The Future Continuous Tense

The following lesson will show you how to use the Future Continuous Tense in English.

FORMS

The Future Continuous Tense has the following forms:

• Affirmative: S + SHALL/WILL + BE + V-ing
• Negative: S + SHALL/WILL + NOT + BE + V-ing
• Interrogative/Question: SHALL/WILL + S + BE + V-ing

USAGE

The Future Continuous Tense is used to express an action that will be in progress at a point of time in the future or that will extend over a period of time in the future.

Examples:

Will you be watching television at 8 this evening?
I shall be meeting the delegates from 9 to 11 tomorrow morning.

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The Simple Future Tense

The following lesson will show you how to use the Simple Future Tense in English.

FORMS

The Simple Future Tense has the following forms:

• Affirmative: S + SHALL/WILL + Infinitive
• Negative: S + SHALL NOT/WILL NOT + Infinitive
• Interrogative/Question: SHALL/WILL + S + Infinitive

USAGE

The Simple Future Tense is used to express:

• an action that will happen in the future
  
  Examples:
  
  You will have to answer several questions about yourself.
  The test will take about sixty minutes.


• an invitation or a request for permission
  
  Examples:
  
  Will you join us?
  Shall I begin now?

NOTES

SHALL is used with the 2nd and 3rd persons and WILL is used with the 1st person to show:

• determination
  
  Example:
  
  She shall not let anyone stop her.


• a promise
  
  Example:
  
  I will try my best.


• a threat
  
  Example:
  
  You shall be punished for this.

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The Past Perfect Continuous Tense

The following lesson will show you how to use the Past Perfect Continuous Tense in English.

FORMS

The Past Perfect Continuous Tense has the following forms:

• Affirmative: S + HAD BEEN + V-ing
• Negative: S + HAD NOT BEEN + V-ing
• Interrogative/Question: HAD + S + BEEN + V-ing

USAGE

The Past Perfect Continuous Tense is similar in use to the Past Perfect Tense. It emphasizes the uninterrupted nature of the action.

Examples:

We had been working for five hours continuously before he arrived.
Before going to Australia to study, I had been learning English for several years.

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The Past Perfect Tense

The following lesson will show you how to use the Past Perfect Tense in English.

FORMS

The Past Perfect Tense has the following forms:

• Affirmative: S + HAD + Past Participle
• Negative: S + HAD NOT + Past Participle
• Interrogative/Question: HAD + S + Past Participle

USAGE

The Past Perfect Tense is used to express:

• an action that happened before another action in the past
  
  Examples:
  
  When the police arrived, the robbers had already escaped.
  Luckily, I had hidden the book before he entered the room.


• an action that happened before a point of time in the past
  
  Examples:
  
  We had discussed several important matters before lunch.
  The manager had prepared a long report before the meeting.
  

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The Past Continuous Tense

The following lesson will show you how to use the Past Continuous Tense in English.

FORMS

The Past Continuous Tense has the following forms:

• Affirmative: S + WAS/WERE + V-ing
• Negative: S + WAS/WERE NOT + V-ing
• Interrogative/Question: WAS/WERE + S + V-ing

USAGE

The Past Continuous Tense is used to express:

• an action that was happening when another action happened in the past
  
  Examples:
  
  We were watching television when the phone rang.
  When the revolution broke out, she was studying in Europe.


• an action that was happening in parallel with another action in the past
  
  Examples:
  
  My mother was listening to the radio while my father was reading some newspapers.
  While the children were playing outside, their parents were cooking in the kitchen.

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The Simple Past Tense

The following lesson will show you how to use the Simple Past Tense in English.

FORMS

The Simple Past Tense has the following forms:

• Affirmative: S + V-ed
• Negative: S + DID NOT + Infinitive
• Interrogative/Question: DID + S + Infinitive

USAGE

The Simple Present Tense is used to express:

• an action that happened at a definite point of time in the past
  
  Examples:
  
  I first watched this movie thirty years ago.
  She started her scientific career in 1985.


• an action that happened over a period of time in the past
  
  Examples:
  
  My brother worked as a receptionist from 1990 to 1997.
  Jenny was a nurse in the army during World War II.


• a habit in the past
  
  Examples:
  
  We often went swimming when we lived in the countryside.
  His father gave him some pocket money every morning.

NOTES

• The past forms of irregular verbs must be learnt by heart.
  
  Examples:
  
  TO RUN -> RAN
  TO BUY -> BOUGHT


• The construction
  
  USED TO/WOULD + Infinitive
  
  is also used to express a habit in the past.
  
  Examples:
  
  I used to read comics when I was a kid.
  He would ask me to help him when he had trouble doing his homework.

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The Present Perfect Continuous Tense

The following lesson will show you how to use the Present Perfect Continuous Tense in English.

FORMS

The Present Perfect Continuous Tense has the following forms:

• Affirmative: S + HAVE/HAS + BEEN + V-ing
• Negative: S + HAVE NOT/HAS NOT + BEEN + V-ing
• Interrogative/Question: HAVE/HAS + S + BEEN + V-ing

USAGE

The Present Perfect Continuous Tense is similar in use to the Present Perfect Tense. It expresses an action which began in the past but has continued up to the present and possibly to the future. The Present Perfect Continuous Tense, however, emphasizes the uninterrupted nature of the action.

Examples:

I have been learning English for five years.
He has been working very hard recently.

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