English Tenses with rules and explanation:
English tenses refer to the different forms that verbs take to indicate the time of an action or state. English has several tenses, each with its own rules and structures.
How many tenses are there in English?
There are 12 main tenses in English. Let’s try to understand them one by one with the help of structure and example of each tense. Here’s an overview:
1.Simple Present Tense:
It is used to express actions that are habitual, factual, or general truths.
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Structure:
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Positive: Subject + base form of the verb (+s/es for third person singular) +obj.
Negative: Subject + do/does+ not +base form of the verb (+s/es for third person singular) +obj.
Interrogative: do/does +subject + base form of the verb (+s/es for third person singular) +obj.
2.Present Continuous Tense:
It is used to express actions happening at the moment of speaking or around the present time.
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Structure:
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Positive: Subject + helping verb (am/is/are) + present participle (ing form of the main verb) +obj.
Negative: Subject + helping verb (am/is/are)+ not + present participle (ing form of the main verb) +obj.
Interrogative: Helping verb (am/is/are) + subject + present participle (ing form of the main verb) +obj.
3.Present Perfect Tense:
It is used to express actions that occurred at an indefinite time in the past or actions that have relevance to the present.
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Structure:
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Positive: Subject + have/has + past participle of the main verb (3rd form of the verb) +obj.
Negative: Subject + have/has + not+ past participle of the main verb (3rd form of the verb) +obj.
Interrogative: have/has +subject + past participle of the main verb (3rd form of the verb) +obj.
4.Present Perfect Continuous Tense:
It is used to express actions that started in the past and are still continuing, or actions that have recently stopped but have a connection to the present.
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Structure:
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Positive: Subject + have/has+ been + present participle (-ing form of the main verb) + obj+ since/for+ time.
Negative: Subject + have/has+ not +been + present participle (-ing form of the main verb) + obj+ since/for+ time.
Interrogative: have/has+ subject+ been + present participle (-ing form of the main verb) + obj+ since/for+ time.
5.Simple Past Tense:
It is used to express actions that occurred at a specific time in the past.
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Structure:
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Positive: Subject + past form of the verb (2nd form of the verb) + obj.
Negative: Subject +did+ not+ past form of the verb 1st form + obj.
Interrogative: did + subject + 1st form of the verb + obj.
6.Past Continuous Tense:
It is used to express actions that were ongoing at a specific time in the past.
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Structure:
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Positive: Subject + was/were + present participle (-ing form of the main verb) + obj.
Negative: Subject + was/were +not + present participle (-ing form of the main verb) + obj.
Interrogative: was/were +subject + present participle (-ing form of the main verb) + obj.
7.Past Perfect Tense:
It is used to express actions that were completed before a certain point in the past.
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Structure:
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Positive: Subject + had + past participle of the main verb (3rd form of the verb) +obj.
Negative: Subject + had+ not + past participle of the main verb (3rd form of the verb) +obj.
Interrogative: had +subject + past participle of the main verb (3rd form of the verb) +obj.
8.Past Perfect Continuous Tense:
It is used to express actions that were ongoing for a period of time before another action happened in the past.
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Structure:
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Positive: Subject + had +been + present participle (-ing form of the main verb) +obj +since/for +time.
Negative: Subject + had +not +been + present participle (-ing form of the main verb) +obj +since/for +time.
Interrogative: had +subject +been + present participle (-ing form of the main verb) +obj +since/for +time.
9.Simple Future Tense:
It is used to express actions that will happen in the future.
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Structure:
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Positive: Subject + will/shall + base form of the verb +obj.
Negative: Subject + will/shall +not + base form of the verb +obj.
Interrogative: will/shall +subject + base form of the verb +obj.
10.Future Continuous Tense:
It is used to express actions that will be ongoing at a specific time in the future.
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Structure:
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Positive: Subject + will/shall + be + present participle (-ing form of the main verb) +obj.
Negative: Subject + will/shall+ not + be + present participle (-ing form of the main verb) +obj.
Interrogative: will/shall +subject + be + present participle (-ing form of the main verb) +obj.
11.Future Perfect Tense:
It is used to express actions that will be done before a specific point in the future.
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Structure:
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Positive: Subject + will/shall + have + past participle of the main verb (3rd form of the verb) +obj.
Negative: Subject + will/shall +not + have + past participle of the main verb (3rd form of the verb) +obj.
Interrogative: has/have + subject+ past participle of the main verb (3rd form of the verb) +obj.
12.Future Perfect Continuous Tense:
It is used to express actions that will be ongoing for a period of time before another action happens in the future.
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Structure:
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Positive: Subject + will/shall + have been + present participle (-ing form of the main verb) +obj +since/for +time.
Negative: Subject + will/shall + not+ have been + present participle (-ing form of the main verb) +obj +since/for +time.
Interrogative: will/shall +subject + have been + present participle (-ing form of the main verb) +obj +since/for +time.
Understanding these structures and when to use each tense can greatly enhance your ability to communicate effectively in English. For more clarity and convenience let’s try to understand them with some examples.
| Sr.
No. |
Tense | Structure | Examples |
| 1. | Simple Present Tense | Subject + base form of the verb (+s/es for third person singular) +obj. | She plays tennis every Saturday. |
| 2. | Present Continuous Tense | Subject + helping verb (am/is/are) + present participle (ing form of the main verb) +obj. | He is watching a movie right now. |
| 3. | Present Perfect Tense | Subject + have/has + past participle of the main verb (3rd form of the verb) +obj. | I have visited US two times. |
| 4. | Present Perfect Continuous Tense | Subject + have/has+ been + present participle (-ing form of the main verb) + obj+ since/for+ time. | He has been studying physics for three hours. |
| 5. | Simple Past Tense | Subject + past form of the verb (2nd form of the verb) + obj. | She ate pasta yesterday. |
| 6. | Past Continuous Tense | Subject + was/were + present participle (-ing form of the main verb) + obj. | They were playing foot ball when it started raining. |
| 7. | Past Perfect Tense | Subject + had + past participle of the main verb (3rd form of the verb) +obj. | By the time I arrived, they had already left. |
| 8. | Past Perfect Continuous Tense | Subject + had +been + present participle (-ing form of the main verb) +obj +since/for +time. | She had been waiting for more than an hour. |
| 9. | Simple Future Tense | Subject + will/shall + base form of the verb +obj. | They will visit Paris next summer. |
| 10. | Future Continuous Tense | Subject + will/shall + be + present participle (-ing form of the main verb) +obj. | I will be studying for my assessment at this time tomorrow. |
| 11. | Future Perfect Tense | Subject + will/shall + have + past participle of the main verb (3rd form of the verb) +obj. | By the end of the year, she will have finished her novel. |
| 12. | Future Perfect Continuous Tense | Subject + will/shall + have been + present participle (-ing form of the main verb) +obj +since/for +time. | By next month, he will have been working at the company for five years. |
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