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Tenses
The tenses a sentence indicates the time in which a verb is
located. The tense also indicates the state or action of the
verb. A change in the tense brings about a change in the form
of the verb.
There are three types of tenses:
Present tense: I see.
Past tense: I saw.
Future tense: I will see.

Each tense can further assume four different forms:

(a) Simple
(b) Continuous / Progressive
(c) Perfect
(d) Perfect continuous / Perfect progressive.
The tense in the sentence indicates the time and the form of
the verb indicates the relationship of the verb to that time.
Accordingly, a verb can assume twelve different forms.

TENSE

PRESENT

PAST

FUTURE

Simple

I watch

I watched

I shall watch

Continuous / Progressive

I am watching

I was watching

I shall be watching

Perfect

I have watched

I had watched

I shall have watched

Perfect Continuous / Progressive

I have been watching

I had been watching

I shall have been watching

A. PRESENT TENSE
1. SIMPLE PRESENT TENSE
Examples:

Indicates permanent situation.

I work for market research organisation.

Indicates a habitual activity.

I swim early in the morning every day.

Indicates a future activity.

His bus arrives at 6.00 p.m.

Indicates general truths.

The earth is a sphere.

Expresses exclamatory sentences.

There goes my money!

Used as a verb of thinking.

We remember the bygone days.

Used as a verb of emotion

I like my school.

Used as a verb of appearing.

Ram looks untidy.

Used as a verb of perception.

Used as the verb "have" to indicate possession.

I feel some pain.

We own this bungalow.

Used in clauses of time and condition.

Mary waits for him longer and does not leave till he
comes.

Used to speak about a series of completed events. First I take some clay and apply some water.
(demonstrations, instructions, commentaries)

2. PRESENT CONTINUOUS TENSE

Present continuous tense is used to speak about temporary events that are in progress now or before, after and during the time
of speaking.
Examples:
1. Why are you screaming?
2. He is playing on the ground at the moment.
3. What is she doing? She is reading a book.

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Indicates an activity that takes place at the time of speaking.

Rita is riding a bicycle.

Indicates an activity that is about to take place in the near future.

Mr. Singh is leaving for Switzerland tomorrow.

Indicates an activity that does not necessarily continue at the time

of speaking.

Sam is missing his mother.

Indicates an activity that persists.

Her children are always screamings.

Indicates repeated action.

Why are you beating the boy?

3. PRESENT PERFECT TENSE

Examples:

Indicates an activity that started in the past and still

continues in the present

I have been absent for three weeks.

Indicates the effect of an action in the past rather than

the action.

The company has terminated their contract with us.

Indicates an activity that ended in the recent past.

The train has just left.

Indicates an activity in the past without any definite

indication of time.

Have you decided to leave Delhi?

Used in questions.

Have the hunters noticed the leopard yet?

Used in negative sentences.

There has been no trace of the leopard so far.

Indicates a finished event with the words like already,

never, recently, before ect. Used to indicate "up to now"
or "at some time".

They have already watched the film.

They have never been to Bombay.

4. PRESENT PERFECT CONTINUOUS TENSE

i. The present perfect continuous tense describes an activity that starts in the past and continues in the present.
Examples:
1. I have been waiting for the bus for an hour.
2. She has been painting the picture for five hours.
ii. Present perfect continuous is used to indicate events or action that have just ended.
Examples:
1. I must wash myself. I have been building sand castles.
2. You look out of breath. Have you been running?
iii. Present perfect continuous is used with words like lately, recently, since, this week, etc. to indicate a time period continuing
up to this moment.
Examples:
1. I have been working on the assignment since January.
2. Sam has been fasting for the last four days.
iv. Present perfect continuous is used for continuous or repeated events.
Examples:
1. They press has been standing outside the gate all day.
2. I have been phoning Ravi all evening.

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B. PAST TENSE
1. SIMPLE PAST TENSE
Simple past tense is used for different types of past activities.
a. Indicates an activity that ended in past with the time implied
Examples:
He is jailed because he committed a robbery.
b. Indicated an activity that ended in the past and contains
adverbs/ adverb phrases of past time.
Examples:
A man met me on the road yesterday.
c. Indicates an activity that presisted in the past.
Examples:
We always went to the theatre together.

MAIN CLAUSE
PAST PERFECT
First action
I had gone

STRUCTURE
SUBORDINATE CLAUSE
SIMPLE PAST
Second action
before he came

MAIN CLAUSE
SIMPLE CLAUSE
Second action
He came

SUBORDINATE CLAUSE
PAST PERFECT
First action
after I had gone

i. It is used to describe something that had already taken place

at the time (past) it is being talked about.
Examples:
1. During our meeting I realized that I had seen the minister
before.

2. PAST CONTINUOUS TENSE

i. Past continuous tense describes an activity that was in
progress in the past for some time with or without the
implication of time.
Examples:
1. The ducks were basking in the sun.
2. We were clearing the house for five hours.
ii. Past continuous tense describes persistent habits in the
past when used with continually and always.
Examples:
1. They were continually fighting with each other.
2. I was always of dreaming.
iii. Past continuous tense is used to describe actions and
situations that are shorter or temporary. Permanent activities
assume a simple tense.
Examples:
1. It took place while she was living in India last year. (Past
continuous tense)
2. I lived in India for fifteen years. (Simple past tense)
3. Suzy was playing on the beach till sunset. (Past
continuous tense)
4. Suzy played on the beach every evening. (Simple past
tense)

ii. Past perfect tense is used after past verbs of thinking and
saying.
Examples:
1. She told me that she had finished.
2. We wondered who had seen the ghost.
3. I thought I had returned the book a week earlier.
iii. Past perfect tense is used to describe past events that did
not take place.
Examples:
1. If had accepted my fault, he would have forgiven me.
2. I wish she had spoken to me first.
iv. Past perfect tense is used to state how long a particular
event continued in the past.
Examples:
1. He told me that his mother had been ill since Monday.
2. I was heartbroken to discard my watch. I had had is
since school.
v. Past perfect is used to indicate two events, one of which took
place before the other. One event is stated in past perfect tense
and the other in simple past.
Examples:
1. The people had noticed the thief as he did behind the
bush.
2. She had switched off the lights when Ravi entered.
4. PAST PERFECT CONTINUOUS TENSE

3. PAST PERFECT TENSE

Past perfect basically means earlier past. It is used to take a
step back into the past when the past is already being
discussed.
It is used to describe an action which happened before
another past action. It is used in main clauses as well as in
subordinate clauses.

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Past perfect continuous tense is used to describe an event

that had continued up to the past time that we are speaking
about.
Examples:
1. When I found Rita I could see that she had been studying.
2. He went to the doctor because he had been vomiting.
i.
Past perfect continuous is used to state how long an event
had been taking place up to a past time.
Examples:
1. They had been travelling since five weeks and they
were hungry.
2. When he arrived, he had been walking for ten hours.
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ii. Past perfect continuous tense is used to describe actions and situations that the shorter or temporary. Permanent activities
assume a past perfect tense.
Examples:
1. My hands were stiff because i had been carrying heavy bags for a long time. (Past perfect continuous tense)
2. I had carried the burden of being irresponsible man since years. (Past perfect tense)
3. I had been watching horror movies all afternoon. (Past perfect continuous tense)
4. I had watched all the horror movies directed by Bridgmna

C. FUTURE TENSE
1. SIMPLE FUTURE TENSE
i. A simple future tense is used to provide information about the future.
Examples:
1. It will be winter soon.
2. Will all your friends be at the party?
3. The company will begin operations next month.
ii. A future tense, especially will and shall, is used to indicate conditional events.
Examples:
1. Rita will not pass the exam if she does not study.
2. If it is not too cold, we will have a party on the lawn.
iii. W ill/shall is also used to indicate requests, orders, promises, threats and offers.
Examples:
1. I will kill him!
2. Shall I open the door?
3. Will you see me tomorrow at eight?
2. FUTURE CONTINUOUS TENSE
i. Future continuous tense is used to indicate an event that will be going on at some time in the future.
Examples:
1. This time next week I will be holidaying in Germany.
2. Have a happy journey. We will be missing you.
ii. Future continuous tense is used to indicate an event that is expected to happen or decided.
Examples:
1. Raj will be performing a dance next week.
2. I will be meeting him one of these days, I expect.
iii. Future continuous tense is used to indicate that a particular decision about an event is not made but it will take place anyway.
Examples:
1. Shall I bring your shirt? Its okay. I will be meeting the tailor anyway.
3. FUTURE PERFECT TENSE
Future perfect tense is used to indicate that an event will be complete or finished by a certain moment in the future.
Examples:
1. The principal says that he will have started extra classes for the weak students by Monday.
2. I will have earned a lot of money by the end of this month.
Shall can be used after I and we instead of will.
Examples:
1. I shall have earned a lot of money by the end of this month.
2. We shall have created a new record after we win this match.
4. FUTURE PERFECT CONTINUOUS TENSE
Future perfect continuous tense is used to indicate a continuous action.
Examples:
1. By January, you shall have been working as a teacher for three years.
2. By March, Mr. Raj will have been working with us for a year.

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