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ENGLISH TENSE RULES
| Rule | Example |
|---|---|
| I. Use present simple for daily routines. | She goes to work every day. |
| 2. Add -s/-es to verbs in present simple for third person singular. | He plays football. |
| 3. Don't add -s/-es with "l, you, we, they" in present simple. | They read books. |
| 4. Use do/does for present simple questions. | Does she like coffee? |
| 5. Use do/does not for present simple negatives. | She does not (doesn't) swim. |
| 6. Use am/is/are + verb+ing for present continuous. | She is studying now. |
| 7. Don't use continuous with state verbs (know, love, understand). | X I am knowing her. I know her. |
| 8. Present continuous can describe temporary actions. | I am living in Delhi this month. |
| 9. Present continuous is used for future arrangements. | We are meeting tomorrow. |
| 10. Use present perfect for actions that started in the past and continue now. | I have lived here for 5 years. |
| 11. Present perfect = have/has + past participle. | She has finished her homework. |
| 12. Use present perfect for life experiences. | I have visited Paris. |
| 13. Present perfect often uses just, already, yet, ever, never. | Have you ever tried sushi? |
| 14. Don't use present perfect with a definite past time. | X I have seen him yesterday. 1 saw him yesterday. |
| 15. Present perfect continuous have/has been + verb+ing. | She has been reading for 2 hours. |
| 16. Use present perfect continuous to show duration. | They have been working since morning. |
| 17. Use past simple for finished actions in the past. | She watched TV yesterday. |
| 18. Regular past simple verbs end in -ed. | He walked to school. |
| 19. Many verbs are irregular in past simple. | She ate an apple. |
| 20. Use did for past simple questions. | Did you go to the park? |
| 21. Use did not (didn't) for past simple negatives. | They didn't play football. |
| 22. Past continuous = was/were + verb+ing. | I was reading when she called. |
| 23. Use past continuous for interrupted actions. | He was sleeping when the phone rang. |
| 24. Past continuous describes two actions happening at once. | I was cooking while she was cleaning. |
| 25. Past perfect = had + past participle. | She had left before I arrived. |
| 26. Use past perfect to show the earlier of two past actions. | They had eaten before we came. |
| 27. Past perfect continuous = had been + verb+ing. | She had been waiting for an hour before the bus arrived. |
| 28. Past perfect continuous shows duration before another past action. | He had been studying for two hours before dinner. |
| 29. Future simple = will + base verb. | She will travel tomorrow. |
| 30. Use future simple for predictions without evidence. | I think it will rain. |
| 31. Use future simple for spontaneous decisions. | I'll help you with that. |
| 32. Future simple negatives use will not (won't). | She won't come. |
| 33. Future simple questions use will + subject + verb. | Will you join us? |
| 34. Future continuous = will be + verb+ing. | I will be studying at 8 pm. |
| 35. Use future continuous for actions in progress at a future time. | They will be working all day tomorrow. |
| 36. Future perfect = will have + past participle. | By 2026, she will have graduated. |
| 37. Future perfect expresses completion before a future time. | I will have finished by 5 o'clock. |
| 38. Future perfect continuous = will have been + verb+ing. | By next year, I will have been teaching for 10 years. |
| 39. Use future perfect continuous to show duration before a future point. | They will have been traveling for 12 hours by morning. |
| 40. Use be going to + verb for planned future actions. | I'm going to visit my cousin. |
| 41. Use be going to for predictions with evidence. | Look at the clouds! It's going to rain. |
| 42. Use present continuous for future arrangements. | We are leaving tomorrow at 06.00 |
| 43. Use present simple for future timetables. | The train leaves at 7. |
| 44. "Shall" can replace "will" with l/we in formal English. | We shall overcome. |
| 45. Negative form of present continuous = am/is/are not + ing. | She isn't listening. |
| 46. Negative form of past continuous = was/were not + ing. | They weren't playing. |
| 47. Negative form of future continuous = will not be + ing. | I won't be working then. |
| 48. Negative form of present perfect = have/has not + past participle. | She hasn't seen it. |
| 49. Negative form of past perfect = had not + past participle. | He hadn't left yet. |
| 50. Negative form of future perfect = will not have + past participle. | She won't have finished by then. |
| 51. In present simple, use do/does only in questions/negatives. | Does he play? He plays. X He does plays. |
| 52. Past continuous often sets the background for a story. | The sun was shining, and the birds were singing. |
| 53. Use present perfect with since/for. | I have lived here since 2010. |
| 54. Use present perfect continuous to explain recent evidence. | She is tired because she has been running. |
| 55. Past perfect is common with after, before, when, by the time. | By the time I arrived, he had gone. |
| 56. Future perfect often uses by + time expression. | By next week, I will have finished. |
| 57. Past perfect continuous often explains cause of a past state. | He was tired because he had been working. |
| 58. Some verbs rarely use continuous forms (love, hate, believe). | I believe you.e I am believing you X |
| 59. Present continuous can be used with always to express annoyance. | She is always complaining. |
| 60. Past continuous can be used with always for irritation. | He was always losing his keys. |
| 61. Present simple often goes with adverbs of frequency. | I usually wake up early. |
| 62. Present perfect often appears with ever/never. | I have never tried that. |
| 63. Past simple is used with specific time in the past. | I saw him last night. |
| 64. Don't confuse for (duration) with since (starting point). | I've lived here for 5 years / since 2018. |
| 65. Use future continuous to politely ask about future plans. | Will you be using this chair? |
| 66. Use future perfect to show an expected completion. | By then, she will have left. |
| 67. Use present continuous for changing situations. | The weather is getting colder. |
| 68. Use present perfect for unfinished time periods. | I have seen 3 movies this week. |
| 69. Use past simple for finished time periods. | I saw 3 movies last week. |
| 70. Use present perfect continuous to show irritation. | You have been calling me all day! |
| 71. Use future simple for formal promises. | I will always support you. |
| 72. Use shall for polite offers. | Shall I open the window? |
| 73. Use present simple in zero conditional. | If you heat water, it boils. |
| 74. Use present simple + will in first conditional. | If it rains, we will stay home. |
| 75. Use past simple + would in second conditional. | If I had money, I would travel. |
| 76. Use past perfect + would have in third conditional. | If I had studied, I would have passed. |
| 77. Present perfect can describe recently finished actions. | She has just left. |
| 78. Present continuous can describe what is happening right now. | I am typing. |
| 79. Use past continuous to describe background weather/time. | It was raining, and it was midnight. |
| 80. Use present simple for commentaries/news reports. | Messi scores the winning goal! |
| 81. Use past simple for biographies/histories. | Gandhi was born in 1869. |
| 82. Future simple is common in predictions based on opinion. | You'll love this movie. |
| 83. Going to is common in spoken English for predictions. | You're going to love this. |
| 84. Present perfect continuous emphasizes activity duration. | I have been waiting for hours. |
| 85. Future perfect continuous emphasizes activity duration in the future. | By next month, I will have been working here for 5 years. |
| 86. Past perfect continuous emphasizes activity duration before another past event. | She had been practicing for months before the show. |
| 87. Use present perfect with today, this week, this year. | I have eaten a lot today. |
| 88. Use past simple with yesterday, last week, in 2010. | I visited Paris in 2010. |
| 89. Past perfect is common in reported speech. | He said he had finished. |
| 90. Future simple is used in formal notices. | Guests will pay in advance. |
| 91. Use continuous forms for temporary actions, simple forms for permanent facts. | She works in a bank (permanent). She is working from home (temporary). |
| 92. Use present perfect for achievements. | Scientists have discovered a new planet. |
| 93. Future perfect can show certainty. | You will have heard the news by now. |
| 94. Present continuous can be used for annoyance. | You're always interrupting me! |
| 95. Past simple often uses ago, | I met him two years ago. |
| 96. Use present perfect for unfinished past. | Have you eaten yet? |
| 97. Past perfect is not needed when order is clear. | After she finished, she went home. After she had finished, she went home. |
| 98. Future simple is rarely used for planned events. | I'm going to the doctor tomorrow (not X I will go). |
| 99. Present perfect continuous can explain a present result. | My hands are dirty because I've been painting. |
| 100. Past continuous sets the scene, past simple tells the event. | I was watching TV when the phone rang. |
| 101. Use tense consistency in writing: don't switch tenses without reason. | She entered, sat down, and began to read. |