English Tenses Of Grammar

English tenses can be defined as the different types of forms the verb takes to show the time of action and the work done by a living thing. Knowing
how to use each of them correctly will not only enhance the sense of your grammar but will also add a refined touch in the literature, articles, reports,
etc. Most importantly, it forms the basis of universal academic tests like SAT or other competitive exams necessary for gauging students' skills and
knowledge. Buckle yourself tighter for the roller coaster journey if you want to ace these tests.

As highlighted above, the tenses can be divided into two sub-parts known as work and time.

Work can either be indefinite, continuous, perfect, or perfect continuous while time can be of past, present, or future in nature.

Indefinite: Continuous: Perfect:

Main Verb 1st Form. Main Verb 1st Form. Main Verb 3rd Form
(M.V1). plus ING (M.V1+ing). (M.V3)

E-g Hang is the base form of the verb (M.V1). Its continuous verb is Hanging. Its past simple (M.V2) is Hung while the past-participle (M.V3) is also
Hung.

See the list of all common verb types on the internet for more clarity and knowledge.

Present Tense: Past Tense: Future Tense:

Do/Does. Did. Will/Shall.
Is/Am/Are. Was/Were.
Has/Have. Had

All of these are called helping verbs (H.V).

Before moving on to the types of various tenses, we need to know that there are 4 types of sentences i-e Affirmative, Negative, Interrogative, and
Double Interrogative. Since the first two are pretty familiar, I will only define the rest.

Interrogative (Answers the question by YES or NO)

Double Interrogative ( The question needs a detailed answer)

Present Indefinite Tense : H.V(Do/Does)

It tells the schedule or routine of a person.

Affirmative: Subject + M.V1 + s/es + Object.

E-g: I write on a whiteboard. Jessica lives with me.
I (Singular Pronoun) Jessica (Singular Noun)
Write (Plural Verb) Lives (Singular Verb)

Note that the verb becomes singular when s/es is added to the verb and becomes plural when it is removed.
It should also be borne in mind that the pronouns like I and You don't follow subject-verb agreement).

Negative: Subject + Do/Does + Not + M.V1 + Object.

E-g: I do not play cricket. She does not try tangy foods.
I (Singular Pronoun) She (Singular Pronoun)
Do (Plural Verb) Does (Singular Verb)

Note that do/do not come with I and You while does/does not come with She or He.

Interrogative: Do/Does + Subject + M.V1 + Object.

E-g: Do you live here? Does he teach you? Does he love Juni?

Double Interrogative: WH family + Do/Does + Subject + M.V1 +

Object.
E-g: Why do you cry? What does he say? Where do we go?

Note that WH family means When, Why, What, Which, etc.

Present Continuous Tense : H.V(Is/Am/Are)

It tells or shows the continuity in the work or task at the present.
Affirmative: Subject + Is/am/are + M.V1+ing + Object.
E-g: I am standing with you. You are preparing for the exams.

Negative: Subject + Is/am/are + Not + M.V1+ing + Object

E-g: Your sister is not sincere to Ahmed. I am not joking with you.

Interrogative: Is/am/are + Subject + M.V1+ing + Object.

E-g: Are you coming with me? Is she coming with you to a party?

Double Interrogative: WH family + Is/am/are + Subject +M.V1+ing +

Object.
E-g: Why is he not talking to me? What are you doing here?

Present Perfect Tense: H.V(Has/Have)

It tells that the work itself has been completed or made perfect.

Affirmative: Subject + Has/have + M.V3 + Object.

E-g: I have eaten biryani. He has met Babar Azam.
I (Singular Pronoun). He (Singular Pronoun)
Have (Plural Verb). Has (Singular Verb)

Note that Have is a plural verb while Has is a singular verb.

Negative: Subject + Has/have + Not + M.V3 + Object.

E-g: We have not met your wife. I have not drunk alcohol.

Interrogative: Has/have + Subject + M.V3 + Object.

E-g: Have you lost the match? Have you done your assignment?

Double Interrogative: WH family + has/have + M.V3 + Object.

E-g: When have you switched off the TV?

Present Perfect Continuous Tense : H.V(Has been/Have been)

Tells for how long there is a continuity in work till this date.

Affirmative: Subject + Has/have + Been + M.V1+ing + Object +

Since/for + Time
E-g: He has been trying to learn English for 6 months.
I have been waiting for you since morning.

Negative: Subject + Has/have + Not + Been + M.V1+ing + Object +

Since/for + Time.
E-g: Rizwan has not been leaving his bed since afternoon.
Your son has not been coming to the school for a week.

Interrogative: Has/have + Subject + Been + M.V1+ing + Object +

Since/for +Time.
E-g: Have you been working in Google for 10 years?

The double interrogative sentence in the present perfect continuous tense is used or asked very rarely.

Use Since when (Exact/Fix/Definite Timing)

Use For when (For indefinite Timing)

Past Indefinite Tense : H.V(Did)

An event that has occurred in the past.

Affirmative: Subject + M.V2 + Object.

E-g: My sister called me. We met Johnny Bravo.

Negative: Subject + Did + Not + M.V1 + Object.

E-g: I did not tell a lie. Julia did not watch the film.

Interrogative: Did + Subject + M.V1 + Object.

E-g: Did he study? Did you write? Did you watch my video?
Double Interrogative: WH family + Did + Subject + M.V1 +
Object.
E-g: Why did you betray me? What did you give him as a gift?

Past Continuous Tense : H.V(Was/Were)

It shows or tells the continuity in the task or work just like in the Present Continuous Tense. The only difference is that the helping verb (H.V) here will
be past in nature.

Affirmative: Subject + Was/were + M.V1+ing + Object.

E-g: I was talking to my brother. She was trying to convince me.

Negative: Subject + Was/Were + Not + M.V1+ing + Object.

E-g: I was not speaking French. I was not traveling by bus.

Interrogative: Was/were + Subject + M.V1+ing + Object.

E-g: Were you playing baseball? Were you coming here?

Double Interrogative: WH family + Was/were + Subject +M.V1+ing

+ Object.
E-g: What were you watching on YouTube yesterday?

Past Perfect Tense : H.V(Had)

Work has been completed or made perfect earlier.

Affirmative: Subject + Had + M.V3 + Object.

E-g: I had said. I had seen you. I had watched the drama.

Negative: Subject + Had + Not + M.V3 + Object.

E-g: I had not insulted him. I had not gone to the cinema.

Interrogative: Had + Subject + M.V3 + Object.

E-g: Had he come? Had you met him?

Double Interrogative: WH family + Had + Subject + M.V3 + Object.

E-g: Why had he come here after degrading me in front of guests?

Past Perfect Continuous Tense : H.V(Had been)

It shows a continuity in the work followed by the time taken.

Affirmative: Subject + Had Been + M.V1+ing + Object +

Since/for + Time.
E-g: I had been waiting for you for two hours.
We had been playing ludo for 10 minutes.

Negative: Subject + Had + Not + Been + M.V1+ing + Object +

Since/for + Time.
E-g: I had not been living in Delhi for 11 years.
You had not been studying for exams since last month.

Interrogative: Had + Subject + Been + M.V1+ing + Object +

Since/for +Time.
E-g: Had you been going to London for 4 days?

Double Interrogative : WH family + Had + Subject + Been +

M.V1+ing + Object + Since/for + Time.
E-g: Why had you been playing video games since January?

Future Indefinite Tense : H.V(Will/shall)

The work will be done in the future but we don't know its timing.

Affirmative: Subject + Will/Shall + M.V + Object.

E-g: I shall go. You will come. I shall meet.

Negative: Subject + Will/shall + Not + M.V1 + Object.

E-g: I shall not kiss you. I will not read the newspaper.

Interrogative: Will/shall + Subject + M.V1 + Object.

E-g: Will you go there? Shall I go there?

Double Interrogative: WH family + Will/shall + Subject + M.V1 +

Object.
E-g: Why will you go there at midnight?

Use Shall for (I and We only).

Use Will for (Rest of all).
BUT
In case if there is a threat, promise, and determination shown in the sentence, then the rules will interchange each other i-e:
Use Shall for (Rest of all).
Use Will for (I and We only).

Future Continuous Tense : H.V(Will be/Shall be)

It tells a work is going to continue in the future but timing is unknown.

Affirmative: Subject + Shall/will + Be + M.V1+ing + Object.

E-g: I shall be coming with your friends. You will be writing.

Negative: Subject + Will/shall + Not + Be + M.V1+ing + Object.

E-g: Mummy will not be cooking food today.

Interrogative: Shall/will + Subject + Be + M.V1+ing + Object.

E-g: Will he be coming to my house? Shall I be going?

Double Interrogative: WH family + Shall/will + Subject + Be +

M.V1+ing + Object.
E-g: When will you be giving some time to me?

Future Indefinite Tense : H.V(Will have/Shall have)

Telling which a person thinks or believes will be definitely done in the coming days.

Affirmative: Subject + Will/shall + Have + M.V3 + Object.

E-g: I will have met you. You will have eaten the pancakes.

Negative: Subject Will/shall + Not + Have + M.V3 + Object.

E-g: You will not have reach to the moon. I will not have met you.

Interrogative: Will/shall + Subject + Have + M.V3 + Object.

E-g: Will you gone to your friend's house for lunch?

Double Interrogative : WH family + Will/shall + Subject + Have +

M.V3 + Object.
E-g: Why will you have gone there without my permission?

Future Perfect Continuous Tense : H.V(Will/Shall have been)

A work has to be do e in the future and the prescribed time is given to add a continuity to it.

Affirmative: Subject + Will/shall + Have been +M.V1+ing + Object +

Since/for + Time.
E-g: She will have been studying Maggs for five days.
He will have been living in France for a decade.

Negative: Subject + Will/shall + Not Have Been + M.V1+ing +

Object + Since/for + Time.

E-g: I will not have been teaching you for three hours.

Interrogative: Will/shall + Subject + Have Been + M.V1+ing +

Object + Since/for + Time

E-g: Will you have been living in Germany for 3 months?

Double Interrogative : WH family + Will/shall + Subject + Have

Been + M.V1+ing + Object + Since/for +
Time.
E-g: Why will you have been living in Germany for 3 months?
Why will you have been bumming your school since
yesterday?