TENSE WHAT IS IT USED FOR?

POSITIVE, NEGATIVE, SIGNAL WORDS

QUESTION (EXAMPLES)

Simple Present  Repeated/regular P: He speaks. always, every …,

action in the present N: He does not speak. never, normally,
 General validity Q: Does he speak? often, seldom,
 Actions happening sometimes, usually
one after the other

Present Progressive  Action currently P: He is speaking. at the moment, just,

taking place N: He is not speaking. just now, Listen!,
 Action limited to a Q: Is he speaking? Look!, now, right
particular timeframe now

Past Simple  A single or repeated P: He spoke. yesterday, 2 minutes

action in the past N: He did not speak. ago, in 1990, the
 Actions happening Q: Did he speak? other day, last
one after the other Friday
in the past
 A new action that
interrupts an action
that was already
taking place
Past Progressive  Emphasis on the P: He was speaking. while, as long as
process of an action N: He was not speaking.
taking place in the Q: Was he speaking?
past
 Multiple actions
taking place at the
 same time
 An action that was
taking place when
interrupted by a
new action
Present Simple (future  Confirmed future P: It leaves
meaning) actions (time table, N: It does not leave
schedule) Q: Does it leave?
Present progressive  Already planned or P: I am going
(future meaning) agreed-upon future N: I am not going
action Q: Am I going?
Future (be going to)  Pre-existing P: He is going to speak. in one year, next
intention regarding N: He is not going to speak. week, tomorrow
the future Q: Is he going to speak?
 Logical conclusion
regarding the future
Future (will) P: He will speak  Events in the future in a year, next …,
N: He will not speak. that cannot be tomorrow,
Q: Will he speak? influenced first conditional
 Spontaneous sentences (If you
decision ask her, she will help
 Suppositions about you.),
the future supposition: I think,
probably, perhaps
Present Perfect Simple P: He has spoken.  The result is already, ever, just,
N: He has not spoken. emphasized never, not yet, so
Q: Has he spoken?  Action that lasts to far, till now, up to
the present moment now
 Action that has just
been completed
 Completed action
 with influence on
the present
 An action that has
never/once/more
than once taken
place up to the time
of speaking
Present Perfect Progressive P: He has been speaking.  The action is all day, for 4 years,
N: He has not been emphasized (not the since 1993, how
speaking. result) long?, the whole
Q: Has he been speaking?
 Action that has week
lasted until the
present time
 Completed action
with influence on
the present
Past Pefect P: He had spoken.  Action taking place already, just, never,
N: He had not spoken. before a certain not yet, once, until
Q: Had he spoken? time in the past that day
 Sometimes
interchangeable
with past perfect
progressive
 Emphasises only the
fact that something
took place before a
certain point in the
past