Gap filling rule of tenses

TENSES

Tense is the form of a verb which shows the time of an action and its degree of completeness

(a) Present Tense        (b) Past Tense                 (c) Future Tense

Every Tense is divided into four Sub Part

1.  Indefinite

2.  Continuous 

3.  Perfect 

4. Perfect Continuous 

1.        If Often, always, daily, seldom, usually, occasionally, rarely. scarcely and all –ly adverbs (except lately o recently½] every/each + day/week/month/year, sometimes, twice a day/week/month/year, on Mondays/Sunday..in the morning, evening are given in the sentence then we use present simple (V1/V2)  tense in the gap. 

•   The doctor visits the patient everyday.(visit)

•   The manager takes meeting on Mondays. (take)

•   She goes to her village twice a month.(go)

•   My brothers usually go to school together.(go)

•   He always speaks the truth. (speak)

•   I always take lunch at 2 pm. (take)

•   She seldom cooks food. (cook)

•   I rarely watch T.V. (watch)

Note:-      If there is a negative sentence then we use do/does +  not + v1.

•   He does not go to school regularly.

•   I do not worship daily.

2.                   For Universal Truth/ Mathematics Fact/Proverbs/Idioms/ Scientific Facts, we use Present Simple Tense

•   The Sun rises in the east. (rise)

•   Wood floats over water. (float)

•   The Earth moves round the sun. (Move)

•   A bad workman always quarrels with his tools. (quarrel)

•   Samudra Gupta is known as the Napolean of India. (know)

•   We hear (hear) with our ears, see (see) with our eyes and smell (smell) with our nose.

•   Honesty is the best policy. (be)

•   Barking dogs seldom bite. (bite)

•   A drowning man catches at straw. (catch)

3.           If  now, today, tonight, at present, at this moment, at this time, continuously, in these days, now a days, constantly, look!, listen! are given in the sentences then we use Present Continuous Tense

•   Now, Ram is sleeping in this bedroom. (sleep)

•   We are going to the cinema tonight. (go)

•   Are you cooking food today? (cook)

•   John is coming here now. (come)

•   He is looking for a job at present. (look)

•   Look! They are playing in the ground. (play)

4.          If there are two  sentences and first one is Imperative Sentence then we use Present Continuous Tense in Second Sentence.

•   Let me go home, I am getting late.

•   Please don’t make a noise, mother is sleeping. (sleep)

•   Keep quiet, we are listening to the radio. (listen)

•   Don’t get out now, the train is moving. (move)

5.        If Just, already, ever, never, yet, so far, recently, lately, tell now, just now, this morning/month are given in the sentence then we use present perfect tense.

•   I have just taken dinner. (take)

•   I have never seen him working. (see)

•   They have not finished their work yet. (finish)

•   Mr. Sharma has recently returned from America. (return)

•   They have already finished their work. (finish)

•   She has gone with her father just now. (go)

•   Have you ever visited Delhi? (visit)

6.          If “Since/For” is given in the sentence and there is no another sentence then Present Perfect Continuous Tense is used in the Sentence.

•   It has been raining since morning. (rain)

•   We have been living in this house since 1995. (live)

•   He has been working in the garden for two hours. (work)

•   Mr. Rajesh has been practising cases in this court for last two years. (practise)

•   They have not been playing a match for sometime. (not play)

•   Has Mira been cooking food for two hours? (cook)

Note :       Since + sub + V2

•   She has been living in this house since her husband died.

7.               If Yesterday, one day, once, ago, that day, as soon as, last week/month/year, the other day, in 2001, 1999….then we use Past simple tense,

•   He went to Jaipur yesterday. (go)

•   His wife died last year. (die)

•   I polished my shoes yesterday. (polish)

•   Mohan came to see me last week. (come)

•   As soon as the thief saw the police, he ran away. (see)

Note :       In Negative sentence we use did +not + v1

•   I did not pass my secondary examination in 1994. (pass)

8.        was/were + v + ing + when/as + sub + v2

•   When I entered the class the teacher was teaching the students. (enter)

•   When Ram came home his mother was cooking food. (cook)

•   My father was reaching a newspaper when I saw him. (read)

•   As she came to me I was talking to my brother. (talk)

•   As I saw him he was not doing anything. (do)

   9.     If sentence begins with as soon as then we use past simple tense is both sentences

•   As soon as he saw (see) a tiger, he ran away. (run)

•   As soon as it rained (rain) I went in side. (go)

Note :       but if Present tense is given after as soon as then we use present simple tense in next sentence

10.                If at that time, in those days, at that moment are given we use Past continuous tense.

•   Ramu was living in a hotel in those days. (live)

•   Rahul was writing a book at that time. (write)

11.           If two actions are happening is past simultaneously in the past then we use Past continuous tense in both sentence with while.

•   While he was going (go) to school, he was talking with his friend. (talk)

•   While my brother was singing, (sing) I was sleeping. (sleep)

•   My wife was watching (watch) TV while I was writing this letter. (write)

12.  had + v3 before + sub + v2

v2 + after + sub + had + v3

•   Mother had cooked food before father came. (cook)

•   The guest had gone before I reached house. (reach)

•   The truck had been loaded by them before I reached there. (load)

•   We had eaten mangoes before they went. (go)

•   My mother washed my shirt after I had gone to school. (go)

•   He went to market after he had finished his work. (finish)

13.          if “I wish, we wish, he wishes, she wishes, they wish, as if, as though are given in the starting of a sentence then we use Past continuous tense is next imaginary sentence.

•   My wife wishes she had been born in 1950. (born)

•   She talks to me as if she had come from the film industry. (come)

14.   When/as + sub + v2 , sub + had been + v ing …………………since/for + time.

•   When I reached there, they had been waiting for me for five hours. (wait)

•   When Ramesh came home. Radha had been cooking food for two hours. (cook)

•   It had been raining for two hours when we entered the house. (rain)

•   When I reached school the bell had been ringing for ten minutes. (ring)

15.          If  Tomorrow, next + day/week/month/year, the coming day, the following day, in future are given then we use Future simple tense

•   We shall go to school tomorrow. (go)

•   They will visit the Taj Mahal next year. (visit)

•   Next week they will leave for America. (leave)

•   I shall go to Delhi the coming day. (go)

16.   If  at this time, at this moment + future time ( Tomorrow, the next day/the following day/night/ week/month/year, in + future time) are given then we use Future continuous tense.

•   The Indian cricket team will be playing at this time tomorrow. (play)

•   Our school educational tour will be visiting Delhi at this time the next day. (visit)