THEORY

The 12 Tenses — Master Table

Sample verb: write (irregular: write – wrote – written). Subject: I/we/you/they unless noted.

Note: Traditionally shall is used with I/we and will with he/she/it/you/they for the plain future. In modern usage will is acceptable with all persons; shall with the second/third person expresses determination, command or promise (You shall obey.).

Present Tenses

Rule 1 — Present Simple: universal truths, habits, repeated actions, fixed timetables. Use it for general truths, scientific facts, habitual/regular actions (often with always, usually, every day, never), and for scheduled events governed by a timetable.

1. The sun rises in the east. (universal truth)
2. Water boils at 100°C. (scientific fact)
3. She goes to the temple every morning. (habit)
4. The train leaves at 6 p.m. tomorrow. (fixed timetable, future meaning)
5. Honesty is the best policy. (proverb / general truth)

Rule 2 — Present Continuous: actions happening now, temporary actions, and fixed future arrangements. Use it for an action in progress at the moment of speaking, a temporary situation around the present, and a definite future arrangement (often with a time expression).

1. Look! The baby is crying. (happening now)
2. I am reading a fine novel these days. (temporary, around now)
3. We are meeting the principal tomorrow at ten. (fixed future arrangement)
4. She is staying with her aunt this week. (temporary)
5. They are building a new bridge over the river. (in progress)

Rule 3 — Present Perfect: a past action with present relevance/result, or one continuing up to now. Use it with since, for, just, already, yet, ever, never, recently, so far, lately. Never use it with a finished past-time adverb such as yesterday, last week, in 2010, ago — those require the past simple.

1. I have just finished my homework.
2. She has lived in Lucknow since 2015.
3. We have already seen this film.
4. Have you ever visited the Taj Mahal?
5. He has not arrived yet.

Caution: I have met him yesterday is wrong. Say I met him yesterday. (Past simple with a finished time word.)

Rule 4 — Present Perfect Continuous: an action that began in the past and is still continuing (or has just stopped), with emphasis on duration. Often used with since (point) and for (period).

1. It has been raining since morning.
2. They have been waiting for two hours.
3. I have been learning French for six months.
4. She has been working here since 2019.
5. Why are you tired? — I have been running. (recently stopped, present result)

Past Tenses

Rule 5 — Past Simple: a completed action at a definite past time. Use it with finished time markers (yesterday, last night, in 1947, two days ago, then).

1. India became independent in 1947.
2. I met her yesterday.
3. He wrote the answer quickly.
4. We visited Agra last summer.
5. The bell rang at nine.

Rule 6 — Past Continuous: an action in progress at a point in the past; the longer action interrupted by a shorter one (in past simple).

1. I was reading when the lights went out.
2. They were playing cricket at five o'clock.
3. While she was cooking, the phone rang.
4. It was raining heavily all night.
5. What were you doing at midnight?

Rule 7 — Past Perfect: the earlier of two past actions. The action that happened first takes had + V3; the later action takes the past simple. Common with before, after, when, by the time, already.

1. The train had left before we reached the station.
2. She had finished her work when I arrived.
3. After the guests had gone, we cleaned the hall.
4. By the time the police came, the thief had escaped.
5. I realised that I had met him before.

Tip: With before/after the order is often obvious, so the past simple is sometimes accepted; but where two past events must be sequenced clearly, the past perfect marks the earlier one.

Rule 8 — Past Perfect Continuous: an action that had been going on for a period before another past action.

1. She had been teaching for ten years before she retired.
2. They had been waiting for an hour when the bus arrived.
3. He was tired because he had been working all day.
4. I had been living in Delhi for five years before I moved here.
5. The ground was wet; it had been raining.

Future Tenses

Rule 9 — Future Simple: a plain prediction, spontaneous decision, promise or offer. Use will/shall + V1. Use be going to + V1 for a present intention/plan or for a prediction based on present evidence.

1. I shall help you tomorrow. (promise)
2. It will rain soon. (prediction)
3. The phone is ringing — I will answer it. (spontaneous decision)
4. We are going to build a new house. (intention/plan)
5. Look at those clouds! It is going to rain. (evidence-based prediction)

Rule 10 — Future Continuous: an action that will be in progress at a point in the future.

1. This time tomorrow I shall be flying to London.
2. They will be playing the final at noon.
3. Don't call at eight; we shall be having dinner.
4. She will be waiting for you at the gate.
5. By evening the workers will be painting the wall.

Rule 11 — Future Perfect: an action that will be completed before a stated future time.

1. By next June I shall have completed the course.
2. They will have finished the project by Friday.
3. By the time you arrive, I shall have left.
4. She will have read the book by tomorrow.
5. By 2030 the city will have doubled its population.

Rule 12 — Future Perfect Continuous: an action that will have been continuing for a period up to a future point.

1. By next month I shall have been working here for ten years.
2. By midnight they will have been travelling for twelve hours.
3. In May she will have been teaching for two decades.
4. By the time he retires, he will have been serving the school for thirty years.
5. By six o'clock we shall have been waiting for three hours.

Since vs For

Rule: Use since before a point of time (a specific moment when the period began); use for before a period/length of time (the whole duration). Both go chiefly with the perfect tenses.

1. I have known her since 2010. (point)
2. I have known her for ten years. (period)
3. It has been raining since Monday. (point)
4. It has been raining for three days. (period)
5. He has been ill since last week / for a week.

Test: Could you finish the phrase with a clock-time, day, date or event? Use since. Is it a quantity of time (years, hours, days)? Use for.

Special Rules

Rule A — Present tense (not will/shall) after when, if, as soon as, until, before, after, by the time, the moment in a future sense. The main clause carries the future; the subordinate clause stays in the present.

1. I shall call you when she arrives. (not will arrive)
2. We will start as soon as he comes.
3. Wait here until I return.
4. If it rains, we shall stay at home.
5. I shall meet you before you leave.

Rule B — "It is high time / It is time / It is about time" + subject + past subjunctive (past simple). Though the meaning is present/future, the verb takes the past form.

1. It is high time we started the work.
2. It is time you went to bed.
3. It is high time the government took action.
4. It is about time she realised her mistake.
5. It is high time we changed our methods.

Rule C — "as if / as though" + past subjunctive. When the clause expresses something contrary to fact in the present, use the past tense; with be, use were for all persons.

1. He talks as if he knew everything.
2. She behaves as though she were the queen.
3. You look as if you had seen a ghost. (earlier unreal action — past perfect)
4. He spends money as if he were a millionaire.
5. They act as though they owned the place.

Sequence of Tenses

Rule: When the main verb is past, the verb in the subordinate clause is normally also past. A present in the main clause allows any tense in the subordinate clause.

1. He said that he was ill. (main past → subordinate past)
2. I thought that she would come. (will → would)
3. She knew that he had left.
4. I did not know who he was.
5. We hoped that they had reached safely.

Universal-truth exception: If the subordinate clause states a universal truth, scientific fact or habitual truth, it stays in the present even after a past main verb. The teacher said that the earth moves round the sun. (not moved)

Stative Verbs (not used in the continuous)

Rule: Verbs of perception, emotion, possession, thought and state describe conditions rather than actions, so they are normally not used in the continuous form.

• Mental/thought: know, believe, understand, mean, remember, forget, suppose, doubt, recognise.
• Emotion: like, love, hate, prefer, want, wish, desire.
• Possession: have (= possess), own, belong, possess.
• Perception: see, hear, smell, taste, notice (involuntary).
• Being/seeming: be, seem, appear, look, contain, consist, resemble, need, cost, weigh.

1. I know the answer. (not am knowing)
2. This bag belongs to me. (not is belonging)
3. She likes mangoes. (not is liking)
4. I understand your point. (not am understanding)
5. It seems easy. (not is seeming)

Exception: Some stative verbs become dynamic with a changed meaning: I am having lunch (= eating), He is seeing the doctor (= consulting), I am thinking of moving (= considering), You are being silly (= behaving).

COMMON EXAM ERRORS

EXAM TRICKS

• Spot the time-marker first. The adverb of time usually fixes the tense:
  • Present simple: always, usually, every day, generally, never, often, seldom.
  • Present continuous: now, at the moment, right now, look!, listen!, these days.
  • Present perfect: just, already, yet, ever, never, recently, lately, so far, since, for.
  • Past simple: yesterday, ago, last (week/year), in 1990, then, that day.
  • Past perfect: before, after, by the time, already (in a past narrative), no sooner...than, hardly...when.
  • Future perfect: by + future time (by next year, by Friday, by the time...).
• "Since/For" trap: if a perfect tense is present, decide point (since) vs period (for). A bare "since five years" is a planted error — pick "for".
• "Yesterday + have" is always wrong — eliminate that option instantly.
• After when/if/until/as soon as reject any "will/shall" in that clause.
• "It is high time / as if" distractors offer a present-tense option to tempt you — choose the past.
• Reported speech with a past reporting verb — pick the back-shifted (past) form unless it is a universal truth.
• Two past actions — the one that happened first takes had + V3.
• Stative-verb distractor: any "-ing" form of know/believe/belong/like is a trap; choose the simple form.

FREQUENTLY CONFUSED PAIRS

EXCEPTIONS — Important, Rare & Advanced

• Universal truth keeps the present even when the main verb is past: Galileo proved that the earth moves.
• It is time / It is high time + past subjunctive though the meaning is present/future: It is high time we left.
• Timetable future in the present simple: scheduled events take the present simple even for the future: The plane takes off at 7 p.m. tomorrow.
• "As if/as though" + were for all persons (subjunctive): He behaves as if he were a king.
• Stative verbs turning dynamic with new meaning: I am having a bath, You are being rude.
• Present continuous for a fixed future arrangement: We are leaving tomorrow.
• Historic present: the present simple used for vivid narration of past events in storytelling/headlines: Gandhi arrives in London, 1931.
• "This is the first time..." + present perfect: This is the first time I have flown.
• Wish/if only + past (unreal present), + past perfect (unreal past): I wish I knew; I wish I had known.

50 MCQs

Easy (1–15)

1. The sun ____ in the east.

(a) rise (b) rises (c) is rising (d) rose
Answer: (b) rises
Explanation: A universal truth takes the present simple; subject "sun" is third person singular, so "rises".

2. Look! The children ____ in the garden.

(a) play (b) plays (c) are playing (d) played
Answer: (c) are playing
Explanation: "Look!" signals an action happening now → present continuous.

3. I ____ him yesterday.

(a) have met (b) met (c) meet (d) have been meeting
Answer: (b) met
Explanation: "Yesterday" is finished time, so the past simple is required.

4. She ____ in Lucknow since 2015.

(a) lives (b) lived (c) has lived (d) is living
Answer: (c) has lived
Explanation: "Since 2015" denotes an action continuing to now → present perfect.

5. Water ____ at 100°C.

(a) boil (b) boils (c) is boiling (d) boiled
Answer: (b) boils
Explanation: A scientific fact takes the present simple.

6. They ____ cricket at five o'clock yesterday.

(a) play (b) were playing (c) have played (d) are playing
Answer: (b) were playing
Explanation: An action in progress at a past point → past continuous.

7. I have known her ____ ten years.

(a) since (b) from (c) for (d) by
Answer: (c) for
Explanation: "Ten years" is a period of time, so "for".

8. He ____ to Delhi last week.

(a) has gone (b) went (c) goes (d) had gone
Answer: (b) went
Explanation: "Last week" is finished time → past simple.

9. By next June I ____ the course.

(a) shall complete (b) complete (c) shall have completed (d) completed
Answer: (c) shall have completed
Explanation: Completion before a future time → future perfect.

10. She ____ to the temple every morning.

(a) is going (b) goes (c) go (d) has gone
Answer: (b) goes
Explanation: A daily habit → present simple, third person "goes".

11. It ____ since morning.

(a) rains (b) is raining (c) has been raining (d) rained
Answer: (c) has been raining
Explanation: Action begun in the past and still continuing with "since" → present perfect continuous.

12. I ____ the answer.

(a) am knowing (b) know (c) knows (d) is knowing
Answer: (b) know
Explanation: "Know" is a stative verb; no continuous; subject "I" takes "know".

13. The train ____ at 6 p.m. tomorrow.

(a) leaves (b) is leaving (c) will leave (d) left
Answer: (a) leaves
Explanation: A fixed timetable takes the present simple for the future. (Both "leaves" and "is leaving" can express a fixed schedule, but the present simple is the standard timetable form.)

14. We ____ the principal tomorrow at ten.

(a) meet (b) are meeting (c) met (d) have met
Answer: (b) are meeting
Explanation: A fixed personal future arrangement → present continuous.

15. India ____ independent in 1947.

(a) becomes (b) became (c) has become (d) had become
Answer: (b) became
Explanation: Definite past time "in 1947" → past simple.

Moderate (16–35)

16. The train ____ before we reached the station.

(a) left (b) has left (c) had left (d) was leaving
Answer: (c) had left
Explanation: The earlier of two past actions takes the past perfect.

17. It is high time we ____ the work.

(a) start (b) started (c) will start (d) have started
Answer: (b) started
Explanation: "It is high time" is followed by the past subjunctive.

18. I shall call you when she ____.

(a) will arrive (b) arrives (c) arrived (d) is arriving
Answer: (b) arrives
Explanation: After "when" in a future sense, use the present simple, not "will".

19. He talks as if he ____ everything.

(a) knows (b) knew (c) has known (d) will know
Answer: (b) knew
Explanation: "As if" expressing an unreal present takes the past subjunctive.

20. He said that he ____ ill.

(a) is (b) was (c) has been (d) will be
Answer: (b) was
Explanation: Sequence of tenses: a past reporting verb requires a past subordinate verb.

21. They ____ for two hours when the bus finally arrived.

(a) waited (b) were waiting (c) had been waiting (d) have been waiting
Answer: (c) had been waiting
Explanation: A duration completed before another past action → past perfect continuous.

22. This bag ____ to me.

(a) is belonging (b) belongs (c) belong (d) has been belonging
Answer: (b) belongs
Explanation: "Belong" is stative; no continuous form.

23. If it ____ tomorrow, we shall stay at home.

(a) will rain (b) rains (c) rained (d) is raining
Answer: (b) rains
Explanation: No "will" in the if-clause of a future (first) conditional.

24. The teacher said that the earth ____ round the sun.

(a) moved (b) moves (c) had moved (d) was moving
Answer: (b) moves
Explanation: A universal truth stays in the present even after a past main verb.

25. By the time the police came, the thief ____.

(a) escaped (b) has escaped (c) had escaped (d) was escaping
Answer: (c) had escaped
Explanation: The earlier past action → past perfect.

26. I have been learning French ____ six months.

(a) since (b) for (c) from (d) during
Answer: (b) for
Explanation: "Six months" is a period → "for".

27. She ____ here since 2019.

(a) works (b) is working (c) has been working (d) worked
Answer: (c) has been working
Explanation: Continuing action with "since" → present perfect continuous.

28. This time tomorrow I ____ to London.

(a) shall fly (b) shall be flying (c) fly (d) am flying
Answer: (b) shall be flying
Explanation: An action in progress at a future point → future continuous.

29. Hardly ____ the station when the train left.

(a) I had reached (b) had I reached (c) I reached (d) did I reach
Answer: (b) had I reached
Explanation: "Hardly" at the start requires inversion with the past perfect.

30. We ____ already ____ this film.

(a) had / seen (b) have / seen (c) have / saw (d) has / seen
Answer: (b) have / seen
Explanation: "Already" with present relevance → present perfect "have seen".

31. She behaves as though she ____ the queen.

(a) is (b) was (c) were (d) has been
Answer: (c) were
Explanation: In the unreal subjunctive, "be" becomes "were" for all persons.

32. He had been teaching for ten years before he ____.

(a) retires (b) retired (c) had retired (d) was retiring
Answer: (b) retired
Explanation: The later past action takes the past simple; the earlier ongoing one is past perfect continuous.

33. Wait here until I ____.

(a) will return (b) return (c) returned (d) shall return
Answer: (b) return
Explanation: After "until" in a future sense, use the present, not "will".

34. By next month I ____ here for ten years.

(a) shall work (b) shall be working (c) shall have been working (d) work
Answer: (c) shall have been working
Explanation: Duration up to a future point → future perfect continuous.

35. This is the first time I ____ an aeroplane.

(a) flew (b) fly (c) have flown (d) am flying
Answer: (c) have flown
Explanation: "This is the first time" is followed by the present perfect.

Difficult (36–50)

36. No sooner ____ the bell rung than the students rushed out.

(a) has (b) had (c) was (d) did
Answer: (b) had
Explanation: "No sooner...than" with a past narrative takes inversion + past perfect: "had the bell rung".

37. I wish I ____ the truth earlier.

(a) knew (b) know (c) had known (d) have known
Answer: (c) had known
Explanation: "Wish" about an unreal past takes the past perfect.

38. Scarcely had he sat down ____ the phone rang.

(a) than (b) when (c) then (d) that
Answer: (b) when
Explanation: "Scarcely...when" (like "hardly...when") is the fixed correlative.

39. He spends money as if he ____ a millionaire.

(a) is (b) was (c) were (d) will be
Answer: (c) were
Explanation: Unreal present with "as if" + "be" → "were" for all persons.

40. By the time you read this, I ____ the city.

(a) shall leave (b) shall have left (c) left (d) am leaving
Answer: (b) shall have left
Explanation: An action completed before a future moment → future perfect.

41. Galileo proved that the earth ____ round the sun.

(a) moved (b) moves (c) had moved (d) is moving
Answer: (b) moves
Explanation: A universal/scientific truth stays in the present despite the past main verb.

42. She ____ the doctor tomorrow about her cough.

(a) sees (b) is seeing (c) saw (d) has seen
Answer: (b) is seeing
Explanation: Here "see" means "consult" (dynamic) and a fixed future arrangement → present continuous.

43. If only I ____ taller, I would join the army.

(a) am (b) was (c) were (d) had been
Answer: (c) were
Explanation: "If only" about an unreal present takes the past subjunctive "were".

44. He was exhausted because he ____ all day.

(a) worked (b) was working (c) had been working (d) has been working
Answer: (c) had been working
Explanation: A duration leading up to a past state → past perfect continuous.

45. Rarely ____ such a brilliant performance.

(a) we have seen (b) have we seen (c) we saw (d) had we see
Answer: (b) have we seen
Explanation: The negative adverb "rarely" at the front forces inversion: "have we seen".

46. I did not know who he ____.

(a) is (b) was (c) has been (d) will be
Answer: (b) was
Explanation: Sequence of tenses: past main clause requires a past subordinate verb.

47. They act as though they ____ the place.

(a) own (b) owned (c) have owned (d) will own
Answer: (b) owned
Explanation: "As though" (unreal present) takes the past subjunctive "owned".

48. Scarcely had the meeting begun ____ a fire broke out.

(a) than (b) then (c) when (d) but
Answer: (c) when
Explanation: "Scarcely...when" is the correct correlative pair.

49. By 2030 the company ____ in business for fifty years.

(a) will be (b) will have been (c) has been (d) is
Answer: (b) will have been
Explanation: Duration completed up to a future point → future perfect (with stative "be", future perfect simple).

50. The moment the bell rings, the students ____ the classroom.

(a) will enter (b) enter (c) entered (d) have entered
Answer: (a) will enter
Explanation: "The moment" is the time clause taking the present ("rings"); the main clause carries the future "will enter".