Verb Tense Review

Enriched English Term 2Collège Durocher Saint LambertPatti McCurdy

Sources:Understanding English Grammar – AzarThe English Page Website

Verb Tenses

• Simple Past• Present Perfect• Present Perfect Progressive• Past Perfect• Past Perfect Progressive

Simple Past

• USE 1 Completed Action in the Past    

Use the Simple Past to express the idea that an action started and finished at a specific time in the past. Sometimes the speaker may not actually mention the specific time, but they do have one specific time in mind.

FOR EXAMPLE:

I saw a movie yesterday.

Present Perfect

USE 1 Unspecified Time Before Now      

The indefinite past (We don’t know when it happened).

FOR EXAMPLE:

The aliens have captured Felix.  (we don’t know when)

Present Perfect

USE 2 Duration From Past Until Now (Non-continuous Verbs)   An unfinished action.  (It started in the past and is still going on now.)

FOR EXAMPLE:

I have lived in Montreal since 1999.  He has been in New York since last Tuesday.Ever since I was little I have loved blueberries.

Present Perfect

USE 3  The Recent Past (It still has an impact on the present)

FOR EXAMPLE:

Mr. Côté has just walked past the door.The teacher has just locked herself out of the classroom.

Present PerfectUSE 4  Repeated Action in the Past

For example:

I have eaten chocolate covered ants several times.

FOR EXAMPLE:

I have seen the new Harry Potter movie.He has seen the Johnny Cash movie.

Present Perfect Progressive

• USE 1 Duration from the Past Until Now    

FOR EXAMPLE:

I have been typing for the last hour.

Present Perfect Progressive

• USE 2 Recently, Lately      

FOR EXAMPLE:

I have been drinking a lot of coffee to stay awake this week.

QUIZZESVerb Tense Exercise 7 Present Perfect and Present Perfect Continuous

Present Perfect Progressive

• Present Perfect Progressive - focuses on an action’s continuing into the future.  It is truly perfect as it started in the past, is happening now and will continue into the future.

FOR EXAMPLE:• I have been smiling since I won the lottery yesterday.

(I started smiling when I won.  I won yesterday.  I am still smiling now.  I will be smiling for years to come.)

QUIZZESVerb Tense Exercise 7 Present Perfect and Present Perfect Continuous

Past PerfectUSE 1 Completed Action Before Something in Past  

FOR EXAMPLE:  I had never seen such a beautiful sunset before I went to Bali.

Past PerfectUSE 2 Duration Before Something in the Past (Non-continuous Verbs)

FOR EXAMPLE: We had driven that car for ten years before it broke down.

QUIZZESVerb Tense Exercise 11 Simple Past and Past Perfect

 Verb Tense Exercise 12 Simple Past, Present Perfect and Past Perfect

Past Perfect ProgressiveUSE 1 Duration Before Something in the Past FOR EXAMPLE:They had been sleeping for over an hour before the fire alarm sounded.

USE 2 Cause of Something in the Past FOR EXAMPLE:Sam got tired because he had been jogging.

QUIZVerb Tense Exercise 13 Past Perfect and Past Perfect Continuous

QuizzesVerb Tense Exercise 5 Simple Past and Present Perfect

Verb Tense Exercise 6 Simple Past and Present Perfect

Verb Tense Exercise 7 Present Perfect and Present Perfect Continuous

Verb Tense Exercise 8 Present Perfect and Present Perfect Continuous

Verb Tense Exercise 12 Simple Past, Present Perfect and Past Perfect

Verb Tense Exercise 14 Present Perfect, Past Perfect, Present Perfect Continuous and Past Perfect Continuous

Verb Tense Exercise 16 Present and Past Tenses with Non-Continuous Verbs

Verb Tense Exercise 17 Present and Past Tense Review

Verb Tense Practice Test Cumulative Verb Tense Review

Verb Tense Final Test Cumulative Verb Tense Review