Mastering English Grammar and Usage

📋 Course Outline

1. Present tenses and stative verbs
2. Past tenses and perfect aspect
3. Future forms, passive voice and conditionals
4. Modals and past habits
5. Questions, suggestions and preferences
6. Infinitives and gerunds
7. Quantities, pronouns and plurals

📖 1. Present tenses and stative verbs

🔑 Key Concepts & Definitions

• Present simple: Present simple is used to describe objective facts, habits, and general truths with the verb in its base form for most subjects.
• Present be + V-ING: Present be + V-ING gives a subjective view and describes actions that are in progress or considered temporary or planned.
• Stative verbs: Stative verbs are verbs that normally do not appear in be + V-ING because they describe states, not actions.

📝 Essential Points

• In present simple negatives and questions, use the auxiliary DO/DOES, and add -s to the main verb only with he, she, it in affirmative statements.
• In present be + V-ING, the verb after BE is in -ing form, and it is used for actions/descriptions now, planned intentions, and annoying repeated behaviour (often with always).
• Do not use be + V-ING with common stative verbs like want, like, belong, know, suppose, remember, need, love, see, realize, mean, forget, prefer, hate, hear, believe, understand, seem, think (e.g., I think, not I’m thinking).

💡 Memory Hook

SIMPLE = facts/habits; BE-ING = “in progress/now”; STATIVES refuse -ing (think, know, like…).