Chart—Active Verb Tenses
Chart—Active Verb Tenses
| |Past |Present |Future |
|Simple |An action that ended at a point in the past. |An action that exists , is usual, or is |A plan for future action. |
| | |repeated. | |
| |cooked |cook / cooks |will cook |
|(time clue)* |e.g. He cooked yesterday. |e.g. He cooks dinner every Friday. |e.g. He will cook tomorrow. |
|Progressive |An action was happening (past progressive) |An action that is happening now. |An action that will be happening over time,|
|be + main verb +ing |when another action happened (simple past). | |in the future, when something else happens.|
| |was / were cooking |am / is / are cooking |will be cooking |
|(time clue)* |e.g. He was cooking when the phone rang. |e.g. He is cooking now. |e.g. He will be cooking when you come. |
|Perfect |An action that ended before another action or|An action that happened at an unspecified |An action that will end before another |
|have + main verb |time in the past. |time in the past. |action or time in the future. |
| |had cooked |has / have cooked |will have cooked |
|(time clue)* |e.g. He had cooked the dinner when the phone |e.g. He has cooked many meals. |e.g. He will have cooked dinner by the time|
| |rang. | |you come. |
|Perfect Progressive |An action that happened over time, in the |An action occurring over time that started|An action occurring over time, in the |
|have + be + main verb + |past, before another time or action in the |in the past and continues into the |future, before another action or time in |
|ing |past. |present. |the future. |
| |had been cooking |has / have been cooking |will have been cooking |
|(time clue)* |e.g. He had been cooking for a long time |e.g. He has been cooking for over an hour.|e.g. He will have been cooking all day by |
| |before he took lessons. | |the time she gets home. |
Chart—Common Time Clues and Verb Tense
| |Past |Present |Future |
|Simple |Simple Past |Simple Present |Simple Future |
| |yesterday |every morning / day / etc. |tomorrow |
| |last year/ month/ etc. |always |tonight |
| |before |usually |next week/month/etc. |
| |for five weeks/days/etc. |frequently |soon |
| |one year/ month ago |sometimes |in the future |
| | |never | |
| | |occasionally | |
| | |seldom | |
|Progressive |Past Progressive |Present Progressive |Future progressive |
| |while |now |when |
| |when |right now |after |
| | |this week/minute/etc. |as soon as |
| | | |before |
|Perfect |Past Perfect |Present Perfect |Future Perfect |
| |before |until now |by the time you go (somewhere) |
| |already |since |by the time you do (something) |
| |by the time |ever |already |
| |until then/last week/etc. |never | |
| |after |many times/ weeks/years/etc. | |
| | |for three hours/ minutes/etc/ | |
|Perfect Progressive |Past Perfect progressive |Present Perfect Progressive |Future Perfect Progressive |
| |before |for the past year/ month/ etc. |by the time |
| |for one week/hour/etc. |for the last 2 months/ weeks/etc. |for ten days/weeks/etc. |
| |since |up to now |by |
| | |for 6 weeks/hours/etc. | |
| | |since | |
COMMON AUXILIARY VERBS:
In the following examples, the auxiliary verbs are bolded and the main verbs are underlined.
• TO BE: is, am, are, was, were, been
o The commission is using stocks to purchase development rights.
o The agencies are restricting logging and road building in the forests.
o Brill was lagging in the polls behind Richards.
o The agencies were completing the inventories.
o Moskowitz has been offered a similar project.
• TO DO: do, did, does
o Volunteers do spend their weekends mapping the nation's forests.
o Clinton did agree to ban logging on 40 million acres.
o Time does run out for these wildlands.
• TO HAVE: has, had, have
o Brent has planned this party down to the last detail.
o The governor had exhausted all of the options.
• SHALL, WILL, MAY, CAN, SHOULD, COULD, WOULD,
o This portion will not be eligible for protection under the 1964 Wilderness Act.
o The Clinton Administration may try to make the most of public support for preserving open space.
o Only Congress can formally protect lands under the Wilderness Act.
o They should limit its real estate holdings.
o Preservation could become one of Clinton's most significant accomplishments.
o The legislation would provide guaranteed funding.
THE 23 AUXILIARY VERBS
1. Twelve (12) verbs, when used as auxiliary verbs, combine with the base form only (“base form” = infinitive minus “to”; for example: to go = infinitive; go = base form).
will would may do
shall should might does
can could must did
OK: I will go. You can go. He should go. We may go. They do go.
Not OK: I will going. You can gone. He should goes. We may went. They do going.
2. Seven (7) verbs, when used as auxiliary verbs, combine with present participles (base form plus ing: for example, going ) OR past participles (I have walked. I have gone.)
am is are was were be been
OK: I am going. He is going. He is gone. You are going. You are gone. She was going. She was gone. We were going. We were gone. They will be going. They will be gone. It has been going. It has been gone.
Not OK: I am go. I am went. He is goes. He was wenting. She will be goning.
3. Four (4) verbs, when used as auxiliary verbs, combine with past participles only.
have has had being
OK: I have gone. He has gone. I had gone. I was being robbed.
I have chased. He has chased. I had chased. I was being chased.
Not OK: I have go. I have going. He has go. He has going. I had go . I had going. I was being rob. I was being robbing.
I have chase. I have chasing. He has chase. He has chasing. I had chase. I had chasing. I was being chase. I was being chasing.
4. Of the 23 “auxiliaries,” nine (9) are auxiliary verbs ONLY.
will shall can would should could may might must
OK: I will go. I shall go. I can go. I would go. I should go. I could go. I may go. I might go. I must go.
Not OK: I will here. I shall there. I can this. I would that. I should him. I could her. I may them. I might it. I must us.
5. Of the 23 “auxiliaries,” fourteen (14) are auxiliary verbs OR principal verbs.
do does did am is are was were
be being been have has had
OK: Auxiliary Principal
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