16 Kinds of Tenses

There are 16 Tenses in English. There are:

·         Simple Present Tense

·         Present Continuous Tense

·         Present Perfect Tense

·         Present Perfect Continuous Tense

·         Simple Past Tense

·         Past Continuous Tense

·         Past Perfect Tense

·         Past Perfect Continuous Tense

·         Simple Future Tense

·         Future Continuous Tense

·         Future Perfect Tense

·         Future Perfect Continuous Tense

·         Past Future Tense

·         Past Future Continuous Tense

·         Past Future Perfect Tense

·         Past Future Perfect Continuous Tense

1. Simple Present Tense

This tenses are used to denote something that is fixed, habitual or an essential truth. Because it is often related to the incident at about past, present and future, this at least has the Tenses description for a certain time.

FORM:

(+) Subject (s) + Verb1 + Object (o)

ex: She ate the rice

(-) S+do/does not+Verb1+O

ex: She doesn’t eat the rice

(?) Do/Does + S + Verb1 + O

ex: Does she it the rice?

I, You, They, We use do when it come to negative and question sentence. While He, She, It use does.

2. Present Continuous Tense

This tenses are used to express an action which is actually being done at this time.

FORM:

(+) S + to be + Verb-ing + O

ex: They are riding the bicycle

(-) S + to be + not + Verb-ing + O

ex: They are not riding the bicycle

(?) to be + S + Verb-ing + O

ex: Are they riding the bicycle?

3. Present Perfect Tense

This tenses are used to express your experience. This sentence can used to say that you have never had a certain experience. Present Perfect Tense didn’t use to describe specific event.

FORM:

(+) S + Has/Have + Past Participle (V3)

ex: I have met her once before

(-) S + Has/Have + not + past participle (V3)

ex: I Have not met her before

(?) Has/Have + S + past participle (V3)

ex: Have You met her before?

4. Present Perfect Continuous Tense

Present Perfect Continuous Tense is used to show that something started in the past and has continued up until now. ”for two hours’, ‘for two weeks’, ‘since yesterday’ are all durations which can be used with this sentence. Without the durations, the tense has a more general meaning of “lately.” We often use the words “lately” or “recently” to emphasize this meaning.

FORM:

(+) S + have/has + been + Verb-ing + O

ex: We have been practicing our English since Monday.

(-) S + have/has + been + Verb-ing + O

ex: We have not been practicing our English

(?) have/has + S + been + Verb-ing + O

ex: Have they been practicing their English?

5. Simple Past Tense

We used this tense to talk about the past.

FORM:

(+) S + Verb2 + O

ex: She studied math last night

(-) S + did + not + Verb1

ex: She did not studied math last night

(?) did + S + verb1 + O

ex: Did She studied math last night?

6. Past Continuous Tense

This tense is used to say when we were in the middle of doing at a particular moment in the past.

FORM:

(+) S + was/were + Verb-ing

ex: He was reading

(-) S + was/were + not + Verb-ing

ex: He wasn’t reading

(?) Was/were + S + Verb-ing

ex: Was He reading?

7. Past Perfect Tense

The Past Perfect expresses the idea that something occurred before another action in the past. It can also show that something happened before a specific time in the past.

FORM:

had+past participle

ex: I had Listen to the radio when she come home

8. Past Perfect Continuous Tense

We use the Past Perfect Continuous to show that something started in the past and continued up until another time in the past. “For five minutes” and “for two weeks” are both durations which can be used with the Past Perfect Continuous. Notice that this is related to the Present Perfect Continuous however, the duration does not continue until now, it stops before something else in the past.

FORM:

S + had + been + Verb-ing

ex: Lina had been study at the university for 1 year before she left to Korea.

9. Simple Future Tense

often called will. because, the modal auxiliary verb in this sentence is will.

FORM :

(+) S + WILL + Verb1

ex: I will dance

(-) S+WILL+not+Verb1

ex: I will not dance

(?) will + S + Verb1

ex: Will she dance?

10. Future Continuous Tense

Future Continuous has two different forms: “will be doing ” and “be going to be doing”. Future Continuous forms are usually interchangeable.

FORM:

(+) S + will be + Verb-ing

ex: I will be going to mosque.

(-) S + will not  be + Verb-ing

ex: I won’t be going to church

(?) will + S + be + Verb-ing

ex: Will you going to mosque?

11. Future Perfect Tense

This sentence is used when we talk about the past in the future.

FORM:

(+) S + Will + have + Verb3

ex: I will have finished by 6 PM

(-) S + will + not + have + Verb3

ex: I will not have finished by 6 PM

(?)  Will + S + have + Verb3

ex: will you have finished Verb3

12. Future Perfect Continuous Tense

We use the future perfect continuous tense to talk about a long action before some point in the future.

FORM:

(+) S + Will + have + been + Verb-ing

ex: Andra will have been drawing the sketch

(-) S + will + not + have + been + Verb-ing

ex: Andra Won’t have been drawing the sketch

(?) Will + S + have + been + Verb-ing ?

ex: Will Andra have been drawing the sketch?

13. Past Future Tense

this tense is used to express the events that WILL be done, BUT in the past, not the present.

FORM:

(+) S + would + Verb1

ex: I would go

(-) S + Would + not + Verb1

ex: I wouldn’t go

(?) Would + S + Verb1?

ex: Would you go?

14. Past Future Continuous Tense

Past Future Continuous tells an action would be in progress in the past.

FORM:

(+) S + was/were + going to be + Verb-ing

ex: She was going to be Cooking this morning

(-) S + was/were + not + going to be + Verb-ing

ex: She wasn’t going to be cooking this morning

(?) Was/were + S + going to be + Verb-ing

ex: was she going to be cooking this morning?

time signals for this tense is time in the past like, this morning, yesterday, last night, last week and so on.

15. Past Future Perfect Tense

This tense is restates the action stated in Future Perfect Tense but with different time dimension, it is in past time whilst the Future Perfect is in future time (not happen yet).

FORM:

(+) S + would + have + Verb3

ex: I would have drunk the milk last night

(-) S + would + not + have + Verb3

ex: I wouldn’t have drunk the milk last night

(?) Would + S + have + Verb3

ex: Would you have drunk the milk last night?

16. Past Future Perfect Continuous Tense

Past Future Perfect Continuous Tense emphasizes on the course and the duration of the action. Past Future Perfect Continuous Tense is used to tell an action which would have been happening until a certain time (period) in the past.

FORM:

(+) S + would + have + been + verb-ing

ex: Chris would have been working for 6 years when he get fired

(-) S+ would + not + have + been + verb-ing

ex: Chris wouldn’t have been working for 6 years when he get fired

(?) Would + subject + have + been + verb-ing?

ex: Would Chris have been working for 6 years when he get fired?

EXPLAIN THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN TOEFL And TOEIC

Ever wonder the difference between the these prominent English tests for university admittance?  The TOEFL, IELTS, TOEIC & the new PTE are the most common English tests administered at this time and prospective test-takers might wonder the differences between them.  Here’s a quick 101 on the differences between each.

• TOEFL: Otherwise known as the Test of English as a Foreign Language, this exam is currently the most common for non-native English speakers. The TOEFL is often a requirement at most colleges and universities in the U.S., Canada and other English-speaking countries. In addition, government agencies, licensing bodies, businesses or scholarship programs might also require the TOEFL. At this present time, an individual’s TOEFL score is valid for two years and then subject for re-evaluation after the two-year period.
  The TOEFL itself was first administered in 1964 and has been taken by more than 23 million students since then. There are two most common forms of the test, the Internet-based Test (iBT) and paper-based (PBT). The iBT test is comprised of four sections: Reading, Listening, Speaking & Writing. The PBT is made up of four sections, as well: Listening, Structure & Written Expression, Reading Comprehension & Writing.The iBT has a total of 120 points, whereas the PBT ranges between 310-667 points.
• IELTS: Otherwise known as the International English Language Testing System, the IELTS is administered by the University of Cambridge ESOL Examinations, the British Council & IDP Education. There are two primary versions of the IELTS: the academic version & the general training version. Basically, the academic version is meant for students who want to enroll in universities and other higher education institutions, as well as for medical professions, such as doctors or nurses who need to work or study in an English-speaking country. The general training version is meant for those looking to gain work experience or for purely immigration purposes.
  Similar to the TOEFL, an IELTS score is valid for two years. While both the academic version and the general version differ in terms of content, their structure is the same, dividing the test into three parts: Listening (40 minutes), Reading (60 minutes) and Writing (60 minutes). A brand is given along with a score, ranging form the high score of an “Expert User” to the lowest score of the “Non User.” The top three countries the test is administered in are China, India and Pakistan.
• PTE: The New Pearson Test of English (PTE) was launched in October 2009. Its main differences from the TOEFL include:
  • automated speech and writing scoring providing consistent and accurate grading
  • score reports offering recorded speech samples to admissions offices at universities worldwide
  • challenging question types including filling blanks, matching items, selecting multiple answer choices in the same question
  • results will be available online in just five days
  • the fee will range from $150-$220, depending on each country
  Similar to the TOEFL test, the Pearson Test of English (PTE) will test in all four sections: reading, writing, listening and speaking.
• TOEIC: The TOEIC is an acronym for the Test of English for International Communication. As quoted from the TOEIC website: “The TOEIC is an English language test designed specifically to measure the everyday English skills of people working in an international environment.” The point system ranges from 10 to 990 points and the test itself is two hours in length, multiple choice, testing listening comprehension and reading comprehension.
  The TOEIC gives certificates to those who take the test, with different colors differentiating the range of advanced skills. In 2006 a new TOEIC was released with longer reading passages and also British, Australian and New Zealand English-speakers, whereas the previous test only featured American speakers.

Who Takes the TOEFL vs. the TOEIC

The TOEFL measures the test-taker's ability to function in an English-speaking academic environment. The target test-taker for the TOEFL is a candidate for higher education in an English-speaking country. The TOEIC, on the other hand, measures the ability to function in a general work environment. This test is used in nonacademic settings as a measure of the ability of a current or potential employee to communicate effectively in English in a variety of business settings and situations.

Test Formats

The TOEFL is a four-section test that includes sections for reading, listening, speaking and writing. It is taken exclusively on the computer. The TOEIC is broken into two separate but complementary exams: the Reading and Listening Test, which is a paper-and-pencil test, and the Speaking and Writing Test, which is taken on a computer. The exams are broken up in this way so potential employers can choose to measure an employee's reading and listening or speaking and writing skills only, or all four language skills. The Reading and Listening Test will take about two-and-a-half hours to complete, and for the Speaking and Writing Test, the speaking section will last about 20 minutes, and the writing section will take 60 minutes to complete.

Test Content

In the TOEFL, the test-taker is measured on his ability to function in an academic environment. In this regard, the vocabulary on this test is academic in nature and is similar to the vocabulary used in college text books. The topics of the reading and listening passages are similarly academic. You may read a passage on bird migration, for example, or listen to a lecture from an economics course. The TOEIC, on the other hand, measures the test-taker's ability to function in a business environment. Topics may range from dining out in a restaurant to presenting in a budget meeting.

Test Scores

On the TOEFL iBT, the maximum possible score is 120 -- 30 points for each of the four sections. There is no "passing score" and colleges and universities will have their own requirements for admission, which test-takers can find information about through the admissions office. The TOEIC Reading and Listening test gives the test-taker a score of 10 to 990, which corresponds to bands in the Common European Framework measure of English proficiency. A test-taker will receive scores of zero to 200 for the Speaking and Writing Tests separately, again which corresponds to the CEF standards of English-language proficiency measurements.