TENSES

AND

MODAL

AUXILIARIES

Contents

Tenses and modal auxiliaries ............................................ 3

Tenses ............................................................................... 4

Simple present ............................................................... 5

Present continuous ........................................................ 6

Simple past ..................................................................... 7

Past continuous .............................................................. 8

Future (going to) ............................................................ 9

Future (will) .................................................................. 10

Future continuous ........................................................ 11

Present perfect ............................................................. 12

Present perfect continuous .......................................... 13

Past perfect .................................................................. 14

Past perfect continuous ............................................... 15

Future perfect .............................................................. 16

Future perfect continuous............................................ 17

Modals ............................................................................ 18

Modals are different from normal verbs: ..................... 19

Possibility: .................................................................... 20

Ability ........................................................................... 21

Obligation and Advice .................................................. 22

Permission .................................................................... 23

Habits ........................................................................... 24

Tenses and

modal

auxiliaries In English, we have a lot of elements that we

use to make since simple things like simple

sentences, to big paragraphs and even

books. Some very important parts are the

parts of speech, but they, joined by

themselves, make sentences and every

single sentence has its own TENSE, and

more complex sentences are compound by

MODAL VERBS or HELPING VERBS.

Tenses In English we have thirteen tenses that are

what give sense to the information we are

writing and each one of them has its own

usage and some specific auxiliaries that help

us when distinguishing. Some of them have

different uses and purposes.

Simple present Subject + main verb + complement

Use:

This tense is used for: actions in the

present taking place once, never or

several times, facts,

actions taking place

one after another or

action set by a

timetable or schedule.

Examples:

My sister lives in Washington.

The sun rises in the east.

Present continuous Subject + auxiliary verb to be + verb-ing

Use:

This tense is used to make reference to actions taking place in the moment of

speaking, actions taking place

only for a limited period of time, or actions arranged for the future.

Examples:

Andrew is watching TV right now.

My sister is living in Washington.

Simple past Subject + verb in past + complement

Use:

Simple past tense is used for actions in the past taking place once, never or several times; actions taking place one after another, and actions taking place in the middle of another action.

Examples:

The mail came early this morning.

Dad worked in advertising for ten years.

Past continuous Subject + auxiliary verb to be (past) +

verb-ing form Use:

This tense is used for actions going on at a certain time in the past, actions taking place at the same time, actions in the past that is interrupted by another action.

Examples:

I was sewing when the phone rang.

I was meeting a lot of people at that

time.

Future (going to) Subject + am/is/are + going to + verb

Use:

We use this tense to express an action

that we are sure it is going to happen

Examples:

Jim is going to bring his sister tonight.

I don’t fell well, I’m going to faint.

Future (will) Subject + will + verb

Use:

We use this tense to express an action

that probably will happen, or for

decisions that we make at the moment.

Examples:

I will call you after lunch.

You will past the test. Don’t worry.

Future continuous Subject + will + verb

Use:

It’s used to express an action that sill be

ongoing at a particular time in the future,

or for future actions which have already

been decides.

Examples:

At noon tomorrow, I’ll be talking the

children to their piano lessons.

I’ll be wearing my black evening dress to

the dinner.

Present perfect Subject + auxiliary have/has + past

participle verb

Use:

We use it when we talk about and action

that took place many times at an

unspecific time in the past, or an action

that began in the past and continues up

to the present, and

thing s that have just

happened.

Examples:

He’s just gone to sleep.

I’ve been here for two hours.

Present perfect

continuous Subject + auxiliary have/has + been +

verb-ing

Use:

This tense is used

to express an

action that

took place

over a period

of time in the past

or and action that has been

happening until the present.

Examples:

Laura has been studying for two hours.

Past perfect Subject + auxiliary had + past participle

verb

Use:

Past perfect is about a

past action that

occurred before

another past

action, and for an

action that was

expected to

occur in the past.

Examples:

Tom had left hours before we got there. I had hoped to know about the job

before now.

Past perfect

continuous Subject + auxiliary had + been + veb-ing

Use:

Past perfect continuous expresses an

action that occurred before another past

action, or an

action that

was expected

to occur in

the past. Examples:

I had been

expecting his change in attitude.

Future perfect Subject + will have + past participle

verb Use:

It’s used for an action that will be

completed before a particular time in the

future.

Examples:

By next July, my parents will have been

married for fifty years.

Future perfect

continuous Subject + will have + been + verb-ing

Use:

It’s used for emphasizing the length of

time that has occurred before a specific

time in the future.

Examples:

By May, my father will have been

working at the same job for thirty years.

Modals

All the auxiliary verbs except be, do and have are called modals. Unlike other auxiliary verbs modals only exist in their helping form; they cannot act alone as the main verb in a sentence.

Be, do, and have also differ from the other auxiliaries in that they can also serve as ordinary verbs in a given sentence.

The modal verbs are:

CAN / COULD / MAY / MIGHT / MUST /

SHALL / SHOULD / OUGHT TO / WILL /

WOULD

Modals are

different from

normal verbs: They don't use an 's' for the

third person singular.

They make questions by

inversion ('she can go'

becomes 'can she go?').

They are followed directly by

the infinitive of another verb

(without 'to').

Possibility: First, they can be used when we want to say

how sure we are that something happened /

is happening / will happen. We

often call these 'modals

of deduction' or

'speculation' or

'certainty' or

'probability'.

Examples:

It's snowing, so it

must be very cold outside.

I don't know where John is. He

could have missed the train.

Ability

Ability We use 'can' and 'could' to talk about a skill

or ability.

Examples:

She can speak six languages.

My grandfather could play golf very well.

I can't drive.

Obligation and Advice We can use verbs such as 'must' or 'should'

to say when something is necessary or

unnecessary, or to

give advice.

Examples:

Children must do their homework.

We have to wear a uniform at work.

You should stop smoking.

Permission We can use verbs such as 'can', 'could' and

'may' to ask for and give permission. We also

use modal verbs to say something is not

allowed.

Examples:

Could I leave early today, please?

You may not use the car tonight.

Can we swim in the lake?

Habits We can use 'will' and 'would' to talk about

habits or things we usually do, or did in the

past.

Examples:

When I lived in Italy, we would often eat

in the restaurant next to my flat.

John will always be late!