English Grammar & Writing Tenses, Voice & Mood Syllabus

Tenses, Voice & Mood syllabus — full chapter and topic list

Expand any chapter to see its topics and sub-topics. This is the whole examinable outline for Tenses, Voice & Mood in English Grammar & Writing, not a summary of it.

1. 1

   Present Tenses

   4 topics

   • Simple Present
   • Present Continuous
   • Present Perfect
   • Present Perfect Continuous
2. 2

   Past Tenses

   4 topics

   • Simple Past
   • Past Continuous
   • Past Perfect
   • Past Perfect Continuous
3. 3

   Future Tenses

   4 topics

   • Simple Future
   • Future Continuous
   • Future Perfect
   • Going to and Other Future Forms
4. 4

   Sequence of Tenses

   3 topics

   • Tense Consistency
   • Reported (Indirect) Speech
   • Conditional Sentences
5. 5

   Active and Passive Voice

   3 topics

   • Forming the Passive
   • When to Use Passive Voice
   • Converting Active to Passive
6. 6

   Mood

   3 topics

   • Indicative Mood
   • Imperative Mood
   • Subjunctive Mood

Tenses, Voice & Mood flashcards for English Grammar & Writing

24 of 50 cards from the Tenses, Voice & Mood deck — real questions with worked answers.

1. What is the form and primary use of the Simple Present tense?

   Form: base verb, adding -s/-es for third-person singular (I work / she works). Use: habits and routines, permanent states/facts, general truths, and scheduled events. Example: 'Water boils at 100 degrees Celsius.'

2. How do you form the Present Continuous tense, and when is it used?

   Form: am/is/are + present participle (verb + -ing), e.g., 'She is writing.' Use: actions happening right now, temporary situations, and definite future arrangements. Example: 'They are staying with us this week.'

3. State the formula and main uses of the Present Perfect tense.

   Form: have/has + past participle (I have finished / she has gone). Use: past actions with present relevance, experiences without a specific time, and situations continuing up to now (often with 'for'/'since'). Example: 'I have lived here since 2010.'

4. How is the Present Perfect Continuous formed, and what does it emphasize?

   Form: have/has been + present participle (I have been working). Use: emphasizes the duration or continuation of an activity that started in the past and continues to now (or just stopped). Example: 'She has been studying for three hours.'

5. What is the form and use of the Simple Past tense?

   Form: past form of the verb; regular verbs add -ed (worked), irregular verbs change form (went, saw). Use: completed actions at a definite past time. Example: 'They visited Rome last year.'

6. How do you form the Past Continuous, and when is it used?

   Form: was/were + present participle (I was reading / they were playing). Use: an action in progress at a specific past moment, often interrupted by a shorter action, or two simultaneous past actions. Example: 'I was cooking when he arrived.'

7. State the formula and use of the Past Perfect tense.

   Form: had + past participle (I had left). Use: an action completed before another past action or time — the 'past of the past.' Example: 'The train had left before we reached the station.'

8. How is the Past Perfect Continuous formed, and what does it show?

   Form: had been + present participle (I had been waiting). Use: emphasizes the duration of an activity that was ongoing up to a point in the past. Example: 'She had been working there for ten years before she resigned.'

9. What is the form and use of the Simple Future tense?

   Form: will + base verb (I will call). Use: predictions, spontaneous decisions, promises, and offers. Example: 'I will help you with that.'

10. How do you form the Future Continuous, and when is it used?

    Form: will be + present participle (I will be traveling). Use: an action that will be in progress at a specific future time, or a planned/expected future event. Example: 'This time tomorrow I will be flying to Tokyo.'

11. State the formula and use of the Future Perfect tense.

    Form: will have + past participle (I will have finished). Use: an action that will be completed before a specified future time. Example: 'By 2030 they will have built the bridge.'

12. What is the difference between 'will' and 'be going to' for the future?

    'Will' expresses spontaneous decisions, predictions, promises, and offers made at the moment of speaking. 'Be going to' expresses prior plans/intentions and predictions based on present evidence. Example: 'Look at those clouds — it is going to rain.'

13. Besides 'will' and 'going to', name three other ways English expresses future time.

    1) Present Continuous for fixed arrangements ('I am meeting her tomorrow'). 2) Simple Present for timetables/schedules ('The train leaves at 6'). 3) 'be about to' / 'be due to' for the imminent future ('The show is about to start').

14. What is tense consistency (sequence of tenses), and why does it matter?

    Tense consistency means keeping verbs in the same time frame within a sentence or passage unless the meaning requires a shift. It matters because unjustified tense shifts confuse the reader about when events occur. Example (correct): 'She opened the door and saw the guests,' not 'opened... sees.'

15. When is a justified shift in tense acceptable within a passage?

    A shift is justified when the timeline genuinely changes — for example, moving from a past narrative to a general truth ('He learned that water boils at 100°C') or from a past event to its present result ('I lost my keys, so now I cannot get in').

16. What is reported (indirect) speech, and how does it differ from direct speech?

    Reported speech conveys what someone said without quoting their exact words, usually introduced by a reporting verb (said, told) and often 'that.' Direct speech quotes exact words in quotation marks. Direct: She said, 'I am tired.' Reported: She said that she was tired.

17. What is 'backshifting' of tenses in reported speech? Give the typical shifts.

    When the reporting verb is past, present tenses shift back one step: present simple → past simple, present continuous → past continuous, present perfect/past simple → past perfect, will → would, can → could, may → might. Example: 'I will go' → He said he would go.

18. How do time and place references typically change in reported speech?

    They shift to reflect the new viewpoint: now → then, today → that day, tomorrow → the next day, yesterday → the day before, here → there, this → that, ago → before. Example: 'I saw her yesterday' → He said he had seen her the day before.

19. How are questions handled in reported speech?

    Change to statement word order (subject before verb) and drop the question mark. Wh-questions keep the wh-word; yes/no questions use 'if' or 'whether.' Example: 'Where do you live?' → She asked where I lived. 'Are you ready?' → She asked if I was ready.

20. How are commands and requests reported in indirect speech?

    Use a reporting verb (told, asked, ordered) + object + to-infinitive; negatives use 'not to.' Example: 'Close the door' → He told me to close the door. 'Don't be late' → She asked me not to be late.

21. What are the four main types of conditional sentences in English?

    Zero conditional (general truths), First conditional (real/likely future), Second conditional (unreal/hypothetical present or future), and Third conditional (unreal past). Each pairs a specific tense in the 'if' clause with one in the main clause.

22. Give the structure and use of the Zero Conditional.

    Structure: If + present simple, present simple. Use: general truths, scientific facts, and things always true. Example: 'If you heat ice, it melts.'

23. Give the structure and use of the First Conditional.

    Structure: If + present simple, will + base verb. Use: real and likely future situations. Example: 'If it rains, we will cancel the picnic.'

24. Give the structure and use of the Second Conditional.

    Structure: If + past simple, would + base verb. Use: unreal, hypothetical, or improbable present/future situations. Example: 'If I won the lottery, I would travel the world.' Note: 'were' is often used for all subjects ('If I were you').

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