VERBS AND VERB TENSES

VERBS CONVEY ACTION

Two important considerations
• When---Present (now), Past (yesterday), Future (will)

• Action Completed or Continuous

o Perfect refers to any action completed
o Continuous refers to ongoing action

• Note: “Perfect” comes from the Latin “perfectum” and means FINISHED
OR COMPLETED.

Need to ask… What is the timing of the action, and is/was it ongoing or continuous?

You must…Always be consistent with timing—never mix present tense verbs with
past, etc etc etc.
Additional Notes
• Adding “ing” to the base verb always makes it continuous—study to studying

• Adding “ed” or “ied” to the base verb implies action began in past—study to
studied. If have or has appears before verb w/ed or ied, the action began in the
past, but has relevance in the present, so it is present perfect. The ed or ied
implies a completed action.

• To repeat, Have and has imply a current statement. Have or has + verb w/ed
or ied =s present perfect because it implies an action that has been
completed—perfect. Hence present perfect.

• Had and was refer to the past. Studying is continuous. Studied is a

completed (perfect) action: Therefore, was studying is past continuous, had
studied is past perfect, and had been studying is past perfect continuous.
 PRESENT
Simple Present
• I study English every day.
• Repeated or recurring action in the present.

Present Continuous
• I am studying English now every day.
• Ongoing action in present—note core verb plus ing

Present Perfect
• I have studied English in several counties
• Action began sometime in past (when does not matter), but has relevance now

Present Perfect Continuous

• I have been studying English for 5 years (been implies completion)
• Form: have or has, plus been, plus core verb ending in ing

PAST
Simple Past
• Last year, I studied English in England
• Completed or finished action where time is specified, but duration does not matter
• Use past simple if the order of events is clear or if one action happens immediately
after the other—i.e.—They reached the mountain top and rested for 30 minutes.

Past Continuous
• I was studying English when you called yesterday
• We were studying English when you called
• Action still in progress, unfinished
• Action continuous when interrupted by another action

Past Perfect Simple

• I had studied English before I moved to the United States
• Acton began in past, before another action and was finished

Past Perfect Continuous

• I had been studying English for 5 years before I moved to the United States
• The duration of the action is a focal point
 FUTURE
Simple Future
• I will study for the exam tomorrow.
• If you are having problems with English, I will help you study
• I am going to study English next year

Future Continuous
• I will be studying English when you arrive tonight
• I am going to be studying English when you arrive tonight

Future Perfect
• I will have studied every tense by the time I finish the course
• I am going to have studied every tense…(Correct, but awkward—avoid)

Future Perfect Continuous

• I will have been studying English for 2 hours by the time you arrive
• I am going to have been studying … (Correct, but very awkward—avoid)

Time Expressions
We can use time expressions as soon as, when, before, as, by the time and after with past
simple, past perfect simple, and past perfect continuous. They precede clauses and give
important background information. As soon as I’d heard what happened, I called you.