VERB TENSE (Language and Learning Online)

Verb tense
This tutorial contains three sections on verb tenses:
Present simple or present continuous
Present perfect
Past perfect
Each section includes a 'Language in context' passage, exercises, grammar notes, and a review
passage.
You can navigate through the tutorial using the menu on the left, but we suggest ou wor!
through each of the sections in the given order.
Present simple or continuous
Click on the highlighted text for an explanation of the tenses in use.
Language in context
"ver the last twent ears, the average si#e of households has fallen dramaticall. The number
of one person households has grown, due largel to the ageing of the population, as has the
number of one parent families. $ouples having smaller families have also contributed to the fall
in household si#e.
%n &'(), )*+ of families were couples with children. , &''), this had fallen to -&+. Part of this
change can be attributed to the increase in one parent families with dependent children, but
most of the change
.&/
is due to the increase in the proportion of couple0onl families. People
.1/
are now having children later in life, and
.2/
are living longer. Therefore, the
.3/
are spending
more time living in couple0onl families, both before the
.-/
have families and after their children
have left home.
4owever, children
.)/
are leaving home later. %n &'5&, 23+ of children aged 1*013 lived with their
parents. , &''&, this had increased to 3*+. This increase has, to some extent, countered the
fall in the couples with non0dependent children onl.
67ource: 8,7 Yearboo! 8ustralia &''(, 9umber (', 8ustralian :overnment Publishing 7ervice, 8$T, p.5&;
$opright in 8,7 data resides with the $ommonwealth of 8ustralia.
<sed with permission 8,7 <www.abs.gov.au>
.&/

This is a present simple verb.
4ere it is used to tal! about something that is claimed to be true right now. the change is due to
the increase...
.1/
Are having is a present continuous verb. %t describes a trend which ma be temporar and is
occurring right now.
.2/
This is a present continuous verb. %t describes a trend which ma be temporar and is
occurring right now.
.3/
This is a present continuous verb. %t describes a trend which ma be temporar and is
occurring right now.
.-/

This is a present simple verb.
4ere it is used to tal! about a timeless fact: people have families. %t is true now, will be true in
the future, and was true in the past.
.)/
This is a present continuous verb. %t describes a trend which ma be temporar and is
occurring right now.
Present continuous exercise
Language in context
"ver the last twent ears, the average si#e of households has fallen dramaticall. The number
of one person households has grown, due largel to the ageing of the population, as has the
number of one parent families. $ouples having smaller families have also contributed to the fall
in household si#e.
%n &'(), )*+ of families were couples with children. , &''), this had fallen to -&+. Part of this
change can be attributed to the increase in one parent families with dependent children, but
most of the change is due to the increase in the proportion of couple onl families. People are
now having children later in life, and are living longer. Therefore, the are spending more time
living in couple0onl families, both before the have families and after their children have left
home.
4owever, children are leaving home later. %n &'5&, 23+ of children aged 1*013 lived with their
parents. , &''&, this had increased to 3*+. This increase has, to some extent, countered the
fall in the couples with non0dependent children onl.
67ource: ABS Yearbook Australia 199, 9umber (' p. 5&;
There are four present continuous verbs in the 'Language in context' passage above.
The first present continuous verb in the passage is are having.
Type the three remaining present continuous verbs into the boxes provided. Check your
answers as you go.
&. 7econd present continuous verb in the passage:
1. Third present continuous verb in the passage:
2. =ourth present continuous verb in the passage:
Notes on present continuous
A present continuous verb always includes
is 6singular; or are 6plural; or could>should>would>ma be
!
an -ing verb
"xamples
People are now having children later in life.
The compan is changing its mar!eting approach.
The compan should be changing its mar!eting approach.
The present continuous tense is also !nown as the present progressive tense.
Present simple exercise
Language in context
"ver the last twent ears, the average si#e of households has fallen dramaticall. The number
of one person households has grown, due largel to the ageing of the population, as has the
number of one parent families. $ouples having smaller families have also contributed to the fall
in household si#e.
%n &'(), )*+ of families were couples with children. , &''), this had fallen to -&+. Part of this
change can be attributed to the increase in one parent families with dependent children, but
most of the change is due to the increase in the proportion of couple onl families. People are
now having children later in life, and are living longer. Therefore, the are spending more time
living in couple0onl families, both before the have families and after their children have left
home.
4owever, children are leaving home later. %n &'5&, 23+ of children aged 1*013 lived with their
parents. , &''&, this had increased to 3*+. This increase has, to some extent, countered the
fall in the couples with non0dependent children onl.
67ource: ABS Yearbook Australia 199, 9umber (' p. 5&;
There are two present simple verbs in Paragraph 1 of the 'Language in context' passage above.
Type these verbs into the first two boxes below. Check your answers as you go.
&. =irst present simple verb in the paragraph:
1. 7econd present simple verb in the paragraph:
#dentify and type in the present simple verb from each of the sentences below.
$These examples are not from the passage.%
2. ,usiness ccles follow phases of rapid growth 6expansion; and slow growth 6recession;.
3. %n the pursuit of organisational ob?ectives, feedbac! from clients is ver important.
Present simple and continuous compared
The present simple tense The present continuous tense
The present simple ma be used to describe
habits and permanent situations.
The present continuous ma be used to
describe a temporar trend or situation.
People now have children later in life
and live longer.
The spend more time living in couple0
onl families.
People are now having children later
in life and are living longer.
The are spending more time living
in couple0onl families.
The present simple ma describe general rules
and principles and established facts.
The present continuous ma describe
situations or activities which are occurring
right now.
,usiness ccles follow phases of rapid
growth 6expansion; and slow growth
6recession;.
8s prices rise, the purchasing power of
mone declines.
Target mar!eting helps sellers identif
mar!eting opportunities better.
8ustralia is currentl experiencing a
period of rapid economic growth.
The housing sector is benefiting from
low interest rates and rising divorce.
$ompanies are increasingl
embracing target mar!eting.
Present perfect
Click on the highlighted text for an explanation of the present perfect tense in use
Language in context
"ver the last twent ears, the average si#e of households
.&/
has fallen dramaticall. The
number of one person households
.1/
has grown, due largel to the ageing of the population, as
.2/
has the number of one parent families. $ouples having smaller families
.3/
have also contributed
to the fall in household si#e.
%n &'(), )*+ of families were couples with children. , &''), this had fallen to -&+. Part of this
change can be attributed to the increase in one parent families with dependent children, but
most of the change is due to the increase in the proportion of couple0onl families. People are
now having children later in life, and are living longer. Therefore, the are spending more time
living in couple0onl families, both before the have families and after their children
.-/
have left
home.
4owever, children are leaving home later. %n &'5&, 23+ of children aged 1*013 lived with their
parents. , &''&, this had increased to 3*+. This increase
.)/
has to some extent countered, the
fall in the couples with non0dependent children onl.
67ource: 8,7 Yearboo! 8ustralia &''(, 9umber (', 8ustralian :overnment Publishing 7ervice, 8$T, p.5&;
$opright in 8,7 data resides with the $ommonwealth of 8ustralia.
<sed with permission 8,7 <www.abs.gov.au>
.&/
This is a present perfect verb. %t is used here to describe a continuing trend. The average
si#e of households began to fall twent ears ago and has continued to fall.
.1/
This is a present perfect verb. %t is used here to describe a continuing trend. The number of
one0person households began to grow twent ears ago and has continued to grow.
.2/
This is part of a present perfect verb. %n this sentence, 'as has' is a brief wa of saing: and
the number of one!parent families has grown too.
.3/

"ave contributed is a present perfect verb. %t describes a contribution to the fall in household
si#e 6couples having smaller families;, which began in the past and is continuing.
9ote the position of 'also', which is not part of the verb.
.-/
This is a present perfect verb. %t is used here to describe a completed activit 6their children
left home; which has an impact on the present 6the parents live in a couple0onl famil;.
.)/

"as countered is a present perfect verb. %t is used here to describe the current effect of the
&'5&0&''& increase in the percentage of children living with their parents: it has to some e#tent
countered the fall...
9ote the position of to some e#tent, which is not part of the verb.
Present perfect exercise &
Language in context
"ver the last twent ears, the average si#e of households has fallen dramaticall. The number
of one person households has grown, due largel to the ageing of the population, as has the
number of one parent families. $ouples having smaller families have also contributed to the fall
in household si#e.
%n &'(), )*+ of families were couples with children. , &''), this had fallen to -&+. Part of this
change can be attributed to the increase in one parent families with dependent children, but
most of the change is due to the increase in the proportion of couple onl families. People are
now having children later in life, and are living longer. Therefore, the are spending more time
living in couple0onl families, both before the have families and after their children have left
home.
4owever, children are leaving home later. %n &'5&, 23+ of children aged 1*013 lived with their
parents. , &''&, this had increased to 3*+. This increase has, to some extent, countered the
fall in the couples with non0dependent children onl.
67ource: 8,7 Yearboo! 8ustralia &''(, 9umber (', p. 5&;
There are five present perfect verbs in the 'Language in context' passage above.
=irst present perfect tense verb: has fallen
Type the four remaining present perfect verbs into the boxes below. Check your answers
as you go.
&. 7econd present perfect tense verb:
1. Third present perfect tense:
2. =ourth present perfect tense verb:
3. =ifth present perfect tense verb:
Present perfect exercise '
Language in context
The general manager, @illiam ,enson, has recentl become aware of personnel problems in
the Production Aepartment and feels that he should intervene. The new production manager,
:ar Bohnson, has, over the last ear, made a number of changes to wor! rosters and division
of responsibilities. 8lthough productivit in the Aepartment has improved, man emploees are
dissatisfied with the new arrangements and several of them have resigned.
There are four present perfect verbs in the passage above.
Type each present perfect verb into its corresponding box below. Check your answer(
then scroll to the next )uestion.
&. =irst present perfect verb:
1. 7econd present perfect verb:
2. Third present perfect verb:
3. =ourth present perfect verb:
Notes on the present perfect
A present perfect verb always includes
has 6singular; or have 6plural; ! a past participle
Past participles usuall end in -ed: contributed, resigned, completed
but ma be irregular: fallen, grown, made, been, become
"xamples
couples have contributed
average household si#e has fallen
A present perfect continuous verb includes
has 6singular; or have 6plural; ! been ! an -ing verb
"xamples
couples have been contributing
average household si#e has been falling
A present perfect passive verb includes
has 6singular; or have 6plural; ! been ! a past participle
"xamples
the report has been reviewed
prices have been increased
Present perfect and simple past compared
The present perfect tense links the past and the present. %t can be contrasted with the past
simple tense.
The past simple tense The present perfect tense
The past simple tense ma describe
completed activities and past situations
The present perfect tense ma describe activities or
situations which began in the past and are still
continuing
%n &'(), )*+ of families were
couples with children.
%n &'5&, 23+ of children aged
1*013 lived with their parents.
The number of one person households has
grown.
"ver the past twent ears, the average si#e
of households has fallen.
The past simple ma describe activities
without lin!ing them to the present
The present perfect ma describe completed activities
whose impact is felt in the present
The completed the research in
&'(1.
The arrived esterda.
The have completed the research.
6meaning: a short time agoC here it is;.
The have arrived. 6meaning: a short time
agoC here the are;.
@ith past simple verbs, the time ma be
specified
@ith present perfect verbs, indefinite time expressions
ma be used
The completed the research in
&*+'.
The arrived yesterday.
The number of one person
households grew last year.
The have ,ust completed the research.
The have already arrived.
The number of one person households has
grown recently.
Past perfect
Click on the highlighted text for an explanation of the past perfect tense in use.
Language in context
"ver the last twent ears, the average si#e of households has fallen dramaticall. The number
of one person households has grown , due largel to the ageing of the population, as has the
number of one parent families. $ouples having smaller families have also contributed to the fall
in household si#e.
%n &'(), )*+ of families were couples with children. , &''), this
.&/
had fallen to -&+. Part of
this change can be attributed to the increase in one parent families with dependent children, but
most of the change is due to the increase in the proportion of couple0onl families. People are
now having children later in life, and are living longer. Therefore, the are spending more time
living in couple0onl families, both before the have families and after their children have left
home.
4owever, children are leaving home later. %n &'5&, 23+ of children aged 1*013 lived with their
parents. , &''&, this
.1/
had increased to 3*+. This increase has to some extent countered, the
fall in the couples with non0dependent children onl.
67ource: 8,7 Yearboo! 8ustralia &''(, 9umber (', 8ustralian :overnment Publishing 7ervice, 8$T, p.5&;
$opright in 8,7 data resides with the $ommonwealth of 8ustralia.
<sed with permission 8,7 <www.abs.gov.au>
.&/
This is a past perfect verb. %t describes an activit which was completed b &''). The past
perfect ma be used to describe the earlier of two points in the past. The ear &'') is in the
past. The time before and up to &'') is in the earlier past.
.1/
This is a past perfect verb. %t describes an activit which was completed b &''&. The past
perfect ma be used to describe the earlier of two points in the past. The ear &''& is in the
past. The time before and up to &''& is in the earlier past.
Past perfect exercise
Language in context
"ver the last twent ears, the average si#e of households has fallen dramaticall. The number
of one person households has grown, due largel to the ageing of the population, as has the
number of one parent families. $ouples having smaller families have also contributed to the fall
in household si#e.
%n &'(), )*+ of families were couples with children. , &''), this had fallen to -&+. Part of this
change can be attributed to the increase in one parent families with dependent children, but
most of the change is due to the increase in the proportion of couple onl families. People are
now having children later in life, and are living longer. Therefore, the are spending more time
living in couple0onl families, both before the have families and after their children have left
home.
4owever, children are leaving home later. %n &'5&, 23+ of children aged 1*013 lived with their
parents. , &''&, this had increased to 3*+. This increase has, to some extent, countered the
fall in the couples with non0dependent children onl.
67ource: ABS Yearbook Australia 199, 9umber (' p. 5&;
There are two past perfect verbs in the 'Language in context' passage above.
Type these verbs into the first two boxes below. Check your answers as you go.
&. =irst past perfect verb:
1. 7econd past perfect verb:
#dentify and type in the past perfect verb in each sentence below. These examples
are not from the -.anguage in context- passage.
2. %t was announced that he had resigned from his position at the ban! for personal
reasons.
3. 7everal senior emploees had left the compan b the time the new manager arrived.
-. <ntil the new software was purchased, the staff had struggled to !eep the accounts
records up to date.
Notes on past perfect tenses
A past perfect verb always includes
had 6for singular or plural; ! a past participle
"xamples
The announced that he had resigned for personal reasons.
4e reported that productivit had declined.
A past perfect continuous verb includes
had 6for singular or plural; ! been ! an -ing verb
"xample
@hen he too! over, productivit had been declining for two ears.
A past perfect passive verb includes
had 6for singular or plural; ! been ! a past participle
"xample
The new software had been purchased before his arrival.
Note
The past simple tense is used when events are described in the order in which they
occurred.
"xample
%n Darch 1**- she started a management course at Donash <niversit. Three months
later she found a part0time ?ob.
Note
The past perfect tense is used when, in describing the past, we briefly refer to an even earlier
event
"xample
@hen she began her part0time ?ob in Bune 1**- she had alread started a
management course at Donash <niversit.
Past perfect and simple past compared
The past simple tense The past perfect tense
%n &'(), )*+ of families were couples with
children.
%n &'5&, 23+ of children aged 1*013 lived with
their parents.
, &''), this had fallen to
-&+.
, &''& this had increased
to 3*+.
%t is easier to understand the past perfect tense if ou thin! of it as an earlier past tense.
&'') was a date in the past
The fall to -&+ occurred before &'').
%t was completed b &'').
&''& was a date in the past
The increase to 3*+ occurred before &''&.
%t was completed b &''&.
Earlier past events or situations are indicated b the past perfect tense.
The past simple tense and the past perfect tense are often used in the same sentence.
7everal senior emploees had left the compan b the time the new manager arrived.
This can be shown on a time line
earlier past more recent past present time
senior emploees had left. new manager arrived.
/oth events were in the past( but one occured earlier than the other.
0urther examples Comments
The announced that he had resigned
for personal reasons.
This is an example of reported speech. The
actual announcement was: E4e has resigned
for personal reasonsE.
@hen he took over, productivit had
alread been declining for two ears.
had been declining is an example of the
past perfect continuous tense.
,efore the installation of the new line,
productivit had been ver low.
There is no past simple verb here, but the
installation is the more recent action.
<ntil the new software was purchased,
the staff had struggled to !eep the
accounts records up to date.
4ere, the passive voice is used to describe
the more recent action, software was
purchased.
1ore examples of tense
%f ou have completed the Language and Learning "nline grammar tutorial on articles, ou ma
find it useful to explore more examples of articles in use.
To search for examples of language use, ou can use a web concordancer. The Firtual
Language $entre 6FL$; <vlc.pol$u.edu.hk> 4ong Gong has a ver user0friendl
concordancer, as well as a number of other language learning materials ou ma wish to
explore.
Hemember, ou can print out the grammar notes on article use from this tutorial before ou
begin to investigate more examples.
,efore proceeding, ou ma find it useful to print this wor!sheet for future reference.
@hat to search for <www.monash.edu.au%lls%llonline%&searchfor>
4ow to access and use the @eb $oncordancer
<www.monash.edu.au%lls%llonline%&access>
4ow to examine the concordance examples
<www.monash.edu.au%lls%llonline%&e#amine>
What to search for
You could begin b searching for some of the nouns that appear in the tutorial on articles
<www.monash.edu.au%lls%llonline%grammar%articles%'.#ml>
0rom .anguage in context passage &
%nternetC worldC mediumC future, communicationC computerC signalC machineC computerC emailC
letterC relativeC timeC informationC siteC minuteC problemC accessC messageC childC controlC
pro?ectC industrC userC %AC ageC parentC account.
0rom .anguage in context passage '
changeC mar!etC developmentC accountingC roleC pastC practiceC modelC behaviourC
environmentC tasteC costC needC processC complexitC operationC mar!etplaceC reportC
responseC recommendationC basisC discussion.
8s well, ou ma wish to use the web concordancer to investigate examples and patterns of
article use or non0use with other nouns in their different contexts.
"r, ou could use the concordancer to explore the meanings and use of other words or phrases
that ou would li!e to become more familiar with.
How to access and use the web Concordancer
&. :o to the Firtual Language $entre 6FL$; <vlc.pol$u.edu.hk>
1. 7elect the 2eb Concordancer lin! on the homepage.
2. "n the next page, select 3imple 3earch under "nglish.
3. "n the next page:
o Tpe in our search word in the blan! box 6the singular noun form;.
o 7elect e)ual to for exact matches 6i.e., onl singular forms;, or contains to
bring up both singular and plural forms.
o 7elect a corpus. 6%f ou are investigating nouns from the articles tutorial, ou
ma find the $omputing or ,usiness and Economics corpus files most relevant
for our purposes. You can search other files later if ou wish to explore more
examples.;
o 7elect 3ort .eft. 6This will group the examples with common articles preceding
the noun, and will enable easier comparison of the patterns of usage.;
o Leave other settings as default.
o $lic! on 3earch for concordances.
-. "n the next page ou can
o 7tud the list of one0line examples containing the search word.
o Lin! to .exicon entries6dictionar definitions and grammatical descriptions; at
the bottom of that page.
o Aouble0clic! on a concordance line if ou wish to see the full context of a one0
line example.
o You ma wish to experiment with other setting options as ou become more
familiar with the concordancer.
How to examine the concordance examples
Loo! at examples of the same word used with different articles or no article. Tr to wor!
out wh a particular article was used or wh no article was used. Tr to wor! out how
the use of different articles affects the meaning. 6$onsider whether the reference is
definite or indefinite, specific or general, singular or plural, countable or uncountable;.
%f a word appears without an article in the singular form, ou can safel assume that it is
being used in an uncountable sense to tal! about something in general. $an ou find
some examples.
<ncountable nouns cannot ta!e a%an and cannot be made plural, but the can ta!e the
to indicate a specific reference. $an ou find some examplesI
7ome uncountable nouns can also be used in a countable sense, that is, the can
ta!e a%an and can be made plural. $an ou find an examplesI
Tense review
"nter the correct verb tense into each box in the following passage. The base form of the
verb is supplied in brackets. Then check your answers by clicking on the button
next to each box.
"ver the last twent ears, the average si#e of households (fall) dramaticall. The
number of one0person households (grow) due largel to the ageing of the population,
as has the number of one0parent families. $ouples having smaller families (contribute)
to the fall in household si#e.
%n &'(), )*+ of families (be) couples with children. , &''), this (fall) to
-&+. Part of this change can be attributed to the increase in one0parent families with dependent
children, but most of the change is due to the increase in the proportion of couple0onl families.
People (have) children later in life, and are living longer. Therefore, the (spend)
more time living in couple0onl families, both before the have families and after their
children (leave) home. 4owever, children are leaving home later. %n &'5&, 23+ of
children aged 1*013 (live) with their parents. , &''&, this (increase) to
3*+. This increase has, to some extent, countered the fall in the couples with non0dependent
children onl.
(Source* ABS Yearbook Australia 199+ ,umber 9+ Australian -overnment .ublishing Service+ A/0+ p.11)
$opright in 8,7 data resides with the $ommonwealth of 8ustralia.