TENSE

 Tense: Tense denotes the time of action as well as the state of action.
 Kinds of tenses: i) Present Tense a) Indefinite
ii) Past Tense b) Continuous
iii) Future Tense c) Perfect
d) Perfect Continuous

Present Indefinite Tense

 It denotes present action or state, regular or irregular routine, universal truth and habitual fact.
Exp: Volcanic eruptions occur in Iceland.
He sleeps at night.
 It is used when we talk about the content of a book, though the book may have been written in
the past.
Exp: Our Constitution guarantees six fundamental rights.
 It is used to express planned action of near future.
Exp: PM leaves for Egypt next week.
India takes on Qatar at Bhubaneswar tomorrow.
 It is used in newspaper headlines and commentary of sports.
Exp: ED raids minister’s premises.
Virat strikes the ball and off it goes across the boundary lines.
 It is used in exclamatory sentences that begin with here and there.
Exp: Here comes the chief guest.
There he goes.
 Generally, time expressing adverbs like – Always, often, sometimes, usually, seldom, never, daily,
every day, every month, every week etc. are used in simple present tense.

Past Indefinite Tense

 It denotes past action.

Exp: I came here yesterday.
 A past tense in the principal clause is followed by a past tense in the subordinate clause except
universal truth and habitual fact.
Exp: I heard that honesty is the best policy
He told me that he prefers coffee to tea.
He heard that I was ill.
 To express past routine used to and would is used.
Exp: I used to go to school daily.
I would go to school daily.
 If a sentence starts with it’s time, it’s high time or it’s about time and if it is followed by a subject,
V2 is used after the subject.
But if they are followed by to, V1 is used.
Exp: It’s time/high time/about time that we left this place.
It’s time/high time/about time to leave this place.
 If definite past time or yesterday, the day before, the other day, ago, last morning, last night, last
week etc. are given in a sentence, simple past tense is used in that.
Exp: Mahatma Gandhi was born in 1869.
He came here yesterday.
 If two actions took place in the past, the second action happened just after the first action and
there is much less time interval between both actions, simple past tense is used to express both
of them.
Exp: When I began to teach him, he began to listen carefully.
When she beat him, he began to cry.

Future Indefinite Tense

 It represents action or state of future.

Exp: Ram will come tomorrow.

Present Continuous Tense

 It is an action that is going on at the time of speaking.

Exp: Raju is playing football.
 It is used if words like always or constantly expresses the idea that something irritating or
shocking often happens with negative emotions.
Exp: You are always sleeping in the class.
You are constantly pestering me.
 Sometimes some events are going on even at the time of speaking but we cannot see them.
Exp: Population is increasing day by day.
Coastal areas are getting submerged.

 It is used for fixed programme or planned action of near future.

Exp: I am going to Mumbai tonight.
Prime minister is coming tomorrow.
 The following verbs are normally used in simple present tense instead of present continuous
tense.
 Verbs of perception: See, taste, hear, smell, seem, appear, sound, feel, look.
 Verbs of possession: Own, have, posses, comprise, consist, contain, belong.
 Verbs of feelings: Love, like, hate, adore, dislike, want, wish, please, trust, hope, desire,
believe.
 Verbs of thoughts: Think, know, mean, mind, remember, suppose, notice, recognize,
imagine, understand, comprehend, prefer.
 Some other verbs: Agree, afford, resemble, cost, require, consider, become, deny, forget,
doubt.
Exceptions:
 Look: Look + ing + at + adverb / Look + adjective.
Exp: He is looking at me angrily.
He looks angry.
 Have: When it denotes possession, ing is not used with it. But when it denotes eating or
spending time(enjoying), continuous tense is used.
Exp: I am having a car. (✘)
I have a car. (✓)
I am having my holidays.
I am having my lunch.
 Think: When it denotes opinion or feelings, ing is not used with it. But when it denotes
future decision or plan or one’s state of mind for some particular time, continuous tense is
used.
Exp: I am thinking of doing MBA.
I am thinking of you.
I think, it will rain.
I think, you are right.
 Feel: When it denotes opinion or to experience something physical or emotional, ing is not
used with it. But when it denotes the verb of sensation, continuous tense is used.
Exp: I feel, you are right.
It feels soft.
I am feeling unwell.
She is feeling the quilt to check the quality of the fabric used.
 Smell: When it is used as a non-action verb, ing is not used with it. But when it is used as an
action verb, continuous tense is used.
Exp: It smells foul.
She is smelling the soup to identify the spices used in it.

Past Continuous Tense

 If an action was in continuation in the past, past continuous tense is used.

Exp: Ram was playing football.
 For persistent habits in the past.
Exp: She always chewed gum. (✘)
She was always chewing gum. (✓)
 When two actions took place at the same time in the past, past continuous tense is used for both
actions [Consecutive Past]
Exp: While I was sleeping, my brother was playing.
 When an action was continuing in the past and another action took place during the continued
action, past continuous tense is used for the continued action and simple past tense is used for
the action took place during the continuous action.
Exp: While he was riding a bike, traffic police stopped him.
She was playing when her father came.
 It is used, when the verbs get, become and grow are used to express gradual increase or decrease
in any action in the past.
Exp: She was becoming more and more beautiful.
It was getting darker and darker.
The plants were growing day by day.

Future Continuous Tense

 It denotes continued action of future.

Exp: We will be taking the examination at this time, next month.
 To express future events that are planned.
Exp: He will be coming here for Durga puja.

Present Perfect Tense

 It is used to indicate completed activities in the immediate past.
Exp: Ram has done the work.
 It is used with the following adverbs: -
Ever, never, often, already, just, lately, recently, so far, up to now, today, since, for, yet.
 Here yet is used for negative & interrogative sentences and is placed at the end of a
sentence. For positive sentence still is used.
Exp: She has not gone yet.
 If a sentence starts with though or although, yet may be used as a linker.
Exp: Although he was ill yet he came to school.
Although he was ill, he came to school.
 If since is followed by simple past tense, it is preceded by present perfect tense.
Exp: I have not seen him since he left India. (adverb of time)
Since he left India, I have not seen him.
I could not go to school since I was ill. (adverb of reason)
 It is used when the action is important, not the time of action and the action is over with no given
time.
Exp: We have reached the moon.
The housing problem in Mumbai has become more serious.
 This is the nth + Present Perfect Tense
Exp: This is the first time, I have met him.
This is the fourth time, you have interrupted me.

Past Perfect Tense

 It is used to describe an action completed before a certain moment in the past.

Exp: He had written a novel even before he was ten years old.
 If two actions took place one after the other, the first action is denoted by past perfect tense and
the second action is denoted by simple past tense.
Exp: The patient had died before the doctor came.
The train had left before we reached the station.

Future Perfect Tense

 It is used for the completion of an action in a certain future time.

 Simple: By Monday, by January, before Sunday, before February etc. are used.
Exp: The work will have been completed by Monday.
 Complex: If two actions take place in the future, the first action has already been completed
and later the second action takes place. Future perfect tense is used for the first action and
simple present tense is used for the second action.
Exp: I shall have finished my homework before you come.
The plants will have dried before it rains.

Present Prefect Continuous Tense

 It is used to express an action which began at some time in the past and is still continuing.
Exp: They have been building the road since March.
I have been waiting for you since morning.

Past Prefect Continuous Tense

 It denotes an activity that started in past, continued and finished in past.

Exp: I had been writing for you since morning.
 It is used to express an action that began before a certain point in the past and continued upto that
time.
Exp: Kapil Dev had been playing for more than a decade when Tendulkar entered the cricket team.
The children had been quarrelling before their mother reached home.

Future Prefect Continuous Tense

 It is used for an action that continues upto some future point of time.
Exp: I shall have been living in Delhi for five years by the end of this year.
 When an action will be continued in the future and another action will take place during the
continued action. Future perfect continuous tense is used for the continued action in the future
and simple present tense is used for the later action in the future.
Exp: Before the doctor comes, Mini will Have been suffering.
She will have been teaching for six years when she gets married.

Notes
 If there is present or future tense in the principal clause, it can be followed by any tense in the
sub ordinate clause.
Exp: I know that he will come.
I say that he was a good player.
 When the subordinate clause is introduced by than or as well as, any tense can be followed by any
according to the sense indicated.
Exp: He likes you as well as he liked me.
He loves you more than he loved me.
 If a sentence does not have a principal verb, have had or had had may be used.
Exp: I have had a good sleep.
I had had many good matches before last game.