Grade 6 · English

See all twelve tenses as one structure rather than a list to memorise.

1. 2 minDraw the grid
   Three columns: past, present, future. Four rows: simple, continuous, perfect, perfect continuous. Twelve boxes.
2. 4 minFill three
   Using 'to walk': I walked, I walk, I will walk. That is the simple row, done.
3. 2 minName a box
   Point at any box, they name the tense. Not the sentence yet — just the name.

Tutor: Wren & Martin is the standard reference in Indian schools and follows this same grid.

Lock in the three simple tenses with their uses, not just their forms.

1. 2 minForms
   I walk / I walked / I will walk. Then an irregular verb: I go / I went / I will go.
2. 4 minWhen to use
   Simple present is for habits and general truths, not for right now. 'I walk to school' means usually. That distinction is tested.
3. 2 minConvert
   You give a sentence, they shift it to another simple tense.

Add the -ing forms and the auxiliary that carries them.

1. 2 minForms
   I was walking / I am walking / I will be walking. The auxiliary changes, the -ing does not.
2. 4 minContrast
   'I walk' versus 'I am walking'. Habit versus right now. Write one sentence of each.
3. 2 minName that tense
   You say a sentence, they name which of the six covered so far it is.

The row that trips students up most, because English 'have' is doing unfamiliar work.

1. 2 minForms
   I had walked / I have walked / I will have walked.
2. 4 minWhat it means
   Perfect means completed before some point in time. 'I have finished' — done, before now. Contrast with 'I finished', which is just past.
3. 2 minSpot it
   Five sentences, they pick out the perfect ones.

Nine of twelve tenses covered — test them cold.

1. 2 minGrid from memory
   Draw it, fill in every box covered this week using 'to write'.
2. 4 minName that tense
   Ten sentences. They name the tense of each.
3. 2 minMark together
   Note which row failed. That row opens next week.

Introduce the perfect continuous row (fourth row) using only the pattern and one concrete example per tense.

1. 2 minReview Week 1 test
   Ask: 'What tense is used for an action finished before now?' (present perfect) 'And for an action finished before another past action?' (past perfect).
2. 4 minIntroduce the fourth row
   Using 'to play': I have been playing / I had been playing / I will have been playing. Emphasise the 'been + -ing' core in all three.
3. 2 minMatch time words
   Present perfect continuous: 'for two hours', 'since Monday'. Past perfect continuous: 'before he arrived'. Future perfect continuous: 'by 5 p.m.'

Place every tense on the grid with its correct form and use.

1. 2 minReview perfect continuous
   I have been walking / I had been walking / I will have been walking. Use 'to paint': He has been painting the wall.
2. 4 minFill one box per tense
   Using 'to write': I write / I wrote / I will write / I am writing / I was writing / I will be writing / I have written / I had written / I will have written / I have been writing / I had been writing / I will have been writing.
3. 2 minName and use
   Point at any box — they name the tense AND give a one-sentence use (e.g., 'present perfect continuous: for actions starting in the past and continuing to now').

Apply tense knowledge to subject-verb agreement in simple, continuous and perfect tenses.

1. 2 minReview tenses
   Name the three rows: simple, continuous, perfect. Give one example of each using 'he': He walks / He is walking / He has walked.
2. 4 minAgreement rules
   Third-person singular (he/she/it) adds -s in the simple present: He walks. In the continuous and perfect tenses the helping verb is the one that agrees, not the main verb: He has walked, not He have walked; He is walking, not He are walking.
3. 2 minFix the errors
   Three sentences with agreement errors: 'He have walked' → 'He has walked'; 'She walk to school' → 'She walks to school'; 'They has gone' → 'They have gone'.

Name and convert between any two tenses from the full twelve, using correct verb forms.

1. 2 minReview subject-verb agreement
   Three examples: He walks / They walk / The team is winning. Confirm subject determines the verb form.
2. 3 minName the tense
   Say a sentence: 'She has been studying for two hours.' They say 'present perfect continuous'. Do three more: 'They had left before I arrived' (past perfect), 'We will travel tomorrow' (simple future), 'The sun had risen' (past perfect).
3. 3 minConvert
   You give a sentence in one tense; they rewrite it in another. Example: 'He plays football' → past continuous ('He was playing football'). Another: 'They have finished' → simple future ('They will finish').

Assess mastery of all twelve tenses through rapid naming, conversion, and a short written test.

1. 2 minReview day 9
   Name the tense: 'She has been eating for ten minutes.' (present perfect continuous). 'They had left before I arrived.' (past perfect).
2. 4 minWritten test
   Five items: (1) name the tense of 'He was singing', (2) convert 'She writes a letter' to future simple, (3) fill blank: 'They ________ (play) since 4 p.m.', (4) convert 'We had finished' to present perfect, (5) name tense of 'I will have completed'.
3. 2 minCheck answers
   Go over each answer aloud. Correct any misremembered forms or uses.

Understand the difference between active and passive voice, and when each is appropriate.

1. 2 minReview
   Recall day 10: the twelve-tense grid, tested in writing. Name the tense of 'He was singing', then convert 'She writes a letter' to the future simple. Keep the grid in view — voice sits on top of it, it does not replace it.
2. 2 minActive voice
   'She writes a letter.' Subject (she) does the action (writes). The object (letter) receives it.
3. 2 minPassive voice
   'A letter is written by her.' Object becomes the subject, and we use is/are + past participle. The doer (by her) can be omitted.
4. 2 minWhy passive
   Passive is used when the action matters more than who did it, or when we don't know who did it: 'The window was broken.'

Convert active sentences to passive voice in the present simple and present continuous tenses.

1. 2 minReview
   Recall the tense grid: name all 12 tenses. Identify subject and object in three active sentences.
2. 3 minPassive structure
   Present simple passive: am/is/are + past participle. Present continuous passive: am/is/are being + past participle. Show: 'She writes a letter' → 'A letter is written by her'.
3. 3 minConvert to passive
   Three active sentences in present simple, they write the passive form. Then three in present continuous.

Form and use passive voice in the simple past tense.

1. 2 minReview passive present
   Recall: 'He writes a letter' → 'A letter is written by him'. Subject becomes object, verb is 'is + past participle'.
2. 4 minPast tense passive
   Same structure but with 'was/were': 'He wrote a letter' → 'A letter was written by him'. Use 'was' for singular subjects, 'were' for plural.
3. 2 minConvert two
   'The teacher praised the boy' → 'The boy was praised by the teacher'. 'They built the house' → 'The house was built by them'.

Apply passive voice rules across past and present tenses without mixing up the tense or the verb form.

1. 2 minReview day 13
   I gave you three past-tense active sentences — 'He wrote a letter', 'They painted the wall', 'She baked a cake'. They converted each to passive: 'A letter was written by him', 'The wall was painted by them', 'A cake was baked by her'.
2. 4 minMixed conversion
   Active to passive and back: 'She writes a letter' → 'A letter is written by her'; 'A letter was written by him' → 'He wrote a letter'. Use only simple and continuous forms: present active, present continuous active, past active, past continuous passive.
3. 2 minSpot the error
   Three sentences: 'A letter is wrote by her' (wrong), 'The wall was being painted by them' (correct), 'He is wrote a letter' (wrong). They say which are wrong and fix them.

Confirm mastery of active–passive conversion across all tenses using the tense grid and voice rules.

1. 2 minReview day 14
   Convert these three: 'She writes a letter' (present active → passive), 'He painted the wall' (past active → passive), 'They were building a house' (past continuous active → passive).
2. 4 minMixed active–passive drill
   Five sentences — two simple present, one present continuous, one simple past, one past continuous. They convert each to passive. Then five more in reverse: passive → active.
3. 2 minTimed test
   Five sentences — two simple, one continuous, one perfect — active to passive only. 90 seconds.

Write an informal letter using the CBSE format: sender’s address, date, salutation, body (3 paragraphs), complimentary close, and signature.

1. 2 minReview day 15
   Recall the active/passive conversion rules for present and past tenses. Give one active sentence, they give passive; then one passive, they give active.
2. 3 minName the parts
   List and write in order: sender’s address, date, salutation (e.g., 'Dear Ravi,'), body (three paragraphs: greeting, main message, closing thought), complimentary close ('Yours lovingly,'), signature (name).
3. 3 minWrite a letter
   Prompt: 'You are Ravi. Write to your friend Suresh inviting him to your birthday party on Sunday at 5 pm at your home (123 MG Road, Delhi). Include greeting, main invitation, and a line about bringing a gift.' They write the full letter in their book.

Identify the structural differences between formal and informal letters in CBSE format.

1. 2 minReview informal letter
   Recall: address at top right, date below it, salutation 'Dear …', body in paragraphs, complimentary close 'Yours sincerely' or 'Love', signature with name.
2. 4 minFormal letter additions
   Subject line after date, inside address (recipient’s name and address) above salutation, 'Respected Sir/Madam' as salutation if name unknown, formal closing 'Yours faithfully' or 'Yours truly', and no personal pronouns like 'I feel'.
3. 2 minMatch the parts
   You say 'recipient's address', they say where it goes in a formal letter (inside address, below the subject line). You say 'Yours faithfully', they say it is the formal close when the name is not known; 'Yours sincerely' is the formal close when it is.

Apply the formal letter structure to notice writing, focusing on the fixed CBSE layout.

1. 2 minReview formal letter structure
   Recall the formal letter: sender's address, date, inside address, subject line, salutation, body, complimentary close, signature. Contrast with the informal letter: no inside address and no subject line.
2. 4 minNotice structure
   CBSE notice has exactly four parts: (1) word 'NOTICE' centred and bolded, (2) heading like 'Annual Day Celebration', (3) body in two short paragraphs — first for what and when, second for how to join, (4) name and designation of in-charge. No address or date at top.
3. 2 minBuild a notice
   Write the heading 'Inter-School Quiz Competition'. Then write the first paragraph: 'The Science Club is organizing an Inter-School Quiz Competition on 15th June 2027 at 10 a.m. in the school hall.' Then write the second paragraph: 'All students may register with their class teacher by 10th June. Teams of three are required.'

Write informal letter, formal letter and notice in CBSE format within strict time limits.

1. 2 minReview day 17
   Formal letter has sender’s address, date, subject line, salutation 'Sir/Madam', body in paragraphs, complimentary close 'Yours faithfully,', and signature with name and designation. Informal letter uses 'Dear [Name]', no subject line, and 'Yours lovingly,' or similar. Notice has the word 'NOTICE', a heading, two short paragraphs, and the name and designation of the person in charge — no address and no date at the top.
2. 4 minTimed practice
   Set timer for 2 minutes: write an informal letter (e.g., to a friend inviting them to a birthday party). Then 2 minutes: write a formal letter (e.g., to the Editor about potholes). Then 2 minutes: write a notice (e.g., for a blood donation camp).
3. 2 minCheck structure
   They read each piece aloud and name one missing element if any (e.g., 'no subject line in formal letter', 'missing date in notice').

Assess consolidation of tenses, voice, and letter/notice writing through a short, structured test.

1. 2 minReview day 19
   Recall the three written formats: informal letter (sender's address, date, salutation, body, 'Yours lovingly,', signature), formal letter (adds inside address and subject line, closes 'Yours faithfully,'), notice ('NOTICE', heading, two paragraphs, name and designation).
2. 3 minTense and voice quick-fire
   Five items: (1) name the tense of 'She has finished her homework'; (2) convert 'They are building a house' to passive; (3) write the past perfect of 'eat'; (4) change 'He wrote a letter' to passive; (5) name the tense of 'By this time tomorrow, I will have completed the project'.
3. 3 minTimed written test
   Write an informal letter to a friend inviting them to your birthday party (8 minutes total — 3 minutes for writing, including address, subject line, body, closing).

Tutor: Grading must be strict on format — CBSE awards marks for structure, not just content.