TENSES

DEFINITION:
Tense is defined as the form of verb that gives the relation between TIME
and ACTION. Time is the duration of work and action is the work done.
Tense gives the time when the action is done.

CLASSIFICATION OF TENSES

PAST TENSE

FUTURE TENSE

PRESENT TENSE
a) SIMPLE PRESENT TENSE:
 USAGE
i) To express habitual action, habit or custom.
ii) To talk about a general or universal truth.
iii)To indicate a future event which is a part of a plan or
arrangement.
 SENTENCE FORMATION:
AFFIRMATIVE i) Singular subject + V1 + s/es + Object.
SENTENCES: e.g. She cooks food in the evening.
ii)Plural subject + V1 + Object.
e.g. They play cricket in the ground.
NEGATIVE i) Singular subject + does not + V1 +
SENTENCES: Object.
e.g. Reena does not watch TV.
ii) Plural subject + do not + V1 + Object.
e.g. They do not like to swim.

INTERROGATIVE i) Do/does + Subject + V1 + Object +?

SENTENCES: e.g. Do you play cricket?
Does she wash clothes?
 ii) Question word + do/does + subject + V1
+ Object +?
e.g. Whom do you teach?
Whose book do you read?

b) PRESENT CONTINUOUS TENSE:

 USAGE
i) To describe an action in progress and the continuity of the action.
ii) An action that is not happening at the time of speaking but is in
progress.
iii) An action that has been pre-arranged to take place in the near
future.
 SENTENCE FORMATION:
AFFIRMATIVE i) Singular subject + am/is + V1 + ing + Object.
SENTENCES: e.g. 1) I am playing a game.
2) She is reading a book.
ii) Plural subject + are + V1 + ing + Object.
e.g. 1) We are going to Shimla.
NEGATIVE i) Singular subject + am/is + not + V1 + ing +
SENTENCES: Object.
e.g. 1) I am not swimming in the water.
2) Ram is not surfing the internet.
ii) Plural subject + are + not + V1 + ing + Object.
e.g. They are not watching a movie.

INTERROGATIVE i) Am/is/are + Subject + V1 + ing + Object +?

SENTENCES: e.g. 1) Are you writing a letter?
2) Is Meena cooking the food?
ii) Question word + am/is/are + subject + V1 + ing
+ Object +?
e.g. 1) What is Raveena doing here?
2) Which newspaper are you buying?

c)PRESENT PERFECT TENSE:

 USAGE:
i) To express an action that has recently been completed.
ii) To describe an action whose time is not given.
iii) To describe past events whose effect still exists.
iv) To describe actions that started in the past and arecontinuing
until now and possibly will continue into the future.
v) To show how past situation relates to the present.
  SENTENCE FORMATION:
AFFIRMATIVE i) Singular subject + has + V3 + Object.
SENTENCES: e.g. 1) She has gone to the market.
2) It has become dark now.
ii) Plural subject + have + V3 + Object.
e.g. 1) I have met her.
2) They have bathed.
NEGATIVE i) Singular subject + has + not + V3 + Object.
SENTENCES: e.g. The train has not gone.
ii) Plural subject + have + V3 + Object.
e.g. I have not called him.
INTERROGATIVE i) Has/have + subject + V3 + Object +?
SENTENCES: e.g. 1) Has she gone to Delhi?
2) Have they not seen the Taj Mahal
yet?
ii) Question word + has/have + subject + V3 +
Object +?
e.g. 1) Why has the peon not come yet?
2) What have they eaten today?

d) PRESENT PERFECT CONTINUOUS TENSE:

 USAGE:
i) To describe an action that began in the past and is still
continuing.
ii) To express an action already completed, but whose effect is still
continuing.
 SENTENCE FORMATION:
AFFIRMATIVE i) Singular subject + has + been + V1 + ing +
SENTENCES: Object + for/since + ……
e.g Arpit has been sleeping since 6
o’clock.
ii) Plural subject + have + been + V1 + ing +
Object + for/since + ……
e.g. They have been running for three
hours.
NEGATIVE i) Singular subject + has + not + been + V1 +
SENTENCES: ing + Object + for/since + ……
e.g. Reena has not been going to music
class for two months.
ii) Plural subject + have + been + V1 + ing +
Object + for/since + ……
e.g. You have not been suffering from
fever for one week.
INTERROGATIVE i) Has/have + subject + been + V1 + ing +
 SENTENCES: Object + since/for + ……?
e.g. 1) Have you been sleeping since 8
o’clock?
2) Has he not been living in this
house for a long time?
ii) Question word + has/have + subject + been
+ V1 + ing + Object + since/for + ………?
e.g. Why have they been playing football
since morning?

PAST TENSE
a) SIMPLE PAST TENSE:
 USAGE:
i) To indicate an action that happened in the past and to
report completed action.
ii) To indicate past habits or repeated events that are now
over.
iii) The habitual past can also be expressed by using ‘used
to’.
iv) To indicate another action which happened in the middle
of a longer action.
 SENTENCE FORMATION:
AFFIRMATIVE i) Subject + V2 + Object.
SENTENCES: e.g. 1) I played football in the ground.
2) She sang a song in the party.

NEGATIVE i) Subject + did not + V1 + Object.

SENTENCES: e.g. 1) I did not attend the function.
2) They did not watch television.

INTERROGATIVE i) Did + subject + V1 + Object + ?

SENTENCES: e.g. 1) Did you play a game?
ii) Question word + did + subject + V1 +
Object + ?
e.g. 1) When did father go to office?
2) Why did Siya not speak the truth?

b) PAST CONTINUOUS TENSE:

 USAGE:
i) To indicate an action that was happening at some time in the
past. The time of action may or may not be indicated.
ii) It is also used for an action that was going on during a given
period or at a period of time in the past.

 SENTENCE FORMATION:
AFFIRMATIVE i) Singular subject + was + V1 + ing
SENTENCES: +Object.
e.g. 1) She was driving her car.
ii) Plural subject + were + V1 + ing
+Object.
e.g. 1) They were making a noise.

NEGATIVE i) Singular subject + was + not + V1 + ing

SENTENCES: +Object.
e.g. 1) She was not singing a song.
ii) Plural subject + were + not + V1 + ing
+Object.
e.g. 1) They were not eating
mangoes.

INTERROGATIVE i) Was/were + subject + V1 + ing + Object

SENTENCES: +?
e.g. 1) Were you eating an apple?
ii) Question word + was/were + subject +
V1 + ing + Object + ?
e.g. 1) Why was the blind boy crying?

c) PAST PERFECT TENSE:

 USAGE:
i) To indicate an action that was completed before a definite time or
before another action that took place in the past.
ii) It indicate desires in the past that have not been fulfilled.
iii) It expresses those conditions of the past that were impossible to
fulfil.
 SENTENCE FORMATION:
AFFIRMATIVE i) Subject + had + V3 + Object.
SENTENCES: e.g. 1) She had cooked the food.
NEGATIVE i) Subject + had + not + V3 + Object.
SENTENCES: e.g. 1) They had not attended the function.

INTERROGATIVE i) Had + subject + V3 + Object + ?

SENTENCES: e.g. 1) Had she watched a movie?
ii) Question word + had + subject + V3 +
Object + ?
e.g. 1) why had you gone to Delhi?

d) PAST PERFECT CONTINUOUS TENSE:

 USAGE:
i) It indicates an action which began in the past and continued up
to a certain point of time in the past.

 SENTENCE FORMATION:
AFFIRMATIVE i) Subject + had been + V1 + ing + Object +
SENTENCES: for/since + …..
e.g. 1) You had been suffering from fever
since Tuesday.
2) I had been studying for three hours.

NEGATIVE i) Subject + had + not + been + V1 + ing +

SENTENCES: Object + for/since + …..
e.g. 1) They had not been going to office since
the 5th of July.

INTERROGATIVE i) Had + subject + been + V1 + ing + Object +

SENTENCES: for/since + … + ?
e.g. 1) Had you not been reading the book
since morning ?
ii) Question word + had + subject + been + V1
+ ing + Object + fo11r/since + …… + ?
e.g. 1) Where had he been playing since
morning ?