English verbs are divided into three main tenses, all of which relate to time: present, past, and future. Each main tense is also subdivided into other categories: simple tense, progressive tense, perfect tense, and perfect progressive tense. These subcategories differentiate when a particular action has been done (or is being done or will be done). Clear as mud? Take a look at this chart:
|
SIMPLE* |
PROGRESSIVE** |
PERFECT*** |
PERFECT PROGRESSIVE**** |
PRESENT |
hide |
am/is/are hiding |
have/has hidden |
have/has been hiding |
PAST |
hid |
was/were hiding |
had hidden |
had been hiding |
FUTURE |
will/shall hide |
will be hiding |
will have hidden |
will have been hiding |
*Indicates action that is usual or is repeated
**Indicates action that is ongoing
***Indicates action that is completed
****Indicates ongoing action that will be completed at some definite time
Each of these tenses signals the time something is done, will be done, or has been done relative to when it’s being written or spoken about. You still don’t quite get the whole thing? Don’t worry; all will be cleared up in the next few pages, starting with explanations for each of the tenses. To begin our discussion, why don’t we start with a little joke:
Professor Reynolds says to her student, “Conjugate the verb ‘to walk’ in the simple present tense.”
The student says, “I walk. You walk. He . . . ”
Interrupting, Professor Reynolds says, “More quickly, please.”
The student replies, “I run. You run. . . . ”
The simple present tense tells an action that is usual or repeated:
I hide from the stalker.
Looked at in a different way, the simple present tense relates actions that happen often or that state a fact or opinion.
To make sure they’re using the correct verb form for the present tense, some writers find it helpful to mentally begin the sentence with the word today:
Today I hide from the stalker.
The simple past tense tells an action that began and ended in the past:
I hid from the stalker.
To make sure they’re using the correct verb form for the past tense, some writers find it helpful to mentally begin the sentence with the word yesterday:
Yesterday I hid from the stalker.
The simple future tense tells an upcoming action that will occur:
I will hide from the stalker.
To make sure they’re using the correct verb form for the future tense, some writers find it helpful to mentally begin the sentence with the word tomorrow:
Tomorrow I will hide from the stalker.
That’s simple enough, isn’t it? It’s the simple present tense. After this, though, the explanations of the other tenses get a little tricky.
Grammar Facts
Some verbs, called stative verbs, aren’t used in certain tenses because they describe a state of being rather than an action. These verbs usually relate to thoughts, emotions, senses, or relationships. These verbs usually are not used with the –ing in progressive tenses. For example:
Do you recognize her, she went to high school with you.
Karen appreciated the work you did on the fundraiser.
Use the present progressive tense to show an action that’s in progress at the time the statement is written:
I am hiding from the stalker today.
Present progressive verbs are always formed by using am, is, or are and adding -ing to the verb. Use the past progressive tense to show an action that was going on at some particular time in the past:
I was hiding from the stalker yesterday.
Past progressive verbs are always formed by using was or were and adding -ing to the verb. Use the future progressive tense to show an action that’s continuous and that will occur in the future:
I will be hiding from the stalker tomorrow.
Future progressive verbs are always formed by using will be or shall be and adding -ing to the verb.
Use the present perfect tense to convey action that happened sometime in the past or that started in the past but is ongoing in the present:
I have hidden from the stalker for more than five years.
Present perfect verbs are always formed by using has or have and the past participle form of the verb. Use the past perfect tense to indicate past action that occurred prior to another past action:
I had hidden from the stalker for more than five years before I entered the Witness Protection Program.
Past perfect verbs are always formed by using had and the past participle form of the verb. Use the future perfect tense to illustrate future action that will occur before some other action:
I will have hidden from the stalker for more than five years before entering the Witness Protection Program.
Future perfect verbs are always formed by using will have and the past participle form of the verb.
Use the present perfect progressive to illustrate an action repeated over a period of time in the past, continuing in the present, and possibly carrying on in the future:
For the past five years, I have been hiding from the stalker.
Present perfect progressive verbs are always formed by using has been or have been and adding -ing to the verb.
Use the past perfect progressive to illustrate a past continuous action that was completed before some other past action:
Before I entered the Witness Protection Program, I had been hiding from the stalker for more than five years.
Past perfect progressive verbs are always formed by using had been and adding -ing to the verb.
Use the future perfect progressive to illustrate a future continuous action that will be completed before some future time:
Next month I will have been hiding from the stalker for five years.
Future perfect progressive verbs are always formed by using will have been and adding -ing to the verb.