1. Name: Hiral B. Chauhan
Class: XI-A
Roll No:41
Subject: English
Topic: Tenses

2. Introduction
Tense: Any form of the verb which may
be used to show
(i) the time of an action
(ii) a state or an event can be called a
Tense. In short, verb form that shows
the time of action is called the tense.

3. There are three types of
verb
(A) The Present Tense
(B) The Past Tense
(C) The Present Tense

4. * Each Tense is subdivided into four heads. They are
Indefinite, Continuous, Perfect and Perfect Continuous.
TENSE CHART
Tense Indefinite Continuous Perfect Perfect
Continuous
Present write,
writes
am writing, is
writing, are
writing,
has written,
have written
has been writing,
have been writing
Past wrote was writing ,
where writing
had written had been writing
Future shall write,
will write
shall be writing,
will be writing
shall have written,
will have written
shall have been
writing, will have
been writing

5. (A) The Present Tense
(1) The Simple Present Tense :-
We use the simple present to describe-habitual
action in the present, situation or
action that will go indefinitely, things
that happen always on a fixed time,
general statements and permanent
situations.

6. Form: subject + the infinitive
(without to).
For example: (a) I live in New York.
(b) John drives a taxi.
(c) I learn my lesson
daily.

7. (2) The Present Continuous:-
The present continuous tense
describes - an action in progress,
the continuity of an action in the
present.

8. Form: subject + is/are/am + Present
participle (1st form of the verb).
For example: (a) The train is running at full
speed.
(b) I am revising my lesson.
(c) Boys are playing cricket.
(d) I am not going home today.

9. (3) Present Perfect Tense:-
The present perfect tense
refers to an action or
a process that has been
completed in the present.

10. Form: subject + has/have + Past
Participle(3rd form of the verb).
For Example: (a) I have posted the
letter.
(b)She has solved all her
sums.
(c) They have left for
Shimla today.

11. (4) The Present Perfect Continuous
Tense:-
This Tense is used to describe an
action that began in the past, is still
continuing and may extend into the
future.

12. Form: subject + has/have + been + the
present participle.
For Example: (a) The baby has been
sleeping for 3 hours.
(b) It has not been
raining since morning.

13. (B) The Past Tense
(1) The Simple Past Tense:-
The past tense refers to events
and actions that happened in an
earlier time or in the past.

14. Form: subject + 2nd form of the verb.
For Example: (a) He killed the snake with
a stone.
(b) I saw you in the
market yesterday.
(c) Our team won the
match by two goals.

15. (2) Past Continuous Tense:-
The past continuous tense is an
important tense in English. We use it
to say what we were in the middle of
doing at a particular moment in the
past.

16. Form: subject + was/were + Present
Participle (1st form + ing).
For example:(a) She was cooking when
I telephone her.
(b) I was working at
10 pm last night.

17. (3) The Past Perfect Tense:-
The past perfect is used to
express the completion of an
action or event in the past.

18. Form: subject + had + Past Participle
(3rd form of verb).
For Example: (a) I had completed my
work by homework.
(b) The gardener had
watered the plants.

19. (4) The Past Perfect
Continuous:-
This Tense is used to express an
action that continued in the Past
for a given period of time.

20. Form: subject + had been + Present
Participle(1st form of the verb + ing).
For Example: (a) She had been waiting
for you for two hours.
(b) Had you not been
flying kites since noon.

21. (C) The Future Tense
(1) The Simple Future Tense:-
The future tense expresses actions
or events that
will happen after the present, i.e.,
in the future.

22. Form: subject + shall/will + 1st form
of the verb.
For Example: (a) I shall pass this
year.
(b) He will help you in
your difficulty.

23. (2) The Future Continuous
Tense:-
The future continuous is used when
we talk about an action or an event
going on at a particular time or over a
particular period in the future.

24. Form: subject + shall/will +be + Present
Participle (1st form of the verb +
ing).
For Example: (a) I will be playing tennis
at 10 am.
(b) What will you be
doing when I arrive.

25. (3) The Future Perfect Tense:-
We use the future perfect to
describe an activity or event that
will have been completed by a
certain point of time in the
future.

26. Form: subject + shall/will + have + 3rd
form of verb.
For Example: (a) I shall have revised
my books.
(b) He will have reached
home by now.

27. (4) The Future Perfect
Continuous Tense:-
We use the future perfect continuous
tense to describe events or activities that
have started and will continue to happen
for a period or upto a point of time in the
future.

28. Form: subject + shall/will + have been
+ present participle.
For Example: (a) I shall not have been
flying kites for long.
(b) She will have been
learning music for two
years.