I.

SIMPLE TENSES

A. Simple present = base form: I work. OR base form + -s: He works. She works.
It works. OR base form + -es : I watch / she watches; I study / he studies

1. A general truth.

The sky is blue.

2. A typical activity.

I always brush after I eat.

Bob watches TV every night.

Sara works 5 days a week.

3. A statement of something existing at the time of speaking.

I hear the train coming.

I smell smoke.

4. A scheduled event or activity.

My plane leaves at 8:30 tomorrow.

B. Simple past = base form + -ed for regular verbs : I worked yesterday. The
simple past for irregular verbs varies : He ate lunch at noon. (irregular verb)

1. An activity begun and completed at a particular time in the past.

I went to work yesterday morning.

2. Commonly used with “after” and “before” clauses.

After Bob ate dinner, he drove to CEC.

The students arrived in class before the teacher.

3. “Used to” = past habits (used to + base form)

I used to ride horses when I was a kid.

C. Simple future = will + base form: I will work tomorrow. He will eat dinner
later. OR am / is / are + (going to + base form): I am going to work tomorrow.
She is going to eat dinner at Al’s Restaurant. We are going to study Unit 1 tonight.
1. A future event or activity.

Our break will begin at 8:10.

I will study later.

I’m going to study later.

2. Use will (not: going to) to volunteer.

A. Wait a second. I will help you with that sofa. If you try to move it by
yourself, your back will be out for a week.

3. Use going to (not: will) with a preconceived plan.

I’m going to mow my lawn tomorrow.

D. Present perfect = have + past participle : I have worked. I have eaten. OR has
+ past participle: She has worked. She has eaten.

1. An activity that began in the past and continues into the present , often using
“since, ” “since...ago,” or “for”:

“since” = a particular time: I have / She has studied English since 1997.
 “since...ago” = a particular time: I’ve / She’s studied English since 5
years ago.

“for” = a duration of time: I’ve / She’s studied English for 5 years.

2. A repeated activity.

I have / He has gone to ESL class every day this week.

3. An activity that occurred at an unspecified time in the past.

A. Have you ever visited New York? B. No, but I have visited New
Orleans.

4. An activity in a time clause (e.g., when..., while..., after...) that ends before the
main clause activity begins.

I will go to the movie after I have studied Unit 1.

E. Past perfect = had + past participle : I had worked. She had eaten.

An activity in the past that ended before another activity in the past.
e.g. They had already gone to Lab by the time I arrived.

F. Future perfect = will have + past participle : I will have worked. She will have
eaten.

An activity in the future that will end before another activity in the future.

e.g. They will have left Lab by the time I arrive.

Notes on present continuous

 A present continuous verb always includes:

is (singular) or are (plural) or could/should/would/may be

an -ing verb
Examples
• People are now having children later in life.
• The company is changing its marketing approach.
• The company should be changing its marketing approach.
Notes on the present perfect
A present perfect verb always includes:

has (singular) or have (plural) + a past participle

Past participles usually end in -ed: contributed, resigned, completed
fallen, grown, made, been,
but may be irregular:
become
Examples
• couples have contributed
• average household size has fallen
Notes on past perfect tenses
A past perfect verb always includes:

had (for singular or plural) + a past

participle
Examples
• They announced that he had resigned for personal reasons.
• He reported that productivity had declined.

A past perfect continuous verb includes:

had (for singular or plural) + been + an -ing

verb
Example
• When he took over, productivity had been declining for two years.
 A past perfect passive verb includes:

had (for singular or plural) + been + a past

participle
Example
• The new software had been purchased before his arrival.

Note:

The past simple tense is used when events are described in the order in which they
occurred.
Example
• In March 2005 she started a management course at Monash University.
Three months later she found a part-time job.

Note:

The past perfect tense is used when, in describing the past, we briefly refer to an even
earlier event
Example
• When she began her part-time job in June 2005 she had already started a
management course at Monash University.