Tenses

What Are Verb Tenses?

 In language, verb tenses are a grammatical category that expresses references to time. In
English, verb tenses are used to express actions in the past, present, and future.
 These categories (past, present, future) can be further divided into four smaller categories
each, notably the simple, continuous, perfect, and perfect continuous tenses.
 These four categories (simple, continuous, perfect, and perfect continuous tenses) apply
to different referenced times and states of action. 
 A verb is a relevant part of a predicate that lets you know what the subject is doing.

 Verb Tenses are all used to express action that has taken place in the past, present,
and future. Identifying the correct tense of the verb is just as important in achieving
effective communication. Verb tenses determine when the action happens, whether
it is in the past, present, or future.
 How to choose the right tense
 Using the present simple tense

 The present simple tense is the one you’ll use the most often. It’s used when you’re talking about something
that is happening right in the moment that you are describing the action – not before, or after.

 For example:

 “She cooks in her kitchen.”

 You can also use the present simple tense to describe something that takes place regularly.

 For example:

 “The train takes a detour every Thursday.”

 Simple present
Form
 In the present simple, the base form of the verb is the same for
every subject pronoun, except the third person, where you add an
“s” to the end of the verb.
Uses & Examples
 Habits – I sometimes go to the gym. I never eat fish.
 General Truths – London is the capital of England.
 Repeated Actions of Events – We drive to work every day.
 Fixed Arrangements/ Timetables – The bus leaves at 6:30pm.
 Feelings/Opinions/Beliefs – I love sandwiches. I hope to see you
soon.
 Instructions – First put the water in the pot, then bring to a boil.
 What Is Perfect Tense?

 Perfect tenses are used to describe complete actions (as opposed to ongoing actions) at different time
periods. The perfect form of a verb generally adds some version of the word “has” to an existing verb.

 Past perfect tense: Sam had made a sandwich.

 Present perfect tense: Sam has made a sandwich.

 Future perfect tense: Sam will have made a sandwich.

What Is Progressive/continuous Tense?

 Progressive tenses describe ongoing action.

 Past progressive tense: Sam was making a sandwich

 Present progressive tense: Sam is making a sandwich.

 Future progressive tense: Sam will be making a sandwich

 Using the Present Continuous Tense
 The present continuous tense is used when you’re talking about something that is happening in the present
moment – but will also be continuing afterwards.

 Instead of using the present simple tense, you use the present form of “to be”, followed by the verb, with the
suffix “–ing” at the end.

 For example:

 “I am driving to work.”

 You can also use the present continuous to talk about an activity you have planned in the near future.

 For example:

 “They’re flying in tomorrow evening.”

Present Continuous
 

Uses & Examples

 Actions happening in the moment – We are learning grammar. Look! That man is reading a book.

 Fixed arrangements for the future – I’m getting married in July.

 Temporary events – He’s living in Wales for the moment.

 To complain, or emphasize continuous behaviour with words like ‘always’, ‘forever’ and

‘constantly’ – You are always leaving your socks on the floor!

 Activity:

Take a look at this picture

below. Can you describe
what is happening using
the present continuous?
 There is a room full of people. It looks like an art gallery. Most of the

people are looking at the phones or are taking a picture of something. The

woman in the middle is wearing a hat. Lots of people are listening to audio

guides. One woman is showing her friend her picture on her phone.

 Present Perfect
 The present perfect is used to connect the past to the present. The time of the action is often unspecified,
and the focus is more on the result rather than the action. Let’s look at the form:

 Form

 Use ‘have’ + the past participle of the main verb.

 The past participle of regular verbs end in -ed, for verbs like walked, played, looked and watched. But there
are lots of irregular verbs – for example, been (be), eaten (eat), made (make), gone (go), got (get), given
(give), read (read), said (say), taken (take).

 Note that in 3rd person, we use “has” instead of “have”.

 Regular vs Irregular Verbs
 The past tense is a little trickier. If the verb is regular (or weak) add ed, d, or t to the present form. When a basic form ends in y, it is
generally changed to i. In many cases the terminal consonant is doubled before adding ed (see 
Spelling Words with Double Consonants). For example:
 walked
 painted
 accompanied
 dropped
 thought
 grew
 sang
 The past participle of regular verbs is usually identical to the past tense, while the past participle of irregular verbs is often different:
 walked
 painted
 accompanied
 dropped
 thought
 grown (past form: grew)
 sung (past form: sang)
 Go through list of irregular verbs

 Irregular verbs
 The past participle and the past tense of irregular verbs are not generally formed by adding (e)d or t.
For example, the past tense of the verb break is broke and the past participle is broken.
 The following verbs form their past tenses (past and past participle) irregularly:
 go- went –gone
 Hide hid hidden
 Get- got- gotten
 Feel-felt-felt
 Leave-left-left
 Sing sang-sung
 Teach-taught-taught
 Write- wrote-written
 Present Perfect
Uses & Examples
 Actions that start in the past and continue to the present – I’ve lived here for 3 years.
 Life experiences, at an unspecified time in the past – I’ve swum with dolphins.
 Repeated action in an unspecified time period – I’ve visited the Eiffel Tower three times.
 Unfinished time (today, this week, this month, this year) – I’ve ridden my bicycle today.
 A finished action with a present result – I’ve lost my keys (so I can’t open the door).
 Recent past with the words ‘just’, ‘recently’, ‘already’ and ‘yet’ – I’ve just spoken to Mark on the phone.

 However, keep in mind that when we give more details in a sentence – and explain things like when, who,
where, who, and why – we change the tense we use to the past simple.
 Here is an example:
 -Have you ever been to Scotland?
 -Yes I went there for a week when I was ten years old.
 Present Perfect Continuous
 The present perfect continuous is the last of the present tenses. It is used to talk about an action that started in
the past but perhaps has still not finished in the present. The focus is on the process as well as the result. The
process may be still going, or may have recently finished.
 Form
 Use the auxiliary verb have/has + been + base verb + ing to form the present perfect continuous. Let’s take a
look at the verb “read”
 Uses & Examples
 Actions that started in the past and continue in the present – I’ve been watching Game of Thrones.
 To emphasise the duration or ’how long’ (with for and since) – Henry has been playing the violin since he
was eight.
 Recently finished actions, with present results – Why have you been crying? (there are tears in her eyes).
It’s been raining (the ground is wet).
Answer the questions about yourself
Suggested answers

 I have been living in Barcelona for 15 years/all my life/since I was a child.

 I have been learning English for 10 years/since I was 10 years old.

 I’ve been playing football for 2 years now/all my life.

 I’ve been reading this blogpost for 5 minutes/ 10 minutes/1 hour.

 Using the Past Simple Tense

 If you’re talking about something that happened in the past, then this is the tense you’re most

likely to use. It’s used when something took place in the past and stopped at a clear point.

 For example:

 “The car broke down after they crossed the bridge.”

Using the Past Perfect Tense

 This is another way of talking about the past – but unlike the past simple tense, this is used

to describe something that happened before another action, which also took place in the

past.

 You put it together by using “had” followed by the past participle of the verb.

 For example:

 “He had never studied art before he came to college.”

 Past Perfect Continuous
 Like the present continuous, this tense is used to describe something that started in the past and continued happening for

some period of time.

 It doesn’t matter how long the duration was for – whether it was for a few minutes or several years, you would still use this

tense.

 The important thing to remember is that the activity being described must have already stopped, before the present moment.

 To use it, you use “had been” followed by the present participle of the verb.

 For example:

 “We had been walking for over 2 hours before we finally found help.”
 Future Tense
 Unlike the past and present simple tenses, the simple future is a little more complicated!
 There are two different ways of expressing this tense: using “will” or “be going to”. While both are used to
talk about something that will happen in the future, they each have a different meaning.
 “Will” is usually used to show that you have voluntarily chosen to carry out an action, or to express a
promise.
 For example:
 “I will buy you the biggest cake in the store for your birthday.”
 “Be going to” meanwhile, is used to indicate a plan for the future.
 For example:
 “They are going to take a cruise next summer.”
 You can also use both these forms to describe predictions for the future, and neither will change the
meaning.
 For example, you could say “next year will be amazing” or equally, “next year is going to be amazing.”
 Future Continuous Tense

 The future progressive tense is used to express an ongoing action that will take place in the future.

The formula is:

 will be + present participle - I will be traveling to Greece tomorrow.

 We will be packing for our vacation tonight.

 He will be bringing the camera and accessories.

Future Perfect Tense

 The future perfect tense is used to express an action that will be completed at some point in
the future. The formula is:
 will have + past participle - I will have traveled to Greece by tomorrow.
 Past participles typically end in -ed, unless the verb is an irregular verb. So, the regular
verb "walk" becomes "walked," but the irregular verb "buy" becomes "bought."
 We will have finished our first meal by then.
 After the plane ride, he will have slept for ten hours.
 She will have unpacked all their belongings.
 Future Perfect Continuous Tense
 Future perfect progressive tense is used to express an ongoing action that will be completed at a specific time in
the future. The formula is:

 will have been + present participle - I will have been traveling for 18 hours by then.

 The difference between this tense and the future progressive tense is that the future progressive tense does not
specify an exact date/time. However, the future perfect progressive tense does. In effect, it combines the future
perfect tense with the future progressive tense.

Examples:

 By this time next year, we will have been living in Santorini for 11 months.

 He will have been writing for over a decade.

 The restaurateur will have been serving the public for 15 years.

Today a reader, tomorrow a leader. – Margaret Fuller

Reading is not just important for acquiring knowledge, it will help you build your
vocabulary and range in English, too.

Reading is to the mind what exercise is to the body. – Joseph Addison

Best wishes for your future writings!!!!