GMAT Verbal Online Practice – GMAT Tutoring Classes Dubai
Rules of Sentence Correction – GMAT Verbal Class Part-5
Present Tense
Simple Present Tense
Rule 1 : For actions that are repetitive or habitual.
Usage :
- I exercise everyday.
- He goes to school.
- They eat vegetables everyday.
Rule 2 : For permanent actions or truths in the present time.
Usage :
- We live in Dubai.
- He knows six languages.
- It rains a lot in August.
Rule 3 : For non-personal fixed time-table and arrangements in future.
Usage :
- Our exam begins tomorrow.
- The match starts at 7 am.
- The train arrives at 10 pm.
Rule 4 : With certain verbs when they are used as state verbs i.e. have, look, feel, think, see, smell, taste, appear,weigh,know,want,need,be,etc.( Note: These verbs are rarely used in the continuous tenses.
Usage :
- He has a bike.
- I think you are wrong.
- He looks sad.
PRESENT CONTINUOUS TENSE
Rule 1 :For something that is happening now.
Usage :
- We are learning Math.
- Sam is waiting for him.
- They are dancing.
Rule 2 : For personal arrangements having future time.
Usage :
- Sam is having a party tonight.
- Julie is resigning very soon
- They are getting engaged next year.
PRESENT PERFECT TENSE
Rule 1 : Something completed in the past or now but there is some effect / result in the present.
Usage :
- I have seen this movie.
- Lisa has taken a shower.
- Duke has gained some weight.
Rule 2 : When we talk about a time from the past until now. Here the past is connected with the present.
Usage :
- I have not seen him since January.
- They have never ridden a horse.
- Sam has not come yet.
PAST TENSE
SIMPLE PAST
Rule 1 : Completed actions in a specific time in the past.
Usage :
- I got up at 5 am yesterday.
- He applied in last semester.
- She became a graduate last year.
Rule 2 : For completed actions in a time before now.
Usage :
- We lived in Dubai for thirteen years.
- He went to America in 2005.
- She came an hour ago.
Exception :For past discontinued habits we use “ used to + base form of the verb”
Examples :
- She used to get up at 5 am.
- I used to play football when I was in my school.
- James used to crack jokes.
Rule 3.: Having + past participle – When one action happens before another action , we use having (done) for the first action.
Usage :
- Having bought our tickets,we went into the park.
- Having done the shopping,we stopped for a cup of coffee.
Past Continuous Tense
Rule 1 : For something that was happening in the past. ( Incomplete action)
Usage :
- We were playing tennis yesterday.
- He was dancing at the theatre at 10 pm.
- His son was studying in the morning.
Rule 2 : For something that happened in the middle of something else. Use the past continuous tense for the longer action.
Usage :
- It was raining when I woke up in the morning.
- I was injured while I was working in the office.
- He was eating when I went to his home.
PAST PERFECT TENSE
Rule 1 : For a past action that occurred before another past action. We use the past perfect tense for the action that happened earlier.
Usage :
- When you reached the station, the train had left.
- She had gone to work when I called her in the afternoon.
- When we arrived, the meeting had already begun.