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A-Z FULL Explanation of TENSES in a simple and effective way
Home A-Z FULL Explanation of TENSES in a simple and effective way

TENSES

TENSE
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Tenses are a grammatical category used to indicate the time, and sometimes the continuance or completion, of an action or state in relation to the time of speaking. Examples of tenses include past, present, and future.Examples

Past tense: “I walked to the store.”

Present tense: “I walk to the store.”

Future tense: “I will walk to the store.”

  • Present Continuous Tense : “I am walking to the store”
  • Present Perfect Tense : “I have walked to the store”
  • Past Perfect Tense : “I had walked to the store”
  • Future Perfect Tense : “I will have walked to the store”

These are a few examples of different tenses in English. Keep in mind that different languages have different ways of indicating tense and that the examples provided are specific to English.

TYPES OF TENSES

There are different ways to classify tenses, but one common method is to group them into three main categories: past, present, and future. Within each category, there are further subcategories, such as simple, continuous, perfect, and perfect continuous.

  1. Past Tense: Expresses an action or state that occurred in the past. Examples include simple past, past continuous, past perfect, and past perfect continuous.
  2. Present Tense: Expresses an action or state that is currently happening or is always true. Examples include simple present, present continuous, present perfect, and present perfect continuous.
  3. Future Tense: Expresses an action or state that will occur in the future. Examples include simple future, future continuous, future perfect, and future perfect continuous.
  4. Conditional Tense : Expresses a hypothetical or possible action or state in the future.

It’s important to note that different languages have different systems for indicating tense and not all languages have the same tenses or use them in the same way.

PRESENT TENSE

The present tense is used to describe actions or states that are currently happening or are always true. It can also be used to describe future actions or events that have been scheduled or arranged.

There are several types of present tense forms, each with its own structure and use:

  1. Simple present: This is the most basic form of the present tense. It is used to describe habitual actions, general truths, and scheduled future events. The structure for simple present is subject + verb (in its base form). Examples: “I walk to school every day.” “Water boils at 100 degrees Celsius.” “My flight leaves at 8pm.”
  2. Present continuous: This form is used to describe actions that are currently in progress. The structure is subject + am/is/are + verb-ing. Examples: “I am walking to the store.” “She is studying for her exam.” “They are eating dinner.”
  3. Present perfect: This form is used to describe actions that started in the past and continue to the present. The structure is subject + has/have + past participle. Examples: “I have been living in this city for 10 years.” “She has seen that movie three times.” “They have finished the project.”
  4. Present perfect continuous: This form is used to describe actions that started in the past and are still continuing in the present. The structure is subject + has/have + been + verb-ing. Examples: “I have been working on this project for two weeks.” “She has been playing the piano for an hour.” “They have been waiting for you for 15 minutes.”

SIMPLE PRESENT TENSE

The simple present tense is used to describe actions or states that are currently happening or are always true. It is also used to describe future actions or events that have been scheduled or arranged.

There are three types of simple present tense forms, each with its own formula and use:

  1. Affirmative: The affirmative form is used to make positive statements. The formula is Subject + Verb (in its base form) Examples: “I walk to school every day” “She speaks Spanish” “They eat dinner at 7pm”
  2. Negative: The negative form is used to make negative statements. The formula is Subject + Do/Does + not + Verb (in its base form) Examples: “I don’t walk to school” “She doesn’t speak Spanish” “They don’t eat dinner at 7pm”
  3. Interrogative: The interrogative form is used to ask questions. The formula is Do/Does + Subject + Verb (in its base form) Examples: “Do you walk to school?” “Does she speak Spanish?” “Do they eat dinner at 7pm?”

It’s important to note that in English, for third person singular subject (he, she, it) we use ‘does’ instead of ‘do’ in Negative and Interrogative forms.

PRESENT CONTINUOUS

The present continuous tense is used to describe actions or states that are currently in progress. It is also used to describe future actions or events that are planned or arranged.

There are three types of present continuous tense forms, each with its own formula and use:

  1. Affirmative: The affirmative form is used to make positive statements. The formula is Subject + am/is/are + verb-ing Examples: “I am walking to the store” “She is studying for her exam” “They are eating dinner”
  2. Negative: The negative form is used to make negative statements. The formula is Subject + am/is/are + not + verb-ing Examples: “I am not walking to the store” “She is not studying for her exam” “They are not eating dinner”
  3. Interrogative: The interrogative form is used to ask questions. The formula is Am/Is/Are + Subject + verb-ing Examples: “Am I walking to the store?” “Is she studying for her exam?” “Are they eating dinner?”

It’s important to note that for subjects ‘I’ and ‘you’ we use ‘am’ and ‘is’ respectively, for all other subjects we use ‘are’

PRESENT PERFECT

The present perfect tense is used to describe actions or states that started in the past and continue to the present. It is also used to describe experiences or changes that have occurred in the past and are relevant to the present.

There are three types of present perfect tense forms, each with its own formula and use:

  1. Affirmative: The affirmative form is used to make positive statements. The formula is Subject + has/have + past participle Examples: “I have been living in this city for 10 years” “She has seen that movie three times” “They have finished the project”
  2. Negative: The negative form is used to make negative statements. The formula is Subject + have/has + not + past participle Examples: “I have not been living in this city for 10 years” “She has not seen that movie three times” “They have not finished the project”
  3. Interrogative: The interrogative form is used to ask questions. The formula is Have/Has + Subject + past participle Examples: “Have I been living in this city for 10 years?” “Has she seen that movie three times?” “Have they finished the project?”

It’s important to note that in English, for third person singular subject (he, she, it) we use ‘has’ instead of ‘have’ in Affirmative and Interrogative forms.

PRESENT PERFECT CONTINUOUS

The present perfect continuous tense is used to describe actions or states that started in the past and are still continuing in the present. It is also used to describe an action that has been happening for a certain amount of time and is still ongoing.

There are three types of present perfect continuous tense forms, each with its own formula and use:

  1. Affirmative: The affirmative form is used to make positive statements. The formula is Subject + has/have + been + verb-ing Examples: “I have been working on this project for two weeks” “She has been playing the piano for an hour” “They have been waiting for you for 15 minutes”
  2. Negative: The negative form is used to make negative statements. The formula is Subject + have/has + not + been + verb-ing Examples: “I have not been working on this project for two weeks” “She has not been playing the piano for an hour” “They have not been waiting for you for 15 minutes”
  3. Interrogative: The interrogative form is used to ask questions. The formula is Have/Has + Subject + been + verb-ing Examples: “Have I been working on this project for two weeks?” “Has she been playing the piano for an hour?” “Have they been waiting for you for 15 minutes?”

It’s important to note that in English, for third person singular subject (he, she, it) we use ‘has’ instead of ‘have’ in Affirmative and Interrogative forms.

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