THE PRESENT SIMPLE TENSE FORM SPELLING RULES Affirmative form - we use the infinitive in affirmative form. In 3^rd person singular the base form of the verb takes s or es. Interrogative form - we use DO or DOES. Negative form - we use DON'T or DOESN'T. Most verbs take - s in the third person singular. e.g. read - reads Verbs ending in -ss, -sh, -ch, -x, and -o takes -es. e.g. kiss - kisses, brush - brushes, teach - teaches, fix - fixes, go - goes Verbs ending in a consonant + y, drop the -y and take -ies. e.g. try - tries, fly - flies Verbs ending in a vowel + y , simply takes -s. e.g. buy - buys Present Simple refers to: Fact that are always truth (= permanent states) e.g. Water boils in 100 degrees Celsius. The sun sets in the west. Summer follows spring. Habits e.g. British people drink a lot of tea. He works in a bank. States e.g. I don't like watching horror movies. I love listening to music. Making declarations and observations - verbs describing opinions and feeling tend to be state verbs. e.g. I hope you'll come to a party. I bet you don't know the answer! Headlines - there are written in a `telegrams' style, and references to the past are usually simplified to present simple. e.g. Ship sinks in midnight collision. Lucky escape after bad take off. Instructions, recipes and itineraries e.g. One day three we visit Stratford-upon-Avon. First you weight the ingredients. Next... Commentaries e.g. Peterson overtakes Williams and wins the race. Plots of stories and summaries of historical events e.g. In Chapter 1, Susan meets David, and agrees to help him. Georg Washington becomes the first president of the USA. Historic present in narrative and `funny stories' - in informal speech, it is possible to use the `historic present' to describe past events, especially to make the narration seem more immediate and dramatic. e.g. ... So then the second man asks the first one why he has a banana in his ear end the first one says... Conditional sentences type 1 e.g. If I see Ann I'll ask her. Unless you take the brake off the car won't move. Time closes e.g. As soon as he makes any money he spends it.

THE PRESENT CONTINOUS TENSE FORMA TO BE + infinitive with ING. SPELLING RULES Verbs ending in -e, drop the -e and take the -ing suffix. e.g. dance - dances Verbs ending in one stressed vowel between two consonants, double the last consonant and take the -ing suffix. e.g. run - running, get - getting but open - opening Verbs ending in -l, double the -l and take the -ing. e.g. travel - travelling Verbs ending in -ie, drop the -ie and take the -y + -ing. e.g. lie - lying, die - dying Present Continuous refers to: Actions in progress at the moment of speaking e.g. He is working at the moment. Temporary actions - that is actions that are going in around now but not at the actual moment of speaking. e.g. My car has broken down so I'm walking to work these days. Are you enjoying your stay here? My daughter is studying English at Jagiellonian University. A repeated temporary actions - to use emphasis for temporary or repeated habitual action. e.g. Whenever I see Tom he's smoking. You're making the same mistake again. Annoying habits (with adverbs such as: always, constantly, continually and forever) e.g. You're always borrowing money for me! You are always complain about my cookies! He's always going away for weekends. (Also when the frequency seems unreasonable to the speaker.) For changing and developing situations e.g. Things are going worse! More and more species are becoming extinct. Near future - for actions that we have already arranged to do in the near future, especially when the time and place have been decided. e.g. They're moving to their new house next week.

THE PRESENT PERFECT SIMPLE TENSE FORM HAVE or HAS + past participle or infinitive with ED. SPELLING RULES Verbs ending in -e take only -d. e.g. dance - danced Verbs ending in a consonant + y, drop the y and take -ied. e.g. try - tried Verbs ending in a vowel + y, take -ed. e.g. play - played Verbs ending in one stressed vowel between two consonants, double the last consonant and take -ed. e.g. plan - planned but open - opened Verbs ending in -l, double the -l and take -ed. e.g. travel - travelled, quarrel - quarrelled Present Perfect Simple refers to: Action which started in the past and continues up to the present with time expressions like: since, for, already, yet, just, always, ever, never, so far, before (now), never ... before, up till now, occasionally, often, several times, lately/ recently. e.g. He has lived there since 1989./ He has lived here for 20 years. I have received 20 emails so far. I have never tasted papaya (before). Actions which has recently finished and whose result is visible in the present. e.g. Tom has had a bad car crash. (He's probably still in hospital.) I've washed the car. (It looks lovely.) He hasn't come yet. (so they are still waiting for him) Past actions whose time is not mentioned - the emphasis is placed on the action. e.g. I have read the instructions but I don't understand them. Have you had breakfast yet? Specific time period (which is not over at the moment of speaking). e.g. She has taken fifteen pictures today. (The time period - today - is not over yet. She may take more pictures.) A habitual action in a period of time up to the present. e.g. I've been jogging every morning for the last month. Actions which occur further back in the past, provided the connection with the present is still maintained, that is the action could be repeated in the present. e.g. I have seen wolves. (it is still possible to see them) With the construction `This is'. e.g. This is the best book I have ever read. (It can be used without ever.) It is only the second time he has been in a canoe. Newspapers and broadcast - to introduce an action which will then be described in the simple past tense. e.g. Thirty pounds' worth of jewellery has been stolen from the jewellers. Often in letters. e.g. Sorry I haven't written before but I've been busy lately.

THE PRESENT PERFECT CONTINUOUS TENSE FORM HAVE/ HAS + BEEN + infinitive with ING Present Perfect Continuous refers to: To put emphasis on the duration of an action which started in the past and continues up to the present - especially with verbs learn, lie, live, sit, sleep, stand, study, wait, work. e.g. I've been waiting for you for three hours! I've been working here since 1998. - in both examples we can also use the present perfect simple but must often we use them in the continuous. I've been typing all day. - depending on context this may mean I'm still typing (not completed) or I've just recently stopped. An incomplete activity. e.g. I've been cleaning the house but I still haven't finished. To express anger, irritation or annoyance. e.g. Somebody has been giving away our plans. (The speaker is irritated.) A repeated activity. e.g. I've been taking French lessons this year. Contrast with Present Perfect Simple and Present Perfect Continuous. We use present perfect to put emphasis on number and the present perfect continuous to put emphasis on duration. Completion and incompletion. Complete: emphasis on the achievement I've ironed five shirts this morning. Incomplete or recently complete: emphasis in the duration I've been ironed my shirts this morning. HAVE GON TO / HAVE BEEN TO She has gone to the office. (This means she has not come back yet. She is still at the office.) He has been to Rome twice. (This means that he has visited Rome twice; he is not there now. He has come back.)

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