Grammar: Tense

Tense
 Tense shows the time of the action or state of being expressed by a verb. There are
six tenses.
 Primary or simple tenses: Present tense, the past tense, and the future tense.
 Perfect or secondary tenses: Present perfect, the past perfect, and the future perfect.
 Any action done over a span of time or occurring at the same time as another action
mentioned is expressed by the continuous forms.
1) Present Tense: It indicates that an action or condition is going on or exists now.
He exercises every morning. He plays the piano every night.
2) Past Tense: It indicates that an action or condition took place or existed at some
definite time in the past.
Yesterday he delivered an impressive speech. He wrote the book in one day.
3) Future Tense: It indicates that an action will take place or that a condition will exist
in the future.
We shall move to Delhi next week. The train will leave at midnight.

1) Simple Forms

I. Simple present: Addresses present events or actions.

I exercise in the morning.
He washes the dishes every night.

Use of simple Present Tense: To denote

A) Repeated event
a) A recurring action or situation: Every week he goes for a movie.
b) A habit: I drink a cup of green tea every morning
c) Routine activities: The bank opens at 10 a.m.
B) Future
a) Conditional future actions: If you play well, you will be selected.
b) A actio i the i ediate future: Do ’t call right ow, you may be reported.
c) A future event that has already been planned: He begins his journey tomorrow.
C) General
a) Across all time frames, generally preceded by can: We can survive without any help.
b) Universal truth: Himalaya is the biggest mountain chain.

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II. Simple Past: Events or actions already concluded. Generally formed by adding –d
or –ed.
We helped him when he had a financial misfortune.
The mob surged dangerously towards the barricade.

Use of Simple Past Tense: To denote past actions or events

a) For Time duration: He performed for three hours.
b) In a series: He woke up, went for a walk, and got shot.
c) As habits and practices: She wrote for school magazine when she was young.
d) As continuous and concluded: When he was driving, the phone rang continuously.

III. Simple Future: Actions likely to happen.

Both of the following are used
 will/shall and
 am/is/are going to
He will spend his holiday in Jammu.
She is going to New York with her parents.

Use of Simple Future Tense: To denote

a) Prediction: He will be deposed after the inquiry.
b) Promise: I will definitely assist you in the task.
c) Intentions and plans: going to is preferred to will/shall. I am going to study law.

2) Continuous Forms
I. Present Continuous: Denotes actions that are currently going on.
Soma is cleaning the house.
Gary is driving a tractor.

Use of Present Continuous Tense : To represent

a) Present action likely to stop: It is snowing in the nearby town.
b) Definite future plan: I am going to France in the coming week.
c) Event at a specific point in time: He is working on this project for the past one year.
d) Repeated irritating action: Anita is always interrupting the teacher.
e) Trends, developments and changes: Her puppy is growing up so fast
f) NOT habits, likes, preferences, regular or routine activities.
I am loving to go for morning walk. (incorrect)
I love to go for morning walk.(correct)
I am going to the club everyday.(incorrect)
I go to the club everyday.(correct)

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II. Past Continuous: Actions or events that were going on in the past.
He was watching sports.
She was travelling by bus.

Use of Past Continuous Tense: To denote

a) Interrupted event: He was working when the guests arrived.
b) Parallel actions :She was solving question even though she was listening to music.

III. Future Continuous: Actions or events as going on at particular point of time in

future.
I will be receiving the visitors tomorrow.
She will be departing next week.

Anomalies of Continuous Tense:

a) NOT verbs of emotion, e.g., feel, love, like, hate, reuse, prefer, desire, etc.
He is loving her.(incorrect)
He loves her. (correct)
b) NOT verbs of appearance, e.g., seem, appear, look, etc.
The house is appearing haunted. (incorrect)
The house appears haunted. (correct)

c) NOT verbs of perception, e.g., see, hear, smell, notice, recognise, etc.
The students were noticing a change in the teaching style. (incorrect)
The students noticed a change in the teaching style. (correct)

d) NOT general or universal truths.

All rivers are flowing into the sea. (incorrect)
All rivers flow into the sea. (correct)

e) NOT verbs of possession etc.

Brad is owning a car worth millions. ( incorrect)
He owns a car worth millions. (correct)

f) NOT verbs of thinking,

Her father was thinking that she would approve the match. (incorrect)
Her father thought that she would approve the match. (correct)

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 Grammar: Tense

3) Perfect Forms
I. Present Perfect: Events or actions just completed with effect on the present.
He has wooed her for long.
He has researched the stock for last one year.

Use of Present Perfect Tense: To address

a) Activities completed in the immediate past: She has just joined the college.
b) Past action whose time is not definitely given: He has worked in that company.
c) Past events with more effect in the present: He has saved enough for the trip.
d) Action beginning in the past and continuing: He has known the girl for years.
e) Habitual actions including always actions: He has always been a fundamentalist.

II. Past Perfect: When two past actions in a sentence do not occur at the same
time, the earlier action should be denoted by the past perfect tense. The past
perfect tense is also used to describe an action completed at a certain moment in
the past.
Mother had spoken to her daughter regarding her job.
The boss had written the mail much before the meeting.

III. Future Perfect: The future perfect tense is used to depict actions that will be
completed by a certain time in the future.
They will have sorted out their marital problems by that time.

4) Perfect Continuous Forms

I. Present Perfect Continuous: Past Actions still continuing.
The lecturer has been talking for more than two hours.
He has been travelling since the last one month.

II. Past Perfect Continuous: An action that began before a certain time in the past,
and continued till that time.
When he asked her out, she had been pondering over her response for one hour.

III. Future Perfect Continuous: Actions which will continue and end in the future.
Next week this time, the fest will be running for two weeks.

Consistency of Tense in a Sentence

1) In a single sentence, if there are more than two verbs, the tense used must be kept
consistent for each verb. This is also important for maintaining parallel structure in a
sentence.
The devotees sang, danced and were swaying to the beat of the drums. (incorrect)

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 Grammar: Tense

The devotees sang, danced and swayed to the beat of the drums. (correct)

2) If the main clause is in the present or the future tense and the subordinate clause
denotes a different time frame, the subordinate clause may be depicted by a
different tense, as required by the sense.
Constable knows (simple present) that the criminal was (simple past) part of the robbery.

3) If the main clause is in the past tense, the subordinate clause should also be denoted
by the past or the past perfect tense only.
She knew that she has to win him back. (incorrect)
She knew that she had to win him back. (correct)

4) If two actions in the past took place at the same time, they may be denoted by the
simple past tense, but if one of the actions preceded the other, the earlier action has
to be denoted boy the past perfect tense.
The whole town was drunk as it was a relief for all. (incorrect)
The whole town was drunk as it had been a relief for all (correct)

5) If the subordinate clause depicts general truths or proverbial sayings, it is depicted

by the present tense even if the main clause happens to be in the past tense.
The religious leader said that all living beings are creation of God.
He said that time and tide waits for none.

6) When there is a distinct difference in the time frame of two actions in a sentence,
they can be denoted by different tenses.
During the Independence movement, the army used to communicate with the government,
now they work autonomously.

7) When the preposition since/ever since is used, the verb is usually in the present
perfect continuous tense.
He has been looking for her ever since.

Since can also take a past or a past perfect tense. For eg. it is more than ten years since he
last met his school friends.

Usage of Different Tense Forms

1) Present Forms

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Can you not be declaring once and for all your intention to divorce him?(incorrect)
Can you declar once and for all your intention to divorce him? (correct)

Life becomes more and more difficult everyday. (incorrect)

Life is becoming more and more difficult everyday.(correct)

The children plan a surprise party. (incorrect)

The children are planning a surprise party.(correct)

My father is often being a little upset with my report card. (incorrect)

My father is often a little upset with my report card. (correct)

Refugees are not liking to live in camps. (incorrect)

Refugees do not like to live in camps.. (correct)

2) Past Forms
She wrote, directed and was acting in the play.(incorrect)
She wrote, directed and acted in the play. (correct)

She was loving to teach kids. (incorrect)

She loved to teach kids. (correct)

He was not disclosing his marks for the fear of rejection. (incorrect)
He did not disclose his marks for the fear of rejection.(correct)

3) Future Forms

I shall have responded to the letter by tomorrow. (incorrect)

I shall respond to the letter by tomorrow. (correct).

Day after will have been his birthday. (incorrect)

Day after will be his birthday. (correct).

He will have been arriving tonight. (incorrect)

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He will be arriving tonight. (correct).

Tense Table: The tense forms of some common verbs are given below:
Present Past Future Present Past Future Prese Past Future
Continu continu Continu Perfect Perfect Perfect nt Perfe Perfec
ous ous ous Continu Continu Continu Perfec ct t
Tense Tense Tense ous ous ous t
Terse Tense Tense
Is/am Was/we Will/shal Has/have Had Will/shal Has/ha Had Will/sh
dancing re l be been been l have ve danc all
dancing dancing dancing dancing been dance ed have
dancing d danced
Is/am Was/we Will/shal Has/have Had Will/shal Has/ha Had Will/sh
writing re l be been been l have ve writt all
writing writing writing writing been writte en have
writing n written
Is/am Will/shal Has/have Had Will/shal Has/ha Had Will/sh
seeing Was/we l be been been l have ve seen all
re seeing seeing seeing been seen have
seeing seeing seen
Is/am Was/we Will/shal Has/have Had Will/shal Has/ha Had Will/sh
shaking re l be been been l have ve shake all
shaking shaking shaking shaking been shaken n have
shaking shaken
Is/am Was/we Will/shal Has/have Had Will/shal Has/ha Had Will/sh
falling re l be been been l have ve fallen all
falling falling falling falling been fallen have
falling fallen

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