Andrea Castañeda O.

902 J.T. 2013

Present Continuou

s

FORM[am/is/are + present participle]

Examples:

You are watching TV.Are you watching TV?You are not watching TV.Complete List of Present Continuous FormsUSE 1 Now

Use the Present Continuous with Normal Verbs to express the idea that something is happening now, at this very moment. It can also be used to show that something is not happening now.

Examples:

You are learning English now.You are not swimming now.Are you sleeping?I am sitting.I am not standing.Is he sitting or standing?They are reading their books.They are not watching television.What are you doing?Why aren't you doing your homework?USE 2 Longer Actions in Progress Now

In English, "now" can mean: this second, today, this month, this year, this century, and so on. Sometimes, we use the Present Continuous to say that we are in the process of doing a longer action which is in progress; however, we might not be doing it at this exact second.

Examples: (All of these sentences can be said while eating dinner in a restaurant.)

I am studying to become a doctor.I am not studying to become a dentist.I am reading the book Tom Sawyer.I am not reading any books right now.Are you working on any special projects at work?Aren't you teaching at the university now?USE 3 Near Future

Sometimes, speakers use the Present Continuous to indicate that something will or will not happen in the near future.

Examples:

I am meeting some friends after work.I am not going to the party tonight.Is he visiting his parents next weekend?Isn't he coming with us tonight

Past Continuou

s

Past Continuous

FORM[was/were + present participle]

Examples:

You were studying when she called.Were you studying when she called?You were not studying when she called.Complete List of Past Continuous Forms

USE 1 Interrupted Action in the Past

Use the Past Continuous to indicate that a longer action in the past was interrupted. The interruption is usually a shorter action in the Simple Past. Remember this can be a real interruption or just an interruption in time.

Examples:

I was watching TV when she called.When the phone rang, she was writing a letter.While we were having the picnic, it started to rain.What were you doing when the earthquake started?I was listening to my iPod, so I didn't hear the fire alarm.You were not listening to me when I told you to turn the oven off.While John was sleeping last night, someone stole his car.Sammy was waiting for us when we got off the plane.While I was writing the email, the computer suddenly went off.A: What were you doing when you broke your leg?B: I was snowboarding.USE 2 Specific Time as an Interruption

In USE 1, described above, the Past Continuous is interrupted by a shorter action in the Simple Past. However, you can also use a specific time as an interruption.

Examples:

Last night at 6 PM, I was eating dinner.At midnight, we were still driving through the desert.Yesterday at this time, I was sitting at my desk at work.

Comparatives

In grammar, the comparative is the form of an adjective or adverb which denotes the degree or grade by which a person, thing, or other entity has a property or quality greater or less in extent than that of another, and is used in this context with a subordinating conjunction, such as than.[1] The comparative is one of the degrees of comparison, along with the positive and the superlative.Contents [hide] 1 Structure2 Two-clause sentences3 Adverbs4 Absolute comparative4.1 Null comparative4.2 Greater/lesser5 References6 See alsoTwo-clause sentences

For sentences with the two clauses other two-part comparative subordinating conjunctions may be used:[2][3]as...as "The house was as large as two put together."not so / not as ...as "The coat of paint is not as [not so] fresh as it used to be."the same ... as "This car is the same size as the old one."less / more ... than "It cost me more to rent than I had hoped."less / more ... than "His house is better than mine"[edit]Adverbs

In English, adverbs are usually formed by adding -ly to the end of an adjective. In the comparative, more (or less) is added before the adverb, as in "This sofa seats three people more comfortably than the other one." Some irregular adverbs such as fast or hard do not use more, but add an -er suffix, as the adjectives do. Thus: "My new car starts faster than the old one" or "She studies harder than her sister does."For some one-syllable adjectives, the comparative of adjectives may be used interchangeably with the comparative of adverbs, with no change in meaning: "My new car starts more quickly than the old one" or "My new car starts quicker than the old one".However, if the adjective has an irregular comparative, then the adverb must use it: "She writes better than I do" or "He threw the ball farther than his brother did."[edit]Absolute comparative

A number of fixed expressions use a comparative form where no comparison is being asserted, such as higher education or younger generation.

Superlatives

In grammar, the superlative is the form of an adverb or adjective that expresses a degree of the adverb or adjective being used that is greater than any other possible degree of the given descriptor. English superlatives are typically formed with the suffix -est (e.g. healthiest, weakest) or the word most (most recent, most interesting).Example of superlative: "she is [the] most beautiful [of all the women here tonight]"Simply put the word 'superlative' is defined as(a noun) an exaggerated mode of expression (usually of praise): "the critics lavished superlatives on it";(an adjective) the greatest: the highest in quality;the superlative form of an adjective: "best" is the superlative form of "good", "most" when used together with an adjective or adverb.[edit]Superlatives with absolutesSome grammarians object to the use of the superlative or comparative with words such as full, complete, unique, or empty, which by definition already denote either a totality, an absence, or an absolute.[1] However, such words are routinely and frequently qualified in contemporary speech and writing. This type of usage conveys more of a figurative than a literal meaning, since in a strictly literal sense, something cannot be more or less unique or empty to a greater or lesser degree. For example, in the phrase "most complete selection of wines in the Midwest," "most complete" doesn't mean "closest to having all elements represented", it merely connotes a well-rounded, relatively extensive selection. Internet searches for "more complete" or "most complete" establish the frequency of this usage with millions of examples. Nonetheless, usage by millions of people does not mean that the usage is correct or incorrect. Writers tend to avoid this usage in formal writing, particularly in the scientific and legal fields.

The absolute superlative is normally formed by modifying the adjective by adding -ísimo, -ísima, -ísimos or -ísimas, depending on the gender or number. Thus, "¡Los chihuahuas son perros pequeñísimos!" is "Chihuahuas are such tiny dogs!" Some irregular superlatives are "máximo" for "grande", "pésimo" for "malo", "ínfimo" for "bajo", "óptimo" for "bueno", "acérrimo" for "acre", "paupérrimo" for "pobre", "celebérrimo" for "célebre".

Past Simple

Pasado Simple – (Simple Past Tense)El Pasado Simple es un tiempo verbal que se utiliza para describir acciones que han sucedido en un tiempo anterior y que ya han finalizado, por ejemplo:

She cleaned her house. Ella limpió su casa.I broke the window. Yo rompí la ventana.Aquí vemos su conjugación que en el español equivale al Pretérito Indefinido. Observa que la estructura de la oración es similar a la del Presente Simple: