Tense Forms in Everyday Use
Tense Forms in Everyday Use
Tense questions in the qualifying paper stay simple: fill in the correct form, or spot the wrong one. Two or three questions come from here, and they are almost always about the four everyday tenses rather than the rare ones, so a small, well-learnt table is enough.
The Twelve Forms
| Tense | Simple | Continuous | Perfect |
|---|---|---|---|
| Present | He writes | He is writing | He has written |
| Past | He wrote | He was writing | He had written |
| Future | He will write | He will be writing | He will have written |
Each row also has a perfect continuous form — has been writing, had been writing, will have been writing — which completes the twelve. In the qualifying paper the first three columns cover nearly everything asked.
When Each One Is Used
- Simple present — habits and general truths. The sun rises in the east. Water boils at 100 degrees.
- Present continuous — happening now. She is teaching at the moment.
- Present perfect — finished, but the time is not stated. I have finished my work.
- Simple past — finished, with the time stated. I finished my work yesterday.
The clearest rule is the last pair. If the sentence names a past time — yesterday, last year, in 2020 — use the simple past, never the present perfect. I have finished it yesterday is wrong; I finished it yesterday is right.
✗ I have seen him yesterday | ✓ With a stated past time use the simple past: I saw him yesterday
Signal Words
| Signal word | Tense |
|---|---|
| always, usually, every day | Simple present |
| now, at present, look! | Present continuous |
| already, just, yet, ever, never | Present perfect |
| yesterday, ago, last week, in 1990 | Simple past |
| since, for | Perfect or perfect continuous |
Since is used with a point of time and for with a length of time — since 2019, for three years. This single distinction is asked almost every year in qualifying papers.
सबसे आसान नियम: वाक्य में yesterday, ago, last हो तो simple past लगाएं, present perfect नहीं।
TRE pointer: Learn the signal words rather than the definitions — in a fill-in question the signal word gives the answer straight away. Fix two rules absolutely: stated past time takes the simple past, and since with a point of time, for with a length of time. These two cover most of the tense questions in a qualifying paper.
60-Second Recap
- There are twelve tense forms, but the qualifying paper mostly uses four.
- Simple present is for habits and general truths.
- Present perfect is used when the past time is not stated.
- If a past time is stated, use the simple past, not the present perfect.
- Already, just, yet and never signal the present perfect.
- Since takes a point of time; for takes a length of time.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why is 'I have seen him yesterday' wrong?
Because the present perfect cannot be used when the time is stated. Yesterday names a past time, so the sentence needs the simple past: I saw him yesterday. The present perfect is used only when the exact time is left unsaid, as in I have seen him.
What is the difference between since and for?
Since is followed by a point of time, such as since Monday or since 2019. For is followed by a length of time, such as for two hours or for three years. Both are used with perfect and perfect continuous tenses, and this distinction is asked frequently.
Which tense is used for a general truth?
The simple present. The sun rises in the east and water boils at a hundred degrees are both general truths, and they stay in the simple present regardless of when they are spoken. Habits also take the simple present, as in he goes to school daily.
How many tense forms are there in English?
Twelve, made from three times, present, past and future, combined with four aspects, simple, continuous, perfect and perfect continuous. In a qualifying paper the questions usually stay within the simple, continuous and perfect forms of the present and past.