TENSES

Tenses can be divided into three parts:

1. Present Tense
2. Past Tense
3. Future Tense
Each of the three above mentioned tenses can further be divided into subparts.
These subparts include:
• Simple
• Continuous
• Perfect
• Perfect Continuous
Present Tense
Present Tense can be defined as an expression for an activity that is
currently in action or is habitually performed. It is used for a state that
generally exists or is currently ongoing.
• Simple Present

Simple Present Tense

Singular Plural

Rule: Subject + V1 + s/es + Object Rule: Subject + V1 + Object

Example: The girl sings a song Example: The girls sing a song
Here the subject is Girl (singular) Here the subject is Girls (plural)
and “s” has been added to the and no changes have been made
verb (sing), followed by the object with V1 (first form of verb) and the
(song) object
• Present Continuous

Present Continuous Tense

Rule: Subject + is/am/are + V1 + ing + object

Example: She is eating food

Here the subject is She, followed by “is”
The first form of verb (V1) here is “eat” and “ing” has been added to it,
followed by the object “food”

• Present Perfect

Present Perfect Tense

Singular Plural

Rule: Subject + has + V3 + Object Rule: Subject + have + V3 + Object

Example: He has cleaned the Example: They have cleaned the

utensils utensils
Here, “He” is the subject + has Here, “They” is the subject + have
“Cleaned” is the third form of verb “Cleaned” is the third form of verb
and utensils is the object and utensils is the object

Past Tense
• Any event or action that took place in the past can be referred to as the
past tense. Below we have discussed in detail the four sub parts of past
tense in English grammar.
• Simple Past
 • Simple Past Tense

• Rule: Subject + V2 + Object

• For example: He ran away

• Here, the subject is “He” and “ran” is the second form of verb (V2) of “run”
followed by the object

• Past Continuous

• Past Continuous Tense

• Singular • Plural

• Rule: Subject + was + V1 + ing + • Rule: Subject + were + V1 + ing +

Object Object

• For example: She was going • For example: They were going
shopping shopping
• Here, the subject is “She” + was • Here, the subject is “They” + were
• It is followed by the first form of • Followed by the first form of verb
verb (V1) “go” + “ing” and then the (V1) “go” + “ing” and then the
object “shopping” object “shopping”

• Past Perfect

• Past Perfect Tense

• Rule: Subject + had + V3 + Object

 • For example: Sumit had left the job
• Here the subject is “Sumit” + had
• Then “left”, which is the third form of verb (V3) “leave” is given followed by the
object

• Past Perfect Continuous

• Past Perfect Continuous Tense

• Rule: Subject + had been + V1 + ing + Object

• For example: They had been preparing for their performance for two months
• Here the subject is “They” + had been
• It is followed by “preparing”, which is the first form of verb (V1) of “prepare”
and then the object

Present Perfect Continuous Tense

Singular Plural

Rule: Subject + has been + V1 + Rule: Subject + have been + V1 +

ing + Object ing + Object

Example: She has been practising Example: They have been

since morning practising since morning
Here “She” is the subject + has Here “They” is the subject + have
been, followed by “ing” added to been, followed by “ing” added to
the the first form of verb the the first form of verb “practise”
“practise” and then the object and then the object
 Future Tense
The actions that are to take place in the future fall in the category of the
future tense. We have discussed the subparts of the future tense in
detail further below in the article, followed by the examples for the
same.
• Simple Future

Simple Future Tense

Rule: Subject + will/shall + V1 + Object

For Example: I will visit my Uncle tomorrow

Here, the subject is “I” + will
It is followed by the first form of verb (V1) “visit” and then the object

• Future Continuous

Future Continuous Tense

Rule: Subject + will be/shall be + V1 + ing + Object

For Example: I shall be going to the market tomorrow

In this example, the subject is “I” + shall be
Following it is the first form of verb (V1) “go”+ing and then the object

• Future Perfect

Future Perfect Tense

Rule: Subject + will have/shall have + V3 + Object

 For Example: I shall have prepared the notes by tomorrow morning
In this example, the subject is “I” + shall have
It is followed by “prepared”, which is the third form of Verb (V3) “prepare” and
then the object

• Future Perfect Continuous

Future Perfect Continuous Tense

Rule: Subject + will have been + V1 + ing + Object

For Example: She will have been working here since 2015
Here, the subject is “She” + will have been
It is followed by the first form of verb “work”+ing and then the object

ACTIVE PASSIVE VOICE

What is Voice of a verb?
The voice of a verb expresses whether the subject in the sentence has
performed or received the action.
Example:
• The watchman opens the door.
• The door is opened by the watchman.
Types of Voices of Verb
Verbs have two voices (i) Active Voice (ii) Passive Voice
 Active Voice – When an action performed by the subject is expressed by
the verb, it is an active voice. Active voice is used when more
straightforward relation and clarity is required between the subject and
the verb.
Active Voice example:
• Hens lay eggs.
• Birds build nests.
Passive Voice – When the action expressed by the verb is received by
the subject, it is passive voice. Passive voice is used when the doer of the
action is not known and the focus of the sentence is on the action and
not the subject.
Passive Voice Examples:
• Eggs are laid by hens.
• Nests are built by birds.
Active And Passive Voice Rules For Conversion of Sentence
Below are the active-passive voice rules to follow for changing an active
sentence into a passive voice. Before heading to the rules of active-
passive voice, let’s check the examples of active and passive voice
sentences.
Conversion of Active and Passive voice examples
• Rita wrote a letter. (Subject + Verb + Object)
• A letter was written by Rita. (Object) + (auxiliary verb) + (past participle)
+ (by subject).
• She cooks food. (Subject + Verb + Object)
• The food is cooked by her. (Object) + (auxiliary verb) + (past participle) +
(by subject)
Rules of Active – Passive Voice
 Rule 1. Identify the (S+V+O) Subject, Verb and object in the active
sentence to convert to passive voice
Example:
He drives car. (Subject – He, verb – Drives, object – Car)
Rule 2. Interchange the object and subject with each other, i.e. object of
the active sentence become the subject of the passive sentence.
Example :
Active voice : She knits sweater. (Subject – She, Verb – Knits, Object –
Sweater)
Passive Voice : The sweater is knitted by her. (Object sweater is
interchanged with the subject She).
Rule 3. In passive voice sometimes the subject is not used, i.e. the
subject in passive voice can be omitted if the sentence without it gives
enough meaning.
Example :
Milk is sold in litres
Rule 4. Change the base verb in the active sentence into the past
participle ie. third form verb in a passive sentence i.e. preceded by (By,
With, to, etc). Base verbs are never used in passive voice sentences.
Example:
• Active voice: She prepares dinner.
• Passive voice: The dinner is prepared by her.
• Active voice: She knows him.
• Passive voice: He is known to her.
• Active voice: Juice fills the jar.
• Passive voice: The jar is filled with juice.
Rule 5. While conversion of Active voice sentence to Passive voice
sentence, the pronoun used in the sentence also changes in the
following manner.
 Active Voice Pronoun Passive Voice Pronoun

I Me

We Us

He Him

She Her

They Them

You You

It It

Rule 6. Use the suitable helping or auxiliary verb (is/am/are/was, etc.).

The rules for using auxiliary verbs in passive voice sentences are different
for each tense.
Example:
• The letter is written by her
• A book was not bought by her
• Chocolates are being eaten by them.
Forms of Active And Passive Voice For All Tenses
• Simple Present Tense

Active Sentences Passive Sentences

He writes an essay An essay is written by him

 Sheena does the housework The housework is done by Sheena

She cares for the rabbit The rabbit is being cared for by her

Jacob always plays the guitar The guitar is always played by Jacob

• Present Continuous Tense

Active Sentences Passive Sentences

They are eating bananas The bananas are being eaten by them

Bob is drawing a diagram A diagram is being drawn by Bob

Samta is playing the piano A piano is being played by Samta

She is waiting for Reema Reema is being waited for by her

• Present Perfect Tense

Active Sentences Passive Sentences

Has he done the work? Has the work been done by him?

Have they left the apartment? Has the apartment been left by them?

He created this masterpiece This masterpiece is created by him

He read the newspaper The newspaper is being read by him

 Note- [except certain exemptions, no passive Voice formation for the
following tenses can be formed, Present Perfect Continuous Tense, Past
Perfect Continuous Tense, Future Perfect Continuous Tense and Future
Continuous Tense]
• Simple Past Tense

Active Voice Passive Voice

Ria paid the bills The bills were paid by Ria

The teacher called the student The student was called by the teacher

She did not buy the fruits The fruits were not bought by her

• Past Progressive/Continuous Tense

Active Voice Passive Voice

They were waiting for him He was being waited for by them

Astha was learning French French was being learnt by Astha

She was playing kabaddi Kabaddi was being played by her

• Past Perfect Tense

Active Voice Passive Voice

She won the match The match had been won by her

I had finished her work Her work had been finished by me

 He had missed the last metro The last metro had been missed by him

• Simple Future Tense

Active Voice Passive Voice

He will write a letter A letter will be written by him

He will repair her cycle Her cycle will be repaired by him

He shall start the meeting The meeting will be started by him

• Future Perfect Tense

Active Voice Passive Voice

Meena will not have changed The bed sheet will not have been
the bedsheet changed by Meena

They will have won the match The match will have been won by
them

Reena will have washed the The skirt will have been washed by
skirt Reena

ASSERTIVE TO INTERROGATIVE AND VICE VERSA

Assertive sentences, also called declarative sentences, are those

sentences that state a general idea or thought, a habitual action, a
scientific fact or a universal truth. Interrogative sentences, on the other
 hand, are questions that are intended to find out some piece of
information. Now, if you are asked to transform an assertive sentence
into an interrogative sentence or the other way around, how would you
do it? Go through the article to learn how it is done.
Transforming an Assertive Sentence into an Interrogative Sentence –
Rules to be Followed with Examples
Take a look at the following points to understand how it is done.
• The general rule in transforming an assertive sentence into an
interrogative sentence applies to all cases and it is as follows,
• If the assertive sentence is positive, make the question negative.
For example, a sentence such as ‘Lorraine is the new English
teacher’, the interrogative sentence will be ‘Isn’t Lorraine the new
English teacher?’.
• If the assertive sentence is negative, the interrogative sentence
should be a positive question. For example, the interrogative of a
sentence such as ‘Lorraine is not the new English teacher’ will be
‘Is Lorraine the new English teacher?’.
• If the assertive sentence has a helping verb and a main verb, the
interrogative sentence will begin with the helping verb followed by
the noun/pronoun that acts as the subject and then the main verb in the
actual tense of the sentence.
• Example 1:
Anu is working from home.
Isn’t Anu working from home?
•

• Example 2:
Manu will not be coming to the party.
Will Manu be coming to the party?
•

• Example 3:
 Dev has not figured out how to fix the leaking pipe.
Has Dev figured out how to fix the leaking pipe?
•

• Example 4:
They had been waiting for Veena for two hours.
Hadn’t they been waiting for Veena for two hours?
•

• Example 5:
Gargi and Praveena have started their undergraduate studies at RVS
College of Arts and Science.
Haven’t Gargi and Praveena started their undergraduate studies at RVS
College of Arts and Science?
• If the assertive sentence does not have a helping verb but just a main
verb, use the positive and negative verb forms of ‘do’ (do, don’t, does,
doesn’t, did, didn’t) to begin the interrogative sentence, followed by the
subject and the main verb in its original form.
• Example 1:
Remya loves watching animated movies.
Doesn’t Remya love watching animated movies?
•

• Example 2:
She completed her homework.
Didn’t she complete her homework?
•

• Example 3:
You don’t like chocolates.
Do you like chocolates?
• Now that you know how the verbs are altered when converting an
assertive sentence into an interrogative sentence, here are some general
rules and techniques you can use to check if you have done the
conversion correctly.
• The interrogative sentence should always start with an auxiliary
verb when the assertive sentence has a main verb and an auxiliary
verb.
• When forming the interrogative sentence, the verb and subject in
the given assertive sentence switch places while the rest of the
sentence remains the same.
• The interrogative sentence should have a question mark placed at
the end.
• Also, make sure you do not change the meaning of the sentence
when transforming one type of sentence into another.
• To check if your interrogative sentence is right, try answering the
question. If you are able to deduct the given assertive sentence as
the answer to the interrogative sentence you framed, then your
conversion is perfect.

Change of Adverbs/Pronouns in Sentence Transformation

When transforming assertive sentences into interrogative sentences, you
will also have to look for conjunctions, pronouns or adverbs that require
to be changed in order to retain the meaning of the sentence. Check the
table below to learn how it has to be done.
 Examples of
Transformation
Pronoun/Adverb in
Pronoun/Adverb in Interrogative (Affirmative to
Assertive Sentence Sentence Negative)

• She has never

travelled by bus.
Has she ever
Never Ever travelled by bus?

• Nobody knows
where the pantry
is.
Does anybody
know where the
Nobody Anybody pantry is?

• No one was
present today.
Was anyone
No one Anyone present today?

• None of us knew
the manager.
Did anyone know
None Anyone the manager?
 • We found nothing
in the box.
Did you find
anything in the
Nothing Anything box?

INTERROGATIVE TO ASSERTIVE
Interrogative Sentences
An interrogative sentence is a sentence that asks a question. These can
be direct or indirect. The punctuation is always a question mark (?).
There are two kinds of interrogative sentences
(a) Yes/No questions : They are those for which the answer is yes/no
(b) Wh questions : They are those that expect a detailed answer. wh”
words, include “who,” “what,” “when,” “where,” “why,” “which,”
“whose,” and “whom.”

RULES FOR CHANGING INTERROGATIVE TO ASSERTIVE

1) If a sentence is negative interrogative , it is changed into affirmative or

assertive . If it is bare interrogative then it has to be changed into
negative( assertive) .
 (2) If there is no auxiliary verb in the sentence ,change it by using
do/does/did Or don’t /Doesn’t /didn’t.
(3) Ever in interrogative sentences is replaced by never in assertive
sentences.
(4) Who+ don’t /Doesn’t /didn’t. in interrogative sentences is replaced
by Someone/ somebody/ everybody/ everyone/ no one/nobody/
anybody/ anyone in assertive sentences
(5) though/does it matter is replaced by It doesn’t matter
(6) Anything in interrogative sentences is replaced by nothing in
assertive sentences.

REPORT WRITING
The Job of correspondents of all leading newspapers is to send reports of
important events or incidents to the news agencies. The students will be
asked to write a report of some happening or event in about 100 words
for the school magazine or a local newspaper.
Salient Features of a Good Report:
1. First-hand information about the incident, occurrence of event.
2. Narration of the event forms the main part of the report.
3. Sometimes the background leading to that happening or event forms an
integral part of that event. The event can’t be explained without
describing its background. In such a case a brief background of the event
becomes necessary.
4. Reporting requires a simple, spontaneous, graphic and factual
description.
5. Reporting can include almost everything under the sun. News events,
experiences, messages, experiments, interviews, business activities and
many more things can come under the purview of reporting.
 Important guidelines:
• It should be precise and accurate.
• It should be comprehensive and possess clarity of expression.
• The layout should be attractive.
• The report should be to the point. Anything out of context must not be
included.
• It should have an eye-catching title.
• The place and date of reporting must be mentioned at the top left
corner.
• The first sentence should be an extension of the idea expressed in the
title.
• Written in paragraphs, the report should be factual and objective. Do not
add any imaginary or unnecessary information.

How to plan a report?

How to plan a report?

1. Plan titles and subtitles: subtitles are the first step while planning a
piece of report.
2. Arrange these subtitles and ideas in a logical sequence. The facts must
be arranged in a sequential order.
3. If you are given verbal/visual input, include details about it in your
report. A visual .input could be-a sketch, graph, map, chart, photograph,
etc.
4. Every report must have the following information:
(a) What is the report about?
(b) When did the event happen?
(c) Where did it happen?
(d) Who were the people involved?
(e) What were the causes? The details of the event.
(f) The outcome of the event.
(g) The conclusion.

Question 1.
You are Anisha Anand, a newspaper reporter. You have seen an
autorickshaw full of passengers overturn on a busy road as it is hit by a
speeding car. Write a report giving details of number of people injured,
service offered to them and the damage caused.
Answer:
2 Killed on the spot
Ahmedabad, August 28
Two women were killed and two children and two men were seriously
injured in a severe accident on the busy Nehru Circle Road.
Two women and two children were travelling in an autorickshaw. When
the rickshaw was taking a turn near Nehru Circle, a speeding red Maruti
hit it from behind overturning the auto and throwing away one child.
Two female passengers came under the front wheels of the car and died
on the spot but one child escaped death narrowly.
The auto driver and Maruti driver were lying on the road bleeding
profusely. A traffic policeman immediately rushed to the spot and sent
the wounded to the nearest hospital. One car owner offered to take the
wounded to the hospital immediately on the request of the traffic
policeman. The identity of the passengers of the ill-fated auto, auto
driver and car driver is still not known.
Question 2.
Sudden weather change resulting in heavy rainfall caused havoc in the
city. All the city roads were flooded and there was waist-deep water in
some areas. Write a report for a newspaper.
Answer:
It Rained Cats and Dogs
Ahmedabad, August 12
Sudden heavy rains lashed Ahmedabad city yesterday in the evening.
There was sudden change in the weather. Strong wind started blowing
and heavy water-laden clouds started pouring down. Thundering in the
sky made the atmosphere more gloomy.
People were hurriedly rushing home but waterlogging and up-rooted
trees created serious problems for them. Many trees were uprooted due
to stormy winds. Subways in the western areas were heavily flooded. A
bus got stuck in the water near Handloom House Subway. Rain poured
down heavily for almost five hours bringing the city life to a standstill.

EMAIL WRITING
What is E-mail Writing?
E-mail is electronic mail. It is the exchange of stored communication of
computers through telecommunication. These messages are in a text
form. They are sent from one computer to another through internet and
stored in a remote computer till the receiver goes through them.
While reading an E-mail we must bear in mind that the messages sent
are clear, concise and to the point. Messages sent by E-mail are cheaper
and can cover a large area throughout the world. The advantage in E-
mail is speed. You can send or respond to messages or send and receive
entire documents in seconds.
Specimens Of E-mail Writing
Question 1.
Write an E-mail to your friend describing him your new house and new
neighbours.
Answer:
From: ashokl4@[Link]
To: vijay2006@[Link]
Subject: New house, new neighbours
My dear Vijay,
You will be happy to know that we have purchased a new house in a
posh colony of Ahmedabad. It is in Bhopal. The place is extremely calm,
quiet and serene. The streets are quite wide and spacious. The house
itself is situated on a nice plot of land. It is a corner plot. It is quite
advantageous. It opens on all three sides.
It is a double-storey house. There are three rooms in the front portion
and three in the rear. It is airy and well-Ventilated. There are marble
floorings. The walls are painted very beautifully. The pride of the house is
its kitchen and bathroom. Both are fully tiled. There is a beautiful marble
tub inside the bathroom.
There are metallic fittings. There is also the provision of a telephone
shower. There is a system of cold and hot water. I have my own separate
room for studies. Our new neighbours are very nice people. On the right
of our house is Mr Juneja. He is a postgraduate teacher teaching
Mathematics.
Quite a large number of students come to him for guidance. These
groups of boys and girls talk highly of his ability and hard work. On the
left is Mr Dang, an officer in NBCC. He is thoroughly polite, courteous
and gentle.
I invite you and your parents to visit our new house.
Yours sincerely,
Ashok

FORMAL E-mails
Question 1.
Write an E-mail to the editor of The Indian Express in about 100 words
on the issue of the indiscriminate cutting of trees.
Answer:
From: ajay@[Link]
To: editorindianexpress@[Link]
Subject: Value of trees
Dear Sir,
Trees and plants have a vital role in our lives. In truth, life is possible
because the trees are there. They provide us with oxygen which is
essential for our life. Besides, they also add to the scenic beauty. The
green areas of the city are called its lungs. They control the atmospheric
pollution.
In summer, the trees give us comfortable shade. In winter, they supply us
wood for fire which keeps us warm. During the rains, trees prevent soil
erosion. The rain washes the fertilizing layer of the soil downhill. The
roots of the trees bind the soil and landslides are prevented.
The trees supply us timber which is essential for making houses and its
furniture. Birds and even some animals get their food and shelter from
the trees. The same trees provide human beings with fruits and herbs.
So through your newspaper, I ask the people and authorities to stop the
indiscriminate cutting of the trees.
Yours sincerely,
Ajay