Tenses

Definition: A tense is a form of the verb that

allows you to express time. The tense of the
verb tells us when an event or something
existed or when a person did something.
There are 3 main types of tenses:
Present Past Future
Tense Tense Tense

In which there are 4 types of tenses:

Simple Continuo Perfect Perfect
us continuo
us

Present Simple Tense

We use present tense to talk about something
that is currently going on, something that is
habitually performed, or a state that generally
or currently exists.

Structural formula:
Sub + verb[s/es] + obj (In he, she, it)
Examples:
1. She drinks coffee every morning.
2. The Earth revolves around the sun.
3. We go to the beach on weekends.
4. Water boils at 100 degrees Celsius.
5. I work as a teacher.
6. The train leaves at 7 pm.
7. They play tennis in the park every
afternoon.
8. I feel great!
9. Pauline loves pie.
10. I’m sorry to hear that you’re sick

Present Continuous Tense

The present continuous tense is used to talk
about the ongoing actions, events, or
conditions that are still not finished.
Structural formula:
Sub + helping verb (is / am/ are) + main verb
(ing) + obj
Examples:
1. She is playing basketball.
2. Birds are flying in the sky.
3. I’m learning English.
4. We are meeting at 5 pm tomorrow.
5. He is writing a research paper.
6. It is snowing outside.
7. You are learning French.
8. They are renovating their house.
9. I am attending a conference next week.
10. We are enjoying our vacation

Present Prefect Tense

The present perfect tense is used to describe
a situation or event that has already occurred
and situations that occurred in the past but
still have an influence on the present. We
don’t use it with time markers.
Structural formula:
Sub + helping verb (have/has) + verb (3rd
form) + obj
Examples:
1. Raj has just gone out to the market.
2. The clock has just struck twelve.
3. We have gone for a walk.
4. Toby has eaten all the cookies.
5. My mother has cut her finger.
6. I have done all my
7. Homework.
8. I have been in Pune for one week.
9. Julia has completed her degree from
Delhi University.
10. They have played football.
11. She has taken coffee.

Present Perfect Continuous Tense

The present perfect continuous tense shows a
situation that has started in the past and
continues in the present
Structural formula:
Subject + helping verb (have/has) + been +
verb (ing) + since / for + object (optional)
Examples:
1. She has been cataloguing rare insects for
her research project.
2. The artist has been sculpting a
masterpiece from recycled materials.
3. They have been decoding ancient
manuscripts for years.
4. He has been fine-tuning a custom-built
telescope in his attic.
5. The botanist has been cultivating a rare
species of orchid since last spring.
6. We have been tracing the origins of an
obscure dialect for our linguistic study.
7. The chef has been experimenting with
molecular gastronomy techniques in the
kitchen.
8. The historian has been reconstructing the
timeline of a forgotten civilization.
9. The engineer has been optimizing the
efficiency of a solar-powered vehicle.
10. She has been composing an opera based
on an ancient myth.

Past Simple Tense

The simple past tense is used to describe
actions situations that occurred and were
completed at a specific time in the paste Here
and some common user.
Structural formula:
Subject + verb (2nd form) + object
Examples:
1. I visited my grandparents last weekend.
2. She watched a movie yesterday.
3. They finished their homework early.
4. He travelled to Paris last summer.
5. The cat slept on the couch.
6. He bought a new laptop.
7. They danced at the party.
8. He fixed the broken lamp.
9. The children made a snowman.
10. I cleaned my room yesterday.

Past Continuous Tense

The past continuous tense is used to describe
events or actions that have already occurred
in the past. It’s employed to describe any
action which has happened in the past.
Structural formula:
Subject + helping verb (was/were) + verb
(ing) + object.
Examples:
1. Everyone was clapping.
2. Raj was practising the guitar after
classes.
3. The baby was laughing when 1 came into
the room.
4. The children were playing in the garden.
5. The child was eating an apple.
6. Trina was going to the library.
7. The dog was barking at night.
8. The students were not studying for the
test.
9. They were going to play football.
10. The kite was flying in the sky.

Past Perfect Tense

The past perfect tense is used to describe an
event that occurred before a completed action
in the past.
Structural formula:
Subject + had + verb (verb 3rd form) + object.
Examples:
1. I had studied English before I moved to
the United States.
2. She had never seen a movie.
3. They had already eaten dinner when we
arrived.
4. He had lived Paris for three years.
5. We had never tried Sushi before we went
to Japan.
6. He had gone when she became ill.
7. She had not seen her friend for years.
8. He had not read the book before he saw
the movie.
9. They had not received the package until
last week.
10. She had not lived in New York.

Past Perfect Continuous Tense

The past perfect continuous tense is generally
used in a sentence to depict an action that
started at some time in the past and
continued until a specific time in the past.
Structural formula:
Subject + had been + Verb (ing) + object
(optional) + time of action
Examples:
1. I had been writing articles.
2. He had been reading different kinds of
books.
3. He had not been reading a book.
4. They had been playing basketball.
5. Had she been working all day?
6. John had been watching T.V.
7. You had not been studying all day.
8. Had he been singing song at night?
9. We had been playing all day.
10. Had her daughter been eating anything
all day?
Future Simple Tense
The simple future tense is used to refer to
actions or states that begin and end in the
future. These events have not happened yet,
but will happen.
Structural formula:
Subject + shall/will+ verb + object.
Examples:
1. I will be here soon.
2. She will travel to Paris next summer.
3. They will start their new jobs tomorrow.
4. He will not participate in the competition.
5. We shall not stay up late tonight.
6. Shall we celebrate her birthday this
weekend?
7. Will he finish the project by Friday?
8. You will enjoy the concert tomorrow
 night.
9. Will you help me with the assignment?
10. She will not attend the meeting.

Future Continuous Tense

The Future Continuous tense is used to
describe actions that will be happening at a
specific time in the future. It focuses on the
ongoing nature of the activity.
Structural formula:
Subject + shall/will be + verb (ing) + object.
Examples:
1. We will be having dinner at 6 PM.
2. He will be traveling to New York next
week.
3. I will not be attending the party tonight.
4. She will not be sleeping at that time.
5. Will they be waiting for us at the station?
6. You will not be traveling with us next
week.
7. Shall we be flying to London next month?
8. They will be playing football in the
afternoon.
9. You will be reading your favourite book
 tonight.
10. Will you be my friend?

Future Perfect Tense

The future perfect is used to describe an action that

will be completed between now and a certain point
in the future.
Structural formula:
Subject + shall/will + have + verb (3rd form) + object.
Examples:
1. She will not have cleaned the house before guests
arrive.
2. I will not have finished the book by tomorrow.
3. Will they have built the house by next summer?
4. Will we have eaten dinner by the time the movie
starts?
5. You will not have finished the report by tomorrow
morning.
6. Will you have completed your tasks by the end of the
day?
7. I will have completed the project by next week.
8. She will have cooked dinner by the time you arrive.
9. You will have learned all the necessary skills by the
time the course ends.
10. He will not have saved enough money by next
month.

Future Perfect Continuous Tense

We use the future perfect continuous to focus on the
duration of an action before a specific time in the future.
Structural formula:
Subject + shall/will + have been + verb (ing) + object
(optional) + time instant.
Examples:
1. I will have been studying for three hours
by the time you arrive.
2. She will have been working at the company for five
years next month.
3. We will not have been working on the project for that
many hours by the deadline.
4. He will not have been studying hard enough to pass
 the exam.
5. Will they have been living in the city for a year by
next month?
6. Will we have been cooking for two hours by the time
guests arrive?
7. They will not have been driving long enough to need a
break.
8. He will have been exercising for an hour by 6 PM.
9. Will I have been waiting for too long by the time the
bus arrives?
10. You will not have been waiting for long by the time
I get there.