English grammar exercises online

Lesson: Present Tenses

The four present tenses: Present Simple, Present Continuous, Present Perfect and Present Perfect Continuous. Theory first — how they are formed and when you need them — then a quiz.

Why verbs have tenses

The verb changes form to show when an action happened and what kind of action it was: a habit, something in progress right now, something completed, or something that has been going on for a while. There are 12 forms and none of them is spare: each has its own uses that do not overlap with the others. This lesson covers the Present column.

💡 Choose the tense by the meaning of the whole situation. Signal words (always, now, since) help, but look at them second.

Present Simple: form

The base is the infinitive without to. Questions and negatives use do / does.

💡 Only the verb in an affirmative sentence takes -s/-es, and only when the subject is he / she / it (or a word you could replace with them: my sister, the dog). In questions and negatives the -s “moves” to does: She plays → Does she play?

Present Simple: -s or -es?

How to spell the verb with he / she / it.

Usually just -s

• read → reads, stay → stays — including vowel + y: play → plays, enjoy → enjoys

Consonant + y → -ies

• try → tries, study → studies, fly → flies — y changes to i

After -s, -z, -ch, -sh, -x → -es

• kiss → kisses, catch → catches, wash → washes, mix → mixes — otherwise you could not pronounce it

Learn separately

• have → has, go → goes, do → does — goes /ɡəʊz/, does /dʌz/

Present Simple: how the ending sounds

The same -s sounds different depending on the last sound of the verb.

• /ɪz/ — after hissing sounds: s, z, sh, ch, j (teaches, washes, kisses, changes, uses)
• /s/ — after voiceless /p/, /t/, /k/, /f/, /θ/ (stops, gets, likes, laughs)
• /z/ — after voiced consonants and vowels (runs, needs, lives, plays, sees)
• says, does — are pronounced in a special way (says /sez/, does /dʌz/)

Present Simple: when to use it

The main idea: what is true in general, not only at this minute.

1. Habits, permanent and repeated actions

• My uncle runs a small bakery. — a permanent occupation
• We go to the gym twice a week. — a repeated action
• What do owls eat? — a general question

2. Facts and laws of nature

• Water freezes at 0°C. — always true
• The Moon goes round the Earth. — always true

3. Timetables — even about the future

• The ferry leaves at 7:40 tomorrow. — a fixed schedule
• My new course starts next Monday. — a fixed schedule

4. After when / if / as soon as instead of will

• I'll text you when I land. — not “when I will land”
• If it snows, we'll stay at home. — not “if it will snow”

5. Stories, commentaries, instructions — a chain of actions

• So I open the fridge, and guess what I see? — a lively retelling of a story
• Silva crosses to Kane… and Kane scores! — sports commentary
• First you mix the flour and eggs, then you add milk. — instructions, a recipe

6. News headlines

• STORM HITS COAST. MAYOR OPENS NEW BRIDGE. — short and in the present

7. Verbs that perform the act as you say them

• I promise to call you back. — saying it is making the promise
• She denies everything. — a statement made now

Present Simple: frequency words

From “always” to “never”: always, usually / normally, often / regularly, sometimes, occasionally, seldom / rarely / hardly ever, never.

Where always, often, never and the others go

• Mia often forgets her umbrella. — before the main verb
• He is never late. — after to be
• You can always ask me. — after a modal or auxiliary verb
• They don't always tidy up. — in a negative: don’t always, not always don’t
• Sometimes I feel tired. — usually, often, sometimes can move to the start for emphasis

Expressions that usually go at the end

• every day, on Mondays, at weekends, in the morning, at night, from time to time, twice a month — I visit my grandma on Sundays.

Present Continuous: form

am / is / are + verb with -ing.

Present Continuous: when to use it

The main idea: the action is temporary — in progress now or around now.

1. Right now (now, at the moment, still, Look!)

• Look! It's snowing. — happening as we speak
• Why are you smiling? — at this moment
• He's still waiting for the bus. — not finished yet

2. Temporary, around now (these days, this week, nowadays)

• I'm staying with my cousin this week. — only for this week
• More people are working from home these days. — a current trend

3. Arrangements and plans with a date

• We're meeting Lucy on Friday. — already arranged
• She's flying to Rome tomorrow. — the ticket is booked

4. Annoyance with always / constantly

• You're always leaving the lights on! — it happens too often and it irritates me

5. Change and development (more and more, every year)

• The city is getting bigger every year. — a gradual change
• Electric cars are becoming more popular. — a gradual change

💡 State verbs (know, like, want, believe…) are not used in any Continuous tense. And if you need to say HOW LONG an action has lasted (how long, for, since), that is Present Perfect Continuous.

Present Perfect: form

have / has + the third form of the verb (past participle): -ed for regular verbs, from the table for irregular ones.

Present Perfect: when to use it

The main idea: a past that matters now.

1. Started earlier and still continues (usually state verbs + since / for)

• I've known Mark since school. — and I still know him
• They've lived in Madrid for ten years. — and they still live there

2. There is a result now (just, already, yet, so far, recently)

• I've lost my keys. — and I do not have them now
• We've already booked the hotel. — the booking exists now
• Have you finished your homework yet? — is it done now?

3. Experience: exactly when does not matter (ever, never)

• I've been to Japan twice. — at some point in my life
• Have you ever tried surfing? — at any time in your life

4. The period is not over yet (today, this week, this year)

• I've drunk three coffees today. — today is still going on

5. News — with the details then given in Past Simple

• The police have caught the thief. They found him at the station. — the news in Present Perfect, the details in Past Simple

6. After when / after / as soon as, when it matters that the action is complete

• I'll call you when I've finished. — only after it is done

7. After “it’s the first time…” and superlatives

• It's the first time I've tried sushi. — not “I try” or “I am trying”
• She's the kindest person I've ever met. — superlative + ever

been to, gone to or been in?

Three similar expressions with different meanings.

• I've been to the bank. — I went there and I am back. (have been to — went and came back)
• Dad's gone to the bank. — He left and has not come back yet. (have gone to — left and is still there)
• She's been in Paris for a week. — She is still there now. (have been in — is there up to now)

Present Perfect Continuous: form

have / has + been + verb with -ing.

Present Perfect Continuous: when to use it

The main idea: a process that stretches from the past, where its duration matters.

1. How long (for, since, all day, How long…?)

• I've been waiting for you for an hour! — and I am still waiting
• How long have you been learning English? — up to now

2. The process has left traces, even if it has already stopped

• I'm out of breath — I've been running. — you can see the effect
• It's been raining, the roads are wet. — you can see the effect

3. Annoyance: someone has been doing something without asking

• Who's been using my laptop? — I can tell someone has

Perfect or Perfect Continuous?

Both tenses link the past to the present, but they look at different things.

• I've painted the fence. / I've been painting the fence. — The fence is painted — a result. / I was painting, my hands are covered in paint — a process, maybe not finished.
• She's written four emails this morning. / She's been writing emails all morning. — How many are done — Perfect. How long it has lasted — Perfect Continuous.
• I've known her for years. / I've been talking to her for an hour. — State verbs (know, like, have) — Perfect only. An action with the focus on duration — Continuous.
• My grandpa has played chess since he was six. / I've been playing chess all afternoon. — Long-standing, almost permanent — Perfect. Recent and temporary — Continuous.
• I've worked here since May. = I've been working here since May. — With live, work, teach, feel there is almost no difference — both are fine.

All four side by side

One situation — rain — in four tenses.

Action verbs and state verbs

• run, play, build, improve — An action — can be used in Continuous.
• know, like, hate, want, believe, seem, belong, understand — A state — not used in Continuous: I know, not I am knowing.
• He is being rude today. — Exception: be in Continuous = “is behaving that way now”, temporarily.

💡 I'm learning English — around now. I've been learning English for a year — how long it has lasted so far.

Lesson: Past Tenses

The four past tenses: Past Simple, Past Continuous, Past Perfect and Past Perfect Continuous. How they are formed, when you need them, the ending -ed, irregular verbs and the difference from Present Perfect.

Past Simple: form

An affirmative sentence uses the second form of the verb: for regular verbs that is the ending -ed, for irregular ones you have to know the form (go → went). Questions and negatives use did, and the verb goes back to the base form.

💡 After did — always the base form: Did she call? (not “called”), They didn't go (not “went”). The verb to be does without did: was / were.

Past Simple: spelling of -ed

The ending of regular verbs depends on the last letters.

• like → liked, arrive → arrived — a verb in -e: add only -d
• play → played, enjoy → enjoyed — vowel + y: just -ed
• try → tried, study → studied — consonant + y: y changes to i, then -ed
• stop → stopped, plan → planned, prefer → preferred — a short stressed syllable “consonant — vowel — consonant”: the last consonant is doubled (but visit → visited, open → opened: the stress is not on the last syllable)
• travel → travelled — in British English a final l is doubled (American English: traveled)

Past Simple: how -ed sounds

It is spelled the same but sounds different — look at the last sound of the verb.

• /t/ — after voiceless consonants (worked, watched, helped, washed)
• /d/ — after voiced consonants and vowels (played, opened, lived, called)
• /ɪd/ — after t and d — an extra syllable appears (wanted, needed, decided, visited)

Irregular verbs

They have their own second form (for Past Simple) and third form (for Perfect). Learn the most frequent ones straight away.

Past Simple: when to use it

The main idea: it happened and it is over. The fact itself matters; the time is usually stated or clear.

1. A finished action at a known time (yesterday, last week, in 2019, two days ago)

• We moved to Valencia in 2019. — the time is stated
• I saw that film two days ago. — the time is stated

2. A chain of actions — one after another

• He opened the door, switched on the light and sat down. — three actions in order

3. Past habits and states; used to — something that is no longer true

• We used to play in the yard every evening. — we no longer do
• I didn't use to like coffee. — now I do (in negatives and questions — use to: Did you use to…?)

4. About people who are no longer alive

• Mozart wrote more than 600 works. — his life is a finished period

5. States in the past (state verbs)

• She knew the answer. — a state, not a process
• They believed every word. — a state, not a process

Past Continuous: form

was / were + verb with -ing.

Past Continuous: when to use it

The main idea: a process that was going on at some moment in the past. It is the “background” for events.

1. An action in progress at a specific moment

• At eight o'clock last night I was cooking dinner. — in the middle of it at eight

2. A long action interrupted by a short one

• I was having a shower when the phone rang. — long action + short event
• While we were walking, it started to rain. — long action + short event

3. Two processes at the same time

• She was reading while he was cooking. — both in progress

4. Setting the scene in a story

• The sun was shining and people were sitting outside cafés. — the background before the events

5. Annoyance with always / constantly

• He was always losing his keys. — it happened too often

💡 when + Past Simple — a short event; while + Past Continuous — a long process. State verbs are not used in Continuous: I knew, not “I was knowing”.

Past Perfect: form

had + the third form of the verb. The same for all persons.

Past Perfect: when to use it

The main idea: “the past before the past” — it happened even earlier than another past event.

1. Earlier than another action in the past

• When we arrived, the film had already started. — the film started first
• She had booked a table before we got there. — the booking came first

2. A result that was visible in the past

• He had broken his arm, so he couldn't drive. — an earlier event explains the situation

3. Like Present Perfect, but the reference point is in the past (for, since)

• When they got married, they had known each other for ten years. — ten years up to the wedding

💡 If events simply follow one another (and, then), Past Simple is enough: I got up, had breakfast and left.

Past Perfect Continuous: form and use

had been + verb with -ing. A process that lasted up to some moment in the past.

1. How long it lasted before another past event

• We had been waiting for two hours when the bus finally came. — two hours of waiting before the bus

2. The process left a trace in the past

• Her eyes were red. She had been crying. — you could see the effect
• He was tired because he had been working all night. — the process explains the state

All four side by side

One situation — rain — in four past tenses.

Past Simple or Present Perfect?

Both talk about the past, but Past Simple is about a finished time, while Present Perfect is about a link to the present.

• I lost my keys yesterday. / I have lost my keys. — Lost them yesterday (we know when). / Lost them and do not have them now (the result matters).
• They have lived here since 2015. Before that, they lived in a flat. — They have lived here since 2015 (still do). Before that they lived in a flat (finished).
• I have known her since we were children. — I still know her — Perfect; “were children” is a finished time — Past Simple.

💡 The words yesterday, last week, in 2019, ago signal Past Simple. Present Perfect is not used with them.

Lesson: There & It

There is / there are in all tenses, it as a dummy subject and object, emphasis with it was … who, it takes, it's time and fixed expressions such as there's no point and it's no use.

What inversion is

The normal word order in English is subject, then verb. Inversion is when the verb (or part of it) comes before the subject. There is… and It is… are the most frequent cases, but not the only ones.

• There is some noise outside. — the there + be construction
• "How are you?" said Winnie-the-Pooh. — after direct speech
• Here is located a nice Italian restaurant. — after here / there
• In the Pyramids were buried powerful pharaohs. — after an expression of place
• Had I more money, I would buy a much better present. — a condition without if
• Hardly had I crossed the threshold when a huge dog jumped on me. — after negative adverbs: hardly, never, seldom…
• It was me who found the gold in the garden. — emphasis with it

There + be: the basic pattern

THERE + BE + SUBJECT + PLACE / TIME. It tells us that something exists or is somewhere. Many languages start such a sentence with the place or with the verb; English starts with there.

1. Something exists or is somewhere

• There is a telephone in my room. — not “In my room is a telephone”
• There is a hole in my sleeve. — not “My sleeve has…” or “Is a hole…”

2. New information: something will be, appear or happen

• There will be a party tonight. — announcing an event

3. Quantity

• There are forty of us, I think. — how many
• There was a great deal of anger about the decision. — how much

💡 There is a book on the table — what matters is that a book is there. The book is on the table — we mean a specific book: where it is.

There + be in all tenses

Only be changes: for tense, number and form. In a question be (or the auxiliary) comes before there.

Short answers use there too

• Yes, there is. / No, there aren't. — present
• Yes, there will. / No, there hasn't. — future / perfect (be is not repeated after will / has in the answer)

There + be: rules

The things people most often get wrong.

1. The number of be follows the first noun after it

• There are two little girls and a boy in the picture. — The first noun is girls, so are.
• There is a boy and two girls in the picture. — The first noun is a boy, so is.
• There has never been anybody like you. — anybody is singular, so has

2. A singular countable noun takes a / an, not the

• There is also an opinion that not everyone likes working from home. — an opinion, not “the opinion”
• There are people who think that… — plural — no article
• There is trust between two friends. — uncountable — no article

3. After there + be you can have pronouns and quantity words

• There was my hat in the hall. — possessive pronouns
• There will be a lot of sweets for dinner. — some / any / no, a lot of, many, much, (a) few, (a) little
• There were no footsteps to be seen. — no + noun
• Is there anybody at home? — somebody, anything, nobody, nothing…
• There's something wrong. — something + adjective

💡 Their, there and they're sound the same: their — belonging to them (their faces), there — a place or the start of there is, they're = they are.

Fixed expressions with there

In a question no changes to any: there's no need → is there any need…?

• there's no denying (that)… — it is clearly true that… (There's no denying that he's intelligent.)
• there's no alternative / choice but to do sth — the only possible thing is to… (I'm afraid there's no alternative but to ask her to leave.)
• there's no hope of doing sth — it will certainly not happen (There's no hope of getting more money.)
• there's no need to do sth — it is not necessary to… (There's no need to explain how it works — I'll read the instructions.)
• there's no point in doing sth — it is not worth doing (There's no point in buying an expensive computer unless you use it a lot.)
• there's no question of doing sth — it is completely out of the question (There's no question of agreeing to his demands.)
• there's no reason to do sth — nothing justifies doing it (There's no reason to be pessimistic.)
• there's no chance of doing sth — it is impossible (There's no chance of finding a cure if we don't fund more research.)
• there's no use (sb) doing sth — it will not help (There's no use you asking me any more questions.)
• there's no sense in doing sth — it is not sensible (There's no sense in getting upset about it now.)

💡 Watch what follows: no need / reason / alternative but — to do; no point / sense — in doing; no hope / chance / question — of doing; no use — doing.

Other constructions with there

Instead of plain be you can have a modal verb, seem and similar verbs, or adjectives like sure. Tense and number follow the meaning.

1. there + modal verb + be

• There must be something we can do. — I am sure something exists
• There ought to be more books on the subject in the library. — it would be right if there were

2. there + seem / appear / tend / happen / used / be supposed + to be

• In big families there seems to be a lot of fun. — it looks that way
• There happens to be a lecture going on. — by chance

3. there + arise / emerge / exist / remain / live / stand / lie

• There arises a demand for organic food. — formal: a demand appears
• There remains nothing more to be done. — formal: nothing is left

4. there + be + sure / certain / likely / bound + to be

• There is sure to be a flight to Paris this evening. — it is certain
• Do you think there are likely to be delays? — it is probable

It — the dummy subject

An English sentence must have a subject. When there is no real one, it takes its place. This it does not refer to anything.

1. Weather

• It was a nice day yesterday. — not “Was a nice day”
• It's raining hard. — not “Is raining”
• There was snow on the ground. — but: snow as a thing that is somewhere — there

2. Time, date, distance

• It's nearly one o'clock. — time
• It's the sixth of April. — date
• It's far from here. — distance

3. Identifying who or what

• Who is it? — It's me. — at the door, on the phone
• What is it? — It's a book. — naming a thing

4. it looks like / looks as if / seems / appears

• It looks like the sun is going to come out this afternoon. — an impression
• It seems (that) our new teacher is Jane. — an impression

5. Referring to something already mentioned

• There is a shop at the end of the street. It's open every day. — there introduces it, it refers back
• There are shops at the end of the street. They are open every day. — in the plural — they

💡 First there introduces a new thing, then you talk about it with it or they.

It + adjective + infinitive

A long subject (an infinitive, a gerund, a clause) moves to the end, and it goes at the start. That sounds more natural.

it + be + adjective / noun + to do

• It is important to get there in time. — adjective + to do
• It is her ambition to open her own shop. — noun + to do
• It upsets me to hear people arguing all the time. — verb + object + to do

it + be + adjective + of sb + to do — judging what a person did

• It was clever of him to believe you. — he was clever
• It was nice of her to help me. — she was nice

it + be + (too) adjective (enough) + for sb + to do — for whom

• It is too hard for us to cope with. — hard for us
• It is cheap enough for me to buy. — cheap enough for me
• It's essential for the papers to be ready before Tuesday. — the papers must be ready

💡 of sb — when you judge the person (nice, kind, clever, stupid of you); for sb — when you say for whom something is hard, important or possible.

It + passive: it is said / believed / thought

When we do not know who thinks or says something, or it is “people in general” (people, they, newspapers), a sentence with verbs of thinking and speaking is built like this: It + be + third form + that…

• It is said that his company is in trouble. — instead of: The newspapers say that…
• It wasn't thought that she was a spy. — instead of: Nobody thought that…
• It was felt that he was the right man for the job. — instead of: We felt that…

Fixed expressions with it

Most of them follow the pattern it's no + noun.

• it's no secret that… — everybody knows that… (It's no secret that the President wants a second term of office.)
• it's no surprise that… — it was to be expected that… (After his first two films, it's no surprise that his latest one has been successful.)
• it's no use doing sth — it will not help (It's no use telling me now. I needed to know a week ago.)
• it's no good doing sth — it will not help (It's no good getting angry. That won't solve the problem.)
• it's no coincidence / accident that… — it did not happen by chance (It's no coincidence that they left the party at the same time.)
• it's no longer necessary to do sth — you do not have to do it any more (It's no longer necessary to have a visa to visit the country.)
• it's pointless doing sth — it is a waste of time (It's pointless telling her to clean her room — she'll never do it.)
• it's nice talking to you / meeting you — a polite way to end a conversation (said when saying goodbye, especially to someone you have met for the first time)

It is / was … that / who — emphasis

To emphasise a word, put it between It is / It was and that (who for people). The original sentence: John and Sam stole a book from the library last week.

The main part is always singular; the second part follows the emphasised word

• It is the students who are angry. — It is — singular; who are — plural, like students
• It was his parents who paid the fees. — It was — singular

A pronoun — two versions

• It is I who am responsible. — formal
• It's me who's responsible. — informal — what people usually say

It's time

After it's time you can have for + noun, for sb + to do, or a whole clause in Past Simple.

• It's time for breakfast. — for + noun
• It's time for you to have breakfast. — for sb + to do
• It's high time you got a job. — you should have done it long ago (after high time / about time — Past Simple, although it is about the present)
• It's about time you had a haircut! — you should have done it long ago

💡 High time and about time sound like a reproach: this should have been done long ago.

It takes … to do — how much is needed

It + take in the right tense + (who) + how much time + to do. You can also use for sb before the infinitive.

• It will take him a week to finish the picture. — take + person + time
• It takes less than two hours to get to Rome from here. — take + time
• It took a few minutes for his eyes to adjust to the dark. — take + time + for sb / sth
• How long is it going to take? — the question

Not only time but other resources too

• It doesn't take much to make her cry. — she cries easily
• It takes talent and dedication to become a top dancer. — what is required

With before / until

• It took us six weeks before we got the house clean. — six weeks passed first
• It took a long time until she felt comfortable at her new school. — a long time passed first

It — the dummy object

If the object is an infinitive, a gerund or a clause, it takes its place and the real object moves to the end: SUBJECT + VERB + IT + ADJECTIVE / NOUN + to do / doing / clause.

• My blister made it a problem to walk. — make it + noun + to do
• George made it clear what he wanted. — make it + adjective + clause
• I found it strange being in her house. — find it + adjective + doing

Fixed expressions

• I like / love / hate it when… — how I feel when something happens (I hate it when strangers use my first name.)
• I take it (that)… — I assume that… (I take it that you won't be working tomorrow.)
• I would appreciate it if… — a polite request (I would appreciate it if you kept me informed.)
• owe it to sb to do sth — to have a duty to someone to do it (We owe it to society to make our country a better place.)
• leave it to sb to do sth — to let someone else do or decide it (I'll leave it to you to decide.)

💡 Frequent verbs: find, make, consider, think + it. Without it these sentences are wrong.

Lesson: Talking about habits

How to talk about habits: used to and would for what happened before, be used to and get used to for what you are or are becoming accustomed to. How they differ and what goes after to.

Four constructions in brief

Two are about past habits, two are about being or becoming accustomed to something. The key difference is what comes next.

💡 If to is followed by a base verb, it is used to (in the past). If it is followed by a noun or -ing, it is be / get used to (accustomed).

Used to + verb — before, but not now

A past habit or state that no longer exists. It only exists in the past: “I use to” is not said about the present.

Past habits

• They used to travel a lot when they were young. — they do not travel much now
• I used to spend hours playing video games. — I no longer do

Past states

• My grandmother used to live in the countryside. — now she lives in the city
• I used to have long hair. — now it is short
• There used to be a cinema here. — it is gone now

💡 In negatives and questions, after did it is use to, without d: Did you use to…? I didn't use to… Just like any verb after did.

Would + verb — a repeated past action

Also a repeated action in the past, often with nostalgia, in a story about childhood or about how things used to be. After would comes a verb without to.

• We would eat out on Sundays. — it happened every Sunday
• Every summer we would go to the seaside. — it happened every summer
• When I was a child, I would spend hours playing video games. — a repeated action in childhood

💡 Would is only for actions. With state verbs (be, live, have meaning “possess”, know, like, believe) only used to works: I used to have a dog, not “I would have a dog”.

Used to or would?

For repeated actions both work. For states — only used to.

• We used to / would play in the yard every evening. — An action — both are fine.
• She used to be very shy. — A state — only used to. (not “She would be very shy”)
• I used to know all their names. — A state — only used to. (not “I would know”)

💡 Something that happened once takes neither used to nor would — only Past Simple: I went to Paris in 2015.

Be used to + noun / -ing — accustomed

Something is already familiar; it does not seem strange or difficult. This is a state. Be changes for tense and person, and after to comes a noun, a pronoun or a verb with -ing.

• They are used to cold weather. — it is normal for them
• She wasn't used to living in the country. — it felt strange to her
• I'm used to it. — it no longer bothers me

💡 Here to is a preposition, so -ing follows it: I'm used to working, not “I'm used to work”.

Get used to + noun / -ing — becoming accustomed

The process of becoming accustomed and its result. Get goes into whatever tense you need.

• I'm getting used to my new haircut. — the process is going on now
• It took me a long time to get used to working from home. — a long process
• She soon got used to the noise. — the process is complete
• Don't worry, you'll get used to it. — it will happen
• I can't get used to driving on the left. — the process is not working

💡 Be used to — already accustomed. Get used to — the way there: When we moved, we weren't used to the noise, but we soon got used to it.

Do not mix them up

The same word work — and three different meanings.

Lesson: Future Tenses

The future in all its forms: Future Simple, be going to, Future Continuous, Future Perfect and Future Perfect Continuous. Plus why the future is not used after when and if, and how to talk about the future from the past (Future in the Past).

Future Simple: form

will + the base form of the verb. The same for all persons. The verb be also stays in the base form: will be.

💡 Shall is an old form of will for I and we, hardly used in statements. But it is alive in offers and suggestions: Shall I open the window? Shall we go?

Future Simple: when to use it

The main idea: a future that was not planned in advance — an opinion, a prediction, a decision made right now, a promise.

1. A prediction or guess (think, believe, expect, be sure, be afraid, perhaps, probably, maybe)

• I think he will win this competition. — my opinion about the future
• Perhaps they'll be late. — a guess

2. A decision made right now

• It suits me perfectly. I'll take this dress. — decided at this moment
• The table looks shabby. I'll paint it. — decided at this moment

3. A future fact nobody can influence

• I will be thirty next year. — it will simply happen

4. A promise, hope or determination

• I promise we will go to the seaside next year. — a promise
• We hope he will get into university. — a hope
• I'll definitely tell him the truth this time. — determination

5. A threat or warning

• Stop that or I'll call the police! — a threat

6. An offer of help

• I'll look after the children. — an offer

7. A request and a refusal

• Will you open the window, please? — a request
• He won't come with me. — he refuses to come (won't here means “refuses”, not just the future)

Be going to: plans and an obvious future

am / is / are going to + verb. It also exists in the past: was / were going to. In casual speech — gonna: I'm gonna call her (people say it, but do not write it in formal texts).

1. An intention: the decision was made earlier

• I'm going to meet Kelly tonight. Do you want to join? — already decided
• We're going to buy a new car. — already decided

2. You can see from the signs that it is about to happen

• The sun is going down. It's going to be dark in half an hour. — the evidence is in front of you
• Be careful! You're going to hit your head! — the evidence is in front of you

3. An order or a prohibition

• She's going to take that medicine whether she likes it or not. — an order
• You're not going to play football in my garden. — a prohibition

💡 Will or going to? Decided now — will: the phone rings — “I'll get it”. Decided earlier — going to: “I'm going to call her tonight”. If a meeting is arranged for a specific time, people often use Present Continuous: I'm meeting Kelly at 7.

Future Continuous

will be + verb with -ing. A process that will be going on at some moment in the future.

1. A process at a specific moment in the future

• This time tomorrow we'll be sitting on the plane. — in the middle of it at that moment

2. Several processes at the same time

• I'll be making cocktails and Ann will be meeting guests. — both in progress

3. It will happen anyway: by arrangement or in the normal course of events

• We've made a deal: I'll be working instead of her next month. — by arrangement
• I saw the forecast. It'll be raining at 6 pm tomorrow. — in the course of events

4. A polite question about plans — when you need something

• Will you be using this book for long? — I would like to have it after you (softer than Will you use…? — it does not sound like a blunt request)

Future Perfect

will have + the third form of the verb. The action will be finished by some moment in the future.

• She will have cleaned the room by the time you come back. — done before you return
• They won't have bought the house by the end of the week. — not done by then
• By 2030 I'll have paid off the loan. — done by 2030

💡 Markers: by, by the time, by then, before. Note: after by the time comes a present tense (you come back), not the future.

Future Perfect Continuous

will have been + verb with -ing. How long a process will have lasted by some moment in the future.

• By the end of next week I'll have been working on this project for two months. — two months of work by that point
• By the time they arrive in London, they will have been flying for six hours. — six hours of flying by that point

💡 Future Perfect — what will be done by a moment. Future Perfect Continuous — how long it will have lasted by a moment (for two months, for six hours).

Where the future tense is NOT used

After conjunctions of time and condition English uses a present tense instead of the future: when I arrive, not “when I will arrive”. Will stays only in the main clause.

Time conjunctions: when, while, before, after, until / till, as, once, as soon as, as long as, by the time

• I'll phone you when I arrive. — not “when I will arrive”
• We'll wait until the rain stops. — not “until the rain will stop”
• As soon as I get the results, I'll let you know. — not “as soon as I will get”

Condition conjunctions: if, unless, in case, provided / on condition that, suppose / supposing

• He'll have an accident if he goes on driving like that. — not “if he will go on”
• We won't go unless it stops raining. — unless = if … not
• Take an umbrella in case it rains. — because it might rain

But: if = “whether”, when in an indirect question

The rule above works only for time and condition clauses. If the clause is the object of the verb (after know, wonder, doubt, ask, tell), the future tense is needed in it.

💡 A test: replace if with whether. If it works, the future tense is fine. If only “on condition that” works, use the present.

Future in the Past

We are in the past (he said, I thought, it was clear) and look forward from it — at something that had not happened yet. Will becomes would, am going to becomes was going to.

1. would + verb — predictions, promises, intentions

• He promised that he would call me. — a promise made in the past (now: He promises he will call me.)
• I knew it would be difficult. — a past prediction

2. was / were going to — plans that may not have come true

• I was going to study medicine, but changed my mind. — a plan that did not happen

3. was / were to — official or fateful events

• The meeting was to start at 10 am. — it was scheduled
• He was to become a famous writer. — it was his destiny

4. was / were about to — it was just going to happen

• We were about to leave when it started raining. — on the point of leaving

All side by side

One situation — working on a report — in different future forms.

Lesson: Passive Voice

The passive voice: how it is built in every tense, when it is chosen over the active, how by differs from with and what can follow the passive besides an agent.

How the passive is built

In the active voice the subject does the action; in the passive the action is done to it. The formula is always the same: be in the right tense + the third form of the verb (Ved / V3). Only be changes.

💡 A shortcut: Continuous is always being, Perfect is always been, and after will, be going to and modals it is plain be.

When you need the passive

The passive is chosen when the action or its result matters, not the person who did it.

1. The doer is unknown, unimportant or obvious

• My meal has just been prepared at the restaurant. — obviously by the cook

2. The action matters more than who does it

• A new school will have been opened by the beginning of next year. — the event is what matters

3. An unpleasant event — we do not want to point at who is to blame

• The window was broken. — we do not say by whom

By or with

By introduces the agent — the one who does the action. With introduces the thing, tool or material used to do the action.

• The pancakes were made by Annie. — by — who did it
• The pancakes were made with eggs, flour and milk. — with — what was used

The agent is not always a person

• He was woken up by the alarm. — the alarm itself does the action — by
• The juice is made with fresh oranges. — someone makes the juice using oranges — with

💡 A test question: does the thing do the action itself (by), or does someone do the action using it (with)? With meaning “using” also exists in the active voice: Annie made the pancakes with eggs.

Questions with by and with

In a question about the agent or the material the preposition is not lost — it moves to the end of the sentence.

V3 as an adjective: its own prepositions

Some -ed forms are now more adjectives than verbs in the passive. They take their own prepositions — learn them together with the word.

• I was shocked at / by your attitude. — shocked at / by
• Are you frightened of spiders? — frightened of
• We were worried about / by her silence. — worried about / by

After the passive — not an agent but a complement

Sometimes the passive is followed not by an agent or a material but by extra information — a noun or an adjective. Then either no preposition is needed, or the one that the verb itself requires.

No preposition

• He was elected President. — elect + position, no article
• He was considered a genius by his dad. — the agent is still introduced with by
• He was called stupid by other children. — call + adjective

With the verb’s own preposition

• Kathy was regarded as an expert. — regard as — the preposition comes from the verb

Lesson: Phrasal verbs — come, go, get, pull, throw

Thirty phrasal verbs with come, go, get, pull and throw: what they mean, how similar ones differ and how not to confuse go off “explode” with go off “go bad”.

Come

A phrasal verb is a verb plus one or two short words (down, up, with…) that together give a new meaning. You usually cannot guess it from the parts, so learn these verbs as a whole and together with an example.

💡 Come round has two meanings: “to visit” (Come round on Friday!) and “to become conscious again” (She came round after a few minutes). The context shows which one it is.

Go

Go on and go off each have two meanings — you tell them apart by what the sentence is about.

Get

Get has many opposite pairs about transport: a car — get in / out of; a bus, train or plane — get on / off.

💡 Get away — to escape; get away with — to go unpunished. The single word with changes the meaning. With get on people often say how: get on well / badly with somebody.

Pull and throw

Three short verbs from everyday life: at the wheel, on a building site and at home.

Lesson: Gerund

The gerund: its forms, when it is the subject, after which verbs, prepositions and phrases you need the -ing form, and why look forward to is not followed by an infinitive.

What a gerund is

A gerund is the -ing form of a verb that behaves both like a noun and like a verb. It names an activity as a thing: reading, speaking, swimming.

• I'm fond of reading. — reading = the activity of reading

Forms of the gerund

The simple gerund — an action at the same time as the main verb, or in general. The perfect gerund — the action of the gerund happened before the action of the main verb.

💡 In the passive the verb’s preposition stays in place: lie to somebody → I hate being lied to.

The gerund as subject

As a subject the gerund sounds more usual and more general than the infinitive. The version with to is possible but less common.

The gerund after certain verbs

After these verbs the second verb takes the -ing form. Learn them in groups.

Speaking and thinking

• admit, deny, mention, suggest, discuss — verbs of speaking
• consider, mind, understand, recall, recollect — verbs of thinking and remembering

Liking and disliking

• adore, fancy, like, love, enjoy, appreciate — liking
• dislike, hate, detest, dread, resent, endure — disliking, fearing, putting up with
• forgive, excuse — forgiving

Other verbs

• avoid, postpone, delay, practise, risk, continue — avoiding, delaying, continuing
• escape, imagine, involve, miss, prevent — escaping, imagining, missing
• contemplate, face, finish, resist — considering, facing, finishing

Phrasal verbs and expressions

• give up, put off, leave off — to stop, to postpone
• go on, carry on, keep on — to continue
• feel like, can't stand, can't help — to want; to hate; to be unable to stop yourself
• burst out crying / laughing — to suddenly start crying / laughing

Example

• Dana admitted feeling hurt by what I had said. — admit + -ing

Verb + object + gerund

Between the verb and the gerund you can name who does the action of the gerund. In everyday speech it is a noun or an object pronoun (him, me); in more formal style, a possessive (his, my, Lina’s).

The usual version

• I dislike people telling me what to think. — noun + -ing
• I can't imagine him working in an office. — object pronoun + -ing

More formal

• Does my smoking annoy you? — possessive pronoun + -ing
• She was angry at Lina's trying to lie to her. — possessive noun + -ing

The gerund after prepositions

After a preposition the verb always takes the -ing form — both in fixed combinations and outside them.

Nouns, adjectives and verbs with prepositions

• He was found guilty of lying in court. — guilty of + -ing
• He had no experience in putting up a tent. — experience in + -ing
• She's good at solving problems. — good at + -ing
• Thanks for coming. — thanks for + -ing
• She insisted on my coming. — insist on + possessive + -ing (a possessive pronoun between the preposition and the gerund shows who does the action)

The purpose of a thing: something for + -ing

• A strimmer is a machine for cutting grass and weeds. — what it is for
• I need something for killing flies. — what it is for

Any preposition: after, before, on, by, in, despite, without, instead of

• He left without saying goodbye. — without + -ing
• Always check the oil before starting the car. — before + -ing

💡 Despite takes no of: despite being tired. With of you say in spite of: in spite of being tired.

To + gerund

In some expressions to is a preposition, not the infinitive marker. So it is followed by -ing, not the base form.

look forward to, be / get used to, get round to, object to, in addition to, prefer doing sth to doing sth else

• She objects to working on Saturdays. — object to + -ing
• I'm looking forward to passing my exams. — look forward to + -ing
• In addition to reading, pupils also have to write. — in addition to + -ing
• I prefer walking to driving. — prefer -ing to -ing

💡 A test: if you can put a noun after to (I look forward to the holiday), it is a preposition — and the verb needs -ing.

Fixed phrases, go + -ing and verbs of perception

Three more cases where you need the -ing form.

After the phrases: be busy, it's no use, it's no good, it's worth, what's the use of…?, there's no point (in), have difficulty (in), have trouble, have a hard time

• What's the use of waiting for an answer? — what’s the use of + -ing
• She is busy writing the wedding invitations. — be busy + -ing

Go + -ing: sports and leisure

• go climbing, go shopping, go skiing — activities

After see, watch, hear, notice — when you witnessed part of an action, not all of it

• I saw her crossing the road. — she was in the middle of crossing
• As I walked past his room, I heard him talking on the phone. — I heard part of the call
• I like to watch people doing their routine tasks. — actions in progress

💡 After see, watch, hear, notice use only a noun or an object pronoun (her, him). Possessives are not used here: not “I heard his talking”.

Points to remember

The gerund combines features of a verb and a noun — hence a few special points.

1. Like a verb, it takes an object without a preposition

• My favourite activity is reading thrillers. — reading thrillers, not “reading of thrillers”

2. Like a noun, it can have a possessive or an article before it

• Jack's going to sleep during the wedding was rather embarrassing. — possessive + gerund
• the opening of Parliament, the smoking of cigarettes — with an article the object is introduced by of

3. No + gerund: forbidden or impossible

• No smoking. No parking. — it is forbidden
• She has made up her mind — there's no arguing with her. — it is impossible, useless

4. If the verb has an ordinary noun, that noun is preferred

• The development of communication skills is of high importance nowadays. — development, not developing