B1+Verb tense review

B1-B2 verb tense review

Integrate simple, continuous and perfect aspect across present, past and future, choosing forms according to viewpoint rather than isolated time words.

Overview

What this grammar does

Integrate simple, continuous and perfect aspect across present, past and future, choosing forms according to viewpoint rather than isolated time words.

Form and rules

How it works

Simple aspect often presents facts, completed events or situations as wholes; continuous highlights activity, duration or temporary development.

Perfect aspect connects one time to an earlier time; perfect continuous additionally foregrounds ongoing/repeated activity.

In narratives, decide which past event is the main timeline, which is background and which happened earlier.

For future meaning, distinguish decision/intention/arrangement from activity in progress and completion before a deadline.

State verbs constrain continuous choices, so always consider lexical meaning as well as time reference.

A closer look

Meaning and use

For future meaning, distinguish decision/intention/arrangement from activity in progress and completion before a deadline.

State verbs constrain continuous choices, so always consider lexical meaning as well as time reference.

Examples

See the pattern in complete sentences

I've been working here since January.

She had finished before the call began.

At this time tomorrow, we'll be presenting.

By next week, they'll have signed the contract.

He usually works remotely but is commuting this month.

Common mistakes

What to avoid

By 6 p.m., I will be finishing all the interviews.

By 6 p.m., I will have finished all the interviews.

The interviews are expected to be complete before a future deadline, so use the future perfect.

She was tired because she traveled after being tired all morning.

She was tired because she had been traveling all morning.

Earlier duration causing a past result uses past perfect continuous.

Ready to practise?

The test combines multiple choice, gap completion, error correction, and sentence building so students have to recognise and produce the grammar, not simply reread the rule.

Previous topicFuture continuous and future perfect Next topic Needn't, don't need to, didn't need to, needn't have