Overview of Verb Tenses - Intermediate

Overview of Verb Tenses

Present Simple

• used to talk about things in general

• used to talk about facts

• used to talk about something that happens repeatly

• used for timetables

 

We use the base form of the verb and for the 3^rd person singular which adds ‘s’.

eg. Coca-cola is a multinational company with branches all over the globe.

The company regularly updates their technology.

Present Continuous

• used for something happening at or around the time of speaking

• used to emphasise something that is happening in the present

• used to indicate future plans

 

am/is/are + V_ing

eg. The government is investing a lot of money in the new transport link.

Companies are becoming serious about fighting credit card fraud over the Internet.

We are having a party at our house tomorrow night.

Past Simple

• used to talk about a completed action in the past (and often includes a time expression)

 

Verbs usually end in –ed unless they are irregular

eg. All of the necessary data was collected and analysed.

I wrote more than 20 e-mails yesterday.

Past Continuous

• used to show what somebody was in the middle of doing at a certain time in the past

• used to show that something happened in the middle of another past action

• used to establish the context of a past situation

 

was/were + V_ing

eg. At eight o’clock last night I was having dinner.

She was watching television when the telephone rang.

The sun was shining and we were all feeling very excited.

Present Perfect Simple

The present perfect connects the past to the present. It is used:

• to indicate experience

• to explain the result of a past event

• to show an action which began in the past and has recently finished or is still continuing

 

Note: We do not use this tense if we are referring to a specific point in the past (eg., last week, in 1999… We use the past simple instead).

have/has + past participle

eg. IBM has recently spent $2 million on research and development.

I have never been to Russia.

She has written three letters already today.

I have had a headache all day.

Present Perfect Continuous

• is used for an action which has recently stopped or just stopped

• is used for an action which began in the past and is still continuing

 

Note: Present perfect continuous actions are usually more temporary than present perfect simple actions.

have/has + been + V_ing

eg. The government has been encouraging businesses to expand globally.

I have been eating chocolate.

It has been raining non-stop for 2 hours.

Past Perfect

• is used to talk about an action which happened before another past action

 

had + past participle

eg. When we got home last night, we found that someone had broken into our house.

The man sitting next to me on the plane was very nervous. He hadn’t flown before. / He had never flown before.

Past Perfect Continuous

• is used to talk about an action that had been happening for a period of time before something else happened

 

had + been + V_ing

eg. At last the bus came. I had been waiting for more than an hour.

Ann was sitting in an armchair watching television. She was very tired because she had been working very hard.

Future Simple

• is used to make predictions

• is used to express commitment

• is used when we decide to do something at the time of speaking

 

will/shall + verb

eg. Countries will start using nuclear power if oil runs out.

We shall/will reduce unemployment and cut taxes.

‘Did you phone Ruth?’ ‘Oh no, I forgot. I’ll phone her now.’

Future Continuous

• is used to show an action which is expected to cross a point or fill a period of future time

 

will + be + V_ing

eg. This time tomorrow he’ ll be lying on the beach.

I’ll be working when you arrive.

I will be watching television from 8 o’clock to midnight.

Future Perfect Simple

• is used to say that something will already to complete in the future

 

will + have + past participle

eg. The film will already have started by the time we get to the cinema.

The company will have spent all their training budget by the end of the month.

They won’t have arrived by the time you get there.

Future Perfect Continuous

• is used to express the predicted duration of an event, viewed from a future time

 

will + have + been + V_ing

eg. By this time tomorrow, I’ ll have been travelling for 10 hours.

This time tomorrow she’ ll have been working for 24 hours straight.

NOTE: The verbs listed bellow are almost never used in the present or past progressive (continuous), although it is possible in some cases. know understand have

believe hate need

hear love appear

see like seem

smell want taste

wish sound