Past Perfect
The past perfect tense is made with
had + the past participle. With regular
verbs, the past participle ends with "-ed."
Use it when talking about two things that
happened in the past. The past perfect
shows which thing happened first.
 Look for signal words "until" and
"before" to know when a past
perfect verb will be needed.
- I had never met a Russian person
before I went to Moscow.
- Mary had never traveled
overseas until she went to
England.
 This case is used to express
duration before another event
occurred. The second event will be
in the simple past tense.
- Joe had had his Apple laptop for
six years before his company
bought him a new one.
- Lisa had served her famous
cheesecake every week for many
years before her husband had his
heart attack.
Present Perfect
How to form it:(has/have)+(past participle).
Examples: She has spoken, We have seen
Use it to:
 Talk about actions or conditions that started
in the past and continue to the present. The
condition is still true to this day.
Example 1: The Smiths have lived in the
same house since 1975.
Example 2: Mike has been a fan of The
Rolling Stones for many years.
Example 3: Jane has had the flu since last
Monday.
 Talk about actions or states that occurred at
an unspecified time (or multiple times) in the
past. An unspecified time is signaled by such
words and phrases as: in the past, never,
ever, many times, so far.
Example 1: I’ve been to Prague many times.
Example 2: So far this year, we’ve had twelve
snow days at our school.
 Talk about experiences or conditions.
Example 1: Susan has never been to Iceland.
Example 2: Have you ever seen a panda
bear? - No, I’ve never seen one.
 Emphasize change over time.
Example 1: You’ve grown several inches
since I saw you last.
Example 2: Have you seen any good movies
since we last spoke?
Future Perfect
How to form it: There are two variations
for forming this tense. The meaning is the
same or very similar for both variations.
1. (will have) + (past participle).
Example: They will have finished
work on the hotel by the time we get
there.
2. (am/is/are) + (going to have)
+ (past participle). Example:
They’re going to have finished work
on the hotel by the time we get
there.
Use this tense to:
 Express that something will happen
before another action in the future.
Example: By the time you arrive in
Prague, I will have already been there
for two weeks.
 Express that something will happen by
a certain date or time frame in the
future. Note that the action will be
completed. Example: By the end of
next semester, Jay will have earned
enough credits to graduate.
 Express duration by a certain date in
the future. Example: As of December
tenth, Bill will have worked for IBM for
three years.
Past Perfect Continuous
How to form it: (had been) + (verb + ing)
Use the past perfect continuous to show
that something was in the process of
happening up until another activity came
along and interrupted it. All activity
occurred in the past and does not continue
up until now. The first activity is in the
past perfect continuous tense, while the
second activity is in the simple past tense.
Example: Joan had been waiting for the
limousine driver for two hours before he
finally arrived.
You can also use this tense for showing
cause and effect in the past.
Example: Jill was out of breath because
she had been running on the treadmill for
an hour.
Present Perfect Continuous
How to form it: (has/have) + (been) +
(verb+ing)
This tense links the past to the present
day. An action or state began in the past
and continues until now. Use it to:
1) Talk about actions or conditions that
started in the past and actively continue in
the present. You will often see this with
“for” and “since” clauses.
 We’ve been working on this
project since last Thursday.
 He’s been talking about opening
up his own coffee house for a long
time.
2) Conditions or activities that started in
the recent past and continue until now.
 Lately, Jane has been waking up
early.
 I’ve been working hard all day
Future Perfect Continuous
How to form it: There are two variations
for forming this tense. The meaning is the
same or very similar for both variations.
The first variation is more common.
1. (will have been) + (verb+ing).
Example: Joe will have been working
in London for two years by the time
he transfers to Paris.
2. (am/is/are) + (going to have been)
+ (verb+ing). Example: Joe is going
to have been working in London for
two years by the time he transfers to
Paris.
Use this tense to:
1. Express that something will
continue up until a certain time or
an event in the future.
 By the time our lease ends, we
will have been living in this
apartment for two years.
2. To express an action of long
duration before a certain point in
the future.
 Mike will be tired by the time he
gets here because he will have been
traveling for over 14 hours.