English tenses can be helpful in learning the
There are three main types of tenses which give an idea of the time when the incident mentioned in a statement takes place.
With good knowledge of 12 English tenses, fluent English and flawless grammar is not too far away.
The types of tenses are explained with examples and basic structure.
This would provide a clear idea to understand the knowledge of English grammar and will be helpful in framing better sentences.
Read also: Tenses Chart/Table, 58 Examples, Worksheet
Simple Present Tense
Structure: Base verb (+ es/es for third person):
Example:1) I play a game every day. 2) He studies in school.
View: Simple Present Tense Examples, Exercise and Worksheet
Present Continuous Tense
Structure:is/am/are + present participle:
Example:1) I am playing the game. 2) He is studying in college.
View: Present Continuous Tense Exercise, Formula and Usage
Present Perfect Tense
Structure:Has/have + past participle:
Example: I have finished my homework.
View: Present Perfect Tense Exercise, Formula and Usage
Present Perfect Continuous Tense
Structure:Has/have + been + present participle:
Example:1) I have been finishing my homework for the last two hours.
2) He has been studying in the school since his childhood.
View:
Simple Past Tense
Structure:Verb+ed or irregular verb:
Example:1) You played the game. 2) He read the newspaper.
View:
Past Continuous Tense
Structure: Was/were + present participle:
Example: 1) I was reading a newspaper. 2) He was going to Karachi.
View:
Past Perfect Tense
Structure:Had + past participle:
Example:1) I had finished my homework. 2) He had completed his task.
View:
Past Perfect Continuous Tense
Structure:Had + been + past participle:
Example:1) I had been finishing my homework for 50 minutes.
2) He had been playing the game since morning.
View: Past Perfect Continuous Tense (Formula, Examples, Exercise)
Simple Future Tense
Structure:Will/shall+verb
Example:1) I shall go to my home town. 2) He will complete his task.
View:
Future Continuous Tense
Structure:Will be + present participle
Am/is/are + going to be + present participle:
Example: I will be watching the news at 9 pm. / I am going to be watching the news at 9 pm.
View:
Future Perfect Tense
Structure:Will have + past participle
Am/is/are + going to have + past participle
Example: I will have played the game. / I am going to have played the game.
View:
Future Perfect Continuous Tense
Structure:Will have been + present participle
Am/is/are + going to have been + present participle:
Example: I will have been watching the news for over ten minutes before you join me. / I am going to have been watching the news for over ten minutes before you join me.
View:
ENGLISH GRAMMAR TENSES TABLE
SIMPLE FORMS
The action that takes place once, never or several times
| TENSES | EXAMPLES |
| Present Simple | He plays a game every Sunday. |
| Past Simple | He played a game every Sunday. |
| Future Simple | He will / is going to play the game every Sunday. |
Actions that happen one after another
| Present Simple | He plays football and then he takes bath. |
| Past Simple | He played a game and then he took bath. |
| Future Simple | He will play football and then he will take bath. |
State
| Present Simple | He loved yoga. |
| Past Simple | He loves yoga. |
| Future Simple | He will love yoga. |
PROGRESSIVE FORMS
Action going on at that moment
| Present Continuous/ Present Progressive | He is playing a game. |
| Past Continuous/ Past Progressive | He was playing the game. |
| Future Continuous/ Future Progressive | He will be playing agame. |
Actions that are taking place at the same time
| Present Continuous/ Present Progressive | He is playing a game and she is watching. |
| Past Continuous/ Past Progressive | He was playing a game and she was watching TV. |
| Future Continuous/ Future Progressive | He will be playing a game and she will be watching TV. |
PERFECT FORMS
Action taking place before a certain moment in time; showscompletion/result
| Present Perfect | He has won two matches so far. |
| Past Perfect | He had won two matches until that day. |
| Future Perfect | He will have won two matches by then. |
PERFECT PROGRESSIVE FORMS
Action taking place before a certain moment in time and beyond that time, emphasizes the duration
| Present Perfect Continuous/ Present Perfect Progressive | He has been playing a game for ten years. |
| Past Perfect Continuous/ Past Perfect Progressive | He had been playing a game for ten years. |
| Future Perfect Continuous/ Future Perfect Progressive | He will have been playing a game for ten years. |
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