A Trinity College London Registered Examination Centre
The following chart shows the positive, negative and interrogative (question) forms of all the principle tenses in English with a brief description of the principle usage. This chart is principally for comparison purposes.
TENSE | POSITIVE | NEGATIVE | QUESTION | USE |
Simple Present | I play tennis on Mondays. | They don't (do not) work in New York. | Does she know him? | Habitual activities – States |
Simple Past | She went to Paris last week. | They didn't (did not) drive to work. | Where did she get that hat? | Actions happening at a defined moment in the past. |
Simple Future | I'll (will) meet you at the airport tomorrow. | He won't (will not) be able to come. | Will they visit us soon? | Decisions made at the moment about the future, future predictions, future promises |
Present Continuous | He's (is) working at the moment. | They aren't (are not) coming this evening. | What are you doing? | Actions happening at the present moment. Near future intention and scheduling. |
Past Continuous | I was watching TV when you called. | He wasn't (was not) working when she arrived. | What were you doing when I called? | Interrupted past action, action happening at a specific moment in time in the past. |
Future Continuous | I'll (will) be cooking dinner when you arrive. | They won't (will not) be living in Paris this time next year. | What will you be doing next week at this time? | Future action at a specific moment in the future. |
Future with Going to | He's (is) going to fly to Boston next week. | They're (are) not going to invite the Browns. | Where are you going to stay? | Future intent or planned action |
Present Perfect | I've (have) seen Mick three times this week. | She hasn't (has not) been to New York. | How long have you worked at Smith's? | 1)To express an action that was begun in the past and continues into the present. 2) To express an action that happened in the Unspecified past. 3) To express a recent action that has a present effect. |
Past Perfect | I'd (had) already eaten before they came. | She hadn't (had not) been to Rome before that trip. | Had you ever seen such a crazy lady before that? | To express an action that happens before another action in the past. |
Future Perfect | We'll (will) have lived here for twenty years by 2005. | She won't (will not) have finished her homework by the time we arrive. | How long will you have lived in France by the end of next year? | To express what will have happened or how long something will have happened up to a certain point in the future. |
Present Perfect Continuous | She's (has) been waiting for over three hours. | They haven't (have not) been studying for long. | How long have you been working on that problem? | To express the duration of a continuous activity begun in the past and continuing into the present. |
Past Perfect Continuous | She'd (had) been waiting for three hours when he finally arrived. | I hadn't (had not) been sleeping for long when I heard the doorbell ring. | How long had you been playing tennis when she arrived? | To express the duration of a continuous activity begun before another activity in the past. |
Future Perfect Continuous | He'll (will) have been sleeping for a few hours by the time we arrive. | She won't (will not) have been working for long by 5 o'clock. | How long will you have been driving by 6 o'clock? | To express the duration of an activity up to a point of time in the future. |