Unit 4
Tenses

Learning Outcomes

Prerequisites

Key words

Past tense, Present Tense, Future Tense, Non-Conclusive verbs

3.4.1 What is Tense?

Read the following sentences:
He talks to her. (present time)
He talked to her. (past time)
He will talk to her. (future time)

The above-mentioned sentences indicate actions performed in different time periods. In English grammar, tense denotes the time of an action, whether the action has occurred in the present, the past or will happen in the future.

The three main tenses are:

Four distinct forms for each of the three tenses:

3.4.1.1 The Present Tense

The Simple Present Tense

Look at the following sentences:

He plays football.
They play football.

In the Simple Present tense, the verb is either in the base form or in the -s/es form. The base form is used with all plural Subjects and the -s/es form is used with every singular Subject. It is to be noted that only the base form is used with I and You. Thus, the form of the Simple Present tense can be simply written as:

Subject + verb’s base/or base +-s or -es
Uses of the Simple Present Tense

• To denote a recurrent or habitual
  action.
  Eg: He wakes up early in the morning.
  He watches movies every Sunday.
• To denote a universal truth or a
  proverb.
  Eg: Slow and steady wins the race.
  The moon revolves around the earth.
• To denote a permanent state.
  Eg: He has two children.
  The Taj Mahal stands on the Yamuna.
• To express scheduled or planned future action.
  Eg: He starts his new work on Monday.
  The Prime Minister comes to Kerala next month.
• In Imperative and Exclamatory sentences.
  Eg: How honest he is!
  Please, listen to him.
• In newspaper headlines.
  Eg: The Kerala High Court issues notice to the government on the Kochi metro case.
  The UN peace talks with the Taliban fail.
• For sports commentaries and dramatic narratives,
  Eg: Dhoni finishes off in style. A magnificent strike into the crowd and India lifts the
  World Cup after 28 years.
  The curtain rises, the beautiful Bella sings a song. Suddenly she notices something
  strange in her room.
• Formal declarations.
  Eg: I declare the athletic meet open.
  I declare the above-mentioned information is true.
• To introduce quotations.
  Eg: Shelley says, “If winter comes, can spring be far behind”.
  The advertisement says, “Buy one, get one free”.
• To introduce promises.
  Eg: He promises never to drink alcohol.
  I promise to do my duty.
• Used in suggestions with why don’t you?
  Eg: Why don’t you take me out?
  Why don’t you post a picture of your child?
• In Subordinate Clauses (to refer to future)
  Eg: He will call us when breakfast is ready.
  He will go to the shop when he finishes his work.
• To give instructions and directions.
  Eg: How do you get to the shopping mall ? You go straight and then turn right…
  How to prepare chicken cutlets? Wash the chicken and then soak it in buttermilk…
• Used in sentences that begin with here and there.
  Eg: There is no substitute for hard work.
  Here comes my sister

Time words
Time words are words which are often found with a particular tense. The following Adverbs and Adverb phrases are used with Simple present tense:

Always, usually, generally, occasionally, frequently, daily, annually, barely, hardly, rarely, seldom, often, every month, every day, every year, every week.

The Present Continuous Tense

Read the following sentences:
Ancy is drawing pictures.
They are drawing pictures.
The form of the Present Continuous tense is as follows:
Subject + is/am/are + (verb) ing

Uses of the Present Continuous Tense

• To express an action that is progressing at this moment.
  Eg: Ancy is reading a novel.
  Ancy is sleeping now.
• To denote a definite future action.
  Eg: Ancy is coming home tomorrow.
  Ancy’s brothers are leaving for the USA next month.
• To denote an action happening about this time, but not necessarily at the moment
  of speaking.
  Eg: Ancy is preparing a speech for a conference.
  Ancy is teaching commerce.
• To suggest that situations or actions are temporary.
  Eg: Ancy, my friend, is staying with me this week.
  Ancy is repairing her umbrella.
• To indicate a developing or slowly changing situation.
  Eg: My son is getting taller every day.
  The weather in my village is getting colder day by day.
• To refer to repeated actions or events happening around the moment of speaking.
  Eg: Ancy is reading a lot of magazines these days.
  Why is she beating her child?
• Used with always, constantly, continuously, forever, perpetually, etc., to indicate
  frequent repetitions.
  Eg: Ancy is continuously complaining about her job status.
  The house owner is always demanding more rent.
• To indicate an action which begins before a particular point of time and probably
  continues after it.
  Eg: At seven, I am watching news.
  At nine, they are playing cards.

Note 1: Words such as always, continuously, and similar words can
be used with progressive forms to mean very often.
Eg: He is always losing his temper.
He is always getting phone calls.
Note 2: Non-Conclusive verbs

There are certain verbs which are not used in the Continuous tenses. They are usually used in the Simple tenses as these verbs describe actions which cannot be started or stopped at our will. They are:

1. Verbs of senses: see, hear, smell, taste, notice, etc.
   Eg: He hears a loud sound.
   This cough syrup tastes bitter.
2. Verbs of thinking: think, imagine, guess, know, understand, believe, remember, forget,
   mean, trust, differ, agree, feel, disapprove, regard, etc.
   Eg: I think you are mistaken.
3. Verbs of feeling (likes and dislikes): want, desire, wish, like, love, dislike, need, prefer,
   hate, wish, etc.
   Eg: He needs some coffee.
   He doesn’t like her.
4. Verbs of possession: have, possess, own, belong to, etc.
   Eg: He owns a car.
   This house belongs to him.
5. Verbs of appearing: appear, look, seem, resemble, etc.
   Eg: He resembles his father.
   This kid looks sick.

* Certain verbs, such as lack, owe, deserve, depend, concern, consist of, contain, matter, include, involve, signify, mind, cost, etc. are also not used in the Continuous Tense.

Eg: This box contains gifts for children.
Your success depends on your ability to work hard.

* The verbs which are not used in the Present Continuous Tense are not used in the Present Perfect Continuous too.
Note 3: However, in some exceptional cases, certain above-mentioned verbs can be used in the continuous form. For eg:

1. Except: We are expecting some good news. (to await something)
2. Taste: The chef is tasting the kebab to see if it is cooked well. (to ascertain the taste of something
3. See: I am seeing my lawyer tomorrow. (meeting someone by appointment)
4. Hear: The court is hearing the case next week. (listen formally to)
5. Think: I am thinking about starting a new business. (to consider about something)
6. Feel: I am feeling very energetic today. (suggestive of a mental condition)
7. Smell: She is smelling the flower. (to perceive the scent)

• Time words
  Now, right now, still, today, at present, and at this moment.
  Sid has visited this palace thrice.
  They have visited this palace thrice.
  The form of the Present Perfect tense is as follows: Subject+ has/have + past participle of verb

Uses of the Present Perfect Tense:

• To denote a recent action for which time is not mentioned.
  Eg: Sid has finished writing the examination.
  Sid has just come out.
• To denote something that is continuing from the past up to the present moment. Eg: Sid has prepared for the civil service examination since 2018.Sid has lived in this village for twenty years.
• To denote a completed activity or occurrence, which extended from some point of time in the past up to the present.
  Eg: Sid has written two essays since morning.
  Sid has corrected many documents since midnight.
• To denote an action that was completed in the past, but the result of that action can still be perceived.
  Eg: Sid has bought a washing machine.
  Sid has learned his lessons.
• To denote habitual actions.
  Eg: They have always helped each other.
  I have always finished my work on time.
• Time words

Just, just now, already, recently, lately, till now, up to now, so far, yet, ever, never, since, for, this month, this morning, this evening, this afternoon.

The Present Perfect Continuous Tense
Look at the following sentences:
He has been living in this town for the last ten years.
They have been living in this town for the last ten years.
The form of the Present Perfect Continuous tense is:

Subject + has been/have been + (verb) ing

Uses of the Present Perfect Continuous Tense:

• To denote an action that began in the past and is still progressing in the present. Eg: He has been teaching in this college for the last five years.
  They have been doing business since 1990.
• To denote actions that are already completed. The results of such actions can still be noticed in the present.
  Eg: Why do you look so tired? I have been practicing skating.
  Have you had your lunch? No, I have been cleaning my room.

Time words

Since – denotes a point of time.
Eg: I haven’t seen him since Tuesday.
For – denotes a period of time.
Eg: I haven’t seen him for two weeks.

3.4.1.2 The Past Tense

The Simple Past Tense

Read the following sentences:
I went to Calicut yesterday.
They lived in Calicut in 2020.
The above-mentioned sentences represent two past events. i.e, they are in the Past tense.
The form of the Simple Past tense:
Subject + past form of the verb
Uses of the Simple Past Tense:

• To denote a past action completed at a particular time. Eg: I met him yesterday
  Gandhi was born in 1869.
• To denote a habitual action in the past.
  Eg: When I was a child, I played basketball every day.
  I always went to school by bus.
• To denote an action which occurred at a moment or a period of time in the past.
  Eg: I met P.V. Sindhu on our visit to Delhi.
  I lived in Chennai for five years.
• In conditional clauses.
  Eg: If I had money, I would build a new house.
  If I tried, I could easily win the race.

Time words
Yesterday, ago, previous week, last month, last week

The Past Continuous

Analyse the following sentences:
She was singing a Hindi song.
They were singing a Hindi song.
From the above-mentioned sentences, you might have observed that the Past Continuous
tense can be formed by:
Subject + was/were + (verb) ing
Uses of the Past Continuous:

• To denote continuity of an action that took place in the past.
  Eg: She was working on the field all day.
  She was cooking all morning.
• To represent two different actions happening at the same time.
  Eg: I was watching television while she was reading.
  She was sleeping while her sister was studying.
• To denote an action that was progressing in the past when another action happened.
  Eg: When she came, you were sleeping.
  She hid behind the door when they were playing hide and seek.
• Used with always to denote a recurrent action.
  Eg: She was always guiding me to perform well.
  They were always arguing with their manager.

The Past Perfect Tense

Read the following sentences:
Sam had gone to office.
They had gone to office.
The Past Perfect tense is formed by:

Subject + had + past participle of verb
Uses of the Past Perfect Tense:

• When two actions occurred in the past, the Past Perfect tense is used to denote that
  action which was finished first and then to denote the second action, the Simple
  Past tense is used.
  Eg: When Sam arrived home, his mother had gone to sleep.
  The magic show had begun before we reached the auditorium.
• Used with till, until, before, etc., to suggest that an action is completed.
  Eg: Sam waited there until his father had arrived.
  Before Sam had walked to his home, he heard some good news.
• In Subordinate Clause (to suggest something impossible to happen).
  Eg: If Sam had practiced more, he could have qualified for the finals.
  If you had told me earlier, I would have helped you.

The Past Perfect Continuous Tense

Look at the following sentences:
She had been studying for three hours.
They had been studying for three hours.
The Past Perfect Continuous tense can be formed by:
Subject + had been + (verb) ing + object
Uses of the Past Perfect Continuous Tense:

• The Past Perfect Continuous tense denotes an action that began in the past, continued for a certain time and then ended in the past itself.
  Eg: She had been working as a gardener before she joined government service.
  She had been laughing for half an hour.
• To denote a repeated action in the past when the number of occurrences is not
  mentioned.
  Eg: She had been ringing the bell for some time
  She had been announcing your name for a long time.
  

3.4.1.3 The Future Tense

In English grammar, there are several ways to indicate the notion of futurity. Apart from the future tense (will and shall), the Simple Present tense, the Present Continuous tense, etc., are used to denote futurity.
Our future activities are often influenced by certain factors such as our willingness, likelihood, etc. But there are certain pure future events such as:
My grandmother will be 80 in December.
The Simple Future Tense
Look at the following sentences:

He will visit your home tomorrow.
I shall visit your home tomorrow.

The Simple Future tense takes the form:
Subject + will/shall + base form of verb
Uses of the Simple Future Tense:

• To denote an action that will happen in the future.
  Eg: He will buy a new car.
  I shall meet her the next day.
• To express opinions or assumptions about the future.
  (Most often verbs, such as afraid, believe, hope, suppose, think, wonder, etc. and adverbs,
  such as perhaps, surely, probably, etc., are used along with it.)
  Eg: I am sure he will clear all his debts.
  We will surely get there on time.
• To indicate habitual actions which we think will occur in the future too.
  Eg: The nightingale will sing in the forest.
  Flowers will bloom in spring.
• To depict formal announcements of future, weather forecasts, etc. in newspapers
  and news broadcasts.
  Eg: The Prime Minister will inaugurate the new stadium tomorrow.
  Rain will persist for two more days.

The Future Continuous Tense

Read the following sentences:

Laila will be giving you a gift tomorrow.
I shall be giving you a gift tomorrow.

The form of the Future Continuous tense is as follows:
Subject + will/shall + (verb) ing
The Future Continuous Tense is used to indicate a continuous action in the future.

Eg: Laila will be attending the webinar tomorrow.
Laila will be watching the news around 9 am tomorrow.

The Future Perfect Tense
Analyse the following sentences:
Anju will have completed the course by next year.
I shall have completed the course by next year.
The form of the Future Perfect tense is:
Subject + will/shall + have + past participle of verb
The Future Perfect Tense is used to denote an action which will be completed within a certain
future time.
Eg: Anju will have read two books by Saturday.
They will have left London by the time you reach there.

The Future Perfect Continuous Tense

Study the following sentences:
By 2025, Maria will have been living in Kolkata for five years.
By 2025, I shall have been living in Kolkata for five years.
The form of the Future Perfect Continuous tense is:
Subject + will/shall + have been + (verb)ing

The Future Perfect Continuous Tense is used to denote an ongoing action which will be finished within a certain time in the future.
Eg: By 2025, Maria will have been working on this project for four years.
By next June, I will have been learning English Literature for three years.

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