| How many tenses are there in English language grammar ? I know about 12, but now I've heared about 16 in total. What are the main tenses in English ? | ||||||
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| There are 12 basic tenses in English language grammar, but in total there are 16 tenses. Present tense, past tense, future tense and past future tense are splitted into simple tense, continuous tense, perfect tense and perfect continuous tense: Present tense Present simple tense — I do Present continuous tense — I am doing Present perfect tense — I have done Present perfect continuous tense — I have been doing Past tense Past simple tense — I did Past continuous tense — I was doing Past perfect tense — I had done Past perfect continuous tense — I had been doing Future tense Future simple tense — I will do Future continuous tense — I will be doing Future perfect tense — I will have done Future perfect continuous tense — I will have been doing Past future tense Past future simple tense — I would do Past future continuous tense — I would be doing Past future perfect tense — I would have done Past future perfect continuous tense — I would have been doing | ||||||
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| Past future tense is also known as Conditional tense, so examples look like: Conditional simple tense — I would do Conditional continuous tense — I would be doing Conditional perfect tense — I would have done Conditional perfect continuous tense — I would have been doing | ||||||
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Level: intermediate
Past tense
There are two tenses in English – past and present.
The past tense in English is used:
Rules for Tenses in English Grammar with Examples Rules of Tenses help one understand how to correctly use the different tenses in a sentence, without making a grammatical mistake and also by easily indicating when an event or action has occurred. 16 Tenses in English - Free download as Word Doc (.doc /.docx), PDF File (.pdf), Text File (.txt) or read online for free. How to master tenses. To ask and answer questions in all the tenses in English. If you're unsure about which tense to use in English and make lots of mistakes when you speak.
- to talk about the past
- to talk about hypotheses (when we imagine something)
- for politeness.
There are fourpast tense forms in English:
| Past simple: | I worked |
| Past continuous: | I was working |
| Past perfect: | I had worked |
| Past perfect continuous: | I had been working |
We use these forms:
- to talk about the past:
He worked at McDonald's. He had worked there since July.
He was working at McDonald's. He had been working there since July.
- to refer to the present or future in hypotheses:
It might be dangerous. Suppose they got lost.
This use is very common in wishes:
I wish it wasn't so cold.
and in conditions with if:
He could get a new job if he really tried.
If Jack was playing, they would probably win.
For hypotheses, wishes and conditions in the past, we use the past perfect:
It was very dangerous. What if you had got lost?
I wish I hadn't spent so much money last month.
I would have helped him if he had asked.
and also to talk about the present in a few polite expressions:
Excuse me, I was wondering if this was the train for York.
I just hoped you would be able to help me.
16 Tenses In English Grammar Pdf
- Past tense 1
- Past tense 2
16 Tenses In English Grammar Worksheet
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