• SAJ - Doplnky ku gramatike

        • Types of Verbs

           

          Before you begin the verb tense lessons, it is extremely important to understand that NOT all English verbs are the same. English verbs are divided into three groups: Normal Verbs, Non-Continuous Verbs, and Mixed Verbs.

          Group I Normal Verbs

          Most verbs are "Normal Verbs." These verbs are usually physical actions which you can see somebody doing. 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."

           

          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.

           

          Used To

           

          FORM

          [used to + VERB]

          Example:

          • I used to go to the beach every day.

          It is better not to use "used to" in questions or negative forms; however, this is sometimes done in informal spoken English. It is better to ask questions and create negative sentences using Simple Past.

          USE 1 Habit in the Past

          "Used to" expresses the idea that something was an old habit that stopped in the past. It indicates that something was often repeated in the past, but it is not usually done now.

          Examples:

          • Jerry used to study English.
          • Sam and Mary used to go to Mexico in the summer.
          • I used to start work at 9 o'clock.
          • Christine used to eat meat, but now she is a vegetarian.

           

          USE 2 Past Facts and Generalizations

          "Used to" can also be used to talk about past facts or generalizations which are no longer true.

          Examples:

          • I used to live in Paris.
          • Sarah used to be fat, but now she is thin.
          • George used to be the best student in class, but now Lena is the best.
          • Oranges used to cost very little in Florida, but now they are quite expensive.

           

          "Used to" vs. Simple Past

          Both Simple Past and "Used to" can be used to describe past habits, past facts and past generalizations; however, "used to" is preferred when emphasizing these forms of past repetition in positive sentences. On the other hand, when asking questions or making negative sentences, Simple Past is preferred.

          Examples:

          • You used to play the piano.
          • Did you play the piano when you were young?
          • You did not play the piano when you were young.

           

          ACTIVE / PASSIVE

          Examples:

          • Jerry used to pay the bills. Active
          • The bills used to be paid by Jerry. Passive

           

          Would Always

           

          FORM

          [would always + VERB]

          Examples:

          • You would always take your surfboard with you when you went to the beach.
          • Would you always take your surfboard with you when you went to the beach?
          • You would not always take your surfboard with you when you went to the beach.

           

          USE 1 Habit in the Past

          Like "used to" and Simple Past, "would always" expresses the idea that something was an old habit which stopped in the past. It says that an action was often repeated in the past, but it is not usually done now. Unlike "used to" and Simple Past, "would always" suggests that someone willingly acted that way and sometimes expresses annoyance or amusement at the habit. It also often suggests the habit was extreme. To express the opposite idea, we can say "would never" to indicate that someone never did something in the past, but now they do.

          Examples:

          • She would always send me strange birthday gifts.
          • Sam and Mary would always choose the most exotic vacation destinations.
          • Sally would not always arrive early to class. She came late once or twice.
          • Ned would always show up at our house without calling first.
          • Mindy would not always walk to school. Sometimes, she took the bus.
          • Christine would always come late to the meetings.
          • Jeff would never pay for drinks when we went out together with our friends.
            Refusing to do something or normally not doing something is also a form of habit.

           

          REMEMBER "Would Always" is Different

          "Would always" is not exactly the same as "used to" or the Simple Past. "Would always" cannot be used to talk about past facts or generalizations. It can only be used for repeated actions.

          Examples:

          • Sarah was shy, but now she is very outgoing. Correct
          • Sarah used to be shy, but now she is very outgoing. Correct
          • Sarah would always be shy, but now she is very outgoing. Not Correct

           

          Forms Related to "Would Always"

          In addition to "would always," English speakers often use "would constantly," "would often," "would forever" or simply "would." Although the last form "would" is correct, it is not suggested because it can easily be confused with other verb forms such as the Conditional or Future in the Past. Similarly, speakers can use "would rarely," "would occasionally" and "would seldom" to express the idea that an action was not often repeated.

          Examples:

          • Jerry would come to the parties every weekend.
          • Jerry would constantly bring his girlfriend to the parties.
          • Jerry would often bring his best friend to the parties.
          • Jerry would occasionally bring his older brother to the parties.
          • Jerry would seldom bring his sister to the parties.
          • Jerry would never bring his younger brother to the parties.

           

          ACTIVE / PASSIVE

          Examples:

          • My mother would always make the pies. Active
          • The pies would always be made by my mother. Passive

           

          Future in the Past

           

          Like Simple Future, Future in the Past has two different forms in English: "would" and "was going to." Although the two forms can sometimes be used interchangeably, they often express two different meanings.

          FORM Would

          [would + VERB]

          Examples:

          • I knew you would help him.
          • I knew you would not help him.

           

          FORM Was/Were Going To

          [was/were + going to + VERB]

          Examples:

          • I knew you were going to go to the party.
          • I knew you were not going to go to the party.

           

          USE 1 Future in Past

          Future in the Past is used to express the idea that in the past you thought something would happen in the future. It does not matter if you are correct or not. Future in the Past follows the same basic rules as the Simple Future. "Would" is used to volunteer or promise, and "was going to" is used to plan. Moreover, both forms can be used to make predictions about the future.

          Examples:

          • I told you he was going to come to the party. plan
          • I knew Julie would make dinner. voluntary action
          • Jane said Sam was going to bring his sister with him, but he came alone. plan
          • I had a feeling that the vacation was going to be a disaster. prediction
          • He promised he would send a postcard from Egypt. promise

           

          REMEMBER No Future in Time Clauses

          Like all future forms, Future in the Past cannot be used in clauses beginning with time expressions such as: when, while, before, after, by the time, as soon as, if, unless, etc. Instead of using Future in the Past, you must use Simple Past.

          Examples:

          • I already told Mark that when he would arrive, we would go out for dinner. Not Correct
          • I already told Mark that when he arrived, we would go out for dinner. Correct

           

          ACTIVE / PASSIVE

          Examples:

          • I knew John would finish the work by 5:00 PM. Active
          • I knew the work would be finished by 5:00 PM. Passive
          • I thought Sally was going to make a beautiful dinner. Active
          • I thought a beautiful dinner was going to be made by Sally. Passive