📘 Chapter: Tenses (English Grammar)

🧠 What is a Tense?

Tense refers to the time of action or state.

It tells when something happens: past, present, or future.

There are three main tenses, and each has four forms, making a total of 12 tenses.
🕒 Types of Tenses and Their Forms
Tense Simple Continuous Perfect Perfect Continuous
Present Present Simple Present Continuous Present Perfect Present
Perfect Continuous
Past Past Simple Past Continuous Past Perfect Past Perfect Continuous
Future Future Simple Future Continuous Future Perfect Future Perfect
Continuous
✅ 1. Present Tense
🔹 a) Simple Present Tense

Use:

General truth

Daily habits/routines

Universal facts

Structure:

✅ Subject + base verb (+ s/es)

❌ Do/does + subject + base verb?

Examples:

She goes to school.

The sun rises in the east.

Do you like ice cream?

🔹 b) Present Continuous Tense

Use:

Action happening now

Temporary action

Structure:

✅ Subject + is/am/are + verb+ing

❌ Is/Am/Are + subject + verb+ing?

Examples:

I am reading a book.

They are playing cricket.

 Is she coming to class?

🔹 c) Present Perfect Tense

Use:

Action just finished

Past action with present result

Structure:

✅ Subject + has/have + past participle (V3)

❌ Has/Have + subject + V3?

Examples:

She has finished her homework.

We have visited the museum.

🔹 d) Present Perfect Continuous Tense

Use:

Action started in the past and still continuing

Structure:

✅ Subject + has/have been + verb+ing

❌ Has/Have + subject + been + verb+ing?

Examples:

I have been studying since morning.

They have been working for 3 hours.

✅ 2. Past Tense
🔹 a) Simple Past Tense

Use:

Completed action in the past

Structure:

✅ Subject + V2 (past form)

❌ Did + subject + base verb?

Examples:

He went to Delhi yesterday.

I ate lunch at 2 PM.

🔹 b) Past Continuous Tense

Use:

Ongoing action in the past

Interrupted past action

Structure:

✅ Subject + was/were + verb+ing

❌ Was/Were + subject + verb+ing?

Examples:

She was watching TV.

They were playing football.

🔹 c) Past Perfect Tense

Use:

Action completed before another past action

Structure:

✅ Subject + had + V3

❌ Had + subject + V3?

Examples:

He had left before I came.

They had finished the work.

🔹 d) Past Perfect Continuous Tense

Use:

Action that was happening in the past for a duration before something else

Structure:

✅ Subject + had been + verb+ing

❌ Had + subject + been + verb+ing?

Examples:

She had been waiting for an hour.

I had been reading that book since last week.

✅ 3. Future Tense
🔹 a) Simple Future Tense
 Use:

Action that will happen in the future

Structure:

✅ Subject + will/shall + base verb

❌ Will/Shall + subject + base verb?

Examples:

I will go to school tomorrow.

He will call you later.

🔹 b) Future Continuous Tense

Use:

Action that will be in progress in the future

Structure:

✅ Subject + will be + verb+ing

❌ Will + subject + be + verb+ing?

Examples:

She will be sleeping at 10 PM.

They will be traveling to Goa next week.

🔹 c) Future Perfect Tense

Use:

Action that will be completed by a certain point in the future

Structure:

✅ Subject + will have + V3

❌ Will + subject + have + V3?

Examples:

I will have finished my work by 6 PM.

They will have reached home by then.

🔹 d) Future Perfect Continuous Tense

Use:

Action that will be going on for some time in the future

 Structure:

✅ Subject + will have been + verb+ing

❌ Will + subject + have been + verb+ing?

Examples:

She will have been studying for 3 hours by 5 PM.

We will have been waiting for 30 minutes by the time you arrive.

🧩 Quick Recap Table

Tense Use Example
Present Simple Habit/Fact He plays.
Present Continuous Happening now She is cooking.
Present Perfect Just completed They have eaten.
Present Perf. Cont. Started earlier, still continuing I have been reading.
Past Simple Completed past action We danced.
Past Continuous Past action in progress I was writing.
Past Perfect Past before past She had left.
Past Perf. Cont. Continued past action He had been sleeping.
Future Simple Will happen I will study.
Future Continuous Will be in progress She will be running.
Future Perfect Will be completed They will have eaten.
Future Perf. Cont. Ongoing till a future point I will have been studying.
🧠 Tips to Remember

Use V1 in Present Simple, V2 in Past Simple, V3 in Perfect Tenses.

Continuous = verb + -ing

Perfect = use have/has/had/will have + V3

Look for time markers:

Present: every day, now, today

Past: yesterday, last year, ago

Future: tomorrow, next week, by Monday

📝 Practice Sentences (Convert the Tense):

She (cook) lunch now. → She is cooking lunch now.

We (finish) the project yesterday. → We finished the project yesterday.

I (read) this book for 2 hours. → I have been reading this book for 2 hours.

He (go) to school tomorrow. → He will go to school tomorrow.

They (play) cricket when I called. → They were playing cricket when I called.