Students often make different types of tense mistakes while forming sentences. Those who score 5 Band typically make basic mistakes in both writing and speaking, while those scoring 7 or above might make mistakes when writing complex sentences. Let’s explore the different types of tenses, along with examples and common errors.

There are three types of tenses used to express emotions and thoughts in sentences: past, present, and future. Below, we have presented rules in a tabular form to help you remember how to form sentences in different tenses.

Before we delve into the rules, let’s understand the terms used in the table:

– Singular Subject: Refers to 1 person (e.g., I, He, She, etc.)

– Plural Subject: Refers to more than 1 person (e.g., We, They, etc.)

– Assertive Sentences: End with a full stop (.), implying something is true

– Negative Sentences: Contain “NOT,” implying something is untrue

– Interrogative Sentences: End with a question mark (?), requiring an answer

– “Verb (1st),” “verb (2nd),” and “verb (3rd)” represent the first, second, and third forms of a verb, respectively.

Let’s go through the tense rules using two examples and altering them as per the tense type:

Example Sentences:

1. Michael goes to the office.

2. They go to the office.

In the first sentence, the subject is “Michael,” the verb is “go,” and the object is “office.”

In the second sentence, the subject is “they,” the verb is “go,” and the object is “office.”

Exercises:

Find the tense errors in the following statements:

1. Every day, I enjoyed meeting my friends at college.

2. When it comes to dance, I just loved it.

3. Last year, I graduate from my university.

4. I work hard to get good marks in my exam last year.

Corrected Sentences:

1. Every day, I enjoy meeting my friends at college.

2. When it comes to dance, I just love it.

3. Last year, I graduated from my university.

4. I worked hard to get good marks in my exam last year.

Next, let’s identify tense mistakes in sentences written by IELTS students:

5. Moreover, in the time period of 1996-2002, there were many changes that take place in average house prices.

6. Firstly, the population of Ireland spends their 28.91% money on eatables in 2010.

7. Furthermore, this helped in investing many drugs and machineries which has increased the life expectancy and survival of humans on the earth.

8. Last Sunday, I meet with an accident in your supermarket.

9. For this reason, I can’t write a letter earlier.

10. In addition, I want to take 1-week holidays from my work because my family needs me.

… (Continue reviewing and correcting the sentences as done for previous exercises.)

Corrected Sentences:

5. Moreover, in the time period of 1996-2002, there were many changes that took place in average house prices.

6. Firstly, the population of Ireland spent their 28.91% money on eatables in 2010.

7. Furthermore, this has helped in investing in many drugs and machineries, which have increased the life expectancy and survival of humans on the earth.

8. Last Sunday, I met with an accident in your supermarket.

9. For this reason, I couldn’t write a letter earlier.

10. In addition, I want to take 1-week holidays from my work because my family needs me.

… (Continue reviewing and correcting the sentences as done for previous exercises.)

By reviewing and correcting these sentences, students can improve their understanding and usage of different tenses in IELTS writing tasks.