Basic Rules of Tenses in English Grammar

Rules of Tenses help you to understand how to correctly use different tenses in a sentence, without making grammatical. Potential aspirants who are willing to apply for various government exams 2020 must go through these rules of tenses carefully, as English Grammar forms a significant part of any competitive exam.

Tenses can be divided into three parts:

1. Present Tense: Present Tense is an expression for an activity that is currently in action or is habitually performed. It is used for mainly those situations that generally happen or are currently ongoing.
2. Past Tense: Past tense is an expression of action that took place in the past. 
3. Future Tense: The actions that are yet to take place in the future fall in the category of the future tense. 

Each of the above-mentioned tenses can further be divided into subparts. These subparts include:

• Simple Tense: This tense is used for habitual or some routine course of action in the present tense, action which has already been done in the past tense, and action which is about to happen in the future tense.
• Continuous Tense: This tense is used for an action that is incomplete or continuous or going on.
• Perfect Tense: The tense is used for an action that is complete, finished, or perfect in the context of a certain point in time.
• Perfect Continuous: This tense is used for an action that is going on for a continuous long period of time and is yet to be finished. 

With this article, we shall try to offer a complete explanation of the rules of tenses along with examples for clarity of doubts.

Different tenses and verb forms used in each tense

Types of Present Tense

• Simple Present Tense

• Present Perfect Tense

• Present Continuous Tense

• Present Perfect Continuous Tense

Types of Past Tense

• Simple Past Tense

• Past Continuous Tense

• Past Perfect Tense

• Past Perfect Continuous Tense

Types of Future Tense

• Simple Future Tense

• Future Continuous Tense

• Future Perfect Tense

• Future Perfect Continuous Tense

Test your knowledge of tenses here

From the below-mentioned list of sentences, identify the type of tense and their sub-classifications (Past/Present/Future).

1. Rahul speaks French.
2. They speak German.
3. She is speaking French.
4. They have learned German.
5. He has learned German.
6. She has been learning German.
7. They have been learning German.
8. I played cricket yesterday.
9. They were playing football yesterday.
10. They had been playing football the entire yesterday.
11. I was playing cricket yesterday.
12. They had played football yesterday.
13. She will be going to school tomorrow.
14. She will go to school tomorrow.
15. She will have gone to school tomorrow.
16. She will have been going to school tomorrow.

Answers

1. Simple present tense
2. Simple present tense for plural
3. Present continuous tense
4. Present perfect tense for plural
5. Present perfect tense for singular
6. Present perfect continuous for singular
7. Present perfect continuous for plural
8. Simple past tense
9. Past continuous tense for plural
10.  Past perfect continuous tense 
11. Past continuous tense for singular
12. Past perfect tense
13. Future continuous tense
14.  Simple future tense
15.  Future perfect tense
16. Future perfect continuous tense

Practice Questions

Given below are the statements with blanks. You are required to fill in the blanks with appropriate words given in the option so that the sentence appears to be in the correct form of Tense.

1)  How many pegs of Vodka ………yesterday?

1. 1. Did you drink
   2. Do you drink
   3. You have drank
   4. You were drinking

2) She shall ……. your ice-cream parlor soon because she ….. ice-cream.

1. 1. Be visiting, like
   2. Visit, likes
   3. Have been visiting, is liking
   4. Visiting, like

3) Shakespeare ….. dramas that are appealing to people of all ages.

1. 1. Wrote
   2. Had written
   3. Had been writing
   4. Has written

4) The barber …… his finger while he ……. off my hair.

1. 1. Had cut, was chopping
   2. Cut, chop
   3. Cut , was chopping
   4. Cuts, had been chopping

5) Prasoon ……for Bangalore early and he must ………. by this time.

1. 1. Leave, have been reaching
   2. Left, have reached
   3. Had left, be reaching
   4. Left, have been reached

6) No, Rama is not at home, He ………… just ……… for shopping

1. 1. had, gone
   2. has, gone
   3. was, going
   4. will have, be going

7) It is clearly ….. ‘passengers …… to smoke in the train’, still they ….

1. 1. Written, are not allowed, are being
   2. Written, was not allowed, be
   3. Wrote, do not allow, are been
   4. Written, are not allowing, have been

8) They …… a football match in the evening. What …… you do?

1. 1. Were playing, do
   2. Played, did
   3. Have played, --
   4. Are playing, will

9) Sheren …… .what you mean. Please explain it to her again.

1. 1. Don’t understand
   2. Didn’t understand
   3. Doesn’t understand
   4. Hadn’t understand

10) By the end of this September, she ….. in this organization for thirteen years.

1. 1. Will work
   2. Had been working
   3. Will have been working
   4. Will be working

11) Nancy and Princy …….. to our house to play the treasure hunt with us.

1. 1. Will have been coming
   2. Had been to come
   3. Are coming
   4. Come

12) The flight ….. before we reach the airport.

1. 1. Will have taken off
   2. Has taken off
   3. Is taking off
   4. Was taking off

13) I have just …. a typewriter and I … typing nowadays.

1. 1. Have been hiring, have been learning
   2. Hired, have learned
   3. Had hired, am learning
   4. Have been hired, had been learning

14) Mother… me to watch time and return soon, I replied, Please don’t worry, if.. late tonight.

1. 1. Is asking, I will be
   2. Asked, I am
   3. Had been asking, be
   4. Had asked, I will be

15) If she …. late just one more time the manager …… suspend her.

1. 1. Is arriving, is going to
   2. Will be arriving, would
   3. Arrives, will
   4. Is going to arrive, would have

16) They ….. out for an evening walk after they ……. dinner.

1. 1. Went, had taken
   2. go, had taken
   3. Have gone, took
   4. Are going, took

17) The warden … into the room to see what the students …...

1. 1. Go, had been doing
   2. Went, was doing
   3. Gone, had been doing
   4. Went, were doing

18) When our train… at the station, we found the bridegroom’s family… for us.

1. 1. Was reaching, waited
   2. Reached, had been waiting
   3. Have been reaching, waited
   4. Reached, waiting

19) Rohan, I … seen you for a long time, How …?

1. 1. Had not, are you
   2. Have not, have you been
   3. Did not, had you been
   4. Have not, are you been

20) She …. movies. …….. any recent Hollywood movies?

1. 1. Loves watching, have you watched
   2. Love to watch, did you watched
   3. Is loving, have you been watching
   4. Loves watching, had you seen

Answers

1. Ans (1)
2. Ans (2)
3. Ans (4)
4. Ans (3)
5. Ans (2)
6. Ans (2)
7. Ans (1)
8. Ans (2)
9. Ans (3)
10. Ans (3)
11. Ans (3)
12. Ans (1)
13. Ans (3)
14. Ans (2)
15. Ans (3)
16. Ans (1)
17. Ans (4)
18. Ans (4)
19. Ans (2)
20. Ans (1)

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