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Examples Examples Examples

Tense Signal words Use Form affirmative negative interrogative
every day

sometimes • something happens repeatedly

• how often something happens I work. I don't work. Do I work?
• one action follows another
always
• things in general infinitive
He works. He doesn't work. Does he work?
Simple • with verbs like (to love, to
often hate, to think, etc.)
Present he/she/it:
• future meaning: timetables, I go. I don't go. Do I go?
infinitive + s
programmes
usually He goes. He doesn't go. Does he go?

seldom never

first ... then

now at the • something is happening at I'm working. I'm not working. Am I working?
the same time of speaking
moment or around it He's working. He isn't working. Is he working?
• future meaning: when you
Present be (am/are/is) +
have already decided and infinitive + ing
Progressive I'm going. I'm not going. Am I going?
Look! arranged to do it (a fixed
plan, date)
Listen! He's going. He isn't going. Is he going?

last ... I worked. I didn't work. Did I work?

regular:
... ago in action took place in the past, infinitive + ed He worked. He didn't work. Did he work?
Simple
1990 mostly connected with an
Past
yesterday expression of time (no connection irregular: I went. I didn't go. Did I go?
to the present) (2nd column of table
of irregular verbs) He went. He didn't go. Did he go?

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• an action happened in the I was working. I wasn't working. Was I working?

middle of another action
• someone was doing sth. at a He was working. He wasn't working. Was he working?
Past while certain time (in the past) - you was/were +
Progressive don't know whether it was infinitive + ing I was going. I wasn't going. Was I going?
finished or not
He was going. He wasn't going. Was he going?

just

• you say that sth. has happened

or is finished in the past and it I have worked. I haven't worked. Have I worked?
has a connection to the present have/has + past
Simple participle* He has worked. He hasn’t worked. Has he worked?
• action started in the past and
Present continues up to the present
Perfect *(infinitive + ed) or I have gone. I haven't gone. Have I gone?
(3rd column of
table of irregular
verbs) He has gone. He hasn’t gone. Has he gone?
yet never
ever
already so
far, up to
now,
since for
recently
I have been I haven't been Have I been
all day the working. working. working?
whole day • action began in the past and
Present Perfect how long has just stopped have/has + been + He has been He hasn't been Has he been
Progressive • how long the action has been infinitive + ing working. working. working?
happening

since emphasis: length of time of an I have been going. I haven't been going. Have I been going?
for action
He has been He hasn't been Has he been
going. going. going?

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• mostly when two actions in a I had worked. I hadn't worked. Had I worked?
story are related to each other: had + past
already
the action which had already participle* He had worked. He hadn't worked. Had he worked?
just happened is put into Past
Simple Past
never Perfect, the other action into
Perfect *(infinitive + ed) or I had gone. I hadn't gone. Had I gone?
Simple Past
(3rd column of
• the past of the Present Perfect
table of irregular He had gone. He hadn't gone. Had he gone?
verbs)
I had been I hadn't been Had I been
working. working. working?

how He had been He hadn't been Had he been

how long something had been
Past Perfect long
happening before something else had + been + working. working. working?
Progressive since for infinitive + ing
happened
I had been going. I hadn't been going. Had I been going?

He had been He hadn't been Had he been

going. going. going?

• predictions about the future

(you think that sth will happen) I'll work. I won't work. Will I work?
• you decide to do sth.
spontaneously at the time of He'll work. He won't work. Will he work?
will - future speaking will + infinitive
• main clause in type I of the
I'll go. I won't go. Will I go?
Conditional sentences

He'll go. He won't go. Will he go?

I'm going to I'm not going to Am I going to
work. work. work?
• when you have already decided
to do sth. in the future He's going to He's not going to Is he going to
going to - • what you think what will be (am/are/is) + work. work. work?
future happen going to + infinitive
I'm going to go. I'm not going to go. Am I going to go?

He's going to go. He's not going to go. Is he going to go?

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• An action will be in progress at I'll be working. I won't be working. Will I be working?

a certain time in the future.
This action has begun before He'll be working. He won't be working. Will he be working?
Future the certain time. will + be + infinitive
Progressive • Something happens because it + ing
I'll be going. I won't be going. Will I be going?
normally happens.
He'll be going. He won't be going. Will he be going?

I'll have worked. I won't have worked. Will I have worked?

will + have + past
Future Perfect participle* He'll have He won't have Will he have
Simple sth. will already have happened worked. worked. worked?
before a certain time in the future *(infinitive + ed) or
(3rd column of I'll have gone. I won't have gone. Will I have gone?
table of irregular
verbs)
He'll have gone. He won't have gone. Will he have gone?

I'll have been I won't have been Will I have been

working. working. working?

sth. will already have happened He'll have been He won't have been Will he have been
Future before a certain time in the future working. working. working?
Perfect will + have + been +
Progressive infinitive + ing
emphasis: length of time of an I'll have been I won't have been Will I have been
action going. going. going?

He'll have been He won't have been Will he have been

going. going. going?
I would work. I wouldn't work. Would I work?

• sth. that might happen

He would work. He wouldn't work. Would he work?
Conditional • main clause in type II of the
Conditional sentences would + infinitive
Simple I would go. I wouldn't go. Would I go?

He would go. He wouldn't go. Would he go?

I would be I wouldn't be Would I be
working. working. working?

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sth. that might happen He would be He wouldn't be Would he be

Conditional would + be + working. working. working?
Progressive emphasis: length of time of an infinitive + ing
action I would be going. I wouldn't be going. Would I be going?

He would be He wouldn't be Would he be

going. going. going?
I would have I wouldn't have Would I have
worked. worked. worked?

• sth. that might have happened would + have + past He would have He wouldn't have Would he have
in the past participle* worked. worked. worked?
Conditional • main clause in type III of the
Perfect Conditional sentences *(infinitive + ed) or I would have I wouldn't have Would I have
(3rd column of gone. gone. gone?
table of irregular
verbs)
He would have He wouldn't have Would he have
gone. gone. gone?

I would have been I wouldn't have been Would I have been

working. working. working?

sth. that might have happened in He would have He wouldn't have Would he have
Conditional the past been working. been working. been working?
Perfect would + have + been
Progressive + infinitive + ing
emphasis: length of time of an I would have been I wouldn't have been Would I have been
action going. going. going?

He would have He wouldn't have Would he have

been going. been going. been going?

We sometimes use Continuous instead of Progressive. Some signal words can be found in more tenses. We did not list signal words in the future. Always remember what
action is described.
Used colours:
blue → infinitive grey → irregular verbs in the Simple Past red → negation
dark green → auxiliary →
purple past participle

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orange → ending →
light green signal word

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