General English

Basic Grammar

TENSE
There are mainly three types of tenses
1. Present (2) Past (3) Future
Eg : He works –––––– Present
He worked –––––– Past
He will work –––––– Future
Each tense has 4 different forms
(1) Simple
(2) Continuous
(3) Perfect
(4) Perfect Continuous
Let’s examine carefully each tense forms
(1) Simple Present
(1) Simple present is used to express habitual actions and universal truths.
Eg : John likes flowers
Many drinks coffee everyday
Stars twinkle in the sky
In simple present, if the subject, is singular we use does with the main verb, if it is plural, we use do and if it is
“I” we use do.
Eg : I work
He works
They work
Simple present is also used to express a pre-planned future.
Eg : He comes here next month
He resigns next week
The flight takes off at 7.30 p.m.
(2) Simple Past (Sub + Past tense)
It is used to express a past completed action.
Eg : He came here yesterday
They passed the exam in 1990.
Last year, last week, last day, previous years should be expressed in simple past tense.
Wrong : They have passed the exam in 1990
Right : They passed the exam in 1990
When we add did with the root form of the verb, we get the past tense.
Simple Future ( Sub + will / shall + root form)
It is used to express a future event
Eg : He will come tomorrow
They will do it
If the subject is Ist ( I, or we) person we use shall with the verb and IInd or 3rd person we use will.
I shall come
We shall come
They will come
(4) Present Continuous (Sub + is / am / are + ing form of the verb)
It is used to express actions that are going on at the time of speaking
Eg : They are playing
We are writing
I am reading
5. Past Continuous
(1) To denote an action going on at some time in the past.
eg : John was reading a book
Mary was playing chess
 (2) For persistent habits in the past
Incorrect : She always played chess.
The use of always tells us that the habit is persistent, or rather was persistent, because played suggests
that it is the past, not the present, that is being talked about.
Correct : She was always playing chess.
6. Future Continuous
To express an action as going on at sometime in future.
Eg: When we reach there, they will be reading a book.
This sentence suggests that when we make our entry there, the action of reading will be going on at that moment
in future.
When we reach there, they will sleep
Here it means that the action will start only after our reaching.
7. Present Perfect
To express actions that are completed in the immediate past.
eg : - He has come (just come)
They have had their lunch
She has written the novel
In correct : They just went out
Correct : They have just gone out
The present perfect is never used with adverbs of past time. In such cases the past simple should be used. In
correct.Eg : Tendulkar has scored a century last day
Correct : Tendulkar scored a century last day.
8. Past Perfect
(1) To describe an action completed before a certain moment in the past.
eg :- He had written a poem even before he was 15 years old.
(2) If two actions happened in the past, the first action should be expressed in past perfect and the second
action in simple past.
Eg : When we reached the theatre, the show had already begun.
9. Future Perfect
To indicate the completion of an action by a certain future time.
eg : She will hve completed the course by next year
They will have done the work by 6 p.m.
10. Present Perfect Continuous
To express an action that started sometime in the past and still going on.
Eg : Tendulkar has been batting for the last one hour.
We have been staying here since 1999.
They have been learning English for 10 years.
Here for is used for a period of time and since is used for a point of time in the past.
11. Past Perfect Continuous
To express an action that began before a certain point in the past and continued upto that point.
eg : Gavaskar had been playing cricket for more than a decade when Tendulkar entered the Indian Team.
12. Future Perfect Continuous
To indicate an action represented as being in progress over a period of time that will end in the future.
Eg : When she gets married she will have been teaching for six years.

PRACTICE TEST
Direction : Choose the correct form of the verb to complete the sentences.
1. I am tired. I ––––– to bed now .
(1) is going (2) goes
(3) go (4) am going
2. The population of the world ––––– very fast.
(1) rises (2) rise
(3) is rising (4) rising
3. Mary ––––– French very well.
(1) is speaking (2) are speaking
(3) speaks (4) speak
4. The bank ––––– at. 9’o’ clock and ––––– at 18.30 everyday.
(1) is opening, is closing
(2) open, close
(3) opens, closes
(4) none of these
5. Bad driving ––––– many accidents.
(1) cause (2) causing
(3) causes (4) is causing
6. An interpreter ––––– from one language into another.
(1) translate (2) translater
(3) is translating (4) are translating
7. I ––––– cold.
(1) feel (2) feels
(3) am feeling (4) feeling
8. she ––––– to U.S. three months ago.
(1) has gone (2) went
(3) had (4) goes
9. Water ––––– at 1000C.
(1) boils (2) is boiling
(3) boiled (4) boiling
10. He ––––– live here 10 yrs back.
(1) used to (2) was used to
(3) is used to (4) uses to
11. I ––––– Mary in town yesterday but she ––––– me.

(1) was seeing, didn’t see.

(2) saw, didn’t see
(3) met, didn’t see
(4) None of these
12. Mary ––––– (wait) for me when I ––––– (arrive)
(1) waited, arrived
(2) was waiting, was waiting
(3) was waiting, arrived
(4) None of these
13. What ––––– this time yesterday ?
(1) were you doing?
(2) was you doing?(3) are you doing
(4) none of these
14. How fast ––––– (you / drive)
when the accident ––––– (happen).
(1) you were driving, happened ?
(2) were you driving, happened ?
(3) was you driving, happened ?
(4) were you driving was happening ?
15. John burned his finger while he ––––– dinner.
(1) cooked (2) is cooking (3) was cooking (4) cooking
16. Mary is looking for her spectacles she can’t find it. She –––––.
(1) lost the (2) had lost (3) have lost (4) has lost
17. No thanks, I ––––– lunch.
(1) have had (2) had (3) had had (4) none of these
18. I ––––– him today.
(1) didn’t see (2) haven’t seen (3) saw (4) None of these
19. This is the first time I ––––– I car.
(1) drove (2) have driven
(3) had driven (4) N.T.
20. I haven’t met him sice I ––––– school.
 (1) have left (2) left
(3) leave (4) leaves
21. Marry ––––– (learn) English for two years.
(1) has been learnt (2) has been learning
(3) have been learning (4) none of these
22. I –––––– for you all morning.
(1) have searched
(2) have been searching
(3) have been searching
(4) have been searched
23. India –––– independent since 1947.
(1) has (2) has been (3) had been (4) have been
24. India –––– independent in 1947.
(1) got (2) has got (3) have got (4) gets
25. When I went to John’s house, he was not there. He ______.
(1) was gone out (2) went out
(3) had gone out (4) was going out

ANSWERS
1. (4) 2. (1) 3. (3) 4. (3) 5. (3)
6. (1) 7. (1) 8. (2) 9. (1) 10. (1)
11. (2) 12. (3) 13. (1) 14. (2) 15. (3)
16. (4) 17. (1) 18. (2) 19. (4) 20. (2)
21. (2) 22. (3) 23. (2) 24. (2) 25. (3)