Question

Identify the tense used in the following sentence:
He cried.
a. Simple Present
b. Simple Past
c. Simple Future
d. Past Perfect

Answer 1

Hint: Consider the duration for which the action has been going on.

Complete step-by-step answer:

The Past Tense denotes those actions that have already taken place in the past. The Present Tense refers to those actions that are taking place in the present scenario. The Future Tense denotes those actions that are yet to happen.
To frame verbs in the past tense, you must add the suffix ‘ed’ to the conjugated form of the infinitive of the verb. ‘Infinitive’ refers to the ‘to form’ of a verb. E.g. - to meet.
There are four types of past tenses:
The Simple Past Tense is used when the action is indefinite in the past. It doesn’t make use of any auxiliary verb.
The Past Continuous Tense is used when the action is continuous in the past. The infinitive form of such verbs is preceded by the auxiliary was.
The Past Perfect Tense is used when the action has been completed in the past itself. The infinitive form of such verbs is preceded by the auxiliary had.
The Past Perfect Continuous Tense is used when an action is expected to continue up until a point in the past. The infinitive form of such verbs is preceded by the auxiliary had been.
In the above question, the action is indefinite. This means that it is in the Simple Past Tense. Therefore, the correct answer is option ‘b’ Simple Past.

Note: To avoid making errors, consider when the action started and ended.