Original EnglishLamp lesson with a visual learning surface.
VISUAL EXPLAINER · VERB FORMS
One action. Different time perspectives.
Start with the time reference, then notice whether the sentence describes a habit, an action in progress, or a completed action connected to another moment.
01 · FIND THE TIME
Anchor the action in time.
Ask whether the sentence is about an earlier event, a present habit or fact, or a later event. Time expressions can help, but the whole context matters.
EXAMPLEYesterday I wrote. Every day I write. Tomorrow I will write.
02 · SIMPLE FORMS
Simple forms describe the event as a whole.
Use simple forms for habits, facts and completed events. In the simple present, third-person singular subjects usually take -s or -es with ordinary verbs.
EXAMPLEI work. She works. They worked.
03 · CONTINUOUS
Show an action in progress.
A be-form plus the -ing form presents an action as ongoing at a particular time.
EXAMPLEShe is writing a message right now.
04 · PERFECT
Connect one time to another.
Perfect forms use have plus a past participle. The present perfect often connects an earlier action or experience to the present.
EXAMPLEShe has written three pages so far.
05 · CHOOSE FOR MEANING
Choose the form that matches the context.
Do not choose a tense only by memorising a formula. Decide what the listener needs to know: when it happened, whether it is ongoing, and whether it connects to another time.
EXAMPLEI have finished the task, so I can leave now.
Continue below for the full EnglishLamp lesson, its original examples and reference material.
Original EnglishLamp lesson•Reference learning mode
What is tense in Grammar?
Tense is used in our day to day life but we are unaware of it. We speak or write about anything which is happening around us. In any language, speaker uses the forms of verb in his sentences. We use the forms of verb in our speaking or writing to show the time of action. In English Grammar, the form of verb in sentence which shows time of action happened is called tense.
Each sentence gives us information about the time of action. According to time, we form sentence in particular tense to simplify the situation of time.
Like many languages, English also has three basic tenses.
Present
Past
Future
Each tense has four types. Now we shall see those one by one.
Present tense
In this we use the verb to refer present time. In this, action is done at the present time that is now, at the time of speaking. The formation of this sentence is in present.
Types
We shall see the types with examples.
Simple Present
I play football.
Continuous Present
I am playing football.
Perfect Present
I have played football.
Perfect Imperfect
I have been playing football.
Past tense
This sentence tells us the information about the action done in past. In this sentence, verb refers past time at the time of speaking. This sentence has the formation of past.
Types
Simple Past
I played football.
Continuous Past
I was playing football
Perfect Past
I had played football.
Perfect Imperfect Past
I had been playing football.
Future tense
.In this sentence, verb refers future time at the time of speaking. It means, this sentence gives information about the action which will be done in future. This sentence has the formation of future.
Types
Simple Future
I shall play football.
Continuous Future
I shall be playing football.
Perfect Future
I shall have played football.
Perfect Imperfect Future
I shall have been playing football.
Click on above links and you can get the information about the types of tenses.
