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PRESENT SIMPLE
The present tense is the base form of the verb: I work in London.
But the third person (she/he/it) adds an -s: She works in London.

Use

We use the present tense to talk about:

 something that is true in the present:

I’m nineteen years old.

He lives in London.
I’m a student.

 something that happens again and again in the present:

I play football every weekend.

We use words like sometimes, often. always, and never (adverbs of frequency) with the present
tense:

I sometimes go to the cinema.

She never plays football.

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  something that is always true:

The adult human body contains 206 bones.

Light travels at almost 300,000 kilometres per second.

 Something that is fixed in the future.

The school term starts next week.

The train leaves at 1945 this evening.
We fly to Paris next week.

Questions and negatives

Do you play the piano?

Where do you live?

 With the present tense, we use do and does to make questions. We use does for the third
person (she/he/it) and we use do for the others. We use do and does with question words
like where, what and why:

But look at these questions with who:

Who lives in London?

Who plays football at the weekend?
Who works at Liverpool City Hospital?

Look at these sentences:

I like tennis, but I don’t like football. (don’t = do not)

I don’t live in London now..
John doesn’t live in Manchester. (doesn’t = does not)
Angela doesn’t drive to work. She goes by bus.

 With the present tense we use do and does to make negatives. We use does not (doesn’t) for
the third person (she/he/it) and we use do not (don’t) for the others.

PRESENT CONTINUOUS
The present continuous tense is formed from the present tense of the verb be and the present
participle (-ing form) of a verb.

Use

1. We use the present continuous tense to talk about the present:

 for something that is happening at the moment of speaking:

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I’m just leaving work. I’ll be home in an hour.
Please be quiet. The children are sleeping.

 for something which is happening before and after a given time:

At eight o’clock we are usually having breakfast.

When I get home the children are doing their homework.

 for something which we think is temporary:

Michael is at university. He’s studying history.

I’m working in London for the next two weeks.

 for something which is new and contrasts with a previous state:

These days most people are using email instead of writing letters.
What sort of clothes are teenagers wearing nowadays? What sort of music are they listening to?

 to show that something is changing, growing or developing:

The children are growing quickly.

The climate is changing rapidly.
Your English is improving.

 for something which happens again and again:

It’s always raining in London.

They are always arguing.
George is great. He’s always laughing.

Note: We normally use always with this use.

2. We use the present continuous tense to talk about the future:

 for something which has been arranged or planned:

Mary is going to a new school next term.

What are you doing next week?

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PRESENT PERFECT and PRESENT PERFECT CONTINUOUS

The present perfect is formed from the present tense of the verb have and the past participle of a
verb. The present perfect continuous is formed with have/has been and the -ing form of the verb.

They’ve been married for nearly fifty years.

Use

We use the present perfect tense:

 for something that started in the past and continues in the present:

They’ve been married for nearly fifty years.

She has lived in Liverpool all her life.

Note: We normally use the present perfect continuous (or present perfect progressive) for this:

She has been living in Liverpool all her life.

It’s been raining for hours.

 for something we have done several times in the past and continue to do:

I’ve played the guitar ever since I was a teenager.

He has written three books and he is working on another one.
I’ve been watching that programme every week.

We often use a clause with since to show when something started in the past:

They’ve been staying with us since last week.

I have worked here since I left school.
I’ve been watching that programme every week since it started.

 when we are talking about our experience up to the present:

Note: We often use the adverb ever to talk about experience up to the present:

My last birthday was the worst day I have ever had.

Note: and we use never for the negative form:

Have you ever met George?

Yes, but I’ve never met his wife.

 for something that happened in the past but is important at the time of speaking:

I can’t get in the house. I’ve lost my keys.

Teresa isn’t at home. I think she has gone shopping.
I’m tired out. I’ve been working all day.
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We use the present perfect of be when someone has gone to a place and returned:

A: Where have you been?

B: I’ve just been out to the supermarket.

A: Have you ever been to San Francisco?

B: No, but I’ve been to Los Angeles.

But when someone has not returned we use have/has gone:

A: Where is Maria? I haven’t seen her for weeks.

B: She's gone to Paris for a week. She’ll be back tomorrow.

We often use the present perfect with time adverbials which refer to the recent past:

just; only just; recently;

Scientists have recently discovered a new breed of monkey.

We have just got back from our holidays.

or adverbials which include the present:

WARNING:

We do not use the present perfect with an adverbial which refers to past time which is finished:

I have seen that film yesterday.

We have just bought a new car last week.
When we were children we have been to California.

But we can use it to refer to a time which is not yet finished:

Have you seen Helen today?

We have bought a new car this week.

Activity 01

Put the verbs into the correct tense (Present Perfect or Present Perfect Continuous).
1. A: (you / take)________________________ the dog for a walk yet?

2. B: I (work)__________________ all day. I (come / just)__________________________

home from work and I (have / not)_________________________ the time yet to walk the dog.

3. A: How long (the dog / be)_____________________ home alone?

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4. B: For about 6 hours. You (walk / not)______________________ the dog for a long time.
Don't you want to go?
5. A: Well, I (laze / not)________________________ about all day either, you know. I have
a very important meeting tomorrow and I still (finish / not)________________________
my presentation.
6. B: Okay, I will go then. Where (you / put)_________________________ collar and leash?
7. A: They are in the kitchen. By the way, (you / eat)________________________ anything yet?
If not, could you get us something from the supermarket?

Activity 02

Put the verbs into the correct tense (Present Perfect or Present Perfect Continuous).

1. A: I have been calling for you for half an hour. Where (you / be)____________________? And
why are your clothes so dirty?
2. B: I (tidy) _______________________up the shed in the garden.
3. A: Have you found a box with old photos there? I (look) __________________for it for ages.
4. B: I haven’t discovered it yet, but I (not work) __________________ for a long time yet. I (just
come) _________________in to eat something.
5. A: I haven’t cooked anything yet because I (talk) __________________ to our neighbour.

Activity 03

Choose the correct form of the following verbs

wake(s) up - open(s) - speak(s) - take(s) - do(es) - cause(s) - live(s) - play(s) - close(s) -

live(s)

01. Ann__________________ hand ball very well.

02. I never________________________ coffee.
03. The swimming pool____________________ at 7:00 in the morning.
04. It____________________ at 9:00 in the evening.
05. Bad driving__________________ many accidents.
06. My parents__________________ in a very small flat.
07. The Olympic Games________________________ place every four years.
08. They are good students. They always_______________________ their homework.
09. My students_____________________ a little English.
10. I always________________ early in the morning.
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PAST SIMPLE

Use

We use the past tense to talk about:

 something that happened once in the past:

I met my wife in 1983.

We went to Spain for our holidays.
They got home very late last night.

 something that happened again and again in the past:

When I was a boy I walked a mile to school every day.

We swam a lot while we were on holiday.
They always enjoyed visiting their friends.

 something that was true for some time in the past:

I lived abroad for ten years.

He enjoyed being a student.
She played a lot of tennis when she was younger.

 we often use phrases with ago with the past tense:

I met my wife a long time ago.

Questions and negatives

We use did to make questions with the past tense:

When did you meet your wife?

Where did you go for your holidays?
Did she play tennis when she was younger?
Did you live abroad?

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But look at these questions:

Who discovered penicillin?

Who wrote Don Quixote?

For more on these questions see question forms in Murphy’s Grammar Book.

We use didn’t (did not) to make negatives with the past tense:

They didn’t go to Spain this year.

We didn’t get home until very late last night.
I didn’t see you yesterday.

PAST CONTINUOUS

The past continuous is formed from the past tense of be with the –ing form of the verb:

We use the past continuous to talk about the past:

 for something which continued before and after another action:

The children were doing their homework when I got home.

Compare:

I got home. The children did their homework.

and
The children did their homework when I got home.

As I was watching television the telephone rang.

This use of the past continuous is very common at the beginning of a story:

The other day I was waiting for a bus when …

Last week as I was driving to work …

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  for something that happened before and after a particular time:

It was eight o’clock. I was writing a letter.

Compare:

At eight o’clock I wrote some letters.

In July she was working in McDonald’s.

 to show that something continued for some time:

My head was aching.

Everyone was shouting.

 for something that was happening again and again:

I was practicing every day, three times a day.

They were meeting secretly after school.
They were always quarrelling.

 with verbs which show change or growth:

The children were growing up quickly.

Her English was improving.
My hair was going grey.
The town was changing quickly.

PAST PERFECT & PAST PERFECT CONTINUOUS

We use the verb had and the past participle for the past perfect:

I had finished the work.

She had gone.

The past perfect continuous is formed with had been and the –ing form of the verb:

I had been finishing the work.

She had been going.
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The past perfect is used in the same way as the present perfect, but it refers to a time in the
past, not the present.

We use the past perfect tense:

 for something that started in the past and continued up to a given time in the past:

When George died he and Anne had been married for nearly fifty years.
She didn’t want to move. She had lived in Liverpool all her life.

We normally use the past perfect continuous for this:

She didn’t want to move. She had been living in Liverpool all her life.
Everything was wet. It had been raining for hours.

 for something we had done several times up to a point in the past and continued to
do after that point:

He was a wonderful guitarist. He had been playing ever since he was a teenager.
He had written three books and he was working on another one.
I had been watching the programme every week, but I missed the last episode.

We often use a clause with since to show when something started in the past:

They had been staying with us since the previous week.

I was sorry when the factory closed. I had worked there since I left school.
I had been watching that programme every week since it started, but I missed the last
episode.

 when we are reporting our experience and including up to the (then) present:

My eighteenth birthday was the worst day I had ever had.

I was pleased to meet George. I hadn’t met him before, even though I had met his wife
several times.

 for something that happened in the past but is important at the time of reporting:

I couldn’t get into the house. I had lost my keys.

Teresa wasn’t at home. She had gone shopping.

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We use the past perfect to talk about the past in conditions, hypotheses and wishes:

I would have helped him if he had asked.

It was very dangerous. What if you had got lost?
I wish I hadn’t spent so much money last month.

Activity 04

Leonardo Da Vinci
Fill in the blanks with the correct form of the Simple Past
Leonardo Da Vinci (1452-1519) 1) ______________ (be) an incredible man. He
2) ______________ (work) as an artist, architect, mathematician and scientist. He also
3) ______________ (work) as a military engineer and 4) ______________ (be) a good
musician. Leonardo 5) ______________ (be) born in Vinci near Florence. He
6) ______________ (like) school but he 7) ______________ (hate) Latin. In 1466,
Leonardo’s family 8) ______________ (move) to Florence and he 9) ______________
(finish) school. In 1482, he 10) ______________ (leave) Florence for Milan and 11) -
______________ (start) to work for Duke of Milan.

He 12) ______________ (want) to build a new town and 13) ______________ (design)
many buildings for the Duke, but the Duke 14) ______________ (refuse). He also
15) ______________ (study) mathematics. His drawing of the Anatomy of a Man
16) ______________ (show) him to be a great biologist. In Milan Leonardo Da Vinci
17) ______________ (make) a lot of his paintings and drawings but he
18) ______________ (lose) most of them. In 1502, he 19) ______________ (return) to
Florence and 20) ______________ (paint) the Mona Lisa. He 21) ______________
(carry) his painting with him when he 22) ______________ (travel). From 1514 to 1516,
he 23) ______________ (live) in Rome and 24) ______________ (make) his
scientific experiments. He 25) ______________ (take) interest in acoustics, astronomy,
mechanics, mapmaking, optics, weapons and other branches of science.

Leonardo Da Vinci was a unique person. He 26) ______________ (write) from right to
left – people 27) ______________(need) a mirror to read his writings. He also 28) -
______________ (can) write different sentences with his right and left hands at the

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same time. He 29) ______________ (invent) scissors and 30) ______________
(make) drawings for a tank, a helicopter and a submarine. His scientific inventions
31) ______________ (be) a hundred years before his time. Leonardo Da Vinci 32) -
______________ (die) in France in 1519.

Activity 05

Choose the most suitable verb tense.

1. By the time Vera finished her course, she ___________ in Dublin for six years.
a) had been b ) had been being
2. They ___________ to find the hotel all evening.
a) had tried b) had been trying

3. He moved because he ___________ a job in another place.

a) had been getting b) had got
4. Everybody noticed that you ___________ a mistake.
a) had made b) had been making
5. I went to New York. I ___________ about it for years.
a) had been dreaming b) had dreamt
6. He ___________ never ___________ about returning to his hometown.
a) had…been thinking b) had…thought
7. They didn’t want to lunch because they ___________ already ___________ .
a) had…eaten b) had…been eating
8. I ___________ since early morning.
a) had been practicing b) had practice
9. The waiter served something that we ___________.
a) hadn’t been ordering b) hadn’t ordered

Activity 06

Put the verbs into the Past Perfect or Past Continuous.

1. The game ___________(not/start) by the time we arrived.

2. Were you afraid after the plane ___________(take) off?
3. They ___________ (prepare) the party for hours.
4. He had to leave because he ___________ (arrange) to pick Molly up.

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5. Ben was fired. He ___________(spy) for a rival company.
6. Her throat was sore because she ___________(shout) for a long time.
7. They were hungry because they___________ (not / eat) anything.
8. Her eyes were red. She ___________ (cry)
9. I ___________ (write) the email before you arrive.
10. John was tired. he ___________ (not/sleep) for 24 hours.

Activity 07

Complete the dialogues with the correct form of the verbs in brackets.

1. A: Was that your first flight?

B: Yes, I _______ never _______ (fly) before.
2. A: Why didn’t you know how to do the exercise?
B: I _______ (not / listen) to the teacher.
3. A: Why didn’t you watch the film?
B: Because I _______ already _______ (watch) it.
4. A: Yesterday I had a terrible headache.
B: Of course, you _______ (lie) in the sun all day.
5. A: Why didn’t you go to the beach?
B: Because it _______ (rain).

FUTURE SIMPLE

Use

1. We often use Simple Future tense (will) to talk about actions that will occur in future:

 offering to do something:

I’ll help you carry that heavy bag.

We will assist you if required.
They’ll guide you if you need so.

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  agreeing to do something:

I’ll give it to him this evening.

He’ll drop you at the airport.

 deciding to do something at the time of speaking:

I’ll shut the door.

We’ll have an orange juice please
I’ll phone her now.

 promising to do something:

I’ll pay you back on Monday.

I won’t tell anyone what happened.

 asking somebody to do something (Will you…?):

Will you please turn off the radio?

Negatives

 In spoken English, the negative of will is usually won’t (= will not)

I won’t stay too long.

They won’t buy the apartment at that price.
Most likely, he won’t eat apple pie.

WARNING: Do not use will to talk about something already decided or arranged to do:

I’m going on holiday next Saturday. (not I’ll go)

Are you working tomorrow? (not Will you work)

You can use won’t to say that somebody refuses to do something:

They won’t listen to us.
The engine won’t start. (= the engine ‘refuses’ to start)

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2. We use shall mostly in question form to:

 ask somebody’s opinion:

Shall I shut the window?

Where shall we go for dinner this evening?
Shall we leave now?

FUTURE CONTINUOUS
We use the Future Continuous (will be + verb + ing) to talk about:

 an ongoing action that will occur in future:

I’ll be performing at the theatre tonight.

They’ll be flying to New York next week.

FUTURE PERFECT

We use the Future Perfect tense (will + have + past participle) to describe:

 an action that will have been completed at some point in the future:

I will have eaten by 8p.m.

By the time you arrive, we will have finished the meal and cleaned the house.

FUTURE PERFECT CONTINUOUS

We use the Future Perfect Continuous tense (will + have + been + verb + ing) to describe:

 an ongoing action that will be completed at some specified time in the future:

I will have been going.

In January next year, we will have been studying at University for two years.

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OTHER FORMS OF FUTURE EXPRESSION
1. We use verb be + going + infinitive verb) to talk about:

 something that is intended to be done in the future:

I am going to watch the late night film on TV tonight.

They are going to buy a new car.
I am just going to make a quick phone call home before I leave.

 something that is ‘going to happen’ in future:

Then bus is going to hit the wall.

It is going to rain.
Things are going to get worse.

 something that was intended to be done, but wasn’t:

We were going to travel by train, but then decided to go by car.

I was going to do the exam, but later changed my mind.
I was just going to cross the road, when somebody said ‘Stop!’

2. We use present progressive to talk about:

 something that is intended to be done in the future:

I am sitting for the exam next week.

They are travelling to England during next Summer holidays.

Activity 08

Complete the sentences with the verbs in brackets. Use the Future Simple or Future
Continuous Tense.1

1. I can buy it for you if you want. I ……………………………….. (shop) in the

afternoon anyway.

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Source: https://www.e-grammar.org/future-simple-continuous/test2-exercise1/

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 2. Is Bill at school?
No, he isn’t. I suppose he ……………………………….. (come) to school next week.
3. I hope Simon ……………………………….. (be) there. He’s great fun.
4. Did you remember to invite Mrs. Oates?
Oh, no! I forgot. But I ……………………………….. (call) her right now.
5. I’ll have a holiday next week. I ……………………………….. (not get up) at 6 o’clock
as usual.
6. Hurry up. You are so late! Everybody ……………………………….. (work) when you
arrive at the office.
7. Be careful or the cars ……………………………….. (knock) you down. Look both
ways before you cross the street.
8. We ……………………………….. (move) our house this time tomorrow. Do you think
you could give us a hand?
9. He ……………………………….. (play) tennis at 7.30. He usually starts at 7 o’clock.
Could you come before that?
10. Wait a minute. Your suitcase is so big. I ……………………………….. (take) it for
you.

Activity 09

Underline the correct forms of the future continuous or future perfect for the sentences
below.2

1. When we arrive in Los Angeles we’ll need to rest, because we _______ about 800
miles.
a. will be driving
b. will have driven
c. will drive

2. By the time you arrive I _______ something spectacular and dinner will be on the
table waiting for you.
a. will cook
b. will have cooked
c. will be cooking

2
Source: https://test-english.com/grammar-points/b1-b2/future-continuous-and-future-perfect/

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 3. When you get off the train, we _______ for you on the platform.
a. will wait
b. will be waiting
c. will have waited

4. We _______ on the first train next Monday.

a. will be leaving
b. will have left
c. will leave

5. When I travel to England next year I ________ English for over four years, so I think
I’ll be ready.
a. will study
b. will be studying
c. will have studied

6. Please, come at 8. By that time, I ______ my homework and we can go out.

a. will finish
b. will be finishing
c. will have finished

7. I’m sure when you call him, he _______ TV. He’s always in front of the TV!
a. will watch
b. will be watching
c. will have watched

Activity 10

Fill in the correct future tense - will future, going to or present progressive3.
1. They ……………………………….. (drive) to New York tomorrow morning.
2. I hope the weather ……………………………….. (be) nice.
3. I offered him this job. I think he ……………………………….. (take) it.
4. I promise I ……………………………….. (not tell) your secret to anyone.
5. Take your umbrella with you. It ……………………………….. (rain).
6. They ……………………………….. (play) cards this evening.
7. I ……………………………….. (go) to the cinema tomorrow.

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Source: https://www.english-4u.de/en/tenses-exercises/future.htm

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 8. They ……………………………….. (fly) to Seattle next summer holidays.
9. I ……………………………….. (invite) 50 people to the party, and I hope
everyone ……………………………….. (come).
10. That exercise looks difficult. I ……………………………….. (help) you.

Activity 11

Fill in GOING TO or WILL future4.

1. When the weather is fine, we ……………………………….. a picnic in our garden. (probably

have)
2. ……………………………….. for help? (you ask)
3. Susan ……………………………….. the bathroom next weekend. (paint)
4. I think he ……………………………….. her name. (find out)
5. I ……………………………….. a walk in the garden this evening. (take)
6. Let’s hope that the wind ……………………………….. away the clouds. (blow)
7. Mary ……………………………….. a good mark because she has studied hard. (get).
8. Are you sure, you ……………………………….. in a tent in your holidays? (sleep)
9. Peter ……………………………….. his new bike in the park. (ride)
10. I hope Jane ……………………………….. me to her party. (invite).

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Source: https://www.english-4u.de/en/tenses-exercises/future3.htm

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