The Big Fat English Tenses Overview Clark and Miller 1

I’d like to start this post by saying that grammar isn’t important.

There. I said it.

What I mean is that academic research shows us that when we know a language well, we think more in phrases, not so much in grammar rules.

It’s like when we learn our own language as children — we learn in phrases, not in grammar rules.

More and more academics now believe that second-language learning is more eective when you base it on phrases instead o! rules.

"o why am I writing a #big, !at $nglish tenses overview%&

© 2017 Clark and Miller www.clarkandmiller.com

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Well, although it’s important to learn a language by !ocusing on phrases, grammar plays a neat role.

'ctually it’s a bit like an old-!ashioned radio.


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(o you remember these& There are two dials on the radio. I! you move one o! them )let’s call it the #general dial%*, you’ll eventually !ind the general area o! a radio station.

+ut sometimes the sound isn’t per!ect and you can’t understand all the details


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"o you need to turn the #!ine tuning% dial. This will !ind the more speci!ic !reuency so that you can hear everything clearly.

It’s the same with $nglish. hrases and vocabulary are the #general dial.%


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/rammar is the #!ine tuning.%

"o would you 0ust like to be understood& 1r would you like to speak $nglish with awesome #!ine tuning%&

I’m guessing you went with the #!ine tuning% answer. "o let’s look at the technical #!ine tuning% o! $nglish, step by step.

2irst, take a look at this rather comple3 image


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14. 5ere are all the main $nglish tenses in all their beauty.

6es, it’s it’s a little con!using con!using at at !irst, but don’t panic7 panic7 Most o! these are are actually the the same tense, tense, 0ust moved a little little in time. time. )8otice )8otice the colours. colours. 'nd the !ishermen.*

9et’s start with the past:


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The past tenses in English


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What’s going on here?

14, so as you can see, we have three main tenses going on. We’ll look at these one by one, but !irst take a look at the #time o! the story% !rame. Why is that there&

When we talk about the present , we’re 0ust looking at what’s happening now and reporting it.

When we talk about the future, we’re making plans and predictions. 8othing is completely certain )most o! the time*.

+ut when we talk about the past, we’re actually telling a story. In $nglish it’s very important to be clear about the time o! the story.

I! we go outside this story time !rame, it’s important that we show it so that our story is clear and we understand what happened !irst and what happened second and, most importantly, what happened outside the story time !rame.

1. The past simple © 2017 Clark and Miller www.clarkandmiller.com

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Why do we use it?

We use the past simple i! we want to e3press a single action that happened in the past

I met a very !riendly girae on my last visit here.


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…or a state in the past

icasso lived in that house !or most o! his li!e.

What’s the feeling of this tense?

The past simple is the most important tense !or telling our story — it describes the main events in our story.

How do we use it?

"ome people love grammar tables. )I don’t7* "o here’s how it looks when you make it all technical

The Past Simple ;

-

&

<=

didn’t ; <>

did ; sub0ect ; <>

5e le? his bike outside.

5e didn’t remember a thing.

(id the building !all down again&


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< @ verbA <> @ presentA <= @ pastA
14. I want to talk about something uickly here.

When we’re talking about language, it’s very use!ul to think about two people the person speaking and the person listening. I’m going to call them #you% and #8ed%


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That’s because language isn’t 0ust a technical thing. It’s about the situation and the people using it.

'nd most importantly who knows what&


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When we use the past simple, it’s very important that both people in the conversation )you and 8ed* know when the action happened. This is when we establish the story time !rame.

Maybe we need to say it

"omething really weird happened to me last night. …or perhaps you’ve already started talking about it, so you don’t need to say it again

FRE! "omething really weird happened to me last night. "#$! "#$! Ceally& What happened last night & FRE! I met a really angry girae last night .

%. The past &ontinuous © 2017 Clark and Miller www.clarkandmiller.com

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Why do we use it?

We use the past continuous to talk about © 2017 Clark and Miller www.clarkandmiller.com

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>. 9ong actions in the past

It was raining cats and dogs D outside. DCaining cats and dogs @ raining very hard

=. Cepeated actions in the past

"he was taking the bus that week instead o! the train.


The past continuous is an important tense to help create atmosphere in our story.

While the past simple is the main action in our story, the past continuous gives us e3tra in!ormation about the background events.


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How do we use it? The Past 'ontinuous +

-

?

was / were + -ing

wasn't / weren't + -ing

was / were + subject + -ing

Those giraffes were swimming in the pool again.

I just wasn’t thinking properly.

ere you fee!ing the !onkey at the time?

Weird rules?

We )almost* always use the past continuous with the past simple. It’s #chained% to the main events o! the story. )"ee the chain in the picture&*

We sometimes connect the past continuous with words like 

“when% )with the past simple*



“while% or #as% )with the past continuous*


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While I was eating my dinner, I saw the most beauti!ul sunset. or

When he came into the room, everyone was sleeping. +ut again, this depends on how much the person speaking and the person listening know. I! both o! them understand the conte3t, then we don’t need to connect the past continuous with the past simple

"##"! 5ow did you meet Cents& S"(! It’s a pretty boring story actually — we were working together.


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). The past perfe&t *and the past perfe&t &ontinuous+

Why do we use it?

We use the past per!ect when we want to add some in!ormation to our story, but the in!ormation happened be!ore the story time !rame. © 2017 Clark and Miller www.clarkandmiller.com

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This is when we become !ishermen. When we use this tense, we’re actually #!ishing% it !rom be!ore the story.


The past per!ect tense, like all the per!ect tenses, is a magic tense.

Why is it magic&

+ecause when we use the past per!ect tense, we’re in two places at once. We’re in the time o! the story but we’re connected to another time, be!ore the story happened — without leaving the story time.

The !ishing line keeps us connected to both times.

The only real dierence between the past per!ect and the past per!ect continuous is 

We use the past per!ect !or single, short actions.


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

We use the past per!ect continuous !or long actions or repeated actions.

How do we use it? The Past Perfe&t +

-

?

ha! + "#

ha!n’t + "#

ha! + subject + "#

$e starte! feeling ill because he’! ha! bacon for breakfast .

They ha!n’t ha!n’t checke! checke! the the weather weather forecast. forecast.

$a! you you alrea!y alrea!y met him him before? before?

The Past Perfe&t 'ontinuous +

-

?

ha! + been + -ing

ha!n’t + been + -ing

ha! + subject + been + -ing

They’! been watching T" all !ay.

They ha!n’t been checking the security system

$a! you been !oing e%ercise?


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Weird rules?

9ike the past continuous, the past per!ect is always connected to the past simple somehow )because the past simple shows the main events in our story. 8o past simple& 8o story7*.

We can connect these two tenses directly with a connecting word or phrase like #when,% #because% or #earlier that day%

I trusted him because he’d given me awesome advice be!ore. erhaps we use it to show the relationship between two actions with a relative clause

I knew that he’d been working on the pro0ect all week. 1r perhaps we don’t need to connect it in the sentence because both the person speaking and the person listening already know the connection


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(",-#E! 6ou were so !ilthy that day7 -#! 6eah. We’d been playing !ootball in the rain.

The present tenses in English


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's I mentioned be!ore, we use the present tenses to describe things around us. It’s more #scienti!ic% or #analytical.% We’re observing the world and reporting it.

There are three main tenses !or the present — the present simple, the present continuous and the present per!ect )and its best !riend, the present per!ect continuous*.

9et’s look at these one by one.


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/. The present simple


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Why do we use it?

We use the present simple to describe actions that happen regularly

"he meets /eo every morning !or break!ast. …or things that are always true

We live in 9ondon.


When we use the present simple, there’s a strong !eeling o! #truth.% It describes things that don’t change. We also !eel habits and regular li!estyle choices.

It’s kind o! like a traditional uncle.


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How do we use it? The Present Simple +

-



"&

!on’t / !oesn’t + "&

!o / !oes + subject + "&

e neer get up before &&. (he hates Titanic.

(he !oesn’t know the answer.

)o they know how long that trip is?

Weird rules?

When we use the present simple with #he,% #she% or #it,% we need to add #s% to the verb

My sister always listens to the worst music in the world. 'nd #do% becomes #does% in uestions and negative sentences

/eo doesn’t know you very well, does he&


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(oes 1bama really know your sister& I don’t believe you7 Surprising other uses

We can also use the present simple !or

"cheduled events in the !uture

The train leaves at E o’clock. (escribing a story or a 0oke

Three giraes walk into a bar:


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0. The present &ontinuous

Why do we use it? © 2017 Clark and Miller www.clarkandmiller.com

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/enerally speaking, we use the present continuous !or things that are happening now. $specially

Temporary situations

I’m taking the bus this week because my bike’s broken. Fn!inished actions

I’ll call you later — I’m having lunch at the moment. Ghanging situations

5e’s really getting better at playing the organ.


I! the present simple is like a traditional uncle, then the present continuous is like the craHy cousin.


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While the present simple is all about permanence )not changing*, the present continuous is all about change. It !eels dynamic and active.

How do we use it? The Present 'ontinuous +

-

?

am / is / are + -ing

am / is / are + not + -ing

am / is / are + subject + -ing

$e’s talking to the tree again.

e aren’t sleeping. e’re me!itating.

hy are you !oing that?

Weird rules?

There’s an interesting rule about when you can’t use the present continuous.

When we talk about an action that we can’t control, then we )almost* never use the present continuous. We have to use the present simple instead.


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These actions are usually connected to 

2eelings #I love this song.% )not #I’m loving this song.%*



Thoughts #I believe you now.% )not #I’m believing you now.%*



5eights, weights, dimensions, etc. #It weighs > kg.% )not #It’s weighing > kg.%*

Surprising other uses

We can also use the present continuous to describe unusual or annoying habits, usually with words like #always,% #constantly% or #!orever.%

My dog is always eating potatoes. 5e’s !orever singing that stupid song.

. The present perfe&t *and present perfe&t &ontinuous+ © 2017 Clark and Miller www.clarkandmiller.com

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Why do we use it?

9ike I said be!ore, the per!ect tenses are like magic. © 2017 Clark and Miller www.clarkandmiller.com

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With the present per!ect, you’re in the present, but you’ve got a strong connection to the past.

What makes the connection&

We’re connected to the past with the present per!ect in three general situations 1.When the time !rame we use started in the past and isn’t !inished #5ave you eaten today&% 2.When the eect o! a past action is still with us now #9ook at the terrible thing you’ve done7% 3.When the action started in the past and isn’t !inished #I’ve known him !or years.%


When we use the present per!ect, we’re actually talking about the #state% or the #situation% something is in now — but because o! something be!ore.

I! you say that you’ve been working here !or J years, we don’t think about the work. We think about how e3perienced you are now. © 2017 Clark and Miller www.clarkandmiller.com

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I! you say that you’ve had your hair cut, we don’t think about your visit to the hairdresser’s. We think about how you look 81W.

We’re !eeling the past echo into now — the results o! past actions and events.

The only real dierence between the present per!ect and the present per!ect continuous is 

We use the present per!ect !or single, short actions.



We use the present per!ect continuous !or long actions or repeated actions.

How do we use it? The Present Perfe&t + hae / has + "#


haen’t / hasn’t + "#

? hae / has + subject + "#

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*ou’e change! your hair again.

(he hasn’t slept for !ays.

here hae you been?

The Present Perfe&t 'ontinuous +

-

?

hae / has + been + -ing

haen’t / hasn’t + been + -ing

hae / has + subject + been + -ing

I’e ’e been playing football. ll.

y car hasn’t sn’t been workin king well recently. ly.

$as ,eoff been coming in late again recently?

Weird rules?

"urprisingly, apart !rom the !act that the present per!ect is a bit o! a weird tense, there aren’t really any strange rules.

6ou can !ind out out more about about the present present per!ect in o!r "lo# $o%& a"o!& i&.


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The future tenses in English


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The !uture is a mysterious time. 8othing is certain7 We have plans and goals, but plans can change and problems can stop our goals.

+ut the !uture can also !eel like a time o! hope.

's you can probably !eel already !rom the past and the present, $nglish has three basic types o! tense )the simple, the continuous and the per!ect*, which we can move !rom past to present to !uture.

The !uture tenses work 0ust like the other tenses. They’re 0ust in the !uture, so they have less certainty.

2. The future simple © 2017 Clark and Miller www.clarkandmiller.com

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Why do we use it?


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We use the !uture simple when we want to talk about a single action in the !uture.

This is an interesting tense because we can use it in many ways. The most common are #will% and #going to.%


The !eeling o! the !uture simple depends completely on which way we use it — with #will% or #going to.%

I wrote a "lo# $o%& a"o!& &'e%e (!&!re (orm% )and many others*. +ut to give you a simple e3planation 

2or intentions, #will% is more spontaneous and #going to% is more o! a planA



2or predictions, #will% is less certain and #going to% is more certain.

How do we use it? © 2017 Clark and Miller www.clarkandmiller.com

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The Future Simple! Will +

-

?

will + "&

wont + "&

will + subject + "&

It’ll rain tomorrow.

The police won’t fin! him.

ill there be cake at the party?

The Future Simple! 3oing To +

-

?

am / is / are + going to + "&

am / is / are + not + going to + "&

am / is / are + subject + going to + "&

$e’s going to fall.

e aren’t going to meet him tonight -change of plan.

Is his colleague going to tell the boss about this?

Weird rules?

'gain, this depends on which !uture !orm you use. I recommend checking &'e $o%& on (!&!re (orm% !or more detail.


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We can also use #will% to describe present habits. In this case, it can actually replace the present simple

These dogs will bark, but they won’t bite. 1! course it’ll snow. It’s Kanuary.


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4. The future &ontinuous


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Why do we use it?

We use the !uture continuous to talk about long or repeated actions in the !uture.


This tense !eels very certain. When you use this tense, it sounds as i! you have strong plans and a good schedule.


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How do we use it? The Future 'ontinuous +

-

?

will + be + -ing

won’t + be + -ing

will + subject + be + -ing

They’ll be sitting in the plane this time tomorrow.

I won’t won’t be be worki working ng any any more more when when I’m . .

ill ill he still still be be helpin helping g us after after we’e we’e pai! pai! him?

Weird rules?

9ike the past continuous, the !uture continuous can only work with another certain time in the !uture. )"ee the chain in the image&*

We usually either say the time

This time tomorrow, I’ll be drinking lemonade on a sunny beach.


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1r we can connect it to a simple action in the !uture

When I get home tomorrow, I’m sure he’ll be sleeping again. 1r both the person speaking and the person listening know the time

"#T5#! 5is birthday’s going to be e3cellent. "E,! Is it& "#T5#! 2or sure7 We’ll be dancing all night7 "E,! 5mmm: Will there be cake&%


We use the !uture continuous a lot when we want people to !eel that everything is under control. The classic e3ample o! this is when your pilot talks to you about your !light


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/ood a?ernoon. This is your captain speaking. Today we’ll be !lying at a height o! L, !eet and at speed o!  kmNh. In a !ew minutes our cabin crew will be serving drinks and re!reshments:

6. The future perfe&t *and the future perfe&t &ontinuous+


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Why do we use it?

This is an interesting tense.


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8otice that there’s more than one orange #O% in the image. Why&

That’s because when we use the !uture per!ect, we don’t actually say when the action will happen. It could be the time o! the !irst #O,% the time o! the second #O% or the time o! the third #O.% We don’t know. +ecause it’s the !uture.

We use this tense to say that something will happen sometime be!ore a certain point in the !uture. +ut we don’t know when. +ecause it’s the !uture.

The !isherman is sitting at that certain point and he’s connecting himsel! to the past o! that !uture.


We usually use this tense to set goals. When we make a deadline, we can use this tense

I’ll have made a million dollars be!ore I’m BJ years old7


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+ut we can also simply use it when we want to make a prediction about the !uture, but we don’t know e3actly when it will happen.

"ometime be!ore I die, people will have started living on Mars.

How do we use it? The Future Perfe&t +

-



will + hae + "#

won’t + hae + "#

will + subject + hae + "#

I’ll alrea!y hae arrie! at the hotel when you get there.

y boss won’t hae left the office by that time.

ill they hae finishe! when we get there?

The Future Perfe&t &ontinuous + will + hae been + -ing


won’t + hae been + -ing

? will + subject + hae been + -ing

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$e will hae been traelling for & hours when we see him.

0y 1ugust I won't hae been smoking for a year.

ill you hae been working all !ay when I see you tomorrow?

Weird rules?

9ike the past per!ect, we need to connect the !uture per!ect to a certain !uture time )the #O% to the !isherman*.

'gain, we can 0ust say the time

+y ==E, I’ll have started my own business. 1r we can connect it with words like #when,% #by the time:% and #be!ore.%

+y the time he gets here, we’ll have already le?. 1r it can 0ust be clear !rom the conversation


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#5R"! "o we’ll see you at the airport& 7'$! 8o, no. We will have gone by then.

"o those are all the main tenses in $nglish.

5owever, remember that language is a living, breathing thing. It doesn’t !ollow all the rules. Kust like people, it likes to break the rules !rom time to time. "o don’t !ollow these precisely all the time. 6ou’re allowed to break them i! you want to e3press something in a particular way, or i! you want to sound more like the people you’re talking to. )I do it all the time.*


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The Big Fat English Tenses Overview Clark and Miller 1

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