Tenses

TensesDo tenses make you tense?

Tense is a form of a verb which shows the time at which an action happened.

It is significant to know the tense of a verb, because if we know the tense, we know the time of action as well as the state of action.

Take a simple sentence, I love you. It is different from:

I had loved you (before I left college)                                                           I loved you (in college)

I shall love you (if you spend some more money on me).                                                    

The difference is of course in the tense. You know that the sentence I love you is in the present; sentences (1) and (2) are in the past; and (3) is in the future. So, you have no problem with time. You can easily know whether it is in the past, present or future.

The story of IIM Prospect

Suppose there's a crazy topper called IIM Prospect, who normally goes to sleep while reading grammar. If I were to report that, I would say He sleeps. This is the simple present tense, which is used when we talk about things in general. In this case, it is a habitual action. Since I am simply making a statement about his habit, the verb takes the simple present tense.

Suppose I enter his room for a surprise check one day at, say, 1 p.m., and I see that he is sleeping. This is the present continuous tense. I do not use the simple present tense here because I may not be making a simple statement that he sleeps. I am making a statement about what he was doing when I observed him. So, it is more definite. I see that at that moment that action was continuing. I do not know whether he has been sleeping for some time or whether he is fully asleep. I just observe him at a particular point of time and I see an action continuing. Hence, the present continuous tense.

Suppose I go to his room again at 1.30 p.m. I now see that he has slept. It is the present perfect tense as the action is complete; he is completely asleep. At 1 p.m., when I noticed him for the first time, I was not sure if he was completely asleep. Now I am. At the same time, I do not know if he has been completely asleep for the past 10 to 15 minutes. I observe him now, at 1.30 p.m., and I see that the action is in the complete state.

I have used the verb sleep as example, because this verb demonstrates well the play on the word complete. The word complete is applicable in both the senses of its meaning, completed as in over and complete as in completely. He has slept can also mean that he has finished sleeping and has got up. It can also mean that he is completely asleep, and not just dozing. Most other verbs generally take the perfect tense in the sense of the action being over. For example, he has drunk two glasses of lemonade, means he has finished drinking two glasses.

Now, if I go to the IIM Prospect's room again at 3.30 p.m., I see that he has been sleeping for the past two hours. This is the present perfect continuous tense. That is, the action is still continuing and has been continuing for some time now. The difference between the continuous tense and the perfect continuous is that in continuous, we only know that at the time of reference, the action is continuing. In the case of perfect continuous, the action is continuing, but we are also given information about a time period for which it has been continuing.

We must be careful about another thing here, about the difference between for and since. He has been sleeping for two hours, or since 1.30 p.m., i.e. for a duration and since a point of time. We should be careful that for is not used with the word all. He has been sleeping all morning. Also, we use since when we refer to some action. He has been sleeping since he returned.

You may question that we also use the simple tense when giving information about duration. For example, I slept for two hours. Yes, this is correct. It is not necessary that whenever we mention duration of action, it must be the perfect continuous. It is the other way round. Whenever we use the perfect continuous, the duration of action should be specified.

So, are you clear about the tenses for the corresponding states of action? If you are clear, then you have understood tenses. This is because it is all the same in :he past and the future. It is just that the time changes. If we go to the past or the future tenses, we see that they are the same as the present tenses. It has only changed from the present to the past or the future.

Suppose I want to tell a colleague the next day about my surprise check at IIM Prospect's place, I would change only the time of the tense in the same sentences.

1.        You know IIM Prospect slept yesterday.

2.        I went to observe him for the first time at 1 p.m., and I saw that he was sleeping.

3.        I observed him again at 1.30 p.m. and I saw that he had slept.

4.        When I saw him for the last time at 3.30 p.m., I was surprised to see that he had been sleeping for two hours, since 1.30 p.m.

We see that the sentences are the same except for the fact that they are reported as having happened in the past.

He slept is a simple statement about something that happened in the past. He was sleeping suggests that at the point of observation, that action was continuing. It doesn't say from when it has been continuing as in the case of present continuous. He had slept gives the information that at the point of observation the action was complete. He had been sleeping tells us that he was still sleeping when last observed and had been doing so for some time.

Suppose I were to tell someone to check on IIM Prospect the next day and ask him to verify my prediction about his habit. I would now change the same sentences to read:

1.        He will sleep tomorrow.

2.        If you go to his place around 1 p.m., he will be sleeping.

3.        If you again check on him around 1.30 p.m., you will see that he will have slept.

4.        Go to him again around 3.30 p.m. and he will have been sleeping for two hours.

                                         Present                      Past                               Future

Simple                                He sleeps.                          He slept.                              He will sleep.

Continuous                        He is sleeping.                    He was sleeping.                   He will be sleeping

Perfect                               He has slept.                      He had slept.                        He will have slept.

Perfect continuous                    He has been sleeping.             He had been sleeping.               He will have been sleeping.

Now, don't you dare follow IIM Prospect's example and go to sleep! You have some work to do.

Correct the following sentences.

1.        I had been married in 1990.

2.        She finished her work when I met her.

3.        They had gone to Calcutta last night.

4.        Who had invented the gramophone?

5.        The fair had been over ten days ago.

6.        He had come to my room while I was reading.

7.        I saw her when I had been passing yesterday.

8.        He was ill for a week when the doctor was sent for.

9.        The rain had ceased yesterday.

10.      I have written my application yesterday.

11.      The lion had been caged last night.

12.      I understood what you say.

13.      I lived in Bombay for twenty years.

14.      He had come only yesterday.

15.      Examinations have been held next month.

Solutions

1.	married or was married	2.	had finished
3.	went to Calcutta	4.	invented
5.	was over	6.	came into my room
7.	was passing	8.	had been ill
9.	ceased yesterday	10.	wrote my application
11.	was caged	12.	understand
13.	have lived	14.	came
15.	will be held or are going to be held.

Observe and learn

1.         Betty taught for ten years. (Simple past)

 implication is that Betty has retired.

2.          Betty has taught for ten years. (Present perfect)

Implies that she is still teaching.

3.          John raised vegetables and later sold them. (Past)

4.      John sold vegetables that he had raised. (Past perfect)                                      

5.          Renee washed the car when George arrived. (Simple past)

She waited until George arrived and then washed the car.

6.          Renee had washed the car when George arrived. (Past perfect)

She had already finished washing the car by the time he arrived.

7.          This Saturday I will finish my housework. (Simple future)

8.          By Saturday noon, I will have finished my housework. (Future perfect)

9.          The children love their new tree house, which they built themselves.

"Love"is present tense, referring to a current state (they still love it now). "Built"is past, referring to an action completed before the current time frame (they are not still building it.)

10.       Before they even began deliberations, many jury members had reached a verdict.

Began "is past tense, referring to an action completed before the current time frame. "Had reached" is past perfect, referring to action from a time frame before that of another past event (the action of reaching was completed before the action of beginning.)

11.  Workers are installing extra loudspeakers because the music in tonight's concert will need amplification.

"Are installing" is present progressive ,referring to an ongoing action in the current time frame (the workers are still installing,

and have not finished). "Will need" is future, referring to action expected to begin after the current time frame (the concert will

start in the future, and that's when it will need amplification.)

12.       I have run in four marathons.

Implication is I may run in more marathons.

13.       Before injuring my leg, I ran in four marathons.

Implication is my injury pre vents me from running in any more marathons.

14.       By the time the Senator finished (past) his speech, the audience had lost (past perfect) interest.

15.       By the time the Senator finishes (present: habitual action) his speech, the audience has lost (present perfect) interest.

16.       By the time the Senator finishes (present: suggesting future time) his speech, the audience will have lost (future perfect) interest.

17.       After everyone had finished (past perfect) the main course, we offered (past) our guests dessert.

18.       After everyone has finished (present perfect) the main course, we offer (present: habitual action) our guests dessert.

19.       After everyone has finished (present perfect) the main course, we will offer (future: specific one-time action) our guests dessert.

20.       Long before the sun rose (past), the birds had arrived (past perfect) at the feeder.

21.       Long before the sun rises (present: habitual action), the birds have arrived (present perfect) at the feeder.

22.    Long before the sun rises (present: suggesting future time), the birds will have arrived (future perfect) at thefeeder.

Incorrect	Correct
The ocean contains rich minerals	The ocean contains rich minerals that wash down
that washed down from rivers and	from rivers and streams.
streams.	"Contains" is present tense, referring to a current state.
	"Washed down" is past, but should be present ("wash
	down")) because the minerals are still being washed down.
About noon the sky darkened, a	About noon the sky darkened, a breeze sprang up,
breeze sprang up, and a low rumble	and a low rumble announced the approaching
announces the approaching storm.	storm.
Yesterday we had walked to school	Yesterday we walked to school but later rodethe
but later rode the bus home.	bus home.
	"Had walked" is past perfect tense but should be
	past to maintain consistency with the time frame
	("yesterday'). "Rode" is past, referring to an action
	completed before the current time frame.
Kapil Dev had played for more than	Kapil Dev had been playing for more than a
a decade when Tendulkar entered the	decade when Tendulkar entered the Indian team.
Indian team.
He hinted that he wants. money.	He hinted that he wanted money.
He repliedthat he will come.	He repliedthat he would come.
I never thought that I shall see him	I never thought that I should (or would) see him
again,	again.
Newton discovered that the apple	Newton discovered that the apple falls due to
fell due togravity,	gravity.
He said that honesty was the best	He said that honesty is the best policy.
olic  .
Just as the sun rose, the rooster	Just as the sun rose, the rooster crowed.
crows.	OR Just as the sun rises, the rooster crows.
Mozart finished about two thirds of	Mozart had finished about two thirds of the
the Requiem when he died.	Requiem when he died.
By the time I write to Leo he will	By the time I write to Leo, he will probably have
probably move,	moved.
Being a French colony, Senegal is a	Having been a French colony, Senegal is a
Francophone nation.	Francophone nation.
The criminal escaped from custody	The criminal escaped from custody and is believed
and is believed to flee the country.	to have fled the country.
Some archaeologists believe that the	Some archaeologists believe that the Minoans of
Minoans of 3,700 years ago had	3,700 years ago practised a religion that involved
practised a religion that involved	human sacrifice.
human sacrifice.
If the experiment works, it will be	If the experiment works, it will represent a
representing a quantum leap forward	quantum leap forward for pharmaceutical chemistry.
for pharmaceutical chemistry.
He had seen that movie recently, so	He saw that movie recently, so he doesn't want to
he doesn't want to see it tonight.	see it tonight.
When she retires, she will save	When she retires, she will have saved enough
enough money to allow her to live	money to allow her to live comfortably.
comfortably.
She already closed the door behind	She had already closed behind her when it
her when it occurred to her that she	occurred to her that she wouldn't be able to get
wasn't able to get back in    later.	back in.
I did not see (or had not seen) him	I have not seen him since last Saturday.
since last Saturday.
If it rains tomorrow, we cancel our	If it rains tomorrow, we will cancel our plans.
plans.
When Bill arrived, Sal still did        not	When Bill arrived, Sal still had not begun to unload
begin to unload the truck.	the truck.
To go to war is to have travelled	To go to war is to go to hell. OR
to hell.	To have gone to war is to have travelled to hell.
Seeing the obstacle would have	Having seen the obstacle would have allowed
allowed him to alter his course.	him to alter his course.
	OR Seeing the obstacle would allow him to alter
	his course.

Types of tenses

Present simple

Incorrect	Correct
He is taking a walk every morning.	He takes a walk every morning.
Two and two are making four.	Two and two make four.
	OR
	Two and two makes four.
Here is coming the bus!	Here comes the bus!
Michael reads the newspaper and then gave	Michael read the newspaper and then gave
it back to Michelle.	it back to Michelle.
Last week at the movies, this guy talks	Last week at the movies, this guy talked
through the entire film,	through the entire film.
The Indian team is going to the Caribbean	The Indian team goes to the Caribbean
next month.	next month.
Correct but less common construction.	Correct and more common construction.

Present simple tense is used to depict the following:

Present action: She dances beautifully.

Habitual action: He practises every day.

Literary (in the broadest sense) or artistic action:                                                          

1.      In the comics, Dagwood Bumstead begs Blondie for food every time she cooks.                         

2.      King Lear is already old when the play begins.

3.      Chagall's characters float in midair in his paintings.

Timeless or universally accepted truth:

1.      Galileo discovered that the earth revolves around the sun.

2.      A bird in hand is worth two in the bush.

Present continuous

Present continuous is used:

To express an action going on at the time of speaking

For example, if you are sitting indoors, and you lament not being able to go out because of the heavy rain, you say, "It is raining heavily". If you say, "It rains heavily", you are not referring to the falling of the rain at the moment of speaking, but to a phenomenon that occurs regularly, as in: "It rains heavily in equatorial regions and hilly areas."

To express a temporary action which may not be actually happening at the time of speaking

For example, if you are a teacher but work on a project temporarily, you say, "I am working on a project." This you may say in a conversation even though you are not working at the moment of speaking. You cannot say, "I work on a project." Because this would give the false impression that you are a project worker by profession. As things stand in the given circumstances, the appropriate statements would be, "I teach. I am working on a project."

To express an action that is planned or arranged to take place in the near future

He is going to the city tomorrow.

When the reference is to a particularly obstinate habit, the present continuous is used instead of present simple An adverb like "always", "continually" and "constantly" is also used.

Incorrect: It is no use scolding him; he always does what is forbidden.

Note that his doing what is forbidden has become a die-hard habit, The habit persists in spite of advice or warning. So, we should use the present continuous.

Correct: It is no use scolding him; he is always doing what is forbidden.

          The following verbs are normally used in the present simple instead of the present continuous.

         Verbs of appearing: appear, look, seem.                                               

>      Verbs of emotion: want, wish, desire, feel, like, love, hate, hope, prefer, refuse.

>      Verbs of perception: see, hear, smell, notice, recognise.

Ø      Verbs of possession: belong to, consist of, contain, have, own, possess.

Ø      Verbs of thinking: agree, believe, consider, forget, imagine, know, mean, mind, remember, suppose, think, trust, understand.  Ø    The verb "be":

Incorrect: The allegation is appearing to be true.

Correct: The allegation appears to be true.

Do you think it is right to say: "He is appearing on the stage for the first time"? This is right because appear here does not mean look or seem. It means present oneself formally or publicly.

Present perfect

Present perfect is used:

To express past actions whose time is not known and not definite.

Incorrect	Correct
I wrote three books.	I have written three books.
	The     original     sentence    appears    to    be
	incomplete.     The   reader   of the     sentence
	immediately queries:     "When did you write
	three books?" It would be a different case if
	you had said: "I wrote books'             Then the
	reader would infer that you wrote books in
	the past as a profession or hobby. But when
	you are being so specific as to say "three
	books", we immediately feel the need of a
	time     frame.    Since    no    time    frame    is
	mentioned, we assume it to be by now (not
	definite).      So,   we have something to the
	effect: I have written three books by now.
	This by now is implied and need not be
	written.
India has won the match last week.	India won the match last week.
They are building the road since March	They have been building the road since
last.	March last.
I have been knowing him for a long time.	I have known him for a long time.
He just came.	He has just come.
	Remember that 'just" can be used with the
	present perfect tense but not with the
	simple past tense.

To depict an action that started in the past and is still going on

I have lived in this apartment for eight years. (... and I'm still here.)

To depict an action that has been completed but is somehow still connected to the present

Past simple

Past simple tense is used:                                                  

After "It is time or it is high time"             

It is time we started working.

To express past actions

1.    I met her last year.                                           2.      I visited Jaipur every year.

3. The Aussies won the World Series last year.            4.      I ate dinner and went to bed.

Past continuous

Incorrect	Correct
When I saw her, she wrote a poem with full attention.	When I saw her, she was writing a poem with full attention.
She always chewed gum.	She was always chewing gum.

Past perfect

1.       Incorrect: He wrote a novel even before he was 10 years old.

2.       Correct: He had written a novel even before he was 10 years old.

If two actions happen in the past, the earlier one is denoted by past perfect while the later one is denoted by past simple.

1.      The Yankees were winning (past perfect) when I fell (past) asleep.

2.      I had deposited money in the bank when my friend came to borrow from me.

Future tense

Use the future tense to convey an action that has not yet taken place

1. Stacey will go back to school one day.                  2.      Nancy finishes school next spring.

The present tense "finishes" functions in the future tense as a result of its context (next spring), which is perfectly acceptable.

Use the future perfect tense to convey an action that will be completed in the future

By next year, Ellen will have written her third novel.

Progressive (continuous)

Use the progressive tense to convey a continuous or perpetual action taking place within any other tense (past, present or future)

1.      Lisa is studying economics.

2.      Tom has been praying for rain.

3.      In September, Doug will have been painting for twenty years.

Will and shall

We use shall with the first person and will with the second and third person in normal sentences.

         1.   I shall go there.                                                   2.    We shall entertain them.

         3.   He will go there.                                                  4.    They will entertain us.

However, if there is a tone of determination or threat or promise, etc., which necessitates emphasis, the reverse takes place.

         1.   I will do it.                                                          2.    We will not spare them.

         3.   He shall do it.                                                      4.    You shall receive your treat tomorrow.

Nowadays, we do not use shall with second and third person even in the special case. But for our purpose, we have to be clear with the traditional rules of grammar.

Two bachelors

Hear the story of the two bachelors to understand the difference between will and shall.

Two bachelors are about to die. Ram says, "I will die and none shall marry me." Shyam says, "I shall die and none will marry me."

Are they confused their grammar in their last moments? Actually not! Their statements are correct but they are stating two different things.

Ram just wants to die and does not want anyone to marry him.

Shyam is worried that he is going to die a bachelor. So, shall is used with the first person and will with the second person.

Hopefully, both bachelors will die in peace.

Will and would

We use would instead of will, when we are talking about something that had been predicted at some time in the past. It is like a future-in-the-past tense.

1.      Everyone believed that he would marry Malti.

2.      No one believed that he would score a century. (At some time in the past this had been predicted).

We also use would instead of will, when we talk about something that was predicted to happen in the future because it was habitual.

Had Bradman been alive today, he would have scored many more centuries.

Sometimes we use would with a negative connotation as in sentences with a dependent and independent                 clause.

I would if I could. (This sentence obviously means that I won't do it because I can't do it.)