The tense tells us when an action occurs: “yesterday” for the past, “today” for the present, and “tomorrow” for the future.
There are three main tenses: present tense, past tense, and future tense.
Each of these three tenses can be subdivided into four parts: Indefinite, Continuous, Perfect, and Perfect Continuous.
Daily Grammar Test - Attempt Now
Present Indefinite Tense
The Present Indefinite Tense is used to describe actions in the present, express habitual or historical truths, and convey eternal or universal truths. If the subject is in the third person singular number, “-s/-es” is added to the verb.
STRUCTURE: Subject + Verb (verb + '-s'/'-es')
- I read in class XI.
- He reads in class XI.
- We read in class XII.
- They read in class XII.
ETERNAL TRUTH –
- The earth moves around the sun.
- Two plus two equals four.
- Human beings require oxygen to breathe.
- Sound requires a medium (such as air, water, or solids) to travel through.
- Water boils at 100 degrees Celsius at standard atmospheric pressure.
HABITUAL TRUTH –
- He watches the news on TV every night.
- The birds sing at dawn.
- Reba gets up early in the morning.
- John brushes his teeth before going to bed.
- I drink a glass of water as soon as I wake up.
HISTORICAL TRUTH –
- The Great Wall of China spans thousands of miles.
- The Chinese Great Wall is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
- The Statue of Liberty is a gift from France to the United States.
- Leonardo da Vinci’s “The Last Supper” is a famous Renaissance painting.
- Raja Rammohun Roy is the pioneer of modern India.
Simple Present With Modals
- She can dance well.
- You may go there now.
- He dare not do this.
- He need not go home.
- You must do the work.
- She should take a break.
- You ought to apologize for your mistake.
- It might rain this evening.
- We must respect the rules.
- He can speak multiple languages fluently.
- You may use my computer for your project.
- They dare not challenge the champion.
Present Continuous Tense
The present continuous tense is a way to describe actions that are occurring at the moment of speaking or actions that are happening around the present time.
Structure: Subject + am/is/are + (verb + ing)
- She is reading a book.
- I am writing a letter.
- They are watching a movie.
- He is cooking dinner.
- We are playing soccer.
- The kids are doing their homework.
- The dog is chasing its tail.
- It is raining outside.
- You are talking on the phone.
- She is dancing at the party.
NOTE: Present Continuous Tense is also used to describe actions that are planned to continue or are expected to happen in the near future.
- I am going to Delhi tonight.
- I am meeting with the client tomorrow.
- The concert is taking place in two days.
- My uncle is arriving here tomorrow.
- They are launching a new product in a few days.
- The team is playing a crucial match next Saturday.
The following verbs are not normally used in the continuous form because they often describe mental states, opinions, or stative conditions that aren't considered temporary actions in progress.
see, hear, smell, notice, recognize, appear, look, seem, want, wish, feel, like, love, hate, hope, refuse, prefer, think, suppose, believe, agree, know, understand.
- I see a nice flower. [I am seeing – Wrong]
- I feel his heartbeat. [I am feeling – Wrong]
Present Perfect Tense
The Present Perfect Tense is used when an action has been completed just a short while ago, and its consequences are still being felt.
STRUCTURE: Subject + has/have + (Past Participle of Verb)
- I have done the homework.
- We have done the homework.
- You have done the homework.
- He has done the homework.
- They have done the homework.
- We have completed our project.
- He has read the entire novel.
- They have traveled to many countries.
- I have seen that movie before.
- You have met some interesting people.
- It has rained heavily today.
- The chef has prepared a delicious meal.
NOTE: The Present Perfect Tense is not used with adverbs of past time.
- We visited the museum last week. [We have visited the museum last week. – Wrong]
- They cleaned the house yesterday. [They have cleaned the house yesterday. – Wrong]
- The concert ended late last night. [The concert has ended late last night. – Wrong]
- They watched a movie last night. [They have watched a movie last night. – Wrong]
- They left for the conference yesterday morning. [They have left for the conference yesterday morning. – Wrong]
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Present Perfect Continuous Tense
The Present Perfect Continuous Tense is used when the action has been ongoing until the specified period or point in time, with a focus on the duration of the activity.
STRUCTURE: Subject + has been/have been + (verb + ing)
Period Of Time
- I have been doing this homework all day long.
- He has been playing guitar for three years.
- They have been working on the car for a few days.
- We have been living here for ten months.
- He has been reading in this college for four years.
- I have been gardening for the last month.
- The team has been practicing soccer for weeks.
- She has been cooking dinner for an hour.
- They have been looking for a house for a year.
Point Of Time
- It has been raining since Monday last.
- She has been swimming since morning.
- We have been studying since 3 PM.
- They have been working on the car since yesterday.
- I have been gardening since sunrise.
- She has been cooking dinner since 5 o’clock.
- We have been hiking in the mountains since Saturday.
- He has been writing his novel since last summer.
- She has been painting since sunrise.
- We have been waiting for the train since noon.
- He has been studying for the exam since Monday.
Past Indefinite Tense
Past Indefinite Tense is used to indicate actions or events that occurred in the past.
STRUCTURE: Subject + Past form of Verb
- I did the homework.
- We did the homework.
- You did the homework.
- They did the homework.
- She visited her grandmother last weekend.
- They played football after school yesterday.
- He completed his homework before dinner.
- We watched a movie on Friday night.
- The company launched a new product in 2020.
- I traveled to Paris two years ago.
- She graduated from college in 2015.
- They arrived at the airport early in the morning.
- He read that book last summer.
- We celebrated his birthday with a party last month.
Simple Past With Modals
In the Simple Past Tense, modal verbs such as “would,” “could,” and “might” are followed by the base form (main form) of the main verb without any additional conjugation.
STRUCTURE: Subject + Modal + Present form of Main Verb
- She would sing in the choir.
- They could solve challenging math problems.
- He might visit his grandparents on weekends.
- I would read books every night.
- They could swim across the lake.
- She might bake delicious cookies.
- He would run five miles every morning.
- They could speak multiple languages.
- She might dance beautifully.
- He would play the guitar at parties.
Past Continuous Tense
Past Continuous Tense is used to express actions that were ongoing or in progress for a specific duration in the past.
STRUCTURE: Subject + was/were + (verb + ing)
- I was doing the homework.
- We were doing the homework.
- You were doing the homework.
- He was doing the homework
- They were doing the homework.
- They were playing football in the park yesterday.
- He was cooking dinner at 7 p.m. last night.
- She was studying for her exam all afternoon.
- She was painting a beautiful landscape last weekend.
- They were studying for their exams at the library yesterday.
Past Perfect Tense
The Past Perfect Tense is employed to indicate that one action in the past occurred prior to another action. These two actions are connected by the conjunctions “before” or “after.”
STRUCTURE: Subject + had + (Past Participle of Verb)
- They had gone before he came.
- We had entered the class before the teacher came.
- She had finished her book before the movie started.
- The team had scored two goals before the rain forced the game to stop.
- Sarah had solved the puzzle before John even began.
- They had already cleaned the house before the guests arrived.
- The construction workers had completed the foundation before the storm hit.
- The patient had died before the doctor came. [Or] The doctor came after the patient had died.
- The doctor had come before the patient died. [Or] The patient died after the doctor had come.
NOTE: Past Perfect Tense is used before 'Before' and after 'After' and Past Indefinite Tense is used in the other.
‘When’ can be used with the Past Perfect Tense to describe an action that occurred before another action in the past.
- She had already left when I arrived at the party. (The action of “leaving” occurred before the action of “arriving.”)
- When they finally found the lost keys, I had already replaced the locks. (The action of “finding the keys” occurred after the action of “replacing the locks.”)
Past Perfect Continuous Tense
The Past Perfect Continuous Tense is employed to express that an action had been ongoing for a period of time before another action in the past. It is also used to denote an action that had stopped after continuing for some time.
STRUCTURE: Subject + had been + (verb + ing)
- I had been working when he came.
- I had been studying for two hours before the power went out.
- She had been cooking dinner when the phone rang.
- They had been playing in the park all afternoon before it started raining.
- By the time I woke up, he had been snoring for a while.
- It had been raining all night.
Future Indefinite Tense
Future Indefinite Tense is used when the doer will do the work in the future.
STRUCTURE: Subject + shall/will + Verb
- I shall do the work.
- We shall do the work.
- You will do the work.
- He will do the work.
- They will do the work.
- I will meet you at the café after work.
- She will cook dinner for us tonight.
- I will send you an email with the details.
- They will attend the conference on Friday.
- She will take her driving test next Monday.
- He will bring his guitar to the party tomorrow.
Use Of ‘Going to’ + Verb
The “going to” construction is commonly used in the Simple Future Tense to express intentions, plans, and predictions about future events.
- Expressing Intentions: I am going to start a new job next month.
- Making Plans: She is going to visit her grandparents over the summer.
- Predicting Future Events: It looks like it’s going to rain later today.
- Expressing Future Predictions Based on Current Evidence: The team is playing so well; that they are going to win the championship.
Future Continuous Tense
Future Continuous Tense is used to describe actions that the doer will be actively engaged in for a continuous or ongoing period of time in the future.
STRUCTURE: Subject + shall be/will be+ (verb + ing)
- I will be studying all evening for my final exam.
- He will be playing the piano at the concert tomorrow night.
- The children will be swimming at the pool this time tomorrow.
- I will be cooking dinner for the guests at 7 p.m.
- They will be hiking in the mountains all day on Saturday.
- He will be practicing his guitar skills during the afternoon.
Future Perfect Tense
The Future Perfect Tense is utilized to indicate that an action will be completed or finished before another action or point in the future, and sometimes the latter action is understood or implied.
STRUCTURE: Subject + shall have/will have + (Past Participle of the verb)
- By the time we arrive, they will have finished setting up the stage.
- She will have completed her degree by the end of the year.
- By next Sunday, I will have read that entire book.
- They will have cooked dinner by the time we get home.
- By tomorrow morning, he will have fixed the car.
- She will have saved enough money to go on a vacation by summer.
- By the time the movie starts, we will have bought our tickets.
- They will have planted the garden before the rain comes.
- I will have finished my work before the deadline.
NOTE: The former work in the future is expressed in Future Perfect Tense and the later work is expressed in Simple Present Tense.
Future Perfect Continuous Tense
The future perfect continuous tense is a rarely used grammatical construction. It is employed to convey that an action will have been ongoing in the future up to a certain point, typically before another action that is expressed in the simple present tense takes place.
STRUCTURE: Subject + shall have been/will have been + (verb+ing)
- He will have been going to school by this time.
- By next year, I will have been studying French for five years.
- She will have been working at the company for a decade by 2030.
- By the time he retires, he will have been teaching for 35 years.
- They will have been living in this house for twenty years by the end of the month.
- By the time the concert starts, the band will have been rehearsing for hours.
- I will have been exercising for an hour by the time you arrive.
- I shall have been doing the work before my father comes.
Table Of Tenses
| Tense | Indefinite | Continuous | Perfect | Perfect Continuous |
| Present | I do. | I am doing. | I have done. | I have been doing. |
| Past | I did. | I was doing. | I had done. | I had been doing. |
| Future | I shall do. | I shall be doing. | I shall have done. | I shall have been doing. |
Sequence Of Tenses
The principle of the sequence of tenses involves aligning the tenses of subordinate clauses with the tense used in the main clause. This rule is applicable to both nominal and adverbial clauses but does not pertain to relative clauses.
Rules Of the Sequence Of Tenses
RULE 1: When the verb of Principal Clause is in either the present or future tense, then Verb of Subordinate clause can be in any Tense according to its meaning.
- She believes that the concert starts at 7 PM. [Present + Present]
- She believes that the concert started at 7 PM. [Present + Past]
- She believes that the concert will start at 7 PM. [Present + Future]
- She will believe that the concert will start at 7 PM. [Future + Future]
- She believes that the concert started at 7 PM. [Present + Past]
- They know that the store closes early. [Present + Present]
- They know that the store closed early. [Present + Past]
- They know that the store will close early. [Present + Future]
- They will know that the store will close early. [Future + Future]
- He thinks that she studies hard. [Present + Present]
- He thinks that she studied hard. [Present + Past]
- He thinks that she will study hard. [Present + Future]
- He will think that she will study hard. [Future + Future]
- The teacher says that they behave well. [Present + Present]
- The teacher says that they behaved well. [Present + Past]
- The teacher says that they will behave well. [Present + Future]
- The teacher will say that they will behave well. [Future + Future]
RULE 2: When the verb of the Principal Clause is in the past tense, the verb of the subordinate clause is typically in the simple past or past perfect tense.
- They realized that they had forgotten their passports. [Past + Past Perfect]
- He mentioned that he had already completed the assignment. [Past + Past Perfect]
- She told me that she had seen that movie before. [Past + Past Perfect]
- He hoped that he would find his lost keys. [Past + Past]
- She wished that she could meet her childhood friend again. [Past + Past]
- I prayed that my favorite team would win the championship. [Past + Past]
- We feared that the storm would damage our house. [Past + Past]
- The team celebrated because they had won the championship. [Past + Past Perfect]
- John explained that he had finished his dinner early. [Past + Past Perfect]
- They confessed that they had made a terrible mistake. [Past + Past Perfect]
RULE 3: For statements that express habitual truths, historical truths, or eternal truths, there is no need to change the tense.
- The meteorologist mentioned that cold air is denser than warm air. [Scientific principle]
- She claimed that water boils at 100 degrees Celsius at sea level. [Scientific fact]
- My grandmother always said that laughter is the best medicine. [Eternal wisdom]
- The scientist explained that the Earth orbits the Sun. [Scientific fact]
- The physics teacher taught us that every action has an equal and opposite reaction. [Newton’s third law]
- The nutritionist explained that a balanced diet is essential for good health. [Universal truth]
- The geographer pointed out that the equator is an imaginary line around the Earth’s middle. [Geographical fact]
- I learned from history that Netaji is a great hero. [Historical truth]
- The teacher said that the sun rises in the east. [Eternal truth or Universal truth]
- My mother said that honesty is the best policy. [Eternal truth or Universal truth]
RULE 4: An adverbial clause when joined by 'than' can be used at any tense depending on its meaning.
- I like you better than she likes you.
- I like you better than she liked you.
- I like you better than she would like you.
Tense Exercise
Fill in the blanks with the correct forms of tense of the verbs given in the brackets:
- The cat _______________ (purr) when you stroke it.
- They usually _______________ (go) to the gym after work.
- The teacher _______________ (teach) math and science.
- I _______________ (enjoy) reading books in my free time.
- The flowers _______________ (bloom) in the spring.
- We often _______________ (have) lunch together on Fridays.
- He _______________ (watch) TV every evening.
- My brother _______________ (play) the guitar beautifully.
- She _______________ (run) in the park every morning.
- They _______________ (visit) their grandparents every weekend.
Answers:
- purrs
- go
- teaches
- enjoy
- bloom
- have
- watches
- plays
- run
- visit
Fill in the blanks with the correct forms of tense of the verbs given in the brackets:
- The children _______________ (laugh) loudly during recess.
- My sister _______________ (paint) beautiful pictures in her free time.
- The bus _______________ (arrive) at the station at 8 AM every day.
- We usually _______________ (visit) our relatives during the holidays.
- The chef _______________ (cook) delicious meals at the restaurant.
- She _______________ (write) poetry in her spare time.
- They _______________ (swim) in the pool every Saturday.
- The sun _______________ (shine) brightly in the summer.
- The baby _______________ (cry) when it’s hungry.
- He _______________ (travel) to different countries for work.
Answers:
- laugh
- paints
- arrives
- visit
- cooks
- writes
- swim
- shines
- cries
- travels
Fill in the blanks with the correct forms of tense of the verbs given in the brackets:
- The orchestra _______________ (perform) a magnificent symphony at the concert.
- My cousin _______________ (speak) five languages fluently.
- The chef _______________ (create) culinary masterpieces in the kitchen.
- She _______________ (win) numerous awards for her outstanding contributions to science.
- The climbers _______________ (ascend) the treacherous mountain with great determination.
- The author _______________ (publish) his first novel at the age of 20.
- The company _______________ (innovate) constantly to stay ahead of its competitors.
- The students _______________ (study) diligently for their final exams.
- The artist _______________ (paint) a breathtaking mural on the wall.
- The storm _______________ (ravage) the coastal area, causing widespread damage.
Answers:
- performs
- speaks
- creates
- has won
- ascended
- published
- innovates
- study
- painted
- ravaged
Fill in the blanks with the correct forms of tense of the verbs given in the brackets:
- She _______________ (read) a book every night before bed.
- They _______________ (go) to the beach last weekend.
- I _______________ (watch) a movie right now.
- He _______________ (live) in this city for five years.
- We _______________ (visit) our grandparents next Sunday.
- The students _______________ (study) for the upcoming exam for hours.
- By the time she arrives, I _______________ (finish) my work.
- They _______________ (work) on a top-secret project this year.
- The chef _______________ (cook) a delicious meal yesterday.
- I promise I _______________ (call) you as soon as I get home.
Answers:
- reads (present simple)
- went (past simple)
- am watching (present continuous)
- have lived (present perfect)
- will visit (future simple)
- have been studying (present perfect continuous)
- will have finished (future perfect)
- are working (present continuous)
- cooked (past simple)
- will call (future simple)
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Also, Read
Joining Sentences
Conjunctions
Figures of Speech
Preposition
