Tense​

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Present Tense:​
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1. The Four Forms of Present Tense

Tense Type Usage Example

Present Simple Facts, habits, routines, general truths "She wakes up early."

Present Continuous Actions happening now or around now, "She is reading a book."
temporary actions

Present Perfect Actions that happened at an indefinite time "She has read two
but affect the present chapters."

Present Perfect Ongoing actions that started in the past and "She has been reading for
Continuous are still happening an hour."

2. Present Simple Tense

Usage:

✔ Habitual actions: "I wake up at 6 AM."​

✔ General truths: "The sun rises in the east."​
✔ Permanent situations: "She works at a bank."​
✔ Schedules & fixed arrangements: "Our flight leaves at 9 PM."​
✔ Stative verbs (like, love, know, believe): "I like coffee."

Structure:

Type Structure Example

Positive Subject + V1 (s/es for he/she/it) "He works hard."

 Negative Subject + do/does not + V1 "She does not work on Sundays."

Question Do/Does + Subject + V1? "Does she work here?"

✔ Spelling Rules for Verbs:

●​ Add -s: cook → cooks

●​ Verbs ending in -ss, -sh, -ch, -x → Add -es: wash → washes
●​ Verbs ending in consonant + y → Drop y, add -ies: try → tries
●​ Irregulars: have → has, do → does, go → goes

3. Present Continuous Tense

Usage:

✔ Actions happening now: "I am writing notes."​

✔ Temporary situations: "She is staying with friends."​
✔ Trends or changes: "The prices are rising."​
✔ Annoying habits (with "always"): "He is always complaining."

Structure:

Type Structure Example

Positive Subject + is/am/are + V1 + ing "She is working."

Negative Subject + is/am/are not + V1 + ing "He is not studying."

Question Is/Am/Are + Subject + V1 + ing? "Is she reading?"

✔ Spelling Rules for Verbs:

●​ Drop -e, add -ing: take → taking

●​ Double final consonant if CVC pattern: sit → sitting
●​ -ie → -y + ing: tie → tying

4. Present Perfect Tense

Usage:

✔ Past action with a present result: "I have lost my keys."​

✔ Unfinished action (still true now): "She has lived here for 5 years."​
✔ Experiences: "Have you ever been to Paris?"​
✔ Recent actions (with "just", "already", "yet"): "She has just finished her work."

Structure:

Type Structure Example

Positive Subject + have/has + past participle "She has read the book."

Negative Subject + have/has not + past participle "He has not finished his homework."

Question Have/Has + Subject + past participle? "Has she completed the task?"

✔ Time Expressions Used:

●​ Just (recently): "I have just arrived."

●​ Already (earlier than expected): "She has already left."
●​ Yet (negative & questions): "He hasn't finished yet."
●​ Since (starting point) / For (duration): "I have lived here since 2010 / for 10 years."
●​ Ever (questions): "Have you ever been to Italy?"
●​ Never (negative experiences): "I have never seen snow."

✔ Been to vs. Gone to:

●​ "She has been to France." (She went and returned.)

●​ "She has gone to France." (She is still there.)

5. Present Perfect Continuous Tense

Usage:

✔ Actions that started in the past and are still happening: "I have been reading for an hour."​
✔ Actions that just stopped but have evidence: "You have been crying (eyes are red)."​
✔ Emphasizing duration: "She has been working here for 5 years."

Structure:
 Type Structure Example

Positive Subject + have/has been + V1 + ing "She has been studying since morning."

Negative Subject + have/has not been + V1 + ing "He has not been working recently."

Question Have/Has + Subject + been + V1 + ing? "Has she been studying?"

✔ Time Expressions Used:

●​ For (duration): "He has been working for 3 hours."

●​ Since (starting point): "She has been reading since morning."
●​ Lately / Recently: "I have been feeling tired lately."

6. Key Differences Between Present Tenses

Present Simple Present Continuous Present Perfect Present Perfect Continuous

Habitual actions Actions happening Past actions affecting Actions continuing from past
now present to present

"She reads "She is reading now." "She has read 5 books." "She has been reading for an
books." hour."

"Water boils at "The water is boiling "She has just finished "She has been working since
100°C." now." her work." morning."

7. Key Tense Rules to Remember

✔ Use Simple Present for permanent truths & habits → "I work at a bank."​
✔ Use Present Continuous for temporary situations & current actions → "I am working on a project
now."​
✔ Use Present Perfect for actions affecting the present or continuing till now → "I have lived here
for 5 years."​
✔ Use Present Perfect Continuous for ongoing actions & emphasis on duration → "I have been
working since morning.​
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Past Tense:​
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1. Simple Past (Completed action in the past)

✔ Formula: Subject + V2 (past form)​

✔ Use:

●​ A finished action (She visited Paris last year.)

●​ Past habits (He played football every weekend.)​
✔ Negative: Subject + didn’t + V1 (She didn’t visit Paris.)​

🔹
✔ Question: Did + Subject + V1? (Did she visit Paris?)​
Time words: yesterday, last week, two days ago, in 1990

2. Past Continuous (Ongoing action at a specific time in the past)

✔ Formula: Subject + was/were + V-ing​

✔ Use:

●​ Ongoing action (I was studying at 8 PM.)

●​ Two simultaneous actions (She was reading while I was cooking.)
●​ Interrupted action (She was sleeping when the alarm rang.)​
✔ Negative: Subject + was/were + not + V-ing (She wasn’t sleeping.)​

🔹
✔ Question: Was/Were + Subject + V-ing? (Was she sleeping?)​
Signal words: while, when, at that moment

3. Past Perfect (One action happened before another in the past)

✔ Formula: Subject + had + V3 (past participle)​

✔ Use:

●​ Earlier past event (She had finished dinner before the movie started.)
●​ Cause & effect (He was late because he had missed the bus.)​
✔ Negative: Subject + had not + V3 (She hadn’t finished dinner.)​

🔹
✔ Question: Had + Subject + V3? (Had she finished dinner?)​
Signal words: before, after, already, just, by the time

4. Past Perfect Continuous (Ongoing action before another past action)

✔ Formula: Subject + had been + V-ing​
✔ Use:

●​ Action continuing before another event (She had been studying for hours before the test.)
●​ Cause & effect (He was tired because he had been running.)​
✔ Negative: Subject + had not been + V-ing (She hadn’t been studying.)​

🔹
✔ Question: Had + Subject + been + V-ing? (Had she been studying?)​
Signal words: for, since, before, until

Quick Trick to Remember

Simple Past → Completed action (I ate lunch.)​

Past Continuous → Ongoing in the past (I was eating lunch when she called.)​
Past Perfect → Happened before another past event (I had already eaten when she arrived.)​
Past Perfect Continuous → Action continuing before another past action (I had been eating for 10
minutes before she arrived.)

📌 Tip: Look for time clues like when, while, before, after, already, and for/since to choose the
correct tense!

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Future Tense:​
1. Simple Future Tense

●​ Usage: Actions that will happen in the future.

●​ Structure:
○​ Positive: Subject + will + base verb (I will eat.)
○​ Negative: Subject + will not (won’t) + base verb (I won’t eat.)
○​ Question: Will + subject + base verb? (Will I eat?)
●​ "Going to" Form:
○​ Positive: Subject + am/is/are + going to + base verb (She is going to travel.)
○​ Negative: Subject + am/is/are + not + going to + base verb.
○​ Question: Am/Is/Are + subject + going to + base verb?

Uses of "Will":

●​ Predictions (It will rain tomorrow.)

●​ Willingness (I’ll help you.)
●​ Spontaneous decisions (I’ll call him now.)
●​ Orders (You will do your homework.)
●​ Promises (I’ll return the book tomorrow.)

Uses of "Going to":

 ●​ Prior plans (We are going to visit grandma.)
●​ Predictions based on evidence (Look at the sky! It’s going to rain.)

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2. Future Continuous Tense

●​ Usage: Action that will be happening at a specific time in the future.

●​ Structure:
○​ Positive: Subject + will + be + verb (-ing) (She will be working at 6 PM.)
○​ Negative: Subject + will not (won’t) + be + verb (-ing).
○​ Question: Will + subject + be + verb (-ing)?
●​ Uses:
○​ Ongoing future action (At 5 PM, I will be studying.)
○​ Simultaneous future actions (I’ll be cooking while she is setting the table.)
○​ Polite questions (Will you be attending the meeting?)

3. Future Perfect Tense

●​ Usage: Action that will be completed before a specific time in the future.
●​ Structure:
○​ Positive: Subject + will + have + past participle (I will have finished the report by noon.)
○​ Negative: Subject + will not (won’t) + have + past participle.
○​ Question: Will + subject + have + past participle?
●​ Uses:
○​ Completion of an action before a future time (By 10 PM, she will have arrived.)
○​ Before another future action (I will have eaten before they come.)

4. Future Perfect Continuous Tense

●​ Usage: Action that will continue up to a certain point in the future.

●​ Structure:
○​ Positive: Subject + will + have + been + verb (-ing) (By next month, I will have been
working here for a year.)
○​ Negative: Subject + will not (won’t) + have + been + verb (-ing).
○​ Question: Will + subject + have + been + verb (-ing)?
●​ Uses:
○​ Duration of an action until a future point (By 2025, they will have been living here for 10
years.)
○​ Cause and effect (She will be tired because she will have been running for an hour.)
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Shall vs. Will

●​ Modern Usage: "Will" is preferred.

●​ Shall is used for:
○​ Offers (Shall I open the window?)
○​ Suggestions (Shall we go out?)
○​ Formal/literary situations​
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