Module 6C: Understanding Tenses

Module 6C: TENSES

• Tenses are forms of verbs used to show the time of an action, including its continuation or completion.
• Tenses are categorized for different time references.
• There are two main types of tense forms: present and past.

Understanding Types of Tenses

• A set of verb forms to indicate the time of an action, and sometimes its continuation or completion relative to the time of the utterance.
• Example: -ed + play = played (action occurred before the present time)

Two Major Types of Tense Forms

• "We play" - present
• "We played" - past
• Future time reference: (e.g. He will go to school today. We shall play hockey.)

Rule Governing Use of Tenses

Present Indefinite Tense

• Indicates the present moment (e.g. I live in Bhopal, the city of lakes.)
• States universal truths (e.g. Planets rotate on their own axis.)
• Shows regular or habitual actions (e.g., he gets up early and goes for a walk.)
• Used for commentary and demonstrations (e.g., Sachin bowls to Ben Stokes, Ben Stokes hits the ball).
• Represents future fixed events (e.g., the bus departs at 7.00 am tomorrow).

Present Continuous Tense

• Shows a continuous action (e.g. the students are playing hockey in the field)
• Represents a temporary action (e.g., the gentleman is reading Oliver Twist).
• Indicates an action set to occur in the future (e.g., the principal is going to speak to the parents tomorrow.).

Present Perfect & Continuous Tense

• Represents actions that began in the past and continue in the present (e.g., I have been doing my task for the last two hours.).
• Shows an event in the past and its result in the present (e.g., the train has arrived in time.).
• Represents completed activities in the immediate past (e.g., She has just worshipped.)
• Shows a state or habit leading up to the present (e.g., The students have attended lectures regularly)

Past Indefinite Tense

• Indicates an action that finished in the past (e.g., I watched an adventure movie yesterday.)
• Represents past situations that lasted over a period of time (e.g., She nurtured her neighbor’s daughter as her own until she grew up).
• Also describes past habits (E.g., my teacher always carried a notebook.)

Past Perfect Tense

• Used for an event that happened before another past event (e.g., the train had left before we reached the platform.).
• Describes non-fulfillment of a past condition (e.g., If he had made sincere efforts, he would have passed.).

Future Tense

Future Indefinite Tense

• Future actions (e.g., One day, everyone will feel the importance of climate activism.)

Future Continuous Tense

• Actions that are likely to be in progress in the future (e.g., The principal will be providing the certificate soon).

Future Perfect Tense

• Future actions that will be completed by a specific time in the future (e.g., I expect that my teacher will have changed his perception by the next day.)

Common Errors

• Examples of incorrect and corrected tense usage are provided (e.g., "It is thundering for two days" vs. "It has been thundering for two days").