Verb Tenses and Passives (Coursera)

Verb Tenses and Passives (Coursera)

This is the first course in the Learn English: Advanced Grammar and Punctuation specialty. In this course, you will review the verb tenses that you learned in beginning English classes and learn about a few tenses you may not know very well. In all, you'll cover all 12 of the English verb tenses and passive verb forms. Most importantly, you'll learn how to blend these tenses, which is what native speakers frequently do. This course is vital to your becoming a more fluent English speaker.

Class Deals by MOOC List - Click here and see Coursera's Active Discounts, Deals, and Promo Codes.

Please note that the free version of this class gives you access to all of the instructional videos and handouts. The peer feedback and quizzes are only available in the paid version.
Course 1 of 4 in the Learn English: Advanced Grammar and Punctuation Specialization.

Syllabus

Week 1
Simple, Progressive, and Perfect Verb Tenses Review
In the first week of this course, you will get to know your classmates and review the verb tenses of English that you have probably learned before. It's always important to review and make sure your foundation is solid before learning new grammar. Use this week to fill in any gaps you have in your understanding of nine verb tenses of English.

Week 2
Perfect Progressive Tenses
This week, you'll learn about the final three verb tenses in English. Then you will be familiar with all 12 English verb tenses. These will combine the perfect tenses with the progressive tenses. Because you already know those tenses, learning these new ones should be fairly easy.

Week 3
Passives and Perfect Modals
In this week, you'll learn about some more complicated verbs. Passives and perfect modals will take what you already know about verb tenses and add some more layers to it. Studying these will improve your fluency in written and spoken English.

Week 4
Blending Tenses
In the final week of the course, you'll learn about one of the most difficult but necessary aspects of verb tenses. You will learn how to blend or mix them to talk about the past, present, and future naturally. Learning to do this will help you become a more fluent speaker and writer of English.

Go to Class
MOOC List is learner-supported. When you buy through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.

Related Courses

Inglés Empresarial: el márketing y ventas (Coursera) Coursera
Arizona State University

Inglés Empresarial: el márketing y ventas (Coursera)

If you work in marketing, sales, or advertising, you already know that effective communication is a requirement. This can be even more difficult when expressing your ideas in a persuasive manner in English. In this course, you will learn to use English more efficiently while joining successful global professionals around the world. Develop your skills along with authentic characters that work in marketing and also work hard to improve their communication skills. Learn from your successes and failures, reflect on your own style, strengths, and improvement areas.

Oct 5th 2026
5-12 Weeks
Conciencia Lingüística (Coursera) Coursera
Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana

Conciencia Lingüística (Coursera)

Al finalizar el curso serás capaz de: Tomar conciencia acerca de cómo funciona el lenguaje humano, en lo que se refiere a la formación de palabras y estructuras que usamos a diario, su combinación y sus distintas posibilidades de significado. Con ello, se espera que el estudiante desarrolle una conciencia lingüística sobre el español y, con ello, logre un mayor control sobre el uso creativo de las palabras y las oraciones en español.

Oct 5th 2026
4 Weeks
Noun Clauses and Conditionals (Coursera) Coursera
University of California, Irvine

Noun Clauses and Conditionals (Coursera)

This is the third course in the Learn English: Advanced Grammar and Punctuation specialty. In this class, you will learn about the advanced grammar concepts of noun clauses and conditionals. You will learn about several different types of each and get lots of practice using them appropriately. This may seem like difficult grammar, but this course will make them easy to understand. These grammar points are essential for any learner trying to master fluency in the English language.

Sep 28th 2026
4 Weeks
English for Teaching Purposes (Coursera) Coursera
Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona

English for Teaching Purposes (Coursera)

Thinking about teaching your university subject in English but it’s not the Language you normally use? Then, English for teaching purposes is the course for you. A course on English and teaching methodology that aims to help university lecturers do their teaching in English, in line with university internationalisation policies. The course structure is the same for all learners and there are opportunities for them to link up with colleagues from universities all over the world who share the same discipline and discourse community, to ask questions and exchange ideas.

Sep 28th 2026
4 Weeks
Miracles of Human Language: An Introduction to Linguistics (Coursera) Coursera
Leiden University,Meertens Instituut - KNAW

Miracles of Human Language: An Introduction to Linguistics (Coursera)

Everywhere, every day, everybody uses language. There is no human society, no matter how small or how isolated, which does not employ a language that is rich and diverse. This course introduces you to linguistics, featuring interviews with well-known linguists and with speakers of many different languages. Join us to explore the miracles of human language!

Oct 12th 2026
5-12 Weeks
Writing in English at University (Coursera) Coursera
Lund University

Writing in English at University (Coursera)

Acquiring good academic research and writing skills early on is essential for your success both at university and in your professional life. This course aims: - to give you an understanding of the conventions of academic writing in English and to teach you the components and benefits of what is called process writing. - to help you to put together your own “toolbox” of academic writing skills, as well as to give you a chance to test out these tools and to reflect on your own development as a writer. - to encourage reflection on discipline specific conventions; although the course deals with generic skills, you will be able to apply these generic skills to meet the particular needs of your own discipline.

Oct 5th 2026
4 Weeks
Teach English Now! Second Language Listening, Speaking, and Pronunciation (Coursera) Coursera
Arizona State University

Teach English Now! Second Language Listening, Speaking, and Pronunciation (Coursera)

In this course, you will be introduced to some of the challenges of teaching and learning listening and speaking, such as paralinguistics, performance variables, reduced and regional forms, and differing types of oral discourse. Don't worry--you'll learn what those mean, too! Then you'll learn how to ease the acquisition of listening and speaking for your students. The course also highlights the powerful opportunity to include pronunciation in listening and speaking classes and offers strategies to incorporate pronunciation activities.

Oct 12th 2026
5-12 Weeks
Teach English Now! Theories of Second Language Acquisition (Coursera) Coursera
Arizona State University

Teach English Now! Theories of Second Language Acquisition (Coursera)

In this course learners are introduced to second or foreign language theories and practices for teaching and assessing listening, speaking, and pronunciation. Learners will also be introduced to basic studies in second language acquisition and their pedagogical implications. Teachers will be invited to recognize the importance of grounding their own teaching philosophy through an examination of purpose, content, and technique.

Sep 28th 2026
5-12 Weeks
Pluralidades em Português Brasileiro (Coursera) Coursera
Universidade Estadual de Campinas - UNICAMP

Pluralidades em Português Brasileiro (Coursera)

Pluralidades em Português Brasileiro is a five-week long online self-access course whose aim is to expand intercultural awareness and develop upper intermediate/advanced reading and listening comprehension skills regarding Brazilian Portuguese as a foreign language. An extra week was added to expand the topics of the course.

Sep 28th 2026
5-12 Weeks
Tricky American English Pronunciation (Coursera) Coursera
University of California, Irvine

Tricky American English Pronunciation (Coursera)

In this course, you’ll practice the sounds of American English that might sometimes be confusing. You'll practice both consonant and vowel sounds. You’ll also learn about the things that give English its special “music,” such as how to stress the right syllable in a word, how to make your voice go up and down in a natural-sounding melody, and how to naturally connect sounds and words.

Oct 12th 2026
4 Weeks
Business English: Basics (Coursera) Coursera
The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology - HKUST

Business English: Basics (Coursera)

This course aims to improve your Business English language skills by developing your vocabulary and reading skills and your understanding of tone, style and knowledge of communication methods. We'll also cover how these language skills can enhance audience analysis, business case analysis and basic business communication strategies.

Sep 28th 2026
5-12 Weeks