The five most frequently tested tenses of verbs: Key grammar points for professional English in 2010

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The basic concepts, structure, and usage of the five main tenses of verbs that are frequently tested in the professional English proficiency exam are summarized below. It is hoped that by gaining a thorough understanding of and mastering the use of these verb tenses, candidates can lay a solid foundation for conducting comprehensive reviews and improving their test scores. Present Simple Tense 1. Concept of the Present Simple Tense: The Present Simple Tense is used to describe actions or states that occur frequently or are habitual. 2. Formation of the simple present tense: There are mainly two forms for constructing the simple present tense: (1) The \"be\" form: The verb in the sentence is solely be (am, is, or are). a. In affirmative sentences, only be is used, for example: I am a student. I am a learner. b. In negative sentences, add not after be, for example: She isn’t a teacher. She is not a teacher. c. For general questions, the verb \"be\" must be placed at the beginning of the sentence (make sure the first letter is capitalized), and a question mark is used at the end. The answers are \"Yes, subject + be\" or \"No, subject + be + not\". For example: —Are you ready? —Are you ready? —Yes, I am.—Yes, I’m ready. (—No, I'm not.—No, I’m not ready.) ) (2) Content verb type: The predicate verb in the sentence is a content verb (also known as an action verb): a. In affirmative sentences, only content verbs are used, for example: I get up in the morning. I get up in the early hours of the day. b. In negative sentences, one must add do(does) + not in front of the main verb. Do(does) functions as an auxiliary verb and has no meaning on its own; it is often shortened with not to form don’t(doesn’t). For example: I don’t like vegetables. I am not fond of vegetables. c. For general questions, the auxiliary verb Do(does) must be placed at the beginning of the sentence, with a question mark at the end. Short answers are Yes, subject + do(does), or No, subject + do(does) + not. For example: —Do you like oranges? —Do you like oranges? —Yes, I do.—Yes, I like it. (—No, I don’t.—No, I don’t like it.) ) 3. Usage of the simple present tense 1) Actions that occur regularly or habitually; it is often used with adverbs of frequency such as: every…, sometimes, at…, on Sunday, etc. I leave home for school at 7 every morning. I go to school at 7 o’clock every day. 2) Objective truth, objective existence, scientific facts. The Earth moves around the Sun. The Earth orbits the Sun. Shanghai is located in the east of China. Shanghai is in the eastern part of China. 3) Used in proverbs or maxims. Pride goes before a fall. Those who are proud will surely fail. Note: When this usage appears in an object clause, even if the main clause is in the past tense, the predicate of the clause must be in the simple present tense. Example: Columbus proved that the earth is round. 4) Current state, abilities, personality, and character. Xiao Wang writes good English but does not speak well. Xiao Wang is better at writing in English than at speaking it. Comparison: Now I put the sugar in the cup. I am doing my homework now. The first sentence is in the simple present tense; it is used to describe actions that are being performed as part of a demonstration or instruction, indicating an action that takes place at that moment. Another example: Now watch me, I switch on the current and stand back. In the second sentence, “now” is a marker of the present continuous tense, indicating an action that is taking place at that moment; therefore, the following sentence is expressed in the simple present tense. Simple Past Tense 1. The concept of the simple past tense: The simple past tense is used to indicate actions that took place or states that existed at some point in the past. It is often used in conjunction with adverbials of time indicating the past. Such as: last year, yesterday, etc ； It can also be used to indicate actions that used to occur repeatedly in the past, and is often used together with frequency adverbs such as often and always. For example: ① I saw him on the street yesterday. I met him on the street yesterday. ② Li Mei always went to school on foot last year. Last year, Li Mei would walk to school all the time. 2. The formation of the simple past tense: We will mainly learn about the formation of the simple past tense when the predicate verb is a content verb. Formation of the past tense of verbs: (1) There are four rules for forming the past tense of regular verbs: ① Generally, -ed is added directly to the end of the base form of the verb. For example: look-looked. ②For verbs that end with the silent letter e, remove the e and add -ed. For example: live-lived. ③For a stressed closed syllable that ends with only one consonant letter, double that consonant letter first, then add -ed. For example: stop-stopped. ④For verbs that end with a consonant letter + y, change y to i first, and then add -ed. For example: study-studied. (2) The past tense of irregular verbs needs to be memorized separately. For example: am(is)-was, are-were, go-went, come-came, take-took, have (has)-had, etc. 3. Several sentence patterns for the simple past tense: The structure of a positive sentence is: subject + past form of the verb + other elements. For example: He went to the toy store yesterday. He was at the toy store yesterday. The structure of a negative sentence is: subject + did not (didn’t) + base form of the verb + other elements. For example: He didn’t go to the toy store yesterday. He was not at the toy store yesterday. Formation of a general question in the simple past tense: Did + subject + base form of the verb + other elements? For example: 1) -Did you go to Beijing last week? -Yes, we did. (No, we didn’t.) 2) -Did you meet the businessman before? -No, I didn’t. (Yes, I did.) The structure of special questions in the simple past tense is: question word + did + subject + base form of the verb + other elements? For example: 1) – What did you do last night? – I did my homework. 2) – Where did you go last week? – I went to Shanghai with my parents. 4. Mnemonic for the simple past tense: The simple past tense isn’t difficult; just keep in mind that it is used to describe actions and states that took place in the past. The verb must be in the past tense, at the end of the time clause. Negative sentences are simple: put “didn’t” in front of the base form of the verb, and leave the rest unchanged. Simple questions are also easy to form: put \"did\" at the beginning of the sentence, and then arrange the subject, the base form of the verb, and the other elements in order. Special question sentences are also simple; just remember the interrogative words along with the structure of simple questions. For the last point, please remember to keep the past tense of verbs in mind. Simple Future Tense 1. Basic concept of the simple future tense: The simple future tense is used to indicate actions or states that will occur at a certain time in the future, or actions or states that will happen repeatedly over some period of time in the future. The simple future tense is formed by the auxiliary verb shall (for the first person), will (for the second and third persons) + the base form of the verb. In American English, will is used regardless of the person. 2. The formation of the simple future tense: am/is/are/going to + do and will/shall + do. 1) Shall is used with the third person singular; it is often replaced by will, and both can be abbreviated as ’ll. Will is used for all persons in declarative sentences, and is often used for the second person when seeking opinions. Which paragraph shall I read first? Will you be at home at seven this evening? 2) be going to + base form of the verb + place, used to indicate the future. a. The subject’s intention, that is, to do something. What are you going to do tomorrow? b. Plan and arrange what is going to happen. The play is going to be produced next month. c. Things that show signs of happening: Look at those dark clouds; there’s going to be a storm. 3) be + infinitive is used to indicate something that will happen according to plans or formal arrangements. We are going to discuss the report next Saturday. 4) be about to + infinitive, meaning to do something soon. He is about to leave for Beijing. Note: \"be about to\" cannot be used with time expressions that indicate a specific future time, such as \"tomorrow\" or \"next week\“. 3. Usage of the simple future tense: It is used to indicate actions or states that will occur in the future. The simple future tense is often used together with time adverbs that denote the future, such as: tomorrow (tomorrow), next week (next week), from now on (starting from now) ； in the future (in the coming time), etc. 4. Other uses of the simple future tense: The simple future tense is used to indicate actions or states that will occur at some point in the future. Besides the structure of “shall (first person), will (second and third persons) + base form of the verb”, there are also other forms for expressing this tense. 1) “to be going to + base form of the verb” is used to indicate something that is about to happen or is planned to be done soon. For example: ① It is going to rain. It’s going to start raining. ②We are going to have a meeting today. We will hold a meeting today. 2) Words such as go, come, start, move, sail, leave, arrive, stay, live, fly, etc. can be used with the present continuous tense to indicate actions that are scheduled to take place soon; for example: I’m leaving for Beijing. I am going to Beijing. 3) “be to + base form of verb” is used to indicate something that is planned to happen or to seek the other party’s opinion. For example: ①Are we to go on with this work? Why should we continue with this? ②The boy is to go to school tomorrow. This boy will go to school tomorrow. 4) “be about to + base form of verb” indicates an action that is about to happen, meaning: soon, in a moment. Generally, no time adverbial follows it. For example: We are about to leave. We will be going soon. 5) The simple present tense of certain words, such as come, go, leave, arrive, start, get, stay, live, fly, etc., can also be used to express the future. ①The meeting starts at five o'clock. It begins at 5 pm. ②He gets off at the next stop. He gets off at the next station. Present continuous tense: 1. The concept of the present continuous tense: The present continuous tense is used to describe actions that are taking place at this moment or at some current time. It can represent a planned future. 2. Formation of the present continuous tense: The structure of the present continuous tense is: subject + be + verb in the -ing form [present participle]. Be should be an auxiliary verb; beginners often overlook it, and it must agree in person and number with the subject. First person singular: I + am + doing + something. First person plural: We + are + doing + something. Second person singular and plural: You + are + doing + something. Third person singular: He/She/It + is + doing + something. Third person plural: They + are + doing + something. Rules for verb conjugation: A. Add “ing” directly. B. Remove “e” and then add “ing”. C. For stressed closed syllables with only one consonant at the end, double that consonant before adding “ing”. D. Special changes: die – dying, lie – lying, tie – tying. E. Irregular changes. 3. Usage of the present continuous tense: In practical use, the present continuous tense is commonly employed in the following situations: (1) When the word “now” is used in a sentence, it usually indicates that an action is taking place at that moment; in such cases, the present continuous tense is used. For example: They are playing basketball now. They are playing basketball at the moment. (2) Sentences that begin with \"look\" or \"listen\" indicate that an action is taking place at the moment, and in such cases the present continuous tense should be used. For example: Listen! She is singing an English song. Listen, she is singing in English. (3) It is used to indicate an action that is taking place at the present time or during a certain current period; when time phrases such as this week or these days are used, the present continuous tense is commonly applied. For example: We are making model planes these days. We are working on airplane models these days. (4) Describe the actions of the people in the picture to make it more vivid. The present continuous tense is also commonly used at this time. For example: Look at the picture. The children are flying kites in the park. Look at this picture; those children are flying kites in the park. Present Perfect Tense ⒈ Concept of the Present Perfect Tense: The present perfect tense is used to indicate actions that took place in the past and have been completed, and whose effects or consequences persist up to the present; it is also used for actions or states that started at some point in the past and continued until now. The present perfect tense is formed by the auxiliary verb have(has) + the past participle of the verb. ⒉Usage of the present perfect tense: It has three main uses: the use indicating that I have completed something. It indicates the results and effects that a past action, which has already taken place and ended, has on the present. This category of situations can be further divided into the following two types. 1). Indicates that an action that began in the past has just finished. It is often used together with words such as just, now, already, yet, not…yet, etc. Li Ming has just turned off the light. Li Ming just turned off the lamp. (I’m saying the light is off now.) I’ve finished my homework now. I’ve completed my homework already. (Indicates that one can submit the assignment or do other things now.) 2). Indicates the result of an action in the past, which still persists to this day. Adverbials of time are generally not used. I have lost my pen. I lost my pencil. (It was lost at some point in the past; I still haven’t found that pen yet.) She has become a teacher. She is now a teacher. (To indicate that she is still a teacher) She has become a teacher. She is now a teacher. (Indicating that she is still a teacher now) II incomplete usage. Refers to an action or state that began in the past, has continued to the present, and can continue further. It is often used in conjunction with adverbials that indicate a period of time. Such as today, this week (month), lately, recently, these days, in the past few days, during the last two weeks. Since, since yesterday, since 2 days ago, since 1991, for a long time, for a month, so far, up to now, till (until) now, etc. He has lived here for 30 years. He has been residing here for thirty years. (They still live here now.) They’ve known each other since childhood; they have been friends since they were young. (We’re still in touch now) How long have you been studying English? How long have you been learning English? (I’m still learning it) III Empirical usage. It refers to things that have happened from the past up to the present. It is generally translated into Chinese as “guo” and is often used in combination with words such as often, never, ever, once, twice, three times, before, since, etc. I have been to the Summer Palace twice. I have been to the Yihe Garden twice as well. We have visited your school before. I have been to your school before. (Past experiences, but still remembered today) ⒊ Adverbials of time for the present perfect tense: Since the present perfect tense belongs to the category of present tenses, it cannot be used with adverbials of time referring to the past. For example: yesterday, last Sunday, in 1990, three years ago, etc. However, when emphasizing the consequences and effects of an action, it can be used in combination with some adverbials of time indicating uncertainty. a. Use the adverbs already and yet. Already is generally used in affirmative sentences, while yet is generally used in negative and interrogative sentences. For example: We have already finished our homework. We have completed our assignments. They haven’t finished their homework yet. They still haven’t completed their assignments. b. Use ever and never. It is mostly used in negative or interrogative sentences to express meanings such as “once” or “never”. For example: -Have you ever been to the Great Wall? Have you been to the Great Wall before? -I have never been to the Great Wall. I’ve not been there at all. c. Use adverbs of past time indicating up to the moment of speaking, such as just, before, up to now, the past few years, etc. For example: I have seen her before, but I can not remember where. I met her before, but I can’t recall where. He has been there three times in the past few days. He has been there three times in recent years. d. Use adverbials of time including “now”, such as: now, today, this morning (month, year, term), etc. For example: -Have you met him today?-No, I haven’t. Have you seen him today? I don’t. How many times have you been there this year? How many times have you gone there this year? II Transient verbs cannot be used with adverbials that indicate a duration of time. Such as: come, go, arrive, reach, see, hear, close, leave, begin, start, lose, buy, close, fall, join, die, get up, etc. But if a time phrase indicating a period of time is to be retained, the verb must be changed to a continuous verb. Let’s now summarize the transformation from non-continuous verbs to continuous verbs. For example: fall asleep (ill) → be asleep (ill); get to know → know; begin/(start) → be on; open → be open; buy → have; get up → be up; die → be dead; go out → be out; come → be in; close → be closed; arrive → be here; join → be in, be a + noun; finish/(end) → be over; leave, move → be away, be out of; borrow → keep; go to school → be a student; catch(a cold) → have(a cold); begin to study → study; come back → be back; put on → wear or be on. For instance: He has been a soldier for three years. He has been in the army for three years. His father has been dead for two years. His father passed away two years ago. The film has been on for ten minutes. The movie has been playing for ten minutes now. We have been studying English for three years. It has been three years since we started learning English. ⒋The difference between the present perfect tense and the simple past tense: Both the present perfect tense and the simple past tense are used to indicate actions that were completed in the past. But the present perfect tense emphasizes the relationship between this action and the present. It refers to results or effects that occur at the present time, whereas the simple past tense merely indicates that an action took place at some point in the past, without indicating any connection to the present. Compare: I have lost my new book. I lost my new book. (I haven’t found it yet.) I lost my new book yesterday. I lost my new book the other day. (Lost yesterday; it is not specified whether it has been found yet.) The light has gone out. The light is off now. (It’s not on yet.) The light went out before; it was off at one point. (It’s on now.) 5. Points to note: I. Difference between have been(to) and have gone(to): Have been(to) means “having been to a place (and having returned now)”, and can be used with all persons ； \"Have gone (to)\\" means \"has gone to a certain place (the person is not there at the time of speaking)\\", and it is often used with the third person. The former form can be combined with words like once, never, several times, etc., while the latter form cannot. For example: They have been to Beijing twice. They have gone to Beijing two times. He has gone to Beijing. He is in Beijing now. II. If it merely indicates a period of time or emphasizes such a period, the perfect tense is not necessary even though the word \"since\" is used. For example: It is two years since his father died. = His father has been dead for two years. His father has been deceased for three years now. Ⅲ. The negative form of the present perfect tense of non-continuative verbs has become a continuative state, and therefore can be used with adverbials indicating a period of time. For example: I haven’t left here since 1997. I have not been away from here since 1997. (Wrong) I have received his letter for a month. (Correct) I haven’t received his letter for almost a month. ⒍ Used in the sentence patterns of the present perfect tense: In the clause part of the structure \"It is the first/second time… that…\", the present perfect tense is used. It is the first time that I have visited the city. II. This is the… that… structure; the that-clause should be in the present perfect tense. This is the best film that I've (ever) seen. It’s the best movie I have ever watched. Analysis of classic examples on verb tenses: 1. --- Oh, dear. I forgot the air tickets. --- You ______ something. A. have left B. are always leaving C. are leaving D. always left Analysis: The present continuous tense is used together with words like always, all the time, etc., to indicate habitual actions, and it carries a strong emotional connotation. This can be understood as “You are always forgetful.” , so this should be choice B. 2. --- I ______ so busily recently that I ______ no time to help you with your maths. --- That’s OK. I can manage it by myself. A. have been working; have B. have worked; had C. am working; will have D. had been working; had had. Explanation: \"recently\" is often used in combination with the present perfect tense or the simple past tense. The second blank requires the simple present tense. So the answer should be A. 3. Remember to send me a photo of us next time you ______ to me. A. are writing B. will write C. has written D. write. Explanation: ‘Next time’ is used to introduce a time adverbial clause, and the verb in such a clause is usually expressed in the simple present tense to indicate the future. So the answer should be D. 4. He ______ at the meeting, but his heart attack prevented him. A. will speak B. is going to speak C. had to speak D. was going to speak. Explanation: Given that he originally planned to speak at the meeting, but something stopped him from doing so, option D is the correct choice. 5. --- I’m sorry, but I didn’t quite catch what you said. --- Oh, I ______ myself. A. am talking to　B. talked about　C. have talked to　D. was talking to Explanation: Oh, I was talking to myself. This means “Oh, I was just talking to myself earlier.” So the answer should be D. 6. I ______ ping-pong quite well, but I haven’t had time to play since the New Year. A. will play　 B. have played　 C. played　 D. play. Explanation: The ability to play ping-pong well is a general fact, so the simple present tense is used here. So this should be D