English Tenses – Graphic Comparison



English Tenses – Graphic Comparison

[pic][pic][pic][pic][pic]Problems with the English tenses? Have a look at the time line, it might help you understand when to use which tense. As there is a similarity between past, present and future tenses, there are just a few rules to keep in mind.

If you know how to use the present progressive correctly to express present actions, you will as well be able to use the past progressive correctly to express past actions.

→ Legend

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Legend

|[pic] |action that takes place once, never or several times |

|moment in time |actions that happen one after another |

| |actions that suddenly take place |

|[pic] |action that started before a certain moment and lasts beyond that moment |

|period of time |actions taking place at the same time |

|[pic] |action taking place before a certain moment in time |

|Result |puts emphasis on the result |

|[pic] |action taking place before a certain moment in time |

|Course / Duration |puts emphasis on the course or duration of the action |

Table of English Tenses

|[pic][pic][pic][pic][pic]tense |Affirmative/Negative/Question |Use |Signal Words |

|Simple Present |A: He speaks. |action in the present taking |always, every …, |

| |N: He does not speak. |place once, never or several |never, normally, |

| |Q: Does he speak? |times |often, seldom, |

| | |facts |sometimes, usually |

| | |actions taking place one after |if sentences type I|

| | |another |(If I talk, …) |

| | |action set by a timetable or | |

| | |schedule | |

|Present Progressive |A: He is speaking. |action taking place in the |at the moment, |

| |N: He is not speaking. |moment of speaking |just, just now, |

| |Q: Is he speaking? |action taking place only for a |Listen!, Look!, |

| | |limited period of time |now, right now |

| | |action arranged for the future | |

|Simple Past |A: He spoke. |action in the past taking place|yesterday, 2 |

| |N: He did not speak. |once, never or several times |minutes ago, in |

| |Q: Did he speak? |actions taking place one after |1990, the other |

| | |another |day, last Friday |

| | |action taking place in the |if sentence type II|

| | |middle of another action |(If I talked, …) |

|Past Progressive |A: He was speaking. |action going on at a certain |when, while, as |

| |N: He was not speaking. |time in the past |long as |

| |Q: Was he speaking? |actions taking place at the | |

| | |same time | |

| | |action in the past that is | |

| | |interrupted by another action | |

|Present Perfect Simple |A: He has spoken. |putting emphasis on the result |already, ever, |

| |N: He has not spoken. |action that is still going on |just, never, not |

| |Q: Has he spoken? |action that stopped recently |yet, so far, till |

| | |finished action that has an |now, up to now |

| | |influence on the present | |

| | |action that has taken place | |

| | |once, never or several times | |

| | |before the moment of speaking | |

|Present Perfect Progressive |A: He has been speaking. |putting emphasis on the course |all day, for 4 |

| |N: He has not been speaking. |or duration (not the result) |years, since 1993, |

| |Q: Has he been speaking? |action that recently stopped or|how long?, the |

| | |is still going on |whole week |

| | |finished action that influenced| |

| | |the present | |

|Past Perfect Simple |A: He had spoken. |action taking place before a |already, just, |

| |N: He had not spoken. |certain time in the past |never, not yet, |

| |Q: Had he spoken? |sometimes interchangeable with |once, until that |

| | |past perfect progressive |day |

| | |putting emphasis only on the |if sentence type |

| | |fact (not the duration) |III (If I had |

| | | |talked, …) |

|Past Perfect Progressive |A: He had been speaking. |action taking place before a |for, since, the |

| |N: He had not been speaking. |certain time in the past |whole day, all day |

| |Q: Had he been speaking? |sometimes interchangeable with | |

| | |past perfect simple | |

| | |putting emphasis on the | |

| | |duration or course of an action| |

|Future I Simple |A: He will speak. |action in the future that |in a year, next …, |

| |N: He will not speak. |cannot be influenced |tomorrow |

| |Q: Will he speak? |spontaneous decision |If-Satz Typ I (If |

| | |assumption with regard to the |you ask her, she |

| | |future |will help you.) |

| | | |assumption: I |

| | | |think, probably, |

| | | |perhaps |

|Future I Simple |A: He is going to speak. |decision made for the future |in one year, next |

|(going to) |N: He is not going to speak. |conclusion with regard to the |week, tomorrow |

| |Q: Is he going to speak? |future | |

|Future I Progressive |A: He will be speaking. |action that is going on at a |in one year, next |

| |N: He will not be speaking. |certain time in the future |week, tomorrow |

| |Q: Will he be speaking? |action that is sure to happen | |

| | |in the near future | |

|Future II Simple |A: He will have spoken. |action that will be finished at|by Monday, in a |

| |N: He will not have spoken. |a certain time in the future |week |

| |Q: Will he have spoken? | | |

|Future II Progressive |A: He will have been speaking. |action taking place before a |for …, the last |

| |N: He will not have been speaking. |certain time in the future |couple of hours, |

| |Q: Will he have been speaking? |putting emphasis on the course |all day long |

| | |of an action | |

|Conditional I Simple |A: He would speak. |action that might take place |if sentences type |

| |N: He would not speak. | |II |

| |Q: Would he speak? | |(If I were you, I |

| | | |would go home.) |

|Conditional I Progressive |A: He would be speaking. |action that might take place |  |

| |N: He would not be speaking. |putting emphasis on the course | |

| |Q: Would he be speaking? |/ duration of the action | |

|Conditional II Simple |A: He would have spoken. |action that might have taken |if sentences type |

| |N: He would not have spoken. |place in the past |III |

| |Q: Would he have spoken? | |(If I had seen |

| | | |that, I would have |

| | | |helped.) |

|Conditional II Progressive |A: He would have been speaking. |action that might have taken |  |

| |N: He would not have been speaking. |place in the past | |

| |Q: Would he have been speaking? |puts emphasis on the course / | |

| | |duration of the action | |

English Tenses – Examples

|[pic][pic][pic][pic][pic]|Explanation |Past |Present |Future |

|  | | | | |

|  |Simple Past |Simple Present |Future I Simple |

|[pic] |action that takes place |He played football every|He plays football every |He will / is going to |

| |once, never or several |Tuesday. |Tuesday. |play football every |

| |times | | |Tuesday. |

| |actions that happen one |He played football and |He plays football and |He will play football |

| |after another |then he went home. |then he goes home. |and then he will go |

| | | | |home. |

| |state |He loved football. |He loves football. |He will love football. |

|  |Past Progressive |Present Progressive |Future I Progressive |

|[pic] |action going on at that |He was playing football.|He is playing football. |He will be playing |

| |moment | | |football. |

| |actions taking place at |He was playing football |He is playing football |He will be playing |

| |the same time |and she was watching. |and she is watching. |football and she will be|

| | | | |watching. |

|  |Past Perfect Simple |Present Perfect Simple |Future II Simple |

|[pic] |action taking place |He had won five matches |He has won five matches |He will have won five |

| |before a certain moment |until that day. |so far. |matches by then. |

| |in time; emphasises the | | | |

| |result | | | |

|  |Past Perfect Progressive|Present Perfect |Future II Progressive |

| | |Progressive | |

|[pic] |action taking place |He had been playing |He has been playing |He will have been |

| |before a certain moment |football for ten years. |football for ten years. |playing football for ten|

| |in time (and beyond), | | |years. |

| |emphasises the duration | | | |

Grammar Tenses Mix

A) The London Dungeon

[pic]Fill the gaps with the correct tenses.

1. The London Dungeon (lie) [pic]in the oldest part of London - in an old subterranean prison (that's what the word Dungeon (stand) [pic]for).

2. The museum (take) [pic]its visitors on a journey through England's bloody history.

3. It (demonstrate) [pic]the brutal killings and tortures of the past.

4. You (experience / can) [pic]for example how people (die) [pic]on the Gallow or during the Plague of 1665.

5. The Dungeon also (show) [pic]scenes of Jack the Ripper or the beheading of Anne Boleyn, who (be) [pic]one of Henry VIII’s six wives.

6. The atmosphere at the Dungeon (be) [pic]really scary - nothing for the faint-hearted.

7. While you (walk) [pic]around the Dungeon, watch out for creepy creatures - the Dungeon (employ) [pic]actors to give its visitors the fright of their lives.

8. The actors, dressed as monsters, ghosts or executers, (hide) [pic]in the dark corners of the Dungeon and then suddenly (jump) [pic]out and (grab) [pic]one of the visitors.

9. And the horror (end / not) [pic]at the exit of the exhibition.

10. (you / eat / ever) [pic]a pizza with fingers and eyeballs on it?

11. Well, if you (fancy) [pic]that kind of food, you (love) [pic]the meals at the Dungeon restaurant.

12. The museum (want) [pic]to provoke, shock, educate and delight.

13. And this it (do) [pic]extremely well.

14. Since its opening in 1975, the Dungeon (attract) [pic]many visitors from all over the world.

15. Besides the regular opening hours, the Dungeon sometimes also (open) [pic]at night.

16. If you (have) [pic]enough money and nerves of steel, you (book / can) [pic]the Dungeon for parties, conferences or charity events at night.

17. And on 31 October, a frightfully good Halloween Party (take place) [pic]at the Dungeon every year.

B) What a language course can do

[pic]Fill the gaps with the correct tenses.

1. I (learn) [pic]English for seven years now.

2. But last year I (not / work) [pic]hard enough for English, that's why my marks (not / be) [pic]really that good then.

3. As I (pass / want) [pic]my English exam successfully next year, I (study) [pic]harder this term.

4. During my last summer holidays, my parents (send) [pic]me on a language course to London.

5. It (be) [pic]great and I (think) [pic]I (learn) [pic]a lot.

6. Before I (go) [pic]to London, I (not / enjoy) [pic]learning English.

7. But while I (do) [pic]the language course, I (meet) [pic]lots of young people from all over the world.

8. There I (notice) [pic]how important it (be) [pic]to speak foreign languages nowadays.

9. Now I (have) [pic]much more fun learning English than I (have) [pic]before the course.

10. At the moment I (revise) [pic]English grammar.

11. And I (begin / already) [pic]to read the texts in my English textbooks again.

12. I (think) [pic]I (do) [pic]one unit every week.

13. My exam (be) [pic]on 15 May, so there (not / be) [pic]any time to be lost.

14. If I (pass) [pic]my exams successfully, I (start) [pic]an apprenticeship in September.

15. And after my apprenticeship, maybe I (go) [pic]back to London to work there for a while.

16. As you (see / can) [pic], I (become) [pic]a real London fan already.

C) James Cook (1728-1779)

[pic]Fill the gaps with the correct tenses.

1. The British explorer James Cook was born in the village of Marton, Yorkshire, on 27 October, 1728. But his family soon (move) [pic]to another village, called Great Ayton, where Cook (spend) [pic]most of his childhood.

2. As a teenager James Cook (develop) [pic]a fascination for the sea and (travel) [pic]to Whitby where he (find) [pic]employment on a coal ship.

3. While he (serve) [pic]in the Royal Navy during the Seven Years' War (1756-1763), Cook (have) [pic]the command of a ship.

4. After the war (end) [pic], Cook (take) [pic]command of the vessel Grenville and (go) [pic]to Newfoundland to survey the coasts there.

5. While he (map) [pic]the coasts of Newfoundland, he (observe) [pic]a solar eclipse off the North American coast.

6. Cook (send) [pic]the details to the Royal Society, England's leading scientific organisation, and (win) [pic]their attention.

7. After Cook (publish) [pic]his observations of the solar eclipse, the Royal Society (ask) [pic]him to lead a scientific expedition to Tahiti and (put) [pic]him in command of of the HMS Endeavour.

8. From Tahiti Cook then (go on) [pic]to explore the South Pacific.

9. He also (reach) [pic]New Zealand, which only the Dutchman Abel Tasman (visit) [pic]before Cook.

10. After Cook (map) [pic]New Zealand's complete coastline, he (sail) [pic]to Australia's east coast.

11. Cook (name) [pic]the area New South Wales as it (remind) [pic]him of the south coast of Wales in Great Britain.

12. In 1772, one year after Cook (return) [pic]from his first voyage to the Pacific, the Royal Society (hire) [pic]him for another expedition to find the mythical Terra Australis.

13. On his journey, Cook (discover) [pic]several islands and almost (go) [pic]as far as the continent of Antarctica.

14. He (make) [pic]maps of the South Pacific and (prove) [pic]that Terra Australis (exist / not) [pic].

15. His third and last voyage for the Royal Society (take) [pic]him to the west coast of North America where he (try) [pic]to find a passage between the Atlantic and Pacific.

16. He (not / can / pass) [pic]the Bering Strait, however; the ice (force) [pic]him to return to Hawaii, which he (discover) [pic]earlier.

17. While he and his crew (rest) [pic]in Hawaii, some Hawaiians (steal) [pic]one of his boats.

18. When cook and his men (try) [pic]to get the boat back from the natives, a violent fight (break out) [pic]in which the natives (stab) [pic]James Cook to death.

[pic]

D) Bewley's Oriental Cafés

Fill the gaps with the correct tenses.

1. Bewley's (be) [pic]an old Irish tea house chain.

2. The history of the famous Bewley's Oriental Cafés (begin) [pic]in 1835 when Charles Bewley (import) [pic]over 2000 chests of tea directly from the Chinese province of Canton to Dublin.

3. It (not / look) [pic]like a great deal today, but back then it (be) [pic]a coup: no man before (dare) [pic]to import tea directly into Ireland.

4. Bewley's initiative (put) [pic]an end to the East India Trading Company's tea monopoly which before 1835 (force) [pic]the Irish to import their tea from London.

5. Samuel Bewley's son Joshua also (become) [pic]a tea merchant.

6. Like his father, he (import) [pic]tea into Ireland.

7. The Irish (like) [pic]the idea of not having to import old tea from London.

8. A tea expert (notice) [pic]that even the poorest Irish people (buy) [pic]only the finest tea.

9. By the end of the 19th century a tea culture (develop) [pic]in Ireland.

10. In 1894, Joshua's son Ernest Bewley (want) [pic]to stimulate the market for a product that (be) [pic]rather unknown that far: coffee.

11. In the back of his shop in Dublin's George's Street, he (begin) [pic]to run coffee making demonstrations.

12. His wife (bake) [pic]scones to go with the coffee, and the couple soon (find out) [pic]that their idea (be) [pic]extremely popular among customers.

13. That (mark) [pic]the beginning of the first Bewley's Oriental Café.

14. In Dublin's Grafton Street, Ernest Bewley (open) [pic]another Bewley's Oriental Café in 1927, on which he (spend) [pic]nearly 60,000 Pound.

15. Still now the interior furnishings and wonderful stain glass (provide) [pic]a very special oriental flair.

16. During World War II, Bewley's (must restrict) [pic]the supply of tea to an ounce per head, and many customers (switch) [pic]to coffee.

17. Today, Bewley's (be) [pic]Ireland's leading supplier of quality coffees and teas.

18. It (create) [pic]a catering service for larger customers such as Trinity College and it (open) [pic]cafés in book stores and Dublin Airport.

19. Bewley's Clipper Gold Tea and Espresso Prima (win) [pic]Gold Awards in the London Great Taste Awards.

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