Action Verbs & Stative Verbs

October 6, 2025 teacherjulietaLeave a comment

Everyday English uses two main types of verbs:

action verbs
and stative verbs

Understanding the difference between them is essential for choosing the correct tense.

We use action verbs to describe things we do — activities, movements, and processes.
We use stative verbs to describe what we think, feel, have, or are. These verbs talk about a state rather than an action.

This difference explains why we say:

I’m eating dinner. ✅ (an action happening now)
but
I know the answer. ✅ (a state — not an action)

⚡ Action Verbs

Action verbs describe things that happen — physical or mental actions.
They can be temporary or in progress, so we often use them with the Present Continuous.

Action Verb	Example in Present Simple	Example in Present Continuous
work	I work in an office.	I’m working late today.
eat	She eats breakfast at 8.	She’s eating right now.
study	They study English.	They’re studying for the test.
play	He plays football every weekend.	He’s playing now.

🧠 Use the Present Continuous for actions happening now or around now.

I’m cooking dinner.
They’re studying this week.

🕒 Use the Present Simple for routines or facts.

I cook dinner every day.
They study every Tuesday.

🧘 Stative Verbs

Stative verbs describe states — not actions.
They tell us about feelings, thoughts, senses, possession, or relationships.
We don’t usually use them in continuous form (-ing).

Category	Common Stative Verbs	Examples (Present Simple)
Feelings	love, like, hate, prefer	I love this song. / She doesn’t like coffee.
Thinking / Opinion	know, believe, remember, understand, think*	I know the answer. / I believe you.
Senses	see, hear, smell, taste	I hear some music. / This soup tastes good.
Possession	have, own, belong	I have a car. / This book belongs to me.
Being / Appearance	be, seem, look (adj.)	You are nice. / It seems difficult.

⚠️ We don’t usually say:

❌ I’m knowing the answer. ✅ I know the answer.
❌ She’s liking pizza. ✅ She likes pizza.

💡 Verbs with Both Meanings

Some verbs can be action or stative, depending on the situation and meaning.

Verb	Stative Meaning (not -ing)	Action Meaning (-ing OK)
think	I think it’s a good idea. (= have an opinion)	I’m thinking about my plans. (= considering)
have	I have a car. (= possess)	I’m having lunch. (= eating)
see	I see what you mean. (= understand)	I’m seeing the doctor tomorrow. (= meeting)
be	He is nice. (= characteristic)	He’s being rude. (= behaving temporarily)
look	You look tired. (= appear)	You’re looking at the screen. (= action)

🪄 Tip: When a verb describes a temporary action, you can usually use the -ing form.

🧩 Grammar Summary

Use	Tense	Form	Example
Habit / fact	Present Simple	Subject + base verb (+s/es)	I play tennis.
Now / temporary	Present Continuous	Subject + am/is/are + verb-ing	I’m playing tennis.
State (feeling, thought, possession)	Present Simple	Subject + stative verb	I believe you.

✅ We don’t use stative verbs in continuous tenses.

Let’s Practice!

Practice 1

Practice 2

CHALLENGE

📝 Grammar Review: Basic Verb Tenses

October 3, 2025October 3, 2025 teacherjulietaLeave a comment

In this lesson, we will review the basic verb tenses you need to talk about the past, present, and future.

By the end of this lesson, you will:
✅ Recognize the most common tenses in English
✅ Use them to talk about your life and experiences
✅ Feel more confident when speaking and writing

1. Present Simple

We use it to talk about:

habits and routines
facts and general truths

Form:
👉 Subject + base verb (add -s/-es for he/she/it)

Examples:

I get up at 7 o’clock.
She works in a bank.
The sun rises in the east.

2. Present Continuous

We use it to talk about:

things happening now
temporary situations

Form:
👉 Subject + am/is/are + verb + -ing

Examples:

I am studying English now.
They are watching TV.
She is living in Toronto at the moment.

3. Past Simple

We use it to talk about:

finished actions in the past

Form:
👉 Subject + past verb (regular verbs = + -ed, irregular verbs change form)

Examples:

I watched a movie yesterday.
She visited her grandma last weekend.
They went to the park.

4. Past Continuous

We use it to talk about:

actions that were happening at a specific time in the past

Form:
👉 Subject + was/were + verb + -ing

Examples:

I was reading a book at 9 pm.
They were playing football when it started to rain.
She was cooking dinner.

5. Future with will

We use it to talk about:

predictions
decisions at the moment of speaking

Form:
👉 Subject + will + base verb

Examples:

I will call you tomorrow.
Don’t worry, you will pass the test!
She will travel next summer.

6. Future with going to

We use it to talk about:

plans and intentions
something we can see is going to happen

Form:
👉 Subject + am/is/are going to + base verb

Examples:

I’m going to study tonight.
They are going to buy a new car.
Look at those clouds! It’s going to rain.

7. Present Perfect

We use it to talk about:

experiences in life (no exact time)
actions that started in the past and continue now (for/since)
recent actions with just, already, yet

Form:
👉 Subject + have/has + past participle

🔹 With for and since

I have lived here for 5 years.
She has worked in this company since 2018.

🔹 With just (a very recent action)

I have just finished my homework.

🔹 With already (something happened earlier than expected)

They have already eaten dinner.

🔹 With yet (in negative sentences and questions)

I haven’t finished my project yet.
Have you done your homework yet?

📊 Summary Table

Tense	Use	Example
Present Simple	habits, facts	She works in a bank.
Present Continuous	happening now	They are watching TV.
Past Simple	finished actions	We visited London.
Past Continuous	action in progress (past)	I was reading at 8 pm.
Future (will)	decisions, predictions	I will call you.
Future (going to)	plans, intentions	I’m going to travel.
Present Perfect	experiences, unfinished time, recent actions	I have lived here since 2018.

Let’s practice!

Practice 1

Practice 2

Speaking

Practice 1

Practice 2

Introduction to First Conditional

October 1, 2025October 1, 2025 teacherjulieta1 Comment

🔑 What is the First Conditional?

We use the First Conditional when we want to:

Talk about the future
Say what will happen if something else happens
Show real and possible situations

✨ Example:

If I eat too much chocolate, I will feel sick.
If we hurry, we will catch the bus.

🧩 Grammar Structure

👉 The First Conditional has two parts:

IF clause (condition)	Result clause
If + Present Simple	*will + base verb*

✅ Examples:

If it rains, I will stay at home.
If I study, I will pass the test.
If we are late, the teacher will be angry.

🚨 Important!
Don’t use will after if.
❌ If it ~~will rain~~, I will stay home.
✅ If it rains, I will stay home.

💡 When do we use it?

We use the First Conditional for:

Predictions: If it rains, the streets will be wet.
Warnings: If you run too fast, you will fall.
Promises/Plans: If you call me, I will help you.

🗣 More Examples

If I am hungry, I will eat a sandwich. 🥪
If my friend visits, we will go to the park. 🌳
If the teacher gives homework, I will do it. ✏️
If we don’t leave now, we will miss the train. 🚉

Practice Time

Practice 1

Practice 2

Speaking Practice

Card game

Flip the cards

Look at the picture

Complete the sentences using first conditional

Open the box

Choose a box.

Read the sentence starter.

Complete the sentence with your own ideas

Could/ couldn’t

September 26, 2025 teacherjulietaLeave a comment

Past modals of ability

We use could to talk about things we were able to do in the past.

It’s the past form of can when we talk about ability.

👉 Think of it as “can in the past.”

✅ Examples:

When I was 6, I could swim.
My grandmother could play the piano beautifully.
We could run very fast when we were teenagers.

We use couldn’t to say we were not able to do something in the past.

✅ Examples:

I couldn’t ride a bike when I was 5.
She couldn’t speak English last year.
We couldn’t use computers when we were children (because there were none at home!).

We also use could to ask about abilities in the past.

✅ Examples:

Could you swim when you were 7?
Could your father drive a car when he was young?
Could your grandmother speak another language?

🧾 Useful Tips

✨ Notice the difference:

I can swim = now, in the present.
I could swim when I was 6 = in the past.

✨ Pronunciation tip:

could is pronounced /kʊd/ (like good).
The l is silent!

✨ Everyday English:
We sometimes use could in polite offers or suggestions:

Could you help me, please?
We could go to the park this afternoon.
👉 But in today’s lesson, we are focusing on past ability.

Can vs Could

PRESENT (can/can’t)

PAST (could/ couldn’t)

Let’s practice

Quiz time

Practice 1

Practice 2

Speaking

Complete the sentences with information about you.

Use could/ couldn’t

Just, Already and Yet

September 25, 2025 teacherjulietaLeave a comment

We use the present perfect (have/has + past participle) with these words to show when or if something has happened.

⏱️ 1. Using just

We use just to describe something that happened a short time ago.

✅ Examples:

I’ve just seen a great comedy.
She’s just finished her homework.

✅ 2. Using already

We use already to describe an action that has happened (earlier than we expected).

✅ Examples:

They’ve already finished the new series.
He’s already eaten lunch.

❓ 3. Using yet

We use yet in negative sentences and questions to talk about something that hasn’t happened but we think it will.

✅ Examples:

Have you watched it yet?
I haven’t seen it yet.

🌟 Quick Tip

just → a short time ago
already → it happened earlier than expected
yet → not happened, but we expect it (only in negatives/questions)

Let’s practice

Quiz time

Practice 1

Practice 2

Speaking time

Practice 1

Practice 2

For or Since

September 24, 2025 teacherjulietaLeave a comment

We use the present perfect (have/has + past participle) to talk about things that started in the past and continue now.

✅ Example:

How long have you known her?
We’ve lived together for about nine months.

⏳ 1. Using for

We use for + a period of time (the length).

👉 It answers: How long?

✅ Examples:

I’ve known Justin for about two years.
We haven’t done that for a long time.

📅 2. Using since

We use since + the starting point (when it began).

👉 It answers: Since when?

✅ Examples:

I’ve known her since we were at school.
We haven’t argued since we met.

🌟 Quick Tip

for = length of time → 3 months, 2 years, a long time
since = starting point → 2019, last week, Monday

Present Perfect Review

Let’s Practice

1️⃣Quiz time

Practice 1

Practice 2

2️⃣Speaking time

Practice 1

Practice 2

Grammar Topics for High-Intermediate

August 30, 2024September 4, 2024 teacherjulietaLeave a comment

Hello, English learners! 😊

If you’re at the B1 (intermediate) or B2 (high-intermediate) level, this is the perfect place to practice your grammar. Here you can find easy-to-follow lessons to help you understand English grammar better.

These topics will help you understand English better and use it more confidently. Plus, they’re especially useful if you’re preparing for the Cambridge PET test. We’ll go over each one step by step, so you can follow along easily.

Pick a grammar topic and start improving your skills today. Good luck!

Introduction to Noun Phrases

A noun phrase is a group of words that work together to function as a noun in a sentence. It typically includes a noun or pronoun and any modifiers or determiners that describe or clarify the noun. Noun phrases are important in the English language because they allow us to express complex ideas and add…

Conditional Type	Structure	Usage	Example
Zero Conditional	If + present simple, + present simple	Used for general truths, facts, and scientific truths.	If you heat ice, it melts.
			If you mix red and blue, you get purple.

First Conditional	If + present simple, + future	Used for real possibilities and predictions in the future.	If it rains tomorrow, we will stay at home.
	Future forms: will + base form be going to + base form may + base form might + base form should + base form * can + base form (ability) * base form (imperative)		If you see him, tell him I’m looking for him.

Second Conditional	If + past simple, + would + base form	Used for hypothetical (unreal) situations and their possible outcomes.	If I had a lot of money, I would travel around the world.
	If + past simple, + could + base form		If I were you, I could find a different job.

Third Conditional	If + past perfect, + would have + past participle	Used for unreal situations and regrets about the past.	If I had studied harder, I would have passed the exam.
	If + past perfect, + could have + past participle		If she had known, she could have warned us.

⚡ Action Verbs

🧘 Stative Verbs

💡 Verbs with Both Meanings

🧩 Grammar Summary

CHALLENGE

1. Present Simple

2. Present Continuous

3. Past Simple

4. Past Continuous

5. Future with will

6. Future with going to

7. Present Perfect

🔹 With for and since

🔹 With just (a very recent action)

🔹 With already (something happened earlier than expected)

🔹 With yet (in negative sentences and questions)

📊 Summary Table

Let’s practice!

Speaking

🔑 What is the First Conditional?

🧩 Grammar Structure

💡 When do we use it?

🗣 More Examples

Practice Time

Speaking Practice

Card game

Open the box

Past modals of ability

🧾 Useful Tips

Can vs Could

PRESENT (can/can’t)

PAST (could/ couldn’t)

Let’s practice

Quiz time

Practice 1

Practice 2

Speaking

⏱️ 1. Using just

✅ 2. Using already

❓ 3. Using yet

🌟 Quick Tip

Let’s practice

Quiz time

Practice 1

Practice 2

Speaking time

Practice 1

Practice 2

⏳ 1. Using for

📅 2. Using since

🌟 Quick Tip

Present Perfect Review

Let’s Practice

1️⃣Quiz time

Practice 1

Practice 2

2️⃣Speaking time

Practice 1

Practice 2

Conditionals Quiz

RELATED TOPICS:

Speaking Practice

Spinning Wheel

Create an advertising

✍️ Writing Practice

What is a noun?

Let’s Review

Let’s practice