📘 English Learning Course – From Basic to Advanced
🩵 Parts 16–20: Tenses & Daily English Practice (1500+ Words)
💙 Part 16: Tenses – The Heart of English Grammar
🎯 Topic: Understanding Time in English
📖 What is Tense?
Tense tells us when an action happens — in the present, past, or future.
Every English sentence has a verb, and that verb changes form depending on the time of the action.
⏳ The Three Main Tenses:
- Present Tense → What is happening now
- Past Tense → What already happened
- Future Tense → What will happen later
Each of these tenses has four forms, making a total of 12 types of tenses in English.
🕐 1. Present Tense
| Type | Example Sentence | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Simple Present | I play cricket. | Regular action or fact |
| Present Continuous | I am playing cricket. | Action happening now |
| Present Perfect | I have played cricket. | Action completed recently |
| Present Perfect Continuous | I have been playing cricket for 2 hours. | Action started earlier and continuing now |
🧠 Key Rules:
- Use simple present for habits: “She drinks milk every day.”
- Use present continuous for now: “She is drinking milk.”
- Use present perfect for recently finished actions: “She has finished her homework.”
- Use present perfect continuous for long actions: “She has been studying since morning.”
⏳ 2. Past Tense
| Type | Example Sentence | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Simple Past | I played cricket. | Action happened in the past |
| Past Continuous | I was playing cricket. | Action was happening at some time in the past |
| Past Perfect | I had played cricket. | One action happened before another past action |
| Past Perfect Continuous | I had been playing cricket for 2 hours. | Long action continued in past before another time |
🧠 Key Rules:
- Use simple past for completed actions: “I watched a movie yesterday.”
- Use past continuous for ongoing past actions: “I was watching TV when you called.”
- Use past perfect for earlier actions: “I had finished work before you arrived.”
- Use past perfect continuous for long past actions: “He had been waiting for an hour before the train came.”
🔮 3. Future Tense
| Type | Example Sentence | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Simple Future | I will play cricket. | Action that will happen |
| Future Continuous | I will be playing cricket. | Action will be happening at some future time |
| Future Perfect | I will have played cricket. | Action will be completed before some future time |
| Future Perfect Continuous | I will have been playing cricket for 2 hours. | Ongoing future action continuing for a period |
🧠 Key Rules:
- Use simple future for decisions: “I will call you later.”
- Use future continuous for expected ongoing actions: “I will be studying at 8 PM.”
- Use future perfect for completed future actions: “I will have finished dinner by 10.”
- Use future perfect continuous for long actions: “I will have been working here for 5 years by next June.”
🧩 Tense Practice
- I ____ (go) to school every day. → go (Simple Present)
- She ____ (watch) TV now. → is watching (Present Continuous)
- They ____ (complete) their work yesterday. → completed (Simple Past)
- He ____ (study) for two hours. → has been studying (Present Perfect Continuous)
- I ____ (call) you tomorrow. → will call (Simple Future)
✅ Answers:
- go
- is watching
- completed
- has been studying
- will call
🎙️ Speaking Tip:
If you want to speak naturally, think of time first, then choose the right tense.
Example:
- Now → Present Continuous → “I am talking.”
- Yesterday → Simple Past → “I talked.”
- Tomorrow → Simple Future → “I will talk.”
This habit will make your English smoother and correct automatically.
💙 Part 17: Present Tense in Daily Life
🎯 Topic: Speak with Confidence in Present Tense
We use present tense the most in daily conversations because we talk about what’s happening now or what we do every day.
🏠 Examples of Daily Use (Simple Present):
- I wake up at 6 o’clock.
- She goes to college.
- We eat breakfast at 8.
- He plays football in the evening.
- They study English every night.
💬 Examples (Present Continuous):
- I am studying English now.
- She is cooking dinner.
- They are watching TV.
- We are working from home.
- He is talking to his friend.
🧠 Examples (Present Perfect):
- I have finished my homework.
- She has cooked lunch.
- They have reached the station.
- We have seen that movie.
⏱️ Examples (Present Perfect Continuous):
- I have been studying since morning.
- She has been working here for two years.
- It has been raining for hours.
🗣️ Practice Speaking:
Try to answer aloud:
- What are you doing right now?
- How often do you study English?
- Have you ever cooked food?
- How long have you been learning English?
These help your fluency + confidence in everyday life.
💙 Part 18: Past and Future Tense in Real Talk
🎯 Topic: Telling Stories and Making Plans
The past tense is used for sharing your experiences or stories.
The future tense helps you talk about your goals, dreams, and plans.
⏳ Examples (Past Tense):
- I watched a movie last night.
- She visited her grandmother yesterday.
- They studied together in school.
- He was reading when I called him.
- I had finished dinner before you came.
🔮 Examples (Future Tense):
- I will meet you tomorrow.
- She will call me later.
- They will visit Kolkata next month.
- We will be staying in Delhi for two days.
- He will have completed the project by Friday.
🧠 Practice 1:
Convert the sentences into future tense:
- I play cricket.
- She reads a book.
- They go to market.
- We eat lunch.
- He writes a letter.
✅ Answers:
- I will play cricket.
- She will read a book.
- They will go to market.
- We will eat lunch.
- He will write a letter.
🗣️ Speaking Exercise:
Talk about yesterday and tomorrow.
Use “yesterday” for past tense and “tomorrow” for future tense.
Example:
- Yesterday, I went to school.
- Tomorrow, I will visit my friend.
Practice five sentences each day about your past day and next day plan.
💙 Part 19: Tense Mistakes and How to Fix Them
🎯 Topic: Avoiding Common Errors
Here are some of the most common tense mistakes learners make:
| ❌ Wrong | ✅ Correct | Why |
|---|---|---|
| I am go to school. | I am going to school. | Use -ing for present continuous. |
| She have finished work. | She has finished work. | “She” takes “has,” not “have.” |
| I didn’t went there. | I didn’t go there. | After “did,” use base verb. |
| He will comes tomorrow. | He will come tomorrow. | After “will,” use base verb. |
| I am studying English since morning. | I have been studying English since morning. | Use present perfect continuous for time duration. |
💬 Extra Practice:
Correct these:
- She is go to office.
- I have saw that movie.
- He didn’t came yesterday.
- We will goes to market.
- They are work now.
✅ Correct Answers:
- She is going to office.
- I have seen that movie.
- He didn’t come yesterday.
- We will go to market.
- They are working now.
💡 Pro Tip:
Whenever you get confused, identify:
- Time (past/present/future)
- Action (done, doing, yet to do)
Then choose the tense accordingly.
💙 Part 20: Daily Speaking Practice with Tenses
🎯 Topic: Speak English Naturally with Confidence
Tenses are not just grammar — they’re the backbone of speaking.
You need to use them in daily life to sound fluent.
🏡 Morning Routine Sentences (Present Tense):
- I wake up early in the morning.
- I brush my teeth and take a bath.
- I eat breakfast and go to work.
- I come home at night.
- I read books before sleeping.
🕐 Yesterday’s Story (Past Tense):
- Yesterday, I met my old friend.
- We went to a café and talked for hours.
- It was raining, so we took a cab.
- I reached home late but happy.
🔮 Tomorrow’s Plan (Future Tense):
- Tomorrow, I will visit my cousin.
- I will buy some gifts for her.
- In the evening, I will watch a movie.
- At night, I will study for my exam.
💬 Conversation Example:
A: What are you doing?
B: I am reading an English book.
A: Nice! What did you read yesterday?
B: I read a story about friendship.
A: What will you read tomorrow?
B: I will read a grammar chapter.
Notice how all three tenses (present, past, future) are used naturally.
🧠 Mini Exercise:
Make your own 3-sentence story:
- One in present tense
- One in past tense
- One in future tense
Example:
- I am drinking coffee.
- I drank coffee yesterday.
- I will drink coffee tomorrow.
🎙️ Speaking Tip:
Don’t worry about mistakes while speaking.
Speak slowly, clearly, and focus on tense + subject + verb order.
Example format:
Subject + Verb + Object
- I eat apples.
- She likes music.
- They are studying English.
The more you speak, the faster your mind will choose correct tenses automatically.
🧾 Summary of Parts 16–20
| Part | Topic | Focus |
|---|---|---|
| 16 | Introduction to Tenses | Learn 12 Tenses |
| 17 | Present Tense | Daily actions & habits |
| 18 | Past & Future | Storytelling & planning |
| 19 | Common Mistakes | Fix grammar errors |
| 20 | Speaking Practice | Real-life fluency |
✅ Final Tip Before Moving Forward
To master English tenses:
- Read one paragraph daily and underline verbs.
- Speak 5 minutes a day about your day (use past, present, future).
- Watch short English videos and notice how people use tenses.
- Write your own diary in English — just 3–4 lines daily.
You’ll be surprised how fast you improve! 💪
📘 Next in Course (Parts 21–25):
You’ll learn about:
- Active & Passive Voice
- Direct & Indirect Speech
- Modal Verbs (can, may, should, must)
- Rules of Writing Paragraphs
- Short Conversations for Practice