Verbs and tenses

What Are Helping Verbs?

A helping verb (also known as an auxiliary verb) is used with a main verb to
help express the main verb's tense, mood, or voice.

The main helping verbs are "to be," "to have," and "to do." They appear in the
following forms:
• To Be: am, is, are, was, were, being, been, will be
• To Have: has, have, had, having, will have
• To Do: does, do, did, will do
•
• these help other verbs make questions, negatives, and some verb
tenses. Remember: Do, be, and have are helping verbs only when they
are used with a second verb.
• Do is a helping verb when it is used to indicate questions, negatives,
and emphasis.
• Be is a helping verb when it is used to form the continuous/progressive
tense or to show passive voice.
• HAVE is a helping verb when it is used to show the perfect verb tenses,
or used to form a question.

Uses Of Verb “To Be”

1. For Names .
Examples
(I am Mohammed. - You are Hana- She is Sama . )

2. For Ages
Examples
(I will be ten years old. - He is 6 years old. - This building is 100 years old).

3. For Feelings
Examples
( We are happy. - They were sad. - He will be thrilled. - She has been worried. )
4. For Nationalities
Examples
( We are from Thailand. - He is Indian. - This is an Italian dish. )

5. For Professions
Examples
( You aren’t a painter. - She was a singer. - They are builders. - I am scientist. )

6. For Descriptions
Examples

(The bottle of water is cold. - They are wet. - It is dry. - She is tall. - The blanket is soft. )

Present Tense: To Be Here are some examples of the verb ‘to be’
in simple present tense”
Singular Plural 1. I am Savita.
I am We are 2. You are brave.
3. They are our neighbors.
You are You are

He/She/It is They are

Negative Form in Simple Present Tense

The negative forms of “to be” are made by adding “not.”
Singular Plural
Here are the present tense forms:
I am not We are not/ aren’t 1. I am not happy., We are not
happy.
You are not/ aren’t You are not/ aren’t 2. You are not happy., You are not
happy.
3. He/she/it is not happy., They are
He/ she/ it is not/ isn’t They are not/ aren’t not happy.

simple Past: To Be Here are some sentences with the simple

Singular Plural past form of to be
1. I was in a meeting.
I was We were 2. It was a good day.
You were You were 3. They were not at home.

He/She/It was They were

Negative Form in Simple Past Tense

Here are the past tense forms:
Singular Plural
 I was not/ wasn’t We were not/ weren’t
Here. are some sentences with simple
You were not/ weren’t You were not/ weren’t past tense:
1. I was not sad., We were not sad.
He /she/ it was not/ wasn’t They were not/ weren’t 2. You were not sad., You were not
sad.
He/she/it was not sad., They were not sad
TYPES OF QUESTIONS
In English, there are two main types of questions which are;
▪ Yes / No Questions
▪ Wh – Questions
▪ Question Form is;

HELPING VERB + SUBJECT + MAIN V ERB + …. ?

Sentence Question
The conversation was
being recorded. Was the conversation being recorded?
The window are being broken. Are the window being broken?

3. IF WE WANT TO MAKE A NEGATIVE YES /NO QUESTION WITH”TO BE”, QUESTION FORM IS
▪ Be ( am, is, are, was, were ) + NOT + Subject + ….

Sentence Question
He is not ( isn’t ) a student. Isn’t he a student?
You are not ( aren’t ) going to swim. Aren’t you going to swim?
The book was not ( wasn’t ) given to me. Wasn’t the book given to me?

4. When we are replying the question, we can use short or long form for the answer. Answer
forms are;
▪ Yes + Subject + Auxiliary Verb ( + … )
▪ No + Subject + Auxiliary Verb + Not ( + …. )

Question Answer ( Short -Long )

Is she coming? No. / No, she isn’t. / No, she isn’t coming.
Are they married? Yes. / Yes, they are. / Yes, they are married.
Was he nervous? No. / No, he wasn’t. / No, he wasn’t nervous.
Were you visiting your Yes. / Yes, we were. / Yes, we were visiting our
family? family.
How to Use "To Do" in English
The verb "to do" is a common verb in English. It has 5 different forms:
• do, does, did, doing, done
"To do" is an unusual verb because it can function as a main verb or an auxiliary
verb.

The Verb "To Do"

"To Do" As a Main Verb
As a main verb, "to do" usually means "to perform" or "to carry out". For example:
• We do exercise at lunchtime.
• She does a triple twist at the end of the vault.
• Joanne did a good thing yesterday.

"To Do" As an helping verb

As an auxiliary verb (or helping verb), "to do" has three uses. It can be used to form a
question, to create a negative verb, or to add emphasis. In each of these examples,
the main verb is bold:

(1) To form a question:

• Did you eat all the bananas?
• Do you know the capital of France?
• Does Alan want a drink?
Notice the word order when "to do" helps to form a question:

(2) To make a verb negative:

• I do not drink coffee at home.
• Sarah does not fly back to Argentina tomorrow.
• Jack did not hear the alarm.
Notice the word order when "to do" helps to form a negative verb:

(3) To add emphasis:

• I do work hard!
• Peter does have a sister.
• We did find the treasure eventually.

Negative Forms of "To Do"

To create a negative verb, precede it with the negative form of "do," "does," or "did."
auxiliary verb negative form contraction
• I do not do yoga.
do do not don't
• We do do yoga.
 does does not doesn't
did did not didn't

Questions with Do and Does

Do/Does Subject Verb* The rest of the sentence

Do I / you / we / have / buy cereal for breakfast?

they eat / like etc.
Does he / she / it

SHORT ANSWERS WITH DO AND DOES

Short Answer Short Answer

Sample Questions
(Affirmative) (Negative)

Do you speak English? Yes, I do. No, I don't.

Do I need a dictionary? Yes, you do. No, you don't.

Do you both speak English? Yes, we do. No, we don't.

Do they speak English? Yes, they do. No, they don't.

Does he speak English? Yes, he does. No, he doesn't.

Does she speak English? Yes, she does. No, she doesn't.

Does it have four legs? Yes, it does. No, it doesn't.

Question Words with Do and Does and Did

The order for making sentences with Questions words is the following:

Question Word Do/Does Subject Verb

What do you have for breakfast?

What does she have for breakfast?

Where did you go yesterday ?

When did you study?

How do you spell your name?

Verb "To Have"

To Have" As a Main Verb
As a main verb, "to have" has MANY MEANINGS, but most of the time, it will mean "to
possess" or "to experience". For example:
• I have a dog.
• She has a Mathematics degree.
• I had a good day.

"To Have" As an Auxiliary Verb

As an auxiliary verb (or helping verb), the meaning comes from the verb it is
helping. For example:
• I have worked all day.
• Sarah has flown back to Argentina.
• He had heard the truth.

Negative Forms of "To Have"

• Creating the negative forms of "to have" is difficult for leaners because the
negative form depends whether "to have" is a main verb, an auxiliary verb, or a
modal verb.
main verb or modal verb
form auxiliary verb

have do not have (don't have) have not (haven't)

has does not have (doesn't have) has not (hasn't)

had did not have (didn't have) had not (hadn't)

having not having not having

YES / NO QUESTIONS
Have ( as an auxiliary verb ) + Subject + Main Verb + ….?
Sentence Question

I have studied English. Have I studied English?

He has finished his homework. Has he finished his homework?

 The film had started. Had the film started?

Simple present tense

The simple present tense is used:
For habits
He drinks tea at breakfast. For general truths
She only eats fish. Water freezes at zero degrees.
They watch television regularly. The Earth revolves around the Sun.
Her mother is Peruvian.
For repeated actions or events
For instructions or directions
We catch the bus every morning.
Open the packet and pour the contents into hot water.
It rains every afternoon in the hot season. You take the No.6 bus to Watney and then the No.10 to
They drive to Monaco every summer. Bedford.

With future constructions For fixed arrangements

She'll see you before she leaves. His mother arrives tomorrow.
We'll give it to her when she arrives. Our holiday starts on the 26th March
N In the third person singular
Affirmative Interrogative Negative O the verb always ends in -s:
T he wants, she needs, he gives,
I think Do I think? I do not think e she thinks.

Verbs ending in -y : the third

You think Do you think? You do not think N person changes the -y to -ies:

He thinks Does he think? He does not think

O fly --> flies, cry --> cries
Exception: if there is a vowel
T before the -y:
play --> plays, pray --> prays
She thinks Does she think? She does not think e
Add -es to verbs ending in:-ss, -x, -
It thinks Does it think? It does not think sh, -ch:
he passes,and
Negative shequestion
catches, he fixes,
forms use it
N pushes
DOES (= the third person of the
We think Do we think? We do not think.
O auxiliary 'DO') + the infinitive of
the verb.
They think Do they think? They do not think. T He wants ice cream. Does he want
strawberry? He does not want
e vanilla.
KEY WORDS FOR THE SIMPLE PRESENT TENSE
Signalwort Example
Always I always go to work.
Usually He usually goes to the gym in the morning.
Often She often takes the bus to work.
 Sometimes Sometimes, she walks to the bus station.
Rarely We rarely stay up late during the week.
Never He never drinks coffee after 5pm.
Every I brush my teeth every morning and every night.
day/week/month/year
On We have a team meeting every Monday at 10am.
Mondays/Tuesdays/etc.
Wh-Questions in the Present Simple
Wh- Auxiliary Subject Verb in Base Rest of
Word Verb Form Sentence
What do I / you / we / want
they
Why does he / she / it shout at you
1. When do you want to meet me?
2. Why does Beth always complain so much?
3. How much does the ticket cost?
4. Why don't you ever go on vacation?
Exercises for the Present Simple
1. Fill in the correct form of the verb as in the examples.
2. Mark and Sara play squash twice a week. (play)
3. Sheila doesn't do the family accounts. (not do) Her husband does them.
4. Does Gillian usually meet clients so late at night? (meet)
5. Every year his family ____________ to Europe for two weeks. (go)
6. Tammy and Jen ______________ a Pilates class on Wednesday
mornings.(take)
7. __________ that airline __________ to Paris? (fly)
8. The semester _____________ until the end of June. (not finish)
9. Tony usually _________ to call his mother in the mornings. (try)
10. _______________ for your car expenses? (Who/pay)
11. The shops ___________ until 21:00. (not close)
12. Gerard _________ the ball and __________ it into the net.
(receive/kick)
13. _________times a day _____ you _____ your dogs for a walk? (take)
14. ________ he always ________ his cell phone for long distance calls? (use)
The Past Simple Tense
Usage
The Simple Past is used for actions that started and finished at a specific
time in the past

Forming the Past Simple

Subject Verb + d, ed, ied or Rest of Sentence
irregular form (V2)
I / He / She / It You / walked to the shop yesterday
We / They slept late last Saturday

Irregular Verbs List

And we just memorize them during practicing
Base Form Past Simple (V2) Past Participle (V3)
arise arose arisen
awake awoke awoken
be was/were been
bear bore born(e)
beat beat beaten
become became become
begin began begun
bend bent bent
bet bet bet
bind bound bound
bite bit bitten
bleed bled bled
blow blew blown
break broke broken
breed bred bred
bring brought brought
build built built
burst burst burst
buy bought bought
can could ... (been able)
catch caught caught
choose chose chosen
cling clung clung
come came come
cost cost cost
creep crept crept
cut cut cut
deal dealt dealt
dig dug dug
do did done
draw drew drawn
dream dreamt/dreamed dreamt/dreamed
drink drank drunk
drive drove driven
eat ate eaten
fall fell fallen
feed fed fed
feel felt felt
fight fought fought
find found found
fly flew flown
forbid forbade forbidden
forget forgot forgotten
forgive forgave forgiven
freeze froze frozen
get got got
give gave given
go went gone
grind ground ground
grow grew grown
hang hung hung
have had had
hear heard heard
hide hid hidden
hit hit hit
hold held held
hurt hurt hurt
keep kept kept
kneel knelt knelt
know knew known
lay laid laid
lead led led
lean leant/leaned leant/leaned
learn learnt/learned learnt/learned
leave left left
lend lent lent
lie (in bed) lay lain
lie (to not tell lied lied
the truth)
light lit/lighted lit/lighted
lose lost lost
make made made
may might ...
mean meant meant
meet met met
mow mowed mown/mowed
pay paid paid
put put put
read read read
ride rode ridden
ring rang rung
rise rose risen
run ran run
saw sawed sawn/sawed
say said said
see saw seen
sell sold sold
send sent sent
set set set
sew sewed sewn/sewed
shake shook shaken
shine shone shone
shoot shot shot
show showed shown
shut shut shut
sing sang sung
sink sank sunk
sit sat sat
sleep slept slept
slide slid slid
smell smelt smelt
speak spoke spoken
spell spelt/spelled spelt/spelled
spend spent spent
spill spilt/spilled spilt/spilled
spin spun spun
spit spat spat
spread spread spread
stand stood stood
steal stole stolen
stick stuck stuck
sting stung stung
stink stank stunk
strike struck struck
swear swore sworn
sweep swept swept
swell swelled swollen/swelled
swim swam swum
swing swung swung
take took taken
teach taught taught
tear tore torn
tell told told
think thought thought
throw threw thrown
understand understood understood
wake woke woken
Negative Sentences in the Past Simple Tense
Subject didn't + verb in the Rest of
base form Sentence
I / He / She / It You / We didn't walk to the shop
/ They yesterday
didn't sleep late last Saturday
1. I didn't talk to John yesterday.
2. He didn't steal those ideas from the company.
3. You didn't show me the photos from the wedding.
Yes/No Questions in the Past Simple
Auxiliary Subject verb in base rest of sentence
Verb form
Did I / you / we / walk to the shop
they yesterday
he / she / it sleep late last Saturday
1. Did you ask Tina to go out with you?
2. Did the employees stay late again last night?
3. Did Rob finish his assignment yesterday?

Wh-Questions in the Past Simple

Wh- auxiliary subject verb in rest of
word verb base form sentence
What did I / you / we / they sell the house
Why didn't he / she / it rescue me
When did you buy that sweater?
Why did the computer break down?
How long did the train journey take?
Why didn't you tell me about the accident?

What are signal words for the Simple Past?.

(( yesterday - last week - a month ago - this morning - in 2010 )) :

• What did you do in your last holidays?

• His parents married in 2004.

• I didn't text my friend yesterday.

• Did you miss the bus this morning?

Fill in the correct form of the verb in the past simple as in the examples.

1. David saw his History professor at the supermarket two days ago. (see)
2. I didn't know your e-mail address, so I phoned instead. (not know/phone)
3. Did you get the message I left the day before yesterday?
4. I _______ a great book last week. (read)
5. _______ Adam ______ the jacket that he _______ at the party? (find / leave)
6. Why _______ you__________ for me at the bar yesterday evening? (not wait)
7. I _________ for over an hour, but you never __________ up! (wait / show)
8. My friends _________ to New Delhi via Mumbai a week ago. (fly)
9. Teresa ___________ the last train, _______________? (catch)
10. The sunset _________ beautiful last night. (be)
11. _______ they _________ the client’s deadline yesterday? (meet)
12. When _____ he ___________ from med school? (graduate)

Simple future tense

How to form the simple future
The formula for the simple future is will + [root form of verb].
I will learn a new language.
Jen will read that book.

How to make the simple future negative

to make the simple future negative, the formula is will + not + [root form of verb].

Jen will not quit before she reaches her goal.

Make sure you arrive on time tomorrow, because the bus will not wait for you

Common Uses of the Future Simple Tense.

1. to express predictions. For example:
The news report says traffic will be bad tomorrow.
2. to express intentions
I will call you tomorrow.
3. to make offers
I will help you with your homework.
4. to express decisions
I will go to the party tomorrow.
5. to express promises.:
I promise I will do my best
Key words:
((( tomorrow, next week (month, year, summer, Monday, weekend,...), in 2020...))

Examples:

I think I will meet her tomorrow.

I hope he will be back before 9.30.

I suppose I'll be there at five.

How to ask a question in the simple future
To ask a question in the simple future, the formula is will + [subject] + [root form of verb].

Will Jen finish War and Peace over the summer?

Will I have the discipline to study Spanish every day?

What will you buy with the money you found?

Exercise
Put the verbs into the correct form (future I simple). Use will.
1. Jim asked a fortune teller about his future. Here is what she told him:
2. You (earn) a lot of money.
3. You (travel) around the world.
4. You (meet) lots of interesting people.
5. Everybody (adore) you.
6. You (not / have) any problems.
7. Many people (serve) you.
8. They (anticipate) your wishes.
9. There (not / be) anything left to wish for.
Fill in the will - future of the words below.
have – go – meet – visit – walk – have – buy – not be – have
Tomorrow I my friend George. We to the
movies and then we our dinner at the new fast – food
place. In the afternoon we George's uncle and play table
tennis in his garden. Then we around in the shopping mall
where we a look at the shops. Maybe
I new jeans. We back before 6 o'clock. I
think we a great day.
 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 Ex ….Children are going to

school.
The boys are playing in the park.
Subject + to be + base + ing The baby is crying out loud.
It is raining now.
I am cooking pasta for lunch.
She is talking. Miss Peters is teaching the class

Negative Ex …. I'm not eating now .

You aren't working.
Subject + to be + not + base + ing
He isn't driving.

She is not (isn't) talking They aren't writing

We aren't reading..

USAGE
to express a current action, an action in progress or an unfinished action:
The children are sleeping right now.

It is often used for descriptions:

Polly is wearing nice shoes today.
The jaguar is lying on a tree branch.
The present progressive also allows us to express a future action or an intention,
mainly with the expression to be going to:
We are going to count the votes this afternoon. We will count the votes this afternoon.
Are you going to accept the proposal? Will you accept the proposal? Do you plan to accept the
proposal?
Bruno is not seeing anybody today. Bruno will not see anybody today.

KEY WORDS
Now - At the moment - Right now - - Listen !
BE CAREFUL ! -- Look ! – WATCH OUT !

Interrogative Ex …. Are you crying?

Is he going Now?
to be + subject + base + ing Is she arriving Today?
Is it sleeping at the
Is she talking? moment?

Are You Eating now ?

Wh Questions Ex … Why are you

crying?
Wh to + + base + ing
Where is he going?
be subject
Words When is she arriving?

What Is she Talking about ?

Why is it sleeping?
When are we leaving?
Where Are You Playing now ?
Why are they fighting?
Exercises for Present Progressive
The team members ______________ late to finish the bid. (stay)
What _______Arnie ____________ over there? (do)
_______ you __________ a big wedding? (plan)
Tim is helping you put the lights up, ___________?
The computers _____ finally ____________ like they're supposed to. (run)
_________ Ann _________ in from New York tonight? (fly)
The customers aren't getting the price quote this week, ____________?
I________________ Peter for a drink later. (meet)
How much money ________ they _________ in the company?(invest)
He ___________ to you. (not lie) He ____________ the truth. (tell)
Fill in the present progressive. Use the verbs in brackets.
1. I'm busy now because I the house. (clean)
2. they lunch? (prepare)
3. The girls an email to their friend. (write)
4. Her friends in the park. (not play)
5. They his birthday. (celebrate)
6. Do you have time to talk? Sorry, but I . (study)
7. Peter his best friend. (phone)
8. He a green baseball cap. (wear)
9. They for the key. (look)
10. Hurry! The bus . (come)
11. He his teeth. (clean)
12. Why you ? (laugh)
13. Please listen to me. I to you. (talk)
14. Frank and Mary at the party. (dance)
15. She her presents. (open)
Past Progressive Tense
USAGE

The past progressive tense is used to describe an ongoing activity in the past.
For example:
• John was baking a cake.
• They were painting the fence.

Often, the past progressive tense is used to set the scene for another action.
For example:
• John was baking a cake when the storm started.
• They were painting the fence while I was cutting the grass.

Negatives
Subject a form of be + verbing rest of sentence
I /He / She / It wasn't crying when you came home
You / We / They weren't hiking there when the earthquake hit

1. EX…..I wasn't sleeping when you came home last night.

2. When Ms. Foster came in, the girls weren't studying.
3. Sam wasn't lying when he said he loved you.

KEY WORDS

While – when – as - this time yesterday - / this time last year (week
/ month)

all (the whole) day (morning / evening / night) yesterday

yesterday at 6 (7, 8, ...) o'clock / a.m. / p.m.

EX….while
While you were playing football, I was reading a book.
when
When we were driving to work, we saw the accident.
as
As I was deciding what to do the bus arrived.
 all (the whole) day (morning / evening / night) yesterday
They were playing computer games all day yesterday.
yesterday at … o'clock / a.m. / p.m.
It was raining yesterday at 7 p.m.
Yes/No Questions
A form of Be subject verbing rest of sentence
Was I walking too fast
Was he / she / it shouting while you were trying to sleep
Were you / we / they waiting for her when the plane landed
1. EX….. Was I talking to you?
2. Were you writing the report when the electricity went off?
3. When you came home, was he singing in the shower?
4. Wasn't Tom sitting in the cafe when you drove past?
Wh-Questions
Wh a form subject verbing rest of sentence
Word of be
Who was I talking to
What was he / she / it doing
When were you / we / they planning on telling me the bad
news
1. EX….. Where were you standing when the trouble started?
2. Who was I talking to? I can't remember.
3. Why wasn't she waiting at the meeting point?
Exercise – Fill in the blanks
Fill in the blanks with the past continuous form of the verbs given in brackets.
1. The children ____ hide and seek in the park. (play)
2. They ____ to the movies. (go)
3. I ___ the book you gave me on my birthday. (read)
4. Winnie _____ her new dress. (stitch)
5. The dogs ____ all night. (bark)
6. Ron ___ his room when he heard the noise. (clean)
7. It ___ darker with each passing moment. (get)
8. The gardener ____ the lawn. (water)
Future Continuous Tense
How to Form Future Continuous Tense?
The simple trick is – [Subject + will be + verb in ‘-ing’ form].

For example, “John will be going to his grandmother’s house tomorrow

• I will be writing the letter tomorrow.

• The baby will be playing the whole night.
• I will be helping my mother to make breakfast.
• Sheldon will be eating the cake later.

Negatives
insert the word not after will and before be.

[will] + [not] + [be] + [present participle of verb]

She will not be joining us this evening.

“I won’t be going to the party tonight.”

Usage

To describe a future action happening during a specific time

We will be watching horror movies from dusk until dawn.

The museum will be hosting a special tour at 8 p.m.

To describe multiple future actions happening at the same time

My brother will be babysitting while I’m at work.

I’ll be playing basketball on Sunday, and my partner will be playing tennis.

3 To describe a future action interrupted by another action

I will be taking a shower when the guests arrive.

When the clock strikes midnight, we will be drinking champagne.

4 To describe likely hypothetical situations in the future

Everyone will be cheering for me at the game tomorrow.

We’ll be driving hover cars any day now.

Yes/No Questions
Here is the pattern to make a yes/no question.

Will + subject + be + present participle...?

• Will you be attending the neighborhood party this Saturday?

• Will she be traveling with you?
• Will your son be coming with you?
• Will the company be hiring people in the future?
• 'Wh' questions:
Wh words + Will + subject + be + present participle...?

• where will you be working?

• how will she be travelling?
• what will he be eating?
• why will we be studying?
• why will it be snowing?
• what will they be wearing?