TENSES
PRESENT TENSE | PAST TENSE | FUTURE TENSE | |
SIMPLE | Sub+v1+Obj Ex: She writes a letter | Sub+v2+Obj Ex: She wrote a letter | Sub+Shall/Will+v1+Obj Ex: She will write a letter |
CONTINUOUS | Sub+am/is/are+Conti+Obj Ex: She is writing a letter | Sub+was/were+Conti+Obj Ex: She was writing a letter | Sub+Shall/Will+be+Conti +Obj Ex: She will be writing a letter |
PERFECT | Sub+has/have+v3+Obj Ex: She has written a letter | Sub+had+v3+Obj Ex: She had written a letter | Sub+shall/will+has/have+v3+Obj Ex: She will have written a letter |
PERFECT CONTINUOUS | Sub+has/have+been+ Conti+Obj Ex: She has been writing a letter | Sub+had+been+Conti+Obj Ex: She had been writing a letter | Sub+shall/will+has/have+been+Conti+Obj Ex: She will have been writing a letter |
Simple Present Tense : Daily actions
Present Perfect Tense : Just Completed Actions
- For any past completed actions provided not mentioned time
- just now, so far, not yet, etc., if these are present in the sentence
Present Perfect Tense : Started in past and still continuing
Simple Past Tense : Mentioning past actions by indicating exact time
ago, yesterday, last year, last month, last week,
any past year(1997, 1880,),...if these are mentioned
Past Perfect Tense : If two past actions are discussed in one sentence, then the earlier action should be in past perfect and the latter should be in simple past.
Future Perfect Tense : By then, by this time, by that time, by so and so year, etc.,
ACTIVE AND PASSIVE VOICE
Active Voice (AV) :
When the subject of the sentence is the doer of the action, then the sentence is in AV.
Ex: She writes a letter.
Passive Voice (PV) :
When the subject of the sentence is the receiver of the action denoted by the verb, then the sentence is in PV.
Ex: A letter is written by her.
Changing AV to PV
- Subject -->Object and Object --> Subject
- Helping/ Auxiliary verb comes.
- Add ‘by’ before the new object. (Not required in some cases)
Ex: He was elected the leader of the house. (Not required 'by')
- Change the verb to its ‘participle form’(V3)
- The PV is preferred when the doer is unknown or unimportant.
Ex: The bridge was built in the 17th Century.
- When discussing history, the PV is often used.
Ex: The war was fought with glory.
- The AV is used when the subject is more important than the object.
- Avoid using active and passive in the same sentence.
Ex: The food was cooked and served.
Emma cooked and served the food.
- Use a single verb instead of two whenever is possible.
Ex: Strucker enjoys good food and music.
( Strucker enjoys good food and music is also enjoyed by him.)-->Awkward
PRESENT TENSE
Simple Present | Present Continuous | Present Perfect | Present Perfect Continuous | |
AV | Sub+V1+Obj Ex: She writes a letter | Sub+is/am/are+Conti+Obj Ex: She is writing a letter | Sub+has/have+v3+Obj Ex: She has written a letter | Sub+has/have+been+ Conti+Obj Ex: She has been writing a letter |
PV | New Sub+is/are+V3+ by+New Obj Ex: A letter is written by her | New Sub+is/am/are+being+V3+by+ New Obj Ex: A letter is being written by her | New Sub+has/have+been+V3+by+ New Obj Ex: A letter has been written by her |
No Passive Form |
PAST TENSE
Simple Past | Past Continuous | Past Perfect | Past Perfect Continuous | |
AV | Sub+v2+Obj Ex: She wrote a letter | Sub+was/were+Conti+Obj Ex: She was writing a letter | Sub+had+v3+Obj Ex: She had written a letter | Sub+had+been+Conti+Obj Ex: She had been writing a letter |
PV | New Sub+was/were+V3+ by+New Obj Ex: A letter was written by her | New Sub+was/were+being+V3+by+ New Obj Ex: A letter was being written by her | New Sub+had+been+V3+by+ New Obj Ex: A letter had been written by her |
No Passive Form |
FUTURE TENSE
Simple Future | Future Continuous | Future Perfect | Future Perfect Continuous | |
AV | Sub+Shall/Will+v1+Obj Ex: She will write a letter | Sub+Shall/Will+be+Conti +Obj Ex: She will be writing a letter | Sub+shall/will+has/have+v3+Obj Ex: She will have written a letter | Sub+shall/will+has/have+been+Conti+Obj Ex: She will have been writing a letter |
PV | New Sub+will+be+V3+ by+New Obj Ex: A letter will be written by her |
No Passive Form | New Sub+shall/will+has/have+been+V3+by+ New Obj Ex: A letter will have been written by her |
No Passive Form |
Note:
Sentences with intransitive verbs cannot be changed to passive form because those verbs do not take objects after them.
Ex:
The sky is blue.
He goes to school. (intransitive verb)