English Grammar – Tenses – PYQ Junction Notes

        This note gives a complete but easy revision of English tenses for competitive exams. Learn the structure, use, and examples carefully.
    

1) Tense meaning

Tense shows the time of an action. It tells whether something happens in the present, happened in the past, or will happen in the future.

Present = now or general truth
Past = before now
Future = after now

2) 12 tenses

English has 12 tenses. Each time group has 4 forms: simple, continuous, perfect, and perfect continuous.

Time	Simple	Continuous	Perfect	Perfect Continuous
Present	V1 / s-es	am/is/are + V1-ing	has/have + V3	has/have been + V1-ing
Past	V2	was/were + V1-ing	had + V3	had been + V1-ing
Future	will + V1	will be + V1-ing	will have + V3	will have been + V1-ing

3) Present tenses

Simple Present

Use: habits, facts, routines, general truths.

She goes to school every day.
The sun rises in the east.

Present Continuous

Use: action happening now.

He is reading now.
They are playing cricket.

Present Perfect

Use: completed action with present result.

I have finished my work.
She has gone home.

Present Perfect Continuous

Use: action started in the past and continuing now.

I have been studying for two hours.
They have been living here since 2020.

4) Past tenses

Simple Past

Use: completed action in the past.

She wrote a letter yesterday.
We visited Agra last year.

Past Continuous

Use: action going on in the past.

I was reading when he called.
They were watching TV at 8 p.m.

Past Perfect

Use: action completed before another past action.

She had left before I arrived.
I had finished my work before dinner.

Past Perfect Continuous

Use: action that had been going on before another past point.

They had been waiting for an hour.
He had been studying before the teacher came.

5) Future tenses

Simple Future

Use: future action, promise, or prediction.

I will help you.
It will rain tomorrow.

Future Continuous

Use: action going on at a future time.

She will be traveling tomorrow.
I will be studying at 8 p.m.

Future Perfect

Use: action completed before a future time.

He will have finished by 5 p.m.
They will have left before you come.

Future Perfect Continuous

Use: action continuing up to a future point.

I will have been studying for three hours by night.
She will have been working here for five years next month.

6) Time words

Word / phrase	Usually used with
Every day, always, usually	Simple Present
Now, right now, at present	Present Continuous
Already, just, yet	Present Perfect
Since, for	Perfect / Perfect Continuous
Yesterday, ago, last night	Simple Past
When, while	Past Continuous / Past Perfect
Tomorrow, next week, soon	Future Tenses

7) Common mistakes

He go to school daily → He goes to school daily. I am go now → I am going now. She has went home → She has gone home. They was playing → They were playing.

8) Quick revision

Present = now or routine
Past = finished before now
Future = will happen later
Simple = regular or one-time action
Continuous = action in progress
Perfect = completed before a point
Perfect continuous = started earlier and still continues