VERB TENSES

Terminology:
Tense a way of expressing time in the verbal system: the present and the past
Aspect the progressive aspect: -ing, the perfective aspect: -ed
Voice active or passive
Mood indicative, imperative, the subjunctive
Dynamic verbs denote a voluntary or deliberate action
Stative verbs denote conditions or properties over which human beings have no control /
involuntary feelings. They refer to states rather than actions:
feelings (like,love)
beliefs (think, understand)
wants / preferences (prefer, want)
perception, the senses (hear, see)
being, seeming, having, owning

Simple forms Progressive forms

Simple present Present progressive
I walk to school every day Ed and Tim are quarrelling
Simple past Past progressive
I walked to school yesterday Ed and Tim were quarrelling
Present perfect Present perfect progressive
I have walked to school Ed and Tim have been quarrelling
Past perfect Past perfect progressive
I had walked to school Ed and Tim had been quarrelling

The simple present

is used for repeated actions, routines or situations we see as permanent and about thoughts,
feelings and states

The instantaneous present

These are situations of very short duration, eg sport commentaries:
Crane passes the ball to Leon, who shoots.

The historic present

is used in narratives and headlines about events which belong in the past to make them more
vivid and immediate:
Racist attacks continue

Stage directions and plot summaries

are usually written in the simple present:
Lord of the Flies is a story about a group of boys who are stranded on a desert island.

Permanent truths
Summer follows spring

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Present events, actions, situations of unlimited duration
She works in a shop
You are his friend, arent you?

Habitual actions
Something that happens repeatedly:
I usually get up at 6.15
I never do the dished
Do you ever swear?

The Future
Timetables, programmes, fixed schedules:
I leave for Brussels on Monday

The present progressive (the present continuous)

is used about routines, situations or actions we see as temporary, or lasting for a limited period
of time. It can also indicate that we are in the middle of an action, something happening right
now.

Going on at the moment

I am writing English sentences
Whos knocking?

Temporary situations
I usually work for Mr. Smith, but this week Im working for Mrs. Jones.
They are staying at The White House Hotel. They usually stay at Regents Palace.

Repeated actions
She is always driving them.
Why are you always complaining?
Always + the present progressive means very often or too often. It may indicate irritation
on the part of the speaker.
Im always making silly mistakes vs. (I dont always make silly mistakes, but I make them
too often)
I always make silly mistakes when I sit for an exam (I make silly mistakes every time)

The Future
We use the present progressive about a plan for the future which is subject to change:
Were leaving early tomorrow

Compare:
He is a very nice person (He generally is nice)
He is being very nice today. I wonder why. (He usually isnt very nice)

Stative vs. dynamic verbs (action verbs, durative verbs)

Stative verbs are verbs like:

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seem, be, consist of, exist, belong, depend on, deserve, matter, mean, know, understand, think,
remember, love, like
They generally do not occur in the progressive (but there are exceptions!):
The door is blue
He owns the land
I remember nothing
The box contains old magazines
I love vanilla ice cream
In these examples the progressive form would not be correct.

Dynamic verbs are action verbs like:

paint, buy, put, fight etc.
They can be used in both the simple present and the present progressive:
I buy a house I am buying a house
I paint pictures I am painting my first picture

Verbs that are normally stative may have a durative/dynamic meaning:

I think you are right (a mental impression stative)
I am thinking about the problem (a mental activity dynamic / durative)
I have two brothers (ownership stative)
Were having lunch (activity)
Hes an idiot (stative theres nothing you can do about it)
Hes being an idiot (dynamic - his behaviour now, hes not always like that)
The picture looks nice (stative not a voluntary act that can be stopped)
Im looking at this picture (action/dynamic a voluntary act that can be stopped)
My bag weighs 5 kilos (stative)
They are weighing my bag (dynamic/action)
The soup tastes wonderful (stative)
She is tasting the soup (action maybe it needs more salt)

Stative verbs can also be used in the progressive when we talk about a short period of time:
I enjoy parties Im enjoying this party very much
I like school Im liking school a lot better now
Holidays cost a lot of money This trip is costing me a lot of money
You look wonderful tonight Youre looking wonderful tonight
We feel a bit sad Were feeling a bit sad

NB! Norwegians tend to overuse the present progressive. Dont use it unless
you specifically intend to do so.

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The simple past
is used about completed actions in the past
We are concerned with the time at which something happened and not the duration of the
action:
I met him yesterday
She came to my home this morning
The Romans invaded Britain in AD 49
I never met your uncle
A time reference must be given or implied.

Past habits
I used to give up too easily
I smoked twenty cigarettes a day till I gave up three years ago

The immediate past

Used about an action which happened a very short time ago
Did you ring?
Who left the door open? (we can also say: Whos left the door open?)

Polite inquiries
This is not a reference to past time; it is used when asking for favours
(I wonder if you could help me? Is possible, but we more often hear:)
I wondered if you could help me?
I thought maybe this would do?

The simple past usually occurs in combination with a time adverbial which refers to past time.

The past progressive

is used about actions that were in progress at some time in the past
I was living in London two years ago
She was working on her essay last night
It was raining all night

Actions that began earlier and lasted longer than something else
At eight he was having breakfast vs. (breakfast started before eight)
At eight he had breakfast (breakfast started at eight)
When I arrived, Tom was leaving vs. (Tom had decided to leave, and was in the process of
doing so before I came)
When I arrived, Tom left (I might be the reason for his leaving)
? Yesterday we were listening to a play on the radio
(this sentence is odd, because listening to a play doesnt take a whole day)
Yesterday at seven we were listening to a play on the radio (this sentence is OK because of
the time reference at seven: we started listening before seven and we listened after seven)

Parallel actions
that were in progress at the same time

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While I was working in the garden, my wife was cooking dinner
I was painting the wall at the same time as I was trying to prepare an after-dinner speech.
We use the past progressive about both actions in these sentences to indicate that one didnt
last longer than the other.

Repeated actions
He was always making mistakes
She was always spilling milk on the floor
The past progressive has the same function as the present progressive in this context.

Polite inquiries
I was wondering if you could help me
As we saw above we can also say: I wondered if you could help me, but the progressive
form is perhaps slightly more modest.
It can be used as an alternative to the simple past, being more casual:
I was talking to Janet the other day (suggests it was not a deliberate action. I happened to
meet her and we talked)
I talked to Peter the other day (suggests I took the initiative, perhaps because I needed to talk
to him)

The simple past must be used when a time adverbial indicates how many times things happen:
I talked to Peter several times the other day
It is not natural to say: I was talking to Peter the other day.

The progressive form is sometimes more polite:

What were you doing before you came here?
What did you do before you came here?

But: What were you doing in my office? Suggests you had no right to be there, whereas
What did you do in my office? does not.

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The simple present perfect
The present perfect tense is a mixture of present and past, implying a strong connection with
the present. It is used more frequently in oral English than in writing.

Actions in the past continuing up to the present

I have read the instructions
implies that I did so recently, whereas
I read the instructions
may be further back in the past.
Therefore a simple present perfect sentence may combine nicely with the simple present:
I have read the instructions, but I dont understand them
we are interested in the present results of something that happened in the past. In this respect
we can say that the present perfect is a present tense which looks back into the past
(just as the past perfect is a past tense which looks back into a more distant past:
I had read the instructions, but I didnt understand them)
I read the instructions, but I didn understand them
shows no such connection with the present. Therefore it is natural to choose a simple past
tense for the second sentence: I didnt understand them.
(I have read the instructions, but I didnt understand them is an unnatural combination).
I havent seen him this morning (implies it is still morning)
I didnt see him this morning (implies the morning has now passed)
Bill Peters has written several books (is said when he is still alive)
Bill Peters wrote a number of books (is said post-mortem)
Bill Peters wrote two short stories last month (the adverb last month cuts off the relation to
the present) therefore
Bill Peters has written several books last month is not a valid sentence.
Adverbs not related to past time are frequently used with the present perfect:
before, so far, never, up till now, ever, ( since, for conj.)
I have never seen him before
He has worked in that bank for two years (means he still works there)
(He worked in that bank for two years means he doesnt work there anymore)

A conversation about past events often begins in the present perfect, then continues in the
simple past:
Where have you been?
Ive been to Marks and Spencer?
Oh, did you buy anything?
Yes, as a matter of fact I did I bought .

Actions occurring at an unspecified time

Have you passed your driving test?(no time specified) Yes, I passed it when I was 18. (a
specified time)
Often used in conversation, with or without a time adverbial (referring to recent time)
Ive just done my homework
Have you finished already?
I havent passed my driving test yet
I still havent passed my driving test

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Repeated and habitual actions
Ive heard those words a hundred times
I have often wondered why they are doing this
My students have always worked hard

The simple present perfect is often used in broadcast news, newspapers and letters which have
a connection with the present:
Inflation has increased again
The government has promised to cut taxes
As I have been away the whole morning, I havent had time to write to you yet

The present perfect progressive

is used about an activity beginning in the past and still continuing:
Ive been waiting for an hour and he still hasnt turned up
The emphasis is put on the duration of the action. The simple past is also possible, without an
emphasis on duration: Ive waited for an hour
Whether you use the simple or the progressive form here is a matter of taste as both sentences
are grammatically correct.

It is used about repeated actions in the past:

Ive been writing letters all day
Ive been running
The focus is on the activity. Thus we cannot say:
* Ive been writing six letters (we cannot both focus on the activity and the result: six letters)
Ive written six letters is therefore correct. We focus on the result, not the activity.
* Ive been running a mile
Ive run a mile is OK

We use the present perfect progressive to draw conclusions based on direct or indirect
evidence:
Why are you so stiff? Ive been running (my activity explains the stiffness)
Is it raining?
No.
But the ground is wet.
It has been raining
Your eyes are red. Yoy have been crying. (I conclude that you have been crying because your
eyes are read)

Compare the simple and the progressive forms:

The ceiling was white. Now it is blue. She has painted the ceiling. (This implies a completed
action)
Her clothes are covered in paint. She has been painting the ceiling. (The activity is not
necessarily completed)
Somebody has smoked all my cigarettes. (A completed action)
Somebody has been smoking in this room. (Conclusion drawn on evidence)
How many pages of that book have you read? (focus on result)
How long have you been reading that book? (focus on activity)

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The simple past perfect tense
The past perfect is the equivalent of the present perfect, denoting a more distant past:
When I arrived Peter said: Ann has just left (When this is said the leaving is close to the
present)
When I arrived Ann had just left. (The action is more distant in time)
They have had lunch (said at noon)
At noon they had had lunch (said at dinner time)
I am exited because I have never been in London before
I was exited because I had never been in London before

Sometimes we want to distinguish between events in the past, ie. state what happened before
something else happened:
The patient died. The doctor arrived.
These two sentences can be combined in two ways depending on when the two events
occurred:
The patient died when the doctor arrived the two events occurred at the same time
The patient had died when the doctor arrived death occurred before the arrival of the doctor
When I arrived, Ann left (ie. at that moment; I may have been the reason)
When I arrived, Ann had left (ie. before I got there)
(Recall the example: When I arrived, Ann was leaving. These three sentences give different
messages.)

We can use the past perfect to describe things we hoped or wished to do but didnt:
I had hoped to come to the party, but I couldnt get away.

The past perfect progressive

is the past equivalent of the present perfect progressive:
I can see they have been arguing (present perfect progressive)
I could see they had been arguing (past perfect progressive)
He has been phoning her every night the past week
She was annoyed because he had been phoning her every night for a whole week

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THE FUTURE TENSES
The simple future tense
is formed by shall and will and the base form of the verb:
I will stay
Will is used with all persons, shall can be used as an alternative with I and we. Will contracts
to ll in writing, shall does not. I will not contracts to Ill not or I wont, I shall not to I shant
(Other future tenses formed by shall and will:
Future progressive: I will be seeing
Future perfect: I will have seen
Future perfect progressive: I will have been seeing

Use of will/shall:
Predicted events:
They will win on Saturday. It will rain tomorrow. I dont know if I shall ever see him again.
Scheduled events:
The reception will be at the Anchor Hotel
Hopes/expectations:
I hope youll get the job you applied for (also: I hope you get the job you applied for)
Ask him again. Perhaps hell change his mind.

The future progressive tense

I shall/will be expecting you

Actions in progress in the future:

Hurry up! The guests will be arriving at any minute.
By this time tomorrow, Ill be lying on the beach.

The progressive may sound more polite than the simple form:
When will you see him? Vs. When will you be seeing him?
Sometimes there is a difference in meaning:
Will you join us for dinner? (is an invitation)
Will you be joining us for dinner? (is a question about future plans)

Arrrangements and plans:

Mrs. Homer will be giving a lecture on US economy
We will be spending the next year in London

The future perfect - simple and progressive

I will have received it
I will have been working here for five years by the end of January

Past in the future:

I will have retired by the year 2020 (by that time my retirement will be past event)
I hope you will have changed your mind by tomorrow

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The going to-future
Im going to arrive tomorrow
NB! Pronunciation:
The future going to is often pronounced gonna: Im going to have a wonderful time/ Im
gonna have a wonderful time is not standard English and should not be accepted in writing.
The present progressive, however, can never have this pronunciation: Im going to London

Prediction:
Look! Its going to rain. (this includes the present, whereas It will rain is purely future)
Theyre going to be married. (Her brother told me) They will be married on the 5th. (official
announcement) The will-future is preferred in formal writing.
Plans/intentions:
Im going to swim this afternoon (If you decide something at the moment of speaking, use
will: Please wait, Ill be back in five minutes [Im going to be back in five minutes is not
natural here])
Im going to have dinner with Janet tomorrow. Im having dinner with Janet tomorrow. I
think Ill have dinner with Janet tomorrow. All possible future sentences.

Other ways of indicating futurity:

Be to:
is used when actions are subject to human control:
We are to meet in London next week (an action I can control)
* I am to faint (this is out of my control) vs. Im going to faint
You are not to tell him about our plans (ie. you must not)
Youre not going to tell him, are you?
Be about to:
is used to refer to the immediate future:
Hes about to start crying. (Its just a matter of seconds)
Be due to:
The plane is due to arrive at 3pm. They are not due until 3pm. When is the baby due?

Future in the past:

We were just going to leave when Jane fell and hurt herself.
I was to leave for London tomorrow, but my mother has been taken to hospital.

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