English tenses

Practice

English tenses - Complex Test 1

Exercises - English tenses

Tense

Signal words

Use

Form

something
happens
repeatedly
every day
sometimes
always
Simple
often
Present
or
usually
Present Simple
seldom
never
first ... then

how often
something
happens
one action
follows another
things in
general

infinitive
he/she/it + -s

after the
following verbs
(to love, to
hate, to think,
etc.)
future meaning:
timetables,
programmes

now
Present
Progressive or
Present
Continuous

at the moment
Look!
Listen!

last ...
Simple
Past
or
Past
Simple

Past
Progressive or
Past
Continuous

... ago
in 1990
yesterday

while

something is
happening at
the same time
of speaking or
around it

to be
(am/are/is) +
future meaning:
infinitive +
when you have
-ing
already
decided and
arranged to do
it (a fixed plan,
date)
action took
regular:
place in the
infinitive +
past, mostly
-ed irregular:
connected with
2nd column of
an expression of
table of
time (no
irregular
connection to
verbs
the present)
an action
was/were +
happened in the
infinitive +
middle of
-ing
another action

Examples
affirmative

Examples
negative

Examples
interrogative

someone was
doing sth. at a
certain time (in
just
yet
never
Simple
Present
Perfect
or
Present
Perfect

ever
already
so far,
up to now,
since

you say that

sth. has
happened or is
finished in the
past and it has
a connection to
the present

have/has +
past
participle*

*(infinitive +
-ed) or (3rd
column of
action started in table of
the past and
irregular
continues up to verbs)
the present

for
recently
all day

action began in
the past and
has just stopped

Present Perfect the whole day

Progressive or
how long the
Present
how long
action has been
Perfect
happening
Continuous
since
emphasis:
for
length of time
of an action

Simple
Past
Perfect
or
Past
Perfect
(Simple)

already
just
never

have/has +
been +
infinitive +
-ing

mostly when
two actions in a
story are
related to each had + past
other: the
participle*
action which
had already
*(infinitive +
happened is put -ed) or (3rd
into Past
column of
Perfect, the
table of
other action into irregular
Simple Past
verbs)
the past of the
Present Perfect

Past Perfect
Progressive or
Past Perfect
Continuous

will - future

how long
since
for

how long
something had
been happening had + been +
before
infinitive + ing
something else
happened
predictions
will +
about the future infinitive

(you think that

sth. will
happen)

going to future

Future
Progressive or
Future
Continuous

Simple
Future
Perfect
or
Future Perfect
Simple

Future
Perfect
Progressive or
Future
Perfect
Continuous

Conditional
Simple

you decide to
do sth.
spontaneously
at the time of
when you have
already decided
to do sth. in the be
future
(am/are/is) +
going to +
what you think infinitive
what will
happen
An action will be
in progress at a
certain time in
the future. This
action has
begun before
the certain
will + be +
time.
infinitive + ing
Something
happens
because it
normally
happens.
will + have +
past
participle*

sth. will already

have happened
*(infinitive +
before a certain
-ed) or (3rd
time in the
column of
future
table of
irregular
verbs)

sth. will already

have happened
before a certain
time in the
will + have +
future
been +
infinitive + ing
emphasis:
length of time
of an action
sth. that might
happen
main clause in

would +
infinitive

type II of the ifsth. that might

happen

Conditional
Progressive
or
Conditional
Continuous

would + be +
emphasis:
infinitive + ing
length of time
of an action

Conditional
Perfect

would + have
sth. that might
+ past
have happened
participle*
in the past
(It's too late
*(infinitive +
now.)
-ed) or (3rd
column of
main clause in
table of
type III of the if
irregular
clauses
verbs)

Conditional
Perfect
Progressive
or
Conditional
Perfect
Continuous

sth. that might

have happened
in the past
(It's too late
would + have
now.)
+ been +
infinitive + ing
emphasis:
length of time
of an action

English tenses
English tenses - Complex Test 1
Exercises - English tenses

Tense

Signal words

Use

Form

Examples
affirmative

Examples
negative

Examples
interrogative

every day
sometimes
always
Simple
often
Present
or
usually
Present Simple
seldom
never
first ... then

something
happens
repeatedly

I work.

I don't work.

Do I work?

He works.

He doesn't
work.

Does he work?

how often
something
happens

I go.

I don't go.

Do I go?

He goes.

He doesn't go. Does he go?

I'm working.

I'm not
working.

Am I working?

He's working.

He isn't
working.

Is he working?

one action
follows another
things in
general

infinitive
he/she/it + -s

after the
following verbs
(to love, to
hate, to think,
etc.)
future meaning:
timetables,
programmes

now
Present
Progressive or
Present
Continuous

at the moment
Look!
Listen!

Simple
Past
or
Past
Simple

last ...
... ago
in 1990
yesterday

something is
happening at
the same time
of speaking or
around it

to be
(am/are/is) + I'm going.
future meaning:
infinitive +
when you have
-ing
already
decided and
He's going.
arranged to do
it (a fixed plan,
date)
action took
regular:
place in the
infinitive +
past, mostly
-ed irregular:
connected with
2nd column of
an expression of
table of
time (no
irregular
connection to
verbs
the present)
an action
happened in the
middle of
another action

Past
Progressive or
Past
Continuous

Simple
Present
Perfect
or
Present
Perfect

while

just
yet
never

was/were +
someone was
infinitive +
doing sth. at a
-ing
certain time (in
the past) - you
do not know
whether it was
finished or not
you say that
sth. has
happened or is
finished in the
past and it has
a connection to

have/has +
past
participle*
*(infinitive +
-ed) or (3rd

I'm not going. Am I going?

He isn't going. Is he going?

I worked.

I didn't work. Did I work?

He worked.

He didn't
work.

Did he work?

I went.

I didn't go.

Did I go?

He went.

He didn't go.

Did he go?

I was working.

I wasn't
working.

Was I
working?

He was
working.

He wasn't
working.

Was he
working?

I was going.

I wasn't
going.

Was I going?

He was going.

He wasn't
going.

Was he going?

I have
worked.

I haven't
worked.

Have I
worked?

He has
worked.

He hasn't
worked.

Has he
worked?

I have gone.

I haven't

Have I gone?

gone.

ever
already
so far,
up to now,
all day

the present

column of
table of
action started in irregular
the past and
verbs)
continues up to
the present

He has gone.

He hasn't
gone.

action began in
the past and
has just stopped

I have been
working.

I haven't been Have I been

working.
working?

He has been
working.

He hasn't been Has he been

working.
working?

I have been
going.

I haven't been Have I been

going.
going?

He has been
going.

He hasn't been Has he been

going.
going?

I had worked.

I hadn't
worked.

Had I worked?

He had
worked.

He hadn't
worked.

Had he
worked?

I had gone.

I hadn't gone. Had I gone?

He had gone.

He hadn't
gone.

Had he gone?

I had been
working.

I hadn't been
working.

Had I been
working?

He had been
working.

He hadn't
Had he been
been working. working?

I had been
going.

I hadn't been
going.

Had I been
going?

He had been
going.

He hadn't
been going.

Had he been
going?

predictions
will +
about the future infinitive
(you think that
sth. will
happen)

I'll work.

I won't work.

Will I work?

He'll work.

He won't
work.

Will he work?

I'll go.

I won't go.

Will I go?

you decide to
do sth.
spontaneously
at the time of
speaking, you
haven't made a
decision before

He'll go.

He won't go.

Will he go?

Present Perfect the whole day

Progressive or
how long the
Present
how long
action has been
Perfect
happening
Continuous
since
emphasis:
for
length of time
of an action

Simple
Past
Perfect
or
Past
Perfect
(Simple)

already
just
never

have/has +
been +
infinitive +
-ing

mostly when
two actions in a
story are
related to each had + past
other: the
participle*
action which
had already
*(infinitive +
happened is put -ed) or (3rd
into Past
column of
Perfect, the
table of
other action into irregular
Simple Past
verbs)

Has he gone?

the past of the

Present Perfect

Past Perfect
Progressive or
Past Perfect
Continuous

will - future

how long
since
for

how long
something had
been happening had + been +
before
infinitive + ing
something else
happened

main clause in
type I of the if

going to future

Future
Progressive or
Future
Continuous

I'm going to
when you have
work.
already decided
He's going to
to do sth. in the be
future
(am/are/is) + work.
going to +
I'm going to
what you think infinitive
go.
what will
He's going to
happen
go.

I'm not going

to work.

An action will be
I'll be
in progress at a
working.
certain time in
He'll be
the future. This
working.
action has
begun before
I'll be going.
the certain
will + be +
time.
infinitive + ing

I won't be
working.

Will I be
working?

He won't be
working.

Will he be
working?

I won't be
going.

Will I be
going?

He'll be
going.

He won't be
going.

Will he be
going?

I'll have
worked.

I won't have
worked.

Will I have
worked?

He'll have
worked.

He won't have Will he have

worked.
worked?

I'll have
gone.

I won't have
gone.

He'll have
gone.

He won't have Will he have

gone.
gone?

Something
happens
because it
normally
happens.

Simple
Future
Perfect
or
Future Perfect
Simple

Future
Perfect
Progressive or
Future
Perfect
Continuous

will + have +
past
participle*

sth. will already

have happened
*(infinitive +
before a certain
-ed) or (3rd
time in the
column of
future
table of
irregular
verbs)

I'll have been

sth. will already
working.
have happened
before a certain
He'll have
time in the
will + have + been
future
working.
been +
infinitive + ing I'll have been
emphasis:
length of time
of an action

sth. that might

happen
Conditional
Simple

Conditional
Progressive
or
Conditional

main clause in
type II of the ifclauses

sth. that might

happen
emphasis:

would +
infinitive

Am I going to
work?

He's not going Is he going to

to work.
work?
I'm not going
to go.

Am I going to
go?

He's not going Is he going to

to go.
go?

Will I have
gone?

I won't have
Will I have
been working. been working?
He won't have Will he have
been working. been working?

going.

I won't have
been going.

He'll have
been going.

He won't have Will he have

been going.
been working?

I would work.

I wouldn't
work.

Would I
work?

He would
work.

He wouldn't
work.

Would he
work?

I would go.

I wouldn't go. Would I go?

He would go.

He wouldn't
go.

Would he
go?

I wouldn't be
working.

Would I be
working?

I would be
would + be + working.
infinitive + ing He would be
working.

Will I have
been working?

He wouldn't be Would he be
working.
working?

Continuous

Conditional
Perfect

Conditional
Perfect
Progressive
or
Conditional
Perfect
Continuous

length of time
of an action

I would be
going.

I wouldn't be
going.

He would be
going.

He wouldn't be Would he be
going.
going?

would + have I would have

sth. that might
+ past
worked.
have happened
participle*
in the past
He would
(It's too late
have worked.
*(infinitive +
now.)
-ed) or (3rd
I would have
column of
gone.
main clause in
table of
type III of the if
He would
irregular
clauses
have gone.
verbs)

sth. that might

have happened
in the past
(It's too late
would + have
now.)
+ been +
infinitive + ing
emphasis:
length of time
of an action

Would I be
going?

I wouldn't
Would I have
have worked. worked?
He wouldn't
Would he have
have worked. worked?
I wouldn't
have gone.

Would I have
gone?

He wouldn't
have gone.

Would I have
gone?

I wouldn't
I would have
have been
been working.
working.

Would I have
been working?

He would
have been
going.

He wouldn't
have been
going.

Would he
have been
working?

I would have
been going.

I wouldn't
have been
going.

Would I have
been going?

He would
have been
going.

He wouldn't
have been
going.

Would he
have been
going?