Table of English Tenses - Phase 1-4

Tense
Simple Present
Subj + verb
(Verb take an "s"
in the 3rd person
singular)
Present
Progressive
Subj + am or is
or are + verb +
ing
Simple Past
Subj + verb
past form
Past
Progressive
Subj + was or
were + verb +
ing
Present Perfect
Subj + has or
have + verb past
participle

Affirmative/Negative/Question
A: You verb or He verbs...
N: He does not verb...
Q: Does he verb? or
QW does he verb ?

Use
Signal Words
action in the present taking place once, never or several times always, every , never, normally,
facts
often, seldom, sometimes, usually
actions taking place one after another
if sentences type I (If I talk, )
action set by a timetable or schedule

A: He is verb+ing
N: He is not verb+ing
Q: Is he verb+ing? or
QW is he verb+ing?

action taking place in the moment of speaking

action taking place only for a limited period of time
action arranged for the future

at the moment, just, just now,

Listen!, Look!, now, right now

A: He verb past form

N: He did not verb past form
Q: Did he verb past form? or
QW did he verb past form?
A: He was verb+ing...
N: He was not verb+ing...
Q: Was he verb+ing?

action in the past taking place once, never or several times

actions taking place one after another
action taking place in the middle of another action

yesterday, 2 minutes ago, in 1990,

the other day, last Friday
if sentence type II (If I talked, )

action going on at a certain time in the past

actions taking place at the same time
action in the past that is interrupted by another action

when, while, as long as

A: He has past participle...

N: He has not past participle...
Q: Has he past participle? or
QW has he past participle

putting emphasis on the result

action that is still going on
action that stopped recently
finished action that has an influence on the present
action that has taken place once, never or several times
before the moment of speaking

already, ever, just, never, not yet,

so far, till now, up to now

decision made for the future

conclusion with regard to the future

in one year, next week, tomorrow

Future Simple A: He is going to verb.

Subj + be +
N: He is not going to verb.
going to +verb Q: Is he going to verb?

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Note:

What is the Third person Singular. Simple present verbs (except for the verb to be) with the subjects of he, she, and it are formed by adding an s ending to the infinitive of the verb. The
form of the verb used with these subjects is usually called the third person singular. The pronunciation of the s ending for third person singular verbs depends on the final sound of the verb before
the s ending is added.
Spelling Rules for Adding s in the Third Person Singular.
Before reviewing the pronunciation rules for third person singular verbs, it may be helpful to review how these verbs are spelled. Page |
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For some verbs, a simple s or es is added to the infinitive. However, some verbs change their spelling when s is added in the third person singular. Most verbs in English have a simple s
ending for the third person singular form. Some examples of these are:
To stop: he stops

To end: it ends

To want: she wants

The exceptions to this rule are listed below: Verbs Ending in y.

For verbs the ending in y, where the y is preceded by a vowel, the third person singular is formed by simply adding an s to the end of the infinitive. Some examples are:
To Pay: he pays

To Buy: she buys

To Enjoy: it enjoys

When the y is preceded by a consonant, however, the y is changed to i and es is added to the end. Here are some examples of these:
To Ferry: it ferries

To Rely: he relies

Verbs Ending in o:
To go:

To Study:

she studies

When a verb ends in o, the third person singular is formed by adding es to the end. Some examples are:

it goes

To do:

he does

Verbs ending in ch, s, sh, x or z (sibilant):

When a verb ends in ch, s, sh, x or z, the third person singular is formed by adding es to the end. Some examples are:

To watch:

To kiss: she kisses

he watches

To wish: he wishes

To tax:

it taxes

To buzz: it buzzes

Pronunciation rules for s endings in the third person singular:

There are three ways to pronounce s endings for third person singular verbs. The pronunciation depends on the final
sound of the verb before the s ending is added. The three pronunciations are below:
iz sound
If the simple form of the verb has a sibilant ending, such as ch, s, sh, x or z, then es is pronounced as iz with an extra syllable added to the base verb.
Wishes

Taxes

Watches

Judges

Closes

Misses

s sound
If the simple form of the verb ends with the voiceless sounds of p, t, k, f or th then s and es are pronounced as s with no extra syllable.
Wants

Makes

Stops

Eats

Likes

Coughs

z sound:
If the simple form of the verb ends with any other consonant or vowel sound, then the s and es are pronounced as z with no extra syllable.
Buys

Owes

Wins

Fills

Jabs

Does

Goes

English Verbs - Phase 1.

Base From
Eat
Drink
Read
Write
Watch
Call
Take
Give
Buy
Sell
Open
Close
Go
Come
Sit
Stand
Listen
Get
Ask
Play
Tell
Work
Repair
Study
Turn
Pick up
Put
Meet

3rd Person
Singular
Eats
Drinks
Reads
Writes
Watches
Calls
Takes
Gives
Buys
Sells
Opens
Closes
Goes
Comes
Sits
Stands
Listens
Gets
Asks
Plays
Tells
Works
Repairs
Studies
Turns
Picks up
Puts
Meets

Past Form
Ate
Drank
Read
Wrote
Watched
Called
Took
Gave
Bought
Sold
Opened
Closed
Went
Came
Sat
Stood
Listened
Got
Asked
Played
Told
Worked
Repaired
Studied
Turned
Picked up
Put
Met

Past
Participle
Eaten
Drunk
Read
Written
Watched
Called
Taken
Given
Bought
Sold
Opened
Closed
Gone
Come
Sat
Stood
Listened
Gotten
Asked
Played
Told
Worked
Repaired
Studied
Turned
Picked up
Put
Met

Present
Participle
Eating
Drinking
Reading
Writing
Watching
Calling
Taking
Giving
Buying
Selling
Opening
Closing
Going
Coming
Sitting
Standing
Listening
Getting
Asking
Playing
Telling
Working
Repairing
Studying
Turning
Picking
Putting
Meeting

Meaning
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English Verbs - Phase 2.

Base From
Drive
Dance
Want
Know
Build
Teach
Visit
Think
Like
Cry
Talk
Need
Make
Speak
Walk
Sing
Have
See
Run
Sleep
Lie
Wear
Fly
Cut
Argue
Shout
Help

3rd Person
Singular
Drives
Dances
Wants
Knows
Builds
Teaches
Visits
Thinks
Likes
Cries
Talks
Needs
Makes
Speaks
Walks
Sings
Has
Sees
Runs
Sleeps
Lies
Wears
Flies
Cuts
Argues
Shouts
Helps

Past Form
Drove
Danced
Wanted
Knew
Built
Taught
Visited
Thought
Liked
Cried
Talked
Needed
Made
Spoke
Walked
Sang
Had
Saw
Ran
Slept
Lied
Wore
Flied
Cut
Argued
Shouted
Helped

Past
Participle
Driven
Danced
Wanted
Known
Built
Taught
Visited
Thought
Liked
Cried
Talked
Needed
Made
Spoken
Walked
Sung
Had
Seen
Run
Slept
Lied
Worn
Flied
Cut
Argued
Shouted
Helped

Present
Participle
Driving
Dancing
Non Progressive
Non Progressive

Building
Teaching
Visiting
Thinking
Non Progressive

Crying
Talking
Non Progressive

Making
Speaking
Walking
Singing
Non Progressive
Non Progressive

Running
Sleeping
Lying
Wearing
Flying
Cutting
Arguing
Shouting
Helping

Meaning
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