Tenses: English Language Notes for District Judge Exam

District Judge Exam – English Language

Topic: Tenses

Goal – Master all 12 main English tenses, know when and how to use each, and be able to spot common exam pitfalls.

1. Simple Explanation

English verbs change form to show time (when something happens) and aspect (how the action unfolds).
There are 12 basic tenses (6 time frames × 2 aspects: simple/continuous and perfect).

Time	Simple	Continuous	Perfect	Perfect Continuous
Present	Present Simple	Present Continuous	Present Perfect	Present Perfect Continuous
Past	Past Simple	Past Continuous	Past Perfect	Past Perfect Continuous
Future	Future Simple	Future Continuous	Future Perfect	Future Perfect Continuous

Tip:
Simple = one action at a particular time.
Continuous = ongoing action.
Perfect = action completed relative to another time.
Perfect Continuous = duration of an action that started earlier.

2. Key Points for Each Tense

Tense	Form	Typical Use	Common Mistakes
Present Simple	`S + base verb (+ s/es)`	Habit, general truths	Forget s/es for 3rd‑person singular
Present Continuous	`am/is/are + V+ing`	Action happening now	Using it for “temporary” vs. “habitual”
Present Perfect	`have/has + past participle`	Completed actions with present relevance	Mixing with simple past
Present Perfect Continuous	`have/has + been + V+ing`	Ongoing action that started in past	Over‑using with short actions
Past Simple	`S + past form`	Completed past actions	Using with just or yet incorrectly
Past Continuous	`was/were + V+ing`	Ongoing action at a past time	Confusing with simple past for “while”
Past Perfect	`had + past participle`	Action finished before another past event	Using has/have instead of had
Past Perfect Continuous	`had + been + V+ing`	Duration before another past event	Rarely needed in exams
Future Simple	`will/shall + base verb`	Predictions, promises	Using will for scheduled events
Future Continuous	`will be + V+ing`	Ongoing action at a future time	Mixing with simple future
Future Perfect	`will have + past participle`	Action completed before a future time	Forgetting have
Future Perfect Continuous	`will have been + V+ing`	Duration up to a future point	Extremely rare in exams

3. Worked Example

Fill in the blanks with the correct tense.

Context – A judge’s brief for a case that began last month and will finish next week.

By the time the defendant (arrive) at the courtroom, the judge (already set) the hearing for the following week. The judge (have) been reviewing the evidence for two weeks. While the court (be) in session, the jury (discuss) the case. By the time the trial (finish), the judge (issue) a ruling.

Answers

Sentence	Correct Tense	Why
By the time the defendant arrives	Present Simple	Future reference in a deadline clause
the judge has already set	Present Perfect	Completed action before another future time
The judge has been reviewing	Present Perfect Continuous	Duration from past to present
While the court is in session	Present Continuous	Ongoing action at a specific future point
the jury is discussing	Present Continuous	Ongoing action during the court session
By the time the trial finishes	Future Simple	Future completion
the judge will issue	Future Simple	Promise/decision at the end

Why it matters – The test often asks you to choose the tense that best fits the time relationship. Notice how past, present, and future tenses all appear in a single paragraph.

4. Quick Revision Summary (Cheat Sheet)

Simple tenses show a single event or a repeated event.
- He writes (habit).
- She wrote (completed past).
- They will write (future promise).
Continuous tenses emphasise duration or that an action is in progress.
- She is writing (now).
- They were writing (at that past time).
- They will be writing (in the future).
Perfect tenses link two times – the action and a reference time.
- She has written (now, after finishing).
- He had written (before the meeting).
- They will have written (by tomorrow).
Perfect Continuous emphasises **how long