The tenses determine the time of action (verb). They enable us to understand whether the event has already occurred, is presently undertaken or is expected to occur at some point of time in future based on current predictions. Mastery over tenses is a relevant, useful and necessary skill needed in order to effectively communicate in the language. Tenses have been loosely classified into three categories past, present and future. However, on further inspection, it can be observed that there are actually sub-categories of each tense. These categories are simple, continuous, perfect and perfect continuous. A tense chart refers to the formula sheet which describes the rules which need to be followed while working with the tenses.

Classification of Tenses

In English, the following list is the crux of the classification of tenses:

• Present Tense

1. Simple Present Tense
2. Present Continuous Tense
3. Present Perfect Tense
4. Present Perfect Continuous Tense

• Past Tense

1. Simple Past Tense
2. Past Continuous Tense
3. Past Perfect Tense
4. Past Perfect Continuous Tense

• Future Tense

1. Simple Future Tense
2. Future Continuous Tense
3. Future Perfect Tense
4. Future Perfect Continuous tense

Rules and Description

• Present Tense

1. Simple Present Tense– The simple present tense describes actions taking place in the present timeline or a habitual action. It involves the use of the first form of the verb. In the simple present tense, not much information is conveyed apart from the nature of action and that it is being conducted in the present timeline. The use of the first form of the verb constitutes the structure. For example:

1. They write.
2. He writes.

2. Present Continuous Tense– It denotes the continuation of an action in the present timeline. The verbs used are of their first form with typically an addition of -ing. The use of the second form of the verb along with a helping verb constitutes the structure. For example:

1. He is writing.
2. They are writing.

3. Present Perfect Tense– Present perfect tense denotes an action that has just finished or is still continuing while occurring in the present timeline. The use of the third form of the verb along with a helping verb (typically has/have) constitutes the structure. For example:

1. He has written.
2. They have written.

4. Present Perfect Continuous Tense- It denotes an action that is occurring in the present timeline which had started at some time in past and is still/expected to continue. The use of the first form of the verb with a helping verb(has/have) along with the word ‘been’ constitutes the structure. For example:

1. He has been writing.
2. They have been writing.

• Past Tense

1. Simple Past Tense-It describes an action that was undertaken at some point in time in the past. The use of the second form of the verb constitutes the structure. For example:

1. He wrote.
2. They wrote.

2. Past Continuous Tense- It describes ongoing past moments sometimes in relation to a particular specified moment. The use of the first form of the verb with -ing added along with a helping verb in past tense such as was/ were constitutes the structure. For example:
3. a) He was writing.
4. b) They were writing.
5. Past Perfect Tense-It denotes an event that had occurred in the past before another event was specified. The use of the third form of the verb along with a helping verb  ‘had’ constitutes the structure. For example:
6. a) He had been writing.
7. b) They had been writing.
8. Past Perfect Continuous Tense-It denotes an action that occurred, continued and ended in the past, sometimes in relation to any other event. The use of the first form of the verb with -ing and a helping verb in past tense such as ‘had’ along with the word ‘been’ constitutes the structure. For example:

1. He had been writing.
2. They had been writing.

• Future Tense

1.   Simple Future Tense– It denotes an action that will occur at some point of time in the future. The use of the first form of the verb along with a helping verb in future tense such as will/shall constitute the structure. For example:

1. He will write.
2. They shall write.

2. Future Continuous Tense-It is used to denote events that are expected to continue over a period of time in the future. The use of the first form of the verb with -ing along with a helping verb in future tense such as will/shall and the word ’be’ constitutes the structure. For example:
3. a) He will be writing.
4. b) They shall be writing.
5. Future Perfect Tense– It is used to denote events that are expected to be completed between the timeframe of present and a specified point in future. The use of the third form of the verb with a helping verb in future tense such as will/shall and have/had constitutes the structure. For example:
6. a) He will have written.
7. b) They shall have written.
8. Future Perfect Continuous Tense– It is used to denote certain events which are expected to continue till a specified point in future indicating the possible duration of the action. The use of the first form of the verb with helping verbs in future tense such as will/shall and ‘have’ along with the word ‘been’ constitutes the structure. For example:
9. a) He will have been writing.
10. b) They shall have been writing.

Exercises

The following are some exercise questions given for practice questions. 

1. When I reached the station, I ____ a strange sight (saw/was seeing/see).
2. Every morning she ____ up early and gets ready for work (wakes/is waking/has woken).
3. I _____ granted him access, had I known his true intention (would not have/ will not have).
4. The headmaster is ____ you (expecting/expected).

Conclusion

Tenses are an important part of English Grammar that denote the timeline of the action. There are three forms of a verb that are used for different tenses. There are mainly three kinds of tenses- present, past and future. Each one of them has been further classified into simple, perfect, continuous and perfect continuous tense.