Guide to English Tenses and conditionals
| Tense | Structure | Example | Keywords/Indicators |
|---|---|---|---|
| Simple Present | Subject + Verb (base form) | I eat | Always, usually, often |
| Simple Past | Subject + Verb (past form) | She walked | Yesterday, last week |
| Simple Future | Subject + will/shall + Verb | They will go | Tomorrow, next month |
| Present Continuous | Subject + am/is/are + Verb + -ing | We are eating | Now, currently |
| Past Continuous | Subject + was/were + Verb + -ing | He was sleeping | While, when |
| Future Continuous | Subject + will/shall + be + Verb + -ing | They will be waiting | By, for |
| Present Perfect | Subject + have/has + Past Participle | She has eaten | Already, since, yet |
| Past Perfect | Subject + had + Past Participle | They had finished | Before, by the time |
| Future Perfect | Subject + will/shall + have + Past Participle | We will have seen | By, by the time |
| Present Perf. Cont. | Subject + have/has + been + Verb + -ing | I have been waiting | For, since |
| Past Perf. Cont. | Subject + had + been + Verb + -ing | He had been studying | Before, by the time |
| Future Perf. Cont. | Subject + will/shall + have + been + Verb + -ing | They will have been working | By, for |
| Tense | Structure | Example | Keywords/Indicators |
|---|---|---|---|
| Future in the Past | was/were going to + verb | She was going to write a book. | in the past, going to |
| Going-to Future | am/is/are + going to + verb | They are going to play football. | intention, plan |
| Zero Conditional | if + present simple, present simple | If you heat ice, it melts. | always true condition |
| Mixed Conditional | if + past perfect, would + base form | If she had studied, she would have passed. | Present result of a past condition |
| First Conditional | if + present simple, will + base form | If it rains, we will stay home. | Possible future condition |
| Second Conditional | if + past simple, would + base form | If I had a car, I would drive to work. | Unreal or unlikely present/future condition |
| Third Conditional | if + past perfect, would have + past participle | If they had known, they would have come. | Unreal or regret about past condition |
| Continuous Conditional | if + past continuous, would be + present participle | If he was studying, he would be learning. | Present result of a past continuous condition |
How to improve your English with the easy English news articles on Learn With Text:
Reading:
- Read two news stories every day. All short news stories are written for quick readability and learning.
- Read the news stories from the day before and check if you remember all new words.
- If the main story is hard to understand, consider reading the simplified version instead.
Listening:
- Listen to today's short news while simultaneously reading the text.
- Listen to the news from today without reading the text.
- Go through the vocabulary words to identify which ones you heard.
Writing:
- Answer the questions under each story.
- Try, if possible, to use the vocabulary words in your answers.
Speaking:
- Try to summarize the story out loud.
- Attempt to paraphrase the sentences you found difficult.
Using Our Tools:
- Use the Random Conversation Generator to practice everyday conversation in English.
- Play the Story Dice game to generate ideas and create your own stories. This also helps to improve your creativity!
- Utilize the Speaking Trainer to practice talking about surprise topics and overall fluency.
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