Communicative Grammar English

Verb Tenses
Verb tenses are changes or additions to verbs to show when the action
took place: in the past, present, or future. The phrase verb tense is also
used for grammatical aspects, which add more details about the
duration or time an action takes. When you combine the four
grammatical aspects with the past, present and future, you end up with
twelve main verb tenses in English.
Verb tenses are essential for speaking English correctly, but with all the
different forms and functions, they can get confusing. In this guide, we
give a quick overview of the English tenses, including when to use them
and how to make them, and give plenty of verb tense examples.
What is a verb tense?
Verb tenses show when an action took place, as well as how long it
occurred. The main verb tenses are the past, present, and future.
There are also additional aspects that give extra details, such as the
length of time the action occurred, which actions happened first, or
whether a past action has an impact on the present. These grammatical
aspects are the simple tense, perfect tense, continuous tense, and
perfect continuous tense.
Verb tenses list: How many
tenses are there in English?
The standard tense in English is the present tense, which is usually just the root form of the
verb. The past and future tenses often require changes or additions to the root form, such as
the suffix –ed for the past tense and the modal verb will for the future.
However, for each of the past, present, and future tenses, there are four different aspects that
add additional details. For example, the continuous tense shows that an action is ongoing. It
can be used in the present (she is sleeping), past (she was sleeping), or future (she will be
sleeping).
Past, present, and future tenses

The past, present, and future are the central divisions of time in English. The present
represents actions happening now, while the past represents actions that happened earlier,
and the future describes actions that will happen later.
Simple tense and Perfect tense
The simple tense is a grammatical aspect that refers to the normal forms of the past, present,
and future tenses—nothing fancy! Unlike the other aspects, it doesn’t add any new information.
True to its name, simple tenses are the easiest to form and have the fewest rules.
Perfect tense: The definition of the perfect tense is a little more complicated. It’s used for
actions that relate to other points in time, either completed or ongoing.
For example, in the sentence I have played soccer since I was a child, the perfect tense indicates
that the action occurred continuously in the past and still happens in the present. By contrast, in
the sentence I played soccer when I was a child, the simple past tense indicates that the action
occurred only in the past, and has no relation to the present.
The perfect tenses use a conjugation of the auxiliary verb have with the past participle of the
main verb.
Continuous tense
We use the continuous tenses (also known as the progressive tenses) for
ongoing actions or actions that happen a while before completion. For
example, They are studying all night means the studying lasts many hours
before it’s finished.
Please note that you usually do not use the continuous tense with stative
verbs like want, love, have, and need.
The continuous tenses use a conjugation of the auxiliary verb be along

with the main verb’s present participle, or –ing form.
Perfect Continuous tense
When you combine the perfect and continuous tenses, you get the
perfect continuous tense. It’s typically used just like the perfect tense,
except it describes ongoing actions that happen over a period of time.
The construction of the perfect continuous tense uses a conjugation of

the auxiliary verb have, the auxiliary verb been (the past participle of
be), and the present participle of the main verb.
Past tenses; Simple Past
We use the simple past to show actions completed in the past, with no extra emphasis.
For regular verbs, you form the simple past tense by adding the suffix –ed to the end of the verb
(or just –d if the past tense verb already ends in an e).
Be careful of irregular past tense verbs, however. These don’t follow the normal rules and use
their own unique forms for the past tense. For example, the past tense of the irregular verb go is
went.
Regular verbs: I picked up the glass, but it dropped from my hand.
Irregular verbs: This morning I went to the store, but I forgot the milk.
Past perfect
[had] + [past participle]
What if you’re talking about two different actions in the past and want to show
that one happened before the other? The past perfect, also known as the
pluperfect, shows that one past action happened earlier than another one.
She had arrived at the office before she realized it was Sunday.
I ran to my car when I noticed my wife had left already.

Past Continuous tense
[was/were] + [present participle]
Use the past continuous to show an ongoing action in the past, especially if the
action was interrupted by another action. It’s also used for habitual actions that
occurred in the past but not in the present. It’s usually used with adverbs like
always or adverb phrases like all the time.
My dog was whimpering in his sleep when the TV woke him up.
As kids, my friends and I were always getting into trouble.

Past Perfect Continuous tense
[had] + [been] + [present participle]
The past perfect continuous tense is used just like the past perfect tense, except it
describes ongoing actions that happened in the past instead of a one-time
occurance. It’s often used with the words when, until, and before to connect it to
another past action.
Before he got his first job as a writer, he had been working as a proofreader.
I had been living on my friend’s couch for a year until they kicked me out.
Present tenses; Simple present
The simple present is the most basic of the English tenses. It’s used for individual actions
or habitual actions in the present.
Often the simple present is just the root verb with no changes or additions. The main
exception to this is when the subject is third person and singular. In this case you add
the suffix –s. If the verb ends in o, ch, sh, th, ss, gh, or z, you add –es. If the verb ends in
a consonant and y (and the subject is third-person singular), drop the y and add –ies.
Today I feel like a million bucks!
My brother carries the groceries while my sister stays on the couch.

Present perfect
[have/has] + [past participle]
Although it’s quite common, the present perfect is one of the most difficult English verb tenses. It is used to describe a few
different types of actions, including:
an ongoing action started in the past that is not yet completed

the same action completed multiple times in the past and likely to be completed again
an action completed very recently (usually with just or now)
an uncompleted action that is expected to be finished (in the negative)
Additionally, the present perfect can be used to emphasize the significance of a completed action, especially one that happened
over time.
We have tricked him every April Fool’s Day since we were kids.
My niece has grown so much this year!

Present continuous
[am/is/are] + [present participle]
Use the present continuous to show an action happening right now or

in the near future.
I am reading The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy for the fifth time!
We are eating pizza tonight.

Present perfect continuous
[have/has] + [been] + [present participle]
The present perfect continuous shows an ongoing action in the present

that was started in the past. It is often used to emphasize the length of
time.
We have been waiting for over an hour!
The team has been practicing nonstop for the tournament.

Future tenses; Simple future
Use the simple future for actions that have not happened yet but will
later. To form the simple future, just place the modal verb will before
the root form of the main verb. (Note that if the action will happen in
the near future, you can use the present continuous instead.)
She will be president one day.
I will not go to the wedding without a date!

Future perfect
[will] + [have] + [past participle]
The future perfect shows an action that will be completed in the future
by a specified time. Because it depends on another time, the future
perfect is often used with words like by, before, at, or when.
By the time you read this, I will have already left.
She will have eaten lunch before her sister even wakes up.
Future continuous
[will] + [be] + [present participle]
Use the future continuous tense for future actions happening over a period
of time, especially when a specific time is mentioned. The future continuous
tense also shows more certainty and likelihood than the simple future.
By this time tomorrow, I will be drinking margaritas on the beach.
We will be attending a meeting from noon until 3 p.m.

Future perfect continuous
[will] + [have] + [been] + [present participle]
The future perfect continuous depicts future ongoing actions that continue
up until a certain point. Like the future perfect and future continuous, it’s
used with a specified time.
In ten minutes, my parents will have been waiting in traffic for four hours.
I will have been eating healthy for a whole year by September.

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Verb Tenses

Past, present, and future tenses

The continuous tenses use a conjugation of the auxiliary verb be along

The construction of the perfect continuous tense uses a conjugation of

Regular verbs: I picked up the glass, but it dropped from my hand.

I ran to my car when I noticed my wife had left already.

As kids, my friends and I were always getting into trouble.

Today I feel like a million bucks!

My brother carries the groceries while my sister stays on the couch.

an ongoing action started in the past that is not yet completed

My niece has grown so much this year!

Use the present continuous to show an action happening right now or

We are eating pizza tonight.

The present perfect continuous shows an ongoing action in the present

We have been waiting for over an hour!

The team has been practicing nonstop for the tournament.

She will be president one day.

I will not go to the wedding without a date!

By the time you read this, I will have already left.

By this time tomorrow, I will be drinking margaritas on the beach.

We will be attending a meeting from noon until 3 p.m.

I will have been eating healthy for a whole year by September.

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