Present tense:

- Is used for repeated and habitual actions and for permanent truths and facts as well as a set date in the
future.

Ex: She cleans the house every day.

Ex: The train leaves at 6 pm.

- Also used for actions and situations that are generally or usually true

Ex: Liz plays basketball.

- Form yes/no questions with do + infinitive (without to). Use does for he/she/it.

Ex: Do you like Italian food?

Ex: Does he live in Italy?

- Present tense with future meaning:

After a time conjunction – while, when, as soon as, before, after, until, the moment (that) – the present
tense is used to refer to the future.

Ex: I’ll buy two new ones when I go into town tomorrow.

Present continuous:

Subject + verb to be + present participle

- The action is still in progress while we are speaking and is also used for planned future actions (near
future).

Ex: The sun is shining now.

 Ex: We are going to see a play after dinner.

- Also used for actions happening ‘around now’ but not at the moment of speaking.

Ex: I’m reading the Lord of the Rings.

Note: We can use ‘always’ with the present continuous when we are exaggerating or complaining. We
emphasize ‘always’ in speech in this case.

Ex: You’re always forgetting your keys!

Present perfect:

Subject + have/has + past participle

The present perfect describes past events which are connected to the present.

Use the present perfect to describe:

a. Experiences in our life:

Ex: Have you (ever) visited any other countries?

Ex: Yes, I have been to Italy and France.

This is a question about all our life until the present moment, and the answer has no time expression
describing when we visited these countries.
Compare:

Ex: Yes, I went to Italy and France in 2006.

b. An event in the past with a result in the present.

Ex: Helen has broken her pencil.

Ex: I have hurt my foot.

There is no time expression because when it happened is not important. Our attention is on the present.

c. A situation that has started in the past and continues until the present.

Ex: I have lived here for ten years.

d. The number of things finished so far.

Ex: I have read 100 pages of this book.

For and since:

For describes the length of a time period

Ex: Tom has worked here for three months.

Since describes the point when the time period started.

Ex: Tom has worked here since July 11th.

This tense is often used with adverbs like: yet, never, ever, just, already, since, up till now and so far.

Ex: I have already seen this movie twice.

Ex: Have you ever been to Rome?

Ex: I have never visited London before.

Ex: He has worked here since 2010.

Ex: I have just finished my lunch.

Present perfect continuous:

Subject + have/has + been + present participle

1. Describe past events which are connected to the present, but with an action or situation in progress.

Ex: What have you been doing lately?

Ex: I have been working a lot.

2. To emphasize the length of time of the action.

Ex: I have been waiting here all morning.

Ex: I have been feeling ill all week.

3. To emphasize that the action is temporary.

Ex: I have been staying in a hotel for the past month.

4. for repeated actions

Ex: I have been phoning her for days, but she’s never at home.
5. for a finished or continuing action, depending on the situation.

Ex: I have been working hard all morning. Now I am going to have a rest (finished)

Ex: I have been reading a good book lately. (Continuing)

Time Expressions

Time expressions often used with the present perfect continuous include:

All day, all morning, for days, for ages, lately, recently, since, for.

Present perfect of present perfect continuous?

- With verbs like live, work there is very little difference between the two tenses.

Ex: I have worked/been working here for two years.

Ex: I have lived/been living here for two years.

- The present perfect focuses attention on the finished result, but the present perfect continuous
focuses attention on the action.

Ex: I have written that report for Jackie. It didn’t take long. (Finished)

Ex: I have been writing that report for Jackie and I still haven’t finished (action)

- If we give details of how many or how much, we do not use the continuous form:
 Ex: I have written four emails.

Ex: I have done a lot of cleaning and cooking this afternoon.

While both present perfect tenses are often possible, the continuous form is more likely when the
nature and duration of the action need emphasis, and is less likely in the negative.

_____________________

Past Tense:

The past is used to talk about things or situations which happened in the past, that is, before the present
time of speaking. Its main uses are as follows:

a. to refer to a situation which happened once and is now finished.

Ex. I met Lisa yesterday. We ate a huge breakfast this morning.

b. to describe a situation that lasted for a longer time in the past but is now finished. Ex. He went
to college for four years. My family lived in London in the 1980’s.

c. to talk about an event that happened regularly or repeatedly but is now over.

Ex. We ate out every night last week.

Note: Form questions with did + infinitive (without to)

Ex: Did you enjoy the film?

Ex: Why did she leave?

- Ago: at a point given length of time before now.

Past Continuous:

Subject + was/were + present participle

- Note: For questions, put the auxiliary before the verb

Ex: Were you leaving?

Ex: Was I sleeping?

1. Is used to say that someone was in the middle of doing something at a particular time in the past.

Ex: I was watching a movie at 8 pm last night.

2. We often use it to describe the background situation (what was happening) for a sudden event in the
past (what happened).

Ex: While I was waiting for the bus, I met Karen.

3. The past continuous can describe several situations in progress at the same time.

Ex: While James was cooking, David was phoning a friend and Joey was washing the dishes.

N.B:

1. The boys sat down when the teacher came in (first the teacher came in, then the boys sat down.)

2. The boys were sitting down when the teacher came in. (They were already in their seats before the
teacher came in.)
Past Perfect:

Subject + had + past participle

- use the past perfect to show clearly that one past event happened before another past event. Use the
past perfect for the earlier event.

Ex: When we arrived at Sue’s house, she had left.

- When we use ‘before’ or ‘after’ to make the order of events clear, we don’t need to use the past
perfect, but it’s possible to use it.

Ex. She left her house before we arrived.

Or – She had left her house before we arrived.

Common uses:

- We often use the past perfect with verbs of thinking like think, know, be sure, realize, remember,
suspect, understand, etc. when we talk in the past about an event in the past.

Ex: I thought I had seen the film before.

Ex: David was sure he hadn’t locked the door.

Would:

Would describes repeated actions in the past, but not states. It means the same as used to. It is more
common in descriptive writing than in speech.

Ex: In winter days, we would/used to sit around the fire and tell stories. (Action)

Ex: I used to own a motorbike. (NOT I would own a motorbike.) (State)

Past perfect continuous:

Subject + had + been + present participle

a. It indicates an action which began in the past and continued for a period up to a second action in the
past. Sometimes the first action was complete before the second took place, but the effects were still
apparent.

b. Like past perfect, but expresses longer actions in the past.

Ex: Ken gave up smoking two years ago. He had been smoking for 30 years.

Future tense:

a. The future is used to refer to things that haven’t yet happened at the present time, but which are due,
expected, or likely to occur in the future. It is used to talk generally about future beliefs, opinions, hopes
and predictions. There is usually a time expression. Add perhaps, probably, or definitely to show how
certain or uncertain we are about our predictions.
 Ex: Perhaps it will rain tomorrow.

Ex: She will probably come with us tonight.

Note: Probably and definitely come after will, but before won’t.

b. We use will when we decide to do something at the time of speaking.

Ex: I have left the door open. I will go and shut it.

Note: Normally we use shall only with I and we in formal English.

Shall questions, in the first person, are suggestions or offers.

- Shall we adjust the clutch? (Do you think it’s a good idea?)

- Shall I fill it up? (Do you want me to?)

- Present tense with future meaning:

After a time conjunction – while, when, as soon as, before, after, until, the moment (that) – the present
tense is used to refer to the future.

Ex: I’ll buy two new ones when I go into town tomorrow.

Future continuous:

Subject + will + be + present participle

a. Use future continuous to imagine an activity in progress in the future. We often do this when we
compare what we are doing now with what we will be doing in the future. There is nearly always a time
expression.

Ex: Where will you be living in five years’ time?

b. to say that we are sure something will happen.

 Ex: We’ll be holding a meeting soon.

Future perfect:

Subject + will + have + past participle

Use the future perfect to look back from one point in the future to an earlier event.

We often use by or by the time with the future perfect.

Ex: By next week I’ll have collected over 1000 euros for charity.

The situation has not happened yet, but at a certain time in the future it will happen.

Future perfect continuous:

Subject + will + have + been + present participle

Used to talk about a continued or ongoing action that will start in the future and is thought to be
continued till sometime in the future.

Ex: The famous artist will have been painting the mural for over six months by the time it is finished.