Language in action:

usage of verb tenses

GEOLOX

Geolox is now a leading company in the national

business of adventure footwear.
Its first collection came out in 2007. It was
considered too much of a risk to be successful over a
long period.
Nevertheless, Geolox has set a very high
standard for quality adventure footwear.
Geolox has been growing on a steady basis, so
now they aim at internationalisation.

GEOLOX

Geolox is now a leading company in the national

Present simple

business of adventure footwear.

Its first collection came out in 2007. It was

Past simple

considered too much of a risk to be successful over a

long period.
Nevertheless, Geolox has set a very high

Present perfect

standard for quality adventure footwear.

Geolox has been growing on a steady basis, so
now they aim at internationalization.

Present perfect
continuous

Language in action usage of verb tenses

Present simple is used to describe a regular or habitual
action, or to refer to a fact or general truth.

E.g. - Geolox is now a leading company in the national business of

adventure footwear.

Language in action usage of verb tenses

Past simple is used to refer to finished actions that are in
the past, often at a specific time in the past.

E.g. - Its first collection came out in 2007. It was considered too
much of a risk to be successful over a long period.

Language in action usage of verb tenses

Present perfect is used to emphasise that an action started
in the past and is completed, not saying or implying when
something happened.
E.g. - Nevertheless, Geolox has set a very high standard for
quality adventure footwear.

Language in action usage of verb tenses

Present perfect is used with some specific signal words:
o For

o Yet

o since

o already

o just

o up to now

o ever

o so far

o never (when referring to the past)

o recently

Language in action usage of verb tenses

Present perfect continuous is used to emphasise that an
action started in the past and is still continuing.

E.g. - Geolox has been growing on a steady basis, so

now they aim at internationalisation.

Language in action usage of verb tenses

Claire worked very hard on her thesis before
she got pregnant.
Claire has worked very hard on her thesis.

Past simple because the speaker

refers to a finished action that is
in the past, at a specific time in
the past.
Present perfect because the
speaker wants to emphasise that
the action started in the past
and is completed, not saying or
implying when it was.

Claire has been working very hard on her thesis. Present perfect continuous
because the action started in
the past and is still continuing.