Tenses are verb phrases with emphasis on Time.
There are 3 basic tenses - Past, Present and Future. Each one has 4 different forms - Simple, Continuous(Progressive), Perfect and Perfect Continuous.
The simple past tense is used to describe the actions that happened in the past.
The simple present tense is used to express habitual actions.
The simple future tense is used to describe future events.
- I will eat
- I will write
- I will walk
The continuous past tense is used to describe an action in the past.
- I was eating
- I was writing
- I was walking
The continuous present tense is used to describe actions happening now.
- I am eating
- I am writing
- I am walking
The continuous future tense is used to describe actions that are going to happen (certainly) in future.
- I wiil be eating
- I will be writing
- I will be walking
The past perfect tense is used to describe an event that had continuing relevence to a past time.
- I had eaten
- I had written
- I had walked
The present perfect tense is used to describe a past event that has present consequences.
- I have eaten
- I have written
- I have walked
The future perfect tense is used to describe an event that is expected to happen before another event in the future.
- I will eat
- I will write
- I will walk
The past perfect continuous tense is used to describe an event that started in the past and continued up until another time in the past.
- I had been eating
- I had been writing
- I had been walking
The present perfect continuous tense is used to describe an action in the past which continues right up to the present.
- I have been eating
- I have been writing
- I have been walking
The future perfect continuous tense is used to describe actions that will be unfinished, but have reached a certain stage.
- I will have been eating
- I will have been writing
- I will have been walking
Tenses for third and fourth graders
Tenses for fifth graders