domingo, 15 de mayo de 2016

Unit 3 Grammar - Present Tenses

DESCRIBING HABITUAL  ACTIONS

1.       HABITUAL  ACTIONS IN THE PRESENT
               I.            PRESENT SIMPLE
             II.            OTHER WAYS
a.        PRESENT CONTINUOUS + ALWAYS
b.       WILL + INFINITIVE
c.        KEEP + ING
2.       HABITUAL  ACTIONS IN THE PAST
                I.            PAST SIMPLE
                II.            USED TO + INFINITIVE
                III.            WOULD + INFINITIVE
                IV.            USED TO-BE USED TO-GET USED TO

1-        
I. THIS IS THE USUAL WAY OF EXPRESING PRESENT HABITUAL ACTIONS:
Whenever I go to town, I spend too much money.

TEND TO + INFINITIVE:
The verb tend to + infinitive can be used to refer to usual or generally occurring actions.
She tends to get up late at weekends

II-THERE ARE OTHER WAYS OF EXPRESING HABITUAL ACTIONS IN THE PRESENT:
a.        THIS IS USED MAINLY TO REFER TO ACTION WHICH ARE TOO FREQUENT:
He is always giving me presents
IT IS ALSO USED WHEN YOU ARE ANNOYED WITH YOURSELF OR SOMEONE ELSE:
You are always complaining about my cooking
b.       THIS CAN BE USED INSTEAD OF THE PRESENT SIMPLE TO REFER TO BEHAVIOUR WHICH IS PREDICTABLE OR TYPICAL:
I will sit for hours watching TV.
c.        THIS IS USED FOR HABITUAL ACTIONS WHICH ARE ACCIDENTAL OR ANNOYING:
I keep bumping my head on that tree.

2-        
I. WHEN A PAST SIMPLE VERB REFERS TO HABITUAL O REPEATED ACTIONS IT CAN BE ACCOMPANIED BY A FREQUENCY EXPRESSION:
When I worked in London, I usually got home at six o´clock


II.THIS REFERS TO HABITUAL PAST ACTIONS WHICH NO LONGER HAPPEN:
Before I had car, I used to cycle to work.
IT CAN ALSO BE USED FOR ACTIONS THAT DID NOT HAPPEN BEFORE, BUT HAPPEN NOW:
I didn´t use to have foreign holidays. Now I go abroad every year.
NOTES:
                                 i.            Remember the question form of used to:
 WHERE DID YOU USE TO GO FOR YOUR HOLIDAYS?
                                ii.            Sentences with used to do not need frequency adverbs, but they are sometimes included for emphasis.
 I ALWAYS USED TO BE LATE FOR SCHOOL.

           III.            THIS REFERS TO HABITUAL PAST ACTIONS:
Every summer our parents would take us to the seaside.
Do not uses would in questions and negative sentences, as its meaning can be completely different.

NOTE: there is a difference in meaning between USED TO and WOULD:
USED TO can refer to permanent situations as well as habitual actions:
I used to be able to see the church from my bedroom window.
WOULD can only refer to actions, not situations. You can say:
He’d catch the 7.30 train, but you cannot say He’d work in London.

           IV.            USED TO + INFINITIVE
REFERS TO HABITUAL PAST ACTIONS:
My father used to get up at 5 a.m.
BE USED TO + ING
MEANS TO BE ACCUSTOMED TO:
I must go to bed early. I´m used to having ten hours sleep at night.
GET USED TO + ING
MEANS TO BECOME ACCUSTOMED TO, OFTEN TO SOMETHING UNUSUAL OR STRANGE:
If you come to England, you´ll have to get used to driving on the left hand side of the road.

NOTE: Other common verbs which follow the same pattern are look FORWARD TO and OBJECT TO.

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