UNIVERSIDAD DE CASTILLA LA MANCHA.

LINGÜISTICA INGLESA II. Tenses

José Mª González Lanza 
TENSES 

PRESENT SIMPLE 

USES:  

1. To describe things that happen regularly (habitual actions) 

I always get up at 7:00 (+ adverbs of Frequency)

2. To talk about permanent situations and facts: 

I work in London.

Broken bones in adults don't heal as fast as they do in children.

3. To talk about General truths: Water boils at a 100 C. 

4. To describe the plot of a film/book, or to tell a story/joke:  

There's a man that goes into a shop

5. Instantaneous Present: to describe a series of events and actions: Demonstrations /Sports 
Commentaries 

First I take a bowl and break the eggs into it. Next

Lydiard passes to Taylor, Taylor shoots and it's a goal!

6. To talk about the future: ‘Timetabled’ events.  

  His train arrives at 11:45

I start my new job tomorrow

7. To talk about the past: Historic present / News headlines. 

  The French revolution takes place in ...

Bomb explodes in central London

8. NOTE that there are some special verbs called PERFORMATIVES that are normally used in simple 
tenses, so it is very usual to find them in the present Simple tense (although not exclusively. (E.g. I
(have) promised to go to the party): 

  I promise you, it does work!

Do you swear on your honour that you will never tell anyone?

9. OTHER STRUCTURES:  

‐ expressions like I hear, I see, I gather: I hear you're getting married.

‐ expressions like Here comes, there goes: Here comes your husband.

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 UNIVERSIDAD DE CASTILLA LA MANCHA.
LINGÜISTICA INGLESA II. Tenses
José Mª González Lanza 
PRESENT CONTINUOUS 

USES: 

1.   To talk about an action that is happening at the moment of speaking: 

  What are you doing? I'm writing letters.

2.   To talk about temporary actions and situations that are going on ‘around now’ 

  I'm reading a very interesting book

3.   To talk about repeated actions and events, if these are happening around the present. 

  I'm travelling a lot these days

NOTE: with an adverb such as always, forever or continually, it normally expresses annoyance from the 
part of the speaker: She's always losing things!

4.   To talk about developments and changes: 

  The climate is getting warmer / House prices are going up again.

5.   To talk about the future: plans and arrangements: 

  What are you doing tomorrow evening?

SIMPLE PAST 

USES: 

1. To talk about past actions and events (short, quickly finished actions and happenings, 
longer situations, and repeated events). 

  Peter broke a window last night / I spent all my childhood in Scotland.

They came home every summer

2. We also use the Simple past: 

  ‐ with FOR, about a period of time which is finished: 

    I lived there for four years (=but I don´t live there now)

  ‐ with questions asking WHEN: 

  When did you move here? (= the action “move” Is in the past)

  ‐ for completed actions and events in the past, often with AGO: 

    I finished it three hours ago.

3. ‘Distancing’ use: (see also Past Continuous) used in order to make questions requests and 
offers less direct (and so more polite): 

  I thought you might like some flowers.

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 UNIVERSIDAD DE CASTILLA LA MANCHA.
LINGÜISTICA INGLESA II. Tenses
José Mª González Lanza 

PAST CONTINUOUS 

USES: 

1. To talk about something that was in progress around a particular time. 

  What were you doing at eight o'clock yesterday evening?

  In the same way, we can use it to talk about two (or more) actions happening at the 
same time in the past. 

  He was buying a burger and all the crowds were walking past.

2.   To talk about an activity beginning before a past action and continuing after it. 

  When we were queuing for the cinema, we saw a really famous player.

3.   ‘Distancing’ use: we can make requests (and also questions, suggestions and 
statements) less direct (and so more polite) by using verb forms that suggest ‘distance’ from 
the immediate present reality. In this sense, progressive forms sound more casual and definite 
than simple forms, because they suggest something temporary and incomplete. 

  I was thinking what about borrowing Jake's car?

Were you looking for anything special? (in a shop) 

PRESENT PERFECT 

USES: 

1. To talk about finished events which have some kind of connection with (or relevance to) the 
present: 

  a) because the effects of the past action are still visible in the present: 

  I can't go on holiday because I've broken my leg. (It’s still broken) 

  I've lost my keys. (I haven’t got them now) 

  b) because the action, which started in the past, is still continuing in the 
  present: I've lived in Ciudad Real for 10 years.

  c) The unit of time hasn’t finished yet: 

  I've written ten reports this week. (The week is not over yet) 

2. To talk about recently finished events (NEWS): Andy has won a big prize!

NOTE that the idea of recent events can be highlighted with JUST, recently… 

I've just finished my homework

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 UNIVERSIDAD DE CASTILLA LA MANCHA.
LINGÜISTICA INGLESA II. Tenses
José Mª González Lanza 

3. To talk about actions that happened in the past (once or several times) but may happen 
again in the future: I've been to London twice. 

4. Time expressions and adverbs often used with the present perfect: 

‐  Ever:  

  Have you ever been to London?

‐  Never, often, so far, still, before. 

  We've received 20000 entries for the competition so far.

‐  Already / yet:  

  We have already seen the film but they haven't seen it yet.

‐  Just: 

  I've just finished my homework.

‐  Time expressions which are still valid (i.e. not finished)  

  I've played 6 matches this month (the month hasn’t finished yet)

‐  After superlatives and Ordinal numbers: 

  This is the first time I've eaten snails

This is the best film I've ever seen.

For the difference with the past simple see Foley & Hall (2003), unit 3, section 3.2. 

PRESENT PERFECT CONTINUOUS 

USES: (For the difference with the Present Perfect Simple see Foley and hall (2003), UNIT 3,  
section 3.4) 

1. To say how long an activity has been in progress (usually with for and since). The 
activity (or situation) began in the past and is still going on or it has just finished: 
Catherine Wild has been receiving Christmas cards from the same family
for the past 17 years.

  She has been living in Worcester since she bought the house.

  NOTE that we do not mention the number of times the action is repeated: 

  I've called you 5 times this morning.

  NOT *I've been calling you 5 times this morning 

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 UNIVERSIDAD DE CASTILLA LA MANCHA.
LINGÜISTICA INGLESA II. Tenses
José Mª González Lanza 

2.   To focus on an activity itself. The result of the activity is not important. It is either still 
going on or it has just stopped:  

  A: What have you been doing?

B: I've been cooking. (The cooking is important; what you cooked is not) 

  NOTE that we do not use adverbs like before and already with the present perfect 
continuous: I've seen her before NOT *I've been seeing her before. 

PAST PERFECT 

USES: 

  1. To describe an earlier action. That is, it is used when we are talking or writing about 
the past, and we want to go back to an earlier time.  

  When we got home everybody had gone to bed.

  Therefore, it is mainly used to make a sequence of events clear. We use the past 
perfect for the earlier action and the past simple for the later. COMPARE:  

  When we got back (1st) the babysitter went (2nd) home.

When we got back (2nd) the babysitter had gone (1st) home.

  The reasons for going back to an earlier past normally are: 

  a) in order to give information about what happened before the events in the story: He
remembered their previous meeting. She'd told them her life story.

  b) in order to explain or comment on something in the story (often following because). 
We often use words like always, often, never. 

  He took a second helping. He'd always liked ice cream.

I felt uneasy about him because I'd seen his face somewhere before.

  2. If the order of events is clear because of words like after, before, then and as soon 
as, we do not always have to use the past perfect. Instead we can use the past simple. 

  After he had / had had his lunch he went out.

  3. The past perfect is also common: 

  ‐ In reported speech:  

  They told me they had already seen the film.

  ‐ with wish to express regrets:  

  I wish I'd worked harder at school.

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 UNIVERSIDAD DE CASTILLA LA MANCHA.
LINGÜISTICA INGLESA II. Tenses
José Mª González Lanza 

  ‐ In some conditional constructions:  

  If I hadn't gone to the party I wouldn't have met you.

  ‐ To express unrealised hopes and wishes with verbs such as hope, expect, want, plan, 
think about, wish:  

  I had hoped we would leave tomorrow, but it won't be possible.

  ‐ After superlatives and ordinal numbers.  

PAST PERFECT CONTINUOUS 

USES: 

1. To talk about an activity or situation which had continued up to the past moment that 
we are thinking about, or shortly before it: 

  At that time he had been living in the caravan for about six months.

When I found Mary, I could see that she had been crying.

I went to the doctor because I had been sleeping badly.

2. We use this tense to say how long something had been happening up to a past 
moment, but we do not mention the number of times. 

  We'd been walking since sunrise, and we were hungry.

3. Progressive forms generally emphasize the continuation of an activity; we use simple 
tenses to emphasize the idea of completion: 

  COMPARE: 

  I had been reading science fiction, and my mind was full of strange
images.

I had read all my magazines, and was beginning to get bored.

FUTURE 

1.   WILL/SHALL:  

  (It is also a modal vb) it is used to talk about the future in general. 

  a) Neutral colourless future:   

     ‐ Future actions that we haven’t decided yet, normally with probably,   sure, 
suppose…: I'll probably go home in a few minutes.

    ‐ Facts about the future: Christmas day will fall on Tuesday this year /

I'll be 20 in Spetember (cyclical events) 

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 UNIVERSIDAD DE CASTILLA LA MANCHA.
LINGÜISTICA INGLESA II. Tenses
José Mª González Lanza 

    ‐ Instant decisions: 

    A: I've forgotten to turn off the iron!

B: Don't worry. I'll do it

  b) Predictions which are based on guesswork, analysis or judgment (think, guess, 
calculate, doubt): Who do you think will win on Saturday?

  c) Promises and threats:  

  I promise I won't smoke again / I will phone you tonight.

  You will suffer for this.

  d) Conditional sentences:  

  He'll have an accident if he goes on driving like that.

2.   PRESENT CONTINUOUS: Fixed arrangements, plans, or programmes. (Never for events 
beyond human control) I'm seeing the doctor tomorrow. 

3.  BE GOING TO + INF:  

  a) Future fulfilment of the present intention:  

  I'm going to meet him at the station

  b) Future result of present cause (predictions):  

  She's going to have a baby

  c) Commands and refusals: 

  You're not going to play football in my garden.

I'm not going to sit up all night listening to your problems.

4.   PRESENT SIMPLE:  

      a) Statements about the calendar: Tomorrow is Monday  

      b) Immutable events or ‘fixtures’ (timetabled events):  

  What time is the football match? The train leaves tomorrow at 8:00.

  c) Time clauses: What will he do when he gets here?

  d) asking for and giving instructions: 

  Where do I pay? / When you get to London, you go straight to Victoria

Station, you meet up with the others, Jim gives you your ticket and

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 UNIVERSIDAD DE CASTILLA LA MANCHA.
LINGÜISTICA INGLESA II. Tenses
José Mª González Lanza 

5.   WILL/SHALL + PROGRESSIVE: 

a)   Temporary actions in progress at a particular point in the future:  

  This time tomorrow I'll be lying on the beach.

b)   Future events we see as certain because they are part of of a routine, especially when 
the event continues for a period of time, e.g. a festival, a meeting: 

  We'll be having our weekly meeting tomorrow, so I'll present my proposal

then. 

d)   To talk about events that are a result of or part of an arrangement made in the past. 
(events that are fixed or expected to happen) 

  I'm sorry, I can't come to your wedding as I'll be working on that day.

  Professor Baxter will be giving another lecture on Roman glass-making

at the same time next week.

• Inevitable future. 

  I can give you a lift to the station. It's no trouble for me, I'll be going
that way anyway.

e) To describe something we know is happening now somewhere else. 

  I mustn't phone my father now. He'll be watching the football.

f) Polite enquires about people’s plans: Will you be staying in this evening? 

6.   WILL SHALL + HAVE+ PAST PART: 

a) To say something will be finished or complete by a certain time in the future: 

  The builders say they will have finished the roof by Tuesday.

  It’s especially used with the following time/adverb phrases: 

  as soon as, by then, within the next week

  by + fixed points of time: by the 4th of December 

  in + period of time: in a couple of hours' time / in a week's time 

  Peter will have completed his course by this time next month.

b) When you’re sure, because of your knowledge of events, that something has 
happened before somewhere else: Maddie will have met Peter at the airport
by now. (I know the plane arrived at 4:00 and it is now 4:30)

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 UNIVERSIDAD DE CASTILLA LA MANCHA.
LINGÜISTICA INGLESA II. Tenses
José Mª González Lanza 

7. EXPRESSIONS WITH FUTURE MEANING (See Foley & Hall (2003), UNIT 5, section 5.1) 

a) BE ABOUT TO + INF: To talk about an event that we intend or expect to happen in the 
near future:  

  Ladies and gentlemen. Please take your seats. The performance is about
to start.

b) BE TO + INF: (formal English) to talk about official arrangements in the future: Prince
Charles is to visit Madrid today.

  ‐ NOTE that be to is common in writing, especially in news articles where the vb to be 
is normally omitted in headlines: 

  President to hold official reception.

  ‐ Be to is also common in if sentences = the event in the main clause must happen first 
for the event in the if clause to happen. 

  If British tennis is to reach world standard again, both money and more
commitment will be necessary.

  ‐ It is also used for commands and instructions (also in the passive): 

  You are not to be late

These pills are not to be taken with any other form of medicine.

c) BE DUE TO: To talk about an event which forms part of a timetable (which may be 
changed, it is not as fixed as be to): 

  Carriageway repairs on this stretch of the motorway are due to start on

th
26 of May.

8.   FUTURE IN THE PAST. (See Foley and Hall (2003) Unit 5, section 5.3) 

Sometimes we need to talk about events that happen after other events in the past (i.e. that 
were future then). To express this idea, we use the structures that are normally used to talk 
about the future, but we make the verb forms past. 

1. Last time I saw you we were going to start a new job.

2. I had no time to shop because I was leaving for Germany in two hours.

3. In 1988 I arrived in the town where I would spend ten years of my life.

4. I went to have a look at the room where I was to talk that afternoon.

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