The past progressive 224b

The past progressive is formed with was/were + -ing form of a lexical verb:
The wind was blowing from the north.
Were you expecting someone?
The table below shows the declarative and interrogative forms of the past progressive.

The past progressive: declarative and interrogative forms

Declarative Interrogative
Affirmative Negative Affirmative Negative
I/he/she/it/one was I/he/she/it/one Was Wasn't I/he/she/it
running late. wasn't running late. I/he/she/it/one running late?
(informal) running late? (informal)

I/he/she/it/one was Was I/he/she/it not

not running late. running late?
(more formal) (more formal)

You/we/they were You/we/they Are you/we/they Aren't you/we/they

sleeping. weren't sleeping. sleeping? sleeping?
(informal) (informal) (informal)
You/we/they were Are you/we/they
not sleeping. not sleeping?
(more formal) (more formal)

The future progressive 224c

Progressive references to the future are formed with will/’ll/shall + be + -ing form of the
lexical verb The table below shows the declarative and interrogative forms of the future
progressive.

The future progressive: declarative and interrogative forms

Declarative Interrogative
Affirmative Negative Affirmative Negative
(Subject)’ll be waiting (Subject) won't be Will (subject) be Won't (subject) be
at the station. waiting at the station. waiting at the waiting at the
(informal) (informal) station? station?
(informal)
(Subject) will be (Subject) will not be Will (subject) not be
waiting at the station. waiting at the station. waiting at the
(more formal) (more formal) station?
(more formal)
Will not (subject) be
waiting at the
station?
(very formal and
 considered archaic)
I/we shall be minding I/we shan’t be Shall I/we be minding Shan't I/we be
the children. minding the children. the children? minding the children?
(more formal) (informal) (informal)
I/we shall not be Shall I/we not be
minding the children. minding the children?
(more formal) (more formal)
Shall not I/we be
minding the children?
(very formal and now
considered archaic)

Where there is a choice between will and shall (i.e. with first person pronouns), the forms
with shall are more formal than those with will.
➡ 429d The past progressive on progressive aspect in indirect reports.

PERFECT ASPECT 225

Perfect aspect is concerned with the speaker's perspective on the relationship between one
time frame and an event that takes place in another time frame.
An event which took place in the past may be seen as relevant to the present moment.
Likewise, an event due to take place in the future may be seen as linked to the present
moment. The table below gives examples of differmt time-frame relationships.
Perfect aspect involves the use of auxiliary have + -ed participle of a lexical verd. The tense
may be present or past. Future perfect forms are created using will/’ll/shall.

Examples of perfect aspect

Example
I’be lived here about 25 years.
The flight is at 7.15. They’ve
changed the time.
I had finished just before I
went to work.
That was about 1936. That
was when we came to
Stockport. We had lived in
Manchester before that.
Yesterday and tomorrow all
together I will have spent
£100 on train fares.
In three years’ time, we'll
have lived here 20 years.
Form Time relationships
Present perfect The whole period from25
years ago till now
Present perfect The time change happened
between some unspecified
point in the past and now
Past perfect The time I finished in relation
to the time (in the past) when
I went to work
Past perfect The time we lived in
Manchester in relation to
1936
Future perfect Yesterday and the period up
to and including tomorrow
Future perfect The time between when we
started living here and three
years in the future from now
They may have been Future perfect A possible event during a time
confused. leading up to now or up to a
point in the past

The present perfect 225a

The declarative and interrogative forms of the present perfect simple are shown in the table
below.

The present perfect: declarative and interrogative forms

Declarative Interrogative
Affirmative Negative Affirmative Negative
I/you/we/they’ve I/you/we/they Have I/you/we/they Haven't
worked haven't worked. worked? I/you/we/they
(informal) worked?
I/you/we/they’ve (informal)
not worked.
(informal)
I/you/we/they have I/you/we/they have Have I/you/we/they
worked not worked. not worked?
(more formal) (more formal) (more formal)
He/she/it/one’s He/she/it/one hasn't Has he/she/it/one Hasn't he/she/it/one
worked. worked. worked. worked?
(informal) (informal)
He/she/it/one’s not
worked.
(informal)
He/she/it/one has He/she/it/one has Has he/she/it/one
worked. not worked. not worked?
(more formal) (more formal) (more formal)

The past perfect 225b

The past perfect simple forms are the same as the present perfect, but with had being used
instead of have and has, and ’d being used as the contracted form. The table below shows
the declarative and interrogative forms of the past perfect simple.
The past perfect: declarative and interrogative forms
Declarative Interrogative
Affirmative Negative Affirmative Negative
I/you/we/they’d I/you/we/they hadn't Had I/you/we/they Hadn't
already started. already started. already started? I/you/we/they
(informal) already started?
I/you/we/they'd not (informal)
already started.
(informal)
I/you/we/they had I/you/we/they had Had I/you/we/they
already started. not already started. not already started?
(more formal) (more formal) (more formal)
He/she/it/one’d He/she/it/one hadn’t Had he/she/it/one Hadn't he/she/it/one
already started. already started. already started? already started?
(informal) (informal)
He/she/it/one’d not
already started.
(informal)
He/she/it/one had He/she/it/one had Had he/she/it/one
already started. not already started. not already started?
(more formal) (more formal) (more formal)

Perfect infinitive 225c

The infinitive form of the perfect aspect (following verbs such as hope, intend, like, seem,
and other structures requiring an infinitive) is formed with to have + - ed participle:
I was hoping to have finished by now.
They don't seem to have solved all the other problems.
Are you supposed to have fed the dog?

The perfect aspect may also occur in a non-tensed -ing form:

Having arrived eventually in Salt Lake City at 5.30 a.m. and walked around for a
couple of hours, I wandered into a downtown supermarket.