Time & Tense

By Neeraj
 What is Tense?
Tense is that form of a verb which shows
not only the time of an actions, but also the
state of an action or event.
 1.Present Indefinite Tense

Subject + V-I (s or es) + Object

Negative Subject + do/does not + V-I + Object

Interrogative Do/Does + Subject + V-I + Object ?

(1) I play chess

I do not play chess.
Do I play chess?

(2) He goes to office.

He does not go to office.
Does he go to office?
Use of Present Indefinite

• Eternal Truths
(a) The Sun rises in the East.
(b) Birds fly.
(c) The Earth revolves round the Sun.
(d) The Sun sets in the West.

• Present habit
(a) I get up early in the morning.
(b) My mother goes to temple everyday.
(c) My father goes to office at 10 A.M.
(d) He plays football daily.
• Commentaries,Headlines
Raju passes the ball to Saluja, Saluja
passes it to Sonu,
Thief Escapes, Cricket Match Draws,
Peace Talks Fail.
• Planned Future Action
(a) Our college opens in the month of July.
(b) He reaches here tomorrow.
(c) We leave America at 10:30 next Monday
• Conditional (Future + present )
(a) We shall wait till she arrives.
(b) I shall not go there even if it rains.
(c) I shall go to market, if it rains.
(d) I shall go to Jaipur in case she asks me.

Present Continuous Tense

Show Regular process of event

Subject + is / am / are + V-I + ing + object

Negative Subject + is/are/am + not + V-IV + Object.

Interrogative Is/are/am + Subject + V-IV + Object?
(1) I am writing.
I am not writing.
Am I writing?

(2) They are playing.

They are not playing.
Are they playing?

(3) He is watching T.V.

He is not watching T.V.
Is he watching T.V?
Use of Present Continuous Tense

• planned or arranged action of near future

(a) They are going to Delhi tomorrow.
(b) He is coming tomorrow.
(c) We are meeting today in the evening.
(d) She is coming by 7 A.M. train on Monday.
• (Always, continually, constantly, forever)+adverse
Action
(a) She is always complaining.
(b) You are forever finding faults with others.
(c) His wife is continually crying these days. (d)
They are constantly disturbing us.
Note: We don't put some verbs in continuous form

(a) Verbs of Perception See, hear, smell, taste, feel

(b) Verbs of Appearance Look, resemble, seem, appear
etc.
(c) Verbs of Emotions Want, desire, wish, hate,
hope, like, refuse, believe,
doubt, loathe, mind,
care, detest, adore,
appreciate, admire, fear,
expect etc.
(d) Verbs of Thinking Think, suppose, agree, consider,
trust, remember, forget, know,
understand,
perceive, realise, recollect etc
 (To watch) See (To meet)
I am seeing the room.× I am seeing the principal
tomorrow(correct)
(To hear) Hear (In court)
I am hearing some noise× The judge is hearing
our case today.
(correct)
(Experience Smell (To experiment)
Through the nose)
I am smelling something Juhi is smelling/tasting
burning× the milk to know it is
fresh not.
 Feel
(Think/be of the (Physical or mental)
Iopinion)
am feeling that he is not How do you feel (correct)
an able man× How are you feeling now?
(correct)
I am feeling she can manage I feel better now (correct)
everything × I am feeling better now
(correct)
(1) We are seeing with our eyes.×
(1) We see with our eyes.
(2) Are you hearing a strange noise?×
(2) Do you hear a strange noise?
(3) We are smelling with our nose.×
(3) We smell with our nose.
(4) I am feeling you are wrong.×
(4) I feel you are wrong.
(5) The water is feeling cold.×
(5) The water feels cold.
(6) The coffee is tasting bitter.×
(6) The coffee tastes bitter.
(7) How much am I owing you?×
(7) How much do I owe you?
(8) I am hating it.×
(9) I am having a car.×
(9) I have a car.
(10) I am thinking.×
(10) I think.
(11) I am understanding.×
(11) I understand.
(12) The book belonging to me.×
(12) The book belongs to me.
(13) He is resembling his brother.×
(13) He resembles his brother.
(14) I am believing in God.×
(14) I believe in God.
(15) I am loving her.×
(15) I love her.
(16) I am remembering him.×
(16) I remember him.
 Present Perfect Tense
Work that recently finished
Subject + has / have + V-III + Object.
Negative — Subject + has/have + not + V-III +
Object.
Interrogative — Has/have + Subject + V-III +
Object ?
(1) I have taken lunch.
I have not taken lunch.
Have I taken lunch?
(2) They have gone.
They have not gone.
Have they gone?
Use of Present Perfect Tense
• Work that finished in the past but the effect
is there
(a) The lift has broken down.
(So we have to use the stairs.)
(b) I have completed my work.
(Now I am free.)
(c) He hasn’t arrived yet.
(So we are still waiting for him.)
(d) He has eaten all the fruits.
(Now no more available for you.)
Note:

Yet, often, several times, lately, recently, so far

We should use present perfect tense

(a) Have the children gone to school yet?

(b) I have often been there.
(c) He has been here recently
(d) We have no trouble so far.
(e) I have read this novel several times.

(f) I have never been late for work.

 Note:- last night/ last year/month/week, ago, short
while ago, yesterday, day before yesterday

We don't use present perfect with

these words

(a) He has gone to Jaipur last night. Incorrect

He went to Jaipur last night. Correct

(b) Ram has arrived shortwhile ago. Incorrect

Ram arrived shortwhile ago. Correct
 Present Perfect Continuous Tense
Subject + has/have been + V-IV + Object + since/for
+ .....
Negative —Subject + has/have + not + been + V-IV +
Object + since/for + .......
Interrogative — Has/have + subject + been + V-IV +
Object + since/for + ....... ?

I have been swimming for two hours. Affirmative

I have not been swimming for two hours. Negative
Have I been swimming for two hours? Interrogative
Use of Present Perfect continuous Tense

• Repeated action of Present perfect can be

written in Present perfect continuous

(a) I have written ten letters since morning.

I have been writing letters since morning.
(b) I have knocked several times. I don’t think
anyone’s in.
I have been knocking, I don’t think anyone’s
in.
 Past Indefinite Tense

Subject+V-II+Object
Negative — Subject + did not + V-I + Object.
Interrogative — Did + Subject + V-I + Object?

(1) She went.

She did not go.
Did she go?

(2)They played.
They did not play.
Did they play
Use of Past Indefinite Tense

• Event that occurs in past

(a) An accident took place yesterday.

(b) I wrote a letter day before yesterday.
(a) He went to market.
(b) I donated five thousand rupees.

Here time is not given

• To show past habit
(a) He always carried this bag.
(b) She never went to church.
(c) She always asked for a cup of tea. (d)
He never missed the train.
• Subject + would rather+Subject + Past Tense
(a) I’d rather you went office now.
(b) Tomorrow’s is difficult I’d rather you came next Sunday.
(c) Shall I open the door? I’d rather you didn’t.
(d) Would you like him to paint it ? I’d rather he didn’t (pain
it.)
Past Continuous Tense
Subject+was/were+V4+Object
Negative — Subject + was/were + not + V-4 + Object
Interrogative — Was/were + Subject + V-4 + Object ?

(1) He was playing.

He was not playing.
was he playing ?

(2) They were smoking.

They were not smoking.
Were they smoking ?
Use of Past Continuous Tense
• When two continued actions of past
(a) While she was cooking, I was washing the clothes.
(b) While I was singing, Ramesh was reading.
(c) While they were playing, I was watching T.V

Past Perfect Tense

Subject+Had+V3+Object
Negative — Subject + had + not + V-III+ Object.
Interrogative — Had + Subject + V-III + Object ?
(1) She had written a novel.
She had not written a novel.
Had she written a novel?

(2) Ram had gone to Agra.

Ram had not gone to Agra.
Had Ram gone to Agra?
Use of Past Continuous Tense

• When two past events -one is in past and

other is past of past.
The train had departed before I reached the station.
Sita came here after you had slept.
He reached the station, after the train had arrived.
The patient had died before the doctor came.
The students had left the class before he reached college

• Verbs; hope, expect, think, intend, want, suppose

(Past unfulfilled wishings)
(a) We had hoped that you would cooperate us.
(but you didn’t cooperate.)

(b) I had intended to go to USA last year.

(but I couldn’t go.)

(c) She had thought of paying us a visit.

(but due to some reasons she couldn’t visit.)

(d) We had expected that she would attend the party

(but she didn’t attend.)

(e) They had wanted to donate some money, but none was
present there. (so they couldn’t donate)
 Past Perfect Continuous Tense

Subject + had been + V-IV +.......+since/for

Negative Subject + had + not + been + V-IV + Object ?
Interrogative Had + Subject + been + V-IV + Object ?

(1) He had been waiting for her since morning.

He had not been waiting for her since morning.
Had he been waiting for her since morning?

(2) She had been writing letters for two hours.

She had not been writing letters for two hours.
Had she been writing letters for two hours?
Use of Past perfect Continuous Tense

• To show repeated actions of past perfect

(a) He had tried five times to contact her. (Past

Perfect)
He had been trying to contact her. Past (Perfect
Continuous)
(b) He had tried many times to get the job
there. (Past Perfect)
He had been trying to get the job there. Past
(Perfect Continuous)
 Futur Indefinite Tense
Subject + will / shall /can /may etc. + V-I

I we--->Shall
Rest---->will

If pressure
I we--->Will
/surety/determination is
Rest---->Shall
shown

Note : words like thankful/ grateful/Obeliged We do

use Shall not will
I shall be highly grateful to you doing all
that for me.

(a) Tomorrow will be Monday.

(b) He will be twenty five in January.
(c) I shall be fifty on next birthday.
(d) He will be happy to meet you.
Some Important Structures to Denote Future Actions
Going to
(a) I shall buy a T.V.
I am going to buy a T.V.
(b) He will write a letter.
He is going to write a letter.
(c) She will inform him.
She is going to inform him.
(d) We shall do this work.
We are going to do this work.
About to
 (a) The train is about to start.
(b) The shop is about to close.

is/am/are + to + V-I

(a) I am to go there.
(b) He is to complete his work.
(c) They are to come here tomorrow.
(d) She is to sing a song.
Future Continuous Tense
Event that will continue in future

Subject + will/shall be + V-IV + Object

(1)I shall be writing the thesis in the evening.

(2) They will be playing cricket in the evening.
Negative — Subject + will/shall + not + be + V-IV + Object.
Interrogative — Will/Shall + Subject + be + V-IV + Object ?

She will not be washing the car.

Shall I not be playing cricket tomorrow?
 Future Perfect Tense

Work that will be finished in future

Subject + will / shall + have + V-III + Object.

Subject + shall/will + not + have + V-III + Object.

Interrogative — Shall/Will + Subject + have + V-III +
Object ?
He will have completed this project by next year.
Sarita will have returned home by next month.

I shall have reached school before the bell rings.

 Future Perfect Continuous

They will have been playing for two hours by 7

O’clock.

Ramesh will have been living in this house for five

years by the year 2005

Rahul will have been teaching in this college for

three years on 15th August, 2006.

Events that will continue for specific time

Subject + will / shall + have been + V-IV + Object
+ Since/For + .....

Negative — Subject + shall /will +not + have been +

V-IV + ......
Interrogative — Shall / Will + Subject + have been +
V-IV...?
1.I shall have been playing match since morning.
Shall I not have been playing match since morning? Or
Shan’t I have been playing match since morning?

(2) He will have been watching T.V for two hours.

Will he not have been watching T.V for two hours? Or
Won’t he have been watching T.V for two hours?