- •The Verb
- •Verb-forms of the English Conjugation
- •Notional, Semi-Auxiliary and Auxiliary Verbs
- •Transitive Intransitive
- •Intransitive Transitive
- •Intransitive Transitive
- •Terminative, Durative and Mixed Verbs
- •The Finite Forms of the Verb
- •Person and Number
- •The Use of the Primary Tenses
- •The Use of the Present Tense of the Common Aspect
- •The Use of the Past Tense of the Common Aspect
- •The Use of the Future Tense of the Common Aspect
- •The Use of the Future-in-the Past
- •The Continuous Aspect
- •The Use of the Present Tense of the Continuous Aspect
- •The Use of the Past Tense of the Continuous Aspect
- •The Use of the Future Tense of the Continuous Aspect
- •The Use of the Future-in-the-Past of the Continuous Aspect
- •The Secondary Tenses The Use of the Perfect Tenses
- •The Use of the Present Perfect of the Common Aspect
- •The Use of the Present Perfect of the Common Aspect to Express Actions Continued into the Present
- •The Past Perfect (Common Aspect)
- •The Use of the Past Perfect of the Common Aspect
- •The Use of the Past Perfect of the Common Aspect to Express an Action Accomplished before a given Past Moment
- •The Future-Perfect-in-the-Past
- •The Continuous Aspect
- •The Use of the Future Perfect of the Continuous Aspect
- •The Future-Perfect-Continuous-in-the-Past
- •The Choice of the Perfect Tenses of the Continuous and the Perfect Tenses of the Common Aspect
The Use of the Future Perfect of the Continuous Aspect
The future perfect of the continuous aspect denotes an action begun before a given moment in the future and continued into that future moment.
Ex.: I shall have been writing for two hours by the time you come back.
The Future-Perfect-Continuous-in-the-Past
The Future-Perfect-Continuous-in-the-Past is used to express an action begun before a given future moment and continued into that future moment when the future moment is viewed from the past (inclusive future-perfect-continuous-in-the-past).
Ex.: They wrote to me that by the end of July they would have been living at the seaside for a month.
The Choice of the Perfect Tenses of the Continuous and the Perfect Tenses of the Common Aspect
The perfect tenses of the common aspect and the perfect tenses of the continuous aspect are both used to denote actions begun before a given moment (present, past or future) and continued into that moment.
The difference is as follows: the perfect tenses of the common aspect concentrate our attention on the present (past or future) state which characterizes the subject of the action.
Ex.: I have worked for five hours and I am tired.
The perfect tenses of the continuous aspect besides characterizing the subject, lay stress on the time of the action.
Ex.: It is already eleven o’clock, so I have been working for three hours (the last three hours are characterized by my working).
Active Voice
The Tenses of the Indicative Mood in the Two Aspect Forms
The Primary Tenses |
The Secondary Tenses |
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Common Aspect |
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Present |
Past |
Future |
Present Perfect |
Past Perfect |
Future Perfect |
I speak Do I speak? I don’t speak |
I spoke Did I speak? I did not speak |
I shall speak Shall I speak? I shall not speak. |
I have spoken Have I spoken? I have not spoken. |
I had spoken Had I spoken? I had not spoken. |
I shall have spoken Shall I have spoken? I shall not have spoken |
Continuous Aspect |
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I am speaking. Am I speaking? I am not speaking |
I was speaking Was I speaking? I was not speaking |
I shall be speaking Shall I be speaking? I shan’t be speaking |
I have been speaking Have I been speaking? I have not been speaking |
I had been speaking Had I been speaking? I had not been speaking |
I shall have been speaking. Shall I have been speaking? I shall not have been speaking |