TENSE SIGNPOSTS

1. SIMPLE PRESENT
- always, usually , often, sometime, seldom , rarely , never . - every morning , every day , every month/year... - once/ twice/three times , a/per day , a week....

2. PRESENT CONTINUOUS
- now, at the moment, at the present - Look ! , listen !, Be quiet !, Becareful !, Don't make noise !, Keep silent!.... - am/ is/ are + always/ continually/ forever/ constantly + V-ing express complaints or annoyance - am/ is/ are + V-ing + future time words planned event in the future 3. PRESENT PERFECT - for + a period of time, since + a point of time - lately, recently, so far - already, yet, never, ever, still, just

4. PRESENT PERFECT CONTINOUS - This tense is used to indicate the duration of an activity that began in the past and continues to the present. When the tense has this meaning, it is used with time words, such as for, since, all morning, all day, all week. e.g.: I have been sitting here since seven o'clock. You have been studying for five straight hours. Why don't you take a break? It has been raining all day. It is still raining right now. 5. SIMPLE PAST
- yesterday, last week/ month/ year/decade/ century - number + day/month/year+ ago - in 1996/1678/2008... 6. PAST CONTINUOUS - at+ 8a.m/3p.m/5a.m...+yesterday/ last... - at this/that time + yesterday/last... - between ...and ...last.../yesterday... from....to... ( from Monday to saturday) All ... ( all yesterday, all last week..) The whole of ...( the whole of yesterday ) eg : From 7.pm to 9p.m I was waching TV - when eg: When I came home , my parent was having a dinner . - while/ as eg :My father was reading news paper while my mother was cooking dinner.

7. PAST PERFECT - The past perfect expresses an activity that was completed before another activity or time in the past. - after , before, when ,until , as soon as , by e.g.: By the time we got to the airport, the airplane had taken off. 8. PAST PERFECT CONTINUOUS - The past perfect progressive emphasizes the duration of an activity that was in progress before another activity or time in the past. e.g. The police had been looking for the criminal /or two years before they caught him. - This tense also may express an activity in progress close in time to another activity or time in the past e.g.: W hen Judy got home, her hair was still wet because she had been swimming. 9. SIMPLE FUTURE - tomorrow , next day/week/ year/ century.... - be going to + bare infinitive actions which are previously planned 10. FUTURE CONTINUOUS - at + (this) + time + tomorrow/ next week/ next month/ next year eg: At 10p.m tomorrow , I will be learning math information technology - all morning/day/ month..... eg: Come and see me tomorrow. I will be staying at home all morning. 11. FUTURE PERFECT - by 5p.m/by October/ by at the end of November / by the time ... , when, before , after , as soon as .... e.g.: By the time we get/ have got to the airport, the airplane will have taken off. I will graduate in June. I will see you in July. By the time I see you will have graduated. 12. FUTURE PERFECT CONTINUOUS - The future perfect progressive emphasizes the duration of an activity that will be in progress before another time or event in the future e.g.: When Professor Jones retires next month, he will have been teaching for 45 years