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Examples Examples Examples

Tense Signal words Use Form
affirmative negative interrogative
every day

sometimes
 something happens repeatedly
always  how often something happens I work. I don't work. Do I work?
 one action follows another infinitive
often  things in general He works. He doesn't work. Does he work?
Simple
 with verbs like (to love,
Present he/she/it:
usually to hate, to think, etc.) I go. I don't go. Do I go?
 future meaning: timetables, infinitive + s

seldom programmes He goes. He doesn't go. Does he go?

never

first ... then

now  something is happening at the I'm working. I'm not working. Am I working?
same time of speaking or
around it
at the moment He's working. He isn't working. Is he working?
Present  future meaning: when you be (am/are/is) +
Progressive have already decided and infinitive + ing
Look! arranged to do it (a fixed I'm going. I'm not going. Am I going?
plan, date)
Listen! He's going. He isn't going. Is he going?
last ... I worked. I didn't work. Did I work?
regular:
action took place in the past, infinitive + ed
... ago He worked. He didn't work. Did he work?
Simple mostly connected with an
Past expression of time (no connection irregular:
in 1990 to the present) I went. I didn't go. Did I go?
(2nd column of table
of irregular verbs)
yesterday He went. He didn't go. Did he go?

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  an action happened in the I was working. I wasn't working. Was I working?
middle of another action
 someone was doing sth. at a He was working. He wasn't working. Was he working?
Past was/were +
while certain time (in the past) - you
Progressive infinitive + ing
don't know whether it was I was going. I wasn't going. Was I going?
finished or not
He was going. He wasn't going. Was he going?
just

yet

never

ever I have worked. I haven't worked. Have I worked?

 you say that sth. has have/has + past
happened or is finished in the participle*
Simple already past and it has a connection to He has worked. He hasn’t worked. Has he worked?
Present the present
Perfect *(infinitive + ed) or
so far,  action started in the past and I have gone. I haven't gone. Have I gone?
(3rd column of table
continues up to the present
of irregular verbs)
up to now, He has gone. He hasn’t gone. Has he gone?

since

for

recently
I have been I haven't been Have I been
all day working. working. working?
 action began in the past and
the whole day has just stopped
He has been He hasn't been Has he been
 how long the action has been
Present Perfect have/has + been + working. working. working?
how long happening
Progressive infinitive + ing
since I have been going. I haven't been going. Have I been going?
emphasis: length of time of an
action
for He has been He hasn't been Has he been
going. going. going?
  mostly when two actions in a I had worked. I hadn't worked. Had I worked?
story are related to each had + past
already other: the action which had participle*
He had worked. He hadn't worked. Had he worked?
Simple Past already happened is put into
just Past Perfect, the other action
Perfect *(infinitive + ed) or
into Simple Past I had gone. I hadn't gone. Had I gone?
never (3rd column of table
 the past of the Present Perfect of irregular verbs)
He had gone. He hadn't gone. Had he gone?
I had been I hadn't been Had I been
working. working. working?

how long He had been He hadn't been Had he been

how long something had been working. working. working?
Past Perfect had + been +
since happening before something else
Progressive infinitive + ing
happened
for I had been going. I hadn't been going. Had I been going?

He had been He hadn't been Had he been

going. going. going?
 predictions about the future
(you think that sth will I'll work. I won't work. Will I work?
happen)
 you decide to do sth. He'll work. He won't work. Will he work?
will - future spontaneously at the time of will + infinitive
speaking I'll go. I won't go. Will I go?
 main clause in type I of the
Conditional sentences He'll go. He won't go. Will he go?

I'm going to I'm not going to Am I going to

work. work. work?
 when you have already
decided to do sth. in the future He's going to He's not going to Is he going to
going to - be (am/are/is) + work. work. work?
 what you think what will
future going to + infinitive
happen
I'm going to go. I'm not going to go. Am I going to go?

He's going to go. He's not going to go. Is he going to go?

  An action will be in progress at I'll be working. I won't be working. Will I be working?
a certain time in the future.
This action has begun before He'll be working. He won't be working. Will he be working?
Future will + be + infinitive
the certain time.
Progressive + ing
 Something happens because it I'll be going. I won't be going. Will I be going?
normally happens.
He'll be going. He won't be going. Will he be going?
I'll have worked. I won't have worked. Will I have worked?
will + have + past
participle* He'll have He won't have Will he have
Future Perfect
sth. will already have happened worked. worked. worked?
Simple
before a certain time in the future *(infinitive + ed) or
(3rd column of table I'll have gone. I won't have gone. Will I have gone?
of irregular verbs)
He'll have gone. He won't have gone. Will he have gone?
I'll have been I won't have been Will I have been
working. working. working?

sth. will already have happened He'll have been He won't have been Will he have been
Future before a certain time in the future working. working. working?
will + have + been +
Perfect
infinitive + ing
Progressive emphasis: length of time of an I'll have been I won't have been Will I have been
action going. going. going?

He'll have been He won't have been Will he have been

going. going. going?
I would work. I wouldn't work. Would I work?

 sth. that might happen

He would work. He wouldn't work. Would he work?
Conditional  main clause in type II of the
would + infinitive
Simple Conditional sentences
I would go. I wouldn't go. Would I go?

He would go. He wouldn't go. Would he go?

 I would be I wouldn't be Would I be
working. working. working?

sth. that might happen He would be He wouldn't be Would he be

Conditional would + be + working. working. working?
Progressive emphasis: length of time of an infinitive + ing
action I would be going. I wouldn't be going. Would I be going?

He would be He wouldn't be Would he be

going. going. going?
I would have I wouldn't have Would I have
worked. worked. worked?

would + have + past

 sth. that might have happened He would have He wouldn't have Would he have
participle*
in the past worked. worked. worked?
Conditional  main clause in type III of the
Perfect Conditional sentences *(infinitive + ed) or
I would have I wouldn't have Would I have
(3rd column of table
gone. gone. gone?
of irregular verbs)

He would have He wouldn't have Would he have

gone. gone. gone?
I would have been I wouldn't have been Would I have been
working. working. working?

sth. that might have happened in He would have He wouldn't have Would he
Conditional the past been working. been working. have been working?
would + have + been
Perfect
+ infinitive + ing
Progressive emphasis: length of time of an I would have been I wouldn't have been Would I have been
action going. going. going?

He would have He wouldn't have Would he

been going. been going. have been going?

We sometimes use Continuous instead of Progressive. Some signal words can be found in more tenses. We did not list signal words in the future. Always remember what
action is described.
Used colours:
blue → infinitive grey → irregular verbs in the Simple Past red → negation
dark green → auxiliary purple → past participle
orange → ending light green → signal word