× logo

The Free 30-Day CAT RC Course

"It is designed to help you excel in the upcoming CAT 2024 exam"

-By Lavleen Kaur Kapoor. Over 2,00,000+ Subscribers

read more

No thanks >

-->

Let us see the rules for using tenses with some examples:

Tenses

Rules or Tips to Use Tenses or When to Apply Tenses

Use Tense with example

Simple Present

Planned and Scheduled Events

Clock ticks twelve

Description of Routines

Ashok visits the orphanage daily

Universal Truth

Earth rotates around the Sun

Present Continuous

When an activity that started recently and is in continuing while we speak about it

Radha is jogging while talking to Suman

An action that is taking place but not at that particular moment

I am watching The Blacklist on Netflix these days

An action that will take place in the future for sure

I am going to school tomorrow

Present Perfect

The action is over but still has an effect on the present

I have finished all my chores for the day

Present Perfect Continuous

An activity that started in the past and is likely to continue in the future or not sure when it will end

I have been staying in Canada for the last fifteen years now

Simple Past

Action started and ended in the past

She completed her graduation last year

Reference to historical events

Mangal Pandey revolted in 1857

Past Continuous

An action that was going on in the past and has now ended

We were eating strawberries in the morning

Reference to person’s persistent habit(s)

He was always a complaining type

Past Perfect

An action completed before a certain moment in the past

I had met Amitabh Bachchan few years back

When two actions have taken place in the past and we want to refer to the earlier event out of the two

The plane had landed before I reached to pick her from the airport

Simple Future

An action that is likely to take place in future

India will launch a satellite in 2020

An activity we can control in the future

I will write CAT 2023 exam

Future Continuous

An activity that wil certainly be happening in continuation in future

I will be watching the Oscars tonight

Future Perfect

When action 1 will be complete by the time action 2 will begin in the future

I will have been married by the you will come back from Australia.

Please Note: Past Perfect Continuous and Future Perfect Continuous are not used in spoken English

Below exercise on tenses will give you a deeper understanding:

  1. I (learn)_______ to bake for three years now.
  2. But last year I (not / work) __________hard enough on my baking skills, so my bakes (not / be) __________ really that good then.
  3. As I (pass / want) __________ my baking exam successfully coming summer, I (practice) __________ harder this term.
  4. During my last winter vacation, my father (send) __________ me on a baking course to Paris.
  5. It (be) __________ great and I think I (learn) __________ a lot.
  6. Before I (go) __________ to Paris, I (not / enjoy) __________ baking cakes that much.
  7. But while I (do) __________ the baking course, I (meet) __________ lots of people of different age groups from all over the world.
  8. There I (realize) __________ how exciting it (be) __________ to experiment and bake.
  9. Now I (have) __________ much more fun baking cakes than I (have) __________before the course.
  10. At the moment I (work) __________ on my bread baking skills.
  11. And I (begin / already) __________ to bake cookies, cakes and short crust pastries.
  12. I (think) __________ I (do) __________ one type of bake every week.
  13. My final test (be) __________ on 4th June, so there (not / be) __________ any time to be lost.
  14. If I (clear) __________ my baking exam, I (start) __________ an internship with Tesco Bakery in August.
  15. And after my internship, maybe I (go) __________ back to Paris and open my store.
  16. As you (see / can) __________, I (fall) __________ in love with Paris already.

 

Answers:

  1. (have been learning)
  2. (did not work, were not)
  3. (want to pass, am going to practice)
  4. (sent)
  5. (was, learnt)
  6. (went, did not enjoy)
  7. (was doing, met)
  8. (realized, is)
  9. (have, had)
  10. (am working)
  11. (have already begun)
  12. (think, will do)
  13. (is, isn’t)
  14. (clear, will start)
  15. (will go)
  16. (can see, have fallen)

 

Stay informed, Stay ahead and stay inspired with MBA Rendezvous