English Grammar Lesson: All 12 Tenses

ICBT International Diploma in English

Learning Objectives

By the end of this lesson, students will be able to:

·         Identify the 12 English tenses.

·         Understand the structure of each tense.

·         Use each tense accurately in speaking and writing.

·         Distinguish between simple, continuous, perfect, and perfect continuous forms.

1. Overview of English Tenses

English has three time periods:

1.     Present

2.     Past

3.     Future

Each time period has four aspects:

Aspect	Purpose
Simple	Facts, habits, completed actions
Continuous	Actions in progress
Perfect	Actions completed before another time
Perfect Continuous	Actions continuing over a period of time

Thus, there are 12 tenses in English.

PRESENT TENSES

1. Present Simple

Structure

Subject + Base Verb (+ s/es for he, she, it)

Uses

·         Habits

·         Facts

·         Routines

Examples

·         I study English every day.

·         She works in Colombo.

·         The sun rises in the east.

Signal Words

always, usually, often, sometimes, every day

2. Present Continuous

Structure

Subject + am/is/are + Verb-ing

Uses

·         Actions happening now

·         Temporary situations

Examples

·         I am studying English now.

·         They are playing cricket.

·         She is reading a book.

Signal Words

now, at the moment, currently, today

3. Present Perfect

Structure

Subject + has/have + Past Participle

Uses

·         Action completed recently

·         Experience

·         Action affecting the present

Examples

·         I have finished my assignment.

·         She has visited India.

·         They have lived here for five years.

Signal Words

already, yet, just, ever, never, since, for

4. Present Perfect Continuous

Structure

Subject + has/have been + Verb-ing

Uses

·         Action started in the past and continues now

Examples

·         I have been studying for three hours.

·         She has been working since morning.

·         They have been waiting for a bus.

Signal Words

for, since, all day, recently

5. Past Simple

Structure

Subject + Past Form of Verb

Uses

·         Completed action in the past

Examples

·         I visited Kandy last week.

·         She wrote a letter.

·         They played football yesterday.

Signal Words

yesterday, last week, ago, in 2020

6. Past Continuous

Structure

Subject + was/were + Verb-ing

Uses

·         Action in progress at a specific past time

·         Interrupted actions

Examples

·         I was studying at 8 p.m.

·         They were watching TV.

·         She was cooking when I arrived.

Signal Words

while, when, at that time

7. Past Perfect

Structure

Subject + had + Past Participle

Uses

·         Action completed before another past action

Examples

·         I had finished the work before he arrived.

·         She had left before the meeting started.

·         They had eaten dinner already.

Signal Words

before, after, by the time

Subject + had been + Verb-ing

Uses

·         Continuous action before another past event

Examples

·         I had been studying for two hours before the exam.

·         She had been working all day before she rested.

·         They had been waiting for an hour.

Signal Words

for, since, before

FUTURE TENSES

9. Future Simple

Structure

Subject + will + Base Verb

Uses

·         Predictions

·         Promises

·         Decisions made at the moment of speaking

Examples

·         I will help you.

·         She will arrive tomorrow.

·         They will win the match.

Signal Words

tomorrow, next week, soon

10. Future Continuous

Structure

Subject + will be + Verb-ing

Uses

·         Action that will be in progress at a future time

Examples

·         I will be studying at 8 p.m. tomorrow.

·         She will be travelling next week.

·         They will be working at that time.

Signal Words

at this time tomorrow, next week

11. Future Perfect

Structure

Subject + will have + Past Participle

Uses

·         Action completed before a future time

Examples

·         I will have completed the course by December.

·         She will have finished the project by Friday.

·         They will have arrived by noon.

 

 

Signal Words

by, before, by the time

12. Future Perfect Continuous

Structure

Subject + will have been + Verb-ing

Uses

·         Continuous action lasting until a future point

Examples

·         I will have been studying for three years by 2027.

·         She will have been working here for ten years by June.

·         They will have been living in Colombo for five years.

Signal Words

for, by, by the time

Summary Table

Tense	Structure	Example
Present Simple	S + V1	I work.
Present Continuous	S + am/is/are + V-ing	I am working.
Present Perfect	S + have/has + V3	I have worked.
Present Perfect Continuous	S + have/has been + V-ing	I have been working.
Past Simple	S + V2	I worked.
Past Continuous	S + was/were + V-ing	I was working.
Past Perfect	S + had + V3	I had worked.
Past Perfect Continuous	S + had been + V-ing	I had been working.
Future Simple	S + will + V1	I will work.
Future Continuous	S + will be + V-ing	I will be working.
Future Perfect	S + will have + V3	I will have worked.
Future Perfect Continuous	S + will have been + V-ing	I will have been working.

Practice Exercise

A. Fill in the blanks

1.     She ______ (study) English every day.

2.     They ______ (play) football now.

3.     I ______ (finish) my homework already.

4.     We ______ (wait) for two hours.

5.     He ______ (visit) Kandy last month.

6.     She ______ (cook) when I called.

7.     They ______ (leave) before I arrived.

8.     I ______ (work) for three hours before lunch.

9.     We ______ (travel) tomorrow.

10. By next year, she ______ (complete) her diploma.

Answers

1.     studies

2.     are playing

3.     have finished

4.     have been waiting

5.     visited

6.     was cooking

7.     had left

8.     had been working

9.     will travel

10. will have completed

Speaking Activity

Ask students to talk about:

1.     Their daily routine (Present Simple)

2.     What they are doing now (Present Continuous)

3.     A recent achievement (Present Perfect)

4.     What they were doing yesterday evening (Past Continuous)

5.     Their plans for next year (Future Simple)

6.     A goal they will have achieved in five years (Future Perfect)

Key Examination Tip (ICBT Diploma)

When answering tense questions:

1.     Identify the time expression (yesterday, now, tomorrow, since, for, by, etc.).

2.     Identify whether the action is simple, ongoing, completed, or continuing.

3.     Choose the correct auxiliary verb (am/is/are, was/were, have/has, had, will).

4.     Check the verb form (V1, V2, V3, or V-ing).