Types of Verbs

Group I Normal Verbs

Most verbs are "Normal Verbs." These verbs are usually physical actions which you can see somebody doing something. These verbs can be used in all tenses.

Normal Verbs

to run, to walk, to eat, to fly, to go, to say, to touch, etc.

Examples:

• I eat dinner every day.
• I am eating dinner now.

Group II Non-Continuous Verbs

The second group, called "Non-Continuous Verbs," is smaller. These verbs are usually things you cannot see somebody doing. These verbs are rarely used in continuous tenses. They include:

Abstract Verbs

to be, to want, to cost, to seem, to need, to care, to contain, to owe, to exist...

Possession Verbs

to possess, to own, to belong...

Emotion Verbs

to like, to love, to hate, to dislike, to fear, to envy, to mind...

Examples:

• He is needing help now. Not Correct
• He needs help now. Correct

• He is wanting a drink now. Not Correct
• He wants a drink now. Correct

Group III Mixed Verbs

The third group, called "Mixed Verbs," is the smallest group. These verbs have more than one meaning. In a way, each meaning is a unique verb. Some meanings behave like "Non-Continuous Verbs," while other meanings behave like "Normal Verbs."

Mixed Verbs

to appear, to feel, to have, to hear, to look, to see, to weigh...

List of Mixed Verbs with Examples and Definitions:

to appear:

Donna appears confused. Non-Continuous Verb
Donna seems confused.
My favorite singer is appearing at the jazz club tonight. Normal Verb
My favorite singer is giving a performance at the jazz club tonight.

to have:

I have a dollar now. Non-Continuous Verb
I possess a dollar.
I am having fun now. Normal Verb
I am experiencing fun now.

to hear:

She hears the music. Non-Continuous Verb
She hears the music with her ears.
She is hearing voices. Normal Verb
She hears something others cannot hear. She is hearing voices in her mind.

to look:

Nancy looks tired. Non-Continuous Verb
She seems tired.
Farah is looking at the pictures. Normal Verb
She is looking with her eyes.

to miss:

John misses Sally. Non-Continuous Verb
He is sad because she is not there.
Debbie is missing her favorite TV program. Normal Verb
She is not there to see her favorite program.

to see:

I see her. Non-Continuous Verb
I see her with my eyes.
I am seeing the doctor. Normal Verb
I am visiting or consulting with a doctor. (Also used with dentist and lawyer.)
I am seeing her. Normal Verb
I am having a relationship with her.
He is seeing ghosts at night. Normal Verb
He sees something others cannot see. For example ghosts, aura, a vision of the future, etc.

to smell:

The coffee smells good. Non-Continuous Verb
The coffee has a good smell.
I am smelling the flowers. Normal Verb
I am sniffing the flowers to see what their smell is like.

to taste:

The coffee tastes good. Non-Continuous Verb
The coffee has a good taste.
I am tasting the cake. Normal Verb
I am trying the cake to see what it tastes like.

to think:

He thinks the test is easy. Non-Continuous Verb
He considers the test to be easy.
She is thinking about the question. Normal Verb
She is pondering the question, going over it in her mind.

to weigh:

The table weighs a lot. Non-Continuous Verb
The table is heavy.
She is weighing herself. Normal Verb
She is determining her weight.

Some Verbs Can Be Especially Confusing:

to be:

Joe is American. Non-Continuous Verb
Joe is an American citizen.
Joe is being very American. Normal Verb
Joe is behaving like a stereotypical American.
Joe is being very rude. Normal Verb
Joe is behaving very rudely. Usually he is not rude.
Joe is being very formal. Normal Verb
Joe is behaving very formally. Usually he is not formal.

NOTICE: Only rarely is "to be" used in a continuous form. This is most commonly done when a person is temporarily behaving badly or stereotypically. It can also be used when someone's behavior is noticeably different.
to feel:

The massage feels great. Non-Continuous Verb
The massage has a pleasing feeling.
I don't feel well today. Sometimes used as Non-Continuous Verb
I am a little sick.
I am not feeling well today. Sometimes used as Normal Verb
I am a little sick.

NOTICE: The second meaning of "feel" is very flexible and there is no real difference in meaning between "I don't feel well today" and "I am not feeling well today."

Gerunds and Infinitives Part 3

13. Some verbs can be followed by a gerund or an infinitive, but with a difference in meaning. List of Verbs Followed by a Gerund or Infinitive (Different Meaning)

Examples:

• Nancy remembered getting married. Nancy has a memory of getting married.
• Fred remembered to bring sunblock to the beach. Fred remembered that he needed to bring sunblock.

14. Some verbs can be followed by a gerund or an infinitive with little difference in meaning. List of Verbs Followed by a Gerund or Infinitive (Similar Meaning)

Examples:

• She likes swimming.
• She likes to swim.

Although the difference in meaning is small with these particular verbs, and gerunds and infinitives can often be used interchangeably, there is still a meaning difference. Using a gerund suggests that you are referring to real activities or experiences. Using an infinitive suggests that you are talking about potential or possible activities or experiences. Because of this small difference in meaning, gerunds and infinitives cannot always be used interchangeably, such as in the examples below.

Examples:

• The British reporter likes living in New York. He lives in New York and he likes what he experiences there.
• The British reporter likes to live in New York whenever he works in the United States. He likes the option or possibility of living in New York when he works in the United States.
• I like speaking French because it's such a beautiful language. I like the experience of speaking French, and the way it makes me feel when I speak the language.
• I like to speak French when I'm in France. I prefer the option of speaking French when I am in France.

15. There are many "be + adjective" combinations that are commonly followed by infinitives. List of Be + Adjective Combinations Followed by Infinitives

Examples:

• They were anxious to begin.
• She was delighted to receive such good feedback.
• He is lucky to have such good friends.

16. There are also many nouns that are commonly followed by infinitives. List of Nouns Followed by Infinitives

Examples:

• It was a good decision to move to San Francisco.
• His wish to become an actor was well known.
• Laura's desire to improve impressed me.

17. Sometimes infinitives are used to express the idea of "in order to do something."

Examples:

• He bought the English dictionary to look up difficult words. in order to look up
• Janine sold her car to get the money that she needed. in order to get
• Juan uses Englishpage.com to learn English. in order to learn

This idea of "in order to do something" is found in many English patterns.

too + adjective/adverb + infinitive

Examples:

• The box is too heavy to carry.
• The television is too expensive to buy.
• Fiona ran too slowly to win the race.
• We arrived too late to see the beginning of the movie.

adjective/adverb + enough + infinitive

Examples:

• She is tall enough to reach the book on the shelf.
• Brian was smart enough to enter college at the age of 12.
• Linda runs quickly enough to win the race.

enough + noun(s) + infinitive

Examples:

• He has enough money to buy his own car.
• Cheryl owns enough books to start her own library!
• Diane needs enough time to finish writing her book.

18. Certain expressions are followed by "ING" forms. List of Expressions followed by Verb+ing Forms

Examples:

• He had fun fishing.
• They had difficulty finding a parking place.
• She spent her time practicing the piano.

19. Verbs which indicate location can often be followed by "ING" forms. This pattern is VERB OF LOCATION + LOCATION + VERB+ING. List of Verbs of Location

Examples:

• Sarah stood at the corner waiting for Tom.
• Melissa lay in bed thinking about her future.
• Don clung to the side of the cliff looking down.

20. In addition to simple gerund and infinitive forms, there are progressive gerund and infinitive forms, passive gerund and infinitive forms and perfect gerund and infinitive forms as well as combinations of these forms. Progressive forms are used to emphasize that an action is taking place now. Passive forms are used to emphasize that the subject of the sentence is being acted upon. Perfect gerund and infinitive forms are used to emphasize completion in both the past and the future. Study the examples below to help understand these concepts. To learn more about progressiveness, the passive voice and the perfect aspect, complete the Englishpage.com Verb Tense Tutorial.

	GERUND FORMS	INFINITIVE FORMS
SIMPLE	The teacher enjoys teaching.	The teacher wants to teach.
PROGRESSIVE	Mr. Smith is really enjoying teaching his class. Looks the same as simple form above.	Mr. Smith would like to be teaching his class.
PASSIVE	The students enjoy being taught.	The students want to be taught.
PERFECT	The retired teacher recalled having taught.	The teacher was expecting to have taught that already.
PASSIVE + PROGRESSIVE	The students are enjoying being taught by such an exciting new teacher. Looks the same as the passive form above.	The students would like to be being taught by Mr Smith.
PASSIVE + PERFECT	The older students recalled having been taught that already.	The students were expecting to have been taught that by now.

Gerunds and Infinitives Part 2

7. Gerunds can often be modified with possessive forms such as his, her, its, your, their, our, John's, Mary's, the machine's, and so on. This makes it clearer who or what is performing the action.

Examples:

• I enjoyed their singing. They were singing.
• She understood his saying no to the offer. He said no.
• Sam resented Debbie's coming late to the dinner. Debbie came late to the dinner.
• We discussed the machine's being broken. The machine is broken.

8. Some verbs are followed by a noun plus an infinitive. In some situations, the noun is required. In other situations, the noun is optional. List of Verbs Followed by a Noun + an Infinitive

Examples:

• The police ordered the man to stop. noun is required
• She asked to leave. noun is optional
• She asked him to leave. noun is optional

9. Some verbs are usually followed by a gerund, BUT they can also be followed by a noun plus infinitive. Using a noun plus infinitive will usually change who is performing the action. List of Verbs followed by a Gerund OR a Noun + Infinitive

Examples:

• I advised taking the train. in general
• I advised him to take the train. He will take the train.

10. There are many "go + gerund" expressions used for adventure sports and individual recreational activities. List of Go + Gerund Combinations

Examples:

• I go swimming every weekend.
• Would you ever go skydiving?

11. Gerunds are used after prepositions. Most commonly, these are "verb + preposition" combinations. For reference, see the Verb + Preposition Dictionary and the Phrasal Verb Dictionary. You don't have to memorize these resources, you just need to remember that gerunds are used after prepositions!

Examples:

• They admitted to committing the crime.
• Leslie made up for forgetting my birthday.
• He is thinking about studying abroad.

12. Remember that there are many "adjective + preposition" combinations and "noun + preposition" combinations in English as well. These are also followed by gerunds. List of Adjective + Preposition Combinations Followed by Gerunds and List of Noun + Preposition Combinations Followed by Gerunds. Once again, you don't have to memorize these resources, you just need to remember that gerunds are used after prepositions!

Examples:

• Sandy is scared of flying. adjective + preposition
• Nick is anxious about taking the examination. adjective + preposition
• His interest in becoming a professional snowboarder was well known. noun + preposition
• Thomas' story about seeing a grizzly bear was really exciting. noun + preposition

Gerunds and Infinitives Part 1

1. A gerund is a noun made from a verb by adding "-ing." The gerund form of the verb "read" is "reading." You can use a gerund as the subject, the complement, or the object of a sentence.

Examples:

• Reading helps you learn English. subject of sentence
• Her favorite hobby is reading. complement of sentence
• I enjoy reading. object of sentence

Gerunds can be made negative by adding "not."

Examples:

• He enjoys not working.
• The best thing for your health is not smoking.

2. Infinitives are the "to" form of the verb. The infinitive form of "learn" is "to learn." You can also use an infinitive as the subject, the complement, or the object of a sentence.

Examples:

• To learn is important. subject of sentence
• The most important thing is to learn. complement of sentence
• He wants to learn. object of sentence

Infinitives can be made negative by adding "not."

Examples:

• I decided not to go.
• The most important thing is not to give up.

3. Both gerunds and infinitives can be used as the subject or the complement of a sentence. However, as subjects or complements, gerunds usually sound more like normal, spoken English, whereas infinitives sound more abstract. In the following sentences, gerunds sound more natural and would be more common in everyday English. Infinitives emphasize the possibility or potential for something and sound more philosophical. If this sounds confusing, just remember that 90% of the time, you will use a gerund as the subject or complement of a sentence.

Examples:

• Learning is important. normal subject
• To learn is important. abstract subject - less common
• The most important thing is learning. normal complement
• The most important thing is to learn. abstract complement - less common

4. As the object of a sentence, it is more difficult to choose between a gerund or an infinitive. In such situations, gerunds and infinitives are not normally interchangeable. Usually, the main verb in the sentence determines whether you use a gerund or an infinitive.

Examples:

• He enjoys swimming. "Enjoy" requires a gerund.
• He wants to swim. "Want" requires an infinitive.

5. Some verbs are followed by gerunds as objects. List of Verbs Followed by Gerunds

Examples:

• She suggested going to a movie.
• Mary keeps talking about her problems.

6. Some verbs are followed by infinitives. List of Verbs Followed by Infinitives

Examples:

• She wants to go to a movie.
• Mary needs to talk about her problems.

Fabiolous teaching!: NON-Progressive Verbs

Fabiolous teaching!: NON-Progressive Verbs: NON-Progressive Verbs  Non-Progressive Verbs   The verbs below are called non-action verbs.    They are NOT normally ...

Fabiolous teaching!: Gerund or Progressive?

Fabiolous teaching!: Gerund or Progressive?: The present progressive (also called present continuous) is a tense. For example, the sentence “I am running” is in the present-progressive ...

Comparative and Superlative Adjectives

To make the comparative form of adjectives (like 'bigger' or 'more expensive') and the superlative form (like 'biggest' or 'most expensive'), first we need to know how many syllables are in the adjective.

Adjectives with one syllable

Usually if an adjective has only one syllable, we add 'er' to make the comparative form. We add 'est' to make the superlative form.

• clean → cleaner / cleanest
• cold → colder / coldest
• small → smaller / smallest
• young → younger / youngest
• tall → taller / tallest

There are some spelling changes. If there is one vowel followed by one consonant at the end of the adjective, we often double the consonant.

• wet → wetter / wettest
• big → bigger / biggest
• hot → hotter / hottest
• thin → thinner / thinnest

If the adjective ends in 'y', this often changes to 'i'.

• dry → drier / driest

If the adjective ends in 'e', we don't add another 'e', just 'r'.

• nice → nicer / nicest
• large → larger / largest

Even when the adjective has only one syllable, it's still not wrong to use 'more' or 'most'. It's possible to say 'more wet' or 'most tall'. This isn't incorrect.

There are a few adjectives that we have to use 'more' or 'most' with, even though they only have one syllable. We CAN'T add 'er' or 'est'.

• fun → more fun / most fun (NOT funner / funnest)
• real → more real / most real (NOT realer / realest)
• right → more right / most right (NOT righter / rightest)
• wrong → more wrong / most wrong (NOT wronger / wrongest)

Adjectives with two syllables

For adjectives with two syllables we generally use 'more' or 'most'.

• careful → more careful / most careful
• bored → more bored / most bored

But some two syllable adjectives can take 'er' or 'est'. It's also fine to use 'more' (for the comparative) or 'most' (for the superlative).

• clever → cleverer / cleverest
• simple → simpler / simplest
• narrow → narrower / narrowest
• quiet → quieter / quietest

Adjectives with two syllables that end in 'y' usually can add 'er' or 'est' (y generally changes to i). It's also fine to use 'more' or 'most'.

• dirty → dirtier / dirtiest
• pretty → prettier / prettiest
• happy → happier / happiest
• ugly → uglier / ugliest

Adjectives with more than two syllables

Adjectives with more than two syllables can only make their comparative by using 'more' and their superlative by using 'most'.

• beautiful → more beautiful / most beautiful
• intelligent → more intelligent / most intelligent
• interesting → more interesting / most interesting
• expensive → more expensive / most expensive

Irregular adjectives

There are also some irregular adjectives. We just need to learn these forms.

• good → better → best
• bad → worse → worst
• far → further → furthest
• little → less → least
• much → more → most

Active / Passive Verb Forms

Sentences can be active or passive. Therefore, tenses also have "active forms" and "passive forms." You must learn to recognize the difference to successfully speak English.

Active Form

In active sentences, the thing doing the action is the subject of the sentence and the thing receiving the action is the object. Most sentences are active.
[Thing doing action] + [verb] + [thing receiving action]

Examples:

Passive Form

In passive sentences, the thing receiving the action is the subject of the sentence and the thing doing the action is optionally included near the end of the sentence. You can use the passive form if you think that the thing receiving the action is more important or should be emphasized. You can also use the passive form if you do not know who is doing the action or if you do not want to mention who is doing the action.
[Thing receiving action] + [be] + [past participle of verb] + [by] + [thing doing action]

Examples:

Active / Passive Overview

	Active	Passive
Simple Present	Once a week, Tom cleans the house.	Once a week, the house is cleaned by Tom.
Present Continuous	Right now, Sarah is writing the letter.	Right now, the letter is being written by Sarah.
Simple Past	Sam repaired the car.	The car was repaired by Sam.
Past Continuous	The salesman was helping the customer when the thief came into the store.	The customer was being helped by the salesman when the thief came into the store.
Present Perfect	Many tourists have visited that castle.	That castle has been visited by many tourists.
Present Perfect Continuous	Recently, John has been doing the work.	Recently, the work has been being done by John.
Past Perfect	George had repaired many cars before he received his mechanic's license.	Many cars had been repaired by George before he received his mechanic's license.
Past Perfect Continuous	Chef Jones had been preparing the restaurant's fantastic dinners for two years before he moved to Paris.	The restaurant's fantastic dinners had been being prepared by Chef Jones for two years before he moved to Paris.
Simple Future will	Someone will finish the work by 5:00 PM.	The work will be finished by 5:00 PM.
Simple Future be going to	Sally is going to make a beautiful dinner tonight.	A beautiful dinner is going to be made by Sally tonight.
Future Continuous will	At 8:00 PM tonight, John will be washing the dishes.	At 8:00 PM tonight, the dishes will be being washed by John.
Future Continuous be going to	At 8:00 PM tonight, John is going to be washing the dishes.	At 8:00 PM tonight, the dishes are going to be being washed by John.
Future Perfect will	They will have completed the project before the deadline.	The project will have been completed before the deadline.
Future Perfect be going to	They are going to have completed the project before the deadline.	The project is going to have been completed before the deadline.
Future Perfect Continuous will	The famous artist will have been painting the mural for over six months by the time it is finished.	The mural will have been being painted by the famous artist for over six months by the time it is finished.
Future Perfect Continuous be going to	The famous artist is going to have been painting the mural for over six months by the time it is finished.	The mural is going to have been being painted by the famous artist for over six months by the time it is finished.
Used to	Jerry used to pay the bills.	The bills used to be paid by Jerry.
Would Always	My mother would always make the pies.	The pies would always be made by my mother.
Future in the Past Would	I knew John would finish the work by 5:00 PM.	I knew the work would be finished by 5:00 PM.
Future in the Past Was Going to	I thought Sally was going to make a beautiful dinner tonight.	I thought a beautiful dinner was going to be made by Sally tonight.

  1.  Move  the active sentence's direct object into the sentence's subject  slot
             
    2. Place the active sentence's subject into a  phrase beginning with the preposition by
             
    3.  Add a form of the auxiliary verb be to the main verb and change the  main verb's form
             
Because passive voice sentences necessarily add words and change the normal doer-action-receiver of action direction, they may make the reader work harder to understand the intended meaning.
As the examples below illustrate, a sentence in  active voice  flows more smoothly and is easier to understand than the same sentence in  passive voice.
            
           
It is generally preferable to use the ACTIVE voice.

To change a passive voice sentence into an active voice sentence, simply reverse the steps shown above.
    1.  Move  the passive sentence's subject into the active  sentence's  direct object slot
            
    2.  Remove  the auxiliary verb be from the main verb and change main verb's form if needed
            
    3. Place the passive sentence's object of the preposition by into the subject slot.
          
Because it is more direct, most writers prefer to use the active voice whenever possible.
The passive voice may be a better choice, however, when

• the doer of the action is unknown, unwanted, or unneeded in the sentence

             Examples
            

• the writer wishes to emphasize the action of the sentence rather than the doer of the action

            Examples
              

• the writer wishes to use passive voice for sentence variety.

What Is an Adverb?

What Is an Adverb

An adverb adds to a verb. In other words, an adverb describes, modifies or provides more information about a verb in a sentence. So, if you said "I am going to quickly run to the store," the adverb in that sentence (quickly) would be modifying the verb run.
Adverbs can be confused with adjectives, which also modify things. However, adjectives modify nouns and pronouns. If you said "I have a nice dog," dog is the noun which is being modified by the adjective nice. On the other hand, if you said that "My dog behaves nicely," behaves would be the adverb modifying the verb.
In addition to verbs, adverbs also modify adjectives and other adverbs. So, when you say "I have the most beautiful dog," the dog is the noun, beautiful is the adjective describing the noun, and most is the adverb describing beautiful.

Identifying Adverbs

In case you haven’t figured it out by now, there is a trend when it comes to identifying adverbs. Many, but not all adverbs, end in the letters “ly.” Luckily, this little trick makes it relatively easy to identify adverbs in sentences. However, this is not always the case, as some frequency adverbs, such as always, often, sometimes, seldom, and never, do not follow this rule. Still, it can be a good tip to help you along the way.

Adverbs Vocabulary Word List

A

aboard abnormally about abroad absentmindedly absolutely abundantly accidentally

accordingly actively actually acutely admiringly affectionately affirmatively after

afterwards agreeably almost already always amazingly angrily annoyingly

annually anxiously anyhow anyplace anyway anywhere appreciably appropriately

around arrogantly aside assuredly astonishingly away awfully awkwardly

B

badly barely bashfully beautifully before

begrudgingly believably bewilderedly bewilderingly bitterly

bleakly blindly blissfully boldly boastfully

boldly boyishly bravely briefly

brightly brilliantly briskly brutally busily

C

calmly candidly carefully carelessly casually cautiously certainly charmingly

cheerfully chiefly childishly cleanly clearly cleverly closely cloudily

clumsily coaxingly coincidentally coldly colorfully commonly comfortably compactly

compassionately completely confusedly consequently considerably considerately consistently constantly

continually continuously coolly correctly courageously covertly cowardly crazily

crossly cruelly cunningly curiously currently customarily cutely

D

daily daintily dangerously daringly darkly dastardly

dearly decently deeply defiantly deftly deliberately

delicately delightfully densely diagonally differently

diligently dimly directly disorderly divisively docilely

dopily doubtfully down dramatically dreamily during

E

eagerly early earnestly easily efficiently effortlessly elaborately

eloquently elegantly elsewhere emotionally endlessly energetically enjoyably enormously

enough enthusiastically entirely equally especially essentially eternally

ethically even evenly eventually evermore every everywhere

evidently evocatively exactly exceedingly exceptionally excitedly exclusively

explicitly expressly extensively externally extra extraordinarily extremely

F

fairly faithfully famously far

fashionably fast fatally favorably

ferociously fervently fiercely fiery

finally financially finitely fluently fondly

foolishly forever formally formerly fortunately

forward frankly frantically freely

frequently frenetically fully furiously furthermore

G

generally generously genuinely

gently genuinely girlishly gladly

gleefully gracefully graciously

gradually gratefully greatly

greedily grimly grudgingly

H

habitually half-heartedly handily handsomely haphazardly happily

hastily harmoniously harshly hastily hatefully hauntingly

healthily heartily heavily helpfully hence highly

hitherto honestly hopelessly horizontally hourly how

however hugely humorously hungrily hurriedly hysterically

I

icily identifiably idiotically imaginatively immeasurably immediately

immensely impatiently impressively inappropriately incessantly incorrectly

indeed independently indoors indubitably inevitably infinitely

informally infrequently innocently inquisitively instantly

intelligently intensely intently interestingly intermittently internally

invariably invisibly inwardly ironically irrefutably irritably

J

jaggedly jauntily

jealously jovially

joyfully joylessly

joyously jubilantly

judgmentally just

justly

K

keenly kiddingly

kindheartedly kindly

knavishly knottily

knowingly knowledgeably

kookily

L

lastly late lately later

lazily less lightly likely

limply lithely lively loftily

longingly loosely loudly

lovingly loyally luckily luxuriously

M

madly magically mainly majestically markedly materially

meaningfully meanly meantime meanwhile measurably mechanically

medically menacingly merely merrily methodically

mightily miserably mockingly monthly morally

more moreover mortally mostly much mysteriously

N

nastily naturally naughtily

nearby nearly neatly

needily negatively nervously never

nevertheless next nicely nightly

noisily normally nosily

not now nowadays numbly

O

obediently obligingly obnoxiously obviously occasionally

oddly offensively officially often

ominously once only openly

optimistically orderly ordinarily outdoors

outrageously outwardly outwards overconfidently overseas

P

painfully painlessly paradoxically partially particularly passionately

patiently perfectly periodically perpetually persistently personally

persuasively physically plainly playfully poetically poignantly

politely poorly positively possibly potentially powerfully

presently presumably prettily previously primly principally

probably promptly properly proudly punctually puzzlingly

Q

quaintly queasily

questionably questioningly

quicker quickly

quietly quirkily

quite quizzically

R

randomly rapidly rarely readily really

reasonably reassuringly recently recklessly regularly

reliably reluctantly remarkably repeatedly reproachfully

reponsibly resentfully respectably respectfully restfully

richly ridiculously righteously rightfully rightly

rigidly roughly routinely rudely ruthlessly

S

sadly safely scarcely scarily scientifically searchingly secretively securely sedately seemingly seldom selfishly selflessly separately

seriously shakily shamelessly sharply sheepishly shoddily shortly shrilly significantly silently simply sincerely singularly shyly

skillfully sleepily slightly slowly slyly smoothly so softly solely solemnly solidly silicitiously somehow sometimes

somewhat somewhere soon specially specifically spectacularly speedily spiritually splendidly sporadically spasmodically startlingly steadily

stealthily sternly still strenuously stressfully strictly structurally studiously stupidly stylishly subsequently substantially subtly

successfully suddenly sufficiently suitably superficially supremely surely surprisingly suspiciously sweetly swiftly sympathetically systematically

T

temporarily tenderly tensely tepidly

terribly thankfully then there

thereby thoroughly thoughtfully thus

tightly today together tomorrow

too totally touchingly

tremendously truly truthfully twice

U

ultimately unabashedly unanimously unbearably unbelievably

unemotionally unethically unexpectedly unfailingly unfavorably unfortunately

uniformly unilaterally unimpressively universally unnaturally unnecessarily

unquestionably unwillingly up upbeat unkindly upliftingly

upright unselfishly upside-down unskillfully upward upwardly

urgently usefully uselessly usually utterly

V

vacantly vaguely

vainly valiantly vastly

verbally vertically very

viciously victoriously vigilantly

vigorously violently visibly

visually vivaciously voluntarily

W

warmly weakly wearily weekly

well wetly when where

while whole-heartedly wholly why

wickedly widely wiggly wildly

willfully willingly wisely woefully

wonderfully worriedly worthily wrongly

Y

yearly

yearningly

yesterday

yet

youthfully

Z

zanily

zealously

zestfully

zestily

Perfect vs Progressive

Perfect Form

The perfect form is the verb tense used to indicate a completed, or "perfected," action or condition. Verbs can appear in any one of three perfect tenses: present perfect, past perfect, and future perfect.
Verbs in the perfect form use a form of "have" or "had" + the past participle. (It is the form of the helping verb that indicates the tense.)

• Present Perfect: I have finished my homework already.
• Past Perfect: He had watched TV for an hour before dinner.
• Future Perfect: Nancy will have finished by the time her parents return.

Progressive Form

The progressive form is a verb tense used to show an ongoing action in progress at some point in time. It shows an action still in progress. Verbs can appear in any one of three progressive tenses: present progressive, past progressive, and future progressive.
The verbs in the progressive form use a form of "to be" + the present participle (an -ing verb). (It is the form of the helping verb that indicates the tense.)

• Present Progressive: The cake is baking slowly.
• Past Progressive: The trees were waving back and forth.
• Future Progressive: The children will be laughing.

Perfect + Progressive

The perfect and progressive forms can be combined, as in the following examples (again, the form of the helping verbs indicates the tense):

• Present Perfect Progressive: I have been running for an hour.
• Past Perfect Progressive: I had been running for an hour.
• Future Perfect Progressive: I will have been running for an hour.

Present Perfect

FORM

[has/have + past participle]

Examples:

• You have seen that movie many times.
• Have you seen that movie many times?
• You have not seen that movie many times.

Complete List of Present Perfect Forms

USE 1 Unspecified Time Before Now

We use the Present Perfect to say that an action happened at an unspecified time before now. The exact time is not important. You CANNOT use the Present Perfect with specific time expressions such as: yesterday, one year ago, last week, when I was a child, when I lived in Japan, at that moment, that day, one day, etc. We CAN use the Present Perfect with unspecific expressions such as: ever, never, once, many times, several times, before, so far, already, yet, etc.

Examples:

• I have seen that movie twenty times.
• I think I have met him once before.
• There have been many earthquakes in California.
• People have traveled to the Moon.
• People have not traveled to Mars.
• Have you read the book yet?
• Nobody has ever climbed that mountain.
• A: Has there ever been a war in the United States?
  B: Yes, there has been a war in the United States.

How Do You Actually Use the Present Perfect?

The concept of "unspecified time" can be very confusing to English learners. It is best to associate Present Perfect with the following topics:

TOPIC 1 Experience

You can use the Present Perfect to describe your experience. It is like saying, "I have the experience of..." You can also use this tense to say that you have never had a certain experience. The Present Perfect is NOT used to describe a specific event.

Examples:

• I have been to France.
  This sentence means that you have had the experience of being in France. Maybe you have been there once, or several times.
• I have been to France three times.
  You can add the number of times at the end of the sentence.
• I have never been to France.
  This sentence means that you have not had the experience of going to France.
• I think I have seen that movie before.
• He has never traveled by train.
• Joan has studied two foreign languages.
• A: Have you ever met him?
  B: No, I have not met him.

TOPIC 2 Change Over Time

We often use the Present Perfect to talk about change that has happened over a period of time.

Examples:

• You have grown since the last time I saw you.
• The government has become more interested in arts education.
• Japanese has become one of the most popular courses at the university since the Asian studies program was established.
• My English has really improved since I moved to Australia.

TOPIC 3 Accomplishments

We often use the Present Perfect to list the accomplishments of individuals and humanity. You cannot mention a specific time.

Examples:

• Man has walked on the Moon.
• Our son has learned how to read.
• Doctors have cured many deadly diseases.
• Scientists have split the atom.

TOPIC 4 An Uncompleted Action You Are Expecting

We often use the Present Perfect to say that an action which we expected has not happened. Using the Present Perfect suggests that we are still waiting for the action to happen.

Examples:

• James has not finished his homework yet.
• Susan hasn't mastered Japanese, but she can communicate.
• Bill has still not arrived.
• The rain hasn't stopped.

TOPIC 5 Multiple Actions at Different Times

We also use the Present Perfect to talk about several different actions which have occurred in the past at different times. Present Perfect suggests the process is not complete and more actions are possible.

Examples:

• The army has attacked that city five times.
• I have had four quizzes and five tests so far this semester.
• We have had many major problems while working on this project.
• She has talked to several specialists about her problem, but nobody knows why she is sick.

Time Expressions with Present Perfect

When we use the Present Perfect it means that something has happened at some point in our lives before now. Remember, the exact time the action happened is not important.

Sometimes, we want to limit the time we are looking in for an experience. We can do this with expressions such as: in the last week, in the last year, this week, this month, so far, up to now, etc.

Examples:

• Have you been to Mexico in the last year?
• I have seen that movie six times in the last month.
• They have had three tests in the last week.
• She graduated from university less than three years ago. She has worked for three different companies so far.
• My car has broken down three times this week.

NOTICE

"Last year" and "in the last year" are very different in meaning. "Last year" means the year before now, and it is considered a specific time which requires Simple Past. "In the last year" means from 365 days ago until now. It is not considered a specific time, so it requires Present Perfect.

Examples:

• I went to Mexico last year.
  I went to Mexico in the calendar year before this one.
• I have been to Mexico in the last year.
  I have been to Mexico at least once at some point between 365 days ago and now.

USE 2 Duration From the Past Until Now (Non-Continuous Verbs)

With Non-Continuous Verbs and non-continuous uses of Mixed Verbs, we use the Present Perfect to show that something started in the past and has continued up until now. "For five minutes," "for two weeks," and "since Tuesday" are all durations which can be used with the Present Perfect.

Examples:

• I have had a cold for two weeks.
• She has been in England for six months.
• Mary has loved chocolate since she was a little girl.

Although the above use of Present Perfect is normally limited to Non-Continuous Verbs and non-continuous uses of Mixed Verbs, the words "live," "work," "teach," and "study" are sometimes used in this way even though they are NOT Non-Continuous Verbs.

ADVERB PLACEMENT

The examples below show the placement for grammar adverbs such as: always, only, never, ever, still, just, etc.

Examples:

• You have only seen that movie one time.
• Have you only seen that movie one time?

ACTIVE / PASSIVE

Examples:

• Many tourists have visited that castle. Active
• That castle has been visited by many tourists. Passive