Tense Rules in English:
1. Tenses Overview:
Tenses are used to express the time of an action, event, or condition. They are
divided into three main types: Present, Past, and Future. Each type has four forms:
Simple, Continuous, Perfect, and Perfect Continuous.
2. Tense-wise Structure and Examples:
a) Present Tense:
- Present Simple: Subject + base verb (+ s/es for third person singular)
Example: She writes a letter.
- Present Continuous: Subject + is/am/are + verb+ing
Example: She is writing a letter.
- Present Perfect: Subject + has/have + past participle
Example: She has written a letter.
- Present Perfect Continuous: Subject + has/have + been + verb+ing
Example: She has been writing a letter.
b) Past Tense:
- Past Simple: Subject + past verb form
Example: She wrote a letter.
- Past Continuous: Subject + was/were + verb+ing
Example: She was writing a letter.
- Past Perfect: Subject + had + past participle
Example: She had written a letter.
- Past Perfect Continuous: Subject + had been + verb+ing
Example: She had been writing a letter.
c) Future Tense:
- Future Simple: Subject + will/shall + base verb
Example: She will write a letter.
- Future Continuous: Subject + will/shall + be + verb+ing
Example: She will be writing a letter.
- Future Perfect: Subject + will/shall + have + past participle
Example: She will have written a letter.
- Future Perfect Continuous: Subject + will/shall + have been + verb+ing
Example: She will have been writing a letter.
3. Common Usage Tips:
- Use Present Simple for facts, habits, or universal truths. (e.g., The sun
rises in the east.)
- Use Past Simple for completed actions in the past. (e.g., I visited Paris last
year.)
- Use Future Simple for decisions or predictions. (e.g., I will call you
tomorrow.)
- Use Continuous forms to emphasize ongoing actions or progress. (e.g., She is
studying now.)
- Use Perfect forms to show completed actions related to another time. (e.g.,
She has finished her homework.)
4. Key Signal Words for Tenses:
- Present: always, often, sometimes, now, at the moment
- Past: yesterday, last week, in 2010, ago, when
- Future: tomorrow, next week, soon, in the future, by 2025
