Tenses
2008-08-18 09:03:44
Preliminary Definitions:
Subject: Subject is defined in two ways.
1. In term of the structure of sentence
2. In term of function it does in the sentence.
1. The part of the sentence, which names the person or thing we are speaking about, is subject. The part, which tells something about subject, is called predicate.
Example: Ahmed Shah Abdali was a man of might.
Subject predicate
2. The doer of an action is called the subject. OR The noun or pronoun that does the action is subject.
Object: The receiver of an action is object. OR The affected thing is object. OR the noun or pronoun on which the subject does the action is object.
Example: Nasibullah is writing a letter.
Sub obj
Main Verb:
The verb carrying the main idea in the sentence is called main verb.
Auxiliary verb:
(Helping Verb): The verb, which helps the main verb give a particular meaning, is called an auxiliary verb.
Example: Mujeeb plays karate.
m verb
Mujeeb can play karate.
X
Be Verb: They are as follow:
1 Is, are. Am ( first form )
2 Was, were ( second form )
3 Been ( third form )
4 Being ( ing form )
Tense:
The time of action is called tense. The actions occur in three times.
1. Present
2. past
3. Future
1. Present tense
A. Simple Present Tense or Present indefinite tense
This tense is used to express:
1 Permanent or long-lasting situations (She lives in New York)
2 Regular habits and daily routines (I usually get up at 7 o'clock)
3 Facts (Water boils at 100°.)
4 Feelings (She hates flying)
5 Opinions and states of mind. (He doesn't agree with you.)
6 Timetables and schedules (The plane leaves at 4 p.m.)
Structure
1 Sub+1st form of verb ( Positive)
2 In the positive form add an 's' or “es”to the base form of verb if the subject is 3rd person singular (He,She, Ali, It). If the verb ends in -y preceded by a consonant, change the -y to -ies.
3 Sub+do/does not+base form of verb ( negative)
4 Do/Does+sub+base form of verb ( Yes/no question)
5 Question word+do/does+sub+base form of verb ( Wh-question)
Do=I, You, They, Plural names
Does= Third person singular (He, She, it, Ali)
Positive
Negative
Interrogative
I
We
You
They
Nasib and Nasir
study at IRC
I
We
You
They
Nasib and Nasir
don’t study at IRC
Do
I
We
You
They
Nasib and Nasir
Study at IRC?
He
She
Ali
It
Studies at IRC
He
She
Ali
It
doesn’t study at IRC
Does
He
She
Ali
It
Study at IRC?
B. Present Continuous Tense
This tense is used to show:
1 Things that are happening now, at the moment. (She's reading in the garden).
2 Actions happening in a period around the present moment in time.( She's studying hard for her final exam)
3 Future plans and arrangements (She isn't coming tomorrow)
Structure:
1 Sub+be+ing form of verb ( Positive )
2 Sub+be+not+ing form of verb (negative)
3 Be+sub+ing form of verb ( Yes/no question)
4 Question word+be+sub+ing form of verb (Wh-question)
Am= I
Is= Third person singular 9 He, She, It, Ali
Are=You, They, plural names.
Positive
Negative
Interrogative
I am writing a letter
I am not writing a letter
Am I writing a letter?
You
They
Jamil and Bashir
are writing a letter.
You
They
Jamil and Bashir
are not writing a letter.
Are
you
they
Jamil and Bashir
writing a letter?
He
She
Ali
It
Is writing a letter
He
She
Ali
It
Is not writing a letter
Is
he
she
Ali
it
Writing a letter?
C. Present perfect tense
This tense expresses
1 An action that has taken place in the past at unspecified time ( I have eaten Chinese food )
2 Giving or asking for news or recent events (Have they finished the report yet?)
3 Past actions with results in the present. (I have already written an email to him)
4 Life experience (She has traveled in many parts of the world).
5 Unfinished actions (action still in progress) (We have lived in Quetta for 10 years)
for with a period of time (I have been here for 5 years)
since with an exact point in time (I have been here since 2000)
Structure:
1 Sub+have/has+3rd form of verb ( Positive)
2 Sub+have/has not+3rd form of verb. (negative)
3 Have/Has+sub+3rd form of verb ( Yes/no Question )
4 Question word+have/has+sub+3rd form of verb (Wh-question)
Regular verbs end in -ed. If the verb ends in -y preceded by a consonant, change the -y to -ied. Irregular verbs must be studied. See chart for most common irregular verbs
Have=I, You, They, Plural names.
Has=Third person singular ( He, She, It, Ali)
Positive
Negative
Interrogative
I have written a letter.
I have not written a letter
Have I written a letter?
You
They
Jamil and Bashir
have written a letter.
You
They
Jamil and Bashir
have not written a letter.
Have
You
They
Jamil and Bashir
written a letter?
He
She
Billal
It
has written a letter.
He
She
Billal
It
has not written a letter.
Has
he
she
Billal
it
written a letter?
D. Present perfect continuous tense:
This tense shows an action which:
1 began at some time in the past and is still going on .( He has been waiting for over three hours)
2 has very recently finished but the effects of that action are still present. In such case the continuity of the activity is emphasized as an explanation if some thing
(Imran: Why are your clothes wet?
Nasir: I have been watering the garden)
We may use “since” or “for” if we wish to mention the time.
Structure:
1 Sub+have /has +been+ ing form of verb.(Positive)
2 Sub+have/has not+ been+ ing form of verb (negative)
3 Have/Has+sub+ been+ ing form of verb (Yes/no question)
4 Question word+have/has+sub+been+ ing form of verb (Wh-question)
Positive
Negative
Interrogative
I have been writing a letter for 2 hours.
I have not been writing a letter for 2 hours
Have I been writing a letter?
You
They
Jamil and Bashir
Have been written a letter for 2 hours
You
They
Jamil and Bashir
have not been writing a letter for 2 hours.
Have
You
They
Jamil and Bashir
been writing a letter for 2 hours?
He
She
Billal
It
has been writing a letter for 2 hours.
He
She
Billal
It
has not been writing a letter.
Has
he
she
Billal
it
been writing a letter?
2. Past Tense
A. Simple past tense:
This tense is used to show:
1 Finished past actions. ( I ate dinner)
2 An action happened a t specific time in the past ( He went to school at 9 o’clock)
Structure:
3 Sub+2nd form of verb (Positive)
4 Sub+did not+base form of verb (negative )
5 Did+sub+base form of verb ( Yes/No question)
6 Question word+did+sub+base for of verb (wh-question)
7 For regular verbs, add an -ed to the base form of the verb. If the verb ends in -y preceded by a consonant, change the -y to -ied. For irregular verbs check the chart.
Positive
Negative
Interrogative
I
We
You
They
Nasib and Nasir
studtied at IRC.
I
We
You
They
Nasib and Nasir
didn’t study at IRC.
Did
I
We
You
They
Nasib and Nasir
Study at IRC?
He
She
Ali
It
studied at IRC.
He
She
Ali
It
didn’t study at IRC.
Did
He
She
Ali
It
Study at IRC?
A. Past continuous tense:
This tense shows an action
1 which was going an at some time in the past. The time may or may not be mentioned . ( The girl was painting.)
2 Interrupted past action, action happening at a specific moment in time in the past. (I was watching TV when you called)
Structure:
1 Sub+ was/wrere ing form of verb ( Positive)
2 Sub+was/wrere not+ing form of verb ( negative)
3 Was+sub+ing form of verb(Yes/No question)
4 Question word+was/were+sub+ing form of verb(Wh-questions)
Positive
Negative
Interrogative
I was writing a letter.
I was not writing a letter.
Was I writing a letter?
You
They
Jamil and Bashir
were writing a letter.
You
They
Jamil and Bashir
were not writing a letter.
Were
you
they
Jamil and Bashir
writing a letter?
He
She
Ali
It
was writing a letter.
He
She
Ali
It
was not writing a letter.
Was
he
she
Ali
it
Writing a letter?
C. Past perfect tense:
This tense shows an
1 Action that completed before a certain action in the past.
2 Or. When 2 actions happened in the past, it may be necessary to know which action happened first. The past perfect is mainly used to talk about the action which happened first. ( I had already eaten food when they came)
Structure:
3 Sub+had+3rd form of verb ( Positive)
4 Sub+had not+3rd form of verb (Negative)
5 Had+sub+3rd form of verb ( Yes/No question)
6 Question word+had+sub+3rd form of verb ( Wh-question)
Positive
Negative
Interrogative
I
You
He
She
Billal
It
They
Jamil and Bashir
had already written a letter when the light went off .
I
You
He
She
Billal
It
They
Jamil and Bashir
had not written a letter when the light went off .
Had
I
You
He
She
Billal
It
They
Jamil and Bashir
written a letter when the light went off?
D. Past perfect continuous tense:
This tense is used to
1 Talk about an action that began before a certain point in the past and continued up to that time.
2 OR. To express the duration of a continuous activity begun before another activity in the past.
Structure:
1 Sub + had been + ing form of verb ( Positive)
2 Sub + had not been + ing form of verb (Negative)
3 Had + sub + been + ing form of verb (Yes/No question)
4 Question word + had + sub + been + ing form of verb ( Wh-question)
Positive
Negative
Interrogative
I
You
He
She
Billal
It
They
Jamil and Bashir
had been writing a letter for 2 hours when the light went off.
I
You
He
She
Billal
It
They
Jamil and Bashir
had been writing a letter for 2 hours when the light went off
Had
I
You
He
She
Billal
It
They
Jamil and Bashir
had been writing a letter for 2 hours when the light went off?
3. Future Tenses:
A. Simple future tense: (with will)
This tense is used
1 For predictions. (It will snow tomorrow.)
2 Used for scheduled events.( The concert will begin at 8 o'clock)
3 Used for promises(I'll help you with your homework after class)
4 Used for offers (I'll make you a sandwich).
Structure:
1 Sub + will + base form of verb (Positive)
2 Sub + will not (won’t) + Base form of verb ( Negative )
3 Will + sub + base form of verb ( Yes/No Question )
4 Question word + Sub + Base form of verb ( Wh-question )
Positive
Negative
Interrogative
I
We
You
He
She
Ali
It
They
Nasib and Nasir
will write a letter tomorrow.
I
We
You
He
She
Ali
It
They
Nasib and Nasir
will write a letter tomorrow.
Will
I
We
You
He
She
Ali
It
They
Nasib and Nasir
write a letter tomorrow?
Simple Future (with “be going to”)
The future with 'going to' is used
1 To express planned events or intentions. These events or intentions are decided on before the moment of speaking. (Ramin is going to study Medicine.)
2 It is also used for future predictions based on physical (usually visual) evidence (Proof). (Oh no! Look at those clouds. It's going to rain.)
Structure:
1 Sub + be going to+ base form of verb ( Positive)
2 Sub + be not going to+ base form of verb ( Negative )
3 Be + sub + going to + base form of verb ( Yes/No question )
4 Question word + be + sub + going to + base form of verb ( Wh- question )
Positive
Negative
Interrogative
I am going to write a letter.
I am not going to write a letter.
Am I going to writite a letter?
You
They
Jamil and Bashir
are going to writite a letter.
You
They
Jamil and Bashir
are not going to write a letter.
Are
you
they
Jamil and Bashir
going to write a letter?
He
She
Ali
It
is going to write a letter.
He
She
Ali
It
is not going to write a letter.
Is
he
she
Ali
it
going to write a letter?
B. Future continuous tense:
We use this tense to talk
1 About an action which will be in progress (going on) at a time in the future
2 About planed or expected activities. (She will be meeting us next week)
Structure:
1 Sub +will be + ing form of verb (positive )
2 Sub +will not be (won’t be)+ ing form of verb ( negative )
3 Will + sub + be + ing form of verb ( Yes/No question )
4 Question word + will + sub + be + ing form of verb ( Wh- question )
Note: We may also use “be going to” instead of will but in a more informal way.
I am going to be doing my H.W tonight.
Positive
Negative
Interrogative
I
You
He
She
Ali
It
They
Jamil and Bashir
will be writing a letter tomorrow at 9 pm.
I
You
He
She
Ali
It
They
Jamil and Bashir
won’t be writing a letter tomorrow at 9 pm
Will
I
You
He
She
Ali
It
They
Jamil and Bashir
be writing a letter tomorrow at 9 pm?
C: Future perfect tense;
This tense is used to talk about an action:
1 Which will be completed by a certain future time. (I will have left by 2 o’clock.)
2 That will have happened or how long something will have happened up to a certain point in the future. (We'll (will) have lived here for twenty years by 2005)
3
Formula:
1 Sub + will + have + 3rd form of verb ( Positive)
2 Sub+ will not (won’t) + have + 3rd form of verb ( Negative )
3 Will + sub + have + 3rd form of verb ( Yes/ No question )
4 Question word + will + sub + have + 3rd form of verb ( Wh- question )
Positive
Negative
Interrogative
I
You
He
She
Billal
It
They
Jamil and Bashir
will have written a letter before you come.
I
You
He
She
Billal
It
They
Jamil and Bashir
won’t have written a letter before you come
Will
I
You
He
She
Billal
It
They
Jamil and Bashir
have written a letter before you come?
List of some irregular verbs and their 3 forms:
1st Form
2nd Form
3rd form or Past Participle
be
was/were
been
begin
began
begun
blow
blew
blown
break
broke
broken
choose
chose
chosen
do
did
done
draw
drew
drawn
drink
drank
drunk
drive
drove
driven
eat
ate
eaten
fall
fell
fallen
fly
flew
flown
forget
forgot
forgotten
freeze
froze
frozen
give
gave
given
go
went
gone
grow
grew
grown
hide
hid
hidden
know
knew
known
lie
lay
lain
ride
rode
ridden
ring
rang
rung
rise
rose
risen
see
saw
seen
shake
shook
shaken
show*
showed
shown
sing
sang
sung
sink
sank
sunk
speak
spoke
spoken
spring
sprang
sprung
steal
stole
stolen
swear
swore
sworn
swim
swam
swum
take
took
taken
tear
tore
torn
throw
threw
thrown
wake
woke
woken
wear
wore
worn
weave
wove
woven
write
wrote
written
by jameel haqmall