Level: beginner
Verbs in English have four basic parts:
| Base form | -ing form | Past tense | Past participle |
|---|---|---|---|
| work | working | worked | worked |
| play | playing | played | played |
| listen | listening | listened | listened |
Most verbs are regular: they have a past tense and past participle with –ed (worked, played, listened). But many of the most frequent verbs are irregular.
Level: beginner
Basic parts
Verbs in English have four basic parts:
| Base form | -ing form | Past tense | Past participle |
|---|---|---|---|
| work | working | worked | worked |
| play | playing | played | played |
| listen | listening | listened | listened |
Most verbs are regular: they have a past tense and past participle with –ed (worked, played, listened). But many of the most frequent verbs are irregular.
Verb phrases
Verb phrases in English have the following forms:
- a main verb:
| main verb | ||
|---|---|---|
| We | are | here. |
| I | like | it. |
| Everybody | saw | the accident. |
| We | laughed. |
The verb can be in the present tense (are, like) or the past tense (saw, laughed).
| auxiliary be | -ing form | |
|---|---|---|
| Everybody | is | watching. |
| We | were | laughing. |
A verb phrase with be and –ing expresses continuous aspect. A verb with am/is/are expresses present continuous and a verb with was/were expresses past continuous.
- the auxiliary verb have and a main verb in the past participle form:
| auxiliary have | past participle | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| They | have | enjoyed | themselves. |
| Everybody | has | worked | hard. |
| He | had | finished | work. |
A verb phrase with have and the past participle expresses perfect aspect. A verb with have/has expresses present perfect and a verb with had expresses past perfect.
- a modal verb (can, could, may, might, must, shall, should, will, would) and a main verb:
| modal verb | main verb | |
|---|---|---|
| They | will | come. |
| He | might | come. |
- The verb phrase 1
- The verb phrase 2
Level: intermediate
- the auxiliary verbs have and been and a main verb in the –ing form:
| auxiliary have been | -ing form | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Everybody | has been | working | hard. |
| He | had been | singing. |
A verb phrase with have been and the -ing form expresses both perfect aspect and continuous aspect. A verb with have/has expresses present perfect continuous and a verb with had expresses past perfect continuous.
- a modal verb and the auxiliaries be, have and have been:
| modal | auxiliary | verb | |
|---|---|---|---|
| They | will | be | listening. |
| He | might | have | arrived. |
| She | must | have been | listening. |
- the auxiliary verb be and a main verb in the past participle form:
| auxiliary be | past participle | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| English | is | spoken | all over the world. |
| The windows | have been | cleaned. | |
| Lunch | was being | served. | |
| The work | will be | finished | soon. |
| They | might have been | invited | to the party. |
A verb phrase with be and the past participle expresses passive voice.
- The verb phrase 3
- The verb phrase 4
Level: advanced
We can use the auxiliaries do and did with the infinitive for emphasis:
It was a wonderful party. I did enjoy it.
I do agree with you. I think you are absolutely right.
We can also use do for polite invitations:
Do come and see us some time.
There will be lots of people there. Do bring your friends.
Comments
Hello,
I would like to ask which of the following is correct
1.He/she does not pay attention during the lesson
2.He can't focus on the lesson ( during the lesson)
3.He doesn't concentrate during the lesson
Thank you in advance
Hello angi,
All three sentences are grammatically correct. Which would be best in a given context would depend upon that context, of course.
Peter
The LearnEnglish Team
Hello,
I would like to ask if the following is correct
1.The house has got a lot of windows that let the light in.
Is it correct?
Especially that let the light in?
Thank you in advance
Hello,
I would like to ask if the following is correct.
My house has got a lot of windows that let the light in.
Is the sentence correct, especially the second part:.. That let the light in?
Thank you in advance
Hello agie,
The sentence is fine.
Peter
The LearnEnglish Team
Hello
I would like to ask if the following is correct
If we meet someone and we feel that have met him/her before(at work, in an event etc)
Can we ask
Do I know you from somewhere?
And if it is correct, is it polite?
Thank you in advance
Hello agie
Yes, that is correct and would be acceptable in all but quite formal situations. You could also just say 'Do I know you?' or 'Have we met before?'
All the best
Kirk
The LearnEnglish Team
Hello,
I would like to ask the following :
Though I know that used to/and would are used to describe past habits and /or actions, I don't really understand the difference. Could you please give me an example?
Thank you in advance
Hello agie,
Both used to and would are used to describe things that a person did habitually in the past and, usually, does not do any more. However, while we can use used to for both actions and states, would is used only for actions.
As a child, I used to go swimming every day - correct
As a child, I would go swimming every day - correct
I used to live in London - correct
I would live in London - incorrect
Peter
The LearnEnglish Team
Hello,
I would like to ask if the following is correct
When the living room has also a dining room we use the following verb?
The dining room is included in the living room.
Thank you in advance
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