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The four present tenses are 1. 2. 3. 4. the the the the simple present ("I go") present progressive ("I am going") present perfect ("I have gone") present perfect progressive ("I have been going")
Note that the present perfect and present perfect progressive are a present not past tenses -that idea is that the speaker is currently in the state of having gone or having been going. The four future tenses are 1. 2. 3. 4. the the the the simple future ("I will go") future progressive ("I will be going") future perfect ("I will have gone") future perfect progressive ("I will have been going")
the simple past ("I went") the simple present ("I go") the simple future ("I will go")
A verb in the indefinite aspect is used when the beginning or ending of an action, an event, or condition is unknown or unimportant to the meaning of the sentence. The indefinite aspect is also used to used to indicate an habitual or repeated action, event, or condition. The three complete tenses, or perfect tenses, describe a finishedaction:
the past perfect ("I had gone") the present perfect ("I have gone") the future perfect ("I will have gone") A verb in the complete aspect indicates that the end of the action, event, or condition is known and the is used to emphasise the fact that the action is complete. The action may, however, be completed in the present, in the past or in the future. The three incomplete tenses, or progressive tenses, describe anunfinished action:
the past progressive ("I was going") the present progressive ("I am going") the future progressive ("I will be going") A verb in the continuing aspect indicates that the action, event, or condition is ongoing in the present, the past or the future. It is also possible to combine the complete tenses and the incomplete tenses, to describe an action which was in progress and then finished:
the past perfect progressive ("I had been going") the present perfect progressive ("I have been going") the future perfect progressive ("I will have been going")
The crowd moves across the field in an attempt to see the rock star get into her helicopter. The Stephens sisters are both very talented; Virginia writes and Vanessa paints. Ross annoys Walter by turning pages too quickly. The simple present is used to express general truths such as scientific fact, as in the following sentences: Rectangles have four sides. Canada Day takes place on July 1, the anniversary of the signing of the British North America Act. The moon circles the earth once every 28 days. Calcium is important to the formation of strong bones. Menarche and menopause mark the beginning and the ending of a woman's reproductive history. The simple present is used to indicate a habitual action, event, or condition, as in the following sentences: Leonard goes to The Jumping Horse Tavern every Thursday evening. My grandmother sends me new mittens each spring. In fairy tales, things happen in threes. We never finish jigsaw puzzles because the cat always eats some of the pieces. Jesse polishes the menorah on Wednesdays. The simple present is also used when writing about works of art, as in the following sentences. Lolly Willowes is the protagonist of the novel Townsend published in 1926. One of Artemisia Gentleschi's best known paintings represents Judith's beheading of Holofernes. The Lady of Shallot weaves a tapestry while watching the passers-by in her mirror. Lear rages against the silence of Cordelia and only belatedly realizes that she, not her more vocal sisters, loves him. The play ends with an epilogue spoken by the fool. The simple present can also be used to refer to a future event when used in conjunction with an adverb or adverbial phrase, as in the following sentences.
The doors open in 10 minutes. The premier arrives on Tuesday. Classes end next week. The publisher distributes the galley proofs next Wednesday. The lunar eclipses begins in exactly 43 minutes.
This sentence suggest that the documents were not delivered in the past and that they are still undelivered. The health department has decided that all high school students should be immunised against meningitis. The writer of this sentence uses the present perfect in order to suggest that the decision made in the past is still of importance in the present. The government has cut university budgets; consequently, the dean has increased the size of most classes. Here both actions took place sometime in the past and continue to influence the present. The heat wave has lasted three weeks. In this sentence, the writer uses the present perfect to indicate that a condition (the heat wave) began in past and continues to affect the present. Donna has dreamt about frogs sitting in trees every night this week. Here the action of dreaming has begun in the past and continues into the present.
Each of the highlighted verbs in the following sentences is in the simple past tense and each sentence describes an action taking place at some point in past. A flea jumped from the dog to the cat. Phoebe gripped the hammer tightly and nailed the boards together. The gem-stones sparkled in a velvet lined display case. Artemisia Gentilsechi probably died in 1652. The storyteller began every story by saying "A long time ago when the earth was green."
We had been talking about repainting the front room for three years and last night we finally bought the paint. In this example, the ongoing action of "talking" precedes another past action ("bought"). A construction crew had been digging one pit after another in the middle of my street for three days before they found the water main. Here, the action of digging ("had been digging") took place in the past and occurred over a period of time. The digging was followed by the action of finding ("found"). Madeleine had been reading mystery novels for several years before she discovered the works of Agatha Christie. In this sentence the act of discovery ("discovered") occurred in the past but after the ongoing and repeated action of reading ("had been reading"). The chef's assistant had been chopping vegetables for several minutes before he realized that he had minced his apron strings. This sentence is a bit more complex in that it contains three different past verb tenses. The sequence of tenses conveys a complex set of information. The past perfect progressive ("had been chopping") is used to emphasise the ongoing nature of the past act of chopping. While a second past perfect progressive ("had been mincing") could be used, the past perfect ("had minced") is used to suggest that act of mincing was completed. The simple past ("realized") is used to describe the action closest to the present, an action that followed both the chopping and the mincing.
Each of the highlighted compound verbs in the following sentences is in the future progressive tense. The glee club will be performing at the celebration of the town's centenary. Ian will be working on the computer system for the next two weeks. The selection committee will be meeting every Wednesday morning. We will be writing an exam every afternoon next week. They will be ringing the bells for Hypatia next month.
In English, there are three basic tenses: present, past, and future. Each has a perfect form, indicating completed action; each has a progressive form, indicating ongoing action; and each has a perfect progressive form, indicating ongoing action that will be completed at some definite time. Here is a list of examples of these tenses and their definitions:
Simple Forms Progressive Forms Perfect Forms Perfect Progressive Forms
have/has been taking had been taking will have been taking
Present tense expresses an unchanging, repeated, or reoccurring action or situation that exists only now. It can also represent a widespread truth. Example
The mountains are tall and white.
Meaning
Unchanging action Recurring action Widespread truth
Past Tense
Past tense expresses an action or situation that was started and finished in the past. Most past tense verbs end in -ed. The irregular verbs have special past tense forms which must be memorized. Example
W.W.II ended in 1945.
Form
Regular -ed past
Ernest Hemmingway wrote "The Old Man Irregular and the Sea." form
Future Tense
Future tense expresses an action or situation that will occur in the future. This tense is formed by using will/shall with the simple form of the verb.
The speaker of the House will finish her term in May of 1998.
The future tense can also be expressed by using am, is, or are with going to.
The surgeon is going to perform the first bypass in Minnesota.
We can also use the present tense form with an adverb or adverbial phrase to show future time.
The president speaks tomorrow. (Tomorrow is a future time adverb.)
Present progressive tense describes an ongoing action that is happening at the same time the statement is written. This tense is formed by using am/is/are with the verb form ending in -ing.
The sociologist is examining the effects that racial discrimination has on society. Past Progressive Tense
Past progressive tense describes a past action which was happening when another action occurred. This tense is formed by using was/were with the verb form ending in -ing.
The explorer was explaining the lastest discovery in Egypt when protests began on the streets. Future Progressive Tense
Future progressive tense describes an ongoing or continuous action that will take place in the future. This tense is formed by using will be or shall be with the verb form ending in -ing.
Dr. Jones will be presenting ongoing research on sexist language next week.
Present perfect tense describes an action that happened at an indefinite time in the past or that began in the past and continues in the present.This tense is formed by using has/have with the past participle of the verb. Most past participles end in -ed. Irregular verbs have special past participles that must be memorized. Example
The researchers have traveled to many countries in order to collect more significant data. Women have voted in presidential elections since 1921. Past Perfect Tense
Meaning
At an indefinite time Continues in the present
Past perfect tense describes an action that took place in the past before another past action. This tense is formed by using had with the past participle of the verb.
By the time the troops arrived, the war had ended. Future Perfect Tense
Future perfect tense describes an action that will occur in the future before some other action. This tense is formed by using will have with the past participle of the verb.
By the time the troops arrive, the combat group will have spent several weeks waiting.
Present perfect progressive tense describes an action that began in the past, continues in the present, and may continue into the future. This tense is formed by usinghas/have been and the present participle of the verb (the verb form ending in -ing).
The CEO has been considering a transfer to the state of Texas where profits would be larger.
Past perfect progressive tense describes a past, ongoing action that was completed before some other past action. This tense is formed by using had been and thepresent perfect of the verb (the verb form ending in -ing).
Before the budget cuts, the students had been participating in many extracurricular activities. Future Perfect Progressive
Future perfect progressive tense describes a future, ongoing action that will occur before some specified future time. This tense is formed by using will have beenand the present participle of the verb (the verb form ending in -ing).
By the year 2020, linguists will have been studying and defining the Indo-European language family for more than 200 years.
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Tense of Verbs The word tense comes from the Latin word, tempus, which means "time." The tense of a verb shows the time when an action or condition occurred. In English the tense also may provide emphasis and may determine whether or not an action or condition was continuous or repetitive.
There are fourteen tenses in modern English. There are three basic tenses: past, present, and future. They show whether a simple action or condition occurred, occurs, or will occur in the past, present, or future. There are three perfect tenses: past perfect, present perfect, and future perfect. They show whether an action or condition had occurred relative to the past,has occurred relative to the present, or will have occurred relative to the future. There are six progressive tenses: past progressive, present progressive, future progressive, past perfect progressive, present perfect progressive, andfuture perfect progressive. They show a continuous action or condition that was occurring in the past, is occurring in the present, will be occurring in the future,had been occurring relative to the past, has been occurring relative to the present, or will have been occurring relative to the future. There are two emphatic tenses: past emphatic and present emphatic. They provide emphasis especially in questions and negatives for actions or conditions thatdid occur in the past or that do occur in the present. In the above explanations the verb to occur was conjugated in each of the fourteen tenses respectively. For more on each type of tense, see the individual entry in the glossary. Some authorities consider verbs formed with the conditional auxiliary verbs as one or several conditional tenses to show actions that could occur, might occur, should occur, would occur, could have occurred, might have occurred, should have occurred, and would have occurred. They also can refer to something that has happened in the past after the main action (a "future past"). Other authorities consider could, might, should, and would as simply the past or perfect forms of the verbs can, may, shall, and will. Conditional: I wish she would answer me. Past Tense: Little did he realize that in twenty years he would be president.