1. English tenses
Introduction
The word tense is drived from latinword from
“tempus”which means time.a verb indicates the time of an
action, event or condition by changing its form.
Tense:
Any form of the verb which may be used to show
1 the time of an action
2 a state or an event can be calleda tense.
In short verb form that shows the time of action is called
the tense
Types of tenses
there are three types of tenses
A the present tense
B the past tense
C the future tense
And every type of tenses also have four types of tenses
1 indefinite
2. 2 continuous
3 perfect
Perfect continuous
Chart of tenses and forms
tense
present
Past
Future
indefinite
write
writes
wrote
Shall write
Will write
continuous
am writing ,is
writing,are
writing
Was writing
Where writing
Shall be
writing
Will be
writing
perfect
has
written
have
written
Had
written
Shall
have
written
Will have
written
Perfect
con
Has been
writing
Have
been
writing
Had been
writing
Shall
have
been
writing
Will have
been
writing
3. Present Simple Tense
It is used to express an action in present time, habitual or
usual actions or daily event or universal fact. It is used to
express an action in present time which is usually done on a
regular basis. For example a student says, “I go to school”. It
is a daily activity of a student to go to school, so such actions
are expressed by present simple tense. Another example is, “I
work in a factory”. It tells about a usual action of a person that
he works in a factory on regular basis.
Rules. 1st form of verb or base verb is used as main verb in
sentence
Structure of sentence – Rules
Present indefinite
Positive Sentence
• Subject + Main verb + Object
• Subject + 1st form of verb (or base verb) + Object
Note: If the subject in a sentence is “he, she, it, singular or
proper noun” then “s” or “es” is added to the first form of verb
or base form in the sentence.
Examples.
PositiveSentences
I sing a song.
He drinks water
They read lessons
4. Birds chirp
John reaches home in time.
Water maintains its surface level.
Negative Sentences
I do not sing a song
He does not drink water
They do not read lessons
Birds do not chirp
John does not reach home in time.
Water does not maintain its surface level.
Negative Sentences
• Subject + auxiliary verb +NOT + Main verb +object
• Subject + Do not/Does not + 1st form of verb (or base
form) + object
Interrogative Sentences
Do I sing a song?
Does he drink water?
Do they read lessons?
Do birds chirp?
Does John reach home in time?
Does water maintain its surface level?
Note: If the subject in a sentence is “he, she, it, singular or
proper noun” the sentence is started with Auxiliary verb
“Does”. If the subject in a sentence is “I, we, they, you or
5. plural” the sentence is started with auxiliary verb “Do”. “s” or
“es” is not added to main verb in Interrogative sentence
Note: In negative sentence auxiliary verb “do or does” along
with “not” is used. If the subject in a sentence is “he, she, it,
singular or proper noun”, then “Does not” is used after subject
in sentence. If subject is “I, we, they, you or plural” then “Do
not” is used after subject in sentence. “s” or “es” is not added
to main verb in negative sentence
The end
