SIMPLE TENSES

The PRESENT TENSE uses the verb's base form (write, work), or, for thirdperson singular subjects, the base form plus an -s ending (he writes, she works). The PRESENT TENSE indicates that an action is present, now, relative to the speaker or writer. Generally, it is used to describe actions that are factual or habitual -- things that occur in the present but that are not necessarily happening right now: "It rains a lot in Portland" is a kind of timeless statement. Compare that to the present progressive -- "It is rainingin Portland" -- which means that something is, in fact, going on right now. "I use my bike to get around town." is in the present, but I'm not actually on my bike right now. An instantaneous sense of the present can be conveyed with either the simple present or the progressive: "Watch him now: he holds [is holding] down the control key at the same time that hepresses [is pressing] the letter d." The present tense is used to describe events that are scheduled (by nature or by people): "High tide is at 3:15 p.m. The Super Bowl starts at 6:15 p.m." The present tense can be used to suggest the past with what is sometimes called the fictional (or historic) present: "We were watching the back door when, all of a sudden, in walks Dierdre." With verbs of communicating, the present tense can also suggest a past action: "Dierdre tells me that she took her brother to the dentist." Most oddly, the present tense can convey a sense of the future, especially with verbs such as arrive, come, and leave that suggest a kind of plan or schedule: "The train from Boston arrives this afternoon at two o'clock." Present tense habitual activities are frequently signaled by time expressions such as the following:
all the time always every class every day every holiday every hour every month every semester every week every year most of the time never often rarely sometimes usually

Singular I walk you walk he/she/it walks

Plural we walk you walk they walk

Singular I sleep you sleep he/she/it sleeps

Plural we sleep you sleep they sleep

Singular I am you are he/she/it is

Plural we are you are they are

The PAST TENSE indicates that an action is in the past relative to the speaker or writer. when the time period has finished: "We went to Chicago last Christmas." when the time period is definite: "We visited Mom last week." with for, when the action is finished: "I worked with the FBI for two months." Regular verbs use the verb's base form (scream, work) plus the -ed ending (screamed, worked). Irregular verbs alter their form in some other way (slept, drank, drove). Students for whom English is a second language sometimes (quite understandably) have trouble distinguishing between the Simple Past and the Present Perfect tenses. There is more information about the difference between these two tenses available under the Present Perfect description.

Singular I walked you walked he/she/it walked

Plural we walked you walked they walked

Singular I slept you slept he/she/it slept Singular I was you were he/she/it was

Plural we slept you slept they slept Plural we were you were they were

When I was a girl, I walked five miles to school every day. Carmelita slept through the entire class. We worked really hard to make this a success, but then Chuck ruined it with his carelessness. Every time I finished a sandcastle, the waves came in and washed it away. Tarzan dove into the swamp and swam toward the alligator. The FUTURE TENSE indicates that an action is in the future relative to the speaker or writer. There are no inflected forms for the future in English (nothing like those -ed or -s endings in the other tenses). Instead, the future tense employs the helping verbs will or shall with the base form of the verb:

She will leave soon. We shall overcome.

The future is also formed with the use of a form of "go" plus the infinitive of the verb:

He is going to faint.

English can even use the present to suggest the future tense:

I am leaving later today."

Plural we will walk you will walk they will walk

Singular I will walk you will walk he/she/it will walk

Singular I will sleep you will sleep he/she/it will sleep

Plural we will sleep you will sleep they will sleep

Singular I will be you will be he/she/it will be

Plural we will be you will be they will be

We will be victorious! We shall overcome. We are going to win this race. The bus arrives at three this afternoon. The boss is announcing his retirement at today's meeting.

PERFECT TENSES
The PRESENT PERFECT TENSE is formed with a present tense form of "to have" plus the past participle of the verb (which can be either regular or

irregular in form). This tense indicates either that an action was completed (finished or "perfected") at some point in the past or that the action extends to the present: I have walked two miles already [but I'm still walking]. I have run the Boston Marathon [but that was some time ago]. The critics have praised the film Saving Private Ryan since it came out [and they continue to do so]. The choice between Present Perfect and Simple Past is often determined by the adverbial accompanying the verb. With adverbs referring to a period gone by, we would use the simple past: I studied all night/yesterday/on Wednesday. With adverbs beginning in the past and going up to present, we would use the present perfect: I have studied up to now/lately/already. An adverbial time-marker such as "today, this month," or "for an hour" can take either the simple past or present perfect: I worked/have worked hard today. We tend to use the Present Perfect when reporting or announcing an event of the recent past: The company's current CEO has lied repeatedly to her employees. But we tend to use the Simple Past when reporting or announcing events of the finished, more distant past: Washington encouraged his troops.Because the time limits for Present Perfect are relatively elastic (stretching up to the present), it is somewhat lessdefinite than the Simple Past: Brett has worked with some of the best chefs of Europe [in the course of his long and continuing career]. Brett worked with Chef Pierre LeGout [when he lived in Paris].
Singular I have walked you have walked he/she/it has walked Singular I have slept you have slept Plural we have walked you have walked they have walked Plural we have slept you have slept

he/she/it has slept

they have slept

Singular I have been you have been he/she/it has been

Plural we have been you have been they have been

For five generations, members of my family have been doctors. Vaughan has batted clean-up since he came to the Redsox. She has swum the English Channel every summer. How long has it been since the last time we met? The PAST PERFECT TENSE indicates that an action was completed (finished or "perfected") at some point in the pastbefore something else happened. This tense is formed with the past tense form of "to have" (HAD) plus the past participle of the verb (which can be either regular or irregular in form): I had walked two miles by lunchtime. I had run three other marathons before entering the Boston Marathon .
Singular I had walked you had walked he/she/it had walked Plural we had walked you had walked they had walked

Singular I had slept you had slept he/she/it had slept

Plural we had slept you had slept they had slept

Singular

Plural

I had been you had been he/she/it had been

we had been you had been they had been

Prior to the Revolutionary War, Washington had been a surveyor and land speculator. Aunt Glad had invested heavily in the air-conditioning industry before the Great Crash of 1988. She had swum the English Channel every summer until 1997. How long had it been since you saw each other? The FUTURE PERFECT TENSE indicates that an action will have been completed (finished or "perfected") at some point in the future. This tense is formed with "will" plus "have" plus the past participle of the verb (which can be either regular or irregular in form): "I will have spent all my money by this time next year. I will have run successfully in three marathons if I can finish this one."
Singular I will have walked you will have walked he/she/it will have walked Plural we will have walked you will have walked they will have walked

Singular I will have slept you will have slept he/she/it will have slept

Plural we will have slept you will have slept they will have slept

Singular I will have been you will have been

Plural we will have been you will have been

he/she/it will have been

they will have been

By this time next week, I will have worked on this project for twenty days. Before he sees his publisher, Charles will have finished four chapters in his new novel. A Democratic president will have been in the White House for nearly half of the twentieth century. How long will it have been since we were together?

PROGRESSIVE TENSES
The PRESENT PROGRESSIVE TENSE indicates continuing action, something going on now. This tense is formed with the helping "to be" verb, in the present tense, plus the present participle of the verb (with an -ing ending): "I am buying all my family's Christmas gifts early this year. She is working through the holiday break. Dierdre is being a really good girl in these days before Christmas". The present progressive can suggest that an action is going to happen in the future, especially with verbs that convey the idea of a plan or of movement from one place or condition to another: "The team is arriving in two hours. He's

moving to Portland this summer." Because the present progressive can suggest either the present or the future, it is usually modified by adverbs of time. The progressive forms of a verb indicate that something is happening or was happening or will be happening. When used with the past, the progressive form shows the limited duration of an event: "While I was doing my homework, my brother came into my room." The past progressive also suggests that an action in the past was not entirely finished. (Compare "I did my homework." to "I was doing my homework.") This is even more evident in the passive progressive construction: "He was being strangled in the alley" suggests an action that was not finished, perhaps because the act was interrupted by a good citizen, whereas the simple past "He was strangled in the alley" suggests an action that was finished, unfortunately. A neat categorization of the uses of the progressive can be found on the page describing the "To Be" Verb. The progressive forms occur only with dynamic verbs, that is, with verbs that show qualities capable of change as opposed to stative verbs, which show qualities not capable of change.* For instance, we do not say, "He is being tall" or "He is resembling his mother" or "I am wanting spaghetti for dinner" or "It is belonging to me." (We would say, instead: "He is tall," "He resembles his mother," "I want spaghetti," and "It belongs to me.") The best way to understand the difference between stative and dynamic verbs is to look at a table that lists them and breaks them into categories and then to build some sentences with them, trying out the progressive forms to see if they work or not. These categories and lists are derived from Randolph Quirk and Sidney Greenbaum's A University Grammar of English (used with the publisher's permission). The examples are our own. The lists are not meant to be complete.

DYNAMIC VERBS
Activity Verbs I am begging you. I was learning French. They will be playing upstairs.. Virtually identical in meaning to simple tense forms: I beg you. I learned French. They will play upstairs. abandon ask beg eat help learn play rain read throw whisper work

call drink

listen look at

say slice

write

Process Verbs The corn is growing rapidly. Traffic is slowing down. Virtually identical in meaning to simple present tense forms: The corn grows rapidly. Traffic slows down. change deteriorate grow mature slow down widen

Verbs of Bodily Sensation "I feel bad" and "I am feeling bad" are virtually identical in meaning. ache feel hurt itch

Transitional Events Verbs Progressive forms indicate the beginning of an event, as opposed to the simple present tense. "She was falling out of bed [when I caught her]" as opposed to "She falls out of bed every night." arrive die fall land leave lose

Momentary Verbs Progressive forms indicate little duration and suggest repetition. She is hitting her brother. He is jumping around the house. hit jump kick knock nod tap

STATIVE VERBS
Verbs of Inert Perception and Cognition* I detest rudabaga, but not I am detesting rudabaga. I prefer cinnamon toast, but not I am preferring cinnamon toast. abhor adore astonish believe desire detest dislike doubt guess hate hear imagine impress intend know like mind perceive please prefer presuppose realize recall recognize satisfy see smell suppose taste think understand want

feel forgive

love mean

regard remember

wish

Relational Verbs I am sick, but not I am being sick. I own ten acres of land, but not I am owning ten acres. My brother owes me ten dollars" but not My brother is owing me ten dollars. be* belong to concern consist of contain cost Singular I am walking you are walking he/she/it is walking depend on deserve equal fit have include involve lack matter need owe own possess require require resemble seem sound Plural we are walking you are walking they are walking

Singular I am sleeping you are sleeping he/she/it is sleeping

Plural we are sleeping you are sleeping they are sleeping

Singular I am being you are being he/she/it is being

Plural we are being you are being they are being

The summer is passing too quickly. Raoul is acting like his father.

Some football players are not being good role models for youngsters. Is he being good to you? The PAST PROGRESSIVE TENSE indicates continuing action, something that was happening, going on, at some point in the past. This tense is formed with the helping "to be" verb, in the past tense, plus the present participle of the verb (with an -ing ending):

I was riding my bike all day yesterday. Joel was being a terrible role model for his younger brother.

The past progressive indicates a limited duration of time and is thus a convenient way to indicate that something took place (in the simple past) while something else was happening:

Carlos lost his watch while he was running.

The past progressive can express incomplete action.

I was sleeping on the couch when Bertie smashed through the door.

(as opposed to the simple past, which suggests a completed action:

I slept on the couch last night.

The past progressive is also used to poke fun at or criticize an action that is sporadic but habitual in nature:

Tashonda was always handing in late papers. My father was always lecturing my brother.
Plural we were walking you were walking they were walking

Singular I was walking you were walking he/she/it was walking

Singular

Plural

I was sleeping you were sleeping he/she/it was sleeping

we were sleeping you were sleeping they were sleeping

Singular I was being you were being he/she/it was being

Plural we were being you were being they were being

Dad was working in his garden all morning. During the mid-50s, real estate speculators were buying all the swampland in Central Florida, and innocent people were investing all their money in bogus development projects. Was he being good to you? The FUTURE PROGRESSIVE TENSE indicates continuing action, something that will be happening, going on, at some point in the future. This tense is formed with the modal "will" plus "be," plus the present participle of the verb (with an -ingending): "I will be running in next year's Boston Marathon. Our campaign plans suggest that the President will be winningthe southern vote by November. "
Singular I will be walking you will be walking he/she/it will be walking Plural we will be walking you will be walking they will be walking

Singular I will be sleeping you will be sleeping

Plural we will be sleeping you will be sleeping

he/she/it will be sleeping

they will be sleeping

Singular

Plural

There is no future progressive for the "to be" verb. "Will be being" is expressed simply as "will be": "We will be being happy."

By this time tomorrow night, I will be sleeping in my own bed. Next fall, we will be enjoying all the vegetables we planted last spring. Will we be spending too much money if we buy that big-screen TV? The PRESENT PERFECT PROGRESSIVE TENSE indicates a continuous action that has been finished at some point in the past or that was initiated in the past and continues to happen. The action is usually of limited duration and has some current relevance: "She has been running and her heart is still beating fast." The present perfect progressive frequently is used to describe an event of the recent past; it is often accompanied by just in this usage: "It has just been raining." This tense is formed with the modal "HAVE" or "HAS" (for third-person singular subjects) plus "BEEN," plus the present participle of the verb (with an -ing ending): "I have been working in the garden all morning. George has been painting that house for as long as I can remember."
Singular I have been walking you have been walking he/she/it has been walking Plural we have been walking you have been walking they have been walking

Singular I have been sleeping you have been sleeping he/she/it has been sleeping

Plural we have been sleeping you have been sleeping they have been sleeping

Singular

Plural

There is no present perfect progressive for the "to be" verb. "Have been being" is expressed simply as "have been": "We have been being successful in the past."

Maria has been writing her dissertation for the last six years[, but she finished yesterday]. The Redsox have been losing games since the All-Star break [and they continue to do so]. Have we been telling the truth to consumers about tobacco? Haven't we been lying to teenagers about smoking? The PAST PERFECT PROGRESSIVE TENSE indicates a continuous action that was completed at some point in the past. This tense is formed with the modal "HAD" plus "BEEN," plus the present participle of the verb (with an ingending): "I had been working in the garden all morning. George had been painting his house for weeks, but he finally gave up."
Singular I had been walking you had been walking he/she/it had been walking Plural we had been walking you had been walking they had been walking

Singular I had been sleeping you had been sleeping he/she/it had been sleeping Singular

Plural we had been sleeping you had been sleeping they had been sleeping Plural

There is no past perfect progressive for the "to be" verb. "Had been being" is expressed simply as "had been": "We had beenbeing successful before, but we somehow lost our knack."

Hemingway had been losing his self-confidence for years before the publication of Old Man and the Sea. Had they been cheating on the exams before the school put monitors in the classroom? The FUTURE PERFECT PROGRESSIVE TENSE indicates a continuous action that will be completed at some point in the future. This tense is formed with the modal "WILL" plus the modal "HAVE" plus "BEEN" plus the present participle of the verb (with an -ing ending): "Next Thursday, I will have been working on this project for three years."
Singular I will have been walking you will have been walking he/she/it will have been walking Plural we will have been walking you will have been walking they will have been walking

Singular I will have been sleeping you will have been sleeping he/she/it will have been sleeping

Plural we will have been sleeping you will have been sleeping they will have been sleeping

Singular

Plural

There is no future perfect progressive for the "to be" verb. "Will have been being" is expressed simply as "will have been": "By this time next year we will have been being on this committee for a decade."

By the time he finishes this semester, Gesualdo will have been studying nothing but parasites for four years. Will they have been testing these materials in the lab before we even get there?