There are three types of tenses in English. The past, present, and the future. The past is about the things which have already happened. The present is about the things that are happening as of now, and the future is about the things which are yet to happen.
All tenses have 4 forms. Simple, continuous, perfect, perfect continuous. All these four forms express the time of the occurrence of an event in its own way.
What are Time Expressions?
Time expressions are used to denote the occurrence of an event at a particular time. It can be in the past, present, or the future. Here are some common time expressions of all the three tenses with their examples:
Past Tense Time Expressions
To express time in past tense we usually make use of phrases like yesterday evening, Last week, one month ago. Let’s have a look at some examples:
- Simple Past: Yesterday, I ate good food
- Past Continuous: I was talking to my friends yesterday
- Past Perfect: I had passed 12 different scholarship examinations by the time I was 13
- Past Perfect Continuous: I had been working for them for 8 years when I got promoted
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| Expressions | Sentences | Similar Words |
| Yesterday | Yesterday, I took my family for a movie. | Yesterday afternoon Yesterday morning Yesterday evening |
| The day before yesterday | Mathew skipped school the day before yesterday. | The week before last week The night before last night |
| Last night | I took my dog out for a walk last night. | Last week Last month Last year |
| This evening | James came to meet me this evening | This afternoon This morning |
| One month ago | My last routine check-up was one month ago | One week ago One day ago One year ago |
Present Tense Time Expressions
To express time in present tense we usually make use of phrases like this evening, Every day, daily, right now etc.. Let’s have a look at some examples for present time expressions:
- Simple Present: I eat good food every day
- Present Continuous: I am talking to my friends right now
- Present Perfect: I have passed so many scholarship examinations that I can’t count
- Present Perfect Continuous: I have been working for them for 8 years
| Expressions | Sentences | Similar Words |
| Today | I will be coming home late today as I have got a lot of work to complete at the office. | This afternoon This morning This evening |
| Every day | I go for my cricket coaching classes every day. | Every week Every month Every year |
| Tonight | Tonight I am going to relax and watch TV, as I have no other work. | This afternoon This morning This evening |
| Regularly | I go to the gym regularly as I have to take care of my body. | Frequently Habitually Repeatedly |
| Weekly | We got out for grocery shopping on a weekly basis. | Daily Monthly Yearly |
Future Tense Time Expressions
To express time in future tense we usually make use of words like tomorrow, will, next etc. Let’s have a look at some sentence examples for future time expressions:
- Simple Future: I will eat good food every day
- Future Continuous: I will be talking to my friends soon
- Future Perfect: I will have passed a lot of scholarship examinations by the end of this year
- Future Perfect Continuous: I will have worked at least 8 years for them before getting a promotion
| Expressions | Sentences | Similar Words |
| Tomorrow | Tomorrow is my mother’s birthday. | Tomorrow afternoon Tomorrow morning Tomorrow evening |
| The day after tomorrow | I have to go to a wedding the day after tomorrow so I won’t be able to come. | The week after next week The month after next month |
| Next month | She needs to start studying as her because her classes are going to begin from the next month. | Next week Next year |
| This evening | I told my mom to not wait for me because I am going to have food outside this evening. | This afternoon This morning |
| In a week | Please don’t worry as your requirements will be fulfilled in a week. | In a month In an hour In a year |
We hope you have understood the Idea of referencing time in different types of tenses.
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