Review of English tenses

Simple Present
Affirmative	She drinks.
Negative	She does not drink.
Interrogative	Does she drink?
Form	I, you we they play | he, she, it plays
Uses	action in the present taking place once, never or several times facts actions taking place one after another action set by a timetable or schedule

Present Progressive
Affirmative	He is reading.
Negative	He is not reading.
Interrogative	Is he reading?
Form	To be (in the simple present) + verb + ing
Uses	action taking place at the moment of speaking action arranged for the future

Simple Past
Affirmative	I cried.
Negative	I did not cry
Interrogative	Did I cry?
Form	Regular verbs: Verb + ed | Irregular verbs: forms differ and should be learned by heart. This is a list of irregular verbs
Uses	action in the past taking place once, never or several times actions taking place one after another

Past Progressive
Affirmative	He was driving.
Negative	He was not driving.
Interrogative	Was he driving?
Form	to be (in the simple past) + verb + ing
Uses	action going on at a certain time in the past actions taking place at the same time action in the past that is interrupted by another action

Present Perfect Simple
Affirmative	They have slept.
Negative	They have not slept.
Interrogative	Have they slept?
Form	Have / has + past participle (past participle of regular verbs: verb + ed | Past participle of irregular verbs: forms differ and should be learned by heart. This is a list of irregular verbs)
Uses	emphasis is on the result (not the duration) action that started in the past & is still going on action that stopped recently finished action that has an influence on the present

Present Perfect Progressive
Affirmative	He has been thinking.
Negative	He has not been thinking.
Interrogative	Has he been thinking?
Form	have or has + been + verb + ing
Uses	putting emphasis on the course or duration (not the result) action that recently stopped or is still going on finished action that influenced the present

Past Perfect Continuous Tense

The Past Perfect Continuous tense is used to express something that started in the past and continued until another time in the past.

POSITIVE STATEMENTS

SUBJECT	HAD BEEN	VERB + ing	REST OF THE SENTENCE
I	had been	standing	at the bus stop for thirty minutes.
You	had been	standing	at the bus stop for thirty minutes.
He	had been	standing	at the bus stop for thirty minutes.
Mohan	had been	standing	at the bus stop for thirty minutes.
The boy	had been	standing	at the bus stop for thirty minutes.

Past Perfect Tense

The Past Perfect tense is used to express something that happened before another action in the past.

POSITIVE STATEMENTS

SUBJECT	HAD	VERB (past participle)	REST OF THE SENTENCE
I	had	finished	the work.
You	had	finished	the work.
He	had	finished	the work.

Auxiliary Verbs "Be", "Do", "Have"

An auxiliary verb helps the main (full) verb and is also called a "helping verb." With auxiliary verbs, you can write sentences in different tenses, moods, or voices. Auxiliary verbs are: be, do, have, will, shall, would, should, can, could, may, might, must, ought, etc. 

• I think I should study harder to master English.
• I am having a cup of coffee.
• You have been practicing hard.
• It was written by a petitioner.
• You may choose what you like.

The verb forms of be, do, and have can be used either as a main (full) verb or an auxiliary verb. The following examples show these verbs used as auxiliary verbs. 

1. "Be" as an auxiliary verb

Mood for Grammar

A mood shows the writer’s attitude toward what he/she is saying.

Indicative Mood states an actuality or fact.

• We will go to see a movie this Sunday.
• I’ll follow you.

Imperative Mood makes a request.

• Let’s go to see a movie this weekend!
• Please stop bugging me!

Subjunctive Mood expresses a doubtful condition (contrary to fact) and is often used with an "if" clause.

Active Voice and Passive Voice

Verbs are either active or passive in voice. In the active voice, the subject and verb relationship is straightforward: the subject is a do-er. In the passive voice, the subject of the sentence is not a do-er. It is shown with by + do-er or is not shown in the sentence.
Passive voice is used when the action is the focus, not the subject. It is not important (or not known) who does the action. 

• The window is broken. (It is not known who broke the window, or it is not important to know who broke the window.)
• The class has been canceled. (The focus is on the class being canceled. It is not important to know who canceled it.)
• The passive voice is often used. (The focus is on the passive voice. It is not important to explain who the writer is.)

Passive voice should be avoided when you want more clarity in writing. However, in some cases, you need to use passive voice to stress the action, not the actor. Also, passive voice can be considered more polite, as it sounds less aggressive or dramatic.

Infinitives Part 2

Commonly, an infinitive is used with the subject it. The sentence structure is "It is                      + infinitive.…" It refers to the infinitive. This expression is used in many ways. 

• It is time to do math.
• It is common to think that way.
• It is appropriate to keep a low profile.
• It was nice to see you.
• It was my pleasure to meet you.
• It was my honor to have dinner with you.
• It is good to see you.
• It was great to go on a trip with them.

Infinitives Part 1

An infinitive is a verb combined with the word to. Most often, an infinitive acts as a noun in the sentence. Less frequently, it acts as an adjective or an adverb.

• I want to go home early today.
• I hope to be chosen as a member.
• I prefer to go there earlier.
• You need to consider various rules in writing sentences.
• You have to explain your reasoning in detail.
• You might wish to act as a teacher.
• To leave for a vacation is my only wish at this time.
• A common mistake in a relationship is not to trust the other person.
• Help me to save the trees!
• To be mentally healthy, you must read books.
• Do you want me to fill out this form?

Gerunds

A gerund (verb + ing) acts like a noun in a sentence.

• Seeing is believing.
• Running a marathon is not an easy thing to do.
• Watching TV is sometimes harmful.
• Eating is always fun.
• My hobby is painting.
• She loves babysitting her sister.
• I like listening to music.
• I wasted all my afternoon by taking a nap.

regular Verbs

Regular verbs form their past and past participle by adding ed (d).

Base Verb	Past	Past Participle
learn	learned	learned
study	studied	studied
cook	cooked	cooked
solve	solved	solved
ask	asked	asked
watch	watched	watched
listen	listened	listened

Irregular verbs do not have definite rules, but there are a few patterns.

Perfect Progressive Tense

The perfect progressive tense describes actions that repeated over a period of time in the past, are continuing in the present, and/or will continue in the future.

The present perfect progressive tense tells you about a continuous action that was initiated in the past and finished at some point in the past; however, the action has some relation to the present time. Use have/has + been + ing. 

• It has been raining, and the street is still wet.
• I have been running, and I am still tired.
• She has been practicing the piano, and she is much better now.

The past perfect progressive tense illustrates a continuous action in the past that was completed before another past action. Use had + been + ing. 

• It had been raining, and the street was still wet.
• I had been running, and I was still tired.
• She had been practicing the piano, and she had gotten much better.

Progressive and Perfect Tense

Progressive Tense

The progressive tense involves action that is, was, or will be in progress at a certain time. In the progressive tense, verbs are formed with a "be" verb + ing.

run

• I am running a marathon right now. (present progressive)
• I was running a marathon at this time last year. (past progressive)
• I will be running a marathon next Sunday. (future progressive)

eat

• I am eating lunch now.
• I was eating lunch when you saw me.
• I will be eating lunch in the meeting.

learn

Simple Tense

Verb tense tells you when the action happens. There are three main verb tenses: present, past, and future. Each main tense is divided into simple, progressive, perfect, and perfect progressive tenses. 

	Simple	Progressive	Perfect	Perfect Progressive
Present	finish	am/is/are finishing	have/has finished	have/has been finishing
Past	finished	was/were finishing	had finished	had been finishing
Future	will finish	will be finishing	will have finished	will have been finishing

Things to remember about simple tense:

     a. Present tense is the original verb form. 
     b. Past tense has a few patterns. 
     c. Future tense needs will (shall) + verb. 

run