Signal/clue words help us to use a correct tense.

For example:


Simple Continuous
(Progressive)
Perfect Perfect Continuous
(Progressive)




Present

always,
every...,
never,
normally,
often,
seldom,
sometimes,
usually,
frequently,
the first time

now, right now, this
week,
at the moment,
Listen!, Look!, just,
just now

(un)till now, up to
now, just,
since, ever, never,
always, so far,
many
times/weeks/years...
for three
minutes/hours/...,
lately, recently


for the past
year/month/week/...,
for 2 weeks, up to now,
all day, since 1945, How
long?,
the whole week



Past
yesterday,
minutes ago,
last year,
before,
one year
ago, finally
while, when,
as long as
already, before,
after,
just, never, not yet,
once
until then/last
week/...

before, for one
hour/week/month/...,
since, all day,
the whole day


Future
tomorrow,
tonight,
next week,
soon,
in the future,
afternoon,
someday
when, after, before,
as soon as, next
week,
all day long, for...,
at this time
tomorrow
by the time you go
(somewhere)
by the time you do
(something)



by the time,
for 5
minutes/days/weeks/...





Adverbs of frequency

Use adverbs of frequency to say how often you do something. Adverbs of frequency are often used with
the present simple because they indicate repeated or routine activities. For example, They often go out
for dinner.
Occasionally, we use adverbs of frequency with the Present Continuous (Progressive) to complain
about something:
He is always smoking.
They are constantly playing loud music.
She is forever talking on the phone.

When it used with the continuous form, it is often to show that the speaker disapproves of the action.
He always calls his mother. (good or neutral)
He's always calling me. (I wish he'd stop)


Adverbs of frequency can be used with a simple past tense verb, although they are more often used with
verbs in the simple present tense, the perfect tenses, or simple future tense. Here are some examples of
the use of two of these adverbs with simple past tense verbs:
Ellie was always very good at art. (example in Oxford Advanced Learners Dictionary 2005)
I always thought Id have children eventually. (example in online Cambridge Advanced Learners
Dictionary)
In those years we always did well against them in one-on-one games.
He never went to university. (Collins Cobuild English Grammar)
I never did that again, he said.
He never did his homework in primary school, but always did well in exams.
I always studied my lessons when I was at school. ALWAYS with past simple.
He was always bothering me when I passed by. ALWAYS with past continuous.
I have never studied French. NEVER with present perfect.