A. TENSES
PRESENT TENSES
In Simple
Present, the action is simply mentioned and there is nothing being said about
its completeness.
I eat.
I sleep.
I play.
I sleep.
I play.
In Present Continuous, the action is on-going/
still going on and hence continuous.
I am eating.
I am sleeping.
I am playing.
I am sleeping.
I am playing.
In Present Perfect, the action is complete or has
ended and hence termed Perfect.
I have eaten.
I have slept.
I have played.
I have slept.
I have played.
In Present Perfect Continuous, the action has been
taking place for some time and is still ongoing.
I have been eating.
I have been sleeping.
I have been playing.
I have been sleeping.
I have been playing.
PAST TENSES
In Simple Past, the action is simply mentioned and
understood to have taken place in the past.
I ate.
I slept.
I played.
I slept.
I played.
In Past Continuous, the action was ongoing till a
certain time in the past.
I was eating.
I was sleeping.
I was playing.
I was sleeping.
I was playing.
Past Perfect is used to express something that
happened before another action in the past.
I had eaten.
I had slept.
I had played.
I had slept.
I had played.
Past Perfect Continuous is used to express
something that started in the past and continued until another time in the
past.
I had been eating.
I had been sleeping.
I had been playing.
I had been sleeping.
I had been playing.
FUTURE TENSES
Simple Future is used when we plan or make a
decision to do something. Nothing is said about the time in the future.
I will eat.
I will sleep.
I will play.
I will sleep.
I will play.
The future continuous tense is used to express
action at a particular moment in the future. However, the action will not have
finished at the moment.
I will be eating at 9 a.m.
I will be sleeping when you arrive.
I will be playing at 5 p.m.
I will be sleeping when you arrive.
I will be playing at 5 p.m.
Future Perfect expresses action that will occur in
the future before another action in the future.
I will have eaten before 10 a.m.
I will have slept before you arrive.
I will have played before 6 p.m.
I will have slept before you arrive.
I will have played before 6 p.m.
Future Perfect Continuous is used to talk about an
on-going action before some point in the future.
I will have been sleeping for two hours when you
arrive.
I will have been playing for an hour when it is 5 p.m.
I will have been playing for an hour when it is 5 p.m.
B. Conditional Sentences
Conditional sentences (also known as "conditional
clauses" or "if clauses") are made up of two halves. One half
(the half with the word "if" in) is a condition, and the other half
(the main clause) states the action to occur if the condition is fulfilled.
There are three
types of conditional sentence:
Conditional Sentence Type 1
Type 1 sentences are used when it
is likely that the condition will be fulfilled. It is formed like this:
"if" + [Simple Present], "will" + [Verb]
"if" + [Simple Present], "will" + [Verb]
·
If
you swallow some of the cleaning fluid, it will kill you.
·
If
I get a little humility, I will be perfect.
Conditional Sentence
Type 2
Type 2 sentences are used when it is unlikely that the
condition will be fulfilled. It is formed like this:
"if" +[Simple Past], "would" + [Verb]
"if" +[Simple Past], "would" + [Verb]
·
If
you swallowed some of the cleaning fluid, it would kill you.
·
If
I had a little humility, I would be perfect.
Conditional Sentence Type 3
Type 3 sentences are used when it is impossible for condition
to be fulfilled because the possibility has already passed. It is formed like
this:
"if" + [Past Perfect], "would have" + [Past Participle]
"if" + [Past Perfect], "would have" + [Past Participle]
·
If
you had swallowed some of the cleaning fluid, it would have killed you.
·
If
I had had a little humility, I would have been perfect.
Using Commas in
Conditional Sentences
When the condition is at the start of the sentence (like in
all the examples above), it is usual to separate it from the main clause with a
comma. However, if the condition is at the back of the sentence,it is less
common to use a comma. (You can still use a comma to assist your reader
if you think it aids understanding.)
·
It
will kill you if you swallow some of the cleaning fluid.
·
I
would have been perfect if I had had a little humility.
The Example of Grammar in Toefl Questions
1. With the passing of
time and the encroachment of people, the habitat of gorillas ______ to
decrease.
a. Continuing
b. Which
continue
c. Continues
d. That it has continued
Answer : c.
continues
Because this is sentence to use simple present tense
2. Despite being basically arboreal in nature, koalas
________ to inhabit a specific territory and range of some 30 square miles.
a. Knowing
b. Which know
c. Are knowing
d. Are
known
Answer :
d. are known
Because this is
sentence to use simple past tense
3. “If I had been in your place, I ________________(say) this.”
(a) “If I had been in your place, I would have said this.”
(b) “If I had being in your place, I would have said this.”
(c) Don’t Know
(b) “If I had being in your place, I would have said this.”
(c) Don’t Know
Answer : a. “If I had been in your place, I would have said this.
5. I will call you next week if I________(want) a lesson.
(a) I will call you next week if I want a lesson.
(b) I would call you next week if I want a lesson.
(c) Don’t Know
(b) I would call you next week if I want a lesson.
(c) Don’t Know
answer : a. I will call you next week if I want a lesson.
