Tenses Table

Tenses Usages Keywords Examples I shall trade in my

Every morning, He washes his face old computer
Soon, tomorrow,
Simple weekly, seldom, every morning.  Future action tomorrow.
 Habit next week, the day
1 Present always, often, Do you watch TV  Future action Joey will attend the
 Truth or fact Simple after tomorrow,
Tense Sometimes, at night? 5 in a meeting next
Future Tense later, next year, in
monthly, annually… A tiger has stripes. conditional month.
ten minutes, later
I am studying now. sentence If you fail your
on…
Look! She is exams, father will
 A continuous
Present Now, Look!, at the crying. scold you.
action or
2 Continuous moment, at this Mother is cooking  An action Mary will be
event that is At 9am tomorrow, at
Tense moment… at the moment. that will be seeing you at 5pm
still going on Future this time next week,
Are they reading taking place this Monday.
6 Continuous at 10pm this
now? at a given
Tense Sunday…
Ali ate lunch just time in the
 An action
now. future
that takes Last week, last
She played  Past action Since, for, yet, She has just left.
Simple Past place in the month, just now, two
3 basketball when Present with the time lately, just, never, Have you eaten
Tense past hours ago, in 2001, 7
she was young. Perfect Tense not already, recently, your breakfast
 Habitual past yesterday…
Did you read the mentioned before… already?
action
book yesterday? The film hadn’t
 An action
I was doing my started before I
that was done
homework at that entered the cinema
Past Perfect before After/before + past
moment. 8 hall.
 A past action Tense another past tense, when
Wasn’t my brother The plane had left
taking place action took
At that moment, at sleeping all when Amy reached
at a given place
Past 5pm yesterday, yesterday? airport.
time
4 Continuous (when/while + past My father was Aunt Annie has
 Two or more  An action
Tense tense/past jogging when he For the last two been crying since
past actions Present that has not
continuous) saw the accident. hours, since 1999, last night.
happening at Perfect been
While the cat was 9 since 10 o’clock, We have been
the same time Continuous interrupted
sleeping, the dog since last night, for learning English
Tense and is still
was playing the hours… since the age of
going on
ball. three.
 After the kids came  An action Was the boy
 To look back
back from the Simple Past that takes Last week, last scolded by Mr Lim
at a situation
garden, they felt Tense place in the month, just now, two yesterday?
in progress 15
hungry. They had (Passive past hours ago, in 2001, Those books
 An action
Past Perfect Before/after/when + been playing in the Form)  Habitual past yesterday… weren’t bought by
had been
10 Continuous simple past tense + garden all action Zoe last week.
happening
Tense for/all… afternoon. Soon, tomorrow, Will the party be
before  Future action
James was drunk Simple next week, the day organized by Betty
something  Future action
after he had been Future Tense after tomorrow, tomorrow?
else 16 in a
drinking for all (Passive later, next year, in The injured boy
happened conditional
night. Form) ten minutes, later will be taken to
sentence
If the weather is on… hospital soon.
If-conditional  An action hot, I will wear a
11 Tense that will If + present tense cap.
(Likely) happen

 An action If I were Tom, I

that is would enter the
If-conditional
impossible to competition.
12 Tense If + past tense
happen If I were rich, I
(Unlikely)
(imaginary would study
condition) overseas.
If you had gone
 An action
with us, you would
that might
If-conditional have seen him.
happen in the
13 Tense If + past perfect If she had won the
past but is
(Impossible) competition, she
impossible
would not have
now
cried.
Simple Every morning, The apple is eaten
Present weekly, seldom, by Cindy every
 Habit
14 Tense always, often, day.
 Truth or fact
(Passive Sometimes, Are the netballs
Form) monthly, annually… played weekly?