Chapter 1 · English Grammar
Complete Tenses Review
What you will be able to do
- Recall the form of all twelve tenses at a glance
- Match each tense to its signal/time markers
- Choose the correct tense in narratives and formal writing
- Maintain tense consistency and fix wrong shifts
- Answer board-style gap-fill and editing items on tenses
1 Quick Introduction
English
The board exam tests tenses everywhere — in gap-filling, editing, and writing. This chapter pulls all twelve tenses into one clear map, pairs each with its time markers, and trains you to keep tense consistent in a paragraph. Get this right and you secure marks across the whole paper.
हिन्दी
बोर्ड परीक्षा हर जगह tenses जाँचती है — gap-filling, editing और लेखन में। यह अध्याय सभी बारह tenses को एक स्पष्ट मानचित्र में लाता है, हर एक को उसके time markers से जोड़ता है, और अनुच्छेद में tense को एकसमान रखने का अभ्यास कराता है। इसे सही कर लें तो पूरे पेपर में अंक सुरक्षित।
2 A Real-Life Situation
Imagine this
A board gap-fill item:
Q: By the time the firefighters arrived, the house ___ (burn) down completely.
A: …had burned down completely.
Why this form? 'By the time … arrived' signals an earlier past action, which needs the past perfect 'had burned'. Recognising the time marker instantly tells you the tense — that is the exam skill this chapter builds.
3 The Grammar Rule
Rule & Formula
| Aspect | Present | Past | Future |
|---|---|---|---|
| Simple | V1 (s/es) | V2 | will + V1 |
| Continuous | is/am/are + V-ing | was/were + V-ing | will be + V-ing |
| Perfect | has/have + V3 | had + V3 | will have + V3 |
| Perfect Continuous | has/have been + V-ing | had been + V-ing | will have been + V-ing |
4 aspects × 3 times = 12 tenses; the helping verb carries the tense
She writes / wrote / will write; is/was/will be writing; has/had/will have written.
4 The 12-Tense Map & Time Markers
Every tense combines a time (present/past/future) with an aspect (simple/continuous/perfect/perfect continuous). Learn each with its signal words:
| Tense | Signal words |
|---|---|
| Simple Present | always, usually, every day, never |
| Present Continuous | now, at the moment, look!, listen! |
| Present Perfect | just, already, yet, ever, since, for |
| Present Perfect Cont. | since, for, all day, how long |
| Simple Past | yesterday, ago, last…, in 2019 |
| Past Continuous | while, as, at 8 p.m. yesterday |
| Past Perfect | before, after, by the time, already |
| Future Simple | tomorrow, next…, soon |
| Future Perfect | by + future time, by then |
Spot the marker → pick the tense. This single habit solves most exam gap-fills.
1
Worked Example
Fill: She ___ (work) here since 2018.
Solution
has worked / has been working — 'since' signals the present perfect (continuous).
2
Worked Example
Fill: While I ___ (cook), the phone rang.
Solution
was cooking — 'while' + an interrupted past action → past continuous.
Key Points
- 12 tenses = 4 aspects × 3 times; the helping verb carries the tense
- Each tense has signal words (since/for, while, by the time…)
- Spot the marker → choose the tense
5 Tense in Context & Consistency
In a passage, tenses must stay consistent unless the time genuinely changes. A sudden, unmotivated shift is an error.
- ❌ She opened the door and walks in. → ✓ She opened the door and walked in.
Sequence of tenses: after a past main verb, the subordinate clause usually shifts to the past too:
- He said that he was tired. (not 'is')
- Exception — a universal truth stays present: She told us that the earth is round.
Tense in formal writing: reports often use the past or present perfect for findings (It was found that…), while general statements use the simple present (Pollution affects health).
1
Worked Example
Fix the shift: He entered the hall and sees his friend.
Solution
He entered the hall and saw his friend. — keep the narrative in the past.
2
Worked Example
Choose: The teacher said that water ___ (boil) at 100°C.
Solution
boils — a universal truth stays in the present even after a past reporting verb.
Key Points
- Keep tenses consistent in a passage; avoid unmotivated shifts
- After a past main verb, the subordinate clause usually shifts back
- Universal truths stay in the present
6 Vocabulary Builder
| Word | Meaning | हिन्दी |
|---|---|---|
| Aspect | simple/continuous/perfect | पक्ष |
| Signal word | a clue word for tense | संकेत-शब्द |
| Consistency | keeping tense steady | एकरूपता |
| Sequence of tenses | tense matching across clauses | काल-क्रम |
| Narrative | a story/account | वृत्तांत |
✎ Vocabulary Quick Test0 / 1
Q.Which tense pairs with the marker 'by the time he arrived'?
Explanation: 'By the time + past action' signals the earlier action in the past perfect.
7 Common Mistakes to Avoid
✗ IncorrectShe has ___ here since 2018: worked yesterday
✓ CorrectShe has worked here since 2018.
'since' → present perfect, not simple past.
✗ IncorrectHe opened the door and walks in.
✓ CorrectHe opened the door and walked in.
Keep the tense consistent.
✗ IncorrectWhen I reached, the train left.
✓ CorrectWhen I reached, the train had left.
The earlier past action needs the past perfect.
✗ IncorrectHe said that he is busy.
✓ CorrectHe said that he was busy.
Back-shift after a past reporting verb.
8 Practice Exercises
Fill in the BlanksLevel 1
Fill in the correct tense of the verb.
- She ______ (write) a letter now.
- They ______ (go) to Goa last year.
- I ______ (finish) my homework already.
- By 9 p.m., he ______ (complete) the work.
- While we ______ (talk), it started to rain.
Answer Key
- is writing
- went
- have finished
- will have completed
- were talking
Fill in the BlanksLevel 2
Fill in the tense suggested by the time marker.
- He ______ (live) here for ten years. (for)
- By the time we arrived, the show ______ (start). (by the time)
- The sun ______ (rise) in the east. (universal truth)
- She ______ (study) when the lights went off. (interrupted)
- I ______ (call) you as soon as I reach. (future)
Answer Key
- has lived / has been living
- had started
- rises
- was studying
- will call
Error Detection
- He has gone there yesterday.
- When I came, she already left.
- She entered and sees the mess.
- I am knowing the answer.
Answer Key
- He went there yesterday. (error: has gone)
- When I came, she had already left. (error: already left)
- She entered and saw the mess. (error: sees)
- I know the answer. (error: am knowing)
Sentence Correction
- By next year I complete my degree.
- He said the earth was flat. (universal truth)
- While she was cooking, the bell rings.
Answer Key
- By next year I will have completed my degree.
- He said the earth is round.
- While she was cooking, the bell rang.
Rearrange the Words
- since / has / here / worked / she / 2018
- had / I / when / reached / left / the / train
- rises / the / east / sun / the / in
Answer Key
- She has worked here since 2018.
- When I reached, the train had left.
- The sun rises in the east.
Match the Following
| Column A | Column B |
|---|---|
| 1. since / for | a. past continuous |
| 2. by the time (past) | b. future perfect |
| 3. while / as | c. present perfect |
| 4. by + future time | d. past perfect |
Answer Key
since / for → present perfectby the time (past) → past perfectwhile / as → past continuousby + future time → future perfect
9 Micro Quiz
✎ Quick Check — 5 questions0 / 5
Q1.'She ___ here since 2015.'
Explanation: 'since' → present perfect.
Q2.'When I arrived, the film ___.'
Explanation: Earlier past action → past perfect.
Q3.'By 2030, scientists ___ a cure.'
Explanation: 'by + future time' → future perfect.
Q4.Fix the shift: 'He came in and sits down.'
Explanation: Keep the past tense throughout.
Q5.'While they ___, it rained.'
Explanation: 'while' + interrupted action → past continuous.
10 Reading Practice
By the time Riya reached the auditorium, the function had already begun. The choir was singing, and the audience was listening quietly. She had practised her speech for weeks, and she knew it by heart. "By the end of today," she thought, "I will have faced my biggest fear." The sun was setting as she walked onto the stage.
Comprehension Questions
- Identify the past perfect verbs and explain why they are used.
- Which tense is 'was singing', and what does it show?
- Why is 'I will have faced' used in her thought?
Answer Key
- 'had already begun' and 'had practised' — actions completed before another past moment (Riya reaching).
- Past continuous — an action in progress at that past moment.
- Future perfect — an action that will be completed before a future point (the end of today).
11 Speaking, Writing & Daily Use
Say these aloud
- I have been studying since morning.
- By the time we arrived, the train had left.
- She was reading when I called.
- By next month, I will have finished the course.
- Water boils at one hundred degrees.
Write a short paragraph (5–6 sentences) narrating a past event, deliberately using the simple past, past continuous and past perfect with correct sequencing.
Example: I reached the station late. The train had already left. People were waiting on the platform. I had forgotten to check the time.
12 Challenge Zone
🔥 Higher-Level Questions — 30 / 3
Q1.Choose the correct sequence: 'He told me that he ___ the project the previous week.'
Explanation: An action earlier than the past report → past perfect 'had completed'.
Q2.Which sentence keeps tense correctly?
Explanation: Both verbs in the simple past.
Q3.Choose: 'I ___ (wait) for two hours when the bus finally arrived.'
Explanation: Duration before a past event → past perfect continuous.
13 Chapter Mind Map
COMPLETE TENSES REVIEW
|
+------------+------------+
| | |
THE 12 MAP MARKERS CONTEXT
simple since/for consistency
continuous by the time sequence of
perfect while/as tenses
perfect cont by+future universal=
marker>tense present14 One-Minute Revision
Remember these
- 12 tenses = 4 aspects × 3 times; the helping verb carries the tense
- Match each tense to its signal words (since/for, while, by the time)
- Keep tenses consistent; avoid unmotivated shifts
- After a past main verb, the subordinate clause usually shifts back
- Universal truths stay in the present