9.1 What is Tense?

Tense refers to the time when an action occurs. It helps us understand whether something happened in the past, present, or future.

✅ Examples:

• I play football. (Present Tense)
• I played football yesterday. (Past Tense)
• I will play football tomorrow. (Future Tense)

Tenses are divided into three main types, and each type is further divided into four sub-types.

9.2 Types of Tenses

Tense	Simple	Continuous (Progressive)	Perfect	Perfect Continuous
Present	I write.	I am writing.	I have written.	I have been writing.
Past	I wrote.	I was writing.	I had written.	I had been writing.
Future	I will write.	I will be writing.	I will have written.	I will have been writing.

Now, let’s explore each tense in detail.

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9.3 Present Tense

1. Simple Present Tense

Used for facts, habits, and general truths.

✅ Structure:
(Subject + Verb in Base Form + Object)

✅ Examples:

• The sun rises in the east. (Fact)
• I play football every Sunday. (Habit)
• She speaks English well.

🚨 Note:
For he, she, it, add -s or -es to the verb.
✅ She reads books.
❌ She read books. (Incorrect)

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2. Present Continuous Tense

Used for actions happening right now or temporary actions.

✅ Structure:
(Subject + is/am/are + Verb + -ing + Object)

✅ Examples:

• I am studying now.
• She is cooking dinner.
• They are playing outside.

🚨 Common Mistake:
❌ She is go to school. (Incorrect)
✅ She is going to school. (Correct)

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3. Present Perfect Tense

Used for actions that happened at an unspecified time before now or started in the past and continue to the present.

✅ Structure:
(Subject + has/have + Past Participle + Object)

✅ Examples:

• I have finished my homework.
• She has visited Paris.
• They have lived here for five years.

🚨 Common Mistake:
❌ I have went to the store. (Incorrect)
✅ I have gone to the store. (Correct)

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4. Present Perfect Continuous Tense

Used for actions that started in the past and are still continuing.

✅ Structure:
(Subject + has/have been + Verb + -ing + Object)

✅ Examples:

• I have been waiting for an hour.
• She has been studying since morning.
• They have been playing football for two hours.

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9.4 Past Tense

1. Simple Past Tense

Used for completed actions in the past.

✅ Structure:
(Subject + Past Form of Verb + Object)

✅ Examples:

• I watched a movie yesterday.
• She visited her grandmother last week.
• They played football.

🚨 Common Mistake:
❌ She goed to school. (Incorrect)
✅ She went to school. (Correct)

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2. Past Continuous Tense

Used for actions in progress at a specific time in the past.

✅ Structure:
(Subject + was/were + Verb + -ing + Object)

✅ Examples:

• I was sleeping when you called.
• She was cooking when the doorbell rang.
• They were playing football at 5 PM.

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3. Past Perfect Tense

Used for an action that happened before another action in the past.

✅ Structure:
(Subject + had + Past Participle + Object)

✅ Examples:

• I had finished my work before she arrived.
• She had left when we reached.
• They had completed the project by the deadline.

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4. Past Perfect Continuous Tense

Used for an action that started in the past and continued up to another point in the past.

✅ Structure:
(Subject + had been + Verb + -ing + Object)

✅ Examples:

• I had been waiting for two hours when he arrived.
• She had been studying before the exam started.
• They had been playing football before it started raining.

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9.5 Future Tense

1. Simple Future Tense

Used for future actions.

✅ Structure:
(Subject + will + Verb + Object)

✅ Examples:

• I will go to school tomorrow.
• She will visit her grandmother next week.
• They will play football.

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2. Future Continuous Tense

Used for actions that will be in progress at a specific time in the future.

✅ Structure:
(Subject + will be + Verb + -ing + Object)

✅ Examples:

• I will be studying at 8 PM.
• She will be cooking when you arrive.
• They will be playing football tomorrow evening.

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3. Future Perfect Tense

Used for an action that will be completed before a specific time in the future.

✅ Structure:
(Subject + will have + Past Participle + Object)

✅ Examples:

• I will have finished my homework by 10 PM.
• She will have visited Paris by next year.
• They will have completed the project before the deadline.

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4. Future Perfect Continuous Tense

Used for an action that will have been happening for a duration before a specific time in the future.

✅ Structure:
(Subject + will have been + Verb + -ing + Object)

✅ Examples:

• I will have been working here for five years by next month.
• She will have been studying for three hours before dinner.
• They will have been playing football for two hours by 6 PM.

Exercises

A. Fill in the blanks with the correct tense form:

1. She ___ (write) a letter now. (Present Continuous)
2. We ___ (go) to the market tomorrow. (Simple Future)
3. He ___ (finish) his work before we arrived. (Past Perfect)
4. They ___ (study) when I called them. (Past Continuous)
5. By next year, I ___ (live) in this city for five years. (Future Perfect Continuous)

B. Identify the tense of the following sentences:

1. She had already left when we reached.
2. I will be waiting for you at the station.
3. He plays the guitar very well.
4. We were watching TV when the lights went out.
5. They have been working hard all day.

Answers

A. Fill in the blanks:

1. is writing
2. will go
3. had finished
4. were studying
5. will have been living

B. Identify the tense:

1. Past Perfect
2. Future Continuous
3. Simple Present
4. Past Continuous
5. Present Perfect Continuous