Tenses

Simple Present Tense

 Verb Form:

Number Singular Plural

>
Person
1st I go. Do I go? I don’t go. We go. Do you go? We don’t go.
2nd You go. You go.
3rd He / She / It / Mohan / A Boy They / My friends go. Do they
goes. Does he go? He does not go? They do not go.
go.
 Usage:

 It expresses habitual, regular or repeated action. For example,

(1) Roger gets up at five in the morning.

(2) They go to church every Sunday.
(3) College begins at 10 o’clock.

 This tense is also used to express permanent or verifiable truths or facts. It

can also be used to those facts which are true at the time of speaking.

(1) The sun rises in the east.

(2) Calcutta stands on the banks of Hooghly.
(3) A platform ticket costs two rupees.

 This tense can sometimes be used to describe those actions which are
actually going on at the time of speaking the sentence. However, this usage
is restricted to running commentaries during sports events and
demonstrations.

(1) Ashok passes the ball to Avi and Avi throws it right on the stumps and
Mohan is out.
(2) Take four eggs and a pinch of salt. Beat the eggs in a bowl and then add
salt.

 To express feelings, emotions or mental activity at the present moment, this

tense is used.

(1) We love our country. (2) We believe in God.

(3) I hate beggars.

 If in the main clause Future Simple is used, Simple Present is used in the
subordinate clauses denoting condition and time.

(1) We shall get wet if it rains.

(2) You will get success if you try hard.
 This tense is used for future reference when we are talking about time-
tables, schedules etc. These may refer to examinations, train or bus
schedule, movie timings etc. For example,

(1) The bus leaves Agra at 6 p.m. and reaches Delhi at night.
(2) When does the college reopen?
(3) The movie starts at 3.00 pm.

Present Progressive Tense

 Verb Form:

Number Singular Plural

>
Person
1st I am going. Are you going? I We are going. Are we..? We aren’t
am not going. going.
2nd You are going. Are you going? You are going. Are you going? You
You aren’t… aren’t going.
3rd He / She / It is going. Is he They are going. Are they going?
going? He isn’t … They are not going.
 Usage:

 To describe an action that is in progress at the time of speaking. For

example,

(1) My father is reading the news paper.

 To describe temporary actions that are in progress and will be continued, but
not necessarily going on at moment of speaking.

(1) My father is writing a detective novel nowadays.

 To express an action that has been arranged to take place in the near future.
Also to express one’s immediate plans.

(1) I am meeting the PM tomorrow morning.

(2) He is visiting the town tomorrow.

 Note: The time of action must be generally mentioned (tomorrow, next

week etc.) and it is in the near future.

 The structure ‘am / is / are + going to + verb is also used to express the
subject’s intention or plan to perform a future action. It is also used to
express the speaker’s certainty about an event in the near future. This
certainty is based on some present indication.

(1) I am going to meet your principal tomorrow.

(2) Look at these dark clouds. It is going to rain.
 Present Perfect Tense
 Verb Form:

Number Singular Plural

>
Person
1st I have seen. Have you seen? I We have seen. Have you seen?
have not seen. We have not seen.
2nd You have seen. Have you You have seen. Have you seen?
seen? You haven’t seen. You haven’t seen.
3rd He / She / It / Mohan / A Boy They have seen. Have they seen?
has seen. Has he seen? He They haven’t seen.
hasn’t seen.

 Usage:

 This tense can also be used to express something that took place only a
short time ago. Adverbials like already, just, recently are used.

(1) The plane has just landed. (2) He has recently joined our office.

 This tense expresses an action which began in the past and is still
continuing. We usually use since and for after the verb with this use of the
present perfect tense. The use of an adverbial of duration is compulsory if
one wants to use this tense in continuative sense.

 For shows the length of time for which the action continued and since
shows a point of time in past as being the starting point of the action or
event.

He has lived in this house for twenty years. (& still lives here)
I haven’t slept since one o’clock in the morning. (Negative)

 Again the following adverbials go with Present Perfect Tense. For example,
So far, for two months, up to now, lately, all my life etc.

Present Perfect Progressive Tense

 Verb Form

Number Singular Plural

>
Person
1st I have been playing for an We have been playing. Have you
hour. Have you been playing? I been playing? We haven’t been
haven’t been playing. playing.
2nd You have been playing. Have You have been playing. Have you
you been playing? You haven’t been playing? You haven’t been
been playing. playing.
3rd He / She / It / Mohan / A Boy They / My friends have
has been playing. Has he been…Have they been…? They
been…? He hasn’t been. haven’t been...

 Usage:

 This tense expresses an action which began in the past and is still
continuing.

(1) I have been working in this college since 2002.

(2) He has been attending lectures regularly.

Simple Past Tense

 Verb Form

Number Singular Plural

>
Person
1st I went. Did I go? I didn’t go. We went. Did we go? We didn’t
go.
2nd You went. Did you go? You You went. Did you go. You didn’t
didn’t go. go.
3rd He / she / it went. Did he go? They went. Did they go? They
He didn’t go. didn’t go.

 Usage

 Just as simple present tense expresses a habit in the present, simple past
tense expresses a habit in the past. The verb may be accompanied by an
adverb like everyday or when-clause.

(1) He read a few chapters of the Gita every day.

(2) His mother gave him some pocket money when he was in school.

 The same meaning can be expressed by using used to and would. Would
carries the particular sense of ‘characteristic, predictable behaviour’.

(1) He used to play golf in that club but now he can’t afford it.
(2) He would wait for her outside her office (everyday).

 It can also talk about an action which occupied a period of time (State) in
the past which is now over.

(1) He lived in Delhi for ten years. (2) He served in this college for twenty
years.

 This tense may be used in the if-clauses to indicate hypothetical improbable

conditions. For example,
 (1) If he worked hard, he would pass the exam.
(2) If I went to the moon, I would bring a lunar rock for you.

 Adverbials that generally go with Simple Past Tense are: yesterday

(evening), last night / last Monday, a week / month ago, in the morning, on
Wednesday / in June / in 1974, at four o’clock and the other day.

Past Progressive Tense

 Verb Form

Number Singular Plural

>
Person
1st I was going. Was I going? I We were going. Were we going?
wasn’t going. We weren’t going.
2nd You were going. Were you You were going. Were you going?
going? You weren’t going. You weren’t going.
3rd He / she / it was going. Was They were going. Were they..?
he..? He wasn’t. They weren’t ...

 Usage

 The past progressive tense expresses an action that was in progress at a

point of time in the past, having begun before that point and probably
continuing after it. For example,

e.g. At seven o’clock this morning I was reading the newspaper.

 The point of time given in the earlier sentences can also be expressed by
using a when-clause with simple past tense. For example,

e.g. I was reading the news paper when a peon knocked at the door.

 The past continuous tense can describe two or more actions going on at the
same time; often the conjunction while is used to connect the clauses.

While some boys were reading in the library, the others were playing in the
playground.

Past Perfect Tense

 Verb Form

Number Singular Plural

>
Person
1st I had gone. Had I gone? I We had gone. Had we gone? We
hadn’t gone. hadn’t gone.
2nd You had gone. Had you gone? You had gone. Had you gone?
You hadn’t gone. You hadn’t gone.
3rd He / she / it had gone. Had he They had gone. Had they gone?
gone? He hadn’t gone. They hadn’t gone.

 Usage

 This tense is used when we want to emphasize the sequence of two actions
in the past, and when that earlier action has some relation to the later
action or situation. For example,

(1) Before we reached the station, the train had already left.
(2) When we reached the theatre the play had already begun.

 In each of these sentences there are two actions or events- both taking
place in the past, but one taking place earlier than the other. The two are in
some way related to each other. The earlier action or event in such cases is
expressed in the past perfect tense and the later in the simple past.

 Past perfect can also express an unfulfilled wish in the past.

I wish I had accepted the proposal. (But I didn’t and am sorry.)

 Past perfect can also talk about unfulfilled condition in the past.

If he had worked hard he would have passed the exam. (But he didn’t work
hard and so, couldn’t pass the exam.)

Past Perfect Progressive Tense

 Verb Form

Number Singular Plural

>
Person
1st I had been working. Had I We had been working. Had we been
been …? …?
I hadn’t been … We hadn’t been ...
2nd You had been working. Had You had been working. Had you
you been…? You hadn’t been been…? You hadn’t been ...
...
3rd He / she / it had been They had been working. Had they
working. Had he been …? He been …? They hadn’t been ...
hadn’t been ...

 Usage
 This tense expresses an action or event that had begun and was going on
up to a given point of time in the past when another action happened. For
example,

(1) The telephone had been ringing for five minutes but there was
nobody to attend to it.
(2) The girl had been playing outside till her parents arrived.

Simple Future Tense

 Verb Form

Number Singular Plural

>
Person
1st I will work. Will you work? I We will work. Will you work? We
won’t work … won’t work …
2nd You will work. Will you work? You will work. Will you work? You
You won’t work. won’t work.
3rd He / she / it will work. Will he They will work. Will they work?
/ Mohan work? He won’t work. They won’t work.

 Usage

 This tense is used to mention a planned future action, make a prediction or

express an opinion about something over which one does not have any
control. For example,

(1) I shall return your notebooks on Monday.

(2) It will rain in the evening.

 Will is also used to express willingness to do something. For example,

Don’t worry. I will drop you at the station.

Future Progressive Tense

 Verb Form

Number Singular Plural

>
Person
1st I will be working. Will you be We will be working. Will you be
working? I won’t be working … working? We won’t be working
…
2nd You will be working. Will you be You will be working. Will you be
working? You won’t be working. working? You won’t be working.
3rd He / she / it will be working. Will They will be working. Will they
he be working? He won’t be… be working? They won’t be
working.
 Usage

 This tense is used to express that one will be in the middle of doing
something at a certain time in the future. For example,

(1) She will be traveling tomorrow morning.

(2) We shall be playing football at 4 o’clock on Monday.

Future Perfect Tense

 Verb Form:

Number Singular Plural

>
Person
1st I will have finished. Will you We will have finished. Will you
have finished? I won’t have have finished? We won’t have
finished … finished.
2nd You will have finished. Will you You will have finished. Will you
have finished? You won’t have have finished? You won’t have
finished. finished.
3rd He / she / it will have finished. They will have finished. Will they
Will he have finished? He won’t have finished? They won’t have
have finished. finished.

 Usage

 This tense expresses an action which is expected to be completed by a

certain point of time in the future.

For example,

I will have completed this book by the end of this year.

The play will have ended by 8 o’clock.