Mastering English Tenses: A Comprehensive Guide by Oxford School of English, Delhi

Mastering English Tenses: A Comprehensive Guide by Oxford School of English, Delhi

-Published on 20th May 2023 by Oxford School of English-

Having trained over 100,000 students over 26 years, the Oxford School of English, Delhi is a leading institution in English learning. From offering Cambridge Interchange courses to specialized coaching for IELTS and PTE, we've got you covered. In this blog post, we'll help you unlock the complexities of all 12 English tenses, including their rules and examples for affirmative, negative, and interrogative forms.

Simple Present Tense

This tense is used for habitual actions and universal truths.

Affirmative: Subject + Base Verb (+s/es for third person singular). Eg: She reads books.

Negative: Subject + do/does + not + Base Verb. Eg: She does not read books.

Interrogative: Do/Does + Subject + Base Verb? Eg: Does she read books?

Present Continuous Tense

Describes ongoing actions or future plans.

Affirmative: Subject + is/am/are + Verb(ing). Eg: They are playing football.

Negative: Subject + is/am/are + not + Verb(ing). Eg: They are not playing football.

Interrogative: Is/Am/Are + Subject + Verb(ing)? Eg: Are they playing football?

Present Perfect Tense

Connects the past and present, indicating completed actions with present relevance.

Affirmative: Subject + has/have + Past Participle of Verb. Eg: He has completed his homework.

Negative: Subject + has/have + not + Past Participle of Verb. Eg: He has not completed his homework.

Interrogative: Has/Have + Subject + Past Participle of Verb? Eg: Has he completed his homework?

Present Perfect Continuous Tense

Describes actions that started in the past and are still ongoing, or recently stopped with effects still visible.

Affirmative: Subject + has/have + been + Verb(ing). Eg: They have been studying for three hours.

Negative: Subject + has/have + not + been + Verb(ing). Eg: They have not been studying for three hours.

Interrogative: Has/Have + Subject + been + Verb(ing)? Eg: Have they been studying for three hours?

Simple Past Tense

Narrates completed actions or states in the past.

Affirmative: Subject + Past form of Verb. Eg: She visited the zoo yesterday.

Negative: Subject + did + not + Base Verb. Eg: She did not visit the zoo yesterday.

Interrogative: Did + Subject + Base Verb? Eg: Did she visit the zoo yesterday?

Past Continuous Tense

Describes ongoing actions in the past.

Affirmative: Subject + was/were + Verb(ing). Eg: They were running when it started raining.

Negative: Subject + was/were + not + Verb(ing). Eg: They were not running when it started raining.

Interrogative: Was/Were + Subject + Verb(ing)? Eg: Were they running when it started raining?

Past Perfect Tense

Refers to an action completed before another past action.

Affirmative: Subject + had + Past Participle of Verb. Eg: He had left before you arrived.

Negative: Subject + had + not + Past Participle of Verb. Eg: He had not left before you arrived.

Interrogative: Had + Subject + Past Participle of Verb? Eg: Had he left before you arrived?

Past Perfect Continuous Tense

Describes an action ongoing for some time and completed before a past action.

Affirmative: Subject + had + been + Verb(ing). Eg: They had been working when she called.

Negative: Subject + had + not + been + Verb(ing). Eg: They had not been working when she called.

Interrogative: Had + Subject + been + Verb(ing)? Eg: Had they been working when she called?

Simple Future Tense

Talks about future actions.

Affirmative: Subject + will + Base Verb. Eg: She will go to the library tomorrow.

Negative: Subject + will + not + Base Verb. Eg: She will not go to the library tomorrow.

Interrogative: Will + Subject + Base Verb? Eg: Will she go to the library tomorrow?

Future Continuous Tense

Indicates an ongoing action that will occur in the future.

Affirmative: Subject + will be + Verb(ing). Eg: They will be travelling this time tomorrow.

Negative: Subject + will + not be + Verb(ing). Eg: They will not be travelling this time tomorrow.

Interrogative: Will + Subject + be + Verb(ing)? Eg: Will they be travelling this time tomorrow?

Future Perfect Tense

Describes an action that will be completed by a certain time in the future.

Affirmative: Subject + will + have + Past Participle of Verb. Eg: He will have arrived by the time you get home.

Negative: Subject + will + not have + Past Participle of Verb. Eg: He will not have arrived by the time you get home.

Interrogative: Will + Subject + have + Past Participle of Verb? Eg: Will he have arrived by the time you get home?

Future Perfect Continuous Tense

Describes an action that will continue up to a point in the future.

Affirmative: Subject + will + have been + Verb(ing). Eg: They will have been playing football for two hours by then.

Negative: Subject + will + not have been + Verb(ing). Eg: They will not have been playing football for two hours by then.

Interrogative: Will + Subject + have been + Verb(ing)? Eg: Will they have been playing football for two hours by then?

Learning all the English tenses can seem daunting, but with practice and dedication, you'll master them in no time. Remember, the Oxford School of English, Delhi is here to guide you on your language learning journey.