These are the rules....


                        simple past                    

example:     I visited London last summer.  


                    I didn't visit London last summer.

 

                    Did(n't) you visit London last

                    summer?


rule:               The simple past expresses              

                       something which happened at a

                       specific time in the past.

 

 

form:             

positive sentence:      2nd form of verb 

negative sentence:    did+ not + 1st form of verb 

question:                     did (+not)+ 1st form of verb

 

signal words  e.g. yesterday, last weekend,

                                 in 2005, two hours ago...

                          present perfect

 

example             I have already visited London.

 

   I haven't already visited London.

 

Have you already visited London

 

 

rule:                   The present perfect expresses

                           something which happened in

                           the past without giving the

                           exact time, or something that 

    started in the past but still 

    continues, or something that

    happened in the past but has a

    consequence in the present.

 

form:

positive sentence:     have/has + 3rd form of verb

negative sentence:   have+not + 3rd form of verb

question:                    have (+not)+3rd form of verb

 

signal words:      e.g. already, just, always, often,

                                      ever, yet,....



                       present perfect with since/ for

example:       I have lived in London for ten years;

 

                      I have lived in London since 2004

 

 

 

 

 


rule:               The present perfect with since/ for

                       expresses something that started

        in the past and still continues

        now.

 

form:              see present perfect

 

signal words: see present perfect and of course

                         "since" and "for".....

                       past perfect                   

example:      I had visited London before I visited

                     Paris.     

    

                     I hadn't visited London before I

                     visited Paris.

 

                     Had(n't) you visited London before

                     you visited Paris?

rule:              The past perfect expresses that one

                       thing in the past happened before

                       another thing in the past.

 

form:             

positive sentence:      had + 3rd form of verb 

negative sentence:     had +not +3rd form of verb 

question:                      had(+not)+3rd form of verb

 

signal words:   no real signal words. Have a

                         closer look at the context of the

                          sentence in question.



past progressive

 

example:     You were studying when she called.  

 

                    You weren't studying when she called

 

                    Were you studying when she called?

 

 

 

 

rule:              The past progressive expresses that

                      a longer action in the past was

                      interrupted. The interruption is

                      usually a shorter action in the

                      simple past. (It can be a real

                      interruption or just an interruption 

                      in time: Yesterday at this time, I was

                      driving to Munich)

 

 

form:             

positive sentence:     was/were+ing-form of verb 

negative sentence:   was/were+not+ing- form of

                                    verb 

question:                   Was/Were(+not)+ing-form of

                                    verb

 

signal words:   no real signal words. Have a

                         closer look at the context of the

                         sentence in question.

present perfect progressive

 

example:         I have been waiting for you for two

hours!

 

I haven't been waiting for you for  

two hours.

 

Have you been waiting for two

hours?

                     

 

rule:              The present perfect progressive

                      expresses that something started in

                      the past and has continued up until

                      now. If the tense is used without a

                      duration (for two hours, etc.) it has

                      the meaning of "lately"/"recently":

                      "I have been feeling really unwell."

 

 

 

form:

positive sentence:   has/have+been+ing-form of

                                   verb

negative sentence:  has/have+not+been     

                                   +ing-form of verb

question:                   has/have(+not)+been

                                    +ing-form of verb

 

signal words:   no real signal words. Have a

                         closer look at the context of the

                          sentence in question.

 

ATTENTION:

Be careful with the present perfect progressive if you ask questions. As said above, it can have the meaining of "lately". If you use it in a question such as "Have you been feeling alright?", it can suggest that the person looks sick or unhealthy. A question such as "Have you been smoking?" can suggest that you smell the smoke on the person. Using this tense in a question suggests you can see, smell, hear or feel the results of the action. It is possible to insult someone by using this tense incorrectly.



past perfect progressive

 

example:           I had been studying for two hours

                          before I allowed myself a break.

 

                          I hadn't been doing anything

                          when the police arrested me.

 

                          Had you been doing anything

                         when the police arrested you?

 

 

rule:                 We use the past perfect       

                         progressive to express that

                         something started in

                         the past and continued up until

                         another time in the past.

 

form:

positive sentence:    had+been+ing-form of verb

negative sentence:   had+not+been+ing-form of

                                            verb

question:                   had(+not)+been +ing-form

                                            of verb

 

signal words:   no real signal words. Have a

                            closer look at the context of the

                            sentence in question.