English Tenses on line

English Tenses on line

There are total twelve tenses in english, we will discuss each with detail here,

Simple Present

§  action in the present taking place once, never or several times

§  facts

§  actions taking place one after another

§  action set by a timetable or schedule

Example: He goes to school, they are going to walk etc.

Present continuous

§  action taking place in the moment of speaking

§  action taking place only for a limited period of time

§  action arranged for the future

 Examples

:He is going, they are coming.

 A: He is speaking.

N: He is not speaking.
Q: Is he speaking?

Simple past

• action in the past taking place once, never or several times
• actions taking place one after another
• action taking place in the middle of another action

Example:

 They went, aslam ate.

 A: He spoke.

N: He did not speak.
Q: Did he speak?

Past continuous

• action going on at a certain time in the past
• actions taking place at the same time
• action in the past that is interrupted by another action

Example: A: He was speaking.

N: He was not speaking.
Q: Was he speaking?

Present perfect

• putting emphasis on the result
• action that is still going on
• action that stopped recently
• finished action that has an influence on the present
• action that has taken place once, never or several times before the moment of speaking

Example:

A: He has spoken.
N: He has not spoken.
Q: Has he spoken?

Present perfect continuous

§  putting emphasis on the course or duration (not the result)

§  action that recently stopped or is still going on

§  finished action that influenced the present

 Example:

A: He has been speaking.
N: He has not been speaking.
Q: Has he been speaking?

Past Perfect

§  action taking place before a certain time in the past

§  sometimes interchangeable with past perfect progressive

§  putting emphasis only on the fact (not the duration)

Example:

A: He had spoken.
N: He had not spoken.
Q: Had he spoken?

Past perfect continuous

§  action taking place before a certain time in the past

§  sometimes interchangeable with past perfect simple

§  putting emphasis on the duration or course of an action

Example:

A: He had been speaking.
N: He had not been speaking.
Q: Had he been speaking?

Present perfect

§  action in the future that cannot be influenced

§  spontaneous decision

§  assumption with regard to the future

 Example:

A: He will speak.
N: He will not speak. 
Q: Will he speak?

present perfect continuous

§  action that is going on at a certain time in the future

§  action that is sure to happen in the near future

Example:

A: He will be speaking.
N: He will not be speaking.
Q: Will he be speaking?