TENSE FORM: (+) (-) (?) WHEN TO USE IT?

SIGNAL WORDS

PRESENT A: I speak. Frequency Frequency advs:

SIMPLE N: I do not speak. Facts (true always, never,
Q: Do you speak? information) etc.
Habits,
A: He speaks. routine.
B: He does not Permanent
speak. situation.
Q: Does he speak? Timetables
or
schedules.

PRESENT A: He is speaking.
action taking
CONTINUOUS N: He is not at the moment,
speaking. place at the just, just now,
Q: Is he speaking? moment of Listen!, Look!,
speaking. now, right now
Temporary
situation.
Future
arrangements.
Changes
 TENSE FORM: (+) (-) (?) WHEN TO USE IT? SIGNAL
WORDS
PAST A: He spoke. -Actions finished in the past. yesterda
SIMPLE N: He did not speak. Ex: y,
Q: Did he speak? I visited Berln last week. 2
minutes
-Series of completed actions in ago,
the past. in 1990,
Ex: the other
First I got up, then I had day,
breakfast. last
Friday
PAST A: He was
-Actions which were in progress
CONTINUO speaking. while,
US N: He was not at a certain time in the past. as long
speaking. Ex: as
Q: Was he
Peter was reading a book
speaking?
yesterday evening.

-Two actions which were taking

place at the same time
Ex:
Anne was writing a letter while
Steve was reading the New
York Times.

-Action in the past that is

interrupted by another action.
Ex:
While we were sitting at the
breakfast table, the
telephone rang.

-Repeated actions which

irritates the speaker
with always, constantly, forever)
Ex:
Andrew was always coming
 late. (I don't like that.)
TENSE FORM: (+) (-) (?) WHEN TO USE IT? SIGNAL
WORDS

PRESENT A: I have spoken. since

-Experience for
PERFECT N: I have not
Ex: already,
spoken. ever,
Q: Have you I have eaten Sajino just,
spoken? yet,
so far,
A: He has spoken. till now,
-Putting emphasis on the result up to now
N: He has not
spoken. Ex:
Q: Has he spoken? I have cleaned my room.
(It is clean now.)

- Recent Past
Ex:
The student has just arrived.
(He arrived a few minutes ago)

-Actions which started in the

past and is still continuing
mostly with since (point of time)
or for(period of time)

I have taught English since

1997
(I still teach English.)