Some Helpful Tools
Simple Tenses
This section will cover the twelve verb tenses and how they are used.
Perfect Tenses
- something happens regularly
- something is a fact or always true
- something is happening at the moment
Traffic is always hectic this time of day.
I carry my umbrella on rainy days.
Steve believes his answer is correct.
Use the simple past tense when:
- something has happened in the past
To form the past tense of a regular verb, add a d or ed to the base of the verb.
To review the List for Irregular Verbs: click here.
Use the simple future tense when:
This tense uses the helping verb will + the base verb.
I will leave for Florida tomorrow.
Harry will begin his new job next week.
Use the past perfect tense when:
- an action is completed before a specific time in the past
Before yesterday, Jim had thought that decorating a cake was easy.
Use the present perfect tense when:
Nina has worked at the school for the past fifteen years.
Use the future perfect tense when:
- an action will be completed by a certain time in the future
By next week, George will have graduated from college.
She will have finished all of her chores by the end of the day.
Use the past progressive tense when:
- something was in the process of continuously occurring in the past
Nina was going to the store.
Progressive Tenses
Use the present progressive tense when:
- something is happening continuously in the present
Fred is watching television.
Use the future progressive tense when:
- something will happen continuously in the future
Mary will be making the arrangements for the upcoming event.
Perfect Progressive Tenses
Jess will have been working at the bookstore for over 20 years.
He painted the house yellow.
We drove to the lake last weekend.
Use the simple present tense when:
The simple present tense is also used to describe:
- how you feel
- what you believe
- something happens in the future
This tense uses had + past participle.
- an action starts in the past and continues into the present or has just been completed
This tense uses have or has + past participle.
This tense uses will + have + past participle
This tense uses had been + the present participle.
She had been going to the meetings until recently.
Use the present perfect progressive tense for:
Norman has been writing to his friends in Arizona for years.
Use the future perfect progressive tense for:
Use the past perfect progressive tense for:
This tense uses was or were + the present participle.
This tense uses am, is, or are + the present participle.
This tense uses will be + the present participle.
- the completion of an action that was in progress
- the completion of an action that is in progress
This tense uses has been or have been + the present participle.
- the completion of an action that will be in progress
This tense uses will have been + the present participle.
Language Arts: Verb Tenses - Tutorial
