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El proposito de este blog es especialmente educativo; ha sido creado con el propósito de aydar a todos los estudiantes del Idioma Inglés o cualquiera que sienta el deseo o necesidad de aprender una lengua extranjera.

SIMPLE TENSES (VERB TO LIVE)

       -did not = didn't ( short form)
                -ed disappears at the negative form 

	SIMPLE PRESENT	SIMPLE  PAST	SIMPLE FUTURE
AFFIRMATIVE	I AM	I WAS	I WILL BE
	YOU ARE	YOU WERE	YOU WILL BE
	HE/SHE/IT IS	HE/SHE/IT WAS	HE/SHE/IT WILL BE
	WE ARE	WE WERE	WE WILL BE
	YOU ARE	YOU WERE	YOU WILL BE
	THEY ARE	THEY WERE	THEY WILL BE
NEGATIVE	I AM NOT	I WAS NOT	I WILL NOT BE
	YOU ARE NOT	YOU WERE  NOT	YOU WILL NOT BE
	HE/SHE/IT IS NOT	HE/SHE/IT WAS NOT	HE/SHE/IT WILL NOT BE
	WE ARE NOT	WE WERE NOT	WE WILL NOT BE
	YOU ARE NOT	YOU WERE NOT	YOU WILL NOT BE
	THEY ARE NOT	THEY WERE NOT	THEY WILL NOT BE
INTERROGATIVE	AM I?	WAS I?	WILL I BE?
	ARE YOU?	WERE YOU?	WILL YOU BE?
	IS HE/SHE/IT?	WAS HE/SHE/IT?	WILL HE/SHE/IT BE?
	ARE WE?	WERE WE?	WILL WE BE?
	ARE YOU?	WERE YOU?	WILL YOU BE?
	ARE THEY?	WERE THEY?	WILL THEY BE?

SIMPLE TENSES (VERB TO BE)

	PRESENT PERFECT	PAST PERFECT	FUTURE PERFECT
AFFIRMATIVE	I have eaten something	I had eaten something	I will have eaten
	You have talked to somebody	You had talked to somebody	You  will have talked
	He/She/It has gone somewhere	He/She/It had gone somewhere	He/she/it will have gone
	We have looked at something	We had looked at something	We will have looked
	You have worn something	You had worn something	You will have worn
	They have sat somewhere	They had sat somewhere	They will have sat
NEGATIVE	I have not eaten something	I had not eaten something	I will not have eaten
	You have not  talked to somebody	You had not talked to somebody	You  will not have talked
	He/She/It has not gone somewhere	He/She/It had not gone somewhere	He/she/it will not have gone
	We have not  looked at something	We had not looked at something	We will not have looked
	You have not worn something	You had not worn something	You will not have worn
	They have not sat somewhere	They had not sat somewhere	They will not have sat
INTERROGATIVE	Have I eaten something?	Had I eaten something?	Will I have eaten something?
	Have you talked to somebody?	Had you talked to somebody?	Will you have talked to somebody?
	Has He/She/It gone somewhere?	Had He/She/It gone somewhere?	Will He/She/It have gone somewhere?
	Have we looked at something?	Had we looked at something?	Will we have looked at something?
	Have you worn something?	Had you worn something?	Will you have worn something?
	Have they sat somewhere?	Had they sat somewhere?	Will they have sat somewhere?

PERFECT TENSES

English Idioms

Above and beyond

More than is required. This somewhat redundant expression.  Above and beyond here both denote excess.  Often precedes the call of duty, which means exceeding what a particular job requires. Thus Putting in overtime without pay is above and beyond the call of duty. Also see OVER AND ABOVE.

Absence makes the heart grow fonder

Separation intensifies love, as in After a year in another country she accepted her proposal, so I guess absence makes the heart grow fonder, or, used ironically, The boss leaves earlier every day; oh well, absence makes the heart grow fonder.

Although versions of this saying date from Roman times, it only became popular after Thomas Haynes Bayly used it as the last line of a song in The Isle of Beauty (1850). The opposite sentiment is expressed by FAMILIARITY BREEDS CONTEMPT.

Absent without leave

Away without permission or explanation, as in Her daughter went to the mall but got in trouble for being absent without leave. The term and its acronym, AWOL, originated in the American military during World War I for soldiers absent from duty without permission (leave). It later was transferred to civilian situations, as in John didn't just cut his Tuesday classes; he went AWOL.        

Babe in the woods

An innocent or very naive person who is apt to be duped or victimized, as in: She was a babe in the woods where the stock market was concerned. The term originated in a popular ballad of 1595, "The Children in the Wood," about two young orphans who are abandoned in a forest and die.

Back and fill

Vacillate, be undecided, as in:  This measure will never be passed if the town meeting continues to  back and fill. This term comes from sailing ships, where it signifies alternately backing and filling the sails, a method used when the wind is running against a ship in a narrow channel. The sail is  hauled back against the wind and braced so that the tide or current carries the ship forward against the wind. Then the sail must be swung around and filled, to keep the ship on course. The term's figurative use for indecisiveness dates from the mid-1800s. 

Back and forth Also, Backward(s) and forward(s).  To and fro, moving in one direction and then the opposite and so making no progress in either. For example, The clock pendulum swung  back and forth. The term is also used figuratively, as in The lawyers argued the point backwards  and forwards for an entire week. [c. 1600]

Back number

Dated, out of style. For example, That bat is really a back number, or The game has changed so fast that a player who returns to the circuit after several years' absence usually finds he or she is a back number. This term originally referred to back issues of periodicals, which are no longer  newsworthy. [Late 1800s].

Back of Also, at the back of; in back of. Behind; also, supporting. For example, The special  brands were stored back of the counter, or "Franklin stood back of me in everything I wanted to  do" (Eleanor Roosevelt, quoted by Catherine Drinker Bowen, Atlantic Monthly, March 1970). The  first term, dating from the late 1600s, was long criticized as an undesirable colloquialism but today is generally considered acceptable. The variants, at the back of, from about 1400, and in back  of, from the early 1900s, also can be used both literally and figuratively and could be substituted for back of in either example. Also see BACK OF BEYOND.

Back of beyond.

Extremely remote. For example, John's about to move to some tiny island, truly back of beyond. This term, used as a humorous exaggeration, relies on the meaning of beyond (or the beyond) as "a distant place, beyond human experience." [Early 1800s]

back of one's hand

Rejection or contempt, as in Unimpressed with him, she gave the back of her hand to his

suggestion. This phrase is usually the object of a verb such as give or show. [Second half of 1700s]  Back of the hand similarly means "an insult" in the term back-handed compliment (see under  LEFT-HANDED COMPLIMENT) but has a quite different meaning in know like the  back of one's hand (see under KNOW LIKE A BOOK).

Cabin fever

Distress or anxiety caused by prolonged confinement in a small or remote place, as in We've been  snowed in for a week and everyone has cabin fever. Originating in the West, this term at first  alluded to being penned up in a remote cabin during a long winter but has since been applied more broadly. [Late 1800s]

Call a halt

Order something stopped, as in It was getting too dark to see the ball, so the referee called a halt to the match, or They'd played the march four times, so the conductor called a halt to the rehearsal. [Late 1800s]

Call a spade a spade

Speak frankly and bluntly, be explicit, as in: You can always trust Mary to call a spade a spade. This term comes from a Greek saying, call a bowl a bowl, that was mistranslated into Latin by Erasmus  and came into English in the 1500s. Also see TELL IT LIKE IT IS.       

Call in sick

Telephone one's employer or school that one is ill and cannot come to work or attend. For example, Ben called in sick and told his boss he would miss the meeting. [Mid-1900s]

Call it a day.

 Stop a particular activity for the rest of the day, as in: It's past five o'clock so let's call it a day. Similarly, call it a night means "to stop something for the rest of the night," as in: One more hand of bridge and then let's call it a night. The original phrase was call it half a day, first recorded in 1838, which referred to leaving one's place of employment before the work day was over. The first  recorded use of call it a day was in 1919, and of call it a night in 1938. Also see CALL IT QUITS.

Call names

Verbally abuse someone, use offensive epithets, as in: The teacher told the children to stop calling  names. This idiom was first recorded in the late 1600s but Shakespeare used a similar expression  earlier in Richard III (1:3): "That thou hadst called me all these bitter names."

Call one's own

Claim or regard something as one's possession or under one's control, as in: Victorian wives had almost nothing to call their own. This expression, dating from about 1600, today is often used in a  negative context, as in the example. It also appears in: can't call one's time one's own, which dates from the 18th century and means one spends much of one's time in someone else's service, as in: The hours in this job are terrible; I can't call my time my own.

Cut to the bone

Severely reduced, as in: During the Depression Grandmother's housekeeping money was cut to the bone. The phrase to the bone, literally meaning "through the flesh to the inmost part or core," dates from about 1400. This expression in effect means that everything extraneous has been cut  away so that only bone remains.

Cut to the chase

Get to the point, get on with it, as in:  We don't have time to go into that, so let's cut to the chase. This usage alludes to editing (cutting) film so as to get to the exciting chase scene in a motion picture. [Slang; 1920s]

Daisy chain

1. A series of connected events, activities, or experiences. For example, The daisy chain of lectures on art history encompassed the last 200 years. This metaphorical term alludes to a string of the  flowers linked together. [Mid-1800s] 2. A line or circle of three or more persons engaged in  simultaneous sexual activity. For example, A high-class call girl, she drew the line at daisy chains. [Vulgar slang; 1920s] 3. A series of securities transactions intended to give the impression of  active trading so as to drive up the price. For example, The SEC is on the alert for unscrupulous brokers who are engaging in daisy chains. [1980s]

Damaged goods

A person, especially an unmarried woman who is no longer a virgin, as in A person who has sex  before marriage is not considered damaged goods in this day and age. This pejorative expression  transfers the reduced value of materials (stock, provisions, etc.) marred in some way to women  who have had a sexual experience. [Early 1900s]

Damned if I do, damned if I don't

A situation in which one can't win. For example:  If I invite Aunt Jane, Mother will be angry, and if Idon't, I lose Jane's friendship.

I'm damned if I do and damned if I don't. Eric Partridge suggested this idiom may have come from the emphatic I'm damned if I do, meaning ''I definitely will not do something," but despite the similar wording the quite different meaning argues against this theory. [Colloquial; first half of 1900s] Also see CATCH-22.

Damn well Also, damned well. Certainly, without doubt; emphatically. For example:  You damn well better improve your grades, or I know damned well that he's leaving me out. The damn in this phrase is mainly an intensifier.

Dutch courage

False courage acquired by drinking liquor, as in:  He had a quick drink to give him Dutch courage. This idiom alludes to the reputed heavy drinking of the Dutch, and was first referred to in Edmund Waller's Instructions to a Painter (1665): "The Dutch their wine, and all their brandy lose, Disarm'd of that from which their courage grows."

Dutch treat

An outing or date in which each person pays his or her own expenses. For example:  Her parents agreed that she might date if it were a Dutch treat. The related expression go Dutch means "to go on a date with each person paying their own way," as in:  Students often elect to go Dutch. The first term dates from about 1870, and the variant from the early 1900s.

Dutch uncle

A stern, candid critic or adviser, as in: When I got in trouble with the teacher again, the principal talked to me like a Dutch uncle. This expression, often put as talk to one like a Dutch uncle, presumably alludes to the sternness and sobriety attributed to the Dutch. [Early 1800s]

Eager beaver

An exceptionally zealous person, one who habitually takes on more tasks or works harder than others. For example:  Bill is a real eager beaver, always volunteering to stay late. This expression became especially popular during World War II, applied to recruits anxious to impress their commanding officers by such behavior. [First half of 1900s]

Eagle eye

Unusually keen sight; also, keen intellectual vision. For example:  Antiques dealers have an eagle eye for valuable objects, or A good manager has an eagle eye for employee errors. [Late 1500s]

Early bird catches the worm Also, early bird gets the worm.

One who arrives first has thebest chance for success, as in:  She's always the first one in line and does well at these auctions.

The early bird catches the worm! This proverbial saying, first recorded in English in 1605, is so familiar that it is often shortened to early bird, a term also used in the sense of "early riser", as in:  You can call me at seven. I'm an early bird, as well as "early diner" (This restaurant has early-bird specials at lower prices).

Early to bed, early to rise (makes a man healthy, wealthy, and wise)

Prudent habits pay off, as in: With final exams coming, you'd best remember, early to bed and early to rise. This ancient rhyming proverb, so familiar that it is often abbreviated as in the example, was long ascribed to Benjamin Franklin, who quoted it in this form in Poor Richard's Almanack. However, slightly different versions existed in English in the mid-1400s and in Latin even earlier.

Earn one's keep Also, Be worth one's keep or salt.

Work well enough to deserve what one is paid, as in:  Get a job!!  It’s time you earned your keep, or With that batting average he's not worth his salt. The keep in this phrase refers to ''room and board," which in former times sometimes constituted the only reward for working (on a farm, in a home, etc.). The salt stands for  "salary" and alludes to the ancient Roman practice of paying soldiers an allowance to buy salt. [First half of 1800s]

Have eyes in the back of one's head.

Be more aware of what is happening than is generally realized. For example:  Even when he's away he always knows what the staff is doing. He has eyes in the back of his head, or with such hostile colleagues she needs to have eyes in the back of her head. [Mid-1500s]

Face the music

Confront unpleasantness, especially the consequences of one's errors. For example: When the check bounced, he had to face the music. The precise allusion in this expression has been lost. Most authorities believe it refers to a theater's pit orchestra, which an actor must face when he faces what can be a hostile audience, but some hold it comes from the military, where a formal  dismissal in disgrace would be accompanied by band music. [Second half of 1800s] Also see FACE  UP TO.

Facts of life

Knowledge of sexual reproduction, as in: Some people feel that the facts of life should not be taught in school. [Late 1800s] Also see BIRDS AND THE BEES.

Fair and square

Just and honest, as in: He won the race fair and square. This redundant expression, fair and square means essentially the same thing.  

Fair enough

That's reasonable; I agree. For example:  I'll wait just one more day.  Fair enough, you've been very patient. [Colloquial; early 1900s]

Fair game

A legitimate target for attack or ridicule. For example: On his talk show, authors are considered fair game. This expression alludes to hunting. [Early 1800s]

Fair-haired boy

A favorite, a person who is given special treatment. For example:  Today the attorney general is the governor's fair-haired boy. This term alludes to the preference of blond ("fair") hair over dark hair. [Late 1800s]

Fair play

Conformity to established rules; upright conduct and equitable conditions. For example: The coach insists on fair play. Shakespeare used this idiom in King John (5:2): "According to the fair play of  the world, let me have audience." [Late 1500s] Also see TURNABOUT IS FAIR PLAY.

Fair sex

Girls or women, as in: Many women would object to being called the fair sex nowadays. This euphemism uses fair in the sense of "physically beautiful" and is probably dying out. [Mid-1600s]

A fair shake

An equitable bargain or opportunity, as in:  You can always count on the boss to give his crew a fair  shake. This expression probably alludes to the shaking of dice. [Colloquial; early 1800s]

Fair to middling

Mediocre, pretty good, so-so, as in:  I asked them how they liked their new home and John  answered. "Fair to middling."  This phrase, often a reply to an inquiry about one's health, business, or the like, is redundant, since fair and middling both mean "moderately good." [Mid-1800s] Also see CAN'T COMPLAIN.

Funny business

Deceit, treachery, unethical conduct. For example:  We suspect their outfit has been up to some  funny business. [Colloquial; c. 1880]

Funny money

Counterfeit money; also, money from an obscure or questionable source. For example: The police  warned storekeepers that some funny money was being passed around town. This expression  probably endures because of its rhyme. [1930s]

Fuss and feathers

Needless commotion and display, as in: There was so much fuss and feathers over the award ceremony that I decided not to attend. This expression probably survives because of its appealing alliteration. [Mid-1800s]

The game is not worth the candle.

The returns from an activity or enterprise do not warrant the time, money or effort required. For example:  The office he is running for is so unimportant that the game's not worth the candle. This  expression, which began as a translation of a term used by the French essayist Michel de  Montaigne in 1580, alludes to gambling by candlelight, which involved the expense of illumination. If the winnings were not sufficient, they did not warrant the expense. Used figuratively, it was a  proverb within a century.

The game is up, Also, The jig is up. The trick or deception has been exposed. For example:  When they took inventory they realized what was missing, and the game was up for the  department head. This expression dates from the mid-1800s and uses up in the sense of "over" or  "lost." The variant employs jig in the sense of "trickery," a usage dating from about 1600.

That’s a game that two can play.  Also, Two can play at that game.

Another can behave in  the same way or do the same thing. For example:  He refused to tell us whether he would go or  stay, but that's a game two can play. This expression is generally used as a threat of retaliation. [Early 1800s]

garden variety

Ordinary, common, as in:  I don't want anything special in a VCR, the garden variety will do.  This term alludes to a common plant as opposed to a specially bred  hybrid. [Colloquial; 1920]

Gender gap

A broad difference between men and women, as in: There is still an enormous gender gap in the  wages of unskilled labor. This expression at first referred to the difference between men and   women in voting preferences. It has since been extended to other areas. [1970s]

Generation gap

A broad difference in values and attitudes between one generation  and another, especially between parents and their children. For example:  There's a real generation gap in their choice of music, restaurants, clothing you name it. [1960s]

Hail from

Come from, originate from, as in: He hails from Oklahoma. This term originally referred to the port from which a ship had sailed. [Mid-1800s]

Hair of the dog that bit you

Whatever made you ill used as a remedy, especially alcohol as a hangover cure.  For example:  A little hair of the dog will cure that hangover in no time. This expression, already a proverb in John  Heywood's 1546 compendium, is based on the ancient folk treatment for dogbite of putting a burnt hair of the dog on the wound. It is often shortened, as in the example.

Hair shirt

A self-imposed punishment or penance, as in:  I apologized a dozen times. Do you want me to wear a hair shirt forever? This term, mentioned from the 13th century on, alludes to wearing a coarse, scratchy hair shirt, the practice of religious ascetics. Its figurative use dates from the mid-1800s.

Hale and hearty

In robust good health, as in:  After her long bout with pneumonia, I was glad to see her hale and  hearty. This redundant expression, since both hale and hearty here mean "healthy," probably survives owing to its pleasing alliteration. [Mid-1800s]