Grammar: Tense Review
B2 Lesson 8: Using Tenses in Context
A Story: "A Trip to Battambang" 📖
Instead of just listing rules, let's see how these tenses work together in a real story to show time and nuance.
My friend, Sothea, lives in Battambang.
Present Simple: Used for a fact or general truth.
Right now, she is planning her next art project.
Present Continuous: Used for an action happening at this exact moment.
Last year, she invited me to visit her for the first time.
Past Simple: Used for a completed action at a specific past time (last year).
When I arrived, she was waiting for me at the bus station.
Past Continuous: Describes a background action ('was waiting') that was interrupted by a shorter action ('arrived').
She was excited because she had never hosted a foreign friend before.
Past Perfect Simple: Describes an "earlier past" action (never hosting) that happened before the main past event (my arrival).
She was a bit tired because she had been cleaning her apartment all morning.
Past Perfect Continuous: Emphasizes the duration of an action ('cleaning all morning') before another past event.
Since that trip, I have visited Battambang two more times.
Present Perfect Simple: Focuses on the result and number of times something has happened in the past with a connection to now.
Recently, I have been thinking about that first trip a lot.
Present Perfect Continuous: Focuses on a recent, ongoing mental activity.
Next month, I'm going to visit her again!
Future with 'be going to': Used for a future plan or intention.
This time next month, we will be exploring the countryside.
Future Continuous: Describes an action that will be in progress at a specific future time.
By the end of my trip, I will have taken hundreds of photos.
Future Perfect Simple: Describes an action that will be completed by a future point in time.
By the time I leave, I will have been staying with her for fourteen days.
Future Perfect Continuous: Emphasizes the duration of an action up to a specific point in the future.
Grammar Toolkit: Tense Summary Chart 🛠️
Quick Reference
| Tense | Example | Common Use |
|---|---|---|
| Present Simple | She lives here. | Facts, habits, routines |
| Present Continuous | She is working. | Actions happening now |
| Past Simple | She worked yesterday. | Completed past actions |
| Past Continuous | She was working when I called. | Interrupted background actions |
| Present Perfect | She has worked here for years. | Past actions with present results |
| Past Perfect | She had worked there before she moved. | The "earlier past" |
Practice Your Grammar 🎯
The Final Challenge
Choose the best tense to complete the story.
My brother is an artist. At the moment, he (1)_______ a portrait. Yesterday, while he (2)_______, he suddenly (3)_______ a great idea. He was happy because he (4)_______ a good idea for weeks. He told me, "By the end of this year, I (5)_______ a whole new collection of paintings!"
Click to see the answers
- is painting
- was working / got
- hadn't had
- will have finished
Your Grammar Mission ⭐
Write Your Own Story
Write a short paragraph (5-7 sentences) about a real event in your life (a trip, a project, learning a skill). Try to use at least five different tenses from this lesson to tell your story. Underline the main verb in each clause.
Example: "Last year, I decided to learn how to cook. Before that, I had never cooked anything complicated. While I was watching a video, my mother called. I have been practicing ever since. I think by next year, I will have mastered at least five dishes."
Key Vocabulary
- Comprehensive Including or dealing with all or nearly all elements of something.
- Review A re-examination of material already studied.
- Context The situation in which something happens that helps you understand it.
- Nuance A very slight difference in meaning or sound.