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WHAT ARE VERBS?

The verb is king in English. The shortest sentence contains a verb. You can make a one-word sentence
with a verb, for example: "Stop!" You cannot make a one-word sentence with any other type of word.
Verbs are sometimes described as "action words". This is partly true. Many verbs give the idea of action,
of "doing" something. For example, words like run, fight, do and work all convey action.
But some verbs do not give the idea of action; they give the idea of existence, of state, of "being". For
example, verbs like be, exist, seem and belong all convey state.
A verb always has a subject. (In the sentence "John speaks English", John is the subject and speaks is
the verb.) In simple terms, therefore, we can say that verbs are words that tell us what a subject does
or is; they describe:

action (Ram plays football.)


state (Anthony seems kind.)

There is something very special about verbs in English. Most other words (adjectives, adverbs,
prepositions etc) do not change in form (although nouns can have singular and plural forms). But almost all
verbs change in form. For example, the verb to work has five forms:

to work, work, works, worked, working

Of course, this is still very few forms compared to some languages which may have thirty or more forms
for a single verb.
In this lesson we look at the ways in which we classify verbs, followed by a quiz to test your
understanding:

Verb Classification
Helping Verbs
Main Verbs

VERB CLASSIFICATION OR FORMS VERB


We divide verbs into two broad classifications:

1. HELPING VERBS
Imagine that a stranger walks into your room and says:

I can.
People must.
The Earth will.

Do you understand anything? Has this person communicated anything to you? Probably not! That's
because these verbs are helping verbs and have no meaning on their own. They are necessary for the
grammatical structure of the sentence, but they do not tell us very much alone. We usually use helping
verbs with main verbs. They "help" the main verb. (The sentences in the above examples are therefore
incomplete. They need at least a main verb to complete them.) There are only about 15 helping verbs.
Helping verbs have no meaning on their own. They are necessary for the grammatical structure of a

sentence, but they do not tell us very much alone. We usually use helping verbs with main verbs. Helping
verbs are also called "auxiliary verbs".

Forms of Helping Verbs


All helping verbs are used with a main verb (either expressed or understood*). There are 2 groups of
helping verbs:

Primary helping verbs, used mainly to change the tense or voice of the main verb, and in making
questions and negatives.
Modal helping verbs, used to change the "mood" of the main verb.

Study the table below. It shows the prinicipal forms and uses of helping verbs, and explains the
differences between primary and modal helping verbs.
* Sometimes we make a sentence that has a helping verb and seems to have no main verb. In fact, the
main verb is "understood". Look at the following examples:

Question: Can you speak English? (The main verb speak is "expressed".)
Answer: Yes, I can. (The main verb speak is not expressed. It is "understood" from the context.
We understand: Yes, I can speak English.

But if somebody walked into the room and said "Hello. I can", we would understand nothing!

Helping Verbs
Primary
Modal
do
(to make simple tenses, and questions and
can
could
negatives)
be
(to make continuous tenses, and the
may
might
passive voice)
have
(to make perfect tenses)
will
would
shall
should
must
ought (to)
"Do", "be" and "have" as helping verbs have exactly
Modal helping verbs are invariable. They
the same forms as when they are main verbs
always have the same form.
(except that as helping verbs they are never used
in infinitive forms).
Primary helping verbs are followed by the main verb "Ought" is followed by the main verb in
in a particular form:
infinitive form. Other modal helping verbs
do + V1 (base verb)
are followed by the main verb in its base
be + -ing (present participle)
form (V1).
ought + to... (infinitive)
have + V3 (past participle)
other modals + V1 (base verb)
"Do", "be" and "have" can also function as main
Modal helping verbs cannot function as
verbs.
main verbs.

A. Primary helping verbs (3 verbs)


These are the verbs be, do, and have. Note that we can use these three verbs as helping verbs or as main
verbs. On this page we talk about them as helping verbs. We use them in the following cases:

be
to make continuous tenses (He is watching TV.)
to make the passive (Small fish are eaten by big fish.)

o
o

have
o

to make perfect tenses (I have finished my homework.)

do

o
o
o
o
B. Modal

to make negatives (I do not like you.)


to ask questions (Do you want some coffee?)
to show emphasis (I do want you to pass your exam.)
to stand for a main verb in some constructions (He speaks faster than she does.)
helping verbs (10 verbs)

We use modal helping verbs to "modify" the meaning of the main verb in some way. A modal helping verb
expresses necessity or possibility, and changes the main verb in that sense. These are the modal verbs:

can, could
may, might
will, would,
shall, should
must
ought to

Here are examples using modal verbs:

I can't speak Chinese.


John may arrive late.
Would you like a cup of coffee?
You should see a doctor.
I really must go now.

Semi-modal verbs (3 verbs)


The following verbs are often called "semi-modals" because they are partly like modal helping verbs and
partly like main verbs:

need
dare
used to

2. MAIN VERBS
Now imagine that the same stranger walks into your room and says:

I teach.
People eat.
The Earth rotates.

Do you understand something? Has this person communicated something to you? Probably yes! Not a lot,
but something. That's because these verbs are main verbs and have meaning on their own. They tell us
something. Of course, there are thousands of main verbs.
In the following table we see example sentences with helping verbs and main verbs. Notice that all of
these sentences have a main verb. Only some of them have a helping verb.
helping verb
John
You
They
The children
We
I

are
must
do

not

main verb
likes
lied
are
playing.
go
want

coffee.
to me.
happy.
now.
any.

Helping verbs and main verbs can be further sub-divided, as we shall see on the following pages.
Main verbs are also called "lexical verbs".
Main verbs have meaning on their own (unlike helping verbs). There are thousands of main verbs, and we
can classify them in several ways:
Transitive and intransitive verbs
A transitive verb takes a direct object: Somebody killed the President. An intransitive verb does not
have a direct object: He died. Many verbs, like speak, can be transitive or intransitive. Look at these
examples:
transitive:

I saw an elephant.
We are watching TV.
He speaks English.

intransitive:

He has arrived.
John goes to school.
She speaks fast.

Linking verbs
A linking verb does not have much meaning in itself. It "links" the subject to what is said about the
subject. Usually, a linking verb shows equality (=) or a change to a different state or place (>). Linking
verbs are always intransitive (but not all intransitive verbs are linking verbs).

Mary is a teacher. (mary = teacher)


Tara is beautiful. (tara = beautiful)
That sounds interesting. (that = interesting)
The sky became dark. (the sky > dark)
The bread has gone bad. (bread > bad)

Dynamic and stative verbs


Some verbs describe action. They are called "dynamic", and can be used with continuous tenses. Other
verbs describe state (non-action, a situation). They are called "stative", and cannot normally be used with
continuous tenses (though some of them can be used with continuous tenses with a change in meaning).
dynamic verbs (examples):

hit, explode, fight, run, go

stative verbs (examples):

be
like, love, prefer, wish
impress, please, surprise
hear, see, sound
belong to, consist of, contain, include, need
appear, resemble, seem

Regular and irregular verbs


This is more a question of vocabulary than of grammar. The only real difference between regular and
irregular verbs is that they have different endings for their past tense and past participle forms. For
regular verbs, the past tense ending and past participle ending is always the same: -ed. For irregular
verbs, the past tense ending and the past participle ending is variable, so it is necessary to learn them by
heart.
regular verbs: base, past tense, past participle

look, looked, looked


work, worked, worked

irregular verbs: base, past tense, past participle

buy, bought, bought


cut, cut, cut
do, did, done

Here are lists of regular verbs and irregular verbs.


One way to think of regular and irregular verbs is like this: all verbs are irregular and the so-called
regular verbs are simply one very large group of irregular verbs.
Often the above divisions can be mixed. For example, one verb could be irregular, transitive and dynamic;
another verb could be regular, transitive and stative.

Regular Verbs
English regular verbs change their form very little (unlike irregular verbs). The past tense and past
participle of regular verbs end in -ed, for example:
work, worked, worked

But you should note the following points:


1. Some verbs can be both regular and irregular, for example:
learn, learned, learned
learn, learnt, learnt
2. Some verbs change their meaning depending on whether they are regular or irregular, for example "to
hang":
regular
irregular

hang, hanged, hanged


hang, hung, hung

to kill or die, by dropping with a rope around the neck


to fix something (for example, a picture) at the top so that the
lower part is free

3. The present tense of some regular verbs is the same as the past tense of some irregular verbs:
regular
irregular

found, founded, founded


find, found, found

Regular Verbs List


There are thousands of regular verbs in English. This is a list of 600 of the more common regular verbs.
Note that there are some spelling variations in American English (for example, "practise" becomes
"practice" in American English).

accept
add
admire
admit
advise
afford
agree

allow
amuse
analyse
announce
annoy
answer
apologise

applaud
appreciate
approve
argue
arrange
arrest
arrive

attach
attack
attempt
attend
attract

avoid

alert

appear

ask

back
bake
balance
ban
bang
bare
bat
bathe
battle

beg
behave
belong
bleach
bless
blind
blink
blot
blush

boil
bolt
bomb
book
bore
borrow
bounce
bow
box

brake
branch
breathe
bruise
brush
bubble
bump
burn
bury

beam

boast

brake

buzz

calculate
call
camp
care
carry
carve
cause
challenge
change
charge
chase
cheat
check
cheer

choke
chop
claim
clap
clean
clear
clip
close
coach
coil
collect
colour
comb
command

compare
compete
complain
complete
concentrate
concern
confess
confuse
connect
consider
consist
contain
continue
copy

chew

communicate

correct

dam
damage
dance
dare
decay
deceive
decide
decorate
delay

deliver
depend
describe
desert
deserve
destroy
detect
develop
disagree

disapprove
disarm
discover
dislike
divide
double
doubt
drag
drain

delight

disappear

dream

earn
educate
embarrass
employ
empty

end
enjoy
enter
entertain
escape

excite
excuse
exercise
exist
expand

encourage

examine

expect

face
fade
fail
fancy
fasten
fax
fear

fetch
file
fill
film
fire
fit
fix

flash
float
flood
flow
flower
fold
follow

fence

flap

fool

gather
gaze
glow

grab
grate
grease

grin
grip
groan

glue

greet

guarantee

hammer
hand
handle
hang

harm
hate
haunt
head

heat
help
hook
hop

cough
count
cover
crack
crash
crawl
cross
crush
cry
cure
curl
curve

cycle

dress
drip
drop
drown
drum
dry

dust

explain
explode

extend

force
form
found
frame
frighten

fry

guard
guess

guide

hug
hum
hunt

happen

heal

hope

hurry

harass

heap

hover

identify
ignore
imagine
impress
improve

increase
influence
inform
inject
injure

intend
interest
interfere
interrupt
introduce

invite
irritate

itch

include

instruct

invent

jail

jog

joke

juggle

jam

join

judge

jump

kick

kiss

knit

knot

kill

label
land
last
laugh

kneel

knock

learn
level
license
lick

lighten
like
list
listen

load
lock
long
look

launch

lie

live

love

man
manage
march
mark
marry
match

matter
measure
meddle
melt
memorise
mend

milk
mine
miss
mix
moan
moor

move
muddle
mug
multiply

murder

mate

mess up

mourn

nail

need

nod

notice

name

nest

note

number

obey
object

obtain
occur

offer
open

overflow
owe

observe

offend

order

own

pack
paddle
paint
park
part
pass
paste
pat
pause
peck
pedal
peel
peep

permit
phone
pick
pinch
pine
place
plan
plant
play
please
plug
point
poke

pop
possess
post
pour
practise
pray
preach
precede
prefer
prepare
present
preserve
press

prevent
prick
print
produce
program
promise
protect
provide
pull
pump
punch
puncture
punish

perform

polish

pretend

push

question

queue

race
radiate
rain
raise
reach
realise
receive
recognise
record
reduce

refuse
regret
reign
reject
rejoice
relax
release
rely
remain
remember

remove
repair
repeat
replace
reply
report
reproduce
request
rescue
retire

rhyme
rinse
risk
rob
rock
roll
rot
rub
ruin
rule

reflect

remind

return

rush

sack
sail
satisfy
save
saw
scare
scatter
scold
scorch
scrape
scratch
scream
screw
scribble
scrub
seal
search
separate
serve
settle
shade
share
shave

shiver
shock
shop
shrug
sigh
sign
signal
sin
sip
ski
skip
slap
slip
slow
smash
smell
smile
smoke
snatch
sneeze
sniff
snore
snow

soothe
sound
spare
spark
sparkle
spell
spill
spoil
spot
spray
sprout
squash
squeak
squeal
squeeze
stain
stamp
stare
start
stay
steer
step
stir

stop
store
strap
strengthen
stretch
strip
stroke
stuff
subtract
succeed
suck
suffer
suggest
suit
supply
support
suppose
surprise
surround
suspect
suspend

switch

shelter

soak

stitch

talk
tame
tap
taste
tease
telephone
tempt
terrify
test

thaw
tick
tickle
tie
time
tip
tire
touch
tour

trace
trade
train
transport
trap
travel
treat
tremble
trick

trot
trouble
trust
try
tug
tumble
turn
twist

type

thank

tow

trip

undress

unite

unpack

use

unfasten

unlock

untidy

vanish

visit

wail
wait
walk
wander
want
warm
warn

waste
watch
water
wave
weigh
welcome
whine

whirl
whisper
whistle
wink
wipe
wish
wobble

wash

whip

wonder

x-ray

yawn

yell

zip

zoom

work
worry
wrap
wreck
wrestle

wriggle

Irregular Verbs
Irregular verbs are an important feature of English. We use irregular verbs a lot when speaking, less
when writing. Of course, the most famous English verb of all, the verb "to be", is irregular.
What is the difference between regular verbs and irregular verbs?

With regular verbs, the rule is simple...


The past simple and past participle always end in -ed:

But with irregular verbs, there is no rule...


Sometimes the verb changes completely:
Sometimes there is "half" a change:
Sometimes there is no change:

Base Form

Past Simple

Past Participle

finish
stop
work

finished
stopped
worked

finished
stopped
worked

sing
buy
cut

sang
bought
cut

sung
bought
cut

One good way to learn irregular verbs is to try sorting them into groups, as above.
If in doubt, a good dictionary can tell you if a verb is regular or irregular.

Irregular Verbs List


This is a list of some irregular verbs in English. Of course, there are many others, but these are the more
common irregular verbs.
Base Form

Past Simple

Past Participle

awake

awoke

awoken

be

was, were

been

beat

beat

beaten

become

became

become

begin

began

begun

bend

bent

bent

bet

bet

bet

bid

bid

bid

bite

bit

bitten

blow

blew

blown

break

broke

broken

bring

brought

brought

broadcast

broadcast

broadcast

build

built

built

burn

burned/burnt

burned/burnt

buy

bought

bought

catch

caught

caught

choose

chose

chosen

come

came

come

cost

cost

cost

cut

cut

cut

dig

dug

dug

do

did

done

draw

drew

drawn

dream

dreamed/dreamt

dreamed/dreamt

drive

drove

driven

drink

drank

drunk

eat

ate

eaten

fall

fell

fallen

feel

felt

felt

fight

fought

fought

find

found

found

fly

flew

flown

forget

forgot

forgotten

forgive

forgave

forgiven

freeze

froze

frozen

get

got

gotten

give

gave

given

go

went

gone

grow

grew

grown

hang

hung

hung

have

had

had

hear

heard

heard

hide

hid

hidden

hit

hit

hit

hold

held

held

hurt

hurt

hurt

keep

kept

kept

know

knew

known

lay

laid

laid

lead

led

led

learn

learned/learnt

learned/learnt

leave

left

left

lend

lent

lent

let

let

let

lie

lay

lain

lose

lost

lost

make

made

made

mean

meant

meant

meet

met

met

pay

paid

paid

put

put

put

read

read

read

ride

rode

ridden

ring

rang

rung

rise

rose

risen

run

ran

run

say

said

said

see

saw

seen

sell

sold

sold

send

sent

sent

show

showed

showed/shown

shut

shut

shut

sing

sang

sung

sit

sat

sat

sleep

slept

slept

speak

spoke

spoken

spend

spent

spent

stand

stood

stood

swim

swam

swum

take

took

taken

teach

taught

taught

tear

tore

torn

tell

told

told

think

thought

thought

throw

threw

thrown

understand

understood

understood

wake

woke

woken

wear

wore

worn

win

won

won

write

wrote

written

Forms of Main Verbs


Main verbs (except the verb "be") have only 4, 5 or 6 forms. "Be" has 9 forms.

V1
base

V2
infinitive
past
simple
regular
(to) work work worked
(to) sing
sing
sang
(to) make make made
(to) cut
cut
cut
irregular (to) do*
do
did
(to) have* have had
infinitive base past
simple
(to) be*
be
was, were

V3
past
participle
worked
sung
made
cut
done
had
past
participle
been

present
participle
working
singing
making
cutting
doing
having
present
participle
being

present simple, 3rd


person singular
works
sings
makes
cuts
does
has
present simple
am, are, is

In the above examples:

to
to
to
to

cut has 4 forms: to cut, cut, cutting, cuts


work has 5 forms: to work, work, worked, working, works
sing has 6 forms: to sing, sing, sang, sung, singing, sings
be has 9 forms: to be, be, was, were, been, being, am, is, are

The infinitive can be with or without to. For example, to sing and sing are both infinitives. We often call
the infinitive without to the "bare infinitive".
At school, students usually learn by heart the base, past simple and past participle (sometimes called V1,
V2, V3, meaning Verb 1, Verb 2, Verb 3) for the irregular verbs. They may spend many hours chanting:
sing, sang, sung; go, went, gone; have, had, had; etc. They do not learn these for the regular verbs
because the past simple and past participle are always the same: they are formed by adding "-ed" to the
base. They do not learn the present participle and 3rd person singular present simple by heartfor

another very simple reason: they never change. The present participle is always made by adding "-ing" to
the base, and the 3rd person singular present simple is always made by adding "s" to the base (though
there are some variations in spelling).
* Note that "do", "have" and "be" also function as helping or auxiliary verbs, with exactly the same forms
(except that as helping verbs they are never in infinitive form).
Example Sentences
These example sentences use main verbs in different forms.
Infinitive

I want to work
He has to sing.
This exercise is easy to do.
Let him have one.
To be, or not to be, that is the question:

Base - Imperative

Work well!
Make this.
Have a nice day.
Be quiet!

Base - Present simple (except 3rd person singular)

I work in London.
You sing well.
They have a lot of money.

Base - After modal auxiliary verbs

I can work tomorrow.


You must sing louder.
They might do it.
You could be right.

Past simple

I worked yesterday.
She cut his hair last week.
They had a good time.
They were surprised, but I was not.

Past participle

I have worked here for five years.


He needs a folder made of plastic.
It is done like this.
I have never been so happy.

Present participle

I am working.
Singing well is not easy.
Having finished, he went home.

You are being silly!

3rd person singular, present simple

He works in London.
She sings well.
She has a lot of money.

It is Vietnamese.

TENSES
The English Tense System:
In some languages, verb tenses are not very important or do not even exist. In English, the concept of
tense is very important.
In this lesson we look at the idea behind tense, how to avoid confusing tense with time, and the structure
of the basic tenses, with examples using a regular verb, an irregular verb and the verb be.

What is Tense?
Tense & Time
Basic Tenses
Regular Verbs
Irregular Verbs
Be

What is Tense?
tense (noun): a form of a verb used to indicate the time, and sometimes the continuation or
completeness, of an action in relation to the time of speaking. (From Latin tempus = time).
Tense is a method that we use in English to refer to timepast, present and future. Many languages use
tenses to talk about time. Other languages have no tenses, but of course they can still talk about time,
using different methods.
So, we talk about time in English with tenses. But, and this is a very big but:

we can also talk about time without using tenses (for example, going to is a special construction to
talk about the future, it is not a tense)
one tense does not always talk about one time (see Tense & Time for more about this)

Here are some of the terms used in discussing verbs and tenses.
Mood
indicative mood expresses a simple statement of fact, which can be positive (affirmative) or negative

I like coffee.
I do not like coffee.

interrogative mood expresses a question

Why do you like coffee?

imperative mood expresses a command

Sit down!

subjunctive mood expresses what is imagined or wished or possible

The President ordered that he attend the meeting.

Voice
Voice shows the relationship of the subject to the action. In the active voice, the subject does the
action (cats eat mice). In the passive voice, the subject receives the action (mice are eaten by cats).
Among other things, we can use voice to help us change the focus of attention.
Aspect
Aspect expresses a feature of the action related to time, such as completion or duration. Present simple
and past simple tenses have no aspect, but if we wish we can stress with other tenses that:

the action or state referred to by the verb is completed (and often still relevant), for example:
I have emailed the report to Jane. (so now she has the report)
(This is called perfective aspect, using perfect tenses.)

the action or state referred to by the verb is in progress or continuing (that is, uncompleted), for
example:
We are eating.
(This is called progressive aspect, using progressive [continuous] tenses.)

Tense & Time


It is important not to confuse the name of a verb tense with the way we use it to talk about time.
For example, a present tense does not always refer to present time:

I hope it rains tomorrow.


"rains" is present simple, but it refers here to future time (tomorrow)

Or a past tense does not always refer to past time:

If I had some money now, I could buy it.


"had" is past simple but it refers here to present time (now)

The following examples show how different tenses can be used to talk about different times.

TENSE
past
Present Simple
She
Present Continuous

TIME
present
I want a coffee.
likes
I am having dinner.

future
I leave tomorrow.
coffee.
I am taking my exam

Present Perfect
Simple
Present Perfect
Continuous
Past Simple

Past Continuous
Past Perfect Simple
Past Perfect
Continuous
Future Simple
Future Continuous
Future Perfect Simple

Future Perfect
Continuous

They
are
I have seen ET.

living
I have finished.

I have been playing


tennis.
We have been working for four hours.
I finished one hour
If she loved you now,
ago.
she would marry you.
I was working at 2am
this morning.
I had not eaten for
24 hours.
We had been working
for 3 hours.

in

next month.
London.

If you came
tomorrow, you would
see her.

If I had been
working now, I would
have missed you.
Hold on. I'll do it now.

If I had been
working tomorrow, I
could not have agreed.
I'll see you tomorrow.
I will be working at
9pm tonight.
I will have finished
by 9pm tonight.
We will have been married for ten years next month.
They may be tired
when you arrive
because they will have
been working.
In 30 minutes, we will have been working for four hours.

Basic Tenses
For past and present, there are 2 simple tenses + 6 complex tenses (using auxiliary verbs). To these, we
can add 4 "modal tenses" for the future (using modal auxiliary verbs will/shall). This makes a total of 12
tenses in the active voice. Another 12 tenses are available in the passive voice. So now we have 24 tenses.
24 Tenses
simple tenses
ACTIVE
complex tenses
formed with
auxiliary verbs
PASSIVE

past
past
past perfect
past continuous
past perfect
continuous
past
past perfect
past continuous
past perfect
continuous

present
present
present perfect
present continuous
present perfect
continuous
present
present perfect
present continuous
present perfect
continuous

future*
future
future perfect
future continuous
future perfect
continuous
future
future perfect
future continuous
future perfect
continuous

Some grammar books use the word progressive instead of continuous. They are exactly the same.
The use of tenses in English may be quite complicated, but the structure of English tenses is actually
very simple. The basic structure for a positive sentence is:
subject + auxiliary verb + main verb
An auxiliary verb is used in all tenses. (In the simple present and simple past tenses, the auxiliary verb is
usually suppressed for the affirmative, but it does exist for intensification.) The following table shows
the 12 tenses for the verb to work in the active voice.

structure
auxiliary main verb
simple

normal
intensive

perfect

do
have

base
past participle

continuous

be

continuous
perfect

have
been

present
participle -ing
present
participle -ing

past

present

future*

I worked
I work
I did work
I do work
I had worked I have
worked
I was
I am working
working
I had been
I have been
working
working

I will work
I will have
worked
I will be
working
I will have been
working

Technically, there are no future tenses in English. The word will is a modal auxiliary verb and
future tenses are sometimes called "modal tenses". The examples are included here for
convenience and comparison.

Basic Tenses: Regular Verb


This page shows the basic tenses with the regular verb work. It includes the affirmative or positive form
(+), the negative form (-) and the interrogative or question form (?).
The basic structure is:

positive: +

subject + auxiliary verb + main verb

negative: -

subject + auxiliary verb + not + main verb

question: ?

auxiliary verb + subject + main verb

These are the forms of the main verb that we use to construct the tenses:
base verb
work

SIMPLE
do + base verb
(except future:
will + base verb)
SIMPLE PERFECT
have + past participle

+
?
+
-

past
worked

past participle
worked

past
I did work
I worked
I did not work
Did I work?
I had worked
I had not worked

present participle -ing


working

present
I do work
I work
I do not work
Do I work?
I have worked
I have not worked

future
I will work
I will not work
Will I work?
I will have worked
I will not have worked

?
+
?
+

CONTINUOUS
be + ing

CONTINUOUS
PERFECT
have been + ing

Had I worked?
I was working
I was not working
Was I working?
I had been working

- I had not been


working
? Had I been
working?

Have I worked?
I am working
I am not working
Am I working?
I have been working
I have not been
working
Have I been
working?

Will I have worked?


I will be working
I will not be working
Will I be working?
I will have been
working
I will not have been
working
Will I have been
working?

Basic Tenses: Irregular Verb


This page shows the basic tenses with the irregular verb sing. It includes the affirmative or positive
form (+), the negative form (-) and the interrogative or question form (?).
The basic structure is:

positive: +

subject + auxiliary verb + main verb

negative: -

subject + auxiliary verb + not + main verb

question: ?

auxiliary verb + subject + main verb

These are the forms of the main verb that we use to construct the tenses:
base verb
sing

SIMPLE
do + base verb
(except future:
will + base verb)
SIMPLE PERFECT
have + past participle
CONTINUOUS
be + -ing
CONTINUOUS
PERFECT
have been + -ing

+
?
+
?
+
?
+
?

past
sang

past participle
sung

past
I did sing
I sang
I did not sing
Did I sing?
I had sung
I had not sung
Had I sung?
I was singing
I was not singing
Was I singing?
I had been singing
I had not been
singing
Had I been
singing?

present participle -ing


singing

present
I do sing
I sing
I do not sing
Do I sing?
I have sung
I have not sung
Have I sung?
I am singing
I am not singing
Am I singing?
I have been singing
I have not been
singing
Have I been
singing?

future
I will sing
I will not sing
Will I sing?
I will have sung
I will not have sung
Will I have sung?
I will be singing
I will not be singing
Will I be singing?
I will have been singing
I will not have been
singing
Will I have been
singing?

The basic structure of tenses for regular verbs and irregular verbs is exactly the same (except to be).
The only difference is that with regular verbs the past and past participle are always the same (worked,
worked), while with irregular verbs the past and past participle are not always the same (sang, sung). But
the structure is the same! It will help you a great deal to really understand that.

Basic Tenses: Be
This page shows the basic tenses with the verb be. It includes the affirmative or positive form (+), the
negative form (-) and the interrogative or question form (?).
The basic structure is:

positive: +
negative: question: ?

subject + auxiliary verb + main verb


subject + auxiliary verb + not + main verb
auxiliary verb + subject + main verb

But for simple past and simple present tenses, the structure is not the same. In fact, it's even easier.
There is no auxiliary verb. Here is the structure:

positive: +
negative: question:

subject + main verb


subject + main verb +
not
main verb + subject

These are the forms of the main verb be that we use to construct the tenses:
base
be

past simple
was, were

past participle
been

present participle
being

past
SIMPLE
present simple or
past simple
(except future: will + be)
SIMPLE PERFECT
have + been
CONTINUOUS
be + being
CONTINUOUS PERFECT
have been + being

present simple
am, are, is

+
?

I was
I was not
Was I?

I am
I am not
Am I?

future
I will be
I will not be
Will I be?

+
?
+
?
+
-

I had been
I had not been
Had I been?
I was being
I was not being
Was I being?
I had been being
I had not been
being
Had I been
being?

I have been
I have not been
Have I been?
I am being
I am not being
Am I being?
I have been being
I have not been
being
Have I been
being?

I will have been


I will not have been
Will I have been?
I will be being
I will not be being
Will I be being?
I will have been being
I will not have been
being
Will I have been
being?

present

In the following table, we see be conjugated for 12 basic tenses.

SIMPLE
singular
I

past
was

present
am

future
will be

you
he/she/it
plural
we
you
they
PERFECT
singular
I
you
he/she/it
plural
we
you
they
CONTINUOUS
singular
I
you
he/she/it
plural
we
you
they
CONTINUOUS PERFECT
singular
I
you
he/she/it
plural
we
you
they

were
was
were
were
were
past
had been
had been
had been
had been
had been
had been
past
was being
were being
was being
were being
were being
were being
past
had been being
had been being
had been being
had been being
had been being
had been being

are
is
are
are
are
present
have been
have been
has been
have been
have been
have been
present
am being
are being
is being
are being
are being
are being
present
have been being
have been being
has been being
have been being
have been being
have been being

will be
will be
will be
will be
will be
future
will have been
will have been
will have been
will have been
will have been
will have been
future
will be being
will be being
will be being
will be being
will be being
will be being
future
will have been
will have been
will have been
will have been
will have been
will have been

being
being
being
being
being
being

The links below are to lessons for each of the 12 basic tenses. In each lesson we look at two aspects of
the tense:

Structure: How do we make the tense?


Use: When and why do we use the tense?

Present Tense
I do do, I do
Present Continuous Tense
I am doing, I am doing tomorrow
Present Perfect Tense
I have done
Present Perfect Continuous Tense
I have been doing
Past Tense
I did do, I did
Past Continuous Tense
I was doing

Past Perfect Tense


I had done
Past Perfect Continuous Tense
I had been doing
Future Tense
I will do
Future Continuous Tense
I will be doing
Future Perfect Tense
I will have done
Future Perfect Continuous Tense
I will have been doing

Present tenses: Simple, Continuous, Perfect Simple, Perfect Continuous


Past tenses: Simple, Continuous, Perfect Simple, Perfect Continuous
Future tenses: Simple, Continuous, Perfect Simple, Perfect Continuous

PRESENT TENSES
Simple Present Tense
I sing
How do we make the Simple Present Tense?

subject + auxiliary verb + main verb


do
base
There are three important exceptions:
1. For positive sentences, we do not normally use the auxiliary.
2. For the 3rd person singular (he, she, it), we add s to the main verb or es to the auxiliary.
3. For the verb to be, we do not use an auxiliary, even for questions and negatives.
Look at these examples with the main verb like:

subject
+ I, you, we, they
He, she, it
- I, you, we, they
He, she, it
? Do
Does

auxiliary verb

main verb
like
coffee.
likes
coffee.
do
not like
coffee.
does
not like
coffee.
I, you, we, they
like
coffee?
he, she, it
like
coffee?

Look at these examples with the main verb be. Notice that there is no auxiliary:

subject
+

main verb
am

French.

You, we, they


He, she, it
- I
You, we, they
He, she, it
? Am
Are
Is

are
French.
is
French.
am
not old.
are
not old.
is
not old.
I
late?
you, we, they
late?
he, she, it
late?

How do we use the Simple Present Tense?


We use the simple present tense when:

the
the
the
the

action is general
action happens all the time, or habitually, in the past, present and future
action is not only happening now
statement is always true
John drives a taxi.
present

past

future

It is John's job to drive a taxi. He does it every day. Past, present and future.
Look at these examples:

I live in New York.


The Moon goes round the Earth.
John drives a taxi.
He does not drive a bus.
We do not work at night.
Do you play football?

Note that with the verb to be, we can also use the simple present tense for situations that are not
general. We can use the simple present tense to talk about now. Look at these examples of the verb "to
be" in the simple present tensesome of them are general, some of them are now:
Am I right?
Tara is not at home.
You are happy.
past

present

future

The situation is now.

past

I am not fat.
Why are you so beautiful?
Ram is tall.
present
future

The situation is general. Past, present and future.

This page shows the use of the simple present tense to talk about general events. But note that there are
some other uses for the simple present tense, for example in conditional or if sentences, or to talk about
the future. You will learn about those later

Present Continuous Tense

I am singing
We often use the present continuous tense in English. It is very different from the simple present tense,
both in structure and in use. Continuous tenses are also called progressive tenses. So the present
progressive tense is the same as the present continuous tense.
Structure: How do we make the Present Continuous Tense?
The structure of the present continuous tense is:

subject + auxiliary verb + main verb


be
base + ing
Look at these examples:

subject
+ I
+ You
- She
- We
? Is
? Are

auxiliary verb
main verb
am
speaking
are
reading
is
not staying
are
not playing
he
watching
they
waiting

to you.
this.
in London.
football.
TV?
for John?

Use: How do we use the Present Continuous Tense?


We use the present continuous tense to talk about:

action happening now


action in the future

Present continuous tense for action happening now


a) for action happening exactly now

past

I am eating my lunch.
present

future

The action is happening now.


Look at these examples. Right now you are looking at this screen and at the same time...

...the pages are turning.

...the candle is burning.

...the numbers are spinning.

b) for action happening around now


The action may not be happening exactly now, but it is happening just before and just after now, and it is
not permanent or habitual.
John is going out with Mary.
present

past

future

The action is happening around now.


Look at these examples:

Muriel is learning to drive.


I am living with my sister until I find an apartment.

Present continuous tense for the future


We can also use the present continuous tense to talk about the futureif we add a future word!! We
must add (or understand from the context) a future word. "Future words" include, for example,
tomorrow, next year, in June, at Christmas etc. We only use the present continuous tense to talk about
the future when we have planned to do something before we speak. We have already made a decision and
a plan before speaking.

past

I am taking my exam next month.


present
!!!
A firm plan or programme exists
now.

future
The action is in the future.

Look at these examples:

We're eating in a restaurant tonight. We've already booked the table..


They can play tennis with you tomorrow. They're not working.
When are you starting your new job?

In these examples, we have a firm plan or programme before speaking. The decision and plan were made
before speaking.
Spelling: How do we spell the Present Continuous Tense?
We make the present continuous tense by adding -ing to the base verb. Normally it's simplewe just add
-ing. But sometimes we have to change the word a little. Perhaps we double the last letter, or we drop a
letter. Here are the rules to help you know how to spell the present continuous tense.

Basic rule

Just add -ing to the base verb:


work
play
assist
see

>
>
>
>

working
playing
assisting
seeing

Exception
1

Exception
2
Exception
3

be
>
being
If the base verb ends in consonant + stressed vowel + consonant, double the
last letter:
s
t
o
p
stressed
consonant
consonant
vowel
(vowels = a, e, i, o, u)
stop
>
stopping
run
>
running
begin
>
beginning
Note that this exception does not apply when the last syllable of the base verb is
not stressed:
open
>
opening
If the base verb ends in ie, change the ie to y:
lie
>
lying
die
>
dying
If the base verb ends in vowel + consonant + e, omit the e:
come
>
coming
mistake
>
mistaking

Present Perfect Tense

I have sung
The present perfect tense is a rather important tense in English, but it gives speakers of some languages
a difficult time. That is because it uses concepts or ideas that do not exist in those languages. In fact,
the structure of the present perfect tense is very simple. The problems come with the use of the tense.
In addition, there are some differences in usage between British and American English. The present
perfect tense is really a very interesting tense, and a very useful one. Try not to translate the present
perfect tense into your language. Just try to accept the concepts of this tense and learn to "think"
present perfect! You will soon learn to like the present perfect tense!
Structure: How do we make the Present Perfect Tense?
The structure of the present perfect tense is:
subject

auxiliary verb
have

main verb
past participle

Here are some examples of the present perfect tense:

+
+
-

subject
I
You
She
We

auxiliary verb
main verb
have
seen
have
eaten
has
not been
have
not played

ET.
mine.
to Rome.
football.

?
?

Have
Have

you
they

finished?
done

it?

Contractions with the present perfect tense


When we use the present perfect tense in speaking, we usually contract the subject and auxiliary verb.
We also sometimes do this when we write.
I have

I've

You have

You've

He has
She has
It has
John has
The car has

He's
She's
It's
John's
The car's

We have

We've

They have

They've

Here are some examples:

I've finished my work.


John's seen ET.
They've gone home.

He's or he's??? Be careful! The 's contraction is used for the auxiliary verbs have and be. For example,
"It's eaten" can mean:

It has eaten. [present perfect tense, active voice]


It is eaten. [present tense, passive voice]

It is usually clear from the context.


Use: How do we use the Present Perfect Tense?
This tense is called the present perfect tense. There is always a connection with the past and with the
present. There are basically three uses for the present perfect tense:
1. experience
2. change
3. continuing situation
1. Present perfect tense for experience
We often use the present perfect tense to talk about experience from the past. We are not interested
in when you did something. We only want to know if you did it:
I have seen ET.

past

He has lived in Bangkok.


Have you been there?
We have never eaten caviar.
present
!!!
In my head, I have a memory now.

future

The action or state was in the


past.
Connection with past: the event was in the past.
Connection with present: in my head, now, I have a memory of the event; I know something about the
event; I have experience of it.
2. Present perfect tense for change
We also use the present perfect tense to talk about a change or new information:

past
Last week I didn't have a car.

I have bought a car.


present
+
Now I have a car.

past
+
Yesterday John had a good leg.

John has broken his leg.


present
Now he has a bad leg.

past
+
Was the price $1.50 yesterday?

Has the price gone up?


present
Is the price $1.70 today?

The police have arrested the killer.


past
present
+
Yesterday the killer was free.
Now he is in prison.
Connection with past: the past is the opposite of the present.
Connection with present: the present is the opposite of the past.

future

future

future

future

Americans do not use the present perfect tense so much as British speakers. Americans often use the
past tense instead. An American might say "Did you have lunch?", where a British person would say "Have
you had lunch?"
3. Present perfect tense for continuing situation
We often use the present perfect tense to talk about a continuing situation. This is a state that started
in the past and continues in the present (and will probably continue into the future). This is a state (not
an action). We usually use for or since with this structure.

past

I have worked here since June.


He has been ill for 2 days.
How long have you known Tara?
present

future

The situation started in the past.

It continues up to now.

(It will probably continue into


the future.)

Connection with past: the situation started in the past.


Connection with present: the situation continues in the present.
For and Since with the present perfect tense. What's the difference?
We often use for and since with the present perfect tense.

We use for to talk about a period of time5 minutes, 2 weeks, 6 years.


We use since to talk about a point in past time9 o'clock, 1st January, Monday.
for
a period of time
20 minutes
three days
6 months
4 years
2 centuries
a long time
ever
etc

since
a point in past time
x-----------6.15pm
Monday
January
1994
1800
I left school
the beginning of time
etc

Here are some examples:

I have been here for 20 minutes.


I have been here since 9 o'clock.
John hasn't called for 6 months.
John hasn't called since February.
He has worked in New York for a long time.
He has worked in New York since he left school.

For can be used with all tenses. Since is usually used with perfect tenses only.

Present Perfect Continuous Tense


I have been singing
How do we make the Present Perfect Continuous Tense?
The structure of the present perfect continuous tense is:

subject + auxiliary verb + auxiliary verb + main verb


have
been
base + ing
has
Here are some examples of the present perfect continuous tense:

+
+
?
?

subject
I
You
It
We
Have
Have

auxiliary verb
auxiliary verb main verb
have
been
waiting
have
been
talking
has
not been
raining.
have
not been
playing
you
been
seeing
they
been
doing

for one hour.


too much.
football.
her?
their homework?

Contractions
When we use the present perfect continuous tense in speaking, we often contract the subject and the
first auxiliary. We also sometimes do this in informal writing.
I have been
You have been
He has been
She has been
It has been
John has been
The car has been
We have been
They have been

I've been
You've been
He's been
She's been
It's been
John's been
The car's been
We've been
They've been

Here are some examples:

I've been reading.


The car's been giving trouble.
We've been playing tennis for two hours.

How do we use the Present Perfect Continuous Tense?


This tense is called the present perfect continuous tense. There is usually a connection with the present
or now. There are basically two uses for the present perfect continuous tense:
1. An action that has just stopped or recently stopped
We use the present perfect continuous tense to talk about an action that started in the past and stopped
recently. There is usually a result now.

I'm tired because I've been running.


past
present
future
!!!
Recent action.
Result now.
I'm tired [now] because I've been running.
Why is the grass wet [now]? Has it been raining?
You don't understand [now] because you haven't been listening.

2. An action continuing up to now


We use the present perfect continuous tense to talk about an action that started in the past and is
continuing now. This is often used with for or since.

past

I have been reading for 2 hours.


present

future

Action started in past. Action is continuing now.


I have been reading for 2 hours. [I am still reading now.]
We've been studying since 9 o'clock. [We're still studying now.]
How long have you been learning English? [You are still learning now.]
We have not been smoking. [And we are not smoking now.]

For and Since with Present Perfect Continuous Tense


We often use for and since with the present perfect tense.

We use for to talk about a period of time5 minutes, 2 weeks, 6 years.


We use since to talk about a point in past time9 o'clock, 1st January, Monday.
for
a period of time

since
a point in past time

20 minutes
three days
6 months
4 years
2 centuries
a long time
ever
etc

6.15pm
Monday
January
1994
1800
I left school
the beginning of time
etc

Here are some examples:

I have been studying for 3 hours.


I have been watching TV since 7pm.
Tara hasn't been feeling well for 2 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.

For can be used with all tenses. Since is usually used with perfect tenses only.

PAST TENSES
Simple Past Tense
I sang
The simple past tense is sometimes called the preterite tense. We can use several tenses to talk about
the past, but the simple past tense is the one we use most often.
Structure: How do we make the Simple Past Tense?
To make the simple past tense, we use:

past form only


or
auxiliary did + base form

Here you can see examples of the past form and base form for irregular verbs and regular verbs:

regular
verb
irregular
verb

V1
base
work
explode
like
go
see
sing

V2
past
worked
exploded
liked
went
saw
sang

V3
past participle
worked
exploded
liked
gone
seen
sung

The past form for all


regular verbs ends in
-ed.
The past form for
irregular verbs is
variable. You need to
learn it by heart.

You do not need the past participle


form to make the simple past tense.
It is shown here for completeness
only.
The structure for positive sentences in the simple past tense is:

subject + main verb


past
The structure for negative sentences in the simple past tense is:

subject +

auxiliary verb

+ not + main verb

did

base

The structure for question sentences in the simple past tense is:

auxiliary verb + subject + main verb


did

base

The auxiliary verb did is not conjugated. It is the same for all persons (I did, you did, he did etc). And
the base form and past form do not change. Look at these examples with the main verbs go and work:

subject
+ I
You
- She
We
? Did
Did

auxiliary verb

did
did
you
they

main verb
went
worked
not go
not work
go
work

to school.
very hard.
with me.
yesterday.
to London?
at home?

Exception! The verb to be is different. We conjugate the verb to be (I was, you were, he/she/it was, we
were, they were); and we do not use an auxiliary for negative and question sentences. To make a question,
we exchange the subject and verb. Look at these examples:

subject
+ I, he/she/it
You, we, they
- I, he/she/it
You, we, they
? Was
Were

main verb
was
here.
were
in London.
was
not there.
were
not happy.
I, he/she/it
right?
you, we, they
late?

Use: How do we use the Simple Past Tense?


We use the simple past tense to talk about an action or a situationan eventin the past. The event can
be short or long.
Here are some short events with the simple past tense:
The car exploded at 9.30am yesterday.
She went to the door.
We did not hear the telephone.
Did you see that car?
present

past

future

The action is in the past.


Here are some long events with the simple past tense:

past

I lived in Bangkok for 10 years.


The Jurassic period lasted about 62 million years.
We did not sing at the concert.
Did you watch TV last night?
present

future

The action is in the past.


Notice that it does not matter how long ago the event is: it can be a few minutes or seconds in the past,
or millions of years in the past. Also it does not matter how long the event is. It can be a few milliseconds
(car explosion) or millions of years (Jurassic period). We use the simple past tense when:

the event is in the past


the event is completely finished
we say (or understand) the time and/or place of the event

In general, if we say the time or place of the event, we must use the simple past tense; we cannot use the
present perfect.
Here are some more examples:

I lived in that house when I was young.


He didn't like the movie.
What did you eat for dinner?
John drove to London on Monday.
Mary did not go to work yesterday.

Did you play tennis last week?


I was at work yesterday.
We were not late (for the train).
Were you angry?

Note that when we tell a story, we usually use the simple past tense. We may use the past continuous
tense to "set the scene", but we almost always use the simple past tense for the action. Look at this
example of the beginning of a story:
"The wind was howling around the hotel and the rain was pouring down. It was cold. The door opened and
James Bond entered. He took off his coat, which was very wet, and ordered a drink at the bar. He sat
down in the corner of the lounge and quietly drank his..."
This page shows the use of the simple past tense to talk about past events. But note that there are some
other uses for the simple past tense, for example in conditional or if sentences.

Past Continuous Tense


I was singing
The past continuous tense is an important tense in English. We use it to say what we were in the middle
of doing at a particular moment in the past. Continuous tenses are also called progressive tenses.
Structure: How do we make the Past Continuous Tense?
The structure of the past continuous tense is:

subject +

auxiliary verb BE
+
conjugated in simple past tense
was
were

main verb
present participle
base + ing

For negative sentences in the past continuous tense, we insert not between the auxiliary verb and main
verb. For question sentences, we exchange the subject and auxiliary verb. Look at these example
sentences with the past continuous tense:

subject
+ I
+ You
- He, she, it
- We
? Were
? Were

auxiliary verb
main verb
was
watching
were
working
was
not helping
were
not joking.
you
being
they
playing

TV.
hard.
Mary.
silly?
football?

The spelling rules for adding ing to make the past continuous tense are the same as for the present
continuous tense.
Use: How do we use the Past Continuous Tense?

The past continuous tense expresses action at a particular moment in the past. The action started
before that moment but has not finished at that moment. For example, yesterday I watched a film on TV.
The film started at 7pm and finished at 9pm.

past
8pm
At 8pm, I was in the middle of
watching TV.

At 8pm yesterday, I was watching TV.


present

future

When we use the past continuous tense, our listener usually knows or understands what time we are
talking about. Look at these examples:

I was working at 10pm last night.


They were not playing football at 9am this morning.
What were you doing at 10pm last night?
What were you doing when he arrived?
She was cooking when I telephoned her.
We were having dinner when it started to rain.
Ram went home early because it was snowing.

Some verbs cannot be used in continuous/progressive tenses.


We often use the past continuous tense to "set the scene" in stories. We use it to describe the
background situation at the moment when the action begins. Often, the story starts with the past
continuous tense and then moves into the simple past tense. Here is an example:
" James Bond was driving through town. It was raining. The wind was blowing hard. Nobody was walking
in the streets. Suddenly, Bond saw the killer in a telephone box..."
Past Continuous Tense + Simple Past Tense
We often use the past continuous tense with the simple past tense. We use the past continuous tense to
express a long action. And we use the simple past tense to express a short action that happens in the
middle of the long action. We can join the two ideas with when or while.
In the following example, we have two actions:
1. long action (watching TV), expressed with past continuous tense
2. short action (telephoned), expressed with simple past tense
past
Long action.
I was watching TV at
8pm

present

8pm.

You telephoned at 8pm.


Short action.
We can join these two actions with when:

I was watching TV when you telephoned.

future

(Notice that "when you telephoned" is also a way of defining the time [8pm].)
We use:

when + short action (simple past tense)


while + long action (past continuous tense)

There are four basic combinations:

When
While

I was walking past the car


the car exploded
The car exploded
I was walking past the car

when
while

it exploded.
I was walking past it.
I was walking past it.
it exploded.

Notice that the long action and short action are relative.

"Watching TV" took a few hours. "Telephoned" took a few seconds.


"Walking past the car" took a few seconds. "Exploded" took a few milliseconds.

Verb Meanings with Continuous Tenses


There are some verbs that we do not normally use in the continuous tense. And there are other verbs
that we use in the simple tense with one meaning and in the continuous tense with another meaning.

Verbs not Used with Continuous Tenses

There are some verbs that we do not normally use with continuous tenses. We usually use the following
verbs with simple tenses only (not continuous tenses):
-

hate, like, love, need, prefer, want, wish


believe, imagine, know, mean, realize, recognize, remember, suppose, understand
belong, concern, consist, contain, depend, involve, matter, need, owe, own, possess
appear, resemble, seem,
hear, see

Here are some examples:


I want a coffee.
I don't believe you are right.
Does this pen belong to you?
It seemed wrong.
I don't hear anything.

not I am wanting a coffee.


not I am not believing you are right.
not Is this pen belonging to you?
not It was seeming wrong.
not I am not hearing anything.

Notice that we often use can + see/hear:

I can see someone in the distance.


(not I am seeing someone in the distance.)

I can't hear you very well.


(not I am not hearing you very well.)

With verbs that we don't use in the continuous tense, there is no real action or activity. Compare "to
hear" and "to listen". "To hear" means "to receive sound in your ears". There is no real action or activity
by you. We use "to hear" with simple tenses only. But "to listen" means "to try to hear". You make an
effort to hear. There is a kind of action or activity. We can use "to listen" with simple or continuous
tenses.

Verbs with Two Meanings

Some verbs have two different meanings or senses. For one sense we must use a simple tense. For the
other sense we can use a continuous or simple tense.
For example, the verb to think has two different senses:
1.

to believe, to have an opinion


I think Ricky Martin is sexy.

2. to reflect, to use your brain to solve a problem


I am thinking about my homework.
In sense 1 there is no real action, no activity. This sense is called "stative". In sense 2 there is a kind of
action, a kind of activity. This sense is called "dynamic".
If you have a doubt about a particular verb, ask yourself the question: "Is there any real action or
activity?"
When we use the stative sense, we use a simple tense. When we use the dynamic sense, we can use a
simple or continuous tense, depending on the situation.
Look at the examples in the table below:

Stative sense
(no real action)
Simple only
I think she is beautiful.

Dynamic sense
(a kind of action)
Continuous
Be quiet. I'm thinking.

I don't consider that he is


the right man for the job.
This table measures 4 x 6
feet.
Does the wine taste good?

We are considering your job application


and will give you our answer in a few days.
She is measuring the room for a new
carpet.
I was tasting the wine when I dropped the
glass.
Please phone later. We are having dinner
now.

Mary has three children.

Simple
I will think about this
problem tomorrow.
We consider every job
application very carefully.
A good carpenter measures
his wood carefully.
I always taste wine before
I drink it.
We have dinner at 8pm
every day.

Be and Continuous Tenses

The verb be can be an auxiliary verb (Marie is learning English) or a main verb (Marie is French). On this
page we look at the verb be as a main verb.

Usually we use simple tenses with the verb be as a main verb. For example, we say:

London is the capital of the UK.


(not London is being the capital of the UK.)
Is she beautiful?
(not Is she being beautiful?)
Were you late?
(not Were you being late?)

Here is the structure of the verb be in the continuous present tense:


I am being
You are being
He, she, it is being
We are being
They are being
Sometimes, however, we can use the verb be with a continuous tense. This is when the real sense of the
verb be is "act" or "behave". Also, of course, the action is temporary. Compare the examples in the table
below:
Mary is a careful person. (Mary is always
careful - it's her nature.)
Is he always so stupid? (Is that his
personality?)
Andrew is not usually selfish. (It is not
Andrew's character to be selfish.)

John is being careful. (John is acting carefully now, but


maybe he is not always careful - we don't know.)
They were being really stupid. (They were behaving really
stupidly at that moment.)
Why is he being so selfish? (Why is he acting so selfishly
at the moment?)

Notice that we also make a difference between "to be sick" and "to be being sick":

She is sick (= she is not well)


She is being sick (= she is vomiting)

Past Perfect Tense


I had sung
The past perfect tense is quite an easy tense to understand and to use. This tense talks about the "past
in the past".
In this lesson we look at:
Structure: How do we make the Past Perfect Tense?
The structure of the past perfect tense is:

subject +

auxiliary verb HAVE


+
conjugated in simple past tense
had

main verb
past participle
V3

For negative sentences in the past perfect tense, we insert not between the auxiliary verb and main verb.
For question sentences, we exchange the subject and auxiliary verb. Look at these example sentences
with the past perfect tense:

+
+
?
?

subject
I
You
She
We
Had
Had

auxiliary verb
main verb
had
finished
had
stopped
had
not gone
had
not left.
you
arrived?
they
eaten

my work.
before me.
to school.

dinner?

When speaking with the past perfect tense, we often contract the subject and auxiliary verb:
I had
you had
he had
she had
it had
we had
they had

I'd
you'd
he'd
she'd
it'd
we'd
they'd

The 'd contraction is also used for the auxiliary verb would. For example, we'd can mean:
We had
or
We would
But usually the main verb is in a different form, for example:
We had arrived (past participle)
We would arrive (base)
It is always clear from the context.
Use: How do we use the Past Perfect Tense?
The past perfect tense expresses action in the past before another action in the past. This is the past in
the past. For example:

The train left at 9am. We arrived at 9.15am. When we arrived, the train had left.

past
Train leaves in past at 9am.
9
9.15

The train had left when we arrived.


present

We arrive in past at 9.15am.


Look at some more examples:

I wasn't hungry. I had just eaten.


They were hungry. They had not eaten for five hours.

future

I didn't know who he was. I had never seen him before.


"Mary wasn't at home when I arrived."
"Really? Where had she gone?"

You can sometimes think of the past perfect tense like the present perfect tense, but instead of the
time being now the time is past.
past perfect tense

present perfect tense

had |
done |
>|

have |
done |
>|

past

now

future

past

now

future

For example, imagine that you arrive at the station at 9.15am. The stationmaster says to you:

"You are too late. The train has left."

Later, you tell your friends:

"We were too late. The train had left."

We often use the past perfect tense in reported speech after verbs like said, told, asked, thought,
wondered:
Look at these examples:

He told us that the train had left.


I thought I had met her before, but I was wrong.
He explained that he had closed the window because of the rain.
I wondered if I had been there before.
I asked them why they had not finished.

Past Perfect Continuous Tense


I had been singing
How do we make the Past Perfect Continuous Tense?
The structure of the past perfect continuous tense is:

subject +

auxiliary verb HAVE


+ auxiliary verb BE +
conjugated in simple past tense
past participle
had
been

main verb
present participle
base + ing

For negative sentences in the past perfect continuous tense, we insert not after the first auxiliary verb.
For question sentences, we exchange the subject and first auxiliary verb. Look at these example
sentences with the past perfect continuous tense:

subject auxiliary verb


+ I
had
+ You
had

auxiliary verb main verb


been
working.
been
playing
tennis.

?
?

It
We
Had
Had

had
had
you
they

not been
not been
been
been

working
expecting
drinking?
waiting

well.
her.
long?

When speaking with the past perfect continuous tense, we often contract the subject and first auxiliary
verb:
I had been
you had been
he had
she had been
it had been
we had been
they had been

I'd been
you'd been
he'd been
she'd been
it'd been
we'd been
they'd been

How do we use the Past Perfect Continuous Tense?


The past perfect continuous tense is like the past perfect tense, but it expresses longer actions in the
past before another action in the past. For example:

Ram started waiting at 9am. I arrived at 11am. When I arrived, Ram had been waiting for two
hours.

Ram had been waiting for two hours when I arrived.


past
present
Ram starts waiting in past at
9am.
9
11

future

I arrive in past at 11am.


Here are some more examples:

John was very tired. He had been running.


I could smell cigarettes. Somebody had been smoking.
Suddenly, my car broke down. I was not surprised. It had not been running well for a long time.
Had the pilot been drinking before the crash?

You can sometimes think of the past perfect continuous tense like the present perfect continuous tense,
but instead of the time being now the time is past.
past perfect continuous tense
had |
been |
doing |
>>>> |

|
|
|
|

past

now

present perfect continuous tense

future

For example, imagine that you meet Ram at 11am. Ram says to you:

|
|
|
|

have |
been |
doing |
>>>> |

past

now

future

"I am angry. I have been waiting for two hours."

Later, you tell your friends:

"Ram was angry. He had been waiting for two hours."

FUTURE TENSES
Simple Future Tense
I will sing
The simple future tense is often called will, because we make the simple future tense with the modal
auxiliary will.
How do we make the Simple Future Tense?
The structure of the simple future tense is:

subject + auxiliary verb WILL +


invariable
will

main verb
base
V1

For negative sentences in the simple future tense, we insert not between the auxiliary verb and main
verb. For question sentences, we exchange the subject and auxiliary verb. Look at these example
sentences with the simple future tense:

+
+
?
?

subject
I
You
She
We
Will
Will

auxiliary verb
main verb
will
open
will
finish
will
not be
will
not leave
you
arrive
they
want

the door.
before me.
at school tomorrow.
yet.
on time?
dinner?

When we use the simple future tense in speaking, we often contract the subject and auxiliary verb:
I will
you will
he will
she will
it will
we will
they will

I'll
you'll
he'll
she'll
it'll
we'll
they'll

For negative sentences in the simple future tense, we contract with won't, like this:

I will not
you will not
he will not
she will not
it will not
we will not
they will not

I won't
you won't
he won't
she won't
it won't
we won't
they won't

How do we use the Simple Future Tense?


No Plan
We use the simple future tense when there is no plan or decision to do something before we speak. We
make the decision spontaneously at the time of speaking. Look at these examples:

Hold on. I'll get a pen.


We will see what we can do to help you.
Maybe we'll stay in and watch television tonight.

In these examples, we had no firm plan before speaking. The decision is made at the time of speaking.
We often use the simple future tense with the verb to think before it:

I think I'll go to the gym tomorrow.


I think I will have a holiday next year.
I don't think I'll buy that car.

Prediction
We often use the simple future tense to make a prediction about the future. Again, there is no firm plan.
We are saying what we think will happen. Here are some examples:

It will rain tomorrow.


People won't go to Jupiter before the 22nd century.
Who do you think will get the job?

Be
When the main verb is be, we can use the simple future tense even if we have a firm plan or decision
before speaking. Examples:

I'll be in London tomorrow.


I'm going shopping. I won't be very long.
Will you be at work tomorrow?

Note that when we have a plan or intention to do something in the future, we usually use other tenses or
expressions, such as the present continuous tense or going to.

Future Continuous Tense


I will be singing

How do we make the Future Continuous Tense?


The structure of the future continuous tense is:

subject + auxiliary verb WILL + auxiliary verb BE +


invariable
invariable
will
be

main verb
present participle
base + ing

For negative sentences in the future continuous tense, we insert not between will and be. For question
sentences, we exchange the subject and will. Look at these example sentences with the future continuous
tense:

+
+
?
?

subject
I
You
She
We
Will
Will

auxiliary verb
auxiliary verb main verb
will
be
working
will
be
lying
will
not be
using
will
not be
having
you
be
playing
they
be
watching

at 10am.
on a beach tomorrow.
the car.
dinner at home.
football?
TV?

When we use the future continuous tense in speaking, we often contract the subject and will:
I will
you will
he will
she will
it will
we will
they will

I'll
you'll
he'll
she'll
it'll
we'll
they'll

For spoken negative sentences in the future continuous tense, we contract with won't, like this:
I will not
you will not
he will not
she will not
it will not
we will not
they will not

I won't
you won't
he won't
she won't
it won't
we won't
they won't

We sometimes use shall instead of will, especially for I and we.


How do we use the Future Continuous Tense?
The future continuous tense expresses action at a particular moment in the future. The action will start
before that moment but it will not have finished at that moment. For example, tomorrow I will start work
at 2pm and stop work at 6pm:

past

At 4pm tomorrow, I will be working.


present

future

4pm
At 4pm, I will be in the middle of
working.
When we use the future continuous tense, our listener usually knows or understands what time we are
talking about. Look at these examples:

I will be playing tennis at 10am tomorrow.


They won't be watching TV at 9pm tonight.
What will you be doing at 10pm tonight?
What will you be doing when I arrive?
She will not be sleeping when you telephone her.
We 'll be having dinner when the film starts.
Take your umbrella. It will be raining when you return.

Future Perfect Tense

I will have sung


The future perfect tense is quite an easy tense to understand and use. The future perfect tense talks
about the past in the future.
How do we make the Future Perfect Tense?
The structure of the future perfect tense is:

subject + auxiliary verb WILL


invariable
will

+ auxiliary verb HAVE


invariable
have

main verb
past participle
V3

Look at these example sentences in the future perfect tense:

+
+
?
?

subject
I
You
She
We
Will
Will

auxiliary verb
auxiliary verb main verb
will
have
finished
will
have
forgotten
will
not have
gone
will
not have
left.
you
have
arrived?
they
have
received

by 10am.
me by then.
to school.

it?

In speaking with the future perfect tense, we often contract the subject and will. Sometimes, we
contract the subject, will and have all together:
I will have
you will have
he will have
she will have
it will have
we will have
they will have

I'll have
you'll have
he'll have
she'll have
it'll have
we'll have
they'll have

I'll've
you'll've
he'll've
she'll've
it'll've
we'll've
they'll've

We sometimes use shall instead of will, especially for I and we.


How do we use the Future Perfect Tense?
The future perfect tense expresses action in the future before another action in the future. This is the
past in the future. For example:

The train will leave the station at 9am. You will arrive at the station at 9.15am. When you arrive,
the train will have left.
The train will have left when you arrive.
present

past

future

Train leaves in future at 9am.


9

9.15

You arrive in future at 9.15am.


Look at some more examples:

You can call me at work at 8am. I will have arrived at the office by 8.
They will be tired when they arrive. They will not have slept for a long time.
"Mary won't be at home when you arrive."
"Really? Where will she have gone?"

You can sometimes think of the future perfect tense like the present perfect tense, but instead of your
viewpoint being in the present, it is in the future:
present perfect tense

future perfect tense


|
have |
done |
>|

past

will |
have |
done |
>|

now

future

past

now

future

Future Perfect Continuous Tense


I will have been singing
How do we make the Future Perfect Continuous Tense?
The structure of the future perfect continuous tense is:

subjec
t

auxiliary verb
WILL
invariable
will

auxiliary verb
HAVE
invariable
have

auxiliary verb
BE
past participle
been

main verb
present
participle
base + ing

For negative sentences in the future perfect continuous tense, we insert not between will and have. For
question sentences, we exchange the subject and will. Look at these example sentences with the future
perfect continuous tense:

+
+
?
?

subject
I
You
She
We
Will
Will

auxiliary verb
auxiliary verb auxiliary verb main verb
will
have
been
working
will
have
been
travelling
will
not have
been
using
will
not have
been
waiting
you
have
been
playing
they
have
been
watching

for four hours.


for two days.
the car.
long.
football?
TV?

When we use the future perfect continuous tense in speaking, we often contract the subject and
auxiliary verb:
I will
you will
he will
she will
it will
we will
they will

I'll
you'll
he'll
she'll
it'll
we'll
they'll

For negative sentences in the future perfect continuous tense, we contract with won't, like this:
I will not
you will not
he will not
she will not
it will not
we will not
they will not

I won't
you won't
he won't
she won't
it won't
we won't
they won't

How do we use the Future Perfect Continuous Tense?


We use the future perfect continuous tense to talk about a long action before some point in the future.
Look at these examples:

I will have been working here for ten years next week.
He will be tired when he arrives. He will have been travelling for 24 hours.

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