4. There are
three
Main tenses
The Present
The Past
The Future
EACH TENSE HAS FOUR FORMS
SIMPLE: Present, Past, Future
CONTINUOUS: Present, Past, Future
PERFECT: Present, Past, Future
PERFECT CONTINUOUS: Present, Past, Future
5. SIMPLE PRESENT TENSE
Present Form Of verb
OR
Present Form Of Verb
+
‘s’ or ‘es’
USES
Repeated Actions
Habitual Actions
Universal Truth
Examples:
1.I drink tea daily.
2. She drinks tea daily.
3. I sing well.
4. She sings well.
5. Honesty is the best policy.
6. Our school re-opens in July.
7. Ram doesn’t go to school .
8. I don’t like to read sad
stories.
9. Does he know the way?
10. Doesn’t he play rugby?
6. Simple Past Tense
Past Form Of Verb
Uses:
o PAST ACTION
o NARRATION OF STORIES
o DESCRIPTION OF SERIES OF
PAST EVENTS
Examples:
1. I / She received your
letter yesterday.
2. It rained last week.
3. She watched her brother
being awarded.
Simple Future Tense
Will + Present form of the Verb
Uses:
o FUTURE ACTIONS
Examples:
1. She will receive
your letter tomorrow.
2.It looks like it
will rain tomorrow.
3.She will watch her
brother being awarded.
7. PAST CONTINUOUS TENSE
Was, were + Present Participle
Uses:
To describe an action that
Was going on at a point of time, When
another action took place.
Examples:
1. It was raining at this time
yesterday.
2. She was watching her brother play
when the thieves entered the house.
3. He was typing in his office when the
fire broke out.
PRESENT CONTINUOUS
TENSE
Is, am, are + Present Participle
Uses:
To describe an action that :
Is happening at the moment of
speaking.
Going on over a period of time.
Examples:
1. It is raining.
2. She is watching her brother
play.
3. My sister is singing on the
stage.
8. PAST PERFECT TENSE
Had + Past Participle
Uses:
To describe an action that
had already taken place in
the past before another action
took place In the past.
Examples:
1. When I reached the station,
the train had left.
2. They had already pulled down
the old building before the
order
was given.
FUTURE PERFECT TENSE
Will/ shall have + Past
Participle
Uses:
To describe an action that
will be completed by
some point of time in the
future.
Examples:
1.He will have left before
you reach.
2. They will have cleaned
the streets in an hour.
PRESENT PERFECT TENSE
has/ have +Past Participle
Uses:
To describe an action:
Which has been completed
or done just now, near the
present time.
An action that has taken place
In the past, but the action has
Its effect In the present.
An action that began in the past,
and is continuing in the present.
Examples:
1. He has eaten all the biscuits.
2. He has lived here for ten years.
9. PRESENT PERFECT
CONTINUOUS
Has been/ have been
+
Present Participle
Use:
To describe an action
which began in the past but
Is still continuing in the
present.
Examples:
1. He has been sleeping for
five hours.
2. They have been working
since 9a.m.
PAST PERFECT
CONTINUOUS
Had been
+
Present Participle
Use:
To describe an action
that
began in the past and
continued in the past for
sometime.
Examples:
1. When I visited him, he
had been teaching there for five
years.
FUTURE PERFECT
CONTINUOUS
Will have been
+
Present Participle
Use:
To describe an action
That will be in
progress even after a
given point of time.
Examples:
1. By next December,
We will have been living
here for five years.
10. PRESENT TENSE
SIMPLE PRESENT
I/WE/THEY/YOU
READ.
SHE/HE/IT READS.
PRESENT PERFECT
CONTINUOUS
I/ WE/ THEY/YOU HAVE
BEEN READING +TIME.
SHE/HE/IT HAS BEEN
READING +TIME.
PRESENT PERFECT
I/WE/THEY/YOU
HAVE READ.
SHE/HE /IT HAS
READ.
PRESENT CONTINUOUS
I AM READING.
YOU/WE/THEY ARE
READING.
SHE/HE/IT IS READING.
12. FUTURE TENSE
FUTURE PERFECT
I/WE/YOU/SHE/HE/TH
EY WILL HAVE READ
THE BOOK BY NEXT
WEEK.
FUTURE PERFECT
CONTINUOUS
I/WE/YOU/SHE/HE/THE
Y WILL HAVE BEEN
READING THE BOOK
FOR FIVE DAYS ON
MONDAY.
SIMPLE FUTURE
I/WE/YOU/SHE/HE/THE
Y
WILL READ THE
BOOK TOMORROW.
FUTURE CONTINUOUS
I/WE/YOU/THEY/HE/SHE
WILL BE READING THE
BOOK SOON.
13. COMMON MISTAKES IN TENSES
1.It is raining since yesterday. X
It has been raining since yesterday.
2. I reached the station before the train had arrived. X
I had reached the station before the train arrived.
3. Yesterday we had seen the panther. X
Yesterday we saw the panther.
4. I had been playing a match.
I had been playing a match yesterday, so
couldn’t go out with my friends.