A tense shows the time of an action. ICSE tests this mainly through "fill in the blanks with the correct form of the verb" passages.
1. The 12 Tenses at a Glance (verb: play)
| Tense | Form | Use / Signal words |
|---|---|---|
| Simple Present | play / plays | habits, facts — always, usually, every day |
| Present Continuous | is/are playing | action now — now, at the moment, look!, listen! |
| Present Perfect | has/have played | past action, present result — just, already, yet, ever, since, for |
| Present Perfect Cont. | has/have been playing | action continuing up to now — since, for |
| Simple Past | played | finished past action — yesterday, ago, last week, in 2010 |
| Past Continuous | was/were playing | action in progress in the past — while, as, when |
| Past Perfect | had played | the earlier of two past actions — before, after, by the time |
| Past Perfect Cont. | had been playing | duration before another past action |
| Simple Future | will play | future fact / decision — tomorrow, next, soon |
| Future Continuous | will be playing | action in progress in future |
| Future Perfect | will have played | completed before a future point — by + future time |
| Future Perfect Cont. | will have been playing | duration up to a future point |
2. Key Rules for the "Fill in the Correct Form" Passage
- Narratives/stories are normally in the simple past: She walked in and saw…
- Two past actions: the earlier one takes past perfect — When I reached (later) the station, the train had left (earlier).
- while / as + an ongoing past action → past continuous: While she was cooking, the bell rang.
- since / for / just / already / yet → present perfect: I have lived here since 2015.
- After if (1st conditional) use present, not future: If it rains, we will stay in.
3. Subject–Verb Agreement (common error spot)
- Singular subject → singular verb: He plays. / Plural → plural: They play.
- Each, every, everyone, neither, either → singular verb.
- Neither…nor / either…or → verb agrees with the nearer subject.
4. Non-finite forms
- Present participle (-ing): ongoing — running water.
- Past participle (-ed / 3rd form): used in perfect tenses & passive — a broken glass.
- Gerund (-ing as a noun): Swimming is good exercise.
Quick tip: Decide the time frame of the whole passage first (usually past for stories), then adjust individual blanks for signal words like since, while, by the time, just.