There Are 12 Tenses in English

8/9/2019 There Are 12 Tenses in English

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scarcTHERE ARE 12 TENSES IN ENGLISH: THEY ARE AS FOLLOWS:

SIMPLE

• Simple Present Tense.

• Simple Past Tense.

• Simple Future Tense.

CONTINUOUS

• Present Continuous Tense.

• Past Continuous Tense.

• Future Continuous Tense.

PERFECT

• Present Perfect Tense.

• Past Perfect Tense

• Future Prefect Tense.

PERFECT CONTINUE

• Present Perfect Continuous Tense

• Past Perfect Continuous Tense

• Future Perfect Continuous Tense

1. Simple Present Tense

a) Almost all sentences that make use of one of the following words or phrases take this

tense: usually, generally, regularly, often, daily, everyday, (morning, evening), now-a-day,

seldom, rarely, always, nearly, frequently, hardly ever, scarcely ever, once a week etc.

b) Do not use Future Tense after the following adverbs of time and some epressions! but SimplePresent Tense can be used to epress the Future action: if, unless, until, till, as, as soon as, when,

shile, after, before, as long asetc.

" #hen he arrives! the band will pla$ the %ational Anthem.

" #hat shall & do if it rains'

" (ntil $ou learn to obe$ $ou will not know how to command.

" (nless $ou work hard! $ou will not succeed.

c) &t is used to describe (niversal Truth and Proverbs.

" The Sun rises in the )ast.

" *ealth is wealth.

" Salt dissolves in water." Absence makes the heart grow fonder.

2. Simple Past Tense

& watc television ever$ evening. +Present Simple,

& wate! television $esterda$ evening. +Past Simple,

"atce! is te past simple.

N#$n % S$b&ect Past Tense 'erb

& - #e - ou - The$ - *e - She - &t - Anton$ watched



a) The following are the adverbs of time showing this tense: yesterday, last year, a few

minutes ago, in 1982, once etc.

• Last wee( & bought a pen.

• ester!a* m$ father came.

• /amal met his friend a +ew !a*s a,#.

• Anna died in 1--.

b) Simple Past Tense is used in Conditional Sentences:

• &f & met $our father! & would tell the news.

• &f he had mone$! he would help me.

• &f she worked hard! she would come off with fl$ing colours.

c) Past Tense can be used after the following epressions: as if, as through, it is time, wish,

would rather, would sooner etc.

• /amal talks as i+ he knew all things.

• 0ohn behaved as t#$, he owned the house.

• & wis & knew. +I‘m sorry that I do not know ,

• & w#$l! rater he went.

/. Simple F$t$re Tense

a) The words showing the future tense are: tomorrow, next week (year, month), later, soon,

shortly, in a little time, in this years to come etc.

S$b&ect 0$iliar* 'erb Present 'erb

& - #e shall go

ou - *e - She - &t- The$ will go

• & shall arrive tomorrow.

• 1o on now and & shall follow $ou later.

• She will probabl$ send her application net week.

. Present C#ntin$#$s tense

This tense can be used to describe the actions that are incomplete! still going on at the moment of

speaking or writing.

S$b&ect 0$iliar* 'erb Present 'erb 3 in, Pers#n

& am going First Person Singular

*e - She - &t is going Third Person Singular

#e - ou - The$ are going Plural

a) The following are the important adverbs of time showing Present Continuous Tense: now,

always, at present, at this moment, all the time, continuously, continually etc.

• She is alwa$s talking in the class.

• &2m reading a novel at present.

• The$ are going to church now.

4. Past C#ntin$#$s tense



%ow it is 3 42clock /apil is at home.

*e is watcin, television.

At 5 42clock he wasn5t at home.

*e was at the sports club.

*e was pla*in, tennis.

*e wasn’t watching television.

/.66 /./6 .66 .14 ./6

*e began pla$ing *e was pla$ing *e stopped pla$ing

a) This tense is used to epress an action that was going on when another action happened.

Adverbs of time while! when


& was going First Person Singular

*e - She - &t was going Third Person Singular

#e - ou - The$ were going Plural

• #hile she was writing! the phone rang.

• #hile she was crossing the bridge! she met with an accident.

• #hen he was sleeping! his friend came.

. F$t$re C#ntin$#$s Tensea) This tense is used to indicate a future activit$ that will begin before a point of time in future andcontinue after it.


& - #e shall be going First Person

ou - *e - She - &t - The$ will be going Second - Third Person

• She will be singing songs then.

• The$ will be holding a meeting at 6 p.m. tomorrow.

• #hen will $ou be putting on another performance'

b) This tense can be used when an action starts before the time mentioned and will probabl$continue after it.

• *e2ll be finishing his work tomorrow b$ this time.

•

She2ll be travelling to )ngland b$ the end of net week7. Present Per+ect Tense

This tense is used to describe a past event the effect of which is not in the past but in the present.

S$b&ect 0$iliar* 'erb Past Participle 'erb

& - #e - ou - The$ - an$ Plural have gone

*e - She - &t - an$ Singular has gone

*is shoes are dirt$ *e is cleaning his shoes *e has cleaned his shoes

a) &t is used to describe an action which was completed in the ver$ recent past 7ust a while ago.

• 1eorge has 7ust gone out.

• & have finished m$ supper.





*e - She - &t - an$ Singular has been finishing

• &t has been raining for two hours

The following adverbs of time taken this tense: since then, since 19#$, all the years, sincetwo years, for two years, since early in the morning etc.

•

8$ uncle has been living in )ngland since 9<<.• #e have been learning )nglish for three $ears.

• &t has been raining since earl$ in the morning.

N#te;

=for > refers to a period of time.

=Since> refers to a definite point of time.

11. Past Per+ect C#ntin$#$s Tense;

This tense is used in the reported speech or indirect speech.

S$b&ect 0$iliar* 'erb Present Participle 'erb

& - #e - ou - The$ - an$ Plural - *e - She - &t - an$

Singularhad been working

• *e had been working hard since earl$ in the morning.

• *e said that he had been stud$ing his lessons for three hours.

12. F$t$re Per+ect C#ntin$#$s Tense;

This tense indicates an action represented as being in progress over a period of time that will end

in the future.

S$b&ect 0$iliar* 'erb Present Participle 'erb Pers#n

& - #e shall have been going First Person

ou - *e - She - &t -

The$will have been going Second - Third Person

• ?$ net December we shall have been living here for five $ears.

• #hen she gets her degree! she will have been stud$ing at @ondon.

First C#n!iti#nal <Pr#bable)

C#n!iti#n Res$lt

I+8 $nless 3 Present tense +#rm

9. &f $ou practise regularl$.

. (nless $ou work hard.

F$t$re tense +#rm =will8 sall8 ma*8 mi,t8 can>

$ou will improve $our bowling!

$ou2ll not make it.

Sec#n! C#n!iti#nal <Impr#bable)

C#n!iti#n Res$lt

I+ 3 Past simple % c#ntin$#$s

9. &f the$ won the match.. &f $ou were reall$ concentrating.

w#$l!8 c#$l!

& would be ver$ happ$$ou would not be disturbed b$ the noise.



Tir! C#n!iti#nal <Imp#ssible)

C#n!iti#n Res$lt

I+ 3 Past Per+ect

9. &f &ndia had won.

. &f she had fallen.

w#$l! % s#$l! % c#$l! % mi,t 3 a9e 3 pp

it would have gone up in ranking.

w#$l! % s#$l! % c#$l! % mi,t 3 a9e been 3 pp

she would have been hurt seriousl$.

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There Are 12 Tenses in English