Tenses
CBSE NCERT Revision Notes1
Answer
Usage: To express
routine, universal truth, habits, processes, facts
Words
of Identification: always, seldom, daily, every day, etc.
Sentence
formation:
(i) Affirmative
sentences
[Subject (III
person, sing.)+ V1(s/es) +object]
[Subject (pl)+
V1+ object]
(ii) Negative
sentences
[Subject(III
person, sing.)+does not+V1+ object]
[Subject(pl.)+don’t+V1+object]
(iii)
Interrogative sentences
Do/does+subject+V1+object?
Examples:
1. I take my breakfast every day.
2. We go to school.
2
Present
Continuous Tense (Present Progressive)
Answer
Usage:To express continuity
of action in present
Words
of Identification: at this time, now, still
Sentence
formation:
(i) Affirmative
sentences
Subject+is/am/are+V1ing+object
(ii) Negative
sentences
Subject+is/am/are+not+V1ing+object
(iii)
Interrogative sentences
Is/am/are+subject+V1ing+object?
Examples:
1.
Girls are playing.
2. I am watching TV.
3
Present
Perfect Tense
Answer
Usage:To express
completion of an action in present/recent past.
Words
of Identification: yet, so far
Sentence
formation:
(i) Affirmative
sentences
Subject+has/have+V3+object
(ii) Negative
sentences
Subject+has/have
not+V3+object
(iii) Interrogative
sentences
Has/have+subject+V3+object?
Examples:
1. John has lost his key.
2. I have forgotten your name.
4
Present
Perfect Continuous Tense
Answer
Usage: To express
the completion and continuity of an action
Words
of Identification: since/for + time
Sentence
formation:
(i) Affirmative
sentences
Subject+has/have+been+V1ing+object +since/for
+time
(ii) Negative
sentences
Subject+has/have+not+been+V1ing+object +since/for+time
Has/have + subject + been + V1ing + object +since/for + time?
Examples:
1. He has been working under the sun since morning.
2. What have you been doing for two hours?
5
Past Indefinite
Tense (Simple Past)
Answer
Usage: To express an action
of distant past
Words
of Identification: yesterday, last year, ago, etc.
Sentence
formation:
(i) Affirmative
sentences
Subject+V2+object
(ii) Negative
sentences
Subject+did
not+V1+object
Did+subject+V1+object?
Examples:
1. I/You/He/She/It/We/They played. (v2) (Affirmative)
2. I/You/He/She/It/We/They didn’t play. (v1) (Negative)
3. Did I/you/she/it/we/they play? (v1) (Interrogative)
6
Past
Continuous Tense
Answer
Usage:To express continuity
of action in the past
Words
of Identification: yesterday at this time/while, when, etc.
Sentence
formation:
(i) Affirmative
sentences
Subject+was/were+V1ing+object
(ii) Negative
sentences
Subject+was/were+not+V1
ing+object
(iii) Interrogative
sentences
Was/were+subject+V1ing+object?
Examples:
1. I/He/She/It was playing. (Affirmative)
2. I/He/She/It wasn’t playing. (Negative)
3. Was I/he/she/it playing? (Interrogative)
7
Answer
Usage:To express
completion of action before another action of the past.
Words
of Identification: before/after
Sentence
formation:
(i) Affirmative
sentences
Subject+had+V3+object
(ii) Negative
sentences
Subject+had
not+V3+object
(iii) Interrogative
sentences
Had+subject+V3+object?
Examples:
1. Rohit had already left when we arrived at the party.
2. He had broken his leg and it was still hurting.
3. Everything had seemed normal at first.
8
Past
Perfect Continuous Tense
Answer
Usage: To express
completion of action as well as continuity of action in the
past.
Words
of Identification: since/for + time
Sentence
formation:
(i) Affirmative
sentences
Subject+had
been+V1ing+object+Since/for+time
(ii) Negative
sentences
Subject+had not
been+V1ing+object +Since/for +time
(iii) Interrogative
sentences
Had + Subject +
been + V1ing + object + Since/for + time?
Examples:
1. I had been watching TV for an hour when I remembered I had forgotten to call
my friend.
2. She had been painting her room and her clothes were covered in paint.
9
Future Indefinite Tense
(Simple Future)
Answer
Usage:To express an action
in the future
Words
of Identification: tomorrow, next
Sentence
formation:
(i) Affirmative
sentences
Subject+will/shall+V1+object
(ii) Negative
sentences
Subject+will/shall+not+V1+object
(iii) Interrogative
sentences
Will/shall+subject+V1+object?
Examples:
1. We shall go for a picnic tomorrow.
2. He will reach by 5:30 p.m.
10
Future
Continuous Tense
Answer
Usage: To express continuity
of an action in the future
Words
of Identification: tomorrow, at this time, etc.
Sentence
formation:
(i) Affirmative
sentences
Subject+will/shall
be+V1ing+object
(ii) Negative
sentences
Subject+will/shall
not+be+V1ing+object
(iii) Interrogative
sentences
Will/shall+subject+be+V1ing+object?
Example:
1.
They will have been eating for some time.
2. We shall be playing football this evening.
11
Future
Perfect Tense
Answer
Usage: To express
the completion of an action in the future
Words
of Identification: before/after
Sentence
formation:
(i) Affirmative
sentence
Subject+will/shall+have+V3+object
(ii) Negative
sentences
Subject+will/shall/not
+ have+V3+object
(iii) Interrogative
sentences
Will/shall+subject+have+V3+object?
Examples:
1. I
will have finished this book.
2. We will
have met Julie.
3. It will
have stopped raining.
12
Future
Perfect Continuous Tense
Answer
Usage: To express
the completion of an action as well as continuity of an action
in the future.
Words
of Identification: since/for time
Sentence
formation:
(i) Affirmative
sentence
Subject+will/shall
have +V1ing+object +since/for +time
(ii) Negative sentences
Subject+will/shall
not have+been+V1ing +object+since/for+time
(iii) Interrogative
sentences
Will/shall+Subject+have
been+V1ing +object+since/for+time?
Examples:
1. They
will have been living in Paris for five years.
2. She will not have been playing games since November.
3.
Will he have been loving her for five years?
13
Fill up
the blanks by using the correct tense form of the verbs given in brackets.
1. (a) We
.......................... (go) to Guwahati by Rajdhani Express last month.
(b) Rajdhani
train .......................... (be) a fully air conditioned train.
(c) It
.......................... (provide) food, cold drinks, water and the blankets
at night.
(d) The journey
.......................... (be) cool. It imparted solace to the soul and mind.
(e) On the
opposite, there .......................... (be) a priest.
(f) He
.......................... (be) in the church of Patna for past twenty years.
(g) I was
informed that he .......................... (read) a book.
(h) He did not
say when he .......................... (come).
(i) I hope that
you .......................... (pardon) me soon.
Answer
(a) went
(b) is
(c) provides
(d) was
(e) was
(f) has been
(g) had been
reading
(h) would come
(i) will pardon
14
2. With the onset
of Kaliyuga, none (a) ...................... (perform) pooja and the area (b)
................... (turn)
into a forest
with wild shrubs and mud hills (c) .......................... (form) on the
Shivlingam. When
chappali (d)
.......................... (get) trees cut down for (e)
.......................... (form) a village, a valmeekam
Answer
(a) performed
(b) turned
(c) formed
(d) got
(e) forming
(f) surfaced