Table 1.

Examples of English finite verbs and periphrastic verb forms that refer to past, present and future. Finite verbs are italics.

	Tense	Reference to
writes	Present	Present
is writing	Present	Present
can write	Present	Present
wrote	Past	Past
has written	Present	Past
has been writing	Present	Past
was writing	Past	Past
will/shall write	Present	Future
would/should write	Past	Future