1.2 Tense

The term, ‘Tense’ denotes the time of action. They show when the work is done.

The English Tenses are: 1. Past 2. Present 3. Future

List of Tenses:

1 – Present Tense	2 – Past Tense	3 – Future Tense
1.1 – Simple Present 1.2 – Present Continuous 1.3 – Present Perfect 1.4 – Present Perfect Continuous	2.1 – Simple Past 2.2 – Past Continuous 2.3 – Past Perfect 2.4 – Past Perfect Continuous	3.1 – Future Simple 3.2 – Future Continuous 3.3 – Future Perfect 3.4 – Future Perfect Continuous

Summary of Tenses:

1 – Present Tense:

S.N	Tense	Usage	Structure	Example
1.1	Present Simple	General truths, habits	Subject + base verb (add “s” for 3rd person)	I work. She runs.
1.2	Present Continuous	Ongoing actions	Subject + am/is/are + verb-ing	I am eating. They are playing.
1.3	Present Perfect	Actions at an unspecified time	Subject + have/has + past participle	I have eaten. She has gone.
1.4	Present Perfect Continuous	Ongoing actions or recent actions with focus on duration	Subject + have/has + been + verb-ing	I have been reading.

2 – Past Tense:

S.N	Tense	Usage	Structure	Example
2.1	Past Simple	Completed actions/events in the past	Subject + past verb	I visited Paris. He played football.
2.2	Past Continuous	Ongoing actions at a specific past time	Subject + was/were + verb-ing	I was reading. They were playing.
2.3	Past Perfect	Completed actions before another past event	Subject + had + past participle	I had eaten. She had left.
2.4	Past Perfect Continuous	Ongoing actions in the past before another past event	Subject + had + been + verb-ing	I had been reading.

3 – Future Tense:

S.N	Tense	Usage	Structure	Example
3.1	Future Simple	Actions that will happen	Subject + will + base verb	I will go. She will study.
3.2	Future Continuous	Ongoing actions at a specific future time	Subject + will + be + verb-ing	I will be studying. They will be traveling.
3.3	Future Perfect	Actions completed before a future time/event	Subject + will + have + past participle	I will have eaten. She will have left.
3.4	Future Perfect Continuous	Ongoing actions in the future with focus on duration	Subject + will + have + been + verb-ing	I will have been reading.

Basic Things to Understand Tenses:

Affirmative sentence is a type of sentence that expresses a positive statement or confirms something. It is essentially the opposite of a negative sentence.

Singular – If the Subject is Singular – one person, thing, or idea.

Plural – If the Subject is Plural – more than one person, thing, or idea

A negative sentence is a sentence that expresses a denial, contradiction, or negation of something. It states that something is not true or has not happened.

An interrogative sentence is a sentence that asks a question.

First Person	Second Person	Third Person
Refers to the speaker or speakers (the person or people talking)	Refers to the person or people being addressed (the listener or readers)	Refers to someone or something else other than the speaker or the listener.
“I” (singular), “we” (plural)	“you” (both singular and plural)	“he,” “she,” “it” (singular), “they” (plural)

1.1 – Simple Present Tense (verb + s/es)

Forms:

Sentence Type	First Person	Second Person	Third Person
Affirmative: Singular Plural	I sing. We sing.	You sing. You sing.	She/He/It sings. They sing.
Negative	I don’t sing	You don’t sing	She/He/It don’t sing.
Interrogative	Do I sing? Don’t I sing?	Do you sing? Don’t you sing?	Does she/he/it sing? Doesn’t she/he/it sing?

Note: Except for third person plural affirmative, the structure does not change for negative forms.

When to use Simple Present Tense: (Situations with Examples)

Situations	Examples
to express universal truths, facts, customs	The Earth orbits the Sun.
to express habitual, routine actions	She goes to the gym every morning.
to express a permanent state	He works as a teacher.
in exclamatory sentences	How beautiful the sunset looks!
in subordinate clauses beginning with if and when	If he studies, he passes the exam.
to introduce quotations	She says, “I will be there soon.”
in running commentaries	The player passes the ball to his teammate. He takes a shot. It goes in!
in imperative sentences	Please close the door.
to indicate a planned future action or series of actions when they refer to a journey	Our flight departs tomorrow evening. (planned future action)

1.2 – Present Continuous (am/is/are + verb + ing)

Forms:

Sentence Type	First Person	Second Person	Third Person
Affirmative Singular Plural	I am singing now. We are singing now.	You are singing now. You are singing now.	She/He/It is singing now. They are singing now.
Negative	I am not singing now.	You aren’t singing now.	She/He/It isn’t singing now.

Note: The contracted form of ‘am not’ is aren’t and the contracted form of are not is also aren’t.

When to use Present Continuous Tense: (Situations with Examples)

Situations	Examples
The Present Continuous Tense is used for an action that is in progress at the time of speaking. It is used for an action that is in progress and will continue in future.	Paul is learning English.
It is used to denote an action that is planned to take place in the near future.	Yazhini is meeting the Prime Minister tomorrow.
It is used along with adverbs such as ‘always, constantly, repeatedly’ etc. to express an action that has become a habit by doing it over and over again.	Sumithra is always asking questions.
Unfinished Actions Now	My grandfather is reading the newspaper now.
Annoying Habits	You are always disturbing me.

Note: Verbs of perception and some other verbs are not generally used in the present continuous tense, for example see, smell, hear, taste, know, understand, hate, like, want, wish, etc.

1.3 – Present Perfect Tense (has/have + past participle)

Forms:

	First Person	Second Person	Third Person
Affirmative Singular Plural	I have already sung. We have already sung.	You have already sung. You have already sung.	She/He/It has already sung. They have already sung.
Negative	I haven’t recently sung.	You haven’t recently sung.	She/He/It hasn’t recently sung.

When to use Present Perfect Tense: (Situations with Examples)

Situations	Examples
For an action which began in the past and is in progress now.	Bharani has called the fire man and they are on their way.
To express an action that has been recently completed	I have just finished my homework.
With adverbs like already, recently, yet	I have already eaten lunch. They have recently moved to a new house. I haven’t seen that movie yet.
To express an action that began in past and is still continues up to the present	She has lived in this house for five years.
Action completed in the immediate past	We have planned the meeting for next week
Event in the past at an unspecified time	She has been to Paris.
Duration from the past until now	He has been a teacher since 2002.
Change over time	Your English has improved since the last time we met.
Repeated events in the past until now	We have had four exams so far in this semester.

Note: We do not use adverbs of time denoting the past tense in Present Perfect Tense.

e.g. Father has returned from Vellore yesterday. (This sentence is wrong.)

Father has returned from Vellore. (This is correct)

1.4 – Present Perfect Continuous (has/have + been + verb + ing)

Forms:

	First Person	Second Person	Third Person
Singular	I have been singing since morning.	You have been singing for two hours.	She/He/It has been singing since morning.
Plural	We have been singing since morning.	You have been singing for two hours.	They have been singing since morning.

Note: Since is used for a point of time; For is used for a period of time.

When to use Present Perfect Continuous Tense: (Situations with Examples)

Situations	Examples
To express an action which began at some time in the past and is still continuing and may extend into the future.	She has been studying since morning.
To express an action in a sentence which begins with for how long or since when To express an action that began sometime in the past and has been just completed. However, its result is visible in the present.	I have been working on this project for five hours and I am tired now.
Actions happening recently (lately)	She has been exercising a lot recently.
Duration from the past until now	He has been teaching for ten years.
Temporary actions	I’ve been practicing for five years.
Actions going on for a period of time	It has been raining. The sidewalk is wet.

2.1 – Simple Past Tense (Past form of the tense):

Forms:

	First Person	Second Person	Third Person
Affirmative Singular Plural	I sang yesterday. We sang yesterday.	You sang yesterday. You sang yesterday.	She/He/It sang last week.
Negative	I didn’t sing yesterday.	You didn’t sing yesterday.	She/He/It didn’t sing last week.
Interrogative	Did/Didn’t I sing yesterday?	Did/Didn’t you sing yesterday?	Did/Didn’t she/he/it sing last week?

When to use Simple Past Tense: (Situations with Examples)

Situations	Examples
To indicate an action that was completed in the past.	Merlin went to Ooty last week
To express a habitual or regular action only in the past; It can also be expressed by using ‘used to’.	John played the piano when he was a child. John used to play piano when he was a child.
Duration in the past	He stayed up all night.
In conditional clauses	If she had studied harder, she would have passed the exam.
In the indirect form of speech	He said that he had gone to the store.
To express two actions, where the first action leads instantly to the second action	When the meeting ended, the staff members came out.
Actions in stories	She boarded the train and looked for her friends.

2.2 – Past Continuous (was/were + verb + ing)

Forms

	First Person	Second Person	Third Person
Affirmative Singular	I was singing yesterday by this time.	You were singing when I was playing.	She/He/It was singing yesterday by this time.
Affirmative Plural	We were singing yesterday by this time.	You were singing when I was playing.	They were singing when I was playing.
Negative	I wasn’t singing	You weren’t singing	She/He/It wasn’t singing

When to use Past Continuous Tense: (Situations with Examples)

Situations	Examples
To express a state or an action that was continuing at a certain point of time in the past. It had begun before that point and was probably continuing after it. We use adverbials of time.	We were decorating the house for the birthday party in the morning. Yesterday noon, I was eating lunch.
To express an action that was in progress in the past
To express an action in progress at some point of time in the past when another event took place	She was cooking when the guests arrived.
To describe two or more actions continuing at the same time	While I was watching T.V., he was sleeping.
To indicate a frequently repeated action or persistent habit in the past	Nithish was constantly complaining about something or the other.
Interrupted continuous past action	I was watching a movie when she called.
To start a story / create an atmosphere	While I was driving to work yesterday…
Repeated action (often with “always”)	My last roommate was always leaving dirty dished in the sink.

2.3 – Past Perfect Tense (had + past participle)

Forms

Affirmative	First Person	Second Person	Third Person
Singular	I had already sung.	You had already sung	She/He/It had already sung
Plural	We had already sung	You had already sung	They had already sung

When to use Past Perfect Tense: (Situations with Examples)

Situations	Examples
For an action that had been completed before another action began in the past	He had appealed to the manager for a week’s leave before I reached.
To describe an action or event which has been completed before some point of time.	By 11 a.m. all the students had left the school campus after the Independence Day celebration.
To describe an action in the past which became the cause of another action	If he had informed her, she would have waited for him.
To describe an action in the past using the time adverbials such as already, since, before, etc.	When we arrived, the class had already begun.
To express an unfulfilled action in the past and unfulfilled wish in the past.	I wish I had accepted the job.
Reported Speech	My student said that he hadn’t done his homework.
A period of time before an event in the past	We had owned our house for twenty years before we sold it
In the third conditional of if	If it had rained, I would have bought an umbrella.

2.4 – Past Perfect Continuous (had + been + verb + ing)

Forms:

Affirmative	First Person	Second Person	Third Person
Singular	I had been singing for two hours yesterday.	You had been singing for two hours yesterday.	She/He/It had been singing for two hours yesterday.
Plural	We had been singing for two hours yesterday.	You had been singing for two hours yesterday.	They had been singing for two hours yesterday.

When to use Past Perfect Continuous: (Situations with Examples)

Situations	Examples
to describe an action in the past that had begun and had been going on for sometime before another action took place in the past	Mahi and Ragav had been arguing with each other when their mom arrived.
to describe an action that had been going on for some time in the past	The students had been practicing for the last couple of weeks.
Continued action in the past, before an action in the past	He had been waiting for an hour when she finally arrived
Cause of something in the past	He went on a diet because he had been eating too much.
“If” – impossible condition	If I had been paying attention, I wouldn’t have got into an accident
Reported Speech	She said that John had been helping her study for months

3 – Future Tense

Future time in English can be expressed in the following ways:

(i) Simple Present Tense

e.g. She leaves this evening.

(ii) Present Continuous Tense

e.g. We are meeting the Prime Minister tomorrow.

(iii) be about to

e.g. The train is about to leave the station.

(iv) be going to.

e.g. Prices are going to rise.

(v) by denoting the Principal clause of a conditional sentence.

e.g. If she works hard, she will get a scholarship.

3.1 – Simple Future (shall / will + verb)

Forms:

	First Person	Second Person	Third Person
Affirmative	I/we shall sing tomorrow.	You will sing tomorrow.	She/He/It/They will sing tomorrow.
Negative	I won’t sing tomorrow.	You won’t sing tomorrow.	She/He/It won’t sing tomorrow.

When to use Simple Future: (Situations with Examples)

Situations	Examples
It is used for an action that is yet to take place	I will finish the report tomorrow.
used to express the speaker’s opinion, for something to be done in the future. We use verbs such believe, know, suppose, think, etc. We also use adverbs such as perhaps, possibly, surely, etc.	I will probably go to the party tomorrow.
Will is used with the first person to express willingness, determination, etc	I will help you with your homework.
Shall is used with the first person to express an offer or suggestion	We shall meet at the coffee shop at 5 p.m.
Shall is used with the second and the third persons to express determination, promise, intention, etc.	He shall not pass the test unless he studies. They shall complete the task by tomorrow.

3.2 – Future Continuous (shall/will + be + verb + ing)

Forms:

	First Person	Second Person	Third Person
Affirmative	I/we will be singing by this time tomorrow.	You will be singing by this time tomorrow.	She/He/It/They will be singing by this time tomorrow.
Negative	I won’t be singing by this time tomorrow.	You won’t be singing by this time tomorrow.	She/He/It won’t be singing by this time tomorrow.

When to use Future Continuous Tense: (Situations with Examples)

Situations	Examples
used to express an action that will be in progress at a given time in future or in the normal course	We will be playing from 5 p.m. to 6 p.m.
Emphasis of future plans and intentions	They’ll be coming to visit us next week.
Interrupted action in the future	I will be waiting for you when you arrive tonight.
Parallel actions in the future	While he cooks dinner, she will be watching TV.
Atmosphere in the future	When I enter the class, the teacher will be teaching, some students will be taking notes, and my best friend will be trying to stay awake.

3.3 – Future Perfect Tense (shall/will + have + past participle)

Forms:

	First Person	Second Person	Third Person
Affirmative	I/we will have been singing by this time tomorrow.	You will have been singing by this time tomorrow.	She/He/It/They will have been singing by this time tomorrow.
Negative	I/we won’t have been singing by this time tomorrow.	You won’t have been singing by this time tomorrow.	She/He/It won’t have been singing by this time tomorrow.

When to use Future Perfect Tense: (Situations with Examples)

Situations	Examples
The Future Perfect expresses an action that is expected to be completed by a certain time in the future.	We will have completed our work by the time our sisters arrive.
It is used to express the speaker’s belief that something has taken place. In such sentences it does not express the future.	“You will have discussed the plans how to celebrate the function”, said my mother.
It is also used for an action which at a given future time will be in the past.	In two years’ time, I shall have earned my degree.
Question form	Do you think you will have finished the project before I arrive?
Negative statements	By this time tomorrow, she won’t have had enough time to finish the essay.

3.4 – Future Perfect Continuous (shall/will + have been + verb + ing)

Forms:

	First Person	Second Person	Third Person
Affirmative	I/we will have been singing by this time tomorrow.	I/we will have been singing by this time tomorrow.	She/He/It/They will have been singing by this time tomorrow.
Negative	I/we won’t have been singing by this time tomorrow.	You won’t have been singing by this time tomorrow.	She/He/It won’t have been singing by this time tomorrow.

Note: The Forms of Future Perfect and Future Perfect Continuous will be the same.

When to use Future Perfect Continuous Tense: (Situations with Examples)

Situations	Examples
used to express an action that will have been going on at or before some point of time in the future.	By next June, I shall have been completing my studies.
Duration before something in the future	He will have been waiting for an hour when she finally arrives.

Note: The less frequently used tense forms are Past Perfect Continuous Tense and Future Perfect Continuous Tense.

Tense	Signal words	Use
Simple Present / Present Simple	* every day * sometimes * always * often * usually * seldom * never * first… then	* Somethings happens repeatedly * How often something happens * One action follows another * Things in general * With the following verbs (to love, to hate, to think, etc) * Future meaning: timetables, programmes
Present Continuous / Progressive	* now * at the moment Look! Listen!	* Something is happening at the same time of speaking or around it * Future meaning: When you have already decided and arranged to do it (a fixed plan, date)
Simple Past / Past Simple	* last … * … ago * in 1990 * yesterday	* action finished in the past, mostly connected with an expression of time (no connection to the present)
Past Continuous / Progressive	* while	* an action happened in the middle of another action * someone was doing something at a certain time (in the past) – you do not know whether it was finished or not
Present Perfect	* just * yet * never * ever * already * so far * up to now * since * for * recently	* you say that something has happened or is finished in the past and it has a connection to the present * action started in the past and continues up to the present
Present Perfect Continuous	* all day * the whole day * how long * since * for	* action began in the past and has just stopped * how long the action has been happening * emphasis: length of time of an action
Past Perfect	* already * just * never	* mostly when two actions in a story are related to each other: the action which had already happened is put into Past Perfect, the other action into Simple Past * the past of Present Perfect
Past Perfect Continuous	* how long * since * for	* how long something had been happening before something else happened
will – future		* predictions about the future (you think that something will happen) * you decide to do something spontaneously at the time of speaking, you haven’t made a decision before * main clause in type I of the if clauses
going to – future		* when you have already decided to do something in the future * what you think what will happen
Future Continuous		* An action will be in progress at a certain time in the future. This action has begun before the certain time. * Something happens because it normally happens.
Future Perfect		something will already have happened before a certain time in the future
Future Perfect Continuous		* something will already have happened before a certain time in the future * emphasis: length of time of an action

Present Tense

Person	Simple	Continuous	Perfect	Perfect Continuous
I	+ verb	+ am + verb + ing	+ have + pp	+ have + been + verb + ing
We	+ verb	+ am + verb + ing	+ have + pp	+ have + been + verb + ing
You	+ verb	+ are + verb + ing	+ have + pp	+ have + been + verb + ing
He	+ verb + s/es	+ is + verb + ing	+ has + pp	+ has + been + verb + ing
She	+ verb + s/es	+ is + verb + ing	+ has + pp	+ has + been + verb + ing
It	+ verb + s/es	+ is + verb + ing	+ has + pp	+ has + been + verb + ing
They	+ verb	+ are + verb + ing	+ have + pp	+ have + been + verb + ing

Past Tense

Person	Simple	Continuous	Perfect	Perfect Continuous
I	Past tense of the verb	+ was + verb + ing	+ had + pp	+ had + been + verb + ing
We		+ were + verb + ing	+ had + pp	+ had + been + verb + ing
You		+ were + verb + ing	+ had + pp	+ had + been + verb + ing
He		+ was + verb + ing	+ had + pp	+ had + been + verb + ing
She		+ was + verb + ing	+ had + pp	+ had + been + verb + ing
It		+ was + verb + ing	+ had + pp	+ had + been + verb + ing
They		+ were + verb + ing	+ had + pp	+ had + been + verb + ing

Future Tense

Person	Simple	Continuous	Perfect	Perfect Continuous
I	+ shall / will + verb	+ shall / will + be + verb + ing	+ shall / will + have + pp	+ shall / will + have + been + verb + ing
We
You
He
She
It
They