English tenses

English tenses - Complex Test 1

Exercises - English tenses

Tense

Signal
words

Examples
affirmative

Examples
negative

Examples
interrogative

I work.

I don't
work.

Do I work?

He works.

He doesn't
work.

Does he work?

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?

I'm going.

I'm not
going.

Am I going?

He's 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?

an action
was/were + work
happened in
infinitive +
the middle of -ing
work
another action

I was
working.

I wasn't
working.

Was I
working?

He was
working.

He wasn't
working.

Was he
working?

someone was

I was

I wasn't

Was I going?

Use

Form

something
happens
repeatedly
every day
sometimes
always
Simple
Present
or
Present
Simple

work
work

how often
something
happens

work
go

one action
follows another

often
usually

Verb

things in
general

infinitive
he/she/it + -s

seldom

after the
following verbs
never
(to love, to
hate, to think,
first ... then 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

work

to be
go
future
(am/are/is)
meaning:
+ infinitive +
go
when you have -ing
already
decided and
arranged to
do it (a fixed
plan, date)
action took
place in the
past, mostly
connected with
an expression
of time (no
connection to
the present)

work
regular:
infinitive +
-ed irregular: work
2nd column
of table of
go
irregular
go
verbs

go

going.

going.

He was
going.

He wasn't
going.

Was he going?

work

I have
worked.

I haven't
worked.

Have I
worked?

work
you say that
sth. has
have/has +
go
happened or is past
finished in the participle*
past and it has
go
a connection to *(infinitive +
the present
-ed) or (3rd
column of
action started table of
in the past and irregular
continues up
verbs)
to the present

He has
worked.

He hasn't
worked.

Has he
worked?

I have
gone.

I haven't
gone.

Have I gone?

He has
gone.

He hasn't
gone.

Has he gone?

action began in
the past and
has just
stopped

work

I haven't
I have been
been
working.
working.

Have I been
working?

work

He has
been
working.

Has he been
working?

go

I have been I haven't

Have I been
going.
been going. going?

go

just
yet
never
Simple
Present
Perfect
or
Present
Perfect

ever
already
so far,
up to now,
since

doing sth. at a
certain time
(in the past) you do not

for
recently

all day
Present
Perfect
Progressive
or
Present
Perfect
Continuous

the whole
day
how long
since
for

Simple
Past
Perfect
or
Past
Perfect
(Simple)

already
just
never

how long the

action has
been
happening

have/has +
been +
infinitive +
-ing

emphasis:
length of
time of an
action

go

mostly when
two actions in
a story are
related to each
other: the
action which
had already
happened is
put into Past
Perfect, the
other action
into Simple
Past

had + past
participle*

He hasn't
been
working.

He has
been
going.

He hasn't
Has he been
been going. going?

work

I had
worked.

I hadn't
worked.

Had I worked?

work

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
been
working.

go
*(infinitive +
-ed) or (3rd go
column of
table of
irregular
verbs)

the past of the

Present Perfect
Past Perfect how long
Progressive
or
since
Past Perfect
Continuous for

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

Had he been
working?

happened

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

will - future

work

I had been
going.

I hadn't
Had I been
been going. going?

go

He had
been
going.

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

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?

He'll go.

He won't
go.

work
work

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

go
go

Will he go?

main clause in
type I of the if
clauses
work

going to future

Future
Progressive
or
Future
Continuous

Simple
Future
Perfect
or
Future
Perfect
Simple

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

Am I going to
work?

He's going
to work.

He's not
going to
work.

Is he going to
work?

I'm going
to go.

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

He's going
to go.

He's not
Is he going to
going to go. go?

work

I'll be
working.

I won't be
working.

work

He'll be
working.

He won't be Will he be
working.
working?

go

I'll be
going.

I won't be
going.

He'll be
going.

He won't be Will he be
going.
going?

I'll have
worked.

I won't
have
worked.

Will I have
worked?

He'll have
worked.

He won't
have
worked.

Will he have
worked?

I'll have
gone.

I won't
Will I have
have gone. gone?

He'll have
gone.

He won't
Will he have
have gone. gone?

when you have

already
decided to do
work
be
sth. in the
(am/are/is)
future
+ going to +
infinitive
go
what you think
what will
happen
go
An action will
be in progress
at a certain
time in the
future. This
action has
begun before will + be +
the certain
infinitive +
time.
ing

sth. will
already have
happened
before a
certain time in
the future

Will I be
going?

go

Something
happens
because it
normally
happens.
will + have +
past
participle*

Will I be
working?

work

work

*(infinitive +
-ed) or (3rd
column of
go
table of
irregular
go
verbs)

Future
Perfect
Progressive
or
Future
Perfect
Continuous

work
sth. will
already have
happened
work
before a
certain time in will + have +
the future
been +
infinitive + go
ing
emphasis:
length of
go
time of an
action

sth. that might

happen
Conditional
Simple

Conditional
Progressive
or
Conditional
Continuous

Conditional
Perfect

would +
main clause in infinitive
type II of the
if-clauses

sth. that might

happen
emphasis:
length of
time of an
action

I'll have
been
working.

I won't
have been
working.

Will I have
been working?

He'll have
been
working.

He won't
have been
working.

Will he have
been working?

I'll have
been
going.

I won't
have been
going.

Will I have
been working?

He'll have
been
going.

He won't
have been
going.

Will he have
been working?

work

I would
work.

I wouldn't
work.

Would I
work?

work

He would
work.

He wouldn't Would he
work.
work?

I would go.

I wouldn't
go.

go
go

He wouldn't
go.

Would he
go?

work

I would be
working.

I wouldn't Would I be
be working. working?

work

He would
be
working.

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

I would be
going.

I wouldn't
be going.

He would
be going.

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

I would
have
worked.

I wouldn't
have
worked.

He would
have
worked.

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

would + be
+ infinitive +
ing
go
go

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

Conditional
Perfect
Progressive
or
Conditional
Perfect
Continuous

He would
go.

Would I go?

sth. that might

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

Would I be
going?

Would I have
worked?

I would
I wouldn't Would I have
have gone. have gone. gone?
He would
He wouldn't Would I have
have gone. have gone. gone?
I would
have been
working.

I wouldn't
have been
working.

He would
have been
going.

He wouldn't Would he
have been have been
going.
working?

I would
have been
going.

I wouldn't
have been
going.

He would
have been
going.

He wouldn't Would he
have been have been
going.
going?

Would I have
been working?

Would I have
been going?