Grammar tenses

Present tenses
Tense Form Example
Present simple + V/Vs I eat, he/she /it eats
- Don‘t/doesn‘t V I don‘t eat, he doesn‘t
? Do/Does...V? eat
Do you eat? Does she
eat?
Present + Am/is/are + Ving I am eating
continuous - Am/is/are not + Ving You are not eating
? Am/Is/Are ... + Ving? Is he eating?
Present perfect + Have/has + Ved/3 She has eaten
- Have/has not + Ved/3 I have not eaten
? Have/Has ... Ved/3? Have you eaten?
Present perfect + Have/Has + been + Ving I have been eating
continuous - Have/Has not+ been + He has not been eating
? Ving Have you been eating?
Have/Has ... been + Ving?
 Present Simple is used:
• For permanent situations/states
• Jill works at a bank.
• For a general truth or law of nature
• The sun rises in the east.
• For repeated/habitual actions
• She always takes the bus to school.
• For reviews/sports commentaries/narrations
• Smythe serves the ball and Jordan misses it...
• For timetables/programmes (future reference)
• The last train to London leaves at 9.15
 Present Continuous is used:
• For a temporary action/situation
• Pam is working at a clothes shop this summer.
• For an action happening at or around the moment of
speaking
• Kim is having a shower at the moment.
• For a fixed arrangement in the near future
• We‘re going to the theatre on Saturday.
• For a currently changing or developing situation
• The Earth is becoming more and more polluted.
• With adverbs always, constantly, continuously to express
anger or annoyance at a repeated action
• You‘re always losing your keys.
State verbs
Present perfect is used:
1) For an action which started in
the past and continues up to
the present .
Rachel has had a dog for three
years.

2) For an action which has

recently finished and its result is
visible in the present.
She has just washed her hair.
Present perfect is used:
3) For an action which happened at an
unstated time in the past.

The Taylors have bought a sailing boat.

4) For an action which has happened

within a specific period of time which is
not over at the time of speaking.

She has taken fifteen pictures today.

5) To describe a personal experience or

change.
I have lost weight recently.
Present perfect
continuous is used:
1) to put emphasis on the duration of an
action which started in the past and
continues up to the present.

Sam has been talking on the phone for an

hour.

2) For an action which lasted for some time

and whose result is visible in the present.

Her feet hurt. She has been walking all

morning.

3) To express anger, irritation or annoyance.

Someone has been giving away our plans.

 Past tenses
Tense Form Example
Past simple + Ved/2 I ate
- Didn‘t V I did not eat
? Did ...V? Did you eat?
Past continuous + Was/were + Ving I was eating
- Was/were not + Ving You were not eating
? Was/Were ... + Ving? Was he eating?
Past perfect + Had + Ved/3 She had eaten
- Had not + Ved/3 I had not eaten
? Had ... Ved/3? Had you eaten?
Past perfect + Had + been + Ving I had been eating
continuous - Had not+ been + Ving He had not been eating
? Had ... been + Ving? Had you been eating?
 Past simple is used:
• 1) For an action which happened at a definite time in the
past. The time is stated, already known or implied.
• They went camping by the lake last month.
• 2) For actions which happened immediately one after the
other in the past.
• First she paid the driver, then she got out of the taxi.
• 3) For past habits or states which are now finished.(used
to/would)
• When we were teenagers, we drank (would drink/ used to
drink) hot chocolate by the fireplace.
• 4) for an action that happened in the past and cannot be
repeated.
• Charles Dickens wrote poems as well as novels.
 Past continuous is used:
• 1) For an action which was in progress at a stated time in the
past.
• At seven o‘clock yesterday evening they were having dinner.
• 2) for an action which was in progress when another action
interrupted it.
• He was walking down the street when he ran into an old
friend.
• 3) for two or more simultaneous past actions.
• She was talking on her mobile phone while she was driving to
work.
• 4) to describe the atmosphere, setting, etc. in the
introduction to a story before we describe the main events.
• One beautiful autumn afternoon , Ben was strolling down a
quiet country lane. Suddenly, ...
 Past perfect is used:
• 1) for an action which happened before
another past action or before a stated time in
the past.
• She had finished work when she met her
friends for coffee.
• 2) for an action which finished in the past
and whose result was visible in the past.
• He was happy. He had signed an important
contract.
 Past perfect continuous is used:
• 1) to put emphasis on the duration of an action
which happened before another past action or
before a stated time in the past.
• They had been looking for a house for six months
before they found one they liked.
• 2) for an action which lasted for some time in the
past and whose result was visible in the past.
• Last Friday Ron had to fly to New York. His flight
was delayed . He was annoyed. He had been
waiting at the airport for three hours.
 Future tenses
Tense Form Example
Future simple + Will V I will eat
- Will not V I won‘t eat
? Will ...V? Will you eat?
Future + Will be + Ving I will be eating
continuous - Will not be+ Ving You won‘t be eating
? Will ... be + Ving? Will he be eating?
Future perfect + Will have+ Ved/3 She will have eaten
- Will not have + Ved/3 I will not have eaten
? Will ... have Ved/3? Will you have eaten?
Future perfect + Will have been + Ving I will have been eating
continuous - Will not have been + Ving He will not have been
? Will ... have been + Ving? eating
Will you have been
eating?
 Future simple is used:
• 1) in predictions about the future (usually
with verbs and phrases: think, believe, hope,
expect, be sure, be afraid , perhaps, probably,
etc.)
• 2) for on-the-spot decisions;
• 3) for promises, threats, warnings, requests,
hopes and offers;
• 4) for situations which will definitely happen
and which we cannot control.
 Be going is used:
• 1) for plans, intentions or ambitions;
• 2) for actions we have already decided to do
in the near future;
• 3) in predictions when there is evidence that
something will happen in the near future;
 Future continuous is used:
• 1) for an action which will be in progress at a
stated time in the future;
• This time next week, we will be cruising round the
islands.
• 2) for an action which will definitely happen as a
result of a routine or arrangement;
• Don‘t call Julie. I‘ll be seeing her later.
• 3)when we ask politely about someone‘s plans
for the near future;
• Will you be using the photocopier for long?
 Future perfect is used:
• 1) for an action which will be finished before
a stated future time.
• She will have delivered all the newspapers by
8 o‘clock.
• She won‘t have completed her report until/till
5 o‘clock.
Future perfect continuous is used:
• 1) to emphasize the duration of an action up
to a certain time in the future.
• By the end of next month, she will have been
teaching for 10 years.
 Identify the tense
• 1. I have been working on my computer for six hours.
(…………………………………………….)
• 2. She has lived in this street for ten years.
(…………………………………………….)
• 3. I finished the project yesterday. (…………………………………………….)
• 4. What are you doing there? (…………………………………………….)
• 5. She had not realized that. (…………………………………………….)
• 6. Susan will be joining us. (…………………………………………….)
• 7. Have you ever been to Australia?
(…………………………………………….)
• 8. I had been working in the garden.
(…………………………………………….)
• 9. She will come with us. (…………………………………………….)
• 10. By this time tomorrow, I will have finished working on it.
(…………………………………………….)