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    English_Verb_Tenses_Summary

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    Deborah Domingos

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    English_Verb_Tenses_Summary

    Uploaded by

    Deborah Domingos
    1 views4 pages

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    © © All Rights Reserved

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    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
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    1 views4 pages

    English_Verb_Tenses_Summary

    Uploaded by

    Deborah Domingos

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
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    Summary of English Verb Tenses

    1. Present Tenses

    - Present Simple: Used for facts, routines, and general truths.

    Structure: Subject + base verb (add "s" for 3rd person singular).

    Example: She works every day.

    Keywords: always, usually, often.

    - Present Continuous: Used for ongoing actions happening now or temporary situations.

    Structure: Subject + to be + verb(-ing).

    Example: He is studying right now.

    Keywords: now, at the moment, currently.

    2. Past Tenses

    - Past Simple: Used for completed actions in the past.

    Structure: Subject + past form of the verb.

    Example: They traveled last year.

    Keywords: yesterday, last week, in 2020.

    - Past Continuous: Used for actions in progress in the past, often interrupted by another action.

    Structure: Subject + was/were + verb(-ing).

    Example: I was reading when the phone rang.

    Keywords: while, when.


    3. Future Tenses

    - Future Simple (will): Used for predictions, decisions made at the moment, or promises.

    Structure: Subject + will + base verb.

    Example: I will call you tomorrow.

    Keywords: tomorrow, next week, in 2030.

    - Be Going To (Future Intentions): Used for plans or intentions and predictions based on evidence.

    Structure: Subject + be going to + base verb.

    Example: It is going to rain; look at the clouds.

    Keywords: (context-based predictions).

    4. Perfect Tenses

    - Present Perfect: Used for actions that happened at an unspecified time in the past or started in the

    past and continue now.

    Structure: Subject + have/has + past participle.

    Example: She has visited Paris several times.

    Keywords: already, yet, ever, never, since, for.

    - Past Perfect: Used to show an action that was completed before another past action.

    Structure: Subject + had + past participle.

    Example: By the time we arrived, they had left.

    Keywords: before, after, already.

    - Future Perfect: Used for actions that will be completed before a specific time in the future.

    Structure: Subject + will have + past participle.


    Example: By next year, she will have graduated.

    Keywords: by, before.

    5. Perfect Continuous Tenses

    - Present Perfect Continuous: Emphasizes the duration of an action that started in the past and

    continues now.

    Structure: Subject + have/has been + verb(-ing).

    Example: We have been working all morning.

    Keywords: for, since.

    - Past Perfect Continuous: Focuses on the duration of an action that was ongoing before another

    action in the past.

    Structure: Subject + had been + verb(-ing).

    Example: She had been studying for hours when he arrived.

    Keywords: before, until.

    - Future Perfect Continuous: Emphasizes the duration of an action that will continue until a certain

    future point.

    Structure: Subject + will have been + verb(-ing).

    Example: By 2025, I will have been working here for 10 years.

    Keywords: by, for.

    Common Confusions

    1. Present Perfect vs. Past Simple:

    - Present Perfect links the past to the present (She has lost her keys = still relevant).
    - Past Simple is for finished past actions (She lost her keys yesterday = specific time).

    2. Future Simple vs. Be Going To:

    - Use will for spontaneous decisions (I'll help you!).

    - Use be going to for plans (I'm going to travel next week.).

    3. Past Simple vs. Past Continuous:

    - Use Past Simple for completed actions (I watched a movie).

    - Use Past Continuous for background actions (I was watching a movie when she called).

    4. Present Perfect Continuous vs. Present Perfect:

    - Use Present Perfect Continuous to emphasize the duration (I have been reading for 3 hours).

    - Use Present Perfect for completed actions with present relevance (I have read the book).

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