Simple Tenses
This tense is used for actions that happen regularly.
Present Simple
“She is studying for her exam.” Identify the tense.
present progressive
“I have finished my homework.” Identify the tense.
present perfect
“He has been working all morning.” Identify the tense.
present perfect progressive
“He walked to school yesterday.” Identify the tense.
Past simple
This progressive tense is used for something happening at a certain time in the past.
past progressive
This perfect tense is used when an action happened before another past event.
past perfect
What do all perfect progressive tenses have in common structurally?
have/has/had/will have + been + verb-ing
This tense often uses “will” or “shall” for actions that haven’t happened yet
Future simple
Complete this sentence in future progressive: “By next week, I _____ (travel) across Europe.”
will be traveling
Which supplementary verbs are used in the future perfect tense?
will have + past participle
Complete the sentence: “I ______ (study) for three hours when you called.”
had been studying
Give an example sentence in the past simple tense.
[Accept reasonable answers like: “I ate breakfast this morning.”]
Which helping verbs are used in the past progressive tense?
was, were + verb-ing
Complete the sentence: “By the time she arrives, we ______ (eat) dinner.”
will have eaten
Which tense describes an action that will have been going on for a duration by a future time?
future perfect progressive
What is the main difference between present simple and present progressive?
Present simple is for regular/routine actions, while present progressive is for actions happening now.
What is the difference between past simple and past progressive?
Past simple = completed past action; Past progressive = action in progress at a moment in the past.
Explain how present perfect differs from past simple.
Present perfect = action with relevance to the present; Past simple = finished action with no connection to now.
Give an example of a present perfect progressive sentence and explain it.
[Accept a sentence like: “She has been painting since noon.” → It started in the past and is still happening.]