Tense for Class 7

What Do You Understand by Tense?

Every day, we discuss what we've done in the past, what we're doing now and what we intend to accomplish in the future. This is accomplished by using the verb "tenses" denoting time—past, present, and future.

Let's understand it further. We must conjugate our verbs differently to express when occurrences occur. The three most prevalent verb tenses are seen below.

→ Jack plays in the park. (Present tense)
→ Jack played in the park. (Past tense)
→ Jack will play in the park. (Future tense)

As you can see, the forms of the verbs alter with each tense. We can clarify this by inserting a specific time into the sentence:

→ Jack played in the park yesterday.
→ Jack plays football with Samuel every day.

Types of Tenses

Tenses are classified into three categories: past, present, and future. However, additional categories enable us to express ourselves more clearly inside each tense: simple, continuous, perfect and perfect continuous.

1. Present Tense

Present Indefinite Tense

The present indefinite tense is used to describe actions that happen regularly, repeatedly or are generally true. It is also used for scheduled events in the future.

Examples:

→ Jessica plays badminton every morning.
→ She eats breakfast at 7 o'clock in the morning.
→ They visit their grandparents every summer.

Present Continuous Tense

The present continuous tense is used to talk about actions that are happening right now or are currently in progress. It's formed by using the base form of the verb and adding "-ing" to it.

Examples:

→ We are reading a novel to write a synopsis.
→ Samuel is practising football for his Sunday match.
→ They are watching a horror movie in the drawing room.

Present Perfect Tense

The present perfect tense is used to show an action that started in the past and is still relevant in the present. It is formed by using the base form of the verb "have" (have/has) and the past participle of the main verb.

Examples:

→ The children have eaten lunch.
→ She has visited the museum.
→ They have played soccer for three hours.

Present Perfect Continuous Tense

The present perfect continuous tense is used to talk about actions or events that started in the past and continue up to the present or have just finished. It emphasizes the duration or ongoing nature of the action.

Examples:

 →I have been playing cricket for two hours.
→ She has been studying English since morning.
→ They have been watching a movie for three hours.

2. Past Tense

Past Indefinite Tense

A past tense is used to describe actions, events, or states that have already happened in the past. It is often formed by adding "-ed" to regular verbs.

Examples:

→ They played chess yesterday.
→ She watched a movie last night.
→ We visited our grandparents on the weekend.

Past Continuous Tense

The past continuous tense is used to describe actions that were happening in the past over a period of time. It is formed by using "was" or "were" with the base form of the verb, and it often includes a time reference.

Examples:

→ She was reading a book yesterday.
→ They were playing football when it started raining.
→ I was watching TV at 7 o'clock last night.

Past Perfect Tense

The past perfect tense is used to talk about an action that happened before another action in the past. It helps to show the order of events. We form the past perfect tense by using "had" + the past participle form of the verb.
Examples:

→ She had finished her homework before she went to play outside.
→ He had already eaten breakfast when his friend came over.
→ They had watched the movie before they had dinner.

Past Perfect Continuous Tense

The past perfect continuous tense is used to show an action that started in the past and continued for some time before another action took place. It is formed using "had been" + the base form of the verb + "-ing".

Examples:

→ She had been dancing for two hours before she got tired.
→ They had been studying all night before the exam.
→ He had been working at the company for five years before he got promoted.

3. Future Tense

Future Indefinite Tense or Simple Future Tense

The simple future tense is used to talk about things that will happen in the future. It is formed using the modal verb "will" followed by the base form of the main verb.

Examples:

→ I will go to the park tomorrow.
→ She will visit her grandparents next weekend.
→ They will have a party on Friday.

Future Continuous Tense

The future continuous tense is used to describe actions that will be happening at a specific time in the future. It is formed by using the helping verb "will" or "shall" and the base form of the verb with "ing" added to it.

Examples:

→ I will be studying for my exam tomorrow evening.
→ She will be playing with her friends at 4:00 p.m.
→ They will be watching a movie on Saturday.

Future Perfect Tense

The future perfect tense is used to talk about an action that will be completed in the future before another action takes place. It's formed by using "will have" followed by the past participle form of the verb.

Examples:

→ By the time I arrive, they will have finished the project.
→ She will have read the book before the movie comes out.
→ They will have eaten dinner by the time we get to the restaurant.

Future Perfect Continuous Tense

The future perfect continuous tense is used to describe actions or events that will be ongoing (happening continuously) at a specific point in the future. It is formed using "will have been" + the base form of the verb + "-ing" (present participle).

Examples:

→ By 7 o'clock tonight, I will have been studying for three hours.
→ She will have been dancing in the recital for two hours by the time it ends.
→ They will have been playing all afternoon.