In our regularGrammar 101 series,we look at commonly confused words like“its” vs “it’s” . This time we’ll look at verb tenses. Verb tenses inform us how an action relates to time and can create a lot of confusion if used incorrectly. We suggest youfamiliariseyourself with the different verb tenses as verbs can change forms depending on thetensesthey are used in. The general rule for the past simple tense is to add “ed” at the end of the verb, but this doesn’t apply to all verbs.
Just likestudying for IELTS , it may seem difficult at first. However, to understand tenses, all you need to do is understand the logic and remember a few sentence structures and general rules. With some practice, it will become second nature to you. Let’s get started.
Present
PresentSimple
The tense that is used to refer to events, actions, and conditions that are happening all the time, or exist now.
“Iswimevery day.”
“Iplayfootball.”
Present Continuous:
The tense that is used for actions happening now or for an action that is unfinished. This tense is also used when the action is temporary.
“Iamswimmingin myneighbour’spool now.”
“She isspeakingto my mum at the moment.”
Present Perfect:
The tense that is used for something that started in the past and continued to the present time.
“Ihaveswumin the sea countless times.”
“Ihavespokento her manytimes.”
Present Perfect Continuous:
The tense that is used to show that something started in the past and is continuing at the present time.
“Ihave been swimmingsince I was 7 years old.”
“Shehas been competingin dance competitions lately.”
Past
Simple Past:
The tense that is used to describe an event or action that happened in the past.
“Yesterday,Iswam10 laps.”
“Last night, Icookedchicken curry.”
Past Continuous:
The tense that is used for a continuing action or event in a time which began or existed in the past. It can also be used to describe an unfinished action that was interrupted by another event or action.
“Iwas swimmingwith David last night when Bob arrived.”
“In May, shewas teachingin a school in Darwin.”
Past Perfect:
The tense that is used to make it clear that one event happened before another in the past.
“Ihad swumthe breaststroke before I turned 8.”
“Hehad failedto communicate that he had another wife when we first met.”
Past Perfect Continuous:
The tense that is used to show that an action started in the past and continued up until another time in the past.
“Ihad been swimmingfor many years before Priya picked up the sport.”
“Davehad been playingsoccer for 10 years when he was offered a spot on the US Olympic team.”
Future
Simple Future:
The tense that is used to describe things that haven’t yet happened at the presenttime,but which are expected, or likely to occur in the future.
“Iwill swimmore than 10 laps tomorrow.”
“Youwill seeher again next week.”
Future Continuous:
The tense that is used for an unfinished action or event that will occur in future and continue for an expected length of time.
“Iwill be swimmingin the new Olympic-sized swimming pool on Friday.”
“By December next year, Iwill be swimminglike a fish.”
Future Perfect:
The tense that is used for actions that will be completed between now and some point in the future.
“Iwill have swumat least 1000km by the end of theyear”
“Hewill have built40 homes by the first quarter of 2018.”
Future Perfect Continuous:
The tense that is used to describe actions that will continue up until a point in the future.
“By noon today, Iwill have been swimmingfor 2 hours.”
“In April, Damienwill have been workingin the company for 10 years.”
Learn more about English verb tenses in this shortvideo .
