Choosing a Present Tense Created by Kathryn Reilly

Types of Present Tense The Simple Present The Present Continuous The Present Perfect The Present Perfect Continuous

The Simple Present The simple present tense expresses an event generally occurring. It is appropriate to use this tense to describe an event that occurs often. – I text my friends.

The Present Continuous The present continuous describes an event occurring right now. It is appropriate to use this tense to narrate a character’s actions as they are happening. This tense is also appropriate for a speaker to outline a step-by-step process he is demonstrating while demonstrating it. – Micalea is texting her friends.

The Present Perfect The present perfect conveys a past experience or situation that affects the present. It is appropriate to use this tense to reveal how past events influence a character’s present. – Mike has texted his friends and exceeded the allotted minutes for his monthly plan

The Present Perfect Continuous The present perfect continuous links the past to the present. This tense is appropriate to describe a past action that stopped in the present, or to describe a past action still ongoing in the present. – I have been texting my friends, but now we talk through face time. – I have been texting my friends since I got my first phone in second grade.

Choosing the Correct Present Tense A writer should ask what the speaker is doing. If the action occurs presently, all the time, use the simple perfect. If the action is occurring right now, use the present continuous. If the action occurred in the past and still influences the speaker in the present, use the present perfect. If the action occurred in the past over a long period of time and stopped or continues in the present, use the present perfect continuous.

When in Doubt… … ask a teacher or tutor for assistance. … consult a grammar handbook. … conduct a web search using key phrases: – “present verb tenses” – “present verb forms”