Mastering Time: An Easy Review of English Tenses with ExercisesUnderstanding English tenses is like learning the map of time for the language: each tense shows where an action sits—past, present, or future—and how that action relates to time (completed, ongoing, repeated, or hypothetical). This article gives a clear, structured review of the main English tenses, simple rules, common signals (time expressions), and practice exercises with answers so you can test and strengthen your skills.
Quick overview: how tenses are grouped
English tenses are usually grouped by time (past, present, future) and aspect (simple, continuous/progressive, perfect, perfect continuous). Here’s a compact map:
- Present: Simple, Continuous, Perfect, Perfect Continuous
- Past: Simple, Continuous, Perfect, Perfect Continuous
- Future: Simple (will), Continuous (will be), Perfect (will have), Perfect Continuous (will have been)
Present tenses
Present Simple
Use:
- For habitual actions or general truths: “She walks to work.”
- For facts: “Water boils at 100°C.”
Form:
- Subject + base verb (add -s for third person singular)
Time signals:
- always, usually, sometimes, every day, never, often
Example:
- “They play tennis every Saturday.”
Present Continuous (Progressive)
Use:
- For actions happening now or around now: “She is studying right now.”
- For temporary situations: “I’m staying with a friend.”
Form:
- Subject + am/is/are + verb-ing
Time signals:
- now, at the moment, today, this week
Example:
- “He is reading a new novel this week.”
Present Perfect
Use:
- For actions that happened at an unspecified time in the past and have relevance now: “I have visited Paris.”
- For life experiences, changes, or recent actions with present results: “She has lost her keys.”
Form:
- Subject + have/has + past participle
Time signals:
- ever, never, already, yet, just, so far, recently
Example:
- “We have finished the report.”
Present Perfect Continuous
Use:
- To emphasize duration of an action that started in the past and continues to the present: “They have been studying for three hours.”
Form:
- Subject + have/has been + verb-ing
Time signals:
- for, since, all day, how long
Example:
- “I have been learning English since 2019.”
Past tenses
Past Simple
Use:
- For completed actions at a specific past time: “She visited Rome last year.”
- For past habits (often with used to): “He smoked when he was young.”
Form:
- Subject + past verb (regular +ed / irregular forms)
Time signals:
- yesterday, last week/month/year, in 2010, ago
Example:
- “They watched a movie last night.”
Past Continuous
Use:
- For actions in progress at a specific past moment: “I was cooking when he called.”
- For two actions in progress at the same time: “While she was reading, he was making dinner.”
Form:
- Subject + was/were + verb-ing
Time signals:
- while, when (for interrupted actions), at that moment
Example:
- “It was raining all afternoon.”
Past Perfect
Use:
- To show an action completed before another past action: “She had left before I arrived.”
Form:
- Subject + had + past participle
Time signals:
- before, after, by the time, already, just (in past contexts)
Example:
- “They had eaten when we got there.”
Past Perfect Continuous
Use:
- To emphasize duration before a certain past time: “He had been working for hours before the break.”
Form:
- Subject + had been + verb-ing
Time signals:
- for, since, how long (in past contexts)
Example:
- “She had been studying all night before the exam.”
Future tenses
English has several ways to talk about the future. The most common are shown below.
Future Simple (will)
Use:
- For spontaneous decisions, promises, offers, predictions: “I will help you.”
- For facts the speaker considers certain: “It will be cold tomorrow.”
Form:
- Subject + will + base verb
Time signals:
- tomorrow, next week, soon, in the future
Example:
- “He will call you later.”
Going to (near future / planned)
Use:
- For planned intentions and predictions with present evidence: “I am going to start a new job.” “Look at those clouds — it’s going to rain.”
Form:
- Subject + am/is/are + going to + base verb
Time signals:
- tomorrow, next, soon, tonight (for near plans)
Example:
- “We are going to move next month.”
Future Continuous
Use:
- For actions that will be in progress at a specific future time: “This time tomorrow I will be flying to Paris.”
Form:
- Subject + will be + verb-ing
Time signals:
- at this time tomorrow, next week at 5pm
Example:
- “She will be studying when you arrive.”
Future Perfect
Use:
- To show an action that will be completed before a future moment: “By 2026, I will have graduated.”
Form:
- Subject + will have + past participle
Time signals:
- by (then), by the time, before
Example:
- “They will have finished the project by June.”
Future Perfect Continuous
Use:
- To emphasize duration up to a future point: “By next month, I will have been working here for five years.”
Form:
- Subject + will have been + verb-ing
Time signals:
- for, by, how long (in future contexts)
Example:
- “You will have been waiting for hours by then.”
Common mistakes and quick tips
- Don’t confuse present perfect with past simple: use past simple for specific past times (“I visited Italy in 2018”) and present perfect for unspecified times or present relevance (“I have visited Italy”).
- Use continuous forms to show temporary or ongoing actions; use simple forms for habits and facts.
- For duration from past to present, prefer present perfect continuous for emphasis on duration (“I have been working here for five years”).
- Remember irregular past forms: keep a short list of common verbs (go/went/gone, see/saw/seen, have/had/had).
Practice exercises
Do the exercises below. Write the correct form of the verb in parentheses.
- She (finish) __________ her homework already.
- Right now, they (play) __________ football in the park.
- By the time you arrive, we (leave) __________.
- I (live) __________ in London when I was a child.
- He (study) __________ for three hours and still isn’t done.
- Look at those clouds — it (rain) __________ soon.
- This time next week she (take) __________ her final exam.
- They (build) __________ the bridge for two years by the end of 2025.
- When I called, she (cook) __________ dinner.
- I (never/see) __________ such a beautiful sunset before.
Answers
- has finished
- are playing
- will have left or will have already left (context: before you arrive)
- lived
- has been studying
- is going to rain or will rain (both acceptable; present evidence → going to)
- will be taking
- will have been building
- was cooking
- have never seen
Short study plan (2 weeks)
Week 1:
- Days 1–3: Present tenses — rules, examples, 20 practice sentences.
- Days 4–5: Past tenses — focus on irregular verbs, 20 sentences.
- Day 6: Mixed present/past review.
- Day 7: Rest and light reading.
Week 2:
- Days 8–9: Future forms — will, going to, future continuous.
- Day 10: Perfect and perfect continuous (all times).
- Day 11: Timed mixed exercises and error correction.
- Day 12: Practice speaking/writing using prompts.
- Days 13–14: Final review and practice test.
Mastering tenses takes practice and exposure. Use the exercises above, read widely, and try to notice tense use in real speech and writing.
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