Tense table

Tenses Affirmative/Negative/Question Signal Use

Words
A: Sub(I/you/we/they)+verb+ob+p+t. Ex: They read a book every
day. always,
Sub(he/she/it)+verb+s+ob+p+t. Ex: He reads a book every day. every …,
never,
1 N: S(I/you/we/they)+don’t+verb+ob+p+t. Ex: They don’t read a
Simple normally,
Present book every day. often,
S(he/she/it)+doesn’t+verb+ob+p+t. Ex: He doesn’t read a book seldom,
every day. sometimes
Q: (Wh)+Do+sub(I/you/we/they)+verb+ob+p+t...? Ex: Do they usually
read a book every day? if sentences
(Wh)+Does+sub(he/she/it)+verb+o+p+t...? Ex: Does he read a type I
(If I talk, ..)
book every day?
A: Sub(you/we/they)+are+verb+ing+ob+p+t. Ex: They are
reading a book now.
at the
Sub(he/she/it)+is+verb+ing+ob+p+t. Ex: He is reading a book
moment,
now. just, just
2 Present N: S(you/we/they)+aren’t+verb+ing+ob+p+t. Ex: They are not now,
Contin.s reading a book now. Listen!,
S(he/she/it)+isn’t+verb+ing+ob+p+t. Ex: He isn’t reading a Look!,
book now. now,
Q: (Wh)+Are+sub(you/we/they)+verb+ing+ob+p+t...? Ex: Are right now
they reading a book now?
(Wh)+Is+sub(he/she/it)+verb+ing+ob+p+t...? Ex: Is he reading
a book now?
A: Sub(I/you/we/they)+have+verb+PPII+ob+p+t. Ex: They
have just done their homework.
Sub(he/she/it)+has+verb+PPII+ob+p+t. Ex: He has just done his
3 Present already,
Perfect
homework. ever, just,
Simple N: S(I/you/we/they)+haven’t+verb+PPII+ob+p+t. Ex: They never,
haven’t done their homework yet. not yet,
 S(he/she/it)+hasn’t+verb+PPII+ob+p+t. Ex: He hasn’t done his so far,
homework yet. till now,
Q: (Wh)+Have+sub(I/you/we/they)+verb+PPII+ob+p+t...? Ex: up to now
Have they done their homework?
(Wh)+Has+sub(he/she/it)+verb+PPII+ob+p+t...? Ex: Has he
done his homework?
A: Sub(I/you/we/they)+have+been+verb+ing+ob+p+t. Ex: They
have been doing their homework for two hours.
Sub(he/she/it)+has+been+verb+ing+ob+p+t. Ex: He has been
Present all day,
4 Perfect
doing his homework for two hours. for 4 years,
Contin.s N: Sub(I/you/we/they)+haven’t+been+verb+ing+ob+p+t. Ex: since 1993,
They haven’t been doing their homework. how long?,
Sub(he/she/it)+hasn’t+been+verb+ing+ob+p+t. Ex: He hasn’t the whole
been doing his homework. week
Q: (Wh)+Have+sub(I/you/we/they)+been+verb+ing+ob+p+t...?
Ex: Have they been doing their homework for two hours?
(Wh)+Has+sub(he/she/it)+been+verb+ing+ob+p+t...? Ex: Has
he been doing his homework for two hours?
yesterday,
A: Sub(I/you/we/they/he/she/it)+verb+ed+ob+p+t. Ex: We 2 minutes
played tennis yestreday. ago,
5 Past in 1990,
N: Sub(I/you/we/they/he/she/it)+didn’t+verb+ob+p+t. Ex: We
Simple the other
didn’t play tennis yesterday. day,
Q: (Wh)+Did+sub(I/you/we/they/he/she/it)+verb+ob+p+t...? last Friday
Ex: Did you play tennis yesterday? if sentence
type II
(If I talked,..)
A: Sub(you/we/they)+were+verb+ing+ob+p+t. Ex: They were
playing tennis at 2 o’clock yesterday.
Sub(I/he/she/it)+was+verb+ing+ob+p+t. Ex: He was playing
6 Past
tennis at 2 o’clock yesterday.
Contin.s N: Sub(you/we/they)+weren’t+verb+ing+ob+p+t. Ex: They were
not playing tennis at 2 o’clock yesterday.
 Sub(I/he/she/it)+wasn’t+verb+ing+ob+p+t. Ex: He wasn’t playing while,
tennis at 2 o’clock yesterday. as long as
Q: (Wh)+Were+sub(you/we/they)+verb+ing+ob+p+t...? Ex: Were
they playing tennis at 2 o’clock yesterday.
(Wh)+Was+sub(I/he/she/it)+verb+ing+ob+p+t...? Ex: Was he
playing tennis at 2 o’clock yesterday.
already,
A: Sub(I/you/we/they/he/she/it)+ had+ verb+PPII +ob+p+t. Ex: just, never,
7 Past They had done their homework by 5 o’clock yesterday. not yet,
Perfect once, until
N: Sub(I/you/we/they/he/she/it)+hadn’t+verb+PPII+ob+p+t. Ex:
that day
They hadn’t done their homework by 5 o’clock yesterday. if sentence
Q: (Wh)+Had+sub(I/you/we/they/he/she/it)+verb+PPII+ob+p+t...? type III
Ex: Had they done their homework by 5 o’clock yesterday? (If I had
talked, …)
8 Past A: Sub(I/you/we/they/he/she/it)+had+been+verb+ing +ob+ p+t.
Perfect Ex: They had been doing their homework for two hours. for, since,
Contin.s N: Sub(I/you/we/they/he/she/it)+hadn’t+been+verb+ing+ob+p+t. the whole
day,
Ex: They hadn’t been doing their homework for two hours. all day
Q:(Wh)+Had+sub(I/you/we/they/he/she/it)+been+verb+ing+o+p+t?
Ex: Had they been doing their homework for two hours?
A: Sub(I/you/we/they/he/she/it)+will+verb+ob+p+t. in a year,
Ex: She will come tomorrow. next …,
9 Future N: Sub(I/you/we/they/he/she/it)+won’t+verb+ob+p+t. tomorrow
Simple assumption:
(will)
Ex: She won’t come tomorrow. I think,
Q: (Wh)+Will+sub(I/you/we/they/he/she/it)+verb+ob+p+t...? probably,
Ex: Will she come tomorrow? perhaps

A: Sub(you/we/they)+ are+ going to+verb+ob+p+t. Ex: They are

going to study abroad in the future.
Sub(he/she/it)+is+going to+verb+ob+p+t. Ex: He is going to
10 Future
Simple study abroad in the future.
(going N: Sub(you/we/they)+aren’t+going to+verb+ob+p+t. Ex: They are in one year,
to) not going to study abroad in the future. next week,
 Sub(he/she/it)+isn’t+going to+verb+ob+p+t. Ex: He isn’t going to tomorrow
study abroad in the future.
Q: (Wh)+Are+sub(you/we/they)+going to+verb+ob+p+t...? Ex:
Are they going to study abroad in the future?
(Wh)+Is+sub(he/she/it)+going to+verb+ob+p+t...? Ex: Is he
going to study abroad in the future?
A: Sub(I/you/we/they/he/she/it)+will+be+verb+ing+ob+ p+t.
Ex: I’ll be having a lesson at 9 o’clock tomorrow. in one year,
10 Future N: Sub(I/you/we/they/he/she/it)+won’t+be+verb+ing+ob+p+t. Ex: next week,
Contin.s tomorrow
I won’t be having a lesson at 9 o’clock tomorrow. Q: Q: Q:(Wh)
+Will+sub(I/you/we/they/he/she/it)+be+verb+ing+ob+p+t?
Ex: Will you be having a lesson at 9 o’clock tomorrow?
A: Sub(I/you/we/they/he/she/it)+will+have+verb+PPII+ob+p+t
Ex: They will have done their homework by 5 o’clock tomorrow. by Monday,
11 Future in a week
N: Sub(I/you/we/they/he/she/it)+won’t+have+verb+PPII+ob+p+t.
Perfect
Ex:They won’t have done their homework by 5 o’clock tomorrow.
Q:(Wh)+Will+sub(I/you/we/they/he/she/it)+have+verb+PPII+ob+p+t?
Ex: Will they have done their homework by 5 o’clock tomorrow?
A: Sub(I/you/we/they/he/she/it)+will+have+been+verb+ing+ob+p+t.
Ex: They will have been doing their homework for two hours. for …, the
12 Future last couple
N:Sub(I/you/we/they/he/she/it)+won’t+have+been+verb+ing+ob+p+t
Perfect of hours,
Contin.s Ex: They won’t have been doing their homework for two hours. all day long
Q: (Wh)+Will+sub(I/you/we/they/he/she/it)+have+been+verb+ing+o
+ p+t?
Ex: Will they have been doing their homework for two hours?