The 12 Tenses (+4)

PRESENT PAST FUTURE

past activity
regular activity, facts upcoming activity Function
(no effect in present)
S + V1 + O/C S + V2 + O/C S + will + V1 + O/C
Active
SIMPLE I eat a pizza. I ate a pizza. I will eat a pizza.
O + is/am/are + V3 + by S O + was/were + V3 + by S O + will be + V3 + by S
A pizza will be eaten (by Passive
A pizza is eaten (by me). A pizza was eaten (by me).
me).
past on-progress activity future on-progress activity Function
present on-progress activity
(retelling) (predicting)
S + is/am/are + Ving + O/C S + was/were + Ving + O/C S + will + be + Ving + O/C
Active
I am eating a pizza. I was eating a pizza. I will be eating a pizza.
CONTINUOUS
O + is/am/are + being O + was/were + being O + will + be + being
+ V3 + by S + V3 + by S + V3 + by S
Passive
A pizza is being A pizza was being A pizza will be being
eaten (by me). eaten (by me). eaten (by me).

past activity
(has effect in present)
S + have/has + V3 + O/C
PERFECT I have eaten a pizza. before he gave me another
O + has/have + been
+ V3 + by S
A pizza has been
eaten (by me).
past to present activity
S + have/has + been + Ving +
S + had + been + Ving + O/C
O/C
I had been eating a pizza
PERFECT
I have been eating a pizza.
CONTINUOUS
O + has/have + been +
being + V3 + by S
A pizza has been
being eaten (by me).
past activity
future finished activity
(prior to another past Function
(predicting)
activity)
S + had + V3 + O/C S + will + have + V3 + O/C
I had eaten a pizza
I will have eaten a pizza Active
if you buy me one later.
pizza.
O + had + been O + will + have + been
+ V3 + by S + V3 + by S
Passive
A pizza had been A pizza will have been
eaten (by me). eaten (by me).
past to past activity
present to future activity Function
(retelling)
S + will + have + been + Ving
+ O/C
Active
I will have been eating a
since a a week ago to
pizza.
yesterday.
O + had + been + O + will + have + been +
being + V3 + by S being + V3 + by S
Passive
A pizza had been A pizza will have been
being eaten (by me). being eaten (by me).
*4 Additional Tenses

indirect sentence Function

S + would/should/could + V1 + O/C
Active
PAST FUTURE He said that he would eat a pizza.
O + would/should/could + be + V3 + by S
Passive
He said that a pizza would be eaten (by him).
indirect sentence (promise) Function
S + would/should/could + be + Ving + O/C
PAST FUTURE He said that he would be eating a pizza.
Active
CONTINUOUS
O + would/should/could + be+ being + V3 + by S
Passive
He said that a pizza would be being eaten (by him).
indirect sentence (past to past activity) Function
S + would/should/could + have + V3 + O/C
PAST FUTURE He said that he should have eaten a pizza before morning came.
Active
PERFECT
O + would/should/could + have + been + V3 + by S
Passive
He said that a pizza should have been eaten (by him).
indirect sentence (the duration & result of past activity) Function
PAST FUTURE S + would/should/could + have + been + Ving + O/C
Active
PERFECT He said that he could have been eating a large pizza in 20 minutes.
CONTINUOUS O + would/should/could + have + been + being + V3 + by S
Passive
He said that a pizza could have been being eaten (by him).