Angol nyelvhasználat tanítóknak és óvodapedagógusoknak

- Home
- 1. Introduction to time, tense and aspect
  - 1.1 The difference between times and tenses
  - 1.2 Aspects
  - 1.3 State verbs and action verbs
- 2. Past time
  - 2.1 Past simple
  - 2.2 Past continuous
  - 2.3 The difference between the past simple and the past continuous
  - 2.4 Past perfect
  - 2.5 The difference between the past simple and the past perfect
  - 2.6 Past perfect continuous
  - 2.7 The difference between the past perfect and the past perfect continuous
  - 2.8 Present simple to express past
  - 2.9 USED TO for past habits
  - Exercise 1
  - Exercise 2
  - Exercise 3
  - Exercise 4
  - Exercise 5
- 3. Present time
  - 3.1 Present simple
  - 3.2 Present continuous
  - 3.3 Present perfect
  - 3.4 Present perfect continuous
  - Exercise 1
  - Exercise 2
  - Exercise 3
  - Exercise 4
  - Exercise 5
- 4. Future time
  - 4.1 Future simple
  - 4.2 Future continuous
  - 4.3 Future perfect
  - 4.4 Future perfect continuous
  - 4.5 BE GOING TO
  - 4.6 Present simple for fixed future events
  - 4.7 Present continuous for fixed future arrangements
  - 4.8 The difference between WILL, BE GOING TO and the present continuous for future events
  - 4.9 Future time clauses
  - Exercise 1
  - Exercise 2
  - Exercise 3
  - Exercise 4
  - Exercise 5
- 5. Modals
  - 5.1 Types of modals
  - 5.2 Modals to express ability: CAN, COULD, BE ABLE TO
  - 5.3 Modals to express advice: SHOULD, OUGHT TO, HAD BETTER
  - 5.4 Modals to express criticism: CAN, COULD, MIGHT, SHOULD
  - 5.5 Modals to express deduction: MUST, CAN'T, COULDN'T
  - 5.6 USED TO
  - 5.7 Modals to express intentions: BE GOING TO, WILL
  - 5.8 Modals to express obligation: MUST, HAVE (GOT) TO
  - 5.9 NEED
  - 5.10 Modals to express obligation: SHOULD, OUGHT TO
  - 5.11 Modals to express offers: CAN, COULD, WILL, SHALL, MAY
  - 5.12 Modals to express permission / prohibition: CAN, COULD, MAY, MIGHT, BE ALLOWED TO, MUSTN'T
  - 5.13 Modals to express possibility: MAY, MIGHT, COULD
  - 5.14 Modals to express predictions: BE GOING TO, WILL
  - 5.15 Modals to express requests: CAN, COULD, WILL, WOULD
  - 5.16 Modals to express suggestions: SHOULD, COULD, MIGHT, SHALL
  - 5.17 The modal WOULD to express unreal situations
  - 5.18 Overview of modals
  - 5.19 Modals and adverbs
  - Exercise 1
  - Exercise 2
  - Exercise 3
  - Exercise 4
  - Exercise 5
- 6. Conditionals and unreal tenses
  - 6.1 Unreal tenses
  - 6.2 Conditionals
    - 6.2.1 Zero conditional
    - 6.2.2 First conditional
    - 6.2.3 Second conditional
    - 6.2.4 Third conditional
    - 6.2.5 Mixed conditionals
    - 6.2.6 IF, EVEN IF, ONLY IF, AS LONG AS, PROVIDED, SUPPOSING, UNLESS, IF NECESSARY, IF SO etc.
  - 6.3 WISH / IF ONLY
  - 6.4 IT'S (HIGH) TIME
  - 6.5 AS IF / AS THOUGH
  - 6.6 WOULD RATHER / WOULD SOONER
  - Exercise 1
  - Exercise 2
  - Exercise 3
  - Exercise 4
  - Exercise 5
- 7. Indirect speech
  - 7.1 The difference between direct and indirect speech
  - 7.2 Punctuation in direct speech
  - 7.3 Changes in indirect speech
  - 7.4 Reporting questions
  - 7.5 Reporting statements
  - 7.6 Reporting imperatives
  - 7.7 Reporting verb + THAT-clause
  - 7.8 Reporting verb + THAT-clause with SHOULD + infinitive
  - 7.9 Reporting verb + THAT-clause with the present subjunctive
  - 7.10 Reporting verb + gerund
  - 7.11 Reporting verb + TO-infinitive
  - 7.12 Reporting verb + object + TO-infinitive
  - 7.13 SAY, TELL and ASK
  - 7.14 Impersonal reporting
  - Exercise 1
  - Exercise 2
  - Exercise 3
  - Exercise 4
  - Exercise 5
  - Exercise 6
- Progress test 1
  - Exercise 1
  - Exercise 2
  - Exercise 3
  - Exercise 4
  - Exercise 5
- 8. Passive voice and causative structures
  - 8.1 Passive voice
    - 8.1.1 The difference between the active and passive voice
    - 8.1.2 Form: passive voice
    - 8.1.3 Verbs which cannot be used in the passive voice
    - 8.1.4 Ditransitive verbs in the passive voice
    - 8.1.5 The agent with the passive voice
    - 8.1.6 The use of the passive voice
    - 8.1.7 The passive with GET
    - 8.1.8 Passive voice with reporting verbs
  - 8.2 Causative structures
    - 8.2.1 Causative structures without an agent
    - 8.2.2 Causative structures with an agent
  - Exercise 1
  - Exercise 2
  - Exercise 3
  - Exercise 4
  - Exercise 5
  - Exercise 6
- 9. Non-finite verb forms
  - 9.1 The difference between finite and non-finite verb forms
  - 9.2 The infinitive
    - 9.2.1 The forms of the infinitive
    - 9.2.2 The "subject" of the infinitive
    - 9.2.3 The TO-infinitive to replace a relative clause
    - 9.2.4 The TO-infinitive after passive reporting verbs
    - 9.2.5 The infinitive after modals
    - 9.2.6 DO, DOES, DID + bare infinitive
    - 9.2.7 SEE, WATCH, HEAR, LISTEN, FEEL, SMELL, NOTICE + object + bare infinitive
    - 9.2.8 APPEAR, HAPPEN, PROVE, SEEM, TEND, TURN OUT + TO-infinitive
    - 9.2.9 HAVE, GET, LET, MAKE + object + infinitive
    - 9.2.10 Verb + TO-infinitive
    - 9.2.11 Verb + object + TO-infinitive
    - 9.2.12 Adjective + TO-infinitive
    - 9.2.13 The infinitive of purpose
    - 9.2.14 The infinitive of result
    - 9.2.15 Question word + TO-infinitive
    - 9.2.16 Introductory infinitive clauses
  - 9.3 The gerund
    - 9.3.1 The forms of the gerund
    - 9.3.2 The "subject" of the gerund
    - 9.3.3 The gerund as subject
    - 9.3.4 The gerund as a subject complement
    - 9.3.5 The gerund as the object of a verb
    - 9.3.6 Verb + gerund
    - 9.3.7 Preposition + gerund
    - 9.3.8 Verb + preposition + gerund
    - 9.3.9 The gerund used in compound nouns
    - 9.3.10 Other expressions followed by the gerund
    - 9.3.11 Verbs followed by the TO-infinitive or gerund with no difference in meaning
    - 9.3.12 Verbs followed by the TO-infinitive or gerund with a difference in meaning
  - 9.4 The participle
    - 9.4.1 The forms of the participle
    - 9.4.2 The "subject" of the participle
    - 9.4.3 The present participle used to form the continuous aspect
    - 9.4.4 The past participle used to form the perfect aspect
    - 9.4.5 The past participle used to form the passive voice
    - 9.4.6 The present and past participles used as adjectives
    - 9.4.7 SEE, WATCH, HEAR, LISTEN, FEEL, SMELL, NOTICE + object + present participle
    - 9.4.8 CATCH, FIND, LEAVE + object + present participle
    - 9.4.9 COME, GO + present participle
    - 9.4.10 SPEND, WASTE + object + present participle
    - 9.4.11 HAVE, GET + object + past participle
    - 9.4.12 Participle clauses
  - 9.5 The difference between the gerund and the present participle
  - Exercise 1
  - Exercise 2
  - Exercise 3
  - Exercise 4
  - Exercise 5
- 10. Relative clauses
  - 10.1 What is a relative clause?
  - 10.2 Defining relative clause
  - 10.3 Non-defining relative clause
  - 10.4 The difference between defining and non-defining relative clauses
  - 10.5 Sentential relative clause
  - 10.6 Relative pronouns: WHO, WHOM, WHOSE, WHICH, THAT
  - 10.7 Relative adverbs: WHERE, WHEN, WHY
  - 10.8 Prepositions in relative clauses
  - 10.9 Non-finite relative clauses
  - 10.10 WHAT and WHATEVER
  - 10.11 Cleft sentences
  - 10.12 Pseudo-cleft sentences
  - Exercise 1
  - Exercise 2
  - Exercise 3
  - Exercise 4
  - Exercise 5
  - Exercise 6
- 11. Inversion
  - 11.1 What is inversion?
  - 11.2 Subject-verb inversion
    - 11.2.1 Subject-verb inversion after place adverbials
    - 11.2.2 Subject-verb inversion in direct speech
    - 11.2.3 Subject-verb inversion in news headlines
  - 11.3 Subject-auxiliary inversion
    - 11.3.1 Subject-auxiliary inversion after negative adverbials
    - 11.3.2 Subject-auxiliary inversion in questions
    - 11.3.3 Subject-auxiliary inversion in question tags
    - 11.3.4 Subject-auxiliary inversion in echo tags
    - 11.3.5 Subject-auxiliary inversion with SO and NEITHER/NOR to express agreement
  - Exercise 1
  - Exercise 2
  - Exercise 3
  - Exercise 4
  - Exercise 5
- 12. Articles and nouns
  - 12.1 Articles
    - 12.1.1 The indefinite article (A, AN)
    - 12.1.2 The definite article (THE)
    - 12.1.3 The zero article (-)
  - 12.2 Countable and uncountable nouns
    - 12.2.1 The difference between countable and uncountable nouns
    - 12.2.2 Nouns with countable and uncountable meanings
    - 12.2.3 Determiners with countable and uncountable nouns (SOME, ANY, NO, MANY, MUCH, FEW, LITTLE etc.)
    - 12.2.4 Partitive expressions with uncountable nouns
    - 12.2.5 Nouns which are always plural
    - 12.2.6 Nouns with a plural form and a singular meaning
    - 12.2.7 Nouns with the same singular and plural forms
    - 12.2.8 Irregular plural forms
  - Exercise 1
  - Exercise 2
  - Exercise 3
  - Exercise 4
  - Exercise 5
  - Exercise 6
  - Exercise 7
- Progress test 2
  - Exercise 1
  - Exercise 2
  - Exercise 3
  - Exercise 4
  - Exercise 5
- Appendix
  - Irregular verb forms
  - Spelling rules

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# 2.1 Past simple

## Form: past simple

`verb-ed`

### Affirmative

Subject | Verb (past tense) |
--- | --- | ---
I You He/She/It We You They | arrived | yesterday.

In the case of regular verbs, the past simple is formed by adding -ed to the base form of the verb for all persons. Note the changes in spelling:

> look » look ed
> stay » stay ed
> arrive » arrived (we only add -d if the verb ends in -e)
> try » tried (a final -y changes to -i- after a consonant)
> stop » stopped (we double the final consonant if the verb ends in a consonant-vowel-consonant)

A number of verbs have irregular past forms. A few examples are:

> buy » bought
> fly » flew
> hit » hit
> shine » shone
> swim » swam

See the Appendix for a list of the most common irregular verbs in English.

### Negative

In the negative, we use the auxiliary did + not followed by the bare infinitive:

Subject | Auxiliary | not | Verb (bare infinitive) |
--- | --- | --- | --- | ---
I You He/She/It We You They | did | not | arrive | in time.

The contracted form didn't is often used instead of did not in spoken and in informal written language.

### Interrogative

In the interrogative, we use the auxiliary did followed by the subject and the bare infinitive:

(Question word) | Auxiliary | Subject | Verb (bare infinitive)
--- | --- | --- | ---
(When) | did | I you he/she/it we you they | arrive?

## The verb BE in the past simple

The verb be has irregular past tense forms. In the past simple, the auxiliary did is not used in the negative or interrogative if the main verb is be:

Affirmative | Negative | Interrogative
--- | --- | ---
I was at home. You were at home. He/She/It was at home. We were at home. You were at home. They were at home. | I was not at home. You were not at home. He/S he/It was not at home. We were not at home. You were not at home. They were not at home. | Was I at home? Were you at home? Was he/she/it at home? Were we at home? Were you at home? Were they at home?

The contracted forms wasn't and weren't are often used instead of was not and were not in spoken and in informal written language.

## Past simple for completed actions in the past

The past simple tense is used for actions which are completed at a definite point in time in the past. This point can be implied or expressed with a time expression or a clause:

> I bought a motorbike last week.
> She was born in 1990.
> Columbus discovered America. (i.e. in 1492)
> How did it happen? (i.e. when it happened)
> When I got home, I went to bed straight away.

Examples of time expressions that refer to a definite time in the past:

> a year/two months/a few weeks/three days/etc. ago
> at 5 o'clock
> yesterday
> earlier today/this week/this month
> last week/month/year

## Past simple for past habits and states

The past simple is used to express habits and states that existed during a period of time in the past. This period can be implied or expressed with a time expression or a clause:

> When I was a child, I visited my grandma every weekend. (habit)
> When my brother was young, he liked spinach. (state)
> Where did you go to primary school? (habit, where the implied period of time is when you went to primary school)

## Past simple for actions happening over a period of time in the past

The past simple is used for actions that took place over a complete period of time in the past. This period is expressed with a time expression; however, the exact time may or may not be mentioned:

> Pterodactyls existed between 1.5 billion and 70 million years ago.
> From 1981 to 1984, he worked for a large multinational company.
> Last week, I stayed with my sister for a few days. (the exact time is not mentioned)
> Joe lived in Boston for ten years. (the exact time is not mentioned)

## Past simple to express a point in the past

The past simple is used to refer to a point in the past at which another event was in progress, had been completed or had been going on for some time. The past simple thus serves as a time marker in subordinate time clauses within complex sentences, where the main clause is in the past continuous, past perfect or past perfect continuous tense:

> When I called her, she was studying.
> By the time we reached the top, it had stopped raining.
> When I got to her house, she had been waiting for hours.

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