■ English Tenses – Teacher Handout
1. Present Tenses
Tense Use Example
Present Simple Habits, routines, general facts She plays tennis every weekend.
Present Continuous Actions happening now, temporary situations
She is playing tennis right now.
Present Perfect Simple Past action connected to the present; lifeShe
experiences
has played tennis since she was a child.
Present Perfect ContinuousFocus on duration continuing up to now She has been playing tennis for two hours.
2. Past Tenses
Tense Use Example
Past Simple Completed actions in the past (time given)
She played tennis yesterday.
Past Continuous Action in progress in the past; interruptedShe
action
was playing tennis when it started to rain.
Past Perfect Simple Action completed before another past action
She had played tennis before she went home.
Past Perfect Continuous Emphasis on duration before another past
Sheevent
had been playing tennis for two hours before dinner.
3. Future Tenses
Tense Use Example
Future Simple (will) Predictions, promises, decisions She will play tennis tomorrow.
Future 'going to' Plans, intentions, evidence She is going to play tennis this weekend.
Future Continuous Action in progress at a future time She will be playing tennis at 5 p.m. tomorrow.
Future Perfect Simple Action finished before a future time She will have played tennis before dinner.
Future Perfect Continuous Emphasis on duration up to a future moment
By 6 p.m., she will have been playing for three hours.
4. Future in the Past
Tense Use Example
Would + base verb Future seen from the past She said she would play tennis the next day.
Would be + -ing Future-in-progress seen from the past She knew she would be playing tennis at 5 p.m.
Would have + past participleCompleted action in the 'future' from pastShe thought she would have played tennis before dinner.
Would have been + -ing Duration in the future seen from the pastBy 6 p.m., she knew she would have been playing for three hours.
Was/Were going to Plans or intentions in the past (not always
She
completed)
was going to play tennis, but it rained.
■ Teaching Tips:
• Use timelines to show Perfect and Continuous tenses.
• Highlight differences between will, going to, and was/were going to.
• Encourage students to transform examples across tenses (e.g., "She plays" → "She was playing"
→ "She will play").
