Summary of Tenses

Time Simple Continuous Perfect Perfect Continuous

Present Positive:
I play the piano.He/She/It Positive: subject + am/is/are + Positive: We have been to Positive: I have been looking
plays the piano. verb + ing Paris forward to going to the park
Negative: I am teaching.
He/She/it doesnt have Subject + has/have + participle Negative: I havent been looking
money. I dont have Negative: forward to going to the park
money/dont /doesnt + Im not teaching. Negative: I havent been to
verb Am/is/are + not + verb + ing China. Question: have you been looking
forward to going to the park?
Question: Do/Does + verb? Question: Question: Have you ever lived
Do you read books? Is Katya concentrating? in Tokyo? Use: (1) To talk about actions that
Does He/She/it read (am /is/are + subject + verb + ing) we have recently stopped doing
books? Why is Katya concentrating? Use: To describe an action that I am tired. I have been working the
Why do you read books? has started in the present and garden.
Question word + do/does = Use: (1) To talk about an action is still relevant now e.g. (2) To talk about a repeated action
subject = verb that we are doing at this very experiences, time is not over a period of time
moment. E.g. I am speaking important and unfinished e.g. I have been learning English for
Use: To talk about your (2) To talk about our future plans 14 years.
routine/habits that are already arranged e.g. I Already, just ,yet, since,ever, I have been playing piano since I
am meeting Mary on Friday. was five.

Past

Regular verbs
Positive:
He watched the movie.
Rule: Add ed = verb Subject + was/were/ verb + ing.
Negative:
He didnt play soccer. Subject + wasnt/werent + verb +
Subject + didnt + verb
Question:
Did you study English?
Why did you study English?
Irregular verbs
Positive:
I went to the Japanese
food shop.
Use the form in the second
column of list only for
positive sentences only
Negative:
I didnt go to the Japanese
food shop. Subject + didnt
+ infinitive
Question:
Did you go to the Japanese
food shop?
Why did you go to the
Japanese food shop?
For question and negatives
Summary of Tenses
Positive: Katya was playing tennis
when I arrived to the tennis
court.
Negative:Katya wasnt playing
tennis.
studied English?
ing
Question:
Why was Katya playing tennis?
(why) Was/were+ subject +
verb+ing?
Use: To talk about an action that
we were in the middle of doing at
a past time when something else
happened.
e.g. I was teaching grammar
when Ann arrived.
I was playing tennis when it
started raining.
Positive: I had aready eaten Positive: He had been reading the
dinner when you came. book before I came.
Negative sentence: I hadnt
read that book before I saw
the movies. Negative: He hadnt been reading a
Question: How long had he book before I came
Question: Had you been reading a
book before he came?
Use: To look back at a past
situation and imagine a Structure: Subject + had + been +
different result/ To talk about verb + ing
regrets./Talk about something
in the past that had happened Use: To talk about an action that
at an earlier past time. happened before a specific past
time.
When I arrived at the party,
Mary had gone.
If I had studied harder, I would
have passed.
 Summary of Tenses

Future

Positive sentence:
It will rain will + infinitive
Negative: I wont go to
school.
Subject + wont + infinitive
Question:
Will you go to school?
When will you go to
school?
Spontaneous decisions
Something you decide to
do as you speak e.g. It is
hot in here, Ill open the
window
Prediction
I think it will rain tomorrow
Promise/Offering help
I am finding my homework
very difficult. I will/Ill help
you.
Summary of Tenses
Positive:
I will be waiting for him.
Subject + will + be+ verb + ing
Negative:
Will not/wont
You will not be studying at home.
Question:
Why will you not be studying at
home?
Use: To talk about an action that
we will be doing in the future.
This time next year I will be sitting
on a beach.
Positive: By this time next year
I will have completed by year
in Ireland
Negative: By the time next
year I wont have completed a
year in Ireland.
Question: Will you have
completed your year in Ireland
by this time next year?
Structure:
Subject + will + have + past
participle
Use: Future prediction
To talk about something that
we think we will have done by
a future time.
Positive: BY the time I finish my
degree I will have been studying
English for ten years.
Negative: will not/wont have been
studying
Question: How long will you have
been studying English by the time
you finish your degree?
Structure: Subject + will have been
+ verb +ing
Use: To talk about a continuous
action that will be happening in the
future up to a future point/time
 Summary of Tenses

Time Simple Continuous Perfect Perfect Continuous

Past We went to We were watching We had eaten She had been waiting
school last TV at 8 o'clock before he came.for two hours when he
week. yesterday. arrived.

Prese They usually We are doing a Mary has lived I have been working
nt come to class grammar exercise in Portland for since 7 o'clock this
on time. now. ten years. morning.

Future Tom will visit Jane will be Jack will have They will have been
tomorrow. eating lunch at 1 finished the studying for six hours
o'clock tomorrow. report by 5 by the end of class.
o'clock.

Simple tenses are used to speak about things that happen on a regular basis.
 Summary of Tenses

Continuous tenses are used to describe what is happening at a particular moment in time.
Perfect tenses are used to express what has happened up to another moment in time.
Present perfect tenses are used to state how long something has been happening up to a moment in time.