Mastering English Tenses: A Comprehensive Study
Mastering English Tenses
Present Perfect
- Affirmative: Subject + have/has + past participle (I have worked here)
- Negative: Subject + have/has + not + past participle
- Interrogative: Have/Has + Subject + past participle?
Present Perfect Continuous
- Affirmative: Subject + have/has + been + gerund (verb + -ing) (I have been working here)
- Negative: Subject + have/has + not + been + gerund
- Interrogative: Have/Has + Subject + been + gerund?
Past Simple (Past Tense)
- Affirmative: Subject + Verb (past form) + Complement (I worked here)
- Negative: Subject + did + not + infinitive
- Interrogative: Did + Subject + infinitive? (Did you play football yesterday?)
Past Continuous
- Affirmative: Subject + was/were + gerund (verb + -ing)
- Negative: Subject + was/were + not + gerund
- Interrogative: Was/Were + Subject + gerund?
Past Perfect
- Affirmative: Subject + had + past participle (I had worked here)
- Negative: Subject + had + not + past participle
- Interrogative: Had + Subject + past participle?
Future (be + going to)
- Intention: Subject + am/is/are + going to + infinitive (I am going to study Computer Science at Campus)
- Prediction: Subject + am/is/are + going to + infinitive (It’s cloudy. It’s going to rain)
Future (shall/will)
- Affirmative: Subject + shall/will + infinitive without ‘to’ (I will/shall play football)
- Negative: Subject + shall/will + not + infinitive without ‘to’
- Interrogative: Shall/Will + Subject + infinitive without ‘to’? (Will I play football?)
Future Continuous
Subject + will + be + gerund (verb + -ing)
Future Perfect
Subject + will + have + past participle
Conditional Sentences
Probable Condition
Present Simple → Future Simple (If you go to England, you will see the Queen)
Unlikely Condition
Past Simple → would + infinitive (If you went to England, you would see the Queen)
Impossible Condition
Past Perfect → would have + past participle (If you had gone to England, you would have seen the Queen)
Imperative
(I told me not to go across the river)
Irregular Verbs
- be – was/were – been
- beat – beat – beaten
- become – became – become
- begin – began – begun
- bend – bent – bent
- bet – bet – bet
- bite – bit – bitten
- bleed – bled – bled
- blow – blew – blown
- break – broke – broken
- bring – brought – brought
- build – built – built
- burn – burnt/burned – burnt/burned
- burst – burst – burst
- buy – bought – bought
- catch – caught – caught
- choose – chose – chosen
- come – came – come
- cost – cost – cost
- cut – cut – cut
- deal – dealt – dealt
- dig – dug – dug
- do – did – done
- draw – drew – drawn
- dream – dreamt/dreamed – dreamt/dreamed
- drink – drank – drunk
- drive – drove – driven
- eat – ate – eaten
- fall – fell – fallen
- feed – fed – fed
- feel – felt – felt
- fight – fought – fought
- find – found – found
- fly – flew – flown
- forget – forgot – forgotten
- forgive – forgave – forgiven
- freeze – froze – frozen
- get – got – gotten/got
- give – gave – given
- go – went – gone
- grow – grew – grown
- hang – hung/hanged – hung/hanged
- have – had – had
- hear – heard – heard
- hide – hid – hidden
- hit – hit – hit
- hold – held – held
- hurt – hurt – hurt
- keep – kept – kept
- know – knew – known
- lay – laid – laid
- lead – led – led
- learn – learnt/learned – learnt/learned
- leave – left – left
- lend – lent – lent
- let – let – let
- lie – lay – lain
- lie – lied – lied
- light – lit – lit
- lose – lost – lost
- make – made – made
- mean – meant – meant
- meet – met – met
- pay – paid – paid
- put – put – put
- read – read – read
- ride – rode – ridden
- ring – rang – rung
- rise – rose – risen
- run – ran – run
- say – said – said
- see – saw – seen
- sell – sold – sold
- send – sent – sent
- set – set – set
- sew – sewed – sewn/sewed
- shake – shook – shaken
- shine – shone – shone
- shoot – shot – shot
- show – showed – shown/showed
- shut – shut – shut
- sing – sang – sung
- sink – sank – sunk
- sit – sat – sat
- sleep – slept – slept
- smell – smelt/smelled – smelt/smelled
- speak – spoke – spoken
- spell – spelt/spelled – spelt/spelled
- spend – spent – spent
- spill – spilt/spilled – spilt/spilled
- spoil – spoilt/spoiled – spoilt/spoiled
- spread – spread – spread
- spring – sprang – sprung
- stand – stood – stood
- steal – stole – stolen
- stick – stuck – stuck
- sting – stung – stung
- swear – swore – sworn
- sweep – swept – swept
- swim – swam – swum
- take – took – taken
- teach – taught – taught
- tear – tore – torn
- tell – told – told
- think – thought – thought
- throw – threw – thrown
- understand – understood – understood
- wake up – woke up – woken up
- wear – wore – worn
- win – won – won
- write – wrote – written