12 English Tenses Through Stories (PDF)

A job interview, a day at the beach, and a business idea all involve time—but they do not use the same verb forms. These 12 English tenses stories help you compare habits, ongoing activities, completed events, and future plans in context.

Read the six short stories, study the highlighted forms, and complete the exercises. Each answer key explains the target forms so you can check both your answers and your understanding.

Best for: adult learners reviewing English grammar. Estimated level: B1–B2 overall, with some easier passages. This is an editorial estimate, not a formal assessment.

A quick note: “12 English tenses” is a common classroom label for combinations of time and aspect. This guide uses those familiar labels to make the patterns easier to compare.

Story 1: Lisa’s Job Interview

Focus: simple present and present continuous.

Lisa works as a cashier, but she wants an office job. Every evening, she checks job listings and sends applications to companies that interest her.

Today is different. She has an interview at a local company, and right now she is getting ready. She is wearing a formal suit and is practicing her answers in front of the mirror.

“I help customers every day, and I solve problems calmly,” she says. Then she stops and smiles. “Usually.”

Later, at the company, Lisa sits opposite the interviewer. He is looking at her resume.

“What do you do in your current job?” he asks.

“I serve customers and handle payments. I also help new staff learn our system.”

He asks for an example. As Lisa explains, he is taking notes. Then he pauses to read the next question.

For a moment, Lisa looks out of the window. People are walking past the office with bags and coffee cups. She imagines arriving here for work, hanging up her coat, and saying good morning to her team.

“Lisa?” the interviewer says with a smile. “What would you like to learn in this role?”

She turns back to him. “Something new every day,” she says. “And I’d like to become someone the team can depend on.”

At the end of the interview, Lisa thanks him and steps outside. She does not know whether the job is hers, but she no longer feels like someone who can only dream about a different future. She smiles, puts her phone in her bag, and walks toward the bus stop.

Notice the Difference

• Simple present: “She checks job listings every evening” describes a routine.
• Present continuous: “She is practicing her answers” describes an activity happening at that moment.

Exercise 1

Use the tense named in brackets.

1. Lisa __________ (work) as a cashier. [simple present]
2. Every evening, she __________ (check) job listings. [simple present]
3. Right now, she __________ (practice) her answers. [present continuous]
4. The interviewer __________ (look) at her resume. [present continuous]

Reading check: What work experience does Lisa describe during the interview?

Click to see the answers to Story 1

1. works
2. checks
3. is practicing
4. is looking

Reading answer: She serves customers, handles payments, and helps new staff learn the system.

Story 2: Sam’s Day at the Beach

Focus: simple past and past continuous.

Last weekend, Sam and his friends went to the beach. They arrived early, before the parking lot became busy. The sun was shining, and a few families were enjoying breakfast near the water.

While Sam’s friends were putting up an umbrella, he carried their bags across the sand. Nearby, two children were playing with a ball, and a dog was running in circles around them.

Sam spent part of the morning in the ocean. While he was swimming, his friends were playing volleyball on the shore.

Later, he took a walk to look for seashells. He was examining a small white shell when someone called his name.

It was an old friend from school. They talked for several minutes and exchanged phone numbers before saying goodbye.

At sunset, Sam and his friends packed their bags and left. As they were driving home, Sam turned the small white shell over in his hand.

His phone made a quiet sound. It was a message from his old school friend: “Great to see you today. Coffee next weekend?”

Sam smiled and typed, “Definitely.” Then he put the shell safely in his pocket.

He went to the beach hoping to find a few shells. He came home with a reason to see an old friend again.

Notice the Difference

• Simple past: “Someone called his name” presents a completed event.
• Past continuous: “He was examining a shell” describes the activity already in progress.
• Two past continuous forms can describe simultaneous activities: Sam was swimming while his friends were playing volleyball.

Exercise 2

Use the tense named in brackets.

1. Sam and his friends __________ (arrive) early. [simple past]
2. The children __________ (play) with a ball. [past continuous]
3. Sam __________ (examine) a shell when someone called his name. [past continuous]
4. Sam and his old friend __________ (exchange) phone numbers. [simple past]

Reading check: What made Sam’s beach visit unexpectedly special?

Click to see the answers to Story 2

1. arrived
2. were playing
3. was examining
4. exchanged

Reading answer: He unexpectedly met an old friend from school.

Story 3: Maria’s Business Plan

Focus: future simple, future continuous, future perfect, and future perfect continuous.

Maria is studying business at university. She expects to graduate next June, and she has an idea for an online store selling reusable household products.

“I will start small,” she tells her friend Tom. “A few useful products, clear information, and no warehouse full of things nobody wants.”

She plans to begin her market research in September. During October, she will be interviewing potential customers and comparing suppliers.

By the end of December, she will have completed her first research report. That report should help her choose which products to sell.

Tom has offered to help with marketing. “I will help you test the website,” he says. “Someone needs to check that the buy button actually works.”

Maria laughs. They both expect to take a short business course before the store opens.

Her target opening date is the following September. If she follows her schedule, by then she will have been working on the idea for a year.

Maria closes her laptop. The dates look clear on the screen, but opening a business still feels like a very big step.

“What if nobody likes the products?” she asks.

“Then we will learn something useful before you buy a hundred of them,” Tom says.

Maria laughs and takes a blank notebook from her bag. On the first page, she writes: “What do customers actually need?” Under it, she adds three questions.

“I will start with these,” she says.

She tears out the page and puts it beside her laptop. The store does not exist yet, but her first customer interview now has a beginning.

Notice the Four Future Forms

• Future simple: “I will help you” expresses Tom’s offer.
• Future continuous: “She will be interviewing customers” describes an activity during a future period.
• Future perfect: “She will have completed the report” looks at a completed result before a future deadline.
• Future perfect continuous: “She will have been working for a year” emphasizes duration up to a future point.

These are not the only ways to talk about the future. English also uses forms such as going to and the present continuous for plans and arrangements.

Exercise 3

Use the specific future form named in brackets.

1. Tom says, “I __________ (help) you test the website.” [future simple]
2. During October, Maria __________ (interview) potential customers. [future continuous]
3. By the end of December, she __________ (complete) her first report. [future perfect]
4. By the planned opening date, she __________ (work) on the idea for a year. [future perfect continuous]

Reading check: Why does Maria want to research customers before choosing her products?

Click to see the answers to Story 3

1. will help
2. will be interviewing
3. will have completed
4. will have been working

Suggested reading answer: She wants to learn what customers need so she can choose useful products rather than stock things nobody wants.

Story 4: John’s Library Project

Focus: present perfect and present perfect continuous.

John has worked at the local library for five years. During that time, he has helped hundreds of visitors find books and information.

For the past three months, he has been organizing a new digital catalog. The old system is difficult to search, so he wants to make the new one easier to use.

So far, he has added 500 book records. He has checked each title and author’s name carefully, but there is still plenty to do.

Recently, a small group of visitors have been testing the catalog. They have reported two problems, and John has fixed both.

“I found the book in seconds,” one visitor tells him.

John smiles. He has been spending a lot of time at his computer, and comments like that make the effort feel worthwhile.

The visitor returns a few minutes later with a book in her hand.

“My father has been looking for this for weeks,” she says. “I can finally take it home to him.”

After she leaves, John looks at the long list of records he still needs to check. It seems a little less tiring now.

He has not finished the catalog, but he has helped someone find exactly what they needed. He takes a sip of tea and opens the next record.

Notice the Difference

• Present perfect: “He has added 500 records” emphasizes a result so far.
• Present perfect continuous: “He has been organizing the catalog” emphasizes the ongoing activity.

Sometimes either form is possible. “John has worked here for five years” and “John has been working here for five years” can both describe continuing employment, with a different emphasis.

Exercise 4

Use the tense named in brackets.

1. John __________ (add) 500 records so far. [present perfect]
2. He __________ (organize) the catalog for three months. [present perfect continuous]
3. The visitors __________ (report) two problems. [present perfect]
4. Recently, visitors __________ (test) the catalog. [present perfect continuous]

Reading check: What evidence suggests that the new catalog is becoming useful?

Click to see the answers to Story 4

1. has added
2. has been organizing
3. have reported
4. have been testing

Suggested reading answer: A visitor found a book in seconds, and John has fixed both problems reported by the testers.

Story 5: Anna Misses the Party

Focus: past perfect and past perfect continuous.

Anna reached her friend’s house at nine o’clock, but the windows were dark. By the time she arrived, the guests had already left.

She had been helping her friend organize the party for several days. Earlier that afternoon, she had prepared snacks and had decorated the living room before going home to change.

On the way back, her bus broke down. She had been waiting for over an hour when a replacement finally arrived. Her phone battery was dead, so she could not call her friend.

Now she stood outside the quiet house and knocked.

Her friend opened the door and explained what happened. A power cut had stopped the music and turned off the lights. After waiting for the power to return, the guests had decided to leave.

Anna was disappointed. She had been looking forward to the party all week.

“There’s still cake,” her friend said.

They sat in the kitchen with a flashlight between them and shared a slice. Anna explained what had happened to the bus. Her friend described everyone trying to find their coats in the dark.

Soon, they were both laughing.

Then the kitchen light came on. For a second, they stared at each other. Her friend reached for her phone and started the music again, this time quietly.

Anna had imagined a room full of people, music, and dancing. Instead, she stayed for another slice of cake and a long conversation with her friend. When she finally left, she was glad she had knocked on the door.

Notice the Difference

• Past perfect: “The guests had already left” describes an event before Anna’s arrival.
• Past perfect continuous: “She had been waiting for over an hour” emphasizes the duration before the replacement bus arrived.

The past perfect needs a past reference point. Once the order is clear, a story does not need to put every earlier action into the past perfect.

Exercise 5

Use the tense named in brackets.

1. By the time Anna arrived, the guests __________ (already / leave). [past perfect]
2. She __________ (wait) for over an hour when the replacement bus arrived. [past perfect continuous]
3. A power cut __________ (stop) the music. [past perfect]
4. Anna __________ (look forward) to the party all week. [past perfect continuous]

Reading check: Why was Anna late, and why did the party end early?

Click to see the answers to Story 5

1. had already left
2. had been waiting
3. had stopped
4. had been looking forward

Reading answer: Her bus broke down, and she waited for a replacement. The party ended early after a power cut.

Story 6: Tom Changes His Routine

Focus: mixed-tense review.

Tom lives in New York and works at a technology company. He has been working there for three years. He usually enjoys solving problems with his team, but recently he has been spending more evenings at his desk than at home.

Most mornings, he buys coffee near the office and checks his messages before taking off his coat. He often eats lunch beside his keyboard. When a colleague invites him outside, his answer is usually the same: “Maybe tomorrow.”

A Difficult Week

Last week, Tom’s team was preparing a software update for an important client. On Monday, they discovered a problem that needed attention before Friday. Tom offered to help fix it.

By Thursday evening, he had been working late every night that week. He had canceled dinner with his brother twice, and he had not taken a proper lunch break since Monday.

At seven o’clock, he was checking a report when his colleague Maya stopped beside his desk.

“Are you still here?” she asked.

“Just one more thing,” Tom said, without looking up.

Maya pointed to the sandwich beside his keyboard.

“You said that an hour ago. And your lunch is still waiting.”

Tom looked at the sandwich. He had bought it at noon and had forgotten about it completely.

He finally closed the report. “I think that tells me something.”

A Finished Project, a New Decision

On Friday afternoon, the team finished the update. Tom checked the final results with Maya, and they sent the files to their manager. By the time he left the office, the client had confirmed that everything worked.

That evening, Tom met his brother for dinner. While they were eating, his brother asked about life outside work.

Tom started to answer, then stopped. He could describe every problem in the project, but he could not remember the last time he visited the park near his apartment.

“I need a better answer to that question,” he said.

Making a Plan

It is Sunday evening now. Tom is sitting at his kitchen table with his calendar open. He has decided to change a few habits, starting with lunch.

He has already added a thirty-minute break to each working day. He has also arranged to have dinner with his brother next Friday. This time, he wants to keep the plan.

His phone lights up. It is a message from Maya.

“Are we still going outside for lunch tomorrow?”

Tom types back: “Yes. I will meet you by the door at twelve thirty.”

He looks at the calendar again. At this time tomorrow, he will be walking back from lunch instead of searching for something to eat beside his keyboard—or at least, that is the plan.

The First Lunch Break

On Monday, at twelve twenty-nine, Tom is reaching for his coat when a new message appears on his screen. For a moment, he considers sitting down again.

Then he reads it carefully. A teammate wants his opinion on a document later that afternoon. It can wait until after lunch.

He locks his computer and walks to the door. Maya is waiting with two sandwiches.

“I thought we could save a few minutes,” she says, handing him one.

They find an empty bench in a small park. Someone is playing a guitar nearby, and a dog is trying to carry a stick twice its size.

Tom laughs as the dog struggles to turn around.

“What?” Maya asks.

“Nothing. I have worked around the corner for three years, and this is the first time I have eaten lunch here.”

His phone vibrates in his pocket. He leaves it there and unwraps his sandwich.

Exercise 6A: Reading Comprehension

1. Why did Tom work late during the week?
2. What did the forgotten sandwich help him notice?
3. Why did Tom struggle to answer his brother’s question?
4. What two plans had Tom made by Sunday evening?
5. Why could Monday’s new work message wait until after lunch?
6. What does Tom’s decision to leave his phone in his pocket suggest?

Exercise 6B: Choose the Correct Form

Choose the form that matches the story’s timeline.

1. Tom (lives / lived) in New York now.
2. He (has been working / had been working) at the company for three years and still works there.
3. He (was checking / has checked) a report when Maya stopped beside his desk.
4. He was hungry because he (had forgotten / will forget) about his sandwich.
5. On Friday, the team (finished / has finished) the update.
6. On Sunday evening, he (is planning / was planning) his week as we watch the scene unfold.
7. He (has decided / had decided) to change his routine, and his new plan is now in his calendar.
8. Looking ahead from Sunday, he imagines that he (will be walking / was walking) back from lunch at the same time on Monday.

Exercise 6C: Compare the Meaning

Explain the difference between these two sentences:

• Tom has been working late this week.
• Tom had been working late that week.

Which sentence connects the activity to now? Which looks back from a point in the past?

Click to see the answers to Story 6

Reading Answers

1. His team discovered a problem in a software update that needed attention before Friday, and he offered to help fix it.
2. Suggested answer: It helped him notice that work was taking his attention away from basic needs such as eating lunch.
3. He could talk about the project, but he struggled to think of recent experiences outside work.
4. He had added daily lunch breaks to his calendar and arranged dinner with his brother for the following Friday.
5. The teammate wanted his opinion later that afternoon, so an immediate response was unnecessary.
6. Suggested answer: He is beginning to follow his new plan and give his attention to his break instead of checking every message immediately.

Grammar Answers

1. lives — his current home.
2. has been working — employment continuing up to now.
3. was checking — an activity in progress when another event happened.
4. had forgotten — an earlier event explaining a past situation.
5. finished — a completed event on Friday.
6. is planning — an activity happening in the story’s Sunday-evening present.
7. has decided — a decision with a present result.
8. will be walking — an activity expected at a future time.

Meaning Comparison

Has been working connects the activity to now: the speaker is looking at the current week.

Had been working looks back from a past reference point, such as Thursday evening in the story.

Your Turn

Write a short paragraph about someone changing a habit. Include their usual routine, one event that made them reconsider it, and a plan for the future. Choose the tenses that fit your meaning rather than trying to include every form.

Quick Reference: All 12 Forms

The examples below use the same verb so you can compare the structures. V3 means the past participle, such as worked, written, or gone.

Form	Example
Simple present	She works.
Present continuous	She is working.
Present perfect	She has worked.
Present perfect continuous	She has been working.
Simple past	She worked.
Past continuous	She was working.
Past perfect	She had worked.
Past perfect continuous	She had been working.
Future simple	She will work.
Future continuous	She will be working.
Future perfect	She will have worked.
Future perfect continuous	She will have been working.

For a separate formula guide, see these English tense formulas with examples.

Try It: Change the Time, Change the Meaning

Choose a character from the stories and write three sentences:

1. Describe something they usually do.
2. Describe something they did at a finished past time.
3. Describe an activity they will be doing at a future time.

Example: Lisa checks job listings every evening. Yesterday, she sent an application. At ten tomorrow morning, she will be speaking to an interviewer.

Underline each verb phrase. Then explain how the time and meaning change. You do not need to use all 12 forms in one story.

Download the Original Stories PDF & Worksheet

Download A4 Worksheets + Answers (PDF)

Download US Letter Worksheets + Answers (PDF)

Download the Original English Tenses Stories (PDF)

Practice One Tense at a Time

If the contrast between routines and actions happening now needs more practice, start with our simple present stories. Then read the present continuous stories and compare the verb forms.