Simple Present

The simple present is a verb tense with two main uses. We use the simple present tense when an action is happening right now, or when it happens regularly (or unceasingly, which is why it’s sometimes called present indefinite). Depending on the person, the simple present tense is formed by using the root form or by adding ‑s or ‑es to the end.

The forms of the simple present

The affirmative form of the simple present:

I,You,We,They	play.
He,She,It	plays.

Example

Nancy and James speak good German.
Nancy works in a restaurant downtown.
The children play in the garden every weekend.

The interrogative form of the simple present

Do	I,you,we,they	play?
Does	he,she,it	play?

Example

Do you speak good German?
Does Nancy work in a restaurant downtown?

The negative form of the simple present

I,You,We,They	do not don't	play.
He,She,It	does not doesn't	play.

Example

No, I don't speak German.
No, she doesn't work in a restaurant downtown.

The use of the simple present

to give your opinion - I like ice cream. I don't like spicy food.
to talk about schedules - The library opens at eight. It doesn't open at 7.
to talk about daily habits (routine actions)- Sara eats a cheese for breakfast every day. She doesn't eat cereal.
to give facts - The earth circles the sun. The moon doesn't circle the sun.

Special Case

He/She/It + verb +s

Here are the spelling rules:

Silent e	Vowel + y	Constant + y	Verbs ending in o	Verbs ending in s, z, sh, tch, ch
closes notes	plays says	studies marries	goes does	misses buzzes hatches finishes teaches

Simple Past

The simple past is a verb tense that is used to talk about things that happened or existed before now. Imagine someone asks what your brother Amila did while he was in town last weekend.

Example

Amila entered a chess contest

Example

He won the silver medal

The simple past tense shows that you are talking about something that has already happened. Unlike the past continuous tense, which is used to talk about past events that happened over a period of time, the simple past tense emphasizes that the action is finished.

Example

Amila admired the way the light glinted off his silver medal

You can also use the simple past to talk about a past state of being, such as the way someone felt about something. This is often expressed with the simple past tense of the verb to be and an adjective, noun, or prepositional phrase.

Example

Amila was proud of his chess victory.

Example

The contest was the highlight of his week.

How to Formulate the Simple Past

For regular verbs, add -ed to the root form of the verb (or just -d if the root form already ends in an e):

Play→Played Type→Typed Listen→Listened Push→Pushed Love→Loved

For irregular verbs, things get more complicated. The simple past tense of some irregular verbs looks exactly like the root form:

Put→Put Cut→Cut Set→Set Cost→Cost Hit→Hit

For other irregular verbs, including the verb to be, the simple past forms are more erratic:

See→Saw Build→Built Go→Went Do→Did Rise→Rose Am/Is/Are→Was/Were

The good news is that verbs in the simple past tense (except for the verb to be) don’t need to agree in number with their subjects.

Example

Amila polished his medal. The other winners polished their medals too.

How to Make the Simple Past Negative

Fortunately, there is a formula for making simple past verbs negative, and it’s the same for both regular and irregular verbs (except for the verb to be). The formula is did not + [root form of verb]. You can also use the contraction didn’t instead of did not.

Example

Amila did not brag too much about his chess skills.Amila’s girlfriend didn’t see the contest.

For the verb to be, you don’t need the auxiliary did. When the subject of the sentence is singular, use was not or wasn’t. When the subject is plural, use were not or weren’t.

Example

The third-place winner was not as happy as Amila. The fourth-place winner wasn’t happy at all. The onlookers were not ready to leave after the contest ended. The contestants weren’t ready to leave either.

How to ask a Question

The formula for asking a question in the simple past tense is did + [subject] + [root form of verb].

Example

Did Amila win the gold medal or the silver medal? Where did Amila go to celebrate? Did the judges decide fairly, in your opinion?

When asking a question with the verb to be, you don’t need the auxiliary did. The formula is was/were + [subject].

Example

Was Amila in a good mood after the contest? Were people taking lots of pictures?

Common Regular Verbs in the past tense

Infinitive	Past Tense	Negative
to ask	asked	did not ask
to work	Worked	did not Worke
to call	called	did not call
to use	used	did not use

Common Irregular Verbs in the Past Tense

Infinitive	Past Tense	Negative
to be	Was were	was not were not
to have	had	did not have
to do	did	did not do
to say	said	did not say
to get	got	did not get
to make	took	did not take
to see	saw	did not see
to come	came	did not come

Simple Future

The simple future refers to a time later than now, and expresses facts or certainty.

Here's the positive form (it's just 'will' + infinitive):

Examples:

I will meet him later (I'll ..)
You will come (you'll..)
It will rain tomorrow (it'll)
She will be late (she'll..)
We will get married in September (we'll)
They will cook dinner (they'll..)

The short form: 'll is very, very common, and is almost always used when speaking. It's really much more natural to say 'I'll' instead of 'I will'. Here's some help with the pronunciation:

Examples:

I'll meet him later
You'll come
She'll be late
He'll help us later
We'll get married in September

Next, here's the negative form (just add 'not' - remember will not = won't):

Examples:

I will not go (I won't ..)
You will not be late (you won't ..)
It will not snow tomorrow (it won't..)
She will not get the job (she won't..)
He will not pass the exam (he won't ..

Finally, here's the question:

'yes/no' questions:

Examples:

Will I go?
Will you come early?
Will it be cold?
Will she dance?
Will we cook?

'wh' questions:

Examples:

Where will I go?
Why will you come early?
When will it be cold?
Who will she dance with?
What time will he arrive?

Present Continuous

The present continuous (present progressive) tense is a way to convey any action or condition that is happening right now, frequently, and may be ongoing. It adds energy and action to writing, and its effect helps readers understand when the action is happening.

The forms of the present continuous

The verb to be (am,is,are)

verb + ing

The affirmative form of the present continuous:

I	am/ 'm	eating.
You ,We ,They	are/ 're	eating.
He ,She ,It	is/ 's	eating.

Example

I am reading a book.
They are playing cricket.
Please be quiet. The children are sleeping..

The interrogative form of the present continuous

Am	I	eating?
Are	you ,we ,they	eating?
Is	he ,she ,it	eating?

Example

What am I doing here?
Are they coming to your party?
Is Nadun working in the hospital now?

The negative form of the present continuous

I	am not/ 'm not	eating.
You ,We ,They	are not/ aren't	eating.
He ,She ,It	is not/ isn't	eating.

Example

I am not going the party tonight.
They aren't working at office today.
Mary is going to a new school next term.

The use of the present continuous

activities at the moment of speaking - I'm just leaving work.
future plans or arrangements - Mary is going to a new school next term.
something which is changing, growing or developing - The children are growing up quickly
something which happens again and again - It's always raining in London.

Past Continuous

The past continuous tense, also known as the past progressive tense, refers to a continuing action or state that was happening at some point in the past. The past continuous tense is formed by combining the past tense of to be (i.e., was/were) with the verb’s present participle (-ing word).

There are many situations in which this verb tense might be used in a sentence. For example, it is often used to describe conditions that existed in the past.

Example

The sun was shining every day that summer.

Example

As I spoke, the children were laughing Bat my cleverness.

It can also be used to describe something that was happening continuously in the past when another action interrupted it.

Example

The audience was plauding until he fell off the stage.

Example :

I was makingb dinner when she arrived.

The past continuous can shed light on what was happening at a precise time in the past.

Example :

At 6 o’clock, I was eating dinner.

It can also refer to a habitual action in the past.

Example :

She was talking constantly in class in those days.

One final caution: Though the irregularities are few, not every verb is suited to describing a continuous action. Certain verbs can’t be used in the past continuous tense. One common example is the verb to arrive.

Incorrect :

At noon, he was arriving.

Correct :

At noon, he arrived .

Future Continuous

The future continuous tense, sometimes also referred to as the future progressive tense, is a verb tense that indicates that something will occur in the future and continue for an expected length of time.

It is formed using the construction

will + be + (verb + ing)

Examples:

I will be writing articles.
Bob will be going to the library.
They will be playing football.

Next, here's the negative form:

The format is,

Subject + will not + be + (verb+ing)

Examples:

I will not be staying.
You will not be staying.
He will not be staying.

Finally, here's the question:

The format is,

will + Subject + be + (verb+ing) ?

Examples:

Will Jim be coming with us?
Will she be going to the party tonight?
Will I be sleeping in this room?

Present Perfect

The present perfect tense refers to an action or state that either occurred at an indefinite time in the past (e.g., we have talked before) or began in the past and continued to the present time (e.g., he has grown impatient over the last hour).

The form of the present perfect

have/has

verb(in the past participle form)

The affirmative form of the present perfect

I ,You ,We ,They	have ('ve)	worked.
He ,She ,It	has ('s)	worked.

Example

I have met that girl before.
We have discussed this issue a few times.
She has lived in Liverpool all her life.

The interrogative form of the present perfect

Have	I ,You ,We ,They	worked?
Has	he ,she ,it	worked?

Example

Have you finished the job?
Has he seen kasuni today?

The negative form of the present perfect

I ,You ,We ,They	have not haven't	worked.
He ,She ,It	has not hasn't	worked.

Example

I have not seen her since we left high school.
He has not finished yet.

The use of the present perfect

when we are talking about our experience up to the present - I've seen that film before. I've played the guitar ever since I was a teenager.
for something that started in the past and continues in the present - She has lived in Liverpool all her life.
for something that happened in the past but is important in the present- I can't get in the house becuase I've lost my keys.

Past Perfect

The past perfect, also called the pluperfect, is a verb tense used to talk about actions that were completed before some point in the past.

Example

We were shocked to discover that someone had graffitied “Tootles was here” on our front door. We were relieved that Tootles had used washable paint

The past perfect tense is for talking about something that happened before something else. Imagine waking up one morning and stepping outside to grab the newspaper. On your way back in, you notice a mysterious message scrawled across your front door: Tootles was here. When you’re telling this story to your friends later, how would you describe this moment? You might say something like:

Example

I turned back to the house and saw that some someone named Tootles had defaced my front door!

In addition to feeling indignant on your behalf, your friends will also be able to understand that Tootles graffitied the door at some point in the past before the moment this morning when you saw his handiwork, because you used the past perfect tense to describe the misdeed.

b

The Past Perfect Formula

The formula for the past perfect tense is had + [past participle]. It doesn’t matter if the subject is singular or plural; the formula doesn’t change.

When to Use the Past Perfect

So what’s the difference between past perfect and simple past? When you’re talking about some point in the past and want to reference an event that happened even earlier, using the past perfect allows you to convey the sequence of the events. It’s also clearer and more specific. Consider the difference between these two sentences

Example

We were relieved that Tootles used washable paint. We were relieved that Tootles had used washable paint.

It’s a subtle difference, but the first sentence doesn’t tie Tootles’s act of using washable paint to any particular moment in time; readers might interpret it as “We were relieved that Tootles was in the habit of using washable paint.” In the second sentence, the past perfect makes it clear that you’re talking about a specific instance of using washable paint.

Another time to use the past perfect is when you are expressing a condition and a result:

Example

If I had woken up earlier this morning, I would have caught Tootles red-handed.

The past perfect is used in the part of the sentence that explains the condition (the if-clause).

Most often, the reason to write a verb in the past perfect tense is to show that it happened before other actions in the same sentence that are described by verbs in the simple past tense. Writing an entire paragraph with every verb in the past perfect tense is unusual

When Not to Use the Past Perfect

Don’t use the past perfect when you’re not trying to convey some sequence of events. If your friends asked what you did after you discovered the graffiti, they would be confused if you said:

Example

I had cleaned it off the door.

They’d likely be wondering what happened next because using the past perfect implies that your action of cleaning the door occurred before something else happened, but you don’t say what that something else is. The “something else” doesn’t always have to be explicitly mentioned, but context needs to make it clear. In this case there’s no context, so the past perfect doesn’t make sense.

How to Make the Past Perfect Negative

Example

We looked for witnesses, but the neighbors had not seen Tootles in the act. If Tootles had not included his own name in the message, we would have no idea who was behind it.

How to Ask a Question

The formula for asking a question in the past perfect tense is had + [subject] + [past participle].

Common Regular Verbs in the Past Perfect Tense

infinitive	Past Perfect	Negative
to ask	had asked	had not asked
to work	had worked	had not worked
to call	had called	had not called
to use	had used	had not used

Common Irregular Verbs in the Past Perfect Tense

infinitive	Past Perfect	Negative
to be	had been	had not been
to have	ha had	had not had
to do	had done	had not done
to say	had said	had not said
to get	had gotten*	had not gotten*
to make	had made	had not made
to go	had gone	had not gone
to take	had taken	had not taken
to see	had seen	had not seen
to come	had come	had not come

*The past participle of “to get” is “gotten” in American English. In British English, the past participle is “got.”

Future Perfect

The future perfect is a verb tense used for actions that will be completed before some other point in the future.

The format is,

subject + will have + past participle of the main verb

Examples:

I will have finished this book
You will have studied the English tenses
She will have cooked dinner
We will have met Julie
It will have stopped raining
They will have left Japan

For the short form, we change will to 'll. But, when we are speaking.
Here are some examples for you to listen to:

Examples:

I'll have finished this book
You'll have studied the English tenses
She'll have cooked dinner

Here's the negative:

The format is,

subject + will not have + past participle of the main verb

Examples:

I will not have finished this book
You will not have studied the English tenses
We will not have met Julie
They will not have left Japan

To make the question, just put 'will' before the subject:

'Yes / no' questions:

Examples:

will I have finished writing this book?
will you have studied all the English verb tenses?
will she have graduated?

'Wh' questions:

Examples:

When will I have finished writing this book?
When will she have been here three weeks?
Why will you have studied all the English verb tenses by tomorrow?

Present Perfect Continuous

The present perfect continuous tense is used for an actionwhich began at some time in the past and still continuing.

The form of the present perfect continuous

have/has

been

verb + ing

The affirmative form of the present perfect continuous

I ,You ,We ,They	have	been	working.
He ,She ,It	has	been	working.

Example

I have been studying English for two years.
She's been revising her lessons.

The interrogative form of the present perfect continuous

Have	I ,you ,we ,they	been	working?
Has	He ,She ,It	been	working?

Example

Have you been studying English for two years?
Has it been raining?

The negative form of the present perfect continuous

I ,You ,We ,They	have not haven't	been	working.
He ,She ,It	has not hasn't	been	working.

Example

She hasn't been hanging around with her friends.
I haven't been playing tennis.

The use of the present perfect continuous

for past action just stopped - I'm tired [now] because I've been running.
for past action continuing now - I have been reading for 2 hours(I am still reading now) , How long have you been learning English? (You are still learning now)

For and Since with Present Perfect Continuous tense

We often use for and since with perfect tenses:

We use for to talk about a period of time: three hours, two months, one decade
We use since to talk about a point in past time: 9 o'clock, 1st January, Monday

Example

I have been studying for three hours.
I have been watching TV since 7pm.
Tara hasn't been feeling well for two weeks.
Tara hasn't been visiting us since March.
He has been playing football for a long time.
He has been living in Bangkok since he left school.

Past Perfect Continuous

The past perfect continuous tense (also known as the past perfect progressive tense) shows that an action that started in the past continued up until another time in the past. The past perfect continuous tense is constructed using been + the verb’s present participle (root + -ing).

Unlike the present perfect continuous, which indicates an action that began in the past and continued up to the present, the past perfect continuous is a verb tense that indicates something that began in the past, continued in the past, and also ended at a defined point in the past.

Example

He had been drinking milk out the carton when Mom walked into the kitchen.

Example

I had been working at the company for five years when I got the promotion.

When, for, since, and before are words that you may see used alongside the past perfect continuous tense.

Example

Martha had been walking three miles a day before she broke her leg.

Example

The program that was terminated had been working well since 1945.

Example

Cathy had been playing the piano for 35 years when she was finally asked to do a solo with the local orchestra.

Example

He had been throwing rocks at her window for five minutes before she finally came out on the balcony and said, “Hey, Romeo.”

Future Perfect Continuous

The future perfect continuous, also sometimes called the future perfect progressive, is a verb tense that describes actions that will continue up until a point in the future.

The format is,

Subject + will + have + been + verb’s present participle (verb root + ing)

Examples:

I will have been written articles on different topics.
Bob will have been studying in the library.
April will have been gossiping in the coffee shop.
Robert will have been reading various kinds of books.
They will have been playing football in that field.

Here's the Negative form :

The format is,

Subject + will + not + have + been + verb’s present participle (verb root + ing)

Examples:

I won't have been living.
You won't have been living.
He won't have been living.

Here's the question form :

'Yes / No' Questions

Examples:

Will I have been working?
Will you have been sleeping?
Will she have been studying?

'Wh' Questions

Examples:

Where will I have been working?
Why will you have been sleeping?
Where will she have been studying?