Summary of english tenses to review and practice

1. English Tenses
Simple Present vs Present Continuous

2. English Tenses
tense
Affirmative/Negative/
Question
Use Signal Words
Simple
Present
A: He speaks.
N: He does not
speak.
Q: Does he
speak?
•action in the present
taking place once, never
or several times.
Repeatedly actions
•Facts, habits, routine,
General or permanent
situations
•action set by a timetable
or schedule
always, every day,
never, often,
sometimes, usually,
in the morning, in the
afternoon, at noon, at
midnight.
Normally with state
verbs: love, like,
hate, have, need.
Present
Progressive/
Continuous
A: He is
speaking.
N: He is not
speaking.
Q: Is he
speaking?
•action taking place in
the moment of
speaking
•action taking place only
for a limited period of
time. A temporary
situation
•Plan or action arranged
for the future.
at the moment, right
now, Listen!, Look!,
now,
These days, this
week, this month,
this morning,
tomorrow, next week

3. Affirmative sentences – Subject in third person singular

5. SUBJECT MAIN VERB REST OF SENTENCE
SUBJECT AUXILIARY VERB
(DO-DOES) / NOT
MAIN VERB REST OF SENTENCE
QUESTION
WORD
AUXILIARY VERB
(DO-DOES)
SUBJECT MAIN VERB REST OF
SENTENCE
Interrogative sentences
Simple Present - Sentence structure
For facts, Habitual activities, habits, hobbies
Affirmative sentences
Negative sentences
The captain stays the bridge in bad weather.
I do not (don’t) leave the bridge in bad weather.
Do you leave the bridge in bad weather.
Does the captain leave the bridge in bad weather.

6. SUBJECT VERB BE / NOT MAIN VERB REST OF SENTENCE
QUESTION
WORD
VERB BE SUBJECT MAIN
VERB
REST OF
SENTENCE
Interrogative sentences
Present Continuous - Sentence structure
For actions happening now / Future planes when there are arrangements for events at a specific time or place
Affirmative sentences
Negative sentences
The crane is lifting a container right now.
The crane is not lifting a container.
Is the crane lifting a container?

7. English Tenses
Simple past vs Past Continuous

9. SUBJECT MAIN VERB/Simple
past form
REST OF SENTENCE
SUBJECT AUXILIARY VERB
DID/ NOT (didn’t)
MAIN VERB/
Simple present
form
REST OF SENTENCE
QUESTION
WORD
AUXILIARY VERB
(DID)
SUBJECT MAIN VERB
/Simple
present form
REST OF
SENTENCE
Interrogative sentences
Simple Past - Sentence structure
Affirmative sentences
Negative sentences
Completed actions in the past
The ship crashed against the rocks.
The ship did not (didn’t) crash against the rocks.
Did the ship crash against the rocks?

11. SUBJECT VERB BE / NOT MAIN VERB REST OF SENTENCE
QUESTION
WORD
VERB BE SUBJECT MAIN
VERB
REST OF
SENTENCE
Interrogative sentences
Past Continuous - Sentence structure
Affirmative sentences
Negative sentences
I was watching TV (when I herd the noise)
.
I was not paying attention to teacher Rosalba.
What were you doing during your
last English
class with
teacher Rosalba?