Present Tense Uses
This tense is used for habits, routines, and general facts, like "The sun rises in the east."
Present Simple
This tense describes a completed action at a specific point in the past.
Past Simple
This auxiliary verb combination is used to form the Present Continuous.
am/is/are + verb-ing
This letter is added to most verbs to form the regular past simple.
"-ed"
The past simple form of "cost.
Cost
We use this tense for actions happening right now, at the moment of speaking.
Present Continuous
This tense shows one past action happened before another past action.
Past Perfect
This is the correct negative structure of the Past Simple, used for both regular and irregular verbs.
did not + base verb
Verbs ending in -sh, -ch, -ss, -x, or -o add this ending for third person singular.
"-es"
The past simple and past participle of "bend.
Bent
This tense connects a past action to the present moment, often with "since" or "for."
Present Perfect
In "I was cooking when the phone rang," this tense is used for the shorter, interrupting action.
Past Simple
This is the correct question form of "They were watching a movie."
Were they watching a movie?
For a verb like "study," this letter changes to "i" before adding "-ed.
"y"
The past simple of "lie" (meaning to recline) and the past simple of "lay" (meaning to place).
"I am meeting my tutor at 5pm tomorrow" uses this tense for a fixed future arrangement.
Present Continuous
This tense shows one past action happened before another past action.
Past Perfect
This auxiliary combination forms the Past Perfect.
had" + past participle
These verbs (like know, believe, own) are not normally used in continuous forms.
Stative verbs
The past participle of "stride.
Stridden
In "I have visited Spain twice," this tense is used because the exact time isn't stated — only the experience matters.
Present Perfect
In "While she was studying, he was watching TV," this tense shows two actions happening at the same time in the past.
Past Continuous
This is the correct order of a sentence combining Past Perfect and Past Simple: "___ the film started, we ___ arrived at the cinema.
By the time / had already"? (e.g., "By the time the film started, we had already arrived.
n verbs like "stop" or "run," this spelling rule applies before adding "-ing.
doubling the final consonant (after a single stressed vowel + consonant)
The past simple and past participle of "grind" and "string" — both identical to each other in form.
Ground and strung