Tenses & Verb Forms

C ClearYourExam 1 / 8 English Grammar Tense is the form of a verb that tells the time of an action. English has three tenses (Present, Past, Future), each with four aspects (Simple, Continuous, Perfect, Perfect Continuous), giving 12 tense forms. Modal verbs add a layer of mea…

Why it matters

C ClearYourExam 2 / 8 Spotting Errors and Sentence Improvement questions in SSC, Banking and RRB exams almost always include 1-2 tense errors — typically wrong tense after 'since/for', misuse of past perfect, or wrong modal usage.

Present Tense (Simple, Continuous, Perfect, Perfect Continuous)

C ClearYourExam 3 / 8 1 / 4 The Present tense expresses an action happening now, a habit, a universal truth, or a recently completed action. Exam tip After 'since/for' with a continuing action, use Present Perfect Continuous, not Simple Present. Wrong: 'I am living here since 2010.' Right: 'I have been living here since 2010.'

Past Tense (Simple, Continuous, Perfect, Perfect Continuous)

C ClearYourExam 4 / 8 2 / 4 The Past tense expresses an action completed at a definite time in the past. Exam tip Of two past actions, the earlier one takes Past Perfect, the later one takes Simple Past. 'When I reached, the bus had left.'

Future Tense (Simple, Continuous, Perfect, Perfect Continuous)

C ClearYourExam 5 / 8 3 / 4 The Future tense expresses an action that will happen later than the present. Exam tip In subordinate clauses of time/condition (after 'when, if, before, until, as soon as'), use Simple Present even for future meaning: 'I will call you when I reach home.'

Modal Verbs (can, could, may, might, shall, should, will, would, must, ought to)

C ClearYourExam 6 / 8 4 / 4 Modals are auxiliary verbs that express ability, permission, possibility, advice, obligation or necessity. Exam tip Modals are always followed by the bare infinitive (V1 without 'to'), except 'ought to' and 'used to'. Wrong: 'He can to swim.' Right: 'He can swim.'

Quick Revision Facts

C ClearYourExam 7 / 8 Stative verbs (know, believe, own, contain, belong) are not used in continuous tenses. 'Since' takes a point of time; 'for' takes a duration: since 2010 / for ten years. Use Past Perfect only when there are two past actions — for a single past action, Simple Past is enough. Modal + bare infinitive: 'must go', 'should know', 'can do' — never 'must to go'.

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