Tenses — English | CSS MPT Notes

Overview: 12 Tenses (4 forms × 3 times)

Every tense has 4 forms: Simple, Continuous, Perfect, Perfect Continuous — across Present, Past, Future.

1. Present Simple

Structure: Subject + V1(s/es) | Neg: do/does + not + V1 | Q: Do/Does + subject + V1?

Usage:

Habitual/repeated actions — "He goes to the gym daily."
General truths/facts — "The sun rises in the east."
Fixed schedules/timetables — "The train leaves at 6 pm."
Instructions/commentary — "First you mix the flour."

Signal words: always, usually, often, sometimes, every day/week, never

Examples:

She writes a letter every week.
He does not play cricket.
Does she like tea?

2. Present Continuous

Structure: Subject + am/is/are + V-ing | Neg: am/is/are + not + V-ing | Q: Am/Is/Are + subject + V-ing?

Usage:

Action happening right now — "I am writing this now."
Temporary situations — "She is staying with her aunt this week."
Planned future arrangements — "We are meeting tomorrow."
Changing/developing situations — "The weather is getting colder."

Signal words: now, right now, at the moment, currently, still

Exception: Stative verbs (know, believe, love, want, own, understand) are NOT normally used in continuous form. ~~"I am knowing"~~ → "I know."

Examples:

They are preparing for the MPT.
He is not listening to me.
Is she coming to the party?

3. Present Perfect

Structure: Subject + has/have + V3 | Neg: has/have + not + V3 | Q: Has/Have + subject + V3?

Usage:

Action completed at unspecified past time, relevant now — "I have finished my work."
Experience (ever/never) — "She has visited London twice."
Action started in past, continuing to present (with for/since) — "I have lived here for 5 years."
Recently completed action (just/already/yet) — "He has just left."

Signal words: already, just, yet, ever, never, since, for, so far, up to now

Key rule: since = starting point (since 2020); for = duration (for 3 years)

Examples:

I have completed the syllabus.
She has not called me yet.
Have you seen this movie?

4. Present Perfect Continuous

Structure: Subject + has/have + been + V-ing | Neg: has/have + not + been + V-ing | Q: Has/Have + subject + been + V-ing?

Usage:

Action started in past, still continuing, emphasis on duration — "I have been studying since morning."
Recently stopped action with visible present result — "She has been crying" (eyes are red now).

Signal words: since, for, lately, recently, how long

Examples:

They have been waiting for an hour.
He has not been feeling well lately.
Have you been working on this all day?

5. Past Simple

Structure: Subject + V2 | Neg: did + not + V1 | Q: Did + subject + V1?

Usage:

Completed action at a definite past time — "I visited Lahore last year."
Series of completed past actions — "He woke up, brushed his teeth, and left."
Past habits (also can use "used to") — "She played tennis every Sunday as a child."

Signal words: yesterday, last week/month/year, ago, in 2020, when I was young

Examples:

They went home early.
She did not attend the meeting.
Did he call you?

6. Past Continuous

Structure: Subject + was/were + V-ing | Neg: was/were + not + V-ing | Q: Was/Were + subject + V-ing?

Usage:

Action in progress at a specific past moment — "I was studying at 9 pm."
Background action interrupted by another action (with Simple Past) — "She was cooking when the phone rang."
Two parallel past actions — "While I was reading, she was writing."

Signal words: while, when, at that time, at 9 o'clock last night

Examples:

We were watching TV when he arrived.
He was not paying attention.
Were they playing outside?

7. Past Perfect

Structure: Subject + had + V3 | Neg: had + not + V3 | Q: Had + subject + V3?

Usage:

Action completed before another past action (the "earlier of two pasts") — "The train had left before we arrived."
Reported speech backshift from Present Perfect

Signal words: before, after, by the time, already (in past context), when

Examples:

She had finished her homework before dinner.
I had not met him before that day.
Had you left by 6 pm?

8. Past Perfect Continuous

Structure: Subject + had + been + V-ing | Neg: had + not + been + V-ing | Q: Had + subject + been + V-ing?

Usage:

Action in progress before another past action, emphasis on duration — "We had been studying for 3 hours when the power went out."

Signal words: for, since, before

Examples:

He had been working there for 10 years before he resigned.
They had not been speaking to each other for months.
Had she been waiting long?

9. Future Simple

Structure: Subject + will/shall + V1 | Neg: will + not (won't) + V1 | Q: Will + subject + V1?

Usage:

Spontaneous decisions — "I will call you back."
Predictions without evidence — "It will rain tomorrow."
Promises/offers — "I will help you."

Signal words: tomorrow, next week/year, soon

Note: "going to" is used instead when there's present evidence or a prior plan — "Look at those clouds, it is going to rain."

Examples:

The match will be played on Sunday.
She will not attend the ceremony.
Will you come with us?

10. Future Continuous

Structure: Subject + will be + V-ing | Neg: will not be + V-ing | Q: Will + subject + be + V-ing?

Usage:

Action that will be in progress at a specific future time — "This time tomorrow, I will be flying to Karachi."
Polite inquiries about plans — "Will you be joining us?"

Examples:

They will be waiting for us at the station.
I will not be attending the meeting tomorrow.
Will she be working late tonight?

11. Future Perfect

Structure: Subject + will have + V3 | Neg: will not have + V3 | Q: Will + subject + have + V3?

Usage:

Action that will be completed before a specific future time — "By next year, I will have completed my degree."

Signal words: by the time, by next week/year, before

Examples:

They will have finished the project by June.
She will not have received the letter by then.
Will you have submitted the form by Friday?

12. Future Perfect Continuous

Structure: Subject + will have been + V-ing | Neg: will not have been + V-ing | Q: Will + subject + have been + V-ing?

Usage:

Action that will have been continuing for a duration up to a future point — "By 2027, I will have been working here for 10 years."

Examples:

By next month, he will have been studying English for a year.
She will not have been waiting long when we arrive.

High-Yield Trap Rules (MPT favorites)

Since vs For: since = fixed point in time; for = duration
Ago vs Before: ago = counted back from now (used with Simple Past); before = counted back from another past point (used with Past Perfect)
Yet vs Already: yet = negative/questions, end of sentence; already = affirmative, mid-sentence
Time clauses (when/after/before/as soon as + future meaning) never take "will": ~~"When I will arrive"~~ → "When I arrive, I will call you." “WABAU block will “
If-clauses (conditionals) also avoid "will" in the if-part: "If it rains, we will stay home." (not "If it will rain")
Stative verbs (know, believe, love, hate, want, need, seem, own) are not used in continuous tenses

Drill: Choose the Correct Tense (MCQ)

She ___ (write) a letter right now. — is writing
I ___ (finish) my homework already. — have finished
They ___ (live) here since 2015. — have lived
He ___ (go) to Lahore last week. — went
When I arrived, she ___ (leave) already. — had left
By next year, I ___ (complete) my degree. — will have completed
We ___ (study) for 3 hours when the power went out. — had been studying
Water ___ (boil) at 100°C. — boils
She ___ (sleep) when the phone rang. — was sleeping
I ___ (meet) him tomorrow. — am meeting / will meet
He ___ (not/finish) the report yet. — has not finished
They ___ (play) football every Sunday. — play
If it ___ (rain), we will cancel the trip. — rains
By the time you arrive, I ___ (leave) already. — will have left
She ___ (work) here for 10 years before she resigned. — had been working

Practice tracker

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