTER 3.  THE PRESENT CONTINUOUS

1. Uses of the present continuous
In English, the Present Continuous tense is usually used to express continuing, ongoing actions which are taking place at the moment of speaking or writing. In the examples given below, the verbs in the Present Continuous tense are underlined.
e.g. Right now I am cooking supper.
      At the moment the plane is flying over the Gulf of St. Lawrence.

The Present Continuous tense is often used in conversation.
e.g. "What are you doing?"
      "I am working on my English assignment."

Occasionally, the Present Continuous tense is used to refer to a future event.
e.g. We are leaving tomorrow.

 

2. Formation of the present continuous
The Present Continuous tense of any verb is formed from the Simple Present of the auxiliary to be, followed by what is generally referred to as the present participle of the verb.

The present participle of a verb is formed by adding ing to the bare infinitive. For instance, the present participle of the verb to work is working.

Thus, the Present Continuous tense of the verb to work is conjugated as follows:

I am working

you are working

he is working

she is working

it is working

we are working

they are working

See Exercise 1.

 

3. Spelling rules for the formation of the present participle
Some verbs change their spelling when the ending ing is added to form the present participle.

a. Verbs ending in a silent e
When a verb ends in a silent e, the silent e is dropped before the ending ing is added. For example:

Infinitive	Present Participle
to close	closing
to dine	dining
to leave	leaving
to move	moving

However, when a verb ends in an e which is not silent, the final e is not dropped before the ending ing is added. For example:

Infinitive	Present Participle
to be	being
to see	seeing

b. Verbs ending in ie
When a verb ends in ie, the ie is changed to y before the ending ing is added. For example:

Infinitive	Present Participle
to die	dying
to lie	lying

When a verb ends in y, no change is made before the ending is added. For example:

Infinitive	Present Participle
to fly	flying
to play	playing

See Exercise 2.

c. One-syllable verbs ending in a single consonant preceded by a single vowel
Except in the case of the final consonants w, x and y, when a one-syllable verb ends in a single consonant preceded by a single vowel, the final consonant must be doubled before the ending ing is added. The reason for this is to reflect the fact that the pronunciation of the single vowel does not change when the ending ing is added.

English vowels have a variety of pronunciations. For instance, each English vowel has two contrasting pronunciations, which are sometimes referred to as short and long. Vowels which are followed by two consonants, and vowels which are followed by a single consonant at the end of a word, are generally pronounced short. In contrast, vowels which are followed by a single consonant followed by another vowel are generally pronounced long.

In the table below, the underlined vowels in the left-hand column are pronounced short; whereas the underlined vowels in the right-hand column are pronounced long. For example:

Short Vowels	Long Vowels
fat	fate
tapping	taping
let	delete
win	wine
filling	filing
not	note
hopping	hoping
flutter	flute

Thus, in the case of most one-syllable verbs ending in a single consonant preceded by a single vowel, the vowel is pronounced short. In order to reflect the fact that the vowel is also pronounced short in the corresponding present participle, except in the case of w, x and y, the final consonant must be doubled before the ending ing is added.

In the following examples, the consonants which have been doubled are
underlined. For example:

Infinitive	Present Participle
to nod	nodding
to dig	digging
to run	running
to clap	clapping
to set	setting

When a verb ends in w, x or y preceded by a single vowel, the final consonant is not doubled before the ending is added. For example:

Infinitive	Present Participle
to draw	drawing
to fix	fixing
to say	saying

It should also be noted that when a verb ends in a single consonant preceded by two vowels, the final consonant is not doubled before the ending is added. The reason for this is that two vowels together are generally pronounced long. For example:

Infinitive	Present Participle
to rain	raining
to read	reading
to meet	meeting
to soak	soaking

See Exercise 3.

d. Verbs of more than one syllable which end in a single consonant preceded by a single vowel
When a verb of more than one syllable ends in a single consonant other than w, x or y preceded by a single vowel, the final consonant is doubled to form the present participle only when the last syllable of the verb is pronounced with the heaviest stress.

For instance, in the following examples, the last syllables of the verbs have the heaviest stress, and the final consonants are doubled to form the present participles. In these examples, the syllables pronounced with the heaviest stress are underlined. For example:

Infinitive	Present Participle
to expel	expelling
to begin	beginning
to occur	occurring
to omit	omitting

When a verb of more than one syllable ends in w, x or y, the final consonant is not doubled before the ending ing is added. In the following examples, the syllables pronounced with the heaviest stress are underlined. For example:

Infinitive	Present Participle
to allow	allowing
to affix	affixing
to convey	conveying

When the last syllable of a verb is not pronounced with the heaviest stress, the final consonant is usually not doubled to form the present participle. For instance, in the following examples, the last syllables of the verbs do not have the heaviest stress, and the final consonants are not doubled to form the present participles. In these examples, the syllables pronounced with the heaviest stress are underlined. For example:

Infinitive	Present Participle
to listen	listening
to order	ordering
to focus	focusing
to limit	limiting

If necessary, a dictionary can be consulted to determine which syllable of a verb has the heaviest stress. Many dictionaries use symbols such as apostrophes to indicate which syllables are pronounced with the heaviest stress.

See Exercise 4.

It should be noted that British and American spelling rules differ for verbs which end in a single l preceded by a single vowel. In British spelling, the l is always doubled before the endings ing and ed
are added. However, in American spelling, verbs ending with a single l follow the same rule as other verbs; the l is doubled only when the last syllable has the heaviest stress. In the following examples, the syllables with the heaviest stress are underlined. For example:

Infinitive	Present Participle
	American Spelling	British Spelling
to signal	signaling	signalling
to travel	traveling	travelling
to compel	compelling	compelling
to propel	propelling	propelling

From these examples it can be seen that the American and British spellings for verbs ending in a single l differ only when the last syllable does not have the heaviest stress.

 

4. Questions and negative statements
a. Questions
In the Present Continuous, the verb to be acts as an auxiliary. As is the case with other English tenses, it is the auxiliary which is used to form questions and negative statements.

To form a question in the Present Continuous tense, the auxiliary is placed before the subject. For example:

Affirmative Statement	Question
I am working.	Am I working?
You are working.	Are you working?
He is working.	Is he working?
She is working.	Is she working?
It is working.	Is it working?
We are working.	Are we working?
They are working.	Are they working?

See Exercise 5.

b. Negative statements
To form a negative statement, the word not is added after the auxiliary. For example:

Affirmative Statement	Negative Statement
I am working.	I am not working.
You are working.	You are not working.
He is working.	He is not working.
She is working.	She is not working.
It is working.	It is not working.
We are working.	We are not working.
They are working.	They are not working.

See Exercise 6.

c. Negative questions
To form a negative question, the auxiliary is placed before the subject, and the word not is placed after the subject. However, when contractions are used, the contracted form of not follows immediately after the auxiliary. Although there is no universally accepted contraction for am not, the expression aren't I? is often used in spoken English. For example:

Without Contractions	With Contractions
Am I not working?	[Aren't I working?] - used in speaking
Are you not working?	Aren't you working?
Is he not working?	Isn't he working?
Is she not working?	Isn't she working?
Is it not working?	Isn't it working?
Are we not working?	Aren't we working?
Are they not working?	Aren't they working?

See Exercise 7.

d. Tag questions
Tag questions are also formed using the auxiliary. In the following examples, the tag questions are underlined. In spoken English, aren't I? is often used as a tag question. For example:

Affirmative Statement	Affirmative Statement with Tag Question
I am working.	I am working, am I not?
You are working.	You are working, aren't you?
He is working.	He is working, isn't he?
She is working.	She is working, isn't she?
It is working.	It is working, isn't it?
We are working.	We are working, aren't we?
They are working.	They are working, aren't they?

See Exercise 8.

 

5. Comparison of the uses of the simple present and present continuous
As pointed out in Chapter 1, the Simple Present tense may be used for stating general truths, and for referring to actions which occur at regular intervals. In the following examples, the verbs in the Simple Present tense are underlined.
e.g. Nova Scotia is a Canadian province. Geese fly south every winter.

In contrast, the Present Continuous tense is usually used to refer to ongoing actions happening at the time of speaking or writing. In the following examples, the verbs in the Present Continuous tense are underlined.
e.g. Right now, I am visiting the province of Nova Scotia. At the moment, a flock of geese is flying overhead.

See Exercise 9.