tensewise details

1. Tenses for Class X

2. Tense refers to the form of the verb that tells us the time and state of an action.
1. There are three tenses:
The Present Tense The past Tense The Future Tense
2. Each tense has four form :
Simple
Continuous/ Progressive
Perfect
Perfect Continuous

3. Tenses
Affirmative Negative Interrogative Negative Interrogative
I eat.
We eat.
You eat.
He eats.
They eat.
I do not eat.
We do not eat.
You do not eat.
He does not eat.
They do not eat.
Do I eat?
Do we eat?
Do you eat?
Does he eat?
Do they eat?
Do I not eat?
Do we not eat?
Do you not eat?
Does he not eat?
Do they not eat?
1. THE SIMPLE PRESENT TENSE
3. Form:
•The simple present has the base form of the verb, but adds –s or –es for the third person singular
(i.e., he, she, it) and all singular nouns.
•The negative is formed with do/ does + not + base form of the verb.
(iii) The interrogative is formed with do/does + subject + base form of the verb.
Thesimplepresenttenseoftheverbeat
:

4. Uses of the Simple Present Tense
The simple present tense is mainly used :
(a) to express a habitual action or routine :
I take tea in the morning.
I always help my friends.
Our school opens at 9 a.m.
(b) to express a general truth :
The earth moves round the sun.
Water boils at 100oC.
(c) to express a fact that is true at the time of speaking :
Electricity often fails.
Houses cost us a lot.
(d) to describe a past event vividly :
There was a surprise waiting for me yesterday. I enter the house and see : A cat jumps into
the kitchen through the open window, moves towards the pot of milk and empties it in no
time.

5. Recapitulation
These sentences are in the simple present tense. Fill in the blanks with the
correct forms of the verbs given in brackets:
1. He often ................. tea. (take)
2. I always ................. good books. (read)
3. She ................. her nails every week. (pare)
4. They ................. their children to play here. (allow)
5. We ................. to God daily. (pray)
6. It ................. me to know this. (surprise)
7. You ................. according to your income. (spend)
8.These workers ................. hard. (work)
9.This tree ................. fruit once in two years. (yield)
10.He ................. me a lot. (help)

6. Affirmative
I am writing.
We are writing.
You are writing.
He is writing.
They are writing.
Negative
I am not writing.
We are not writing.
You are not writing.
He is not writing.
They are not writing.
Interrogative
Am I writing?
Are we writing?
Are you writing?
Is he writing?
Are they writing?
Negative
Interrogative
Am I not writing?
Are we not writing?
Are you not writing?
Is he not writing?
Are they not
writing?
2. THE PRESENT CONTINUOUS TENSE
Form:
(i) The form of the verb in the present continuous tense is :
am/is/are + present participle
(ii) The negative is formed by putting not after the auxiliary.
(iii) The interrogative is formed by inverting the subject and the auxiliary:
The present continuous tense of the verb write:

7. Uses of the Present Continuous Tense
The present continuous tense is used:
a) to describe an action that is going on at the time of speaking:
I am taking my breakfast.
She is playing outside.
b) to express an action that is expected to take place in the near future:
We are going to by a car tomorrow.
She is dinning with us tonight.

8. Recapitulation
Fill in the blanks with appropriate verbs using Present continuous and present
Simple Tenses
1. María ____________ (work) for a TV station.
2. At the moment she ____________ (travel) in the Sahara Desert.
3. Dan ____________ (love) wild animals.
4.He ____________ (not visit) Alaska at the moment.
5. Marta ____________ (not live) in Africa.
6. She ____________ (stay) in Africa at the moment.
7. Dad usually ____________ (cook) dinner.
8. My parents ____________ (go) to Italy every year.
9. My sister ____________ (walk) to school every day.
10. We ____________ (have) lunch now.

9. 3. THE PRESENT PERFECT TENSE
Form :
The form of the verb in this tense is :
Have/ has + past participle
I have already taken tea.
He has left for Delhi.
The negative is formed by adding not to the auxiliary:
I have not played this game.
He has not come yet.
The interrogative is formed by inverting the auxiliary and the subject:
Have I cheated anyone?
Has he failed in the examination?

10. The present perfect tense is used:
To express past events whose time is not given:
I have passed many examinations.
They have already left for London.
I have been to Ambala thrice.
To express an action that has just been completed:
I have just finished this letter.
He has just gone out.
To express an action which began in the past and is still continuing, or has only
just finished as indicated above in (b) :
I have lived here for five years.

11. Recapitulation
Fill in the blanks, using the present perfect tense of the verbs given in brackets:
1. She ................. in this office since October. (work)
2. These boys ................. for an hour. (rest)
3. The dog ................. for a long time. (bark)
4. The labourers ................. stones for two hours. (break)
5. Our teacher ................. us for half an hour. (teach)
6. Lots of things ................. since I last wrote to you. (happen)
7. Sudhir was 90 kilograms. Now he weighs 80. He ................. weight. (lose)
8. Don’t forget to post that letter.’ ‘I ................. already ................. it.’ (post)
9.Do you know about Sudha?’ She ................. to Mumbai.’ (go)
10. He ................. 50 runs so far. (score)

12. THE PRESENT PERFECT CONTINUOUS TENSE
Form :This tense has the following form:
Have/ has + been + present participle
Affirmative : I have been working since Monday
Negative : He has not (hasn’t) been writing for the past five minutes.
Interrogative : Have they been bathing since morning?
Negative Interrogative :Has she not (hasn’t she) been living here for four
years?

13. Recapitulation
Fill in the blanks, using the present perfect tense of the verbs given in
brackets:
1. She ................. in this office since October. (work)
2. These boys ................. for an hour. (rest)
3.The dog ................. for a long time. (bark)
4. The labourers ................. stones for two hours. (break)
5. Our teacher ................. us for half an hour. (teach)

14. THE PRESENT PERFECT CONTINUOUS TENSE
9
.
Note: Since and for are often used with the present perfect continuous tense as
they are used with the present perfect tense.
Since is used for a point of time while for is used for a period of time:
I have been playing hockey since morning.
I have been playing hockey for two hours.
Form
Affirmative
Negative
Interrogative
Negative Interrogative
:
:
:
:
:
This tense has the following form:
Have/ has + been + present participle
I have been working since Monday.
He has not (hasn’t) been writing for the past five
minutes.
Have they been bathing since morning?
Has she not (hasn’t she) been living here for four
years?
Present Perfect Continuous Tense

15. Uses of the Present Perfect Continuous Tense
This tense is used for an action which began in the past and is still
continuing:
 I have been ringing him up for fifteen minutes (but there is no
reply).
 Have you been waiting for him since morning?

16. Recapitulation
Fill in the blanks, using the present perfect continuous tense of the verbs given
in brackets:
1. I .............. in this house for a long time. (live)
2. She .............. English since 2005. (learn)
3. The boys .............. for ten minutes. (play)
4. He .............. for a chance for three years. (wait)
5. The singer .............. for a few minutes. (sing)

17. THE SIMPLE PAST TENSE
Form :
(i) The second form of the verb is in simple past tense. It is used with all subjects.
I played. He played. She played. They played.
(ii)The negative is formed with did not + base form of the verb:
I did not play. He did not play?
(iii) The interrogative is formed with did + subject + not + base form of the verb:
Did I play? Did he play?
(iv) The negative interrogative is formed with did + subject + not + base form of the
verb:
Did I not play? Did he not play?
Quite often, Did and not are joined and the negative interrogative is :
Didn’t I play? Didn’t he play?

18. Uses of the Simple Past Tense
The simple past tense is used”
1. to express a habitual regular action in the past:
He prayed every morning.
This train came late every day last week.
2. to express an action which occupied a period of time in the past,
which is now ended:
In his boyhood, he studied here for two years.
3. to express events that occurred at a particular point in the past:
I bought this pen on Friday.
He visited England last year.

19. Recapitulation
Fill in the blanks, using the present perfect continuous tense of the verbs
given in brackets:
1. He .............. fast and won the race. (run)
2. I .............. a telegram to my friend yesterday. (send)
3. She .............. a novel last year. (read)
4. They did not .............. to Jalandhar at 7 a.m. (go)
5. Did you .............. all your money on books ? (spend)

20. THE PAST CONTINUOUS TENSE
Form: The form of the verb in the past continuous tense is:
Was/ were + present participle
Affirmative
Negative
Interrogative
Negative Interrogative
:
:
:
:
I was playing. You were playing.
He was not (wasn’t) playing.
They were not (weren’t) playing.
Was he playing? Were they playing?
Were they not (Weren’t they) playing?

21. Uses of the Past Continuous Tense
This tense is used:
1. to express a continuous action at some point of time in the past
when another event took place:
He was taking coffee when I entered his room.
When we reached there, it was raining hard.
2. to describe two or more actions going on at the same time in the
past:
He was working while his brother was sleeping.
She was reading, her father was writing and her mother was
cooking.

22. Recapitulation
Add the past perfect continuous tense:
1. I was tired because I ........... since morning. (work)
2. I ...... my pen for ten minutes when I found it. (look for)
3. They ...... for half an hour when the chief guest arrived. (wait)
4. I ..... the poem for two hours when I learnt it by heart. (read)
5. When he went to England, he ......... in this school for five years. (teach)

23. THE PAST PERFECT TENSE
Form: The form of the past perfect tense is:
had+ past participle
Affirmative :The patient had died before the doctor came.
Negative :The patient had not (hadn’t) died before the doctor came.
Interrogative :Had the patient died before the doctor came?
Negative Interrogative :Had the patient not (hadn’t patient)died before the doctor came?

24. Recapitulation
1. All the workers ............. the factory when the train Gate closed. (enter)
2. When he requested me for money, I .........the Money order. (get)
3. We ...... dinner by 8 p.m. (have)
4. He ....... before I could catch hold of him. (run away)
5. I ......... the train when then whistle blew. (get on)

25. THE PAST PERFECT CONTINUOUS TENSE
Form: The form of the verb in this tense is:
Had been + present participle
Affirmative : He had been playing for an hour.
Negative : She had not (hadn’t) been singing since morning.
Interrogative : Had I been sleeping for the past fifteen minutes?
Negative Interrogative : Had he not (Hadn’t) been reading since evening?

26. Recapitulation
Add the Past Perfect Continuous tense:
1. I was tired because I ........... since morning. (work)
2. I ...... my pen for ten minutes when I found it. (look for)
3. They ...... for half an hour when the chief guest arrived. (wait)
4. I ..... the poem for two hours when I learnt it by heart. (read)
5. When he went to England, he ......... in this school for five years. (teach)

27. THE SIMPLE FUTURE TENSE
Form: The form of the verb in the simple future tense is:
shall/ will + base form of the verb
Affirmative : I shall/ will work. You will work. They will work, etc.
Negative : I shall/ will not work. You will not (won’t) work. They will not work,
etc
Interrogative : Shall I work? Will you work? Will they work? Etc.
Negative Interrogative :Shall I not work? Will you not (Won’t you) work? Will
they not (Won’t they) work, etc.

28. Uses of the Simple Future Tense
This tense is used to express an action that will take place in the future.
To express pure future, shall is used with pronouns of the first person(I, we) and will with all other
subjects:
I/ We shall go there.
You/ He/ She/ They will go there.
Note: These sentences merely state a fact.
I will or we will are used with the idea of intention, determination or promise:
I will go there. (No one will stop me from going)
We will sacrifice our lives for the country. (We promise to sacrifice our lives for the country.)
In the same way shall is often used as a promise or threat with other subjects (Mohan/ You, etc.)
You shall get a prize if you stand first.
He shall never steal again. (If he steals, I’ll punish him.)
Shall I/ Shall we are very often used to begin offers of help or suggestions:
Shall i carry this bag for you?
Shall we switch off the light now?

29. THE FUTURE CONTINUOUS TENSE
Form:
The form of the verb in this tense is:
shall/ will + be + present participle
The negative is formed by putting not after shall/will.
The interrogative is formed by inverting the subject and shall/will.
Affirmative : I shall be speaking.
Negative : I shall not be speaking.
Interrogative : Will you be speaking?
Negative Interrogative :Will he not be speaking?

30. Recapitulation
Add ‘will’ or ‘shall’ to these sentences:
1. He ......... be twenty next months.
2. I ......... be fifty-eight tomorrow.
3. ...... I carry this bag for you.
4. You .......... not succeed unless you work hard.
5. Don’t worry. I ........ inform you of his arrival.

31. Uses of the Future Continuous Tense
This tense is used:
To express an event that is expected to take place in the normal course.
My sister will be passing the M.A. examination next year.
Some more guests will be arriving shortly.
To express an action that will be in progress at a given point of time in the
future.
At 5:30 tomorrow, he will be reading something.
When I reach home, my sister will be knitting a sweater.

32. Recapitulation
Supply the future continuous tense of the verbs given in brackets:
1. He ....... tea when you reach there. (take)
2. They ........ for the examination in April. (prepare)
3. It ..... here in winter. (snow)
4. She ......... ready at this time tomorrow. (get)
5. They ........... a new car in two months’ time. (buy)

33. THE FUTURE PERFECT TENSE
Form: The form of the verb in this tense is:
Shall/ will + have + past participle
Affirmative : He will have arrived.
Negative : He will not have arrived.
Interrogative : Will he have arrived?
Negative Interrogative :Will he not have arrived?

34. Use of the Future Perfect Tense
This tense is used to express an action which will be finished by
certain time in the future:
We shall have finished our work by Sunday.
He will have taken tea when you visit him.

35. Recapitulation
Add the future perfect tense of the verbs given in brackets :
1. He ........... by morning. (come)
2.The train ......... by the time he reaches the station. (leave)
3. When you next visit him, he ........ the age of fifty. (cross)
4. We ........ a new record by the end of the year. (set)
5. He ...... fifty letters by Monday. (write)

36. 12. THE FUTURE PERFECT CONTINUOUS TENSE
Form: The form of the verb in this tense is:
Shall/ will + have been + present participle
He will have been reading for two hours when you visit him.
They will have been playing since morning when she arrives.
Use of the Future Perfect Continuous Tense
This tense is used to express an action that will have been going on at or
before some point of time in the future:
He will have been reading a book for ten minutes when you get in.
They will have been playing since noon when you reach the field.

37. Recapitulation
Add the Future Perfect Continuous tense of the verbs given in brackets:
1.They ............ for us for an hour when we reach there. (wait)
2. She ........... a picture for fifteen minutes when you contact her. (paint)
3. They ........... to solve these questions for two hours before they are able to
solve them . (try)
4. The peon ............... the bell for two minutes before the students assemble.
(ring)
5. The policeman ........... for the thief for a few days before they are able to
arrest him. (search)