Tenses

Tenses in English convey the timing of actions. There are three main categories: present, past, and future. Each category has simple, continuous (progressive), perfect, and perfect continuous forms.

1. Present Tense

a. Simple Present

• Form:
  • For most verbs: base form (e.g., "play")
  • For third-person singular: add s or es (e.g., "plays," "watches").
• Usage:
  • Habitual actions: "I eat breakfast every day."
  • General truths: "Water boils at 100 degrees Celsius."
  • Scheduled events: "The bus arrives at 6 AM."

Example:

• "Every Sunday, my family attends Mass at the church in our barangay."

b. Present Continuous (Present Progressive)

• Form: am/is/are + verb + ing
• Usage:
  • Ongoing actions: "She is studying for her exams."
  • Future arrangements: "We are meeting our friends this Saturday."

Example:

• "Right now, the children are playing in the street outside our house in Manila."

c. Present Perfect

• Form: has/have + past participle
• Usage:
  • Completed actions relevant to the present: "I have finished my homework."
  • Life experiences: "She has traveled to Palawan."

Example:

• "The government has launched a new initiative to promote eco-tourism in the Philippines."

d. Present Perfect Continuous

• Form: has/have been + verb + ing
• Usage:
  • Ongoing actions that started in the past and continue to the present: "They have been working on the project for three months."
  • Recently finished actions with present relevance: "I have been studying for my board exams."

Example:

• "The community has been organizing monthly clean-up drives to protect Manila Bay."

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2. Past Tense

a. Simple Past

• Form: Regular verbs add -ed; irregular verbs change form (e.g., "go" becomes "went").
• Usage:
  • Actions completed at a specific time: "I visited Cebu last year."

Example:

• "Last summer, we traveled to Baguio City for a family vacation."

b. Past Continuous (Past Progressive)

• Form: was/were + verb + ing
• Usage:
  • Actions that were ongoing in the past: "I was reading a book when she called."

Example:

• "While we were hiking in the mountains, it started to rain."

c. Past Perfect

• Form: had + past participle
• Usage:
  • Actions completed before another past action: "I had eaten breakfast before leaving for school."

Example:

• "By the time the event started, the organizers had already set up the stage in Rizal Park."

d. Past Perfect Continuous

• Form: had been + verb + ing
• Usage:
  • Ongoing actions that continued up to another past action: "They had been waiting for an hour when the bus finally arrived."

Example:

• "She had been studying hard before the results of the entrance exam were released."

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3. Future Tense

a. Simple Future

• Form: will + base form of the verb
• Usage:
  • Actions that will happen in the future: "I will call you tomorrow."

Example:

• "Next week, the local government will host a festival in celebration of the city’s founding anniversary."

b. Future Continuous (Future Progressive)

• Form: will be + verb + ing
• Usage:
  • Ongoing actions that will occur in the future: "I will be traveling to Cebu next month."

Example:

• "This time next week, we will be celebrating my cousin’s wedding in Tagaytay."

c. Future Perfect

• Form: will have + past participle
• Usage:
  • Actions that will be completed before a specific time in the future: "By 2025, I will have graduated from college."

Example:

• "By the end of this year, the community will have planted a thousand trees as part of their reforestation project."

d. Future Perfect Continuous

• Form: will have been + verb + ing
• Usage:
  • Ongoing actions that will have been happening until a point in the future: "By this time next year, I will have been working here for five years."

Example:

• "By the time we reach summer, our school will have been implementing the new curriculum for two years."

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Practice Exercises

Exercise 1: Fill in the Blanks

1. Every morning, my mother __________ (cook) breakfast for the family.
2. Last night, they __________ (watch) a movie together.
3. By the time I arrived, the guests __________ (leave).
4. Next month, we __________ (celebrate) my sister’s birthday.

Exercise 2: Correct the Mistakes

1. She go to the market every Saturday.
2. I am studied for the upcoming board exam.
3. They has finished their project on time.
4. He will be play basketball tomorrow.

Exercise 3: Write Sentences

1. Write a sentence using the present perfect tense about a personal experience.
2. Write a sentence in the past continuous tense about an event that happened recently.
3. Create a future perfect sentence about a goal you wish to achieve.

Answers

Exercise 1:

1. cooks
2. watched
3. had left
4. will celebrate

Exercise 2:

1. She goes to the market every Saturday.
2. I am studying for the upcoming board exam.
3. They have finished their project on time.
4. He will be playing basketball tomorrow.