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English language

Module 6

This Module shows you the twelve commonly used tenses in English;

Tenses determine when an action or state occurred (or will occur).

Simple Present

Simple Present

The present simple tense for the most part remains the same as the base form of the verb (infinitive) and is used to determine the here and now, regular repeated actions and things which are always true.

Present Continuous

Present Continuous

When we describe actions in the present we rarely mean a specific point in time, but an ongoing or series of actions occurring at the time of speaking and this is expressed with the present continuous tense.

Perfect Present

Perfect Present

The present perfect is to talk about completed actions in the past that have some import or impact upon the present.

Perfect Present Continuous

Perfect Present Continuous

Is used to express a continuous action from the recent past which has just been completed prior to the point of speaking or has continued up to this point and may continue into the future.

Simple Past

Simple Past

The past simple tense is used to describe an action which has occurred in the past and has finished, or a repeated completed action in the past.

Past Continuous

Past Continuous

The past continuous tense is used to describe an action in the past that took a period of time to complete and or an action that was ongoing at a fixed point in the past.

Perfect Past

Perfect Past

The past perfect tense describes a past event that took place prior to another event or point in the past and is one of the principal tenses used in constructing narratives and ordering past events.

Perfect Past Continuous

Perfect Past Continuous

The past perfect continuous performs similar functions as the past continuous in that it expresses actions in the past taking place over a period of time but is also commonly used to express a continuous action leading up to another past event.

Simple Future

Simple Future

Future tenses are used to describe or predict something that will, may or might occur at a point in time in the future.

Future Continuous

Future Continuous

The future continuous tense is used to express an action that will be continuing for a period of time in the future, and is formed with the modal will or shall and (in keeping with other continuous tenses) the auxiliary verb ‘to be’ with the present participle ‘ing’ form.

Future Perfect

Future Perfect

The future perfect tense is used to predict or estimate future actions to be completed at some pre-determined point in the future, and in common with all perfect tenses it is formed with the auxiliary verb to have and the past participle of the principal verb following the modal will/shall.

Perfect Future Continuous

Perfect Future Continuous

The future perfect continuous relates to on-going actions in the future over a period of time, often leading up to another action or point in the future.

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