ENGLISH TENSES WORKSHEET

6. WE USE THE PRESENT SIMPLE TO TALK ABOUT WHAT

PRESENT SIMPLE HAPPENS IN BOOKS, MOVIES, AND PLAYS.
SUBJECT + VERB (BASE FORM) + OBJECT  A young woman travels through Europe, where
SUBJECT + STATIC VERB + COMPLEMENT she meets different people, and finally falls in
love.
NOTES ON THE SIMPLE PRESENT, THIRD PERSON  The main character is very pretty and works at a
SINGULAR café.
 IN THE THIRD PERSON SINGULAR THE 7. FUTURE SCHEDULES, TIMETABLES, AND FIXED PLANS
VERB ALWAYS ENDS IN -S: ARE EXPRESSED WITH THE PRESENT SIMPLE, USUALLY
he wants, she needs, he gives, she thinks. WHEN THEY ARE SET BY AN ORGANIZATION, NOT BY
 NEGATIVE AND QUESTION FORMS USE DOES (= US.
THE THIRD PERSON OF THE AUXILIARY 'DO') +  School begins at 9:00 and ends at 3:00.
THE INFINITIVE OF THE VERB.  The plane doesn’t arrive at 3:00, it arrives at
He wants ice cream. Does he want strawberries? 3:30.
He does not want vanilla.  When does the movie start?
 VERBS ENDING IN -Y: THE THIRD PERSON  The bus leaves every 15 minutes.
CHANGES THE -Y TO -IES: 8. AND LASTLY, WE ALSO USE IT TO TALK ABOUT THE
fly --> flies, cry --> cries FUTURE AFTER WORDS SUCH AS “WHEN”, “UNTIL”,
EXCEPTION: IF THERE IS A VOWEL BEFORE THE - “BEFORE”, “AFTER”, “IF”, “UNLESS”, AND “AS SOON
Y: AS”.
play --> plays, pray --> prays  I won’t go out until it stops raining.
 ADD -ES TO VERBS ENDING IN:  I’ll give you the book before you go.
-SS, -X, -SH, -CH:  I’m going to make dinner after I watch the news.
he passes, she catches, he fixes, it pushes  She’ll come as soon as her babysitter arrives.
1. PRESENT SIMPLE IS USED TO TALK ABOUT ACTIVITIES
THAT HAPPEN REPEATEDLY AND THINGS THAT WE DO
REGULARLY, SUCH AS HABITS AND
ROUTINES. ADVERBS OF FREQUENCY ARE OFTEN USED
PRESENT CONTINUOUS
WITH THE PRESENT SIMPLE. SUBJECT + IS/AM/ARE + VERB (ING) + OBJECT
 They often travel to China.
 She gets up at 8:00 every day. NON-CONTINUOUS VERBS/MIXED VERBS
 Do you smoke? It is important to remember that n0n-continuous verbs
 How often do you study? (STATE VERBS) cannot be used in any continuous tenses.
2. SECONDLY, WE USE THE PRESENT SIMPLE TO TALK Also, certain mixed verbs cannot be used in the
ABOUT FACTUAL INFORMATION, SUCH AS GENERAL continuous tenses.
TRUTHS, SCIENTIFIC FACTS, OR DEFINITIONS.  She loves dancing.
 My teacher always arrives early. (NOT: She is loving dancing.)
 Water boils at 100 celsius.  Jenny appears concerned.
 Doctors study for many years. (She looks concerned)
 The sky isn’t green. Jenny is appearing concerned.
3. WE ALSO USE THE PRESENT SIMPLE WITH STATIVE (Incorrect as 'is appearing' means 'will be seen'
VERBS (NON-ACTION VERBS) TO TALK ABOUT STATES i.e. in a performance)
OR CONDITIONS, SUCH AS PHYSICAL DESCRIPTIONS,
FEELINGS, RELATIONSHIPS, KNOWLEDGE, BELIEFS OR 1. NOW
POSSESSION. WE USE THE PRESENT CONTINUOUS WITH VERBS THAT
 She is short and has long hair. EXPRESS ACTIONS TO EXPRESS THE IDEA THAT
 They like strawberries. SOMETHING IS HAPPENING NOW, AT THE VERY
 We want a new car. MOMENT OF SPEAKING.
 I promise I will help you.  You are learning English now.
4. WE USE THE PRESENT SIMPLE TO DESCRIBE  You are not studying now?
SITUATIONS THAT ARE MORE OR LESS PERMANENT. (IF  He is not watching TV.
A SITUATION IS NEW OR TEMPORARY, USE THE 2. LONG ACTIONS IN PROGRESS NOW
PRESENT CONTINUOUS) NOW CAN MEAN: THIS MOMENT, TODAY, THIS
 THEY WORK AT A BANK. MONTH, THIS YEAR, THIS DECADE ETC. THE PRESENT
 I travel every summer. CONTINUOUS IS USED TO EXPRESS AN ACTION THAT IS
 She has two daughters. HAPPENING OVER A PERIOD OF TIME AND IS IN
 Where do you live? PROGRESS AS WE SPEAK. HOWEVER, IT MAY NOT BE
5. THE PRESENT SIMPLE IS ALSO USED WITH THE ZERO TAKING PLACE AT THE MOMENT OF SPEAKING.
CONDITIONAL.  I am learning French.
 If you heat water, it boils.  She's studying to become a doctor.
 If people don’t drink or eat, they die.  I'm reading ‘Me & Rumi’.
 Are you still working in London?

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ENGLISH TENSES WORKSHEET

3. NEAR FUTURE
THE PRESENT CONTINUOUS CAN BE USED TO INDICATE COMPARISON
THAT SOMETHING WILL OR WILL NOT HAPPEN IN THE PRESENT SIMPLE PRESENT PERFECT
NEAR FUTURE. THE PRESENT CONTINUOUS INDICATES I have a car for two I have had a car for two
THAT THE ACTION HAS BEEN AGREED ON OR IS A FIXED weeks. weeks.
ARRANGEMENT IN THE FUTURE. She is a teacher till her She has been a teacher
 I am meeting my friends after work. marriage. since 2010.
 He is not going to the party tonight. He is absent for three He has been absent for
4. REPETITION AND IRRITATION (ALWAYS) days. three days.
THE PRESENT CONTINUOUS WITH 'ALWAYS',
'CONSTANTLY' ETC. EXPRESSES THE IDEA THAT
SOMETHING IRRITATING OR UPSETTING OFTEN
HAPPENS. THIS TENDS TO HAVE A NEGATIVE EMOTION. PRESENT PERFECT
'ALWAYS' AND 'CONSTANTLY' ARE PLACED IN FRONT OF
THE MAIN VERB, AFTER 'BE’.
CONTINUOUS
 She is always coming to the office late. SUBJECT + HAS/HAVE BEEN + VERB (ING) + OBJECT +
 He is constantly talking. SINCE/FOR
 They're always complaining.
1. DURATION FROM THE PAST UNTIL NOW
WE USE THE PRESENT PERFECT CONTINUOUS TO
PRESENT PERFECT SHOW THAT SOMETHING STARTED IN THE PAST AND
SUBJECT + HAS/HAVE + VERB (III) + OBJECT HAS CONTINUED UP UNTIL THE PRESENT. PHRASES
THAT SHOW DURATION LIKE ‘FOR FIFTEEN MINUTES’,
‘FOR TWO WEEKS’, ‘FOR NOW’, ‘SINCE LAST SUNDAY’,
1. EXPERIENCE ETC. CAN ALL BE USED WITH THE PRESENT PERFECT
USE THE PRESENT PERFECT TO TALK ABOUT CONTINUOUS:
EXPERIENCE: (REMEMBER THE PRESENT PERFECT  They have been discussing the problem for more
CANNOT BE USED WITH A SPECIFIC EVENT) than an hour.
 I have been to Germany. (in my life)  I have been working here for ten years.
 I have never been to France.  She has been doing yoga since the beginning of
2. CHANGE OVER TIME the year.
THE PRESENT PERFECT CAN EXPRESS CHANGE OVER  How long have you been waiting?
TIME:
 You've changed since I saw you last.
 He has become more concerned about his social
status. 2. WITH RECENTLY, LATELY
 Travel has turned into a huge industry in the last THE PRESENT PERFECT CONTINUOUS CAN BE USED
few decades. WITHOUT A DURATION. IN THIS CASE THE MEANING IS
3. SEVERAL ACTIONS MORE GENERAL AND WE USE ‘LATELY’ OR ‘RECENTLY’
THE PRESENT PERFECT CAN REFER TO SEVERAL TO SHOW THIS.
ACTIONS WHICH HAVE OCCURRED AT DIFFERENT  I have been feeling really tired lately.
TIMES IN THE PAST BUT IT SUGGESTS THAT THE  What have you been doing?
PROCESS IS INCOMPLETE.
 We have had three power cuts this week.
 The team has experienced several setbacks so
far.
PAST INDEFINITE
 John has sat for three tests this month. SUBJECT + VERB (II) + OBJECT
4. TIME EXPRESSIONS
SOMETIMES WE WANT TO LIMIT THE TIME WE ARE 1. PAST SIMPLE FOR COMPLETED ACTIONS IN THE
LOOKING AT WHEN WE TALK ABOUT EXPERIENCES. PAST
THIS IS DONE BY USING CERTAIN TIME EXPRESSIONS: USE THE PAST SIMPLE (VERB+ED OR IRREGULAR
 Have you been abroad this year? VERBS) TO EXPRESS THE IDEA THAT AN ACTION
 Peter has worked for three different companies STARTED AND FINISHED AT A SPECIFIC TIME IN THE
since he graduated two years ago. PAST. IT IS NOT NECESSARY TO MENTION THE SPECIFIC
5. FROM THE PAST UNTIL NOW TIME BUT IT IS IMPLIED IN THE VERB FORM.
WE SHOW THAT SOMETHING HAS STARTED IN THE  I saw a great film yesterday.
PAST AND HAS CONTINUED UP UNTIL NOW WITH  I didn't see Peter at the party last night.
NON-CONTINUOUS VERBS BY USING THE PRESENT  I travelled to Milan last month.
PERFECT. PHRASES WHICH SHOW DURATION CAN BE  He painted his bedroom red.
USED; FOR THREE WEEKS, SINCE MONDAY, FOR
FIFTEEN MINUTES ETC.
 I have had a cold for two weeks.
 He has been here for six months.
 I have waited for too long.

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ENGLISH TENSES WORKSHEET

2. SEVERAL COMPLETED ACTIONS 3. WHILE OR WHEN

WE USE THE PAST SIMPLE TO SPEAK ABOUT A SERIES WITH THE PAST CONTINUOUS SENTENCES HAVE
OF ACTIONS IN THE PAST THAT HAPPENED CLAUSES THAT START WITH ‘WHILE’ OR ‘WHEN’.
CHRONOLOGICALLY. ‘WHILE’ USUALLY STARTS THE CLAUSE WITH THE PAST
 I finished work at five, went to my favourite café CONTINUOUS, ‘WHEN’ USUALLY STARTS THE CLAUSE
and spent an hour just watching the world go WITH THE PAST SIMPLE.
by.  It started raining while I was jogging.
3. PAST – DURATION  When it started raining, I was jogging.
THE PAST SIMPLE CAN BE USED TO SPEAK ABOUT A 4. REPETITION – IRRITATION WITH 'ALWAYS’
DURATION WHICH STARTS AND STOPS IN THE PAST. THE PAST CONTINUOUS WITH WORDS SUCH AS
 I lived in Spain for two years. 'ALWAYS' OR 'CONSTANTLY' INDICATES SOMETHING
 I studied Italian when I was at school. REPEATED OR IRRITATING. WORDS LIKE 'ALWAYS'
 They did not stay in Paris for very long. SHOULD BE PLACED BETWEEN THE AUXILIARY 'BE' AND
 I spoke to him on the phone for half an hour. THE PRESENT PARTICIPLE.
 She was always coming late for meetings. No
4. HABITS IN THE PAST wonder she was never promoted.
THE SIMPLE PAST CAN ALSO BE USED TO DESCRIBE A  I was constantly misplacing my glasses. It’s not a
HABIT WHICH STOPPED IN THE PAST. IT CAN HAVE THE problem with contacts now.
SAME MEANING AS "USED TO". TO MAKE IT CLEAR
THAT WE ARE TALKING ABOUT A HABIT, WE OFTEN
ADD EXPRESSIONS SUCH AS: ALWAYS, OFTEN, USUALLY, PAST PERFECT
NEVER, WHEN I WAS A CHILD, WHEN I WAS YOUNGER, SUBJECT + HAD + VERB (III) + OBJECT
ETC.
 I did Judo when I was a child. 1. TIME UP TO A POINT IN THE PAST
 He didn’t play the guitar; he played the piano. WE USE THE PAST PERFECT SIMPLE (HAD + PAST
 He worked at a restaurant when he was at PARTICIPLE) TO TALK ABOUT TIME UP TO A CERTAIN
university. POINT IN THE PAST.
 She'd published her first poem by the time she
COMPARISON was eight.
 We'd finished all the water before we were
PAST SIMPLE PRESENT PERFECT halfway up the mountain.
FINISHED TIME WORD UNFINISHED TIME WORD  Had the parcel arrived when you called
TIME NO TIME yesterday?
NO PROOF PROOF 2. PAST PERFECT FOR THE EARLIER OF TWO PAST
ACTIONS
WE CAN USE THE PAST PERFECT TO SHOW THE ORDER
PAST CONTINOUS OF TWO PAST EVENTS. THE PAST PERFECT SHOWS THE
SUBJECT + WAS/WERE + VERB (ING) + OBJECT EARLIER ACTION AND THE PAST SIMPLE SHOWS THE
LATER ACTION.
1. AN INTERRUPTED ACTION IN THE PAST  When the police arrived, the thief had escaped.
HERE THE PAST CONTINUOUS IS USED TO INDICATE A  Mother had gone before I reached home.
LONG ACTION THAT WAS INTERRUPTED. USUALLY, THE NOTE: IF THERE'S ONLY A SINGLE EVENT, WE DON'T
ACTION THAT INTERRUPTS THE LONG ACTION IS THE USE THE PAST PERFECT, EVEN IF IT HAPPENED A LONG
PAST SIMPLE. TIME AGO.
 I was studying when Tufail called me.  The Romans spoke Latin.
 She was answering an important e-mail when I (NOT The Romans had spoken Latin.)
interrupted her.
2. PARALLEL ACTIONS 3. PAST PERFECT WITH BEFORE
THE PAST CONTINUOUS IS USED TO INDICATE THAT WE CAN ALSO USE THE PAST PERFECT FOLLOWED
TWO ACTIONS WERE HAPPENING AT THE SAME TIME; BY BEFORE TO SHOW THAT AN ACTION WAS NOT DONE
HENCE PARALLEL ACTIONS. OR WAS INCOMPLETE WHEN THE PAST SIMPLE ACTION
 I was watching TV while the children were HAPPENED.
playing outside.  They left before I'd spoken to them.
 Were you listening while Imran was explaining  Sadly, the author died before he'd finished the
the new policy? series.
 We were discussing the new project and having
a good time as well.

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ENGLISH TENSES WORKSHEET

2. THE RESULT OF A PAST ACTION

PAST PERFECT CONTINOUS THE PAST PERFECT CONTINUOUS BEFORE AN ACTION
SUBJECT + HAD BEEN + VERB (ING) + OBJECT + IN THE PAST SHOWS THE REASON FOR A RESULT.
SINCE/FOR  Peter was tired because he had been working
for more than eighteen hours.
1. DURATION BEFORE A PAST EVENT/ACTION  He failed the test because he had not been
WE USE THE PAST PERFECT CONTINUOUS TO SHOW studying.
THAT SOMETHING STARED IN THE PAST AND  I had been playing tennis for five years before
CONTINUED TO A POINT IN THE PAST. THE PAST the injury.
PERFECT CONTINUOUS HAS THE SAME FUNCTION AS 3. PAST CONTINUOUS OR PAST PERFECT
THE PRESENT PERFECT CONTINUOUS EXCEPT THAT THE CONTINUOUS
ACTION DOESN'T CONTINUE TO THE PRESENT TIME WITHOUT A PHRASE LIKE 'FOR AN HOUR' OR 'SINCE
BUT STOPS BEFORE SOMETHING ELSE IN THE PAST. MARCH' IT IS POSSIBLE TO USE THE PAST CONTINUOUS
 They had been waiting for an hour before we INSTEAD OF THE PAST PERFECT CONTINUOUS BUT THIS
arrived. CAN CHANGE THE MEANING OF THE SENTENCE.
 She had been working at that trading company  Peter was tired because he was working hard.
for five years before she moved to their rival (This sentence shows that Peter was tires
company. because he was working at that moment.)
 How long had you been trying to contact Sarah  Peter was tired because he had been working
before you gave up? hard. (This sentence shows that Peter was tired
 How long were you studying medicine before as a result of working hard. It is possible that
you dropped out? he continued working but the tense implies
that he had just stopped.)

BY: SIR ARSHAD MEHMOOD Page 4