Information & Rules as per CBSE Syllabus
What are Tenses?
Tenses are verb forms that indicate the time an action occurred or a state of being existed. They tell us when something happened, is happening, or will happen. Mastering tenses is crucial for clear and accurate communication in English.
Key Points for CBSE Class 10:
- Understanding the formation and usage of all 12 main tense forms.
- Correctly identifying the tense of a given sentence.
- Changing sentences from one tense to another.
- Using the correct tense in different contexts (e.g., while writing reports, narrations, articles).
- Common errors related to tense usage (e.g., sequence of tenses in complex sentences, conditional sentences).
Detailed Rules and Usage:
Present Tense
1. Simple Present Tense
- Usage:
- Habitual actions or routines: I go to school every day.
- General truths or facts: The sun rises in the east.
- Scheduled future events (timetables, programs): The train arrives at 7 PM.
- Instructions or directions: First, you take the flour...
- Form: Base form of the verb (V1). Add '-s' or '-es' for third-person singular subjects (he, she, it).
- Examples: He sings. They play.
2. Present Continuous Tense
- Usage:
- Actions happening at the moment of speaking: She is singing now.
- Temporary actions: I am living in Delhi this month.
- Developing situations: The climate is changing rapidly.
- Definite future plans: We are visiting our grandparents next weekend.
- Form: is/am/are + verb + -ing (V-ing)
- Examples: He is playing. They are studying.
3. Present Perfect Tense
- Usage:
- Actions completed recently, with results in the present: I have finished my homework.
- Actions started in the past and continuing to the present (often with 'since'/'for'): He has lived in Delhi since 2010.
- Life experiences (unspecified time): She has visited Paris many times.
- Form: has/have + past participle (V3)
- Examples: She has sung. They have eaten.
4. Present Perfect Continuous Tense
- Usage:
- Actions started in the past and still continuing: They have been studying for three hours.
- Actions just finished, with visible results in the present: My eyes are red because I have been crying.
- Form: has/have + been + verb + -ing (V-ing)
- Examples: He has been singing. They have been playing.
Past Tense
1. Simple Past Tense
- Usage:
- Actions completed at a specific time in the past: I visited Paris last year.
- Series of completed actions in the past: She woke up, brushed her teeth, and left for work.
- Form: Past form of the verb (V2). For regular verbs, add '-ed'.
- Examples: He sang. They played.
2. Past Continuous Tense
- Usage:
- Actions ongoing at a specific time in the past: At 8 PM last night, I was studying.
- Two parallel actions in the past: While I was cooking, he was watching TV.
- An action ongoing when another action interrupted it: I was reading a book when he called.
- Form: was/were + verb + -ing (V-ing)
- Examples: He was singing. They were playing.
3. Past Perfect Tense
- Usage:
- An action that was completed before another action in the past: When I arrived, she had already eaten dinner.
- Describes a cause for a past event: He was tired because he had not slept well.
- Form: had + past participle (V3)
- Examples: She had sung. They had eaten.
4. Past Perfect Continuous Tense
- Usage:
- An action that had been ongoing for a period of time up to a certain point in the past: I had been studying for two hours when you called me.
- Form: had + been + verb + -ing (V-ing)
- Examples: He had been singing. They had been playing.
Future Tense
1. Simple Future Tense
- Usage:
- Predictions or general statements about the future: It will rain tomorrow.
- Spontaneous decisions: I will buy a new phone.
- Promises, offers, requests: I will help you.
- Form: will + base form of the verb (V1)
- Examples: He will sing. They will play.
2. Future Continuous Tense
- Usage:
- Actions that will be in progress at a specific time in the future: At 9 AM tomorrow, I will be working.
- Future events that are part of a routine: I will be meeting him next week as usual.
- Form: will + be + verb + -ing (V-ing)
- Examples: He will be singing. They will be playing.
3. Future Perfect Tense
- Usage:
- An action that will be completed before a certain time or another action in the future: By next year, I will have completed my degree.
- Form: will + have + past participle (V3)
- Examples: She will have sung. They will have eaten.
4. Future Perfect Continuous Tense
- Usage:
- An action that will have been ongoing for a period of time up to a certain point in the future: By next month, I will have been working here for ten years.
- Form: will + have + been + verb + -ing (V-ing)
- Examples: He will have been singing. They will have been playing.