DIB - ENL1103

WEEK 3:

TENSES REVIEW

Importance of Tenses Verb tense expresses the time of an

event or action.

Time and how an action is expressed in writing are very important to English readers.

In some languages, the verb form remains unchanged regardless of time.

In English, the verb form has to change based on the time when the action happens, and sometimes according to who performs the action. (subject-verb agreement)

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Overview

The English language has twelve different tenses.

They can be classified as past, present and future.

These 3 groups can further categorized in 2 aspects – continuous (be + present participle) and perfect (have + past participle).

In this lecture, we will review each verb tense, with focus on the 9 most often used ones.

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1. Simple Present Tense

Express a habit or repeated action.

Adverbs of frequency such as often, seldom, sometimes, never, etc. are used with this tense.

She goes to work every day.

They always eat lunch together.

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Simple Present Tense Express general truths or facts that are

timeless.

Express the possible condition in Type 1 conditional sentences as well as the future action in time clauses.

Water boils at 100 degrees Celsius.

If you sleep late, you will feel tired in class.

I will return the book when I finish reading it.

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2. Present Continuous Tense

Describe an action that is happening right now or around now. The action has begun and is still in progress.

She is collecting data for her project.

He can’t talk. He is fixing the sink right now.

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Present Continuous Tense

Describe an action that is occurring in the present, but is temporary.

Hint: at this moment, today, this year, this week, etc.

John is staying in Labuan, but he might move soon.

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3. Simple Past Tense

Indicate exactly when an action or event took place in the past.

Hint: Yesterday, last Monday, a month ago..

Express the unlikely condition in Type 2 conditional sentences.

• I visited my sister yesterday.

• We went out to dinner last night.

• If I won a lottery, I would share it with you.

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The Simple Past

Describe actions/events that are now completed and no longer true in the present.

Express past habits.

I learned driving in 2008. (Not anymore.)

I saw a movie every weekend when I was a teenager. (I don’t see movies very much anymore.)

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4. Past Continuous Tense

Describe an activity that was in progress at a specific point of time in the past. The emphasis is on the duration of the activity in the past.

I was doing assignments while my brother was playing computer games.

We were watching TV around 9 p.m. last night.

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Past Continuous Tense

Often used with the simple past to show that one action was in progress when another action occurred.

• I was taking a bath when the doorbell rang.

• They were eating dinner when the neighbors dropped by for a visit.

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5. Present Perfect Tense

The present perfect is used to talk about an event that began in the past and continues up to the present.

Hint: for a week, since 2009, since he came

He has lived in Kuching for two years.

(He started living in Kuching two years ago and he still lives there.)

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Present Perfect Tense

Describe an event that was completed in the past, but the specific time of the event is not important or unknown.

Hint: already, before, yet …

I have seen that movie before.

He has already visited Vietnam.

(Specific dates and times are not mentioned.)

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6. Past Perfect Tense

Express completed actions that took place in the past before another past action.

Express an impossible past condition in Type 3 conditional sentences.

The Titanic had received many warnings before it hit the iceberg.

I had already eaten when my friend stopped by to visit.

had received

hit

stopped had eaten

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7. Simple Future Tense

Describe future facts, speculation with certainty

Hint: probably, definitely, certainly, surely

Express the consequence in Type 1 conditional sentence.

Express promises, decision made at the time of speaking.

• Thomas will graduate in June.

• Maria will definitely attend her son’s convocation next month.

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The Future

Going to + infinitive and present continuous tense are used to express prediction (especially when there are clues) and planned (e.g. appointment or arrangement need to be made.) future actions.

Simple present tense is often used for future actions controlled by schedules.

She is meeting a new client at eleven o’clock.

The train leaves at 6:00 a.m. tomorrow.

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8. Future Continuous Tense

Describe an event or action that will occur over a period of time at a specific point of time in the future.

I will be teaching at 10 a.m. tomorrow.

They will be moving their furniture out of the house by the time you arrive tomorrow.

10 a.m. tomorrow

the time you arrive

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9. The Future Perfect

This tense is used to describe an event or action that will be completed before another event or time in the future.

We will have finished the exam by the time class ends tomorrow.

will have finished

class ends

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10. Present Perfect Continuous

Describe the duration of an action that began in the past and continues into the present.

He has been studying grammar for an hour.

She has been cooking all day.

(He is still studying and she is still cooking.)

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Present Perfect Continuous

Describe events that have been in progress recently and are rather temporary.

She has been living in Taiwan for the last two months, but she plans to move soon.

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11. Past Perfect Continuous

Emphasize the duration of an action that was completed before another action or event in the past.

She had been driving around the city for three hours before she finally found the right office.

had been driving she found the

right office

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12. Future Perfect Continuous

This tense describes an action that has been in progress for a duration of time before another event or time in the future.

By the time he finishes law school, we will have been living in the U.S. for eight years.

finishes law school

will have been living in the U.S.

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Conclusion

To master tenses, students need to work on: 1. Verb forms

Memorise the verb conjugation table Remember the spelling irregularities. (When to add ‘s’, ‘es’, ‘ies’? When to double the consonant before adding -ing? When to add ‘ed’ or make other change to form simple past and past participles.)

2. Use of different tenses Remember the adverbs / time indicators for various tenses. (the other day, ago, last year; now, this week, currently, Look! For 3 months, since 2011, yet; by … Practise analyzing the sentences.

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