Seeing the complete system changes everything!
Finally feel confident choosing the right tense when you speak
Understand how all of the 12 tenses are connected
Actually enjoy learning tenses (yes, really!)
The way we teach grammar in schools isn't always perfect!
First the present simple. Then the present continuous. Then a little present perfect. Then... something else.
You do a couple of exercises. Then you move on to another grammar point.
But the tenses don't really make sense, so it's hard to keep the uses in your head.
When I first started teaching English in the classroom, my students had the same problem.
The textbooks would cover one tense... a few exercises... then move on. My students could do the exercise but they couldn't use the tense in real life.
Then one day, I was teaching the past perfect continuous. Suddenly, I had an idea - I drew the relationships between the tenses on the board.
And my students understood! They saw the system. It made sense!
That was the beginning of this book.
I started researching! I spent months reading about tenses.
(Here are some of my books!)
I discovered the way academic linguists think about the tenses is different from textbooks.
I found a new way to explain the tenses, based on how the tenses are similar and different from each other.
Hi, I'm Seonaid Beckwith.
I'm a British native speaker with a Master's degree (MPhil) from Cambridge University in English and Linguistics. Together with the Perfect English Grammar team, I've helped tens of millions of students improve their grammar.
I've been teaching English for many years, and I'm passionate about finding better ways to explain grammar - ways that actually make sense and are backed by research.
This book goes far beyond what you'll find in textbooks, with clear explanations and the complete system to help you understand tenses properly.
"The explanations were easy to understand. I had many doubts about tenses - now they're clearer to me."
"Very clear comparisons and structure. Totally worth the money."
"I finally found what I've been looking for all my life. Nobody in school ever explained it this clearly."
Forever. You can revisit the material anytime.
These books are designed for intermediate to advanced learners (B2-C2). You should already know basic English grammar.
It’s perfect if you already know the tenses but don’t feel confident using them.
Yes. This book teaches the whole advanced system behind the tenses - not isolated rules.
If it's not right for you, you can email us within 30 days and we'll refund your money.
If you don't have at least one "aha moment" and feel more confident with tenses - just email us and we'll refund you immediately!
No questions asked.
The Tenses Book is part of a series of four advanced grammar books:
Why not buy all four books and improve your grammar even more?
Includes:
312-page PDF
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Includes:
The Articles Book
The Conditionals Book
The Modals Book
The Tenses Book