3.2 Tenses
| TENSES | ||
|---|---|---|
| Present | Past | Future |
Verbs have three main tenses :
Within these tenses too, there are further subdivisions that tell us whether an action is complete or is going on within a certain time frame.
Subject + Main Verb ( First Form ) + Object (1) I walk to school. (2) We walk to school. (3) You walk to school. (4) He walks to school. (5) They walk to school. |
2. Present Continuous Tense : Subject + to be ( is, am, are ) + Present Participle + Object (1) I am going to school. (2) We are going to school. (3) You are going to school. (4) She is going to school. (5) They are going to school. |
3. Present Perfect Tense : Subject + to have ( have / has ) + Past Participle + Object (1) I have walked for hours now. (2) We have walked for hours now. (3) You have walked for hours and must be tired. (4) He has walked for hours already. (5) They have walked for hours already. |
4. Present Perfect Continuous Tense : Subject + to have ( have / has ) + been + Past Participle + Object (1) I have been writing letters since breakfast. (2) She has been knocking at the door for the past five minutes. |
5. Simple Past Tense : Subject + Main Verb ( Second Form ) + Object (1) Everyone walked to school. (2) The peon rang the bent. |
6. Past Continuous Tense : Subject + to be ( was/ were ) + Present Participle + Object (1) I was going to school. (2) We were going to school. (3) You were going to school. (4) He was going to school. (5) They were going to school. |
7. Past Perfect Tense : Subject + to have ( had ) + Past Participle + Object (1) Everyone had been to school that day. (2) The dam had burst before anything could be done. |
8. Past Perfect Continuous Tense : Subject + to have ( had ) + been + Past Participle + Object (1) We had been walking for hours before we saw the house. (2) They had been walking for a long time. |
9. Simple Future Tense : Subject + shall / will + Main Verb ( First Form ) + Object (1) I shall walk to school. (2) We will walk to school. (3) You will walk to school. (4) Everyone else will walk to school. (5) The peon will ring the bell at 5 p.m. |
10. Future Continuous Tense : Subject + to be ( will be /shall be ) + Present Participle + Object (1) I shall be going to school. (2) We will be going to school. (3) Everyone else will be going to school. |
11. Future Perfect Tense : Subject + to have ( shall have / will have ) + Past Participle + Object (1) The children will have reached school by now. (2) By the end of the next month he will have been here for five years. |
Subject + to have ( shall have / will have ) + been + Past Participle + Object (1) By the end of this year he will have been acting for twenty years. (2) By the end of this month he will have been studying here for five years. (This tense is not used much.) |
Sample Questions
1. Fill in the blank using the correct tense form :
I the dishes right now.
(1) done (2) will be doing
(3) am doing (4) had done
Explanation : The action is going on at the time mentioned (right now). Hence the verb should be in the Present Continuous (Progressive) Tense. Hence option (3) is the answer.
2. Choose the correct sentence from the following:
(1) Though Sanjay does not like that school, he has been studying there for the last 10 years.
(2) Though Sanjay does not like that school, he is studying there for the last 10 years.
(3) Though Sanjay does not like that school, he have been studying there for the last 10 years.
(4) Though Sanjay does not like that school, he was studying there for the last 10 years.
Explanation : The first verb ‘does' shows that Sanjay is still studying in the school and has studied in the past too. Hence the Present Perfect Continuous Tense. Hence option (1) is the answer.
3. Identify the correct tense form in the given sentence :
A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush.
(1) Simple present tense
(2) Present perfect tense
(3) Present perfect continuous tense
(4) Present continuous tense
Explanation : The verb in the sentence is 'is'. This is Simple Present Tense. Besides, the sentence is a proverb and proverbs are always in the Simple Present Tense. Hence option (1) is the answer.
4. Choose the correct tense form of the given verb to complete the
conversation :
"I wonder what he will do if he leaves this job."
“Oh, I'm sure he ......... another one soon." (Use the Future tense form of 'get.)
(1) shall get (2) will get
(3) will be getting (4) will have got
Explanation : The Future tense of get is 'will get' when the subject is 'he'. Hence option (2) is the answer.
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