1

Present simple (Regular Verbs)

Use:

To describe a habit / routine e.g. I work every day

To describe a person / situation e.g. She is (be) beautiful

Form (Regular/Positive)

Subject Verb Complement

I Work Everyday

You Work Everyday

He/She/It Works Everyday

We Work Everyday

You (Plural) Work Everyday

They Work Everyday

Form (Regular/Negative)

Subject Negative Auxiliary Infinitive Complement

(Don’t / Doesn’t)

I Don’t Work Everyday

You Don’t Work Everyday

He/She/It Doesn’t Work Everyday

We Don’t Work Everyday

You (Plural) Don’t Work Everyday

They Don’t Work Everyday

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Form (Regular/Question - Positive/Negative)

Auxiliary (Do/Does - Subject Infinitive Complement

Don’t / Doesn’t)

Do/Don’t I Work Everyday?

Do/Don’t You Work Everyday?

Does/Doesn’t He/She/It Work Everyday?

Do/Don’t We Work Everyday?

Do/Don’t You (Plural) Work Everyday?

Do/Don’t They Work Everyday?

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Present continuous (Structure - Regular Verbs)

Use:

To talk about an action in progress e.g. I’m working now

An action happening around now e.g. I’m working a lot these days.

Form (Regular/Positive)

Subject Auxiliary (am/are/is) Verb+Ing Complement

I (I’m) Am Working At the moment

You (You’re) Are Working At the moment

He/She/It (He’s. . . ) Is Working At the moment

We (We’re) Are Working At the moment

You (Plural) (You’re) Are Working At the moment

They (They’re) Are Working At the moment

Form (Regular/Negative)

Subject Auxiliary (am/are/is) Verb+Ing Complement

I (I’m not) (I’m not) Working At the moment

You (You aren’t) (You aren’t) Working At the moment

He/She/It (He isn’t ) (He isn’t ) Working At the moment

We (We aren’t) (We aren’t) Working At the moment

You (Plural) (You (You aren’t) Working At the moment

aren’t)

They (They aren’t) (They aren’t) Working At the moment

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Form (Regular/Question - Positive/Negative)

Auxiliary Subject Infinitive Complement

(Am/Is/Are)

Am - - - I Working At the moment?

Are / Aren’t You Working At the moment?

Is / Isn’t He/She/It Working At the moment?

Are / Aren’t We Working At the moment?

Are / Aren’t You (Plural) Working At the moment?

Are / Aren’t They Working At the moment?

Key words:

Present simple Present continuous

Always Nowadays

Never At the moment

Sometimes This year/week/Month, etc.

Usually

Once in a while
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State Verbs:

Remember that when we use a continuous tense, for example present, past, future continuous,
we cannot use state verbs. An example of a state verb would be;

Believe.

Present Simple - I believe in Father Chrsitmas - Correct

Present Continuous - I am believing in Father Christmas. - Incorrect

Some common state verbs include;

Stative (or State) Verb List

like know belong

love realise fit

hate suppose contain

want mean consist

need understand seem

prefer believe depend

agree remember matter

mind recognise see

own appear look (=seem)

sound taste smell

hear astonish deny

disagree please impress

satisfy promise surprise

doubt think (=have an opinion) feel (=have an opinion)

wish imagine concern

dislike be have

deserve involve include

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lack measure (=have length etc) possess

owe weigh (=have weight)

A verb which isn't stative is called a dynamic verb, and is usually an action.

State verbs are also important when we refer to a past habit or routine.

Generally, when we refer to a past habit or routine, we use ‘Used to + Infinitive’.

For example;

Jocelyn used to play wrestling. - Play is a ‘dynamic verb’.

Jocelyn didn’t use to play wrestling -

Did Jocelyn use to play wrestling?

I could also use ‘would’ to refer to a past habit or routine, but only with dynamic verbs.

For example;

Jocelyn would play wrestling, when she was younger. . . .

Now with State Verbs, We can also use ‘Used to’

For example;

Jocelyn used to believe in Father Christmas

Jocelyn didn’t use to. . .

Did Jocelyn use to . . . . ?

BUT, we cannot use ‘WOULD’ with state verbs to refer to a past habir or routine e.g.

Jocelyn would believe. . . . - In this case, it changes to a conditional e.g. Jocelyn creería . . .
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Instructions: Each of the following sentences contains an error in the usage of Present
Simple and Present Continuous. Please correct the errors and write the corrected
sentences.

I always drink coffee in the morning, but today I . . . . . . . . . (Drink) tea.

The sun . . . . . . . . . (Set) in the east and . . . . . . . . . (Set) in the west.

I . . . . . . . . . (watch) a movie right now.

Sarah . . . . . . . . . (study) hard for her exams.

He always . . . . . . . . . (Wear)a suit to work, but today he . . . . . . . . .(Use) a T-shirt.

I . . . . . . . . . (Listen) to music while I . . . . . . . . . (write) my essay.

She usually . . . . . . . . . (Take) the bus to work, but today she . . . . . . . . . (Take) the train.

Choose the present simple or present continuous.

1. (You / come) . . . . . . . . . tonight?

2. (He / eat) . . . . . . . . . rice every day?
3. I (work) . . . . . . . . . at the moment.
4. (He / come) . . . . . . . . . to London often?
5. He (play) . . . . . . . . . tennis now.
6. (You / come) . . . . . . . . . to the cinema later?
7. They (not / come) . . . . . . . . . to the party tomorrow.
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Past simple (Regular Verbs)

Use:

To describe a single completed action in the past e.g. I worked last Tuesday

To refer to a specific time e.g. in 2001/last Tuesday, etc.

Form (Regular/Positive)
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Subject Verb + ED Complement

I Worked Last Tuesday

You Worked Last Tuesday

He/She/It Worked Last Tuesday

We Worked Last Tuesday

You (Plural) Worked Last Tuesday

They Worked Last Tuesday

Form (Regular/Negative)

Subject Negative Auxiliary Infinitive Complement

(Didn’t)

I Didn’t Work Last Tuesday

You Didn’t Work Last Tuesday

He/She/It Didn’t Work Last Tuesday

We Didn’t Work Last Tuesday

You (Plural) Didn’t Work Last Tuesday

They Didn’t Work Last Tuesday

Form (Regular/Question - Positive/Negative)

Auxiliary Subject Infinitive Complement

(Did/Didn’t)

Did/Didn’t I Work Last Tuesday?

Did/Didn’t You Work Last Tuesday?

Did/Didn’t He/She/It Work Last Tuesday?

Did/Didn’t We Work Last Tuesday?

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Did/Didn’t You (Plural) Work Last Tuesday?

Did/Didn’t They Work Last Tuesday?

Past continuous (Structure - Regular Verbs)

Use:

To talk about an action in progress at a specific time in the past e.g. I was working at 5pm
yesterday

Form (Regular/Positive)
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Subject Auxiliary (am/are/is) Verb+Ing Complement

I Was Working At 5pm yesterday

You Were Working At 5pm yesterday

He/She/It Was Working At 5pm yesterday

We Were Working At 5pm yesterday

You (Plural) Were Working At 5pm yesterday

They Were Working At 5pm yesterday

Form (Regular/Negative)

Subject Auxiliary Verb+Ing Complement

(wasn’t/weren’t)

I Wasn’t Working At 5pm yesterday

You Weren’t Working At 5pm yesterday

He/She/It Wasn’t Working At 5pm yesterday

We Weren’t Working At 5pm yesterday

You (Plural) Weren’t Working At 5pm yesterday

They Weren’t Working At 5pm yesterday

Form (Regular/Question - Positive/Negative)

Auxiliary Subject Verb+Ing Complement

(Was/wasn’t)
(Were/weren’t)

Was/Wasn’t I Working At 5pm yesterday

Were/Weren’t You Working At 5pm yesterday

Was/Wasn’t He/She/It Working At 5pm yesterday

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Were/Weren’t We Working At 5pm yesterday

Were/Weren’t You (Plural) Working At 5pm yesterday

Were/Weren’t They Working At 5pm yesterday

Key words:

Past simple Past continuous

Yesterday At that time

Last. . . At 5pm yesrday

. . . . ago While . . . .

Choose the past simple or past continuous.

1. What were you doing (you / do) when I called ________________________ (call) you
last night?

2. I _ was siting _______________________ (sit) in a café when you

_ called _______________________ (call).

3. When you _____ arrived ___________________ (arrive) at the party, who __ was
______________________ (be) there?
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4. Susie ___ was watching _____________________ (watch) a film when she ____hear
d____________________ (hear) the noise.

5. Yesterday I ___ went_____________________ (go) to the library, next I had (have) a swim,
later__ i met ______________________(meet) Julie for a coffee.

6. We ____ were playing____________________(play) tennis when John ____hurt

____________________ (hurt) his ankle.

7. What __ were they doing ______________________ (they / do) at 10pm last night? It
___ was _____________________ (be) really noisy.

8. He _ was taking _______________________ (take) a shower when the telephone

_____ rang ___________________ (ring).

9. He _ was _______________________(be) in the shower when the telephone

_______ rang _________________ (ring).

10. When I __ was walking______________________ (walk) into the room, everyone

______ was working__________________ (work).

Here is a gap-fill exercise for Past Simple and Past Continuous:

She . . . . . . . . . (watch) a movie when her friend called.

They . . . . . . . . . (play) tennis when it started to rain.
He . . . . . . . . . (study) for his exam all night, but he still failed.
We . . . . . . . . . (drive) to the airport when we got lost.
Present Perfect Simple (Structure - Regular Verbs)
Use:
To talk about an action which began in the past and continues in the present
e.g. I have lived in Santiago for 13 years.

This generally places an emphasis on repeated actions e.g. I’ve sent a million emails today.

Form (Regular/Positive)

Subject Auxiliary (have/has) Past participle Complement

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I Have Lived In Santiago for 10

years.

You Have Lived In Santiago for 10

years.

He/She/It Has Lived In Santiago for 10

years.

We Have Lived In Santiago for 10

years.

You (Plural) Have Lived In Santiago for 10

years.

They Have Lived In Santiago for 10

years.

Form (Regular/Negative)
Subject Auxiliary Past participle Complement
(haven’t/hasn’t)

I Haven’t Lived In Santiago for 10

years.

You Haven’t Lived In Santiago for 10

years.

He/She/It Hasn’t Lived In Santiago for 10

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years.

We Haven’t Lived In Santiago for 10

years.

You (Plural) Haven’t Lived In Santiago for 10

years.

They Haven’t Lived In Santiago for 10

years.

Form (Regular/Question - Positive/Negative)

Auxiliary (have/has) Subject Past participle Complement

Have I Lived In Santiago for 10

years?

Have You Lived In Santiago for 10

years?

Has He/She/It Lived In Santiago for 10

years?

Have We Lived In Santiago for 10

years?

Have You (Plural) Lived In Santiago for 10

years?

Have They Lived In Santiago for 10

years?

Present Perfect Continuous (Structure - Regular Verbs)

Use:
To talk about an action which began in the past and continues in the present. It generally places
emphasis on the length of time an action occurs. e.g. I have been living in Santiago for ages . . .
.

Form (Regular/Positive)
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Subject Auxiliary (have/has Verb+Ing Complement

+ been)

I Have been Living In Santiago for 10

years.

You Have been Living In Santiago for 10

years.

He/She/It Has been Living In Santiago for 10

years.

We Have been Living In Santiago for 10

years.

You (Plural) Have been Living In Santiago for 10

years.

They Have been Living In Santiago for 10

years.

Form (Regular/Negative)
Subject Auxiliary Verb+Ing Complement
(haven’t/hasn’t +
been)

I Haven’t been Living In Santiago for 10

years.

You Haven’t been Living In Santiago for 10

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years.

He/She/It Hasn’t been Living In Santiago for 10

years.

We Haven’t been Living In Santiago for 10

years.

You (Plural) Haven’t been Living In Santiago for 10

years.

They Haven’t been Living In Santiago for 10

years.

Form (Regular/Question - Positive/Negative)

Auxiliary (have/has) Subject Been + ING Complement

Have I Been living In Santiago for 10

years?

Have You Been living In Santiago for 10

years?

Has He/She/It Been living In Santiago for 10

years?

Have We Been living In Santiago for 10

years?

Have You (Plural) Been living In Santiago for 10

years?

Have They Been living In Santiago for 10

years?

Make either the present perfect simple or present perfect continuous.

1. . . . . . . . . . (they / arrive) already? PPS

2. Lucy . . . . . . . . . (run) 2000 metres today. PPS

3. I . . . . . . . . . (clean) all morning – I'm fed up! PPC

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4. How long . . . . . . . . . (you / know) Simon? PPS

5. I . . . . . . . . . (drink) more water lately and I feel better. PPC

6. Sorry about the mess! I . . . . . . . . . (bake). PPC

7. How many times . . . . . . . . . (you / take) this exam? PPS

8. He . . . . . . . . . (eat) six bars of chocolate today! PPS

Past Perfect Simple (Structure - Regular Verbs)

Use:
To place emphasis on an action which occurs first in a sequence.

e.g The police arrived, but the robbers had escaped

This also places emphasis on a completed action e.g. I had waited for the bus for an hour.
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Form (Regular/Positive)

Subject Auxiliary (have/has) Past participle Complement

I had Lived In Santiago for 10

years (before living in
Pichilemu)

You had Lived In Santiago for 10

years (before living in
Pichilemu)

He/She/It had Lived In Santiago for 10

years (before living in
Pichilemu)

We had Lived In Santiago for 10

years (before living in
Pichilemu)

You (Plural) had Lived In Santiago for 10

years (before living in
Pichilemu)

They had Lived In Santiago for 10

years (before living in
Pichilemu)

Form (Regular/Negative)
Subject Auxiliary Past participle Complement
(haven’t/hasn’t)

I hadn’t Lived In Santiago for 10

years (before living in
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Pichilemu)

You hadn’t Lived In Santiago for 10

years (before living in
Pichilemu)

He/She/It hadn’t Lived In Santiago for 10

years (before living in
Pichilemu)

We hadn’t Lived In Santiago for 10

years (before living in
Pichilemu)

You (Plural) hadn’t Lived In Santiago for 10

years (before living in
Pichilemu)

They hadn’t Lived In Santiago for 10

years (before living in
Pichilemu)

Form (Regular/Question - Positive/Negative)

Auxiliary (have/has) Subject Past participle Complement

Had I Lived In Santiago for 10

years?

Had You Lived In Santiago for 10

years?

Had He/She/It Lived In Santiago for 10

years?

Had We Lived In Santiago for 10

years?

Had You (Plural) Lived In Santiago for 10

years?

Had They Lived In Santiago for 10

years?
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Past Perfect Continuous (Structure - Regular Verbs)

Use:
This places emphasis on the duration of an activity e.g.

I had been waiting for one hour (before the bus arrived)

Form (Regular/Positive)
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Subject Auxiliary (have/has Verb+Ing Complement

+ been)

I had been Living In Santiago for 10

years.

You had been Living In Santiago for 10

years.

He/She/It had been Living In Santiago for 10

years.

We had been Living In Santiago for 10

years.

You (Plural) had been Living In Santiago for 10

years.

They had been Living In Santiago for 10

years.

Form (Regular/Negative)
Subject Auxiliary Verb+Ing Complement
(haven’t/hasn’t +
been)

I hadn’t been Living In Santiago for 10

years.
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You hadn’t been Living In Santiago for 10

years.

He/She/It hadn’t been Living In Santiago for 10

years.

We hadn’t been Living In Santiago for 10

years.

You (Plural) hadn’t been Living In Santiago for 10

years.

They hadn’t been Living In Santiago for 10

years.

Form (Regular/Question - Positive/Negative)

Auxiliary (have/has) Subject Been + ING Complement

Had I Been living In Santiago for 10

years?

Had You Been living In Santiago for 10

years?

Had He/She/It Been living In Santiago for 10

years?

Had We Been living In Santiago for 10

years?

Had You (Plural) Been living In Santiago for 10

years?

Had They Been living In Santiago for 10

years?

Choose the past perfect or the past simple.

1. We had already eaten when John . . . . . . . . . (come) home.

2. Last year Juan . . . . . . . . . (pass) all his exams.

3. When I . . . . . . . . . (get) to the airport, I discovered I had forgotten my passport.

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4. I went to the library, then I . . . . . . . . . (buy) some milk and went home.

5. I opened my handbag to find that I . . . . . . . . . (forgot) my credit card.

6. When we . . . . . . . . . (arrive) at the station, the train had already left.

7. We got home to find that someone . . . . . . . . . (break) into the house.

8. I opened the fridge to find someone . . . . . . . . . (eat) all my chocolate.