23Present Progressive is formed with a “to be” verb plus a gerund (ing) word.
Example: I am running
She is running
He is running
They are running
We are running
ETS typically won’t test the differences between simple present and present progressive (meaning they won’t
give you the present progressive and expect you to change it to simple present - unless of course the two verb
forms are not parallel) so keep it simple:
just know that these two present tense verb forms occur in the present time and should
not be confused with any of the past tenses, future tenses, or the present perfect tense.
#2: Past Tense
Past tense is used when an action occurs before the present time, or in the PAST.
There are two types of easy past tenses ETS will test: simple past and past progressive.
Simple Past: Indicates an action that happened at a specific time in the past and is completed.
- I studied in China last year.
- Lou washed his car on Saturday.
- He did not adopt the puppy. (Notice I did not list a specific time, but there is an implied specific
time and that is all we need.)
Simple past can also be used to indicate a habitual action in the past.
- He never helped his father wash the dishes.
- Debbie always cried when her mother left for work.
Simple Past is typically formed with an “ed” on the end of the verb.
Example: I talked
He talked
She talked
They talked
We talked
Past Progressive: Indicates an action that is interrupted by another action in the past.
- I was playing tennis when I got the phone call.
- I was sleeping soundly, while Mike played video games in the living room.
- When she arrived, we were baking a cake. (Notice how the verb that is being interrupted (were
baking) is conjugated in the past progressive form and the verb that is doing the interrupting
(arrived) is conjugated in the simple past form.)