its form
and its use
I have been working. I have not been working. Have you been working?
Note:
I have been driving = I've been driving He has been sleeping = He's been
I have not been driving = I haven't been sleeping
driving He has not been sleeping = He hasn't
been sleeping
Examples:
1. We use the Present Perfect Continuous to show that something started in the past and
has continued up until now indicating a duration. "For an hour", for two weeks", etc ...are
used to indicate duration.
Examples:
2. The present perfect continuous is also used without indication of duration. This use
indicates an action that has occurred "lately" or "recently".
Examples:
He is driving to work
This means he is driving now: “at the time of speaking”
This is the present continuous.
its form
and its use.
I am eating.
’m
He, she, it is
's
Am I eating?
Is he, she, it
I am not eating.
’m not
isn't
The use of the present continuous tense
Example:
Example:
Special verbs
There are verbs which are normally not used in the present continuous.
Examples:
be, believe, belong, hate, hear, like, love, mean, prefer, remain, realize, see, seem, smell,
think, understand, want, wish
its form
and its use.
Have (in the simple present) + Verb (in the past participle form)
NOTE:
Examples:
Remember:
Rule Examples
be was/were been
come came come
go went gone
do did done
meet met met
1. To emphasize on the result of a past action without mentioning the actual time when it
happened:
Examples:
2. Action performed in a period that has not finished yet (the same day, week, month, etc.):
Examples:
Have you seen Lacy today? (The day is not over yet.)
I have had several tests this month. (The month has not finished yet.)
3. Action that started in the past and has continued until now. Often used with since
(indicating the beginning of action) or for (indicating the duration of action):
Examples:
The use of past simple instead of present perfect requires clear reference to a past
period/moment:
I have met that girl before I met that girl at the beach last
Saturday.
Have you seen Nancy recently? Did you see Nancy yesterday?
We have discussed this issue a few We discussed this issue last month.
times.
I have had some tests this week. I had some tests last week.
This page will present the simple past tense of the verb to be:
its form
and its use.
Examples:
Examples:
was not.
I, he, she, it
wasn't.
were not.
You, we, they
weren't.
Examples:
Remember:
1. wasn't is the short form of was not. You can say either:
2. weren't is the short form of were not. You can say either:
The past continuous, also called past progressive, is used to refer to an action that was
continuous (i.e. an action that was going on) at a particular time in the past.
This page will present the form and the use of the past continuous (progressive.)
Before you continue the lesson, read the following passage and try to see how the verbs in
bold are formed and used.
Examples:
Examples:
Examples:
We use the past continuous to say that somebody was in the middle of
doing something at a certain time in the past.
Example:
"This time yesterday, I was doing my homework."
We use the past continuous to say that something happened in the middle
of something else:
Example:
"Bob burnt his hand when he was cooking dinner yesterday"
"While I was working in the garden, I hurt my back.