In English, there are two types of tenses- Present and The Past but the exceptional characteristic is that the present tense does not always express the present time and past tense does not always express the past times.
[Exceptional book stores sells books]
In this above sentence, the word ‘sells’ is present simple but it expresses all the three times i.e. present, past, and future.
- Was selling books yesterday
- Is selling book today
- Will be selling book tomorrow
E.g. – I wish, I knew the name of that book.
I am sorry, I don’t know the name of that book.
Time can be classified into three categories:
- Present
- Past
- Future
So, here we will learn about the four forms.
- Simple present
- Present Progressive
- Present Perfect
- Present Perfect Progressive
Also Read,
Important phrasal verbs
Simple Present
The verb form of simple present is SUBJECT + V1
Note: When the subject is third person singular. Remember, we add ‘s’ or ‘es’ to the verb.
1st person: I, We
2nd person: You
3rd person: They, He, She, Rest of the world comes under 3rd person category.
- He goes to school every morning
- She understands English
- She tries to do it very hard
As we know the forms of sentences:
- Affirmative
- Negative
- Interrogative
- Negative Interrogative
Examples:
Affirmative: I go, He goes
Negative: I do not go. He does not go.
Interrogative: Do I go? Does he go?
Negative Interrogative:
GO- DO + GO
GOES- DOES + GO
WENT- DID + GO
Don’t I go?
Doesn’t he go?
NOTE: ‘Not’ is put in two cases.
1. After the subject
2. After the verb
Adverbs used in this tense: – rarely, usually, normally sincerely etc.
Here come the Rules.
RULE 1: This tense is used for universal/ scientific truth.
Example:
The sun rises in the east.
Oil floats on water.
April has 30 days.
Let’s explain any one sentence among the above sentences.
The sun rises in the east.
This sentence expresses universal/ scientific truth and also it defines the three times i.e. Present, Past & Future.
RULE 2: This rule is about habitual actions.
Example:
I go to the old age home once a week.
She always drinks water in between the food.
There are the actions which are considered habitual.Â
RULE 3: Planned Future Action
This is about the arrangements done for the future activities or events.
Example:
I get up at 7 AM next Wednesday. I have to be in Rourkela this week.
The school reopens on 19th June.
The plane for New York leaves Mumbai at 9 AM.
The CBSE compartmental exam to begin on 1st August.
Also Read,
Tips to improve English
Present Progressive
Verb Form: Subject + is/am/are + Ving
Forms of Sentences
Affirmative:
- I am going.
- He is playing.
Negative:
- I am not going.
- He is not playing.
Interrogative:
- Am I going?
- Is he playing?
Negative Interrogative:
- Am I not going?
- Is he not playing?
Adverbs used in this tense: Now, right here, today, this evening, this month etc.
RULES FOR PRESENT PROGRESSIVE
Rule 1: It is used for an action going on at that particular moment of speaking.
E.g.:
You are watching television now.
The teacher is leaving right now.
The water is flowing at the moment.
Rule 2: Secondly, It is used for an action which is happening about the time but not necessarily at that particular moment of speaking (incomplete action)
E.g.:
I am writing a novel on love.
He is working at the municipal corporation.
Manish is teaching English in my school.
Rule 3: Lastly, It is used for our temporary habits.
E.g.:
Sumeet always goes to his office by his motorcycle but today he is going on a rickshaw.
Shruti is getting up early these days to prepare for her examination.
Arpita always looks funny but today she is upset with her friends.
SOURCE: Based on Self-Knowledge
IMAGE SOURCE: GoogleÂ
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