Tenses in English are broadly divided into the past, present, and future. In English grammar, tenses are used to indicate when an action happened and if it is still going on or finished. The tense of a verb is used to refer to time while communicating in English.
Past Simple Tense is used to describe an event that began and ended in the past, like winking, the act of blinking your eyelids to convey an emotion. To put “wink” in Past Simple Tense, we simply change it to “winked.”
This is true for all Regular Verbs. Regular Verbs in the past tense get d/ed at the end. For example, “hug” turns to “hugged.” But, Nouns don’t change with tense.
In fact, to detect a Past Simple Tense sentence, merely look for the Main Verb. Most often, for those sentences that Regular Verbs are used, d/ed is found hidden among other grammatical features.
Past Continuous Tense can be used to give background to events that began and ended in the past. This is often used in novels and short fiction alike.
To do so, use the Verbs “was” and “were” + ing in a series. For example, you may read in a classic novel about pirates, “he was sailing around the world.” To expand upon this, a passage from nautical fiction in Past Continuous Tense may read:
He was sailing around the world.
He was approaching the world’s end and fearing falling off the edge.
Yet, he was feeling strong, he had fought sea monsters and won…
Verb tenses tell us when something happened. While communicating, it’s essential to express when an event occurred. For example, if someone says “There is a fire,” the listener knows that there’s an immediate danger. But, by saying “There was a fire” the listener understands that they are no longer in danger.
As a tense, Past Continuous states that an action began and ended in the past. For example, you may hear someone say “I was eating,” this tells the listener that the speaker had finished, or was interrupted while eating food.
Most often, Past Continuous Tense is used to describe an action that was interrupted by another event. However, it can be used to speak of two actions that happened at the exact same time or an action that occurred at a specific time.
In general, we don’t usually use Stative Verbs while speaking in the Past Continuous Tense. Verbs like want or believe express a current condition and wouldn’t make sense in this context.
The simple past (also termed as the past simple tense, past indefinite tense, or preterite tense) is a verb tense to indicate an action that is completed in the past. It is to speak about something that has already happened.
Simple past tense examples
Base Form
Past Tense Form
Example Sentences
Play
Played
She played the piano every morning last month.
Take
Took
He took the bus to school.
Travel
Traveled
Jack traveled to Switzerland last year.
Write
Wrote
She wrote her journal yesterday night.
Go
Went
Jill went to school today morning.
Eat
Ate
She ate salad for lunch.
Work
Worked
She worked as a banker earlier than her current job.
The simple future tense/future indefinite tense is to indicates an action or condition that will begin and end in the future. It refers to an action that hasn’t happened as yet. It refers to a thought or an action that you plan to do or could occur later than now.
Simple future tense examples
I will go to school tomorrow
She will visit China next year
The team will play in Argentina
She will go to meet her mother this weekend
We usually use the present future tense to express the following ideas:
The simple future tense is used to predict a future occurrence. For example, “It will be sunny tomorrow.”
To express a spontaneous decision. For example, “We’ll pay using our credit card.”
To express willingness/ unwillingness towards an action. For example, “I’ll clean up for you. I’ll never be dishonest.”
To make a suggestion for future action. For example, “Shall we go to a movie tonight?”
To give an invitation to a future event. (usually in the interrogative form). For example, “Will you join me for the class tomorrow?”
Let’s practice:
Make a sentence using the simple future tense.
Fill in the simple future tense in the following blanks by choosing the right word from the brackets.
She __________ to draw (will like/Likes/liked)
She __________melodiously at the concert (sings/sang/will sing)
He ___________to the market in the evening (go/went/will go)
The simple present tense is a verb tense that speaks of an action that is happening at present or right now. It also refers to an action that happens regularly and is continuous, hence it is also called present indefinite.
Simple present tense examples
Base Form
Present Tense Form
Example Sentences
Play
Plays
She plays the piano every day.
Take
Takes
He takes the bus for school.
Travel
Travels
Jack travels every summer to Switzerland.
Write
Writes
She writes her journal every night.
Go
Goes
Jill goes to school every day.
Eat
Eats
She eats salad for lunch.
Work
Works
She works as a banker.
Fly
Flies
She flies to Sydney every year around this time.
Use
Uses
He uses the latest gadgets.
We usually use the present simple tense to express the following ideas
Use simple present tense to express or speak of any Habit or a custom, which is repeated very often.
For example, He plays football every day.
To speak of future plans/ timetables.
For example, She walks every morning. He goes for a jog every night.
To state facts or general truths.
For example, she hates liars. He admires honesty.
To tell jokes and stories or to report sporting events in real-time.
For example, John makes fun of Jill’s nasal accent. Rio passes the ball to Shane for a goal.
Let’s practice:
Make a tense using the simple present tense.
Fill in the simple present tense in the following blanks by choosing the right word from the brackets.
She __________draws (Like/Likes/liked)
She __________melodiously at the concert (sings/sang/will sing)
He ___________to the market every afternoon (go/goes/will go)
Verbs come in three tenses: past, present, and future, They are further subdivided into 12 categories.
What are the 12 Tenses in English and why are they important?
Verb tenses in English are broadly divided into the past, present, and future. In English grammar, tenses are used to indicate when an action happened and if it is still going on or finished. The tense of a verb is used to refer to time while communicating in English.
There are 12 tenses in the English language. Namely:
The simple past tense is a verb tense that is used to talk about things that happened or existed before now. It is used to refer to actions that were already completed in a time period before the present time.
Ren Was House Shopping Alone: The Scary Music Box
Obviously enough, Past Simple Tense is used to describe an event that began and ended in the past. Here’s a dialogue that’s mostly spoken in Past Simple Tense:
“I walked into the bedroom, and suddenly there was music coming from a box,” said Ren.
Today we are going to discuss Arbor Day and the Future Time Tense Phrase “going to.” The Future Time Tense “Going to” isn’t hard to use. Let’s look at an example:
On Arbor Day, individuals and groups are encouraged to plant trees. Nowadays, many people, in many different countries, observe this green holiday. Levi is going to celebrate Arbor Day too.
After reading the example, you may have deduced that the Future Time Phrase “going to” simply means somebody will do something in the future. In the above example, Levi will celebrate the occasion by planting a tree.
This can be rewritten as:
“Levi will celebrate Arbor Day.”
Both sentences are correct and have the same meaning.
The Future Time Phrase “going to” is easy to use. “Going to” simply means you will do something in the future. You have made plans and will follow those plans.
The Future Time Phrase “going to” can be used like this:
I’m going to (Verb)
This is the simplest form of the sentence and here is an example :
“I’m going to run.”
By saying this, the speaker is telling the listener that they will “run” in the future, but almost any other Verb may be used.
Although Future Time Phrases speak of events that will happen, a simple present tense verb is always used. Never use “I will running.” It simply isn’t correct.
Another way to use The Future Time Phrase is by adding a Pronoun at the beginning of the sentence, telling the listener who will do something in the future. For example:
“Qi is going to walk.”
Putting it together, you can say:
“I am going to run, but Qi is going to walk.”
By saying this, you are clearly telling the listener what will happen in the future.
