tense Affirmative/Negative/Question Use Signal Words

always, every …, never,

Simple A: He speaks.  action in the present taking normally, often, seldom,
Present N: He does not speak. sometimes, usually
place once, never or several times
Q: Does he speak? if sentences type I (If I talk, …)
 facts

 actions taking place one after

another

 action set by a timetable or schedule

Present A: He is speaking. at the moment, just, just now,

Continuous N: He is not speaking.  action taking place in the moment Listen!, Look!, now, right now
Q: Is he speaking?
of speaking

 action taking place only for a limited

period of time

 action arranged for the future

Simple Past A: He spoke. yesterday, 2 minutes ago, in

N: He did not speak.
Q: Did he speak?
 action in the past taking place once, 1990, the other day, last Friday
if sentence type II (If
never or several times
I talked, …)
 actions taking place one after
another

 action taking place in the middle of

another action

Past A: He was speaking. when, while, as long as

continuous N: He was not speaking.  action going on at a certain time in
Q: Was he speaking?
the past

 actions taking place at the same

time

 action in the past that is interrupted

by another action

Present A: He has spoken. already, ever, just, never, not

Perfect N: He has not spoken.  putting emphasis on the result yet, so far, till now, up to now
Simple Q: Has he spoken?
 action that is still going on

 action that stopped recently

 finished action that has an influence

on the present

 action that has taken place once,

never or several times before the moment
of speaking

Present A: He has been speaking. all day, for 4 years, since 1993,
Perfect N: He has not been speaking.  putting emphasis on the course or how long?, the whole week
Continuous Q: Has he been speaking?
duration (not the result)

 action that recently stopped or is still


Past A: He had spoken.
Perfect N: He had not spoken.
Simple Q: Had he spoken?
Past A: He had been speaking.
Perfect N: He had not been speaking.
Continuous Q: Had he been speaking?
Future I A: He will speak.
Simple N: He will not speak.
Q: Will he speak?
Future I A: He is going to speak.
Simple N: He is not going to speak.
Q: Is he going to speak?
(going to)
Future I A: He will be speaking.
Continuous N: He will not be speaking.
Q: Will he be speaking?
Future II A: He will have spoken.
Simple N: He will not have spoken.
Q: Will he have spoken?
Future II A: He will have been speaking.
Continuous N: He will not have been
speaking.
Q: Will he have been speaking?
going on
 finished action that influenced the
present
already, just, never, not yet,
 action taking place before a certain once, until that day
if sentence type III (If I had
time in the past
talked, …)
 sometimes interchangeable with
past perfect progressive
 putting emphasis only on
the fact (not the duration)
for, since, the whole day, all day
 action taking place before a certain
time in the past
 sometimes interchangeable with
past perfect simple
 putting emphasis on the duration or
course of an action
in a year, next …, tomorrow
 action in the future that cannot be If-Satz Typ I (If you ask her,
shewill help you.)
influenced
assumption: I think, probably,
 spontaneous decision perhaps
 assumption with regard to the future
in one year, next week,
 decision made for the future tomorrow
 conclusion with regard to the future
in one year, next week,
 action that is going on at a certain tomorrow
time in the future
 action that is sure to happen in the
near future
by Monday, in a week
 action that will be finished at a
certain time in the future
for …, the last couple of hours,
 action taking place before a certain all day long
time in the future
 putting emphasis on the course of
an action