Linked table of contents:
Introduction
Tenses are an indispensable part of English grammar. It is essential to know the tenses and use them appropriately to construct grammatically and semantically correct sentences. Tenses are a grammatical category that indicates when a particular action or event has taken place. If a sentence does not convey the time of an event, then it relays an incomplete meaning to the reader.
In this blog, we are not only elucidating the different tenses but citing examples for each category to explain English grammar tenses better. This article will be helpful for students of junior classes like class 7. PlanetSpark is an online portal that trains children to be confident public speakers and creative writers. So, visit the platform today and book a free trial for your child.
Tenses
The word ‘Tense’ means time. Tense is the form adopted by a verb to denote the time of an action. English grammar tenses complete the meaning of a sentence by indicating at what point of time an event has happened: has the event already occurred, is it occurring right now, or will it occur in the future.
Time can be divided into past, present, and future. Since the verbs not only indicate actions but also give information on the time of an action, English grammar tenses can be primarily divided into three types:
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Past Tense
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Present Tense
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Future Tense
Present Tense
The present tense is a division of English grammar tenses. English present tense can be of the following types:
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Simple Present Tense
Simple present tense can be used in the following cases:
To express general/ universal truths
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Honesty is the best policy.
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All the planets move around the sun.
To express an action/event taking place in the present time
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Here comes the bus.
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Watch the sunrise.
To express a habit
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Rohan plays piano.
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He goes to school every day.
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The shops close at 10 PM.
To express a future action that happens according to a fixed schedule
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They travel to their hometown every weekend.
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The bus leaves at 7 AM.
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Present Continuous Tense
Present continuous tense is another division of English present tense, and it is used as follows.
To express an event that is happening at the time of speaking
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He is playing outside.
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The child is laughing.
To express an event going on for some time, even if it is not taking place at the exact time of speaking.
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I am learning German.
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He is running an orphanage.
To mark an action that will take place in the future
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We are going to Delhi tomorrow.
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He is getting a promotion next month.
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Present Perfect Tense
To express an event that has concluded in the immediate past or the recent past
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The train has departed.
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I have finished the homework just now.
To describe an action that started in the past but is continuing in the present
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He has worked in this factory for twelve years.
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They have known each other for a couple of years.
To express an event that has started in the past but its effect is continuing in the present
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He has completed his homework. (So, he is free now).
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The dog has made a mess in the garden. (It is dirty now).
To express a past event whose time is not definite
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Sushmita has written many novels.
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I have been to Dubai.
To indicate an event that has not been completed yet
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The workers have not received their wages.
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She has not been to the zoo yet.
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Present Perfect Continuous Tense
To indicate an incident that began in the past and is continuing in the present
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He has been studying for two hours.
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It has been pouring since morning.
Past Tense
Past tense is another division of English grammar tenses.
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Simple Past Tense
To indicate an event completed in the past
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He completed his essay an hour back.
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She left her job last month.
To express a custom/habit of the past
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He walked 3 miles every day to reach his office before buying a cycle.
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My father taught orphans when he was in college.
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Past Continuous Tense
To express an action that was going on for some time in the past
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He was sleeping in the afternoon.
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She was writing an essay on global warming yesterday.
To indicate a past event by another event that took place at the same time
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They were singing in the choir when the priest entered the church.
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She was leaving when you called.
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Past Perfect Tense
To indicate that an action was completed in the past before another event took place
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The robbers had run away by the time police came.
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The patient had died before the ambulance could reach the hospital.
Note- For two actions that occurred in the past, the past perfect tense denotes the earlier past event, while the simple past tense indicates the later past action.
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Past Perfect Continuous Tense
To describe an event that started in the past and continued a while in the past
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She had been playing in the park for an hour before it started raining.
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They had been living in New York for five years when he lost his job.
Future Tense
Another primary division of English grammar tense is future tense. It is of the following types.
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Simple Future Tense
To indicate an event yet to occur
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He will win the race.
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Sunita shall go to Australia next year.
The expression of the future tense is one of the most exciting aspects of English grammar tenses. Some of them are:
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By using simple present tense
We have a doctor’s appointment the day after tomorrow.
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By using present continuous
They are traveling to Ranchi on 3rd April.
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By using am/is/are + infinite verb
He is to meet my mother.
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By using is/are/am going + infinite verb
She is going to quit her job.
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Future Continuous Tense
To express an event that will happen for some time in the future
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They will be playing the match tomorrow.
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He shall be teaching the 2022 batch.
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Future Perfect Tense
To denote an event that will be completed at some point of time in the future
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The house will have been built by 2023.
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He shall have returned home by next week.
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Future Perfect Continuous Tense
To express an action that will be in progress even after some time in the future.
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You will have been working in this company for four years by this year.
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They will have been preparing for the fest for two months.
Conclusion
This article explains the different tenses like English present tense, past tense, and future tense with illustrations to better explain the concepts. The various types of tenses have been organized to be helpful to class 6 or 7 students of all boards, like CBSE class 7 students.
The curriculum of PlanetSpark is planned in a manner to offer a holistic development to young minds that starts by building their confidence, training them in English grammar, and much more. Book a free trial today with one of the educators on the platform.
FAQs
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What are the twelve types of tenses in English grammar?
English has three primary tenses- present, past, and future. These are further categorized as:
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Simple present
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Present continuous
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Present perfect
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Present perfect continuous
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Simple past
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Past continuous
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Past perfect
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Past perfect continuous
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Simple future
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Future continuous
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Future perfect
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Future perfect continuous
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How do we form interrogative and negative sentences in the present indefinite form?
A set pattern follows the structure of interrogative and negative sentences.
Interrogative sentence- Does/Do + Subject + Verb + Object
Examples- Does he play football?
Negative sentence- Subject + does/do + not + verb + object
Examples- They do not speak foreign languages.
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How do we form interrogative sentences in the present perfect continuous tense?
Affirmative sentences in present perfect continuous tense are formed as: Subject + Helping Verb I + Helping Verb II (&III) + Main verb. However, interrogative sentences are formed by interchanging the positions of the subject and helping verb I. For example, Has (Verb I) he (subject) been (verb II) sleeping (Main verb)?
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How to avoid errors in tenses while speaking and writing?
Analyze the context of the action to determine which tense of the verb. It is crucial to be aware of the verb forms in the case of tenses. For example, generally -ed is added to verbs in the past tense.
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How to form interrogative and affirmative sentences in the future perfect tense?
The structures of affirmative and interrogative sentences are as follows-
Affirmative sentence- Subject + (Will / shall) have + Main verb + Object
They shall have replaced the lock.
Interrogative sentence- Will/ shall + subject + have + main verb + object
Will they have met each other?
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