TENSES

Stative Verbs:

Know Believe Hear See Smell Wish

Understa Hate Love Like Want Sound
nd
Have Need Appear Seem Taste Own

I. Simple Present: a regular or a habitual action

E.g.: Stative verbs and present simple tense.

1. They understand the problem now. (stative verb)

2. Henry always swims in the evening. (habitual action)
3. We want to leave now. (srtative verb)
4. The coffee tastes delicious. (stative verb)
5. Your cough sounds bad. (stative verb)
6. Mark usually walks to school. (habitual action)

Future Time and Present Time:

1. John is eating dinner now. (present time)

2. We are leaving for the theatre at seven o’clock.(present time)
3. George is leaving for French tomorrow. (future time)
4. The secretary is typing the letter now. (present time)
5. We are flying to Venezuela next month. (future time)

Exercise 1:

Choose either the simple present or present progressive in the

following sentences:

1. Something ……… (smell) very good.

2. We ……… (eat) dinner at seven o’clock tonight.
3. He ………… (practise) the piano every day.
4. I ….. (believe) you.
5. They ………… (drive) to school tomorrow.
6. Maria ………. (have) a cold.
7. George ………. (swim) right now.
8. Andrew …….. (hate) smoke.
9. Jill always ………. (get) up at 6:00 a.m.
10. Jerry …….. (mow) the lawn now.

II. Simple Past Tense: is used for completed action

that happened at one specific time in the past.

e.g.:
 1. John went to Spain last year.
2. Bob bought a new bicycle yesterday.
3. Mark washed the dishes after dinner.
4. We drove to the grocery store this afternoon.

III. Past Progressive (Continuous):

a. An action which was occurring in the past and was

interrupted by another action.

Past Progressive:
Subject + was/were + verb – ing

Past Progressive (Continuous):

When + S1 + Simple Past + S2 + Past Progressive ……… (or)
S1 + Past Progressive + when + S2 + Simple Past Tense ……

e.g.: When Mark came home, Martha was watching television (or)
Mark was watching television when Mark came home.

b. Two actions occurring at the same time in the past.

S1 + Past Progressive + while + S2 + Past Progressive …… (or)
While + S1 + Past Progressive + S2 + Past Progressive ………

e.g.: Martha was watching television while John was reading a

book.
While John was reading a book, Martha was watching
television.

c. An action which was occurring at the same specific time in

the past.
e.g.: Martha was watching television at seven o’clock last night.
What were you doing at one o’clock this afternoon?

Exercises 2: Simple Past and Past Progressive

Use either the simple past tense or the past progressive in the
following sentences as appropriate.

1. Andrew …….. (eat) dinner when his friend phoned.

2. While Ann was cleaning the apartment, her daughter ……..
(sleep).
3. At five o’clock this morning, David ……. (study).
4. When Ben arrived, the Smith …….. (have) dinner, but they
stopped in order to talk to him.
5. Charlie …….. (go) French last year.
6. When the lecturer …….. (enter) the class room, the students
were talking.
7. While Mike was writing the report, Henry ,,,,,,, (look) for more
information.
 8. John and I ……… (see) this movie last night.
9. At one time, Mrs. Susan ,,,,,, (own) this building.
10. Jose …….. (write) a letter to his family when his pencil
……… (break).

IV. Present Perfect: S + has/have + verb in past participle

Present Perfect Tense:

a. An action that happened at an indefinite time in the past.
e.g.: Andrew ha traveled around the world. (we don’t
know when)
b. An action that happened more than one in the past.
e.g.: George has seen this movie three times.
c. An action that began in the past and is still occurring in the
present.
e.g.: Harvey has lived in the same boarding house for four
years. (he still lives there)
Harvey has lived in the same boarding house since 2007.

Yet/already:
- something has happened (or hasn’t happened) at an
unspecified time in the past.

Already affirmative sentences

Yet negative sentences and questions

Formula: S + has/have + already + verb in the past participle.

S + has/have + not + verb in the past participle …… + yet
e.g.: We have already written our reports.
We haven’t written our reports yet.

V. Present Perfect Progressive (Continuous).

- An action that began in the past and is still occurring in the
present.

Formula: S + has/have + verb – ing

e.g.: Harvey has been living in the same boarding house for four
years =
Harvey has lived in the same boarding house for four years.

Exercise: Present Perfect and Simple Past

1. Indi ……. (write) his report last night.

2. Bob ……. (see) this movie before.
3. George …… (read) the magazine already.
4. Mrs. Bone …….. (work) in the FBI for thirteen years, and she is
not planning to retire yet.
5. Andy and I ……. (begin; negative) to study for the test yet.
 6. Susan ……. (go) to the store at ten o’clock this morning.
7. Betty ……. (travel) around the world.
8. Ben …… (write) a poetry last night.
9. Jane ……. (call) his employer yesterday.
10. We ……. (see; negative) this movie yet.

VI. Past Perfect: S + had + (verb in the participle)

a. An action that happened another action in the past; there

usually are two actions in the sentence.
e.g.: John had gone to the store before he went home.
Had gone = first action
Went = second action

b. The past perfect is usually used with before, after, or went.

e.g.:

1. S + past perfect + before + s + simple past tense

e.g.: Mary had gone to the Citra Minimarket before she
went home
2. S + simple past tense + after + s + past perfect
e.g.: Mary went home after she had gone to the Citra
Minimarket.
3. Before + s + simple past tense + s + past perfect
e.g.: Before Mary went home she had gone to the Citra
Minimarket.
4. After + s + past perfect + s + simple past tense
e.g.: After she had gone to the Citra Minimarket she went
home.

c. A state which continued for a time in the past, but stopped

before now, but there is no connection with the present.
e.g.: Robert has lived in Bandung for ten years before he
moved to Jakarta.