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Future tenses

There are several different ways in English that you can talk about the
future. This page is an introduction to the most important ones:

- Predictions/statements of fact
- Intentions
- Arrangements
- Scheduled events

Predictions/statements of fact
The auxiliary verb will is used in making predictions or simple statements of
fact about the future.

The sun will rise at 6.30 tomorrow.

Lunch break today will be 10 minutes longer than usual.

In the year 2050 all students will have their own computers in school.

If you help me, I will help you.

Do you think she will come soon?

You won't pass your exams if you don't start working harder.

I know my parents won't let me go to the party.

Will it snow for Christmas?

I know she's sick, but will she be back in school tomorrow?

Intentions
The auxiliary verb going to is used in talking about intentions. (An intention
is a plan for the future that you have already thought about.)

We're going to buy a new car next month.

I'm going to work in a bank when I leave school.

 In the new year I'm going to stop eating so much junk.

He's not going to go to the dance. He's got too much work.

I'm not going to watch TV until my science project is finished.

Are you going to play basketball after school?

What are you going to have for lunch today?

Note: going to is often used in the past tense to talk about an unfulfilled intention.
Examples: I was going to study for my grammar test, but I had no time. / He was going to
call you, but he couldn't find his mobile phone. / My grandmother was going to visit us, but
she fell and broke her arm.

Arrangements
The present continuous tense is used in talking about arrangements. (An
arrangement is is a plan for the future that you have already thought
about and discussed with someone else.)

I'm meeting my mother at the airport tomorrow.

Our grandparents are visiting us this Christmas.

Sorry, I can't stay after school today; I'm playing tennis with Jun-Sik.

My sister's going to the dentist tomorrow.

I'm not returning home for the holidays, so I can come to your party after
all!

Are you doing anything on Sunday morning?

Do you know if he is going to the dance with Maiko next week?

Scheduled events
The present simple tense is usually used to refer to future events that are
scheduled (and outside of our control).

Hurry up! The train departs in 10 minutes.

I leave Frankfurt at 5 o'clock in the morning and arrive in New York

at midnight the next day.

 She has an appointment with the headmaster after school today.

There's no need to hurry. The train doesn't leave for another 30 minutes.

When does the meeting begin?

The Present Simple Tense

The simple present tense is used in English for the following purposes:

- Repeated actions
- Simple statements of fact
- World truths
- With verbs of the senses and mental processes
- In jokes and story telling
- To refer to the future

How to form the present simple

Repeated actions
The present simple tense is very often used with adverbs of repeated time.
Look at these examples (the adverbs are shown in bold):

I always come to school by car.

She frequently arrives here before me.

He never forgets to do his homework.

I often catch the late bus home.

I play football on Saturdays.

Once a year I fly back to visit my family in Korea.

The classrooms are cleaned every evening after school.

She sometimes loses her temper, but it doesn't happen very often.

Do you ever eat in the cafeteria?

Does your father speak English every day?

Simple statements of fact

When we want to state a fact or ask a question without any time reference,
we use the present simple tense.

I live in Frankfurt.

She plays football but she doesn't play tennis.

For breakfast he eats rice and drinks cold milk.

She works very hard.

My friend speaks four languages.

It rains a lot in Germany.

I don't like horror films!

Do you smoke?

Does your sister have any children?

How much does it cost to buy an apartment in Frankfurt?

World truths
Statements about rules of nature and the way the world is are in the present
simple tense.

The sun sets in the West.

Most babies learn to speak when they are about two years old.

Water boils at 100 Celsius.

Trees lose their leaves in the fall.

Few people live to be 100 years old.

Wood floats on water.

Does it snow in the Sahara desert?

Do elephants live longer than humans?

Money doesn't guarantee happiness.

 Flowers don't grow in the winter.

Verbs of the senses and mental processes

The present simple tense is used for many verbs of thinking, feeling and
sensing. The most common words are:

like love prefer know understand

hate need want believe remember

see hear taste smell look

She likes it in Germany.

I love lying in bed late on Sunday mornings.

I need to know right now.

She says she doesn't know who did it, but I don't believe her.

He doesn't want to speak to you again.

This doesn't taste very good, does it?

Do you remember the first time we met?

Do you smell something funny?

Does he understand which way to go?

In jokes, anecdotes and film or book summaries

The present simple tense is very often used in jokes and when telling a story
to make the joke or story seem more immediate. This use of the present
tense is sometimes called the graphic present.

The present simple is also used to retell what happens in a book or film.

So in he walks with a parrot on his shoulder.

In his new film Robert Redford plays the part of a brave cowboy.

To refer to the future

The present simple is often used to refer to future events that are scheduled
(and outside of our control).
 Hurry up! The train departs in 10 minutes.

I leave Frankfurt at 5 o'clock in the morning and arrive in New York

at midnight the next day.

She has a piano lesson after school today.

There's no need to hurry. The train doesn't leave for another 30 minutes.

When does the meeting begin?

The Past Simple Tense

The past simple tense is most often used for the following:

- For actions that happened in the past

- In reported speech
- In conditional sentences

How to form the past simple

For actions that happened in the past

The past simple is the most usual tense for talking about things that
happened or have finished before now. Very often we use a word or
expression of finished time with this tense. In the following example
sentences the expressions of finished time are shown in bold:

She came to Germany two years ago.

It rained every day for a week on my vacation.

Columbus discovered America in 1492.

I played tennis at the weekend.

I didn't see you yesterday. Were you in school?

My mother went shopping on Saturday but she didn't buy anything.

I felt embarrassed when the teacher asked an easy question but I didn't
know the answer.

The weather was bad this afternoon* so we didn't have a picnic as planned.
 How did you do that?

Did you see the film on TV last night?

Why didn't you do your homework?

* In this sentence the speaker is talking in the evening, so for her this afternoon is finished
time.

In reported speech
In reported speech it is common to shift the tense back. So for example, if
someone said something to you in the present tense, you would report it in
the past tense. Look at these examples. In each case the first sentence is
direct speech and the second sentence is in reported speech. The verbs in
the past simple form are shown in bold.

She said: "I live in Frankfurt."

She told me she lived in Frankfurt. *

He said: "I can speak 5 languages."

He said he could speak 5 languages.

The new girl said: "My father is a millionaire!"

The new girl told me her father was a millionaire but I don't believe her!

She said: "My mother doesn't like German food."

She said her mother didn't like German food.

He said: "I don't feel well."

He said he didn't feel well.

She asked: "Do you like ESL lessons?"

She asked me if I liked ESL lessons.

The teacher said: "Do you know the answer?"

The teacher asked me if I knew the answer.

* It is common in modern spoken English to NOT change the tense if you

believe that what someone told you is still true. So, for example, we could
say:

She said she lives in Frankfurt.

She told me her mother doesn't like German food.

In conditional sentences
The past simple tense is used in conditional 2 sentences. Have a look at
some examples before reading the explanation about what the conditional 2
is. The verbs in past simple form are shown in bold.

I would help you if I had time!

If I were the teacher I would give lots of homework every day!

What would you buy if you won a lot of money?

If you bought a calculator, you wouldn't have to borrow mine all the time!

If you didn't eat so much junk food, you would be a lot fitter!

I would be much happier if you didn't do that!

The past simple (conditional 2) is used in these sentences to express the

idea of something that is not true or that the speaker thinks is unlikely to
happen. So, in the first 3 sentences above, the interpretations would be:

I don't have time ..

I am not the teacher ..

I don't think it is likely you will win a lot of money ..

The Present Continuous Tense

The present continuous tense is most often used for the following:

- For actions happening now

- For future arrangements
- To express annoyance at repeated actions

How to form the present continuous

For actions happening now

When we want to talk about an action that is happening now or at this time
(and is unfinished), we use the present continuous tense. We also use this
tense when we want to make clear that the action is temporary.

Sorry, she can't come to the phone right now; she is having a bath.
 Look! Someone is trying to break into your car.

This work is good! Your handwriting is getting better and better.

I'm wearing these old trousers to school this week, as we're doing a pottery
course and it's very messy work!

Of course she likes you. You're just being stupid!

Where's John? - He's playing soccer in the sports hall.

This calculator isn't working properly. Do you have another one.

You can go outside now. It isn't raining any more.

What are you doing? - My watch is broken and I'm trying to fix it.

Why are you talking? You should be listening to me.

For future arrangements

We usually use the present continuous tense for future events that have
already been arranged:

I'm meeting my mother at the airport tomorrow.

Our grandmother is visiting us at Christmas.

Sorry, I can't stay after school today; I'm playing tennis with Jun-Sik.

My mother's going to the dentist tomorrow.

I'm not going home at Christmas, so I can come to your party after all!

Are you doing anything on Sunday morning?

Do you know if he is going to the dance with Maiko next week?

To express annoyance at repeated actions

Usually the present simple is used for repeated actions. For example, He
always gets up before 7 o'clock, but .. the present continuous is the correct
choice when the speaker wants to express annoyance at a repeated
action. (Note how often the word "always" is used in such statements):

You are always interrupting me when I'm talking and I don't like it!
 She's always tapping her pencil on the desk and it's getting on my nerves!

My ESL teacher's always giving detentions; how can anyone be so mean?

I'm getting tired of you always coming late to class.

Why is it always raining in Germany?

Why are you always criticising me?

This use of the present continuous is not possible as a negative statement.

The Past Continuous Tense

The past continuous tense is most often used for actions happening at some
time in the past.

How to form the past continuous

For actions happening at some time in the past

When we want to talk about an action that was happening over a period of
time in the past, we use the past continuous tense. Look at these examples:

At this time last week I was lying on the beach in Florida.

My mother was working in the garden so she didn't hear the telephone
when I called her yesterday.

I had my car fixed because it wasn't working properly.

Sorry, I wasn't listening. Can you say it again please?

What were you doing at 8 o'clock yesterday?

Why were you talking to John when I saw you in the cafeteria yesterday?

I went to lunch too early. The food was still being cooked. (passive)

The past continuous is very often used with the past simple to say that
something happened in the middle of something else. In each of the
following examples, the single event (past simple) happens in the middle of
a longer action (past continuous).

You phoned while I was having a bath.

 When I got home yesterday, a cat was sitting on the roof.

It started to rain just as we were getting ready to have our picnic.

The boy was standing on the table when the principal came into the room.

Many people were shopping in the market when the bomb exploded.

I saw Noriko in town yesterday. She was wearing a pink dress and an
orange hat!

When I went to bed last night the sun was already beginning to rise.

It was lucky we weren't sitting under that tree when the lightning hit.

What were you doing when the lights went off last night?

Were you watching me when I showed you how to do it?

How fast was she driving when she had the accident?

The Present Perfect Tense

The present perfect tense is most often used for the following:

- For past events with a connection to the present

- With words of unfinished time

How to form the present perfect | Present perfect continuous

For past events with a connection to the present

The present perfect tense is quite complicated to explain. It is used when an
action that happened in the past continues to have a strong connection in
the present. The best way to understand it is to look at some examples.
They are followed in each case by a short explanation:

I have lost my dictionary. (I don't have my dictionary now; can you help me
find it?)

Mary has fixed my computer (My computer is working now and I'm happy
about it!)

You haven't eaten very much. (Don't you feel well? Don't you like it?)
 I haven't read his letter. (I haven't had time yet. What does he say?)

Have you seen my calculator? (- I want to use it now!)

Has she had an accident? (- Someone said she's in hospital!)

Have you done your homework? (- It's due today!)

With words of unfinished time

The present perfect tense is used with words or expressions of unfinished
time. Unfinished time started in the past and continues into the present.
(So, this week, for example, means all the days so far this week including
today.) Here are some sentences in the present perfect. The expressions of
unfinished time are shown in bold.

I've played tennis 3 times already this week and it's only Thursday!

She's been back to Korea twice already this year, and she's going again
next week!

Sorry, I've seen that film already. I don't want to see it again.

I've lived in Germany since 1986.

She's had a lot of bad luck recently.

I haven't seen my mother for 2 months.

No, you can't use the bathroom. You haven't finished the exercise yet.

She hasn't called me lately? Do you think she's sick?

Have you ever seen a ghost?

Has he lived here all his life?

Has the postman been yet?

** Be careful: sometimes an expression of unfinished time can be used with

the past simple tense. Look at these examples and explanations:

I drank three cups of coffee this morning.

The speaker is talking in the evening so for him this morning is finished
time.
 I didn't see John today.

The student is talking after school when there is no more possibility of

seeing John on this day. Today becomes an expression of finished time.

This year was a very good year for me!

This is possible if the speaker is talking very near to the end of the year, and
so in her opinion the year is finished. Therefore she uses the past
simple was.

The Past Perfect Tense

The past perfect tense is most often used for the following:

- For actions that happened before a past event

- In reported speech
- In if (conditional) sentences

How to form the past perfect | Past perfect continuous

For actions that happened before a past event

When we want to talk about an action that happened before a past event,
we often use the past perfect. Look at these examples:

When I got home yesterday, my father had already cooked dinner.

I didn't want to go to the movies with my friends because I had seen the
film already.

My friend offered me an apple in class yesterday, but I wasn't hungry

because I had just eaten lunch.

I arrived very late at the party. All my friends had already gone home.

As soon as she had done her homework, she went to bed.

I was very tired as I hadn't slept well for several days.

Had you seen the film before?

Notice how often words like already, just, never etc. are used with the past
perfect.
In reported speech
The past perfect is common when we report people's words or thoughts ..,
as in the following examples:

John said that he had never eaten sushi before.

She told me that she had finished, but I knew she had not.

She wondered why he had been so unkind to her.

He told me he hadn't done his homework, but he was hoping to finish it on

the bus.

I thought I had sent her a birthday card, but I was wrong.

In if (conditional) sentences
The past perfect tense is used in unreal or hypothetical stituations, as in the
following sentences:

If I had known you were in Frankfurt, I would have called you. (but I didn't
know you were here so I didn't call you!)

If I had had enough money, I would have bought you a better present. (but
I didn't have enough money.)

I would have been very angy if you had laughed when I got the answer
wrong. (but you didn't laugh, so I wasn't angry.)

She wouldn't have been able to finish, if you hadn't helped her. (but you
did help her and she did finish.)

I wish I had studied for my exams. (but I didn't study - and I got bad
grades!)

I would have been in big trouble if you hadn't helped me. (but you did help
me so I stayed out of trouble.)

More tenses
Below is a list of some of the less common tenses, followed in each case by
examples. Note that the continuous tenses convey the idea of an event or
state going on for a period of time:

Present perfect continuous

 I have been working in the garden all day, and now I'm extremely tired.

She has been living in a one-room apartment since she left home.

How long have you been playing the piano?

He's been learning German for two years, but he still can't speak it very
well.

We've been painting our house since last Friday, but we're still a long way
from finishing.

We haven't been living in Germany very long.

Why are you sweating? Have you been running?

Do a quiz on this grammar topic.

Past perfect continuous

I had been working in the garden all day, and all I wanted to do was sleep.

She had been living in a one-room apartment for a year before getting
married.

How long had you been playing the piano before the accident with your
hand?

He'd been learning German for two years, but he stopped when he
returned to Japan.

We'd been painting our house for two weeks, but we were still a long way
from finishing.

Future continuous

At this time next week I will be sitting in the plane on the way to New York.

Don't call me after 10 o'clock. I'll be sleeping.

If you want to see Miho tomorrow, you will have to go to the school. She will
be taking a test all afternoon.

I won't be working on my car this weekend. My mother-in-law will be here.

Future perfect
 I hope my mother will have finished cooking dinner by the time I get
home.

You can come at 6 o'clock. I will have done my homework by then.

There's no point calling her at home. She will have left for work already.

On June 25 2020 they will have been married for 60 years.

Future perfect continuous

By the time I retire I will have been working here for 45 years!

If she reaches her 60th birthday, she will have been smoking for half a
century!

Tense Selector
present simple
express a simple truth She works very hard.
(not limited in time)
My friend speaks four
languages

John lives in Berlin.

I don't like dogs.

Do you smoke?

present simple
express a world truth Water freezes at 0
Celsius.

Trees lose their leaves in

autumn.

Cats don't live as long as

humans.

Does wealth bring

 happiness?

going to
express an intention about I'm going to be a teacher
the future when I grow up.

I'm going to try and learn

10 new words a day.

She's going to buy a new

computer as soon as she
has enough money.

What are you going to do

tomorrow?

past perfect
express an untrue or If I had known she was
unlikely thought about the here, I would have called
past (conditional 3) her.

If I had had enough

money, I would have
bought you a better mp3
player.

I wish I had studied for

my exams.

I would have been in big

trouble if you hadn't
helped me.

past simple
express an untrue or If I had a lot of money, I'd
unlikely thought about the buy a new car.
present (conditional 2)
If you bought an iPod, you
wouldn't have to use
mine.

It would be better if you

didn't do that!
 present continuous
express annoyance at You are always
repeated actions interrupting me when I'm
talking.

My mother's always telling

me to clean my room.

will
make a prediction about The sun will rise at 6.30
the future tomorrow.

You will be in trouble if

you do that again.

We will run out of oil by

the end of the 21st
century.

Will you be here next

week?

I'm sure my parents won't

let me go to the party.

present simple
refer to a future scheduled Hurry up! The train leaves
event in 10 minutes.

The meeting starts at

2.45.

My plane departs from

Frankfurt at 5am and
arrives in Seoul 14 hours
later.

past perfect
report words said in the I told her that I had never
present perfect eaten sushi before.

He said that he hadn't

done his homework.

I asked him if he had ever

 seen a ghost.

past simple
report words said in the She said she was 12 years
present simple old. ("I'm 12.")

He said he could speak 5

languages. ("I can speak 5
languages.")

present simple
summarize the plot of a Romeo thinks that Juliet is
book or film dead and he kills himself.

Frodo decides to leave his

home and go in search of
the ring.

past continuous
talk about actions You phoned while I was
happening at some time in having a bath.
the past
Sorry, I wasn't listening.
Can you say it again
please?

What were you doing at 8

o'clock yesterday? .

How fast was she driving

when she had the
accident?

I threw my calculator
away because it wasn't
working properly

present continuous
talk about future I'm meeting my sister in
arrangements town tomorrow.

I can't go to the dance

next week. I'm playing
tennis with John.
 I'm not going to the
doctor after school today
as planned. I feel much
better.

present perfect
talk about past events I have lost my dictionary.
with a connection to the
present Mary has fixed my
computer.

You haven't eaten very

much. Don't you feel well?

Have you seen my

calculator?

past perfect
talk about the past in the I arrived very late at the
past party. All my friends had
already gone home.

As soon as she had done

her homework, she went
to bed.

I was very hungry because

I hadn't eaten lunch.

Had you seen the film

before?

present perfect
talk about the past using a I've lived in Germany
word of unfinished time since 1986.

He's had a lot of bad luck

recently.

I haven't seen my mother

for 2 months.

Have you ever seen a

ghost?
 Has she lived here all her
life?

present continuous
talk about things I can't come now; I'm
happening now doing my homework.

Look! Someone is trying to

break into your locker.

Your work is getting better

and better.

It isn't raining any more.

Why are you talking? You

should be listening to me?

present simple
talk about things that I always clean my teeth
happen before breakfast.
regularly/repeatedly
Once a week I play golf
with my brother.

past simple
talk about what happened I came to Germany two
in the past (finished time) years ago.

Italy won the World Cup in

2006.

I didn't see you in school

yesterday.

Did you like the film?

Why didn't you do your

homework?

present simple
tell a joke or retell past A man walks into a bar
events in a such way as to and orders 5 glasses of
make them seem more beer ..
interesting
 So I go up to him and
knock his hat off ..

present simple
use a verb of mental I know the answer.
processes or senses
I don't believe you.

This cheese tastes

strange.

Do you smell something

funny?

https://www.grammarly.com/blog/verb-tenses/
Verbs come in three tenses: past, present, and future. The past is used to
describe things that have already happened (e.g., earlier in the day,
yesterday, last week, three years ago). The present tense is used to describe
things that are happening right now, or things that are continuous. The future
tense describes things that have yet to happen (e.g., later, tomorrow, next
week, next year, three years from now).

The following table illustrates the proper use of verb tenses:

Simple Present Simple Past Simple Future

Last night, I read an entire I will read as much as I can t

I read nearly every day.
novel. year.

Present Continuous Past Continuous Future Continuous

I am reading Shakespeare I was reading Edgar Allan Poe I will be reading Nathaniel
at the moment. last night. Hawthorne soon.

Present Perfect Past Perfect Future Perfect

I have read so many books I I had read at least 100 books I will have read at least 500
cant keep count. by the time I was twelve. books by the end of the year

Present Perfect
Past Perfect Continuous Future Perfect Continuous
Continuous

I have been reading since I I had been reading for at least I will have been reading for a
was four years old. a year before my sister least two hours before dinne
 learned to read. tonight.

The Present Tenses

Simple Present
The simple present is a verb tense with two main uses. We use the simple
present tense when an action is happening right now, or when it happens
regularly (or unceasingly, which is why its sometimes called present
indefinite). Depending on the person, the simple present tense is formed by
using the root form or by adding -s or -es to the end.

Eg. I feel great! Pauline loves pie. Im sorry to hear that youre sick.

The other is to talk about habitual actions or occurrences.

Eg. Pauline practices the piano every day. Ms. Jackson travels during the
summer. Hamsters run all night.

Typically, when we want to describe a temporary action that is currently in

progress, we use the present continuous: Pauline cant come to the phone
right now because she is brushing her teeth.

How to Form the Simple Present

In the simple present, most regular verbs use the root form, except in the
third-person singular (which ends in -s).

First-person singular: I write

Second-person singular: You write

Third-person singular: He/she/it writes (note the -s)

First-person plural: We write

Second-person plural: You write

Third-person plural: They write

For a few verbs, the third-person singular ends with -es instead of -s.
Typically, these are verbs whose root form ends in o, ch, sh, th, ss, gh, or z.

First-person singular: I go

Second-person singular: You go

Third-person singular: He/she/it goes (note the -es)

First-person plural: We go

Second-person plural: You go

Third-person plural: They go

For most regular verbs, you put the negation of the verb before the verb, e.g.
She wont go or I dont smell anything.

The verb to be is irregular:

First-person singular: I am

Second-person singular: You are

Third-person singular: He/she/it is

First-person plural: We are

Second-person plural: You are

Third-person plural: They are

How to Make the Simple

Present Negative
The formula for making a simple present verb negative is
do/does + not + [root form of verb].

You can also use the contraction dont or doesnt instead of do not or does
not.

Eg, Pauline does not want to share the pie. She doesnt think there is enough
to go around. Her friends do not agree. I dont want pie anyway.

To make the verb to be negative, the formula is [to be] + not.

Eg. I am not a pie lover, but Pauline sure is. You arent ready for such
delicious pie.

How to Ask a Question

The formula for asking a question in the simple present is do/does +
[subject] + [root form of verb].

Do you know how to bake a pie? How much does Pauline love pie?

Common Verbs in the Simple Present

Infinitive I, You, We, They He, She, It

to ask ask / do not ask asks / does not ask

to work work / do not work works / does not work

to call call / do not call calls / does not call

to use use / do not use uses / does not use

to have have / do not have has / does not have

The Verb to Be in the Simple Present

Infinitive I You, We, They He, She, It

to be am / am not are / are not is / is not

Present Perfect Tense

The present perfect tense refers to an action or state that either occurred at
an indefinite time in the past (e.g., we have talked before) or began in the past
and continued to the present time (e.g., he has grown impatient over the last
hour). This tense is formed by have/has + the past participle.

The construction of this verb tense is straightforward. The first element

is have or has, depending on the subject the verb is conjugated with. The
second element is the past participle of the verb, which is usually formed by
adding -ed or -d to the verbs root (e.g., walked, cleaned, typed,
perambulated, jumped, laughed, sauted) although English does have quite a
few verbs that have irregular past participles (e.g., done, said, gone, known,
won, thought, felt, eaten).

These examples show how the present perfect can describe something that
occurred or was the state of things at an unspecified time in the past.

Correct: I have walked on this path before.

Correct: We have eaten the lasagna here.

The important thing to remember about the present perfect is that you cant
use it when you are being specific about when it happened.

Correct: I have put away all the laundry.

In-correct: I have put away all the laundry this morning.
You can use the present perfect to talk about the duration of something that
started in the past is still happening.

Correct: She has had the chickenpox since Tuesday.

Present Continuous
The present continuous verb tense indicates that an action or condition is
happening now, frequently, and may continue into the future.

The Present Continuous Formula: to be [am, is, are] + verb [present

participle]

Eg, Aunt Christine is warming up the car while Scott looks for his new leather
coat. They are eating at Scotts favorite restaurant today, Pollys Pancake
Diner.

Key words: Verb, present participle, tense, dynamic verbs, stative verbs

The present continuous (present progressive) tense is a way to convey any

action or condition that is happening right now, frequently, and may
be ongoing. It adds energy and action to writing, and its effect helps readers
understand when the action is happening. Imagine Aunt Christine has
surprised her nephew Scott for his birthday and is going to take him out to his
favorite restaurant, Pollys Pancake Diner. If I wanted to tell the story after it
happened, Id use the past tense:

Eg, They waited at the red light, and Scott worried they might miss their
reservation. (Past tense)

Diagram Missing https://www.grammarly.com/blog/present-continuous/

But what I really want to convey is how the event unfolded, showing the
action as it is happening:

They are sitting at Scotts favorite booth, the one with the sparkling red
plastic seats.(For how long? We dont know, but we do know they are sitting
there now.)
The waiter is standing behind the counter right now with a notepad in his
hand and pencil behind his ear. (Will he ever make it over to the booth?
Probably, but not now.)
Are you waiting to open your presents after you eat your pancakes? said
Aunt Christine, taking a sip from her root beer. (Here the present continuous
is being used in question form.)

From this narrative point of view, the action is immediate and continuous;
theres momentum. Sometimes writers use this tense to add suspense or
humor in fictional pieces. What kind of pancakes will Scott and his aunt order?
The suspense is killing me!

The Present Continuous Formula

To form the present continuous, follow this formula:

To Be [Am, Is, Are] + Verb [Present Participle]

When to Use the Present Continuous

Tense
Use the present continuous tense with the appropriate to be verb and
a dynamic verb. A dynamicverb shows action and/or process. For example,

Eg, Scotts little sister is arriving at the diner two hours late because her
roller-derby team, Chicks Ahoy, won the national championships early today.
As she is walkinginto Pollys Pancake Diner, she is yelling goodbye to her
friends outside, and Scott hopes she doesnt cause a scene since
she is always embarrassing him in public.
When Not to Use the Present
Continuous Tense
Do not use the present continuous tense with stative verbs. Stative verbs
show a state of being that does not show qualities of change. These verbs
can stay in the simple present. For example,

In-correct: Aunt Christine is preferring the maple walnut pancakes over the
banana peanut butter ones that Scott loves.
Correct: Aunt Christine prefers the maple walnut pancakes over the banana
peanut butter ones that Scott loves.

Here, the stative verb to prefer shows opinion, and therefore should not be
conjugated into the present continuous. Stative verb categories include
emotion (to love), possession (to belong), and thoughts (to recognize), and
none of these should use the present continuous form.

The Exception to the Rule

Some verbs can be both dynamic and stative! Think about the verbs to
be and to think. In its dynamic form, the verb to be can show action:

Sarah, Scotts little sister, is being bold by ordering the jalapeno-chipotle

pancakes.

But in its stative form, the verb to be is awkward if conjugated in the present
continuous.

In-correct: Sarah is being a tall teenager, who loves her food spicy and her
sports dangerous.
Correct: Sarah is a tall teenageer, who loves her food spicy and her sports
dangerous.

Here are some more examples:

The waiter thinks Scott should save room for pumpkin pie. (Stative and in the
simple present)
The waiter is thinking about getting a new job that requires less human
interaction, like a veterinarian. (Dynamic and in the present continuous)

Idiomatic Expressions and Style

English can be confusing; what is grammatically correct isnt always what you
might hear in music, in advertisements, or during regular conversations. The
present continuous is often used incorrectly. Consider the the popular slogan
for McDonalds: Im Lovin It. This is a grammatically incorrect sentence
because to love is a stative verb, so why would McDonalds use it in their
advertisements?

This marks the difference between grammar and style. Using the present
continuous as a means to exaggerate is a stylistic trend, and as such, it would
not be surprising to hear this conversation:

Eg, Scott, glazed with a chocolate mustache, looks over to his aunt and
says, Im lovinme some of these chocolate peanut butter banana
pancakes! Im hearing what youre saying! she replies, sprinkling
powdered sugar atop the stacks on her plate.

Here Scott and his Aunt display their excitement in a silly way, emphasizing
their feelings. On the other hand, you would never hear a native speaker say
these sentences:

In-correct: Scott is loving his Aunt Christine, a self-proclaimed pancake

connoisseur. (People would simply say Scott loves his Aunt Christine . . .)
In-correct: Sarah is hearing the music from their table-top juke box and
resists the urge to dance on the table. (Sarah hears the music. . .)

The Final Say

If you are teaching English or learning it, Id recommend simply sticking to
grammatically correct constructions and leaving the idiomatic expressions to
the creators of advertisements and song lyrics. In formal writing, the experts
recommend that when you can use fewer words to express a thought, you
should, so use the present continuous sparinglyshort and sweet cant be
beat!
Missing images: https://www.grammarly.com/blog/present-continuous/
Common Construction in the Present
Continuous Tense
Common Dynamic Verbs that USE the
Present Continuous
Common Stative Verbs that DO NOT USE
the Present Continuous
The Past Tenses

The simple past is a verb tense that is used to talk about things that
happened or existed before now. Imagine someone asks what your brother
Wolfgang did while he was in town last weekend.

Wolfgang entered a hula hoop contest.

He won the silver medal.

The simple past tense shows that you are talking about something that has
already happened. Unlike the past continuous tense, which is used to talk
about past events that happened over a period of time, the simple past tense
emphasizes that the action is finished.

Wolfgang admired the way the light glinted off his silver medal.

You can also use the simple past to talk about a past state of being, such as
the way someone felt about something. This is often expressed with the
simple past tense of the verb to be and an adjective, noun, or prepositional
phrase.

Wolfgang was proud of his hula hoop victory.

The contest was the highlight of his week.

Digram Missing : https://www.grammarly.com/blog/simple-past/

How to Formulate the Simple Past

For regular verbs, add -ed to the root form of the verb (or just -d if the root
form already ends in an e):
PlayPlayed TypeTyped ListenListened PushPushed LoveLoved

For irregular verbs, things get more complicated. The simple past tense of
some irregular verbs looks exactly like the root form:

PutPut CutCut SetSet CostCost HitHit

For other irregular verbs, including the verb to be, the simple past forms are
more erratic:

SeeSaw BuildBuilt GoWent DoDid RiseRose

Am/Is/AreWas/Were

The good news is that verbs in the simple past tense (except for the verb to
be) dont need to agree in number with their subjects.

Wolfgang polished his medal. The other winners polished their medals too.

How to Make the Simple Past Negative

Fortunately, there is a formula for making simple past verbs negative, and its
the same for both regular and irregular verbs (except for the verb to be). The
formula is did not + [root form of verb]. You can also use
the contraction didnt instead of did not.

Wolfgang did not brag too much about his hula hoop skills. Wolfgangs
girlfriend didnt see the contest.

For the verb to be, you dont need the auxiliary did. When the subject of the
sentence is singular, use was not or wasnt. When the subject is plural,
use were not or werent.

The third-place winner was not as happy as Wolfgang. The fourth-place

winner wasnt happy at all. The onlookers were not ready to leave after the
contest ended. The contestants werent ready to leave either.
How to Ask a Question
The formula for asking a question in the simple past tense is did + [subject] +
[root form of verb].

Did Wolfgang win the gold medal or the silver medal? Where did Wolfgang
go to celebrate? Did the judges decide fairly, in your opinion?

When asking a question with the verb to be, you dont need the auxiliary did.
The formula is was/were + [subject].

Was Wolfgang in a good mood after the contest? Were people taking lots of
pictures?

Common Regular Verbs in the Past

Tense
Common Irregular Verbs in the Past
Tense