ENGLISH TENSES.pdf

ENGLISH TENSES

Use & Form

SIMPLE PRESENT

Universal general truths

The sun risesin the east

Habitual actionsI brushmy teeth every morning

Permanent situations

My cousins don’t

livein Córdoba

Fixed, timetabled events

My favourite TV series startsat 8.30 pm

Actions “NOW” (stative verbs)What do you want? I needsome milk, please

PRESENT CONTINUOUS

Actions happening NOW, AT THE MOMENT

The plane is taking offright now

Temporary actions(At the disco) We are learninga lot of English

this yearPlans or arrangements

She’s travellingto Britain tomorrow morning

Habitual actions but showing annoyance (use

“always”)

He’salwayspickingon me at school

PAST SIMPLE

Finished or completed actions in the past

We founda small cat at our doorShe hadbreakfast at school

Past actions at a definite time

Those workers startedthe strike last MondayOur friends phonedat 10.30 pm

To narrate actions from the past

Last Friday She gotup, brushedher teeth and

went

to bed again

PAST CONTINUOUS

To show actions in progress at a definite time in

the past

They were doingtheir homework at 9 o’clockAs a frame for interrupting simple past actions

I was havingdinner WHENthe light wentoff

For simultaneous or parallel actions in the pastMy daughter was tidyingup her bedroom

WHILE

my son was drawingon a piece of paper

PRESENT PERFECT

Actions in an indefinite time in the PAST (we DON’T say

WHEN) with relevance or importance in the PRESENT:

We have forgottenour keys. We can’t open the door

house NOWShe has writtena lot of articles about fashionTo ask and answer about EXPERIENCES. We use

EVER and NEVER:

Have you everriddena camel? No, I haven’t.

I’veneverriddena camel but I’ve riddena horse

Hashe everflownon a balloon? Yes, He has.

He flewon it last summer(We use the Simple Past to

GIVE DETAILS. We say WHENthe action happened)

PAST PERFECT

To express that an action has happened BEFORE

another action in the PAST

The kids switchedon the TV when their parents had

left home

We normally use time connectors such as UNTIL, BEFORE, BY THE TIME, AFTER, WHEN…

The workers hadduga deep ditch BEFOREthe

foreman arrived

FUTURE TENSES (1)

Present

Simple

Fixed,

scheduled

or

timetabled

eventssuchasTVprogrammes,trains,planes,buses…

Thetennismatchstartsat11’30amtomorrowmorning:Plansorarrangements

PresentContinuous

WearehavingatestnextFriday

Begoingto

:-IntentionsMyauntisgoingtoloseweight

-Predictionswithevidence

It’scloudy.Ithinkit’sgoingtorainheavily

FUTURE TENSES (2)

Will

-Predictionswithoutevidence

Youwillfindagreatjobandwillearnalotofmoney

-Certaintyinanearfuture

IthinkKevinwilldohishomeworkbeforedinner

-Instantdecisions

I’mquitethirsty.I’llgetadrinkfromthatkiosk!

-Promises

MyparentswillsendmetoUKifIpassallmyexams

-Requests

Willyougivemeahandwiththis,please?

-Offers

Wewillhelpyouifyoureallyneedit

FUTURE PERFECT

To express that an action will have finished at a definite time in the FUTURE:

The painter willhavedecoratedthe room

by next week

We use time expressionssuch as by this time next week, by then, by

August…

FUTURE CONTINUOUS

To express that an action will be in progressat a definite time in the future:

Sheila will be sleepingat this time

tomorrow

We can use time expressions such as by this time next Monday, at this time next

week, on Thursday…