English grammar - Tense for Class 6

 

Imagine you have to tell a story. How will you tell your readers that it is a story and not an event happening in real-time? You will probably begin with, 'Once upon a time, there lived a little boy.' You will be narrating a tale that you think has happened in a world that existed centuries ago. In contrast, if you are writing to a friend you are planning to visit, you would tell them, 'We will go to the amusement park (or wherever you wish!) together.' This is because you are talking of an event yet to happen.

 

This sense of time conveyed in written or spoken language is applied using tenses. It is important to use the correct tenses with consistency throughout your writing for effective communication. To help you with the same, our module on tenses in English grammar for Class 6 students covers all kinds of tenses, their forms and applications. Other students and parents can also use this to understand tenses better. PlanetSpark educators have compiled information in an easy and fun way. In this article, you will find all the information you need about tenses in order to study CBSE Class 6 English grammar tenses.

What are tenses?

Actions described in a sentence may be taking place in the past, present or future. Words or phrases that describe these actions are called verbs. To express the time when the event is taking place, we make use of tenses. Tenses convey the sense of time in a sentence. Verbs take the form of tenses to represent the time of the action described in a sentence. As part of the lesson on CBSE Class 6 English grammar tenses, students will learn three kinds of tenses - past, present and future tense. A verb will take one of these three forms to convey the time. For example, the word 'go' will become went, goes/am going, and will go in the three forms, respectively.

 

There are four groups for each of the three tenses:

• Simple
• Continuous
• Perfect
• Perfect continuous

 

We will discuss each of these forms, beginning with the English present tense for Class 6. The following section defines each kind of tense, its forms and its uses.

Types of tenses

1. Present tense

The present tense describes an ongoing action or one happening in the present. 'You are reading this lesson' is an example of the present tense. While studying CBSE Class 6 English present tense, remember that it is further divided into four groups:

 

1. Simple present tense

Also known as the present indefinite tense, the simple present tense describes things as they happen. It refers to states of being, an indefinite activity, or action. It also refers to a routine activity (The hawker brings the newspaper) and universal truths (the earth revolves around the Sun).

For simple present tense for Class 6, add 's' or 'es' to the main verb when the subject is a singular or collective noun.

 

Examples

My mother goes to the vegetable market every morning.

Jaipur is the capital of Rajasthan.

 

2. Present continuous tense

This form of present tense describes events that are happening in real-time.

Use helping verbs 'is', 'am' (singular subject) and 'are' (plural subject) along with the main verb + ing.

 

Examples

The birds are singing in my room.

I am going to the sweet shop.

 

3. Present perfect tense

The present perfect tense denotes any action or state that started in the past and has been completed in the present.

Use the helping verbs 'have' and 'has' along with the main verb in its third form.

 

Examples

Gayatri has written a poem.

Anuradha has come to my office.

 

4. Present perfect continuous tense

This form of the present tense refers to an action that started in the past and has not been completed until the present.

Use the helping verbs 'have/has been' along with the main verb + ing.

 

Examples

I have been looking for my thesaurus.

The girls have been dancing all day.

 

2. Past tense

The second type of tense in English grammar for Class 6 is the past tense. The past tense is used for an action that has already happened. Example: 'I ate the chocolate.' Past tense is further divided into four types:

 

1. Simple past tense
   Also called the past indefinite tense, the simple past tense refers to events that have already happened and are complete. The past it refers to can be hours, a day, a month, years, decades or centuries ago. (Remember, 'once upon a time, there lived a boy…'?)

Use the second form of a verb (add 'd' or 'ed' to the main verb).

 

Examples

Aaroosh travelled to Mumbai yesterday.

Rajshri baked cupcakes today.

 

2. Past continuous tense

Also called past progressive, this form of past tense is used to describe actions that were happening in the past, and the subject was in the middle of that action.

Use the helping verbs 'was' and 'were' with the main verb + ing.

 

Examples

Mother was baking a cake.

The girls were running in the street.

 

3. Past perfect tense

This form of tense is used to describe an action that was completed before another started.

Use the helping verb 'had' with the third form of the main verb (past participle).

 

Examples

I had taken a nap by the time Anita brought tea.

The milk was sold out when I reached the dairy.

 

4. Past perfect continuous tense

This form of the past tense refers to an action that started in the past and continued up to a specific time.

Use helping verbs had/had been along with the main verb + ing.

 

Examples

Gayatri had been practising tenses before the exam.

Kamal had been failing his tests until I started coaching him.

 

3. Future tense

The future tense describes an action that is going to take place in the future. In the future tense, the verb describes something that has not yet happened.

 

1. Simple future tense

Also known as the future indefinite tense, the simple future tense refers to events that are to take place in the future.

Use the helping verbs 'shall' or 'will' with the main verb.

 

Examples

I shall bring you the medicines tomorrow.

I will watch a movie with my friend.

 

2. Future continuous tense
   The verb takes this tense when an action or event will be ongoing at a given point in the future.

Use the helping verbs 'shall' or 'will' with the main verb + ing.

 

Examples
I will be writing a book.

I shall be visiting the doctor tomorrow.

 

3. Future perfect tense

Used to describe something that will be completed by a given time in the future.

Use 'shall have' or 'will have' along with the past participle (add 'd' or 'ed') of the main verb.

 

Examples

I will have written a book.

I will have visited the doctor by tomorrow evening.

 

4. Future perfect continuous tense

This form of tense describes an action or event that will start at a given point and continue for a certain period of time.

Use shall/will along with have been and the main verb + ing.

 

Examples

I will be bringing the medicines.

I will be watching a movie with my friend.

 

In all, there are 12 forms of tenses you will study as part of CBSE Class 6 English grammar tenses. To gain a complete understanding of tenses in English grammar for Class 6, students should be made to practise conversing in various tenses.

Rules for usage

There are certain guidelines for the right use of tenses. Ensure that you use the same tense in all sentences of a paragraph. Beginning with simple present tense for Class 6, the subject-helping verb-main verb form combinations have been listed with each tense. Please go through these to understand which verb form to use with different tenses.

Present perfect and past tense: When to use

How do you differentiate between the past tense and present perfect tense? It depends on whether the action started in the past and has been completed now. If yes, use present perfect tense. An example is: 'I have written the letter.' This shows that you just finished writing the letter. If the action started and also was completed in the past, you should use the past tense. 'I wrote the dinner' means you wrote it sometime earlier. Remembering these simple rules will help simplify tenses in English grammar for Class 6.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. What do you know about CBSE Class 6 English present tense?

According to CBSE Class 6 English present tense, an action happening in the present is described by present tense.

2. What is the difference between present perfect and past tense?

Under tenses in English grammar for Class 6, you will understand that the present perfect tense is used if an action started in the past and has been completed now. If the action took place in the past, use the past tense.

3. What is the rule for future perfect tense?

For future perfect tense, use shall have/will have along with the past participle of the main verb.

4. How many types of tenses should I learn?

You will need to learn 12 types of CBSE Class 6 English grammar tenses. There are three types of tenses - past, present and future, which are divided into four categories each.

5. What is the definition of simple present tense?

The English present tense for Class 6 is defined as the tense that describes things as they happen. This is used for events taking place in the present or that happen routinely. It is also used for universal truths.

Summary

Tense is the form taken by a verb to represent the time when an event has occurred or will take place. Three types of tenses - past, present and future - describe the time of the action in a sentence. These are further divided into four groups - simple, continuous, perfect, and perfect continuous. Please go through PlanetSpark's module on CBSE Class 6 English grammar tenses for a detailed study.