Unit 2: Tenses - Subjective Questions

Present tenses describe actions or situations connected with the present time. They include the present simple, present continuous, present perfect, and present perfect continuous.

• Present simple: She works in a bank.
• Present continuous: She is working now.
• Present perfect: She has completed the report.
• Present perfect continuous: She has been working since morning.

Past tenses describe actions or situations that occurred before the time of speaking.

• Past simple: She worked yesterday.
• Past continuous: She was working at 5 p.m.
• Past perfect: She had completed the report before the meeting.
• Past perfect continuous: She had been working for three hours.

Future tenses describe actions or situations expected to happen later.

• Future simple: She will work tomorrow.
• Future continuous: She will be working at 5 p.m.
• Future perfect: She will have completed the report by Friday.
• Future perfect continuous: She will have been working for three hours by noon.

The choice of tense depends on whether the speaker wants to emphasize a fact, an action in progress, completion, duration, arrangement, prediction, or intention.

The present simple tense is formed as follows:

• Affirmative: subject + base verb. With he, she, or it, add -s or -es.
  • I play tennis.
  • She watches television.
• Negative: subject + do not or does not + base verb.
  • They do not play tennis.
  • He does not watch television.
• Interrogative: Do or Does + subject + base verb?
  • Do you play tennis?
  • Does she watch television?

It is used for:

• Habits and routines: He goes to work by bus.
• General truths: Water boils at 100 degrees Celsius.
• Permanent situations: They live in London.
• Timetables and schedules: The train leaves at 8 a.m.
• Instructions or commentaries: First, you add the flour.

The main rule is that the main verb remains in its base form after do, does, do not, or does not.

The present continuous tense is formed with the present form of be followed by the present participle:

• Affirmative: subject + am/is/are + verb-ing.
  • I am reading.
  • They are studying.
• Negative: subject + am/is/are not + verb-ing.
  • She is not sleeping.
• Interrogative: Am/Is/Are + subject + verb-ing?
  • Are you listening?

It is used for:

• Actions happening now: The students are writing.
• Temporary situations: He is staying with his uncle this week.
• Developing situations: Technology is changing rapidly.
• Definite future arrangements: We are meeting the manager tomorrow.

The present simple describes habits, facts, and permanent situations, while the present continuous describes actions in progress or temporary situations.

• She works at a hospital. This is her regular job.
• She is working at the hospital today. This refers to a temporary or current activity.

Stative verbs such as know, believe, understand, and own are usually not used in the continuous form.

The present perfect tense is formed with has or have and the past participle of the main verb:

• Affirmative: subject + has/have + past participle.
  • She has visited Paris.
• Negative: subject + has/have not + past participle.
  • They have not finished the task.
• Interrogative: Has/Have + subject + past participle?
  • Have you seen this film?

The present perfect is used for:

• Past actions with present results: I have lost my keys.
• Experiences without a specific past time: He has travelled to Japan.
• Actions continuing until now: We have lived here for five years.
• Recently completed actions: She has just arrived.

The past simple is used for completed actions at a definite time in the past:

• I lost my keys yesterday.
• He travelled to Japan in 2022.

The present perfect is normally used with ever, never, already, yet, just, since, and for. The past simple is used with finished-time expressions such as yesterday, last week, in 2019, and two days ago.

The past simple tense describes completed actions, events, or situations that occurred at a definite time in the past.

Formation:

• Affirmative: subject + past form of the verb.
  • Regular verb: She visited her friend.
  • Irregular verb: He went home.
• Negative: subject + did not + base verb.
  • She did not visit her friend.
• Interrogative: Did + subject + base verb?
  • Did he go home?

Regular verbs usually form the past by adding -ed, although spelling changes may occur:

• work becomes worked
• study becomes studied
• stop becomes stopped

Irregular verbs have special past forms:

• go becomes went
• take becomes took
• write becomes wrote

The past simple is used for completed past actions, sequences of past events, past habits, and past states:

• They arrived at noon.
• She opened the door and entered the room.
• I played football when I was young.

The past continuous tense is formed with was or were followed by the present participle:

• Affirmative: subject + was/were + verb-ing.
  • I was reading.
  • They were travelling.
• Negative: subject + was/were not + verb-ing.
  • She was not listening.
• Interrogative: Was/Were + subject + verb-ing?
  • Were they waiting?

The past continuous is used for:

• An action in progress at a particular past time: At 8 p.m., I was studying.
• A longer background action interrupted by a shorter action: I was sleeping when the phone rang.
• Two actions happening simultaneously: She was cooking while he was setting the table.
• Describing the atmosphere or background in a story.

The past simple usually presents the completed or interrupting event, while the past continuous presents the action already in progress:

• The children were playing when it started to rain.

With while, both clauses often use the past continuous when the actions were simultaneous:

• While I was driving, my brother was talking on the phone.

The past perfect tense is formed with had and the past participle of the main verb:

• Affirmative: subject + had + past participle.
  • They had left before I arrived.
• Negative: subject + had not + past participle.
  • She had not completed the work.
• Interrogative: Had + subject + past participle?
  • Had he finished the report?

The past perfect identifies the action that happened first when two past events are discussed. Its sequence can be shown as:

Example:

• The film had started before we entered the cinema.

Here, had started happened first, and entered happened later.

The past simple normally describes the later completed event:

• The film started at 7 p.m.

The past perfect is especially useful when the order of events is not already clear from words such as before, after, or then. It can also describe a condition or experience that existed before another past time:

• She was tired because she had worked all day.

The future simple with will is formed with will followed by the base form of the verb:

• Affirmative: subject + will + base verb.
  • I will call you later.
• Negative: subject + will not or won't + base verb.
  • They will not agree.
• Interrogative: Will + subject + base verb?
  • Will she attend the meeting?

It is used for:

• Predictions based on personal opinion: I think the team will win.
• Decisions made at the moment of speaking: The phone is ringing. I will answer it.
• Promises: I will help you with the project.
• Offers: I will carry your bag.
• Requests: Will you open the window?
• Warnings or threats: You will regret that decision.

The contraction won't is common in speech, while will not may be used for emphasis or formal writing. After will, the main verb must remain in its base form: She will go, not She will goes.

Several structures express future time, but they emphasize different meanings.

Will is used for predictions based on opinion, spontaneous decisions, promises, offers, and requests:

• I think prices will increase.
• I will answer the phone.

Be going to is used for plans or intentions made before speaking and predictions based on present evidence:

• We are going to move to a new office.
• Look at those clouds. It is going to rain.

Its formation is am/is/are + going to + base verb.

The present continuous is used for definite arrangements, usually involving a time, place, or another person:

• I am meeting the director at 10 a.m. tomorrow.
• They are flying to Delhi next Monday.

The main distinction is:

• Will: decision or prediction at the time of speaking.
• Be going to: prior intention or evidence-based prediction.
• Present continuous: fixed personal arrangement.

These forms may sometimes describe the same future event, but the speaker's intention and evidence determine the most appropriate choice.

The future continuous tense is formed with will be followed by the present participle:

• This time tomorrow, I will be travelling.
• They will not be working at midnight.
• Will she be staying with us?

It is used for:

• An action that will be in progress at a particular future time: At 6 p.m., we will be having dinner.
• An expected routine or event: He will be attending the conference next week.
• Polite questions about someone's plans: Will you be using the computer this afternoon?

The future perfect tense is formed with will have and the past participle:

• By Friday, I will have completed the assignment.
• They will not have arrived by noon.
• Will you have finished the work by then?

It is used for an action that will be completed before a specified future time or event.

The difference is that the future continuous emphasizes an action in progress, whereas the future perfect emphasizes completion:

• At 9 p.m., she will be studying.
• By 9 p.m., she will have finished studying.

An imperative sentence gives an order, instruction, command, request, warning, or advice. The subject you is usually understood and omitted.

Positive imperatives use the base form of the verb:

• Open the door.
• Please take a seat.
• Turn left at the traffic lights.

A negative imperative is formed with do not or don't followed by the base verb:

• Do not touch the equipment.
• Don't speak loudly.
• Please don't forget your passport.

In formal instructions, do not is more common:

• Do not enter this area without permission.

In informal speech, don't is common:

• Don't worry about the result.

The structure let's not + base verb is used to make a negative suggestion involving the speaker and others:

• Let's not waste any more time.

Imperatives can be made more polite with words such as please, or by using indirect expressions such as Please could you close the window?

A question tag is a short question added to the end of a statement. It is used to confirm information, invite agreement, or maintain conversation.

The general rule is:

• A positive statement takes a negative tag.
  • She is ready, isn't she?
• A negative statement takes a positive tag.
  • She isn't ready, is she?

The auxiliary or modal verb in the statement is repeated in the tag, followed by a pronoun:

• Present simple: You like music, don't you?
• Present continuous: He is working, isn't he?
• Present perfect: They have arrived, haven't they?
• Past simple with did: She called you, didn't she?
• Past continuous: We were waiting, weren't we?
• Past perfect: He had left, hadn't he?
• Future with will: You will come, won't you?
• Future with be going to: They are going to travel, aren't they?

When the statement has no auxiliary verb, use do, does, or did according to the tense and subject.

Present-tense question tags are formed according to the auxiliary verb and the polarity of the statement.

• Present simple affirmative: She speaks French, doesn't she?
• Present simple negative: They don't live here, do they?
• Present continuous affirmative: He is driving, isn't he?
• Present continuous negative: You aren't leaving, are you?
• Present perfect affirmative: We have met before, haven't we?
• Present perfect negative: She hasn't finished, has she?

Important rules and exceptions include:

• After I am, the tag is usually aren't I?: I am late, aren't I?
• After there is or there are, use isn't there? or aren't there?: There is a problem, isn't there?
• With indefinite pronouns such as everyone, someone, and nobody, the tag commonly uses they: Everyone is ready, aren't they?
• With this and that, use it: This is your book, isn't it?
• With these and those, use they: Those are your keys, aren't they?

The tag must agree with the statement in tense, auxiliary, polarity, and subject reference.

Past-tense question tags use the auxiliary that belongs to the particular past tense.

Past simple: Use did or didn't when the statement contains an ordinary verb.

• Positive: She visited the museum, didn't she?
• Negative: They didn't attend the lecture, did they?

The main verb in the statement remains in the past form, but the tag uses did plus the pronoun.

Past continuous: Repeat was or were.

• He was sleeping, wasn't he?
• We weren't disturbing you, were we?

Past perfect: Repeat had or hadn't.

• They had completed the work, hadn't they?
• She hadn't seen the message, had she?

The polarity rule remains unchanged: positive statements take negative tags, and negative statements take positive tags. The pronoun in the tag must refer correctly to the subject of the statement.

Future question tags depend on the auxiliary used in the future construction.

Future simple with will:

• Positive: You will attend the meeting, won't you?
• Negative: He won't be late, will he?

Be going to: Repeat the present form of be because going to uses am, is, or are:

• She is going to apply, isn't she?
• They aren't going to cancel it, are they?

Present continuous with future meaning: Repeat am, is, or are:

• We are meeting at noon, aren't we?
• I am leaving tomorrow, aren't I?

The tag agrees with the grammatical form of the statement, even when that form expresses future time. Thus, They are going to travel, aren't they? uses are, not will, because the statement is grammatically based on be going to.

The present perfect connects a past event with the present, while the past simple presents a finished event located at a definite past time.

Unspecified time versus specified time:

• Present perfect: I have read that book.
• Past simple: I read that book last summer.

Life experience:

• Present perfect: She has visited Canada. The exact time is not stated.
• Past simple: She visited Canada in 2021. The time is specified.

Present result:

• Present perfect: He has broken his glasses. The result is relevant now.
• Past simple: He broke his glasses yesterday. The event is located in a completed past time.

Unfinished and finished periods:

• I have written three emails this morning. The morning may still be continuing.
• I wrote three emails yesterday morning. Yesterday morning is finished.

The present perfect commonly appears with since, for, already, yet, ever, and never. The past simple appears with yesterday, last year, ago, and specific dates.

The past simple describes completed events in the past, usually in the order in which they happened:

• She entered the room and switched on the light.

The past perfect describes an event that happened before another past event. It is formed with had + past participle:

• She had entered the room before she switched on the light.

Common time connectors include before, after, when, by the time, already, and until then.

Examples:

• After he had finished dinner, he went for a walk.
• By the time the police arrived, the thief had escaped.
• When I reached the station, the train had already left.

If the order is clear from the connector, the past perfect may sometimes be optional in informal communication:

• After she finished work, she went home.

However, the past perfect is useful when it prevents confusion or emphasizes that one action was completed before another past point.

The corrected sentences are:

• (a) She went to the market yesterday.
  • Yesterday is a finished and definite past-time expression, so the past simple is required. The present perfect is not normally used with a finished time such as yesterday.
• (b) When I arrived, they had left.
  • The leaving happened before the arrival, so the past perfect clarifies the earlier past action.
• (c) He will go tomorrow.
  • After the modal will, use the base form of the verb, not the third-person form goes.
• (d) I know the answer.
  • Know is a stative verb and is not normally used in the present continuous. The present simple is appropriate.

These corrections show the importance of checking time expressions, the sequence of past events, modal verb patterns, and the difference between action verbs and stative verbs.

A suitable narrative is:

When I arrived at the airport, the passengers were waiting near the departure gate. I had forgotten my passport at home, so I called my brother. While I was speaking to him, an airport officer announced the final boarding call. My brother brought the passport, and I boarded the plane just in time.

The functions of the tenses are:

• Past simple: arrived, called, announced, brought, and boarded describe completed events that move the narrative forward.
• Past continuous: were waiting and was speaking describe actions in progress and provide background information.
• Past perfect: had forgotten identifies an event that occurred before the main past events.

A well-formed narrative uses these tenses together to show sequence, background activity, interruptions, and earlier causes.

The three tenses refer to present time but emphasize different aspects.

Present simple describes regular habits, facts, and permanent situations:

• She teaches English.
• They exercise every morning.

Present continuous describes an action happening now or a temporary situation:

• She is teaching a class now.
• They are exercising at the gym this week.

Present perfect continuous is formed with has/have been + verb-ing. It emphasizes an activity that began in the past and continues to the present, or has recently stopped with a visible result:

• She has been teaching English for ten years.
• They have been exercising since 6 a.m.
• He is tired because he has been running.

The main contrast is:

• Present simple: regularity or general truth.
• Present continuous: activity in progress or temporary activity.
• Present perfect continuous: duration from the past up to the present or recent ongoing activity.

The expressions for and since are frequently used with the present perfect continuous.