Grammar I: Notes 2011; Verbs: tenses, classification, mood, modals

Verb Tenses

Present Simple
1. Permanent states, repeated actions, daily routines.
2. General truths and laws of nature.
3. Timetables and programmes.
4. Sport commentaries, reviews, narratives.

Used with: always, usually, every day/week/year, in the morning, at night, etc.

Present Continuous
1. Actions taking place at the moment of speaking or temporary actions (going on around now, but not at the moment of speaking).
2. To express irritations at actions that happen too often (with always).
3. Arranged actions in the near future "They are getting together tonight."
4. Changing or developing situations "Day by day more teenagers are dropping out school."

Used with: now, at the moment, these days, at present, nowadays,still, etc.

Past Simple
1. An action which happened at a definite time in the past (the time is stated, already know or implied).
2. Actions that happened immediately one after the other"He saw her and kissed her. Then they went away."
3. Past habits or states which are now finished (we can also use "used to").
4. To talk about the lives of people who are not longer alive "Freddy Mercury confessed about his decease in 1990."

Used with: yesterday, last night, ago, then, when, in 1999, etc.

Past Continuous
1. An action which was in progress at a stated time in the past (It is not mentioned when the action started or finished).
2. An action which was in progress when another action interrupted it (present Continuous is used for the action in progress, and present simple for the action which was interrupted).
3. Two or more simultaneous past actions.
4. To describe the atmosphere in the introduction to a story before we describe the main events.

Used with: when, while, as, all day/morning, etc.

Present Perfect
1. To describe an actions which started in the past and continues up to the present.
2. An action which has just finished and whose results is visible in the present.
3. An actions which happened at an unstated time in the past (time is not important, so it is not mentioned. The action is on th action).
4. An action which has happened within a specific time period which is not over at moment of speaking.

Used with: already, yet, just, always, ever, never, so far, etc.

Present Perfect Continuous
1. To put emphasis on the duration of an action which started in the past and continues up to the present (for/since...all morning).
2. An action which lasted some time in the past and whose result is visible in the present.
3. To express anger, annoyance or irritation.

 Past Perfect
1. An action which happened before another past action or before a stated time in the past "They had already left school at 8:00".
2. An action which finished in the past and whose result was visible in the past.

Used with: before, after, already, for, since, just, till/until, by, by the time, never, etc.

Past Perfect Continuous
1. To put emphasis on the duration of an action which started and finished in the past before another past action or a stated time in the past (usually with: since or for).
2. An action which lasted some time in the past and whose result was visible in the past

Used with: for, since, how long, before, until, etc.

Future Simple
1. In predictions about the future (usually with: think, believe, expect, etc).
2. On-the-spot decisions and offers.
3. Actions/events/situations which will definitely happen in the future and  which we cannot control "Tomorrow will be Friday".
4. For promises, threats, warnings, requests, hopes "I hope it will stop soon".

Future Continuous
1. An action which will be in progress at a stated time in the future "Tomorrow, I'll be dancing at the party".
2. An action which will definitely happen in the future as a result of a routine or arrangement "I'll be seeing them at the meeting".
3. When we ask politely about someone's plans for the near future "We want to know if our wishes fit with their plans".

Future Perfect
1. An action which will be finished before a stated future time "I'll have eaten all b 4:00".

Used with: by, by the time, until, by then, etc.

Future Perfect Continuous
1. To emphasize the duration of an action up to a certain time in the future "By the time I come back, I'll have been riding for ten hours".

Used with: by...for

Another Forms of Referring to the Future

• Be going to
• for plans, intentions or ambitions we have for the future "I'm going to get a course on French".
• in predictions when there is no evidence that something will happen in the near future "Listen! they are going to play the song".

• Present Continuous
• Arrangements in the near future "I'm seeing him next week". 

• Present Simple
• Referring to programmes or timetables "The movie starts in ten minutes".

 

Classification of Verbs

In respect to the function of each item in a verb phrase, we can distinguish lexical verbs from auxiliary verbs:

• Lexical Verbs: They are the ones which tell what the action or state of the subject is. They carry semantic meaning, and can act as the core if a verb phrase.
• Auxiliary Verbs: They help other verbs to form interrigative, negative and emphatic forms of speech and to form tenses, mood and voice. They also have the characteristic that can form questions tags, echo tags and different types of short answers. This kind of verb are in their turn subdivided into primary and modal verbs. A sentence example to this is "We are leaving tomorrow morning."

Finite Verbs: They can form the predicate by themselves since they have tense distinction, person and number concord between the subject and verb.
Non-finite Verb: They cannot form predicate by themselves. The form they take are the infinitive, ing participle and ed participle.

The type of complement used in a predicate depends on the type of principal verb. There are three types of principal verbs.

• Transitive Verbs: They have to be followed by an object to complete their meaning.
• Intransitive Verbs: They does not require an object. They usually expresses motion and is often followed by an adverbial.
• Linking Verbs: They have to be followed by a complement to complet their meaning. The main function of these verbs are to link the subject to a complement. The linking verb by itself does not have much meaning, but the linking verb and the complement together describe the state of the subject.

Stative Verbs: They cannot be used in progressive forms because they refer to states and not to actions. There are four states of stative verbs, which are: verb of the mind, verbs of emotions and feelings, verbs of senses, and verbs of possessions.
Dynamic Verbs: They can be used in progressive forms because they refer to actions, either voluntary or changing situations.

Regular Verbs: They are the ones that can form their past tenses by a adding ed or d to the base.
Irregular Verbs: They form their past tense an past participle by a change of vowel, or using a completely different word.