Tenses in connected texts (English)
How it works
In English texts, it is important to use the correct tense in order to present actions and events in their temporal context accurately. Common tenses are the ‹Simple Present› (‹I play›), the ‹Present Progressive› (‹I am playing›), the ‹Simple Past› (‹I played›), the ‹Past Progressive› (‹I was playing›), the ‹Present Perfect› (‹I have played›) and the ‹Past Perfect› (‹I had played›). The choice of tense depends on when something happened and whether it is still relevant to the present. In longer texts, one often switches between tenses to make the sequence of events, background actions and anteriority clear. Thus, the ‹Simple Past› describes completed actions in the past, while the ‹Present Perfect› establishes a link to the present.
Choose the tense that fits the temporal classification of the action in the text. Pay attention to signal words such as ‹yesterday› for the ‹Simple Past› as well as ‹since› or ‹already› for the ‹Present Perfect›, and pay attention to the context: anteriority is expressed with the ‹Past Perfect›, while a background action in the past that is happening at the same time is often expressed with the ‹Past Progressive› together with the ‹Simple Past›.
An example
Choose the correct tense: ‹Yesterday, I ____ my friend at the park.› Verb: ‹to see›.
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50 Exercises
To the learning unit →Own explanation and own practice exercises by AmyMath. Subject reference framework: English. The topic assignment may vary by federal state.