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Tenses: Class 9 English
The twelve tenses with their structures and uses, subject and verb agreement, common mistakes and practice sentences with answers.
Key points
A tense shows the time of an action or state. English has three main times, present, past and future. Each has four forms: simple, continuous, perfect and perfect continuous. This gives twelve tenses.
The verb forms used are the base form (V1), the past form (V2) and the past participle (V3). For regular verbs V2 and V3 end in ed, for example work, worked, worked. Irregular verbs change in other ways, for example write, wrote, written.
Uses of the simple tenses:
- Present simple: habits, facts and general truths (She goes to school every day. Water boils at 100 degrees.).
- Past simple: a finished action at a known time in the past (He wrote a letter yesterday.).
- Future simple: a decision or prediction about the future (I will call you tomorrow.).
Uses of the continuous tenses:
- Present continuous: an action happening now or around now (They are playing cricket.).
- Past continuous: an action in progress at a time in the past (She was cooking when I arrived.).
- Future continuous: an action that will be in progress at a future time (I will be studying at eight tonight.).
Uses of the perfect tenses:
- Present perfect: a past action with a result now, or an action that began in the past and continues (I have finished my homework. He has lived here since 2015.).
- Past perfect: an action that happened before another action in the past (The train had left before we reached the station.).
- Future perfect: an action that will be completed before a future time (She will have finished by noon.).
The present simple takes s or es with a third person singular subject: he goes, she writes, it works. With I, you, we and they the base form is used. In questions and negatives with does or do, the main verb returns to the base form: Does she go? She does not go.
Use since with a point in time (since 2015, since Monday) and for with a period of time (for two years, for an hour). Do not use the present perfect with words that fix a finished time such as yesterday or last year. Use the past simple instead.
Study tip: For any tense question, first find the time words in the sentence, then choose the tense, then write the structure.
Definitions and flashcards
Say the meaning first, then open the card to check.
Tense
The form of a verb that shows the time of an action.
Base form (V1)
The simple form of the verb, such as go or write.
Past form (V2)
The form used for the past simple, such as went or wrote.
Past participle (V3)
The form used with have, has and had, such as gone or written.
Auxiliary verb
A helping verb such as is, are, was, have, has, had, will.
Subject verb agreement
The verb must match the subject in number and person.
Regular verb
A verb whose past form and past participle end in ed.
Irregular verb
A verb whose past form and past participle do not follow the ed rule.
Formula sheet
| Name | Formula | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| Present simple | Subject + V1 (V1 + s for he, she, it) | She writes a letter. |
| Present continuous | Subject + is, am or are + V1 + ing | She is writing a letter. |
| Present perfect | Subject + has or have + V3 | She has written a letter. |
| Present perfect continuous | Subject + has or have been + V1 + ing | She has been writing since noon. |
| Past simple | Subject + V2 | She wrote a letter. |
| Past continuous | Subject + was or were + V1 + ing | She was writing a letter. |
| Past perfect | Subject + had + V3 | She had written a letter. |
| Past perfect continuous | Subject + had been + V1 + ing | She had been writing for an hour. |
| Future simple | Subject + will + V1 | She will write a letter. |
| Future continuous | Subject + will be + V1 + ing | She will be writing a letter. |
| Future perfect | Subject + will have + V3 | She will have written a letter. |
| Future perfect continuous | Subject + will have been + V1 + ing | She will have been writing for an hour. |
Short questions with model answers
These are the kind of questions asked for 2, 3 and 5 marks. Try each one before opening the answer.
Change into the past simple: She writes a letter every day. (1 marks)
She wrote a letter every day.
Change into the present continuous: They play cricket. (1 marks)
They are playing cricket.
Fill in the blank with the correct form: He ____ (live) here since 2015. (1 marks)
has lived. Since a point in time needs the present perfect.
Correct the sentence: She go to school daily. (1 marks)
She goes to school daily. A third person singular subject takes s or es in the present simple.
Correct the sentence: I have seen him yesterday. (1 marks)
I saw him yesterday. The word yesterday fixes a finished time, so the past simple is needed.
Change into the future simple: We visit our grandparents on Sunday. (1 marks)
We will visit our grandparents on Sunday.
Write a sentence in the past perfect tense. (2 marks)
The match had started before we reached the ground.
Explain the difference between the present perfect and the past simple, with an example of each. (3 marks)
The past simple is used for an action finished at a known time in the past: I met him last week. The present perfect connects the past with the present, so it is used when the time is not stated or when the action continues now: I have met him many times.
Common mistakes
- Leaving out s or es with he, she and it in the present simple.
- Using the present perfect with a finished time such as yesterday or in 2020.
- Using since with a period (since two years) or for with a point in time (for Monday).
- Using a continuous form with state verbs such as know, like and want. Say I know, not I am knowing.
- Forgetting that the main verb goes back to the base form after do, does and did.