This document discusses verb tenses in English including past, present, and future tenses. It covers the three main tenses - present, past, and future - as well as four aspects - simple, continuous, perfect, and perfect continuous. For each tense, it provides examples, explanations of usage, and indicators to identify each tense. It discusses the simple present, present perfect, present progressive, past, past perfect, past progressive, future, future perfect, and future progressive tenses.
6. Present Tense Verbs
• Actions that happen now or today
• When you are referring to habitual actions
that you always or never do.
As: He always comes late to class.
• When you are referring to unchanging
truths. As: The sun rises in the east.
• When you are making general statements
of fact As: They are friendly.
8. The Present Perfect isThe Present Perfect is
Used:Used:
• When an activity happened at an
unspecified time in the past (before
the present)
• When an activity has been repeated
several times before now
• When an activity was very recently
completed before now
• When an activity is not completed in
the past
9. Present Perfect Tense
ExamplesExamples
• (unspecified time before now) They
have already seen that movie.
• (repeated activity before now) We
have visited New York City many
times.
• (an action has recently been
completed before now) I have just
eaten.
• (action not completed in the past) I
have studied Spanish for many years.
11. The Present Progressive
Tense is Used:
• When an activity is in progress now
at the moment of speaking
• When an activity began before now
and continues into the future without
stopping.
• When an activity is temporary.
• When an activity is developing and
changing.
13. Past Tense Verbs
This is used:
• when an event has already happened.
• For historical or past information:
– Malcolm X said, “If you don’t stand for
something, you’ll fall for anything
• (Completed action in the past).
• (Past habit) She always wrote a letter to her
mother on Sunday night.
15. USE PAST PERFECT
TENSE
• (the past form of have (had) with a past
participle verb form)
• For an earlier action that is mentioned after
a later action:
– Marvin bought the car that he had seen
advertised in the paper. (First, he saw it; then
he bought it.)
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16. Past ProgressivePast Progressive
• This tense is used to refer to
activities continuously in progress
around a time in the past.
• Example: They were eating when the
taxi arrived.
• Form: was or were + verbing
17. Past Perfect ProgressivePast Perfect Progressive
• This tense is used when an activity
was continuously in progress before a
specific time in the past.
• Example: I had been thinking about
her before she called.
• Form: had + been + verbing
18. Future Tense
This is when an event has not taken
place yet.
• The future has not yet happened, but
we know it will.
19. Future tense verbs
• Many verbs have the helping verb “will” in
front of them to show they will be
happening.
• Clue words to look for are: tomorrow,
some day, next time, or next week.
Examples:
Will play will lead will be happy
Will have will eat will like
20. USE FUTURE PERFECT
TENSE
• (the auxiliary will have or shall have with a
past participle verb form)
• used to describe an event that is
expected or planned to happen before a
time of reference in the future:
– By 2020, I shall have graduated from college.
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21. Future Progressive TenseFuture Progressive Tense
• This tense is used to refer to
activities that will be continuously in
progress around some future time.
• Example: We will be flying over New
York at noon tomorrow.
• Form: will + be + verbing
22. Future PerfectFuture Perfect
ProgressiveProgressive
• This tense is used to refer to
activities that will be continuously in
progress before a future time.
• Example: He will have been working
for 3 hours before you arrive.
• Form: will + have + been + verbing
23. Which tense is this
sentence written in?
I watched
Coronation Street
last night on TV.
24. I watched Coronation Street
last night on TV.
The sentence is written in
the PAST tense. We know
this because the ‘ED’ is
added on to ‘WATCH’.
25. Which tense is this
sentence written in?
I am going to the cinema at
the weekend with my friends
to watch a film.
26. I am going to the cinema at the
weekend with my friends to watch
a film.
This sentence is written in the FUTURE tense.
We know this because the verb ‘GOING’ is
used – the action of the verb (going) shows the
topic of the sentence hasn’t happened yet.
27. On a Sunday, I get up at 10.30 am and
make myself a cup of tea in my
favourite cup.
This sentence is written in the PRESENT tense. If
we were to change the sentence to PAST, then
the verbs would be changed – get becomes got,
make becomes made. What would the verbs be
if the sentence was written in the future tense?
28. If we change the sentence
to future tense…
On Sunday, I will get up at 10.30 am and
I will make myself a cup of tea in my
favourite cup.
• The action of the verb has changed.
Instead of ‘I get up’ as in present
tense, and ‘I got up’ in past tense, in
future – ‘I will get up’.