English learning thread

Use of SUCH and SO.

SUCH is a determiner; SO is an adverb.

They often have the same meaning of ‘very’ or ‘to this degree’:

Those are such good chocolates.

Those chocolates are so good.

We use such + noun phrase and so + adjective or adverb phrase:

She is such a great cook.

Not: She is so great cook.

That was so unpleasant. (so + adjective)

Not: That was such unpleasant.

Why do you drive so fast? (so + adverb)

Not: Why do you drive such fast?


so + adjective

such + noun phrase

You’re so kind.

He’s such a kind person

It was so hot we couldn’t work.

November was such a cold month.

SO but not SUCH can also be used in front of:
much, many, little, few to add emphasis:

So much food was wasted every day.

Not: Such much food was wasted …

In those days there were so few doctors in our area.

Not: … there were such few doctors …



Typical mistakes:

We use SUCH not SO, before a noun, even if there is an adjective before the noun:

They’re such snobs! They won’t speak to anyone else in the village.

Not: They’re so snobs …

Those are such cool shoes. Where did you get them?

Not: Those are so cool shoes.

We use SUCH not SO, before a noun phrase with the indefinite article a/an:

This is such a wonderful kitchen!

Not: This is a so wonderful kitchen!

We use SO not SUCH before adjectives:

Thank you. You’re so kind.

Not: You’re such kind.

We use SO not SUCH before adverbs:

She always dresses so elegantly.

Not: She always dresses such elegantly.

source:dictionary.cambridge.org
 

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Present Continuous


The present continuous of any verb is composed of two parts - the present tense of the verb to be + the present participle of the main verb.

(The form of the present participle is: base+ing, e.g. talking, playing, moving, smiling)

Affirmative
Subject+ to be+ base + ing
She is talking.

Negative
Subject + to be + not+ base + ing
Sheis not (isn't)talking.

Interrogative
to be+ subject+ base + ing
Is she talking?


EXAMPLES: TO GO, PRESENT CONTINUOUS

1. Affirmative
2. Negative
3. Interrogative

1. I am going.
2. I am not going.
3. Am I going?

You are going.
You aren't going.
Are you going?

He/she/it is going.
He/she/it isn't going.
Is he/she/it going?

We are going.
We aren't going.
Are we going?

You are going.
You aren't going.
Are you going?

They are going.
They aren't going.
Are they going?


FUNCTIONS OF THE PRESENT CONTINUOUS

When someone uses the present continuous, they are thinking about something that is unfinished or incomplete

THE PRESENT CONTINUOUS IS USED:

- to describe an action that is going on at this moment:
You are using the Internet.
You are studying English grammar.

-to describe an action that is going on during this period of time or a trend:
Are you still working for the same company?
More and more people are becoming vegetarian.

-to describe an action or event in the future, which has already been planned or prepared:
We're going on holiday tomorrow.
I'm meeting my boyfriend tonight.
Are they visiting you next winter?

-to describe a temporary event or situation:
He usually plays the drums, but he's playing bass guitar tonight.
The weather forecast was good, but it's raining at the moment.

-with "always, forever, constantly", to describe and emphasise a continuing series of repeated actions:
Harry and Sally are always arguing! You're constantly complaining about your mother-in-law!


VERBS THAT ARE NOT USUALLY USED IN THE CONTINUOUS FORM
The verbs in the list below are normally used in the simple form because they refer to states, rather than actions or processes.

SENSES / PERCEPTION
to feel*
to hear
to see*
to smell
to taste

OPINION
to assume
to believe
to consider
to doubt
to feel (= to think)
to find (= to consider)
to suppose
to think*

MENTAL STATES
to forget
to imagine
to know
to mean
to notice
to recognise
to remember
to understand

EMOTIONS / DESIRES
to envy
to fear
to dislike
to hate
to hope
to like
to love
to mind
to prefer
to regret
to want
to wish

MEASUREMENT
to contain
to cost
to hold
to measure
to weigh

OTHERS
to look (=resemble)
to seem
to be (in most cases)
to have(when it means "to possess")*

EXCEPTIONS

Perception verbs (see, hear, feel, taste, smell) are often used with CAN:

I can see...
I can hear ...

These verbs may be used in the continuous form but with a different meaning:

This coat feels nice and warm. (your perception of the coat's qualities)

John's feeling much better now (his health is improving)

She has three dogs and a cat. (possession)

She's having supper. (She's eating)

I can see Anthony in the garden (perception)

I'm seeing Anthony later (We are planning to meet)

In these examples, the action is taking place at the time of speaking.

It's raining.
Who is Kate talking to on the phone?
Look, somebody is trying to steal that man's wallet.

In these examples, the action is true at the present time but we don't think it will be true in the long term.

I'm looking for a new apartment.
He's thinking about leaving his job.
They're considering making an appeal against the judgment.

Are you getting enough sleep?

In these examples, the action is at a definite point in the future and it has already been arranged.

I'm meeting her at 6.30.
They aren't arriving until Tuesday.
We are having a special dinner at a top restaurant for all the senior managers.

edufind.com
 
Present Simple

We use the present simple to talk about actions we see as long term or permanent.
It is a very common and very important tense.

Here, we are talking about regular actions or events.

They drive to the office every day.
She doesn't come here very often.
The news usually starts at 6.00 every evening.

Do you usually have bacon and eggs for breakfast?

Here, we are talking about facts.

We have two children.
Water freezes at 0° C or 32° F.
What does this expression mean?
The Thames flows through London.

Here, we are talking about future facts, usually found in a timetable or a chart.

Christmas Day falls on a Monday this year.

The plane leaves at 5.00 tomorrow morning.

Ramadhan doesn't start for another 3 weeks.

Does the class begin at 10 or 11 this week?

Here, we are talking about our thoughts and feelings at the time of speaking.
Although these feelings can be short-term, we use the present simple and not the present continuous.

They don't ever agree with us.
I think you are right.
She doesn't want you to do it.
Do you understand what I am trying to say?
 
Present Simple or Continuous

We use the Present Simple

- for regular actions or events:
I watch TV most evenings.

- for facts:
The sun rises in the east.

- for facts known about the future:
The plane leaves at 5.00 in the morning.

- for thoughts and feelings about the time of speaking:
I don't understand.

We use the Present Continuous

- at the time of speaking ('now'):
I'm watching a movie on TV.

- for things which are true at the moment but not always:
I'm looking for a new job.

- for present plans for the future:
I'm taking my husband to New York for his birthday.


Look at these sentences:

I usually don't drink coffee but I'm having one this morning because there is nothing else.

I often drive to work but I'm taking the train this morning because my car is in for repair.

I'm thinking about dying my hair blonde but I don't think my wife will be very happy about it.

My parents live in New York but I'm just visiting.

Notice how in all these examples we use the present continuous to talk about events which are temporary/limited in time and the present simple to talk about events which are habits/permanent.
 
Past Simple

We use the past simple to talk about actions and states which we see as completed in the past.

We can use it to talk about a specific point in time.

She came back last Friday.
I saw her in the street.
They didn't agree to the deal.

It can also be used to talk about a period of time.

John Cabot sailed to America in 1498.
My father died last year.
He lived in Fiji in 1976.
We crossed the Channel yesterday.

You always use the simple past when you say when something happened, so it is associated with certain past time expressions.

- frequency: often, sometimes, always:

I sometimes walked home at lunchtime.
I often brought my lunch to school.

- a definite point in time: last week, when I was a child, yesterday, six weeks ago:

We saw a good film last week.
Yesterday, I arrived in Geneva.
She finished her work at seven o'clock.

I went to the theatre last night.

- an indefinite point in time: the other day, ages ago, a long time ago:

People lived in caves a long time ago.
She played the piano when she was a child.

Note: the word ago is a useful way of expressing the distance into the past. It is placed after the period of time: a week ago, three years ago, a minute ago.


FORMING THE SIMPLE PAST TENSE

PATTERNS OF SIMPLE PAST TENSE FOR REGULAR VERBS

Affirmative
Subject+ verb + ed
I played.

Negative
Subject+ did not+ infinitive without TO

They didn'tgo.

Interrogative
Did + subject + infinitive without TO
Did she arrive?

Interrogative negative
Did not +subject+infinitive without TO
Didn't you play?



TO WALK

1. Affirmative
2. Negative
3. Interrogative

1. I walked
2. I didn't walk
3. Did I walk?

You walked
You didn't walk
Did you walk?

He walked
He didn't walk
Did he walk?

We walked
We didn't walk
Did we walk?

They walked
They didn't walk
Did they walk?

SIMPLE PAST TENSE OF TO BE, TO HAVE, TO DO

Subject Verb
Be Have Do

I was had did
You were had did
He/She/It was had did
We were had did
You were had did
They were had did

AFFIRMATIVE, NEGATIVE, & INTERROGATIVE FORMS

AFFIRMATIVE

The affirmative of the simple past tense is simple.

I was in Japan last year
She had a headache yesterday.
We did our homework last night.

NEGATIVE AND INTERROGATIVE

For the negative and interrogative simple past form of "do" as an ordinary verb, use the auxiliary "do", e.g. We didn't do our homework last night.

The negative of "have" in the simple past is usually formed using the auxiliary "do", but sometimes by simply adding NOT or the contraction "n't".

The interrogative form of "have" in the simple past normally uses the auxiliary "do".

EXAMPLES

They weren't in Rio last summer.
We didn't have any money.
We didn't have time to visit the Eiffel Tower.

We didn't do our exercises this morning.

Were they in Iceland last January?
Did you have a bicycle when you were young?

Did you do much climbing in Switzerland?

Note: For the negative and interrogative form of all verbs in the simple past, always use the auxiliary 'did''.

SIMPLE PAST, IRREGULAR VERBS
Some verbs are irregular in the simple past. Here are the most common ones.

TO GO

He went to a club last night.
Did he go to the cinema last night?
He didn't go to bed early last night.

TO GIVE

We gave her a doll for her birthday.
They didn't give John their new address.
Did Barry give you my passport?

TO COME

My parents came to visit me last July.
We didn't come because it was raining.
Did he come to your party last week?

Other examples of past tenses:

She lived in Tokyo for seven years.
They were in London from Monday to Thursday of last week.

When I was living in New York, I went to all the art exhibitions I could.

You will often find the past simple used with time expressions such as these:

Yesterday
three weeks ago
last year
in 2002
from March to June
for a long time
for 6 weeks
in the 1980s
in the last century
in the past

source:edufind.com
 
There are four past tenses in English.

Use them to talk about things that started and ended in the past or things that started in the past and continue to the present.

Simple Past
For actions starting and ending in the past.

Past Continuous
For actions starting in the past and continuing to the present.

Past Perfect
For actions that started and ended in the past before another action that is also in the past.

Past Perfect Continuous
For actions that were going on in the past up until another action in the past happened.
 
FUNCTIONS OF THE PAST CONTINUOUS

The past continuous describes actions or events in a time before now, which began in the past and is still going on at the time of speaking.

In other words, it expresses an unfinished or incomplete action in the past.

We use it when we want to emphasize the continuing process of an activity or the period of that activity. (If we just want to talk about the past event as a simple fact, we use the past simple.)

Examples:

While I was driving home, Peter was trying desperately to contact me.

Were you expecting any visitors?
Sorry, were you sleeping?
I was just making some coffee.
I was thinking about him last night.
In the 1990s few people were using mobile phones.

We often use it to describe a "background action" when something else happened.

I was walking in the street when I suddenly fell over.

She was talking to me on the phone and it suddenly went dead.

They were still waiting for the plane when I spoke to them.

The company was declining rapidly before he took charge.

We were just talking about it before you arrived.

I was making a presentation in front of 500 people when the microphone stopped working.


Often, it is used to describe the background in a story written in the past tense:

"The sun WAS SHINING and the birds WERE SINGING as the elephant came out of the jungle. The other animals WERE RELAXING in the shade of the trees, but the elephant moved very quickly. She WAS LOOKING for her baby, and she didn't notice the hunter who WAS WATCHING her through his binoculars. When the shot rang out, she WAS RUNNING towards the river..."

- to describe an unfinished action that was interrupted by another event or action:

"I WAS HAVING a beautiful dream when the alarm clock rang."

- to express a change of mind:

"I WAS going to spend the day at the beach but I've decided to get my homework done instead."

- with 'wonder', to make a very polite request:

" I WAS WONDERING if you could baby-sit for me tonight."

OTHER EXAMPLES

They were waiting for the bus when the accident happened.

Caroline was skiing when she broke her leg.

When we arrived he was having a bath.

When the fire started I was watching television.


FORMING THE PAST CONTINUOUS
The past continuous of any verb is composed of two parts : the past tense of the verb "to be" (was/were), and the base of the main verb +ing.

Subject was/were base + ing
They were reading.

Affirmative
She was reading.

Negative
She wasn't reading.

Interrogative
Was she reading?


Interrogative negative
Wasn't she reading?



TO PLAY : PAST CONTINUOUS

1. Affirmative
2. Negative
3. Interrogative

I was playing
I was not playing
Was I playing?

You were playing
You were not playing
Were you playing?

He was playing
He wasn't playing
Was he playing?

We were playing
We weren't playing
Were we playing?

They were playing
They weren't playing
Were they playing?
 
Past Simple or Continuous

Both the past simple and the past continuous refer to completed actions in the past.

Most of the time when we are talking about such actions, we use the past simple.

This is by far the most common way of talking about the past.

I lived there for 6 years.
I only found out a few moments ago.
I asked her but she didn't know anything.

The company made 100 people redundant last year.

Only use the past continuous when you want to emphasize the continuity of the action.

Everybody was talking about it all evening.

They were really trying hard but couldn't do it.

I was thinking about you the other day.

Were you expecting that to happen?

When we use these two forms in the same sentence, we use the past continuous to talk about the "background action" and the past simple to talk about the shorter completed action.


It was raining hard when we left the building.

I was reading the report when you rang.

He was going out to lunch when I saw him.
 
Past Perfect

We use the past perfect simple to talk about what happened before a point in the past.

It looks back from a point in the past to further in the past.


Event A is the event that happened first.
Event B is the second or more recent event:

Event A
Event B
John had gone out
when I arrived in the office.

Event A
Event B
I had saved my document
before the computer crashed.

Event B
Event A
When they arrived
we had already started cooking.

Event B
Event A
He was very tired
because he hadn't slept well.

FORMING THE PAST PERFECT

The Past Perfect tense in English is composed of two parts:
the past tense of the verb to have (had) + the past participle of the main verb.

SUBJECT HAD PAST PARTICIPLE

Affirmative
She had given

Negative
She hadn't asked.

Interrogative
Had they arrived?

Interrogative Negative
Hadn't you finished?

TO DECIDE, PAST PERFECT

1. Affirmative
2. Negative
3. Interrogative

I had decided
I hadn't decided
Had I decided?

You had decided
You hadn't decided
Had you decided?

She had decided
She hadn't decided
Had she decided?

We had decided
We hadn't decided
Had we decided?

They had decided
They hadn't decided
Had they decided?

PAST PERFECT + JUST
'Just' is used with the past perfect to refer to an event that was only a short time earlier than before now:

The train had just left when I arrived at the station.

She had just left the room when the police arrived.

I had just put the washing out when it started to rain.

Other Past Perfect examples:

I hadn't known the bad news when I spoke to him.

I checked with the supplier and they still hadn't received the contract.

She had already told him before I got a chance to give him my version.

The company has started the year well but was badly hit by the postal strike.

The past perfect simple is often used when we report what people had said/thought/believed.

He told me they had already paid the bill.

He said he believed that John had moved to Italy.

I thought we had already decided on a name for this product.
 
Past Perfect Continuous

We use the past perfect continuous to look back at a situation in progress.

It was a good time to invest. Inflation had been falling for several months.

Before I changed jobs, I had been working on a plan to reduce production costs.

We had been thinking about buying a new house but then we decided to stay here.

We use it to say what had been happening before something else happened.

It had been snowing for a while before we left.

We had been playing tennis for only a few minutes when it started raining.

He was out of breath when he arrived because he had been running.

We use it when reporting things said in the past.

She said she had been trying to call me all day.

They said they had been shopping.
I told you I had been looking for some new clothes.

Other examples:

Had you been waiting long before the taxi arrived?

We had been trying to open the door for five minutes when Jane found her key.

It had been raining hard for several hours and the streets were very wet.

Her friends had been thinking of calling the police when she walked in.

This form is also used in reported speech. It is the equivalent of the past continuous and the present perfect continuous in direct speech:

Jane said, "I have been gardening all afternoon." = Jane said she had been gardening all afternoon.

When the police questioned him, John said, "I was working late in the office that night." = When the police questioned him, John told them he had been working late in the office that night.

FORMING THE PAST PERFECT CONTINUOUS

The past perfect continuous is composed of two elements -
the past perfect of the verb to be (=had been) + the present participle (base+ing).

Subject had been verb + ing

I had been walking

Affirmative
She had been trying

Negative
She hadn't been sleeping

Interrogative
Had you been eating?

Interrogative negative
Hadn't they been eating?

TO BUY, PAST PERFECT CONTINUOUS

1. Affirmative
2. Negative
3. Interrogative

I had been buying
I hadn't been buying
Had I been buying

You had been buying
You hadn't been buying
Had you been buying

She had been buying
She hadn't been buying
Had she been buying

We had been buying
We hadn't been buying
Had we been buying

They had been buying
They hadn't been buying
Had they been buying
 
Present Perfect Simple or Continuous

Often there is very little difference between the present perfect simple and the present perfect continuous.

In many cases, both are equally acceptable.

They've been working here for a long time but Andy has worked here for even longer.

I've lived here for 10 years and she has been living here for 12 years.

To emphasize the action, we use the continuous form.

We've been working really hard for a couple of months.

She's been having a hard time.

To emphasize the result of the action, we use the simple form.

I've made fifteen phone calls this morning.

He's written a very good report.

Look at the difference in these examples.

I've been reading this book for two months but I've only read half of it. It's very difficult to read.

She's been trying to convince him for 20 minutes but she hasn't managed to yet.

They've been talking about this for month and they still haven't found a solution.

When an action is finished and you can see the results, use the continuous form.

The phone bill is enormous. You've been calling your boyfriend in Australia, haven't you?

You're red in the face. Have you been running?

When you use the words 'ever' or 'never', use the simple form.

I don't know them. I've never met them.

Have you ever heard anything so strange in your life?
 
Past Simple or Present Perfect

The comments and the exercises here refer to correct grammar for British English.

In American English, it is often considered acceptable to use the past simple in some of these examples.)

The past simple is used to talk about actions in the past that have finished. It talks about 'then' and definitely excludes 'now'.

The present perfect simple to look back on actions in the past from the present. It always includes 'now'.

These sentences are in the past with no connection to the present.

I first got to know him 10 years ago.
I started work here in 1989.
I had too much to eat at lunchtime.

Now look at these same situations seen from the present.

I've known him for 10 years.
I've worked here since 1987.
My stomach hurts. I've eaten too much.

We use time expressions like 'yesterday', 'ago', 'last year', 'in 1999' with the past simple.

We spoke to him yesterday.
He came in a few moments ago.
We made our last purchase from them over a year ago.

She joined the company in 1999.

We use time expressions like 'ever', 'never', 'since' with the present perfect.

I've never seen so many people here before.

Have you ever been more surprised?
I've done a lot since we last talked about it.

Typical time expressions used with the present perfect in British English but often used with the past simple in American English are 'already', 'just', 'yet'.

I haven't done it yet. (UK)
I didn't do it yet. (US)
I've just done it. (UK)
I just did it. (US)
I've already done it. (UK)
I already did it. (US)

We can use the time phrase 'for' with both forms, but with different meanings.

I lived in Paris for a couple of years before I moved here.

I've lived in Paris for a couple of years and still love it.
 
PRESENT PERFECT

We use the present perfect when we want to look back from the present to the past.


FORMING THE PRESENT PERFECT

The present perfect of any verb is composed of two elements :

the appropriate form of the auxiliary verb to have (present tense), plus the past participle of the main verb.

The past participle of a regular verb is base+ed, e.g. played, arrived, looked.

Affirmative
Subject to have past participle

She has visited.

Negative
Subject to have + not past participle
She has not (hasn't) visited.

Interrogative
to have subject past participle
Has she visited?

Negative interrogative
to have + not subject past participle
Hasn't she visited?

TO WALK, PRESENT PERFECT

1. Affirmative
2. Negative
3. Interrogative

I have walked
I haven't walked
Have I walked?

You have walked
You haven't walked
Have you walked?

He /she / it has walked
He /she / it hasn't walked
Has he / she / it walked?

We have walked
We haven't walked
Have we walked?

You have walked
You haven't walked
Have you walked?

They have walked
They haven't walked
Have they walked?

FUNCTIONS OF THE PRESENT PERFECT

The Present Perfect is used to indicate a link between the present and the past. The time of the action is before now but not specified, and we are often more interested in the result than in the action itself.

THE PRESENT PERFECT IS USED TO DESCRIBE:

- An action or situation that started in the past and continues in the present. I have lived in Bristol since 1984 (= and I still do.)

An action performed during a period that has not yet finished.
She had been to the cinema twice this week (= and the week isn't over yet.)

- A repeated action in an unspecified period between the past and now.
We have visited Portugal several times.

- An action that was completed in the very recent past, expressed by 'just'. I have just finished my work.

- An action when the time is not important.
He has read 'War and Peace'. (= the result of his reading is important)

Note: When we want to give or ask details about when, where, who, we use the simple past.

ACTIONS STARTED IN THE PAST AND CONTINUING IN THE PRESENT:

They haven't lived here for years.
She has worked in the bank for five years.

We have had the same car for ten years.

Have you played the piano since you were a child?

WHEN THE TIME PERIOD REFERRED TO HAS NOT FINISHED:

I have worked hard this week.
It has rained a lot this year.
We haven't seen her today.

ACTIONS REPEATED IN AN UNSPECIFIED PERIOD BETWEEN THE PAST AND NOW:

They have seen that film six times.
It has happened several times already.

She has visited them frequently.
We have eaten at that restaurant many times.

ACTIONS COMPLETED IN THE VERY RECENT PAST (+JUST):

Have you just finished work?
I have just eaten.
We have just seen her.
Has he just left?

WHEN THE PRECISE TIME OF THE ACTION IS NOT IMPORTANT OR NOT KNOWN:

Someone has eaten my soup!
Have you seen 'Gone with the Wind'?
She's studied Japanese, Russian, and English.


We can use it to look back on the recent past:

I've broken my watch so I don't know what time it is.

They have cancelled the meeting.
She's taken my copy. I don't have one.

The sales team has doubled its turnover.

When we look back on the recent past, we often use the words 'just' 'already' or the word 'yet' (in negatives and questions only):

We've already talked about that.
She hasn't arrived yet.
I've just done it.
They've already met.
They don't know yet.
Have you spoken to him yet?
Have they got back to you yet?

It can also be used to look back on the more distant past.

We've been to Singapore a lot over the last few years.

She's done this type of project many times before.

We've mentioned it to them on several occasions over the last six months.

They've often talked about it in the past.

When we look back on the more distant past, we often use the words 'ever' (in questions) and 'never'.

Have you ever been to Argentina?
Has he ever talked to you about the problem?

I've never met Jim and Sally.
We've never considered investing in Mexico.
 
Present Perfect Continuous

This tense is used to talk about an action or actions that started in the past and continued until recently or that continue into the future.


FORMING THE PRESENT PERFECT CONTINUOUS
The present perfect continuous is made up of two elements:
the present perfect of the verb 'to be' (have/has been), and the present participle of the main verb (base+ing)

Subject has/have been base+ing

She has been swimming.

Affirmative: She has been / She's been running.

Negative: She hasn't been running.

Interrogative : Has she been running?

Interrogative negative: Hasn't she been running?

EXAMPLE: PRESENT PERFECT CONTINUOUS, TO LIVE

Affirmative
Negative
Interrogative

I have been living
I haven't been living
Have I been living?

You have been living
You haven't been living
Have you been living?

He, she, it has been living
He hasn't been living
Has she been living?

We have been living
We haven't been living
Have we been living?

You have been living
You haven't been living
Have you been living?

They have been living
They haven't been living
Have they been living?

FUNCTIONS OF THE PRESENT PERFECT CONTINUOUS
The present perfect continuous refers to an unspecified time between 'before now' and 'now'. The speaker is thinking about something that started but perhaps did not finish in that period of time.

He/she is interested in the process as well as the result, and this process may still be going on, or may have just finished.

ACTIONS THAT STARTED IN THE PAST AND CONTINUE IN THE PRESENT:

She has been waiting for you all day (= and she's still waiting now).

I've been working on this report since eight o'clock this morning (= and I still haven't finished it).

They have been travelling since last October (= and they're not home yet).

ACTIONS THAT HAVE JUST FINISHED, BUT WE ARE INTERESTED IN THE RESULTS:

She has been cooking since last night (= and the food on the table looks delicious).

It's been raining (= and the streets are still wet).

Someone's been eating my chips (= half of them have gone).

VERBS WITHOUT CONTINUOUS FORMS
With verbs not normally used in the continuous form, use the simple present perfect.

For example:

I've wanted to visit China for years.
She's known Robert since she was a child.

I've hated that music since I first heard it.

I've heard a lot about you recently.
We've understood everything.
we've heard this morning.

We can use it to refer to an action that has finished but you can still see evidence.

Oh, the kitchen is a mess. Who has been cooking?

You look tired. Have you been sleeping properly?

I've got a a stiff neck. I've been working too long on computer.

It can refer to an action that has not finished:

I've been learning Spanish for 20 years and I still don't know very much.

I've been waiting for him for 30 minutes and he still hasn't arrived.

He's been telling me about it for days. I wish he would stop.

It can refer to a series of actions:

She's been writing to her regularly for a couple of years.

He's been phoning me all week for an answer.

The university has been sending students here for over twenty years to do work experience.

The present perfect continuous is often used with 'since', 'for', 'all week', 'for days', 'lately', 'recently', 'over the last few months':

I've been wanting to do that for ten years.

You haven't been getting good results over the last few months.
They haven't been working all week. They're on strike.
He hasn't been talking to me for weeks.

We've been working hard on it for ages.

I've been looking at other options recently.

He's been working here since 2001.
 
Going to

There is no one 'future tense' in English. There are 4 future forms. The one which is used most often in spoken English is 'going to', not 'will'.

We use 'going to' when we want to talk about a plan for the future.

I'm going to see him later today.
They're going to launch it next month.
We're going to have lunch first.
She's going to see what she can do.
I'm not going to talk for very long.

Notice that this plan does not have to be for the near future.

When I retire I'm going to go back to Barbados to live.

In ten years time, I'm going to be boss of my own successful company.

We use 'going to' when we want to make a prediction based on evidence we can see now.

Look out! That cup is going to fall off.
Look at those black clouds. It's going to rain soon.

These figures are really bad. We're going to make a loss.

You look very tired. You're going to need to stop soon.

We can replace 'going to go' by 'going'.

I'm going out later.
She's going to the exhibition tomorrow.
 
Will future

Some people have been taught that 'will' is 'the future' in English.

This is not correct. Sometimes when we talk about the future we cannot use 'will'.

Sometimes when we use 'will' we are not talking about the future.

We can use 'will' to talk about future events we believe to be certain.

The sun will rise over there tomorrow morning.

Next year, I'll be 50.
That plane will be late. It always is.
There won't be any snow. I'm certain. It's too warm.

Often we add 'perhaps', 'maybe', 'probably', 'possibly' to make the belief less certain.

I'll probably come back later.
He'll possibly find out when he sees Jenny.

Maybe it will be OK.
Perhaps we'll meet again some day.

We often use 'will' with 'I think' or 'I hope'.

I think I'll go to bed now.
I think she'll do well in the job.
I hope you'll enjoy your stay.
I hope you won't make too much noise.

We use 'will' at the moment we make a new decision or plan. The thought has just come into our head.

Bye. I'll phone you when I get there.

I'll answer that.
I'll go.
I won't tell him. I promise.

source:englishgrammarsecrets.com
 
Going to or Will

When we want to talk about future facts or things we believe to be true about the future, we use 'will'.

The President will serve for four years.

The boss won't be very happy.
I'm sure you'll like her.
I'm certain he'll do a good job.

If we are not so certain about the future, we use 'will' with expressions such as 'probably', 'possibly', 'I think', 'I hope'.

I hope you'll visit me in my home one day.

She'll probably be a great success.
I'll possibly come but I may not get back in time.

I think we'll get on well.

If you are making a future prediction based on evidence in the present situation, use 'going to'.

Not a cloud in the sky. It's going to be another warm day.

Look at the queue. We're not going to get in for hours.

The traffic is terrible. We're going to miss our flight.

Be careful! You're going to spill your coffee.

At the moment of making a decision, use 'will'. Once you have made the decision, talk about it using 'going to'.

I'll call Jenny to let her know. Sarah, I need Jenny's number. I'm going to call her about the meeting.

I'll come and have a drink with you but I must let Harry know. Harry, I'm going to have a drink with Simon.
 
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