Grammar: Tenses

Grammar

TENSES

1. PRESENT TENSE

i. SIMPLE PRESENT (verb+s/es)

ii. PRESENT CONTINUOUS (am/is/are+verb+ing)

iii. PRESENT PERFECT (has/have+past participle)

iv. PRESENT PERFECT CONTINUOUS (has/have+been+verb+ing)

II. PAST TENSE

i. SIMPLE PAST (past form of the tense)

ii. PAST CONTINUOUS (was/were+verb+ing)

iii. PAST PERFECT (had + past participle)

iv. PAST PERFECT CONTINUOUS (had+been+verb+ing)

3. FUTURE TENSE

i. SIMPLE FUTURE (shall/will + verb)

ii. FUTURE CONTINUOUS (shall/will +be + verb+ing)

iii. FUTURE PERFECT (shall/will+ have + past participle)

iv. FUTURE PERFECT CONTINUOUS (shall/will+have been + verb+ing)

1. PRESENT TENSE

i. SIMPLE PRESENT (verb+s/es)

True in the present

* He works in a studio.

* She is sixty years old.

* We live in Chennai.

Habits

* I always drink coffee at work.

* He wakes up at 7 a.m. every day.

* They usually eat dinner at home.

General facts/truths

* The Earth revolves around the Sun.

* The Sun rises in the East.

* Water boils at 100^oC.

Future timetables/schedules

* My train arrives tomorrow.

* We fly to Paris on Monday.

* Classes begin next week.

ii. PRESENT CONTINUOUS (am/is/are+verb+ing)

Happening now

* It is raining.

* I'm eating lunch now.

Fixed plans

* I am meeting my friends after work.

Temporary actions

* I'm working in New York this week.

Trends

* More and more people are using cell phones to access the Internet.

Longer actions in progress now

* She is studying to become a doctor.

* He is training for a marathon.

iii. PRESENT PERFECT (has/have+past participle)

Action completed in the immediate past

* We have planned the meeting for next week.

* I have joined the duty.

* She has completed the home work.

Event in the past at an unspecified time

* She has been to Paris.

* I've seen that movie.

Duration from the past until now

* He has been a teacher since 2002.

Change over time

* Your English has improved since the last time we met.

* My niece has grown a lot in the past year.

Repeated events in the past until now

* We have had four exams so far in this semester.

* I've been to this restaurant many times since I moved next door.

iv. PRESENT PERFECT CONTINUOUS (has/have+been+verb+ing)

II. PAST TENSE

i. SIMPLE PAST (past form of the tense)

ii. PAST CONTINUOUS (was/were+verb+ing)

iii. PAST PERFECT (had + past participle)

iv. PAST PERFECT CONTINUOUS (had+been+verb+ing)

Continued action in the past, before an action in the past

He had been waiting for an hour when she finally arrived.

"If"- impossible condition

If I had been paying attention, I wouldn't have got into an accident.

Cause of something in the past

He went on a diet because he had been eating too much.

Reported speech

She said that John had been helping her study for months.

3. FUTURE TENSE

i. SIMPLE FUTURE (shall/will + verb)

* Someone is at the door. I’ll see who it is. (at the present moment)

* I will help you with your homework tonight. (promise/offer)

* She won't tell me her password. (refusal)

Willingness: (will + verb)

My Mother will get a Foot Ball today

Future Fact: (will + verb)

Plan or Intention (be going to + verb)

 * I'm going to watch a movie tonight.

 * He's going to have a party this weekend.

Prediction

* It is cloudy. It's going to rain. (evidence)

 * You'll go abroad someday. (opinion)

ii. FUTURE CONTINUOUS (shall/will +be + verb+ing)

They'll be coming to visit us next week.

She will be taking an exam at 2 p.m. tomorrow, so don't call her then.

I will be waiting for you when you arrive tonight.

She will be watching TV, and he will be cooking dinner. 

While he cooks dinner, she will be watching TV.

When I enter the class, the teacher will be teaching, some students will be taking notes, and my best friend will be trying to stay awake.

iii. FUTURE PERFECT (shall/will+ have + past participle)

iv. FUTURE PERFECT CONTINUOUS (shall/will+have been + verb+ing)

1. Cause of something in the future

* Her English  will be excellent by the time she visits the U.S. because she will have been studying it for five years.

* He will be tired by the time he arrives because he will have been travelling all day.

2 Duration before something in the future

 * He will have been waiting for an hour when she finally arrives.

* She will have been working at the company for ten years by the time I retire.