Important Rules of Tenses:
Below mentioned are some important rules and the most common errors of Tenses
in English Grammar:
1) Do not get confused between the use of Present continuous tense and Present
perfect continuous Tense. To indicate an action which started in the past has gone
on till the present and is still continuing, we use the present perfect continuous
tense. Using 'Present continuous tense in such sentences is incorrect. For example:
Incorrect: It is raining for two days.
Correct: It has been raining for two days.
Incorrect: The baby is sleeping for three hours now.
Correct: The baby has been sleeping for three hours now.
2) Do not get confused between present perfect tense/the past perfect tense
and simple past tense. In a sentence, with adverbs of past time like, 'last week', 'last
Monday', 'yesterday', 'last night' etc, always use simple past tense. Using Present
perfect tense is incorrect in these sentences. The present perfect tense is to denote
an action that continued in present too. The past perfect tense is only used to talk
about the earlier of two past actions. For example:
Incorrect: I have seen him yesterday.
Incorrect: I had seen him yesterday.
Correct: I saw him yesterday.
Incorrect: He has returned from Paris last week.
Incorrect: He had returned from Paris last week.
Correct: He returned from Paris last week.
3) When in a sentence, the verb in the main clause is in the future tense, then the
verb in the subordinate clause must be in the present tense and not in the future
tense.
Incorrect: I will call you when the dinner will be ready.
Correct: I will call you when the dinner is ready.
Incorrect: He will help if you will ask him.
Correct: He will help if you ask him.
4) If something has happened some time ago, then always use 'Simple Past tense'
to indicate such activity. Often students use past perfect tense in such cases, which
is incorrect. For example:
Incorrect: I had been to New York recently.
Correct: I went to New York recently.
Incorrect: I had written to him last week.
Correct: I wrote to him last week.
Incorrect: We had gone to the pictures last night.
Correct: We went to the pictures last night.
5) The sentences which indicate that something started in the past and continued up
until another time in the past, always use Past perfect continuous tense. Many
students often use past continuous or Simple past in such sentences, which is
incorrect to use. For example:
Incorrect: He said that he was suffering from fever for three days.
Correct: He said that he had been suffering from fever for three days.
Incorrect: The man complained that his watch was stolen.
Correct: The man complained that his watch had been stolen.
Incorrect: The doctor concluded that the man died twelve hours ago.
Correct: The doctor concluded that the man had died twelve hours ago.
I. Complete the following sentences using a present simple or a present
continuous
1. I …………………. on my computer at the moment. (work)
2. Shyam …………………… TV. (watch)
3. My daughter ……………….. to watch cartoon shows on TV. (like)
4. My friend ………………… better than I do. (drive)
5. I ………………….. now. I will call you back later. (drive)
6. Susie …………………….. English very well. (speak)
7. Martin …………………… at a bank. (work)
8. Maya ………………… at a public school. (teach)
9. What ………………. you ………………. there? (do)
10. I ………………… my lessons. (learn)
11. I ……………………. breakfast at 8.30. (have)
12. I ………………….. dinner now. (have)
13. My mother ………………….. delicious cookies. (make)
14. ‘Is the report ready yet?’ ‘No, I ………………… on it.’ (work)
15. The children …………………. in the garden. (play)
16. All children …………………. playing. (enjoy)
II. Choose the correct option-
Q1. I __________ working all afternoon and have just finished the assignment.
A have been
B had been
C shall be
D am
Q2. Rohan __________ the movie before he read the review.
A watches
B have watched
C had watched
D was watching
Q3. He __________ in the States but he still does not have a command over the
English language.
A have been living
B has been living
C have lived
D living
Q4. He __________ daily for a year now.
A exercises
B was exercising
C has been exercising
D have been exercising
Q5. Identify the tense used in the following sentence. “We are going to reach
the destination as scheduled.”
A Present continuous tense
B Future perfect continuous tense
C Future continuous tense
D Present perfect continuous tense
Q6. You and I __________ the obligations.
A am fulfilled
B has been fulfilling
C have fulfilled
D has fulfilled
Q7. Identify the tense used in the underlined phrase. “The weatherman
forecasted that it’s going to rain.”
A Present indefinite tense
B Future indefinite tense
C Future perfect continuous tense
D Present continuous tense
Q8. The technique of paraphrasing __________.
A are practised
B has to be practised
C have to be practised
D is practicing
Q9. Choose the present indefinite tense form of the sentence. “He had been
sleeping.”
A He has been sleeping.
B He had slept.
C He has slept.
D He sleeps.
Q10. Fill in the blank with the present perfect tense form of the verb given in
the bracket. “I __________ here for a month now.” (be)
A had been
B would have been
C have been
D have had been
III .Complete the following sentences using the correct form of the verbs given in
brackets.
(a) Poor fellow! I ……………………. (consider) him to be extremely unlucky.
(b) Research ……………………. (show) that cycling is a good exercise.
(c) My sister is a linguist. She ……………………. (speak) six languages fluently.
(d) Why ……………………. you ……………………. (not wear) your new dress?
(e) We ……………………. (always want) a house in the hills but we are unable to
decide the exact place.
(f) It ……………… (rain) quite heavily. You can’t go out just yet.
(g) I……………… (know) him for most of my life.
(h) ……………. the guests…………….. (arrive)?
(i) The sales figures…………… (increase) for some time, but this fortnight there
has
been an all-time high.
(j) She…………….. (drive) since the age of eighteen.
