Topic – Present Tense
Present Tense
The present tense is used to talk about things happening now or things that are always true. There are four types of present tense:
- Present Simple
- Present Continuous
- Present Perfect
- Present Perfect Continuous
Let’s understand each one with easy examples!
1. Present Simple
- What is it?
The present simple tense is used to talk about things that happen regularly or facts that are always true. - When do we use it?
- To talk about habits or things that happen often.
- To talk about general facts (things that are always true).
- How is it formed?
- For most verbs, just use the base form (e.g., play, eat, go).
- For he, she, it, add -s or -es to the verb (e.g., plays, eats, goes).
- Examples:
- I play soccer every day. (habit)
- She likes chocolate. (fact)
- The sun rises in the east. (fact)
2. Present Continuous
- What is it?
The present continuous tense is used to talk about things that are happening right now or actions that are in progress. - When do we use it?
- To talk about something happening at the moment.
- To talk about future plans (something you will do soon).
- How is it formed?
- Use the verb to be (am, is, are) + the verb + -ing (e.g., am playing, is eating, are going).
- Examples:
- I am playing with my friend right now. (happening now)
- She is eating lunch. (happening now)
- They are going to the movies tomorrow. (future plan)
3. Present Perfect
- What is it?
The present perfect tense is used to talk about actions that happened in the past but are related to the present or important now. - When do we use it?
- To talk about something that happened at an unspecified time in the past (we don’t know when exactly).
- To talk about experiences or actions that have been completed.
- How is it formed?
- Use have or has (for he, she, it) + the past participle of the verb (e.g., played, eaten, gone).
- Examples:
- I have finished my homework. (the action is completed, and it’s important now)
- She has visited Paris. (experience in life)
- They have lived here for five years. (something that started in the past and continues)
4. Present Perfect Continuous
- What is it?
The present perfect continuous tense is used to talk about an action that started in the past, is still happening, and is important to the present. - When do we use it?
- To talk about an action that started in the past and is still continuing now.
- To show that an action was happening for a period of time and just recently finished.
- How is it formed?
- Use have or has + been + the verb + -ing (e.g., have been playing, has been eating).
- Examples:
- I have been playing soccer for two hours. (action started in the past, still happening now)
- She has been studying all day. (action started earlier, still happening)
- They have been waiting for the bus. (action in progress)
Quick Review
- Present Simple: Talks about things that happen regularly or facts.
- Example: I play tennis every week.
- Present Continuous: Talks about things happening right now or future plans.
- Example: I am reading a book right now.
- Present Perfect: Talks about actions that happened in the past but are important now.
- Example: She has eaten lunch already.
- Present Perfect Continuous: Talks about actions that started in the past and are still happening or recently finished.
- Example: They have been playing for two hours.
Topic 2- Past Tense
Past Tense
The past tense is used to talk about things that already happened. There are four types of past tense:
- Past Simple
- Past Continuous
- Past Perfect
- Past Perfect Continuous
Let’s learn about each type of past tense!
1. Past Simple
- What is it?
The past simple tense is used to talk about things that happened in the past and are finished. - When do we use it?
- To talk about actions or events that happened at a specific time in the past.
- How is it formed?
- For regular verbs, add -ed to the verb (e.g., played, watched, cleaned).
- For irregular verbs, use the past form (e.g., went, ate, saw).
- Examples:
- I played soccer yesterday.
- She visited her grandma last week.
- We went to the park last Saturday.
2. Past Continuous
- What is it?
The past continuous tense is used to talk about things that were happening at a specific time in the past. It also shows that something was happening for a while in the past. - When do we use it?
- To talk about actions that were in progress in the past.
- To talk about two actions that happened at the same time in the past.
- How is it formed?
- Use was or were + the verb + -ing (e.g., was playing, were eating).
- Examples:
- I was playing soccer at 5 p.m. yesterday.
- She was studying when I called her.
- We were watching TV when the doorbell rang.
3. Past Perfect
- What is it?
The past perfect tense is used to talk about an action that happened before another action in the past. It shows which action came first. - When do we use it?
- To show that something happened before another event in the past.
- How is it formed?
- Use had + the past participle of the verb (e.g., had played, had eaten).
- Examples:
- I had finished my homework before I went to the party.
- She had already eaten when I arrived.
- They had left when I called them.
4. Past Perfect Continuous
- What is it?
The past perfect continuous tense is used to talk about an action that started in the past, continued for some time, and was happening before another action in the past. - When do we use it?
- To show that something was happening for a period of time before something else happened in the past.
- How is it formed?
- Use had been + the verb + -ing (e.g., had been playing, had been studying).
- Examples:
- I had been playing soccer for two hours when it started raining.
- She had been studying all night before the test.
- We had been waiting for an hour when the bus finally arrived.
Quick Review
- Past Simple: Talks about actions that happened and finished in the past.
- Example: I visited my friend yesterday.
- Past Continuous: Talks about actions that were in progress at a specific time in the past.
- Example: I was reading when the phone rang.
- Past Perfect: Talks about an action that happened before another action in the past.
- Example: I had eaten lunch before I went to school.
- Past Perfect Continuous: Talks about an action that started and continued before something else happened in the past.
- Example: They had been playing for an hour when I joined them.
Topic 3- Future Tense
Future Tense
The future tense is used to talk about things that will happen. There are four types of future tense:
- Future Simple
- Future Continuous
- Future Perfect
- Future Perfect Continuous
Let’s learn about each one in a simple way!
1. Future Simple
- What is it?
The future simple tense is used to talk about things that will happen in the future. - When do we use it?
- To talk about things you will do in the future.
- To talk about decisions made at the moment.
- How is it formed?
- Use will + the base form of the verb (e.g., will play, will eat, will go).
- Examples:
- I will play soccer tomorrow.
- She will visit her friend next week.
- We will go to the beach in summer.
2. Future Continuous
- What is it?
The future continuous tense is used to talk about actions that will be in progress at a certain time in the future. - When do we use it?
- To talk about an action that will be happening at a specific time in the future.
- How is it formed?
- Use will be + the verb + -ing (e.g., will be playing, will be eating).
- Examples:
- I will be playing soccer at 5 p.m. tomorrow.
- She will be studying all afternoon.
- They will be watching TV when I arrive.
3. Future Perfect
- What is it?
The future perfect tense is used to talk about actions that will be finished before a certain time in the future. - When do we use it?
- To talk about something that will be completed before a specific time in the future.
- How is it formed?
- Use will have + the past participle of the verb (e.g., will have played, will have eaten).
- Examples:
- I will have finished my homework by 8 p.m.
- She will have gone to bed before you arrive.
- We will have left by the time you get here.
4. Future Perfect Continuous
- What is it?
The future perfect continuous tense is used to talk about actions that will have been happening for a certain period of time before another action in the future. - When do we use it?
- To show that something will have been happening for a while before something else happens in the future.
- How is it formed?
- Use will have been + the verb + -ing (e.g., will have been playing, will have been studying).
- Examples:
- By 6 p.m., I will have been playing soccer for two hours.
- She will have been studying for three hours when the test begins.
- They will have been waiting for an hour by the time the bus arrives.
Quick Review
- Future Simple: Talks about things that will happen in the future.
- Example: I will visit my grandparents next weekend.
- Future Continuous: Talks about actions that will be in progress at a specific time in the future.
- Example: I will be studying at 3 p.m. tomorrow.
- Future Perfect: Talks about things that will be finished before a certain time in the future.
- Example: She will have finished her homework by dinner time.
- Future Perfect Continuous: Talks about actions that will have been happening for a period of time before something else happens in the future.
- Example: By next month, I will have been working here for a year.
Now you know how to use the future tense in different ways!
PLEASE GO AND READ CHAPTER 4. *#THANKS FOR VISITING, VIS
