Quick Recap – Tenses

Few Terms & Concepts

 Helping Verbs: Is, am , are, was, were, has, have, had ,(will)

 Main Verbs: All the action words

 Modal Verbs: Will, Shall, Would, should, May , might, Can, Could, Need, Need to

Person Singular Plural

1st I We
2nd You You
3rd He, She, It, Ram, Earth, Knowledge, Wisdom, Computer They
and so on.

A common Word – “Write” has been used for all the Tenses for better understanding and comparison;

Write - Wrote - Written

4 Families of Tenses:

i. Simple

ii. Continuous

iii. Perfect

iv. Perfect Continuous

 Present
Simple S + V(I) + O
I/ We/ You write letter
He /She / It writes letter
[s/es is added with 3rd
Person Singular]
मैं पत्र लिखता हूं/ हम पत्र
लिखते हैं/ तुम पत्र लिखते हो
वह पत्र लिखता है
Continuous S + is/am/are + V(I) + ing +
O:
I am writing ;
He/She/It/Ram is writing ;
You/We/They are writing
मैं लिख रहा हूँ
Perfect S + has/have + V(III) + O:
I/You/We/They have
written;
He/She/It has written
मैनें लिखा है
आप लिख चुके हैं
हमने/ उन्होंने लिखा है
Perfect S +has been/have been+
Continuous V(I)+ ing + O:
I/You/We/They have been
writing ;
He/She/It has been
writing
मैं एक पत्र लिख रहा हूं
Past
Subject + Verb (II) + Object
I/we/You/He/She/It wrote
letter
मैंने/ हमने/ आपने/ उसने/
उन्होंने पत्र लिखा
Subject + was/were +
Verb (I) ing + Object : I
was writing a letter/ They
were writing a letter
मैं एक पत्र लिख रहा था
Subject + Had + Verb (III) +
Object : I had written a
letter
मैं लिख चुका था
उसने लिखा था
आपने लिखा था
Subject + Had been + V(I)
ing + Object: I had been
writing a letter
मैं एक पत्र लिख रहा था
Future
S + Will/Shall+ V(I) + O
I /we/You/He/She/It will
write letter
मैं पत्र लिखूूंगा
हम/ आप/ वह पत्र लिखेंगे
वह पत्र लिख देगी
S+ Will be/Shall be+ V(I)+
ing+ O
He will be writing.
I will be watching
Television.
मैं लिखता रहूंगा
वह एक पत्र लिख रहा होगा
S + Will have + V(III) + O
He will have written.
I will have visited US, 5
years from now.
You will have completed it.
मैनें लिख लिया होगा
आपने उसे पूरा कर लिया
होगा
S + Will have been + V(I) +
ing + O
He will have been writing.
I will have been learning
something at this time,
tomorrow in the evening.
I will have been completing
it.
मैं काम कर रहा होऊूंगा
आप इसे पूरा कर रहे होंगे
Past Tense
1.) Simple Past

Subject + Verb (II) + Object: I wrote a letter

Also,

Subject + was/ were + adjective: The food was good (while describing something/someone)

1) To indicate an action completed in the past; often occurs with adverbs or adverb phrases of past time:
The steamer sailed yesterday.

2) Sometimes, without an adverb of time (indicated by the context): E.g. I learnt Hindi in Nagpur; I didn't
sleep well

3) Also used for past habits: E.g. He studied many hours every day; She used to carry an umbrella.

4) Was/ were: It was done; the glass was broken - Passive

2). Past Continuous

Subject + was/were + Verb (I) ing + Object: I was writing a letter/ They were writing a letter

1) To denote an action going on at some time in the past: E.g. It was getting darker.

2)When Past Continuous and Simple Past are used together when a new action happened in the middle
of a longer action, Simple Past is used for the new action - When I saw him, he was playing chess.

3) Used with always, continually, etc. for persistent habits in the past: He was always grumbling.

3) Past Perfect

Subject + had + Verb (III) + Object: I had written a letter

1) Describes an action completed before a certain moment perfectly in the past.

2) Comparing Past Perfect and Simple Past,

I met him in New Delhi in 1996. I had seen him last, five years before.

By the time the Dr. reached, the patient had died.

4) Past Perfect Continuous

Subject + Had been + V(I) ing + Object: I had been writing a letter

Action that is being done in past, now discontinued; the action is very old and but was in continuation in
past.

Action that began before a certain point in past and continued up to ‘that’ time: At that time he had
been writing a Novel for 2 months.

Present Tense
1)Simple Present Tense

S + V(I) + O ( Add S/es with 3rd person singular)

I/You/We/They write;

He/She/Ram writes [s/es is added with 3rd Person Singular]

1) To express a habitual action done regularly: E.g. He drinks tea every morning. I drink tea every
morning.

2) To express general/universal truths: E.g. The sun rises in the east.

3) While describing any situation, as substitute for the Simple Past: E.g. Immediately the Sultan hurries
to his capital.

4) To express a future event that is part of a fixed timetable or fixed program: E.g. The match starts at 9
o'clock.

5) Used instead of the Simple Future Tense: If it rains we shall get wet.

6) To broadcast commentaries on sporting events/ describing some on-going event.

7) To describe persons/ situation: I am Ted. We are a family. I am alive.

2) Present Continuous Tense

S + HV(is, am, are) + V(I) + ing

I am writing

He/She/It/Ram is writing

You/We/They are writing

1) Action going on at the time of speaking: She is singing

2) Temporary action, not actually happening at the time of speaking: I am reading ‘The Alchemist’

3) Action that has already been arranged to take place in the near future: I am going to the cinema
tonight.

4) Used with “always, continually, and constantly” for describing continued habit,

E.g.: My dog is very silly, he is always running out into the road.

5) Wrong and Right

These grapes are tasting sour (Wrong) -- These grapes taste sour (right)

She is seeming sad (Wrong) -- She seems sad (right)

He is having a cellular phone (wrong) -- He has a cellular phone (right)

But, these are correct,

I am thinking of going to Malaysia (think of = consider the idea of)

They are having lunch (have = eat)

3) Present Perfect

S + has/ have + V(III) + O

I/You/We/They have written

He/She/It has written

1) To indicate completed activities in the immediate past (with just): He has just gone out.

2) To express past actions whose time is not given and not definite: Have you read “Gulliver's Travels”?

3) To describe past events, effects are still felt: I have cut my finger

4) Action beginning at some time in the past and continuing up to the present moment: He has been ill
since last week.

5) Adverbs or adverb phrases can also be used with the Present Perfect: never, ever, so far, till now, yet,
already, today, this week, this month, etc.

I have never done this; Have you ever done this?

6) It is never used with adverbs of past time:

'He has gone to Kolkata yesterday’. – Wrong.

Correct is - 'He went to Kolkata yesterday'.

4) Present Perfect Continuous

S + has been/ have been + V(I) + ing

I/You/We/They have been writing

He/She/It has been writing

1) An action which began at some time in the past and is still continuing: E.g. He has been sleeping for
five hours (and is still sleeping).

2) Sometimes for action already finished, so, to give an explanation: E.g. 'Why are your clothes so wet?' -
'I have been watering the garden'.
Future Tense

1) Simple Future Tense:

S + Will/Shall+ V(I) + O

I will write.

Applicability :

1) To talk about things which we cannot control.

E.g. I shall be twenty next Saturday.

We will know our exam results in May.

2) To talk about what we think or believe will happen in the future.

(I expect…., I believe ……, probably…….. Etc.)

E.g. I think he will like the cake.

I am sure you will win the Match.

3) When we decide to do something at the time of speaking.

E.g.: It is raining. I will take an umbrella.

===== Present Tense - it also shows Future Time ======

-Going to

To talk about what seems likely or certain – It is going to rain; look at those clouds.

To express an action which is on the point of happening – Let's get into the train. It's going to leave.

-About to
Used for the immediate future – Let’s get into the train. It's about to leave.

-Simple Present Tense – Tells about Future time

Used for official programs and timetables – The class starts at 5 pm.

“If, unless, when, while, before, after, until, by the time and as soon as” – I won't go out if it rains.(will
rain); Can I have some milk before I go to bed?

-Present Continuous – Tells about Future time; preferred for personal arrangements, rather than Simple
Present; when we talk about something that we have planned to do in the future – We are eating out
tonight.

=======================================================

2) Future Continuous Tense

S+ Will be/Shall be+ V(I)+ ing+ O

He will be writing.

I will be watching Television.

Applicability:

1) To talk about actions that will be in progress at a time in the future.

E.g.: This time tomorrow I will be sitting on the beach in Mumbai.

2) To talk about actions in the future which are already planned or which are expected to happen

E.g. I will be staying here till Sunday.

3) Future Perfect

S + Will have + V(III) + O

He will have written.

I will have visited US, 5 years from now.

Applicability:

It is used to talk about actions that will be completed by a certain future time.
E.g. By the end of this month I will have worked here for five years.

4) Future Perfect Continuous ((Note: Very Uncommon tense, used rarely, instead use Future
continuous)

S + Will have been + V(I) + ing + O

He will have been writing.

I will have been learning something at this time, tomorrow in the evening.

Applicability:

Used for actions which will be in progress over a period of time that will end in the future.

E.g. By next March we shall have been living here for four years.

I’ll have been teaching for twenty years next July.

Designed & Presented by: Reenu Salgia

References:

1) Wren and Martin high school Grammar.

2) Spoken English Material developed by Elixir Training Services, Pune.

3) Other sources through Google search