There are threeMain tenses
The PresentThe PastThe Future
EACH TENSE HAS FOUR FORMSSIMPLE: Present, Past, Future
CONTINUOUS: Present, Past, Future
PERFECT: Present, Past, Future
PERFECT CONTINUOUS: Present, Past, Future
SIMPLE PRESENT TENSE
Present Form Of verb ORPresent Form Of Verb +‘s’ or ‘es’
USES
Repeated Actions
Habitual Actions
Universal Truth
Examples:
1.I drink tea daily.2. She drinks tea daily.3. I sing well.4. She sings well.
5. Honesty is the best policy.6. Our school re-opens in July.7. Ram doesn’t go to school .8. I don’t like to read sad stories.9. Does he know the way?10. Doesn’t he play rugby?
Simple Past Tense
Past Form Of Verb
Uses:
o PAST ACTIONo NARRATION OF STORIESo DESCRIPTION OF SERIES
OF PAST EVENTS
Examples:1. I / She received your
letter yesterday.
2. It rained last week.
3. She watched her brother being awarded.
Simple Future Tense
Will + Present form of the Verb
Uses:
o FUTURE ACTIONS
Examples:1. She will receive your letter tomorrow.
2.It looks like it will rain tomorrow.
3.She will watch her brother being awarded.
PAST CONTINUOUS TENSEWas, were + Present Participle
Uses:To describe an action that Was going on at a point of time, When another action took place.
Examples:1. It was raining at this time yesterday.
2. She was watching her brother play when the thieves entered the house.
3. He was typing in his office when the fire broke out.
PRESENT CONTINUOUS TENSEIs, am, are + Present Participle
Uses:To describe an action that :
Is happening at the moment of speaking.
Going on over a period of time.
Examples:1. It is raining.
2. She is watching her brother
play.
3. My sister is singing on the stage.
PAST PERFECT TENSE
Had + Past Participle
Uses:To describe an action that had already taken place in the past before another action took place In the past.
Examples:
1. When I reached the station, the train had left.
2. They had already pulled down the old building before the order
was given.
FUTURE PERFECT TENSE
Will/ shall have + PastParticiple
Uses:To describe an action thatwill be completed bysome point of time in thefuture.
Examples:
1.He will have left beforeyou reach.
2. They will have cleanedthe streets in an hour.
PRESENT PERFECT TENSE
has/ have +Past Participle
Uses:To describe an action:Which has been completedor done just now, near the present time.An action that has taken placeIn the past, but the action hasIts effect In the present.An action that began in the past,and is continuing in the present.
Examples:1. He has eaten all the
biscuits.
2. He has lived here for ten years.
PRESENT PERFECTCONTINUOUS
Has been/ have been +
Present Participle
Use:To describe an action
which began in the past but
Is still continuing in the
present.
Examples:
1. He has been sleeping for five
hours.
2. They have been working
since 9a.m.
PAST PERFECT CONTINUOUS
Had been +
Present Participle
Use:
To describe an action that
began in the past and continued in the past for
sometime.
Examples:
1. When I visited him, he had been teaching there
for five years.
FUTURE PERFECTCONTINUOUS
Will have been +
Present Participle
Use:
To describe an actionThat will be in
progress even after a given point of time.
Examples:
1. By next December,We will have been living
here for five years.
PRESENT TENSESIMPLE PRESENT
I/WE/THEY/YOU READ.
SHE/HE/IT READS.
PRESENT PERFECT CONTINUOUS
I/ WE/ THEY/YOU HAVE BEEN READING
+TIME.SHE/HE/IT HAS BEEN
READING +TIME.
PRESENT PERFECT
I/WE/THEY/YOU HAVE READ.
SHE/HE /IT HAS READ.
PRESENT CONTINUOUS
I AM READING.YOU/WE/THEY ARE
READING.SHE/HE/IT IS
READING.
SIMPLE PAST
I/WE/THEY/YOU/SHE/HE/IT
READ.PAST PERFECT
I/HE/SHE/YOU/WE/THEY
HAD READ THE BOOK LAST
WEEK.
PAST PERFECT CONTINUOUS
I/WE/SHE/HE/THEY/YOU HAD BEEN READING THE BOOK
WHEN THE TEACHER WENT INTO
THE CLASSROOM.
PAST CONTINUOUS
I/SHE/HE/IT WAS READING.
YOU/WE/THEY WERE READING.
PAST TENSE
FUTURE TENSE
FUTURE PERFECT
I/WE/YOU/SHE/HE/THEY WILL
HAVE READ THE BOOK BY NEXT
WEEK.
FUTURE PERFECT CONTINUOUS
I/WE/YOU/SHE/HE/THEY WILL HAVE
BEEN READING THE BOOK FOR FIVE
DAYS ON MONDAY.
SIMPLE FUTURE
I/WE/YOU/SHE/HE/THEY
WILL READ THE BOOK TOMORROW.
FUTURE CONTINUOUS
I/WE/YOU/THEY/HE/SHE
WILL BE READING THE BOOK SOON.
COMMON MISTAKES IN TENSES
1.It is raining since yesterday. X It has been raining since yesterday.
2. I reached the station before the train had arrived. X I had reached the station before the train arrived.
3. Yesterday we had seen the panther. X Yesterday we saw the panther.
4. I had been playing a match. I had been playing a match yesterday, so couldn’t go out with my friends.