Click here to play

Englsh Tenses

   Share on Facebook  
Franky  #13587  Thu, 20 Nov 03 06:25 PM
Who can help on how to use the correct tenses:

Present Continuous
Present Perfect Continuous

Past Continuous
Past Perfect Continuous

Thanks
  
Not Ranked
Joined on Thu, Nov 20 2003
New Member (01)
Pemmican  #13604  Fri, 21 Nov 03 12:16 AM
In General, the Continuous tenses express actions that are/were "in progress" at a certain time, therefore they are also called "Progressive tenses".

1) Present Continuous or Present Progressive is used, when the action is happening just right now in this moment:
"I'm answering your question right now."
Key words are very often: (right) now, or at the moment.

2) Present Perfect Continuous is used to express an action, that started anytime in the past and is still going on:
"I've been working in the garden for 3 hours". - means that I've worked 3 hours already and I've not yet finished working. I have to go on for another hour.

3) Past Continuous expresses a background action that was in progress, while another event took place:
"It was raining while my dad came home."

4) Past Perfect Continuous is used to express an action that had been in progress for a certain time in the past and stopped before another action started:
"I had been working for 5 hours before I went home"

  
Top 150 Contributor
Joined on Thu, Aug 21 2003
Westphalia, Germany
Regular Member (569)
ModeratorProficient Speaker
Wâ mag ich mich nu vinden? wâ mac ich mich nu suochen, wâ? nu bin ich hie und bin ouch dâ und enbin doch weder dâ noch hie. wer wart ouch sus verirret ie?wer wart ie sus...
AddThis Feed Button RSS Feed: ESL General English Grammar Questions
© 2008 MediaCET Ltd.
Terms and Conditions & Terms of Service