Present Tense for English Grammar -
English section is an important part of all the Banking & SSC Exams. This section holds a decent share of the weightage & plays a vital role in shaping up your overall performance. To ace this section, it is very necessary to have a good hold on grammar & vocabulary. Tenses form a major aspect of our written, spoken and conversational English, and it is very necessary to use them correctly. They also constitute a major part of syllabus in various Banking exams. Read this article to know all about the Present Tense for English Grammar and its types in a better manner for exams like SSC CGL descriptive paper & SSC CHSL.
- Present Tense for English Grammar
Verbs has three tenses: Past, Present, and Future.
• The Present Tense is used to describe things that are happening right now, or things that are continuous.
• The Past Tense is used to describe things that have already happened (e.g., earlier in the day, yesterday, last week, three years ago).
• The Future Tense describes things that have yet to happen (e.g., later, tomorrow, next week, next year, three years from now). Tense of a verb indicates the time period during which an action or event has occurred.
There are 3 main tenses:
1. Pratibha prepares a cake (Present Tense)
2. Pratibha prepared a cake (Past Tense)
3. Pratibha will prepare a cake (Future Tense)
Tenses also let us know the state of an action within a particular time period present past or future. Consider the following example with respect to present tense:
1. I prepare myself a cup of coffee every morning. (Present Tense; habitual action)
2. I am preparing a cup of coffee. (Present Continuous; an action in progress)
3. I have just prepared a cup of coffee. (Present Perfect; an action started in the past and continues upto the present)
4. I have been preparing coffee since last 5 minutes. (Present Perfect Continuous; length of time of an action) As already established, Present Tense expresses actions describing the current events or state of being, or a state which is associated with the present.
Types of Present Tense for English Grammar
1. Simple Present (Sub + V1 + s/es + object )
It is used to denote universal truths, habitual actions and work done on daily basis or at particular intervals of time. Words like every day, sometimes, always, often, usually , seldom, never, etc., often give a clue that the sentence is in simple present tense.
Examples:
• The Earth revolves around the sun. (Universal truth)
• I usually meet my friends on Sunday. (Habitual action)
• She does not like to play (a Negative Sentence in Simple Present)
• Do you want to watch a movie tonight? ( An Interrogative sentence in Simple Present)
Consider the following tables:
Subject Auxiliary Verb Negation Main Verb Object
I, We, You, They play keyboard
He, She, It plays keyboard
I, We, You, They do not play keyboard
He, She, It does not play keyboard
Do I/ we/ you/ they play keyboard?
Does he/ she/ it play keyboard?
Subject Main Verb Negation Object
I am strong
You, We, They are strong
He, She, It is strong
I am not strong
You, We, They are not strong
He, She, It is not strong
Main Verb Subject Object
Am I Strong?
Are you, we, they there?
Is he, she, it there?
2. Present Continuous/ Progressive (sub + is/am/are + v1 + ing + object )
It is used to express an on- going action which is taking place at the time of speaking.
It may be a short-term or a long-term action. Words like now, at the moment, etc.,
often indicate that the sentence is in present continuous tense.
Examples:
• I am eating an apple.
• The children are getting ready for the party.
• Priya is studying Mechanics this semester. (Long- term action: not
necessarily happening right now)
• I am working with an NGO. (Long- term action)
• I am going to Tokyo next week. (a fixed plan for future)
Consider the following table:
Subject
Auxiliary
Verb
Negation Main Verb Object
I am writing an article
You are speaking French
She is sipping coffee
We are playing hockey
He is not working hard
Is she studying now?
Are they not collecting wood?
3. Present Perfect (sub + has/have + v3 + object)
5 |
It is used to show an action that started in the past and has just finished. It is also used to indicate a past action as continuing to the present moment. Words like just, yet, never, ever, already, so far, up to now, since, recently, etc., often indicate that the sentence is in present continuous tense.
Examples:
• She has written a note.
• We have broken the protocol.
• She has worked as a freelance writer for 2 years. (The action started in the past and has continued until now.)
• I have seen the movie. (talks about an experience from the past)
• She has resided in Shanghai. (The action is that of the past but the memory is of now)
• I have bought a table. (Indicates change: something was not in the past but is now)
Consider the following table:
Subject
Auxiliary
Verb
Negation Main Verb Object
- I have read the book
- You have shaken my belief
- She has been to Moscow
- We have brought Lily home
- He has not married yet
- Has she prepared tea?
- Have they prayed?
4. Present Perfect Continuous (sub + has/have + been + v1 + ing + object)
It describes an action which began at a particular point of time in the past and has continued till now (has not been completed yet). In these sentences the emphasis is on the length of time of an action. Usually, in this tense, time indicators such as for, since are mentioned which indicate the length of time.
Examples:
• Prem has been working as a business analyst for 10 years. (The action started in the past and has continued until now.)
• I have been going to the gym since last Saturday.
• I am unwell because I have not been eating (I am unwell now because of an action that started in the past)