Grammar Essentials (Handbook)

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Subtopic 2 of 8·← Parts of speech: nouns, pronouns, adjectives, adverbs·Subject-verb agreement (all rules and exceptions) →

Tenses and sequence of tenses

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The 12 tenses at a glance

Tense	Form	Main use	Signal words	Example
Simple present	V1 / V1+s	habits, facts, timetables	always, usually, every day	The sun rises in the east.
Present continuous	is/am/are + V-ing	action now; fixed near-future plan	now, at present, look!	She is writing a report.
Present perfect	has/have + V3	past action with present result; unspecified time	just, already, yet, ever, never, so far, recently	I have finished my work.
Present perfect continuous	has/have been + V-ing	action started in past and still continuing (with duration)	since, for, how long	He has been waiting for two hours.
Simple past	V2	finished action at a stated past time	yesterday, ago, last year, in 2010	We met him last week.
Past continuous	was/were + V-ing	action in progress at a past moment	when, while, at 8 pm yesterday	I was reading when you called.
Past perfect	had + V3	earlier of two past actions	before, after, already (past)	The train had left before we reached.
Past perfect continuous	had been + V-ing	past action continuing up to another past point	for, since (in past)	She had been working there for ten years when she resigned.
Simple future	will/shall + V1	future fact, decision, prediction	tomorrow, next week, soon	I will call you tomorrow.
Future continuous	will be + V-ing	action in progress at a future moment	at this time tomorrow	We will be travelling at noon tomorrow.
Future perfect	will have + V3	action completed before a future point	by, by the time, by then	By March, they will have completed the bridge.
Future perfect continuous	will have been + V-ing	duration up to a future point	for ... by	By June, he will have been teaching for 20 years.

Ten tense rules behind most SSC errors

since + point of time, for + period of time, and both normally need a perfect tense: I have lived here since 2019 / for six years (not I live here since 2019).
Future time clauses take the simple present: after when, if, unless, until, till, before, after, as soon as, once, in case, do not use will: I will call you when he arrives (not will arrive).
Definite past time words forbid the present perfect: I saw him yesterday ✓; I have seen him yesterday ✗.
Earlier of two past actions → past perfect: The patient had died before the doctor came.
Sequence of tenses: a past reporting/main verb pushes the subordinate clause into the past: He said that he was busy. Exception: universal truths and habitual facts stay present: The teacher said that water boils at 100 °C.
Stative verbs are not used in continuous tenses: know, believe, understand, like, love, hate, want, prefer, own, possess, belong, contain, consist, seem, mean, see, hear, smell (involuntary). I know him ✓; I am knowing him ✗.
It is time / It is high time / It is about time + subject + past form: It is high time we left.
Two linked past events with hardly / scarcely / no sooner use past perfect in the first clause and simple past in the second: No sooner had I reached the station than the train left.
By the time + present → future perfect; by the time + past → past perfect: By the time you arrive, I will have left; By the time we arrived, the show had begun.
It is / has been two years since + simple past: It is two years since he left the job.

Tense consistency

Keep one time frame inside a sentence unless the meaning changes: She opened the door and sees a stranger ✗ → saw.

📖 Notes 🧩 4 question types 🎯 13 practice Q

Detailed notes

The four zones

English tenses divide time into four zones — simple, continuous, perfect, perfect continuous — across past, present and future. You do not need to chant twelve names; you need to know which signal word demands which form.

Signal words: the fastest marks

Signal	Tense it demands	Example
yesterday, ago, last year, in 2010	simple past	She moved last year.
since + point of time	perfect (continuous)	I have known him since 2015.
for + period	perfect (continuous)	We have lived here for ten years.
just, already, yet, so far, recently	present perfect	He has just left.
now, look!, listen!	present continuous	Look! It is raining.
every day, usually, often	simple present	He walks to school every day.
tomorrow, next week	future	The results will come tomorrow.

Since points at the start (since Monday, since 2019); for measures the length (for three days). Mixing them is a planted error.

Two hard rules the exam loves

1. No future inside a time or condition clause. After when, as soon as, before, after, until, if, unless, use the present tense even when the meaning is future:

I will call you when I reach home (not will reach).
If it rains, the match will be cancelled (not will rain). The future appears only in the main clause: will + V1.

2. The earlier of two past actions takes the past perfect.

The patient had died before the doctor arrived.
The players had left the field before the rain started. Simple past for the later action; had + V3 for the earlier one.

Perfect continuous: the 'duration up to now' tense

When an action began in the past and is still running, use has/have been + V-ing:

It has been raining since morning.
The workers have been working on this bridge for two years. If the running action ended before another past moment, shift one step back: had been + V-ing — He was exhausted because he had been walking for six hours.

How to attack an item

Underline the signal word (ago, since, tomorrow, as soon as, before).
Ask: is the action finished, running, or earlier than another action?
Match the form, then check the other clause of the sentence for agreement with the timeline.

Quick revision

ago/last/yesterday → simple past; since/for/just/already → perfect family.
since + point, for + period.
when/if/as soon as + present (never will) in the time clause.
Earlier past action → had + V3.
Still running → has/have been + V-ing; finished before a past point → had been + V-ing.

Types of questions asked

Every way this subtopic shows up in exams — how to recognise it, the formula or logic to use, and a solved example.

Type 1: Signal word fixes the tensevery common3 practice Q

How to spot it:

The sentence carries a time signal: yesterday, ago, last year, since, for, just, already, now, every day.

Underline the signal word.
Read its demanded tense off the signal table.
Choose the option with that form and reject look-alike forms of neighbouring tenses.

Why it works: each signal belongs to exactly one tense family.

Example: She ___ to Chennai last year. (moved/has moved/had moved/moves)

last year → simple past → moved. 'Has moved' would need a since/for signal.

Type 2: No future in the time or if clausevery common3 practice Q

How to spot it:

The sentence pairs a future main clause (will ...) with a clause beginning when/if/as soon as/until/unless/before.

Spot the time/condition word.
Inside that clause use the present tense even for future meaning.
Keep will only in the main clause.

Why it works: English treats the time clause as a timetable entry — present form, future sense.

Example: I will call you when I ___ home. (reach/will reach/reached/am reaching)

Time clause → present → reach.

Type 3: Past perfect for the earlier past actioncommon2 practice Q

How to spot it:

Two past actions with before/after/when joining them; the options mix had + V3 and V2.

Put the two actions on a timeline.
The earlier one gets had + V3; the later one gets simple past.
Check the before/after direction before choosing.

Why it works: the past perfect exists precisely to mark 'earlier past'.

Example: The patient had died before the doctor ___. (arrived/had arrived/arrives)

Death happened first (already in past perfect) → doctor later → arrived.

Type 4: Perfect continuous with since/forcommon3 practice Q

How to spot it:

The sentence measures an action's duration (since morning, for two years) and the action is still going on.

Confirm duration + still running → has/have been + V-ing.
If the frame is past (was exhausted yesterday), step back to had been + V-ing.
Reject plain continuous and simple forms.

Why it works: only the perfect continuous family can carry 'from then until now'.

Example: He was exhausted because he ___ for six hours.

Running before a past point → had been walking.

Shortcut tricks

⚡ Signal-word scan

Before reading options, underline the time signal: since/for → perfect; yesterday/ago/last/in 2019 → simple past; by + future time → future perfect; when/if/as soon as + future meaning → simple present; before/after joining two past events → past perfect for the earlier one.

Example: She ___ (work) in this bank for eight years now.

for eight years now = started in past, still continuing → has been working (present perfect continuous).

⚡ The 'no will after when/if' reflex

If a clause begins with when, if, unless, until, as soon as, before, after, once and talks about the future, strike out will/shall in that clause. The will belongs only to the main clause.

Example: Spot the error: Unless you will apologise, / she will not / speak to you again.

Clause after unless refers to the future → simple present: Unless you apologise.

Where students lose marks

Using present perfect with a past time marker: has gone yesterday.
Using will in if/when/unless clauses about the future.
Writing since two years; since needs a point of time, for needs a duration.
Using stative verbs in -ing form: I am understanding the problem ✗.
Changing a universal truth to past in reported speech: said that the earth moved round the sun ✗.
Using simple past for the earlier of two past actions when before/after is not present to show order clearly.

Practice sets — 13 questions

Sets of 10, mixed across the question types above. Each answer comes with a step-by-step explanation.

Topic test · 13 questions

Suggested time 6 min · wrong answers go to your mistake notebook automatically.