Functional Communication: English Tenses

English Tenses

Tenses in English refer to the different forms a verb can take to indicate the time frame in which an action or event occurred or will occur. English has three basic tenses: past, present, and future. However, these tenses can be further divided into four subcategories: simple, progressive (also known as continuous), perfect, and perfect progressive (also known as perfect continuous).

Here's an overview of each of these tenses, including examples of how they're used:

Simple Present: The simple present tense is used to describe actions or events that are happening now or that happen regularly. It is also used to state general truths or facts. The verb in this tense is the base form of the verb.

Example:

She walks to work every day. (present action)
The sun rises in the east. (general truth)

Present Progressive: The present progressive tense describes actions or events that are happening right now. It is formed by combining the present tense of the verb "to be" with the present participle (verb + ing).

Example:

She is walking to work right now. (action happening now)

Simple Past: The simple past tense is used to describe actions or events that happened in the past. The verb in this tense is the past tense form of the verb.

Example:

She walked to work yesterday. (past action)

Past Progressive: The past progressive tense describes actions or events that were ongoing in the past. It is formed by combining the past tense of the verb "to be" with the present participle (verb + ing).

Example:

She was walking to work when she saw the accident. (action ongoing in the past)

Simple Future: The simple future tense describes actions or events that will happen in the future. It is formed by using the modal verb "will" plus the base form of the verb.

Example:

She will walk to work tomorrow. (future action)

Future Progressive: The future progressive tense is used to describe actions or events that will be ongoing in the future. It is formed by using the modal verb "will" plus "be" plus the present participle (verb + ing).

Example:

She will be walking to work at this time tomorrow. (action ongoing in the future)

Present Perfect: The present perfect tense is used to describe actions or events that happened at an unspecified time in the past, or that started in the past and continue to the present. It is formed by using the present tense of the auxiliary verb "have" plus the past participle (verb + ed).

Example:

She has walked to work many times before. (past action continuing to the present)

Past Perfect: The past perfect tense is used to describe actions or events that happened before a certain point in the past. It is formed by using the past tense of the auxiliary verb "have" plus the past participle (verb + ed).

Example:

She had walked to work before she got a car. (past action before a specific time)

Future Perfect: The future perfect tense is used to describe actions or events that will be completed by a certain point in the future. It is formed by using the modal verb "will" plus the auxiliary verb "have" plus the past participle (verb + ed).

Example:

She will have walked to work for a year by the time she gets her car. (completed action in the future

Present Perfect Progressive: The present perfect progressive tense is used to describe actions or events that started in the past and are still ongoing in the present. It is formed by using the present tense of the auxiliary verb "have" plus "been" plus the present participle (verb + ing).

Example:

She has been walking to work for an hour. (ongoing action in the present)

Past Perfect Progressive: The past perfect progressive tense is used to describe actions or events that started in the past and continued up until another point in the past. It is formed by using the past tense of the auxiliary verb "have" plus "been" plus the present participle (verb + ing).

Example:

She had been walking to work for an hour when it started raining. (ongoing action up until another point in the past)

Future Perfect Progressive: The future perfect progressive tense is used to describe actions or events that will have been ongoing for a certain period of time in the future. It is formed by using the modal verb "will" plus the auxiliary verb "have" plus "been" plus the present participle (verb + ing).

Example:

She will have been walking to work for an hour when she gets there. (ongoing action for a certain period of time in the future)

It's important to note that there are irregular verbs in English, which means their past and past participle forms do not follow the standard -ed ending. It's also important to pay attention to the specific time frame in which an action or event occurred, as this will determine which tense to use.

Worksheet

Identify the tense of the underlined verb in each sentence: a. I am eating breakfast right now. (present progressive) b. She went to the store yesterday. (simple past) c. They will be arriving at the airport at 3 PM. (future progressive) d. He has been studying for his exam for hours. (present perfect progressive) e. We had already seen the movie before. (past perfect) f. She will have finished her work by 5 PM. (future perfect) g. They play soccer every Saturday. (simple present) h. I was watching TV when she called. (past progressive) i. She has visited Paris twice. (present perfect) j. They had been waiting for the train for an hour. (past perfect progressive)
Write a sentence using the following tenses: a. Present Progressive: She _____________ (watch) TV right now. Answer: She is watching TV right now.

b. Simple Past: I _____________ (run) in the park yesterday. Answer: I ran in the park yesterday.

c. Future Perfect: They _____________ (finish) the project by the end of the week. Answer: They will have finished the project by the end of the week.

d. Past Perfect Progressive: She _____________ (study) for three hours before she took a break. Answer: She had been studying for three hours before she took a break.

e. Present Perfect: He _____________ (live) in this city for five years. Answer: He has lived in this city for five years.

Rewrite the following sentences using the correct tense: a. She cooks dinner every night. (simple present) Rewritten: She is cooking dinner right now.

b. I am meeting my friends for lunch tomorrow. (present progressive) Rewritten: I will be meeting my friends for lunch tomorrow.

c. He has played basketball for 10 years. (present perfect) Rewritten: He started playing basketball 10 years ago.

d. They had finished the project before the deadline. (past perfect) Rewritten: They finished the project before the deadline.

e. She will be studying for her exam all day tomorrow. (future progressive) Rewritten: She will be studying for her exam at this time tomorrow.

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