Structure of All Tenses in English with Examples (Download Pdf)

Learning tenses is an obvious problem that beginners gonna face but keep in mind that the perfect way to learn tenses is to memorize the tense structure and then practice it in examples.

The structure of tenses in English grammar is a fundamental and complex aspect of language. It involves understanding the different forms of verbs and how they change to indicate time, aspect, and mood. Tenses are not solely determined by adding auxiliary verbs or endings; they also rely on the context and intention behind the communication.

Below we have explained the structures of every class of tenses with detailed examples of affirmatives, negative, and interrogative.

Structure of Tenses in English Grammar with Examples

Here we’ll explore all tenses, each with its unique structure and examples;

Present Tense

This tense describes actions or conditions that are currently happening or are generally true. It also covers habitual or repeated actions.

Present Simple/Indefinite Tense

Structure:

Affirmative: —— Subject. + V1(s/es) + Object.
Negative: ——– Subject. + Do not/Does not + V1 + Object.
Interrogative: ——— Do/Does + Subject. + V1 + Object. + ?

Examples:

AFFIRMATIVE (+)	NEGATIVE (-)	INTERROGATIVE (?)
I stand	I do not stand	Do I stand?
You stand	You do stand	Do you stand?
He stands	He does stand	Does he stand?
She stands	She does stand	Does she stand?
It stands	It does stand	Does it stand?
We stand	We do stand	Do we stand?
They stand	They do stand	Do they stand?

Present Continuous Tense

Structure:

Affirmative: —— Subject. + is/are/am + V(ing) + Object..
Negative: ——– Subject. + (Is, are, am) Not + V(ing) + Object.
(?)——— is/are/am + Subject. + V(ing) + Object.. + ?

Examples:

AFFIRMATIVE (+)	NEGATIVE (-)	INTERROGATIVE (?)
I am taking Tea.	I am taking Tea.	Am I taking tea?
You are taking Tea.	You are not taking Tea.	Are you taking tea?
He is taking Tea.	He is not taking Tea.	Is he taking tea?
She is taking Tea.	She is not taking Tea.	Is she taking tea?
It is taking Tea.	It is not taking Tea.	Is it taking tea?
We are taking Tea.	We are not taking Tea.	Are we taking tea?
They are taking Tea.	They are not taking Tea.	Are they taking tea?

Present Perfect Tense

Structure:

Affirmative: —— Subject. + Has/Have + V3 + Object..
Negative: ——– Subject. + (Has/Have) not + V3 + Object.
(?)——— Has/Have + Subject. + V3 + Object.. + ?

Examples:

AFFIRMATIVE (+)	NEGATIVE (-)	INTERROGATIVE (?)
I have Played.	I have not Played.	Have I Played?
We have Played.	We have not Played.	Have we Played?
They have Played.	They have not Played.	Have they Played?
You have Played.	You have not Played.	Have you Played?
He has Played.	He has not Played.	Has he Played?
She has Played.	She has not Played.	Has she Played?
Adam has Played.	Adam has not Played.	Has Adam Played?

Present Perfect Continuous Tense

Structure:

Affirmative: —— Subject. + (Has/Have) been + V(ing) + Object..
Negative: ——– Subject. + (Has been/Have been) not + V(ing) + Object.
Interrogative: ——— Has/Have + Subject. + been + V(ing) + Object.. + ?

Examples:

AFFIRMATIVE (+)	NEGATIVE (-)	INTERROGATIVE (?)
He has been playing.	He has not been Playing.	Has he been Playing?
She has been Playing.	She has not been Playing.	Has she been Playing?
It has been Playing.	It has not been Playing.	Has it been Playing?
I have been playing.	I have not been Playing.	Have I been Playing?
We have been playing.	We have not been Playing.	Have we been Playing?
You have been Playing.	You have not been Playing.	Have you been Playing?
They have been Playing.	They have not been Playing.	Have they been Playing?

Explore: Chart of All Tenses

Past Tense

This tense is used to describe actions or situations that occurred at a specific time in the past and are no longer happening.

Simple Past Tense

Structure:

Affirmative: —— Subject. + V2 + Object..
Negative: ——– Subject. + Did not + V1 + Object.
Interrogative: ——— Did + Subject. + V1 + Object.. + ?

Examples:

AFFIRMATIVE (+)	NEGATIVE (-)	INTERROGATIVE (?)
I ran	I did not stand	Did I stand?
You ran	You did not stand	Did you stand?
He ran	He did not stand	Did he stand?
She ran	She did not stand	Did she stand?
It ran	It did not stand	Did it stand?
We ran	We did not stand	Did we stand?
They ran	They did not stand	Did they stand?

Past Continuous Tense

Structure:

Affirmative: —— Subject. + was/were + V(ing) + Object..
Negative: ——– Subject. + (was/were) Not + V(ing) + Object.
Interrogative: ——— was/were + Subject. + V(ing) + Object.. + ?

Examples:

AFFIRMATIVE (+)	NEGATIVE (-)	INTERROGATIVE (?)
I was playing cricket.	I was playing cricket.	Was I playing cricket?
You were playing cricket.	You were not playing cricket.	Were you playing cricket?
He was playing cricket.	He was not playing cricket.	Was he playing cricket?
She was playing cricket.	She was not playing cricket.	Was she playing cricket?
It was playing cricket.	It was not playing cricket.	Was it playing cricket?
We were playing cricket.	We were not playing cricket.	Were we playing cricket?
They were playing cricket.	They were not playing cricket.	Were they playing cricket?

Past Perfect Tense

Structure:

Affirmative: —— Subject. + had + V3 + Object..
Negative: ——– Subject. + had not + V3 + Object.
Interrogative: ——— had + Subject. + V3 + Object.. + ?

Examples:

AFFIRMATIVE (+)	NEGATIVE (-)	INTERROGATIVE (?)
I had Laughed.	I had not Laughed.	Had I Laughed?
We had Laughed.	We had not Laughed.	Had we Laughed?
They had Laughed.	They had not Laughed.	Had they Laughed?
You had Laughed.	You had not Laughed.	Had you Laughed?
He had Laughed.	He had not Laughed.	Had he Laughed?
She had Laughed.	She had not Laughed.	Had she Laughed?
It had Laughed.	It had not Laughed.	Had it Laughed?

Must Learn: Parts of Speech in English

Past perfect continuous Tense

Structure:

Affirmative: —— Subject. + had been + Verb(ing) + Object..
Negative: ——– Subject. + had not + Verb(ing) + Object.
Interrogative: ——— had + Subject. + been + Verb(ing) + Object.. + ?

Examples:

AFFIRMATIVE (+)	NEGATIVE (-)	INTERROGATIVE (?)
He had been laughing.	He had not been laughing.	Had he been laughing?
She had been laughing.	She had not been laughing.	Had she been laughing?
It had been laughing.	It had not been laughing.	Had it been laughing?
I had been laughing.	I had not been laughing.	Had I been laughing?
We had been laughing.	We had not been laughing.	Had we been laughing?
You had been laughing.	You had not been laughing.	Had you been laughing?
They had been laughing.	They had not been laughing.	Had they been laughing?

Future Tense

This tense indicates actions or events that will happen in the future. It expresses a sense of time after the present.

Future Simple Tense

Structure:

Affirmative: —— Subject. + will/shall + V1+ Object..
Negative: ——– Subject. + (will/shall) not + V1 + Object.
Interrogative: ——— will/shall + Subject. + V1 + Object.. + ?

Examples:

AFFIRMATIVE (+)	NEGATIVE (-)	INTERROGATIVE (?)
I will stand	I will not stand	Will I stand?
You will stand	You will not stand	Will you stand?
He will stands	He will not stands	Will he stands?
She will stands	She will not stands	Will she stands?
It will stands	It will not stands	Will it stands?
We will stand	We will not stand	Will we stand?
They will stand	They will not stand	Will they stand?

Future Continuous Tense

Structure:

Affirmative: —— Subject. + (will/shall) be + V(ing)+ Object..
Negative: ——– Subject. + (will/shall) not + be + V(ing) + Object.
Interrogative: ——— will/shall + Subject. + be + V(ing) + Object.. + ?

Examples:

AFFIRMATIVE (+)	NEGATIVE (-)	INTERROGATIVE (?)
I will be drinking	I will not be drinking	Will I be drinking?
You will be drinking	You will not be drinking	Will you be drinking?
He will be drinking	He will not be drinking	Will, he drinking?
She will be drinking	She will not be drinking	Will, she drinking?
It will be drinking	It will not be drinking	Will, it drinking?
We will be drinking	We will not be drinking	Will we be drinking?
They will be drinking	They will not be drinking	Will they be drinking?

Future Perfect Tense

Structure:

Affirmative: —— Subject. + (will/shall) have + V(3) + Object..
Negative: ——– Subject. + (will/shall) + not + have + V(3) + Object.
Interrogative: ——— will/shall + Subject. + have + V(3) + Object.. + ?

Examples:

AFFIRMATIVE (+)	NEGATIVE (-)	INTERROGATIVE (?)
I will have Accepted.	I will not have Accepted.	Will I Have Accepted?
We will have Accepted.	We will not have Accepted.	Will we Have Accepted?
They will have Accepted.	They will not have Accepted.	Will they Have Accepted?
You will have Accepted.	You will not have Accepted.	Will you Have Accepted?
He will have Accepted.	He will not have Accepted.	Will he Have Accepted?
She will have Accepted.	She will not have Accepted.	Will she Have Accepted?
It will have Accepted.	It will not have Accepted.	Will it Have Accepted?

Future Perfect Continuous Tense

Structure:

Affirmative: —— Subject. + (will/shall) have been + V(ing) + Object..
Negative: ——– Subject. + (will/shall) + not + have been + V(ing) + Object.
Interrogative: ——— will/shall + Subject. + have been + V(ing) + Object.. + ?

Examples:

AFFIRMATIVE (+)	NEGATIVE (-)	INTERROGATIVE (?)
I will have been laughed.	I will not have been laughed.	Will i have been laughed?
We will have been laughed.	We will not have been laughed.	Will we have been laughed?
They will have been laughed.	They will not have been laughed.	Will they have been laughed?
You will have been laughed.	You will not have been laughed.	Will you have been laughed?
He will have been laughed.	He will not have been laughed.	Will he have been laughed?
She will have been laughed.	She will not have been laughed.	Will she have been laughed?
It will have been laughed.	It will not have been laughed.	Will it have been laughed?