🔑 The Sentence Formula
The formula in three parts
| Statement | Subject + Verb |
| Question | Auxiliary + Subject + Verb |
| Negative | Subject + Auxiliary + NOT + Verb |
The 3 Verb Columns
| Base Form | Simple Past | Past Participle |
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Auxiliaries by tense (12 tenses)
Present Simple — Do / Does
- Statement
- Question
- Negative
Present Continuous — Is / Are
- Statement
- Question
- Negative
Past Simple — Did
- Statement
- Question
- Negative
Past Continuous — Was / Were
- Statement
- Question
- Negative
Present Perfect — Have / Has
- Statement
- Question
- Negative
Present Perfect Continuous — Have / Has (+ been)
- Statement
- Question
- Negative
Past Perfect — Had
- Statement
- Question
- Negative
Past Perfect Continuous — Had (+ been)
- Statement
- Question
- Negative
Future Simple — Will
- Statement
- Question
- Negative
Future Continuous — Will (+ be)
- Statement
- Question
- Negative
Future Perfect — Will (+ have)
- Statement
- Question
- Negative
Conditional — Would
- Statement
- Question
- Negative
The “to be” exception
- Statement
- Question
- Negative
Why this trips up word-for-word translation
Modals (can, could, should, must, may)
Can — ability / possibility
- Statement
- Question
- Negative
Could — past of can / polite request
- Statement
- Question
- Negative
Should — recommendation
- Statement
- Question
- Negative
Must — strong obligation
- Statement
- Question
- Negative
May — possibility / permission
- Statement
- Question
- Negative