Signal

tense Affirmative/Negative/Question Use

Words
always,
Simple A: He speaks.  action in the present every …, never,
Present N: He does not speak. taking place regularly, normally, often,
Q: Does he speak? seldom,
never or several times sometimes,
 facts usually
if sentences
 actions taking place one type I (If
I talk, …)
after another
 action set by a timetable
or schedule
Present A: He is speaking. at the moment,
Progressive N: He is not speaking.  action taking place in just, just now,
Q: Is he speaking? the moment of Listen!, Look!,
now, right now
speaking
 action taking place only
for a limited period of
time
 action arranged for the
future
Simple Past A: He spoke. yesterday, 2
N: He did not speak.  action in the past taking minutes ago, in
Q: Did he speak? place once, never or 1990, the other
day, last Friday
several times if sentence type
 actions taking place one II (If
I talked, …)
after another
 action taking place in the
middle of another action
Past A: He was speaking. while, as long
Progressive N: He was not speaking.  action going on at a as
Q: Was he speaking? certain time in the past
 actions taking place at
the same time
 action in the past that is
interrupted by another
action
Present A: He has spoken. already, ever,
Perfect N: He has not spoken.  putting emphasis on just, never, not
Simple Q: Has he spoken? the result yet, so far, till
now, up to now
 action that is still going
 on
 action that stopped
recently
 finished action that has
an influence on the
present
 action that has taken
place once, never or
several times before the
moment of speaking
Present A: He has been speaking. all day, for 4
Perfect N: He has not been speaking.  putting emphasis on years, since
Progressive Q: Has he been speaking? the course or 1993, how
long?, the
duration (not the result) whole week
 action that recently
stopped or is still going
on
 finished action that
influenced the present
Past A: He had spoken. already, just,
Perfect N: He had not spoken.  action taking place never, not yet,
Simple Q: Had he spoken? before a certain time in once, until that
day
the past if sentence type
 sometimes III (If I had
talked, …)
interchangeable with
past perfect progressive
 putting emphasis only on
the fact (not the
duration)
Past A: He had been speaking. for, since, the
Perfect N: He had not been speaking.  action taking place whole day, all
Progressive Q: Had he been speaking? before a certain time in day
the past
 sometimes
interchangeable with
past perfect simple
 putting emphasis on
the duration or
course of an action
Future I A: He will speak. in a year,
 action in the future that
Simple N: He will not speak. next …,
cannot be influenced
Q: Will he speak? tomorrow
 spontaneous decision If-Satz Typ I (If
you ask her,
 assumption with regard she will
to the future help you.)
assumption: I
think, probably,
perhaps
Future I A: He is going to speak. in one year,
Simple N: He is not going to speak.  decision made for the next week,
Q: Is he going to speak? future tomorrow
(going to)
 conclusion with regard
to the future
Future I A: He will be speaking. in one year,
Progressive N: He will not be speaking.  action that is going on at next week,
Q: Will he be speaking? a certain time in the tomorrow
future
 action that is sure to
happen in the near future
Future II A: He will have spoken. by Monday, in a
Simple N: He will not have spoken.  action that will week
Q: Will he have spoken? be finished at a certain
time in the future
Future II A: He will have been speaking. for …, the last
Progressive N: He will not have been speaking.  action taking place couple of hours,
Q: Will he have been speaking? before a certain time in all day long
the future
 putting emphasis on
the course of an action
Conditional A: He would speak. if sentences
I Simple N: He would not speak.  action that might take type II
Q: Would he speak? place (If I were you,
I would
go home.)
Conditional A: He would be speaking.
I N: He would not be speaking.  action that might take
Progressive Q: Would he be speaking? place
 putting emphasis on
the course / duration of
the action
Conditional A: He would have spoken. if sentences
II Simple N: He would not have spoken.  action that might have type III
Q: Would he have spoken? taken place in the past (If I had seen
that, I would
have helped.)
Conditional A: He would have been speaking.
II N: He would not have been speaking.  action that might have
 Progressive Q: Would he have been speaking?
taken place in the past
 puts emphasis on
the course / duration of
the action

Fill the gaps with the correct tenses.

1. I (learn) English for seven years now.

2. But last year I (not / work) hard enough for English, that's why my marks (not
/ be) really that good then.

3. As I (pass / want) my English exam successfully next year,

I (study) harder this term.

4. During my last summer holidays, my parents (send) me on a language

course to London.

5. It (be) great and I think I (learn) a lot.

6. Before I (go) to London, I (not / enjoy) learning English.

7. But while I (do) the language course, I (meet) lots of young

people from all over the world.

8. There I (notice) how important it (be) to speak foreign languages

nowadays.

9. Now I (have) much more fun learning English than I (have) before
the course.

10. At the moment I (revise) English grammar.

11. And I (begin / already) to read the texts in my English textbooks again.

12. I (think) I (do) one unit every week.

13. My exam (be) on 15 May, so there (not / be) any time to be lost.

14. If I (pass) my exams successfully, I (start) an apprenticeship in

September.

15. And after my apprenticeship, maybe I (go) back to London to work there for
a while.

16. As you (see / can) , I (become) a real London fan already.

 Fill the gaps with the correct tenses.

1. I have been learning English for seven years now.

2. But last year I was not working hard enough for English, that's why my marks were not
really that good then.
3. As I want to pass my English exam successfully next year, I am going to study harder
this term.
4. During my last summer holidays, my parents sent me on a language course to
London.
5. It was great and I think I learned a lot.
6. Before I went to London, I had not enjoyed learning English.
7. But while I was doing the language course, I met lots of young people from all over
the world.
8. There I noticed how important it is to speak foreign languages nowadays.
9. Now I have much more fun learning English than I had before the course.
10. At the moment I am revising English grammar.
11. And I have already begun to read the texts in my English textbooks again.
12. I think I will do one unit every week.
13. My exam is on 15 May, so there is not any time to be lost.
14. If I pass my exams successfully, I will start an apprenticeship in September.
15. And after my apprenticeship, maybe I will go back to London to work there for a while.
16. As you can see, I have become a real London fan already.
1. We TV when it started to rain. (to watch)
2. I to visit you yesterday, but you not at home. (to
want) (to be)
3. Look! It , so we can't to the beach. (to rain) (to go)
4. There are a lot of clouds! It soon. (to rain)
5. The sun in the east. (to rise)
6. Since 2011 they their son every year. (to visit)
7. While the doctor Mr Jones this morning, his son
outside. (to examine) (to wait)
8. I for my girlfriend for two hours. (to wait)
9. After Larry the film on TV, he decided to buy the book. (to see)
10. Wait a minute, I this box for you. (to carry)
1. We were watching TV when it started to rain.
2. I wanted to visit you yesterday, but you were not at home.
3. Look! It is raining, so we can't go to the beach.
4. There are a lot of clouds! It is going to rain soon.
5. The sun rises in the east.
6. Since 2011 they have visited their son every year.
7. While the doctor was examining Mr Jones this morning, his son was
waiting outside.
8. I have been waiting for my girlfriend for two hours.
9. After Larry had seen the film on TV, he decided to buy the book.
10. Wait a minute, I will carry this box for you.