a t

a w
h h
Tenses
SaloniB a c
n i
Bachhawat

l o
S a
 What are Tenses ?

a t
a w
h h
a c
i B
n
A verb-based method used to indicate the time, and

o
sometimes the continuation or completeness, of an action

l
or state in relation to the time of speaking.

S a
 Types of tenses

a t
w
Tenses can be divided into three parts:

h a
1. Present Tense

h
2. Past Tense

c
3. Future Tense

B a
Each of the three above mentioned tenses can further be divided into subparts. These

i
subparts include:

o n
l
1.Simple

a
2.Continuous

S
3.Perfect
4.Perfect Continuous
 Simple Present Tense

a t
w
Indicates an action that is generally true or habitual. That is, it took place in the past , continue to take place in the present, and

a
will take place in the future. This tense is used to denote a habitual action.

h h
Subject + V1 + s/es + Object (Singular)

c
Example: The girl sings a song

a
Here the subject is Girl (singular) and “s” has been added to the verb (sing), followed by the object (song)

i B
n
Subject + V1 + Object (Plural)

o
Example: The girls sing a song

l
Here the subject is Girls (plural) and no changes have been made with V1 (first form of verb) and the object

S a
Find out the simple present tense
from a few examples
a t
a w
• Raj eats bread and butter before going to school.

h
• Emma watches cartoons everyday.

c h
• John Cabot sailed to America in 1498.

a
• My father died last year.

B
• Izzy drinks milk every night before going to bed.

i
• Johnny goes to the gym daily.

n
• He lived in Fiji in 1976.

l o
• We crossed the Channel yesterday.

a
• The Sun rises in the east.

S
• Robert will be going to the varsity.
• Tom will have reached the place by now.
• We go to school daily.
• Derek smokes.
• Smita reads the newspaper every day.
 Present Continuous Tense

a t
w
Indicates an action that is taking place at the moment of speaking. In short , the present

a
continuous tense is used for actions happening now or for an action that is unfinished. This tense

h h
is also used when the action is temporary.

a c
i B
Subject + is/am/are + V1 + ing + object

o n
l
Example: She is eating food

S a
Here the subject is She, followed by “is”

The first form of verb (V1) here is “eat” and “ing” has been added to it, followed by the object
“food”
 Find out the Present Continuous
tense from a few examples
a t
a w
• She is crying.

h
• He is talking to his friend.

c h
• The baby is sleeping in its crib.

B a
• I will be writing the letter tomorrow.

i
• The baby will be playing the whole night.

n
• She will be taking her dog for a walk.

l o
• We are visiting the museum in the afternoon.

S a
• Marc is making pizza now.

• I will be helping my mother to make break fast.

• Sheldon will be eating the cake later.

• Penny will be running in the marathon tomorrow.

• They are eating lunch right now.

 Present Perfect Tense

a t
a w
Indicates an action that has been completed sometime before the present moment, with a result that affects the

h
present situation.

c h
Subject + has + V3 + Object (Singular)

B a
Example: He has broken his arm.

n i
Here, “He” is the subject + has

l o
“broken” is the third form of verb and arm is the object

S a
Subject + have + V3 + Object (Plural)

Example: They have broken their arms.

Here, “They” is the subject + have

“broken” is the third form of verb and arms is the object.

 A few more examples

a t
a w
• I have lost the book.

h h
c
• I have written articles on different topics.

B a
i
• She has taken coffee.

o n
l
• He has gone to the library.

•
S a
We have shopped in this market.

• We have watched movies in this Cineplex.

Present Perfect Continuous Tense

a t
a w
Indicates an action that started in the past and is continuing at the present time.

h h
Subject + has been + V1 + ing + Object (Singular)

a c
Example: She has been practising since morning

i B
Here “She” is the subject + has been, followed by “ing” added to the the first form of verb “practise” and then

n
the object

l o
S a
Subject + have been + V1 + ing + Object (Plural)

Example: They have been practising since morning

Here “They” is the subject + have been, followed by “ing” added to the the first form of verb “practise” and
then the object
 Some more Examples

a t
a w
h
• I have been writing articles on different topics since morning.

He has been reading the book for two h

a c
B
• hours.

•
n i
They have been playing football for an hour.

l o
S a
• She has been finding the dress since morning.

• He has been studying in the library for three hours.

 Simple Past Tense

a t
has no real connection with the present time. a
w
h
Indicates an action took place before the present moment and that

c h
B a
For example: He ran away i
Subject + V2 + Object

o n
a l
S
Here, the subject is “He” and “ran” is the second form of verb (V2) of
“run” followed by the object
 Some more Examples

a t
a w
h
• He saved the boy from drowning.

c h
B a
• I took your pen by mistake.

•
n i
I bought this beautiful pen.

l o
S a
• She went to the movie with Tom.

• They went on a vacation to Disneyland.

 Past Continuous Tense

a t
a w
Indicates an action going on at some time in the past

h h
c
Subject + was + V1 + ing + Object (Singular)

B a
For example: She was working

n i
o
Here, the subject is “She” + was

a l
S
Subject + were + V1 + ing + Object (Plural)

For example: They were working

Here, the subject is “They” + were

 Past Perfect Tense

a t
a w
Indicates an action in the past that had been completed before another

h h
time or event in the past.

a c
B
Subject + had + V3 + Object

n i
o
For example: Sumit had left the job before I got married to him.

a l
S
Here the subject is “Sumit” + had

Then “left”, which is the third form of verb (V3) “leave” is given followed
by the object
 Some more Examples

a t
a w
h h
a c
We had cleaned the house before the guests arrived.

i B
n
By the time Ross moved to the States, he had graduated from the

When we arrived,l o
university.

S a the meeting had started.

 Past Perfect Continuous Tense

a t
a w
Indicates an action in the past that took place before another time or event in

h
the past and continued during the second event/time point in the past.

c h
a
Subject + had been + V1 + ing + Object

i B
n
For example: They had been preparing for their performance when they

l o
bought a new piano.

S a
Here the subject is “They” + had been

It is followed by “preparing”, which is the first form of verb (V1) of “prepare”

and then the object
 Some more. Examples

a t
a w
h h
a c
i B
We had been climbing the road when we saw a tiger.

o n
l
We had been riding our bikes when we bumped into Ross.

S a
 Simple Future Tense

a t
a w
h
Indicates an action that will take place after the present time and that

h
has no real connection with the present time.

a c
B
Subject + will/shall + V1 + Object

For Example: I will visit myiUncle tomorrow

Here, the subject l o n

S a is “I” + will

It is followed by the first form of verb (V1) “visit” and then the object
 Some more Examples

a t
a w
h
Robert will read various kinds of books.

c h
April will prefer coffee to tea.

a
The baby will be playing the whole night.

B
I will be helping my mother to make breakfast.

n i
Sheldon will be eating the cake later

o
Bob will go to the library tomorrow.

a l
We will go shopping in that market this Monday.

S
At five o'clock, I will have been waiting for thirty minutes.

When I turn thirty, I will have been playing piano for twenty-one years.

We will watch a movie in this Cineplex on next Friday.

I will sing different kinds of songs, especially modern.

 Future Continuous Tense
Indicates that something will occur in the future and a t
a w
h
continue for an

h
expected length of time.

a c
B
Subject + will be/shall be + ing + V1 + Object

n i
l o
For Example: I shall be going to the market tomorrow at 10 am.

S a
In this example, the subject is “I” + shall be

Following it is the first form of verb (V1) “go”+ing and then the object
 Some more examples

a t
a w
h h
a c
Our friends will be joining i
B
My family will be going on a vacation from January 1-5.

o n
l
the dinner at 7 pm.

S a
 Future Perfect Tense

a t
a w
To talk about something that will be completed before a specific time

h h
in the future.

a c
B
Subject + will have/shall have + V3 + Object

n i
In this example, the o
For Example: I shall have prepared the notes by tomorrow morning

a l
S
subject is “I” + shall have

It is followed by “prepared”, which is the third form of Verb (V3)

“prepare” and then the object
 Some more Examples

a t
a w
h h
a c
By the end of this month, I willB
By next April, they will have bought a new house.

n i have started a new restaurant.

l o
S a
Before they arrive , we will have watched the movie.
Future Perfect Continuous Tense
When we are looking back to the past from a point ina t
a w
the future and

h h
we want to emphasise the length or duration of an activity or event:

a c
Subject + will have been + V1 + ing + Object

at the school for 20 years. i

B
n
For Example: In September the head teacher will have been teaching

Here, the subject l o

S a is “The head teacher” + will have been

It is followed by the first form of verb “teach”+ing and then the object
 Some more Examples

a t
• In November, I will have been working at my company for three

a w
years.

h h
c
• At five o'clock, I will have been waiting for thirty minutes.

B a
i
• When I turn thirty, I will have been playing piano for twenty-one years.

o n
l
• By 2001 I will have been living in London for sixteen years.

When I finisha
•
years. S this course, I will have been learning English for twenty

• Next year I will have been working here for four years.
 Questions

a t
a w
Riya _____ (wants/ wanting)to be a pilot.

h h
The dinner ______ (smells/smelling) great.

a c
She _______ (has been crying/cried) since last night.

i B
Give me a call when you ______ (have, had) time.

o n
I _______ (spent/spend) all my teenage years at math camp.

a l
S
When we were in the hostel we _____ (made/make) our own breakfast.

Sandhya is ________ (running/ran) for student election this semester.

He _____ (plays/playing) tennis most of his evening.

When you called, I was______ (taking/took) a shower.