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Teacher cue
B1 · English Grammar

Present and
Past Tenses:
A Review

No single butterfly has ever made the whole trip.

past & present 6 tenses
The big picture

Six tenses — one map

Simple Past
verb + -ed / irregular
Completed action, often with yesterday, ago
Past Progressive
was/were + -ing
In progress at a specific past moment
Past Perfect
had + past participle
Earlier of two past events
Past Perfect Progressive
had been + -ing
In progress before a past moment
Present Perfect
have/has + past participle
Past event connected to or relevant now
Present Perfect Progressive
have/has been + -ing
Started in the past, still continuing now
Past tenses

Simple Past vs Past Progressive

Simple Past — completed
She visited her grandmother last Sunday.
✓ Finished event. Uses time marker: last Sunday.
They didn't finish the project on time.
✓ Completed in the past — clearly over.
Past Progressive — in progress
He was reading when the phone rang.
✓ In progress → interrupted by simple past.
What was happening inside their bodies when they were migrating?
✓ Two actions both in progress at the same past moment.
Present tenses

Present Perfect vs Progressive

Present Perfect — result / experience
No butterfly has ever made the whole trip.
✓ Experience up to now; still relevant.
She has worked here for five years.
✓ Period from past to now; connection to present.
Pres. Perfect Progressive — still continuing
The number has been falling since the 1980s.
✓ Started in the past, still happening now.
I have been studying English for three years.
✓ Ongoing action — not finished.
Further back in time

Past Perfect vs Past Perfect Progressive

Past Perfect — earlier completed event
Scientists hadn't found an explanation.
✓ They hadn't found it — before they eventually did.
By the time we arrived, the show had already started.
✓ Show started first → we arrived second.
Past Perf. Progressive — duration before a moment
Scientists had been asking questions for many years.
✓ Ongoing up to a past point — emphasises duration.
She had been waiting for an hour when the bus came.
✓ Action in progress right up to a past moment.
⚠ Watch out

Common mistakes

I have seen him yesterday.

I saw him yesterday. → finished time = simple past

She was work when I called.

She was working when I called. → past progressive = was/were + -ing

They have been lived here for ten years.

They have been living here. → need -ing after have been

By the time I arrived, she ^ already left.

She had already left. → earlier past event = past perfect

Now it's your turn

Let's
practice.

Say the answer out loud — then tap to check.

Practice 1
tap the blank to reveal

Fill the gap

No single butterfly (ever / make) the whole trip.
The number of butterflies (fall) since the 1980s.
Scientists (ask) questions for many years before finding the answer.
By the time they arrived, the butterflies (already / leave) the area.
What (happen) inside their bodies when they (migrate) ?
Practice 2
tap a sentence to reveal the error

Spot the mistake

When I wasA a child we spentB every summer by the sea, butC my parents have soldD the house in 2015.

Dhave sold → sold

✓ a stated past year → past simple

We don't haveA manyB information about the delay, soC we are waitingD at the gate.

Bmany → much

✓ much with uncountable nouns

I am livingA in this apartment sinceB 2016, andC I still loveD the view over the river.

AI am living → I have lived

✓ since + present perfect, not present continuous

Practice 3
tap to reveal a model answer

Complete the sentence

By the time we arrived at the research station, the scientists …
The population of Monarch butterflies …
I was reading about migration patterns when …
No researcher …
Speak & write

Your turn

Use a different tense in each answer.

Think of something you have been doing since you were a child. Say it with the present perfect progressive.
Describe something that had already happened by the time you arrived somewhere. Use the past perfect.
What was happening in the world when you were born? Use the past progressive.
Name a problem in the world that has been getting worse. Use the present perfect progressive.
Recap

Remember this

Simple Past
Completed — with finished time (yesterday, ago)
Past Progressive
In progress at a past moment — interrupted or simultaneous
Present Perfect
Past event relevant now — experience, result, or news
Perfect Progressive
Ongoing action from past to now (or to a past point) — emphasises duration

Ask yourself: when did it happen, is it finished, and does it still matter?

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