TENSES & THEIR RULES

Tense can be defined as a word form used to indicate the time of occurrence of an
incident concerning the moment of speaking. It indicates the completion or
continuance of an activity.

Tenses Tenses Rule

Past simple tense Subject + V2 + Object
Past Perfect tense Subject + had + V3 + Object
Past Continuous tense Subject + was + V1 + ing + Object (Singular)
Subject + were + V1 + ing + Object (Plural)
Past perfect continuous Subject + had been + V1 + ing + Object
tense
Present Simple tense Subject + V1 + s/es + Object (Singular) Subject + V1 + Object (Plural)
Present Perfect tense Subject + has + V3 + Object (Singular) Subject + have + V3 + Object (Plural)
Present Continuous tense Subject + is/am/are + V1 + ing + object
Present perfect continuous Subject + has been + V1 + ing + Object (Singular)Subject + have been + V1 + ing +
tense Object (Plural)
Future Simple tense Subject + will/shall + V1 + Object
Future Perfect tense Subject + will have/shall have + V3 + Object
Future Continuous tense Subject + will be/shall be + ing + V1 + Object
Future Perfect Continuous Subject + will have been + V1 + ing + Object
tense
V1 = first form of the verb
V2 = second form of the verb
V3 = third form of the verb

ypes of Tenses
There are three types of tenses.

• Past
• Present
• Future

These tenses can further be categorized into 4 types:

• Simple Tense
• Continuous Tense
• Perfect Tense
• Perfect Continuous Tense

Past Tense Rules

Past tense is used to describe a past activity or action. It is a form of the verb that
defines the events that have already occurred. Examples

• Reema attended the wedding functions.

• He left before I reached.
• Priya wrote a letter to her friends from camp.

Simple Past Tense Rules

Subject + V2 + Object

Examples:
Rita went to school.
Minty ate food.

Past Continuous Tense Rules

Subject + was + V1 + ing + Object (Singular) Subject + were + V1 + ing + Object
(Plural)

Examples:
I was eating pudding.
Sia was writing a letter to the editor.

Past Perfect Tense Rules

Subject + had + V3 + Object

Examples:
He had taken the token.
I had brushed my teeth.

Past Perfect Continuous Tense Rules

Subject + had been + V1 + ing + Object

Examples:
He had been standing in the rain the whole night.
I had been eating diet food for the whole summer.

Present Tense Rules

The present tense is used to describe the current or present being, situation, or
event. It is a form of the verb that defines the events that are currently happening.
Examples

• I am going to the office

• She has been part of this group for 4 years now.
• The concert is amazing.

Simple Present Tense Rules

Subject + V1 + s/es + Object (Singular)
Subject + V1 + Object (Plural)

Examples:
The Sun rises in the East.
Rita goes to school.

Present Continuous Tense Rules

Subject + is/am/are + V1 + ing + object

Examples:
I am eating pudding.
Sia is writing a letter to the editor.

Present Perfect Tense Rules

Subject + has + V3 + Object (Singular)
Subject + have + V3 + Object (Plural)

Examples:
He has just eaten food.
I have just read the book.

Present Perfect Continuous Tense Rules

Subject + has been + V1 + ing + Object (Singular)
Subject + have been + V1 + ing + Object (Plural)

Examples:
I have been cleaning regularly since Monday.
She has been using the night cream for several months.
Future Tense Rules
The future tense is used to describe the future events that haven’t occurred but
possibly will occur in the future. It is a form of the verb that will occur in the future &
not exist currently. Examples

• She will be dancing to classical music.

• We will be shifting to the house upstate tomorrow morning.
• The train will leave in 10 minutes.

Simple Future Tense Rules

Subject + will/shall + V1 + Object

Examples:
I shall go to school tomorrow.
My mother will feed me.

Future Continuous Tense Rules

Subject + will be/shall be + ing + V1 + Object

Examples:
He shall be writing his exam.
We will be going to the zoo.

Future Perfect Tense Rules

Subject + will have/shall have + V3 + Object

Examples:
I shall have started writing by that time.
We will have reached Goa by then.

Future Perfect Continuous Tense Rules

Subject + will have been + V1 + ing + Object

Examples:
By next year we will be graduating.
They shall be serving food in the slum area tomorrow.

Tenses Rules & Application

Sometimes understanding tenses can be confusing, to sort it out & make it easier we
have represented a tabulated version of tenses rules & where they are applied with the
help of examples.

Tenses Application Example

Past simple tense Past Events She cooked dinner for everyone
last month
Past Perfect tense Prior events happened before past She cooked dinner for everyone
events last night before shifting to
Mumbai
Past Continuous Past Events related to the She was cooking dinner for
tense occurrence of other events everyone when she ran out of gas.
Past perfect Past events relating to a past She was cooking for dinner &
continuous tense moment needed some rest.
Present Simple Facts & truths She hosts dinner for everyone a
tense lot.
Present Perfect Events of past & continuing or She has hosted a lot of times & left
tense expected to continue in present. with one more dinner
Present Continuous Current Actions She is cooking dinner for everyone
tense
Present perfect Past events, continued & finished She cooked dinner for everyone &
continuous tense in the current moment now needs some rest.
Future Simple tense Events completed in future She will cook dinner for everyone
next month.
Future Perfect tense Current events completed in the She will be cooking dinner for
given time frame in future everyone by 8:00 PM next
Saturday
Future Continuous Future events & are expected to She will be hosting a lot of dinner
tense continue parties next year.
Future Perfect Tasks continue in the future & The dinner she will be cooking will
Continuous tense highlighting the duration take 3 hours to finish.

Tenses Rules Practice Questions

Now you know all about the types & tenses rules. Here are some practice questions to
test your knowledge.

1. Riya _____ (wants/ wanting)to be a pilot.

2. The dinner ______ (smells/smelling) great.
3. She _______ (has been crying/cried) since last night.
4. I _______ (will be lying, will lie) on the beach with my friends.
5. Give me a call when you ______ (have, had) time.
6. I _______ (spent/spend) all my teenage years at math camp.
7. When we were in the hostel we _____ (made/make) our breakfast.
8. Sandhya is ________ (running/ran) for student election this semester.
9. He _____ (plays/playing) tennis most of his evening.
 10. When you called, I was______ (taking/took) a shower.

Answers

1. Wants
2. Smells
3. Has been crying
4. Will be lying
5. Have
6. Spent
7. Made
8. Running
9. Plays
10. taking