The document provides a comprehensive overview of English verb tenses, detailing the simple present, past, and future tenses along with their functions and examples. It explains how verbs change based on time and subject alignment, highlighting different usages such as routines, beliefs, and scheduled events. This resource serves as a guide for understanding the complexities of tense in English grammar.

2. SUBJECT-VERB-AGREEMENT1
BASE FORM (VERBS)2
TENSES3
PRESENT PARTICIPLE (-ing forms)4
PAST PARTICIPLE5
SPELLING6
PUNCTUATION & CAPITALISATION7

3. 3 TENSES
Perfect
Future TensePast TensePresent Tense
Simple
Perfect ContinuousContinuous
Something that
happens or
exists now
Something that
happens
or exists
in the past
Something that
has not
happened

4. 3 TENSES
Perfect Continuous
TenseContinuous Tense
Simple Tense
Something that
is confined to a
clear time
frame whether
in the present,
past or future
Unfinished
action or state
of being at the
time being
referred to
Combining an
unfinished and
completed action or
an action that has
continued up to the
present, past or future
Perfect Tense
Completed action
whether in the
present, past or
future

5. 

6. The verb in the simple present
tense is the same as the base
form of the verb.
If the subject of a sentence is a
singular noun (a man, an apple)
or singular pronoun (he, she, it),
and the main verb that follows it
is in the simple present tense, it
(main verb) has an –s added to it:
the man/he/she/it eats.
SIMPLE PRESENT TENSE

7. i. To show facts or something that
is always true
The heart pumps blood through the body.
Some birds sleep during the day.
He does not speak a word of English.
Kuala Lumpur is the capital city of Malaysia.
SIMPLE PRESENT TENSE

8. ii. To show daily routines or
something that is done
regularly/habitually
Every night, she reads before going to bed.
Farmers here have open-air market on
Sundays.
Some people gather at Merdeka Square on
Merdeka eve.
SIMPLE PRESENT TENSE

9. iii. To show actions that are
planned to happen in the future
The meeting begins in an hour.
All buses to Malacca depart at Terminal 2.
The match starts at 10 o’clock.
SIMPLE PRESENT TENSE

10. iv. To show
beliefs/opinions/feelings
He believes everything he reads.
They have loyalty for their company.
She regrets saying hurtful things to him.
SIMPLE PRESENT TENSE

11. v. To show
timetable/schedule/plan
The zoo opens daily from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.
According to schedule, the flight arrives at 8.
Whizkid is on Channel 1 at noon.
SIMPLE PRESENT TENSE

12. vi. To show headlines
POLICE RAID AN ILLEGAL GAMBLING CENTRE.
RUSSIAN SCIENTISTS CLAIM VACCINE IS
READY
BERNAMA ANNOUNCES NEW CHAIRPERSON
SIMPLE PRESENT TENSE

13. vii. To be used with ‘I declare/
I promise/I assure’
I declare the exhibition starts.
I promise that everything is fine.
I assure you that it will be done.
SIMPLE PRESENT TENSE

14. viii. To be used with time
expressions
He sleeps early all the time.
Some students work part-time on weekends.
The flight to Haiti takes off twice a week.
SIMPLE PRESENT TENSE

15. 

16. It is used for events
that happened or started and completed in
the past and that have no relation with the
present.
The past form of the verb is the same for all
persons and things regardless of whether
they are singular or plural. If the verb is a
regular verb, it takes the base form of the
verb with –ed added (kick – kicked) or –d
added (bake - baked) if it ends in –e.
SIMPLE PAST TENSE

17. i. To describe an action that occurred
in the past or at a specified time or
the time is easily understood or
already implied.
We finished our final exam an hour ago.
My grandfather played for the Golden Bull
team.
A snake swallowed a bullfrog.
SIMPLE PAST TENSE

18. ii. To refer to an action
completed regardless of how
recent or distant in the past.
My brother joined the circus as a clown
last week.
Alexander Bell invented the telephone in
1876.
The police recaptured the escaped
prisoner three months later.
SIMPLE PAST TENSE

19. iii. To refer to an action done
repeatedly, habitually or at regular
times in the past.
He visited his mother every Sunday until
her death.
We saw the movie 'Titanic' several times
at the cinema.
Brian was always a heavy drinker in the
old days.
SIMPLE PAST TENSE

20. iv. To refer to a state in the past
I felt very tired after a game of snooker.
Her mother suffered from backache in
her old age.
He got a rare heart disease when he was
only thirty.
SIMPLE PAST TENSE

21. vi. To talk about someone who has
died
The deceased was my only uncle.
He left all his money to me in his will.
The accident victim died from his
injuries.
SIMPLE PAST TENSE

22. vii. To ask a question about the past, the
past tense of the auxiliary verb do,
which is did, is often used, whether the
subject in the question is a singular or
plural noun, or a singular or plural
pronoun.
Did you have a good flight to London?
Did they agree among themselves?
Did he promise you that he would not tell
anyone about it?
SIMPLE PAST TENSE

23. 

24. The simple future tense is a verb tense that
is used to refer to the future.
This tense is commonly formed with the
use of will and shall for an activity that
takes place in the future.
Besides these two auxiliary verbs, there are
other ways that can be used to show simple
future tenses shown here.
SIMPLE FUTURE TENSE

25. i. Will and shall are auxiliary verbs used
mainly in the future tense. They are
followed by the base form of a main
verb. Shall has always been used in
place of will for the first person singular
(I) and plural (we) but will is
more commonly used.
I will call you.
I shall be away tomorrow.
They will arrive before noon.
SIMPLE FUTURE TENSE

26. ii. Both will and shall have their
contracted forms in ‘ll, and the
contracted negative forms
are won’t and shan’t.
I’ll be free for a week. / I won’t be free for
a week.
We’ll talk about it now. / We shan’t talk
about it now.
SIMPLE FUTURE TENSE

27. iii. Won't and shan’t are used to
show unwillingness or refusal to do
something.
I have asked the noisy children to keep
quiet, but they won't listen.
I shan’t make any payment until I receive
all the goods.
SIMPLE FUTURE TENSE

28. The followings show the different ways
that can be used to express the future in
English.
• Will
• Going to
• Be to
• Be about to
• Simple Present tense
• Present continuous tense

29. i. say something that is certain to
occur in the future.
A meeting will be held next Monday at 2
p.m.
I will be at the clinic tomorrow.
Will is used to refer to the future in
the following ways:

30. ii. say something that is not so
certain to happen.
I think he will call me later.
I heard their store will open next week.

31. iii. make a prediction
The rain will stop soon.
I bet the away team will lose by at least
two goals.
I shall be judged only by God.

32. iv. state a fact
Oil will float on water.
Widening the road will improve traffic
flow.

33. v. express willingness to do
something in the future.
I will help you clear the rat-infested
storeroom tomorrow.
We will spend our holiday decorating the
flat.

34. vi. make a sudden decision at the
moment of speaking.
There's a noise outside. I will just go and
check.
You wait here. I will make some tea.

35. vii. make a sudden decision at the
moment of speaking.
You will report to the Manager at eight
o'clock tomorrow.
The notice says all visitors shall leave
the park by 8 p.m.

36. viii. give an invitation, make an
order or a threat.
They will invite Professor Dunce to speak
at the scientific conference.
I will have a double chocolate cake.
Give me your wallet or I will slit your
throat with this.

37. ix. make a suggestion or promise.
If you like, we will meet here after you
finish shopping.
I can assure you that it won’t happen
again.
Shall we all go together in one car?

38. x. create a conditional situation
where something must happen
in order for something else to
happen.
If you come along with me, I will buy you
an ice cream.
It will bite if you touch it.

39. xi. ask a question
Shall we try and ask first?
Will you look after my things for a while,
please? (Ask a favour of someone)
Shall I give you a lift to the airport? (Ask
a first-person question)
Will you phone your mother about the
invitation?

40. Be going to + base form of main verb.
i. To show intention, decision, plans or
arrangements already made to do or not
to do something for the near future
prior to the time of speaking.
•We are going to the zoo on Sunday.
•We are going to move to a new
neighbourhood next month.
•We are not going to look for wild
mushrooms this weekend.

41. Be going to + base form of main verb.
iia. To show prediction of an outcome
based on current situation.
Look at the overcast sky. It is going
to rain hard.
iib. When be going to and will are used to
make predictions, they mean the same.
•He thinks his son's team will win the match.
•He thinks his son's team is going to win the match.

42. Be going to + base form of main verb.
iii. To describe future situations or actions,
and they often convey the same
meaning.
•He is going to be ten next month.
•We are going to get something at the
corner shop when it stops raining.
•We are going to get something at the
corner shop when it stops raining.

43. Be going to + base form of main verb.
iv. To describe something that the speaker
is absolutely sure about
•I am going to be at the meeting
tomorrow.
•He is going to be there.

44. v. Sometimes be going to and will express
different meanings.
• Be going to is used to indicate a plan made
before the time of speaking
while will expresses a decision made at the
time of speaking.
•Better: It is getting late.
We will leave now.
•Instead of: It is getting late. We
are going to leave now.

45. vi. When a decision or plan is made for the
distant future, will is usually used, while going
to is usually used when a plan is made for the
near future.
•She will graduate in two years.
•We are going to leave
Malacca next month.

46. vii. be going to is used when there is an
intention to do something and will for
additional information.
It's their twentieth wedding anniversary.
They are going to have a celebratory
party. (NOT: They will have a celebratory
party.) They will invite about a dozen
close friends. The friends will include two
politicians.

47. Be to (= is to/are to) + base form of main verb.
i. To show an action that is to take place in the
future, such as an obligation, arrangement,
information, duty, instruction. However,
other forms of usage are possible.
•You are to hand this packet over to him before noon.
(Obligation)
•The Prime Minister is to meet his successor tomorrow.
(Arrangement)
•The museum is to be closed for renovation. (Information)
•The General Manager is to present the report to the board on
Monday. (Duty)
•You are not to answer any questions from any one of the
reporters. (Instruction)

48. Be about to + base form of main verb
i. To show an action or event that will
happen very soon.
•Everyone sits down when the film is about
to start.
•I have never stolen anything in my life, and
I am not about to start now.
•We walked quickly home when it was about
to rain.
•The audience fell silent when the
President was about to appear.

49. Be about to + base form of main verb
ii. To emphasize that something was about to
happen in the past when it was interrupted
by something else, also in the past, use be
about to with just.
•I was just about to eat my dinner when the
phone rang.
•The workers were just about to leave their
workplace when the fire started.

50. Be about to + base form of main verb
ii. To emphasize that something was about to
happen in the past when it was interrupted
by something else, also in the past, use be
about to with just.
•I was just about to eat my dinner when the
phone rang.
•The workers were just about to leave their
workplace when the fire started.

51. SOURCE
http://myenglishgrammar.com/introduction-to-tenses.html

52. Slides by :
Nur Azlin Zainalaludin & Norlini Abdullah
Kolej Islam Sultan Alam Shah
August 2020