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Rules For Tenses

Everything you need to know about the Rules For Tenses and other related topics in detail. Rules of Tenses assist in understanding how to accurately use the various tenses in a sentence.

Introduction:

Rules of Tenses help to explain how to precisely use the various grammar rules related to tenses in a statement without making a grammatical mistake and also conveniently suggesting when an action or event has actually happened.

What is Tense can be understood as they are classified into three parts for easy understanding. The types of tenses are

  1. Present Tense
  2. Past Tense
  3. Future Tense

Each of the above-stated tenses is more subdivided into four subparts. These subparts comprise:

  • Simple
  • Continuous
  • Perfect
  • Perfect Continuous

Tense Chart rules & examples:

Rules for Tenses:

  1. The Present Tense

The present tense is an expression for an action that is currently ongoing, or that is routinely conducted. It means a state that appears to exist in a broad sense or is currently ongoing.

 Simple Present

Simple Present Tense

Singular

Plural

Rule: Subject + V1 + s/es + Object

Rule: Subject + V1 + Object

Positive: The boy plays a guitar

Positive: They fight with friends.

Negative: The boy does not play a guitar

Negative: They don’t fight with friends.

Question: Is the boy playing the guitar?

Question: Do they fight with friends?



  • Present Continuous

Present Continuous Tense

Rule: Subject + is/am/are + V1 + ing + object

Singular

Plural

Positive: He is listening to a pop song.

Positive: We are listening to a pop song.

Negative: He isn’t listening to a pop song.

Negative: We aren’t listening to a pop song.

Question: Is he listening to a pop song?

Question: Are we listening to a pop song?

 

  • Present  Perfect 

 

Present Perfect Tense

Rule: Subject + has + V3 + Object

Rule: Subject + have + V3 + Object

Singular

Plural

Positive: He has polished my shoes

Positive: They have bought a book.

Negative: He hasn’t polished my shoes

Negative: They haven’t bought a book.

Question: Has he polished my shoes?

Question: Have they bought a book?

 

  • Present Perfect Continuous Tense

 

Present Perfect Continuous Tense

Rule: Subject + has been + V1 + ing + Object

Rule: Subject + have been + V1 + ing + Object

Singular

Plural

Positive: I have been combing my hair.

Positive: They have been feeling hungry.

Negative: I haven’t been combing my hair.

Negative: They haven’t been feeling hungry.

Question: Have I been combing my hair?

Question: Have they been feeling hungry?

 

2.Past Perfect Tense

The past tense refers to any action or event that previously happened. The four subcategories of the past tense in English grammar are discussed in detail below.

·       Simple Past

Simple Past Tense

Rule: Subject + V2 + Object (Verb is in the second form)

Positive: Paul ran away.

Negative: Paul did not run away.

Question: Did Paul run away?

 

  • Past continuous

Past Continuous Tense

Singular

Plural

Rule: Subject + was + V1 + ing + Object

Rule: Subject + were + V1 + ing + Object

Positive: I was feeding her dog.

Positive: They were feeling hungry.

Negative: I wasn’t feeding her dog.

Negative: They weren’t feeling hungry.

Question: Was I feeding her dog?

Question: Were they feeling hungry.

 

  • Past Perfect 

 

Past Perfect Tense

Rule: Subject + had + V3 + Object

Singular

Plural

Positive: I had fed her dog.

Positive: They had bought a new car.

Negative: I hadn’t fed her dog.

Negative: They hadn’t bought a new car.

Question: Hadn’t I fed her dog?

Question: Had they bought a new car?



  • Past Perfect Continuous Tense

 

Present Perfect Continuous Tense

Rule: Subject + had been + V1 + ing + Object

Singular

Plural

Positive: I had been combing my hair.

Positive: They had been reading books since yesterday.

Negative: I hadn’t been combing my hair.

Negative: They had not been reading books since yesterday.

Question: Had I been combing my hair?

Question: Had they been reading books since yesterday?

 

 3.Future Tense

The actions that will occur in the future are classified as future tense. 

·       Simple Future

 

Simple Future Tense

Rule: Subject + will/shall + V1 + Object

Positive: I will comb her hair.

Negative: I will not comb her hair.

Question: Will I comb her hair?

 

  • Future Continuous

 

Future Continuous Tense

Singular

Plural

Rule: Subject + will be/shall be + V1 + ing + Obj

Rule: Subject + will be/shall be + V1 + ing + Obj

Positive: I will be feeding her dog.

Positive: They were feeling hungry.

Negative: I will not be feeding her dog.

Negative: They weren’t feeling hungry.

Question: Will I be feeding her dog?

Question: Were they feeling hungry.

 

  • Future Perfect 

 

Future Perfect Tense

Rule: Subject + had + V3 + Object

Singular

Plural

Positive: I will have fed her dog.

Positive: They will have bought a new car.

Negative: I won’t have fed her dog.

Negative: They won’t have bought a new car.

Question: Will I have fed her dog?

Question: Won’t have they bought a new car?

 

Future Perfect Continuous Tense

 

Future Perfect Continuous Tense

Rule: Subject + will have been + V1 + ing + Object

Singular

Plural

Positive: I will have been combing my hair.

Positive: They will have been feeling hungry for two hours.

Negative: I will not have been combing my hair.

Negative: They will not have been feeling hungry for two hours.

Question: Will I have been combing my hair?

Question: Will They have been feeling hungry for two hours?

Conclusion:

Tense is a grammatical concept that denotes if a sentence or a verb relates to an activity that previously happened, is happening now, or may happen in the future. A verb that suggests activity that is occurring now would be an example of tense. There are three types of tenses -Past, present and future with four subcategories of each tense- simple, continuous, perfect and perfect continuous. One must be careful not to get confused with tenses.