Tense

Def: Tense is the change of form in a verb to express the time of an action..

Types: Tenses are of three types:

• Present Tense. Eg: I write.
• Past Tense. Eg: I wrote.
• Future Tense. Eg: I shall write.

Each of these three principal tenses has four forms:

• Indefinite or Simple.
• Continuous.
• Perfect.
• Perfect Continuous.

* Present Tense:

a) Present Indefinite or Simple Present:

* Sentence structure:

a) Subject + Present form of Main verb + Object/ Complement for Affirmative sentences.

Eg: He wants a ball.

The boy lives here.

b) Subject + Do Not/ Does Not + Present form of Main verb + Object/ Complement for Negative sentences.

Eg: I do not work at night.

He does not like to eat sweets.

* Uses: Present Indefinite tense is used to refer:

a) A universal or general truth.

Eg: The earth revolves round the sun.

Honey tastes sweet.

b) An habitual or permanent action.

Eg: He works hard.

This watch keeps good time.

c) Past events in order to make the narrative more vivid.

Eg: Akbar now rushes with his army.

d) A present action.

Eg: It rains.

e) Quotations from authors.

Eg: Goldsmith says, “Handsome is that handsome does.”

f) The present perfect tense (denoting one and only task):

Eg: I have heard he is ill.

b) Present Continuous:

* Sentence structure: a) Subject + Am/is/Are + Main verb- ing + Object/ Complement for Affirmative

sentences.

Eg: He is going to play.

They are living here.

b) Subject + Am/Is/Are + Not + Main verb- ing + Object/ Complement for Negative sentences.

Eg: I am not going to school.

They are not studying.

* Uses: Present Continuous tense is used to refer:

a) An action going on at present.

Eg: I am playing.

b) A future action.

Eg: I am going to zoo tomorrow.

c) Present Perfect:

* Sentence structure: a) Subject + Have/Has + Past participle form of Main verb + Object/ Complement for Affirmative sentences.

Eg: He has done his duty.

I have walked with you.

b) Subject + Have/ Has + Not + Past Participle form of Main verb + Object/ Complement for Negative

sentences.

Eg: He has not bought his pen.

The boys have not taken their breakfast yet.

* Uses: The Present perfect tense is used to refer:

a) An action just finished.

Eg: The sun has set.

I have done my duty.

b) An action done in a space of time and not yet gone out fully.

Eg: I have been honest from my childhood.

c) A future perfect when preceded by „when, after, as soon as, etc‟:

Eg: I shall go there after I have finished the work.

d) Present Perfect Continuous:

* Sentence structure: a) Subject + Have/Has + Been+ Main verb- ing + Object/ Complement for Affirmative

sentences.

Eg: He has been waiting for you.

The boys have been working hard for hours.

b) Subject + Have/Has + Not + Been + Main verb- ing + Object/ Complement for Negative sentences.

Eg: Raj has not been doing any job for one week.

I have not been sleeping at night for three days.

* Uses: The Present perfect continuous tense is used to refer:

a) An action that has been going on for some time and is not finished yet.

Eg: He has been working there for six years.

* Past Tense:

a) Past Indefinite or Simple Past:

* Sentence structure: a) Subject + Past form of Main verb + Object/ Complement for Affirmative sentences.

Eg: He wanted a ball.

The boy lived here.

b) Subject + Did Not + Present form of Main verb + Object/ Complement for Negative sentences.

Eg: I did not work at night.

He did not like to eat sweets.

* Uses: Past Indefinite tense is used to refer:

a) A single action in the past.

Eg: The boy did it.

b) An action actually going on in the past.

Eg: While they danced we sang.

c) A past habitual action.

Eg: He studied hard.

b) Past Continuous:

* Sentence structure: a) Subject + Was/Were + Main verb- ing + Object/ Complement for Affirmative

sentences.

Eg: He was going to play.

They were living here.

b) Subject + Was/were + Not + Main verb- ing + Object/ Complement for Negative sentences.

Eg: I was not going to school.

They were not studying.

* Uses: Past Continuous tense is used to refer:

a) An action that was going on in the past.

Eg: I was not playing.

c) Past Perfect:

* Sentence structure: a) Subject + Had + Past participle form of Main verb + Object/ Complement for

Affirmative sentences.

Eg: He had done his duty.

I had walked there.

b) Subject + Had + Not + Past Participle form of Main verb + Object/ Complement for Negative sentences.

Eg: He had not bought his pen.

The boys had not taken their breakfast yet.

* Uses: The Past perfect tense is used to refer:

a) An action complete before another past action.

Eg: The boy had left before you came.

d) Past Perfect Continuous:

* Sentence structure: a) Subject + Had + Been+ Main verb- ing + Object/ Complement for Affirmative

sentences.

Eg: He had been waiting for you.

The boys had been working hard.

b) Subject + Had + Not + Been + Main verb- ing + Object/ Complement for Negative sentences.

Eg: Raj had not been doing any job.

I had not been working when he came.

* Uses: The Past perfect continuous tense is used to refer:

a) An action that has been going on at or some point of time in the past.

Eg: He had been working there for six years.

* Future Tense:

a) Future Indefinite:

* Sentence structure: a) Subject + Shall/ Will + Present form of Main verb + Object/ Complement for

Affirmative sentences.

Eg: He will want a ball.

I shall live here.

b) Subject + Shall/ Will + Not + Present form of Main verb + Object/ Complement for Negative sentences.

Eg: I shall not work at night.

He will not to eat sweets.

* Uses: Future Indefinite tense is used to refer:

a) An action that will happen in future.

Eg: The boy will do it.

b) Future Continuous:

* Sentence structure: a) Subject + Shall/ Will + be + Main verb- ing + Object/ Complement for Affirmative

sentences.

Eg: He will be going to play.

They will be living here.

b) Subject + Shall/ Will + Not + be + Main verb- ing + Object/ Complement for Negative sentences.

Eg: I shall not be going to school.

They will not be studying.

* Uses: Future Continuous tense is used to refer:

a) An action going on some time in future.

Eg: I shall be playing.

c) Future Perfect:

* Sentence structure: a) Subject + Shall/ Will + Have + Past participle form of Main verb + Object/

Complement for Affirmative sentences.

Eg: He will have done his duty.

I shall have walked there.

b) Subject + Shall/ Will + Not + Have + Past Participle form of Main verb + Object/ Complement for Negative sentences.

Eg: He will not have bought his pen.

The boys will not have taken their breakfast.

* Uses: The Future perfect tense is used to refer:

a) An action that will be completed at some point of time in future.

Eg: The boy will have left the home.

d) Future Perfect Continuous:

* Sentence structure: a) Subject + Shall/ Will + Have + Been+ Main verb- ing + Object/ Complement for Affirmative sentences.

Eg: We shall have been studying hard before we take our examination.

The boys will have been working hard before he succeed.

b) Subject + Will/ Shall + Not + have + Been + Main verb- ing + Object/ Complement for Negative sentences.

Eg: Raj will not have been doing any job.

I shall not have been working.