English Grammar Tenses: A Quick Reference Guide
English Grammar Tenses
Present Simple
Use: Always, often, usually, sometimes, never, every day, every week, every year, on Monday, twice a week.
Affirmative: He/She/It + verb + s. I/You/We/They + verb (base form).
Negative: He/She/It + doesn’t + verb (base form). I/We/You/They + don’t + verb (base form).
Interrogative: Do + I/We/You/They + verb (base form)? / Does + He/She/It + verb (base form)?
Present Continuous
Use: Now, at the moment, look, listen.
Affirmative: I + am + verb + ing. He/She/It + is + verb + ing. You/We/They + are + verb + ing.
Negative: I + am not + verb + ing. He/She/It + isn’t + verb + ing. You/We/They + are not + verb + ing.
Interrogative: Am + I + verb + ing? / Is + He/She/It + verb + ing? / Are + You/We/They + verb + ing?
Past Simple
Use: Yesterday, last week/year, ago (two days ago), in 1788, on Wednesday. For regular verbs, add -ed (e.g., worked).
Affirmative: I/He/She/It/We/You/They + verb (past form).
Negative: I/He/She/It/We/You/They + didn’t + verb (base form).
Interrogative: Did + I/He/She/It/We/You/They + verb (base form)?
Past Continuous
Affirmative: I/He/She/It + was + verb + ing. You/We/They + were + verb + ing.
Negative: I/He/She/It + was not + verb + ing. You/We/They + were not + verb + ing.
Interrogative: Was + I/He/She/It + verb + ing? / Were + You/We/They + verb + ing?
Example: When (past simple) – I was watching TV when my mother rang.
Example: While (past continuous) – While I was playing, I saw an accident. (Longer action: past continuous; shorter action: past simple)
Used To
Affirmative: I/He/She/It/You/We/They + used to + verb (base form).
Negative: I/He/She/It/You/We/They + did not use to + verb (base form).
Interrogative: Did + I/He/She/It/You/We/They + use to + verb (base form)?
Future with Will
Affirmative: I/He/She/It/You/We/They + will + verb (base form).
Negative: I/He/She/It/You/We/They + will not + verb (base form).
Interrogative: Will + I/He/She/It/You/We/They + verb (base form)?
Future with Going To
Affirmative: I + am going to + verb (base form). He/She/It + is going to + verb (base form). You/We/They + are going to + verb (base form).
Negative: I + am not going to + verb (base form). He/She/It + is not going to + verb (base form). You/We/They + aren’t going to + verb (base form).
Interrogative: Am + I + going to + verb (base form)? / Is + He/She/It + going to + verb (base form)? / Are + You/We/They + going to + verb (base form)?
Future Continuous
Affirmative: I/He/She/It/You/We/They + will be + verb + ing.
Negative: I/He/She/It/You/We/They + will not be + verb + ing.
Interrogative: Will + I/He/She/It/You/We/They + be + verb + ing?
Future Perfect
Affirmative: I/He/She/It/You/We/They + will have + verb (past participle). (Regular verbs: add -ed)
Negative: I/He/She/It/You/We/They + will not have + verb (past participle).
Interrogative: Will + I/He/She/It/You/We/They + have + verb (past participle)?
Present Perfect Simple
Use: Yet, already, ever, never, just, for, since, this year, several times, many times.
Affirmative: I/We/You/They + have + verb (past participle). He/She/It + has + verb (past participle). (Regular verbs: add -ed)
Negative: I/We/You/They + have not + verb (past participle). He/She/It + has not + verb (past participle).
Interrogative: Have + I/We/You/They + verb (past participle)? / Has + He/She/It + verb (past participle)?
Present Perfect Continuous
Use: For, since, lately, recently.
Affirmative: I/We/You/They + have been + verb + ing. He/She/It + has been + verb + ing.
Negative: I/We/You/They + have not been + verb + ing. He/She/It + has not been + verb + ing.
Interrogative: Have + I/We/You/They + been + verb + ing? / Has + He/She/It + been + verb + ing?
Past Perfect Simple
Affirmative: I/He/She/It/We/You/They + had + verb (past participle). (Regular verbs: add -ed)
Negative: I/He/She/It/We/You/They + had not + verb (past participle).
Interrogative: Had + I/He/She/It/We/You/They + verb (past participle)?
Past Perfect Continuous
Use: For, since, the whole day, all day.
Affirmative: I/He/She/It/We/You/They + had been + verb + ing.
Negative: I/He/She/It/We/You/They + had not been + verb + ing.
Interrogative: Had + I/He/She/It/We/You/They + been + verb + ing?
Phrasal Verbs
- Ask out: Invite on a date
- Chat up: Flirt
- Get over: Recover from
- Go out: Socialize
- Let down: Disappoint
- Split up: End a relationship
- Move out: Leave a residence
- Surround: Enclose
- Date: Go on a date
Adjectives
- Calm
- Comfortable
- Convenient
- Cool
- Cramped
- Dark
- Elegant
- Inconvenient
- Bright
- Lively
- Modern
- Noisy
- Old-fashioned
- Peaceful
- Ugly
- Warm
Suffixes
- Appearance
- Employment
- Enjoyment
- Ignorance
- Performance
- Preference
More Phrasal Verbs
- Break down
- Clear up
- Come in
- Come over
- Put up
- Take down
- Wash up