TENSES

TENSES

TENSES are the forms of a verb that are used to show the time of the action expressed by
the verb
Example: Shiva is writing a letter-----------Present Tense
Shiva has written a letter--------Present Tense
Shiva wrote a novel yesterday—Past Tense
Shiva was writing a letter---------Past Tense
Shiva will write a letter soon-----Future Tense
FORMS OF TENSES

When we talk about the forms of tenses, they are in the form
1. Base form------------Speak, Eat, Sing, Write
2. Past Tense------------Spoke, Ate, Wrote
3. Past Participle-------Spoken, Eaten, Written
4. Present Participle--- Speaking, Eating, Writing
TYPES OF TENSES

There are three main types of tenses

1. Present Tense
2. Past Tense
3. Future Tense
And each of these is sub divided into four main categories
1. Simple Tense
2. Continuous Tense
3. Perfect Tense
4. Perfect Continuous Tense
PRESENT TENSE

It expresses an action that is currently going on, habitually performed or a state that
currently or generally exists.
Examples: He PLAYS hockey and then GOES to school
He GOES to tuition
Sun SETS in the west
SIMPLE PRESENT TENSE

It is used to describe universal truths, facts. Habits, unchanging situation and scheduled activities.
Examples- For habits and repeated actions
1. He DRINKS milk everyday
2. He BRUSHES his teeth twice a day
3. They TRAVEL to their native once in a month
Examples- For Facts
1. The Moon REVOLVES around the sun
2. Water BOILS at 212 Fahrenheit
3. We BELONG to India
SIMPLE PRESENT TENSE

To say about things that stay for a long time, to tell a story dramatically or to describe
actions as they happen such as commentaries, live broadcast or sporting events
Example: My aunt LIVES in Chennai
My father WORKS in the Police Department
Sardar Singh TACKLES Sandeep Singh GO past him and SCORES a goal
SIMPLE PRESENT TENSE

Formation of Simple Present Tense-

1. The first person – I , takes the first form of the verb like; I Go and I WORK etc
2. The Second person- You, takes the first form of the verb like- You COME and You RUN
3. In the third person singular- He, She and It- The verb always ends with “S”.
That is He EATS, He TAKES, He THINKS, He SLEEPS.
And in case the verb is ending with “Y”, it changes to “IES”---- FLIES, CRIES, TRIES
4. In the third person plural number- They, the first form of verb is used like They COME, They GO
In General the structure goes like this-
1. Subject( I, YOU, WE, THEY) + Base form of the verb (V1)
2.. Subject ( HE, SHE, IT) + Base form of the verb (V1)- es/s
PRESENT CONTINUOUS TENSE

It is used to used for those actions which are happening now or are unfinished. This tense is also used when the
action is temporary
Example: For actions going on at the time of speaking
She is SWEEPING
He is TALKING with the police
My friends are WAITING for me
To express something not happening right now or will not happen in the near future
You are not WATCHING the movie now
I am not GOING to the meeting tomorrow
PRESENT CONTINUOUS TENSE

To express questions as well

1. Is he CRYING?
2. Are you COMING home today?
3. Are they LISTENING to you?
To talk about people’s plan or arrangements for the future
1. She is FLYING to Chennai today
2. We are organizing a FUN fest next Saturday
PRESENT CONTINUOUS TENSE

Formation of Present Continuous Tense-

1. Subject-I, + am + Present Participle form of the verb ( V +ing)
2. Subject- He, She, It, + is + Present Participle form of the verb ( V + ing)
3. Subject- You, We, They + are + Present participle from of the verb (V + ing)
PRESENT PERFECT TENSE

It is used to indicate the completion of an activity or an action that occurred at some point in the past.
Though the time of the actions is not exactly known, this tense is mostly used to refer
to actions completed in the immediate past- Not a very long time
Example- I have eaten my meal
I have finished writing my home work
He has sung a song
I have cleaned the table
She has just gone out
PRESENT PERFECT TENSE

For actions beginning at some time in the past and going on up to the moment of speaking
( use of phrase- since and for)
1. I have known him since my schoolings
2. We have lived in in India for a decade
Note- In the present perfect continuous sentences, the past participle of 3 rd form of the verb is
used with the auxiliary verbs- Has or Have
1. If the subject is Singular noun- He, She, It, then the auxiliary verb HAS is used
2. If the subject is Plural noun- They, You then the auxiliary verb HAVE is used
PRESENT PERFECT TENSE

Examples- 1. He has qualified his CDSE examination

2. The have helped us in going to the right direction
3. It has come
Formation of Present Perfect Tense-
1. Subject ( I, We, You, They) + have + Past participle form of the verb (V3)
2. Subject ( He, She, It) + Has + Past participle form of the verb (V3)
Note- The Present perfect Tense says about the past and the present, while Simple past refers only
to the past
PRESENT PERFECT CONTINUOUS TENSE

It is used for an action which started in the past and is still continuing at the present time
and also with the time expressions – How long, Since, For.
Since- Is used if the exact starting time od action is known
Since Sunday or Since Morning
For- Is used to express the amount of time
For 20 days and for as decade
PRESENT PERFECT CONTINUOUS TENSE

Examples- How long have you been playing in the ground?

They have been repairing this scooter since evening
We have been waiting for 3 hours
For actions already finished and the results of the action happen in the present
I am very tired as I have been taking class since morning
Tarun is all wet as he has been swimming
Note- The auxiliary verbs “Have been” or “Has been” is used depending upon the subject of the
sentence. Have been for Plural verb- They, You and Has been Singular Verbs- He, She, It
PRESENT PERFECT CONTINUOUS TENSE

Examples- She has been living in India since 1998

He has been studying this novel for a year now
I have been watching this movie for three hours
Ravi has been writing this note since morning
Examples- Interrogative sentences
Has he been working as a teacher for 2 years?
Has they been making chappatis for two hours?
Has your father still serving the Army?
PRESENT PERFECT CONTINUOUS TENSE

Formation of the Present Perfect Continuous

1. Subject (He, She, It) + Has been + Present participle form of the verb (V +ing)
2. Subject ( I, you, We, They ) + Have been + Present participle form of the verb
( V+ing )
PAST TENSE

It expresses an action or event that has happened or a state that previously existed
Examples:
He went home yesterday
The work was finished on 10th October
My father believed In himself
SIMPLE PAST

It is used to talk about a completed action in the recent past or the distant past
Examples: For actions finished at some time in the past
Ahmed arrived last night
She called me yesterday
The sailor sailed through Panama canal
Examples: For habits or repeated actions in the past
We usually spend the winter in Rajasthan
When I was in Mumbai, I went to Taj Hotel
Formation of Simple Past- Subject ( He, She, It, You, We, They) + Past from of the verb (V2)
PAST CONTINUOUS TENSE

It is used to mention an ongoing action of the past or an action that continued sometime in
the past.
The past continuous usually refers to a longer “BACKGROUND” action.
Note- In these sentences, 1st form of the verb +ing and auxiliary verbs “WAS or “WERE” is
used depending upon the subject of the sentence.
“WAS” for I, She, He ( Singular noun)
“WERE” for They, You ( Plural Noun)
PAST CONTINUOUS TENSE

Examples-
1. He was waiting for his friends
2. He was riding a bike
3. I was planning for the holidays
4. They were eating their meal
5. You were not preparing for the exam
Formation for Past continuous tense-
1. Subject ( I, He, She, It) + was + Present participle form of the verb ( V+ ing)
2. Subject ( You, We, They) + were + Present participle form of the verb ( V+ ing)
PAST PERFECT TENSE

It is used to show that something happened before another action in the past or it is used to express
two actions that happened in the past
But it is necessary to show which action/ event happened earlier than the other
Examples: I had done my homework when Tarun came to see me
They lost many games because they had not practised enough
I got to the bus stand at 9am but the bus had already left by that time
I had gone out when it started raining
Formation for Past Perfect Tense- Subject( He, She, It, You, We, They) + had+ V3 form of verb
PAST PERFECT CONTINUOUS TENSE

It is used when an action that began before a certain point in the past and was continuing at the given point of time in the
sentence or an ongoing action in the past has ended.
The sentence include time reference too- Since and for to show when the action started in the past and
how long the action was continued in the past.
Examples:
1. Tarun had been sleeping for three hours
2. She had been working for a agency since two years
3. He had been teaching since October
Formation for Past perfect Continuous Tense-
Subject ( I, He, She, It, You, We, they) + Had been + Present participle form of the verb (V + ing)
FUTURE TENSE

It expresses an action or event that has not happened or a state that does not yet exist
Examples: I will go there
They will not play football
I shall meet him if he calls me
SIMPLE FUTURE TENSE

It expresses things that will occur or happen in the future

Examples: 1. I shall be 18 next month
2. It will be Diwali next week
3. My father Will buy me a bicycle on my birthday
4. He will leave for India day after tomorrow
5. He will get admission in a college
Formation- 1. Subject( 1, We, He, She, It You, We, They ) + Will + Present form of Verb V1
2. Subject (I, We) + Shall + Present form of the verb V1
Note: Shall is used in the first person (I, we) and will is used in all other persons (you, he/she, they)
FUTURE CONTINUOUS TENSE

It is used to express an on going or continued action which will occur at some time in the
future
In this sentences, the first form of the verb +ing is used along with the auxiliary
verbs- Will be or Shall be;
Examples: To talk about something that will be going on at a particular time or over a
particular period in the future
1. I will be playing hockey tomorrow morning
2. I will be participating for the event tomorrow
FUTURE CONTINUOUS TENSE

Examples: To talk about a routine activity

1. I will be meeting Ravi on Friday
Formation of Future Continuous Tense-
1. Subject ( I, He, She, It, You, We, They ) + will + be + Present Participle form
of the verb V1
FUTURE PERFECT TENSE

It is used to indicate the completion of an action/event in the future or For an action that will be completed at
some time tomorrow.
In these sentences, the third form of the verb is used with the auxiliary verbs – Will have or
Shall Have
Examples: 1. I shall have written my exercise by that time
2. He will have completed his project by Monday
3. I will have taken my lunch
Formation of Future Perfect Tense- 1. Subject ( I, We, He, She, It, You, They) + Will + have + V3
2. Subject ( I, We) + Shall + Have + Past participle form of the verb V3
FUTURE PERFECT CONTINUOUS TENSE

It is used to indicate an action represented as being in progress over a period of time that will end in the
future. ( Time period is generally mentioned along with it)
“Since or For” is used for time – reference.
Note- First form of the verb +ing is used along with the auxiliary verbs- “Will have been” or “Shall have been”
Example: By next June, We shall have been living here for four years
The child will have been sleeping since 10 pm
You will have been using my bike for seven months
Formation for Future Perfect Continuous- Subject( I, He, She, It, You, We, they) + will + have been + V+ing
SUMMARY

• Events occurring at the same time must be given in the same tense
Eg: When he fainted, his brother was with him
When he was writing his report, his mother was preparing meal for him
• “Will or Shall” can’t be used twice in the same sentence even if both the actions refer to
future tense
I shall come if he will call me ----Wrong
I shall come if he calls me------Right
QUESTIONS

1. Raj is going (A) for a morning walk (B) everyday (C) No error (D)
2. Didn’t you (A) ate last (B) night(C)? No error (D)
3. The police break open (A) the trunk (B) and found the looted jewellery(C) no error (D)
4. She _____ the living room when she heard a strange noise in the garden
A) Has cleaned B) Has been cleaning C) Was cleaning D) Have cleaned
5. Where is he? I _____ for him since three o clock
A) Am waiting B) Have been waiting C) Was waiting D) Had been waiting
THANK YOU
YE DIL MAANGE MORE