Tenses

ENGLISH

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Tenses
Before we start with tense, one must be aware of the verb-” it is a word that shows
action or state of being”. So now tense is defined as that form of a verb which indicates
the time and the state of an action or event. Every statement or a sentence has a
reference to time in which it has happened and these time frames are shown below:

Tense

Past Present Future

Examples:

1) I cracked the SBI PO examination last year.

(“cracked”- past time of an action)

2) I go for a walk every morning.

( Habitual action or a daily routine, Present tense)

3) Ankit will attend his friend’s wedding.

(“will attend”. Future time of action)

Contextual Timeline
Context: Campus placement drive

Let’s take an example of a particular scenario where Amit is an engineering student

who is going to appear for campus placement drives as he is in his final year of
graduation. With the help of this example we will try to explain different time frames in a
tense by framing sentences on this particular scenario.

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Present Tense

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Simple Present

 This tense is used to denote habit, custom, practice, repeated action,

permanent activity and universal truth.

 This tense is also used to show the permanent nature and activity of the subject
and eternal principles.

 In newspaper headlines and commentary of sports simple present tense is used.

Example:
1) Virat hits the ball out of the park.
2) Sun rises in the east and sets in the west.
3) Amit seldom gets up late.
4) Rahul goes for a walk every morning.

To denote planned action and future arrangement in the near future, simple
present is used.

Example:
1) Shivani leaves for her friend’s wedding this weekend.
2) Mr. Reddy leaves his job next week.

Memory Tip
Keywords to identify Simple Present Tense:

Usually Often As usual Ever In general Frequently Generally

Sometimes Always In these days Rarely Regularly Seldom As a rule

Occasionally Normally Hardly ever Periodically Scarcely Now-a-days Daily

In modern Every day/week/month/

Every time Never Once/twice in a week
days Year

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Present Continuous

 This tense is normally used for an action in progress that is temporary in nature
in the present at the time of speaking.

 It is also used to express future actions or a definite arrangement in the near

future.

Example:
1) Amit is going to an amusement park this weekend.
2) Robert is riding a bicycle.
3) She is looking fabulous in a red saree.

Exception
With stative verbs like verb of perception, thinking, possession, feelings and state of
mind- see, taste, smell, think, know, own, cost, etc. We don’t use continuous form.

Example: Rahul is owning a car —WRONG

Rahul owns a car. —CORRECT
Example: Shivani is having two pens. —WRONG
Shivani has two pens. —CORRECT

Present Perfect
When an action is done in the near past but we don’t know the exact point of time
or period of time, in this situation, the present perfect is used.

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Example:
1) Ravi has submitted his college fees.
2) I have had my breakfast.
3) Rhea has done her graduation in mass communication.

Present Perfect Continuous

 When an action took place in the past and it is still going on, in such situations
the present perfect continuous is used.

 To denote point of time in the sentence “since” is used and to denote period of time
“for” is used.

For Since
A period A point
(from start to end) (upto now)
>===< X===>
Can be used in all tenses Used in perfect tenses only

Examples
for 20 minutes since 9 AM
for three days since Monday
for 6 months since January
for 4 years since 1997
for 2 centuries since 1500
for a long time since I left school
for ever since the beginning of time
etc. etc.

Example:
1) I have been teaching you for an hour.
2) Ravi has been living in Delhi for five years.
3) Shivani has been working in facebook since 2017.
4) Rahul has been suffering from fever for two days.
5) I have been waiting for the bus for two hours.
6) Amit has been making notes since last night.

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Past Tense

Simple Past
 This type of tense is used to denote a single act completed in the past or past
habit.

 There is a slight difference between simple past and present perfect, when point of
time is given in a sentence then we will use simple past only.
Present perfect + Point of time = Simple past
Example:
1) Ramesh met his friend yesterday.
2) I received his letter a week ago.
3) Amit left school last year. .

Memory Tip
Keywords to identify Simple Past Tense:

yesterday last week last month last year ago once

in olden days in those days one day then since in old days

in ancient Once upon a in my child- in my boyhood

long long ago two years ago
times time hood days

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Exception
The following will behave in a different manner:
1) It is time
+ to + V 1
2) It is high time
3) It is right time + S + V2 + O
4) It is about time

Example: It is high time she has started with work. —WRONG

It is high time she started the work. —CORRECT
It is high time to start the work. —CORRECT

Past Continuous
This tense is used to denote an action going on at some time in the past. The time of
the action may or may not be indicated.

Example:
1) We were listening to the radio all evening.
2) It was getting darker.
3) When I saw him, he was playing chess.

Past Perfect
This tense is used when out of two actions it is necessary to emphasize that the
preceding action was completely finished before the succeeding action started.

Example:
1) I had gone to Delhi last week before my father came.
2) I had written the letter before he arrived.
3) The patient had died before the doctor came.

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This tense is also used as time expression with since, for, how long, whole, all
along etc.

Example:
1) She had known him for two years.
2) Rahul had owned this mansion for five years.

The above sentence is trying to say that Rahul had a mansion for a period of five years
in the past but now he doesn’t have it.

Past Perfect Continuous

The past perfect continuous is used for an action that began before a certain point in
the past and continued up to that time.
Continuous + Time expression = Perfect continuous

Example:
1) At that time he had been writing a novel for two months.
2) Mr. Amit had already been teaching there for five years.

Future Tense

Simple Future
The simple future tense is used to talk about things which we cannot control and
actions that is to take place in future.

Example:
1) I shall be twenty next Saturday.
2) We will know our exam results in may.
3) I will author a book one day soon.

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Memory Tip
Keywords to identify Simple Future Tense:

tomorrow in future next week early next month next year

in a few in coming
soon shortly in 2050 next Monday
minutes days
in the years to
hereafter this evening in a little time within a week later
come

Future Continuous
 This tense is used to express an action that will be in progress with a point of time
in future.

 It is also used to show future arrangements.

Example:
1) Probably, it will be raining when you reach Ahmednagar.
2) Rahul will be watching a cricket match on television now.
3) She will be waiting for me when I reach home.
4) I will be going back to Delhi by train today.

Future Perfect
This tense is used when out of two actions it is necessary to emphasize that the
preceding action will be completely finished before the succeeding action starts
in future.

Example:
1) She will have already prepared maggi for dinner when I reach home.
2) I think the news will not have been published so far.

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3) My assistant will have typed five letters by lunch today.

4) By the end of this month I will have worked in Testbook for a month.

Future Perfect Continuous

This tense is used for actions which will be in progress over a period of time that will
end in the future.

Example:
1) By next March, we shall have been living here for four years.
2) I will have been teaching for twenty years next July.

Testbook Trick
Following are the quick ways of finding out the tense of the sentence.

Tense Format Example

1) S + be form (present) + O 3) I am a tutor.

Simple Present
2) S + V1 + O 4) I write a letter.

Present Continuous S + be form (pr.) + V4 + O I am writing a letter.

Present Perfect S + has/have + V3 + O I have written a letter.

Past Perfect Continuous S + has/have + been + V4 + O I have been writing a letter.

1) S + be form (past) + O 3) I was a tutor.

Simple Past 2
2) S + V + O 4) I wrote a letter.

Past Continuous S + be form (past) + V4 + O I was writing a letter.

Past Perfect S + had + V3 + O I had written a letter.

Past Perfect Continuous S + had + been + V4 + O I had been writing a letter.

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1) S + m.a + be + O 3) I will be there at 11 AM.

Simple Future
2) S +m.a + V1 + O 4) I will write a letter.

Future Continuous S +m.a + be + V4 + O I will be writing a letter.

Future Perfect S + m.a + have + V3 + O I will have written a letter.

Future Perfect
S + m.a + have been + V4 + O I will have been writing a letter.
Continuous

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