A LESSON ON TENSES

WHAT IS A TENSE?

VERB FORM THAT SHOWS THE THE TIMETIME OF OF ACTIONACTION IS CALLED TENSE.

KINDS OF TENSE

PRESENT PRESENT TENSETENSE

PAST TENSE

FUTURE FUTURE TENSETENSE

1. Simple Present2. Present Continuous

3. Present Perfect4.Present Perfect Continuous

1. Simple Past2. Past Continuous

3. Past Perfect4.Past Perfect Continuous

1. Simple Future2. Future Continuous

3. Future Perfect4.Future Perfect Continuous

It had been raining all day when we left.

SIMPLE PAST

We moved to Istanbul in 2003.

SIMPLE PRESENT

I have a shover every morning.

SIMPLE FUTURE

I will help you with that project.S

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PAST CONTINUOUS

I was watching a film when he arrived

PRESENT CONTINUOUS

They are having lunch at the moment.

FUTURE CONTINUOUS

She will be waiting for you at the airport.

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PAST PERFECT

Tom had done his homeworkbefore he left home.

PRESENT PERFECT

Mike has arrived. He is here now

FUTURE PERFECT

The match will have startedbefore we get there.

PE

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PAST PERFECT CONTINUOUS PRESENT PERFECT CONTINUOUS

You have been doing your bestsince you started here.

FUTURE PERFECT CONTINUOUS

Mum will have been waiting for usfor ages when we get home.

PE

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PAST PRESENT FUTURE

PRESENT TENSE

All present tenses are generally denote an action or state that happens in the presentSimple Present Simple Present is used-

Past Present Future

Ramu got up at 6 yesterday. Ramu will get up at 6 tomorrow.

Ramu got up at 6 today.

Ramu gets up at 6 every day.Ramu gets up at 6 every day.

1. To express a habitual actionhabitual action

Study the following sentences.The sun rises in the east.Water freezes at 0 o Centigrade. 2. To express general truthsgeneral truthsHonesty isis the best policy.

..Tom passespasses to Sam, Sam to Kim , Kim back to Sam …. And Sam shootsshoots- and it’s a goal!!!!

3. To express vivid narrativevivid narrative and momentary actionsmomentary actions.

The train arrivesarrives at 7.54.I start start my work tomorrow.The school reopens reopens on next Monday.

4. To express future eventsfuture events (planned)

PRESENT CONTINUOUSStudy the following sentences

-The students are sittingare sitting in the room.

- He is writingis writing on the board.

- I am listeningam listening to the teacher.

1. To express an action going on at the time of speaking

-We are learningare learning French.

-I am playingam playing cricket these days.

-He is readingis reading Harry Potter.

2. To express a temporary action which may not be going on at the time of speaking.

PAST NOW FUTURE

The dog is gettingis getting bigger every day.

3. To express developing and changing situations.

PRESENT PERFECT

We use the present perfect to say that something in the past is connected with the present in some way.

Finished Action

-Somebody has shothas shot the manager.

-I have brokenhave broken my leg.

-They have completedhave completed their work.

-The manager is dead.

-I can’t walk.

-They are free.

1. We often use the present perfect to talk about finished actions, when we are thinking of their present consequences: the results that they have now.

Result Now

-He has has just gone gone out.

-They have workedhave worked the sum.

-We have begunhave begun the lesson.

2. To denote an action that has just been completed.

Study these sentences

-We have livedhave lived here ten years.

-He has beenhas been ill since last week.

-I havehave always likedliked you.

4. We use the present perfect to say that something has happened several times up to the present

Past Now

I have writtenhave written five letters since lunchtime.

3. To talk about actions, states and situations which started in the past and still continue.

PRESENT PERFECT CONTINUOUS

Past NowI have been runninghave been running.

Past NowIt has been raininghas been raining all week.

1. To talk about actions, states and situations which started in the past, is still continuing.

Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat Sun

Study these sentences

-He has been learning English forfor eight years.

-They have been reading this book sincesince morning.

-It has been raining non-stop sincesince Monday.

-We have been living here forfor six years.

We use sincesince when we mention the beginning of the period ( Monday, July, 1947)

We use forfor when we mention the length of the period (three days, two months)

EVALUATIONUse the correct form of the verb given in brackets.

1. (go) My brother often to see English films.

goes

2. (take) He always his coffee without sugar.takes

3. (move) The earth round the sun.

4. (know) I him for a long time.

5. (study) We English for five years.

6. (do) Don’t disturb me. I my work.

7. (read) I David Copperfield.

8. (leave) They for London by the next mail.

9. (go) He just out.

10.( reopen) When the school ?

moves

have known

have been studying

am doing

am reading

leave

has

reopen

gone

does

SIMPLE PAST

Past Now Future

I metmet my friend yesterdayHe stayedstayed in the hostel last year.

India gotgot freedom in 1947.

1. To denote an action in the past. ( immediate or distant)

FutureNowPast1991 1992 1993 1994 ‘95 ‘96

Regularly every summer, Janet fellfell ill.

2. To denote a habitual action in the past.

PAST PROGRESSIVE

Past Now Future

What werewere you doing doing at eight o’clock yesterday evening?

????????????

1. To say that something was going on around a particular past time. The chief interest is not the time of action, but its continuity.

-I was playingwas playing cricket.

-They were makingwere making a lot of noise in the class.

AAAAAA AAAAAA

While A was happeninghappening B happened

As I was walkingwas walking I met my friend.2. The past progressive refers to a longer action or situation. Simple past refers to a shorter action or situation that happened in the middle.

B

PAST PERFECT

Past Now Future3.30 4.00

I had donehad done my exercises when Hary came to playI realized that we had methad met before.

1. To say that some action had taken place before another was begun or completed

The action that took place first is put in the past perfect and later in the simple past.

PAST PERFECT CONTINUOUS

When I found Mary, she had been cryinghad been crying for several hours.

Before Past Now

1. To talk about longer actions or situations, which had continued up to the past moment that we are thinking about.

-It had been raininghad been raining since morning when you rang me up.

-When I reached there at 2 p.m., he had been waitinghad been waiting for me.

EVALUATION

Fill in the blanks with the correct tense form of the verbs given in brackets.

1. (read) I novel when my friend came.

2. (not rain) It heavily last summer.

3. (write) He said that he the letter.

4. (leave) It started raining after he

5. (break) A thief into our house last night.

6. (have) We our dinner before she left.

7. (rain)It since morning when you rang me up.

8. (listen) We to the radio all evening.

9. (receive) I his letter a week ago.

10. (write) At that time he a novel for two months.

was reading

didn’t rain

had written

had left.

broke

had had

had been raining

were listening

received

had been writing

SIMPLE FUTURE

Study the following sentences

-I shall see him tomorrow.

-They will play the match in the evening.

-Tomorrow will be a holiday.

To denote an action or situation that has still to take place.

-I shall be reading a paper then.

-They will be playing a match at that time.

-This time tomorrow I will be lying on Malpe.

FUTURE PROGRESSIVE

To say that something will be going on at a particular moment in the future.

FUTURE PERFECT

Study the following sentences.

-I shall have finished my homework by evening.

-She will have cleaned the room before you reach there.

-Before you go to see him, he will have left the place.To indicate the completion of an action by a certain future time.

FUTURE PERFECT CONTINUOUS

-By six o’clock I will have been sitting here for ten hours.

-He joined the school in June. By December he will have been studying here for seven months.

To indicate an action represented as being in progress over a period of time that will end in the future.

EVALUATION

Fill in the blanks with the correct tense form of the verbs given in brackets.

1. (finish) I this work by tomorrow evening.

2. (wait) We for you when you come back.

3. (come) The train before you reach the station.

4. (sit) When you come, I in the school library.

5. (phone) I you when I come back.

6. (do) He it for you if you like.

7. (finish) I my work by the time you come back in the evening.

8. (live) By next July we here for four years.

will finish

will be waiting

will have come

will be sitting

will phone

will do

will have finished

shall have been living