Types of Verbs
Before you begin the verb tense lessons, it is extremely important to understand that NOT all English verbs are the same. English verbs are divided into three groups: Normal Verbs, Non-Continuous Verbs, and Mixed Verbs.

Group I Normal Verbs
Most verbs are "Normal Verbs." These verbs are usually physical actions which you can see somebody doing. These verbs can be used in all tenses.

Normal Verbs
to run, to walk, to eat, to fly, to go, to say, to touch, etc.
Examples:
• I eat dinner every day.
• I am eating dinner now.

Group II Non-Continuous Verbs
The second group, called "Non-Continuous Verbs," is smaller. These verbs are usually things you cannot see somebody doing. These verbs are rarely used in continuous tenses. They include:

Abstract Verbs
to be, to want, to cost, to seem, to need, to care, to contain, to owe, to exist...

Possession Verbs
to possess, to own, to belong...

Emotion Verbs
to like, to love, to hate, to dislike, to fear, to envy, to mind...
Examples:
• He is needing help now. Not Correct
• He needs help now. Correct
• He is wanting a drink now. Not Correct
• He wants a drink now. Correct

Group III Mixed Verbs
The third group, called "Mixed Verbs," is the smallest group. These verbs have more than one meaning. In a way, each meaning is a unique verb. Some meanings behave like "Non-Continuous Verbs," while other meanings behave like "Normal Verbs."

Mixed Verbs
to appear, to feel, to have, to hear, to look, to see, to weigh...

List of Mixed Verbs with Examples and Definitions:
to appear:
• Donna appears confused. Non-Continuous Verb
DONNA SEEMS CONFUSED.
• My favorite singer is appearing at the jazz club tonight. Normal Verb
MY FAVORITE SINGER IS GIVING A PERFORMANCE AT THE JAZZ CLUB TONIGHT.
to have:
• I have a dollar now. Non-Continuous Verb
I POSSESS A DOLLAR.
• I am having fun now. Normal Verb
I AM EXPERIENCING FUN NOW.
to hear:
• She hears the music. Non-Continuous Verb
SHE HEARS THE MUSIC WITH HER EARS.
• She is hearing voices. Normal Verb
SHE HEARS SOMETHING OTHERS CANNOT HEAR. SHE IS HEARING VOICES IN HER MIND.
to look:
• Nancy looks tired. Non-Continuous Verb
SHE SEEMS TIRED.
• Farah is looking at the pictures. Normal Verb
SHE IS LOOKING WITH HER EYES.
to miss:
• John misses Sally. Non-Continuous Verb
HE IS SAD BECAUSE SHE IS NOT THERE.
• Debbie is missing her favorite TV program. Normal Verb
SHE IS NOT THERE TO SEE HER FAVORITE PROGRAM.
to see:
• I see her. Non-Continuous Verb
I SEE HER WITH MY EYES.
• I am seeing the doctor. Normal Verb
I AM VISITING OR CONSULTING WITH A DOCTOR. (ALSO USED WITH DENTIST AND LAWYER.)
• I am seeing her. Normal Verb
I AM HAVING A RELATIONSHIP WITH HER.
• He is seeing ghosts at night. Normal Verb
HE SEES SOMETHING OTHERS CANNOT SEE. FOR EXAMPLE GHOSTS, AURA, A VISION OF THE FUTURE, ETC.
to smell:
• The coffee smells good. Non-Continuous Verb
THE COFFEE HAS A GOOD SMELL.
• I am smelling the flowers. Normal Verb
I AM SNIFFING THE FLOWERS TO SEE WHAT THEIR SMELL IS LIKE.
to taste:
• The coffee tastes good. Non-Continuous Verb
THE COFFEE HAS A GOOD TASTE.
• I am tasting the cake. Normal Verb
I AM TRYING THE CAKE TO SEE WHAT IT TASTES LIKE.
to think:• He thinks the test is easy. Non-Continuous Verb
HE CONSIDERS THE TEST TO BE EASY.
• She is thinking about the question. Normal Verb
SHE IS PONDERING THE QUESTION, GOING OVER IT IN HER MIND.
to weigh:
• The table weighs a lot. Non-Continuous Verb
THE TABLE IS HEAVY.
• She is weighing herself. Normal Verb
SHE IS DETERMINING HER WEIGHT.
Some Verbs Can Be Especially Confusing:
to be:
• Joe is American. Non-Continuous Verb
JOE IS AN AMERICAN CITIZEN.
• Joe is being very American. Normal Verb
JOE IS BEHAVING LIKE A STEREOTYPICAL AMERICAN.
• Joe is being very rude. Normal Verb
JOE IS BEHAVING VERY RUDELY. USUALLY HE IS NOT RUDE.
• Joe is being very formal. Normal Verb
JOE IS BEHAVING VERY FORMALLY. USUALLY HE IS NOT FORMAL.
NOTICE: Only rarely is "to be" used in a continuous form. This is most commonly done when a person is temporarily behaving badly or stereotypically. It can also be used when someone's behavior is noticeably different.
to feel:
• The massage feels great. Non-Continuous Verb
THE MASSAGE HAS A PLEASING FEELING.
• I don't feel well today. Sometimes used as Non-Continuous Verb
I AM A LITTLE SICK.
I am not feeling well today. Sometimes used as Normal Verb
I AM A LITTLE SICK.

NOTICE: The second meaning of "feel" is very flexible and there is no real difference in meaning between "I don't feel well today" and "I am not feeling well today."

Active / Passive Verb Forms

Sentences can be active or passive. Therefore, tenses also have "active forms" and "passive forms." You must learn to recognize the difference to successfully speak English.
Active Form
In active sentences, the thing doing the action is the subject of the sentence and the thing receiving the action is the object. Most sentences are active.
[Thing doing action] + [verb] + [thing receiving action]
The professor teaches the students
John washes the dishes

Passive Form
In passive sentences, the thing receiving the action is the subject of the sentence and the thing doing the action is optionally included near the end of the sentence. You can use the passive form if you think that the thing receiving the action is more important or should be emphasized. You can also use the passive form if you do not know who is doing the action or if you do not want to mention who is doing the action.
[Thing receiving action] + [be] + [past participle of verb] + [by] + [thing doing action]
Examples:
The students are taught by the professor
The dishes are washed by John
Active / Passive Overview
Active Passive
Simple Present: Once a week, Tom cleans the house. Once a week, the house is cleaned by Tom.
Present Continuous: Right now, Sarah is writing the letter. Right now, the letter is being written by Sarah.
Simple Past: Sam repaired the car. The car was repaired by Sam.
Past Continuous: The salesman was helping the customer when the thief came into the store. The customer was being helped by the salesman when the thief came into the store.
Present Perfect: Many tourists have visited that castle. That castle has been visited by many tourists.
Present Perfect Continuous: Recently, John has been doing the work. Recently, the work has been being done by John.
Past Perfect: George had repaired many cars before he received his mechanic's license. Many cars had been repaired by George before he received his mechanic's license.
Past Perfect Continuous: Chef Jones had been preparing the restaurant's fantastic dinners for two years before he moved to Paris. The restaurant's fantastic dinners had been being prepared by Chef Jones for two years before he moved to Paris.
Simple Future:
WILL: Someone will finish the work by 5:00 PM. The work will be finished by 5:00 PM.
Simple Future:
BE GOING TO: Sally is going to make a beautiful dinner tonight. A beautiful dinner is going to be made by Sally tonight.
Future Continuous:
WILL: At 8:00 PM tonight, John will be washing the dishes. At 8:00 PM tonight, the dishes will be being washed by John.
Future Continuous:
BE GOING TO: At 8:00 PM tonight, John is going to be washing the dishes. At 8:00 PM tonight, the dishes are going to be being washed by John.
Future Perfect:
WILL: They will have completed the project before the deadline. The project will have been completed before the deadline.
Future Perfect:
BE GOING TO: They are going to have completed the project before the deadline. The project is going to have been completed before the deadline.
Future Perfect Continuous:
WILL: The famous artist will have been painting the mural for over six months by the time it is finished. The mural will have been being painted by the famous artist for over six months by the time it is finished.
Future Perfect Continuous:
BE GOING TO: The famous artist is going to have been painting the mural for over six months by the time it is finished. The mural is going to have been being painted by the famous artist for over six months by the time it is finished.
Used to: Jerry used to pay the bills. The bills used to be paid by Jerry.
Would Always: My mother would always make the pies. The pies would always be made by my mother.
Future in the Past:
WOULD: I knew John would finish the work by 5:00 PM. I knew the work would be finished by 5:00 PM.
Future in the Past:
WAS GOING TO I thought Sally was going to make a beautiful dinner tonight. I thought a beautiful dinner was going to be made by Sally tonight.

Verb Tense Overview with Examples
Simple Present : I study English every day
Simple Past : Two years ago, I studied English in England.
Simple Future: If you are having problems, I will help you study English.


Present Continuous I am studying English now..
Past Continuous I was studying English when you called yesterday.
Future Continuous I will be studying English when you arrive tonight.
I am going to study English next year

Present Perfect I have studied English in several different countries.
Past Perfect I had studied a little English before I moved to the U.S.
Future Perfect I am going to be studying English when you arrive tonight.
I will have studied every tense by the time I finish this course.



Present Perfect Continuous I have been studying English for five years.
Past Perfect Continuous I had been studying English for five years before I moved to the U.S.
Future Perfect Continuous I will have been studying English for over two hours by the time you arrive.
I am going to have studied every tense by the time I finish this course.
I am going to have been studying English for over two hours by the time you arrive