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Tense

Tense refers to the verb form that indicates the time of an action, categorized into Present, Past, and Future, each with four aspects: Simple, Continuous, Perfect, and Perfect Continuous. The document outlines the structure and usage of each tense and aspect, providing examples for clarity. A summary table is included to illustrate the various tenses and their corresponding examples.

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18 views4 pages

Tense

Tense refers to the verb form that indicates the time of an action, categorized into Present, Past, and Future, each with four aspects: Simple, Continuous, Perfect, and Perfect Continuous. The document outlines the structure and usage of each tense and aspect, providing examples for clarity. A summary table is included to illustrate the various tenses and their corresponding examples.

Uploaded by

salisfatima621
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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TENSES

Definition of Tense

Tense is the form of a verb that indicates the time of the action or state expressed by the verb. There are

three main tenses in English: Present, Past, and Future. Each is further divided into four aspects: Simple,

Continuous, Perfect, and Perfect Continuous.

1. Present Tense

a) Simple Present:

Use: Habitual actions, general truths

Structure: Subject + base verb (+s/es for he/she/it)

Example: She reads every night.

b) Present Continuous:

Use: Actions happening now

Structure: Subject + am/is/are + verb+ing

Example: I am studying now.

c) Present Perfect:

Use: Past actions relevant to the present

Structure: Subject + has/have + past participle

Example: She has visited Paris.

d) Present Perfect Continuous:

Use: Action started in past and continuing

Structure: Subject + has/have been + verb+ing


Example: They have been living here for years.

2. Past Tense

a) Simple Past:

Use: Completed actions in the past

Structure: Subject + past verb

Example: I went to the market.

b) Past Continuous:

Use: Ongoing past actions

Structure: Subject + was/were + verb+ing

Example: He was sleeping at 10 PM.

c) Past Perfect:

Use: Past action before another past action

Structure: Subject + had + past participle

Example: She had left before I arrived.

d) Past Perfect Continuous:

Use: Duration of past action before another past event

Structure: Subject + had been + verb+ing

Example: He had been working all day.

3. Future Tense
a) Simple Future:

Use: Actions that will happen Structure:

Subject + will + base verb Example: I

will call you tomorrow.

b) Future Continuous:

Use: Ongoing action at a future time Structure:

Subject + will be + verb+ing Example: He will

be sleeping at 11 PM.

c) Future Perfect:

Use: Completed before a point in the future

Structure: Subject + will have + past participle

Example: I will have finished by noon.

d) Future Perfect Continuous:

Use: Duration of action before a future point

Structure: Subject + will have been + verb+ing

Example: He will have been studying for 3 hours by 5 PM.

Summary Table

Tense | Example

Simple Present | She plays tennis.


Present Continuous | She is playing tennis.

Present Perfect | She has played tennis.

Present Perfect Continuous | She has been playing tennis.

Simple Past | She played tennis.

Past Continuous | She was playing tennis.

Past Perfect | She had played tennis.

Past Perfect Continuous | She had been playing tennis.

Simple Future | She will play tennis.

Future Continuous | She will be playing tennis.

Future Perfect | She will have played tennis.

Future Perfect Continuous| She will have been playing tennis.

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