Tense-Grammar

 TENSE

The word ‘tense’ is derived from the Latin word "tempus," which means time. Tense is the form in which a verb expresses when an action is, was, or will be performed. Based on the time frame, when the action is taking place, we can divide or categorize tenses into three types.

• Present
• Past
• Future

The following section deals with the present tense forms in active and passive.

Present Tense

1. Simple Present

    ·       Forms

          Positive:           S + V1/V5 + O

          Negative:         S + do not/does not + V1 (Root Form) + O

          Interrogative: Do/Does + S + V1 (Root Form) + O +

·       Use: Simple present is used (to express):

      i.    for habitual and repeated actions.

            Example:    She always goes for a morning walk.

                   Mike brushes his teeth twice a day. 

      ii.     for general and universal truths.

            Example:  Cow eats grass. (General truth as it eats other things as well.)

                              It is cold in winter. (Universal truth)

                              The sun rises in the east. (Universal truth)

      iii.  proverbs.

            Example:   All that glitters is not gold.

                               Honesty is the best policy.

      iv.   with the following time adverbs/adverbials.

Adverbs: always, never, often, seldom, sometimes, everyday, nowadays, rarely, usually, generally, frequently, daily, hardly, occasionally, etc.

Adverbials: once/ twice/ thrice a day/week/ month/year

Example:  I visit my mother once a week.

In short: Simple present tense is used to express likes/dislikes, regular actions, present habits, facts, schedule, opinion, thoughts, feelings, etc.

2. Present Continuous:

·       Forms

      Positive:          S + am/is/are + V4 + O

      Negative:         S + am/is/are + not + V4 + O

      Interrogative: Am/Is/Are + S + V4 + O +?         

·       Use: Present continuous tense is used:

      i.      to express the fixed and decided future planning or arrangements.

            Example:  Sudha is flying to Thailand next week. (She has bought a ticket.)

      ii.     with some time adverbs, short phrases like: now, still, at present, at this moment,                      nowadays, these days, Look, Listen, Wait, Keep quiet, Hurry up! etc.

            Example:  Ramesh is reading a story now.

                              They are working in the field at present.

                              Look! He is coming here.

      iii. to express an action that is going on at the time of speaking.

    Example: I am writing a poem now.

          Remember: The following verbs are not used in continuous tense.

want, know, like, notice, mind, mean, agree, hate, understand, like, dislike, believe, consider, love, think, suppose, remember, imagine, forget, trust, etc.

    In short: Present continuous tense is used to express things happening now, fixed plans,        temporary actions, etc.

3. Present Perfect:

·         Forms

       Positive:                     S + have/has + V3 + O

       Negative:                    S + have/has + not + V3 + O

       Interrogative:            Have/Has + S + V3 + O +?

·     Use: Present perfect tense is used (to express):

       i.   recent past actions.

            Example:    Rita has just arrived from the office.

                                Sunil has already taken dinner.

       ii.     recent incomplete actions,

             Example:    We have not finished the task yet.

                                  I have never climbed Mt. Everest.

      iii.   past actions with present result/effect,

            Example:   She has broken her leg. She cannot walk even today.

I have prepared the meal. You can take it now.

      iv.   actions started in the past but are still going on.

            Example:    I have known you since last year.

                                He has not seen me for a year.

Note:   since + point of time

            For + period of time

      v.  With such adverbs: already, just, yet, ever, so far, etc.

   Example:  I have already finished my work.

She has not submitted her work yet.  

4. Present Perfect Continuous:

·         Forms

       Positive:         S + have/has been + V4 + O

       Negative:        S + have/has + not + been + V4 + O

       Interrogative: Have/Has + S + been + V4 + O +?

·       Use: Present perfect continuous tense is used to express:

      i.      an action that has already been started in the past, but it is still going on in the present              time.

            Example:    I have been writing a letter for three hours.

                         She has been walking in the rain for four hours.

      ii.     the prolonged action with for/since + time or all + period of time.

            Example: The workers have been waiting for the manager all this morning.

                                    They have been working in this factory since 2001. 

Past Tense

1. Simple Past

·       Forms

      Positive:            S + V2 + O

      Negative:          S + did not + V1 (Root Form) + O

      Interrogative:  Did + S + V1 (Root Form) + O +?  

·       Use: Simple past is used (to express):

i.      for completed actions at a particular time in the past.

Example:  I was born in 2001.

ii.      for past habits.

Example:  I always had coffee as a university student.

iii.     with time adverbs like yesterday, ago, last week, last month, last year, last summer, etc.

Example:  She was absent yesterday.

iv.     for the sequence of past actions happened at same time.

Example: When I pushed, she fell down.

2. Past Continuous:

·       Forms 

      Positive:          S + was/were + V4 + O

      Negative:         S + was/were + not + V4 + O

      Interrogative: Was/Were + S + V4 + O +?         

·       Use: Past continuous tense is used (to express):

i.    events happening at a particular time in the past.

      Example: 

A: Where was Donna last night?

B: I’m not sure. I think she was visiting her family. (action)

    I remember that night. You were wearing that red dress. (state)

ii.       for ongoing and repeated events.

Example:  The neighbours were making noise night after night. We had to complain eventually.

iii.     for interrupted action in the past.

        Example: We were playing when it started raining.

iv.    with while clause in the past.

        Example: I entered the room while they were having a meeting.

3. Past Perfect

·         Forms

       Positive:                     S + had + V3 + O

       Negative:                    S + had + not + V3 + O

       Interrogative:            Had + S + V3 + O +?

·       Use: Present perfect tense is used (to express):

       i.   with an action finished before another action.

            Example:  The thief had already run away before the police arrived.

                               After I had got a new job, I quit the previous one.

            Note: When two actions take place simultaneously one after another, simple past is used for                             the 2^nd action whereas past perfect for the first action.

      ii.     for something that started in the past and continued up to a given time in the past.

            Example: When George died, he and Anne had been married for nearly fifty years.

                She didn't want to move. She had lived in Liverpool all her life.

      iii.   with ‘for’ and ‘since’.

            Example:    I had worked there for five years.

                                She had run a grocery shop since her husband died.

            Note:   Since + point of time

                        For + period of time

      iv.   With conditional sentence type 3.

           Example:  If he had worked harder, he would have passed the exam.

4. Past Perfect Continuous:

·         Forms

       Positive:          S + had been + V4 + O

       Negative:        S + had + not + been + V4 + O

       Interrogative: Had + S + been + V4 + O +?

·       Use: Past perfect continuous tense is used (to express):

i.      to indicate an action that began in the past, continued for a period of time and ended in the past.

Example: I had been working as a lawyer until I decided to get a degree in psychology.

[This example states that that I began working as a lawyer sometime ago, continued to work as one for a while, and then stopped working as one once I earned a degree (which also happened in the past). Importantly, this sentence implies that I am not working as a lawyer now.]

ii.     for action that started in the past and continued up till another time in the past.

      Example:  She had been frying fish before she burnt her finger.

Jim had been working in a school before he found.

iii.   to show cause and effect before an action in the past. 

      Example:    She gained weight because she had been overeating.

      

Future Tense

1. Simple Future 

·       Forms

      Positive:           S + will/shall + V1 + O

      Negative:         S + will/shall + not + V1 + O

      Interrogative:  Will/Shall + S + V1 + O +?  

·       Use: Simple future is used (to express):

i.        when we make decisions at the time of speaking.

Example:  A: Where are you going tonight?

                          B: I think I will attend the party.

ii.       when we predict future events or situations.

Example: I think Messi will be declared the player of the year-2022.

iii.     to make promises.

Example: I shall help you.

iv.     to make requests or offers.

Example:  Will you attend our program? (Request)

                  I shall bring a cup of tea. (Offer)

v.       with certain time adverbs: soon, tomorrow, tonight, shortly, next + time (day/week/month/year, etc.)

Example:  We will pay your bill tomorrow.

vi.     with conditional sentence type-1.

Example:  If she works hard, she will pass the exam.

vii.    to talk about hopes, expectations, intentions, predictions and forecasts.

Example: I hope it will not rain.

2. Future Continuous:

·       Forms

Positive:           S + will/shall + be + V4 + O

Negative:         S + will/shall + not +be + V4 + O

Interrogative:  Will/Shall + S + be +V4 + O +?         

·       Use: Future continuous tense is used (to express/talk about):

i.      future actions that will be in progress at a specific time in the future.

     Example:   When you come out of school tomorrow, I'll be boarding a plane.

                        You can visit us during the first week of July. I won't be working then.

ii.     long term activities in the future or ongoing actions.

Example:   I will be watching TV when he arrives tonight.

iii.   for future events that are planned.

Example:   We will be holding a meeting next month. 

3. Future Perfect

·       Forms

      Positive:                       S + will/shall + have + V3 + O

      Negative:                     S + will/shall + not + have + V3 + O

      Interrogative:              Will/Shall + S +have + V3 + O +?         

·       Use: Present perfect tense is used (to express/to talk about):

i.    something that will be completed before a specific time in the future.

      Example:  The guests are coming at 8 p.m. I'll have finished cooking by then.

                 On 9 October we'll have been married for 50 years.

                 Will you have gone to bed when I get back?

ii.    with phrases like by or by the time (meaning 'at some point before') and in or in a day's time / in two months' time / in five years' time etc. (meaning 'at the end of this period') to give the time period in which the action will be completed.

       Example:  I won't have written all the reports by next week.
                  By the time we arrive, the kids will have gone to bed.
                  I'll have finished in an hour and then we can watch a film.
                  In three years' time, I'll have graduated from university.

iii.  generally, with by+ future time (tomorrow, then, next week, the end of this month, year, etc.) or time clause.

      Example:  By 2050, we shall have found the medicine of cancer.

                        By the time you come, I will have left the home. 

4. Future Perfect Continuous:

·         Forms

       Positive:         S + will/shall + have been + V4 + O

       Negative:        S + will/shall + not + have been + V4 + O

       Interrogative: Will/Shall + S + have been + V4 + O +?

·       Use: Past perfect continuous tense is used to show that something will continue until a                    particular event or time in the future.

      Example:    In ten years, I will have been running a business.

                           By 2025, she will have been living in the USA for ten years.

      Note:   It often occurs with ‘by/before + future time’ and ‘for + period of time’ or ‘in + period of                     time’