Using Tenses in English: Past, Present, Future, Paperback

Tenses could be defined as "any of the form of a verb that may be used to show the time of the action or an event or state expressed by the verb." THERE ARE THREE KINDS OF TENSES: The Past Tense - The form of a verb that usually expresses an action that happened in the past Action happened before present] The Present Tense - The form of a verb that usually expresses an action that happens at this time Action happens in present] The Future Tense - The form of a verb that usually expresses an action that will happen in future Action will happen after present] EACH OF THESE THREE KINDS OF SENTENCES HAS FOUR TYPES OF FORMS: Indefinite or Simple Form, Continuous or Progressive Form, Perfect Form, Perfect Continuous or Perfect Progressive Form EACH OF THESE FOUR TYPES OF FORMS HAS FOUR KINDS OF STATEMENTS: Affirmative Statement -- Used to Show 'Agreement'; Negative Statement -- Used to Show 'Disagreement'; Interrogative Statement -- Used to Ask 'Question'; Interrogative-Negative Statement -- Used to Ask 'Question' and Show 'Disagreement' Present Indefinite Tense - Expresses - Permanent situation in the past, present and future] Example: Our family lives in Seattle. General truth (fact or statement) -- Example: Clean water is fundamental to public health. Example: Many barrages have no utility and causes floods. Habitual action actions that occurs regularly] -- Example: She listens to music every day. 'Future meaning' (timetable, planned event, etc.) -- Example: My shop closes at 9pm. Example: The train arrives at 7:30pm. Traditions, rituals, customs -- Example: Indians celebrate festival of light in the month of Oct-Nov. Commands and Instructions Imperative Sentences] -- Note: In imperatives, subject 'you' remains hidden] -- Example: Condemn perpetrators of terrorism. Example: Promote values of humanity and tolerance. Example: Tell us about the exact nature of your work. Used in if-clause of present and future real conditional sentences - Example: If I go there, I meet him. Example: If things don't work out, we won't be panicked. Headlines in news reporting Use of simple present tense instead of simple past tense is common in news headlines] - Example: Flight skids on landing at airport. Example: Thunder storm brings relief to residents. (A). AFFIRMATIVE PATTERN - subject + first form of main verb + other words -- Singular Verb is used with subject 'He and She' + All Singular Subjects. Plural Verb is used with subject 'I, We, You and They' + All Plural Subjects. Examples: He/She talks. I/We/You/They talk. We seek opportunity to chart out our own course. Lean margin of victory or defeat gives an impression of a tough contest. Nowadays, voters value development over other issues. They want civic amenities and employment opportunities. (B). NEGATIVE PATTERN - subject + auxiliary verb 'do/does' + not + first form of main verb + other words -- Auxiliary Verb 'Does' is used with subject 'He and She' + All Singular Subjects. Auxiliary Verb 'Do' is used with subject 'I, We, You and They' + All Plural Subjects. Examples: He/She does not talk. I/We/You/They do not talk. Most buses do not cater to interior parts of the villages. He does not know what to say.

About the Author:

Manik Joshi was born on Jan 26, 1979 at Ranikhet and is permanent resident of Haldwani, Kumaon zone of India. He is an Internet Marketer by profession. He is interested in domaining (business of buying and selling domain names), web designing (creating websites), and various online jobs (including 'self book publishing'). He is science graduate with ZBC (zoology, botany, and chemistry) subjects. He is also an MBA (with specialization in marketing). He has done three diploma courses in computer too. ManikJoshi.com is the personal website of the author.