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In English
we have four "families" of verbs.
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The
Simples
| Past |
Present |
Future |
| I
went ... |
I
go ... |
I
will go ... |
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The
Perfects
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Past
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Present
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Future
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I
had gone ...
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I
have gone ...
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I
will have gone ...
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The
Progressives
| Past |
Present |
Future |
| I
was going ... |
I
am going ... |
I
will be going ... |
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The
Perfect Progressives
| Past |
Present |
Future |
| I
had been going ... |
I
have been going ... |
I
will have been going ... |
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We call these groupings "families"
because they have certain characteristics which are similar within
the family.
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The
Simples
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The Simples are used for facts
and repeated actions. They are given in chronological order,
i.e. they happen in the order they are said.
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The
Perfects
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The Perfects show that an action
is over before a definite time or a second action.
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The
Progressives
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The Progressives show that an
action:
- is going on for a longer
period of time
- is important
- has a beginning and an end
The Progressives are not usually
used for:
- abstracts (verbs of thought,
emotion, possession, sense or auxiliaries) or
- short, dramatic actions
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The
Perfect Progressives
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The Perfect Progressives combine
aspects of the Perfects and the Progressives. They emphasize
the length of an action and that it is over before a definite
time or a second action.
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