TENSES

REVIEW
PRESENT CONTINUOUS TENSE vs SIMPLE PRESENT

PRESENT CONTINUOUS SIMPLE PRESENT

Function: Something happening at / around Function: Something in general or things
the time of speaking. that happen repeatedly

I am doing I do
past now future past now future

Example: Example:
1. Listen to those people. What 1. Excuse me, do you speak English?
language are they speaking?

2.The water is boiling. Can you turn it 2. Water boils at 100 degrees Celsius.
off?

3. Please, be quiet. I am working now. 3. Jeff works in a very big office.

4. J.K. Rowling is working on her new

novel.
SOME IRREGULARITIES
PRESENT CONTINUOUS
 When used with “always”, Present Continuous indicates an
annoying action.
EX: Jane is always stepping on my foot when we dance.
 Present Continuous is also used for fixed arrangement in the
future.
EX: I cannot go with you on Saturday. I am having a family dinner.

PRESENT SIMPLE
Present Simple is also used to talk about general
plan/schedule/timetable.
EX: I should wake up early tomorrow. My plane departs at 04.30
a.m.
PRESENT PERFECT vs
PRESENT PERFECT CONTINUOUS
PRESENT PERFECT
Function: To express an activity
started in the past and has been
finished before now. We are interested
in the result/achievement of the
activity.
Example:
1. Somebody has smoked all my
cigarettes. The package is empty.
2. Mary has written ten letters
today.
3. They have played tennis three
times this week.
4. The car is OK now. I have
repaired it.
PRESENT PERFECT CONTINUOUS
Function:To express activity started in
the past, still in progress now, and
might continue in the future. We are
interested in the activity.
Example:
1. She has been smoking too much
recently.
2. Mary is still writing letters. She has
been writing letters all day.
3. They have been playing tennis
since 2 o’clock.
4. My hands are very dirty. I have
been repairing the car.
SIMPLE PAST vs PAST CONTINUOUS

SIMPLE PAST PAST CONTINUOUS

Function:To express an activity Function: To express that somebody
started and finished at a certain point was in the middle of doing something
of time in the past at a certain time in the past.

X started doing was doing finished doing

past now future
past past now

Example: Example:
1. I work in a travel agency now. 1. This time last year I was living in
Before that I worked in a shop. Brazil.
2. The police stopped me on my 2. What were you doing at 10
way home last night. o’clock last night?
3. She passed her examination
because she studied very hard.
 SIMPLE PAST vs PAST CONTINUOUS

We often use Past Simple and Past Continuous together

to say that something happened in the middle of something else.

Example:
1. I was walking home when I met Dave. (=in the middle of walking
home)

2. Ann was watching television when the phone rang.

3. Tom burnt his hand when he was cooking the dinner.

PAST PERFECT vs PAST SIMPLE

PAST PERFECT PAST SIMPLE

Function: To express an activity Function:To express an activity
started and finished in the past started and finished at certain point of
(before now). We are interested on time in the past
the result.
x
had done past now future
past now

Example:
1. The house was dirty. They had
not cleaned it for weeks.
2. We weren’t hungry. We had just
had lunch.
PAST PERFECT vs PAST SIMPLE
Sometimes, Past Perfect and Past Simple are used in a sentence.
In this case, actions expressed by Past Perfect happened before the
Past Simple.

Example:
1. When I arrived at your house, Tom had already gone to
airport.

1st event: Tom went to airport

2nd event: I arrived

2. The house was very quiet when I got home.

Everybody had gone to bed.

1st event: Everybody went to bed

2nd event: I got home
PAST PERFECT CONTINUOUS
another past

x
past present

 Past Perfect Continuous  to show that something started

in the past and continued up until another time in the past.

 "For five minutes" and "for two weeks" are both durations
which can be used with the Past Perfect Continuous.

 Notice that this is related/similar to the Present Perfect

Continuous; however, the duration does not continue until
now, it stops before something else in the past.
PAST PERFECT CONTINUOUS
 They had been talking for over an hour before Tony arrived.
 She had been working at that company for three years when it
went out of business.
 How long had you been waiting to get on the bus?
 Mike wanted to sit down because he had been standing all day at
work.
 James had been teaching at the university for more than a year
before he left for Asia.
 A: How long had you been studying Turkish before you moved to
Ankara?
B: I had not been studying Turkish very long.
FUTURE PERFECT TENSE
 Indicates that an action will have been
completed (finished or perfected) at some point
in the future.
 We are interested on the result/achievement in
the future.

The formula is:

“will + Present Perfect”
FUTURE PERFECT TENSE
EXAMPLE:
1. By this time next week, I will have
worked on this project for twenty days.
2. By 6 pm tonight, I will have finished this
book.
3. By this time tomorrow, he will have
arrived.
Will vs Going To
WILL
Function: will is used when we decide
to do something at the time of
speaking. The speaker has not decided
before.
Example:
1. A: Let’s have a party.
B: Cool. I will surely come!
2. X: Ann is in hospital.
Y: Oh really? I didn’t know. I will go
and visit her.
GOING TO
Function: (be) going to is used when
we have already decided / planned to
do something.
Example:
1. Sue and I have decided to have a
party. We are going to invite lots
of people.
2. X: Ann is in hospital.
Y: I know. I am going to visit her
tomorrow.
Will vs Going To
Will and Going To can also be used to predict the future

WILL GOING TO
We use will if the prediction is based We use going to if the prediction is
on one’s personal opinion. based on the present condition/fact.

Example: Example:
1. Tom will probably arrive at 1. Look at those black clouds. It is
about 8 o’clock. going to rain.
2. I think Ann will like the present 2. I feel terrible. I think I am going
we bought for her. to be sick.
RUN THE WORDS
1. I (learn) _____ English for seven years now.
2. Last year, however, I ____ (not, work) hard enough
for English, that's why my marks ____ (be) not
really that good then.
3. As I (pass, want) _____ my English exam
successfully next year, I (study) _____ harder this
term.
4. Last summer holidays, my parents (send) _____
me on a language course to London.
5. It (be) _____ great and I (think) _____ I (learn)
_____ a lot.
6. Before I (go) _____ to London, I (not / enjoy)
_____ learning English.
7. But while I (do) _____ the language course, I
(meet) _____ lots of young people from all over
the world.
8. There I (notice) _____ how important it (be)
_____ to speak foreign languages nowadays.
9. Now I (have) _____ much more fun learning
English than I (have) _____ before the course.
10. At the moment I (revise) _____ English
grammar.
Check! source: https://www.ego4u.com/en/cram-up/tests/language-course

1. I have been learning English for seven years now.

2. Last year, however, I did not work/was not working hard enough for
English, that's why my marks were not really that good then.
3. As I want to pass my English exam successfully next year, I am going
to study harder this term.
4. During my last summer holidays, my parents sent me on a language
course to London.
5. It was great and I think I have learned a lot.
6. Before I went to London, I had not enjoyed/did not enjoy learning
English.
7. But while I was doing the language course, I met lots of young people
from all over the world.
8. There I noticed how important it is to speak foreign languages
nowadays.
9. Now I have much more fun learning English than I had before the
course.
10. At the moment I am revising English grammar.