TENSE & ITS APPLICATIONS

Tense indicates the time of an action. There are three kinds of tenses.

Present Tense

Past Tense

Future Tense

Present Tense has four forms.

1-Simple Present Tense,

2- Present Continuous Tense,
3- Present Continued Tense, (He goes on laughing) (Included in Present Continuous Tense)

4- Present Perfect Tense,

5- Present Perfect Continuous Tense.

Past Tense has four forms.

1-Simple Past Tense,

2 -Past Continuous Tense,
3 - Past Continued Tense, (She went on laughing) (Included in Past Continuous Tense)

4- Past Perfect Tense,

5- Past Perfect Continuous Tense.

Future Tense has four forms.

1-Simple Future Tense,

2- Future Continuous Tense,

3- Future Perfect Tense

4- Future Perfect Continuous Tense.        

Simple Present Tense indicates the time of action which is taken place in (at) present. Sometimes it shows habitual actions.

Ex:-He walks in the morning.

She goes to bed early.

They play cricket.

Structure:-1. ( S'+V'),          2. (S''+V'').

Structure 1 indicates that if the subject is singular verb will be singular. Structure 2 indicates that if the subject is plural verb will be plural. Exception:-I, You. It means only two subjects 'I' and 'You' don't follow the rules.

Examples:- (I go . You go.) In these two sentences one can see that the subject 'I' and 'You' are singular but the verb 'go' is plural with them. Take another example; ( He reads English. One can see here that the subject 'He' is singular so the verb 'reads' is also singular.) (They read English. One can see here that the subject 'They' is plural so the verb 'read' is also plural.) We should know that verbs are originally found in their plural order, like- go, eat, write, laugh, these all verbs are plural. All the verbs are made singular by adding 's' or 'es' with them, as it is required, like-goes, eats, writes, laughs, these all verbs are singular.

Structure: Subject + verb (singular/plural) + object.(Positive)

He plays football.

Subject + do/does + not + verb (plural)+ object. (Negative)

He does not play football.

Do/ Does + subject + verb (plural) + object?(Interrogative)

Does he play football?

Wh/H + do/does + subject + verb (plural) + object?(Interrogative)

Why does he not play cricket?

Present Continuous Tense indicates the time of a verb that is taking place at present.

 He is going to school. I am playing cricket. You are writing a letter.

Structure:- Subject + is/am/are + verb + ing + object.(Positive)

 He is going to school. I am playing cricket. You are writing a letter.

Subject + is/am/are +not + verb + ing +object.  (Negative)

 He is not going to school. I am not playing cricket. You are not writing a letter.

Is/Am/Are +subject +verb +ing +object?  (Interrogative)

 Is he going to school? Am I playing cricket? Are you writing a letter?

Wh / H +is/am/are + subject +verb + object? (Interrogative)

 Why is he going to school? How is he playing cricket?

 Who is playing in the class?  

Present Perfect Tense indicates the time of verb which has already been taken place.

Ex:-He has done his homework.

I have done my homework.

She has not done her homework.

Have we done our homework?

Who has not done his homework?

 Structure:

Subject + have/has + past participle + object. (Positive)

Subject +have/has + not + past participle + object. (Negative)

Have/Has + subject + past participle + object? (Interrogative)

Wh/H + have/has + subject + past participle + object? (Interrogative)

Now we can see the above mentioned examples. 'Have' is a plural verb and 'has’ is a singular verb.

We know that if the subject is singular verb will be singular, and if the subject is plural verb will be plural, exceptions are 'I' and 'You'.  

Present Perfect Continuous Tense indicates the time of verb which has been taking place. It is both continuous and perfect tense. It indicates continuous perfection in the present.

Ex:-He has been studying in this school for seven years. (Positive)

You have been studying in this school since 2008. (Positive)

She has not been doing her homework since last Tuesday. (Negative)

Have you been in London for a few months? (Interrogative)

Why have you been in London for a few months? (Interrogative)

Structure:- Subject + have/has + been + verb + ing + object + for/since + period of time/point of time.(Positive)

He has been writing a letter for three hours.

Subject + have not/has not + been + verb + ing + object + for/since + period of time/point of time. (Negative)

She has not been going to school for four days.

Have/Has + subject + been + verb + ing + object + for/since + period of time/point of time? (Interrogative)

Has she been learning in this school since her childhood?

Wh/H +have/has + subject + been + verb + ing + object +for/since + period of time/point of time? (Interrogative)

Why has she been your friend since your childhood?

Here we have to note that 'for' indicates the period of time whereas 'since' indicates the point of time.             

Simple Past Tense indicates the time of verb which was taken place in the past.

Ex:- He went to school. (Positive)

He did not go to school. (Negative)

Did he go to school? (Interrogative)

When did he go to school? (Interrogative)

Structure:-Subject + past form of verb + object. (Positive)

Subject + did + not + verb + object. (Negative)

Did + subject + verb + object? (Interrogative)

Wh/H + did + subject + verb + object? (Interrogative)

We should note that the verb 'did' is the past form of the verb 'do'. In the Simple Past Tense 'did' is used as an auxiliary verb when the sentence is Negative or Interrogative. The verb 'did' is also used as a principal verb when the sentence is Positive.

He did his work well. (Positive).  Here 'did' is used as a principal verb.

He did not do his work well. (Negative). Here 'did' is used as an auxiliary verb.

Did he do his work well? (Interrogative). Here 'did' is used as an auxiliary verb.  

 Past Continuous Tense indicates the time of verb which was being taken place in the past.

Ex:-She was writing a letter. (Positive)

They were not writing their notes. (Negative)

Were you writing your notes? (Interrogative)

Why were you not writing your notes? (Interrogative)

Structure: Subject + was/were + verb + ing + object. (Positive)

Subject + was not/were not +verb + ing + object. (Negative)

Was/Were + subject + verb + ing + object? (Interrogative)

Wh/H + was/were + subject + verb + ing + object? (Interrogative)

We should note that 'was' and 'were' are the two auxiliary verbs used in the Past Continuous Tense. The verb 'was' is singular and 'were' is plural. The verb 'was' is used with the singular subject and the verb 'were' is used with the plural one. The verb 'was' is not used with the subject 'You'. So if you write ''You was playing'' will absolutely be the wrong sentence. ''You were playing'' is the correct sentence.                     

Past Perfect Tense indicates the time of verb which had taken place in the past.

He had done his homework. (Positive)

He had not done his homework. (Negative)

Had he done his homework? (Interrogative)

Why had he not done his homework? (Interrogative)

Structure: Subject + had + past participle + object. (Positive)

Subject + had + not + past participle + object. (Negative)

Had + subject + past participle + object? (Interrogative)

Wh/H + had + subject + past participle + object? (Interrogative)

We should note that the above-mentioned sentences of Past Perfect Tense are not normally used as Simple Sentences. If a sense represents Past Perfect in the form of a Simple Sentence the sense is constructed in Simple Past Tense. Past Perfect Tense is normally used as Complex Sentence.

Example: The students had done their projects before their teacher came.

Past Perfect Continuous Tense indicates the time of verb which is continuous in its perfect manners.

He had been playing cricket for three hours. (Positive)

He had not been playing cricket since morning. (Negative)

Had he been playing cricket since morning? (Interrogative)

Why had he not been coming to school for seven days? (Interrogative)

Structure: Subject + had + been + verb + ing + object + for/since + period/point of time. (Positive)

Subject + had + not + been + verb + ing + object + for/since + period/point of time. (Negative)

Had + subject + been + verb + ing + object + for/since + period/point of time? (Interrogative)

Wh/H + had + subject + verb + ing + object + for/since + period/point of time? (Interrogative)

This is the basic structure of Past Perfect Continuous Tense.

Simple Future Tense indicates the time of verb which will simply take place in the future.

Ex:-We shall go to Patna tomorrow. (Positive)

He will not play cricket tomorrow. (Negative)

Shall we do our work properly? (Interrogative)

Why will she do her homework in class? (Interrogative)

Structure:- Subject + shall/will + verb + object.(Positive)

She will wait for me.

Subject + shall/will not + verb + object. (Negative)

She will not wait for me.

Shall/Will + subject + verb + object? (Interrogative)

Will she wait for me?

Wh/H + shall/will + subject + verb + object? (Interrogative)

Who will wait for me.

We should note that 'shall' may be used as an auxiliary verb with the subject 'I' or 'we'.   

Future Continuous Tense indicates the time of verb which will remain continued in the future.

Ex:-She will be preparing her notes. (Positive)

They will not be writing their notes. (Negative)

Shall we be visiting a film tomorrow? (Interrogative)

Why will you not be playing cricket tomorrow? (Interrogative)

 Structure: Subject + shall/will + be + verb + ing + object.(Positive)

Subject + shall/will + not + be + verb + ing + object.(Negative)

Shall/Will + subject + be + verb + ing + object?(Interrogative)

Wh/H + shall/will + subject + be + verb + ing + object?(Interrogative)

The above mentioned structure of Future Continuous Tense is very useful for the young learners. 

 Future Perfect Tense indicates the time of verb which will have taken place in the future.

Now a day Future Perfect Tense is not normally used, but the learners must know the form.

Ex:-He will have done his work. (Positive)

He will not have done his work. (Negative)

Will he have done his work? (Interrogative)

Why will he not have done his work? (Interrogative)

Structure : Subject + shall/will + have + past participle + object.(Positive)

Subject + shall/will + not + have + past participle + object. (Negative)

Shall/Will + subject + have + past participle + object? (Interrogative)

Wh/H + shall/will + subject + have + past participle + object? (Interrogative)

We should note that these are the basic structures of Future Perfect Tense.

Future Perfect Continuous Tense indicates the time of verb which will have been taking place in the future in a perfect way.

Ex:-He will have been playing football on the field. (Positive)

He will not have been playing football on the field. (Negative)

Will he have been playing football on the field? (Interrogative)

Why will he have been playing football on the field? (Interrogative)

Structure: Subject + shall/will + have been + verb + ing + object.(Positive)

Subject + shall/will + not + have been + verb + ing + object. (Negative)

Shall/Will + subject + have been + verb + ing + object? (Interrogative)

Wh/H + shall/will + subject + have been + verb + ing + object? (Interrogative)

These are the basic structures of Future Perfect Continuous Tense.

An Approach to English Grammar & Composition Book 6: Page 38:

Use of Tense

Exercise

1. Fill in the blanks with suitable forms of the Verbs given in the brackets:

(i) My father writes to me every week.                                              (write)

(ii) She read when he was sleeping.                                                    (read)

(iii) Where does he go to play in the evening.                                    (go)

(iv) He has been working with us for five years.                                (work)

(v) He has always felt for the poor.                                                     (feel)

(vi) We are putting up a show.                                                             (put up)

(vii) If wishes were horses, beggars would ride.                                 (be)

(viii) I returned from Darjeeling last night.                                         (return)

(ix)  I have not yet given up hope.                                                       (give)

(x) If you are hungry, you can eat.                                                       (be)

(xi) It is raining now.                                                                            (rain)

(xii) The bell has rung just now.                                                           (ring)

(xiii) You have been waiting for me since morning.                            (be)

(xiv) This book has cost fifty rupees.                                                   (cost)

(xv)The hen laid four eggs.                                                                  (lay)

(xvi) He has already completed the work.                                            (complete)

(xvii) They learn their lesson before the teacher arrives.                      (learn)  

(xviii) They came here while I was reading a book.                             (read)

(xix) A good boy always obeys his parents.                                         (obey)

(xx) Dear Somu, thank you for your letter which I received (receive) last week. It was really good to hear from you. You said you met (meet) Anadi recently, but you did not say how he was (be). I have been (be) in Kolkata for six weeks, and I’m enjoying life here very much. I have been working (work) very hard since I arrived, but the job is interesting and everybody is kind to me.    

2. Pick out the verbs from the following sentences and write their Tense. Two have been done for you.

(i) She reads a book.

Verb – reads

Tense – Simple Present

(ii) They are playing cricket.

Verb – are playing

Tense – Present Continuous

(iii) I wrote a letter.

Verb – wrote

Tense – Simple Past

(iv) She was singing a song.

Verb – was singing

Tense –Past Continuous

(v) They have done the work.

Verb – have done 

Tens – Present Perfect

(vi) He had come before I left.

Such types of sentences are basically decided on the structure of the main clause (He had come) which indicates here Past Perfect.

Verb – had come

Tense – Past Perfect (had come)

                Simple Past  (I left)

(vii) We have been living here for five years.

Verb – have been living

Tense – Present Perfect Continuous

(viii) He will be doing it.

Verb – will be doing

Tense – Future Continuous

(ix) I shall never go there.

Verb - shall go

Tense - Simple Future

(x) They came after we had left.

Such types of sentences are basically decided on the structure of the main clause (They came) which indicates here Simple Past.

Verb - came (Simple Past)

            had left (Past Perfect)

(xi) We drink milk.

Verb – drink

Tense – Simple Present

(xii) He was taking medicine.

Verb – was taking

Tense – Past Continuous

(xiii) She had been swimming for an hour.

Verb – had been swimming

Tense – Past Perfect Continuous

(xiv) They will have finished.

Verb – will have finished

Tense - Future Perfect

(xv) The child was crying.

Verb - was crying

Tense – Past Perfect

(xvi) He will have been running this mill for three years.

Verb - will have been running

Tense – Future Perfect Continuous

(xvii) She will have left before you get there.

Verb – will have left

Tense – Future Perfect

(xviii) By next March he will have been working here for five years.

Verb - will have been working

Tense - Future Perfect Continuous

(xix) He will have left for Kalka by next Sunday.

Verb – will have left

Tense – Future Perfect

(xx) She will get a prize.

Verb – will get

Tense – Simple Future

(xxi) I had been reading before I went for a walk.

Verb – had been reading

Tense - Past Perfect Continuous

(xxii) When I saw them, they were playing cricket.

Verb – saw

Tense – Simple Present

(xxiii) She has been living here since January.

Verb – has been living

Tense – Present Perfect Continuous

(xxiv) He is seeing his advocate tomorrow.

Verb –is seeing

Tense – Present Continuous (for future planning)

(xxv) I went to school daily.

Verb – went

Tense - Simple Past

3. Fill up the blanks with the correct verb form from those given in brackets:

(i) He bought a new scooter last week. (bought/have bought/had bought)

(ii) It has been raining since morning. (rained/raining/has been raining)

(iii) The earth moves around the sun. (move/moves/moved)

(iv) We had returned home before it began to rain.(returned/has returned/had returned)

(v)When I got home, Rajani was waiting for me. (waited/was waiting/had been waiting)

(vi) Don’t disturb me. I am doing my homework.(do/did/am doing)

(vii) He jumped off the train while it was moving. (moved/has moved/was moving)

(viii)He will explain it to you when he will come back. (comes/came/will come)

(ix) Ravi wants to be a doctor. (wants/wanting/is wanting)

(x) The girls were playing cricket when I saw them. (play/played/were playing)

(xi) The train left after we had reached the station. (left/has left/had left)

(xii) If you work hard you will succeed. (work/worked/will work)

(xiii) My uncle arrives here tomorrow. (arrives/will have been arriving)

(xiv) I hear a strange noise. (hear/am hearing/ have been hearing)

(xv) By this time next year Rekha will have taken her University Degree. (takes/will take/will have taken)

(xvi) We have been living here for the last ten years. (lived/ are living/ have been living)

(xvii) When he lived in Barauni, he went to the cinema hall almost every week. (goes/went/was going)

(xviii) She – to Delhi tomorrow. (is going/has gone/has been going)

(xix) He was stung by a scorpion while he was walking in the garden. (walked/was walking/had walked)

(xx) He thanks us for what we have done. (have done/had done/had been doing)