ENGLISH VERB TENSE USAGE

Quick reference charts with the basic uses of the different English verb tenses.

WORKING WITH VERBS IN ENGLISH

Working with English verbs. Here are two links where you can check all the different possibilities of a verb in English.

- ENGLISH VERB CONJUGATOR

- ENGLISH VERB FLOWCHART.

PAST CONTINUOUS MIND-MAP

Presenting the mind-map chart for the PAST CONTINUOUS to show how to form it and when to use it.

1) (LONG) ACTIONS AT A CERTAIN MOMENT IN THE PAST vs SHORT ACTIONS IN THE SIMPLE PAST.

I was watching TV when Mary telephoned.

2) SIMULTANEOUS ACTIONS IN THE PAST.

I was watching TV while John was reading the newspaper.

3) REPEATED ACTIONS IN THE PAST vs SINGLE ACTIONS IN THE PAST.

I was reading the book.  vs     I read the newspaper.

REVIEWING: 8 MISTAKES YOU SHOULDN'T DO

Here's a list of mistakes you should try to avoid:

8 Mistakes You Must Correct:

1. 1

   Problems with Subject-Verb Agreement

   Some of the most painful things teachers have to hear are “she have”, “he don’t” or “people doesn’t”. Ouch! This is such a typical mistake. Because this is something you repeat and are used to repeating, you may “listen” to our correction but often don’t take the time to really let it sink in. If you are students who make the same subject-verb agreement mistakes, take the time to stop and really pay attention to it.
2. 2

   Incorrect Verb Tenses

   These mistakes crop up again and again. If there’s one thing students need to focus on as they review for a test is the tenses they’ve learned, whether they are simple or advanced. Help by providing plenty of comparative charts – graphic organizers or timelines.
3. 3

   Missing or Extra Articles

   Some students add an extra “the” when they shouldn’t (“The children play the Angry Birds.”) or omit an article that should be there (“I ate piece of toast for breakfast”). If you make lots of mistakes with articles, be sure to get a good review.
4. 4

   Repetitive Use of False Friends

   Lots of languages, if not all, have “false friends” with the English language. For example,embarazada means “pregnant” in Spanish not “embarrassed” (and this confusion can make for some pretty funny classroom situations). There are examples like this one in many other languages. If you are students who resort to false friends, or even like to make up words, no matter how funny it may seem, you should try to use words you are sure are correct because you’ve learned them.
5. 5

   Pronunciation of Silent Consonants

   If you have students who still pronounce the silent b in “comb” or “bomb”, you need to take a minute to write these down on the board and show them exactly which letters they need topronounce. The same goes for words like “Wednesday” (when the student pronounces the first d) or “muscle” (when the student pronounces the c as a “k”).
6. 6

   Speaking through Literal Translations

   Everything seems to be going well in your classroom. Your students are very attentive and no one is speaking their native language. But then someone says, “I have 20 years.” If you, like this student, are also a native Spanish speaker, you’ll know for a fact your student just did a literal translation in his/her head. Students will do this, you can be certain of that, but it’s something you need to correct right away, lest they keep doing it.
7. 7

   Wrong Prepositions

   This is one of the hardest mistakes to correct. There are so many uses for so many different prepositions, it’s hard for students to keep track of them all. One of the best ways to help out students who perpetually use the wrong preposition is to organize them into contexts, for example prepositions of place. We say we are “at school”, “at work”, “at home”, but “in the living room”, “in the bedroom” (“in” a particular room). We may also point out the difference between saying “at the bank” (in a bankingsituation) and “in the bank” (literally inside the building as opposed to outside).
8. 8

   Countable/Uncountable Mix-ups

   Students in all levels will get countables and uncountables mixed up and incorrectly use “a little”, “a few”, “many”, “much”, etc… Again, charts and graphics are very helpful in this case, to help students see exactly what they’re doing wrong. You can use the classic two-column list to contrast (“a few cars” vs. “a little traffic”) or any of these strategies.

PRESENT CONTINUOUS MIND-MAP

Presenting the mind-map chart for the PRESENT CONTINUOUS to show how to form it.
Also in boxes the different spelling rules for the -ING form.
Remember the PRESENT CONTINUOUS is used to express:

1) ACTIONS THAT ARE HAPPENING AT THE MOMENT YOU SPEAK, NOW.

I'm reading a post on the blog, now.

2) EXCEPTIONS TO ROUTINES AND HABITS.

I usually go to bed early, but today I'm staying up until late.

3) NEAR FUTURE PLANS.

Next Saturday, I'm meeting my friends at the city centre.

PRESENT PERFECT CONTINUOUS vs PRESENT PERFECT

NEGATIVE & QUESTION FORMATION IN ENGLISH

Two charts to show you the structures of negative sentences and questions in English. Remember that in English you need AUXILIARY VERBS to make negative sentences and questions. Each auxiliary verb is different depending on the VERB TENSE the sentence is. Check below in each chart with the auxiliary verb forms of each verb tense and the examples.

1) NEGATIVES

2) QUESTIONS

More about making questions HERE.

THE (5) VERB TENSES MIND MAP

Here's a mind map for you to distinguish 5 basic English verb tenses and their time reference.

THE VERB 'TO DO'

The verb TO DO is an ordinary verb with its own meaning as many others, but on the other hand its an auxiliary verb for the SIMPLE TENSES (PRESENT AND PAST). So as an ordinary verb it works just like any other and as an auxiliary we use it to make questions and negative sentences in those two tenses. Check these two charts.

Video-lesson about DO:

ENGLISH VERB TENSES IN CONCEPTUAL GRAPHICS

REPORTED SPEECH BASICS

Today basic information on the Reported Speech by charts:

But there are more verbs than SAY or TELL to introduce the Reported Speech. Here's a chart with more introductory verbs and the structure they have to report speech. Each introductory verb has a meaning. In Spanish, we also use different introductory verbs depending on their meaning, instead of reporting the exact words.

REMEMBER:

SAY something (TO somebody) - You use say when the importance is only on what is said and not to whom.

TELL somebody something - You use tell when it's important to know whom you said it to.

- QUESTIONS IN THE REPORTED SPEECH:

THE PASSIVE: BASIC INFORMATION

Here's a post with basic information about the Passive Voice. You can link to previous posts on the passive in this blog HERE, where you can watch some video-lessons and links to exercises

SIMPLE PAST vs PRESENT PERFECT ( CONCEPT & SIGNAL WORDS)