Explanation of Tense & Present Tense in details with Rules, Examples and Use.

What is Tense? Classify Tense.

What is Present Tense & Discuss Present Tense in detail.

What is Tense?

Tense is all about time. In the language of grammar, the time of an action is called tense.

Types of Tense:-

Tense is divided into three types – 

• Present Tense
• Past Tense
• Future Tense

Present Tense

The time of an action that happens at the present time is called present tense. 

Simply put, the time of all present actions is termed as present tense.

Divisions of present tense:-

Present tense is further divided into four subdivisions.

These are – 

1. Present Indefinite Tense

2. Present Continuous Tense

3. Present Perfect Tense

4. Present Perfect Continuous Tense

1. Present Indefinite Tense

The time of an action that takes place at the time of speaking is called present indefinite tense.

It is also known as Simple Present Tense.

 It includes the times of present activities, habitual truths, universal truths and regular activities of present. For example –

I go.

You go.

We play.

They play.

He plays.

She plays.

The girl sings.

Sentences structure:-

Subject + V1/V5 + Object + Complement.

What’s V1?

It is the first form ( present form ) of verb. It is also known as base form of verb.

For instance – walk, talk, see, wander, write, compose, move, give, take etc.

Use of V1:

In present indefinite tense V1 ( present form of verb) is used with I/We/ You/ They/Plural noun ( used as subject)

Example: 

Subject                 Verb1

I                           play.

We                      play.

You                     play

They                   Play.

Children            play

Radha & Vidya play

What is V5?

The fifth form of verb is called V5. It is better known as s/es form of verb. When suffix s/es added with a verb it is called V5. For example – goes, walks, talks, writes, sings, watches, gives, composes, plays, sleeps, cooks etc 

Use of V5:

In present indefinite tense V5 is used with the subject written in 3rd person singular number. Examples include –

Subject                Verb5

He                     plays.

She                   plays.

It                       plays.

The child         plays

Rakesh            Plays.

Making sentences of present indefinite tense:

Step by step guide –

Step 1 – Find your subject & place at the beginning.

Step 2 – Find your verb & use the right form after the subject.

Step 3 – Find your object & place after the verb.

Step 4 – Look for the complement, if any, put just after the object

Step 5 – Use a enclosing punctuation mark and check  appropriateness of the sentence.

Model Examples:-

 Harish buys fruits from the market.

Rima goes to fetch a bucket of water from the pond.

Raima & Heidi wake up in the morning.

2. Present Continuous Tense

Continuous refers to something which is in continuation.

The time of an action which is in continuation at present i.e. happening now is called Present continuous tense. For example – Lakshmi is singing.

   I am drawing.

    Lila & Lata are crying.

Sentence structure:-

Subject + am/is/are + V4(verb + ing) + object + complement.

Use of am/is/are:-

I + am 

Example:-

 I am writing.

I am doing the sum.

I am sleeping on the bed.

We/ You/ They/ Plural + are

Examples:-

We are singing.

You are driving.

They are jumping.

Boys are skipping.

He/ She/ It/ Singular noun + is

He is driving.

She is gardening.

It is creeping.

Mala is washing.

V4 = Verb1 + ing. 

Also known as ing form of verb.

More examples:-

I. I am teaching English.

II. We are learning tense.

III. You are reading newspaper.

IV. He is cutting fruits.

V. She is designing placards.

VI. Kuljit is calling his parents.

VII. Mrs. Paul is watching television.

VIII.They are celebrating festival.

3. Present Perfect Tense

The time of an action which has just been completed is known as Present Perfect Tense. For example – 

I have seen your brother.

You have tasted the cup.

He has passed the exam.

The party has taken the decision.

Sentence structure:-

Subject + have/has + V3 + object + complement.

Use of have:-

In present perfect tense have, as an auxiliary verb,  is used with 1st person & 2nd person subjects ( both Singular & plural), and 3rd person plural subjects. Examples include – 

I have.

We have.

You have.

They have.

Men have.

Use of has:-

Has is exclusively used for 3rd person singular noun or pronoun, used as the subject.

Examples are – 

He has

She has

It has

The cow has

More examples of present perfect tense:-

I. I have bought a new car.

II. We have hired a great coach.

III. You have sent him a clear message.

IV. He has received our quick reply.

V. She has departed from London.

VI. The kite has fallen to the ground.

VII. The army has fought a battle for the country.

VIII. The teacher has taught this chapter of our course book.

4. Present Perfect Continuous Tense

The time of an action which started in the past and is still in progress (continuation) is said to be in present perfect continuous tense. 

Example:-

I have been learning English.

You have been doing research since 2015.

He has been helping the street dogs for the last 20 years.

Dr. Kuljit has been running campaign since 1990.

Sentence structure:-

Subject + have/has + been + V4 + Object + Complement.

Use of for & since.

In present perfect continuous tense 

For is used to denote duration of time.

Since is used to denote point of time.

More examples:-

I have been working here since 2000.

We have been living together since 1920.

You have been studying for 20 years.

He has been trading in the Asia for 12 years.

She has been looking for a job since 2015

Andrew has been helping the needy for the last 35years.

They have been contesting for the 1st prize since January 2021.

Highlight of the key points:-

•  Tense is the time of a work.
• There are 3 types of tenses – present tense, past tense & future tense.
• Present tense is divided into four subdivisions. These are – 

1. Present Indefinite Tense

2. Present Continuous Tense

3. Present Perfect Tense

4. Present Perfect Continuous Tense

• Sentence structure of –

1. Present Indefinite Tense –

Subject + V1/V5 + Object + Complement.

2. Present Continuous Tense –

Subject + am/is/are + V4(verb + ing) + object + complement.

3. Present Perfect Tense –

Subject + have/has + V3 + object + complement.

4. Present Perfect Continuous Tense –

Subject + have/has + been + V4 + Object + Complement.

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