Verb Tenses
There are 12 verb tenses in English. The verb action can take place in the past the present or the future. There are usually word clues that give a guide as to when the verb action occurs. Within each of these times there are four different situations that occur. Simple tenses occur at a point in time, or on a repeated or habitual basis. A progressive or continuous tense indicates that the action takes place over time and these tenses always use part of the verb “be” as the first part of the verb phrase and end with the main verb + ing. A perfect tense always uses part of “have” as the first part of the verb phrase and ends with the past form of the main verb.
A perfect progressive tense starts with the relevant part of the verb “have” followed by “been” and ends with the main verb + ing. If you remember these basic rules, you can always identify the verb tense being used, or use the verb tense you need without having to continually refer to a text book or table.
Meanwhile, a chart like the one given here can provide a quick and easy reference until you feel comfortable using the various verb tenses. Also pay attention to the time clues in the following chart; while some of them can be used with more than one verb tense, they do restrict the number of possibilities and help you to understand which verb tense is being used, or which verb tense you should use.
Simple tenses occur either in a single moment, or as a repeated, habitual action.
The simple past is formed by changing the verb in one of these two ways: either adding ‘ed’ to the end or using the past form of the verb.
A continuous or progressive tense (often referred to as the gerund) happens over a period of time. This tense is always formed with a form of the verb ‘to be’, the main verb and the ending ‘-ing’. Thus the formula could be written like this: (subject) + (be) + (main verb) + -ing.
The perfect tense is used to compare actions or when the time of the action is not clear. This tense is always formed with the verb ‘have’ and a special part of the main verb in the past called the ‘past participle’. The formula would be: (subject) + (have) + (past participle of the main verb).
The perfect cotinuous or progressive tense is when we are thinking of an action that has happened over time in the past, before another action, or an action that begins in the past and continues into the present or future. It is always formed by combining the formulas of the continuous and perfect tenses: (subject).
