Tenses

Present simple

1. Habits

2. Facts

3. Headlines

4. Historic present

5. Sequence of events

6. With stative verbs

7. Instructions/itineraries

8. Declarations

Present continious

1. Actions happening at the moment

2. Actions in progress but not actually happening at the moment

3. Complaining about annoying habits

4. Temporary situations

5. Repeated actions

Present perfect

HAVE + PARTICIPLE

Recently finished actions. There is evidence that it happened. (Just)

Present perfect continious

HAVE BEEN + ING

Unfinished actions. There is evidence. DO NOT USE WITH QUANTITIES

Will

1. Predictions (not certain)

2. Actions that will be happening at some point in the future

3. Spontaneous decisions

4. Polite requests

Going to

1. Plans that had already been made

2. Predictions (with evidence)

Present continious

1. Fixed arrangements. A time reference is often included

Future continious

1. An event which will be happening at a future point

2. Events that will be happening anyways

3. More polite than will

4. Fixed arrangements and plans

Future perfect

1. A time which we look back at from a future poinT

2. To express an assumption on the part of the speaker

Is/are to be

To describe formal arrangement

Be about/ on the point of doing sth

The next moment

Be due to

Scheduled time

Past simple

1. Completed past actions

2. Habits in the past

3. With stative verbs

Past continious

1. Actions in progress in the past

2. interrupted actions

3. Background description in narrative

4. Changing states

5. Repeated actions-criticism

Past perfect

1. A past action that happen before another past action (double past)

Past perfect continious

Used when the time is set

Eg: it has been snowing all night

Difference between used to and would

Used to: habits with a lot of repetition

Would: not used with stative verbs