Tense positive/negative/question When to Use Signal Words

 repeated/regular action always,

Simple in the present every …, never,
 He speaks.
Present  general validity normally, often,
 He doesn’t speak.
(Present  sequential actions seldom,
 Does he speak?
Simple)  timetabled/scheduled sometimes,
future actions usually
 actions currently in
Present at the moment,
 He is speaking. progress
Progressive just, just now,
 He isn’t speaking.  temporary situations
(Present Listen!, Look!,
 Is he speaking?  future plans and
Continuous) now, right now
arrangements
yesterday, 2
Simple Past He spoke.  completed past actions
minutes ago, in
(Past Simple; He didn’t speak. (one-off or repeated)
1990, the other
Preterite) Did he speak?  sequential past actions
day, last Friday
 actions already in
progress at a specific
Past moment in the past
He was speaking.
Progressive  multiple actions in
He wasn’t speaking. while, as long as
(Past progress at the same
Was he speaking?
Continuous) time
 background description
in a narrative
 completed past action
without a concrete time
marker
 past action with an
influence on the present already, ever,
Present He has spoken.
 action that lasts to the just, never, not
Perfect He hasn’t spoken.
present moment yet, so far, till
Simple Has he spoken?
 recently completed now, up to now
actions
 how much/how many
times an action
happened up to now
 how long an action has
Present
been in progress up to all day, for 4
Perfect
He has been speaking. now years, since
Progressive
He hasn’t been speaking.  recently completed 1993, how
(Present
Has he been speaking? actions with long?, the whole
Perfect
an emphasis on the week
Continuous)
duration
 actions that occurred
prior to another point in
already, just,
Past Perfect He had spoken. the past
never, not yet,
Simple He hadn’t spoken.  sometimes
once, until that
(Pluperfect) Had he spoken? interchangeable
day
with past perfect
progressive
Past Perfect He had been speaking.  action before a certain for, since, the
 Tense positive/negative/question When to Use Signal Words
point in the past
 sometimes
Progressive
He hadn’t been speaking. interchangeable whole day, all
(Past Perfect
Had he been speaking? with past perfect simple day
Continuous)
 emphasises the action or
length of the action
in a year,
next …,
tomorrow,
first conditional
He will speak.  spontaneous decisions
Future with sentences (If
He won’t speak.  promises
will you ask her, she
Will he speak?  predictions
will help you.),
supposition: I
think, probably,
perhaps
He is going to speak.  intentions for the future
Future with in one year, next
He isn’t going to speak.  logical conclusions
going to week, tomorrow
Is he going to speak? regarding the future
Future
He will be speaking.  actions that will already
Progressive in one year, next
He won’t be speaking. be in progress at a
(Future week, tomorrow
Will he be speaking? certain point in the future
Continuous)
Future He will have spoken.  actions that will have
by Monday, in a
Perfect He won’t have spoken. been completed by a
week
Simple Will he have spoken? future time
Future He will have been
Perfect speaking.
 actions that will already for …, the last
Progressive He won’t have been
have been completed by couple of hours,
(Future speaking.
a future time all day long
Perfect Will he have been
Continuous) speaking?