Chapter no: 08

Tenses
Definition:
Tense is a term used in grammar to
indicate the time of the action or event.
Types and sub-types
Present.
1. Present Simple/Indefinite tense:
It is use to state that an action which occurs on
regular basis in present.
Formula:
S+V1+O ---------- Simple
S+do/does+not+V1+O------- Negative
Do/does+S+V1+O------- Interrogative
Do/does+S+not+V1+O? ---Negative Interrogative.
If the subject is third person singular, He, She, It,
add s/es with the first form of verb.
 Uses:
1. Habitual action
2. General truth
3. To express planned activities
4. To introduce quotations
Ex: my mom loves taking tea every
morning.
Honesty is the best policy.
My uncle arrives tomorrow.
Keats says,” a thing of beauty is joy
forever”.
Contd.
2. Present Continuous/Progressive tense.
The present continuous tense is used for actions
happening now or for an action that is
unfinished. An action which is in state of
continuous means it has not given any result.
Formula:
S+is/am/are+V4+O-----Continuous
S+is/am/are+not+V4+O—Negative
Is/am/are+S+V4+O---- Interrogative
Is/am/are+S+not+V4+O– Int.Negative
Use.
1. for an action going on at the time of
speaking.
2. For a temporary action.
3. for a future planned action.
Ex: kashif is helping her mother.
Naila is acting in the film.
We are visitng Taj mahal next week.
Contd.
3. Present Perfect Tense.
The present perfect is used to indicate a link between
the present and the past. The time of the action is
before now but not specified, and we are often more
interested in the result than in the action itself.
Formula:
S+has/have+V3+O----- perfect
S+has/have+not+V3+O– Negative
Has/have+S+V3+O--- Interrogative
Has/have+S+not+V3+O– Int. Negative
Uses:
1. for just completed action.
2. to express past action whose time is not
specific.
3. for an action started in the past and
continued upto now.
Ex: She has opened an account.
I have never seen her before.
Jabbar has worked in the college for ten
years.
Contd.
4. Present Perfect Continuous Tense.
The present perfect continuous tense (also known as
the present perfect progressive tense) shows that
something started in the past and is continuing at
the present time. 
Formula:
S+has/have+been+V4+O+Since/For+time
frame------------ P.P.C.T
S+has/have+not+Been+V4+O--- negative
Has/have+S+been+V4+O--- Interrogative
Has/have+S+not+been+V4+O– Int.negative
Uses:
1. for an action that began at sometime in
the past and is still going on.
I have been writing a book for 12 months.
She has been listening music since
morning.
Past
1. Past Simple/Indefinite Tense.
The simple past tense is used to talk about a
completed action in a time before now. The simple
past is the basic form of past tense in English. The
time of the action can be in the recent past or the
distant past and action duration is not important.
Formula:
S+V2+O----- Simple
S+did+not+V1+O------- Negative
Did+S+V1+O --------- Interrogative
Did+S+not+V1+O---- Interrogative negative
Uses:
1. for a past action with past time adverbs.
2. for a past discontinued habit

He went to England last year.

We visited Lahore last week.
He always talked about his success.
They often played football.
Contd.
2. Past Continuous/Progressive Tense.
The past continuous tense is used to describe actions that
began in the past and often continued for a short period of
time after the action started. This tense describes actions or
events that happened at a specific time in the past. These
actions are usually no longer happening at the time the
sentence is being said or written.
Formula:
S+was/were+V4+O---- Simple
S+was/were+not+V4+O--- Negative
Was/were+S+V4+O– Interrogative
Was/were+S+not+V4+O--- Int.negative
Uses:
1. for an action going on at sometime in the
past.
2. for a persistent habit in the past.

We were watching tv yesterday morning.

My uncle came when I was reading a novel.
He was always talking about his greatness.
She was often telling us about her husband.
Contd.
3. Past Perfect Tense.
The Past Perfect tense is quite an easy
tense to understand and to use. This tense
talks about the "past in the past“.
Formula:
S+had+V3+O---- Simple
S+had+not+V3+O– Negative
Had+S+V3+O--- Interrogative
Had+S+not+V3+O--- Int.negative
Uses:
1. to express one of the two past actions
which had completed earlier.
When i went to the airport, the plane had
taken off.
When they entered the classroom, the
teacher had started the lecture.
When I bought a new phone, I had paid
extra money to the seller.
Contd.
4. Past Perfect Continuous Tense.
The past perfect continuous tense (also known as
the past perfect progressive tense) shows that an
action that started in the past continued up until
another time in the past.
Formula:
S+had+Been+V4+O+since/for+time frame-----
simple
S+had+not+been+V4+O– Negative
Had+S+been+V4+O--- Interrogative
Had+S+not+been+V4+O---- Int.negative
Uses:
1.for an action which began and had been
on progress before another action started.

When I went to Islamabad in 2018, kashif

had been staying there for five years.
When I returned home, my brother had
been reading a novel since morning.
Future:
1.Future Simple/Indefinite Tense.
The simple future is a verb tense that's used
to talk about things that haven't happened
yet.
Formula:
S+will/shall+V1+O---- Simple
S+wil/shall+not+V1+O– Negative
Will/shall+S+V1+O--- Interrogative
Will/shall+S+not+V1+O– Int.negative
Uses:
1. for future actions

Ishall write a poetry.

You will meet him tomorrow.
Zubair will pay you the amount.
He will stay with us for another week.
Contd.
2. Future Continuous/Progressive Tense.
The simple future tense is a verb tense that
is used when an action is expected to occur
in the future and be completed.
Formula:
S+wil/shall+be+V4+O--- simple
S+will/shall+not+be+V4+O– Negative
will/shall+S+be+V4+O--- Interrogative
will/shall+S+not+be+V4+O--- Int.negative
Uses:
1. for an action going on in future.
2. for future planned action

When I go home she will be waiting for

me.
They will be selling tickets at railway
station.
He will be getting married next month.
Contd.
3. Future Prefect Tense.
Future Perfect Tense. Future Perfect Tense is
used to express an action which, the speaker
assumes, will have completed or occurred in the
future.
Formula:
S+will/shall+have+V3+O--- Simple
S+will/shall+not+have+V3+O--- Negative
Will/shall+S+have+V3+O--- interrogative
Will/shall+S+not+have+V3+O--- Int.Negative
Uses:
1. for a future completed action.

I shall have written the book by

tomorrow.

They will have reached home by next

week.
Contd.
4. Future Perfect Continuous Tense.
The future perfect continuous, also sometimes called
the future perfect progressive, is a verb tense that
describes actions that will continue up until a point in
the future.
Formula:
S+will/shall+have+been+V4+O+ since/for+ time
frame---- Simple
S+will/shall+not+have+been+V4+O– Negative
Will/shall+S+have+been+V4+O--- Interrogative
Will/shall+S+not+have+been+V4+O--- Int.negative
Uses:
1.for an action going on in future and it I
will continue to a certain time in future.

When she completes her mphil, she will

have been doing PhD for 2 years.

By next July, they will have been

submitting research papers for five years.