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Elementary Idea of Tenses: Simple, Present and Future

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Last updated date: 17th Apr 2024
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What are Tenses?

The tense of a verb is the part of the verb that indicates when an action occurred and if it was completed. The tense of a verb is the shape it takes to express the action's timing. Different times are expressed using tenses. An action or event could have happened in the past, be happening now, or in the future. We can't comprehend tenses without first grasping the concept of verbs. It is here that we grasp the topic of the sentence and the time when it occurred by conjugating verbs which means changing the form of action according to the sentence.


Tenses

Tenses

Types of  Rules Tenses

The following chart of tenses shows rules to form and write sentences based on simple present tense rules and all other forms of tenses.


Time/Type

Simple

Continuous

Perfect

Perfect Continuous

Present

subject + main verb + object(optional)

'be' verb am, is, are + present participle

have/has + past participle

has/have + been + present participle

Past

I + second form of verb + Object(optional)

Subject + past form of 'to be' was, were + present participle

Had+ past participle

had + been + present participle

Future

Subject+ will + root form of verb

subject/ pronoun be + the present participle (the root verb + -ing).

will have + past participle

will + have + been + the verb's present participle (verb root + -ing).


Simplifying Tenses with Examples

Present, past and future tenses are a simple way to understand the way to categorize the tense structure. However, it is also important to note that these tenses can be further divided into four other kinds, perfect, simple, perfect continuous and continuous. So for instance, Past tense can be simple past tense, past perfect continuous etc. Let us understand through examples the way to write, types of the present tense, past tense and future tense through the tenses chart.


Time/Type

Simple

Continuous

Perfect

Perfect Continuous

Present

I bake.

I am baking.

I baked.

I have been baking.

Past

I baked.

I was baking.

I had baked

I had been baking.

Future

I will bake.

I will be baking.

I will have baked.

I will have been baking.


Fun Practice Questions

A. Fill in the blanks with the correct form of a verb

1. He ____ football.

  1. plays

  2. played

  3. will play

  4. All of the above


Football

Football

Ans: D. All of the above


2. The sun ______ us light and heat.

  1. gives

  2. gave

  3. given

  4. None of the above 


Sun

Sun

Ans: A. gives


3. They ____ four months ago and are now married.

  1. meet

  2. met

  3. will meet

  4. are going to meet


Couple

Couple

Ans: B. met


Do it Yourself

A. Fill in the blanks with the correct form of a verb

1. I ____ the burger at the mall last evening.

  • eaten

  • eat

  • ate

  • eating


Burger

Burger

2. It ________ rain tomorrow.

  • will

  • is

  • will be

  • All of the above


Rain

Rain

3. Sara _____ home very late last night.

  • came

  • went

  • will go

  • Both A and B


A Girl

A Girl

FAQs on Elementary Idea of Tenses: Simple, Present and Future

1. What's the best way to explain Tenses?

In grammar, the meaning of tense is a verb's characteristic that shows the time in which an act, state, or situation occurs or occurred. In English, there are three tense groupings that encompass past, present, and future. The past refers to completed events, future represents the events that are yet to take place. Ans general truths are expressed in the present tense.

2. What are Tenses and their types?

The three main categories of Past, present and future tenses are separated into four categories: Simple, Continuous, Perfect and Perfect Continuous Tense.

3. What is the purpose of Tenses?

Tenses are used in spoken and written communication to denote the time when something happened. The incorrect use of tenses may lead to misunderstanding and misinterpretation of the sender's message. The main purpose is to convey the correct message to the reader or listener. The tenses serve their purpose for better understanding and communication.