CBSE Class 10 English Assignment - Tenses. Students are advised to refer to the attached assignments and practice them regularly. This will help them to identify their weak areas and will help them to score better in examination. Parents should download and give the assignments to their children for practice.

Tenses (Verb Forms)

There are three main tenses:

1. Present Tense

2. Past Tense

3. Future Tense

PRESENT TENSE

(a) Simple Present

Usage. It is used:

To talk about a present action

To talk about a habitual action

To talk about a universal truth.

To talk about a permanent condition

To talk about a scientific fact.

To express proverbs

Form

Subject Verb

I, You, We, They, He, she. It Root form of verb, root form +’s’ or ‘es’

(b) Present Continuous Tense

Usage. It is used;

To talk about an action that is going on at the time of speaking.

For future time reference if we are sure of the action.

Form

Subject Verb

I, You, We, They, He, she. It am+present participle

are+present participle

is+present participle

(c) Present Perfect Tense

Usage. It is used;

To talk about an action that has just been completed.

Form

Subject Verb

I, You, We, They, He, she. It Have+past participle

Has+ past participle

(d) Present Perfect Continuous Tense

Usage. It is used;

To express an action that began in the past and has been in progress till the

time of speaking.

To express an action that finished just a short while ago.

Form

Subject Verb

I, You, We, They, He, she. It Have been + present participle

Has been+ present participle

Use of ‘since’ and ‘for’

‘since’ is used to denote ‘point of time’

‘for’ is used to denote ‘period of time’

For example,

I have been living in Delhi for five years.

She has been living in Agra since birth.

PAST TENSE

(a) Simple Past

Usage. It is used:

To talk about a past action.

To talk about some past habit

Form

Subject Verb

I, You, We, They, He, she. It Second form of verb

(b) Past Continuous Tense

Usage. It is used

To talk about an action which was in progress at some point of time before the

time of speaking

Form

Subject Verb

I, You, We, They, He, she. It Was +present participle

Were + present participle

(c) Past Perfect

Usage. It is used

To talk about an action that was completed before a given moment in the past

Form

Subject Verb

I, You, We, They, He, she. It Had +past participle

(d) Past Perfect Continuous

Usage. It is used.

To talk about an action that began before a definite moment in the past, had

continued up to that moment and was still in progress at that moment, or had

recently finished

Form

Subject Verb

I, You, We, They, He, she. It Had been + present participle

FUTURE TENSE

(a) Simple Future

Usage. It is used;

To talk about an action that will take place in future

Form

Subject Verb

I, You, We, They, He, she. It Shall + root form of ‘Verb’

Will + root form of verb

Note: in modern English ‘will’ is used with ‘T’ and ‘we’, too.

(b) Future Continuous

Usage. It is used.

To express an action that is almost certain to take place in the future.

Form

Subject Verb

I, You, We, They, He, she. It Shall be + present participle

Will be + present participle

(c) Future Perfect

Usage. It is used:

To talk about an action completed before a given moment in the future.

Form

Subject Verb

I, You, We, They, He, she. It Shall have+ past participle

Will have + past participle

Future Perfect Continuous Tense

Usage: it is used.

To talk about an action that will begin before a definite moment in the future, will

continue up to that moment and will be in progress even at that moment.

Form

Subject Verb

I, You, We, They, He, she. It Shall have been + present participle

Will have been +present participle

Solved

Example

1. Fill in the blanks in the following passage by using the correct tense form of

the verbs given in brackets, choosing the appropriate options from the

given ones.

Once Martin Luther King (a) ………………… (address) a public meeting. Suddenly

someone ( b)………………..(throw) a shoe at him. But king (c) ………………… (not

lose)

his cool. He (d) ……………..(pick) up the shoe and told the gathering that some kind

gentleman, knowing that he could not afford shoes, (e)…………..(throw) one for

him. He (f)……………….. (request) the gentleman to throw him the other one too. After

he said so, a man appeared before him and apologized.

Ans. (a) was addressing (b) threw (c) did not lose (d) picked (e) had thrown

(f) requested

Questions for Practice:

1. Fill in the blanks in the following passage by using the correct tense form

of the verbs given in brackets.

A diesel tanker (a) ……………… (catch) fire last evening when it (b)…………..(fill) up

the underground tank of a petrol station situated on the G.T. Road. Soon the fir4e

from the tanker (c)…………. (reach) the station’s administrative block. Suddenly the

driver of the tanker (d)………………. (get) into it and (e)…………… (driver) it 25 yards

ahead of the station. A big tragedy (f)………… .(avert) due to his brave act.

2. Fill in the blanks in the following passage by using the correct tense form

of the verbs given in brackets.

A forty-year old man (a)…………….(kill) and six others (b)………….(injure) when the

van in which they (c) ……………….(travel) overturned after colliding with a truck last

evening. Soon after the incident a huge crowd (d)………………..(gather) on the

spot and (e) ………… (start) beating the driver as he (f)………………(find) to be under

the influence of alcohol. The police arrived on the scene and arrested the driver.

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