5|Tenses TABLE OF TENSES

Tense Type Of Sentence (+) ve Statement Sentence Structure Sub + V1 + . 1) 2) 3) 4) 5) 6) Examples He speaks. She speaks. I speak. You speak. We speak. They speak. Uses To speak about Daily/Regular Actions Frequent Actions, Habits Universal/General Truths Customs/Traditions Scheduled Activities 1) 2) 3) 4) 5) 6) 7) 8) 9) 10) 11) 12) 13) 14) 15) 16) 17) 18) 19) 20) Examples She teaches Mathematics. I drink milk daily. The sun rises in the east. They speak English fluently. People celebrate Diwali grandly. He visits his parents once a month. They often meet at the caf. I usually take rotis at night. Our boss rarely smiles. Barking dogs seldom bite. He never tells the truth. The football match starts at 10 am tomorrow. Ramesh doesnt smoke. These children dont go to school. Does she sing well? Do you like old movies? What does he want? Why do you waste your time? How much does this cost? Who sends you money?

Simple Present

(-) ve Statement

Sub + does/do + not + V1 + .

Yes/No Question

1) He does not speak. 2) She doesnt speak. 3) I dont speak. 4) You dont speak. 5) We dont speak. 6) They dont speak. 1) 2) 3) 4) Does he speak? Does she speak? Do you speak? Do they speak?

SIGNAL WORDS Always, every day, every month, every week, daily, never, normally, often, seldom, generally, sometimes, usually, frequently, occasionally, rarely, once a week, twice a month, once in two days, etc.

Wh Question

Does/Do + Sub + V1 +.

Wh word + does/do + Sub + V1 + .

1) What does he speak? 2) How does she speak? 3) When do you speak? 4) Why do they speak? 1) 2) 3) 4) 5) 6) He is speaking. She is speaking. I am speaking. You are speaking. We are speaking. They are speaking. To speak about actions going on now. To speak about temporary actions going on these days. To speak about preplanned future actions. SIGNAL WORDS At the moment, just now, Listen!, Look!, now, right now, these days, nowadays, etc. VERBS NOT USED IN THE CONTINUOUS TENSE Agree, believe, doubt, forget, know, mean, recognize, recollect, remember, suppose, think, understand, want, wish, desire, need, see, smell, hear, taste, notice, like, dislike, love, hate, prefer, feel, forgive, appear, seem, deserve, depend, possess, contain, belong to, consist of, own, have (=own), etc. The above verbs are usually used in the Simple or Perfect tenses.

Present Continuous

(+) ve Statement

Sub + is/am/are + Ving + .

1) 2) 3) 4) 5) 6) 7) 8) 9) 10) 11) 12) 13) 14) 15) 16) 17) 18) 19) 20) 21) 22) 23) 24)

(-) ve Statement

Yes/No Question

Wh Question

Sub + 1) He is not speaking. is/am/are + 2) She is not not + Ving + speaking. . 3) I am not speaking. 4) You are not speaking. 5) We are not speaking. 6) They are not Is/Are + Sub speaking. + Ving + ? 1) Is he speaking? 2) Is she speaking? 3) Are you speaking? Wh word 4) Are they + is/are + speaking? Sub + Ving + ? 1) What is he speaking? 2) Where is she speaking? 3) When are you speaking? 4) How are they speaking?

He is speaking at the conference now. Radha is cooking in the kitchen. Promod is always complaining about petty things. Dont disturb me. I am studying now. Listen! Someone is climbing up the stairs. Look! All are beating up the small boy. We are planning to go abroad. They are visiting holy places. Im learning English these days. Nowadays, people are opting for overseas jobs. They are holding an exhibition here next week. He is not paying attention to the lecture. I am not working there now. She is not doing anything right now. They are not willing to come here. Is Suresh writing the exam? Are you going there now? What is the boy doing in the room? Where are you working? How far are they going? When are you meeting her? Why is the girl crying? Who is seeing you this evening? What is happening there?

6|Tenses
Tense Present Perfect Type Of Sentence (+) ve Statement Sentence Structure Sub + has/have + V3 + .. 1) 2) 3) 4) 5) 6) 1) 2) 3) 4) 5) Has/Have + Sub + V3 + ? 6) 1) 2) 3) 4) 1) 2) 3) 4) (+) ve Statement Sub + has/have + been + Ving + Examples Uses Examples 1) I have just spoken to your father about it. 2) He has just gone out. 3) The members have just concluded their meeting. 4) These students have already written the test. 5) Dont pay him money. I have already paid him. 6) I am happy now because I have won the case. 7) He has not yet finished his work for the day. 8) I havent met him till now. 9) They havent informed us so far. So, we are worried. 10) We have never been to the US. 11) Have you finished lunch? 12) Has Anand invited you to the party? 13) Has he come? 14) Have you ever been to Delhi? 15) What have you done with this? It is not working. 16) Why have you come late? 17) Where have you been till now? I was waiting for you. 18) Who has told you this? 19) How has your friend written his exam?

(-) ve Statement

Sub + has/have + not + V3 + .

Yes/No Question

Wh Question

Wh word + has/have + Sub + V3 + ..

To speak about actions He has spoken. completed in the She has spoken. immediate past. I have spoken. You have spoken. To speak about actions that completed in the We have spoken. past but have a They have spoken. connection with the present. He has not To speak about actions spoken. those have not She hasnt happened till now (in the spoken. negative). I have not spoken. You havent spoken. SIGNAL WORDS We havent spoken. Already, ever, just, never, not They havent yet, so far, till now, up to spoken. now, etc. Has he spoken? NOTE: When the time of a Has she spoken? Have you spoken? past action is mentioned, use the Simple Past Tense Have they and not the Present Perfect spoken? Tense. I have completed my What has he degree in 2006. spoken? I completed my degree in How has she 2006. spoken? Why have you spoken? Where have they spoken? For an action that started in the Past, continued over a period of time into the Present and is still going on. If such an action as stated above has been completed in the Present and does not continue at the time of speaking, we usually use the Present Perfect Tense.

Present Perfect Continuous

(-) ve Statement

Sub + has/have + not + been + Ving +

1) He has been speaking. 2) She has been speaking. 3) I have been speaking. 4) You have been speaking. 5) We have been speaking. 6) They have been speaking. 1) He has not been speaking. 2) She hasnt been speaking. 3) I have not been speaking. 4) You havent been speaking. 5) We havent been speaking. 6) They havent been speaking.

SIGNAL WORDS all day, for 6 years, since 2003, how long?, the whole week

Yes/No Question Has/Have + Sub + been +Ving + ..

1) Has he been
speaking? speaking?

2) Has she been 3) Have you been

1) Vikram has been speaking for an hour. 2) She has been working in the garden since morning. 3) I have been trying to contact my friend for two weeks. 4) We have been designing the programme the whole week. 5) Our neighbours have been living here since 1996. 6) They have been calling us all day. 7) We have been learning English for a month. 8) They have not been answering our calls for two days. 9) I havent been doing anything since morning. 10) Madhavi has not been attending classes regularly. 11) Have you been using these medicines for long? 12) Has your brother been coming home late? 13) Has the boss been looking for me? 14) What have you been doing since morning? 15) How long have they been living here? 16) Since when has Sudha been working in this office? 17) How have you been handling this problem?

7|Tenses
Tense Type Of Sentence Wh Question Wh word + has/have + Sub + been + Ving + .. Sentence Structure Examples speaking? Uses Examples 18) How long has he been waiting for her? 19) Why have you been shouting? 20) Where have they been learning animation? 21) Who has been troubling her? 22) What has been happening here?

4) Have they been

speaking? 1) What has he been speaking? 2) How has she been speaking? 3) How long have you been speaking? 4) Since when have they been speaking? 1) He spoke. For an action that 2) She spoke. happened at a point of 3) I spoke. time in the Past. 4) You spoke. For a past habit. 5) We spoke. For daily/regular actions 6) They spoke. in the past. 1) 2) 3) 4) 5) 6) 1) 2) 3) 4) He did not speak. She didnt speak. I didnt speak. You didnt speak. We didnt speak. They didnt speak. Did he speak? Did she speak? Did you speak? Did they speak? NOTE: If such a past habit or daily/ regular action continues even in the present, use the Simple Present Tense and not the Simple Past Tense. NOTE: Usually, when we talk about past habits or daily/regular actions in the past, we use Used to + V1 instead of Simple Past Tense(V2). I used to visit my uncle daily last year. He used to smoke a lot. SIGNAL WORDS yesterday, 2 minutes ago, in 1990, the other day, last Friday, etc. To speak about an action going on at a point of time in the Past. For an action going on when another action happened in the Past. (In such cases, we use the Past Continuous Tense for the action going on and the Simple Past Tense for the other action) I was writing the test when the inspectors came in. When two actions were going on simultaneously at a point of time in the past, we use the Past Continuous Tense for both the actions and combine them using while. Pradeep was studying while his friends were chatting.

Simple Past

(+) ve Statement

Sub + V2 + .

1) 2) 3) 4) 5) 6) 7) 8) 9) 10) 11) 12) 13) 14) 15) 16) 17) 18)

(-) ve Statement

Sub + did + not + V1 + .

Yes/No Question

Did + Sub + V1 +.

Wh Question

Wh word + did + Sub + V1 + .

1) What did he speak? 2) How did she speak? 3) When did you speak? 4) Why did they speak?

She spoke the truth. I met my cousin yesterday. They went out two minutes ago. We saw him at the theatre the other day. Meena did not meeet her parents last Friay. These boys didnt write the exam. They didnt answer because they didnt know the answer. Did you ask him for money? Did the students protest against the college authorities? Did Kamala invite you yesterday? Why did you fight with your brother? Where did the children go? How did they perform at the competition? What did you do last week? When did she complete her degree? Who told you the truth? Who organized this function? What happened at the college yesterday.

Past Continuous

(+) ve Statement

Sub + was/were + Ving + .

(-) ve Statement

Yes/No Question

Wh Question

Sub + was/were + not + Ving + 1) He was not . speaking. 2) She was not speaking. 3) I wasnt speaking. 4) You were not speaking. 5) We werent Was/Were speaking. + Sub + 6) They werent Ving + ? speaking.

He was speaking. She was speaking. I was speaking. You were speaking. 5) We were speaking. 6) They were speaking.

1) 2) 3) 4)

1) Was he speaking?

1) We were listening to the radio all evening yesterday. 2) The light went out while I was reading. 3) When I saw him he was playing with some kids. 4) I was thinking about it when he called me. 5) Please dont take it seriously. I was just kidding. 6) The children were shouting when the teacher entered the class. 7) She was watching TV at 5 o clock last evening. 8) They were insulting him while he was serving them. 9) I was not doing anything when he came to my house. 10) Suresh was not practising his lessons when I met him. 11) We were not copying when the invigilator saw us. 12) The boy wasnt talking to anyone

8|Tenses
Tense Type Of Sentence Sentence Structure Wh word + was/were + Sub + Ving + ? Examples 2) Was she speaking? 3) Were you speaking? 4) Were they speaking? 1) What was he speaking? 2) Where was she speaking? 3) Why were you speaking? 4) How were they speaking? Uses SIGNAL WORDS when, while, then, at 5 o clock, etc. Examples then. 13) The students werent listening to the lecture in the class. 14) Was he working there? 15) Were you speaking to the boss then? 16) Were the brothers quarrelling with each other last night? 17) Was it raining there yesterday? 18) What was she doing when you met her? 19) Why were you laughing while he was talking to you? 20) How were they playing when you saw them? 21) Where were the children going late last night? 22) When were they fighting? 23) Who was talking to you last night? 24) Who were quarrelling on the street at that time? 25) What was happening when you went there? 1) She had already finished the work when I met her. 2) We had just completed our dinner when they came in. 3) The train had left when they reached the station. 4) Gopal had informed many people about it before we stopped him. 5) I had been there twice before last summer. 6) I could not meet her because she had gone to her mothers place. 7) They had despatched the goods before we sent them a reminder. 8) She had not done anything when we went there. 9) They had not gone far when they met with an accident. 10) I hadnt finished my work when my friends dropped in. 11) Had she spoken to the boss when you met her? 12) Had they made all the arrangements before the boss came in? 13) Why had he come before his brother came? 14) Where had they spoken before they spoke at the university? 15) Where had she worked before she joined here? 16) Who had informed them about it before you did?

Past Perfect

(+) ve Statement

Sub + had + 1) He had spoken. V3 + .. 2) She had spoken. 3) I had spoken. 4) You had spoken. 5) We had spoken. 6) They had spoken. Sub + had + 1) He had not not + V3 + spoken. . 2) She hadnt spoken. 3) I had not spoken. 4) You hadnt spoken. 5) We hadnt Had + Sub spoken. + V3 + ? 6) They hadnt spoken. 1) Had he spoken? Wh word 2) Had she spoken? + had + Sub 3) Had you spoken? + V3 + .. 4) Had they spoken? 1) What had he spoken? 2) How had she spoken? 3) Why had you spoken? 4) Where had they spoken?

(-) ve Statement

Yes/No Question

For an action that had taken place before another action in the past. (In such cases, the Past Perfect Tense is used for the earlier action and the Simple Past Tense is used for the later action.) NOTE: If only one past action is stated or understood from the context, the Simple Past Tense should be used for that action and not the Past Perfect Tense. I had completed my work last night. I completed my work last night. SIGNAL WORDS already, just, never, not yet, once, until that day, etc.

Wh Question

Simple Future

(+) ve Statement

Sub + will + VI + .

1) 2) 3) 4) 5)

He will speak. She willl speak. I will speak. You will speak. We will speak.

To express the future as a fact. To say what we think or believe will happen in the future. (With expressions

1) He will speak with the manager tomorrow. 2) You will need this money on your return journey. 3) I will call you later.

9|Tenses
Tense Type Of Sentence (-) ve Statement Sentence Structure Sub + will + not + V1 + . Examples 6) They will speak. 1) 2) 3) 4) 5) 6) 1) 2) 3) 4) He will not speak. She wont speak. I wont speak. You wont speak. We wont speak. They wont speak. Will he speak? Will she speak? Will you speak? Will they speak? Uses like I think, I believe, Probably, etc.) To speak about an action that we have decided to do at the time of speaking. SIGNAL WORDS in a year, next , tomorrow, later, etc. 4) 5) 6) 7) 8) 9) 10) 11) 12) 13) 14) 15) 16) 17) 18) 19) 20) 21) 22) 23) 24) 25) 26) Examples Sunil will be thirty in a week. Ill wait for him. I think, shell go to the party. I believe everything will be fine soon. Probably, they will call us tonight. The board will announce the results next month. I will not go there. I wont do it again. She will not write this test. Deepak wont visit his parents again tis month. Will you attend the meeting? Will he finish the work in time? Will they wait for you? Will your parents be happy with your performance? What will you do now? Where will she go now? How will they come here? How much money will you pay them? Why will they misunderstand us? Who will tell you the right way there? Who will become the next Prime Minister of India? What will happen next? What will happen to your aged parents if you leave them now?

Yes/No Question

Will + Sub + V1 +.

Wh Question

Wh word + will + Sub + V1 + .

1) What will he speak? 2) How will she speak? 3) When will you speak? 4) Where will they speak?

Future Continuous

(+) ve Statement

Sub + will + be + Ving + .

(-) ve Statement

Sub + will + not + be + Ving + .

1) He will be speaking. 2) She will be speaking. 3) I will be speaking. 4) You will be speaking. 5) We will be speaking. 6) They will be speaking. 1) He will not be speaking. 2) She wont be speaking. 3) I wont be speaking. 4) You wont be speaking. 5) We wont be speaking. 6) They wont be speaking. 1) Will he be speaking? 2) Will she be speaking? 3) Will you be speaking? 4) Will they be speaking? 1) What will he be speaking?

For an action which will be going on at a time in the future. For actions in the future which are already planned but are less definite as they are expected to happen in the normal course of things. (As a routine or casual event.) For an action that the speaker thinks is happening now.

Yes/No Question

Will + Sub + be + Ving + ?

Wh Question

Wh word + will + Sub + be + Ving + ?

1) Dont come to my house at 11 o clock tomorrow morning. I will be watching the serial then. 2) He will be speaking at the conference tomorrow. 3) I must leave now. My brother will be waiting for me. 4) Dont call him now. He will be talking to the Director. 5) Naresh will be leaving for Mumbai next week. 6) I will be visiting a doctor at that time. 7) Shravan will not be attending the meeting on Monday. 8) They wont be coming with us to the party. SIGNAL WORDS next week, tomorrow, then, at 9) Dont worry. They wont be waiting for us. that time, etc. 10) I wont be doing anything then. 11) Will they be coming with us? 12) Will she be speaking at the meet? 13) What will you be doing tomorrow morning? 14) Why will they be meeting the officer? 15) Where will Latha be giving her lecture this Friday? 16) Who will be entertaining the guests?

10 | T e n s e s
Tense Type Of Sentence Sentence Structure Examples 2) Where will she be speaking? 3) When will you be speaking? 4) Why will they be speaking? 1) We will have finished our syllabus by the 20th of this month. 2) The team will have completed the project by next Wednesday. 3) I will have written the test by then. 4) They will have lived here for five years by the end of this month. SIGNAL WORDS by Monday, in a week, by the 5) She will have worked here for 3 months by this week-end. 15th , etc. 6) The Directors will have finalized the deal in a week. 7) She will not have done the work by Tuesday. 8) The children wont have finished their lunch by then. 9) Will they have completed the job by tomorrow morning? 10) Will she have made all the arrangements by the time the guests drop in? 11) How long will you have stayed here by next March? 12) How many projects will the students have done by the end of the course? 13) How many years will you have worked here by this year-end? To speak about actions which will be completed by a certain future time. (Usually, with by + a future time expression) Uses Examples

Future Perfect

(+) ve Statement

(-) ve Statement

Yes/No Question

Wh Question

Sub + will + 1) He will have have + V3 + spoken. 2) She will have .. spoken. 3) I will have spoken. 4) You will have spoken. 5) We will have spoken. Sub + will + 6) They will have spoken. not + have + V3 + . 1) He will not have spoken. 2) She wont have spoken. 3) I wont have spoken. 4) You wont have spoken. Will + Sub + 5) We wont have spoken. have + V3 + 6) They wont have ? spoken. 1) Will he have spoken? Wh word + will + Sub 2) Will she have spoken? + have + V3 3) Will you have + .. spoken? 4) Will they have spoken? 1) What will he have spoken? 2) How will she have spoken? 3) Why will you have spoken? Where will they have spoken?