This document provides an overview of English tenses, including their structures, usages, and examples. It discusses the simple, continuous, perfect, and perfect continuous forms of the present, past, and future tenses. Key points include: - There are four types of tenses: simple, continuous, perfect, and perfect continuous. - Each tense has usages defined by time frames and temporal relationships between actions. - All tenses follow consistent verb structures and can be identified by their forms. - Examples are provided to illustrate the proper usage of each tense in sentences. - Exercises at the end test the reader's understanding of tense formation and application.

1. TENSES - Learn without tense
Compiled by
Chandra shekar Pendoti
M.A. English , B.Ed , TS-SET
Poet & Author
Youtube: chandrashekar’sspokenenglishclasses
FB page: Chandu English
chanduenglish.blogspot.com
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2. TENSE
• Every tense is divided into four
types
• Simple Tense
Continuous Tense
Perfect Tense
Perfect continuous Tense
I. Present
II. Past
III. Future
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3. Present & Past Simple
Present Simple Tense
(Subject+V1+….)
• Usages
• Universal truths
• Routine/regular/daily actions
• Fixed time tables & schedules
• Proverbs & sayings
• Commentaries
• News headlines
• Habitual actions
• Eg: He goes to office at 9 am.
Past Simple Tense
(Subject+V2+….)
• Usages
• Habitual/regular actions in the past
• Past situations/events that took
place in the past
• Eg: We visited the Ajantha caves
last year.
• For states in the past
• Eg : Indur had a glorious past.
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4. Present & Past Simple
Present Simple
• He plays chess(positive sentence)
• He does not play chess(negative sentence)
• Does he play chess?(Positive Yes/no ?)
• Yes, he plays chess.(positive answer)
• Does he not play chess?(negative Y/N ?)
• No, he does not play chess.(negative answer)
• When does he play chess ?(Positive Info ?)
• Why does he not play chess?(negative Info?)
• Chess is played by him.( Passive voice)
Past Simple
• He played chess
• He did not play chess.
• Did he play chess?
• Yes , he played chess.
• Did he not play chess?
• No, he did not play chess.
• When did he play chess?
• Why did he not play chess?
• Chess was played by him.
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5. Present Simple & Past Simple Tense
• Clue words
• Daily commonly
• Once/twice…. generally
• Often regularly
• Frequently
• Seldom
• Usually
• Always
• Never
• Every day/week/year/summer….
• Eg: He never goes to temple
• Clue words
• Yesterday
• Last
night/week/year/summer…..
• Any past year/time …..
• Eg: We visited the Red fort last
week.
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6. Present continuous Past Continuous
• Frame: Sub + am /is/are + present
participle(V4)+……
• Usages:
• 1. On going actions in present
• Eg: We are discussing grammar now.
• 2. for a temporary routine
• Eg: They are going home late this
week
• 3. Near future actions
• Eg: He is going to start a new business
• Frame: Sub + was/were + present participle
(V4)+……..
• Usages:
• 1. On going action in the past
• Eg: She was watching T.V.
2. If two activities took place in the past ,
longer activity should be written in Past
continuous and shorter activity in Past Simple
Eg: While he was going to college, he met his
friend.
Frame: When/while+ Past Continuous(longer
action)+…, Past Simple(shorter action)
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7. Present Continuous Past Continuous
• She is playing chess
• She is not playing chess
• Is she playing chess ?
• Yes, she is playing chess.
• Is she not playing chess ?
• No , she is not playing chess.
• Where is she playing chess ?
• Why is she not playing chess ?
• Chess is being played by her( passive
form)
• We were watching a movie.
• We were not watching a movie.
• Were we watching a movie?
• Yes , we were watching a movie.
• Were we not watching a movie ?
• No , we were not watching a movie.
• When were we watching a movie ?
• Why were we not watching a movie ?
• A movie was being watched by us.
( passive form)
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8. Present Continuous Past Continuous
• Clue words:
• Now
• Look
• Listen
• Now a days
• Don’t disturb me/him/us/her/them…
• Shhh…
• Eg : Don’t disturb them, they are
reading.
• Clue words
• While/when
• Eg: They were playing chess
• While she was watching T.V. ,
the power went off.
• When he was going to office ,he
saw an accident.
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9. Present Perfect Past Perfect
• Frame : Sub + have/has + Past participle (V3)+
……
Usages: just finished actions
• Eg : He has just finished his work.
• A past action that has relevance to the
present.
• Eg : We have been to Delhi three times.
• For states
• Eg: The market has been open for two
months.
• Situations that still exist.
• Eg: They have lived in Mallapur for three
years
• If there no specific time reference that took
• Frame : Sub+ had+ Past participle (V3)+….
• Usages
If two actions occurred in the past one after the
other ,first action should be written in PAST
PERFECT & later action in PAST SIMPLE.
• Eg : When he reached the stadium , Sachin
had already made a century.
• It is related to a moment in the past in the
same way that the present perfect is related
to the present moment, i.e. it describes an
action completed before some special past
moment we have in mind.
• Eg : He had already learnt English
• Clue words: when , before ,after……Page 9 of 17

10. Present perfect continuous Past Perfect Continuous
• Frame: Sub + have/has+ been +
present participle(V4)+…
• Usage : It is used to denote that an
action began in the past and still
continuing in the present.
• Eg: I have been learning English for
3 years.
• Clue words:
• Since : point of time
• For : period oftime
• Frame : Sub + had + been +
present participle ( V4) +….
• It is used to denote two actions
in the past , one showing the
duration of an action and
another showing when it came
to an end.
• Eg: He had been teaching before
he joined in politics.
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11. Future Simple Tense
• Frame : Sub + shall/will+ V1+……
• Usages: to express
unplanned/tentative actions.
• to express futurity
• Eg : I shall meet you tomorrow.
• He will publish a novel.
• Will not =won’t
• Shall not =shan’t
• She will write a poem
• She will not write a poem
• Will she write a poem ?
• Yes , she will write a poem
• Will she not write a poem ?
• No, she will write a poem
• When will she write a poem ?
• Why will she not write a poem ?
• A poem will be written by her.
( passive form)
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12. Future Simple Tense
• Clue words:
• Tomorrow
• Next week/month/year/winter….
• Any future year/time
• Eg: They will meet me next week.
• He will buy a car next summer.
• Rajamouli will start his next movie in June.
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13. Future Continuous Tense
• Frame : Subject + shall/will+ be+ V4+…….
• It is used to express that something will be happening at a point of
time.
• Eg: We shall be discussing grammar tomorrow at this time
• They will be constructing a building in this summer.
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14. Future Perfect Tense
• Frame : Subject + shall/will+ have + past participle ( V3)+…….
• It is used to express something will have happened or end at a
particular point of time.
• Eg: I will have constructed the building by 2022.
• They will have completed their degree by 2023.
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15. Future Perfect Continuous Tense
• Frame : Subject + shall/will + have + been + V4+……
• It is used to express that something begins to happen in future and
will be progress at point of time.
• Eg: He will have been reading a play.
• They will have been constructing a bridge for next 2 years.
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16. Structures of all Tenses
• Present Simple: Sub + V1+….
• Present Continuous : Sub +
am/is/are+V4+…..
• Present Perfect: Sub + have/has+V3+
…..
• Present Perfect Continuous: Sub+
have/has+been+V4+….
• Future Simple: Sub + shall/will+V1+…..
• Future Continuous : Sub +
shall/will+be+V4+…..
• Past Simple : Sub + V2+…..
• Past Continuous : Sub +
was/were+V4+….
• Past Perfect : Sub+had+V3+….
• Past Perfect Continuous:
Sub+had+been+V4+……
• Future Perfect: Sub +
shall/will+have+V3+…….
• Future Perfect Continuous : Sub +
shall/will+have+been+V4+….
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17. Exercise
Fill in the blanks with correct form of verbs.
Chandu …….(live) in Mallapur.
Gouthami…….(learn) English now.
Pinky…….(write) exams last week.
Rishishwar ……….(become) an IAS officer in 2030.
While I ………(teach) ,principal ………(come) to class.
When we ………(reach) the cinema , the movie……….(start).
Before the doctor …………(reach) the operation theatre, the patient ……….(die)
Lately they………(shift) to Delhi.
So far we ………..(complete) tenses.
I …………….(construct) a house by 2022.
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