Form of Present Perfect Progressive

Example: I have been living here since 2001. finished action that influenced the present Example: I have been working all afternoon.

Positive

Negative

Question

I / you / we / they

I have been speaking.

I have not been speaking.

Have I been speaking?

Signal Words of Present Perfect Progressive Form of Past Perfect Simple

he / she / it

He has been speaking.

He has not been speaking.

Has he been speaking?

Positive

Negative

Question

Exceptions in Spelling
Exceptions in spelling when adding ing Example

no differences I had spoken. I had not spoken. Had I spoken?

For irregular verbs, use the past participle form (see list of irregular verbs, 3rd column). For regular verbs, just add ed.

final e is dropped (but: ee is not changed)

come coming (but: agree agreeing)

Exceptions in Spelling when Adding ed

Exceptions in Spelling when Adding ed Example

after a short, stressed vowel, the final consonant is doubled

sit sitting after final e, only add d love loved

l as final consonant after a vowel is doubled (in British English)

travel travelling final consonant after a short, stressed vowel admit admitted or l as final consonant after a vowel is doubled travel travelled lie lying final y after a consonant becomes i hurry hurried

final ie becomes y

Use of Present Perfect Progressive

puts emphasis on the duration or course of an action (not the result) Example: She has been writing for two hours. action that recently stopped or is still going on

Use of Past Perfect

action taking place before a certain time in the past (putting emphasis only on the fact, not the duration) Example: Before I came here, I had spoken to Jack.

Conditional Sentences Type III (condition that was not given in the past) Example: If I had seen him, I would have talked to him. I / you / we / they I have spoken. I have not spoken. Have I spoken?

Past Perfect Progressive (Past Perfect Continuous)

The past perfect progressive puts emphasis on the course or duration of an action taking place before a certain time in the past.

he / she / it

He has spoken. He has not spoken. Has he spoken?

For irregular verbs, use the participle form (see list of irregular verbs, 3rd column). For regular verbs, just add ed.

Form
A: He had been talking. N: He had not been talking. Q: Had he been talking?

Exceptions in Spelling when Adding ed

Exceptions in spelling when adding ed Example

after a final e only add d

love loved

Use
action taking place before a certain time in the past sometimes interchangeable with past perfect simple puts emphasis on the course or duration of an action final consonant after a short, stressed vowel admit admitted or l as final consonant after a vowel is doubled travel travelled

signal words
for, since, the whole day, all day

final y after a consonant becomes i

hurry hurried

Use of Present Perfect

Present Perfect Simple

Language Guide German + Dictionary for iPhone and iPod-Touch (made by ego4u) Exercises on Present Perfect The present perfect simple expresses an action that is still going on or that stopped recently, but has an influence on the present. It puts emphasis on the result.

puts emphasis on the result Example: She has written five letters.

action that is still going on Example: School has not started yet.

action that stopped recently Example: She has cooked dinner.

Form of Present Perfect

Positive Negative Question

finished action that has an influence on the present Example: I have lost my key.

action that has taken place once, never or several times before the moment of speaking Example: I have never been to Australia.

example: If I arrive late, I will call you.

Signal Words
in a year, next , tomorrow Vermutung: I think, probably, perhaps

Signal Words of Present Perfect

already, ever, just, never, not yet, so far, till now, up to now

Future I Simple going to Future I Simple will

Exercises on Future I Simple with will Going to future expresses a conclusion regarding the immediate future or an action in Will future expresses a spontaneous decision, an assumption with regard to the future or an action in the future that cannot be influenced. the near future that has already been planned or prepared. Exercises on Future I Simple with going to

Form of going to Future

positive negative question

Form of will Future

positive negative question
I no differences I will speak. I will not speak. Will I speak? you / we / they You are going to speak. You are not going to speak. Are you going to speak? I am going to speak. I am not going to speak. Am I going to speak?

Use of will Future

a spontaneous decision example: Wait, I will help you. an opinion, hope, uncertainty or assumption regarding the future example: He will probably come back tomorrow. a promise example: I will not watch TV tonight. an action in the future that cannot be influenced example: It will rain tomorrow. conditional clauses type I

he / she / it

He is going to speak. He is not going to speak.

Is he going to speak?

Use of going to Future

an action in the near future that has already been planned or prepared example: I am going to study harder next year. a conclusion regarding the immediate future example: The sky is absolutely dark. It is going to rain.

Signal Words
in one year, next week, tomorrow final ie becomes y

lie lying

Use of Past Progressive

Past Progressive (Past Continuous)

Language Guide German + Dictionary for iPhone and iPod-Touch (made by ego4u) Exercises on Past Progressive The past progressive puts emphasis on the course of an action in the past.

puts emphasis on the course of an action in the past Example: He was playing football.

two actions happening at the same time (in the past) Example: While she was preparing dinner, he was washing the dishes.

Form
Positive Negative Question

action going on at a certain time in the past Example: When I was having breakfast, the phone suddenly rang.

Signal Words of Past Progressive

I / he / she / it I was speaking. I was not speaking. Was I speaking? when, while, as long as

you / we / they You were speaking. You were not speaking. Were you speaking?

Use of Passive
Passive voice is used when the focus is on the action. It is not important or not

Exceptions in Spelling
Exceptions in spelling when adding ing Example

known, however, who or what is performing the action.

Example: My bike was stolen.

In the example above, the focus is on the fact that my bike was stolen. I do not know,

final e is dropped (but: ee is not changed)

come coming (but: agree agreeing)

however, who did it. Sometimes a statement in passive is more polite than active voice, as the following example shows:

after a short, stressed vowel, the final consonant is doubled

sit sitting

Example: A mistake was made.

In this case, I focus on the fact that a mistake was made, but I do not blame anyone

l as final consonant after a vowel is doubled (in British English)

travel travelling

(e.g. You have made a mistake.).

Form of Passive
Subject + finite form of to be + Past Participle (3rd column of irregular verbs)

Example: A letter was written.

Present Progressive When rewriting active sentences in passive voice, note the following: the object of the active sentence becomes the subject of the passive sentence the finite form of the verb is changed (to be + past participle) the subject of the active sentence becomes the object of the passive sentence (or is dropped) Past Progressive Passive: Active: Passive: Past Perfect Active: Passive: Future II Active: Passive: Passive: Simple Past Active: Passive: Present Perfect Active: Passive: Future I Active: Passive: Hilfsverben Active: Passive: A letter Rita A letter Rita A letter Rita A letter Rita A letter is written wrote was written has written has been written will write will be written can write can be written by Rita. Conditional I a letter. Passive: by Rita. Conditional II a letter. Passive: by Rita. a letter. by Rita. a letter. by Rita. A letter Active: Rita A letter Active: Rita A letter Rita A letter Rita A letter Rita A letter Active: Rita

is writing

a letter.

is being written was writing was being written had written had been written will have written will have been written would write would be written would have written would have been written

by Rita. a letter. by Rita. a letter. by Rita. a letter. by Rita. a letter. by Rita. a letter. by Rita.

Examples of Passive
Tense Subject Verb Object
a letter.

Simple Present

Active:

Rita

writes

Passive Sentences with Two Objects

Rewriting an active sentence with two objects in passive voice means that one of the two objects becomes the subject, the other one remains an object. Which object to transform into a subject depends on what you want to put the focus on.

Subject

Verb

Object 1

Object 2
to me.

Examples of Passive
Active: Rita

wrote

a letter

Tense

Subject

Verb

Object

Passive: Passive:

A letter I

was written was written

to me a letter

by Rita. by Rita.