Verbal Tenses Review

Download all my infographics about the tenses in PDF here.
Download all my explanations of the tenses in PDF here.

How to make the tense:	How to use the tense:
Present Simple Form	Present Simple Use
Present Continuous Form	Present Continuous Use
Present Perfect Simple Form	Present Perfect Simple Use
Present Perfect Continuous Form	Present Perfect Continuous Use
Past Simple Form	Past Simple Use
Past Continuous Form	Past Continuous Use
Past Perfect Simple Form	Past Perfect Simple Use
Past Perfect Continuous Form	Past Perfect Continuous Use
Future Simple Form	Future Simple Use
Future Continuous Form	Future Continuous Use
Future Perfect Simple Form	Future Perfect Simple Use
Future Perfect Continuous Form	Future Perfect Continuous Use

What's The Difference?

• How to choose: Future with 'will' or future with 'be going to'?
• How to choose: Present Perfect or Past Simple?
• How to choose: Present Simple or Present Continuous?
• How to choose: Present Perfect Simple or Present Perfect Continuous?

Here are a few more things you might find useful:

• Tenses Cheatsheet
This is a printable PDF of all the verb tenses and how to form them.
• Grammar Exercises
This is a list of all the grammar exercises on this site, about verb tenses and other things.
• Present Simple Spelling Changes
This is an explanation of how we sometimes need to change the spelling of a verb with 'he, she, it' in the present simple, for example why 'cry' becomes 'cries' but 'play' is 'plays'.
• Adverbs of Frequency
Adverbs of Frequency are words like 'often' 'sometimes' 'never'. This page shows you how to use them with the present tense and where to put them in the sentence. I also explain about longer phrases like 'from time to time'.
• Irregular Verbs, Lists and Exercises
• How to pronounce 'ed'
How do you pronounce 'stopped'? Many students say 'stop-id' instead of 'stopt'. This page explains the rules of pronunciation for regular past simple verbs and past participles (verbs that end with 'ed')
• Stative verbs
We can't use some verbs, like 'know' or 'believe' in continuous tenses. This page has lists and explanations.

Verb Tenses

Verbs come in three tenses: past, present, and future. The past is used to describe things that have already happened (e.g., earlier in the day, yesterday, last week, three years ago). The present tense is used to describe things that are happening right now, or things that are continuous. The future tense describes things that have yet to happen (e.g., later, tomorrow, next week, next year, three years from now).

The following table illustrates the proper use of verb tenses:

Simple Present	Simple Past	Simple Future
I read nearly every day.	Last night, I read an entire novel.	I will read as much as I can this year.
Present Continuous	Past Continuous	Future Continuous
I am reading Shakespeare at the moment.	I was reading Edgar Allan Poe last night.	I will be reading Nathaniel Hawthorne soon.
Present Perfect	Past Perfect	Future Perfect
I have read so many books I can’t keep count.	I had read at least 100 books by the time I was twelve.	I will have read at least 500 books by the end of the year.
Present Perfect Continuous	Past Perfect Continuous	Future Perfect Continuous
I have been reading since I was four years old.	I had been reading for at least a year before my sister learned to read.	I will have been reading for at least two hours before dinner tonight.

The Present Tenses

Simple Present  Present Perfect  Present Continuous  Present Perfect Continuous

The Past Tenses

Simple Past   Past Perfect   Past Continuous  Past Perfect Continuous

The Future Tenses

Simple Future  Future Perfect   Future Continuous  Future Perfect Continuous

Fighting Climate Change. Fridays for Future

School children around the world have been going on strike. They are unhappy that their governments are doing too little to fight climate change. The strikes are part of a growing international movement called School Strike for Climate. Instead of going to school, students across the globe have been skipping classes to take part in street protests. Many of the protests have been outside government buildings. The movement began in August 2018 when Swedish student Greta Thunberg stood outside Sweden's government every Friday. She held a sign that read: "School strike for climate". Photos of her went viral on social media. Students organized themselves and copied Ms Thunberg's actions.

The movement is growing worldwide. In 2019, strikes have taken place across Europe, North America and Australia. Over 45,000 students protested on one day in Switzerland and Germany. Students have held banners reading, "Why learn without a future?" "If you do not act as adults, we will" and "Like the sea level, we rise." The first worldwide strike will take place on March 15. Many scientists, politicians and teachers congratulated the students for their activism. However, not everyone is on the students' side. Australia's leader called for "more learning in schools and less activism". A journalist in the U.K. wrote: "If children really must wag their fingers at older generations for some imaginary sin, I wish they'd do it at the weekend."

Sources

•  https://edition.cnn.com/2019/02/15/health/uk-climate-strike-students-greta-thunberg-intl/index.html
•  https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2019/feb/15/school-climate-strike-classroom-climate-change
•  https://www.spectator.co.uk/2019/02/if-children-want-to-protest-against-climate-change-why-not-do-it-at-the-weekend/

https://breakingnewsenglish.com/1902/190226-school-strike-for-climate-a.html

Vocabulary & topics:

school children / government / climate change / globe / street protests / social media
       movement / worldwide / protested / sea level / teachers / activism / older generations

Best protests: 

• boycotts
• hunger strike
• not paying tax
• make a website
• strikes
• marches
• petitions
• social media

https://www.un.org/en/climatechange/
https://www.fridaysforfuture.org/

In the news.

Thomas Cook collapse hits tourists in Spain’s Balearic and Canary Islands

Hundreds of passengers have been left stranded in the country after the British travel company ceased trading on Monday.

https://elpais.com/elpais/2019/09/23/inenglish/1569236845_787676.html

The collapse of the British travel group Thomas Cook has delivered a massive blow to the Spanish tourism industry. Around 3.6 million passengers travel to Spain on Thomas Cooks’ regular and chartered flights each year, the majority of whom (3.2 million) fly to the Balearic and Canary Islands, according to data from the Spanish airport authority AENA. The British travel group also works with 20 hotels in the Balearic Islands, 20 in the Canary Islands and six in the rest of the country, according to the company’s webpage.

Thomas Cook, the second-largest tour operator in the world, ceased trading on Monday after last-minute talks failed to produce a funding lifeline, according to the UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA). The collapse has stranded 600,000 tourists across the world, including 150,000 British holidaymakers, who are now waiting to be repatriated. There were an estimated 70,000 Britons stuck in Spain on Monday.

The British government has said the repatriation effort – the largest since the Second World War – would take place over the next two weeks, but in Spain affected passengers have already been left waiting for flights at airports. The CAA will repatriate tourists from a total of 11 destinations in Spain – Alicante, Almería, Girona, Reus, Ibiza, Menorca, Palma, Fuerteventura, Gran Canaria, Lanzarote and Tenerife. It has also activated a support plan for Thomas Cook customers in the country.

Revision: Numbers, numbers...

Current affairs-Ryanair On Strike Again...

The boss of Europe's biggest low-cost airline has promised to increase the pay and working conditions of pilots to stop them leaving the company. Michael O'Leary, CEO of Ryanair, made a personal pledge to the budget carrier's 4,200 pilots to address concerns that pilots are dissatisfied and want to quit the company. Pilots have been offered salary increases of up to $11,700 and loyalty bonuses of $14,000. A long-serving pilot told the BBC this was, "too little, too late." He said: "There is a lack of basic benefits [for pilots] - no free bottles of water, coffee or tea and no crew meals." He said pilots also had to buy their own uniform. He added: "People have just had enough of the toxic atmosphere."

Mr O'Leary is attempting to repair the damage done to Ryanair's reputation after a scheduling error with pilot holidays. The costly mistake meant more than 20,000 flights have been cancelled recently because of a lack of available pilots. This has affected over 700,000 passengers. An industry analyst said the airline made this costly error, "by initially disrespecting the skill set of pilots". He added: "In a rare move, [Ryanair] is being forced to backpedal, apologize and meet [pilots'] pay demands." O'Leary is confident that pilots will stay. He said: "I urge you to stay with Ryanair for a brighter, better future for you and your family." He added: "We are a very secure employer in a very insecure industry."

1. TRUE / FALSE: Read the headline. Guess if a-h below are true (T) or false (F).

1. The airline in the article is Europe's biggest low-cost carrier.     T / F
2. The airline employs almost 42,000 pilots.     T / F
3. The airline offered a salary increase of up to $14,000.     T / F
4. The airline provides pilots with uniforms free of charge.     T / F
5. The airline made a mistake with its pilots' holiday schedule.     T / F
6. Over 700,000 passengers have been affected by flight cancellations.     T / F
7. The article said pedals on airplanes weren't put back.     T / F
8. The airline is fairly sure that its pilots will not quit.     T / F

Comprehension questions

1. What kind of airline is Ryanair?
2. How many pilots does Ryanair have?
3. How much are the loyalty bonuses that Ryanair is offering?
4. Who buys the uniforms for the pilots?
5. How did a pilot describe the atmosphere as Ryanair as being?
6. What part of Ryanair was damaged because of a scheduling error?
7. How many passengers were affected by cancelled flights?
8. What did an industry analyst say Ryanair had to meet?
9. What kind of future did the CEO suggest could be had by not quitting?
10. How did the CEO describe the airline industry as being?

Seaking test hints-IGCSE

https://www.cambridgeinternational.org/Images/329734-2019-syllabus.pdf
http://writefix.com/?page_id=304

Component 5 – Speaking 

Speaking test, approximately 10–15 minutes (assessed conversation 6–9 minutes), 30 marks
Speaking tests take place before the main examination period (see the relevant series’ timetable). Before this period Centres will receive materials for the test. Teachers/examiners must allow sufficient time to familiarise themselves with the materials and procedures (see the Cambridge Handbook for details). After the tests the Centre must send back material for external moderation before the advertised deadline.
Centres receive a range of speaking test cards, with an accompanying set of teacher’s notes. Each card introduces a topic for discussion between the teacher/examiner and the candidate, together with prompts for the development of the conversation. The teacher/examiner selects one speaking test card from the range provided for each candidate.
Each speaking test lasts approximately 10–15 minutes, as follows:

• non-assessed ‘warm-up’ conversation (approximately 2–3 minutes) 
• time for the candidate to read the speaking test card and to prepare a response – candidates may not write notes (approximately 2–3 minutes) 
• assessed conversation (6–9 minutes). 

Candidates may not use dictionaries. A teacher/examiner at the Centre assesses the tests using the speaking assessment criteria grid.

Back to work. Welcome back

https://iescantabria.com/