Prepare for Class 8 English exams with in-depth Tense explanations, NCERT solutions, and practice questions
In today’s lesson, we will discuss the essential topic of English grammar, which is “the tense”. The tense of a sentence denotes the time when an action has taken place. Tense is a category used in language to communicate time reference. The employment of various verb tenses, particularly in their conjugation patterns, frequently indicates a tense. The past, present, and future are the three basic tenses that can be found in various languages.
Introduction to English Grammar
Tenses
When something happens in the past, present, or future, it is shown by a form of a verb which is known as Tense.
Present tense denotes an action happening in the present. The verbs are said to be in the present tense.
Past tense denotes an action that has already happened in the past. The verbs are said to be in the past tense.
Future tense denotes an action that will/ might happen. The verbs are said to be in the future tense.
For example
Past: She went there.
Present: She is going there.
Future: She will go there.
Types of Tenses
Types of Tenses
1. Simple Tense
Present Indefinite Tense/ Simple Present Tense
A tense that expresses an action that is currently happening is known as the Present tense.
Simple present tense denotes an action that happens regularly. They are also called the present indefinite tense.The sentence structure is Subject + Verb (s/es) + Object.
For example, she sings.
She exercises daily.
The simple present tense is used when the action occurs daily, weekly, monthly, or always in the present tense.
Past Indefinite Tense/ Simple Past Tense
The simple past tense in English is used to describe actions/events that happened in the past. Many verbs form the simple past tense by adding "ed" or "d" to the end of the base verb. However, other verbs behave differently and are spelt differently when used in the simple past tense.
Past Tense
A tense that expresses an action that has already happened or existed is known as the Past tense.
Simple past tense talk about an action that happened in the past.The sentence structure is Subject +Verb + Object.
For example, my sister saw a movie yesterday.
For example,
Last year I travelled to France.
Future Indefinite Tense/ Simple Future Tense
A tense that expresses an action that will happen in the future is known as the Future tense.
The future simple tense is a tense that expresses an action that will take place in the future. One fact to remember is that simple future-tense actions begin and end in the future tense. Practice Questions, answers, and the meaning of the difficult words have been discussed in the end.
Simple future tense talks about an action that will happen in the future.
For example, I will learn a new language.
I will start my studies.
2. Continuous Tense
Present Continuous Tense
The Present Continuous Tense is the form of tense that denotes an action that is ongoing or happening in the present, or currently.
It is also called the present progressive tense because they represent the action that is progressing in the present.
Present continuous tense denotes an action happening continuously in the present.
The sentence structure is Subject + is/am/are + Verb I + ing + Object.
For example, He is playing.
She is dancing.
Sita is studying.
Past Continuous Tense
Past continuous tense denotes an action that had continuously happened in the past.
The sentence structure is Subject + was /were + Verb + ing + Object
For example, She was cooking food for me.
Ronit was studying when I went to his room.
She was Dancing
Future Continuous Tense
Future continuous tense denoted an action that will happen continuously in the future.
The sentence structure is Subject + Will / Shall + be + verb + ing + object
For example, i will be reading this book.
He will be playing for the Indian cricket team.
3. Perfect Tense
Present Perfect Tense
Present perfect tense denotes actions that happen in the past but have a relationship with or continue in the present.
The sentence structure is Subject + Has/have + Verb + Object.
For example, She has learned making Italian food.
She has read all the biographies of Indian cricketers.
Past Perfect Tense
Past perfect tense talks about actions that happened in the past and having a relationship with another action that had already happened in the past.
The sentence structure is Subject + Had + Verb + Object.
For example, She had cooked the food.
He had read those books.
Future Perfect Tense
Future perfect tense talks about actions that will happen in the future and has a connection with the past event.
The sentence structure is Subject + Will have/ Shall have + Verb + Object.
For example, He will do it.
He shall have noticed that earlier only.
4. Perfect Continuous Tense
Present Perfect Continuous Tense
Present perfect continuous tense denotes action that was happening in the past but has a relationship with or continues in the present.
The sentence structure is Subject + Has/Have + been + Verb + ing + Object.
For example, She has been a council member of her school for the last 3 years.
She has been reading about this for a long time.
Past Perfect Continuous Tense
Past perfect continuous tense talks about actions that were happening in the past and having a relationship with another action that had been happening in the past.
The sentence structure is Subject + Had + been + Verb + ing + Object.
For example, She had been cooking the food for us.
He had been playing for the Indian cricket team.
Future Perfect Continuous Tense
Future perfect continuous tense talks about actions that will happen in the future and will be continuing in the future.
The sentence structure is Subject + Will/Shall + have been + Verb I + ing.
For example, She will have been waiting for us.
He will have been arranging things for us.
Difficult Words with Meanings
Summary
In this chapter, we started with the definition of tense. A sentence's tense indicates the time at which an action occurred. The tenses are the most important component of the English language. If you want to form a proper sentence or interact with someone, you must utilise the correct tenses to express your views. The tenses in English are used to express the three main temporal divisions of Past, Present, and Future. The statement or inquiry will convey the opposite of what you meant to say or write if you don't use the tense that best portrays the issue. The use of the appropriate verb form and auxiliary is implied by the use of the correct tense.
Practise Questions
1. Fill in the blanks with the verbs in the appropriate tense
The Principal ____(ask/asking/asked) to speak to Raj.
The Earth ____(revolves/revolving/revolved) round the Sun.
She ____ (read/reading) a book.
The teacher ____ (tell/told/telling) the boy.
Amy _____ (deliver/delivered/delivering/will deliver) a lecture on neutrons on Wednesday.
2. Identify the tenses of each sentence
The peacock was dancing.
She will come here for the dinner.
He worked hard to become the rank holder.
He is coming for dinner.
They will be playing cricket.
The doctor told her to eat an apple daily.
Answers:
1. Fill in the blanks with the verbs in the appropriate tense
The Principal asked to speak to Raj.
The Earth revolves around the Sun.
She read a book.
The teacher told the boy.
Amy will deliver a lecture on neutrons on Wednesday.
2. Identify the tenses of each sentence
The peacock was dancing. (Past Continuous Tense)
She will come here for the dinner.(Simple Future Tense)
He worked hard to become the rank holder (Simple Past Tense)
He is coming for the dinner. (Present Continuous Tense)
They will be playing cricket. (Future Continuous Tense)
The doctor told her to eat an apple daily.(Past Perfect Tense)
NCERT Solutions - Class 8 The Tense Grammar Solution
NCERT Solutions for English Grammar serves as a comprehensive solution book for the students of Class 8 The Tense who are willing to expertise in the English Grammar subject.
The Class 8th English Grammar syllabus is comprehensively mentioned in this NCERT Solutions. Exhaustive Class 8 Grammar topics are present in the NCERT Solutions. Also, this is to ensure that students from any board can refer to the NCERT Solutions for English Grammar Class 8 The Tense.
FAQs on The Tense in English Grammar: Comprehensive Guide for Class 8
1. What are the most important types of questions on Tenses for the Class 8 English exam 2025-26?
For the Class 8 English exam, you can expect a variety of question formats to test your understanding of tenses. The most frequently asked types include:
- Fill-in-the-blanks: You will be given sentences with blanks to fill with the correct form of the verb.
- Error Correction: A sentence will be provided with an incorrect tense, and you will have to identify and correct the error.
- Sentence Transformation: You might be asked to change a sentence from one tense to another (e.g., from Simple Present to Simple Past).
- MCQs (Multiple Choice Questions): You will choose the correct tense form from a list of options.
2. Which tenses are most crucial to focus on for the Class 8 exam?
While all tenses are important, for the Class 8 level, you must have a strong command over the following:
- Simple Present, Past, and Future: For stating facts, habits, and past or future events.
- Present, Past, and Future Continuous: For describing ongoing actions.
- Present, Past, and Future Perfect: For showing completed actions relative to another point in time.
3. How are questions on 'mixed tenses' framed in the Class 8 exam, and what is the best strategy to solve them?
Questions on mixed tenses usually appear as a paragraph-based 'gap-filling' exercise. You will be given a short passage with several blanks. The best strategy is to first read the entire paragraph to understand the context and the general time frame (past, present, or future). Then, look for signal words (like 'yesterday', 'now', 'since') and consider the sequence of events to determine the correct tense for each blank. Maintaining tense consistency is crucial.
4. What are some common errors to avoid in 'sentence transformation' questions related to tenses?
When transforming sentences from one tense to another, students often make these mistakes:
- Forgetting to change the auxiliary verb (e.g., changing 'is playing' to 'was playing' but forgetting 'was').
- Using the wrong verb form (e.g., using the base form instead of the past participle in perfect tenses).
- Not adjusting the rest of the sentence (like time indicators) to match the new tense.
5. How does choosing between Simple Past and Past Perfect tense affect the meaning of a sentence in an exam question?
This is a higher-order thinking (HOTS) concept often tested. Using the correct tense clarifies the sequence of events.
- Simple Past is used for an action that happened in the past.
- Past Perfect ('had' + V3) is used to describe an action that happened before another past action.
6. Why is maintaining a consistent tense crucial when writing a paragraph or story in the English exam?
Maintaining a consistent tense, usually the past tense for storytelling, is crucial for clarity and logical flow. Randomly shifting between past and present tenses (e.g., 'He went to the market and buys vegetables') confuses the reader and breaks the narrative structure. Examiners look for logical consistency, and incorrect tense shifts can lead to a significant loss of marks in the writing section.
7. Beyond just memorising rules, what is a practical strategy to identify the correct tense in a 'gap-filling' exercise?
A practical strategy is to look for 'signal words' or time markers. These words are clues to the correct tense. For example:
- Words like 'always', 'usually', 'every day' signal the Simple Present Tense.
- Words like 'yesterday', 'ago', 'last week' signal the Simple Past Tense.
- Words like 'already', 'yet', 'just' often signal the Present Perfect Tense.
- Words like 'while', 'at that moment' signal a Continuous Tense.
8. For the Class 8 exam, how can I avoid the common confusion between Present Perfect and Simple Past tenses?
To avoid confusion, remember this key difference:
- Use Simple Past for actions that are completely finished and occurred at a specific time in the past (e.g., 'I completed my homework yesterday.').
- Use Present Perfect for actions that happened at an unspecified time in the past or have a result/connection to the present (e.g., 'I have completed my homework.' [The result is that it's done now]).
