Chart—Active Verb Tenses
Past
Present
Future
An action that ended at a
point in the past.
An action that exists , is
usual, or is repeated.
A plan for future action.
cooked
cook / cooks
will cook
(time clue)*
e.g. He cooked yesterday.
e.g. He cooks dinner every
Friday.
e.g. He will cook tomorrow.
Progressive
be + main verb
+ing
An action was happening
(past progressive) when
another action happened
(simple past).
An action that is happening
now.
An action that will be
happening over time, in the
future, when something else
happens.
was / were cooking
am / is / are cooking
will be cooking
Simple
(time clue)*
e.g. He was cooking when the e.g. He is cooking now.
phone rang.
e.g. He will be cooking
when you come.
Perfect
have + main
verb
An action that ended before
another action or time in the
past.
An action that happened at
an unspecified time in the
past.
An action that will end
before another action or
time in the future.
had cooked
has / have cooked
will have cooked
(time clue)*
e.g. He had cooked the dinner
when the phone rang.
e.g. He has cooked many
meals.
e.g. He will have cooked
dinner by the time you
come.
Perfect
Progressive
have + be +
main verb + ing
An action that happened over
time, in the past, before
another time or action in the
past.
An action occurring over
time that started in the past
and continues into the
present.
An action occurring over
time, in the future, before
another action or time in the
future.
had been cooking
has / have been cooking
will have been cooking
(time clue)*
e.g. He had been cooking for a e.g. He has been cooking for e.g. He will have been
long time before he took
over an hour.
cooking all day by the time
lessons.
she gets home.
Chart—Common Time Clues and Verb Tense
Simple
Progressive
Perfect
Past
Present
Future
Simple Past
Simple Present
Simple Future
yesterday
last year/ month/
etc.
before
for five
weeks/days/etc.
one year/ month
ago
every morning / day / etc.
always
usually
frequently
sometimes
never
occasionally
seldom
tomorrow
tonight
next week/month/etc.
soon
in the future
Past Progressive
Present Progressive
Future progressive
while
when
now
right now
this week/minute/etc.
when
after
as soon as
before
Past Perfect
Present Perfect
Future Perfect
before
already
by the time
until then/last
week/etc.
after
until now
since
ever
never
many times/
weeks/years/etc.
for three hours/
minutes/etc/
by the time you go (somewhere)
by the time you do (something)
already
Present Perfect
Progressive
Future Perfect Progressive
for the past year/ month/
etc.
for the last 2 months/
weeks/etc.
up to now
for 6 weeks/hours/etc.
since
by the time
for ten days/weeks/etc.
by
Perfect Progressive Past Perfect
progressive
before
for one
week/hour/etc.
since
COMMON AUXILIARY VERBS:
In the following examples, the auxiliary verbs are bolded and the main verbs are underlined.

TO BE: is, am, are, was, were, been
o
o
o
o
o

TO DO: do, did, does
o
o
o

The commission is using stocks to purchase development rights.
The agencies are restricting logging and road building in the forests.
Brill was lagging in the polls behind Richards.
The agencies were completing the inventories.
Moskowitz has been offered a similar project.
Volunteers do spend their weekends mapping the nation's forests.
Clinton did agree to ban logging on 40 million acres.
Time does run out for these wildlands.
TO HAVE: has, had, have
o
o

Brent has planned this party down to the last detail.
The governor had exhausted all of the options.
SHALL, WILL, MAY, CAN, SHOULD, COULD, WOULD,
o
o
o
o
o
o
This portion will not be eligible for protection under the 1964 Wilderness Act.
The Clinton Administration may try to make the most of public support for preserving open space.
Only Congress can formally protect lands under the Wilderness Act.
They should limit its real estate holdings.
Preservation could become one of Clinton's most significant accomplishments.
The legislation would provide guaranteed funding.
THE 23 AUXILIARY VERBS
1. Twelve (12) verbs, when used as auxiliary verbs, combine with the base form only (“base form” = infinitive minus “to”; for
example: to go = infinitive; go = base form).
will
would
may
do
shall
should
might
does
can
could
must
did
OK: I will go. You can go. He should go. We may go. They do go.
Not OK: I will going. You can gone. He should goes. We may went. They do going.
2. Seven (7) verbs, when used as auxiliary verbs, combine with present participles (base form plus ing: for example, going )
OR past participles (I have walked. I have gone.)
am
is
are
was
were
be
been
OK: I am going. He is going. He is gone. You are going. You are gone. She was going. She was gone. We were going. We
were gone. They will be going. They will be gone. It has been going. It has been gone.
Not OK: I am go. I am went. He is goes. He was wenting. She will be goning.
3. Four (4) verbs, when used as auxiliary verbs, combine with past participles only.
have
has
had
being
OK: I have gone. He has gone. I had gone. I was being robbed.
I have chased. He has chased. I had chased. I was being chased.
Not OK: I have go. I have going. He has go. He has going. I had go . I had going. I was being rob. I was being robbing.
I have chase. I have chasing. He has chase. He has chasing. I had chase. I had chasing. I was being chase. I was being
chasing.
4. Of the 23 “auxiliaries,” nine (9) are auxiliary verbs ONLY.
will
shall
can
would
should could
may
might
must
OK: I will go. I shall go. I can go. I would go. I should go. I could go. I may go. I might go. I must go.
Not OK: I will here. I shall there. I can this. I would that. I should him. I could her. I may them. I might it. I must us.
5. Of the 23 “auxiliaries,” fourteen (14) are auxiliary verbs OR principal verbs.
OK:
do
does
did
am
is
are
be
being
been
have
has
had
Auxiliary
Principal
was
were