USING VERB TENSES CORRECTLY * TABLE OF CONTENTS Topic / Tense Page Simple Present Tense 1 Present Progressive [1] 6 Simple Past 11 Past Progressive 19 Present Perfect 23 Present Perfect Progressive 26 Past Perfect 28 Future Tense and Future Time 30 Under each tense you will find notes and examples on – - How to structure it (form) - When to use it (function) Simple Present Tense Examples - Q: How do you get to work? A: I usually drive. Sometimes I drive, sometimes I take a cab. I walk every day. I live a block from the office. Q: How often do you go out of town? A: I go almost every weekend. I go once in a while. I go twice a month. Function The simple present tense has four major functions. Use it to describe or state: (1) repeated action (2) definitions (3) scientific/economic truths (4) non-progressive verbs (1) Repeated Action Repeated action is sometimes called habitual or regular action. Examples - He gets to the office at 8:00 every day. Restaurants in the U.S. close very early. I always drink a beer when I get home. The above actions are all repeated, habitual, regular. The simple present tense answers the question: how often? (See above example.) As a result, you will often use the simple present tense with adverbs and adverbials of frequency such as: always every now and then usually from time to time often every day sometimes every other day rarely every Monday never whenever I can once in a while whenever I have time twice a week on the 1st of each month (2) Definitions Under Title 35 of the U.S. Code, a public use occurs when the inventor releases control over his invention prior to the Section 102(b) critical date. (3) Scientific / Economic Truths Examples - Water boils at 100ºC. Light travels faster than sound. Money makes money. A recession occurs when economic activity slows down. (4) Non-Progressive Verbs Verbs of emotion and sensory perception are not usually used in the present continuous. You do not say “I am loving,” or “He is hearing.” Use the simple present tense when describing these actions in present time. [2] Examples - I hear a strange noise. (sensory perception) I hear what he’s saying. (sensory perception) I love English, but I hate grammar. (emotion) He likes New York, but he wants to go home soon. (emotion) I think that’s a good idea. (mental attitude) We feel uncomfortable with that decision. (mental attitude) Mary has an office on the third floor. (possession) That book belongs to us. (possession) Form The simple present tense has a relatively simple formation. Use the simple verb for all persons, except the third-person singular, in the affirmative. Add “s” to the simple verb when using the third-person singular.[3] Examples - I need those papers right now. He needs those papers right now. They make good contacts at those conferences. He makes good contacts at those conferences. When making a negative statement or asking a question in the simple present tense, use does for the third-person singular and do for all other subjects. Examples - Do you need anything else? Does he need anything else? I do not (don’t) need anything else. He does not (doesn’t) need anything else. REMEMBER: Do and does express the time in interrogative and negative statements. Use the simple verb when asking a question or making a negative statement. Examples - Where do they store their documents? Where does the firm store its documents? They don’t store their documents with that company any longer. It doesn’t store its documents with that company any longer. NOTE: Three high-frequency verbs form their third-person singular in an irregular fashion. (1) do ð does (pronounced: duz) (2) go ð goes (the o does not change pronunciation - e is silent) (3) have ð has Examples - My friend does estate planning and some tax work. (affirmative) He doesn’t do any litigation at all. (negative) What kind of law does he do? (interrogative) Linda goes to court every morning. (affirmative) Linda doesn’t go to court in the afternoon. (negative) When does Linda go to court? (interrogative) Our client has $250, 000 to invest. (affirmative) He doesn’t have a million dollars to invest. (negative) How much does your client have to invest? (interrogative) INTERROGATIVE PATTERNS: Simple Present Tense Yes / No Questions Do you drive to work every day? Does he drive to work every day? DO subject simple verb ? DOES ¯ ¯ ¯ Do you know Jack? Do they like their job? Does he work with you? Does she have any partners? Do her clients have a significant market share? Does the judge understand anything about intellectual property ? Either/Or Questions Does he drink coffee or tea? Do you live in the city or the suburbs? NOTE: § Form either/or questions like a yes/no question. (The auxiliary comes first.) § Do not pronounce either/or questions like yes/no questions, however. o Stress the action [4] in both types of questions. o Place a secondary (light) stress on the auxiliary in the yes/no question. o Do not stress the auxiliary in the either/or question. Instead, stress the two choices. [5] o By stressing the information you are seeking from your listener (affirmation or denial in the yes/no question; a choice between two options in the either/or question), your listener understands what you need from him, and can provide you with the information you are seeking. Information Questions [6] How do you get to work? How does he get to work? Pattern One - WHO simple verb/s? ¯ ¯ Who works in that office? Who approves license applications? Who wants to get an LL.M.? Pattern Two - WHAT WHEN DO WHERE DOES subject simple verb ? WHY HOW ¯ ¯ ¯ ¯ Where do you live? Where does your partner live? Where do your parents live? When do they need to leave? When does your secretary need to leave? Why do you say that? Why does she say that? How often do you go there? How often does Bill go there? What do you think? What does your client think? PRESENT CONTINUOUS / PROGRESSIVE Examples - I am leaving now. I have to go. My colleague is waiting for me. I am leaving for Dallas on Friday. Q: When are you calling their office? A: Next week. The present continuous tense is sometimes called the present progressive tense. Use this tense to express one of the following two functions. Functions (1) Action in progress in the present (2) One-time action in the specified future Action in progress in the present Examples - He is reading the report. I am making a cup of coffee. They are talking to their in-laws. In the above examples, the action is taking place now (in the present). The above actions answer the following questions: - What is he doing? He’s reading the report. - What are you doing? I’m making a cup of coffee. - What are they doing? They’re talking to their in-laws. One-time Action in the Specified Future Examples - I’m filing the motion tomorrow. (tomorrow is specific and in the future) They’re not testifying at the hearings next month. She’s giving her presentation a week from Thursday. In the above examples, the action is taking place one time in the future. The future moment of each action is specific, and is stated. Use the present continuous tense with adverbs and adverbials such as: right now right away soon tomorrow in June next weekend at the end of next week a week from Thursday two weeks from Tuesday this Monday later today this week tonight this summer this afternoon Form Use the present tense of the BE auxiliary when speaking in the present continuous/present progressive tense. You must use ALL THREE PARTS of the present continuous to speak correctly. (1) BE I am you are he/she is we are they are (2) verb + (3) ing He is leaving the day after tomorrow. I am taking a trip to Dallas next month. Subject BE verb / ing ¯ ¯ ¯ Mr. Smith is leaving the day after tomorrow. We are filing an amended complaint next week. The defendant is moving for summary judgment. Their firm is moving into new offices at the end of the month. I am drafting that motion this weekend. Negative: not always follows BE [7] Examples: I am not sleeping. (I’m not sleeping.) She is not coming with us. (She’s not coming / She isn’t coming with us.) Subject BE not verb / ing ¯ ¯ ¯ ¯ The kids are not sleeping. My son is not coming with us. You are not listening to what I’m saying. Their accountant is not testifying. Interrogative: Invert the subject and BE Yes / No Questions BE subject verb / ing ? ¯ ¯ ¯ Are you planning to appeal? Is Joe deposing the witnesses? Are Tim and Tom writing the brief? Are they writing the brief? Information Questions Pattern One - For questions requesting who, construct as follows: WHO IS verb / ing ? ¯ ¯ ¯ Who is representing them on appeal? Who is working on this case? Who is testifying for the other side? BLANK PAGE FOR YOUR NOTES Information Questions: Pattern Two - For all other kinds of information, construct as follows: wh-word BE subject verb / ing ? ¯ ¯ ¯ ¯ When are you leaving? When is he leaving? Why are you settling on those terms? Why is plaintiff settling? Why are they settling? How are you getting there? How is Tom getting there? How are the jurors getting there? What are you looking for? What is your son looking for? What are your kids looking for? SIMPLE PAST TENSE Examples - I took a taxi to the airport. We saw a good movie last night. I lived in London from 1988 to 1990. Q: When did you talk to her? A: Two weeks ago. Q: Did you finish the brief? A: Yes, I did. Function Use the simple past tense to describe action completed in the past. The simple past tense answers the questions: · when? · how long ago? Form Affirmative The regular past-tense affirmative is formed by adding -ed to the simple verb. Examples: talked I talked to him last night. worked Joe worked there two years ago. filed They filed the charges yesterday. The most common verbs are irregular in the past. You need to memorize their forms. These verbs are also very important since most phrasal verbs [8] are coined from the irregular verbs. Examples of irregular verbs include: began (the past form of begin) I began the course three days ago. left (the past form of leave) He left the country last week. told (the past form of tell) She told me the bad news earlier today. Negative Use the auxiliary did (the past tense of the auxiliary do) to express negative past action. Place the word not immediately after did. [9] Example: I didn’t talk to him last night. Express the action (above, talk) using the simple verb. Did, the auxiliary, expresses the time. You do not need to express the time of the action twice. [10] Examples: Joe worked there two years ago. Joe didn’t work here two years ago. They filed the charges yesterday. They didn’t file the charges last week. Irregular verbs are very easy to use in the past-tense negative. Just like the regular verbs, use did to express the time, and use the simple verb to express the action. Examples: I didn’t begin the course a month ago. I began the course three days ago. He didn’t leave the country last year. He left the country last week. She didn’t tell me the bad news yesterday. She told me the bad news earlier today. Interrogative Use the same constructions for all verbs (regular and irregular), except BE. Use did to represent the time. Follow did with the subject of the question: Examples: did you? did Bill? did they? did your father? Place the simple verb after the subject. Examples: did you meet? did Bill go? did they sign? did your father work? There are three basic patterns to past-tense questions. · Yes / No Questions Did you understand him? Did Joe have a good time? Pattern One DID subject simple verb ? ¯ ¯ ¯ Did you like the movie? Did Mary enjoy the party? Did the other side admit fault? Did your client accept the offer? Did they settle the dispute? Answers Use only the auxiliary, did, to answer the yes/no question in the past. Examples: Q: Did you depose the witness? A: Yes, I did. Q: Did Joe testify at the hearing? A: No, he didn’t. Q: Did you like the movie? A: Yes, I did. It was very good. Q: Did your client accept the offer? A: Yes, he did. We changed one small item, and then he signed. Q: Did they do a good job? A: No, they didn’t. We were not satisfied with the quality of their work. Q: Did Mary enjoy the party? A: No, she didn’t. She didn’t know anyone there. OR Q: Did Mary enjoy the party? A: Yes, she did. A lot of her friends were there. They danced all night. · Information Questions [11] (all except who?) When did you call him? Why did they spend so much money? Pattern Two - WHAT WHEN WHERE DID subject simple verb ? WHY WHICH ONE HOW ¯ ¯ ¯ ¯ When did you see him ? When did they call you ? Where did he take you ? Where did you go last night? Why did his partner do that ? Which option did your clients choose ? How did Bill and Tom learn such good Spanish ? Answers Supply the information requested when answering a past-tense information question. Examples: Q: When did you see him? A: Last night. (short answer) A: I saw him last night. (complete answer) Q: Where did he take you? A: To a nice French restaurant. (short answer) A: He took me to a nice French restaurant. (complete answer) Q: How did Bill and Tom learn such good Spanish? A: By living in South America. (short answer) A: They learned it by living in South America. (complete answer) Asking “who?” Who went to the convention with you? Who made the most money last year? Pattern Three - WHO simple past verb ? ¯ ¯ Who told you this story? Who gave them all this information? Who called while I was out? Who worked on that deal with you? Answers The names of people will be the typical answers to the above questions. Examples: Q: Who drafted these clauses? A: Miguel. (short answer) A: Miguel did. (alternative short answer) A: Miguel drafted them. (complete answer) Q: Who worked on that deal with you? A: Susan and Lisa. (short answer) A: Susan and Lisa did. (alternative short answer) A: Susan and Lisa worked on it with us. (complete answer) Use the above pattern when asking about the subject of an action. When asking about the object of an action, use Pattern Two. Examples: [12] Who did you see there? Who did he talk to? Answers Q: Who did you see there? A: Peter Jones. (short answer) A: I saw Peter Jones. (complete answer) Q: Who did he talk to? A: My boss. (short answer) A: He talked to my boss. (complete answer) BE BE is the only verb in the English language with two past-tense forms: was and were. I was you were he/she was we were they were Examples: I was very tired all day yesterday. You were one of our best salespeople last year. Patricia was in the library until 10:00 last night. My friends and I were in Miami three weeks ago. Tim and Tony were law partners from 1988 to 1992. Negative The negative is very easy to form. BE does not use the do auxiliary. Place not after was or were. Examples: I wasn’t very energetic yesterday. You weren’t in the office when I called. Patricia wasn’t home last night. Interrogative To ask a question using was or were, invert the verb and the subject. Examples: Q: Were you at court yesterday? A: Yes, I was. A: No, I wasn’t. I was in the office all day. Q: What time was the meeting over? A: At 3:30. (short answer) A: It was over at 3:30. (complete answer) Q: Who was Frank’s assistant at his last job? A: Larry. (short answer) A: Larry was. (alternative short answer) A: Larry was his assistant. (complete answer) Expressions of Time Use the simple past tense to describe completed, past action. The typical adverbs and adverbial expressions used with the simple past tense include: yesterday last year the day before yesterday last week two weeks ago last month several months ago last night [13] ten years ago last Monday a long time ago last summer earlier today on January 14, 1988 from 1976 to 1978 in 1990 from 1980 to 1985 in the 1980s Examples: He got a new job yesterday. We bought our house almost ten years ago. I sent him an e-mail earlier today. She worked in the London office from 1980 to 1985. I visited the U.S. for the first time in the late 1980s. We merged with another law firm last year. I didn’t sleep very well last night. Where did you go on vacation last summer? What time did everyone get back last night? He went into business for himself a long time ago. [14] She made partner three months ago. [15] He graduated from law school on May 13, 1994. I ran into my old boss at the airport the day before yesterday. BLANK PAGE FOR YOUR NOTES PAST PROGRESSIVE / PAST CONTINUOUS TENSE Actions take place in time. Sometimes the time is absolute, as in the simple past. For example: I went there yesterday. We saw the movie last week. Other times, the action is relative. Actions are sometimes relative to other actions. For example: I was writing a report when my client called. I was talking to my client while I was reviewing the report. Use the past progressive/continuous tense to describe action in progress, in the past, and the relationship of this action to another past action. FUNCTION The past progressive/continuous has two major functions. Use it to describe: (1) Two past actions which continued over the same period of time. (Parallel past actions) Examples: I was reading the newspaper while my kids were sleeping. They were trying to study while he was playing loud music. (2) One action, in the past, which was in progress when a second action interrupted it. Examples: I was reading the newspaper when the phone rang. We were printing a 50-page document when the printer broke. The past progressive is always used in relationship to two actions. In the case of parallel actions, [ (1) ] the relationship of the two actions is as follows: I was reading xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx ______________________________________________________now xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx my kids were sleeping · two actions · both past · both continuing over the same period in the past In the case of an action in progress interrupted by a second, single action in the past, [ (2) ] the relationship of the two actions is as follows: I was reading xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx ________________________________________________now the phone rang · two actions · both past · one action was in progress : I was reading · the second action occurred in the midst of the first : the phone rang [16] FORM The past continuous, like all the continuous tenses, is formed with BE + verb/ing. The past tense of the helping word BE (was/were) marks the time in the past continuous/progressive tense. Examples: I was studying English when my friend came over. You were studying English when your friend came over. He was studying English when his friend came over. She was studying English when her friend came over. We were studying English when our friend came over. They were studying English when their friend came over. The negative and interrogative have the same patterns as the present continuous. [17] Negative Place not, or the short form n’t immediately after the helping words was or were. subject BE not verb/ing ¯ ¯ ¯ ¯ Joe was not studying They were not sleeping We were not working Interrogative Invert BE (was or were) and the subject of the question. Examples: Was he sleeping? Was he sleeping when you called? Were they studying? Were they studying while you were making dinner? What was Mary doing? What was Mary doing when they told her the good news? If the subject of the question is who, there is no need to invert. Examples: Who was talking on the phone when you walked in? Who was embezzling the company’s profits while everyone else was working so hard? Remember that the context of the past progressive/continuous is always two actions. Use the past progressive/continuous to describe dependent actions. Do not use the past progressive/continuous to describe independent action. Use the simple past to describe simple, completed action in the past. Example: I lived in New York from 1993 to 1995. I lived in New York for two years. Use the construction used to + simple verb describe prolonged, completed action in the past. Examples: I used to live in New York. [18] I used to drive to work. Now I take the train. My father used to smoke. He stopped smoking two years ago. Example: Pete: Where do you work? Doug: At Baker and MacKenzie. Pete: Have you always worked there? Doug: No, I haven’t. I used to work at the Internal Revenue Service. BLANK PAGE FOR YOUR NOTES PRESENT PERFECT TENSE FUNCTION Use the present perfect to describe action which started in the past and which is still occurring in the present. Examples: I have worked in this company for ten years. (present perfect) I started to work here ten years ago. (past) I still work here. (present) Use the present perfect tense to link the action through the past and into the present. The present perfect supplies the information: until now. The present perfect answers the following questions about actions in time: · Since when? START of action · How long? DURATION of action · How many times? REPETITION of action until now Examples: Since when have you worked here? I have worked here since 1986. I have worked here since I passed the bar. How long have you worked here? I have worked here for 20 years. How many times have you visited world headquarters in New York? I have visited world headquarters three times. Use the negative form of the present perfect to describe action you have not taken until now, but which you hope to take, or intend to take, in the future. Examples: I haven’t seen that movie yet. (I intend to see it.) He hasn’t signed the contract yet. (We expect him to sign.) We haven’t chosen a new manager. (We will choose one in the future.) · Not yet is the typical expression used to describe postponed action. · Not yet means not until now. FORM The form of the present perfect is just like the function. It links the present to the past. Use a present tense form of the helping word [19] have and the past participle [20] of the action you are describing to create the present perfect tense. subject + have + past participle has Examples: He has gone to Paris twice on business. We have known Susan for over twenty years. Susan has been our friend since we were very young. Negative Form the negative as in all English language verb tenses. Place not (or other negative word) immediately after the helping word (have/has). Examples: Larry hasn’t seen the new office. My parents haven’t retired yet. I have never met a U.S. Supreme Court judge, though I have met two Illinois Supreme Court judges, including a Chief Justice. If using the word yet, to emphasize postponed action, place the word yet at the end of the sentence (US). You can also place the word yet immediately after the word not (UK, and formal/written US). Examples: That court hasn’t updated its e-filing system yet. They haven’t yet updated their e-filing system. PRESENT PERFECT: USAGE NOTES High-Frequency Verbs · Verbs of decision are frequently used in the present perfect. Decisions may be made in the past, but their impact is still closely linked to the present. Examples: I’ve decided to go on a diet. She has made up her mind to quit smoking. My client has changed his mind about the whole thing recently. · Verbs of knowing (both people and facts) are frequently expressed in the present perfect. We often start to know something in the past, but continue to know it in the present. Examples: I have known my best friend for over twenty years. [21] We have been aware of this problem for quite a while. Note: Do not confuse the present perfect with the simple past. Action described in the present perfect started in the past, but is still true today. Action described in the simple past started and ended in the past. It is not true today. Sometimes confusing the two will only cause a grammatical error, but will not interfere with the listener’s or reader’s comprehension. Other times, however, such an error can cause you to convey mistaken information. A statement such as “I didn’t go to Paris,” for example, conveys very different information from the statement “I haven’t gone to Paris.” The statement “I haven’t gone to Paris” tells the reader that you have never been in the city of Paris. The statement “I didn’t go to Paris” simply tells your listener that within the specific past tense framework of your conversation, [22] you did not take a specific action. It is very possible that you have visited Paris a dozen times, but not within the specific context established in your conversation. Examples: Jerry has been married twice. (until now - Jerry is still alive) Jerry was married twice. (implication: Jerry is dead) A: Have you ever met Sue? B: No, I haven’t. A: Have you ever met Sue? B: Yes, I have. We met at the annual meeting last spring. PRESENT PERFECT PROGRESSIVE/CONTINUOUS Use the present perfect progressive tense in the same way you would use the present perfect. FORM subject + have + been + verb/ing has ¯ ¯ ¯ ¯ I have been working in the Department of Justice for ten years. We have been traveling for 14 hours straight! My kids have been studying English since they were three years old. FUNCTION As you can see from the above examples, the function of the present perfect progressive/continuous is very similar to the present perfect. The time patterns of the action are the same (until now). Use this tense, just like the present perfect, to discuss action that started in the past, and is still true in the present. The introduction of BE (progressive) emphasizes the condition, continuity, or link of the action through time (from the past to the present). The following two sentences mean the same thing. We have been traveling for 14 hours straight. We have traveled for 14 hours straight. The difference is essentially a stylistic one. The first sentence conveys the continuity of the travel a bit more than the second. The listener feels the 14 hours a bit more. Natives typically use the present perfect and the present perfect progressive/continuous interchangeably. Examples: She has danced all night long. She has been dancing all night long. Use the second example to stress (emphasize) the fact that she has not sat down once. Otherwise, the above two sentences mean the same thing: she started hours ago, and is still dancing – as you speak. Negative The present perfect progressive tense uses two auxiliary verbs: have and be. Place the negative word (not, never) after the FIRST AUXILIARY. Examples: He has not been working very hard since he got back from vacation. (He hasn’t been working very hard since he got back from vacation.) They haven’t been considering the issue the way they should. They have not been considering the issue the way they should. BLANK PAGE FOR YOUR NOTES PAST PERFECT TENSE Examples: My wife and I had known each other for four years when we got married. Sue had worked at that law firm for seven years before she made partner. FUNCTION Use the past perfect tense to describe the first of two completed actions in the past. The past perfect tense links two completed actions to each other and tells the listener/reader which action took place first. Example: Sally had worked in banking and finance law for over ten years when she got a job with the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency in Washington D.C. · Two actions: had worked ; got · · Both actions are completed / in the past · · What happened first? - First Sally worked in banking and finance for over ten years. (past perfect: had worked) - Then Sally got a job with the OCC (second action: simple past) Because the past perfect links two actions in time, it expresses dependent action. Do not use the past perfect tense alone in a sentence, since it cannot convey a single idea: § use the past perfect in one clause, and § the simple past in the other. FORM Use the past tense of the auxiliary verb have (had), and the past participle to describe the action. subject + had + past participle ¯ ¯ ¯ Melissa had worked there one year when she got a promotion. The Smiths had been married for three years then they had their first child. Mary and Paul hadn’t known each other very long when they got married. We had had a Ford before we bought this Buick. The actions involved with the past perfect tense occur as following: ___________________________________________________now Melissa Melissa worked got a promotion Use the past perfect tense when you want to link two past actions to each other. PAST PERFECT TENSE: USAGE NOTES Use the past perfect tense when you need to emphasize the order of two past actions, or when you want to stress the time elapsed between one past action and another. Example: I had been studying English for three years before I visited an English-speaking country. In everyday conversation, native speakers frequently use the simple past when describing two or more past actions. Like native speakers, you can use time expressions to indicate the order of successive actions when the chronology or the elapsed time are not critically important. Examples: I tried on four pairs of shoes before I bought these. Our sales increased greatly after we changed advertising firms. First I saw the movie. I liked it so much that I read the book afterwards. FUTURE TENSE and FUTURE TIME As explained earlier, native speakers use the present progressive, also known as the present continuous tense, to describe one-time action in the specified future. [23] So what about will? You may use “will” in place of the present continuous tense, for example. It is not incorrect. Native speakers use the two forms interchangeably. The following are equivalent sentences: * She will arrive on Saturday. [She’ll arrive on Saturday.] * She is arriving on Saturday. [She’s arriving on Saturday.] The key to using will correctly, however, lies in this rule: Use will in a main clause to describe future action. Do not use will in a subordinate clause to describe future action! Use the simple present in a subordinate clause when describing future action. Incorrect: I will ask him when he will get back to the office. Correct: I will ask him when he gets back to the office. ü I will ask is a main clause. Use will to describe future action. ü “When he” - when introduces a subordinate clause. Use the present tense (he gets) to describe future action in subordinate clauses. Subordinate clauses are also called dependent clauses, because the actions described cannot stand alone. Subordinate clauses start with subordinating conjunctions such as: * if * when * unless * until * as soon as Subordinate clauses require a main clause to complete their meaning. * Use the present tense in a subordinate clause * Use will in the main clause that completes the meaning For example: * If the other side demands those documents, we will have to produce them. * When he calls, I will be happy to talk to him. * I won’t seek an injunction unless there is absolutely no other option. * We will keep working on this brief until he gets here. Note that the order of the clauses is irrelevant. All four of the above sentences can be expressed in “inverse” order. For example: * We will have to produce those documents if the other side demands them. * I’ll be happy to talk to him when he calls. * Unless there’s absolutely no other option, I will not seek an injunction. * Until he gets here, we’ll keep working on this brief. Regardless of the order, use will in the main clause and simple present in the subordinate. Main Clause Before Subordinate Clause Subordinate Clause Before Main Clause She will look into this matter as soon as she has some free time. As soon as she has some free time, she will look into this matter. We’ll appeal if we lose. If we lose, we’ll appeal. The court will enter a default judgment against him unless he appears to respond to the complaint. Unless he appears to respond to the complaint, the court will enter a default judgment against him. Note that you must place a comma between the two clauses when the subordinate clause precedes the main clause: § If we lose, we’ll appeal. You do not place a comma between the two clauses when the main clause comes first. § We’ll appeal if we lose. ________________________________ * By Juli Campagna, M.A., J.D., LL.M. This work may not be copied without the author’s express permission. [1] Also known as Present Continuous. Same tense. Two possible names. “Progressive” and “Continuous” are two names for the same aspect (BE + verb+ing). [2] Other non-progressive verbs in this category include: see, taste, smell, understand, know, believe, own. [3] (Examples: Joe, Mary, the president, our client, this offer, my mother, their daughter, our house, he, she and it.) [4] Simple verb. [5] For example – “up or down?” “Litigation or transactions?” “English or Portuguese?” [6] Also called wh-questions (who? what? when? where? why? which one? how? ) [7] NOT always follows the auxiliary (whether time or modal) in English. For example: He does not; Parties may not.. NOT always precedes the verb. For example: He does not litigate; Parties may not disclose. With two auxiliaries, NOT follows the first auxiliary. (e.g. He should not have settled for so little. / I have not been sleeping well lately.) [8] Phrasal verbs are two- and three-word verbs, such as come across, make up, and put up with, which have idiomatic meaning [9] Remember that “not” ALWAYS follows the auxiliary in English. “Not” precedes all verbs except BE. [10] Thus, do not say: “I didn’t talked to them.” Both did and the suffix ed on the verb talk express time. You do not need to express time twice. [11] Also known as wh-questions, these are questions asking about who? what? when? why? where? which one? and how? [12] In written English, and in formal, spoken English, use whom to inquire about the object of an action. For example: Whom did you see there? and To whom did he speak? [13] The expression “yesterday night” does not exist in English. Use last night. [14] The expression “go into business for yourself,” means to “open a business and work there” instead of working for other people. As an attorney, if you “go into business for yourself,” you are the owner of your own law firm. [15] The express “make partner” means to become a partner, typically in a law firm or an accounting firm. You use this expression for these professions. If an investor decides to form a partnership, you say “he went into a partnership” or “she set up a partnership.” [16] Use the simple past to express the single, interrupting action. [ring / rang / rung] [17] See patterns starting on page 5 of this document for complete outline of continuous patterns. [18] This action is independent; it is not dependent on any other actions. The speaker gives the following information to the listener when he makes this statement: (1) I lived in New York in the past; and (2) I do not live in New York in the present. [19] The helping word is typically called the auxiliary. Have, like do, has two functions in English. First, it functions as a verb, or an action (He has a lot of money.). Secondly, it functions as an auxiliary to hold the time of actions in the perfect tenses (He has made a lot of money in the stock market since 1993.) [20] The past participle is the third form of the verb. In regular verbs, the past participle is like the simple past, verb+ed. (For example: file / filed / filed.) In irregular verbs, the past participle must be memorized. Gone is the past participle of the verb go (go / went / gone). (Further examples: run / ran / run; let /let /let; see / saw / seen; BE / was-were / been.) [21] Do not confuse met (meet, met, met) and know. “I met my best friend ten years ago.” The meeting took place one time, at a fixed moment in the past (simple past). “Knowing” your best friend started in the past, and you continue to know him/her in the present. “I have known. . . .” [22] For example, a trip you took last year; or a vacation you took to Europe in 1995. The context is whatever you are discussing at that moment. [23] We are leaving for Boston the day after tomorrow.