*Forms of Verbs
V1- main verb in original form or ‘- s/-es’ added to the verb with the 3rd person singular subject
V2- main verb in the 2nd form, past form or ‘– ed’ form
V3- main verb in the 3rd form, perfect form or ‘– en’ form
V4- main verb in the 4th form or ‘– ing’ form
*Structure and Uses
I. Simple Present Tense
Verb phrase - V1, no helping verb
Uses
1. For a state of being in present time
Ex. He is very happy today.
2. To mention regular /habitual activities in present time
Ex. My mother helps me with my studies.
3. For the universal truths and quotes
Ex. The sun gives us light and warmth.
4. For a fixed future event
Ex. The match starts at 5 o’clock tomorrow.
II. Present Continuous Tense
Verb phrase – am/is/are + V4
Uses
1. For an action in progress at the time of speaking
Ex. I am writing an essay.
2. For any action happening temporarily in the present time
Ex. I am learning various new skills these days.
3. For a planned future action
Ex. I am visiting that site in the evening.
III. Present Perfect Tense
Verb phrase – have/ has + V3
Uses:
1. For a past action which has created an impact or which is relevant in the present as well (an experience)
Ex. I have watched that movie many times.
2. For a recently completed activity
Ex. I have spoken to her about it today in the morning.
3. For an action, started in the past and continued till the moment of speaking
Ex. I have not seen him since morning.
IV. Present Perfect Continuous Tense
*Verb phrase – have/has +been +V4
*Uses:
#For an action which has started in the past, is going on at the moment and may continue
Ex. I have been working on the project since January.
Ex. Someone has been stealing my money.
V. Simple Past Tense
Verb phrase - V2, no helping verb
Uses:
1. For a fully completed activity in the past
Ex. He danced with great enthusiasm.
2. For the recent past action out of the two past activities
Ex. When he reached there, most of the guests had already arrived at the venue.
VI. Past Continuous Tense
Verb phrase – was /were + V4
Uses:
#For the activity in progress for some time period in the past
Ex. He was helping her in her project.
VII. Past Perfect Tense
Verb phrase – had + V3
Uses:
1. For an action which got over long ago
Ex. We had visited many places to find a particular venue for the function.
2. For the previous past action out of the two past activities
Ex. The train had left when I entered the station.
VIII. Past Perfect Continuous Tense
Verb phrase – had + been + V4
Uses:
1. For the previous past action which was in progress for some time period, in case of two past actions
Ex. I was very nervous about my first live performance even though I had been practicing for it for the last few months.
2. To show the middle point of action in the past
Ex. I had been working with them for a few years at that time.
IX. Simple Future Tense
Verb phrase – shall / will +V1
Uses:
#For an action which is to take place in future
Ex. They will join us tomorrow.
Ex. I shall work on the solutions.
X. Future Continuous Tense
Verb phrase – shall /will + be + V4
Uses:
1. For a future activity which will certainly happen /strongly possible
Ex. My mother will be waiting for me.
2. For a future action which will be going on for some time period
Ex. He will be working on the project for the next couple of weeks.
XI. Future Perfect Tense
Verb phrase – shall / will +have + V3
Uses:
1. For an action which will get completed at a certain time in future
Ex. I shall have completed this assignment by tomorrow.
2. For the previous action in case of two future actions happening in connection
Ex. I shall have escaped before you catch me.
XII. Future Perfect Continuous Tense
Verb phrase – shall /will + have + been + V4
Uses:
1. To mention the middle point of an action in future
Ex. They will have been working on the project in 2030.
Sequence of tenses
>Present Perfect Continuous + Present Perfect
Ex. I have been working on my assignment from the last couple of days but I have not finished it yet.
>Present Perfect +Simple Present
Ex. I have not watched that movie yet but I am interested in watching it.
>Past Perfect + Simple Past
Ex. They had already handled the situation successfully when we reached there to help them.
>Past Perfect Continuous + Simple Past
Ex. We had been struggling for a long time when some people finally came to help us.
>Future Perfect + Simple Present
Ex. They will have completed their work before we go to pick them up.
