ALL TENSES REVIEW
Review of English tenses
This is a review of the English tenses. The table is provided to help recall the form and use of the different English tenses studied in previous lessons.
| Simple Present |
| Affirmative |
She drinks. |
| Negative |
She does not drink. |
| Interrogative |
Does she drink? |
| Form |
I, you we they play | he, she, it plays |
| Uses |
- action in the present taking place once, never or several times
- facts
- actions taking place one after another
- action set by a timetable or schedule
|
| Present Progressive |
| Affirmative |
He is reading. |
| Negative |
He is not reading. |
| Interrogative |
Is he reading? |
| Form |
To be (in the simple present) + verb + ing |
| Uses |
- action taking place at the moment of speaking
- action arranged for the future
|
| Simple Past |
| Affirmative |
I cried. |
| Negative |
I did not cry |
| Interrogative |
Did I cry? |
| Form |
Regular verbs: Verb + ed | Irregular verbs: forms differ and should be learned by heart. This is a list of irregular verbs |
| Uses |
- action in the past taking place once, never or several times
- actions taking place one after another
|
| Past Progressive |
| Affirmative |
He was driving. |
| Negative |
He was not driving. |
| Interrogative |
Was he driving? |
| Form |
to be (in the simple past) + verb + ing |
| Uses |
- action going on at a certain time in the past
- actions taking place at the same time
- action in the past that is interrupted by another action
|
| Present Perfect Simple |
| Affirmative |
They have slept. |
| Negative |
They have not slept. |
| Interrogative |
Have they slept? |
| Form |
Have / has + past participle (past participle of regular verbs: verb + ed | Past participle of irregular verbs: forms differ and should be learned by heart. This is a list of irregular verbs) |
| Uses |
- emphasis is on the result (not the duration)
- action that started in the past & is still going on
- action that stopped recently
- finished action that has an influence on the present
|
| Present Perfect Progressive |
| Affirmative |
He has been thinking. |
| Negative |
He has not been thinking. |
| Interrogative |
Has he been thinking? |
| Form |
have or has + been + verb + ing |
| Uses |
- putting emphasis on the course or duration (not the result)
- action that recently stopped or is still going on
- finished action that influenced the present
|
| Past Perfect Simple |
| Affirmative |
She had won. |
| Negative |
She had not won. |
| Interrogative |
Had she won? |
| Form |
had + past participle (past participle of regular verbs: verb + ed | Past participle of irregular verbs: forms differ and should be learned by heart. This is a list of irregular verbs) |
| Uses |
- action taking place before a certain time in the past
- sometimes interchangeable with past perfect progressive
- putting emphasis only on the fact (not the duration)
|
| Past Perfect Progressive |
| Affirmative |
He had been waiting. |
| Negative |
He had not been waiting. |
| Interrogative |
Had he been waiting? |
| Form |
had + been + verb + ing |
| Uses |
- action taking place before a certain time in the past
- sometimes interchangeable with past perfect simple
- putting emphasis on the duration or course of an action
|
| Future Simple |
| Affirmative |
I will open the door. |
| Negative |
I will not open the door. |
| Interrogative |
Will you open the door? |
| Form |
will + verb |
| Uses |
- We use the simple future for instant decisions.
- We use the simple future when we predict a future situation
- We use the simple future in conditional sentences type one. (More on conditional sentences here)
|
Future Plan
(going to) |
| Affirmative |
He is going to clean the car. |
| Negative |
He is not going to clean the car. |
| Interrogative |
Is he going to clean the car? |
| Form |
to be (in the simple present) + going + to + verb |
| Uses |
- to express the future when we intend to do something or have decided to do something but did not arrange it. It is just an intention.
- predictions in the future
|
Future Plan
(Present Progressive) |
| Affirmative |
He is traveling to Egypt next week. |
| Negative |
He is not traveling to Egypt next week. |
| Interrogative |
Is he traveling to Egypt next week? |
| Form |
to be (in the simple present) + verb + ing |
| Uses |
- when we say what we have planned and arranged to do at a specific time in the future. These are fixed plans with definite time and/or place.
|
| Future Progressive |
| Affirmative |
She will be listening to music. |
| Negative |
She will not be listening to music. |
| Interrogative |
Will she be listening to music? |
| Form |
will + be + verb + ing |
| Uses |
- action that is going on at a certain time in the future
- action that is sure to happen in the near future
|
| Future Perfect |
| Affirmative |
He will have spoken. |
| Negative |
He will not have spoken. |
| Interrogative |
Will he have spoken? |
| Form |
will + have + past participle (past participle of regular verbs: verb + ed | Past participle of irregular verbs: forms differ and should be learned by heart. This is a list of irregular verbs) |
| Uses |
- action that will be finished at a certain time in the future
|
| Future Perfect Progressive |
| Affirmative |
You will have been studying. |
| Negative |
You will not have been studying. |
| Interrogative |
Will you have been studying? |
| Form |
will + have + been + verb + ing |
| Uses |
- action taking place before a certain time in the future
- putting emphasis on the course of an action
|
| Conditional Simple |
| Affirmative |
We would relax. |
| Negative |
We would not relax. |
| Interrogative |
Would we relax ? |
| Form |
would + verb |
| Uses |
- action that might take place
|
| Conditional Progressive |
| Affirmative |
He would be writing. |
| Negative |
He would not be writing. |
| Interrogative |
Would he be writing? |
| Form |
would + be + verb + ing |
| Uses |
- action that might take place
- putting emphasis on the course / duration of the action
|
| Conditional Perfect |
| Affirmative |
He would have written. |
| Negative |
He would not have written. |
| Interrogative |
Would he have written? |
| Form |
would + have + past participle (past participle of regular verbs: verb + ed | Past participle of irregular verbs: forms differ and should be learned by heart This is a list of irregular verbs) |
| Uses |
- action that might have taken place in the past
|
| Conditional Perfect Progressive |
| Affirmative |
She would have been sleeping. |
| Negative |
She would not have sleeping speaking. |
| Interrogative |
Would she have been sleeping? |
| Form |
would + have + been + verb + ing |
| Uses |
- action that might have taken place in the past
- puts emphasis on the course / duration of the action
|
Examples of English tenses
Exercises on tenses.
