In our last blog on tenses, we explained why tenses form a vitally important part of the English grammar. Tenses play a key role in written, spoken, as well as English reading. It depends on the various tenses – past, present, or future – to understand the period of time being referred to. A simple sentence like 'I buy mangoes' tells you about the action of buying mangoes, but tells you nothing about whether the action has been completed, is being done or will occur in the future. To lend it some meaning, we need to apply a tense to it. It should be either 'I have bought mangoes' (past tense), 'I am buying mangoes' (present tense) or 'I will buy mangoes' (future tense).

You get the point, right? Just as a perfect sentence needs to have a subject and action to be complete, it also has to have a clear cut tense. A person's ability to use the right form of tense at the right moment speaks a lot about his English prowess.

As mentioned in the earlier blog, tenses are broadly categorized into three – past, present and future. These are further categorized into:

• Present perfect
• Past perfect
• Past progressive
• Past perfect progressive
• Present perfect progressive

We have explained in detail the Present and perfect tense, Past and past perfect tense in our last blog (link of the last blog). Let us proceed with the other tenses.

• Past Progressive: The first part of the tense makes it clear that it is an action/ incident that has happened in the past, however the 'progressive' part implies to the action that was in the continual at the time of the action/ incident. This example should make it amply clear - "I was reading the newspaper this morning." This sentence makes it clear that the incident happened in the morning, but the word 'reading' implies that action was in a continual. 'He was playing all afternoon' is another perfect example of understanding what past progressive tense means.

• Past perfect progressive: This tense is defined by a tense that was being done in the past, but was interrupted. A perfect example of this can be – 'Satish was studying in the morning, only to be disturbed by Hari.' In this sentence, it is clear that Satish was disturbed by Hari – which is a past tense, but the fact that he 'was studying in the morning' – makes it a past progressive tense. After combing the two aspects, we get a Past perfect progressive tense.

• Present perfect progressive: This is very simple to understand. 'He has been studying all day' – this is a perfect example of this tense. Present perfect tense pertains to an action that continues into the present, and does not clearly mention whether it has been accomplished or not. Another example is 'She has been trying hard to make things better for her family.'



Isn't it an easy way to learn about tenses? If you are struggling with the question, 'How can I learn English?' The answer is simple – join a professional online English class like eAgeTutor and get valuable spoken English tips!

Students from various backgrounds and walks of life come to us to learn fluent English speaking. The blog today deals with one of the most common questions that aspiring English learners ask our tutors. How to avoid common grammar mistakes? So, here we have a compiled a list of some common grammar errors that most of us commit, unconsciously. Let's have a look at them.

1. Who or whom 

We have discussed this topic at length in our previous blog (http://english.eagetutor.com/english/1-spoken-english/552-who-or-whom-learn-the-right-usage-with-examples.html). Who and whom both are pronouns but 'who' is a subjective pronoun and 'whom' is an objective case. The same goes for 'whoever' and 'whomever'. The difference is that whom is the objective form of who. A simple chart will help you understand when to use what.

From whom/who did you get my number?

I got it from him, therefore, going by the above formula, whom is the right option.

2. Your or you're 

This is one of the most common grammatical errors that can be avoided. All one takes to be correct with it is a calm mind. Your is a possessive pronoun while you're is a contraction of you are. Your car is parked in the basement and you're parking the car in the basement. In spoken English, it may not sound incorrect but one has to be cautious when it comes to writing. Your is not a substitute to You're.

3. Its or it's

Do you get confused between the two? Don't worry, here's how to use them in the correct form. Its is a possessive pronoun, it means, more or less, of it or belonging to it. It's on the other hand is a contraction of it is. Having said this, here's a simple way you can decide which to use when.

Its/it's my pen.

Now replace, it's with it is or it has, if the sentence is complete then 'it's' is the right.

It is my pen. Therefore, 'it's' is the right answer.

Now, let us look at another example.

This flower is known for its/it's long lasting fragrance.

Now, can you replace it's with it is or it has. A definite NO.

Therefore, 'its' is the right choice.

Hope, the concept is clear.

4. Their, there or they're

More than 60% of people get confused between the use of their, there and they're.

"They're riding their bikes over there"

Observe this sentence closely. When you read this sentence, all the three would sound the same. However, there is a difference in their meanings. Here's how our English language institute helps students to understand the difference.

They're stands for they are – it's a contraction.

There is a possessive adjective.

There refers to a place or location.

Here is an exercise for you, choose the right option:



We shall look at more such common grammatical errors in our next blog; stay tuned for our next English tutorial.