HIGHER INSTITUTE OF SCIENCE AND TECHONOLOGY

TECHNICAL ENGLISH

Elizabeth Delgado 8-779-1115

📌 Main Uses:

• Habits and routines:
  When we talk about things we do on a regular basis.
  Examples:

  • I wake up at 6 a.m.

  • She studies English every Monday.

  • They go to the gym twice a week.

• General truths and facts:
  These are things that are always true or scientifically proven.
  Examples:

  • The sun rises in the east.

  • Water boils at 100 degrees Celsius.

  • Cats hate water.

• Scheduled events or timetables:
  Especially when referring to future events that are fixed.
  Examples:

  • The train leaves at 7 o’clock.

  • The movie starts at 8 p.m.

• Permanent situations:
  These describe situations that don’t change easily.
  Examples:

  • She lives in Panama.

  • He works in a bank.

🔑 Common time expressions used with the present simple:

• Every day / every week

• On Mondays / in the morning

• Always / usually / often / sometimes / never

✅ Regular Verbs:

These verbs form their past tense by simply adding -ed to the base form of the verb.

Regular verbs follow a clear and predictable pattern, which makes them easier to learn.

❌ Irregular Verbs:

Irregular verbs do not follow the -ed rule. Their past tense and past participle forms change completely, and they must be memorized.

While this distinction is more important when learning the past tenses, it’s good to recognize them early when building your vocabulary.

✏️ Affirmative Sentences:

• For I, you, we, they, we use the base form of the verb.
  Example:

  • They work in an office.

  • We like chocolate.

• For he, she, it, we add -s or -es to the verb.
  Example:

  • He plays football.

  • She watches TV at night.

  • It rains a lot in April.

❌ Negative Sentences:

• For I, you, we, they, use do not (don’t) + base verb.
  Example:

  • I don’t like coffee.

  • They don’t go to school on Sundays.

• For he, she, it, use does not (doesn’t) + base verb.
  Example:

  • She doesn’t eat meat.

  • He doesn’t play basketball.

Notice that after “doesn’t,” the verb returns to its base form (no -s).

❓ Questions:

To ask a question, we start with Do or Does, followed by the subject and the base verb.

• Do you speak English?

• Does he work here?

• Do they have pets?

• Does it snow in Panama?

🔑 Common Modal Verbs:

• Can – to express ability or permission
  Example: I can swim. / Can I go outside?

• Could – for past ability or polite requests
  Example: He could run very fast when he was young.

• May – to express permission or possibility
  Example: You may go now. / It may rain.

• Might – to show a smaller possibility
  Example: We might be late.

• Must – to express obligation or necessity
  Example: You must wear a seatbelt.

• Should – to give advice
  Example: You should study for the test.

• Would – used in polite offers or conditional sentences
  Example: Would you like some coffee?

The structure is quite simple:

Subject + Modal Verb + Base Verb + Complement

Examples:

• I can dance salsa.

• She must arrive on time.

• They should drink more water.

• He might travel to Europe.

❌ Negative Form:

Just add “not” after the modal verb. Most modals have a short form (contraction):

• can → cannot (can’t)

• should → should not (shouldn’t)

• must → must not (mustn’t)

Examples:

• You shouldn’t eat too much sugar.

• He can’t come to the party.

• We mustn’t be late.

❓ Questions with Modals:

Start with the modal verb, then add the subject and base verb:

• Can you swim?

• Should I call her?

• May I leave early?

• Must we wear a uniform?

Examples:

• play → played

• cook → cooked

• walk → walked

• clean → cleaned

❌ Irregular Verbs:

Examples:

• go → went

• have → had

• eat → ate

• take → took