ENGLISH VERB TENSES - GRAMMAR RULES

VERB TENSES

Prepared By:Sir.Albert J.Safar

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Verbs come in three tenses: past, present, and future. The past is used to describe things that have already happened (e.g., earlier in the day, yesterday, last week, three years ago). The present tense is used to describe things that are happening right now, or things that are continuous. The future tense describes things that have yet to happen (e.g., later, tomorrow, next week, next year, three years from now).

The following table illustrates the proper use of verb tenses:

Simple Present	Simple Past	Simple Future
I read nearly every day.	Last night, I read an entire novel.	I will read as much as I can this year.
Present Continuous	Past Continuous	Future Continuous
I am reading Shakespeare at the moment.	I was reading Edgar Allan Poe last night.	I will be reading Nathaniel Hawthorne soon.
Present Perfect	Past Perfect	Future Perfect
I have read so many books I can’t keep count.	I had read at least 100 books by the time I was twelve.	I will have read at least 500 books by the end of the year.
Present Perfect Continuous	Past Perfect Continuous	Future Perfect Continuous
I have been reading since I was four years old.	I had been reading for at least a year before my sister learned to read.	I will have been reading for at least two hours before dinner tonight.

Simple Present

The simple present is a verb tense with two main uses. We use the simple present tense when an action is happening right now, or when it happens regularly (or unceasingly, which is why it’s sometimes called present indefinite). Depending on the person, the simple present tense is formed by using the root form or by adding ‑s or ‑es to the end.

I feel great! Pauline loves pie. I’m sorry to hear that you’re sick.

The other is to talk about habitual actions or occurrences.

Pauline practices the piano every day. Ms. Jackson travels during the summer. Hamsters run all night.

Typically, when we want to describe a temporary action that is currently in progress, we use the present continuous: Pauline can’t come to the phone right now because she is brushing her teeth.

How to Form the Simple Present

In the simple present, most regular verbs use the root form, except in the third-person singular (which ends in -s).

First-person singular: I write

Second-person singular: You write

Third-person singular: He/she/it writes (note the ‑s)

First-person plural: We write

Second-person plural: You write

Third-person plural: They write

For a few verbs, the third-person singular ends with -es instead of -s. Typically, these are verbs whose root form ends in o, ch, sh, th, ss, gh, or z.

First-person singular: I go

Second-person singular: You go

Third-person singular: He/she/it goes (note the ‑es)

First-person plural: We go

Second-person plural: You go

Third-person plural: They go

For most regular verbs, you put the negation of the verb before the verb, e.g. “She won’t go” or “I don’t smell anything.”

The verb to be is irregular:

First-person singular: I am

Second-person singular: You are

Third-person singular: He/she/it is

First-person plural: We are

Second-person plural: You are

Third-person plural: They are

How to Make the Simple Present Negative

The formula for making a simple present verb negative is do/does + not + [root form of verb]. You can also use the contraction don’t or doesn’t instead of do not or does not.

Pauline does not want to share the pie. She doesn’t think there is enough to go around. Her friends do not agree. I don’t want pie anyway.

To make the verb to be negative, the formula is [to be] + not.

I am not a pie lover, but Pauline sure is. You aren’t ready for such delicious pie.

How to Ask a Question

The formula for asking a question in the simple present is do/does + [subject] + [root form of verb].

Do you know how to bake a pie? How much does Pauline love pie?

Common Verbs in the Simple Present

Infinitive	I, You, We, They	He, She, It
to ask	ask / do not ask	asks / does not ask
to work	work / do not work	works / does not work
to call	call / do not call	calls / does not call
to use	use / do not use	uses / does not use
to have	have / do not have	has / does not have

The Verb to Be in the Simple Present

Infinitive	I	You, We, They	He, She, It
to be	am / am not	are / are not	is / is not

	Simple Past Tense The simple past is a verb tense that is used to talk about things that happened or existed before now. Imagine someone asks what your brother Wolfgang did while he was in town last weekend. Wolfgang entered a hula hoop contest. He won the silver medal. The simple past tense shows that you are talking about something that has already happened. Unlike the past continuous tense, which is used to talk about past events that happened over a period of time, the simple past tense emphasizes that the action is finished. Wolfgang admired the way the light glinted off his silver medal. You can also use the simple past to talk about a past state of being, such as the way someone felt about something. This is often expressed with the simple past tense of the verb to be and an adjective, noun, or prepositional phrase. Wolfgang was proud of his hula hoop victory. The contest was the highlight of his week. How to Formulate the Simple Past For regular verbs, add -ed to the root form of the verb (or just -d if the root form already ends in an e): Play→Played Type→Typed Listen→Listened Push→Pushed Love→Loved For irregular verbs, things get more complicated. The simple past tense of some irregular verbs looks exactly like the root form: Put→Put Cut→Cut Set→Set Cost→Cost Hit→Hit For other irregular verbs, including the verb to be, the simple past forms are more erratic: See→Saw Build→Built Go→Went Do→Did Rise→Rose Am/Is/Are→Was/Were The good news is that verbs in the simple past tense (except for the verb to be) don’t need to agree in number with their subjects. Wolfgang polished his medal. The other winners polished their medals too. How to Make the Simple Past Negative Fortunately, there is a formula for making simple past verbs negative, and it’s the same for both regular and irregular verbs (except for the verb to be). The formula is did not + [root form of verb]. You can also use the contraction didn’t instead of did not. Wolfgang did not brag too much about his hula hoop skills. Wolfgang’s girlfriend didn’t see the contest. For the verb to be, you don’t need the auxiliary did. When the subject of the sentence is singular, use was not or wasn’t. When the subject is plural, use were not or weren’t. The third-place winner was not as happy as Wolfgang. The fourth-place winner wasn’t happy at all. The onlookers were not ready to leave after the contest ended. The contestants weren’t ready to leave either. How to Ask a Question The formula for asking a question in the simple past tense is did + [subject] + [root form of verb]. Did Wolfgang win the gold medal or the silver medal? Where did Wolfgang go to celebrate? Did the judges decide fairly, in your opinion? When asking a question with the verb to be, you don’t need the auxiliary did. The formula is was/were + [subject]. Was Wolfgang in a good mood after the contest? Were people taking lots of pictures? Common Regular Verbs in the Past Tense Common Irregular Verbs in the Past Tense
	Simple Future Tense The simple future is a verb tense that’s used to talk about things that haven’t happened yet. This year, Jen will read War and Peace. It will be hard, but she’s determined to do it. Use the simple future to talk about an action or condition that will begin and end in the future. How to Form the Simple Future The formula for the simple future is will + [root form of verb]. I will learn a new language. Jen will read that book. My brothers will sleep till noon if no one wakes them up. You will see what I mean. It doesn’t matter if the subject is singular or plural; the formula for the simple future doesn’t change. But… There is another way to show that something will happen in the future. It follows the formula [am/is/are] + going to + [root form verb]. I am going to learn a new language. Jen is going to read that book. My brothers are going to sleep till noon if no one wakes them up. You are going to see what I mean. The “going to” construction is common in speech and casual writing. Keep in mind though that it’s on the informal side, so it’s a good idea to stick to the will + [root form] construction in formal writing. How to Make the Simple Future Negative To make the simple future negative, the formula is will + not + [root form]. Jen will not quit before she reaches her goal. Make sure you arrive on time tomorrow because the bus will not wait for you. He will not say anything bad about his boss. I will not finish my homework in time for class. Using the “going to” construction, the formula is [am/is/are] + not + going to + [root form]. Jen is not going to quit before she reaches her goal. Make sure you arrive on time tomorrow because the bus is not going to wait for you. He is not going to say anything bad about his boss. I am not going to finish my homework in time for class. How to Ask a Question To ask a question in the simple future, the formula is will + [subject] + [root form]. Will Jen finish War and Peace over the summer? Will I have the discipline to study Spanish every day? What will you buy with the money you found? The formula for the “going to” construction is [am/is/are] + [subject] +going to + [root form]. Is Jen going to finish War and Peace over the summer? Am I going to have the discipline to study Spanish every day? What are you going to buy with the money you found? Common Verbs in the Simple Past The “Going to” Construction
	Present Perfect Tense The present perfect is used when an action began in the past yet is still relevant. It’s created by using the present tense of have + the past participle. I have seen You have seen He/she/it has seen We have seen You have seen They have seen Martha has asked for the day off. Who Has Seen the Wind is an excellent book. They have slept in because it’s Saturday morning. Remember to look out for irregular past participles. He has drunk all the milk again. The dogs have lain down in front of the fire. You’ve left your umbrella behind.

		Past Perfect Tense The past perfect, also called the pluperfect, is a verb tense used to talk about actions that were completed before some point in the past. We were shocked to discover that someone had graffitied “Tootles was here” on our front door. We were relieved that Tootles had used washable paint. The past perfect tense is for talking about something that happened before something else. Imagine waking up one morning and stepping outside to grab the newspaper. On your way back in, you notice a mysterious message scrawled across your front door: Tootles was here. When you’re telling this story to your friends later, how would you describe this moment? You might say something like: I turned back to the house and saw that some someone named Tootles had defaced my front door! In addition to feeling indignant on your behalf, your friends will also be able to understand that Tootles graffitied the door at some point in the past before the moment this morning when you saw his handiwork, because you used the past perfect tense to describe the misdeed. The Past Perfect Formula The formula for the past perfect tense is had + [past participle]. It doesn’t matter if the subject is singular or plural; the formula doesn’t change. When to Use the Past Perfect So what’s the difference between past perfect and simple past? When you’re talking about some point in the past and want to reference an event that happened even earlier, using the past perfect allows you to convey the sequence of the events. It’s also clearer and more specific. Consider the difference between these two sentences: We were relieved that Tootles used washable paint. We were relieved that Tootles had used washable paint. It’s a subtle difference, but the first sentence doesn’t tie Tootles’s act of using washable paint to any particular moment in time; readers might interpret it as “We were relieved that Tootles was in the habit of using washable paint.” In the second sentence, the past perfect makes it clear that you’re talking about a specific instance of using washable paint. Another time to use the past perfect is when you are expressing a condition and a result: If I had woken up earlier this morning, I would have caught Tootles red-handed. The past perfect is used in the part of the sentence that explains the condition (the if-clause). Most often, the reason to write a verb in the past perfect tense is to show that it happened before other actions in the same sentence that are described by verbs in the simple past tense. Writing an entire paragraph with every verb in the past perfect tense is unusual. When Not to Use the Past Perfect Don’t use the past perfect when you’re not trying to convey some sequence of events. If your friends asked what you did after you discovered the graffiti, they would be confused if you said: I had cleaned it off the door. They’d likely be wondering what happened next because using the past perfect implies that your action of cleaning the door occurred before something else happened, but you don’t say what that something else is. The “something else” doesn’t always have to be explicitly mentioned, but context needs to make it clear. In this case there’s no context, so the past perfect doesn’t make sense. How to Make the Past Perfect Negative Making the past perfect negative is simple! Just insert not between had and [past participle]. We looked for witnesses, but the neighbors had not seen Tootles in the act. If Tootles had not included his own name in the message, we would have no idea who was behind it. How to Ask a Question The formula for asking a question in the past perfect tense is had + [subject] + [past participle]. Had Tootles caused trouble in other neighborhoods before he struck ours? Common Regular Verbs in the Past Perfect Tense Common Irregular Verbs in the Past Perfect Tense *The past participle of “to get” is “gotten” in American English. In British English, the past participle is “got.” Future Perfect The future perfect is a verb tense used for actions that will be completed before some other point in the future. The parade will have ended by the time Chester gets out of bed. At eight o’clock I will have left. Key words: Verb, past participle, tense, preposition The future perfect tense is for talking about an action that will be completed between now and some point in the future. Imagine that your friend Linda asks you to take care of her cat for a few days while she goes on a trip. She wants you to come over today at noon so she can show you where to find the cat food and how to mash it up in the bowl just right so that Fluffy will deign to eat it. But you’re busy this afternoon, so you ask Linda if you can come at eight o’clock tonight instead. “No, that won’t work! At eight o’clock I will have left already,” she says. What does the future perfect tell us here? It tells us that Linda is going to leave for her trip some time after right now, but before a certain point in the future (eight o’clock tonight). She probably shouldn’t have waited until the last minute to find a cat sitter. The Future Perfect Formula The formula for the future perfect tense is pretty simple: will have + [past participle]. It doesn’t matter if the subject of your sentence is singular or plural. The formula doesn’t change. When to Use the Future Perfect Tense Sometimes, you can use the future perfect tense and the simple future tense interchangeably. In these two sentences, there is no real difference in meaning because the word before makes the sequence of events clear: Linda will leave before you get there. Linda will have left before you get there. But without prepositions such as before or by the time that make the sequence of events clear, you need to use the future perfect to show what happened first. At eight o’clock Linda will leave. (This means that Linda will wait until 8 o’clock to leave.) At eight o’clock Linda will have left. (This means Linda will leave before 8 o’clock.) When Not to Use the Future Perfect Tense The future perfect tense is only for actions that will be complete before a specified point in the future. In other words, the action you’re talking about must have a deadline. If you don’t mention a deadline, use the simple future tense instead of the future perfect tense. Linda will leave. Linda will have left. The deadline can be very specific (eight o’clock) or it can be vague (next week). It can even depend on when something else happens (after the parade ends). It just has to be some time in the future. How to make the Future Perfect Negative Making a negative future perfect construction is easy! Just insert not between will and have. We will not have eaten breakfast before we get to the airport tomorrow morning. They will not have finished decorating the float before the parade. You can also use the contraction won’t in the place of will not. They won’t have finished decorating the float before the parade. How to Ask a Question The formula for asking a question in the future perfect tense is will + [subject] + have + [past participle]: Will you have eaten lunch already when we arrive? Will they have finished decorating the float before the parade? Prepositional Phrases that Often Go With the Future Perfect By this time next week, Linda will have left for her trip. Three days from now, we will have finished our project. At midnight, the party will have ended. Will you have eaten already? Chester will not have arrived by the time the parade is over. When I travel to France, I will have been to ten countries. My sister will have cleaned the bathroom before the party. As soon as someone buys this chair, I will have sold all the furniture I wanted to get rid of. Common Regular Verbs in the Future Perfect Tense Common Irregular Verbs in the Future Perfect Tense *Be careful when using the verb “to be” in the future perfect tense. The construction is easy to confuse with the future perfect continuous tense. **The past participle of “to get” is gotten in American English. In British English, the past participle is got.
		Present Continuous The present continuous verb tense indicates that an action or condition is happening now, frequently, and may continue into the future. The Present Continuous Formula: to be [am, is, are] + verb [present participle] Aunt Christine is warming up the car while Scott looks for his new leather coat. They are eating at Scott’s favorite restaurant today, Polly’s Pancake Diner. Key words: Verb, present participle, tense, dynamic verbs, stative verbs The present continuous (present progressive) tense is a way to convey any action or condition that is happening right now, frequently, and may be ongoing. It adds energy and action to writing, and its effect helps readers understand when the action is happening. Imagine Aunt Christine has surprised her nephew Scott for his birthday and is going to take him out to his favorite restaurant, Polly’s Pancake Diner. If I wanted to tell the story after it happened, I’d use the past tense: They waited at the red light, and Scott worried they might miss their reservation. (Past tense) But what I really want to convey is how the event unfolded, showing the action as it is happening: They are sitting at Scott’s favorite booth, the one with the sparkling red plastic seats.(For how long? We don’t know, but we do know they are sitting there now.) The waiter is standing behind the counter right now with a notepad in his hand and pencil behind his ear. (Will he ever make it over to the booth? Probably, but not now.) “Are you waiting to open your presents after you eat your pancakes?” said Aunt Christine, taking a sip from her root beer. (Here the present continuous is being used in question form.) From this narrative point of view, the action is immediate and continuous; there’s momentum. Sometimes writers use this tense to add suspense or humor in fictional pieces. What kind of pancakes will Scott and his aunt order? The suspense is killing me! The Present Continuous Formula To form the present continuous, follow this formula: To Be [Am, Is, Are] + Verb [Present Participle] When to Use the Present Continuous Tense Use the present continuous tense with the appropriate “to be” verb and a dynamic verb. A dynamic verb shows action and/or process. For example, Scott’s little sister is arriving at the diner two hours late because her roller-derby team, Chicks Ahoy, won the national championships early today. As she is walking into Polly’s Pancake Diner, she is yelling goodbye to her friends outside, and Scott hopes she doesn’t cause a scene since she is always embarrassing him in public. When Not to Use the Present Continuous Tense Do not use the present continuous tense with stative verbs. Stative verbs show a state of being that does not show qualities of change. These verbs can stay in the simple present. For example, Aunt Christine is preferring the maple walnut pancakes over the banana peanut butter ones that Scott loves. Aunt Christine prefers the maple walnut pancakes over the banana peanut butter ones that Scott loves. Here, the stative verb to prefer shows opinion, and therefore should not be conjugated into the present continuous. Stative verb categories include emotion (to love), possession (to belong), and thoughts (to recognize), and none of these should use the present continuous form. The Exception to the Rule Some verbs can be both dynamic and stative! Think about the verbs to be and to think. In its dynamic form, the verb to be can show action: Sarah, Scott’s little sister, is being bold by ordering the jalapeno-chipotle pancakes. But in its stative form, the verb to be is awkward if conjugated in the present continuous. Sarah is being a tall teenager, who loves her food spicy and her sports dangerous. Sarah is a tall teenageer, who loves her food spicy and her sports dangerous. Here are some more examples: The waiter thinks Scott should save room for pumpkin pie. (Stative and in the simple present) The waiter is thinking about getting a new job that requires less human interaction, like a veterinarian. (Dynamic and in the present continuous) Idiomatic Expressions and Style English can be confusing; what is grammatically correct isn’t always what you might hear in music, in advertisements, or during regular conversations. The present continuous is often used incorrectly. Consider the the popular slogan for McDonald’s: “I’m Lovin’ It.” This is a grammatically incorrect sentence because to love is a stative verb, so why would McDonald’s use it in their advertisements? This marks the difference between grammar and style. Using the present continuous as a means to exaggerate is a stylistic trend, and as such, it would not be surprising to hear this conversation: Scott, glazed with a chocolate mustache, looks over to his aunt and says, “I’m lovin’ me some of these chocolate peanut butter banana pancakes!” “I’m hearing what you’re saying!” she replies, sprinkling powdered sugar atop the stacks on her plate. Here Scott and his Aunt display their excitement in a silly way, emphasizing their feelings. On the other hand, you would never hear a native speaker say these sentences: Scott is loving his Aunt Christine, a self-proclaimed pancake connoisseur. (People would simply say “Scott loves his Aunt Christine . . .”) Sarah is hearing the music from their table-top juke box and resists the urge to dance on the table. (Sarah hears the music. . .) The Final Say If you are teaching English or learning it, I’d recommend simply sticking to grammatically correct constructions and leaving the idiomatic expressions to the creators of advertisements and song lyrics. In formal writing, the experts recommend that when you can use fewer words to express a thought, you should, so use the present continuous sparingly—short and sweet can’t be beat! Common Construction in the Present Continuous Tense Common Dynamic Verbs that USE the Present Continuous Common Stative Verbs that DO NOT USE the Present Continuous
		Past Continuous Tense (Past Progressive Tense) The past continuous tense is used to refer to several temporal situations. It’s made with the past tense of be + the present participle (the root word = ‑ing). Narrative in past tense. It was raining. The water was pouring down in sheets and the passersby were getting wetter with every step, despite their umbrellas. When one action is happening at the time of another particular time. It was raining at noon. It was raining during lunch. When one action is happening at the same time as another. It was raining while I was out walking. Remember not to use the past continuous tense with non-action verbs like seem and know. These verbs should use the simple past. I was knowing my neighbour quite well. I knew my neighbour quite well.
		Future Continuous Tense (Future Progressive Tense) The future continuous relates one action in the future to another specific action or time. It’s formed this way: will + be + present participle (root word + ‑ing). We will be going to the gym after work. Will you be joining us? At 5 a.m. tomorrow, they will be departing Alaska. I’ll be returning home next Thursday. Remember not to use the future continuous tense with non-action verbs like seem and know; include be in this list for future continuous tense. These verbs should use the simple future. She will be being here at 3:00. She will be here at 3:00. Past Perfect Continuous Tense (Past Perfect Progressive Tense) The past perfect continuous is written by using the past tense of have + been + present participle. It’s used when one activity in the past was happening before or after another activity had taken place. Look for the words for, since, and before. The car had been sitting in the garage, unused, for a month. It was 5 o’clock; his parents had been waiting for him since 2 o’clock. Before they immigrated, my father had been working as a surgeon and my mother had been training to be a psychiatrist. We’d been walking for only 5 minutes when the rain started. Remember not to use the past perfect continuous tense with non-action verbs like be, seem, and know. These verbs should use the past perfect. The baby had been being cranky all night. The baby had been cranky all night. Future Perfect Continuous Tense (Future Perfect Progressive Tense) The future perfect continuous tense is used much like the future perfect, but one of the actions is likely to continue beyond the other. It can also be used when one action will be continuing at a certain time in the future. Create the future perfect continuous this way: will + have + been + present participle (root + ‑ing). Look for key words like in and by. In September, I will have been going to school for 4/5 of my life. By 2015, you will have been living in Mexico longer than you’ve lived anywhere else. By the end of this month, she will have been working long enough to get benefits. In three months, they will have been seeing each other for a year. Remember not to use the future perfect continuous tense with non-action verbs like be, seem and know. These verbs should use the future perfect. Tomorrow, I will have been being here for a week. Tomorrow, I will have been here for a week.