This section will help you to understand the differences between the Present Perfect Tense and the

Simple Past Tense.

The present perfect is used when the time period has NOT finished:

I have seen three movies this week. (This week has not finished yet.) I saw three movies last week. (Last week has finished.)

The simple past is used when the time period HAS finished:

The present perfect is often used when giving recent news:

Martin has crashed his car again. (This is new information.) Martin crashed his car last year. (This is old information.)

The simple past is used when giving older information:

The present perfect is used when the time is not specific:

I have seen that movie already. (We don't know when.) I saw that movie on Thursday. (We know exactly when.)

The simple past is used when the time is clear:

The present perfect is used with for and since, when the actions have not finished yet:

I have lived in Victoria for five years. (I still live in Victoria.)

The simple past is used with for and since, when the actions have already finished:

I lived in Victoria for five years. (I don't live in Victoria now.)

Present Tense, Forms of Present Tense, Kinds of Tenses

Present Tense (Simple Present Tense) PRESENT INDEFINITE (SIMPLE PRESENT INDEFINITE TENSE) Syntax: Sub+V1 I write a letter. She makes a doll. Note:Use s/es with the 1st form of the verb if the Subject is He/She/It or singular Noun (boy, player, teacher, Khalid, Zara etc). Negative: Sub+do/does+not+V1 We do not write poems. Qasim does not play football. Interrogative: Do/Does+sub+V1 Do you go to market? Does she go for a walk? Int. & Neg: Do/Does+sub+not+V1 Do you not go to bazar? Does she take tea? PRESENT CONTINUOUS Syntax: Sub+is/am/are+V1+ing Mohan is reading. Negative: Sub+is/am/are+not +V1+ing They are not playing cricket. Interrogative: Is/Am/Are+sub+V1+ing Is he going? Int. & Neg: Is/Am/Are+sub+not+V1+ing Are you not playing cricket? PRESENT PERFECT Syntax: Sub+has/have+V3 She has made tea. Negative: Sub+has/have+not+V3 They have not taken medicine. He has not come since Monday. Int: Has/Have+sub+V3 Have they slept? Int. & Neg: Has/Have+sub+not+V3 Have you not done your home-work? PRESENT PERFECT CONTINUOUS Syntax: Sub+has/have+been+V1+ing+since/for I have been reading since 5 O'clock. Negative: Sub+has/have+not+been+V1+ ing+ Since/for Khalid has not been playing since evening.

Int: Has/Have+sub+been+V1+ing+since/for Have you been working for ten minutes? Int. & Neg: Has/Have+sub+not+been+VI+ing+since/for Has she not been praying for five minutes? Use of Since: (For point of time) 10am, 6 O'clock, morning, 21st May, January,2002, when, then, yesterday, last year/month etc. Use of For: (For period of time) 2 days, 4 minutes, 2 hours, 7 months, 3 years, many days/months etc

Past Tense (Simple Past Tense)

PAST INDEFINITE Syntax: Sub+V2 He wrote a letter. Negative: Sub+did+not+V1 They did not play match yesterday. Interrogative: Did+sub+V1 Did they go for a walk? Negative & Interrogative: Did+sub+not+V1 Did you not take your lunch? PAST CONTINUOUS Syntax: Sub+was/were+V1+ing Gita was making tea. Negative: Sub+was/were+not+V1+ing You were not reading. Interrogative: Was/Were+sub+V1+ing Were they running? Negative & Interrogative: Was/Were+sub+not+V1+ing Were children not taking bath? PAST PERFECT Syntax: Sub+had+V3 We had watched TV. The train had left by then. Negative: Sub+had+not+V3 I had not played. Rakesh had not come for three months. Interrogative: Had+sub+V3 Had they won? Negative & Interrogative: Had+sub+not+V3 Had they not washed the clothes? Note: Mostly the sentences are made in this tense when an action completed before a point of time in past: i) The guests had not reached till Sunday. ii) The movie had started before I reached home. iii) She had completed her work before 3pm. PAST PERFECT CONTINUOUS Syntax: Sub+had+been+V1+ing+since/for She had been helping me for three years. Negative: Sub+had+not+been+V1+ing+since/for He had not been watching TV since noon.

Interrogative: Had+sub+been+V1+ing+since/for Had they been gossipping for 2 hours? Negative & Interrogative:Had+sub+not+been+V1+ing+ since/for Had you not been going to office for last two days? Future Tense is Continued on Next Page Click Here to See Next Page FURURE INDEFINITE Syntax: Sub+will/shall+V1 We shall play match. They will meet you tomorrow. Negative: Sub+will/shall+not+V1 They will not go to market. Interrogative: Will/Shall+sub+V1? Shall I take breakfast ? Negative & Interrogative: Will/shall+sub+not+V1 Will washerman not iron the clothes? Shall we not going for a walk? Note: Use shall with I and we only. FUTURE CONTINUOUS Syntax: Sub+will/shall+be+V1+ing He will be playing the match. Negative: Sub+will/shall+not+be+V1+ing We shall not be cooking food. Interrogative: Will/Shall+sub+be+V1+ing Will Gardener be watering the plants? Negative & Interrogative: Will/Shall+sub+not+be+V1+ing Will they not be going to see film? FUTURE PERFECT Syntax: Sub+will/shall+have+V3 Ravi will have killed the snake. The farmer will have ploughed in the fields. Negative: Sub+will/shall+not+have+V3 She will not have taken tea. Interrogative: Will/shall+Sub+have+V3 Will she have won the match? Negative & Interrogative: Will/shall+sub+not+have+V3 Will they have not gone to Rama's house? FUTURE PERFECT CONTINUOUS Syntax::Sub+willshall+have+been+VI+ing +since/for They will have been flying kites since 6 O'clock. Negative: Sub+willshall+not+have+been+V1+ing +since/for Sita will not have been waiting for 1 hour. Interrogative: Will/shall+sub+have+been+V1+ing +since/for Shall we have been writing since 10am? Negative & Interrogative: Will/shall+sub+not+have+been +V1+ing+since/for Will students not have been learning the lesson since morning?