Click here to get access to the best NCERT Solutions for Class 8 English. Go through these Tenses Exercises for Class 8 CBSE with Answers to learn English. Each and every question of English grammar exercises for class 8 CBSE with answers have been answered with easy to download solutions in PDF format.
Tenses Exercises for Class 8 With Answers CBSE – English Grammar
Exercises On Tenses For Class 8 With Answers
Tenses are a means of putting a sentence into a time frame.
There are three tenses in English Grammar.
Present Tense
Used to express actions that are happening now.
e.g.
- I love my country.
- They are dancing well.
Past Tense
Used to express actions that took place in the time that has passed,
e.g.
- The twilight was creeping up over the garden.
- The Princess sat on the green grass behind the palace.
Future Tense
Used to express things that are going to happen,
e.g.
- We will never hear his fine voice again.
- The company will have achieved sky heights in a few years.
Chart of Tense
Types of Tense
The following types of tense are given below
Present Tense
Simple Present Tense
Or
Present Indefinite Tense
When the subject is third person (i.e. other than I, we, you) and singular (i.e. only one) then we add ‘s’ or ‘es’ to the main verb 1). It is used
- When the time of action is not definite.
e.g.
(i) I love my country.
(ii) Sulabha goes to school by bus.
(iii) She cooks very nicely. - For habitual /regular/periodic actions.
e.g.
(i) Aunty travels by metro everyday.
(ii) His family goes there every week.
(iii) He turns on the light first and then enters the room. - For actions happening in near future.
e.g.
(i) Gargi leaves for Singapore next month.
(ii) He starts his new project very soon.
(iii) Priyal gets promoted as MD of the company. - For universal/eternal truths.
e.g.
(i) God is gracious.
(ii) The Earth completes its revolution around the Sun in 365 days.(iii) All of us depend upon the trees for the survival.
Negative
Structure: S + do/does + not + V1+ O
e.g. Vidhi does not like cookies.
Interrogative
Structure: Do/does + S+V1 +O + ?
e.g. Do you know Punjabi?
Present Continuous Tense
It is used for
- The actions that are continuous or progressive at the time of speaking.
e.g.
(i) The boys are climbing up the mango tree.
(ii) Ruhani is making a garland for the idol of Lord Ganesha.
(iii) We are preparing for the exams. - For the actions going to happen in near future. –
e.g.
(i) The President is going to China next week.
(ii) Rudra is making a film on blind children this year.
(iii) Charles and I are starting a new business in partnership.
Negative
Structure: S+ am/is/are + not + V1 + ing + O
e.g. You are not listening to her properly.
Interrogative
Structure: Am/Is/Are + S + V1 + ing + O + ?
e.g. Are you listening to her properly?
Present Perfect Tense
It is used
- To express the actions that are complete.
(= Perfect) or which are recently completed,
e.g.
(i) I have just had my lunch.
(ii) Nigar has completed the work of the seminar.
(iii) They have accepted our proposal. - To express the actions that started in past and lasted for a long time.
e.g.
(i) We have lived in Pune for 10 years.
(ii) He has served the country for many years.
(iii) I have waited for you for half an hour.
Negative
Structure: have/has + not + V3
e.g.The students have not understand the problem clearly.
Interrogative
Structure: Have/has +S + V3 +0 + ?
e.g. Have the students understood the problem clearly?
Present Perfect Continuous Tense
Perfect = Complete
Continuous = Progressive/going on.
Hence, ‘Perfect Continuous Tense’ is used when the action is partly complete (i.e. started at certain time in past) partly progressive (i.e. is still going on),
e.g.
- Ranu has been playing since morning.
- The girl has been plucking flowers for 20 minutes.
- We have been working here since 2001.
Rules for Using ‘Since’ and ‘For’ |
Negative
Structure S + have/has + not + been + V1 + ing + O
e.g. Your ward has not been coming to school for last one week.
Interrogative
Structure: Have/has + S + not + been + V1 + ing + O?
e.g. Has your ward been absenting himself from the class for last one week?
Past Tense
Simple Past Tense or Past Indefinite Tense
It is used for
- Actions that were completed in past.
e.g.
(i) Radhika completed M Tech last year.
(ii) We watched ‘Main Hoon Na’ on Saturday.
(iii) Gurpreet shuffled the cards and distributed among all. - Past habits.
e.g.
(i) Sanjana rode Royal Enfield during college days.
(ii) Cherrapunji received the highest rainfall earlier.
(iii) We stayed at a PG during our engineering.
Negative
Structure: S + did + not + V1+ O
e.g. They did not take their study very seriously.
Interrogative
Structure: Did + S + V1 + O + ?
e.g. Did they fake their study seriously?
Past Continuous Tense
It is used for
The action that was continuous at a certain time which we are talking about in Past Continuous Tense is always accompanied by another sentence in Simple Past Tense or a word/phrase mentioning the time. Sometimes, it is used with another sentence in Past Continuous Tense also.
e.g.
- Suraj was playing with his cousins when we went to his home.
- We relaxed while they were working.
- The countrymen were resting at home and the soldiers were fighting at the border.
You can notice from the sentence 1, above that, ‘when’ connects the sentence in ‘Simple Past Tense’, whereas ‘while’ connects the sentence in ‘Past Continuous Tense’.
Negative
Structure: S + Was/Were + not + V1 + ing + O
e.g. Arohi was not following the traffic rules.
Interrogative
Structure: Was/Were + S + V1 + ing + O + ?
e.g. Was Arohi following the traffic rules?
Past Perfect Tense
Past Perfect Tense is used only when we are talking about two actions in past that took place one after another. The action that happened first is expressed in (Past Perfect Tense) and the one that followed is expressed in (Simple Past Tense).
e.g.
- The students had vacated the exam hall
1st action
before the invigilator got there.
2nd action - The rainbow had disappeared.
1st action
before she came out in the balcony to see it.
2nd action - The programme started after
2nd action
the chief guest had inaugurated the hall.
1st action
Negative
Structure: S + had + not + V1 + O
e.g. I had not started my lunch before you came.
Interrogative
Structure: Had + S + V3 +0 + ?
e.g. Had I started my lunch before you came?
Exception
When we are talking about two actions in the past that happened one after another. We should use Simple Past Tense for both the actions if they occurred immediately before immediately after just before just after
e.g.
- The bell rang just after I entered the class.
- Rani left the job just after Anup joined.
Past Perfect Continuous Tense
It is used for actions. That started at certain time in the past and ended after some period in past only,
e.g.
- They had been meeting for many years before they got married.
- Mr Roy had been writing poetry for twelve years before he started writing film stories.
- Yesterday, Aliya had been reading the newspaper since 7 am.
Negative
Structure: S + had + not + been + V1 + ing + O
e.g. We had not been watching KBC for two years before we got a colour TV.
Interrogative
Structure: Had + S + been + V1 + ing + O + ?
e.g. Had we been watching KBC for two years?
Future Tense
Simple Future Tense or Future Indefinite Tense
It is used to express future actions,
e.g.
- I shall see you tomorrow.
- They will look after their son.
- Neha will land on America’s soil tomorrow.
Note: In modern English, mostly ‘will’ is used with all subject, in almost all the countries of the world.
The use of ‘shall’ with first person is rather considered outdated. But ‘shall’ is used with the subjects of second and third persons if talking about strong determination or commands,
e.g.
- You shall win the game.
- Reena shall follow my orders.
- The students shall not leave the hall before 2 o’clock.
Future Continuous Tense
This tense is also used for the actions going to happen in near future the same way as ‘Simple Future’ ‘Simple Present’ and ‘Present Continuous Tense’ are used.
e.g.
- Rohini will be applying for MS in one of the universities of Germany.
- Farah and Imroze will be going to offer Namaz in the evening. .
- Saby will be receiving you at the airport.
Negative .
Structure: S + shall/will + not + V, + ing + O
e.g. They will not be signing any agreement with our company.
Interrogative
Structure: Shall/will + S + be + V, + ing + O + ?
e.g. Will they be signing any some agreement with our company?
Future Perfect Tense
This tense is used to talk about the actions that will be complete at certain time in future.
e.g.
- The guests will have arrived by 6 at the hall.
- Our country will have uprooted the problems of dowry and domestic voilence by the end of this century.
- Sarika will have prepared dinner by the time we reach home.
Negative
Structure: S + shall/will + not + have + V3 + O ?
e.g. Romeo will not have done his homework tomorrow.
Interrogative
Structure: Shall/will + S + have + V3 + O + ?
e.g. Will Romeo have done his homework tomorrow?
Future Perfect Continuous Tense
This tense is used for the actions that will start at certain time in future and last for a certain period and end in future.
e.g.
- Jane will have been preparing her speech since afternoon tomorrow.
- Next year, the construction of a bridge will have been going on here since June.
- I will have been working all day tomorrow.
Negative
Structure: S + shall/will + have + not + been + V1+ ing + O
e.g. Mahi will not have been learning her poems since morning that day.
Interrogative
Structure: Shall/Will + S + have + been + V1 + ing?
e.g. Will Mahi have been learning her poems since morning that day?
Chapter Practice
Question 1:
Fill in the blanks with appropriate form of the verbs given in the brackets.
- When the burglars broke into the house, everybody……… sound sleep, (have)
- The milk…… over as she went to see the crowd passing by with loud slogans, (spill)
- If Shubham….. any mistake, he will be rewarded, (not + make)
- They were watching TV when they…….. a loud bang at the door, (hear)
- The bus…… the stop before we could catch it. (leave)
- Rounak……. the same song for last three days. It has become boring now. (play)
- Shamal…… after we reach home, (call)
- The show…… its one thousand episodes by next month, (complete)
- Don’t worry, we will be……. the airport in time. (reach).
- Arman has.. sick after eating some snacks at the street side shop, (fall)
Answer:
- were having
- spilt
- does not make
- heard
- had left
- has been playing
- will call
- will have completed
- reaching
- fallen
Question 2:
Fill in the blanks with Present Perfect or Simple Past Tense.
- The ministry of education …………. some new policies recently, (form)
- He never….. up till he was alive, (give)
- The doctors ……… on her successfully on Tuesday afternoon, (operate)
- Vaibhav ….. for the post of Assistant Manager this month, (apply)
- He…… his appointment letter two days ago. (get)
- The movie ……. before we ………… the cinema hall, (being/reach)
- The cat……. licking his feet immediately after Rohan………. inside the gate, (start/get)
- The patient……… before the doctors ……………….. (die/arrive)
- The thief ….. away before the police ……………. catch him. (run/can)
- My friend… me just after I………… (join/start)
Answer:
- has formed
- gave
- operated
- has applied
- got
- had begun, reached
- started, got
- had died, arrived
- had run, caught
- joined, started
Question 3:
Tick the correct option to complete the sentences.
- The climate of the city………. mild and pleasant most of the time.
(a) is remaining
(b) remains
(c) was remaining
(d) is remained - One day he ……… into a hotel in Shillong, a beautiful city in Meghalaya.
(a) booking
(b) was booking
(c) booked
(d) had booked - You will certainly…….. rewards for what you are doing.
(a) getting
(b) had got
(c) was getting
(d) be getting - Do you …….. the day we moved the piano upstairs?
(a) remember
(b) remembered
(c) are remembering
(d) had remembered - The rain completely………. our day.
(a) spoilt
(b) is spoiling
(c) is spoilt
(d) was spoilt - Akbar…… the king at the age of fifteen after the sudden death of his father.
(a) was becoming
(b) had become
(c) became
(d) become - The criminal …… the place before the police could reach.
(a) was escaping
(b) had escaped
(c) is escaping
(d) will escape - They ……… all the arrangements before the guestis arrival.
(a) will have made
(b) will be made
(c) had been making
(d) were making - She……… her job by tomorrow evening.
(a) will be completing
(b) will complete
(c) will have completed
(d) will have been completing - Aryan…… his mother in making rangoli in the yard for last one hour.
(a) is helping
(b) has helped
(c) has been helping
(d) helps
Answer:
- (b) remains
- (c) booked
- (d) be getting
- (a) remember
- (b) is spoiling
- (c) became
- (b) had escaped
- (a) will have made
- (c) will have completed
- (c) has been helping
Question 4:
Use the appropriate form (Present Tense) of the verbs given in brackets to fill in the gaps.
- Susan………. for three hours. Now she needs some rest, (work)
- In India, people ……………. different festivals througout the year, (celebrate)
- John……. some important issue with Jennie. Let us not disturb him. (discuss)-
- All the planets in the solar system…….. around the Sun. (revolve)
- Sam ….. to Zarun on phone for forty-five minutes, (talk)
- You can give me some other novel. I…… read this earlier, (read)
- Ninad….. very hard these days, (work)
- Tisha often…………… her work and goes to play. (shirk)
Answer:
- has worked
- celebrate
- is discussing
- revolve
- has been talking
- have read
- is working
- shirks
Question 5:
Use the appropriate form (Past Tense) of the verb given in brackets to fill in the blanks.
- Mr Ranjit’s sudden arrival ……………………. (surprise)
- The girls……… everybody to the dining table to enjoy the food, (invite)
- They…….. him before he……….. that they were thieves, (rob, realise)
- Lai Bahadur Shastri……… a simple life but still ……. the nation to unprecedented heights of success, (live, take)
- The little boys…….. dance merrily while the music was playing, (dance)
- She …….. queen and ………. to be known as Lakshmibai. (become, come)
- Maddy…………. for a job for a few months when I met him last year, (look for)
- She was……….. to hide her tears when I………….. her crying, (try, notice)
- Lydia……. many difficulties before she……………. with her life partner, (face, meet)
- I didn’t ………… why she …………… so loudly. (understand/shout)
Answer:
- surprised/has surprised
- are inviting
- had robbed ; realised
- lived, took
- were dancing
- became, came
- had been looking
- trying, noticed
- had faced, met
- understand, was shouting
Question 6:
Identify the errors in the sentences given below and rewrite them.
- These grapes are tasting sour.
- I am thinking you are wrong.
- She is seeming sad.
- He is having a cellular phone.
Answer:
- These grapes taste sour.
- I think you are wrong.”
- She seems sad.
- He has a cellular phone.
NCERT SolutionsMathsScienceSocialEnglishHindiSanskritRD Sharma
Read More:
- The Sentence Exercise With Answers
- Noun Exercise With Answers
- Pronoun Exercise With Answers
- Adjective Exercise With Answers
- Adverb Exercise With Answers
- Verb Exercise With Answers
- Preposition Exercise With Answers
- Conjunction Exercise With Answers
- Interjection Exercise With Answers
- Participle Exercise With Answers
- Modals Exercise With Answers
- Article Exercise With Answers
- Nominalisation Exercise With Answers
- Active and Passive Voice Exercise With Answers
- Reported Speech Exercise With Answers
- Question Tags Exercise With Answers
- Word Power Exercise With Answers
- Integrated Exercise With Answers
Everything I Need to Know I Learned in the Forest Question and Answers