THE VERB.
ENGLISH TENSES AND ASPECTS. ACTIVE VOICE
Most verbs are action words. They tell you what people, animals or things are doing.
The category of tense denotes the relation of the action either to the moment of speaking or to some definite moment in the past or future. There are four groups of tenses: Indefinite, Continuous, Perfect, Perfect Continuous.
The category of aspect shows the way in which the action develops, whether it is in progress or completed, etc. The aspects are Indefinite Continuous, Perfect and Perfect Continuous forms.
The category of tense and the category of aspect are interconnected.
ENGLISH TENSES (ACTIVE)
| INDEFINITE SIMPLE | CONTINUOUS PROGRESSIVE | PERFECT | PERFECT CONTINUOUS | |
| PRESENT | verb ask(s) 1/ Repeated, customary action. usually/generally always/never often/seldom sometimes 2/ Fact. 3/ Future action (to a timetable, schedule). | be+ -ing am is asking are 1/ Action (process) going on at the present moment. now, at present, at the moment 2/ Future action planned before. | have + III form have has asked 1/Completed action connected with the present; result. already/yet ever/never lately/recently this week/today by now | have been + -ing have has been asking 1/ Action (process) which began in the past and is still going on now. For a month/a long time since 5 o'clock how long/since when |
| PAST | asked took 1/ Action (succession of actions) in the past. yesterday last week 3 days ago | Was were asking 1/ Action (process) taking place at a given moment in the past. at 5 yesterday from 5 to 6 yesterday for 3 days last week all day long/ the whole day/ when we came | had asked 1/ Action completed before a certain moment in the past. by5o 'clock yesterday before he came by the end of last year 2/ At sequence of tenses. | had been asking 1/ Action (process) which began before a definite moment in the past and was still going at that moment He had been working for 2 hours, when my brother came. |
| FUTURE | will ask 1/Future action. tomorrow next week in 3 days in 2017 | will be asking 1/ Action (process) taking place at a given moment in the future. at 5 tomorrow from 5 to 6 tomorrow for 3 days next week all day long tomorrow when he comes | will have asked 1/Action completed before a definite moment in the future. by 5 o 'clock tomorrow when he comes by next summer | will have been asking 1/ Action (process) which will begin before a definite moment in the future and will be going on at that moment. When you come, I'll have been working for 2 hours. |
THE VERB.
ENGLISH TENSES AND ASPECTS. ACTIVE VOICE
Most verbs are action words. They tell you what people, animals or things are doing.
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The category of tense denotes the relation of the action either to the moment of speaking or to some definite moment in the past or future. There are four groups of tenses: Indefinite, Continuous, Perfect, Perfect Continuous.
The category of aspect shows the way in which the action develops, whether it is in progress or completed, etc. The aspects are Indefinite Continuous, Perfect and Perfect Continuous forms.
The category of tense and the category of aspect are interconnected.
ENGLISH TENSES (ACTIVE)
| INDEFINITE SIMPLE | CONTINUOUS PROGRESSIVE | PERFECT | PERFECT CONTINUOUS | |
| PRESENT | verb ask(s) 1/ Repeated, customary action. usually/generally always/never often/seldom sometimes 2/ Fact. 3/ Future action (to a timetable, schedule). | be+ -ing am is asking are 1/ Action (process) going on at the present moment. now, at present, at the moment 2/ Future action planned before. | have + III form have has asked 1/Completed action connected with the present; result. already/yet ever/never lately/recently this week/today by now | have been + -ing have has been asking 1/ Action (process) which began in the past and is still going on now. For a month/a long time since 5 o'clock how long/since when |
| PAST | asked took 1/ Action (succession of actions) in the past. yesterday last week 3 days ago | Was were asking 1/ Action (process) taking place at a given moment in the past. at 5 yesterday from 5 to 6 yesterday for 3 days last week all day long/ the whole day/ when we came | had asked 1/ Action completed before a certain moment in the past. by5o 'clock yesterday before he came by the end of last year 2/ At sequence of tenses. | had been asking 1/ Action (process) which began before a definite moment in the past and was still going at that moment He had been working for 2 hours, when my brother came. |
| FUTURE | will ask 1/Future action. tomorrow next week in 3 days in 2017 | will be asking 1/ Action (process) taking place at a given moment in the future. at 5 tomorrow from 5 to 6 tomorrow for 3 days next week all day long tomorrow when he comes | will have asked 1/Action completed before a definite moment in the future. by 5 o 'clock tomorrow when he comes by next summer | will have been asking 1/ Action (process) which will begin before a definite moment in the future and will be going on at that moment. When you come, I'll have been working for 2 hours. |
THE PRESENT INDEFINITE (SIMPLE) TENSE