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.

Question Words

ESL Games Plus - Practice Question Words

Engvid Lecture: Using Questions in Conversation

Video on Question Words with spoken contractions

English-test.com:  Pick the correct words

Comparative --compare 2 things

Video of the rules for forming comparatives

SxS Comparatives

Comparative Practice -- flash game

A teacher from Smrt English describes how to make comparative adjectives

Learn English Feel Good Comparison Quiz

Adverbs --English with Sound and Light

SxS video-- comparisons with adverbs

/www.learnenglishfeelgood.com--comparative adverb quiz

Reflexive Pronouns

English Club: (Difficult explanation) examples & practice 

Practice Quiz- choose the reflexive pronoun that matches the subject

Agreeing with too or either

 

VOA: Using too and either

To Learn English Quiz: too vs. either

Must not vs. Don't have to

Both must ________(base verb) and have to _______(base verb) are used for important obligations.  They mean the same thing when used in the positive.

Don't have to ____(base verb) = no obligation -- The situation is not important.  You can, but it's not necessary.

Must not ______(base verb) means DON'T DO IT.  You have an important obligation NOT to do it.

Mustn't = must not.  Mustn't is very common in British English.  In the USA, must not is usually two words

To Learn English website quiz