Simple Present

FORM

[VERB] + s/es in third person

Examples:

 You speak English.

 Do you speak English?
 You do not speak English.

USE 1 Repeated Actions

Use the Simple Present to express the idea that an action is repeated or usual. The action
can be a habit, a hobby, a daily event, a scheduled event or something that often happens. It
can also be something a person often forgets or usually does not do.

Examples:

 I play tennis.
 She does not play tennis.
 Does he play tennis?

USE 2 Facts or Generalizations

The Simple Present can also indicate the speaker believes that a fact was true before, is true
now, and will be true in the future. It is not important if the speaker is correct about the fact.
It is also used to make generalizations about people or things.

Examples:

 Cats like milk.

 Birds do not like milk.
 Do pigs like milk?
USE 3 Scheduled Events in the Near Future

Speakers occasionally use Simple Present to talk about scheduled events in the near future.
This is most commonly done when talking about public transportation, but it can be used
with other scheduled events as well.

Examples:

 The train leaves tonight at 6 PM.

 The bus does not arrive at 11 AM, it arrives at 11 PM.
 When do we board the plane?

USE 4 Now (Non-Continuous Verbs)

Speakers sometimes use the Simple Present to express the idea that an action is happening
or is not happening now. This can only be done with Non-Continuous Verbs and certain
Mixed Verbs.

Examples:

 I am here now.
 She is not here now.
 He needs help right now.
resent Continuous
FORM

[am/is/are + present participle]

Examples:

 You are watching TV.

 Are you watching TV?
 You are not watching TV.

USE 1 Now

Use the Present Continuous with Normal Verbs to express the idea that something is
happening now, at this very moment. It can also be used to show that something is not
happening now.

Examples:

 You are learning English now.

 You are not swimming now.
 Are you sleeping?

USE 2 Longer Actions in Progress Now

In English, "now" can mean: this second, today, this month, this year, this century, and so
on. Sometimes, we use the Present Continuous to say that we are in the process of doing a
longer action which is in progress; however, we might not be doing it at this exact second.

Examples: (All of these sentences can be said while eating dinner in a restaurant.)

 I am studying to become a doctor.

 I am not studying to become a dentist.
 I am reading the book Tom Sawyer.
USE 3 Near Future

Sometimes, speakers use the Present Continuous to indicate that something will or will not
happen in the near future.

Examples:

 I am meeting some friends after work.

 I am not going to the party tonight.
 Is he visiting his parents next weekend?

USE 4 Repetition and Irritation with "Always"

The Present Continuous with words such as "always" or "constantly" expresses the idea that
something irritating or shocking often happens. Notice that the meaning is like Simple
Present, but with negative emotion. Remember to put the words "always" or "constantly"
between "be" and "verb+ing."

Examples:

 She is always coming to class late.

 He is constantly talking. I wish he would shut up.
 I don't like them because they are always complaining.

ADVERB PLACEMENT

The examples below show the placement for grammar adverbs such as: always, only, never,
ever, still, just, etc.

Examples:

 You are still watching TV.

 Are you still watching TV?
Simple Past
FORM

[VERB+ed] or irregular verbs

Examples:

 You called Debbie.

 Did you call Debbie?
 You did not call Debbie.

USE 1 Completed Action in the Past

Use the Simple Past to express the idea that an action started and finished at a specific time
in the past. Sometimes, the speaker may not actually mention the specific time, but they do
have one specific time in mind.

Examples:

 I saw a movie yesterday.

 I didn't see a play yesterday.
 Last year, I traveled to Japan.

USE 2 A Series of Completed Actions

We use the Simple Past to list a series of completed actions in the past. These actions
happen 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, and so on.

Examples:

 I finished work, walked to the beach, and found a nice place to swim.
 He arrived from the airport at 8:00, checked into the hotel at 9:00, and met the
others at 10:00.
 Did you add flour, pour in the milk, and then add the eggs?
USE 3 Duration in Past

The Simple Past can be used with a duration which starts and stops in the past. A duration
is a longer action often indicated by expressions such as: for two years, for five minutes, all
day, all year, etc.

Examples:

 I lived in Brazil for two years.

 Shauna studied Japanese for five years.
 They sat at the beach all day.

USE 4 Habits in the Past

The Simple Past can also be used to describe a habit which stopped in the past. It can have
the same meaning as "used to." To make it clear that we are talking about a habit, we often
add expressions such as: always, often, usually, never, when I was a child, when I was
younger, etc.

Examples:

 I studied French when I was a child.

 He played the violin.
 He didn't play the piano.

USE 5 Past Facts or Generalizations

The Simple Past can also be used to describe past facts or generalizations which are no
longer true. As in USE 4 above, this use of the Simple Past is quite similar to the
expression "used to."

Examples:

 She was shy as a child, but now she is very outgoing.

  He didn't like tomatoes before.

ADVERB PLACEMENT

The examples below show the placement for grammar adverbs such as: always, only, never,
ever, still, just, etc.

Examples:

 You just called Debbie.

 Did you just call Debbie?

Past Continuous
FORM

[was/were + present participle]

Examples:

 You were studying when she called.

 Were you studying when she called?
 You were not studying when she called.

USE 1 Interrupted Action in the Past

Use the Past Continuous to indicate that a longer action in the past was interrupted. The
interruption is usually a shorter action in the Simple Past. Remember this can be a real
interruption or just an interruption in time.

Examples:

 I was watching TV when she called.

 When the phone rang, she was writing a letter.
 While we were having the picnic, it started to rain.
Past Continuous
FORM

[was/were + present participle]

Examples:

 You were studying when she called.

 Were you studying when she called?
 You were not studying when she called.


USE 1 Interrupted Action in the Past

Use the Past Continuous to indicate that a longer action in the past
was interrupted. The interruption is usually a shorter action in the
Simple Past. Remember this can be a real interruption or just an
interruption in time.

Examples:

 I was watching TV when she called.

 When the phone rang, she was writing a letter.
 While we were having the picnic, it started to rain.
 What were you doing when the earthquake started?
 I was listening to my iPod, so I didn't hear the fire alarm.
 You were not listening to me when I told you to turn the
oven off.
 While John was sleeping last night, someone stole his car.
 Sammy was waiting for us when we got off the plane.
 While I was writing the email, the computer suddenly went
off.
 A: What were you doing when you broke your leg?
B: I was snowboarding.

USE 2 Specific Time as an Interruption

In USE 1, described above, the Past Continuous is interrupted by a
shorter action in the Simple Past. However, you can also use a
specific time as an interruption.

Examples:

 Last night at 6 PM, I was eating dinner.

 At midnight, we were still driving through the desert.
 Yesterday at this time, I was sitting at my desk at work.

USE 3 Parallel Actions

When you use the Past Continuous with two actions in the same
sentence, it expresses the idea that both actions were happening at
the same time. The actions are parallel.

Examples:

 I was studying while he was making dinner.

 While Ellen was reading, Tim was watching television.
 Were you listening while he was talking?

USE 4 Atmosphere

In English, we often use a series of parallel actions to describe the

atmosphere at a particular time in the past.

Example:

 When I walked into the office, several people were busily

typing, some were talking on the phones, the boss was
yelling directions, and customers were waiting to be helped.
One customer was yelling at a secretary and waving his
hands. Others were complaining to each other about the bad
service.
USE 5 Repetition and Irritation with "Always"

The Past Continuous with words such as "always" or "constantly"

expresses the idea that something irritating or shocking often
happened in the past. The concept is very similar to the expression
"used to" but with negative emotion. Remember to put the words
"always" or "constantly" between "be" and "verb+ing."

Examples:

 She was always coming to class late.

 He was constantly talking. He annoyed everyone.
 I didn't like them because they were always complaining.

While vs. When

Clauses are groups of words which have meaning, but are often not
complete sentences. Some clauses begin with the word "when" such
as "when she called" or "when it bit me." Other clauses begin with
"while" such as "while she was sleeping" and "while he was
surfing." When you talk about things in the past, "when" is most
often followed by the verb tense Simple Past, whereas "while" is
usually followed by Past Continuous. "While" expresses the idea of
"during that time." Study the examples below. They have similar
meanings, but they emphasize different parts of the sentence.

Examples:

 I was studying when she called.

 While I was studying, she called.

ADVERB PLACEMENT

The examples below show the placement for grammar adverbs such
as: always, only, never, ever, still, just, etc.

Examples:

 You were just studying when she called.

 Were you just studying when she called?
Present Perfect
FORM

[has/have + past participle]

Examples:

 You have seen that movie many times.

 Have you seen that movie many times?
 You have not seen that movie many times.

USE 1 Unspecified Time Before Now

We use the Present Perfect to say that an action happened at an unspecified time before
now. The exact time is not important. You CANNOT use the Present Perfect with specific
time expressions such as: yesterday, one year ago, last week, when I was a child, when I
lived in Japan, at that moment, that day, one day, etc. We CAN use the Present Perfect with
unspecific expressions such as: ever, never, once, many times, several times, before, so far,
already, yet, etc.

Examples:

 I have seen that movie twenty times.

 I think I have met him once before.
 There have been many earthquakes in California.

USE 2 Duration From the Past Until Now (Non-Continuous Verbs)

With Non-Continuous Verbs and non-continuous uses of Mixed Verbs, we use the Present
Perfect to show that something started in the past and has continued up until now. "For five
minutes," "for two weeks," and "since Tuesday" are all durations which can be used with
the Present Perfect.

Examples:

 I have had a cold for two weeks.

 She has been in England for six months.

ADVERB PLACEMENT

The examples below show the placement for grammar adverbs such as: always, only, never,
ever, still, just, etc.

Examples:

 You have only seen that movie one time.

 Have you only seen that movie one time?

Present Perfect Continuous

FORM

[has/have + been + present participle]

Examples:

 You have been waiting here for two hours.

 Have you been waiting here for two hours?
 You have not been waiting here for two hours.

USE 1 Duration from the Past Until Now

We use the Present Perfect Continuous to show that something started in the past and has
continued up until now. "For five minutes," "for two weeks," and "since Tuesday" are all
durations which can be used with the Present Perfect Continuous.

Examples:

 They have been talking for the last hour.

  She has been working at that company for three years.
 What have you been doing for the last 30 minutes?

USE 2 Recently, Lately

You can also use the Present Perfect Continuous WITHOUT a duration such as "for two
weeks." Without the duration, the tense has a more general meaning of "lately." We often
use the words "lately" or "recently" to emphasize this meaning.

Examples:

 Recently, I have been feeling really tired.

 She has been watching too much television lately.
 Have you been exercising lately?

ADVERB PLACEMENT

The examples below show the placement for grammar adverbs such as: always, only, never,
ever, still, just, etc.

Examples:

 You have only been waiting here for one hour.

 Have you only been waiting here for one hour?

Past Perfect Continuous

FORM

[had been + present participle]

Examples:

 You had been waiting there for more than two hours when she finally arrived.
 Had you been waiting there for more than two hours when she finally arrived?
 You had not been waiting there for more than two hours when she finally arrived.

USE 1 Duration Before Something in the Past

We use the Past Perfect Continuous to show that something started in the past and
continued up until another time in the past. "For five minutes" and "for two weeks" are both
durations which can be used with the Past Perfect Continuous. Notice that this is related to
the Present Perfect Continuous; however, the duration does not continue until now, it stops
before something else in the past.

Examples:

 They had been talking for over an hour before Tony arrived.
 She had been working at that company for three years when it went out of
business.
 How long had you been waiting to get on the bus?

USE 2 Cause of Something in the Past

Using the Past Perfect Continuous before another action in the past is a good way to show
cause and effect.

Examples:

 Jason was tired because he had been jogging.

 Sam gained weight because he had been overeating.
 Betty failed the final test because she had not been attending class.

ADVERB PLACEMENT

The examples below show the placement for grammar adverbs such as: always, only, never,
ever, still, just, etc.

Examples:

 You had only been waiting there for a few minutes when she arrived.
 Had you only been waiting there for a few minutes when she arrived?
Simple Future
Simple Future has two different forms in English: "will" and "be going to." Although the
two forms can sometimes be used interchangeably, they often express two very different
meanings. These different meanings might seem too abstract at first, but with time and
practice, the differences will become clear. Both "will" and "be going to" refer to a specific
time in the future.

FORM Will

[will + verb]

Examples:

 You will help him later.

 Will you help him later?
 You will not help him later.

FORM Be Going To

[am/is/are + going to + verb]

Examples:

 You are going to meet Jane tonight.

 Are you going to meet Jane tonight?
 You are not going to meet Jane tonight.

Future Perfect
Future Perfect has two different forms: "will have done" and "be going to have done."
Unlike Simple Future forms, Future Perfect forms are usually interchangeable.

FORM Future Perfect with "Will"

[will have + past participle]

Examples:

 You will have perfected your English by the time you come back from the U.S.
 Will you have perfected your English by the time you come back from the U.S.?
 You will not have perfected your English by the time you come back from the U.S.

FORM Future Perfect with "Be Going To"

[am/is/are + going to have + past participle]

Examples:

 You are going to have perfected your English by the time you come back from the U.S.
 Are you going to have perfected your English by the time you come back from the U.S.?
 You are not going to have perfected your English by the time you come back from the U.S.

USE 1 Completed Action Before Something in the Future

The Future Perfect expresses the idea that something will occur before another action in the
future. It can also show that something will happen before a specific time in the future.

Examples:

 By next November, I will have received my promotion.

 By the time he gets home, she is going to have cleaned the entire house.
 I am not going to have finished this test by 3 o'clock.

USE 2 Duration Before Something in the Future (Non-Continuous Verbs)

With Non-Continuous Verbs and some non-continuous uses of Mixed Verbs, we use the
Future Perfect to show that something will continue up until another action in the future.
Examples:

 I will have been in London for six months by the time I leave.
 By Monday, Susan is going to have had my book for a week.

ADVERB PLACEMENT

The examples below show the placement for grammar adverbs such as: always, only, never,
ever, still, just, etc.

Examples:

 You will only have learned a few words.

 Will you only have learned a few words?

 You are only going to have learned a few words.

 Are you only going to have learned a few words?

Future Perfect Continuous

Future Perfect Continuous has two different forms: "will have been doing " and "be going
to have been doing." Unlike Simple Future forms, Future Perfect Continuous forms are
usually interchangeable.

FORM Future Perfect Continuous with "Will"

[will have been + present participle]

Examples:

 You will have been waiting for more than two hours when her plane finally arrives.
 Will you have been waiting for more than two hours when her plane finally arrives?
 You will not have been waiting for more than two hours when her plane finally arrives.

FORM Future Perfect Continuous with "Be Going To"

[am/is/are + going to have been + present participle]

Examples:

 You are going to have been waiting for more than two hours when her plane finally
arrives.
  Are you going to have been waiting for more than two hours when her plane finally
arrives?
 You are not going to have been waiting for more than two hours when her plane finally
arrives.

NOTE: It is possible to use either "will" or "be going to" to create the Future Perfect
Continuous with little or no difference in meaning.

USE 1 Duration Before Something in the Future

We use the Future Perfect Continuous to show that something will continue up until a
particular event or time in the future. "For five minutes," "for two weeks," and "since
Friday" are all durations which can be used with the Future Perfect Continuous. Notice that
this is related to the Present Perfect Continuous and the Past Perfect Continuous; however,
with Future Perfect Continuous, the duration stops at or before a reference point in the
future.

Examples:

 They will have been talking for over an hour by the time Thomas arrives.
 She is going to have been working at that company for three years when it finally closes.
 James will have been teaching at the university for more than a year by the time he
leaves for Asia.

USE 2 Cause of Something in the Future

Using the Future Perfect Continuous before another action in the future is a good way to
show cause and effect.

Examples:

 Jason will be tired when he gets home because he will have been jogging for over an hour.
 Claudia's English will be perfect when she returns to Germany because she is going to
have been studying English in the United States for over two years.

ADVERB PLACEMENT

The examples below show the placement for grammar adverbs such as: always, only, never,
ever, still, just, etc.
Examples:

 You will only have been waiting for a few minutes when her plane arrives.
 Will you only have been waiting for a few minutes when her plane arrives?

 You are only going to have been waiting for a few minutes when her plane arrives.
 Are you only going to have been waiting for a few minutes when her plane arrives?

Future Continuous
Future Continuous has two different forms: "will be doing " and "be going to be doing."
Unlike Simple Future forms, Future Continuous forms are usually interchangeable.

FORM Future Continuous with "Will"

[will be + present participle]

Examples:

 You will be waiting for her when her plane arrives tonight.
 Will you be waiting for her when her plane arrives tonight?
 You will not be waiting for her when her plane arrives tonight.

FORM Future Continuous with "Be Going To "

[am/is/are + going to be + present participle]

Examples:

 You are going to be waiting for her when her plane arrives tonight.
 Are you going to be waiting for her when her plane arrives tonight?
 You are not going to be waiting for her when her plane arrives tonight.

REMEMBER: It is possible to use either "will" or "be going to" to create the Future
Continuous with little difference in meaning.

USE 1 Interrupted Action in the Future

Use the Future Continuous to indicate that a longer action in the future will be interrupted
by a shorter action in the future. Remember this can be a real interruption or just an
interruption in time.
Examples:

 I will be watching TV when she arrives tonight.

 I will be waiting for you when your bus arrives.
 I am going to be staying at the Madison Hotel, if anything happens and you need to
contact me.
 He will be studying at the library tonight, so he will not see Jennifer when she arrives.

USE 2 Specific Time as an Interruption in the Future

In USE 1, described above, the Future Continuous is interrupted by a short action in the
future. In addition to using short actions as interruptions, you can also use a specific time as
an interruption.

Examples:

 Tonight at 6 PM, I am going to be eating dinner.

I will be in the process of eating dinner.
 At midnight tonight, we will still be driving through the desert.
We will be in the process of driving through the desert.

REMEMBER

In the Simple Future, a specific time is used to show the time an action will begin or end. In
the Future Continuous, a specific time interrupts the action.

Examples:

 Tonight at 6 PM, I am going to eat dinner.

I am going to start eating at 6 PM.
 Tonight at 6 PM, I am going to be eating dinner.

USE 3 Parallel Actions in the Future

When you use the Future Continuous with two actions in the same sentence, it expresses
the idea that both actions will be happening at the same time. The actions are parallel.

Examples:
  I am going to be studying and he is going to be making dinner.
 Tonight, they will be eating dinner, discussing their plans, and having a good time.
 While Ellen is reading, Tim will be watching television.

ADVERB PLACEMENT

The examples below show the placement for grammar adverbs such as: always, only, never,
ever, still, just, etc.

Examples:

 You will still be waiting for her when her plane arrives.
 Will you still be waiting for her when her plane arrives.

English
Dossier
Time Tenses.
Alvaro.