Essential English Grammar: Tenses, Conditionals, Modals, and More

Key English Grammar Concepts

Verb Tenses

Present Simple

• Structure: Base form (add -s for third person singular). Examples: I walk, she walks.
• Usage: Descriptions, habits or routines, opinions, likes/dislikes, schedules.

Present Continuous

• Structure: am/is/are + verb-ing. Examples: I am walking, she is walking, they are walking.
• Usage: Actions happening at the moment of speaking, future plans, temporary actions.

Past Simple

• Structure: Pronoun + past tense verb (regular: -ed, irregular: varies).
• Usage: Completed actions in the past, actions at a specific past time, telling a story, describing past states.

Past Continuous

• Structure: Pronoun + was/were + verb-ing (I/he/she/it = was; they/we/you = were).
• Usage: Describing an action in progress at a specific time in the past (e.g., They were studying at 3 o'clock), two simultaneous past actions (one interrupting another or both ongoing).

Present Perfect Simple

• Structure: Pronoun + have/has + past participle.
• Usage: Actions completed at an unspecified time in the past, recent past actions, actions starting in the past and continuing to the present, recently completed actions (e.g., I have just finished).

Present Perfect Continuous

• Structure: Pronoun + have/has + been + verb-ing.
• Usage: Actions starting in the past and continuing to the present (emphasizing duration), actions recently finished with results in the present.

Past Perfect Simple

• Structure: Pronoun + had + past participle.
• Usage: Describing an action that happened before another action in the past.

Future Forms

Will / Won’t

• Usage: Predictions, spontaneous decisions, promises, offers, future facts.

Be Going To

• Usage: Intentions, plans made before speaking, predictions based on present evidence.

Future Continuous

• Structure: will be + verb-ing. Example: I will be working at 10 am tomorrow.
• Usage: Actions that will be in progress at a specific time in the future, polite inquiries about future plans.

Comparatives and Superlatives

Comparatives

• Structure: Adjective + -er (e.g., cheaper) OR more + adjective + than; less + adjective + than.

Superlatives

• Structure: the + adjective + -est (e.g., the biggest, the fastest) OR the most + adjective; the least + adjective.

Passive Voice

• Present Simple Passive: am/is/are + past participle. Example: The poem is written in French.
• Past Simple Passive: was/were + past participle. Example: When was the poem written?

Conditionals

Zero Conditional

• Structure: If + Present Simple, ... Present Simple.
• Usage: General truths, scientific facts, things that are always true. Example: If I don’t sleep, I feel tired.

First Conditional

• Structure: If + Present Simple, ... will + base verb.
• Usage: Real or likely future situations and their consequences. Example: If I don’t sleep tonight, I will be tired tomorrow.

Second Conditional

• Structure: If + Past Simple, ... would + base verb.
• Usage: Hypothetical or imaginary situations in the present or future. Example: If I had enough money, I would go in a helicopter.

Third Conditional

• Structure: If + Past Perfect Simple, ... would have + past participle.
• Usage: Hypothetical situations in the past (regrets, things that didn't happen). Example: If Lucia had played better, she would have won.

Modal Verbs

• Must / Have To / Need To: Obligation or necessity.
• Should: Advice, recommendation.
• Can: Present ability, permission.
• Could: Past ability, possibility, polite requests.
• Be Able To: Ability (more versatile than can/could for different tenses).
• May / Might: Possibility (I might go), formal permission (May I...?).

Other Structures

Relative Clauses

• Used to give more information about a noun.
• Pronouns: who (people), that (people/things), which (things), where (places), when (times), whose (possession).

Reported Speech (Indirect Speech)

• Used to report what someone else said, often involving a backshift in tense:
• Present Simple (I do) → Past Simple (He said he did)
• Present Continuous (is studying) → Past Continuous (He said she was studying)
• Past Simple (verb in past) → Past Perfect (He said he had + past participle)
• Present Perfect (have/has done) → Past Perfect (He said he had done)
• Will → Would
• Can → Could
• Must → Had to