Tenses
Tense is that form of
verb which shows the time and state of action.
The word “Tense “comes
from the Latin root word “Tempus “which means “time “.
Tenses are divided into 3
kinds. They are:
1. Present
Tense
2. Past Tense
3. Future Tense
Each tense is sub divided
into 4 divisions:
Simple / Indefinite –
States an action.
Continuous /
Progressive – Action going on.
Perfect – Action
completed.
Perfect Continuous /
Perfect Progressive – Action started earlier but still going on.
1.
Present Tense
The time of action which
takes place in the present is called “Present Tense “.
Present Tense is sub
divided into 4 kinds. They are:
1. Simple Present or
Present Indefinite
2. Present Continuous
or Present Progressive
3. Present Perfect
4. Present Perfect
Continuous or Present Perfect Progressive
1.
Simple Present or Present Indefinite
Form:
Assertive
Affirmative: Sub + V1
+ obj or Sub + V1
+ s / es
Assertive Negative: Sub +
do not / does not + V1
Interrogative
Affirmative: Do / Does + Sub + V1
Interrogative Negative:
Do / Does + Sub + not + V 1
Assertive
Affirmative:
I/ We / You / They
work.
He/ She / It works.
Children work.
Suman works
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Assertive Negative:
I/ We / You / They do
not work.
He / She / It does not
work.
Children do not work.
Suman does not work.
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Interrogative
Affirmative:
Do I / We/ You / They
work?
Does he / she / it
work?
Do children work?
Who works hard?
Why does he work?
When do they work?
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Interrogative
Negative:
Do I / We/ You / They
not work?
Does he / she / it not
work?
Do children not work?
Who does not work hard?
Why does he not work?
When do they not work?
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Usage:
To describe
habitual actions;
E.g. I go for a walk
every morning.
I get up at
5o’clock every morning.
To
describe habitual actions;
E.g. The sun sets in
the West.
Sugar is
sweet.
Water boils at
1000 c.
To express a
future event which is planned in advance, or is a part of a fixed
programme.
E.g. The match starts
at 4 p.m.
When does the
shop reopen?
I go to Delhi
tomorrow.
In conditional
clauses;
E.g. If we work hard,
we often succeed.
5. in running
commentaries on matches;
E.g. Sachin hits the
ball but the fielder misses the catch.
6. To express a
repeated action;
E.g. She often comes
to my house.
I sometimes go to the
cinema.
7. In vivid
narratives in a dramatic manner. (A past event);
E.g. Lord Krishna
carries the chariot forward. Arjun shoots arrows and Bhishma
collapses.
8. To introduce
quotations:
E.g. Wordsworth says,
“The world is too much with us.”
Note:
Adverbs or Adverbial phrases like often, generally, usually,
sometimes, always, never, occasionally, rarely, ever, on Sundays,
once a week / month / year, etc.
E.g. They always help
us.
He generally misses
his lunch.
We meet on Sundays.
Present
Continuous Tense( or) Present Progressive Tense
Form :
Assertive
Affirmative: Sub + am / is / are + v1
+ ing
Assertive Negative: Sub +
am / is / are + not + v1
+ ing
Interrogative
Affirmative: Am / is / are + Sub + V1
+ ing ?
Interrogative Negative:
Am / is / are + Sub + not + V1
+ ing
Assertive
Affirmative:
I am working.
We/ You / They are
working.
He/ She / It is
working.
Suman is working.
Children are working.
|
Assertive Negative:
I am not working.
We/ You / They are not
working.
He/ She / It is not
working.
Suman is not working.
Children are not working.
|
Interrogative
Affirmative:
Am I working?
Are you / we / they
working?
Is he / she / it
working?
Is Suman working?
Are children working?
|
Interrogative
Negative:
Am I not working?
Are you / we / they not
working?
Is he / she / it not
working?
Is Suman not working?
Are children not working?
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Usage:
For actions in
progress at the time of speaking ;
E.g. Ravi is speaking
very fast.
Raju is sitting on the
front bench.
For actions in
progress about this time, but not necessarily at the time of
speaking. i.e; during the course of time.
E.g. They are building
a dam here.
He is reading “The
wings of fire.” these days.
To describe a
definite action in the near future ;
E.g. I am going to
Mumbai tonight.
My father is arriving
tomorrow.
To express an
undesirable practice or habit ;
E.g. She is always
backbiting.
5. To express an
action which begins before a specific time and ever continues after
it.
E.g. We are having our
lunch at 3 o’clock.
Verbs
not normally used in this tense are :
Verbs of the
Senses. ( involuntary action )
See, smell, hear, feel,
look, taste, notice, observe (notice)
Verbs
expressing feelings and emotions :
Love, hate, want, wish,
desire, fear, like, dislike, value, adore, appreciate (= value),
admire (= respect), care for (= like), forgive, etc.
Verbs of
thinking or mental activity :
Think, know, feel,
recollect, remember, suppose, understand, recall, recognize, forget,
believe, expect, etc.
Verbs of
possession:
Have, belong, owe, own,
possess.
Other Verbs :
Seem, appear, keep,
consist, etc.
Note:
These verbs may be used in the simple present tense. However, some of
these verbs can be used in the Present Continues Tense with different
meanings:
E.g. I am
seeing(meeting) Suman at 2 o’clock.
I am minding( looking
after) my own business.
Present Perfect Tense
Form:
Assertive
Affirmative: Sub + has / have + V3
Assertive Negative: Sub +
has / have + not + V3
Interrogative
Affirmative: Has / Have + sub + V3?
Interrogative Negative:
Has / Have + sub + not + V3?
Assertive
Affirmative:
I / We / You / They
have worked.
He / She / It has
worked.
Suman has worked.
Children have worked.
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Assertive Negative:
I / We / You / They
have not worked.
He / She / It has not
worked.
Suman has not worked.
Children have not
worked.
|
Interrogative
Affirmative:
Have I / w e / you /
they worked?
Has he / she / it
worked?
Has Suman worked?
Have children worked?
|
Interrogative
Negative:
Have I / w e / you /
they not worked?
Has he / she / it not
worked?
Has Suman not worked?
Have children not worked?
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Usage:
To express the
completion of an action in the immediate past ;
E.g. She has just left
the room.
He has already met me.
To express past
actions without any specific time ;
E.g. Have you read
“Gulliver’s Travels”?
I have never seen him
angry.
To show past
events when their effect in the present is more important.
E.g. I have finished my
work.
She has cut her
finger.
Children have eaten
all the biscuits.
To express an
action that began at some moment in the past and is continuing up to
the present moment ;
E.g. He has lived here
for two years. (He is still here.)
Suman has been ill
since morning (She is still ill.)
They have always
helped their brothers.(They still help them.)
Note :
This tense denotes
the completion of an action.
It reveals the
present state of a completed action.
It does not reveal
an action done at a definite time in the past. So it cannot be used
with adverbs or Adverbial phrases like yesterday, last year / week /
month, a week / year ago, etc.
The adverbials
which are often used in this tense are: just, already, never,
always, ever, lately, recently, before, today, this week / year,
etc.
Present
Perfect Continuous (or) Present Perfect Progressive :
Form:
Assertive
Affirmative: Sub + has / have + been + V1
+
ing.
Assertive Negative: Sub +
has / have + not + been + V1
+ ing.
Interrogative
Affirmative: Has / Have + sub + been + V1 +
ing?
Interrogative Negative:
Has / Have + sub + not + been + V1
+ ing?
Assertive
Affirmative:
I / We / You / They
have been working for an hour.
He / She / It has been
working since 3o’clock.
Suman has been working
for three hours.
Children have been working since morning.
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Assertive Negative:
I / We / You / They
have not been working for an hour.
He / She / It has not
been working since 3o’clock.
Suman has not been
working for three hours.
Children have not been working since morning.
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Interrogative
Affirmative:
Have I / w e / you /
they been working for three hours?
Has he / she / it been
working since Monday?
Has Suman been working
since 5o’clock in the morning?
Have children been working for an hour?
|
Interrogative
Negative:
Have I / w e / you /
they not been working for three hours?
Has he / she / it not
been working since Monday?
Has Suman not been
working since 5o’clock in the morning?
Have children not been working for an hour?
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Usage :
It is generally
used to denote an action which started in the past, and has gone
till the present, and is still continuing. In this duration
continuity of the action is stressed or to express an action still
in progress ;
E.g. Ravi has been
swimming in the pool for 5 hours.
It
has been raining since 9 o’clock.
To describe an
action which has already finished but its effect continues ;
E.g. We have been busy
all the day and we are now on our bed at last.
They are panting
because they have been digging for 2 hours.
Use of “for”
For
is used to show period of time
or duration of an action.
I.e. four hours, two
days, three years, for a long time, five months, two minutes, etc.
Use of “since”
Since
is used to say about the point of time
or starting point of an action.
i.e. 2o’clock,
yesterday, since 1990, since Monday, since my arrival, since 20th
September, etc.
Present Perfect
and Present Perfect Continuous Tense:
We use “For”
to denote a period of time and “Since” to denote a point of time
in both the tenses.
Both the tenses
can describe an action that has its beginning in the past, and is
still going on.
E.g. i) I have lived
here for ten years (I am still living here.) (Present Perfect)
I have been
living here for ten years. (Present Perfect Continuous)
ii)
She has researched for five years. (Present Perfect)
She
has been researching for five years. (Present Perfect Continuous)
Note:
Verbs which are not normally used in continuous tenses are not used
in this case.
If an action gets
interrupted for some reason, we use the Present Perfect tense to
describe it:
E.g. I have written
four pages since morning. (It is wrong to say: I have been writing
four pages since morning.)
D) A single
action has different meanings in the two tenses:
E.g. I have written
all the letters. (The action is over)
I have been
writing letters. (The action is still in progress.)
E) Verbs of
Static or Passive nature stay, sit, wait, rest, lie, learn, live,
study, are not often used in the Present Perfect tense. They may be
used in the present perfect continuous tense.
Past
Tense
The time of action
which takes place in the past is called “Past
Tense”.
Past Tense is sub divided
into 4 kinds. They are:
1. Simple Past or Past
Indefinite
2. Past Continuous or
Past Progressive
3. Past Perfect
4. Past Perfect
Continuous or Past Perfect Progressive
1.
Simple Past or Past Indefinite
Form:
Assertive
Affirmative: Sub + V2
+ obj
Assertive Negative: Sub +
did not + V1
Interrogative
Affirmative: Did + Sub + V1
Interrogative Negative:
Did + Sub + not + V 1
or didn’t + Sub + V1
Assertive
Affirmative:
I/ We / You / They /
He / She / It worked.
Suman / Children worked.
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Assertive Negative:
I/ We / You / He / She
/ It / They did not work.
Suman / Children did not work.
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Interrogative
Affirmative:
Did I / We/ You / he,
she / it / They work ?
Did Suman / children
work?
Why did you come late?
Who worked hard?
Why did he work?
When did they work?
Which book did you read?
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Interrogative
Negative:
Did I / We/ You / he /
she / it / They not work?
Did Suman / children
not work?
Who did not work hard?
Why did he not work?
When did they not work?
Which book did you not read?
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Usage:
1.
To describe an action / event that happened in the past ;
E.g. He came yesterday.
(The time is given.)
Nehru died in 1964.
(The time is given.)
Alexander defeated
Porus in a fierce battle. (The time is implied.)
When did the builder
build the house? (The time is asked for?)
When did you watch
this film? (The time is asked for)
2.
To describe a habitual or repeated action in the past;
E.g. We studied eight
hours every day.
He never smoke or
drank.
To denote an
action which continued for some time in the past ; as
E.g. I lived at
Hyderabad for a longtime.
We studied Chemistry
for two hours.
Note: “For”
in this tense refers to the duration of the past action and not to a
period of time from the past to the present, as in the present
perfect and Perfect Continuous Tenses.
Past Continuous
Tense( or) Past Progressive Tense
Form :
Assertive
Affirmative: Sub + was / were + v1
+ ing
Assertive Negative: Sub +
was / were + not + v1
+ ing
Interrogative
Affirmative: was / were + Sub + V1
+ ing?
Interrogative Negative:
was / were + Sub + not + V1
+ ing?
Assertive
Affirmative:
We/ You / They were
working.
I / He/ She / It was
working.
Suman was working.
Children were working.
|
Assertive Negative:
We/ You / They were not
working.
I / He/ She / It was
not working.
Suman was not working.
Children were not working.
|
Interrogative
Affirmative:
Were you / we / they
working?
Was I / he / she / it
working?
Was Suman working?
Were children working?
|
Interrogative
Negative:
Were you / we / they
not working?
Was I / he / she / it
not working?
Was Suman not working?
Were children not working?
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Usage:
To show an action
in progress at some moment in the past ; as
E.g. They were playing
at 5o’clock.
She was weeping
bitterly.
To show the
continuity of two or more actions at the same time in the past ; as,
E.g. She was dancing
while Rajesh was singing.
They were talking when
I was teaching.
To describe a past
action which is often repeated ; as
E.g. Ram was always
spitting here and there.
He was always frowning
at his children.
To describe a
continuing action in the past as the other related action is
complete ; as,
E.g. As he was telling
us a joke, she stole in,
It began to rain just
as we were leaving the house.
I was digging in the
garden when I came upon this statue.
Past Perfect
Tense
Form:
Assertive
Affirmative: Sub + had + V3
Assertive Negative: Sub +
had + not + V3
Interrogative
Affirmative: Had + sub + V3?
Interrogative Negative:
Had + sub + not + V3?
Assertive
Affirmative:
I / We / You / They /
He / She / It had worked.
Suman / Children had worked.
|
Assertive Negative:
I / We / You / They /
He / She / It had not worked.
Suman / Children had not worked.
|
Interrogative
Affirmative:
Had I / w e / you /
they / He / She / It worked?
Had Suman / children
worked?
Who had worked?
Whom had you met?
Where had he gone?
|
Interrogative
Negative:
Had I / w e / you /
they / He / She / It not worked?
Had Suman children not
worked?
Who had not worked?
Whom had you not met?
Where had he not gone?
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Usage :
To describe an
action completed before a definite point in the past ; as,
E.g. He had sold all
his eatables at 2o’clock.
Lata had got married
at 15.
To describe a
completed action in the past before another action in the past began
; as,
E.g. The bell had rung
when we entered the school.
The patient had died
before the doctor arrived.
The
letter came after he had left for the office.
To denote past
desires which remained unfulfilled ; as’
E.g. If only I had
studied hard. (But I did not do.)
I wish I had met her
in my youth. (But I could not.)
In the conditional
clauses to describe something which did not really happen ; as,
E.g. If he had met us,
we would have helped him.
If you had studied
seriously, you would have passed.
If she had listened to
my advice, she would not have married that man.
Simple
Past and Past Perfect Tenses
The simple past
tense is used to describe a series of events that happened one after
the other;
E.g. He stopped the
work at 2o’clock. He put on his coat and went out for lunch. He had
lunch at a restaurant with a friend. After lunch he came back to the
office.
B) When the order
of events is not followed, the past perfect tense is used to tell the
correct order:
E.g. Before going out
for lunch, he had put on his coat.
Before coming back to
the office, he had had lunch at a restaurant with a friend.
C) The Past
Perfect Tense is used to express a completed action before some
special event / action that we have in our mind:
E.g. By the time it began to snow,
they had reached home.
D) The simple Past Tense is used
to express a single past action:
E.g. He came yesterday.
Past
Perfect Continuous (or) Past Perfect Progressive :
Form :
Assertive
Affirmative: Sub + had + been + V1
+
ing.
Assertive Negative: Sub +
had + not + been + V1
+ ing.
Interrogative
Affirmative: Had + sub + been + V1 +
ing?
Interrogative Negative:
Had + sub + not + been + V1
+ ing?
Assertive
Affirmative:
I / We / You / They /
He / She / It had been working for an hour.
Suman had been working
for three hours.
Children had been working since morning.
|
Assertive Negative:
I / We / You / They /
He / She / It have not been working for an hour.
Suman had not been
working for three hours.
Children had not been working since morning.
|
Interrogative
Affirmative:
Had I / w e / you /
they / He / She / It been working since Monday?
Had Suman been working
since 5o’clock in the morning?
Had children been
working for an hour?
Who had been working?
Why had he been working?
|
Interrogative
Negative:
Had I / w e / you /
they / He / She / It not been working for three hours?
Had Suman not been
working since 5o’clock in the morning?
Had children not been
working for an hour?
Who had not been
working?
Why had he not been working?
|
Usage :
To describe an
action that began before a certain moment in the past, and continued
up to that moment or stopped just before it ; as,
E.g. When I met her,
she had already been studying French for the last two years.
When he arrived, we
had been waiting for him since last week.
Until he married her,
she had been working as a steno.
To describe a
repeated action in the Past Perfect ; as,
E.g. She had tried many
times to learn classical dance.
She had been trying to
learn classical dance.
The Future Tense
The
time of action which will take place in the future is called “Future
Tense”.
Future Tense is sub
divided into 4 kinds. They are:
1. Simple Future or
Future Indefinite
2. Future Continuous or
Future Progressive
3. Future Perfect
4. Future Perfect
Continuous or Future Perfect Progressive
1. Simple Future or
Future Indefinite
Form:
Assertive
Affirmative: Sub +will / shall + V1
+ obj
Assertive Negative: Sub +
will / shall + not + V1
Interrogative
Affirmative: Will / Shall + Sub + V1
Interrogative Negative:
Will / Shall + Sub + not + V 1
or Won’t + Sub + V1
Assertive
Affirmative:
I/ We / You / They /
He / She / It will work.
Suman / Children will work.
|
Assertive Negative:
I/ We / You / He / She
/ It / They will not work.
Suman / Children will not work.
|
Interrogative
Affirmative:
Will I / We/ You / he ,
she / it / They work ?
Will Suman / children work?
|
Interrogative
Negative:
Did I / We/ You / he /
she / it / They not work?
Will Suman / children not work?
|
Usage:
The Simple Present
is used to describe a definite future arrangement :
E.g. Rajesh starts
school next week.
We leave to night.
Note:
This tense is less commonly used to express the future time as it is
quite formal or impersonal.
The Present
Continuous Tense is often used to express a definite arrangement in
the near future :
E.g. We are leaving at
six.
We are opening a new
shop next week.
I am seeing her
tonight.
Note:
We can use “come” and “go” in this way without time
expressions:
E.g. She is going on a
picnic.
Is she coming for the
show?
The Future Simple
(will / shall + V1)
is used to express a future action. We use will / shall for the
first persons and will for the other persons.
Usage
of “Will / Shall”
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Obligatory Action
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|
Optional Action
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|
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Singular
|
Plural
|
Singular
|
Plural
|
First Person
|
Will ( I)
|
Will (We)
|
Shall (I)
|
Shall (We)
|
Second Person
|
Shall (You)
|
Shall (You)
|
Will (You)
|
Shall (You)
|
Third Person
|
Shall (He /She /It)
|
Shall (They)
|
Will (He / She / It)
|
Shall (He / She / It)
|
E.g. He will solve your
problem.
I will come at
9o’clock.
Lata will not buy a
new car.
Shall I do it?
The “Be(H.V.)
+ going to + V1
“ form is used to describe the speaker’s
intention to do something in the fairly immediate future :
E.g. I am going to see
her soon.
I am going to think
about it.
This form can be used to
express something likely to happen in a distant future:
E.g. He is going to be a
doctor when he grows up.
I am going to enjoy when
I go to my native place.
This form can also be used
to denote certainty or probability about an event in the near future:
E.g. As our country is at
war, things are going to be tough for our people.
Prices of petrol and
diesel are going to soar high with the ever – growing increase in
their demand.
The “Be
+ about to + V1”
form is used for the action to be continued in the next moment.
E.g. I am about to go out.
She is about to teach a
lesson.
They are about to
continue the practice.
Future Continuous
Tense( or) Future Progressive Tense
Form:
Assertive
Affirmative: Sub + will / shall + be + v1
+ ing
Assertive Negative: Sub +
will / shall + not + be + v1
+ ing
Interrogative
Affirmative: Will / Shall + Sub + be + V1 + ing ?
Interrogative Negative:
Will / Shall + Sub + not + be + V1
+ ing?
Assertive
Affirmative:
I / We / You / He /
She / It / They will be working.
Suman / Children will be working.
|
Assertive Negative:
I / We / You / He / She
/ It / They will not be working.
Suman / Children will not be working.
|
Interrogative
Affirmative:
Will I / We / You / He
/ She / It / They be working?
Will Suman / children be working?
|
Interrogative
Negative:
Will I / We / You / He
/ She / It / They not be working?
Will Suman / children not be working?
|
Usage:
It is used to
express a future without intention:
E.g. I will be seeing
Gopal tomorrow.
2. This tense
is used to express a future action that starts before a particular
time and probably continues after it; as,
E.g. We will be playing
tennis at 9o’clock tomorrow.
He will be having his
lunch at this time.
To describe an
action which is expected to occur in the normal course :
E.g. I will be seeing
the President tonight.
He will be going to
Delhi next week.
In the negative,
this tense indicates that a particular action will not occur in the
normal course :
E.g. She will not be
playing as she is having fever.
5. In the
Interrogative, this tense is used to ask a polite question:
E.g. Will you be doing
it in our absence?
Future Perfect
Tense
Form:
Assertive
Affirmative: Sub + will / shall + have + V3
Assertive Negative: Sub +
will / shall + not + have + V3
Interrogative
Affirmative: Had + sub + V3?
Interrogative Negative:
Will / Shall + sub + not + V3?
Assertive
Affirmative:
I / We / You / They /
He / She / It will have worked.
Suman / Children will have worked.
|
Assertive Negative:
I / We / You / They /
He / She / It will not have worked.
Suman / Children will not have worked.
|
Interrogative
Affirmative:
Will I / w e / you /
they / He / She / It have worked?
Will Suman / children have worked?
|
Interrogative
Negative:
Will I / w e / you /
they / He / She / It have not worked?
Will Suman / children have not worked?
|
Usage :
It is used for an
action which will just have finished at a given future time. It is
often used with a time expression ;
E.g. India will have
made a lot of progress in IT by 2018.
Before you come, he
will have slept.
We will have reached
there by the time it begins to rain.
This tense is also
used to reveal that something has taken place ; as,
E.g. You will have
heard about my marriage.
Future
Perfect Continuous (or) Future Perfect Progressive :
Form:
Assertive
Affirmative: Sub + will / shall have + been + V1
+
ing.
Assertive Negative: Sub +
will + not + have + been + V1
+ ing.
Interrogative
Affirmative: Will + sub + have + been + V1
+ ing?
Interrogative Negative:
Will + sub + not + have + been + V1
+ ing?
Assertive
Affirmative:
I / We / You / They /
He / She / It will have been working for an hour.
Suman / Children will have been working for three
hours.
|
Assertive Negative:
I / We / You / They /
He / She / It will not have been working for an hour.
Suman / Children will not have been working for
three hours.
|
Interrogative
Affirmative:
Will I / w e / you /
they / He / She / It have been working since Monday?
Will Suman / children have been working since
5o’clock in the morning?
|
Interrogative
Negative:
Will I / w e / you /
they / He / She / It not have been working for three hours?
Will Suman / children not have been working since
5o’clock in the morning?
|
Usage
:
This
tense is used to express a continuous future action at a given
future time. It is also used with a time expression (since / for) ;
as,
E.g. We
will have been studying English for a decade by 2014.
He
will have been living here for over six months by the end of this
year.
The
use of Tense in a Time Clause
A time clause is
introduced by the following Conjunctions:
After, before, when,
while, whenever, till, until, before, since, as soon as, etc.
Note: It is to be
remembered that the future tense is not used in time clauses:
E.g. We will go when
you come back. (Wrong to say: We will go when you will come back.)
We shall start
studying seriously after the guests have left. (Wrong to say: We
shall start studying seriously after the guests will have left.)