Progressive Verbs
In present progressive sentences, the verb expresses action that is in progress as the speaker says it. “I am typing” is an example of present progressive. In it, the main verb is “type” while the auxiliary verb “be” is conjugated according to the subject, “I.”
We also use past and future progressives to explain what was or will be happening when some other event occurred or will occur.
- He was watching TV when the phone rang. Here, “was” is the auxiliary that helps us understand when the main verb (watch) happened.
- We’ll be driving to Virginia during your party. The future progressive actually uses two auxiliary verbs (will and be) to tell us that this action (drive) takes place in the future.
Passive Voice
If you can add the phrase, “by a purple monster” to the end of your verb phrase and still have a grammatically correct sentence, you’re probably using passive voice. Here are some examples:
- The chair was moved (by a purple monster) to the other side of the room.
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I was hit in the head (by a purple monster) and knocked unconscious (by a purple monster).
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It has been decided (by a purple monster) that the play will be canceled (by a purple monster).
There’s nothing grammatically wrong with passive voice; it’s an excellent use of the verb “be.” It’s just not very exciting writing. It’s more interesting to say:
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A purple monster moved the chair across the room.
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A purple monster hit me in the head and knocked me out.
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A purple monster has decided to cancel the play. Take it up with him.
Perfect Tenses
The perfect tenses in English explain the order of things. When we use present perfect, we are explaining what has happened up until now. Past perfect explains what had happened in the past before something else happened in the past. And future perfect tells us what will have happened up to a certain point in the future.
All the perfect tenses use at least one auxiliary verb, “have.”
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I have visited Stockholm many times.
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He had seen many cathedrals, but none so grand as that one.
The future perfect also uses “will.”
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We will have traveled to every country in the world after this trip.
And the progressive perfect tenses also use “be.”
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She has been living in Sweden for 10 years.
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He had been touring Europe for 3 months.
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We will have been flying for 31 hours by the time we get home.