¶ The Library

The Verb System

Tense, aspect, mood, voice, all tangled in one sentence — the verb system laid out so it clicks

Curated by Roger Fielding 39 articles

Adults UK & US

In this pillar

Every article, one shelf

Start here The Verb Control Panel 4 min read Start here for a map of the door knobs English hands you — and which room to open next

Ability & Permission (can/could/may) 7 min read Slack request to a colleague, formal ask to a client — matching can, could, and may to the room
Active vs Passive — Why & When 10 min read That margin note, "passive voice," scrawled on your writing — what it means, and when it's the better choice
Causatives (have/get something done) 15 min read "I had the plumber in" versus "I got the contractor coming" — causatives and the tone they carry
Forming the Passive Across Tenses 7 min read "The report was sent" — but when, exactly? Building the passive correctly across every tense, from past to future
Gerunds vs Infinitives After Verbs 10 min read "I look forward to meet you" feels wrong for a reason — the gerund your sentence was missing
How English Tenses Work (the 12 combinations) 11 min read Twelve tenses, one stalled sentence — how the time-and-aspect combinations actually fit together
Mixed Conditionals 9 min read The 4:55 Friday email that mixes past regret with a present consequence — how to build it
Modal Verbs — Overview 8 min read "We can to deliver by Tuesday" looks fine until it doesn't — modal verbs and the rule they obey
Mood & Modality — Map 3 min read Lost between "mood" and "modality" in someone else's lesson plan — a map to where each idea actually lives
Obligation & Advice (must/have to/should) 9 min read "You must get this done tonight" lands harder than "you should" — obligation, advice, and the gap between them
Past Participles (adjectives, reduced clauses) 8 min read "A broken laptop" and "staff invited to the meeting" — the past participles doing quiet, constant work
Possibility & Deduction (may/might/must) 9 min read An "accepted" meeting invite nobody's shown up to — how may, might, and must carry your best guess
Present Participles & Participle Clauses 9 min read That 4:55 Friday sentence stacking clause after clause with -ing — how to tidy it without losing pace
Present Perfect vs Simple Past — UK vs US 4 min read "Did you eat yet?" versus "have you eaten yet?" — the transatlantic split explained side by side
Reported Speech — Statements & Backshift 10 min read Writing up meeting notes and unsure if "said" needs a tense shift — backshift, sorted
Reporting Questions, Commands & Requests 9 min read "She asked me what was the status" nags at you — word order in reported questions, untangled
Second & Third Conditionals 9 min read "If we had sent the invoice last week" — the conditional that admits you messed up
Stative vs Dynamic Verbs 9 min read "I'm knowing the answer" sounds off but you can't say why — the states-versus-actions rule that fixes it instantly
Talking About the Future 8 min read That email stalls between will need, going to need, and are needing — how English actually splits the future
Tenses & Aspects — Map 4 min read Present, past, future, simple, continuous, perfect — the whole tense map in one clear, calm grid
The Get-Passive 10 min read "I got held up on the train" sounds fine to everyone but your grammar checker — here's why
The Imperative Mood 9 min read "Take a seat," "don't forget," "let's go" — imperatives, and how to soften an order without losing it
The Past Continuous 8 min read "I was working on the report when I get your message" — why that tense swap trips people up
The Past Perfect 9 min read A story that comes out in the wrong order — past perfect for the event that happened before the event
The Past Simple 9 min read Cursor stuck on "we speak? spoke? were speaking?" — past simple for the story you're trying to tell
The Perfect Continuous Tenses 3 min read "Have been doing", "had been doing" — the top-heavy tense people avoid, and the one job the simpler tenses can't do
The Present Continuous 8 min read "I write to let you know we change the schedule" — why that sentence needs present continuous, not simple
The Present Perfect (UK) UK9 min read "I just finished the report" looks fine until a British reader raises an eyebrow — present perfect, sorted
The Present Perfect (US) US9 min read You typed "I sent the file" and hesitated — when American English wants present perfect instead
The Present Simple 8 min read "I write to inform you" versus "I'm writing" — when present simple is the wrong verb entirely
The Subjunctive 8 min read That flicker before "if I was" versus "if I were" — the subjunctive's tiny toolkit, explained without the jargon
To- & Bare Infinitives 8 min read "Please let me to know" — that little green underline is right, and here's the pattern behind it
Used To, Would & Be/Get Used To 9 min read "I use to work there" isn't quite it — used to, would, and be/get used to, untangled
What Is Grammatical Mood? 10 min read Same day, three sentences: a statement, an order, a wish — meet the three moods hiding in your inbox
Will, Would & Shall 10 min read "I will send that over" feels certain; "I would" feels gentler — will, would, and shall, finally sorted
Wish, If Only & Conditional Inversion 8 min read Replaying that 4:55 email in your head? Wish, if only, and inversion for proper regret
Zero & First Conditionals 8 min read "If the meeting overruns" needs a comma decision and a tense choice — both explained