The Tenses Timeline
See the 8 English tenses on a timeline, learn when to use each one, and practice with TOEIC questions
TOEIC Parts 5 and 6 test verb tenses heavily. Knowing when to use each tense matters more than memorizing how to form it.
Click any tense on the timeline below to explore its formula, usage, signal words, and TOEIC-style examples.
Click any tense on the timeline to explore
Common TOEIC Traps
| Confusing Pair | How to Tell Them Apart |
|---|---|
| Present Simple vs Present Continuous | Routine/fact (opens every day) vs happening now (is opening) |
| Past Simple vs Present Perfect | Finished past time (last year) vs past→present connection (since 2020) |
| Past Simple vs Past Continuous | Completed action (called) vs action in progress when interrupted (was calling) |
| Present Perfect vs Present Perfect Continuous | Result/completion (has written 3 reports) vs duration/ongoing (has been writing all day) |
Practice: Sort the Tenses
Read each sentence and pick the tense it uses. You’ll get instant feedback after each answer.
By the time they arrived, the presentation had already begun.
Quick Self-Check
Sales _____ by 12% since the new marketing campaign began.
Select your answer:
The factory _____ over 50,000 units before it relocated to a new site last March.
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All employees _____ the updated safety manual by the end of this week.
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Ms. Chen _____ the Tokyo branch for three years before she transferred to Seoul.
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The IT department _____ software updates every first Monday of the month.
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