English Grammar – 12 Tense in Basic

Basic English Grammar

B – 12 English Tenses

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 English Grammar – 12 Tense in Basic

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It is import to learn and memorize 12 Tenses

Dear students it is important to learn in detail and memorize 12 tenses as they

are the foundation of many other topics to come. You are going to learn these
grammar topics in secondary school (the passive, reported speech, conditionals
and so on). All these topics relate 12 tenses. That is why I have prepared this
booklet and recorded its explanations, insha allah I hope it is benefit to many
students.

Important Grammar Terms

 Grammar means putting the right words to the position

 Subject is the person or thing doing the action.

(He, she, it, they, we, you, I)

 Verb is a word which tells us what is being done.

(Go, sleep, play, drink, watch, give)

 Object is the person or thing receiving the action.

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 English Grammar – 12 Tense in Basic

There are 12 tenses in English which are important in grammar.

Let us understand these four parts in each of these 12 tenses.

 Formula

 Usage

 Example

 Question and negatives

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 English Grammar – 12 Tense in Basic

1- SIMPLE PRESENT TENSE

Form: subject + verb + object

Usage: simple present is used for an action which happens every day.

He
She + es/s O, X, CH, SH, SS
It

Examples
1. She washes the cloths every week.
2. He eats maize every night.
3. They play foot ball in the afternoon.

Questions and Negatives

He they
She does we do
It you
I

Examples
1. Q: Does she wash the cloths every week?
N: she does not wash the cloths every week.
2. Q: does he eat maize every night?
N: he does not eat maize every night.
3. Q: Do they play foot ball in the afternoon?
N: they do not play football in the afternoon.

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 English Grammar – 12 Tense in Basic

Exercise
Make these sentences question and negative
1. Ahmed goes to school every day.
Q: …………………………………………………………………………………………………
N: …………………………………………………………………………………………………
2. We watch the television every night.
Q: …………………………………………………………………………………………………
N: …………………………………………………………………………………………………

2- PRESENT CONTINUOUS TENSE

Form: subject + is/are/am + verb + ing + object

Usage: present continuous is used for an action which is happening at

the moment.
He they
She + is we + are I + am
It you

Examples
1. She is washing the cloths now.
2. They are playing football at the moment.
3. I am eating maize now.
Questions and negatives
1. Q: is she washing the cloths now?
N: she is not washing the cloths now.
2. Q: Are they playing football at the moment?
N: they are not playing football at the moment.

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 English Grammar – 12 Tense in Basic

3. Q: Am I eating maize now?

N: I am not eating maize now.

Exercise
Make these sentences question and negative
1. Ahmed is going to school at the moment.
Q: …………………………………………………………………………………………………
N: …………………………………………………………………………………………………
2. We are watching television now.
Q: …………………………………………………………………………………………………
N: …………………………………………………………………………………………………

3- PRESENT PERFECT TENSE

Form: subject + have/has + verb (past participle) + object
Usage: present perfect tense is used for an action which have just
completed.
He they
She + has we + have
It you
I
Examples
1. She has washed the cloths.
2. They have played football.

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 English Grammar – 12 Tense in Basic

Questions and negatives

1. Q: has she washed the cloths?
N: she has not washed the clothes.

2. Q: Have they played football?

N: they have not played football.
Exercise
Make these sentences question and negative
1. Ahmed has gone to school.
Q: …………………………………………………………………………………………………
N: …………………………………………………………………………………………………
2. We have watched the television.
Q: …………………………………………………………………………………………………
N: …………………………………………………………………………………………………

4- PRESENT PERFECT CONTINUOUS TENSE

Form: subject + have/has + been + verb + ing + object
Usage: present perfect continuous is used for an action which has started in
the past and still continues.
Examples
1. She has been washing the cloths.
2. They have been playing football.

Questions and negatives

The questions and the negatives will be done as the above tense that
have auxiliaries.
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 English Grammar – 12 Tense in Basic

Note: it is import for every student to classify regular and irregular

verbs. Memorize these irregular verbs so the others are regular.

Present past past participle Present past past participle

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 English Grammar – 12 Tense in Basic

5- SIMPLE PAST TENSE

Form: subject + verb (past) + object
Usage: simple past is used for an action which happened sometime in the
past.
Examples
1. She washed the cloths yesterday.
2. They ate maize last night.

Questions and negatives

1. Q: did she wash the cloths yesterday?
N: she did not wash the cloths yesterday.
2. Q: Did they eat maize last night?
N: they did not eat maize last night.

Exercise
Make these sentences question and negative
1. Ahmed went to school yesterday.
Q: …………………………………………………………………………………………………
N: …………………………………………………………………………………………………
2. We watched the television last night.
Q: …………………………………………………………………………………………………
N: …………………………………………………………………………………………………

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 English Grammar – 12 Tense in Basic

6- PAST CONTINUOUS TENSE

Form: subject + was/were + verb + ing + object
Usage: Past continuous is used for an action which was happening sometime
in the past.

She they
He + was we + were
It you
I

Examples
1. She was washing the cloths yesterday.
2. They were eating maize last night.
Note: all the other tenses have auxiliary verbs except (simple present and simple past)
and therefore their question and negative forms will be done as we did before with the
other tenses.

Exercise
Make these sentences question and negative
1. Ahmed was going to school yesterday.
Q: …………………………………………………………………………………………………
N: …………………………………………………………………………………………………
2. We were watching television last night.
Q: …………………………………………………………………………………………………
N: …………………………………………………………………………………………………

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 English Grammar – 12 Tense in Basic

7- PAST PERFECT TENSE

Form: subject + had + verb (past participle) + object
Usage: Past perfect is used for an action which had happened before
another action in the past.
Examples
1. She had washed the cloths before she left the house.
2. They had eaten maize before they slept.

Exercise
Make these sentences question and negative
1. Ahmed had gone to school.
Q: …………………………………………………………………………………………………
N: …………………………………………………………………………………………………
2. We had watched the television.
Q: …………………………………………………………………………………………………
N: …………………………………………………………………………………………………

8- PAST PERFECT CONTINUOUS

Form: subject + had + been + verb + ing + object
Usage: Past perfect continuous is used to talk about a past event that had
been in progress.
Examples
1. She had been washing the cloths.
2. They had been eating maize.

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 English Grammar – 12 Tense in Basic

9- SIMPLE FUTURE TENSE

Form: subject + will/shall + verb + object
Usage: simple future is used for an action which will happen sometime in
the future.

She I
He + shall
It will we
They
You

Examples
1. She will wash the cloths tomorrow.
2. They will eat maize next day.

Exercise
Make these sentences question and negative
1. Ahmed will go to school tomorrow.
Q: …………………………………………………………………………………………………
N: …………………………………………………………………………………………………
2. We shall watch the television next night.
Q: …………………………………………………………………………………………………
N: …………………………………………………………………………………………………

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 English Grammar – 12 Tense in Basic

10- FUTURE CONTINUOUS TENSE

Form: subject + will/shall + be + verb + ing + object
Usage: future continuous is used for an action which will be in progress
sometime in the future.
Examples
1. She will be washing the cloths.
2. They will be eating maize.

11- FUTURE PERFECT TENSE

Form: subject + will/shall + have + verb (past participle) + object
Usage: future perfect is used for an action which will have completed at
some point in the future.
Examples
1. She will have washed the cloths by this week.
2. He will have eaten the maize by the sun set.

Exercise
Make these sentences question and negative
1. Ahmed will have gone to school by next year.
Q: …………………………………………………………………………………………………
N: …………………………………………………………………………………………………
2. We will have watched the television.
Q: …………………………………………………………………………………………………
N: …………………………………………………………………………………………………

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 English Grammar – 12 Tense in Basic

12- FUTURE PERFECT CONTINUOUS TENSE

Form: subject + will/shall + been + verb + ing + object
Usage: like future perfect tense, future perfect continuous is used for
unfinished action that will be completed in the future.
Examples
1. she will have been washing the cloths
2. He will have been eating maize.

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 English Grammar – 12 Tense in Basic

 Now, test yourself getting help from your friend or another person. Did you
understand all the 12 tenses, their forms, usage, and examples.

END …

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 English Grammar – 12 Tense in Basic

Basic English Grammar – 12 Tenses

This small booklet contains English 12 tenses with basic

explanations. It is for the students who want to build their basic
grammar to continue higher levels like the passive and the
reported speech. Furthermore, I have followed the book a
recorded explanations to make the students easier to understand.

Contact us
E-mail: alinabadoon@gmail.com or 063 – 4667222
www.facebook.com/CaliNabadoon or Visit My YouTube Channel
www.youtube.com/CaliNabadoon

Other available booklets

 Passive voice and conditionals
 Reported speech and wishes

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