Tenses
The English Tense System
The text below are to lessons for each of the 12 basic English tenses. In each lesson we look at two aspects of the tense:
- Structure: How do we make the tense?
- Use: When and why do we use the tense?
Verbs come in three tenses: past, present, future. The past is used to describe things that have already happened (e.g. earlier in the day, yesterday, last week, three years ago). The present tense is used to describe things that are happening right now, or things that are continuous. The future tense describes things that have yet to happen (e.g. later, tomorrow, next week, next year, three years from now).
The Present Tenses
- Simple present
- Present perfect
- Present continuous
- Present perfect continuous
The Past Tenses
- Simple past
- Past perfect
- Past continuous
- Past perfect continuous
The Future Tenses
Types of Tenses
- Present tense
I do, I do do - Present Continuous tense
I am doing - Present Perfect tense
I have done - Present Perfect Continuous tense
I have been doing
- Past tense
I did, I did do - Past Continuous tense
I was doing - Past Perfect tense
I had done - Past Perfect Continuous tense
I had been doing
- Future tense
I will do - Future Continuous tense
I will be doing - Future Perfect tense
I will have done - Future Perfect Continuous tense
I will have been doing
tense | Affirmative/Negative/Question | Use | Signal Words |
Simple Present | A: He speaks. |
| always, every …, never, normally, often, seldom, sometimes, usually |
Present Progressive | A: He is speaking. |
| at the moment, just, just now, Listen!, Look!, now, right now |
Simple Past | A: He spoke. |
| yesterday, 2 minutes ago, in 1990, the other day, last Friday |
Past Progressive | A: He was speaking. |
| when, while, as long as |
Present Perfect Simple | A: He has spoken. |
| already, ever, just, never, not yet, so far, till now, up to now |
Present Perfect Progressive | A: He has been speaking. |
| all day, for 4 years, since 1993, how long?, the whole week |
Past Perfect Simple | A: He had spoken. |
| already, just, never, not yet, once, until that day |
Past Perfect Progressive | A: He had been speaking. |
| for, since, the whole day, all day |
Future I Simple | A: He will speak. |
| in a year, next …, tomorrow |
Future I Simple (going to) | A: He is going to speak. |
| in one year, next week, tomorrow |
Future I Progressive | A: He will be speaking. |
| in one year, next week, tomorrow |
Future II Simple | A: He will have spoken. |
| by Monday, in a week |
Future II Progressive | A: He will have been speaking. |
| for …, the last couple of hours, all day long |
Conditional I Simple | A: He would speak. |
| if sentences type II |
Conditional I Progressive | A: He would be speaking. |
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Conditional II Simple | A: He would have spoken. |
| if sentences type III |
Conditional II Progressive | A: He would have been speaking. |
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Level-I
- I _________ ice-cream.
A.) likes | B.) liked |
C.) have been liking | D.) like |
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- Children generally _________ quarrels easily.
A.) forgets | B.) forget |
C.) forgot | D.) will forget |
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- She ________ to school every day.
A.) goes | B.) go |
C.) will go | D.) gone |
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- At present, he _______ in Mahindra Satyam.
A.) works | B.) work |
C.) is working | D.) worked |
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- I _______ just ___________ my homework.
A.) have, completed | B.) has, completed |
C.) had, completed | D.) will, complete |
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- He ________ for him for two days.
A.) have been waiting | B.) had been waiting |
C.) has been waiting | D.) is waiting |
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- I _______ him yesterday.
A.) meets | B.) met |
C.) meeting | D.) meet |
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- She _________ food when the guests arrived yesterday.
A.) preparing | B.) was preparing |
C.) is preparing | D.) has been preparing |
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- Mishra ______ for Bombay before Praveen reached the station.
A.) have left | B.) has left |
C.) left | D.) had left |
Show Answer |
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- The president ___________ for about half an hour when trouble started.
A.) has been speaking | B.) have been speaking |
C.) had been speaking | D.) was speaking |
Level-II
- They __________ tomorrow.
A.) will arrive | B.) arrive |
C.) is arriving | D.) arrives |
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- I _________ the test tomorrow at this time.
A.) shall write | B.) will writew |
C.) writing | D.) shall be writing |
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- You ________ the task by tomorrow.
A.) will complete | B.) complete |
C.) will have completed | D.) shall complete |
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- They ________ for her for 2 hours by the time she cooks the food.
A.) will have been waiting | B.) will has been waiting |
C.) will had been waiting | D.) will be waiting |
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- If I _______ the news, I would have informed.
A.) has known | B.) had known |
C.) have known | D.) knew |
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- Rahul enquired the guard whether anyone _______ in his absence.
A.) has come | B.) have come |
C.) had come | D.) will have come |
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- Children will not learn anything if they __________.
A.) are discouraged | B.) have been discouraged |
C.) had been discouraged | D.) is discouraged |
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- He _______ here for 6 years by next year.
A.) will has been working | B.) will be working |
C.) will had been working | D.) will have been working |
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- I ________ Ruchi lately.
A.) hasn’t seen | B.) haven’t seen |
C.) wasn’t seen | D.) hadn’t seen |
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- At this moment, I _______ a letter.
A.) am writing | B.) writing |
C.) writes | D.) wrote |
Answers:
Level-I
1. D
2. B
3. A
4. C
5. A
6. C
7. B
8. B
9. D
10. C
Level-II
1. A
2. D
3. C
4. A
5. B
6. C
7. A
8. D
9. B
10. A
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