This document summarizes the different tenses in English including simple present, present continuous, simple past, past continuous, present perfect, present perfect continuous, past perfect, and past perfect continuous. For each tense, it provides the affirmative, negative and question forms as well as examples of the types of time expressions and uses for that particular tense.

1. PRESENT AND PAST TENSES
Tense Affirmative/Negative/Question Use Time expressions
Simple Present A: He writes  action in the present taking place once, never or several times always, every …, never,
N: He does not write.  facts normally, often, seldom,
Q: Does he write?  actions taking place one after another sometimes, usually
 action set by a timetable or schedule if sentences type I (If I talk, …)
Present A: He is writing.  action taking place in the moment of speaking at the moment, just, just now,
Continuous N: He is not writing.  action taking place only for a limited period of time Listen!, Look!, now, right now
Q: Is he writing?
 action arranged for the future
Simple Past A: He wrote.  action in the past taking place once, never or several times yesterday, 2 minutes ago, in
N: He did not write.  actions taking place one after another 1990, the other day, last Friday
Q: Did he write? if sentence type II (If
 action taking place in the middle of another action
Italked, …)
Past A: He was writing.  action going on at a certain time in the past when, while, as long as
Continuous N: He was not writing.  actions taking place at the same time
Q: Was he writing?
 action in the past that is interrupted by another action
Present Perfect Simple
A: He has written.  putting emphasis on the result already, ever, just, never, not
N: He has not written.  action that is still going on yet, so far, till now, up to now
Q: Has he written?
 action that stopped recently
 finished action that has an influence on the present
 action that has taken place once, never or several times before the
moment of speaking
Present A: He has been writing.  putting emphasis on the course or duration(not the result) all day, for 4 years, since 1993,
Perfect N: He has not been writing.  action that recently stopped or is still going on how long?, the whole week
Continuous Q: Has he been writing?
 finished action that influenced the present
Past Perfect Simple
A: He had written.  action taking place before a certain time in the past already, just, never, not yet,
N: He had not written.  sometimes interchangeable with past perfect progressive once, until that day
Q: Had he written? if sentence type III (If I had
 putting emphasis only on the fact (not the duration)
talked, …)
Past Perfect A: He had been writing.  action taking place before a certain time in the past for, since, the whole day, all
Continuous N: He had not been writing.  sometimes interchangeable with past perfect simple day
Q: Had he been writing?
 putting emphasis on the duration or course of an action