We use the present simple to talk about things and situations that are generally true

Examples of the past tense

Let's look at some examples of different variations of the past tense.

• 
  Ihikedup Everest yesterday
  
• 
  Shehad dancedall night
  
• 
  Wehad beento London for New Year
  
• 
  Jameshad been walkingfor miles
  

How is the past tense formed?

For regular verbs, we form the past tense by adding the inflection -d or -ed to the base form of the verb. Here's an example:
I talk → I talked
I stay → Istayed
I like → Iliked
I play → I played
Things are a bit more tricky with irregular verbs, such as 'run → ran' and 'be → was / were / been' which don't follow the same inflectional rule. We just have to memorize the spellings for these irregular verbs. We will cover irregular verbs in more detail later on!

Present tense

The present tense shows that an action (or state of being)is happening(or exists)in the present(eg.'I'm going to the shops or I live in Liverpool').It can also be used to talk about the future (eg.'The train leaves at 10pm tonight) or about the past (eg.'So, the other day I'm walking down the road when I see this dog running towards me') .We can also refer to a habitual action or event in the present.This is something that is repeated or happens regularly .For example I normally go to the library on a Wednesday'.
In literature, the present tense can be used to make the reader feel more connected to the story. Take this sentence for example: 'Joe feels a sense of dread as he walks slowly over to the shadow lurking in the distance'. As the story is happening in the present, you feel the suspense and the unfolding plot in 'real-time'.