Tenses
Dr. Sulagna Mohanty
Three divisions of Tense-
past, present and future
Tense
The term tense is only a grammatical name given to the verb
forms of a particular language: denotes to the time an action
takes place
We also express whether the action is completed or in progress
at the time of utterance
4 Forms of Present Tense
4 Forms of Present Tense
Subject + Main verb +
He likes chocolate.
They like rice.
Verbs ending in
add -es in the third person
-o, -ch, -sh, -ss, -x, -z
go goes
wash washes
catch catches
fix fixes
miss misses
buzz buzzes
Simple Present Tense
Simple Present Tense
Simple Present Tense
Simple Present Tense
Simple Present Tense
Subject+ Verb(s)+ Object
Habit: I wake up at 6 am.
He eats rice everyday.
Fact: The sun rises in the east.
The earth revolves around the
sun.
I am a singer.
Opinion: I like Spanish.
Nitish believes in honesty.
Schedule(official): The meeting starts at 10 am.
The Prime minister meets the
Army chief tomorrow.
Regular Action: I go to school by bus.
He sings well.
Simple Present Tense
Subject+ Verb(s)+ Object
Simple Present Tense
Subject+ Verb(s)+ Object
Meera __________ (1) a small house in the village with her
cat, Milo. Every morning, Milo __________ (2) up early and
__________ (3) around the house, looking for food. Meera
__________ (4) him a bowl of milk, which he quickly __________
(5). After breakfast, Milo __________ (6) near the window
and __________ (7) at the birds outside. Sometimes, he
__________ (8) up the curtain trying to catch them. Meera
__________ (9) at him and __________ (10), “Milo, you are such
a naughty cat!”
(drink, laugh, look, run, live, wake, sit, climb, say, give)
Simple Present Tense
Subject+ Verb(s)+ Object
Simple Present Tense
Subject+ Verb(s)+ Object
Auxiliary Verbs/ Helping Verb (helps the main verb)
(When there is no main verb, auxiliary verb becomes the
main verb)
SSO
Present Continuous/ Progressive
Image Source: https://www.perfect-english-grammar.com/present-continuous-use.html
SSO
Present Continuous/ Progressive
Image Source: https://www.perfect-english-grammar.com/present-continuous-use.html
(subject + am/is/are+ verb +ing+ Object)
Still ongoing action: She is reading a book.
I am writing a letter.
Temporary Situation: I am living in Bangalore.
Temporary Habits: He is sleeping a lot these days.
Definite Future Plans: They are meeting the
minister tomorrow.
Present Continuous/ Progressive
Image Source: https://www.perfect-english-grammar.com/present-continuous-use.html
EXERCISE
Right now, it ___ Monday morning. Mike and Tina ____ at home. They (sit) at a table. They (eat)
breakfast.
At this moment, Tina (drink) coffee. She (eat) a pastry. She (sit across) the table from Mike. She
(talk) to Mike.
Mike ___ Tina's husband. He (sit) at the table with Tina. He (drink) coffee. Mike (listen) to Tina.
After breakfast, Mike and Tina (leave) for work. They work in the city. They (ride) the bus to
work.
Present Perfect
(Subject + have/has + past participle form of Verb+ object)
Recently Finished Actions: She has lost her wallet.
I have reached the hotel.
Some children have gone to watch
IPL match.
Life Experience: Have you ever eaten Biryani before?
I have never seen such a big fish.
Accomplishments: Man has walked on the moon.
Multiple actions over time: I have seen this movie many
times.
Present Perfect
(Subject + have/has + past participle form of Verb+ object)
Present Perfect Continuous/
Progressive
(Subject + have/has+ been+ verb+ ing+ object)
How long an action is going on: I have been living
in Bangalore for the last 5 years/the last 5
days/the last 5 weeks/ the last 5 hours (collective
period of time).
I have been studying here since 2018/January/ last
night/ since 2 o’clock/ since I was born (particular
time of the beginning of the action) .
Temporary action: I have been going to the gym a
lot recently.
Present Perfect Continuous/
Progressive
Exercise
Riya _______ (study) for her exams all week. She
_______ (feel) a bit overwhelmed, but she _______
(manage) her time well. Her friends _______ (call)
her to take breaks, but she _______ (refuse)
because she wants to focus. In the evenings, she
_______ (go) for a short walk to relax. Meanwhile,
her brother _______ (help) her with difficult
subjects. Their parents _______ (notice) how hard
she works and _______ (encourage) her to stay
positive. Now, as the exam day approaches, Riya
_______ (feel) more confident.
Exercise
Riya has been studying (study) for her exams all week.
She has been feeling (feel) a bit overwhelmed, but she has
been managing (manage) her time well. Her friends have
been calling (call) her to take breaks, but she has been
refusing (refuse) because she wants to focus. In the
evenings, she has been going (go) for a short walk to
relax. Meanwhile, her brother has been helping (help) her
with difficult subjects. Their parents have been noticing
(notice) how hard she works and have been encouraging
(encourage) her to stay positive. Now, as the exam day
approaches, Riya has been feeling (feel) more confident.
Past Simple Tense
Yesterday, Sam _______ (wake) up early to go for a
run. He _______ (eat) a quick breakfast and then
_______ (leave) the house. As he _______ (run) through
the park, he _______ (see) some friends playing
soccer. They _______ (invite) him to join, so he _______
(stop) running and _______ (play) with them for an
hour. Afterward, he _______ (feel) tired but happy. He
_______ (return) home, took a shower, and _______
(relax) for the rest of the day.
Past Simple Tense
Yesterday, Sam woke up early to go for a run. He ate
a quick breakfast and then left the house. As he ran
through the park, he saw some friends playing
soccer. They invited him to join, so he stopped
running and played with them for an hour. Afterward,
he felt tired but happy. He returned home, took a
shower, and relaxed for the rest of the day.
Past Continuous or Past progressive
(Subject+ was/were+verb+ ing)
Past Continuous or Past progressive
(Subject+ was/were+verb+ ing)
Past Perfect
(Subject+ had+ past participle of verb)
Ex: Last year, I had written a letter to her.
Ram had given him a notice.
To describe an action finished before another past action: (Two actions- 1 st
action: past perfect, 2nd action: past simple)
1. The train had already left when I reached the station.
2. When the doctor reached, the patient had already died.
To describe cause and effect: I got stuck in traffic because there had been an
Past Perfect continuous/ progressive
(Subject+ had+ been+ verb+ ing)
To express the duration before something in the past:
Ramesh needed a holiday because he had been working hard
for six months.
To describe the cause of something in the past: He was tired
because he had been jogging.
Activity: Fill in the blanks with proper verb
forms.
One day, the idea to rob a bank _____ (cross) a Delhi resident’s
mind, but he ____ (fail) to logically think it through. The 40-year-
old man _____ (walk) into the bank, _____ (hand) the cashier a
threatening note that read: “Be Quick. Be Quiet.” Give your cash or
I’ll shoot.” The bank cashier _____ (oblige) and _____ (hand) him
Rs 5 lacs, but the thief ______ ______ (overlook) the fact that his
message was _____ (scribble) on a piece of his pay slip. The
detectives _____ (find) the other half of the pay slip outside the
bank, complete with the bank robber’s full name and home address.
Expressing Future Time in English
Will/ Shall
Be going to
Will/ Shall+ Be+ Continuous verb
Present simple form
Present continuous form
Will/ Shall
What will the Indian education system look like in twenty years’ time?
Only time will tell which predications are accurate.
Parts of the east and south of Karnataka will be mainly dry at first
but rain will spread to all places later.
I will get the book for you. I won’t be long.
Subject+ Be verb+ going to
We are going to get the report out early next week.
What are they going to do now?
Raghu Dixit is going to be on the program next week.
You’re going to be very surprised when you see the house.
Will/ Shall+ Be+ Continuous verb
I’ll be moving to London in August.
She’ll be starting another book very soon.
He’ll be doing plenty of exercises and getting fit for the race.
More than three hundred people will be watching the IPL
tomorrow.
They are wondering whether he’ll be running in the
marathon next week.
Present simple form
Tomorrow is Friday.
The flight doesn’t leave at 16:45; it leaves at 18:45.
The new comedy series starts on channel 4 at the end
of the week.
Present continuous form
The governors are meeting at 4.30 this afternoon.
Manchester is playing Liverpool next Saturday.
We are having fish for dinner.
The Sharmas are getting married in Mumbai in
July.
Exercise
Exercise
Over all Exercise
Over all Exercise
Over all Exercise
Over all Exercise
Thank You
