The Uses and Formation of the English Verb Tenses


THE USES AND FORMATION OF THE ENGLISH VERB TENSES

The Uses of the English Tenses

Type of Tense Type of Action Expressed
Simple – actions occurring at regular intervals
– general truths, or situations existing for a period of time
– non-continuous actions
Continuous – continuous, ongoing actions
Perfect – non-continuous actions completed before a certain time
Perfect Continuous – continuous, ongoing actions completed before a certain time

The Formation of the Indicative Mood of the Active Voice

Tense Auxiliary Verb Form
Simple Present do/does * bare infinitive **
Present Continuous am/is/are present participle
Present Perfect have/has past participle
Present Perfect Continuous have/has  been present participle
Simple Past did * bare infinitive ***
Past Continuous was/were present participle
Past Perfect had past participle
Past Perfect Continuous had been present participle
Simple Future will (shall) **** bare infinitive
Future Continuous will (shall) be present participle
Future Perfect will (shall) have past participle
Future Perfect Continuous will (shall) have been present participle

The Formation of the Subjunctive Mood of the Active Voice

Tense Auxiliary Verb Form
Simple Present do * bare infinitive
Present Continuous be present participle
Present Perfect have past participle
Present Perfect Continuous have been present participle
Simple Past did * bare infinitive ***
Past Continuous were present participle
Past Perfect had past participle
Past Perfect Continuous had been present participle

The Formation of the Indicative Mood of the Passive Voice

Tense Auxiliary Verb Form
Simple Present am/is/are past participle
Present Continuous am/is/are being past participle
Present Perfect have/has been past participle
Present Perfect Continuous have/has been being past participle
Simple Past was/were past participle
Past Continuous was/were being past participle
Past Perfect had been past participle
Past Perfect Continuous had been being past participle
Simple Future will (shall) **** be past participle
Future Continuous will (shall) be being past participle
Future Perfect will (shall) have been past participle
Future Perfect Continuous will (shall) have been being past participle

The Formation of the Subjunctive Mood of the Passive Voice

Tense Auxiliary Verb Form
Simple Present be past participle
Present Continuous be being past participle
Present Perfect have been past participle
Present Perfect Continuous have been being past participle
Simple Past were past participle
Past Continuous were being past participle
Past Perfect had been past participle
Past Perfect Continuous had been being past participle
  • In the Simple Present and Simple Past tenses of the Active Voice, the auxiliaries are used only for emphasis, and for the formation of questions and negative statements. Auxiliaries are never used with the Simple Present or Simple Past of the verb to be.

** When used without the auxiliary, the third person singular of the Simple Present, in the Indicative Mood of the Active Voice, has the ending s.

*** When used without the auxiliary, the Simple Past form of the verb is used. For regular verbs, and for many irregular verbs, the Simple Past has the same form as the past participle.

**** The other modal auxiliaries couldmaymightmustshould and would form conjugations in the same way as will and shall.

THE ACTIVE VOICE OF THE VERB TO SHOW

Simple Past: showed
Past Participle: shown

INDICATIVE MOOD

Simple Present Simple Past
I show I showed
you show you showed
he shows he showed
she shows she showed
it shows it showed
we show we showed
they show they showed
Present Continuous Past Continuous
I am showing I was showing
you are showing you were showing
he is showing he was showing
she is showing she was showing
it is showing it was showing
we are showing we were showing
they are showing they were showing
Present Perfect Past Perfect
I have shown I had shown
you have shown you had shown
he has shown he had shown
she has shown she had shown
it has shown it had shown
we have shown we had shown
they have shown they had shown
Present Perfect Continuous Past Perfect Continuous
I have been showing I had been showing
you have been showing you had been showing
he has been showing he had been showing
she has been showing she had been showing
it has been showing it had been showing
we have been showing we had been showing
they have been showing they had been showing
Simple Future Simple Conjugation with Would
I will (shall) show I would show
you will show you would show
he will show he would show
she will show she would show
it will show it would show
we will (shall) show we would show
they will show they would show
Future Continuous Continuous Conjugation with Would
I will (shall) be showing I would be showing
you will be showing you would be showing
he will be showing he would be showing
she will be showing she would be showing
it will be showing it would be showing
we will (shall) be showing we would be showing
they will be showing they would be showing
Future Perfect Perfect Conjugation with Would
I will (shall) have shown I would have shown
you will have shown you would have shown
he will have shown he would have shown
she will have shown she would have shown
it will have shown it would have shown
we will (shall) have shown we would have shown
they will have shown they would have shown
Future Perfect Continuous Perfect Continuous Conjugation with Would
I will (shall) have been showing I would have been showing
you will have been showing you would have been showing
he will have been showing he would have been showing
she will have been showing she would have been showing
it will have been showing it would have been showing
we will (shall) have been showing we would have been showing
they will have been showing they would have been showing

SUBJUNCTIVE MOOD

Simple Present Simple Past
I show I showed
you show you showed
he show he showed
she show she showed
it show it showed
we show we showed
they show they showed
Present Continuous Past Continuous
I be showing I were showing
you be showing you were showing
he be showing he were showing
she be showing she were showing
it be showing it were showing
we be showing we were showing
they be showing they were showing
Present Perfect Past Perfect
I have shown I had shown
you have shown you had shown
he have shown he had shown
she have shown she had shown
it have shown it had shown
we have shown we had shown
they have shown they had shown
Present Perfect Continuous Past Perfect Continuous
I have been showing I had been showing
you have been showing you had been showing
he have been showing he had been showing
she have been showing she had been showing
It have been showing it had been showing
we have been showing we had been showing
they have been showing they had been showing

THE VERB TO BE AND THE PASSIVE VOICE OF THE VERB TO SHOW

INDICATIVE MOOD

Simple Present Simple Present
I am I am shown
you are you are shown
he is he is shown
she is she is shown
it is it is shown
we are we are shown
they are they are shown
Present Continuous Present Continuous
I am being I am being shown
you are being you are being shown
he is being he is being shown
she is being she is being shown
it is being it is being shown
we are being we are being shown
they are being they are being shown
Present Perfect Present Perfect
I have been I have been shown
you have been you have been shown
he has been he has been shown
she has been she has been shown
it has been it has been shown
we have been we have been shown
they have been they have been shown
Present Perfect Continuous Present Perfect Continuous
have been being I have been being shown
you have been being you have been being shown
he has been being he has been being shown
she has been being she has been being shown
it has been being it has been being shown
we have been being we have been being shown
they have been being they have been being shown
Simple Past Simple Past
I was I was shown
you were you were shown
he was he was shown
she was she was shown
it was it was shown
we were we were shown
they were they were shown
Past Continuous Past Continuous
I was being I was being shown
you were being you were being shown
he was being he was being shown
she was being she was being shown
it was being it was being shown
we were being we were being shown
they were being they were being shown
Past Perfect Past Perfect
I had been I had been shown
you had been you had been shown
he had been he had been shown
she had been she had been shown
it had been it had been shown
we had been we had been shown
they had been they had been shown
Past Perfect Continuous Past Perfect Continuous
I had been being I had been being shown
you had been being you had been being shown
he had been being he had been being shown
she had been being she had been being shown
it had been being it had been being shown
we had been being we had been being shown
they had been being they had been being shown
Simple Future Simple Future
I will (shall) be I will (shall) be shown
you will be you will be shown
he will be he will be shown
she will be she will be shown
it will be it will be shown
we will (shall) be we will (shall) be shown
they will be they will be shown
Future Continuous Future Continuous
I will (shall) be being I will (shall) be being shown
you will be being you will be being shown
he will be being he will be being shown
she will be being she will be being shown
it will be being it will be being shown
we will (shall) be being we will (shall) be being shown
they will be being they will be being shown
Future Perfect Future Perfect
I will (shall) have been I will (shall) have been shown
you will have been you will have been shown
he will have been he will have been shown
she will have been she will have been shown
it will have been it will have been shown
we will (shall) have been we will (shall) have been shown
they will have been they will have been shown
Future Perfect Continuous Future Perfect Continuous
I will (shall) have been being I will (shall) have been being shown
you will have been being you will have been being shown
he will have been being he will have been being shown
she will have been being she will have been being shown
It will have been being it will have been being shown
we will (shall) have been being we will (shall) have been being shown
they will have been being they will have been being shown

SUBJUNCTIVE MOOD

Simple Present Simple Present
I be I be shown
you be you be shown
he be he be shown
she be she be shown
it be it be shown
we be we be shown
they be they be shown
Present Continuous Present Continuous
I be being I be being shown
you be being you be being shown
he be being he be being shown
she be being she be being shown
it be being it be being shown
we be being we be being shown
they be being they be being shown
Present Perfect Present Perfect
I have been I have been shown
you have been you have been shown
he have been he have been shown
she have been she have been shown
it have been it have been shown
we have been we have been shown
they have been they have been shown
Present Perfect Continuous Present Perfect Continuous
I have been being I have been being shown
you have been being you have been being shown
he have been being he have been being shown
she have been being she have been being shown
it have been being it have been being shown
we have been being we have been being shown
they have been being they have been being shown
Simple Past Simple Past
I were I were shown
you were you were shown
he were he were shown
she were she were shown
it were it were shown
we were we were shown
they were they were shown
Past Continuous Past Continuous
I were being I were being shown
you were being you were being shown
he were being he were being shown
she were being she were being shown
it were being it were being shown
we were being we were being shown
they were being they were being shown
Past Perfect Past Perfect
I had been I had been shown
you had been you had been shown
he had been he had been shown
she had been she had been shown
it had been it had been shown
we had been we had been shown
they had been they had been shown
Past Perfect Continuous Past Perfect Continuous
I had been being I had been being shown
you had been being you had been being shown
he had been being he had been being shown
she had been being she had been being shown
it had been being it had been being shown
we had been being we had been being shown
they had been being they had been being shown

Previous Posts

Next Posts

We welcome your comments, questions, corrections, reporting typos and additional information relating to this content.

Subscribe
Notify of
guest

0 Comments
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments