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Grammar Summary
UNIT 1: Present and past tenses
Simple present
I teach children to draw.
She volunteers once a month.
He watches the news on TV every evening.
I don’t like to waste food.
You don’t often take care of the children.
She doesn’t work on Sundays.
They don’t help out much.
Do you donate to charity?
Do you recycle waste?
Does he know any volunteers?
Does this charity have branches overseas?
Where do the volunteers go after the event?
Who helps out at the organization?
How often do you volunteer?
How do they reduce the amount of trash?
We use the simple present to talk about:
•
• things that are always or generally true
I’m a nurse. I take care of sick people.
•
• repeated actions and routines
I take my children to school and then go to the
hospital.
•
• permanent situations
She works as a doctor in a large hospital.
To form negative sentences and questions in the
simple present, we use do/don’t/does/doesn’t with
the main verb.
Wh- questions start with a question word (What,
Where, Who, When, Why, How, etc.).
Present progressive
I’m waiting for a bus.
You’re listening to a podcast about global warming.
I’m not working on any projects currently.
He isn’t volunteering this month.
Are we helping to reduce waste?
Is she donating her old furniture?
We use the present progressive to describe:
•
• events that are happening now or around now
John is waiting for you in the lobby.
•
• temporary situations
We’re staying with a friend while we’re visiting
the city.
•
• trends
The amount of trash is increasing every year.
Simple past
She lived in Los Angeles when she was in college.
They started a new company a couple of months
ago.
I worked in Seoul last year.
I learned a lot about ways to reduce pollution at the
workshop last week.
I didn’t know so much food was wasted.
Did you see the presentation on solar energy?
•
•
We use the simple past to talk about completed
actions and events in the past. We often include
a time phrase (yesterday, last year, etc.).
•
•
To form negative sentences and questions in the
simple past, we use did/didn’t + the main verb.
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Past progressive
The doctor was examining the patient.
We were studying ways to help the environment.
He wasn’t working last weekend.
They weren’t studying when I arrived.
Were you helping out this morning?
Were they volunteering last Sunday?
We use the past progressive to:
•
•
talk about something that continued before and
after another action
I was watching TV when she called.
•
• show that something continued for some time
I was living in Los Angeles.
•
• talk about past trends
The number of volunteers was increasing.
Present perfect
Cell phones have changed how we keep in touch.
He has spent the past two days collecting trash for
recycling.
They haven’t met the other volunteers yet.
She hasn’t worked for a charity before.
Have you ever done any volunteer work?
Has he received the letter we sent?
We use the present perfect to:
•
•
talk about experiences or things that happened
at an unspecified time in the past
He has been to many countries.
•
• show that something is important in the present
The Internet has made a huge difference in how
we get information.
•
• show that something continues up to the present
They have lived in Tokyo for nine years.
UNIT 2: Will and going to
Robots will become very popular.
Virtual reality will be the next big thing.
There won’t be many people without a smartphone in
ten years.
We probably won’t ever use teleportation to travel.
Will there be people living on Mars by 2030?
Will the Internet of Things really benefit us?
I’m certain she is going to be world-famous.
We are all going to use technology more.
Machines are never going to be as creative as us.
I’m sure humans are not going to find aliens.
Are robot police going to become common?
Is the Internet of Things going to change the way we
use our devices?
•
•
We use will to make predictions about the future
that we are certain about.
I’m sure machines will replace people in most
jobs.
•
•
We form negative sentences with won’t (= will
not).
There won’t be many people without access to
the Internet in a few years.
•
•
We can also use going to to make predictions
about the future. The meaning in most cases is
the same as using will or won’t.
Connected devices are going to be everywhere
in a few years.
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