TENSE - IDENTIFICATION OF TENSE Exercise for University Admission Test, Job Application Test, BCS Exam and Any Competitive Examination

IDENTIFICATION OF TENSE

Tense: The Soul of the English Language

In the vast landscape of English grammar, Tense holds the most significant place. To learn English correctly, mastering Tense is the first and most crucial condition. Below is a detailed breakdown of its origin, definition, and importance.

1. Origin and Meaning The word "Tense" originates from the Latin word Tempus, which translates to "Time." In Bengali grammar, this is referred to as 'Kal' (কাল). While the literal meaning is time, in grammar, it specifically refers to the timing of an action.

2. Why is it called the "Soul of the English Language"? Just as a body cannot function without a soul, the English language cannot function effectively without Tense. It gives structure and meaning to sentences.

• Without Tense, it is impossible to distinguish whether an event happened yesterday, is happening now, or will happen tomorrow.

• Because it is the foundation of sentence construction, Tense is rightly called the Soul of the English Language.

3. Definition and Function Tense is defined as the time at which an action takes place.

• Essentially, Tense is the transformation of the verb into different forms to align with the changing of time.

• As time changes, the verb changes its "costume" (form) to fit the situation (e.g., go becomes went or will go).

4. Importance in Competitive Exams For those preparing for job interviews or university admission tests, Tense is unavoidable.

• Questions related to "Right form of verbs" and sentence correction rely entirely on the rules of Tense.

Overview

There are three main tenses based on time:

1. Present (Current time)

2. Past (Time gone by)

3. Future (Time to come)

Each of these is divided into four aspects: Simple (Indefinite), Continuous, Perfect, and Perfect Continuous.

1. Present Tense

Used for actions happening now, habits, or universal truths.

A. Present Simple (Indefinite)

• Usage: Habits, general truths, or daily routines.

• Structure: Subject + Verb (base form) + (s/es for 3rd person singular)

• Examples:

  • I write a letter.

  • The sun rises in the east.

B. Present Continuous

• Usage: Actions happening right now.

• Structure: Subject + am/is/are + Verb-ing

• Examples:

  • I am writing a letter now.

  • She is playing football.

C. Present Perfect

• Usage: Action completed recently, but the result is still relevant.

• Structure: Subject + have/has + Verb (Past Participle/V3)

• Examples:

  • I have written a letter.

  • He has finished his homework.

D. Present Perfect Continuous

• Usage: Action started in the past and is still continuing.

• Structure: Subject + have been/has been + Verb-ing

• Examples:

  • I have been writing for two hours.

  • It has been raining since morning.

2. Past Tense

Used for actions that happened before now.

A. Past Simple (Indefinite)

• Usage: Action completed in the past.

• Structure: Subject + Verb (Past form/V2)

• Examples:

  • I wrote a letter yesterday.

  • They played well.

B. Past Continuous

• Usage: Action that was going on at a specific time in the past.

• Structure: Subject + was/were + Verb-ing

• Examples:

  • I was writing when he called.

  • They were watching TV all evening.

C. Past Perfect

• Usage: An action completed before another past action. (The earlier action is Past Perfect, the later is Past Simple).

• Structure: Subject + had + Verb (Past Participle/V3)

• Examples:

  • I had written the letter before he came.

  • The train had left before we reached the station.

D. Past Perfect Continuous

• Usage: Action that started in the past and continued up until another time in the past.

• Structure: Subject + had been + Verb-ing

• Examples:

  • I had been writing for an hour when mom arrived.

  • He had been waiting since 9 AM.

3. Future Tense

Used for actions that will happen later.

A. Future Simple (Indefinite)

• Usage: Action that will happen in the future.

• Structure: Subject + will/shall + Verb (base form)

• Examples:

  • I will write a letter tomorrow.

  • We shall go to the market.

B. Future Continuous

• Usage: Action that will be in progress at a specific time in the future.

• Structure: Subject + will be + Verb-ing

• Examples:

  • I will be writing at this time tomorrow.

  • She will be flying to London next week.

C. Future Perfect

• Usage: Action that will be completed before a specific future time.

• Structure: Subject + will have + Verb (Past Participle/V3)

• Examples:

  • I will have written the letter by 5 PM.

  • They will have reached home by then.

D. Future Perfect Continuous

• Usage: Action that will continue up until a point in the future.

• Structure: Subject + will have been + Verb-ing

• Examples:

  • By next year, I will have been writing for this magazine for 5 years.

Questions

1. Tense means - [JUST: 15-16]

A. Action

B. Speed

C. Time

D. Verb

E. Adverb

Ans: C

2. The tense of a verb is mainly related to: [Passport AD: 14]

A. time

B. person

C. place

D. degree

Ans: A

Present Indefinite Tense

3. The 'Present Indefinite Tense' denotes -. [BR SAE: 18]

A. An action in the present time, habitual or eternal

B. An action is continued for a time in present

C. An action has already been finished at present

D. None of them

Ans: A

4. Habitual fact is expressed only in - [BJ Jail Super: 05]

A. present perfect tense

B. present indefinite tense

C. past perfect tense

D. past indefinite tense

Ans: B

5. Which of the following is an example of active and present indefinite tense? [Dental: 09-10]

A. He is writing a letter

B. I have invited them

C. He has done the work

D. Floods destroy crops

Ans: D

6. Find out the tense of the following sentence: Let it be done. [RU (ভূগোল) 06-07]

A. Present indefinite

B. Past indefinite

C. Present perfect

D. Past perfect

Ans: A (Explanation: Imperative sentence (Active অথবা Passive) present indefinite tense হয়ে থাকে। Please do not let me down (=Do not disappoint me), দয়া করে আমাকে হতাশ করো না।)

Present Continuous/Progressive Tense

7. The example of present progressive is [প্রতিরক্ষা মন্ত্রণালয়ের সিভিলিয়ান স্টাফ অফিসার-১৬]

A. Walking is a good exercise

B. He was reading a book

C. You have had your meal

D. They are gossiping

Ans: D

8. Find out the tense of the sentence: It is interesting. [MoD CSO: 16]

A. Present indefinite

B. Present continuous

C. Present perfect

D. None of them

Ans: A

9. Which of the sentence is future, even the verb is not future tense? [SUST: 09-10]

A. Maria is banana.

B. She has gone for some shopping.

C. He is probably watching TV.

D. John is flying for Germany next week.

Ans: D (Note: Source text indicates D is the correct answer).

10. Which one is present continuous tense? [DFP AFPO: 12]

A. I read

B. I am reading

C. I have read

D. I had read

Ans: B

Present Perfect Tense

11. Which one is present perfect tense? [NBR ARO: 15]

A. I am walking

B. I have been walking

C. I was walking

D. I have walked

Ans: D

12. কোনটি present perfect tense এর উদাহরণ? [প্রাথমিক সহকারী শিক্ষক (যমুনা)-০৮, (৪র্থ পর্যায়)-১৯]

A. I have had the news.

B. I have the news.

C. I shall have the news.

D. I had the news.

Ans: A

13. Which one is present perfect tense? [সহকারী রাজস্ব কর্মকর্তা-১২, একটি বাড়ি একটি খামার প্রকল্পের মাঠকর্মী-১৮]

A. I am reading

B. I have read

C. I read

D. I have been reading

Ans: B

14. I have done my duty. [পরিবার পরিকল্পনা অধিদপ্তর হিসাবরক্ষক/গুদাম রক্ষক/কোষাধ্যক্ষ-১১, একটি বাড়ি একটি খামার প্রকল্প-১৭]

A. present indefinite

B. present perfect

C. past perfect

D. past indefinite

Ans: B

15. Change the following sentence into present perfect. 'I do the sum.' [সহকারী থানা/উপজেলা শিক্ষা অফিসার-১২]

A. I have done the sum.

B. I was doing the sum.

C. The sum was done by me.

D. I did the sum.

Ans: A

16. The tense of verb in the sentence 'She has broken the pot.' is: [RU 04-05]

A. Past indefinite

B. Past continuous

C. Present indefinite

D. Present perfect

Ans: D

Present Perfect Continuous Tense

17. 'She has been reading the book since morning.' This is an example of- [পররাষ্ট্র মন্ত্রণালয়ের সুপারিনটেনডেন্ট-১৯]

A. past perfect tense

B. present continuous tense

C. present perfect tense

D. present perfect continuous tense

Ans: D

18. 'It has been raining hard all day.' This is an example of- [বাংলাদেশ রেলওয়ের উপসহকারী প্রকৌশলী (ব্রিজ)-১৮]

A. present indefinite tense

B. present perfect continuous tense

C. present continuous tense

D. present perfect tense

Ans: B

19. 'He has been studying in the same class for two years.' Identify the tense: [বাংলাদেশ রেলওয়ের উপসহকারী প্রকৌশলী-১৭]

A. Present perfect tense

B. Past perfect tense

C. Present perfect continuous tense

D. Present continuous tense

Ans: C

Past Indefinite Tense

20. 'Past Indefinite Tense' means - [IU (C) 14-15]

A. To express an action just finished

B. A single act in the past

C. An action was being done in the past

D. An action completed before another past action

Ans: B

21. I read an interesting book few days ago. (Identify the tense) [RU (ভূগোল) 06-07]

A. Present indefinite

B. Present perfect

C. Past indefinite

D. Past perfect

Ans: C (Explanation: 'Read' এর present এবং past form একই কিন্তু sentence টিতে adverb হিসেবে ago বসেছে যা past indefinite tense কে নির্দেশ করে। সুতরাং sentence টি past indefinite tense এ আছে।)

22. Which sentence is in past Indefinite tense? [বাংলাদেশ প্রতিযোগিতা কমিশন (ব্যাক্তিগত সহকারী)-১৯]

A. Tomal has played football.

B. Salam had a house.

C. Boys were playing.

D. It has rained.

Ans: B (Note: In source text, 'Salam had a house' is option B).

23. Which of the following is in past indefinite tense? [সোনালী ও জনতা ব্যাংক (সিনিয়র অফিসার)-১৮]

A. Raihan was sleeping.

B. It was raining.

C. It has been raining.

D. Shohail had car.

Ans: D

Past Continuous/Progressive Tense

24. 'The Past Continuous Tense' means -. [JU (C) 14-15]

A. An action was being done in the past

B. A single act in the past

C. Action has been going on for something

D. An action just finished

Ans: A

25. I was reading a novel. [পরিবার পরিকল্পনা সহকারী/ পরিদর্শক এবং পরিবার কল্যান সহ:-১১]

A. past continuous

B. present continuous

C. future continuous

D. past perfect

Ans: A

Past Perfect Tense

26. The construction of past perfect follows- [টেলিফোন বোর্ডের সহকারী পরিচালক ১৪]

A. I have spoken

B. He has eaten

C. I have gone

D. He had spoken the truth

Ans: D

27. The patient had died before the doctor came. কোন tense এর উদাহরণ? [ইসলামী ব্যাংক ০৬]

A. Past and present

B. Present prefect

C. Past perfect

D. Past perfect continuous

Ans: C

28. 'The patient had died'. Which form of tense does the sentence represent? [RU 09-10]

A. Present perfect

B. Past indefinite

C. Past perfect

D. Future perfect

Ans: C

Past Perfect Continuous Tense

29. Past perfect Continuous form of 'I eat' is- [IU (B) 12-13]

A. I have eaten

B. I am eating

C. I had been eating

D. I shall be eating

Ans: C

Future Indefinite Tense

Future Continuous Tense

30. 'I shall be eating (আমি খেতে থাকিব)' is an example of - tense. [NSI-এর ফিল্ড অফিসার-১৭]

A. Future perfect

B. Future continuous

C. Future indefinite

D. None of these

Ans: B

31. 'আমি বইটি পড়িতে থাকিব।' বাক্যটির ইংরেজি হবে- [পল্লী বিদ্যুতায়ন বোর্ডের সহকারী ইনফোর্সমেন্ট কো-অর্ডিনেটর-১৯]

A. I shall reading the book.

B. I can be reading the book.

C. I shall be reading the book.

D. I should reading the book.

Ans: C

Future Perfect Tense

32. He will have gone home. Choose the correct form of tense. [IU (B) 08-09]

A. future perfect tense

B. future indefinite

C. future continuous

D. future perfect continuous

Ans: A

Future Perfect Continuous Tense

33. Choose the Future Perfect Continuous tense of the verb 'Do' (Third person, plural number) [RU 06-07]

A. They will have been doing.

B. They will be doing.

C. They will have done.

D. They will have to be doing.

Ans: A

Your Turn

34. The verb in the sentence 'I have already had my breakfast' is in- [BRUR (BBA) 08-09]

A. Present Indefinite Tense

B. Present Perfect Tense

C. Past Perfect Tense

D. Wrong form

Ans: B

35. The sentence, 'I have been doing' is - [CU (H) 07-08]

A. Present Indefinite

B. Present Continuous

C. Present Perfect

D. Present Perfect Continuous

Ans: D

36. 'Would you mind having a cup of tea' is a sentence in- [জনসংখ্য ও পরিবার কল্যাণ কর্মকর্ত-০৯] Could you please help me? Here 'could' is used as - [RU: 09-10, 10-11]

A. Present tense

B. Present continuous tense

C. past tense

D. past continuous tense

Ans: C (Explanation: বিনয়, ভদ্রতা বা অনুমোদন প্রকাশ করতে present/Future Tense এর পরিবর্তে past tense ব্যবহৃত হয়। Would (will এর past form) you lend me some money. Please? Could (can এর past form) you tell me the time. Please?)

Answers With Explanation: