Losing words and confusing to speak English

by Mary Jae Abarquez
(Manila Phillipines)

Hi Robby, I'm jane. My problem is I am confused speaking in English because I am losing words to say and I dont know how to put in right tense and verbs. What should I do? Thank u so much

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Apr 02, 2011
 How to choose correct verb tense
by: Robby Kukurs

Hi Jane,

If your issue is limited vocabulary and you simply don't know how certain actions are described in English, I'm afraid I won't be able to help you. I'm dealing with fluency and confidence issues if a person already has a good general knowledge of English.

And if you simply meant how to choose the correct tense during conversations, here's a good tip.

Make the Present Continuous Tense your basic tense when speaking English with other people. It's used an awful lot more than we, foreigners, think!

It's used to:
* describe current ongoing actions (I'm responding to your question right now);
* describe frequent, annoying activities (I'm always being grumpy on Monday mornings);
* tell a story about past events (Yesterday I drove downtown. And then all of a sudden gas is running out and I'm stopping right in the middle of the street!);
* talk about future arrangements (I'm visiting my grandmother tomorrow evening).

Use Going To future form to talk about future plans that aren't arranged for a specific time yet; use Will + To future for instant decisions and to express your opinion after "I think" (I think she'll come) and other verbs that express your attitude towards reality.

Use Simple past telling a story where one action follows another - I came home at six. I had a quick meal first thing, and then I took a shower. After that I had a quick nap and then I headed to my friend's house for a party!

Use Simple Perfect to describe actions that are completed and you're merely stating the fact without mentioning time - I've done my homework, can I go out now? If time is mentioned - use Simple Past - I completed the test at 9:15, which left me with fifteen more minutes to go through everything.

Use Past Perfect to describe action that was completed in the past BEFORE your main storyline - I came home and noticed that someone had knocked down a flowerpot from the windowsill.

These are the basics of English Grammar Tenses, and that's pretty much all you need to know to communicate successfully.

Hope it helps,

Robby

Robby Kukurs is the creator of www.englishharmony.com, a website he created in 2007 to help struggling foreign English speakers gain real English fluency.

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