Tenses

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Tenses
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A. Present simple tense

• Note Adverbs or adverb phrases used

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Present simple tense

• Water freezes when temperature drops
• to 0C.

freezes
drops
Past
Present
Future
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B. Present continuous tense

• Note Adverbs or adverb phrases
• often used

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Present continuous tense

• e.g. The actor is now reading his lines and
  we are listening to him attentively.

is reading
are listening
Past
Present
Future
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• Note We do not normally use the following
• verbs in the continuous tenses
• 1. Verbs of the senses
• This soup tastes good.

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• 3. Verbs of emotions and feelings
• I prefer coffee to tea.

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Go to bed!

• 2. Certain link verbs
• You look tired. Youd better take a rest.

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• 4. Verbs of mental ability
• She doesnt know your address.

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• 5. Verbs of possession
• Who owns this house?

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• 6. Others
• I suggest that we should start now.

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C. Present perfect tense

• He has already consulted his doctor for
• a medical check-up.

has consulted
Past
Present
Future
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D. Simple past tense

• I called on my friend yesterday.

Called
Past
Present
Future
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E. Present perfect and past simple tense

• Remember that when we use the present perfect
  tense, we are talking about the present, not the
  past. For this reason, we can use the tense with
  such adverbs as just, yet,
  already, etc., but never with adverbs or adverb
  phrases of past time like yesterday, two weeks
  ago, last month, in 1979, etc.

just, yet, already,
yesterday, two weeks ago, last month,
in 1979,
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F. Present perfect and present perfect
continuous tense

• When we talk about something which started in
  the past and has been in progress up to the
  present, we can use either the present perfect
  or present perfect continuous (have/has been
  present participle) without much difference in
  meaning.
• have lived
• have been living

have lived
in this house since 1992.
I
have been living
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G. Past simple and past perfect tense

• We use the past perfect (had past participle)
  when we want to emphasize that something had
  happened before a past time.
• I didnt see him. He had left when I arrived.

Compare He isnt here. He left ten minutes
ago. Wrong He had left ten minutes ago.
(Note that we use the past simple when
we talk about one action in the past.)
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H. Past perfect tense

• I had seen a movie before he came
• yesterday.

came
had seen
Past
Present
Future
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I. Future simple tense

• I shall graduate from secondary school
• next year.

shall graduate
Past
Present
Future
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J. Past continuous tense

• I was sleeping at 10 p.m. yesterday.

was sleeping
Past
Present
Future
10 p.m.