Verb tenses

 What's a verb?  A verb is a word for action or =.  In this video, = verbs are linking verbs. "Tired" is an adjective, NOT a past tense verb.

Present Continuous (AKA Present Progressive)

"Simple" Present

"Simple" Past

Future with will

Future with going to

Passive Causative (Get it DONE)

  When Kim heard, "do your nails" today, she said that she often heard, "get" not "do" at work. She is correct.  We often use get with a past participle form of a verb (regular ---ed/irregular-3rd column) to say that someone else is doing something for us. People at nail salons get their nails done.  They don't do their nails by themselves.

(Official grammar name for this word pattern is passive causative.  You can officially use have instead of get, but using have for passive causative is a bad pattern to practice before you are good at ALL the verb tenses. Anyway, get is more common for speaking in this area.)

My daughter gets her nails done for all the holidays.  I only got my nails done for my wedding.

I don't fix my car.  I get my car fixed by Backlick Road Service Station or Community Car Care.

I don't cut my hair.  I get my hair cut at a beautician.

My mother doesn't clean her house.  She gets it cleaned.

I don't repair watches.  I get my watch repaired at Silver Dolphin.

The past participle verbs in these examples do NOT show time.  The form of get shows the verb tense. 

Examples: I am getting my car fixed now.  I will get my car washed tomorrow.  My dad gets his shoes shined every month.  Mark gets his car serviced four times a year. We got the kitchen floor replaced last month.  My mother never goes to Zales Jewelers because when she got her engagement ring cleaned there, they lost her diamond and tried to give her a different stone.

Comparative (for 2 things) and Superlative (compare 3+ things) Adjectives

Flash game to practice

Google Presentation Slides Comparative and Superlative

Remember 2 syllables WITH y ---->  ier/iest 2 syllables NO y ----->  More/most

(I think the charts in the last video make 2 syllables seem more confusing than they are)

Listen to the comparison of Valencia and Sydney and write down the comparative adjectives. Start at 1:33

Tutorial from eflnet.com--More explanation!

Side x Side superlative 1

side x side superlative 2

Comparative/Superlative drag and drop game -- may have to scroll down

(THE) Superlative vs. Comparative (than)

Comparative (compares 2) vs. Superlative (most distinctive in the group)

more practice!

A difficult multiple choice that I think you can do

Click on Ventures, Level 2, Unit 7

Can you use these adjectives to compare any people?

Practice/type comparatives and superlatives

Side by Side Video Comparing People

"Things Will Get Better" Music Video

Basketball Game to Practice

Shooting Game to practice

These pictures are from Lilian.  How do they compare?

This picture is from Mori.

These pictures are from Ester.

  

Video: The Sweetest Thing I've Ever Known is Loving You

Future with "Going To"

Use be going to _____(base verb) to talk about a future that was planned.  Some websites have tests that indicate "be going to" is very different from "will."  In real life, the difference is very small.  We usually start with "be going to" for a plan and "will" for first volunteering or considering possibilities, but if we keep talking, we may use them interchangeably.

Great explanation and practice from a German website
Explanation and practice
Dialog Practice--Talking about tomorrow's plans

Quiz Dialog at A4esl.com

Be Going to Quiz

Going to is pronounced like (a cup of mustard) "gonna."  Even though lots of people--and many lyric writers-- write "gonna" especially in texts, it's not OK in a formal situation.  You should write "going to" and say "gunna."

Practice with RealEnglish.com

Songs with "going to"

Present Perfect (high intermediate/advanced)

We form present perfect with 

have in present tense + a past participle verb. 

(past participle --ends in ed for regular verbs, column to the right for irregular)

We use present perfect for:

1. unspecified time in the past  (When you specify the exact time the finished event occurred, use simple past)

• ----I have ridden on an elephant.
• ----They haven't studied their irregular verbs
• ----She has grown taller.
• ----Have you ever flown an airplane?
• ----Has he ever gone to Egypt?
• 
  
• With "just" for something recently finished
• ----I've just made dinner.

• ----She has just come home.

• things repeated in the past
• ----He has gone skiing four times
• ----How many times has she gone on a cruise?

• for events that occured within a range of time:  
• ----I have jogged six times in the past month
• ----She has gotten dizzy twice in the past year
• --- He has only gone to the gym once since he joined it.
• ----We haven't gone on a date in the past six months
• 
  
• with "already" for things completed before expected  (Usually positive statements)
• ----She has already completed that worksheet.
• ----We have already finished three chapters.
• 
  
• with "yet" in negative sentences and questions for things that were expected to be completed earlier.  Although they aren't complete, they will be.
• ----We haven't studied passive voice yet
• ----She hasn't heard the important news yet.
• 
  
• with "since" and "for" for things that started in the past and continued until now
• ----I have lived in Northern Virginia since 1990.
• ----She has swum competitively for eight years.
• ----He hasn't done laundry since he got married.

English Page explanation and exercises. (Note: These exercises are hard. I recommend reading the explanation, doing other practice, then doing these exercises.)

Still, already, just --How do I use these words? How do they change the meaning?

Some students find present perfect difficult because

• They don't remember when to use have vs. has  Practice "have" in simple present, 
• They don't know many Irregular Verbs
• It's illogical to use a tense called "present" for the past.  The "have" we use in present perfect is the present form of have, but we usually use present perfect to refer to a past time or to a time that started in the past.

Past or Present Perfect? Remember within the timeframe, use present perfect. At a certain time, use simple past.

Learn and Practice Irregular Verbs

University of Victoria Explanation and Practice

Verbs from page 5 in Ventures

Verbs from Unit 3 p. 34 in Ventures,

Verbs from Unit 8 p. 98 in Ventures 

Practice with Quizlet-- The "common irregular verbs" are the ones you need the most often.  The order of the sets is based on a German website that measured "frequency of use" and says these verbs are in order from most often used to less used.  These verbs include all the verbs in the back of Ventures 2.

You don't need any past participles (third form) to pass my level, but if you learn them now, the next level will be easier for you.

Common Irregular Verbs set 1, 

Common Irregular Verbs set 2

Common Irregular Verbs set 3

Common Irregular Verbs set 4

Common Irregular Verbs set 5

Common Irregular Verbs set 6

Same sets on Studystack - more practice activities!!

80 Verbs to study on Quizlet

Flashcards and Activities on Substack

Irregular Verbs by sound

Irregular Verbs with past forms that rhyme with olive sock and are the same as the past participle

Irregular Verbs with past forms that rhyme with red pepper (Past=past participle form)

Irregular verbs with past forms that rhyme with a cup of mustard (past = past participle form)

Irregular Verbs (base rhymes with white tie) to (Past rhymes with brown cow)

Irregular Verbs with the same past and past participle form

Word wall game -- what's the verb?

Listen to a song to remember irregular verbs by pattern.

Quizlet Set:  verbs with the same past and past participle

Listen to a LOT!

Listen to Irregular Verbs by group

Listen to another list of irregular verbs

Listen to some real conversational ways to hear irregular verbs.  This video uses advanced tenses.

Bradley's English School IV group 1
Bradley's School of English match the pair Group 1

Bradley's school concentration group 2
Bradleys SE IV group 2 match the pair

Bradley's English School IV group 3
Bradley's School of English Group 3 match the pair

Bradley's School of English IV group 4
Bradley's School of English matching pairs group 4

Bradley's English School IV group 5
Bradley's School of English matching pairs group 5

GAMES

Irregular verb basketball

Irregular Verbs Monkey Game (Scroll down and click on play)

Irregular Verb Jeopardy

Irregular Verb Hangman

Boomerang Game--Drag and Drop the correct missing word (Hold the word with the mouse, move it to the sentences, and let go)

Remember and match the forms

drag and drop in the irregular verb


Learn English feel good practice quiz 1

http://www.learnenglishfeelgood.com/simple-past-tense2.html

Past Tense Game

Grammar I hope you understand before you go to High Intermediate

Parts of speech

Present Continuous

Simple Present

Simple Past

future with "will"

Future with "going to"

pronouns

Count -- non-count

Prepositions of Time

Adjective Order

Simple Future (with will)

Video -- SxS Future with will

Ego4U Explanation and Practice

Grammar quiz with will

English Page Detailed Explanation and Practice

Quiz from QuizBiz

lyric videos with will...

A, An, or The

A or An = 1  When I use a or an for one, I probably don't know or care which one.  I don't think you know which one anyway.  Use for non-specific nouns. Use a or an with one of many.
Examples: Please hand me a napkin.  Can I have a piece of pizza?  Please give her a pencil.  Get a chair.  Have an apple.  I'll be done in just a minute.
Never use a or an with plural (more that 1) or non-count nouns.

The= I think you know which one(s).  Can be used with plural nouns and non-count nouns. Don't use anything when the plural or non-count noun is a big idea. (Practice makes your English improve.  Religion makes her happy.  March has nice weather in Virginia.
The students need more practice.  (What students?  The ones in my class.)  There's the girl with the orange hat. (What girl?  The girl who is wearing the only orange hat in the class.  You know which one because you can see the orange hat.)  Did you finish the homework?  (What homework?  The homework that the teacher told you to do for today.  I think you know, but if you don't know, check the blog!!   What blog?  The blog for our class:  www.lieasyesol.blogspot.com)

The must be used when there's only one because if there's only one, you know which one.
Please lock the door.  Look at the clock.

The should be used when you describe which one.
We say "a student" to describe any one student in the class, but "the student" with the NIKE cap to describe a particular student.
A desk=any desk.  The teacher's desk=a specific desk---and you know which.

The should be used after the first mention because now you know which one(s).  
Please give me a sponge.  Would you please wet the sponge before you give it to me?
(What sponge?  The sponge that you are going to give me.)

www.Englishclub.com explanation -- only for a/an/the before count singular nouns
Englishclub Example:
This little story should help you understand the difference between the and a, an:

A man and a woman were walking on Oxford Street. The woman saw a dress that she liked in a shop. She asked the man if he could buy the dress for her. He said: "Do you think the shop will accept a check? I don't have a credit card

Advanced Explanation -- Scroll down for some good examples

Practice

a vs. the
http://www.learnenglishfeelgood.com/articles-a-the2.html
Englishcurrent.com practice

For a vs. an Use "an" before a vowel sound.  Be careful.  Sometimes the sound is more important than reality.  If "hon" sounds like "awww," use an.  If "u" sounds like "yooo," use a

a or an practice
a or an 2
Woodward English a vs. an

Thoughtco.com: A, an, or the

Put a, an, or the in the article-- Breaking News English --  Grown Children Moving Out Makes Parents Happy