My childhood

I think my first memories start when I was about three or perhaps four years old. I remember falling from a tree and breaking my arm. I think I was playing in the garden of the big, old house we lived in. It was in a suburb of London. I can also remember starting school when I was five. There was a little boy called Thomas in the same class. He used to pull my hair when the teacher wasn't looking. One day I hit him over the head with a book and he began to cry. The teacher was very angry with me. I remember him saying: "Little girls don't do things like that!" But Thomas never pulled my hair again.

Past tenses

Past tenses

Past Simple

We use this tense to describe actions completed in the past.

Most verbs end with -ed but there are irregular verbs too, like teach-taught, find-found etc.

Questions and negations are with did:

Did you work yesterday?

I didn't see her.

My brother applied for a visa.

This investor lost a fortune last year.

Past Continuous

This tense describes an action in progress at a point of time in the past, in example the action began before this point of time and continued after it.

We didn't hear the intruder because we were sleeping on the top floor last night.

We often use past continuous to show that a past action was temporary, or was changing or developing.

During my training I was earning less than my life. (temporary situation)

His symptoms were becoming more pronounced each day. (changing situation)

She received chemotherapy on a weekly basis. (a repeated action)

For the first 2 months she was receiving chemotherapy on a weekly basis. (repeated action but only for 2 months)

We use the past continuous to contrast an ongoing action with a single event which interrupts it:

Elizabeth was sleeping when messenger arrived.

Seventy cars were crossing the bridge when it collapsed into the river.

We use the past continuous to describe past arrangements:

Nancy was taking the next flight to Paris so she had to cut short the interview.

We can make requests or polite suggestions:

We were wondering if you would like to join us.

Past perfect

We use this tense to describe an action which is completed before a time in the past. We can include specific time reference.

By the time UN forces arrived, the rebel army had taken the province.

When we got back home the babysitter had gone home.

We wanted to talk to him but he'd just left.

I left university before I'd taken the final exams.

We use past perfect to describe past intentions which were unfulfilled:

They had hoped to get to the summit but their companion fell ill at base camp.

Get vs. take

EXPRESSIONS WITH TAKE

• Take advantage
• Take advice
• Take a break
• Take care
• Take a chance
• Take a decision
• Take a photograph
• Take responsibility
• Take a risk = to do something although you know that something unpleasant or dangerous could happen
• Take your time
• Take off (plane) = when the aircraft leaves the ground and starts to fly.
• Take place = happen
• Take medicine
• Take exams / tests
• Take part in an event
• Take it for granted = to believe that sth is true without checking or thinking about it.
• Take a rest / a break
• Take a taxi / bus / plane
• Take the temperature = take measurement of how hot is your body.
• Take it easy = to relax and not to use too much energy

EXPRESSIONS WITH GET

• Get a good mark
• Get a shock = get a big, unpleasant surprise
• Get an idea
• Get angry
• Get lost
• Get off (a bus / train) = leave a bus, a train
• Get on (a bus / a train) = go onto a bus, train
• Get on well with somebody
• Get rid of something = throw something away or give something to someone because you do not want it
• Get upset = sad, worried or angry about something
• Get to a place = arrive at a place
• Get in trouble
• Get / Be / Keep in touch with = in communication with someone by going to see them, speaking to them or writing to them
• Get a haircut
• Get something back = if you get something back, something that you had before is given to you
• Get ready
• Get ill / well / wet
• Get married / killed / divorced
• Get cancer / flu
• Get something wrong = produce an answer or result that is not correct
• Get to the bottom of something = discover the truth about a situation
  

Present tense

Present simple

With he, she,it we add “s” (he enjoys, she watches, it carries etc.)

For negatives and questions we use a verb “Do”. Does it swim? Do you like me ? etc.

We use this tense to describe facts:

Water boils in 100'C.

Or to describe things that happen on a regular basis:

The President spends every summer holiday in the mountains.

For directions and instructions:

Go left and then stop. Mix flour with water.

Present continuous

With a verb “be” and -ing form. (What are they doing?)

We use this tense to describe actions in progress. The action may continue after the time of speaking, too.

I'm just finishing something in the kitchen.

We're studying the writings of Guenter Grass on the German course now.

Or to describe things which are changing:

British summers are getting hotter and hotter every year.

Or to talk about repeated events or actions usually if they happen within temporary period.

I'm feeding the neighbour's cat this week while she's in the hospital.

! Graham smokes a lot.

Graham's job is terribly stressful now and he's smoking about 50 cigarettes a day.

Sometimes we can use always, forever or continually with present continuous if we complain about something or dislike something.

Your dog is always making so much noise!

I'm always forgetting people's birthdays.

There are some verbs which rarely go with continuous form (-ing). These are: belong, believe, doubt, understand, think, want, prefer etc. These verbs are connected with feelings.

But: I think he's behaving badly.

My dad is thinking about moving to a different town. (but here think means consider)

Be careful with “Here”. There exist a form like this: Here comes the rain or Here comes my brother.

They're without -ing although it happens right now.