Juárez Diosdado Braulio- Grammar

•  To be - have got – can

  To be

  Normally we use the verb to be to show the status or characteristics of something

  or someone (as a stative verb). It says what I am, what you are or what something

  is.

  PRESENT SIMPLE (STATIVE)

  I am a teacher. You are a student. He /She is a student. It is a car. We

  are all teachers. They are students.

  PAST SIMPLE (STATIVE)

  I was a student. You were a student. He /She was a student. It was a

  nice day yesterday. We were all students once. They were students.

  FUTURE SIMPLE (STATIVE)

  I will be a student. You will be a teacher.He / She will be a teacher. It will be

  nice later. We will be teachers. They will be students.

  When used with the present participle of other verbs it describes actions that are or

  were still continuing - auxiliary verb be [+ ing form of the main verb].

  PRESENT CONTINUOUS (ACTIVE)

  I am being silly. You are being silly. He /She is being silly.It is being silly.

  We are being silly. They are being silly.

  PAST CONTINUOUS (ACTIVE)

  I was being silly. You were being silly. He /She was being silly. It was

  being silly. We were being silly. They were being silly.

  Am/Is/Are

  The verb to be is used to create simple yes/no questions by simply inverting the

  order of subject and the “To be” verb.

  Have got

  When we are talking about possession, relationships, illnesses and characteristics

  of people or things we can use either have or have got. The have got forms are

  more common in an informal style.

  Have got has the same meaning as have and both are used as present tenses.

  Note that have got is NOT the present perfect of get.

  To make questions and negative sentences with have we normally use the

  auxiliary verb do. To make questions and negative sentences with have got we use

  the auxiliary verb have.
• Can

  The three main uses of Can are: 1) ability 2) possibility and 3) permission. However

  there are some other used of Can as we will see below.

  1. To express ability

  Can means to be (physically) able to do something OR to know how to do

  something.

  I can speak two languages.

  2. To express a possibility (in general)

  This refers to a theoretical possibility.

  Note: we don't use can to talk about future possibilities. For this you would use may

  or might.

  I know you can win the competition.

  3. To offer to do something for others

  Can I carry your bags for you?

  4. To ask for or give permission / To request something

  Can is used to ask for / request permission or to give permission.

  Note: Can't is used to refuse permission.

  Can I ask you a question?

  5. Can't: Something that is forbidden or not allowed

  You cannot drive a car without a license.

  6. Can't: when you are sure that something isn't true or something is surprising

  It can't be dark outside!

   Adverbs of frequency

  What are adverbs of frequency?

  Adverbs that change or qualify the meaning of a sentence by telling us how

  often or how frequently something happens are defined as adverbs of

  frequency.
• An adverb of frequency is exactly what it sounds like – an adverb of time.

  Adverbs of frequency always describe how often something occurs, either in

  definite or indefinite terms. An adverb that describes definite frequency is

  one such as weekly, daily, or yearly. An adverb describing indefinite

  frequency doesn’t specify an exact time frame; examples are sometimes,

  often, and rarely.

  Adverbs of Frequency Rules

  These simple rules for adverbs of frequency will help you to use them

  correctly:

  Always use adverbs of frequency to discuss how often something happens.

  Adverbs of frequency are often used to indicate routine or repeated

  activities, so they are often used with the present simple tense.

  If a sentence has only one verb, place the adverb of frequency in the middle

  of the sentence so that it is positioned after the subject but before the verb.

  For example: Tom never flies. He always takes the bus.

  When a sentence contains more than one verb, place the adverb of

  frequency before the main verb. For example: They have often visited

  Europe.

  When using an adverb of frequency in the negative or in forming a question,

  place it before the main verb. For example: Do you usually get up so late?

   Present continuous

  The present continuous (present progressive) tense is a way to convey any

  action or condition that is happening right now, frequently, and may be

  ongoing. It adds energy and action to writing, and its effect helps readers

  understand when the action is happening. Imagine Aunt Christine has

  surprised her nephew Scott for his birthday and is going to take him out to

  his favorite restaurant, Polly’s Pancake Diner.

  The Present Continuous Formula

  To form the present continuous, follow this formula:

  To Be [Am, Is, Are] + Verb [Present Participle]

  When to Use the Present Continuous Tense

  Use the present continuous tense with the appropriate “to be” verb and a

  dynamic verb. A dynamic verb shows action and/or process.
•  Present simple vs present continuous

  What's the difference between the Present Simple / Present Continuous and

  how to use them.

  We use the present simple tense when we want to talk about fixed habits or

  routines – things that don’t change.

  We use the present continuous to talk about actions which are happening at

  the present moment, but will soon finish.

  Compare these two statements:

  (present simple) I play tennis.

  (present continuous/ progressive) I am playing tennis.

  (present simple) ‘I play tennis’ tells us that playing tennis is something the

  speaker always does. It is part of a routine or habit. We can call this a

  permanent situation.

  (present continuous/ progressive) ‘I am playing tennis’ tells us that the

  speaker is playing tennis right now. Soon the game will be over. We call this

  a temporary situation.

  With the present simple we say:

  I play tennis

  You play tennis

  We play tennis

  They play tennis

  With the present continuous we say:

  I am playing tennis

  You are playing tennis

  We are playing tennis
•  Order of adjectives}

  In many languages, adjectives denoting attributes usually occur in a specific

  order. Generally, the adjective order in English is:

  Quantity or number

  Quality or opinion

  Size

  Age

  Shape

  Color

  Proper adjective (often nationality, other place of origin, or material)

  Purpose or qualifier