There are three main tenses:
(i) The Present                           (ii) The Past                               (iii) The Future
The tense of a verb shows the time of action or event.

1. PRESENT TENSE

I.    Simple Present Tense or Present Indefinite Tense

The Simple Present Tense is used:

1. To express what is actually taking place at the present moment; as:
   See, how it rains.
2. To express a habitual action; as:
   He gets up everyday at six o’clock.
3. To express general truths; as:
   The sun rises in the east.
4. In vivid narrative as a substitute for the Past Tense; as:
   Immediately the Sultan hurries to his capital.
   (This is called the historic present)

In place of Future Tense when futurity is indicated by the context; as:
We go to Delhi next week.
Structure of Simple Present:
—> Subject + V1/Vs (s or es)

Exercise 1

Change the following as directed :

1. Birds fly in the sky. (negative)
2. Rohit loves his teacher. (interrogative)
3. Boys are doing their homework. (negative)
4. My friend speaks good English. (interrogative)
5. Dogs are barking. (interrogative)
6. He is learning music. (negative)
7. We are going to Kolkata soon. (interrogative)
8. Children play in the evening. (negative)
9. Ritu sings a song. (negative)
10. I am listening to western music. (interrogative)
11. Naman and Chaman run fast. (interrogative)

Answer:

1. Birds do not fly in the sky.
2. Does Rohit love his teacher?
3. Boys are not doing their homework.
4. Does my friend speak good English?
5. Are dogs barking?
6. He is not learning music.
7. Are we going to Kolkata soon?
8. Children do not play in the evening.
9. Ritu does not sing a song.
10. Am I listening to western music?
11. Do Naman and Chaman run fast?

Exercise 2

Fill in the blanks with is, am or are:

1. These bags ……… heavy.
2. Look! There ……… Raman.
3. My brother and I ……… good cricket players.
4. The weather ………  nice today.
5. This bag ……… not so heavy.
6. I ………  not tired.
7. Rama ……… at home.
8. Her children ……… at school.
9. I ……… a student.
10. My sister ……… a doctor.

Answer:

1. are   2. is   3. are   4. is   5. is   6. am   7. is   8. are   9. am   10. is

II. Present Continuous Tense

1. The Present Continuous Tense represents an action as going on at the time of speaking; as;
   Shweta is singing.
   The school boys are playing football.
   I am opening the door.
   I am not going to Delhi today.
   What are you doing now?
2. “When” is not used with this tense unless in the sense of immediate future; as;
   When are you going to school?
3. Certain verbs are practically never used, in the Present Continuous Tense. These are mainly verbs of condition or behaviour not strictly under human control Consequently they go on whether we like it or not, as;
   I see a man outside, he is looking at me.

Other verbs like this are:
Believe; feel (that); think (that); know; understand; remember; recollect; forget; suppose; mean; gather (that); want; wish; forgive; refuse; love; hate; like, dislike
etc.

Structure of Present Continuous:
—> Subject + is / am / are + V4 (V1 + ing)

Exercise 1

Complete the sentences. Use one of these verbs:

build        cook        go         have       stand
stay         swim       work     rain        watch

1. Please be quiet. I ………………….
2. Where is Umesh? He is in the kitchen. He ………………….
3. ‘You …………………. on my foot.’
4. Look! Somebody ………………….in the river.
5. We’re here on holiday. We …………………. at the Royal Hotel.
6. Where’s Renu? She …………………. a shower.
7. They …………………. a new theatre in the city centre at the moment.
8. I …………………. now. Goodbye.
9. The weather is nice at the moment. It is not ………………….
10. You can turn off the television. I am not ………………….it.

Answer:

1. Please be quiet. I am working.
2. Where is Umesh? He is in the kitchen. He is cooking.
3. You are standing on my foot.
4. Look! Somebody is swimming in the river.
5. We’re here on holiday. We are staying at the Royal Hotel.
6. Where’s Renu? She is having a shower.
7. They are building a new theatre in the city centre at moment.
8. I am going now. Goodbye.
9. The’ weather is nice at the moment. It is not raining.
10. You can turn off the television. I am not watching it.

Exercise 2

Fill in the blanks with the appropriate form (Present Continuous) of the verbs given in bracket.

1. I am ……………….. the table (turn).
2. Hari is …………………. the juice (suck).
3. Rani and Rajan …………………. under the cot (crawl).
4. The dog is …………………. its tail (wag).
5. You are …………………. on your paper (write).
6. She is …………………. right hand (wave).
7. He is …………………. over the fence (jump).
8. You are …………………. your books (take).
9. You are …………………. the sweets in your mouth (put).
10. Sita is …………………. on her dress (put).

Answer:

1. I am turning the table.
2. Hari is sucking the juice.
3. Ravi and Rajan are crawling under the cot.
4. The dog is wagging its tail.
5. You are writing on your paper.
6. She is waving her right hand.
7. He is jumping over the fence.
8. You are taking your books.
9. You are putting the sweets in your mouth.
10. Sita is putting on her dress.

III. Present Perfect Tense

1. The Present Perfect Tense denotes an action that has just been completed; as:
   I have written my essay.
   He has worked the sum.
2. The Present Perfect Tense is also used instead of past tense, to represent a past action as continuing to the present; as:
   We have lived here ten years (and we are still living here).
   Note the difference between:
   (a)    We have lived here for ten years, and
   (b)    We lived here ten years.
   Structure of Present Perfect Tense:
   —> Subject + has / have + V3

Exercise 1

Fill in the blanks with the Present Perfect tense form of the verbs given in the brackets.  

1. The train _______  just now. (arrive)
2. I _______ not _______ the cinema all these years. (visit)
3. Someone _______ some crockery. (break)
4. I _______ never _______ the Taj (see)
5. I _______ not _______ him so far. (meet)
6. I_______ not _______ the work even now. (finish)
7. My friend _______ his purse, (lose)
8. They _______ my pen. (take)
9. Birds _______ from here, (fly)
10. Rachna _______ food, (cook)

Answer:

1. The train has arrived just now.
2. I have not visited the cinema all these years.
3. Someone has broken some crockery.
4. I have never seen the Taj.
5. I have not met him so far.
6. I have not finished the work even now.
7. My friend has lost his purse.
8. They have taken my pen.
9. Birds have flown from here.
10. Rachna has cooked food.

IV.  Present Perfect Continuous Tense

1. Sometimes an action, beginning in the past, is still continuing at the present moment. This frequently happens with verbs such as stay, wait, sit, stand, lie, study, learn, live, rest etc. Such verbs Eire rarely found in the simple present perfect because by their very nature they continue into the present.
   Structure of the Present Perfect Continuous Tense:
   Subject + has / have been + V4(V1 + ing)
   
2. If we do not suggest duration from the past, the present continuous is used but as scon as we imply a relationship between the past and now, the perfect continuous must be used; as:
   (a)    He is lying on the floor, (now)
   (b)    He has been lying there for three hours.
   (and there he still is)
   You have been here since half past ten.
   Mr. Singh has been here for twenty minutes.
   He has been here since Monday.
   He has been here for one day.

Exercise 1

Fill in the blanks with the Present Perfect Continuous Tense of the verbs given in brackets.

1. We ______  English for two years. (study)
2. He ______  in this school for several years. (teach)
3. I ______  in this flat since 2000. (live)
4. It ______ for three hours. (rain)
5. They ______  for seven hours. (work)

Answer:

1. We have been studying English for two years.
2. He has been teaching in this school for several years.
3. I have been living in this flat since 2000.
4. It has been raining for three hours.
5. They have been working for seven hours.

Use of ‘since’ and ‘for’

1. ‘Since’ means ‘from some definite point or period in the past till now’
   ‘Since’ is used before a noun or phrase denoting some point of time in the past. It is preceded by a verb in the present perfect tense; as:
   I have not seen Sanjay since 10 th May.
   She has been ill since Tuesday
2. ‘For’ means “a length of time till now.”
   ‘For’ is used before a noun or phrase denoting a period of time and is used with all the tenses; as:
   I shall stay here for a week.
   They were there for ten days.

Exercise 2

Fill in the blanks with since or for:

1. He has been here ………………..  last Monday.
2. She has been on the phone ……………….. twenty minutes.
3. I have been in this town ……………….. 1967.
4. You have been married ……………….. six years.
5. Raman has been on holiday ……………….. last Friday.

Answer:

1. He has been here since last Monday.
2. She has been on the phone for twenty minutes.
3. I have been in this town since 1967.
4. You have been married for six years.
5. Raman has been on holiday since last Friday.

2. PAST TENSE

I. Simple Past Tense

The simple Past Tense is used:

1. to denote a single action in the past: as:
   Sachin again scored a century.
   The ship sailed yesterday.
2. To denote an action going on in the past; as: While they danced, we sang.

To denote a habitual action in the past; as: He studied marry hours everyday.
Structure of the Simple Past Tense:
—> Sub + V2

Exercise 1

Make six sentences from the following chart.

1. I                                   in Delhi                      last month
2. He             was           here                             last year
3. She                             in school                     yesterday
4. We                              in Haryana                 three weeks ago
5. You          were          in Hospital                 two years ago
6. They                           there                            a long time ago

Answer:

1. I was in Delhi last month.
2. He was here last year.
3. She was in school yesterday.
4. We were in Haryana three weeks ago.
5. You were in hospital two years ago.
6. They were there a long time ago.

Exercise 2

Put in am / is/are (present) or was / were (past):

1. Last year she …………….. 10, so she …………….. 11 now.
2. I ……………..  hungry. Can I have something to eat?
3. ‘Where …………….. the children?’ ‘I don’t know. They …………….. in the garden ten minutes ago.’
4. Today the weather …………….. nice, but yesterday it …………….. very cold.
5. I feel fine this morning but I …………….. tired last night.
6. Where …………….. you at 11 o’clock last Friday morning?
7. I like your new shirt …………….. it expensive?
8. Don’t they wear those shoes? These …………….. very expensive.
9. This time last year I …………….. in Goa.
10. They …………….. in school today morning.

Answer:

1. was; is         2. am           3. are; were        4. is; was
5. was             6. were         7. Is                      8. are
9. was             10. were

Exercise 3

Complete the sentences. Use one of these verbs in the past simple:

enjoy       clean      die     open       finish
happen    ram      start    stay        want

1. It was hot in the room, so I …………….. the window.
2. I …………….. my teeth twice yesterday.
3. The shop ……………..at 9 a.in. yesterday.
4. The match …………….. at 6 in the evening.
5. I always …………….. to be a doctor.
6. It is a nice day but yesterday it …………….. all day.
7. The accident …………….. last Sunday afternoon.
8. Shiela’s grandmother …………….. when she was 90 years old.
9. We …………….. our holiday last year.
10. We …………….. at Grand Hotel when we went to Kolkata.

Answer:

1. opened    2. cleaned       3. started    4. finished    5. wanted
6. rained     7. happened    8. died        9. enjoyed    10. stayed

Exercise 4

Write the past simple of the following verbs:

1. get             2.  see…         3. play
4. pay            5.   visit..       6. buy
7. go              8.   think       9. copy
10. know      11.  put…       12. speak

Answer:

1. got          2. saw             3. played          4. paid
5. visited    6. bought        7. went           8. thought
9. copied    10. knew         11. put            12. spoke

II. Past Continuous Tense

The past continuous tense represents an action as going on at some point of time in the past; as:

I was reading, when he called on me.
It was raining heavily yesterday at 4 O’clock.

Structure of the Past Continuous Tense:
—> Subject + was / were + V4

Exercise 1

Use the correct form of the verb:

1. We (watch) the shop windows when we met Vimal.
2. I (wait) outside the theatre when I saw Om.
3. When Vijay arrived, Soma (study).
4. When he saw Ramesh in the library, he (return) his books.
5. When I saw them at midnight, they (try) to find a taxi.

Answer:

1. We were watching the shop windows when we met Vimal.
2. 1 was waiting outside the theatre when I saw Om.
3. When Vijay arrived, Soma was studying.
4. When he saw Ramesh in the library, he was returning his books.
5. When I saw them at midnight, they were trying to find a taxi.

Exercise 2

Change the following sentences into negative:

1. Vishal was living in Kolkata in July last year.
2. Vimal was talking to Vijay at ten o’clock last night.
3. At four o’clock yesterday we were all drinking tea.
4. I was trying to get a taxi at ten o clock last night.
5. It was raining in Chennai at five o’clock last evening.

Answer:

1. Vishal was not living in Kolkata in July last year.
2. Vimal was not talking to Vijay at ten o’clock last night.
3. At four o’clock yesterday we were not all drinking tea.
4. I was not trying to get a taxi at ten o’clock last night.
5. It was not raining in Chennai at five o’clock last evening.

Exercise 3

Change the following sentences into questions:

1. They were crying there.
2. He was playing cricket.
3. He was doing his homework.
4. Ruchi and Rubi were cooking in the kitchen.
5. We were going to the market.

Answer:

1. Were they crying there?
2. Was he playing cricket?
3. Was he doing his homework?
4. Were Ruchi and Rubi cooking in the kitchen?
5. Were we going to the market?

III. Past Perfect Tense

1. The Past Perfect Tense denotes an action completed before a certain moment in the past; as;

He had already read this book.
When I reached school, all the students had already come.
Teaching had not started before he reached school.
Had the students left the school before the bell rang?

2. The Past Perfect Tense is related to a moment in the past in the same way that the present perfect is related to the present moment, i.e., it describes an action completed before some special past moment we have in mind.
Structure of the Past Perfect Tense:
—> Subject + had + V3 + object

Exercise 1

Choose the correct verb from those given in brackets:

1. He thanked me for what I ………………. (have dope, had done, have been doing).
2. When we went to the cinema, the film ……………….  .
   (already started, had already started, would already start.)
3. Did your think you ………………. me somewhere before?
   (have seen, had seen, were seeing.)
4. I    to Mumbai once before.
   (have gone, had gone, have been going)
5. They    anything till night.
   (have not read, were not reading, had not read)

Answer:

1. had done    2. had already started    3. had seen   4.  had gone    5. had not read.

IV. Past Perfect Continuous Tense

The Past Perfect Continuous Tense is used for an action that began before a certain point in the past and continued up to that time; as:

Renu had been reading book for two hours.
It had been raining continuously since last Wednesday.
You had not been going to school since Tuesday.
He had not been meeting me for a month.
Where had Raman been playing since noon?

Structure of the Past Perfect Continuous Tense:
—> Subject + had been + V4 (V1 + ing)

Exercise

Fill in the blanks with suitable verb:

1. You had been …………………. till now since morning, (slept, sleeping, sleep)
2. She …………………. sun-bath for a month, (have been taking, had taken, had been taking)
3. I …………………. this car for four years, (have driven, had driven, had been driving)
4. He had not been …………………. for a few days, (seen, saw, seeing)
5. The players had been …………………. for three hours, (running, ran, run)
6. …………………. he been studying for examination for four days? (had, have)
7. Where had he been …………………. for so many days? (lived, live, living)

Answer:

1. sleeping  2. had been taking  3. had been driving  4. seeing  5. running  6. Had    7. living.

Forms of Verbs

Weak Verbs

Remain same in all Forms