TENSES

Why should one learn tense?

 -to develop effective communication skills
 -which includes both speaking and writing
 -to have a strong hold over the language
WHAT IS A TENSE?

The term “tense” has been derived from the Latin word
“tempus” meaning time. Since there are many ways in which
we express the time of action, we use tenses.

Tense is the form that verb takes to show the time when it
happened. It actually tells when the action occurred with
respect to time. The action could have occurred either in the
past , present or future
 PAST

PRESENT

FUTURE

PRESENT

PAST FUTURE
 THERE ARE THREE MAIN TENSES
1. The Present Tense
2. The Past Tense
3. The Future Tense

TENSES

Past Present Future

Tense Tense Tense
The past ,present and future tense have four forms/blends each.

They are :

a) Simple

b) Continuous

c) Perfect

d) Perfect Continuous
Now let us see the simple tense forms under all the three tenses
1. The Simple Present Tense
The simple present tense is used to express, a habitual
action, a general truth, a fact that is true at the time of
speaking and a future event that is already arranged.
It uses the base form of the verb (V1), but adds‘s’ or ‘es’ for
third person singular and other singular nouns.
Eg:


 Anu gets up at six every morning.

 Anu and his sister get up at six every morning. Water boils
at 100 degree centigrade.
 The sun sets a little after six these days.
[Link] Past Tense
The simple past tense is used to express a habitual or regular
action in the past, to express an action that occupied a period of
time in the past and has now ended and to express events that
occurred at a particular point in the past.
It uses the second form of the verb(V2),in the simple past
tense.
Eg:
 He brought me flowers every morning.
 She lived in Mumbai for five months.
 He bought this book from Kolkata.
[Link] Future Tense
This tense is used to express an action that will take
place in the future.

Eg:
 The boys will come here tomorrow.
 We shall join school this year.
 You will not leave this place until you are given
permission to do so.
Now let us see the continuous tense forms under all the three tenses

[Link] Present Continuous Tense

The Present Continuous tense is used to describe an
action that is going on at the time of speaking.
Rule:

Eg:
 It is raining.
 The students are playing in the field.
 The President is visiting some countries next month.
 I am reading a book.
[Link] Continuous Tense
The past continuous tense is used to express a continuing
action at some point in the past, when another event took
place and to describe two or more actions going on at the
same time.
Rule:

Eg
 He was reading a book when his mother called him.
 They were playing chess when their friend entered the
room.
 I was sleeping while my brother was watching television.
Now let us see the perfect tense forms under all the three tenses
1. The Present Perfect Tense
The Present Perfect tense is used to express an action that has just been
completed. It is also used to talk about events that happened in the
recent past but the effect of the event is still felt in the present.
Rule:

Eg:
 I have bought a new house.
 The government has decided to impose tax on luxury goods.
 Mr. Kumar has just reached his office.
 The children have made a mess in the kitchen
[Link] ContinuousTense
This tense is used to express an event that is expected to take
place in the normal course, to express an action that will be
in progress at a given point of time in the future.

 My sister will be taking the examination next year.

 When I reach Kashmir, it will be snowing.
 Some new books will be arriving in the library tomorrow.
[Link] Perfect Tense
The past perfect tense is used to express an action in the past
which was completed before another action, also in the
past.
Rule:

Eg:
 The train had left before he reached the station.
 He had passed the examination before I met him.
 The cook had prepared nothing when the visitors came.
[Link] Perfect Tense
This tense is used to express an action which is expected to be
completed by a certain time in the future.
Rule:

Eg:

 The train will have left the station by the time you reach
there.
 I will have finished the chores by the time the maid arrives.
 He will have finished reading his book before the guests
arrive.
 [Link] Perfect Continuous Tense
The Present Perfect Continuous tense is used to express
an action or event that began some time ago, has
continued till now, and is still going on.
Rule:

Eg:
 He has been living here since 1985.
 The books have been lying here for four days.
 He is tired because he has been playing for a long
time.
[Link] Perfect Continuous Tense
The past perfect continuous tense is used to express an action
or event that had begun and was going on up to a given
point of time in the past.
Rule:

Eg:
 They had been playing for twenty minutes when it began to
rain.
 He had been acting in films for three years when he got a
break as a hero.
 He said that he had been doing the work since morning.
[Link] Perfect Continuous Tense
This tense is used to express an action that will have been
going on, at or before some point in the future.
Rule:

Eg:
 He will have been studying since two in the morning when
his parents wake up.
 I shall have been playing for twenty minutes when you
reach the playground.
 You will have been talking for a long time before the
teacher warns you.
RECAP- The 12 verb tenses
SIMPLE PAST SIMPLE PRESENT SIMPLE FUTURE

S + V2+ O S+V1+O S+WILL/SHALL+V1+O

PAST CONTINUOUS PRESENT FUTURE

CONTINUOUS CONTINUOUS
S+WAS/WERE+V1(ING)+O
S+IS/AM/ARE+V1(ING) S+WILL/SHALL+BE+V
+O 1(ING)+O
PAST PERFECT PRESENT PERFECT FUTURE PERFECT

S+HAD+V3+O S+HAS/HAVE +V3+O S+WILL/SHALL+HAVE

+V3+O
PAST PERFECT PRESENT PERFECT FUTURE PERFECT
CONTINUOUS CONTINUOUS CONTINUOUS

S+HAD BEEN+V1(ING)+O S+HAS/HAVE+V1(ING) S+WILL/SHALL+HAVE

BEEN+O BEEN+V1(ING)+O
 EXERCISES
I. Fill in the blanks with the suitable form of the present tense:
1) I (live) in this house since1990.

2) Keep quiet, I (do) my work.

3) You are (waste) my time, go away.

4) He is (sing) a song at the moment.

5) She (take) my pen just now.

6) They (know) for twenty years.

7) He (serve) his master faithfully.

8) Politeness (cost) nothing.

9) I (forget) his name. Do you remember it?

10) Kevin will send me the parcel once he (receive) it.

II. Fill in the blanks with the suitable form of the past tense:
1) He us last year. (visit)

2) The thief the house before the dog _ barking. (enter, start)

3) We only last week.(meet)

4) I _ a movie when heto see me. (watch, come)

5) Columbus America. (discover)

6) I my purse while I about town. (lose, move)

7) We since 4 PM.(wait) when the doctor finally arrived.

8) She here for four years when she. ( serve, marry)

9) When the teacher some students . (enter, play)

10) The telephone for five minutes when he

the receiver. (ring, pickup)
III. Fill in the blanks with the suitable form of future tense:

1) I Meerut city next week.(visit)

2) They the game if they don’t play well.(lose)

3) He a letter at this time tomorrow.(write)

4) I my work before you come back.(finish)

5) If you walk quickly, you there in five minutes.(reach)

6) He you everything when you ask him.(tell)

7) I hope you your promise by next week.(not/forget)

8) We hope it raining by 3 PM.(stop)

9) You the plants when your brother arrives.(water)

10) He English when you visit him next year.(learn)

IV. Fill up the blanks using the correct form of the verbs given in the
brackets:
a) Once Martin Lutherking [address] a public meeting. Suddenly someone
[throw] a shoe at him. He [not lose] his cool. He [pick] up
the shoe and told the gathering that some kind gentleman, knowing that he
could not afford shoes [throw] one for him. He [request] the
gentleman to throw him the other one too.

b) A rain forest vine [have] dish shaped leaves which

[produce]echoes to [attract] birds for pollination.
The leaves of this plant develop with echoes that help the bats [discover] its
flowers at once. This discovery [make] by a team of scientists from
university of Bristol UK.

c)Louis Braille was three years old when he [lose] his eyesight as a result of
an accident. Louis [play] in his father’s workshop. He
[imitate] his father at work. Louis [take] a sharp needle
and hit it playfully with a hammer. The needle [bounce] up and
pierced one of his eyes. Although the doctors [do] their best, his eye could
not be saved.
d)The class12thresults [declare]yesterday. Gaurav
[thrill]because he [top] his school. He [praise]
by the Principal and all his teachers. All his friends [congratulate]
him. Some juniors [approach] him to seek guidance.

e)A forty year old man_ [kill] and six others

[injure] when the van in which they [travel]
overturned after colliding with a truck last evening. Soon after the
incident a huge crowd [gather] on the spot and [start] beating the
driver of the truck a she [find] to be under the influence of
alcohol.

f)A few months ago a young man from Punjab [decide] to go to

Canada. He [contact] an agent in Delhi. The agent [tell] him
that he would have to pay seven lakh rupees for his journey. The
young man agreed to pay the amount. The agent _ [demand] some
advance which [pay] to him. Later the agent [turn]
out to be a fraud.
 Asset Questions:
1. Choose the correct option that COMPLETES the given sentences MEANINGFULLY.
He ___________ a book on ‘Aliens’ now.
a) Write
b) Had written
c) Is writing
d) Has been writing

2. Choose the CORRECT option to COMPLETE the given sentence.

By the time we actually sit down for dinner, we _____ a lot of snacks already.
a) Will eat
b) Are eating
c) Will be eating
d) Will have eaten

3. Choose the CORRECT option that can follow from the given sentence.
Your pale look and swollen eyes indicate that you are ill. _________________
a) Did you suffer from fever?
b) Had you been suffering from fever?
c) Have you suffered from fever?
d) Have you been suffering from fever?