TENSES

SIMPLE PRESENT TENSE:-

Positive Sentence- Subject+ Verb Ist

He / she / it + V1+s/es
We/you/they/I+ V1

Negative: do not / does not + V1

I do not play / he does not come

Question: do / does + V I?
Do you play? / does he come?
 SIMPLE PRESENT TENSE
USAGE:-
• To express the idea that an action is repeated or usual.
The action can be a habit, a hobby, a daily event, a
scheduled event or something that often happens.
EXAMPLES:-
• The train leaves every morning at 9 AM.
• Jack plays golf on Sundays.
• He never forgets his wallet.

• Things that are always true/to talk about general truth.

EXAMPLES:-
• The Sun rises in the east.
• People need food.
• It snows in winter here.
 SIMPLE PRESENT TENSE

USAGE:-
to talk about the future when we are discussing a timetable or a
fixed plan.

EXAMPLES:-

• The Rajdhani Express departs at 9:00 p.m.

• School begins at nine tomorrow.
• The plane doesn't arrive at seven. It arrives at seven thirty.

KEY WORDS:-
Always, Whenever, Everyday/month/year, Usually, Often,
Frequently, Sometimes, Rarely, Occasionally, Never, Scarcely, Daily
 PRESENT CONTINUOUS TENSE
PRESENT CONTINUOUS TENSE:-

Subject + is/am/are + verb Ist + ing

USAGE & EXAMPLES:-

When an activity is in progress now at the moment of speaking

• Please don’t make so much noise. I am studying.

• They are racing right now.
• He is examining the clues in the crime scene.
 PRESENT CONTINUOUS TENSE
Longer actions in progress now:-

• I am studying to become a doctor

• I am reading the book Harry Potter.
• Your English is getting better.

Sometimes, we use the present continuous to indicate that

something will or will not happen in the near future:-

• I am meeting some friends after work.

• I am not going to the party tonight.
• Is he visiting his parents next weekend?
 PRESENT CONTINUOUS TENSE

KEY WORDS/PHRASES:-

Now, right now, at the moment, (this week, month, season, year),
today, look, listen, be careful, be quiet, shhh
 PRESENT PERFECT TENSE

PRESENT PERFECT TENSE:-

SUBJECT+ HAVE OR HAS + PAST PARTICIPLE

USAGE:-

A finished action with a result in the present (focus on result).

• I’ve lost my keys (so I can’t get into my house).

• She has hurt her leg ( so she can’t play tennis today).

• They have missed the bus (so they will be late).

 PRESENT PERFECT TENSE

KEY WORDS/PHRASES:-

Already, ever, just, never, not yet, so far, till now, recently
 PRESENT PERFECT CONTINUOUS TENSE

PRESENT PERFECT CONTINUOUS TENSE:-

Subject + has/have + been + V Ist + ing + obj. + since/for + time

• We use 'since' with a fixed time in the past

(2004, April 23rd, 5 o’clock, Morning, Evening)

• We use 'for' with a period of time

(2 hours, three years, six months).
 PRESENT PERFECT CONTINUOUS TENSE

USAGE & EXAMPLES:-

We use the Present Perfect Continuous to show that

something started in the past and has continued up until
now.

• They have been playing since morning.

• She has been working in this company for three years.
• I have been waiting here since 6 o’ clock.
 SIMPLE PAST TENSE
SIMPLE PAST TENSE:-
Positive: Subject + Verb IInd
Negative:Subject + did not + Verb Ist

USAGE & EXAMPLES:-

We use it with finished actions, states or habits in the past
when we have a finished time word
(yesterday, last week, at 2 o'clock, in 2003)

• I went to the cinema yesterday.

• We spent a lot of time in Japan in 2007.
• He was late to class yesterday.
 SIMPLE PAST TENSE

• For stories or lists of events, we often use the past simple for the
actions in the story.

EXAMPLE:-

He went to a café. He sat down and ordered a coffee...

 PAST CONTINUOUS TENSE
PAST CONTINUOUS TENSE:-

Subject + was/were + Verb Ist + ing

USAGE & EXAMPLES:-

For a past action which was in progress when another action
interrupted it.(Past continuous for the interrupted action and past
simple for the action which interrupts it).

• When the phone rang, she was writing a letter.

• While Sumit was sleeping last night, someone stole his car.
• While I was writing the email, the computer suddenly went off.
 PAST CONTINUOUS TENSE
• for two or more actions which were happening at the same
time in the past. The actions are parallel.

EXAMPLES:-

• I was studying while he was making dinner.

• While Ellen was reading, Tim was watching television.

• They were cleaning while he was painting.

 PAST PERFECT TENSE

FORMULATION:-

Subject + had + Verb 3rd

 PAST PERFECT TENSE

USAGE & EXAMPLES:-

Third Conditional

If+ Past Perfect, Perfect Conditional (would have +V3)

Unreal situations in the past.

Example: If I had met Susan last week, I would have returned

her book.
 PAST PERFECT CONTINUOUS TENSE

FORMULATION:-

had + been + present participle

 PAST PERFECT CONTINUOUS TENSE

USAGE :-

Duration Before Something in the Past. We use the past

perfect continuous to show that something started in the
past and continued up until another time in the past.

EXAMPLES:-
Mike wanted to sit down because he had been standing all
day at work.

James had been teaching at the university for more than a

year before he left for Asia.
 FUTURE TENSE

FORMULATION:-

S+ WILL/SHALL+ V1
 CLASS : X
PRACTICE

The major said that it ……………… him great pleasure to be there that
evening.
a) gives
b) gave
c) was giving

He said that he ……………… go as soon as it was possible.

a) will
b) would
c) can
CLASS : X
PRACTICE

The magistrate asked the accused what ……………… with his

hand in the gentleman’s pocket.
a) was he doing
b) he was doing
c) had he done
CLASS : X
PRACTICE
was born was
Mary (be born) ---------------------------in Glasgow but when she (be) ---------------
moved
------3 years old her parents (move) ------------------------to London. She (go) goes -----
was studying
------------ to school in London. While she (study) ------------------------------- at
had
University she (have) -----------------------a serious accident and she (spend) ----- had spent
--------------------6 months in bed. During this time she (learn) -------------------
learned
got
French and when she finally (get) --------------------------- up from bed she
spoke
(speak) --------------------it fluently. She (get) -----------------------a
got job as French
worked
translator in 2001, and she (work) -------------------------------- for this firm since
liked
then. She (like) ------------------------- allowed
the job because it (allow) -----------------------
was considering
-her to speak to a lot of people but right now she (consider) -----------------------
will take
--the possibility of changing her job. Next year she (take) ---------------------------
thinks
a course in computer science because she (think) -----------------------------it
gave
(give) ------------------------------- her the opportunity to find a better job.
 CLASS : X
PRACTICE

He ______
was not at the seminar on Thursday because he was sick.'

Fill the gap to complete the sentence in simple past tense.

was not
is not
will not be
Both options 1 and 3 above are right but option 2 is wrong.
 CLASS : X
PRACTICE

directed
The Supreme Court on December 10 …………………….. (directed / has
directed / had directed) educational institutions to adopt a zero
expelling
tolerance policy to ragging and …………………….. (expel / expelling /
expelled) students ………………………
found (find / found / finding) guilty of
maltreating freshers. The apex court ………………………
had said (has said / said /
has said) expulsion of offenders should be the minimum punishment
as it was necessary to end the menace that ……………………. could (could /
should / must) lead to extreme torture and harassment, and
sometimes even loss of life.
CLASS : X
PRACTICE

• The police ………………four

caught thieves last night. (catch)

• I …………………………….food
was cooking when he came in. (cook)

• I saw that the policemen ……………………….the

was chasing thieves.
(chase)
had died
• The patient……………………………before the doctor came.
(die)

• Look! An old man …………………….after

is running the bus to catch it.
(run)