Writing Prompts and Topics

Present Tense Writing Prompts

The present tense, in these cases, includes the simple present ("She always forgets
something") and the present continuous ("I am coming"), as well as the trickier present
perfect ("We have seen The Matrix far too many times") and present perfect continuous
("She has been singing since her second glass of wine"). However, it is of course possible
to split the four into their own writing prompt or to combine any number of them as is
deemed necessary.

Simple Present

● Describe your daily routine.

● Describe a person (real or imaginary) in as much detail as possible.
● What's the most interesting thing you've learned in school or in life? State the
facts.
● What is your favorite type of public transportation? Describe it. (This can be a
mix of habitual or repeated actions, statement of fact or generalization, and
scheduled events in the near future.)

E.g: "The uptown bus is always crowded in the morning, but the evening bus, which leaves
at 6 pm, is usually very quiet. I guess most people stay in the city for dinner after work."

Present Continuous (am/is/are + present participle)

● Describe your immediate surroundings. What are the people around you
doing? What are you doing?
● You meet an old friend on the street and he asks you, "So what are you up to
these days?" How do you answer? (This one, in particular, is best if combined
with present perfect continuous, below.)
Make up the most unlikable or annoying character you can think of and describe him or
her.
E.g:
"He is always talking too loud."
"She is always complaining about how dry the bread is."

Present Perfect (has/have + past participle)

You've lost all memory of the past and cannot remember when exactly anything
happened. Your grandchild comes to visit you in the nursing home and asks you many
questions. Write a conversation between you and your grandchild.
E.g:
"My, you've grown since I last saw you! How long has it been?"
"I haven't seen you since my birthday party, three months ago."
"Have you seen a movie in 3D?"
"No, sonny boy, I have not seen a movie in 3D."
"Have you been to France?"
"Yes, I have been to France twice."
What have you/has mankind/has science/has your child accomplished in (pick your time
frame)?
"Man has walked on the moon."
"We have sent a monkey into space."
"Doctors have [not yet] discovered a cure for cancer."

Present Perfect Continuous (has/have + been + present participle)

● You go to the doctor and she asks, "How have you been feeling?" How do you
respond? Describe any kind of illness you like. Bonus points if you can also
include possible reasons for your illness.
● You run into a friend on the street and he asks you how you've been and what
you've been doing. What do you say in response? (Use both present perfect
continuous and present continuous to describe things you have been doing and
things you're still doing.)
 Past Tense Writing Prompts

Past Simple

● What did you do last weekend?

● Write a short fairytale. (This is perhaps most effective when combined with the
past perfect)
● Describe a major historical event.
● Write what you know of your family history. For example, where are your
parents and grandparents from? What did they do for work? (This is also good
fun when combined with the past perfect.)

Past Perfect [had + past participle]

Pretend you're a stern parent and your child has made some mistakes. Rather than just
saying, "I told you so," construct more descriptive "if" clauses using the past perfect. (You
can also give retroactive advice to parents from children, or from citizens to public
officials, or from employees to their employer. Whatever suits the situation.)
E.g: "If you had fed your fish as you had promised, they would not have escaped and eaten
the dog."
Come up with a scenario and an imaginary dialogue. (Reported speech combines past
perfect with another tense, usually past or present simple. You can also assign a scenario
to your students.)

Past Continuous [was/were + verb-ing]

Describe several interruptions. (This will also require the simple past.)
Set the scene for a murder mystery.
E.g: "The storm was howling, and a dog was barking somewhere nearby."
Past Perfect Continuous [had + been + verb-ing]

● Continue the mystery and transition from stage-setting to the action! (Here,
you use the past perfect continuous for its most common purpose: to express
actions that were in progress before another action. You will see how it is used
to add temporal layers to a story, or to force the plot to progress.)
● Explain the cause of something. (Provide your students with a selection of
situations or images, such as someone in detention, someone in a wheelchair,
or a baby bird on the ground, and have them provide the cause)
E.g: "The kid was in detention because he had been caught lying to his teacher."
● Compare with past perfect "if" clauses and determine the difference between
the two.

"If you had been feeding your fish every day, they would not have escaped and eaten the
dog."

What will mankind have accomplished by 2020?

What will mankind have accomplished by 2020?
 Future Tense Writing Prompts

Future Simple [will + verb in present form]

Make a New Year's resolution or a promise. (Have your students make promises—either
to themselves or others—using the future simple.)
Make a prediction. What will the coming year bring?

Future Continuous [will + be + verb-ing]

What are you doing tomorrow afternoon?

"I will be playing soccer in the park."
What will you be doing at 8 a.m. on Monday morning? (Provide a time in the future and
have your students predict what they, their family, or their friends will be doing at that
time.)

Future Perfect [will have + verb in past participle form]

What will you have done by 3 p.m. on Sunday? (Have your students repeat the previous
exercise. This time, have them state or guess what they, their family, or friends will have
done by that time.
"By 3 p.m. I will have finished playing soccer in the park."

Future Perfect Continuous [will have been + past participle]

The two main uses of future perfect continuous are: to explain the cause of a future
situation or action; and to express a clear future duration.
E.g: "You will have been driving for more than six hours, so I will drive after dinner."

Brainstorm future situations (or use the ones from the previous predictions exercise), then
work backward to supply a probable cause for said prediction.
Brainstorm an encounter with someone, then postulate how the encounter ended