Mitar Maraš

The tense system: simple, continuous, perfect, active and passive

Sentences can be active or passive. Therefore, tenses also have "active forms" and
"passive forms." You must learn to recognize the difference to successfully speak
English.

Active Form

In active sentences, the thing doing the action is the subject of the sentence and the
thing receiving the action is the object. Most sentences are active.

[Thing doing action] + [verb] + [thing receiving action]

Passive Form

In passive sentences, the thing receiving the action is the subject of the sentence and
the thing doing the action is optionally included near the end of the sentence. You can
use the passive form if you think that the thing receiving the action is more important or
should be emphasized. You can also use the passive form if you do not know who is
doing the action or if you do not want to mention who is doing the action.

[Thing receiving action] + [be] + [past participle of verb] + [by] + [thing doing action]

Tense Active Passive

 Once a week, Tom cleans the Once a week, the house is
Simple Present
house. cleaned by Tom.

Right now, Sarah is Right now, the letter is being

Present Continuous
writing the letter. written by Sarah.

Simple Past Sam repaired the car. The car was repaired by Sam.

The salesman was The customer was being helped by

Past Continuous helping the customer when the salesman when the thief came
the thief came into the store. into the store.

Many tourists have That castle has been visited by

Present Perfect
visited that castle. many tourists.

Present Perfect Recently, John has been Recently, the work has been being
Continuous doing the work. done by John.

George had repaired many Many cars had been repaired by

Past Perfect cars before he received his George before he received his
mechanic's license. mechanic's license.

Chef Jones had been The restaurant's fantastic

Past Perfect preparing the restaurant's dinners had been being
Continuous fantastic dinners for two years prepared by Chef Jones for two
before he moved to Paris. years before he moved to Paris.

Simple Future Someone will finish the work The work will be finished by 5:00
will by 5:00 PM. PM.

Simple Future Sally is going to make a A beautiful dinner is going to be

be going to beautiful dinner tonight. made by Sally tonight.

Future Continuous At 8:00 PM tonight, John will At 8:00 PM tonight, the dishes will
will be washing the dishes. be being washed by John.

At 8:00 PM tonight, John is At 8:00 PM tonight, the dishes are

Future Continuous
going to be washing the going to be being washed by John.
be going to
dishes.

They will have The project will have been

Future Perfect
completed the project before completed before the deadline.
will
the deadline.

They are going to have The project is going to have been

Future Perfect
completed the project before completed before the deadline.
be going to
the deadline.
 The famous artist will have The mural will have been being
Future Perfect
been painting the mural for painted by the famous artist for over
Continuous
over six months by the time it six months by the time it is finished.
will
is finished.

The famous artist is going to The mural is going to have been

Future Perfect
have been painting the mural being painted by the famous artist
Continuous
for over six months by the for over six months by the time it is
be going to
time it is finished. finished.

Used to Jerry used to pay the bills. The bills used to be paid by Jerry.

My mother would always The pies would always be made by

Would Always
make the pies. my mother.

Future in the Past I knew John would finish the I knew the work would be
Would work by 5:00 PM. finished by 5:00 PM.

I thought Sally was going to I thought a beautiful dinner was

Future in the Past
make a beautiful dinner going to be made by Sally tonight.
Was Going to
tonight.

Present Perfect Simple and Continuous

We use both of these tenses for finished and unfinished actions.

The present perfect simple can be used (often with 'since' and 'for') to talk about unfinished

actions that started in the past and are still true in the present. It's often used with stative

verbs:

• I've known John for three years.

The present perfect continuous can also be used (often with 'since' and 'for') to talk about

unfinished actions that started in the past and are still true in the present. (Of course, we don't

use the present perfect continuous with stative verbs):

• She's been living here for three years.

Sometimes there's really no difference in meaning between the two tenses. This is especially

the case with verbs such as 'live', 'work' and 'study':

• They've lived in London since 2004.

• They've been living in London since 2004.

• I've studied French for ten years.

• I've been studying French for ten years.

• He's worked at the company since 2009.

• He's been working at our company since 2009.

Sometimes, there is a difference in meaning:

1. The present perfect continuous can be used to emphasise the length of time that has passed.

The present perfect simple is generally neutral:

• They've been waiting for hours! (This emphasises the length of time).

• They've waited for hours. (This doesn't emphasise the length of time).

2. On the other hand, the present perfect simple is often used when we're talking about how

much or how many. This isn't possible with the present perfect continuous:

• She's drunk three cups of coffee this morning.

• She's drunk at least a litre of coffee today.

• (NOT: she's been drinking three cups of coffee this morning.)

3. The present perfect continuous often focuses on the action itself, while the present perfect

simple focuses on the fact that the action is completed:

• I've been reading the book you recommended. (I'm enjoying it, but I'm not finished).

• I've read the book you recommended. (I've finished it, so we can talk about it).

We use 'yet' and 'already' with the present perfect simple:

• Have you read the book yet?

• She's finished her work already.

This difference is often used to talk about different kinds of results in the present. The present

perfect simple is used when the action is finished, and the result comes from the action being

finished:
• I've eaten dinner, so let's go out.

• She's done all her homework, so she can relax this evening.

• I've made a cake. Would you like some?

The present perfect continuous is used when the result comes from the action itself. It doesn't

matter if the whole action is finished or not. The result is often something we can see, hear,

smell, or feel:

• I've been eating dinner, so there are plates all over the table.

• She's been doing her homework, so she's tired.

• I've been making a cake, that's why the kitchen is such a mess.

4. Finally. the present perfect continuous can be used to emphasise that something is

temporary:

• She's been running a lot recently. (She doesn't usually do this).

• Usually I study at home, but I've been studying in the library for the last week

Narrative tenses: Past Simple, Past Continuous, Past Perfect, active and passive

Form
Subject + past tense
He went to the station.
Subject + be (past) + verb -ing
He was going to the station.
Subject + had + past participle
He had gone to the station.
Subject + had + been + verb -ing
He had been going to the station.

What are narrative tenses?

Narrative tenses are used to talk about past events and to tell stories
Narrative tenses are four tenses that we often use for talking about past events.

The most common of these is the past simple.

The other three tenses, the past continuous, the past perfect simple and the past perfect continuous,
can help us to say what we want more efficiently.
It is useful to look at these tenses together in the context of the function narrating - relating past events.

Narrative tenses in a written story

Narrative tenses are common in written stories, especially when they describe action

Bond opened the door very slowly, looked carefully around the room and walked in. The window was
open and the curtains were blowing in the wind. Clearly someone had left in a hurry.

Past simple
opened, looked, walked, was

Past continuous
were blowing

Past perfect
had left

The first three verbs - opened, looked and walked - are a sequence: they are written in the order that
the actions took place. We know this because they are in the past simple.

The past continuous verb, were blowing, shows an action in progress: the curtains started blowing
before he walked into the room and continued to blow while he was there.

The last verb, had left, shows an action that happened before he walked in.
If we used the past simple for the last verb, the meaning would be different:

The window was open, the curtains were blowing. Someone left in a hurry.

This suggests that the person left after Bond walked in.

Narrative tenses in conversation

Narrative tenses are common in conversation when we talk about past experiences

David: I saw a UFO once. Well, I think it was one.

Carol: Oh yeah?
David: Yeah, really. I was in the country - in Yorkshire - on the moors...
Carol: What were you doing there?
David: Oh, I was visiting some friends. They'd rented a cottage and we'd gone to stay with them.

Past simple
saw, was
Past continuous
(What) were (you) doing? was visiting

Past perfect
they'd rented, we'd gone

The first verb saw is used in an introductory sentence.

The verb was visiting shows an action that started before the event (seeing the UFO) happened and was
in progress. It is background information.

The verbs had rented and had gone show actions that happened before the main event. They are also
background information

Question forms There are three question forms :

1- subject questions with no auxiliary verb Who broke the window? What happen at the end of the book
2- questions with preposition at the end Who is your letter from? What are you talking about?
3- question word +Noun/adj./adv. What sort of music do you like ? How big is their house? How fast
does your car go?
4- Other way of asking Why What did you do that for ? How come you got there before us?
* How come ….express surprise
What and which are used with noun to make questions What size do you wear? Which of these drinks is
the hottest?
Sometimes there is no different between the questions with what and which what/which is the biggest
city in your country? What/which channel is the match on?
We use which when the speaker has a limited number of choices in mind There is a blue one and a red
one . Which do you want ?
We use what when the speaker is not thinking of a limited number of choices What car do you drive ?
What is x like?
It means give me some information about x because I don’t know anything about it. What is your city
like? What are your parents like? How is x ?
Ask about person’s health and happiness. How is your mother these days?
Sometimes both questions are possible. What ….like? Ask for objective information How ask for more
personal reaction What was the conference like? “ noisy. Lot of people.it went on till 8:00 p.m” How was
the conference ? “ brilliant, I have a good time and i meet a lot of friends” How was your journey? How
is your new job ? How is your meal?

Future forms: will, shall, going to, Present Continuous, Present Simple, Future Continuous, Future
Perfect
Predictions
We use will to talk about something we think that will happen:
I think he’ll win the election.
He will be a good doctor.
We use be going to to talk about something that is very near to happen or that we see is going to
happen (there is present evidence)

Don’t drive like a crazy man. We’re going to have an accident!

The doctor said I’m going to have a girl.

Decisions
We use will for decisions that we take at the moment of speaking (instant decisions).

‘Oh, we don’t have sugar.’ ‘Don’t worry, I’ll buy some.’

We use be going to for decisions that we have already taken at the moment of speaking (intentions or
plans).

‘Why are you undressing?’ ‘Because I’m going to go to the swimming pool.’

Arrangements
We often use the present continuous to talk about future events that are already planned or decided.
When we use the present continuous for arrangements, we must always include when (at 7, this
evening, next month, etc.) in the sentence.

I’m seeing the dentist at 6.

We are getting married next week.
I’m flying to New York tomorrow morning.
We can also use be going to for future arrangements.

I’m going to play tennis with Elisabeth today.

Future time clauses (when, as soon as, until, before, after)

Use the present simple to talk about the future in sentences with when, as soon as, until, before, after.

I’ll retire when I’m 70. (NOT when I’ll be)

I won’t call you until I arrive (NOT will arrive.)

Other uses of will

Promises and refusals
I will help you whenever you need me.
I won’t lend him my car.
Future facts
The president will visit the Vatican next November.
Offers
We use I will in statements or shall I in questions.
I’ll carry that bag for you.
Shall I organise the meeting?
Suggestions
We use shall we…?

Shall we eat out today?

Requests
When we ask someone to do something for us.

Will you open the door, please?

May or might as a future form

We use may or might for possible actions in the future (when ‘we are not sure’). Compare:

I’ll be late for dinner today. (=I am sure.)

I might be late for dinner today. (=It’s possible, but I am not sure.)
I’m going to Denmark next September. (=Sure.)
I might go to Denmark next September. (=Not sure.)
We use may or might for things that will possibly happen in the future, but we are not too sure. It’s like
a prediction about something that we think perhaps will happen.

The economy might suffer a global recession next year.

Temperatures may go up next week.
We use may or might not for actions or things that will possibly not happen.

She looks very tired. She might not come with us.
We may not have enough time to finish the report for tomorrow.

Much, many with a noun

We use much with singular uncountable nouns and many with plural nouns:
[talking about money]
I haven’t got much change. I’ve only got a ten euro note.
Are there many campsites near you?

Questions and negatives

We usually use much and many with questions (?) and negatives (−):
Is there much unemployment in that area?
How many eggs are in this cake?
 Do you think many people will come?
It was pouring with rain but there wasn’t much wind.
There aren’t many women priests.

Affirmatives
In affirmative clauses we sometimes use much and many in more formal styles:
There is much concern about drug addiction in the US.
He had heard many stories about Yanto and he knew he was trouble.
In informal styles, we prefer to use lots of or a lot of:
I went shopping and spent a lot of money.
Not: I went shopping and spent much money.
See also:
 Lots, a lot, plenty

Much of, many of

When we use much or many before articles (a/an, the), demonstratives (this, that),
possessives (my, your) or pronouns (him, them), we need to use of:
How much of this book is fact and how much is fiction?
Claude, the seventeenth-century French painter, spent much of his life in Italy.
Unfortunately, not many of the photographers were there.
How many of them can dance, sing and act?

A lot of, lots of with a noun

We use a lot of and lots of in informal styles. Lots of is more informal than a lot of. A lot
of and lots of can both be used with plural countable nouns and with singular
uncountable nouns for affirmatives, negatives, and questions:
We’ve got lots of things to do.
That’s a lot of money.
There weren’t a lot of choices.
Can you hurry up? I don’t have a lot of time.
Are there a lot of good players at your tennis club?
 Have you eaten lots of chocolate?
See also:
 Lots, a lot, plenty

Much, many, a lot of, lots of: negative questions

When we use much and many in negative questions, we are usually expecting that a
large quantity of something isn’t there. When we use a lot of and lots of in negative
questions, we are usually expecting a large quantity of something.
Compare

(No, they haven’t.)

Haven’t they sold many tickets? The speaker expects that they have sold a small
quantity of tickets.

(Yes, they have.)

Haven’t they sold a lot
of tickets? (or lots of) The speaker expects that they have sold a large
quantity of tickets.

(No, there isn’t.)

Isn’t there much food left? The speaker expects that there is a small quantity of
food left.

(Yes, there is.)

Isn’t there a lot of food left? (or lots
of) The speaker expects that there is a large quantity of
food left.

Much, many, a lot, lots: without a noun

We usually leave out the noun after much, many and a lot, lots when the noun is
obvious:
A:

Would you like some cheese?

B:

Yes please but not too much. (not too much cheese)
A:

Can you pass me some envelopes?

B:

How many? (how many envelopes?)

A:

How many people came?

B:

A lot. (or Lots.)

Much with comparative adjectives and adverbs: much older, much faster

We can use much before comparative adjectives and adverbs to make a stronger
comparison:
Sometimes the prices in the local shop are much better than the supermarket’s prices.
I feel much calmer now I know she’s safe. (much calmer than I felt before)
She’s walking much more slowly since her operation. (much more slowly than before)

Too much, too many and so much, so many

Too much, too many with a noun

We often use too before much and many. It means ‘more than necessary’. We can
use too much before an uncountable noun and too many before a plural noun, or
without a noun when the noun is obvious:
I bought too much food. We had to throw some of it away.
They had a lot of work to do. Too much. (too much work)
There are too many cars on the road. More people should use public transport.
There are 35 children in each class. It’s too many. (too many children)

So much, so many with a noun

 We use so rather than very before much and many in affirmative clauses to emphasise
a very large quantity of something:
He has so much money!
Not: He has very much money!
There were so many jobs to do.

As much as, as many as

When we want to make comparisons connected with quantity, we use as much

as and as many as:
Try and find out as much information as you can.
You can ask as many questions as you want.
See also:
 As … as
 As much as, as many as

Much, many and a lot of, lots of: typical errors

 We use much with uncountable nouns and many with countable nouns:
It doesn’t need much effort.
Not: It doesn’t need many effort.
 We usually use a lot of and lots of rather than much and many in informal affirmative
clauses:
There are a lot of monuments and a lot of historic buildings in Rome.
Not: There are many monuments and many historic buildings in Rome.
She gave me a lot of information.
Not: She gave me much information.
 We don’t use of after much or many when they come immediately before a noun
without an article (a/an, the), demonstrative (this, that), possessive (my, your) or
pronoun (him, them):
They haven’t made many friends here.
Not: They haven’t made many of friends here.
 We don’t use a lot of without a noun:
A:
Do many people work in your building?
B:

Yes. Quite a lot. (quite a lot of people)

Not: Quite a lot of.