فعل در زبان انگلیسی (Verbs)

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آموزش زبان
فعل در زبان انگلیسی

انتخاب صحیح زمان فعل و صرف درست فعل در زبان انگلیسی بسیار مهم است. در ادامه انواع فعل ها و چگونگی استفاده از آن ها در زمان های مختلف آورده شده است.با دقت آموزش فعل در زبان انگلیسی (Verbs) را دنبال کنید.

 

Present tenses in English Examples
Simple present tense They walk home.
Present continuous tense They are walking home.
Past tenses in English  
Simple past tense Peter lived in China in 1965.
Past continuous tense I was reading when she arrived.
Perfect tenses in English  
Present perfect tense I have lived here since 1987.
Present perfect continuous I have been living here for years.
Past perfect We had been to see her several times before she visited us.
Past perfect continuous He had been watching her for some time when she turned and smiled.
Future perfect We will have arrived in the States by the time you get this letter.
Future perfect continuous By the end of your course, you will have been studying for five years.
Future tenses in English  
Simple future tense They will go to Italy next week.
Future continuous tense I will be travelling by train.
Conditional tenses in English  
Zero conditional If ice gets hot it melts.
Type 1 conditional If he is late I will be angry.
Type 2 conditional If he was in Australia he would be getting up now.
Type 3 conditional She would have visited me if she had had time.
Mixed conditional I would be playing tennis if I hadn’t broken my arm.
The -ing forms in English  
Gerund I like swimming.
Present participle She goes running every morning.
Infinitives  
Passive voice  

Present

There are four present tenses in English. Use the present tense to talk about something that is going on now or that is true now and any time.

  • Simple present to express habits and general truths.
  • Present continuous to talk about an action happening now.
  • Present perfect for repeated actions, actions where the time is not important, and actions that began in the past but are not finished yet.
  • Present perfect continuous to talk about ongoing actions where both the process and the result are important.

Simple present tense

The simple present tense is one of several forms of present tense in English. It is used to describe habits, unchanging situations, general truths, and fixed arrangements. The simple present tense is simple to form. Just use the base form of the verb: (I take, you take, we take, they take) The 3rd person singular takes an -s at the end. (he takes, she takes)

The simple present tense is used:

  • To express habits, general truths, repeated actions or unchanging situations, emotions and wishes:
    I smoke (habit); I work in London (unchanging situation); London is a large city (general truth)
  • To give instructions or directions:
    You walk for two hundred meters, then you turn left.
  • To express fixed arrangements, present or future:
    Your exam starts at 09.00
  • To express future time, after some conjunctions: after, when, before, as soon as, until:
    He’ll give it to you when you come next Saturday.
Be careful! The simple present is not used to express actions happening now.

Examples

  • For habits
    He drinks tea at breakfast.
    She only eats fish.
    They watch television regularly.
  • For repeated actions or events
    We catch the bus every morning.
    It rains every afternoon in the hot season.
    They drive to Monaco every summer.
  • For general truths
    Water freezes at zero degrees.
    The Earth revolves around the Sun.
    Her mother is Peruvian.
  • For instructions or directions
    Open the packet and pour the contents into hot water.
    You take the No.6 bus to Watney and then the No.10 to Bedford.
  • For fixed arrangements
    His mother arrives tomorrow.
    Our holiday starts on the 26th March
  • With future constructions
    She’ll see you before she leaves.
    We’ll give it to her when she arrives.

Forming the simple present tense: to think

Affirmative Interrogative Negative
I think Do I think? I do not think
You think Do you think? You do not think
He thinks Does he think? He does not think
She thinks Does she think? She does not think
It thinks Does it think? It does not think
We think Do we think? We do not think.
They think Do they think? They do not think.

Notes on the simple present, third person singular

  • In the third person singular the verb always ends in -s:
    he wants, she needs, he gives, she thinks.
  • Negative and question forms use DOES (= the third person of the auxiliary ‘DO’) + the infinitive of the verb.
    He wants ice cream. Does he want strawberry? He does not want vanilla.
  • Verbs ending in -y : the third person changes the -y to -ies:
    fly –> flies, cry –> cries
    Exception: if there is a vowel before the –y:
    play –> plays, pray –> prays
  • Add -es to verbs ending in:-ss, -x, -sh, -ch:
    he passes, she catches, he fixes, it pushes

Examples

  • He goes to school every morning.
  • She understands English.
  • It mixes the sand and the water.
  • He tries very hard.
  • She enjoys playing the piano.

Present Continuous

Forming the present continuous

The present continuous of any verb is composed of two parts – the present tense of the verb to be + the present participle of the main verb.

(The form of the present participle is: base+ing, e.g. talking, playing, moving, smiling)

Affirmative
Subject + to be + base + ing
She is talking.
Negative
Subject + to be + not + base + ing
She is not (isn’t) talking
Interrogative
to be + subject + base + ing
Is she talking?

Examples: TO GO, present continuous

Affirmative Negative Interrogative
I am going I am not going Am I going?
You are going You aren’t going. Are you going?
He, she, it is going He, she, it isn’t going Is he, she, it going?
We are going We aren’t going Are we going?
You are going You aren’t going Are you going?
They are going They aren’t going Are they going?

Note: alternative negative contractions: I’m not going, you’re not going, he’s not going etc.

Functions of the present continuous

As with all tenses in English, the speaker’s attitude is as important as the time of the action or event. When someone uses the present continuous, they are thinking about something that is unfinished or incomplete

The present continuous is used:

  • to describe an action that is going on at this moment: You are using the Internet. You are studying English grammar.
  • to describe an action that is going on during this period of time or a trend: Are you still working for the same company? More and more people are becoming vegetarian.
  • to describe an action or event in the future, which has already been planned or prepared: We’re going on holiday tomorrow. I’m meeting my boyfriend tonight. Are they visiting you next winter?
  • to describe a temporary event or situation: He usually plays the drums, but he’s playing bass guitar tonight. The weather forecast was good, but it’s raining at the moment.
  • with “always, forever, constantly”, to describe and emphasise a continuing series of repeated actions: Harry and Sally are always arguing! You’re constantly complaining about your mother-in-law!
Be careful: Some verbs are not usually used in the continuous form

Verbs that are not usually used in the continuous form

The verbs in the list below are normally used in the simple form because they refer to states, rather than actions or processes.

Senses / perception
  • to feel*
  • to hear
  • to see*
  • to smell
  • to taste
Opinion
  • to assume
  • to believe
  • to consider
  • to doubt
  • to feel (= to think)
  • to find (= to consider)
  • to suppose
  • to think*
Mental states
  • to forget
  • to imagine
  • to know
  • to mean
  • to notice
  • to recognise
  • to remember
  • to understand
Emotions / desires
  • to envy
  • to fear
  • to dislike
  • to hate
  • to hope
  • to like
  • to love
  • to mind
  • to prefer
  • to regret
  • to want
  • to wish
Measurement
  • to contain
  • to cost
  • to hold
  • to measure
  • to weigh
Others
  • to look (=resemble)
  • to seem
  • to be (in most cases)
  • to have (when it means “to possess”)*
Exceptions

Perception verbs (see, hear, feel, taste, smell) are often used with can: I can see… These verbs may be used in the continuous form but with a different meaning

  • This coat feels nice and warm. (your perception of the coat’s qualities)
  • John’s feeling much better now (his health is improving)
  • She has three dogs and a cat. (possession)
  • She’s having supper. (She’s eating)
  • I can see Anthony in the garden (perception)
  • I’m seeing Anthony later (We are planning to meet)

Past tenses

There are four past tenses in English. Use them to talk about things that started and ended in the past or things that started in the past and continue to the present.

  • Simple past for actions starting and ending in the past.
  • Past continuous for actions starting in the past and continuing to the present.
  • Past perfect for actions that started and ended in the past before another action that is also in the past.
  • Past perfect continuous for actions that were going on in the past up until another action in the past happened.

Simple past tense

Definition of the simple past tense

The simple past tense, sometimes called the preterite, is used to talk about a completed action in a time before now. The simple past is the basic form of past tense in English. The time of the action can be in the recent past or the distant past and action duration is not important.

Examples

  • John Cabot sailed to America in 1498.
  • My father died last year.
  • He lived in Fiji in 1976.
  • We crossed the Channel yesterday.

You always use the simple past when you say when something happened, so it is associated with certain past time expressions

  • frequency: often, sometimes, always
    I sometimes walked home at lunchtime.
    I often brought my lunch to school.
  • a definite point in time: last week, when I was a child, yesterday, six weeks ago
    We saw a good film last week.
    Yesterday, I arrived in Geneva.
    She finished her work atseven o’clock
    I went to the theatre last night
  • an indefinite point in time: the other day, ages ago, a long time ago
    People lived in caves a long time ago.
    She played the piano when she was a child.

Note: the word ago is a useful way of expressing the distance into the past. It is placed after the period of time: a week ago, three years ago, a minute ago.

Be Careful: The simple past in English may look like a tense in your own language, but the meaning may be different.

Forming the simple past tense

Patterns of simple past tense for regular verbs
Affirmative
Subject + verb + ed
I skipped.
Negative
Subject + did not + infinitive without to
They didn’t go.
Interrogative
Did + subject + infinitive without to
Did she arrive?
Interrogative negative
Did not + subject + infinitive without to
Didn’t you play?
To Walk
Affirmative Negative Interrogative
I walked I didn’t walk Did I walk?
You walked You didn’t walk Did you walk?
He walked He didn’t walk Did he walk?
We walked We didn’t walk Did we walk?
They walked They didn’t walk Did they walk?
Simple past tense of to be, to have, to do
Subject Verb
Be Have Do
I was had did
You were had did
He/She/It was had did
We were had did
You were had did
They were had did

Notes on affirmative, negative, & interrogative forms

Affirmative

The affirmative of the simple past tense is simple.

  • I was in Japan last year
  • She had a headache yesterday.
  • We did our homework last night.

Negative and interrogative

For the negative and interrogative simple past form of “to do” as an ordinary verb, use the auxiliary “did”, e.g. We didn’t do our homework last night.
The negative of “have” in the simple past is usually formed using the auxiliary “did”, but sometimes by simply adding not or the contraction “n’t”.

The interrogative form of “have” in the simple past normally uses the auxiliary “did”.

Examples
  • They weren’t in Rio last summer.
  • We didn’t have any money.
  • We didn’t have time to visit the Eiffel Tower.
  • We didn’t do our exercises this morning.
  • Were they in Iceland last January?
  • Did you have a bicycle when you were young?
  • Did you do much climbing in Switzerland?

Note: For the negative and interrogative form of all verbs in the simple past, always use the auxiliary ‘did”.

Simple past, irregular verbs

Some verbs are irregular in the simple past. Here are the most common ones.

to go

  • He went to a club last night.
  • Did he go to the cinema last night?
  • He didn’t go to bed early last night.

to give

  • We gave her a doll for her birthday.
  • They didn’t give John their new address.
  • Did Barry give you my passport?

to come

  • My parents came to visit me last July.
  • We didn’t come because it was raining.
  • Did he come to your party last week?

Past continuous tense

Functions of the past continuous

The past continuous describes actions or events in a time before now, which began in the past and were still going on when another event occurred.

It is used:

  • Often, to describe the background in a story written in the past tense, e.g. “The sun was shining and the birds were singing as the elephant came out of the jungle. The other animals were relaxing in the shade of the trees, but the elephant moved very quickly. She was looking for her baby, and she didn’t notice the hunter who was watching her through his binoculars. When the shot rang out, she was running towards the river…”
  • to describe an unfinished action that was interrupted by another event or action, e.g. “I was having a beautiful dream when the alarm clock rang.”
  • to express a change of mind: e.g. “I was going to spend the day at the beach but I’ve decided to get my homework done instead.”
  • with ‘wonder’, to make a very polite request: e.g. “I was wondering if you could baby-sit for me tonight.”

Examples

  • They were waiting for the bus when the accident happened.
  • Caroline was skiing when she broke her leg.
  • When we arrived he was having a bath.
  • When the fire started I was watching television.

Note: with verbs not normally used in the continuous form, the simple past is used.

Forming the past continuous

The past continuous of any verb is composed of two parts : the past tense of the verb “to be” (was/were), and the base of the main verb +ing.

Subject +was/were +base + ing
They were watching
Affirmative
She was reading
Negative
She wasn’t reading
Interrogative
Was she reading?
Interrogative negative
Wasn’t she reading?

To play, past continuous

Affirmative Negative Interrogative
I was playing I was not playing Was I playing?
You were playing You were not playing Were you playing?
He was playing He wasn’t playing Was he playing?
We were playing We weren’t playing Were we playing?
They were playing They weren’t playing Were they playing?

Present perfect

Definition of the present perfect tense

The present perfect is used to indicate a link between the present and the past. The time of the action is before now but not specified, and we are often more interested in the result than in the action itself.

BE CAREFUL! There may be a verb tense in your language with a similar form, but the meaning is probably NOT the same.

The present perfect is used to describe

  • An action or situation that started in the past and continues in the present. I have lived in Bristol since 1984 (= and I still do.)
  • An action performed during a period that has not yet finished. She has been to the cinema twice this week (= and the week isn’t over yet.)
  • A repeated action in an unspecified period between the past and now. We have visited Portugal several times.
  • An action that was completed in the very recent past, expressed by ‘just’. I have just finished my work.
  • An action when the time is not important. He has read ‘War and Peace’. (= the result of his reading is important)

Note: When we want to give or ask details about when, where, who, we use the simple past. Read more about choosing between the present perfect and the simple past tenses.

Actions started in the past and continuing in the present

  • They haven’t livedhere for years.
  • She has workedin the bank for five years.
  • We have hadthe same car for ten years.
  • Have you playedthe piano since you were a child?

When the time period referred to has not finished

  • I have workedhard this week.
  • It has raineda lot this year.
  • We haven’t seenher today.

Actions repeated in an unspecified period between the past and now.

  • They have seenthat film six times
  • It has happenedseveral times already.
  • She has visitedthem frequently.
  • We have eatenat that restaurant many times.

Actions completed in the very recent past (+just)

  • Have you just finishedwork?
  • I have just eaten.
  • We have just seen
  • Has he just left?

When the precise time of the action is not important or not known

  • Someonehas eaten my soup!
  • Have you seen‘Gone with the Wind’?
  • She’s studiedJapanese, Russian, and English.

Read more about using the present perfect with the words “ever”, “never”, “already”, and “yet”, and about using the present perfect with the words “for” and “since”.

Forming the present perfect

The present perfect of any verb is composed of two elements : the appropriate form of the auxiliary verb to have (present tense), plus the past participle of the main verb. The past participle of a regular verb is base+ed, e.g. played, arrived, looked. For irregular verbs, see the Table of irregular verbs in the section called ‘Verbs’.

Affirmative
Subject +to have +past participle
She has visited.
Negative
Subject +to have + not +past participle
She has not (hasn’t) visited.
Interrogative
to have +subject +past participle
Has she visited?
Negative interrogative
to have + not +subject +past participle
Hasn’t she visited?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

To Walk, present perfect

Affirmative Negative Interrogative
I have walked I haven’t walked Have I walked?
You have walked You haven’t walked. Have you walked?
He, she, it has walked He, she, hasn’t walked Has he, she, it walked?
We have walked We haven’t walked Have we walked?
You have walked You haven’t walked Have you walked?
They have walked They haven’t walked Have they walked?

Present perfect continuous

The present perfect continuous is used to refer to an unspecified time between ‘before now’ and ‘now’. The speaker is thinking about something that started but perhaps did not finish in that period of time. He/she is interested in the process as well as the result, and this process may still be going on, or may have just finished.

Actions that started in the past and continue in the present

She has been waiting for you all day (= and she’s still waiting now).
I’ve been working on this report since eight o’clock this morning (= and I still haven’t finished it).
They have been travelling since last October (= and they’re not home yet).

Actions that have just finished, but we are interested in the results

She has been cooking since last night (= and the food on the table looks delicious).
It’s been raining (= and the streets are still wet).
Someone’s been eating my chips (= half of them have gone).

Forming the present perfect continuous

The present perfect continuous is made up of two elements: the present perfect of the verb ‘to be’ (have/has been), and the present participle of the main verb (base+ing)

Subject +has/have been +base+ing
She has been swimming

Affirmative: She has been / She’s been running.
Negative: She hasn’t been running.
Interrogative : Has she been running?
Interrogative negative: Hasn’t she been running?

Example: present perfect continuous, TO LIVE

Affirmative Negative Interrogative
I have been living I haven’t been living Have I been living?
You have been living You haven’t been living Have you been living?
He, she, it has been living He hasn’t been living Has she been living?
We have been living We haven’t been living Have we been living?
You have been living You haven’t been living Have you been living?
They have been living They haven’t been living Have they been living?

Verbs without continuous forms

With verbs not normally used in the continuous form, use the simple present perfect instead (verbs such as: know, hate, hear, understand, want).
I’ve wanted to visit China for years.
She’s known Robert since she was a child.
I’ve hated that music since I first heard it.
I’ve heard a lot about you recently.
We’ve understood everything.

Past perfect tense

Functions of the past perfect

The past perfect refers to a time earlier than before now. It is used to make it clear that one event happened before another in the past. It does not matter which event is mentioned first – the tense makes it clear which one happened first.

In these examples, Event A is the event that happened first and Event B is the second or more recent event:

Event A Event B
John had gone out when I arrived in the office.
Event A Event B
I had saved my document before the computer crashed.
Event B Event A
When they arrived we had already started cooking.
Event B Event A
He was very tired because he hadn’t slept well.

Forming the past perfect

The Past Perfect tense in English is composed of two parts: the past tense of the verb to have (had) + the past participle of the main verb.

Subject +had +past participle
Affirmative
She had given
Negative
She hadn’t asked.
Interrogative
Had they arrived?
Interrogative Negative
Hadn’t you finished?

To decide, past perfect

Affirmative Negative Interrogative
I had decided I hadn’t decided Had I decided?
You had decided You hadn’t decided Had you decided?
She had decided She hadn’t decided Had she decided?
We had decided We hadn’t decided Had we decided?
They had decided They hadn’t decided Had they decided?

Past perfect + just

‘Just’ is used with the past perfect to refer to an event that was only a short time earlier than before now, e.g.

  • The train had just left when I arrived at the station.
  • She had just left the room when the police arrived.
  • I had just put the washing out when it started to rain.

Past perfect continuous

Functions of the past perfect continuous

The past perfect continuous corresponds to the present perfect continuous, but with reference to a time earlier than ‘before now’. As with the present perfect continuous, we are more interested in the process.

Examples

  • Had you been waitinglong before the taxi arrived?
  • We had been tryingto open the door for five minutes when Jane found her key.
  • It had been raininghard for several hours and the streets were very wet.
  • Her friends had been thinkingof calling the police when she walked in.

This form is also used in reported speech. It is the equivalent of the past continuous and the present perfect continuous in direct speech:

  • Jane said, “I have been gardening all afternoon.” = Jane said she had been gardening all afternoon.
  • When the police questioned him, John said, “I was working late in the office that night.” = When the police questioned him, John told them he had been working late in the office that night.

Forming the past perfect continuous

The past perfect continuous is composed of two elements – the past perfect of the verb to be (=had been) + the present participle (base+ing).

Subject +had been +verb + ing
I had been walking
Affirmative
She had been trying
Negative
She hadn’t been sleeping
Interrogative
Had you been eating?
Interrogative negative
Hadn’t they been living?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

To buy, past perfect continuous

Affirmative Negative Interrogative
I had been buying I hadn’t been buying Had I been buying?
You had been buying You hadn’t been buying Had you been buying?
She had been buying She hadn’t been buying Had she been buying?
We had been buying We hadn’t been buying Had we been buying?
They had been buying They hadn’t been buying Had they been buying?

Future perfect

Form

The future perfect is composed of two elements
the simple future of the verb “to have” (will have) + the past participle of the main verb

Subject + will have + past participle of the main verb
He will have finished.
I will have finished.

To arrive, future perfect tense

Affirmative Negative Interrogative Negative interrogative
I will have arrived I won’t have arrived Will I have arrived? Won’t I have arrived?
You will have arrived You won’t have arrived Will you have arrived? Won’t you have arrived?
He will have arrived He won’t have arrived Will he have arrived? Won’t he have arrived?
We will have arrived We won’t have arrived Will we have arrived? Won’t we have arrived?
They will have arrived They won’t have arrived Will they have arrived? Won’t they have arrived?

Function

The future perfect tense refers to a completed action in the future. When we use this tense we are projecting ourselves forward into the future and looking back at an action that will be completed some time later than now. It is most often used with a time expression.

Examples

  • I will have been here for six months on June 23rd.
  • By the time you read this I will have left.
  • You will have finished your report by this time next week.
  • Won’t they have arrived by 5:00?
  • Will you have eaten when I pick you up?

Future perfect continuous

Form

The future perfect continuous is composed of two elements
the future perfect of the verb “to be” (will have been) + the present participle of the main verb (base + ing)

Subject + will have been + present participle
He will have been playing.
I will have been playing.

To live, future perfect continuous tense

Affirmative Negative Interrogative Negative interrogative
I will have been living I won’t have been living Will I have been living? Won’t I have been living?
You will have been living You won’t have been living Will you have been living? Won’t you have been living?
He will have been living He won’t have been living Will he have been living? Won’t he have been living?
We will have been living We won’t have been living Will we have been living? Won’t we have been living?
They will have been living They won’t have been living Will they have been living? Won’t they have been living?

Function

Like the future perfect simple, this form is used to project ourselves forward in time and to look back. It refers to events or actions that are currently unfinished but will be finished at some future time. It is most often used with a time expression.

Examples

  • I will have been waiting here for three hours by six o’clock.
  • By 2001 I will have been living in London for sixteen years.
  • When I finish this course, I will have been learning English for twenty years.
  • Next year I will have been working here for four years.
  • When I come at 6:00, will you have been practicing long?

Future

There are a number of different ways of referring to the future in English. It is important to remember that we are expressing more than simply the time of the action or event. Obviously, any ‘future’ tense will always refer to a time ‘later than now’, but it may also express our attitude to the future event.

All of the following ideas can be expressed using different tenses:

  • Simple prediction: There will be snow in many areas tomorrow.
  • Arrangements: I’m meeting Jim at the airport.
  • Plans and intentions: We’re going to spend the summer abroad.
  • Time-tabled events: The plane takes off at 3 a.m.
  • Prediction based on present evidence: I think it’s going to rain!
  • Willingness: We’ll give you a lift to the cinema.
  • An action in progress in the future: This time next week I’ll be sun-bathing.
  • An action or event that is a matter of routine: You’ll be seeing John in the office tomorrow, won’t you?
  • Obligation: You are to travel directly to London.
  • An action or event that will take place immediately or very soon: The train is about to leave.
  • Projecting ourselves into the future and looking back at a completed action: A month from now he will have finished all his exams.

It is clear from these examples that several tenses are used to express the future. The future tense section shows the form and function of each of these uses of future tenses.

There are four future verb tenses in English.

  • Simple future tense
  • Future continuous tense
  • Future perfect tense
  • Future perfect continuous tense

There are also several other ways to talk about the future without using a future verb tense.

  • Using the present continuous to talk about future arrangements
  • Using the simple present to talk about scheduled events
  • Using “going” to talk about the future
  • Future obligations
  • The immediate future

Simple future tense

Functions of the simple future tense

The simple future refers to a time later than now, and expresses facts or certainty. In this case there is no ‘attitude’.

The simple future is used:

  • To predict a future event:
    It will rain tomorrow.
  • With I or We, to express a spontaneous decision:
    I’ll pay for the tickets by credit card.
  • To express willingness:
    I’ll do the washing-up.
    He’ll carry your bag for you.
  • In the negative form, to express unwillingness:
    The baby won’t eat his soup.
    I won’t leave until I’ve seen the manager!
  • With I in the interrogative form using “shall”, to make an offer:
    Shall I open the window?
  • With we in the interrogative form using “shall”, to make a suggestion:
    Shall we go to the cinema tonight?
  • With I in the interrogative form using “shall”, to ask for advice or instructions:
    What shall I tell the boss about this money?
  • With you, to give orders:
    You will do exactly as I say.
  • With you in the interrogative form, to give an invitation:
    Will you come to the dance with me?
    Will you marry me?

Note:In modern English will is preferred to shall. Shall is mainly used with I and we to make an offer or suggestion, or to ask for advice (see examples above). With the other persons (you, he, she, they) shall is only used in literary or poetic situations, e.g. “With rings on her fingers and bells on her toes, She shall have music wherever she goes.”

Forming the simple future

The simple future tense is composed of two parts: will / shall + the infinitive without to

Subject +will +infinitive without “to”
Affirmative
I will go
I shall go
Negative
They will not see
They won’t see
Interrogative
Will she ask?
Interrogative negative
Won’t they try?

Contractions

I will = I’ll
We will = we’ll
You will = you’ll
He will = he’ll
She will = she’ll
They will = they’ll
Will not = won’t

The form “it will” is not normally shortened.

To see: simple future tense

Affirmative Negative Interrogative Interrogative negative
I will see I won’t see Will I see? Won’t I see?
*I shall see *Shall I see?
You will see You won’t see Will you see? Won’t you see?
He will see He won’t see Will he see? Won’t he see?
We will see We won’t see Will we see? Won’t we see?
*We shall see *Shall we see?
They will see They won’t see Will they see? Won’t they see?

*Shall is dated, but it is still commonly used instead of “will” with the affirmative or interrogative forms of I and we in certain cases (see above)

Future continuous

Form

The future continuous is made up of two elements:
the simple future of the verb “to be” + the present participle (base+ing)

Subject +simple future of the verb “to be” +present participle
You will be watching
I will be staying

To stay, future continuous

Affirmative Negative Interrogative Negative interrogative
I will be staying. I won’t be staying. Will I be staying? Won’t I be staying?
You will be staying. You won’t be staying. Will you be staying? Won’t you be staying?
He will be staying. He won’t be staying. Will he be staying? Won’t he be staying?
She will be staying. She won’t be staying. Will she be staying? Won’t she be staying?
It will be staying. It won’t be staying. Will it be staying? Won’t it be staying?
We will be staying. We won’t be staying. Will we be staying? Won’t we be staying?
They will be staying. They won’t be staying. Will they be staying? Won’t they be staying?

Functions

The future continuous refers to an unfinished action or event that will be in progress at a time later than now. The future continuous is used for quite a few different purposes.

The future continuous can be used to project ourselves into the future.

Examples

  • This time next week I will be sun-bathing in Bali.
  • By Christmas I will be skiing like a pro.
  • Just think, next Monday you will be working in your new job.

The future continuous can be used for predicting or guessing about future events.

Examples
  • He’ll be coming to the meeting, I expect.
  • I guess you’ll be feeling thirsty after working in the sun.
  • You’ll be missing the sunshine once you’re back in England.

In the interrogative form, the future continuous can be used to ask politely for information about the future.

Examples
  • Will you be bringing your friend to the pub tonight?
  • Will Jim be coming with us?
  • Will she be going to the party tonight?
  • Will I be sleeping in this room?

The future continuous can be used to refer to continuous events that we expect to happen in the future.

Examples
  • I’ll be seeing Jim at the conference next week.
  • When he is in Australia he will be staying with friends.
  • I’ll be eating with Jane this evening so I can tell her.

When combined with still, the future continuous refers to events that are already happening now and that we expect to continue some time into the future.

Examples
  • In an hour I’ll still be ironing my clothes.
  • Tomorrow he’ll still be suffering from his cold.
  • Next year will she still be wearing a size six?
  • Won’t stock prices still be falling in the morning?
  • Unfortunately, sea levels will still be rising in 20 years.

Conditional

Conditional tenses are used to speculate about what could happen, what might have happened, and what we wish would happen. In English, most sentences using the conditional contain the word if. Many conditional forms in English are used in sentences that include verbs in one of the past tenses. This usage is referred to as “the unreal past” because we use a past tense but we are not actually referring to something that happened in the past. There are five main ways of constructing conditional sentences in English. In all cases, these sentences are made up of an if clause and a main clause. In many negative conditional sentences, there is an equivalent sentence construction using “unless” instead of “if”.

Conditional sentence type Usage If clause verb tense Main clause verb tense
Zero General truths Simple present Simple present
Type 1 A possible condition and its probable result Simple present Simple future
Type 2 A hypothetical condition and its probable result Simple past Present conditional or Present continuous conditional
Type 3 An unreal past condition and its probable result in the past Past perfect Perfect conditional
Mixed type An unreal past condition and its probable result in the present Past perfect Present contditional

The zero conditional

The zero conditional is used for when the time being referred to is now or always and the situation is real and possible. The zero conditional is often used to refer to general truths. The tense in both parts of the sentence is the simple present. In zero conditional sentences, the word “if” can usually be replaced by the word “when” without changing the meaning.

If clause Main clause
If + simple present simple present
If this thing happens that thing happens.
If you heat ice it melts.
If it rains the grass gets wet.

Read more about how to use the zero conditional.

Type 1 conditional

The type 1 conditional is used to refer to the present or future where the situation is real. The type 1 conditional refers to a possible condition and its probable result. In these sentences the if clause is in the simple present, and the main clause is in the simple future.

If clause Main clause
If + simple present simple future
If this thing happens that thing will happen.
If you don’t hurry you will miss the train.
If it rains today you will get wet.

Read more about how to use the type 1 conditional.

Type 2 conditional

The type 2 conditional is used to refer to a time that is now or any time, and a situation that is unreal. These sentences are not based on fact. The type 2 conditional is used to refer to a hypothetical condition and its probable result. In type 2 conditional sentences, the if clause uses the simple past, and the main clause uses the present conditional.

If clause Main clause
If + simple past present conditional or present continuous conditional
If this thing happened that thing would happen. (but I’m not sure this thing will happen) OR
that thing would be happening.
If you went to bed earlier you would not be so tired.
If it rained you would get wet.
If I spoke Italian I would be working in Italy.

Read more about how to use the type 2 conditional with the present conditional and how to use the present continuous conditional in type 2 conditional sentence.

Type 3 conditional

The type 3 conditional is used to refer to a time that is in the past, and a situation that is contrary to reality. The facts they are based on are the opposite of what is expressed. The type 3 conditional is used to refer to an unreal past condition and its probable past result. In type 3 conditional sentences, the if clause uses the past perfect, and the main clause uses the perfect conditional.

If clause Main clause
If + past perfect perfect conditional or perfect continuous conditional
If this thing had happened that thing would have happened. (but neither of those things really happened) OR
that thing would have been happening.
If you had studied harder you would have passed the exam.
If it had rained you would have gotten wet.
If I had accepted that promotion I would have been working in Milan.

Read more about how to use the type 3 conditional with the perfect conditional tense, and how to use the perfect continuous conditional in type 3 conditional sentences.

Mixed type conditional

The mixed type conditional is used to refer to a time that is in the past, and a situation that is ongoing into the present. The facts they are based on are the opposite of what is expressed. The mixed type conditional is used to refer to an unreal past condition and its probable result in the present. In mixed type conditional sentences, the if clause uses the past perfect, and the main clause uses the present conditional.

If clause Main clause
If + past perfect or simple past present conditional or perfect conditional
If this thing had happened that thing would happen. (but this thing didn’t happen so that thing isn’t happening)
If I had worked harder at school I would have a better job now.
If we had looked at the map we wouldn’t be lost.
If you weren’t afraid of spiders you would have picked it up and put it outside.

 

Type 1 conditional

Form

In a type 1 conditional sentence, the tense in the “if” clause is the simple present, and the tense in the main clause is the simple future.

If clause (condition) Main clause (result)
If + simple present simple future
If this thing happens that thing will happen.

As in all conditional sentences, the order of the clauses is not fixed. You may have to rearrange the pronouns and adjust punctuation when you change the order of the clauses, but the meaning is identical.

Examples

  • If it rains, you will get wet.
  • You will get wet if it rains.
  • If Sally is late again I will be mad.
  • I will be mad if Sally is late again.
  • If you don’t hurry, you will miss the bus.
  • You will miss the bus if you don’t hurry.

Function

The type 1 conditional refers to a possible condition and its probable result. These sentences are based on facts, and they are used to make statements about the real world, and about particular situations. We often use such sentences to give warnings. In type 1 conditional sentences, the time is the present or future and the situation is real.

Examples

  • If I have time, I’ll finish that letter.
  • What will you do if you miss the plane?
  • Nobody will notice if you make a mistake.
  • If you drop that glass, it will break.
  • If you don’t drop the gun, I’ll shoot!
  • If you don’t leave, I’ll call the police.

In type 1 conditional sentences, you can also use modals in the main clause instead of the future tense to express the degree of certainty, permission, or a recommendation about the outcome.

Examples

  • If you drop that glass, it might break.
  • I may finish that letter if I have time.
  • If he calls you, you should go.
  • If you buy my school supplies for me, I will be able to go to the park.

Type 2 conditional

Form

In a type 2 conditional sentence, the tense in the “if” clause is the simple past, and the tense in the main clause is the present conditional or the present continuous conditional.

If clause (condition) Main clause (result)
If + simple past present conditional or present continuous conditional
If this thing happened that thing would happen.

As in all conditional sentences, the order of the clauses is not fixed. You may have to rearrange the pronouns and adjust punctuation when you change the order of the clauses, but the meaning is identical.

Examples

  • If it rained, you would get wet.
  • You would get wet if it rained.
  • If you went to bed earlier you wouldn’t be so tired.
  • You wouldn’t be so tired if you went to bed earlier.
  • If she fell, she would hurt herself.
  • She would hurt herself if she fell.

Function

The type 2 conditional refers to an unlikely or hypothetical condition and its probable result. These sentences are not based on the actual situation. In type 2 conditional sentences, the time is now or any time and the situation is hypothetical.

Examples

  • If the weather wasn’t so bad, we would go to the park. (But the weather is bad so we can’t go.)
  • If I was the Queen of England, I would give everyone a chicken. (But I am not the Queen.)
  • If you really loved me, you would buy me a diamond ring.
  • If I knew where she lived, I would go and see her.

It is correct, and very common, to say “if I were” instead of “if I was” (subjunctive mood).

Examples

  • If I were taller, I would buy this dress.
  • If I were 20, I would travel the world.
  • If I were you, I would give up smoking.
  • If I were a plant, I would love the rain.

In type 2 conditional sentences, you can also use modals in the main clause instead of “would” to express the degree of certainty, permission, or a recommendation about the outcome.

Examples

  • We might buy a larger house if we had more money
  • He could go to the concert if you gave him your ticket.
  • If he called me, I couldn’t hear.

The present conditional tense

The present conditional of any verb is composed of two elements:
would + the infinitive of the main verb, without “to”

Subject + would + infinitive
He would go
They would stay

To Go: present conditional

Affirmative Negative Interrogative Interrogative negative
I would go I wouldn’t go Would I go? Wouldn’t I go?
You would go You wouldn’t go Would you go? Wouldn’t you go?
He would go He wouldn’t go Would he go? Wouldn’t he go?
She would go She wouldn’t go Would she go? Wouldn’t she go?
We would go We wouldn’t go Would we go? Wouldn’t we go?
They would go They wouldn’t go Would they go? Wouldn’t they go?

 

Type 3 conditional

Form

In a type 3 conditional sentence, the tense in the “if” clause is the past perfect, and the tense in the main clause is the perfect conditional or the perfect continuous conditional.

If clause (condition) Main clause (result)
If + past perfect perfect conditional or perfect continuous conditional
If this thing had happened that thing would have happened.

As in all conditional sentences, the order of the clauses is not fixed. You may have to rearrange the pronouns and adjust punctuation when you change the order of the clauses, but the meaning is identical.

Examples

  • If it had rained, you would have gotten wet.
  • You would have gotten wet if it had rained.
  • You would have passed your exam if you had worked harder.
  • If you had worked harder, you would have passed your exam.
  • I would have believed you if you hadn’t lied to me before.
  • If you hadn’t lied to me before, I would have believed you.

Function

The type 3 conditional refers to an impossible condition in the past and its probable result in the past. These sentences are truly hypothetical and unreal, because it is now too late for the condition or its result to exist. There is always some implication of regret with type 3 conditional sentences. The reality is the opposite of, or contrary to, what the sentence expresses. In type 3 conditional sentences, the time is the past and the situation is hypothetical.

Examples

  • If I had worked harder I would have passed the exam. (But I didn’t work hard, and I didn’t pass the exam.)
  • If I had known you were coming I would have baked a cake. (But I didn’t know and I didn’t bake a cake.)
  • I would have been happy if you had called me on my birthday. (But you didn’t call me and I am not happy.)

In type 3 conditional sentences, you can also use modals in the main clause instead of “would” to express the degree of certainty, permission, or a recommendation about the outcome.

Examples

  • If I had worked harder I might have passed the exam.
  • You could have been on time if you had caught the bus.
  • If he called you, you could go.
  • If you bought my school supplies for me, I might be able to go to the park.

Contractions

Both would and had can be contracted to ‘d, which can be confusing if you are not confident with type 3 conditional sentences. Remember 2 rules:
1. would never appears in the if-clause so if ‘d appears in the if clause, it must be abbreviating had.
2. had never appears before have so if ‘d appears on a pronoun just before have, it must be abbreviating would.

Examples

  • If I’dknown you were in hospital, I’d have visited you.
  • If I hadknown you were in hospital, I would have visited you.
  • I’dhave bought you a present if I’d known it was your birthday.
  • I wouldhave bought you a present if I had known it was your birthday.
  • If you’dgiven me your e-mail, I’d have written to you.
  • If you hadgiven me your e-mail, I would have written to you.

The perfect conditional tense

The perfect conditional of any verb is composed of three elements:
would + have + past participle
Have followed by the past participle is used in other constructions as well. it is called the “perfect infinitive”.

Subject + would + have + past participle
He would have gone
They would have stayed

To Go: perfect conditional

Affirmative Negative Interrogative Interrogative negative
I would have gone I wouldn’t have gone Would I have gone? Wouldn’t I have gone?
You would have gone You wouldn’t have gone Would you have gone? Wouldn’t you have gone?
He would have gone He wouldn’t have gone Would he have gone? Wouldn’t he have gone?
She would have gone She wouldn’t have gone Would she have gone? Wouldn’t she have gone?
We would have gone We wouldn’t have gone Would we have gone? Wouldn’t we have gone?
They would have gone They wouldn’t have gone Would they have gone? Wouldn’t they have gone?

 

Mixed conditional

It is possible for the two parts of a conditional sentence to refer to different times, and the resulting sentence is a “mixed conditional” sentence. There are two types of mixed conditional sentence.

Present result of a past condition

Form

In this type of mixed conditional sentence, the tense in the ‘if’ clause is the past perfect, and the tense in the main clause is the present conditional.

If clause (condition) Main clause (result)
If + past perfect present conditional
If this thing had happened that thing would happen.

As in all conditional sentences, the order of the clauses is not fixed. You may have to rearrange the pronouns and adjust punctuation when you change the order of the clauses, but the meaning is identical.

Examples

  • If I had worked harder at school, I would have a better job now.
  • I would have a better job now if I had worked harder at school.
  • If we had looked at the map we wouldn’t be lost.
  • We wouldn’t be lost if we had looked at the map.
  • If you had caught that plane you would be dead now.
  • You would be dead now if you had caught that plane.

Function

This type of mixed conditional refers to an unreal past condition and its probable result in the present. These sentences express a situation which is contrary to reality both in the past and in the present. In these mixed conditional sentences, the time is the past in the “if” clause and in the present in the main clause.

Examples

  • If I had studied I would have my driving license. (but I didn’t study and now I don’t have my license)
  • I would be a millionaire now if I had taken that job. (but I didn’t take the job and I’m not a millionaire)
  • If you had spent all your money, you wouldn’t buy this jacket. (but you didn’t spend all your money and now you can buy this jacket)

In these mixed conditional sentences, you can also use modals in the main clause instead of would to express the degree of certainty, permission, or a recommendation about the outcome.

Examples

  • If you had crashed the car, you might be in trouble.
  • I could be a millionaire now if I had invested in ABC Plumbing.
  • If I had learned to ski, I might be on the slopes right now.

Past result of present or continuing condition

Form

In this second type of mixed conditional sentence, the tense in the ‘if’ clause is the simple past, and the tense in the main clause is the perfect conditional.

If clause (condition) Main clause (result)
If + simple past perfect conditional
If this thing happened that thing would have happened.

As in all conditional sentences, the order of the clauses is not fixed. You may have to rearrange the pronouns and adjust punctuation when you change the order of the clauses, but the meaning is identical.

Examples

  • If I wasn’t afraid of spiders, I would have picked it up.
  • I would have picked it up if I wasn’t afraid of spiders.
  • If we didn’t trust him we would have sacked him months ago.
  • We would have sacked him months ago if we didn’t trust him.
  • If I wasn’t in the middle of another meeting, I would have been happy to help you.
  • I would have been happy to help you if I wasn’t in the middle of another meeting.

Function

These mixed conditional sentences refer to an unreal present situation and its probable (but unreal) past result. In these mixed conditional sentences, the time in the if clause is now or always and the time in the main clause is before now. For example, “If I wasn’t afraid of spiders” is contrary to present reality. I am afraid of spiders. “I would have picked it up” is contrary to past reality. I didn’t pick it up.

Examples
  • If she wasn’t afraid of flying she wouldn’t have travelled by boat.
  • I’d have been able to translate the letter if my Italian was better.
  • If I was a good cook, I’d have invited them to lunch.
  • If the elephant wasn’t in love with the mouse, she’d have trodden on him by now.

The -ing forms

A verb ending in -ing is either a present participle or a gerund. These two forms look identical. The difference is in their functions in a sentence.

Present participles

A present participle is most commonly used as part of the continuous form of a verb, after verbs of perception, after verbs of movement, or as an adjective.

Present participles as part of the continuous form of a verb

Present participles are an element in all continuous verb forms (past, present, future, conditional, etc.). The helping verb will indicate the tense, while the present participle remains unchanging.

Examples

  • He is painting.
  • She was waiting.
  • They will be coming.
  • We would be staying.
  • I would have been leaving.
Present participles after verbs of perception

Present participles can be used after verbs of perception in the pattern verb + object + present participle to indicate the action being perceived.

Examples
  • We saw him swimming across the pond.
  • I watched her painting Sarah’s portrait.
  • I couldn’t hear her singing because of the noise.
  • I would like to see you knitting sometime.
Present participles after verbs of movement, action, or position, to indicate parallel activity.
Examples
  • She sat looking at the sea.
  • He walks reading his newspaper.
  • I cook listening to the radio.
  • Sally lay listening to the bugs in the grass.
Present participles as adjectives
Examples
  • Did you read that amazing book?
  • This movie is so exciting!
  • His economics class is boring.

Read more about using present participles.

Gerunds

The gerund always has the same function as a noun, although it looks like a verb. It can be used in the same way as a noun.

A gerund as the subject of the sentence

Examples
  • Eating people is wrong.
  • Driving too fast is dangerous.
  • Walking is good for you.
  • Your knitting is beautiful.
A gerund after prepositions
Examples
  • Can you sneeze without opening your mouth?
  • She is good at painting.
  • I was the fastest at climbing the rope.
  • He learns music by listening to the chords.
A gerund after certain specific verbs
Examples
  • I like cooking.
  • He enjoys walking.
  • They hate milking cows.
  • I can imagine drifting away in a balloon.
A gerund in compound nouns
Examples
  • I took her to her driving lessons.
  • We are going to the swimming pool.
  • My uncle does a lot of bird-watching.
  • I found this pie by dumpster-diving.

Gerund

The gerund looks exactly the same as a present participle, but it is useful to understand the difference between the two. The gerund always has the same function as a noun (although it looks like a verb). Some uses of the gerund are covered on this page. A separate page deals with verbs that are followed by the gerund.

The gerund as the subject of the sentence

Examples

  • Eating people is wrong.
  • Hunting tigers is dangerous.
  • Flying makes me nervous.
  • Brushing your teeth is important.
  • Smoking causes lung cancer.

The gerund as the complement of the verb ‘to be’

Examples
  • One of his duties is attending meetings.
  • The hardest thing about learning English is understanding the gerund.
  • One of life’s pleasures is having breakfast in bed.
The gerund after prepositions

The gerund must be used when a verb comes after a preposition. This is also true of certain expressions ending in a preposition, for example the expressions in spite of & there’s no point in.

Examples
  • Can you sneeze without opening your mouth?
  • She is good at painting.
  • She avoided him by walking on the opposite side of the road.
  • We arrived in Madrid after driving all night.
  • My father decided against postponing his trip to Hungary.
  • There’s no point in waiting.
  • In spite of missing the train, we arrived on time.
The gerund after phrasal verbs

Phrasal verbs are composed of a verb + preposition or adverb.

Examples
  • When will you give up smoking?
  • She always puts off going to the dentist.
  • He kept on asking for money.
  • Jim ended up buying a new TV after his old one broke.

There are some phrasal verbs that include the word “to” as a preposition for example to look forward to, to take to, to be accustomed to, to get around to, & to be used to. It is important to recognise that the word “to” is a preposition in these cases because it must be followed by a gerund. It is not part of the infinitive form of the verb. You can check whether “to” is a preposition or part of the infinitive. If you can put the pronoun “it” after the word “to” and form a meaningful sentence, then the word “to” is a preposition and must be followed by a gerund.

Examples
  • I look forward to hearing from you soon.
  • I look forward to it.
  • I am used to waiting for buses.
  • I am used to it.
  • She didn’t really take to studying English.
  • She didn’t really take to it.
  • When will you get around to mowing the grass?
  • When will you get around to it?
The gerund in compound nouns

In compound nouns using the gerund, it is clear that the meaning is that of a noun, not of a continuous verb. For example, with the word “swimming pool” it is a pool for swimming in, it is not a pool that is swimming.

Examples
  • I am giving Sally a driving lesson.
  • They have a swimming pool in their back yard.
  • I bought some new running shoes.
The gerund after some expressions

The gerund is necessary after the expressions can’t help, can’t stand, to be worth, & it’s no use.

Examples
  • She couldn’t help falling in love with him.
  • I can’t stand being stuck in traffic jams.
  • It’s no use trying to escape.
  • It might be worth phoning the station to check the time of the train.

Present participle

The present participle of most verbs has the form base+ing. It is used in many different ways.

The present participle as part of the continuous form of a verb

Examples

  • I am working.
  • He was singing.
  • They have been walking.
  • We will be staying.
  • She would have been expecting me.
The present participle after verbs of movement & position

This construction is particularly useful with the verb to go.

Examples
  • She went shopping.
  • I go running every morning.
  • He lay looking up at the clouds.
  • She came running towards me.
The present participle after verbs of perception

The pattern for this usage is verb + object + present participle. There is a difference in meaning when such a sentence contains a zero infinitive rather than a participle. The infinitive refers to a complete action while the present participle refers to an ongoing action.

Examples
  • I heard someone singing.
  • He saw his friend walking along the road.
  • I can smell something burning!
  • I watched the birds flying away.
The present participle as an adjective
Examples
  • It was an amazing film.
  • Dark billowing clouds often precede a storm.
  • He was trapped inside the burning house.
  • Many of his paintings show the setting sun.
The present participle with the verbs spend and waste

The pattern with these verbs is verb + time/money expression + present participle.

Examples
  • My boss spends two hours a day travelling to work.
  • Don’t waste time playing computer games!
  • They’ve spent the whole day shopping.
  • I wasted money buying this game.
The present participle with the verbs catch and find

The pattern with these verbs is verb + object + present participle. With catch, the participle always refers to an action which causes annoyance or anger. This is not the case with find, which is unemotional.

Examples
  • If I catch you stealing my apples again, there’ll be trouble!
  • Don’t let him catch you reading his letters.
  • I caught him going through my bag.
  • We found some money lying on the ground.
  • They found their mother sitting in the garden.
The present participle for two actions at the same time

When two actions occur at the same time, and are done by the same person or thing, we can use a present participle to describe one of them. When one action follows very quickly after another done by the same person or thing, we can express the first action with a present participle.

Examples
  • Whistling to himself, he walked down the road. = He whistled to himself as he walked down the road.
  • They went laughing out into the snow. = They laughed as they went out into the snow.
  • Dropping the gun, she put her hands in the air. = She dropped the gun and put her hands in the air.
  • Putting on his coat, he left the house. = He put on his coat and left the house.
The present participle to explain a reason

The present participle can be used instead of a phrase starting with as, since, or because. In this usage the participial phrase explains the cause or reason for an action.

Examples
  • Feeling hungry, he went into the kitchen and opened the fridge.
  • Being poor, he didn’t spend much on clothes.
  • Knowing that his mother was coming, he cleaned the flat.
  • He whispered, thinking his brother was still asleep.

Infinitive

Forming the infinitive

The infinitive is the base form of a verb. In English, when we talk about the infinitive we are usually referring to the present infinitive, which is the most common. There are, however, four other forms of the infinititive: the perfect infinitive, the perfect continuous infinitive, the continuous infinitive, & the passive infinitive.

The present infinitive has two forms:

  • the to-infinitive = to + base
  • the zero infinitive = base

The present infinitive base is the verb form you will find in a dictionary.

To-infinitive Zero infinitive
to sit sit
to eat eat
to have have
to remember remember

The negative infinitive is formed by putting not in front of any form of the infinitive.

Examples
  • I decided not to go to London.
  • He asked me not to be late.
  • I’d like you not to sing so loudly.
  • I’d rather not eat meat.
  • I might not come.

Functions of the to-infinitive

The to-infinitive is used in many sentence constructions, often expressing the purpose of something or someone’s opinion about something. The to-infinitive is used following a large collection of different verbs as well. See this page about verbs followed by infinitives.

The to-infinitive to indicate the purpose or intention of an action

In this case to has the same meaning as in order to or so as to.

Examples
  • She came to collect her pay cheque.
  • The three bears went to find firewood.
  • I am calling to ask you about dad.
  • You sister has gone to finish her homework.
The to-infinitive as the subject of the sentence

This is a formal usage and is far more common in written English than spoken

Examples
  • To be or not to be, that is the question.
  • To know her is to love her.
  • To visit the Grand Canyon is my life-long dream.
  • To understand statistics, that is our aim.
The to-infinitive to indicate what something can or will be used for

In this pattern, the to-infinitive follows a noun or pronoun.

Examples
  • The children need a garden to play in.
  • I would like a sandwich to eat.
  • I don’t have anything to wear.
  • Would you like something to drink?
The to-infinitive after adjectives

There is a common pattern using the to-infinitive with an adjective. These phrases are formed:
subject + to be + adjective + (for/of someone) + to-infinitive + (rest of sentence)

Subject + to be + adjective (+ for/of someone) + to-infinitive (+ rest of sentence)
It is good to talk.
It is good of you to talk to me.
It is important to be patient.
It is important for Jake to be patient with his little brother.
I am happy to be here.
The dog is naughty to destroy our couch.
The to-infinitive to make a comment or judgement

To use the to-infinitive when making a comment or judgement about a noun, the pattern is:
Subject + to be + noun phrase + to-infinitive

Subject + to be + noun phrase + to-infinitive
It was a stupid place to park.
That is a dangerous way to behave.
What you said was a rude thing to say.
This is the right thing to do.
Those were the wrong kind of eggs to buy.
Jim is the best person to hire.
The to-infinitive with adverbs

The to-infinitive is used frequently with the adverbs too and enough to express the reasoning behind our satisfaction or insatisfaction. The pattern is that too and enough are placed before or after the adjective, adverb, or noun that they modify in the same way they would be without the to-infinitive. We then follow them by the to-infinitive to explain the reason why the quantity is excessive, sufficient, or insufficient. Normally the to-infinitive and everything that follows can be removed, leaving a sentence that still functions grammatically.

Examples
  • There’s too much sugar to put in this bowl.
  • I had too many books to carry.
  • This soup is too hot to eat.
  • She was too tired to work.
  • He arrived too late to see the actors.
  • I’ve had enough food to eat.
  • She’s old enough to make up her own mind.
  • There isn’t enough snow to ski on.
  • You’re not old enough to have grand-children!
The to-infinitive with question words

The verbs ask, decide, explain, forget, know, show, tell, & understand can be followed by a question word such as where, how, what, who, & when + the to-infinitive.

Examples
  • She asked me how to use the washing machine.
  • Do you understand what to do?
  • Tell me when to press the button.
  • I’ve forgotten where to put this little screw.
  • I’m not sure I know who to call.

Functions of the zero infinitive

The zero infinitive after auxiliaries
Examples
  • She can’t speak to you.
  • He should give her some money.
  • Shall I talk to him?
  • Would you like a cup of coffee?
  • I might stay another night in the hotel.
  • They must leave before 10.00 a.m.
The zero infinitive after verbs of perception

With verbs of perception, the pattern is verb + object + zero infinitive.

Examples
  • He saw her fall from the cliff.
  • We heard them close the door.
  • They saw us walk toward the lake.
  • She felt the spider crawl up her leg.
The zero infinitive after the verbs “make” and “let”
Examples
  • Her parents let her stay out late.
  • Let’s go to the cinema tonight.
  • You made me come with you.
  • Don’t make me study that boring grammar book!
The zero infinitive after the expression “had better”
Examples
  • We had better take some warm clothing.
  • She had better ask him not to come.
  • We had better reserve a room in the hotel.
  • You’d better give me your address.
  • They had better work harder on their homework.
The zero infinitive with “why”

The question word why is followed by the zero infinitive when making suggestions.

Examples
  • Why wait until tomorrow?
  • Why not ask him now?
  • Why leave before the end of the game?
  • Why walk when we can go in the car?
  • Why not buy a new bed?

Passive voice

Functions of the passive voice

The passive voice is used to show interest in the person or object that experiences an action rather than the person or object that performs the action. In other words, the most important thing or person becomes the subject of the sentence.

Examples
  • The passive voice is used frequently. (= we are interested in the passive voice, not in who uses it.)
  • The house was built in 1654. (= we are interested in the house, not in who built it.)
  • The road is being repaired. (= we are interested in the road, not in the people who are doing the repairs.)

Sometimes we use the passive voice because we don’t know or do not want to express who performed the action.

Examples
  • I noticed that a window had been left open.
  • Every year thousands of people are killed on our roads.
  • All the cookies have been eaten.
  • My car has been stolen!

The passive voice is often used in formal texts. Switching to the active voice will make your writing clearer and easier to read.

Passive Active
A great deal of meaning is conveyed by a few well-chosen words. A few well-chosen words convey a great deal of meaning.
Our planet is wrapped in a mass of gases. A mass of gases wrap around our planet.
Waste materials are disposed of in a variety of ways. The city disposes of waste materials in a variety of ways.

If we want to say who or what performs the action while using the passive voice, we use the preposition by. When we know who performed the action and are interested in him, it is always better to switch to the active voice instead.

Passive Active
“A Hard Day’s Night” was written by the Beatles. The Beatles wrote “A Hard Day’s Night”.
The movie ET was directed by Spielberg. Spielberg directed the movie ET.
This house was built by my father. My father built this house.

Read more about the passive voice and active equivalents for all English verb tenses.

Forming the passive voice

The passive voice in English is composed of two elements:
the appropriate form of the verb ‘to be’ + past participle

Affirmative Negative Interrogative Negative interrogative
The house was built in 1899. The house wasn’t built in 1899. Was the house built in 1899? Wasn’t the house built in 1899?
These houses were built in 1899. These houses weren’t built in 1899. Were these houses built in 1899? Weren’t these houses built in 1899?
To clean, passive voice
Subject + to be (conjugated) + past participle + rest of sentence
Simple present
The house is cleaned every day.
Present continuous
The house is being cleaned at the moment.
Simple past
The house was cleaned yesterday.
Past continuous
The house was being cleaned last week.
Present perfect
The house has been cleaned since you left.
Past perfect
The house had been cleaned before they arrived.
Future
The house will be cleaned next week.
Future continuous
The house will be being cleaned tomorrow.
Present conditional
The house would be cleaned if they had visitors.
Past conditional
The house would have been cleaned if it had been dirty.
Inifinitive
The house must be cleaned before we arrive.
Passive voice with infinitives

The infinitive passive voice is used after modal verbs and other most verbs normally followed by an infinitive.

Examples
  • You have to be tested on your English grammar.
  • John might be promoted next year.
  • She wants to be invited to the party.
  • I expect to be surprised on my birthday.
  • You may be disappointed.
Passive voice with gerunds

Gerunds are used after prepositions and verbs normally followed by a gerund.

Examples
  • I remember being taught to drive.
  • The children are excited about being taken to the zoo.
  • The children are excited to be taken to the zoo.
  • Most film stars hate being interviewed.
  • Most film stars hate to be interviewed.
  • Poodles like to be pampered.
  • Poodles like being pampered.
Using “to be born”

“To be born” is a passive form and is most commonly used in the past tense. However, in some cases, the present or future tense is appropriate.

Examples
  • I was born in 1976.
  • Where were you born?
  • Around 100 babies are born in this hospital every week.
  • We don’t know on exactly which day the baby will be born.

Sometimes the passive is formed using the verb to get or to have instead of the verb to be. A separate page deals with these alternative ways to form the passive voice.

 

 

 

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