Used to

FORM [used to + VERB] Example: I used to go to the beach every day. It is better not to use "used to" in questions or negative forms; however, this is sometimes done in informal spoken English. It is better to ask questions and create negative sentences using Simple Past. USE 1 Habit in the Past "Used to" expresses the idea that something was an old habit that stopped in the past. It indicates that something was often repeated in the past, but it is not usually done now. Examples: Jerry used to study English. Sam and Mary used to go to Mexico in the summer. I used to start work at 9 o'clock. Christine used...

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Past Future

Like Simple Future, Future in the Past has two different forms in English: "would" and "was going to." Although the two forms can sometimes be used interchangeably, they often express two different meanings. FORM Would [would + VERB] Examples: I knew you would help him. I knew you would not help him. FORM Was/Were Going To [was/were + going to + VERB] Examples: I knew you were going to go to the party. I knew you were not going to go to the party. USE 1 Future in Past Future in the Past is used to express the idea that in the past you thought something would happen in the future....

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Future Perfect Continuous

Future Perfect Continuous has two different forms: "will have been doing " and "be going to have been doing." Unlike Simple Future forms, Future Perfect Continuous forms are usually interchangeable. FORM Future Perfect Continuous with "Will" [will have been + present participle] Examples: You will have been waiting for more than two hours when her plane finally arrives. Will you have been waiting for more than two hours when her plane finally arrives? You will not have been waiting for more than two hours when her plane finally arrives. FORM Future Perfect Continuous with "Be Going To" [am/is/are...

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Future Perfect

Future Perfect has two different forms: "will have done" and "be going to have done." Unlike Simple Future forms, Future Perfect forms are usually interchangeable. FORM Future Perfect with "Will" [will have + past participle] Examples: You will have perfected your English by the time you come back from the U.S. Will you have perfected your English by the time you come back from the U.S.? You will not have perfected your English by the time you come back from the U.S. FORM Future Perfect with "Be Going To" [am/is/are + going to have + past participle] Examples: You are going to have...

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Future Continuous

Future Continuous has two different forms: "will be doing " and "be going to be doing." Unlike Simple Future forms, Future Continuous forms are usually interchangeable. FORM Future Continuous with "Will" [will be + present participle] Examples: You will be waiting for her when her plane arrives tonight. Will you be waiting for her when her plane arrives tonight? You will not be waiting for her when her plane arrives tonight. FORM Future Continuous with "Be Going To " [am/is/are + going to be + present participle] Examples: You are going to be waiting for her when her plane arrives...

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Simple Future

Simple Future has two different forms in English: "will" and "be going to." Although the two forms can sometimes be used interchangeably, they often express two very different meanings. These different meanings might seem too abstract at first, but with time and practice, the differences will become clear. Both "will" and "be going to" refer to a specific time in the future. FORM Will [will + verb] Examples: You will help him later. Will you help him later? You will not help him later. FORM Be Going To [am/is/are + going to + verb] Examples: You are going to meet Jane tonight. Are you going...

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Past Perfect

FORM [had + past participle] Examples: You had studied English before you moved to New York. Had you studied English before you moved to New York? You had not studied English before you moved to New York. Complete List of Past Perfect Forms USE 1 Completed Action Before Something in the Past The Past Perfect expresses the idea that something occurred before another action in the past. It can also show that something happened before a specific time in the past. Examples: I had never seen such a beautiful beach before I went to Kauai. I did not have any money because...

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Present Perfect

FORM [has/have + past participle] Examples: You have seen that movie many times. Have you seen that movie many times? You have not seen that movie many times. Complete List of Present Perfect Forms USE 1 Unspecified Time Before Now We use the Present Perfect to say that an action happened at an unspecified time before now. The exact time is not important. You CANNOT use the Present Perfect with specific time expressions such as: yesterday, one year ago, last week, when I was a child, when I lived in Japan, at that moment, that day, one day, etc. We CAN use the Present Perfect with unspecific expressions...

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