Naga College Foundation, Inc.

College of Arts and Sciences

Naga City

Purposive Communication
GEC 1

English Verb Tense Review

Introduction to the material

Welcome to the module on mastering English verb tenses! In the realm of
language, verb tenses serve as the foundation upon which effective communication is
built. Whether you're composing an essay, delivering a speech, engaging in casual
conversation, or writing a professional email, a solid grasp of English verb tenses is
indispensable. These linguistic tools not only convey the timing and sequence of actions
but also express attitudes, convey moods, and establish the rhythm of your
communication.

Understanding English verb tenses empowers you to articulate ideas with

precision and clarity, ensuring that your message resonates with your audience.
Moreover, proficiency in verb tenses enhances your writing style, adding depth and
sophistication to your compositions. By mastering verb tenses, you gain the ability to
craft compelling narratives, convey complex concepts, and engage readers or listeners
on a deeper level. Throughout this module, we'll explore the nuances of each verb
tense, providing you with the knowledge and skills necessary to wield them effectively
in both written and spoken contexts. Get ready to elevate your communication skills
and express yourself with confidence and eloquence!

1. Simple Present Tense (Otherwise known as the Timeless Present)

Simple Present Tense is used:
• When you are referring to habitual actions--action that you always or never
do
• When you are referring to unchanging truths
• When you are making general statements of fact
Examples
✓ (habit) He always comes late to class.
✓ (unchanging truth) The sun rises in the east.
✓ (general statement of fact) They are friendly.
Indicators: always, whenever, every day, usually, often, frequently, sometimes,
rarely, occasionally, never.
Other information:
In the simple present, most regular verbs use the root form, except in the
third-person singular (which ends in s).
Example:
✓ 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.

2. Simple Present Tense

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.
Examples:
✓ 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.
Watch me: https://youtu.be/GhE2Tt63AyE

3. Simple Past Tense

When an activity or situation began and ended at a particular time in the past--in other
words, when an activity or situation is completed in the past. To
refer to past habits.
Example:
✓ (Completed action in the past) He was late to class yesterday.
✓ (Completed action in the past) We arrived three weeks ago.
✓ (Past habit) She always wrote a letter to her mother on Sunday
night.
Other Information:
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.
How to form the simple past
➢ For regular verbs, add –ed to the root form of the verb (or just –d if the root
form ends in an e):
Play→Played Type→Typed Listen→Listened
➢ For irregular verbs, things get more complicated. The simple past tense of some
irregular verbs looks exactly like the root form:
Put→Put Cut→Cut Set→Set
Example:
✓ Wolfgang was proud of his hula hoop victory.
✓ The contest was the highlight of his week.
✓ He was at his best the whole time.
Indicators: Last night, week, year, month, Saturday, semester, yesterday, ago, etc.
Watch me: https://youtu.be/MI3S3kdkofo

4. The Present Perfect (A tense very commonly used in English to refer to the past!)
✓ When an activity happened at an unspecified time in the past (before the present)
 ✓ When an activity has been repeated several times
before now
✓ When an activity was very recently completed before
now
✓ When an activity is not completed in the past
✓ For general statements, the most common use of the
present perfect, use have or has plus the past participle
form of the main verb. [have/has] + [past
participle]
✓ To use the present perfect tense in the passive voice, use been (the past participle
of the verb be) before the past participle of the main verb. [have or has +been+
past participle]
Example:
✓ (unspecified time before now) They have already seen that movie.
✓ (repeated activity before now) We have visited New York City many times.
✓ (an action has recently been completed before now) I have just eaten.
✓ (action not completed in the past) I have studied Spanish for many years.
Watch me: https://youtu.be/0q9JQtZF5tg

5. The Present Progressive (Sometimes called the Present Continuous Tense)

✓ When an activity is in progress now at the moment of speaking
✓ When an activity began before now and continues
into the future without stopping.
✓ When an activity is temporary.
✓ When an activity is developing and changing.
➢ The habitual present is a verb in the present tense that
is used to talk about something that happens often or
regularly. It’s known as both a habit and a routine. It’s
something that the person or thing always does.
1. She is always singing in the shower. (sing + ing = signing)
2. He is always forgetting to turn off the lights. (forget + ing = forgetting)
3. It is always eating. (eat + ing = eating)
4. They are always dancing in class. (dance + ing = dancing)
5. They are always playing soccer after school. (play + ing = playing)
➢ The present progressive tense, which consists of the auxiliary verb “be” plus a
verb ending in “-ing,” is used to describe actions that are currently occurring
or that are still in progress but have not yet finished; the actions are still
happening in the present moment.
1. You are starting the project. (start + ing = starting)
2. They are driving to school. (drive + ing = driving)
3. He is working all day. (work + ing = working)
4. She is sleeping. (sleep + ing = sleeping)
5. I am studying English with my friend. (study + ing = studying)

➢ According to R. Carter and M. McCarthy, authors of "Cambridge Grammar of

English," there are numerous reasons for using the present progressive tense:
• "To refer to events that are in progress at the time of speaking or writing.
• To refer to things that are taking place or that are true around the moment of
 speaking or writing.
• To describe actions that are repeated or regular but are either temporary or
may be judged to be temporary.
• To describe regular actions in relation to a particular time or a specified event,
especially when those events interrupt something already in progress
• To refer to gradual processes of change
• With adverbs of indefinite frequency (such as always, constantly, continually,
forever) to describe events that are regular but unplanned and often undesired”.
Indicators: right now, at this moment, still, this year, month, week, currently, as we
speak, today, at this afternoon, now, today, etc.

6. Future Tense
To indicate that an activity or event will take place at a time in the future
The formula for the simple future is will + [root form of verb].
Example:
✓ When I’m retired, I’m going to travel.
✓ Next week, we will work on punctuation.
✓ He is going to get his car fixed tomorrow.
✓ Our plane departs at noon next Friday.
There is another way to show that something will happen in the future.
It follows the formula am/is/are + going to + [root form verb].
Example:
• I am going to learn a new language.
• Jen is going to read that book.
• My brothers are going to sleep till noon if no one wakes them up.
• You are going to see what I mean.
Common verbs in the simple future

The “going” construction.

 Other English Verb Tenses
These tenses are combinations of the tenses we have just reviewed.

7. Past Perfect
✓ This tense is not used a lot. It can often be used interchangeably with the simple
past because these tenses do not differ much in meaning. The past perfect tense
refers to activities that happened before a specific time in the past.
✓ The formula for the past perfect tense is had + [past participle].
✓ It doesn’t matter if the subject is singular or plural; the formula doesn’t change.

So, what’s the difference between the past perfect and the simple past? When you’re
talking about some point in the past and want to reference an event that happened even
earlier, using the past perfect allows you to convey the sequence of the events. It’s also
clearer and more specific.

8. Past Progressive
✓ This tense is used to refer to activities continuously in progress around a time in
the past.
✓ The past continuous tense, also known as the past progressive tense, describes
ongoing actions in the past, such as I was writing my research paper all night. It
uses the same construction as the present continuous tense except with the past
tense of the verb to be.
✓ The past continuous tense formula involves the past tense of to be (was or were)
and the present participle of the verb, the –ing form. [was/were] + [present
participle]
✓ Example: While I was studying, my friends were playing.

9. Past Perfect Progressive

✓ The past perfect continuous (also known as the past perfect progressive) is a verb
tense that shows that an action that started in the past continued up until another
time in the past.
✓ How to form the past perfect continuous
➢ The formula for the past perfect continuous tense is had been + [present
participle (root form of verb + -ing)].
➢ Unlike the present perfect continuous, which indicates an action that began in
the past and has continued up to the present, the past perfect continuous
indicates something that began in the past, continued in the past, and also
ended at a defined point in the past.
➢ Indicators: When, for, since, and before are words that you may see used
alongside the past perfect continuous tense.
➢ Example:
✓ He had been drinking milk out the carton when Mom walked into the
kitchen.
✓ I had been working at the company for five years when I got the promotion.

10. Present Perfect Progressive

✓ The formula for the present perfect continuous tense is has/have been +
[present participle (root form of verb + -ing)].
 ✓ Recently and lately are words that we often find with verbs in the present perfect
continuous tense.
✓ Example
• Mia has been competing in flute competitions recently (and she will continue to
do so).
• I haven’t been feeling well lately.
• Recently, I’ve been misplacing my wallet and keys.
✓ Not all verbs are compatible with continuous action. Verbs that describe states and
conditions, such as to be and to own, for example, do not make sense in the present
perfect continuous tense. When you want to show that what is being described by
one of these verbs continues up to the present, you use the regular present perfect
tense.
Example:
• Incorrect: I have been owning my Mazda since 2007.
• Correct: I have owned my Mazda since 2007.

11. Future Perfect

✓ The future perfect tense is used to express an action that is not done yet but will
be done by a certain point in time in the future. The future perfect action will be
completed any time before that point. You can think of that future point as a kind
of deadline.
✓ The future perfect tense is formed by using will have + past participle.
A. The future point can be expressed by using a time phrase, such as by 9:00, by
next summer, by the year 2050, etc.
For example:
➢ By next summer, I will have saved enough money to buy a new car.
In other words, I haven’t saved enough money yet, but by next summer (or
sooner) I will have enough money.
➢ We will have arrived in Costa Rica by this time tomorrow.
If it is now 2:00 on Monday, we will arrive before 2:00 on Tuesday.
B. The future point can also be expressed as another action. In this case, we
usually say “by the time + subject + simple present verb”.
For example:
➢ By the time Julie turns 30, she will have finished her doctorate degree.
Julie hasn’t finished her degree yet, but she will be finished any time before her
30th birthday.
➢ By the time I reach the airport, the plane will have already left.
The plane will leave sometime before I reach the airport. As you can see from
this example, the adverb ‘already’ can be placed between have and the past
participle. This helps to emphasize the idea that there is a gap between the two
actions and that I will be too late for the plane.

12. Future Progressive (also known as the Future Continuous Tense)

✓ This tense is used to refer to activities that will be continuously in progress around
some future time. Subject + will be + verb-ing (present participle)
✓ The key features of the Future Progressive Tense are:
➢ Expresses actions that will be happening in the future.
➢ Emphasizes the ongoing nature of the action.
 ➢ Conveys the sense of duration or process.
✓ Future Progressive Tense Rules
➢ Time expressions: To indicate the specific time frame in which the action
will take place, use time expressions like "at this time tomorrow", "by the end
of the week", or "next month". Example: "We will be having dinner at 7pm."
➢ Non-action (stative) verbs: Remember that certain "non-action" or stative
verbs which describe states of being, emotions or thoughts, usually do not
take the progressive tense. Examples of stative verbs include: love, hate,
know, understand, and believe. Example: Incorrect - "I will be knowing the
result tomorrow." Correct - "I will know the result tomorrow."
➢ Polite or formal expressions: The Future Progressive Tense can be used
to make polite offers or inquiries, giving a less direct and more formal tone.
Example: "Will you be needing any help?"
➢ Simultaneous actions: When two actions will be happening simultaneously
in the future, the Future Progressive Tense can be used for both verbs.
Example: "While she is making dinner, he will be setting the table."
✓ Example:
Positive: She will be working.
Negative: She will not be working (or She won't be working).
Question: Will she be working?

13. Future Perfect Progressive

✓ This tense is used to refer to activities that will be continuously in progress before
a future time.
✓ The future perfect continuous consists of will + have + been + the verb’s
present participle (verb root + -ing).
✓ When we describe an action in the future perfect continuous tense, we are
projecting ourselves forward in time and looking back at the duration of that
activity. The activity will have begun sometime in the past, present, or in the
future, and is expected to continue in the future.
✓ Example:
In November, I will have been working at my company for three years.
At five o’clock, I will have been waiting for thirty minutes.
When I turn thirty, I will have been playing piano for twenty-one years.

Overview of the English Verb Tenses/ Aspect System

Simple Perfect Progress-ive Perfect Progress-ive

(HAVE (BE+verb+ing) (HAVE+ BEEN +
+verb+en) verb+ing)

Present * * *

Past *

Future *
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