To compare past, present and future, give each time period its own short block, mark it with a time phrase, and keep the verb tense steady inside the block. Speaking prompts ask for this when they say “how has it changed”, “what do you want to do next” or “what was it like before”.
This lesson builds on connecting causes and consequences, because changes over time usually come with reasons. The later lesson on reviewing your pace then lets you hear the timeline in a recording.
Which forms and markers should I use?
You do not need complicated grammar. A small set of forms and markers is enough.
| Time | Useful form | Markers |
|---|---|---|
| Past | I used to…, I did…, I was… | when I was younger, last year, at that time |
| Present | I do…, I am doing…, I have… | now, these days, at the moment |
| Future | I am going to…, I will…, I hope to… | next year, in the future, one day |
Start each block with its marker. The marker tells the listener where they are on the timeline.
How do I keep the order clear?
Tell the past first, then the present, then the future. A fixed order is like a road with signs: the listener always knows which way you are heading.
Keep the contrast in the middle. The word but or the phrase however marks the change between blocks.
Worked example
Prompt: How has the way you use technology changed, and what do you expect in future?
Step 1, past block: “When I was younger, I used to play games on my father’s old tablet. I only used it at weekends.”
Step 2, contrast to present: “Now, however, I use my own phone every day, mainly for homework and messages.”
Step 3, future block: “Next year I am going to start a coding club, because I want to make simple apps instead of only using them.”
Full answer:
“When I was younger, I used to play games on my father’s old tablet. I only used it at weekends. Now, however, I use my own phone every day, mainly for homework and messages. Next year I am going to start a coding club, because I want to make simple apps instead of only using them.”
The answer has three blocks and three markers. Because of that, the timeline is obvious even if a verb form is slightly off.
The mistake to watch for
A common slip is tense drift: the speaker starts in the past and moves into the present without noticing.
Mistaken answer: “When I was younger I play games on my father’s tablet and then I am using it only at weekends.”
The markers say past, but the verbs say present. The listener cannot tell what is true now. Correct it by checking each verb against the marker at the start of the block: “When I was younger I played games on my father’s tablet, and I used it only at weekends.”
If you often slip, slow down at the moment you switch blocks. That is where most drifts begin.
Check yourself
Say each answer aloud first, then open the model.
1. Fix the tense: “Last summer I go to Penang and I am eating char kuey teow every day.”
Show answer
“Last summer I went to Penang and I ate char kuey teow every day.” The marker “last summer” sets the past, so both verbs must be past.
2. Add a suitable marker to each sentence: (a) “I walk to school.” (b) “I took the bus.” (c) “I am going to cycle.”
Show answer
Examples: (a) These days I walk to school. (b) When I was in primary school I took the bus. (c) Next term I am going to cycle. Other natural markers are also fine.
3. Write a three-sentence comparison about a hobby: one past, one present, one future.
Show answer
One model: “I used to draw only with pencils. Now I draw on a tablet. Next year I hope to sell a few designs to friends, because I want to improve.” Yours is correct if each sentence has its own marker and steady tense.
Where this leads next
Next, learn to hear your own timeline in self-reviewing your pace with a recording, then try the speaking organisation practice set. Keep a note of tense slips in the mistake log and retest queue.
Some students can write perfect tenses but lose them under speaking pressure. That is the kind of pattern our teachers listen for in online one-to-one English as a Second Language tuition.