FUTURE TENSE

Future Tense

How do you say about the things that have not happened yet and will happen in the future? You will be interested to know the format of the sentences which talk about the future. 

As the name suggests, this form of tense is used for sentences with a future sense. There are various ways of referring to the future in English, 

Simple Future Tense

• It is also used to denote facts or events of certainty
• It is used to give a warning or take a spontaneous decision
• To express readiness
• Make an offer or suggestion using ‘shall’
• To give an invitation or an order to someone
• It can be used in affirmative, interrogative and negative sentences. Both ‘shall’ and ‘will’ can be used in simple future tense sentences, but modern English uses ‘Will’ rather than ‘shall’.

Examples:  I’ll prepare dinner.

                       Why won’t you tell her the truth?

                       It will rain tomorrow.


Future Continuous/Progressive Tense
The future continuous or future progressive tense is used to denote an event that is ongoing in the future. It is made up of two elements: a simple future of the verb ‘to be’ + the present participle (-ing). 

The future progressive tense is used in the following condition:

• To extend ourselves in the future
• To predict future events
• Ask or inquire about events in the future
• To refer to events in the future that have a continuous nature or occur regularly

Examples:      I will be gone for an hour.

                      In the afternoon, I’ll still be stuck in meetings.
                      By October, I will be swimming like a pro.
                      He will be coming to the meeting.




Future Perfect Tense
The future perfect tense is a bit complicated as compared to the two types mentioned above. It is used to refer to an action which will have been completed at some time in the future.

The future perfect is composed of two elements: the simple future of the verb “to have” (will have) + the past participle of the main verb. It can be used in the affirmative, negative and affirmative and negative of interrogative sentences.

Examples: By the time you get this letter, I will have left.
                  She will have arrived by lunch.
                   Won’t they have joined us by 7 pm?


Future Perfect Continuous Tense
This tense is used to describe an event that is ongoing and will complete sometime in the future. A time reference is used to indicate the starting time of the event or action or how long it has been continuing. Commonly used words to indicate time reference are ‘since’ and ‘for’.

The future perfect progressive is composed of two elements: the main verb in the present participle(base form of verb + -ing) + Auxilliary verb ‘will have been’

Examples:

1. They will have been living in Mumbai for 10 years.
2. You will have been starting your shop since May.
3. Next year, I will have been working at this company for one year.
4. I will have been walking for 3 hours. 
5. Other Ways of Depicting Future Tense
6. Apart from using the future tense form of the verbs, there are other ways of indicating or talking about events in the future.

Using present continuous tense
I am leaving for Paris tomorrow.
We are staying with friends when we get to Boston.

Using simple present tense
She has her accounts lecture in the morning.
I have an English exam next Friday.

Using the word ‘going’
He’s going to be a skilled clinician.
Is it going to rain this evening?

Mentioning denote obligations
You are to delete the mail right now.
You are to leave this room before 8 am tomorrow.

Referring to the immediate future
He is about to leave

We are just about to leave for the wedding reception

PAST TENSE

Past Tense

We know about the three types of tenses that are used in English Grammar namely Past Tense, Present Tense and Future Tense. Each of these tenses is actually verbs that are used to indicate the occurrence of an event or action at a particular time. Today, let us learn and understand more about the Past Tense and its different types.

Simple Past Tense
The simple past tense is used to indicate or describe something that happened or existed in the past. The situations or conditions to use a simple past tense is to:

• describe an action, event or condition that occurred in the past or at a specified time
• refer or describe an action that has been completed and there is no time mentioned.
• describe an action or occurrence of an event that is done repeatedly and regularly.
• describe a state of mind in the past or a feeling that was felt in the past.
• refer to someone who has died
• describe events that have occurred in quick succession in the past.

Formulating the Simple Past Tense Verb
To formulate the simple past tense verb, we add ‘- ed’. For verbs ending in ‘e’, we add ‘-d’ and. However, there are some simple past tense verbs such as cut, put, set etc which remain the same in the present and past tense. 
Examples are,

1. He worked at the Cheesecake Factory.
2.  I often brought my lunch to school.
3. Learn about Simple Present Tense and Simple Future Tense

Past Continuous Tense
Past continuous tense is used to indicate an ongoing event in the past. Other conditions where past continuous tense is used are:

1. To show that someone is in the middle of an action.                                                                 Example: I was calling him when he came home.                                                              
2. Is used to describe an action taking place when another occurred.                                           Example: While they were painting the door, I was painting the windows.                                  
3. For an action that was taking place in the past when an interrupted action happened.             Example: While he was working on his laptop, he fell asleep

Formulating the Past Continuous Tense
The past continuous tense is formed using the past tense of the verb to be(was/were) and the present participle verbs ending in -‘ing’.  These two tenses can be used together to indicate that an action happened while another was in progress.



Past Perfect Tense
The past perfect tense in a sentence or conversation describes an event that happened in the past before another event in the simple past tense was completed in the past. The situations where a Past Perfect Tense is used are to:

1. indicate an event that has occurred and been completed in the past.                                                 Example: Meenu had borrowed money from the bank to buy her new car.                                                           
2. describe an event or action which happened before a definite time in the past.                                 Example: We had cleaned up the terrace before the watchman arrived.                                  
3. describe an action that happened in the past before another action took place.                                 Example: We had reached their house after the dinner was over.                                              
4. Past Perfect Tense is also used to describe a state. Example: Their wives had become good friends at the wedding. A very important use of the Past Perfect Tense is that it is used to clarify which event happened earlier when two actions were completed in the past.            Example: I had read those books that you bought for me.

Formulating the Past Perfect Tense
The past perfect tense is formed with the past tense of the auxiliary verb have i.e which is had and the past participle of the main verb.



Past Perfect Continuous Tense
This tense is used to describe actions that were going on in the past up until another action in the past happened. They are often used in the following situations:

• For an action that has occurred over a period of time having begun in the past.
• To describe an action which started and finished in the past before another past action.
• It is also regularly used in the reported speech where the present perfect continuous tense becomes past perfect continuous tense.
• Unlike the past continuous and past perfect tenses, past perfect continuous tense is not used to indicate state, state of mind or feelings.

 Examples:

1. I had been studying.
2. It had been raining hard for several hours and the streets got flooded.
3. If it had not been raining, we would have gone to the park.
4. Learn more about Present Perfect Continous Tense and Future Perfect Continous Tense

Formulating the Past Perfect Continuous Tense
This tense is formed with the past perfect tense of the verb ‘to be’, which is ‘had been’ and the present participle of the verb i.e ‘-ing’.

PRESENT TENSE

Simple Present Tense

The simple present is a verb tense with two main uses. We use the simple present tense when an action is happening right now, or when it happens regularly (or unceasingly, which is why it’s sometimes called present indefinite). Depending on the person, the simple present tense is formed by using the root form or by adding ‑s or ‑es to the end.
How do we make the Simple Present Tense?
subject + auxiliary verb + main verb

There are three important exceptions:

1. For positive sentences, we do not normally use the auxiliary.
2. For the 3rd person singular (he, she, it), we add s to the main verb or es to the auxiliary.
3. For the verb to be, we do not use an auxiliary, even for questions and negatives.

Look at these examples with the main verb like: 



Present Continuous Tense
This tense is used to describe a continued or ongoing action at the present time. It expresses an action which is in progress at the time of speaking and has not yet been completed. The Present Continuous Tense is, therefore, used in the following conditions:

• As mentioned above, it is used for an action that is occurring at the time of speaking
• When an action in the future is mentioned without specifying when it will occur
• When we talk about a planned or arranged event or action that is set to take place at a specified time in the future.
• It is also used in conditions where the action or event is occurring but not necessarily while we speak
• It is used in a changing situation
• With adverbs such as ‘always’ which describe an action that happens frequently.

Formulating the Present Continuous Tense
It is formed from the present tense of the auxiliary verb ‘to be’ and the present participle of the verb ‘-ing’. 
Examples are,

1. The noise is beginning to give me a headache.
2. I am complaining to his mother about him.
3. Why aren’t you doing your homework, Ravi?

Present Perfect Tense
The Present Perfect Tense is used in case of repeated actions, in those actions where the time is not important, and actions that began in the past but are not finished yet and will probably finish in the present as we speak. The Present Perfect Tense can be used in the following scenarios:

• It is commonly used in actions or events that began in the past and have continued into the present
• They are used to show an action that has been completed
• To indicate a time period that has not yet finished
• This tense is often used with phrases that begin with “This is the first” or “second time” and so on.
• Is used to describe or express an action that is repeated in the past
• Used to indicate or describe actions that have been completed in the recent past

Formulating the Present Perfect Tense

To form the present perfect tense, we need to use the simple present tense of the auxiliary verb ‘have’ or ‘has’ based on whether the noun being referred to is plural or singular. The auxiliary verb is then followed by the past participle of the verb. It can also be written as: have/has + past participle. 
Let us see some examples,

1. We have known each other for a very long time.
2.  There have been many contenders for this role.
3. Has there ever been a war during your lifetime?
4. I have just eaten.
5. We have had the same car for 8 years.

Present Perfect Continuous Tense

This tense is generally used to describe or indicate an event that is going on at this moment. 

The Present Perfect Continuous Tense is used in the following conditions:

• It is used to describe an event that began in the past and is continuing into the future
• An activity or event that began in the past and is now over(just recently completed or over)
• It is also used when there is no mention of time.

Formulating the Present Perfect Continuous Tense
The present perfect continuous tense is made up of two parts:

The present perfect tense of the verb ‘to be’: ‘have been’ or ‘has been’  and
The present participle of the main verb ‘-ing.

Some examples of present perfect continuous tense are,

1. My hands are very dirty as I have been painting the walls.
2. They have been trying to contact her.
3. I have been working for them for the last seven months.
4. The party has been going on all night