Tense with structure and example

Learning tense with structure and example is the easiest way for the students to understand and learn the basic rules of English grammar and language. Without learning tense non-native speakers can’t learn English. This is why the writer has written the formation of different tenses by giving examples so that students can easily understand and learn English.

Tense is the foundation of English grammar. By using the correct rules of tense we can make our English language perfect at the time of writing and speaking. Tense refers to time. So, without having the correct sense of time reference in using language we cannot hope to make people understand our thoughts in English. That is why tense is one of the most important fundamental grammar components of the English language. To learn English a non-native speaker should emphasize learning and understanding tense with rules and examples.

Present Indefinite Tense with structure and example

To understand the present indefinite or present simple tense clearly we will discuss the formation or structure with some examples of affirmative, negative, interrogative, and negative-interrogative sentences of the present indefinite tense. So, let’s start.

Affirmative

Formation/structure: Subject + Present form of verb + Object

Example:

a. I take tea.

b. They play cricket.

c. He writes a letter.

[ N. B. If the subject is a third person singular number and the tense is present indefinite we put s, es or ies with the verb.

Question: When and where to put s, es, or ies?

Answer:

# If the verb ends with ss, sh, ch, zz, x, or o we put es with the verb.

Example: Go = Goes, Teach = Teaches, push = pushes, finish = finishes, buzz = buzzes, confess = confesses, fix = fixes, etc.

# A few verbs end with – ies, for example, (consonant+y), try = tries, cry = cries, fry = fries, hurry = hurries, fly = flies, study = studies, worry = worries, watch=watches, etc.

# Verbs end with s, (vowel+y), play=plays, stay=stays etc. ]

Negative

Formation/structure: Subject + do not/does not + present form of verb + object

Example:

a. I do not take tea.

b. They do not play cricket.

c. He does not write a letter.

Interrogative

Formation/structure: Do/does + subject + present form of verb + object

Example:

a. Do I take tea?

b. Do they play cricket?

c. Does he write a letter?

Negative-Interrogative

Formation/structure: Don’t/doesn’t + subject + present form of verb + object

Example:

a. Don’t I take tea?

b. Don’t they play cricket?

c. Doesn’t he write a letter?

Past Indefinite Tense with structure and example

To understand past indefinite or past simple tense clearly, we will discuss the formation or structure with some examples of affirmative, negative, interrogative, and negative-interrogative sentences of past indefinite tense. So, let’s practice.

Affirmative

Formation/structure: Subject + past form of verb + object

Example:

I took tea.
They played cricket.
He wrote a letter.

Negative

Formation/structure: Subject + did not + present form of verb + object

Example:

I did not take tea.
They did not play cricket.
He did not write a letter.

Interrogative

Formation/structure: Did + subject + present form of verb + object +?

Example:

Did I take tea?
Did they play cricket?
Did he write a letter?

Negative-Interrogative

Formation/structure: Didn’t + subject + present form of verb + object +?

Example:

Didn’t I take tea?
Didn’t they play cricket?
Didn’t he write a letter?

Future Indefinite Tense with structure and example

To have a clear idea about future indefinite or simple future tense we will discuss the formation or structure with some examples of affirmative, negative, interrogative, and negative-interrogative sentences of future indefinite tense. So, let’s have a look at the following rules and examples.

Affirmative

Formation/structure: Subject + shall/will + present form of verb + object

Example:

I shall take tea. (We also can use will according to USA English)
They will play cricket.
He will write a letter.

Negative

Formation/structure: Subject + shall not/will not + present form of verb + object

Example:

I will/shall not take tea.
They will not play cricket.
He will not write a letter.

Interrogative

Structure: Shall/will + subject + present form of verb + object +?

Example:

Will/shall I take tea?
Will they play cricket?
Will he write a letter?

Negative-Interrogative

Formation: Shan’t/won’t + subject + present form of verb + object +?

Shan’t I take tea?
Won’t they play cricket?
Won’t he write a letter?

Present Continuous Tense with structure and example

To have a clear idea about the present continuous tense we will discuss the formation with some examples of affirmative, negative, interrogative, and negative-interrogative sentences of the present continuous tense. So, let’s have a look at the following rules and examples.

Affirmative

Structure: Subject + am/is/are + (v+ing) + object

Example:

I am taking tea.
They are playing cricket.
He is writing a letter.

Person	Singular	Plural
1^st	I am	We are
2^nd	You are	You are
3^rd	She, he, it is	They are

Negative

Structure: Subject + am not/is not/are not + (v+ing) +object

Example:

I am not taking tea.
They are not playing cricket.
He is not writing a letter.

Interrogative

Structure: Am/is/are + subject + (v+ing) + object

Example:

a. Am I taking tea?

b. Are they playing cricket?

c. Is he writing a letter?

Negative-Interrogative

Structure: Ain’t/aren’t/isn’t + subject + (v+ing) + object

Example:

Ain’t I taking tea? (we use ain’t instead of amn’t)
Aren’t they playing cricket?
Isn’t he writing a letter?

Past Continuous Tense with structure and example

To have a clear idea about past continuous tense we will discuss the formation or structure with some examples of affirmative, negative, interrogative, and negative-interrogative sentences of past continuous tense. So, let’s have a look at the following rules and examples.

Affirmative

Structure: Subject + was/were + (v+ing) + object

Example:

I was taking tea.
They were playing cricket.
He was writing a letter.

Person	Singular	Plural
1^st	I was	We were
2^nd	You were	You were
3^rd	He, she, it was	They were

Negative

Structure: Subject + was not/were not + (v+ing) + object

Example:

I was not taking tea.
They were not playing cricket.
He was not writing a letter.

Interrogative

Structure: Was/were + subject + (v+ing) + object +?

Example:

Was I taking tea?
Were they playing cricket?
Was he writing a letter?

Negative-Interrogative

Structure: Wasn’t/weren’t + subject + (v+ing) + object +?

Example:

Wasn’t I taking tea?
Weren’t they playing cricket?
Wasn’t he writing a letter?

Future Continuous Tense with structure and example

To have a clear idea about future continuous tense we will discuss the formation or structure with some examples of affirmative, negative, interrogative, and negative-interrogative sentences of future continuous tense. So, let’s have a look at the following rules and examples.

Affirmative

Structure: Subject + shall be /will be + (v+ing) + object

Example:

I will be taking tea.
They will be playing cricket.
He will be writing a letter.

Negative

Structure: Subject + shall not be /will not be + (v+ing) + object

Example:

I will not be taking tea.
They will not be playing cricket.
He will not be writing a letter.

Interrogative

Structure: Shall/will + subject + be + (v+ing) + object

Example:

Will I be taking tea?
Will they be playing cricket?
Will he be writing a letter?

Negative-Interrogative

Structure: Shan’t/won’t + subject + be + (v+ing) + object

Example:

Won’t he be taking tea?
Won’t they be playing cricket?
Won’t he be writing a letter?

Present Perfect Tense

To have a clear idea about the present perfect tense we will discuss the formation or structure with some examples of affirmative, negative, interrogative, and negative-interrogative sentences of the present perfect tense. So, let’s have a look at the following rules and examples.

Affirmative

Structure: Subject + have/has + past participle form of verb + object

Example:

He has taken tea.
They have played cricket.
He has written a letter.

Person	Singular	Plural
1^st	I have	We have
2^nd	You have	You have
3^rd	She, he or it has	They have

Negative

Structure: Subject + have not/has not + past participle form of verb + object

Example:

He has not taken tea.
They have not played cricket.
He has not written a letter.

Interrogative

Structure: Have/has + subject + past participle form of verb + object +?

Example:

Has he taken tea?
Have they played cricket?
Has he written a letter?

Negative-Interrogative

Structure: Haven’t/hasn’t + subject + past participle of verb + object + ?

Example:

Hasn’t he taken tea?
Haven’t they played cricket?
Hasn’t he written a letter?

Past Perfect Tense

To have a clear idea about past perfect tense we will discuss the formation or structure with some examples of affirmative, negative, interrogative, and negative-interrogative sentences of past perfect tense. So, let’s have a look at the following rules and examples.

Affirmative

Structure: Subject + had + past participle of verb + object

Example:

He had taken tea.
They had played cricket.
He had written a letter.

Negative

Structure: Subject + had not + past participle of verb + object

Example:

He had not taken tea.
They had not played cricket.
He had not written a letter.

Interrogative

Structure: Had + subject + past participle of verb + object +?

Example:

Had he taken tea?
Had they played cricket?
Had he written a letter?

Negative-Interrogative

Structure: Hadn’t + subject + past participle of verb + object +?

Example:

Hadn’t he taken tea?
Hadn’t they played cricket?
Hadn’t he written a letter?

Future Perfect Tense

To have a clear idea about the future perfect tense we will discuss the formation or structure with some examples of affirmative, negative, interrogative, and negative-interrogative sentences of the future perfect tense. So, let’s have a look at the following rules and examples.

Affirmative

Structure: Subject + will have + past participle of verb + object

Example :

He will have taken tea.
They will have played cricket.
He will have written a letter.

Negative

Structure: Subject + will have not + past participle of verb + object

Example:

He will not have taken tea.
They will not have played cricket.
He will not have written a letter.

Interrogative:

Structure: Will + subject + have + past participle of verb + object

Example:

Will he have taken tea?
Will they have played cricket?
Will he have written a letter?

Negative-Interrogative

Structure: Will + subject + not + have + past participle of verb + object +?

Example:

Will he not have taken tea?
Will they not have played cricket?
Will he not have written a letter?

Present Perfect Continuous Tense

To have a clear idea about the present perfect continuous tense we will discuss the formation or structure with some examples of affirmative, negative, interrogative, and negative-interrogative sentences of the present perfect continuous tense. So, let’s have a look at the following rules and examples.

Affirmative

Structure/Formation: a. Subject + have been/has been + (verb+ing) + object + since/for + complement

b. Subject + have been/has been + (verb+ing) + since/for + object

Example:

We have been taking tea for three minutes.
They have been playing cricket since morning.
He has been writing a letter for ten minutes.
The baby has been sleeping for two hours.

Negative

Structure/Formation: a. Subject + have not been/has not been + (verb+ing) + object + since/for + complement

b. Subject + have not been/has not been + (verb+ing) + since/for + object

Example:

We have not been taking tea for three minutes.
They have not been playing cricket since morning.
He has not been writing a letter for ten minutes.
The baby has not been sleeping for two hours.

Interrogative

Structure/Formation: a. Have/has + subject + been + (verb+ing) + object + since/for + complement +?

b. Have/has + subject + been + (verb+ing) + since/for + object +?

Example:

Have we been taking tea for three minutes?
Have they been playing cricket since morning?
Has he been writing a letter for ten minutes?
Has the baby been sleeping for two hours?

Negative-Interrogative

Structure/Formation: a. Have/has + subject + not + been + (verb+ing) + object + since/for + complement +?

b. Have/has + subject + not + been + (verb+ing) + since/for + object +?

Example:

Have we not been taking tea for three minutes?
Have they not been playing cricket since morning?
Has he not been writing a letter for ten minutes?
Has the baby not been sleeping for two hours?

Past Perfect Continuous Tense

To have a clear idea about the past perfect continuous tense we will discuss the formation or structure with some examples of affirmative, negative, interrogative, and negative-interrogative sentences of the past perfect continuous tense. So, let’s have a look at the following rules and examples.

Affirmative

Structure/Formation: a. Subject + had been + (verb+ing) + object + since/for + complement

b. Subject + had been + (verb+ing) + since/for + object

Example:

We had been taking tea for three minutes.
They had been playing cricket since morning.
He had been writing a letter for ten minutes.
The baby had been sleeping for two hours.

Negative

Structure/Formation: a. Subject + had not been + (verb+ing) + object + since/for + complement

b. Subject + had not been + (verb+ing) + since/for + object

Example:

We had not been taking tea for three minutes.
They had not been playing cricket since morning.
He had not been writing a letter for ten minutes.
The baby had not been sleeping for two hours.

Interrogative

Structure/Formation: a. Had + subject + been + (verb+ing) + object + since/for + complement +?

b. Had + subject + been + (verb+ing) + since/for + object +?

Example:

Had we been taking tea for three minutes?
Had they been playing cricket since morning?
Had he been writing a letter for ten minutes?
Had the baby been sleeping for two hours?

Negative-Interrogative

Structure/Formation: a. Had + subject + not + been + (verb+ing) + object + since/for + complement +?

b. Had + subject + not + been + (verb+ing) + since/for + object +?

Example:

Had we not been taking tea for three minutes?
Had they not been playing cricket since morning?
Had he not been writing a letter for ten minutes?
Had the baby not been sleeping for two hours?

Future Perfect Continuous Tense

Here we will discuss the formation of the future perfect continuous tense with some examples of different types of sentences of the future perfect continuous tense. So, let’s have a look at the following rules and examples.

Affirmative

Structure/Formation: a. Subject + shall have been/will have been + (verb+ing) + object + since/for + complement

b. Subject + shall have been/will have been + (verb+ing) + since/for + object

Example:

We will have been taking tea for three minutes.
They will have been playing cricket since morning.
He will have been writing a letter for ten minutes.
The baby will have been sleeping for two hours.

Negative

Structure/Formation: a. Subject + will not have been + (verb+ing) + object + since/for + complement

b. Subject + will not have been + (verb+ing) + since/for + object

Example:

We will not have been taking tea for three minutes.
They will not have been playing cricket since morning.
He will not have been writing a letter for ten minutes.
The baby will not have been sleeping for two hours.

Interrogative

Structure/Formation: a. Will + subject + have been + (verb+ing) + object + since/for + complement +?

b. Will + subject + have been + (verb+ing) + since/for + object +?

Example:

Will we have been taking tea for three minutes?
Will they have been playing cricket since morning?
Will he have been writing a letter for ten minutes?
Will the baby have been sleeping for two hours?

Negative-Interrogative

Structure/Formation: a. Will + subject + not + have been + (verb+ing) + object + since/for + complement +?

b. Will + subject + not + have been + (verb+ing) + since/for + object +?

Example:

Will we not have been taking tea for three minutes?
Will they not have been playing cricket since morning?
Will he not have been writing a letter for ten minutes?
Will the baby not have been sleeping for two hours?

Tense with structure and example

Published by notepad on May 13, 2022May 13, 2022