Tenses in English Grammar with Examples: 12 Tenses Rules

To speak and write English accurately, understanding the tenses in English Grammar with examples  and rules is one of the most important aspects. Tenses are the actions that happen in the past, present, or future. Once the correct tenses and their rules are grasped, making clear and grammatically correct sentences becomes easy for anyone. 

This blog by PlanetSpark will guide you with various forms of grammar tenses in detail, rules of grammar tenses, tenses rules chart with examples, and tips to improve Grammar Tenses.

What are English Grammar Tenses?

A tense in English grammar helps us to express when an action or event happens. There are three main types of tenses:

1. Present Tense- denotes actions that are happening now or regularly.
2. Past Tense- Denotes the actions that have already happened.
3. Future Tense- Denotes the actions that will happen later.

Each of these tenses has 4 forms, making it 12 main tense rules in English Grammar.

Tenses in English Grammar with Examples

Simple Present Tense

These are the sentences that are happening now or usually occur daily. We use this when discussing daily habits, common occurrences, and facts. 

1. I play football every day.
2. I drink coffee every evening.
3. The sun rises in the east.

How to make it: Use the main verb. If the subject has he, she, or it, then add “s” or “es” at the end of the verb.

Present Continuous Tense

We use this tense for the actions that are happening right now.

1. I am eating
2. I am playing chess
3. They are dancing in the class

How to make it: Use is/am/are along with the action word ending with “ing”.

Present Perfect Tense

We use this tense when something has just finished or has a result now. This tense connects the past to the present.

1. She has finished her assignment.
2. I have seen that movie.
3. They have cleaned the gallery room.

How to make it: Use has/have along with the past form of the verb, such as eaten, played, gone, etc.

Present Perfect Continuous

We generally use this tense to show an action that has started before and is continuing or happening till now. 

1. He has been studying for more than 2 hours.
2. We have been living here since 2001.
3. I have been learning karate since childhood.

How to make it: Use has/have been along with the verb ending with "ing".

Simple Past Tense

We use this tense to talk about actions or activities that have happened in the past and are finished.

1.   I visited my grandparents yesterday.
2. I went to the office yesterday.
3. I watched a movie last night.

How to make it: Just simply use the past form of the verb, such as went, played, ate, seen, watched, etc. 

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 Past Continuous Tense

We use this tense for something that was already happening at a certain time in the past.

1. He was sleeping when I called him.
2. They were playing in the evening.
3. I was having lunch in the morning.

How to make it: Just use was/were along with the verb ending with "ing".

Past Perfect Tense

We normally use this tense to indicate that one action has already happened before another in the past. It helps to show which action came first.

1. She had finished her homework before dinner.
2. She had left when I arrived.
3. I had done my work before the movie started.

Past Perfect Continuous Tense

We use this when an action was going on for some time before something else happened. Just think of it as the action that kept happening until something else stopped it.

1. I had been studying for 3 hours before the test.
2. They had been working the whole day before they rested.
3. The children had been playing in the park for two hours when it started to rain.

How to make it: Use "had been" along with the verb ending with "ing".

Simple Future Tense

We use this to talk about plans or actions that will happen in the future.

1. He will travel tomorrow
2. She will come tomorrow
3. I will go to school tomorrow

How to make it: Use “will” along with the main verb.

Future Continuous Tense

We use this tense for an action that will happen at a certain time in future.

1. She will be coming tonight.
2. I will be playing at that time.
3. ⁠They will be watching the match tomorrow.

How to make it: Use will be along with the verb ending with "ing"

Future Perfect Tense

We normally use this tense when we talk about something that will be finished before a certain time in the future.

1. She will have completed the task by Monday.
2. We will have reached our destination by 10 p.m.
3. He will have completed his studies by next year.

How to make it: Use will have along with the past form of the verb.

Future Perfect Continuous Tense

We use this to show that an action will keep going for some time until a point in the future. It shows long actions that continue in the future.

1. She will have been working here for five years next month.
2. They will have been travelling for hours by the evening.
3. They will have been playing for hours when you meet them.

How to make it: Use will have been along with the verb ending with “ing”.

Grammar Tenses Rules Chart: Explained With Examples

Tips To Improve English Grammar Tenses

1. Visualise the actions in time by imagining when the action happens (past, present, or future).
2. Practice writing tenses by making 3-4 sentences for each tense daily.
3. Watch English movies and shows to listen and identify which tense is used.
4. Practice exercises to help fix the tense pattern in your mind.

Practice from our Tenses Worksheet 

Why Choose PlanetSpark for English Grammar Course?

1. Personalised 1:1 Classes: As every child learns differently, we provide personal communication experts for teaching grammar, tenses, and writing live, 1:1. The trainers get familiar with the child’s pace and provide instant feedback to the parents for improvement.
2. Customised Learning Roadmap: Planetspark begins with a skills assessment and creates a personalised roadmap that focuses on grammar, vocabulary, and English fluency.
3. Interactive Grammar Learning: Grammar is taught by stories, role-play, dialogues, and error correction, making the class fun and interactive. The child can learn how tenses and grammar actually work in real-life speaking and writing.
4. Gamified Learning: At PlanetSpark, children practice grammar and tenses with the help of gamified learning. We immerse fun, games, puzzles, and interactive quizzes like Grammar Guru Challenge and SparkBee. With the help of this, every lesson is a rewarding experience that brings points and badges for the learner.
5. AI-supported Grammar Feedback: SparkX - AI-enabled Grammar Feedback tool by PlanetSpark checks your child’s speech and grammar usage, and their sentence flow during speaking exercises. Also, you receive clear reports showing where the child is strong and where they need to improve.
6. Daily Grammar Practice Sessions: PlanetSpark offers story writing, journaling (Spark Diary), to AI-led storytelling sessions where kids use grammar in action daily. With this, the gap between knowing the rules and applying them naturally in communication gets filled.
7. Detailed and Regular Progress Tracking: Every few weeks, parents receive a detailed progress report of their child that tracks the improvement in grammar accuracy, tense usage, sentence formation, and speaking skills.

Conclusion: Master Tenses With PlanetSpark

By keeping yourself acquainted with the rules of tenses are the foundation of any good English writing and speaking. When you know all the 12 tenses rules with tenses in english grammar with examples, structures, and examples, you can easily see a good confidence in your fluency and confidence.