Tenses

The tense of a verb is the form that indicates the time of

an action or being.
Tenses
Present tense Past tense Future tense
a) Simple present/ Simple past/ past Simple Future/
Present Indefinite Indefinite Tense Future indefinite
Tense Tense
b) Present Past Continuous Future
continuous tense Tense Continuous Tense
c) Present Perfect Past Perfect Future perfect
Tense Tense Tense
d) Present Perfect Past Perfect Future Perfect
Continuous Tense Continuous Tense Continuous Tense
1. Simple Present/ Present Indefinite Tense
When the verb shows an action done in the present
time, it is said to be in the Simple Present Tense.
Eg- I play football daily.
The sun rises in the east.
Birds fly in the sky.
We sleep at night.
In the above sentences the verbs play, rises, fly and sleep
refer to actions that take place in the present time.
Thus the verbs that refer to present time are said to be in
the Present Tense.
Simple Present Tense Construction
Subject + 1st form of verb + s/es + object
Note-
-We add ‘s/es’ to the verb with singular subject
-We do not add ‘s/es’ to the verb with I and you.
2- Simple Past/ Past Indefinite Tense
When the verb shows an action done in the past time, it
is said to be in the simple Past Tense.
Eg- 1- I played football.
2- I went to the fair yesterday.
3- Birds flew in the sky.
4- We slept at night.
In the above sentences, the verbs played, went, flew, and
slept refer to actions that took place in the past time.
Thus the verbs that refer to the past time are said to be
in the Past Tense.
Simple Past Construction
Subject + 2nd form of verb + object
3. Simple Future/ Future Indefinite Tense.
When the verb shows an action done in the future time,
it is said to be in the Simple Future Tense.
Eg-1. I shall play football tomorrow.
2. I shall go to the fair next week.
3. Birds will fly in the sky.
4. We shall sleep at night.
In the above sentences, the verbs shall play, shall go, will
fly, shall sleep, refer to actions that will take place in the
future time. Thus, the verbs that refer to the future time
and are said to be in the Future Tense.
Simple Future Tense Construction
Subject + will shall + 1st form of verb + object
Note-
-We use shall with ‘I’ and ‘you’
-We use will with all other subjects.
Write and learn the following present and past forms of
the verb given below-
Simple Present Simple past
advise advised
agree agreed
arrive arrived
awake awoke
beat beat
become became
begin began
bend bent
bind bound
bite bit
blow blew
break broke
breathe breathed
bring brought
build built
burn burnt, burned
burst burst
buy bought
carry carried
cast cast
catch caught
choose chose
come came
copy copied
cost cost
creep crept
cry cried
cut cut
deal dealt
dig dug
draw drew
dream dreamt
drink drank
drive drove
eat ate
fall fell
feed fed
feel felt
fight fought
find found
flow flowed
fly flew
forget forgot
forgive forgave
go went
grow grew
hang hanged
hang hung
hear heard
hide hid
hold held
hurry hurried
keep kept
know knew
lay laid
lead led
leap leapt, leaped
learn learnt
leave left
light lit, lighted
lie lay
lose lost
make made
meet met
pay paid
read read
ride rode
see saw
sew sewed
shake shook
shoot shot
smell smelt
speak spoke
stand stood
steal stole
spend spent
teach taught
think thought
throw threw
tie tied
wake woke, waken
weave wove
wear wore
write wrote
wind wound
weep wept

Change the sentence from the Simple Present to Simple

Past and Future.
1- The leaves fall from the trees.
S.Past-
S.Future-
2- It rains everyday here.
S.Past-
S.Future-
3- We go to a gallery every Sunday.
S.Past-
S.Future-
4- My brother never lies.
S.Past-
S.Future-
5- I forget my wallet.
S.Past-
S.Future-
6- They go to school.
S.Past-
S.Present-
7- He helps poor.
S.Past-
S.Future-
8- They play football.
S.Past-
S.Future-
9- He runs fast.
S.Past-
S.Future-
10- I write.
S.Past-
S.Future-
11- They learn.
S.Past-
S.Future-
12. He tries hard.
S.Past-
S.Future-

Change the sentences from the Simple Past to Simple

Present.
1- I knew the man.
1-
2- The hen laid eggs.
2-
3- She sang beautifully.
3-
4- It rained heavily.
4-
5- He read a novel.
5-

Change the sentence from the Simple Future to Simple

Present
1- The farmer will plough the field.
1-
2- I shall win a prize.
2-
3- I will speak the truth.
3-
4- He will need rest.
4-
5- It will begin.
5-

Change the following sentences as per the instructions

given in the brackets
1- The boy cries all night. (Past Indefinite)
1-
2- You sang well. (Future Indefinite)
2-
3- The cow will graze grass. (Present Indefinite)
3-
4- Tom works very hard. (Future Indefinite)
4-
5- All of a sudden she sank on the floor. (Present
- indefinite)
5-
6- She tries hard and succeeds. (Future Indefinite)
6-
7- She hides herself behind the door. (Past Indefinite)
7-
8- Tom works very hard. (Future Indefinite)
8-
9- He lies down and sleeps. (Past Indefinite)
9-
10- I chose a good book for reading. (Present Indefinite)
10-

The Continuous Tense

Present Continuous Tense- A verb showing an action that
is going on or continuing at the present time, is said to be
in the Present Continuous Tense.
Eg-1. I am playing football.
2. She is going to school.
3. They are coming to my house.
4. We are sleeping.
5. The mouse is eating cheese.
In the above sentences, the verbs are playing, is going,
are coming, are sleeping and is eating refer to actions
that are still in progress or are continuing.
Present Continuous Tense Construction
Subject + is/am/are + 1st form of verb + ing + object
Note
We use am with I
We use is with singular subject
We use are with you and plural subject.

Past Continuous Tense- A verb showing an action that

was going on or continuing at some time in the past, is
said to be in the Past Continuous Tense.
Eg-1. I was playing football.
2. She was going to school.
3. They were coming to my house.
4. We were sleeping at night.
5. The mouse was eating cheese.
In the above sentences the verbs was playing, was going,
were coming, were sleeping and was eating refer to
actions that were in progress in the past.
Past Continuous Tense Construction
Subject + was/were + 1st form of verb + ing + object
Note
We use was with I and singular subject.
We use were with you and plural subject.

Future Continuous Tense- A verb showing an action that

will be going on or continuing at some time in the future
is said to be in the Future Continuous Tense.
Eg-1. I shall be playing football.
2. She will be going to school.
3. They will be coming to my house.
4. We shall be sleeping at night.
5. The mouse will be eating cheese.
In the above sentences, the verb shall be playing, will be
going, will be coming, shall be sleeping and will be eating
refer to actions that will be going on or continuing in the
future.

Future Continuous Tense Construction

Subject + will be/shall be/ + 1st form of verb + ing + object
Note
We use shall be with ‘I’ and ‘we’
We use will be with you and all the other subjects.

Read the sentences and see the Present, Past and Future
Continuous Tense
Present Tense- The baby cries.
P. Continuous- The baby is crying.
Past Continuous- The baby was crying.
Future Continuous- The baby will be crying.
Present Tense- The bird flies in the sky.
P. Continuous- The bird is flying in the sky.
Past Continuous- The bird was flying in the sky.
Future Continuous- The bird will be flying in the sky.
Present Tense- My father drives a car.
P. Continuous- My father is driving a car.
Past Continuous- My father was driving a car.
Future Continuous- My father will be driving a car.
Present Tense- A cold wind blows.
P. Continuous- A cold wind is blowing.
Past Continuous- A cold wind was blowing.
Future Continuous- A cold wind will be blowing.

Change the sentences from the Simple Present Tense to

Present Continuous, Past Continuous and Future
Continuous Tense.
1- Reena writes articles for a magazine.
P. Continuous-
Past Continuous-
Future Continuous-
2- I study hard for exam.

3- The cat drinks milk.

4- They cross the road.

5- They go to the market.

Change the following sentences as per the instructions

given in the bracket.
1- Birds lived in nests. (future continuous)
1-
2- We buy vegetables from the market. (Present
continuous)
2-
3- The boys play in the garden. (Past Continuous)
3-
4- She writes with her left hand. (Present Continuous)
4-
5- My mother makes delicious cookies. (Future
Continuous)
5-
6- She works hard to make a living. (Past Continuous)
6-
7- The river flows under the bridge. (Present Continuous)
7-
8- Doctor treated patients. (Future continuous)
8-
10- Mr. Rohan brought a new car. (Present Continuous)
10-

The Perfect Tense

Present Perfect Tense- A verb that shows the action has
been completed at the present moment, is said to be in
the Present Perfect Tense.
Eg- 1. I have played football.
2. She has gone to school.
3. They have come to my house.
4. We have slept at night.
5. The mouse has eaten cheese.
In the above sentence the verb- have played, has gone,
have come, have slept, and had eaten refer to action that
had started in the past and have just finished.
Construction
Subject + has/have + 3rd form of verb + object
Note-
We use has with singular subject.
We use have with ‘I’, ‘you’ and plural subject.

Past Perfect Tense- A verb that shows the action had

been finished before another action in the past, is said to
be in the Past Perfect Tense.
Eg- 1. I had played football.
2. She had gone to school.
3. They had come to my house.
4. We had slept at night.
5. The mouse had eaten cheese.
In the above sentences, the verb had played, had gone,
had come, had slept and had eaten refer to actions that
were completed before some point in the past.
Construction
Subject + had + 3rd form of verb + object

Perfect Tense Future - A verb that shows that the action

will be finished before another action in the future is said
to be in the Future Perfect Tense.
Eg- 1. I shall have played football.
2. She will have gone to school.
3. They will have come to my house.
4. We shall have slept at night.
5. The mouse will have eaten cheese.
In the above sentence, The verbs shall have played, will
have gone, will have come, shall have slept and will have
eaten refer to actions that will be completed before
some specific time in the future.
Construction
Subject + will have/ shall have + 3rd form of verb + object
Write and learn the following table of verbs
Do(Simple present) Did(Simple Past) Done(Past
Participle)
advise advised advised
agree agreed agreed
arrive arrived arrived
awake awoke awaked, awoked
beat beat beaten
become became became
begin began begun
bend bent bent
bind bound bound
bite bit bit, bitten
blow blew blown
break broke broken
breathe breathed breathed
bring brought brought
build build build
burn burnt, burned burnt, burned
burst burst burst
buy bought bought
cry cried cried
cut cut cut
deal dealt dealt
dig dug dug
draw drew drawn
dream dreamt dreamt
drink drank drunk
drive drove driven
eat ate eaten
fall fell fallen
feed fed fed
feel felt felt
fight fought fought
flow flowed flowed
fly flew flown
forget forgot forgotten
forgive forgave forgiven
go got gotten, got
grow grew grown
hang hanged hanged
hang hung hung
hear heard heard
hide hid hidden
hold held held
hurry hurried hurried
keep kept kept
know knew known
lay laid laid
lead led led
leap leapt, leaped leapt, leaped
learn learnt learnt
leave left left
light lit, lighted lit, lighted
lie lay lain
lose lost lost
make made made
meet met met
pay paid paid
read read read
ride rode ridden
see saw seen
sew sewed sewn
shake shook shaken
shoot shone shone
smell shot shot
speak spoke spoken
stand stood stood
steal stole stolen
spend spent spent
teach taught taught
think thought thought
throw threw thrown
tie tied tied
wake woke woken
weave wove woven
wear wore worn
write wrote written
wind wound wound
weep wept wept

Change the sentences from the Simple Present to

Present Perfect, Past Perfect and Future Perfect Tense.
(First one has been done fot you)
1- The girl speaks softly.
Pre. Perfect- The girl has spoken softly.
Past Perfect- The girl had spoken softly.
Fut. Perfect- The girl will have spoken softly.
2- The students wear their uniform.
3- They drive their kids to school.

4- I take tea in the morning.

5- I help my friends.

6- His sister cooks well.

7- The clouds thunder.

8- The doctor examines the patients.

9- My tooth aches.

10-

The Perfect Continuous Tense

1- Present Perfect Continuous Tense- The Present Perfect
Continuous Tense is used to express an action that began
in the past and is still continuing at the Present time.
Eg- 1- I have been playing football.
2- She has been going to school.
3- They have been coming to my house.
4- We have been sleeping at night.
5- The mouse has been eating cheese.
In the above sentences the verbs- have been playing, has
been going, have been coming, have been sleeping, has
been eating refer to actions that held started in the past
and are continuing at the present time.
Construction
subject + has/have + been + 1st form of verb + ing +
object
Note
We use has with all the singular subjects
We use have with I, you and plural subjects.

2- Past Perfect Continuous Tense- The Past Perfect

Continuous Tense is used to describe an action which
began before a definite time in the past, had continued
up to that moment and was still in progress at that time.
Eg- 1- I had been playing football.
2- She had been going to school.
3- They had been coming to my house.
4- We had been sleeping at night.
5- The mouse had been eating cheese.
In the above sentences, the verbs had been playing, had
been going, had been coming, had been sleeping, and
had been eating refer to actions that started in the past
and continued till another time in the past.
Construction
Subject + had + been + 1st form of verb + ing + object
3- Future Perfect Continuous Tense- The Future Perfect
Continuous Tense is used to express an action that will
begin before a definite time and will be in progress even
at that time.
Eg- 1. I shall have been playing football.
2. She will have been going to school.
3. They will have been coming to my house.
4. We shall have been sleeping at night.
5. The mouse will have been eating cheese.
In the above sentences the verbs- shall have been
playing, will have been going, will have been coming,
shall have been sleeping and will have been eating refer
to actions that will continue up until a point in the future.
Construction-
Subject + will/shall + have been + 1st form of verb + ing +
object.
Note-
We use shall with ‘I’ and ‘we’.
We use will with you and all the plural subjects.
Change the sentences from the Simple Present Tense to
Present, Past and Future Perfect Continuous Tense. (First
one has been done for you)
1- My father leaves for Delhi.
Pre P.C.- My father has been leaving for Delhi.
Past P.C.- My father had been leaving for Delhi.
Futr. P.C.- My father will have been leaving for Delhi.
2- I take tea in the evening.

3- The clouds thunder.

4- I take tea in the morning.

5- I help my friends.
6- His sister cooks well.

7- These trees give us shade.

8- They fail in the examination.

9- Radhika cheats her friend.

10- The mother kisses the baby.

Change the following sentences as per the instructions
given in the brackets.
1- We planted five trees every year. (Present
Indefinite).
1-
2- The white clouds sailed across the blue sky.
(Present Continuous)
2-
3- The children will play in the rain. (Past
Perfect)
3-
4- My friends encourage me to work hard.
(Past Indefinite)
4-
5- They appear to be tired and sleepy. (Past
Perfect Tense)
5-
6- He had been playing golf on Sundays. (Simple
Past Tense)
6-
7- Carpenters were making good furniture.
(Future Continuous Tense)
7-
8- It begins to rain. (Past Perfect Tense)
8-
9- My sister will have been choosing a white dress.
(Simple past tense)
9-
10- I was waiting for jack. (Future Perfect)
10-

Change the sentences from the Simple Present to all

form of tenses.
1- The little girl laughs at the clown.
S. past-
S. future-
Pre. Cont.-
Past Cont.-
Fut. Cont.-
Pre. Perf.-
Past Perf.-
Fut. Perf.-
P.P.C.T.-
Pa.P.C.T.-
Fut.P.C.T.-
2- The ship sails across the river.

3- The maid breaks a plate.

4- The soldier fights bravely.

5- They appear tired.

6- The driver stops the train.

7- You set a goal.

8- My friend lends me money.