English Grammar Lesson: Tenses

1. What are Tenses?

Definition: Tenses are verb forms that indicate the time at which an action occurs. They show whether an action is happening in the past, present, or future.

Examples:

She plays the piano. (Present)
She played the piano. (Past)
She will play the piano. (Future)

2. Present Tense

Forms of the Present Tense:

Simple Present: Describes a habitual action or a general truth.
Example: She reads every day.
Present Continuous: Describes an action that is currently happening.
Example: She is reading right now.
Present Perfect: Describes an action that occurred at an unspecified time before now.
Example: She has read that book.
Present Perfect Continuous: Describes an action that started in the past and is still continuing.
Example: She has been reading for two hours.

3. Past Tense

Forms of the Past Tense:

Simple Past: Describes an action that occurred and was completed in the past.
Example: She read the book yesterday.
Past Continuous: Describes an action that was happening at a specific time in the past.
Example: She was reading when the phone rang.
Past Perfect: Describes an action that was completed before another action in the past.
Example: She had read the book before she went to bed.
Past Perfect Continuous: Describes an action that was ongoing before another action in the past.
Example: She had been reading for an hour when he arrived.

4. Future Tense

Forms of the Future Tense:

Simple Future: Describes an action that will occur in the future.
Example: She will read the book tomorrow.
Future Continuous: Describes an action that will be happening at a specific time in the future.
Example: She will be reading at 8 PM.
Future Perfect: Describes an action that will be completed before a specific time in the future.
Example: She will have read the book by tomorrow.
Future Perfect Continuous: Describes an action that will be ongoing and continue up until a specific time in the future.
Example: She will have been reading for two hours by 8 PM.