Tenses

VERBS(ASH)

FINITE NON-FINITE
SUBJECT NO SUBJECT
TENSE NO TENSE

While swimming, he broke his tooth.

 Tenses-VERB FORMS
Present Past Past Present
Participle Participle

V-1 V-2 V-3 -ing

play(s) played played playing

drive(s) drove driven driving

eat (s) ate eaten eating
go(es) went gone going
cut(s) cut cut cutting
Tense comes from Latin
word ‘Tempus’ which
means “Time”
 TENSE

PRESENT PAST FUTURE

Simple → States an action

Perfect → Action completed
Continuous/ → Action going on
Progressive
Perfect → Action started earlier but still
Continuous going on
 ALL TENSES
Simple Continuous Perfect Perfect
Continuous

Present simple present present present

present continuous perfect perfect
continuous

Past simple past past past past

continuous perfect perfect
continuous

Future simple future future future

future continuous perfect perfect
continuous
The following table shows the different
forms of Simple Present
• Affirmative Sentences:
I/We/You/They+ V1+ object.
He/She/It +V1s/es +object.

• Negative Sentences:
I/We/You/They+do not + V1+ object.
He/She/It + does not +V1 +object.

• Interrogative Sentences:
Do/Does + subject + V1 +object + ?
Wh-family +do/does + subject +V1 + object + ?
 Simple Present

• Usage :
Simple Present is used to express things
happening in the present
e.g. She teaches in a private school.
express a habitual action
e.g. I wake up at five daily.
express a universal truth
e.g. The Sun rises in the east
 I drink milk every morning

--------X X X------------!---------X X X---------→

Past now future
Express subordinate clause if the principal
clause is the Simple Future
e.g. If she prepares well, she will score
good marks.

Used in commentaries for sports

e.g. Martin passes the ball, kicks it, Ah! It is a goal.
Key time words that are generally used for
simple present

Always, often, usually, regularly,

often, everyday, rarely, scarcely,
(once, twice, three times a day,
a week, a month, a year), daily,
weekly, monthly, yearly.
General facts.
 The following table shows the different
forms of Present Continuous

• Affirmative Sentences:
subject+ is/am/are+v1+-ing +object.

• Negative Sentences:
subject+ is/am/are+not +v1+-ing +object.

• Interrogative sentences:
is /am/are+subject+v1+-ing +object+?
 Present Continuous/ Progressive :
It is used to
→ indicate an action that is taking place at
the moment of speaking
e.g. I am teaching grammar.
→ express an activity happening around but not
necessarily at that moment.
e.g. Ganesh is studying very hard for his exams
these days.
→ express activities happening in the near future
especially a planned future event.
e.g. I am attending the meeting.
I am teaching grammar now

--------------------!------------------→
Past now future
Do all verbs have continuous/progressive
form?
No!
Verbs referring to mental states(emotions) like
know, love, want, feel, desire……, the senses like
smell, taste, see……. Don’t have
continuous/progressive form
e.g. I am respecting you. (incorrect)
I respect you. . (correct)
My son loves to draw and paint. (correct)
My son is loving to draw and paint. (incorrect)
 Present Continuous/ Progressive

Key words / phrases

now, right now, at the moment,
(this week, month, semester, term,
season, year), today, look, listen, be
careful, be quiet,
 Forms of Present Perfect
Affirmative Sentences:
Subject+ have/has+ v3 +object.

Negative Sentences:
Subject+ have/has+ not+ v3 +object.

Interrogative Sentences:
Have/ Has+subject+v3 +object+?
 Present Perfect
It is used to
 express an action recently completed, it is
used with ‘just
e.g. The train has just arrived.

describe a past action which is important for its

effect in the present and not in itself.
e.g. I have stopped smoking.
 I have finished my home work

--------------------------X---!-----------------------→
Past now future
Words often used with the Present
Perfect tense are :

Yet, so far, never, ever, already,

since, just ,
just now , several times
Forms of Present Perfect Continuous
Affirmative Sentences:
Subject+have/has+been+v1+ing+object.

Negative Sentences:
Subject+have/has+not+been+v1+ing+ object.

Interrogative Sentences:
Have/ Has+subject+been+v1+ing+object+?
Present Perfect Continuous :
→It is used to
– Express an action that began in the past and
has been in progress till the time of speaking.
e.g. I have been teaching since 9-00 a.m.

--------------------!------------------→
past now future
→ express an action that finished just
a short while ago.
e.g. Sagar has been watching TV
for two hours.

--------------------!------------------→
Past now future
Words often used with the Present
Perfect Continuous

since/for
since : suggests the “point of time”
for : suggests the “period of time”
The following table shows the different
forms of Simple Past
Affirmative Sentences:
Subject + V2 + object.

Negative Sentences:
Subject + did not +V1+ object.

Interrogative Sentences:
Did + subject +V1 +object + ?
Wh-family +did+ subject +V1 + object + ?
 Simple Past :
It is used to
express an action that was completed at a
definite point in the past.
e.g. Yesterday, she visited her aunt.

express a past habit or routine.

e.g. He used to eat with his left hand when
he was young.
I drank coffee yesterday.
You will often find the past simple used with time
expressions such as these

• Yesterday
• three weeks ago
• last year
• in 2002
• from March to June (past months)
• for a long time
• for 6 weeks
• in the 1980s
• in the last century
• in the past
 The following table shows the different forms of
Past Continuous
• Affirmative Sentences:
Subject + was /were +v1+ing+object.

• Negative Sentences:
Subject +was /were+not+v1 +ing +object.

• Interrogative sentences:
Was/ Were+subject +v1+ing +object+?
 Past Continuous/ Progressive
It is used to :
express an action in progress before the moment
of speaking.
e.g. It was pouring heavily at 6 o’clock this morning.

express when two actions were going on

simultaneously in the past.
e.g. While I was playing, my sister was studying.
 I was drinking coffee when I got
a phone call

--------------------------!----------------------→
Past now future
 Forms of Past Perfect
• Affirmative Sentences :
Subject + had+ v3+ object.

• Negative Setences:
Subject + had+ not + v3+ object.

• Interrogative Sentences:
Had+ subject +v3+object ?
 Past Perfect :
It is used to
describe an action which was completed just
before or sometime before the second action in
the past.
e.g. He had done his duty before the next shift started.
My mother had cooked before I
woke up.

----x x----------------!------------------→
Past now future
 Forms of Past Perfect Continuous

• Affirmative Sentences:
Subject+had+been+v1+ing+object.

• Negative Sentences:
Subject+had+ not +been+v1+ing+object.

• Interrogative Sentences:
Had +subject+been+v1+ing+object?
 Past Perfect Continuous Tense
It is used to
Express an action that was finished at some
definite time in the past but which had been
going on before it was finished or had recently
finished.

e.g. Suresh had been working in this bank since

he came to Dharwad.
The following table shows the different
forms of Simple Future
Affirmative Sentences:
Subject + shall/will + V1+ object.

Negative Sentences:
He/She/It +shall/will not +V1+ object.

Interrogative Sentences:
Shall/Will + subject V1 +object + ?
Wh-family +shall/will + subject +V1 + object + ?
 Simple Future
It is used to :
describe an action that will take place in the
future.
e.g. I shall see you shortly.
He will win the match.
express announcements of future plans and
weather forecast.
The flood water will continue to recede now.
Words often used with the
Simple Future are
tomorrow, next
 The following table shows the
different forms of Future Continuous
• Affirmative Sentences:
Subject+shall/will+be+v1+ing+object.

• Negative Sentences:
Subject + shall/will+be+not+v1+ing+object

• Interrogative sentences:
Shall/Will +subject+be+v1+ing+object?
 Future Continuous Tense:
It is used with a point of time.
It expresses an action that will be going on at
the time of speaking.
e.g. I shall be giving a lecture on Google
Meet tomorrow.
 Forms of Future Perfect
Affirmative Sentences:
Subject+ shall/will+ have+ v3+ object.

Negative Sentences:
Subject+ shall/ will+ not + have+ v3+ object.

Interrogative Sentences:
Shall/Will+subject+have+v3+object+ ?
 Future Perfect

It is used to
Express an action that will have been completed
in the future by a certain time.
e.g. By tomorrow, I shall have bought the new
mobile.
 Forms of Future Perfect Continuous

• Affirmative Sentences:
Subject+shall/will +have been+v1+ing +object.

• Negative Sentences:
Subject+shall/will + not +have been+v1+ing +object.

• Interrogative Sentences:
Will/Shall +subject+ have been +v1+ing object ?
 Future Perfect Continuous :

It is used to
denote an action that will be finished at some
definite time in the future, but which had been
going on before it was finished.
e.g. He will have been celebrating his birthday
tomorrow this time.
TENSES in different type of sentences