Verb Tenses Forms of Verb Tenses n n
Verb Tenses
Forms of Verb Tenses n n n Simple present Present progressive Simple past Past progressive Present perfect progressive Past perfect progressive Future perfect progressive EG 1471 AY 2008/09/10 JChan
Uses of Verb Tenses n n n Use tense shifts or time signals to indicate the tense Use the correct tense according to the context Use different verb tenses for different meanings but be consistent EG 1471 AY 2008/09/10 JChan
Simple Present Use now Examples To express habitual actions or a Everyone reports early for work. condition that is true at any time The campus is quiet during the vacation. To express general truths EG 1471 AY 2008/09/10 JChan The sun sets in the west.
Simple Present now Use Examples To report what is in print e. g. academic writing. In her article, Vicky claims that renewable energies are viable alternatives in the long run. Formation 1. Base form of the verb. 2. Add -s or -es for third person singular. EG 1471 AY 2008/09/10 JChan
Present Progressive now Use Examples To express that an action or activity that is currently happening or is still happening. The student is preparing for her final year project. To express that an action is happening at present and is temporary. The trainees are undergoing training now. To express that an action is already in progress at a specified point of time in the present. At 8: 30 am, most of the employees are working at their desktops. EG 1471 AY 2008/09/10 JChan
Present Progressive Formation am/ is/ are + present participle (-ing). I am writing an academic essay for this module. They are doing some research on nanotechnology. He is preparing the lab set up for the next class. EG 1471 AY 2008/09/10 JChan
Simple Past now Use Examples To indicate that an action took place at a specific time in the past. The students did this project last semester. To indicate that an action occurred in the past and is no longer true in the present He majored in engineering in NUS. Formation: Regular verbs: base form + d/-ed EG 1471 AY 2008/09/10 JChan
Past Progressive now Use Examples To express that an activity was in progress at a specific point in time in the past. The professor was lecturing when the alarm went off. To show that an activity lasted for a period of time in the past (emphasis on the duration). The auditors were checking the accounts while the assets were being tagged. Formation was/ were + present participle (-ing) EG 1471 AY 2008/09/10 JChan
Present Perfect now Use Examples To express an action or state that began in the past and continues to the present. The twins have worked in the same company for four years now. To show that an event occurred They have already completed in the past although the exact their calculation. time is not specified or important. EG 1471 AY 2008/09/10 JChan
Present Perfect Use now Examples To express an action or state The mathematician has just has happened in the very recent proven a complicated theory. past. To indicate that an event has occurred more than once in the past (specific times are not given or important). Formation: has/ have + past participle EG 1471 AY 2008/09/10 JChan The students have approached their tutor several times for assistance.
Past Perfect now Use Examples To indicate an event that was completed by a definite time or before another action was completed in the past. By the time the rescue team arrived at the scene, the waters had reached 1. 5 metres. Nobody had dreamt that cloning was possible in the 1900 s. Formation: had + past participle EG 1471 AY 2008/09/10 JChan
Past Perfect Progressive now Use Examples To stress the duration of an activity that was completed before another action or time in the past. The students had been struggling with the problem for an hour before they found a solution. Formation: had + been + present participle (-ing) EG 1471 AY 2008/09/10 JChan
Future Use now Examples To express an action, event or state They will complete their assignment that will occur in the future. tonight. Formation: will + base form (no -s or -es) See Lane and Lange (1999) p. 14 for examples. Note: Future time can also be expressed in • am/is/are + going to + base form • simple progressive or present progressive EG 1471 AY 2008/09/10 JChan
Future Progressive now Use Examples To express an action that will occur over a duration at some specific point in the future. The final year students will be doing their internship overseas for the month of December. To emphasize the duration of an The professor will be going on action in the future. sabbatical during the long vacation. Formation: will + be + present participle EG 1471 AY 2008/09/10 JChan
Future Perfect now Use Examples To indicate that an activity will be completed before another event or time in the future. The postgraduate students will have finished their thesis by the end of this semester. The experts will have discovered the cause of the explosion in a week’s time. Formation: will + have + past participle EG 1471 AY 2008/09/10 JChan
Future Perfect Progressive now Use Examples To indicate that an activity has been in progress for a period of time before another event or time in the future. By March next year, the engineers will have been working on the project for three years. Formation: will + have + present participle EG 1471 AY 2008/09/10 JChan
Sources Lane, A. and Lange, E. (1999). Writing Clearly: An Editing Guide (2 nd ed. ). USA: Heinle and Heinle Publishers. Oshima, A. and Hogue, A. (2006). Writing Academic English (4 th ed. ). New York: Pearson Education, 3 -25. Raimes, A. (2006). Grammar Troublespots: A Guide for Student Writers (3 rd ed. ). New York: Cambridge University Press, 41 -45. EG 1471 AY 2008/09/10 JChan
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