TENSES - PRESENT, PAST, FUTURE

  

TENSES: The tense of a verb shows when the action is, was, or will, be carried out.

 

INFORMATIVE QUESTIONS (QUESTION WORDS)

Many times, we want to ask a question that elicits information instead of a simple yes/no answer. Informative questions will begin with interrogative pronouns/questions words like who, whose, what, whom, where, how, what, which, when, why, how much, how often, etc.

 

	Base   (V1)	Past simple   (V2)	Past participle   (V3)	Present participle   (V4)	3rd person singular present simple (V5)
Regular	Add	Added	Added	Adding	Adds
Irregular	Hit	Hit	Hit	Hitting	Hits
	Keep	Kept	Kept	Keeping	Keeps
	Ring	Rang	Rung	Ringing	Rings
	Have	Had	Had	Having	Has
	Do	Did	Done	Doing	Does
	Base	Past simple (2 forms)	Past participle	Present participle	Present simple (3 forms)
	Be	Was Were	Been	Being	Am Are Is

 

 

PRESENT TENSE

Present tense refers to actions that are happening at the present time. A verb used to show that the action takes place at present is said to be in the present tense.

 

SIMPLE PRESENT TENSE

a) The simple present is used to express what someone does regularly or very often. We find adverbs like every day, regularly, always, every week, every month, every year etc. in a sentence indicating their tense. Even if it not indicated in a sentence sometimes the fact that something happens very often is implied.

 

b) The simple present tense also expresses somebody's or something's present state of being.

 

c) Universal truths and proverbs are expressed in the simple present tense.

 

Be and its forms: - am, is. was, were, are

The Auxiliary be is used -

1. In the formation of the continuous tenses; as

E.g.

·       He is painting.

·       I was working.

2. In the formation of the passive; as

E.g.

·       The door was closed.

 

Be followed by the infinitive is used -

1. To indicate a plan; arrangement, or agreement;

E.g.

·       I am to see him on Saturday.

·       We are to be married next week.

2. To denote Command

E.g.

·       You are to write your address on the application.

 

Be is used in the past tense with the perfect infinitive to indicate an arrangement that was made but not carried out.

E.g.

·       They were to have been married last month but had to postpone the marriage until December.

 

STRUCTURE

	General	3rd Person
	Rule	Rule
Positive Form	S + V1	S + V5
Negative Form	S + do + not + V1	S + does + not + V1
Question Form (positive)	Do + S + V1	Does + S + V1
Question Form (negative)	Do + S + not + V1	Does + S + not + V1
Question Word (positive)	Qw + do + S + V1	Qw + does + S + V1
Question Word (negative)	Qw + do + S + not + V1	Qw + does + S + not + V1

 

 

	1ST PERSON
	SINGULAR	PLURAL
+	I go to the library.	We go to the library.
-	I do not care.	We do not care.
?	Do I know her?	Do we know her?
-?	Do I not get a choice?	Do we not get a choice?

 

	2ND PERSON
	SINGULAR	PLURAL
+	You go to the library.	You go to the library.
-	You do not care.	You do not care.
?	Do you know her?	Do you know her?
-?	Do you not get a choice?	Do you not get a choice?

 

	3RD PERSON
	SINGULAR	PLURAL
+	She goes to the library.	They go to the library.
-	She does not care.	They do not care.
?	Does she know her?	Do they know her?
-?	Does she not get a choice?	Do they not get a choice?

 

 

PRESENT CONTINUOUS

a) The present continuous tense is used to talk about things happening now at this moment. The present continuous verbs are formed with the present participle form' (ending with- ing) along with suitable forms of be in the present tense form.

 

Some verbs are not used in the continuous form. These verbs are referred to as Stative or State Verbs.

Examples of Stative verbs:

·       Verbs of Emotion:  love, hate, prefer, mind, like, dislike, please, surprise, astonish, impress

·       Verbs of Possession: have, own, want, belong, need, possess, own, owe, include, involve

·       Verbs used for the Senses:  see, hear, smell, seem, sound, taste, look (=seem), appear, be

·       Verbs of Thought: know, believe, remember, agree, disagree, recognize, think (as in to have an opinion), realize, suppose, mean, understand, concern, feel (as in to have an opinion), wish, promise, imagine, doubt, deny, satisfy, depend, matter, deserve

·       Verbs of Measurement:  contain, consist, fit, lack, measure (as in to have length), weigh (as in to have weight)

E.g.

·       I am hearing what you say. (wrong)

·       I hear what you say. (right)

 

 

There are always exceptions to the rule. Some of the verbs above can be Dynamic as well as Stative.  These verbs have more than one meaning and can therefore sometimes be used in the Continuous Form.

 

E.g., Have, Think, Smell, Look, Weigh, Appear, Feel, See, Taste, Be, Measure, Mind etc.

 

·       What do you think of Goa?

·       I’m thinking of going to Goa.

 

 

STRUCTURE

	Rule
Positive Form	S + is/am/are + Ving
Negative Form	S + is/am/are + not + Ving
Question Form (positive)	is/am/are + S + Ving
Question Form (negative)	is/am/are + S+ not + Ving
Question Word (positive)	Qw + is/am/are + S + Ving
Question Word (negative)	Qw + is/am/are + S + not + Ving

 

 

	1ST PERSON
	SINGULAR	PLURAL
+	I am buying a laptop.	We are buying a laptop.
-	I am not apologizing to them.	We are not apologizing to them.
?	Am I accompanying them to the party?	Are we accompanying them to the party?
-?	Am I not giving my family enough attention?	Are we not giving our family enough attention?

 

	2ND PERSON
	SINGULAR	PLURAL
+	You are buying a laptop.	You are buying a laptop.
-	You are not apologizing to them.	You are not apologizing to them.
?	Are you accompanying them to the party?	Are you accompanying them to the party?
-?	Are you not giving your family enough attention?	Are you not giving your family enough attention?

 

	3RD PERSON
	SINGULAR	PLURAL
+	He is buying a laptop.	They are buying a laptop.
-	He is not apologizing to them.	They are not apologizing to them.
?	Is he accompanying them to the party?	Are they accompanying them to the party?
-?	Is he not giving his family enough attention?	Are they not giving their family enough attention?

 

 

PRESENT PERFECT

The actions that are completed in the immediate past are described in the present perfect tense.

Have and has can be pronounced as ’ve and ’s in their contracted forms.

E.g., I've, She's, They’ve, We’ve, You’ve, He’s, It’s

 

STRUCTURE

	Rule
Positive Form	S + have/has + V3
Negative Form	S + have/has + not + V3
Question Form (positive)	Have/Has + S + V3
Question Form (negative)	Have/Has + S + not + V3
Question Word (positive)	Qw + have/has + S + V3
Question Word (negative)	Qw + have/has + S + not + V3

 

 

	1ST PERSON
	SINGULAR	PLURAL
+	I have finished my chores for the day.	We have finished our chores for the day.
-	I have not decided yet.	We have not decided yet.
?	Have I done something wrong? (Have I misled her?)	Have we done something wrong?
-?	Have I not given it my all?	Have we not given it our all?

 

	2ND PERSON
	SINGULAR	PLURAL
+	You have finished your chores for the day.	You have finished your chores for the day.
-	You have not decided yet.	You have not decided yet.
?	Have you done something wrong?	Have you done something wrong?
-?	Have you not given it your all?	Have you not given it your all?

 

	3RD PERSON
	SINGULAR	PLURAL
+	She has finished his chores for the day.	They have finished their chores for the day.
-	She has not decided yet.	They have not decided yet.
?	Has she done something wrong?	Have they done something wrong?
-?	Has she not given it her all?	Have they not given it their all?

 

 

PRESENT PERFECT CONTINUOUS

The actions that started some time ago in the past and which are continuing at the moment of talking are described in the present perfect continuous tense.

 

STRUCTURE

	Rule
Positive Form	S + have/has + been + Ving
Negative Form	S + have/has + not + been + Ving
Question Form (positive)	Have/Has + S + been + Ving
Question Form (negative)	Have/Has + S + not + been + Ving
Question Word (positive)	Qw + have/has + S + been + Ving
Question Word (negative)	Qw + have/has + S + not + been + Ving

 

 

	1ST PERSON
	SINGULAR	PLURAL
+	I have been living here for 10 years.	We have been living here for 10 years.
-	I have not been resting.	We have not been resting.
?	Have I been causing any problems?	Have we been causing any problems?
-?	Have I not been pulling my weight?	Have we not been pulling our weight?

 

	2ND PERSON
	SINGULAR	PLURAL
+	You have been living here for 10 years.	You have been living here for 10 years.
-	You have not been resting.	You have not been resting.
?	Have you been causing any problems?	Have you been causing any problems?
-?	Have you not been pulling your weight?	Have you not been pulling your weight?

 

3RD PERSON
	SINGULAR	PLURAL
+	He has been living here for 10 years.	They have been living here for 10 years.
-	He has not been resting.	They have not been resting.
?	Has he been causing any problems?	Have they been causing any problems?
-?	Has he not been pulling his weight?	Have they not been pulling their weight?

 

 

PAST TENSE

Past tense refers to actions that happened in the past. A verb used to show that the action was completed in the past is said to be in the past tense.

 

SIMPLE PAST TENSE

The simple past tense is used to express actions completed in the past. Words like yesterday, day before, yesterday, last year, last month etc. indicate past time.

 

STRUCTURE

	Rule
Positive Form	S + V2
Negative Form	S + did + not + V1
Question Form (positive)	Did + S + V1
Question Form (negative)	Did + S + not + V1
Question Word (positive)	Qw + did + S + V1
Question Word (negative)	Qw + did + S + not + V1

 

 

 

	1ST PERSON
	SINGULAR	PLURAL
+	I made pasta.	We made pasta.
-	I did not take chances.	We did not take chances.
?	Did I impress them?	Did we impress them?
-?	Did I not get the project?	Did we not get the project?

 

 

	2ND PERSON
	SINGULAR	PLURAL
+	You made pasta.	You made pasta.
-	You did not take chances.	You did not take chances.
?	Did you impress them?	Did you impress them?
-?	Did you not get the project?	Did you not get the project?

 

 

	3RD PERSON
	SINGULAR	PLURAL
+	She made pasta.	They made pasta.
-	She did not take chances.	They did not take chances.
?	Did she impress them?	Did they impress them?
-?	Did she not get the project?	Did they not get the project?

 

 

 

PAST CONTINUOUS

Actions that were going on at a point of time in the past are expressed in the past continuous. Words indicating the past tense are found in the past continuous tense also.

 

 

STRUCTURE

 

	Rule
Positive Form	S + was/were + Ving
Negative Form	S + was/were + not + Ving
Question Form (positive)	Was/were + S + Ving
Question Form (negative)	Was/were + S + not + Ving
Question Word (positive)	Qw + Was/were + S + Ving
Question Word (negative)	Qw + Was/were + S + not + Ving

 

 

 

	1ST PERSON
	SINGULAR	PLURAL
+	I was lying.	We were lying.
-	I was not going to answer the phone.	We were not going to answer the phone.
?	Was I making a mistake?	Were we making a mistake?
-?	Was I not holding it tight enough?	Were we not holding it tight enough?

 

	2ND PERSON
	SINGULAR	PLURAL
+	You were lying.	You were lying.
-	You were not going to answer the phone.	You were not going to answer the phone.
?	Were you making a mistake?	Were you making a mistake?
-?	Were you not holding it tight enough?	Were you not holding it tight enough?

 

	3RD PERSON
	SINGULAR	PLURAL
+	She was lying.	They were lying.
-	She was not going to answer the phone.	They were not going to answer the phone.
?	Was she making a mistake?	Were they making a mistake?
-?	Was she not holding it tight enough?	Were they not holding it tight enough?

 

 

PAST PERFECT

When we express two actions completed in the past, one clause in the sentence is shown in the simple past and the other in the past perfect.

 

STRUCTURE

	Rule
Positive Form	S + had + V3
Negative Form	S + had + not + V3
Question Form (positive)	Had + S + V3
Question Form (negative)	Had + S + not + V3
Question Word (positive)	Qw + Had + S + V3
Question Word (negative)	Qw + Had + S + not + V3

 

 

	1ST PERSON
	SINGULAR	PLURAL
+	I had eaten.	We had eaten.
-	I had not seen him before.	We had not seen him before.
?	Had I seasoned the dish?	Had we seasoned the dish?
-?	Had I not watered the plants?	Had we not watered the plants?

 

	2ND PERSON
	SINGULAR	PLURAL
+	You had eaten.	You had eaten.
-	You had not seen him before.	You had not seen him before.
?	Had you seasoned the dish?	Had you seasoned the dish?
-?	Had you not watered the plants?	Had you not watered the plants?

 

	3RD PERSON
	SINGULAR	PLURAL
+	She had eaten.	They had eaten.
-	She had not seen him before.	They had not seen him before.
?	Had she seasoned the dish?	Had they seasoned the dish?
-?	Had she not watered the plants?	Had they not watered the plants?

 

 

PAST PERFECT CONTINUOUS

The past perfect, continuous tense is used to describe actions that continued from one point of time to another point of time in the past (not continuing now).

 

STRUCTURE

	Rule
Positive Form	S + had + been + Ving
Negative Form	S + had + not + been + Ving
Question Form (positive)	Had + S + been + Ving
Question Form (negative)	Had + S + not + been + Ving
Question Word (positive)	Qw + Had + S + been + Ving
Question Word (negative)	Qw + Had + S + not + been + Ving

 

 

	1ST PERSON
	SINGULAR	PLURAL
+	I had been washing the dishes.	We had been washing the dishes.
-	I had not been dyeing my hair for some time.	We had not been dyeing our hair for some time.
?	Had I been encroaching on his privacy?	Had we been encroaching on his privacy?
-?	Had I not been addressing the grievances adequately?	Had we not been addressing the grievances adequately?

 

	2ND PERSON
	SINGULAR	PLURAL
+	You had been washing the dishes.	You had been washing the dishes.
-	You had not been dyeing your hair for some time.	You had not been dyeing your hair for some time.
?	Had you been encroaching on his privacy?	Had you been encroaching on his privacy?
-?	Had you not been addressing the grievances adequately?	Had you not been addressing the grievances adequately?

 

	3RD PERSON
	SINGULAR	PLURAL
+	She had been washing the dishes.	They had been washing the dishes.
-	She had not been dyeing her hair for some time.	They had not been dyeing their hair for some time.
?	Had she been encroaching on his privacy?	Had they been encroaching on his privacy?
-?	Had she not been addressing the grievances adequately?	Had they not been addressing the grievances adequately?

 

 

FUTURE TENSE

Future tense is used to talk about time that is going to come i.e., to talk about future. Unlike most other languages, English does not have inflected forms for the future tense. Instead, English future forms are created with the help of the modal auxiliaries, will and shall.

 

SIMPLE FUTURE TENSE

Simple future expresses an action that will take place in the future.

 

STRUCTURE

	Rule
Positive Form	S + will + V1
Negative Form	S + will + not + V1
Question Form (positive)	Will + S + V1
Question Form (negative)	Will + S+ not + V1
Question Word (positive)	Qw + will + S + V1
Question Word (negative)	Qw + will + S + not + V1

 

 

	1ST PERSON
	SINGULAR	PLURAL
+	I will light the candles.	We will light the candles.
-	I will not join the group.	We will not join the group.
?	Will I land the deal?	Will we land the deal?
-?	Will I not stand to lose?	Will we not stand to lose?

 

	2ND PERSON
	SINGULAR	PLURAL
+	You will light the candles.	You will light the candles.
-	You will not join the group.	You will not join the group.
?	Will you land the deal?	Will you land the deal?
-?	Will you not stand to lose?	Will you not stand to lose?

 

	3RD PERSON
	SINGULAR	PLURAL
+	She will light the candles.	They will light the candles.
-	She will not join the group.	They will not join the group.
?	Will she land the deal?	Will they land the deal?
-?	Will she not stand to lose?	Will they not stand to lose?

 

 

FUTURE CONTINUOUS

Future progressive is used to express a continuous action which will occur in the future. In order to show that the action is continuous and, in the future, the verbs are paired with ‘will be’, and to show that they are progressive, the main verb usually ends with ‘-ing’.

 

STRUCTURE

	Rule
Positive Form	S + will + be + Ving
Negative Form	S + will + not + be + Ving
Question Form (positive)	Will + S + be + Ving
Question Form (negative)	Will + S+ not + be + Ving
Question Word (positive)	Qw + will + S + be + Ving
Question Word (negative)	Qw + will + S + not + be + Ving

 

 

	1ST PERSON
	SINGULAR	PLURAL
+	I will be hosting a potluck at my home.	We will be hosting a potluck at our home.
-	I will not be taking any more questions at this time.	We will not be taking any more questions at this time.
?	Will I be presiding over the meeting?	Will we be presiding over the meeting?
-?	Will I not be participating in the contest?	Will we not be participating in the contest?

 

	2ND PERSON
	SINGULAR	PLURAL
+	You will be hosting a potluck at your home.	You will be hosting a potluck at your home.
-	You will not be taking any more questions at this time.	You will not be taking any more questions at this time.
?	Will you be presiding over the meeting?	Will you be presiding over the meeting?
-?	Will you not be participating in the contest?	Will you not be participating in the contest?

 

	3RD PERSON
	SINGULAR	PLURAL
+	He will be hosting a potluck at his home.	They will be hosting a potluck at their home.
-	He will not be taking any more questions at this time.	They will not be taking any more questions at this time.
?	Will he be presiding over the meeting?	Will they be presiding over the meeting?
-?	Will he not be participating in the contest?	Will they not be participating in the contest?

 

 

FUTURE PERFECT

The future perfect expresses a completed action that will have taken place in the future. Here, ‘will’ and ‘have’ are paired with the main verb in order to show that these actions have already taken place in the future.

 

STRUCTURE

	Rule
Positive Form	S + shall/will + have + V3
Negative Form	S + shall/will + not + have + V3
Question Form (positive)	Shall/Will + S + have + V3
Question Form (negative)	Shall/Will + S+ not + have + V3
Question Word (positive)	Qw + shall/will + S + have + V3
Question Word (negative)	Qw + shall/will + S + not + have + V3

 

 

	1ST PERSON
	SINGULAR	PLURAL
+	I will have kept my word.	We will have kept our word.
-	I will not have published a badly sourced research paper.	We will not have published a badly sourced research paper.
?	Will I have played into his hands?	Will we have played into his hands?
-?	Will I not have written the book by then?	Will we not have written the book by then?

 

	2ND PERSON
	SINGULAR	PLURAL
+	You will have kept your word.	You will have kept your word.
-	You will not have published a badly sourced research paper.	You will not have published a badly sourced research paper.
?	Will you have played into his hands?	Will you have played into his hands?
-?	Will you not have written the book by then?	Will you not have written the book by then?

 

	3RD PERSON
	SINGULAR	PLURAL
+	She will have kept her word.	They will have kept their word.
-	She will not have published a badly sourced research paper.	They will not have published a badly sourced research paper.
?	Will she have played into his hands?	Will they have played into his hands?
-?	Will she not have written the book by then?	Will they not have written the book by then?

 

 

FUTURE PERFECT CONTINUOUS

Future perfect progressive tense expresses a continuous, completed action that will have taken place in the future. The verb is paired with ‘will’ to show that it takes place in the future and ‘have been’ is also used to show that it is completed. Also, an ‘-ing’ verb will be there in the sentence to show that it is progressive or continuous.

 

STRUCTURE

	Rule
Positive Form	S + will + have been + Ving
Negative Form	S + will not + have been + Ving
Question Form (positive)	Will + S + have been + Ving
Question Form (negative)	Will + S + not + have been + Ving
Question Word (positive)	Qw + will + S + have been + Ving
Question Word (negative)	Qw + will + S + not + have been + Ving

 

 

	1ST PERSON
	SINGULAR	PLURAL
+	I will have been working on this project for 2 years by the end of this year.	We will have been working on this project for 2 years by the end of this year.
-	I will not have been waiting too long.	We will not have been waiting too long.
?	Will I have been enjoying working there after 3 years?	Will we have been enjoying working there after 3 years?
-?	Will I not have been adding value to the group in the long run?	Will we not have been adding value to the group in the long run?

 

	2ND PERSON
	SINGULAR	PLURAL
+	You will have been working on this project for 2 years by the end of this year.	You will have been working on this project for 2 years by the end of this year.
-	You will not have been waiting too long.	You will not have been waiting too long.
?	Will you have been enjoying working there after 3 years?	Will you have been enjoying working there after 3 years?
-?	Will you not have been adding value to the group in the long run?	Will you not have been adding value to the group in the long run?

 

	3RD PERSON
	SINGULAR	PLURAL
+	He will have been working on this project for 2 years by the end of this year.	They will have been working on this project for 2 years by the end of this year.
-	He will not have been waiting too long.	They will not have been waiting too long.
?	Will he have been enjoying working there after 3 years?	Will they have been enjoying working there after 3 years?
-?	Will he not have been adding value to the group in the long run?	Will they not have been adding value to the group in the long run?

 

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