Of Tense
The word ‘Tense’ is coined from the Latin word ‘Tempus’ which means
time. So in brief, we can say that Tense deals with the time of an action or
event. Tense can be classified into 3 (three) major divisions as: a) Present Tense b) Past Tense c) Future Tense. All the
three major Tenses can be classified into 12 (twelve) sub-divisions:
Present Tense
Past Tense
a ) Past Simple Tense
b) Past Continuous tense
c) Past Perfect Tense
d) Past Perfect Continuous Tense
b) Past Continuous tense
c) Past Perfect Tense
d) Past Perfect Continuous Tense
Future Tense
Person is of three kinds:
a) First Person b) Second Person c) Third Person
1st
Person
|
2nd Person
|
3rd Person
|
I, We
|
You, Your
|
He, she, it, Shorna,
they, father, development, honesty, paper, furniture, money, book, sincerity
|
Note: All nouns around us are 3rd Person except 1st Person and 2nd Person.
Number is of two kinds:
a) Singular Number (GK ePb) b) Plural Number (eü ePb)
Present Indefinite Tense
a) Present Indefinite Tense: The
action that takes place any time in the present is called Present Indefinite
Tense.
Affirmative Sentence
Rule: Subject + verb (present) + extension
For example,
I eat rice. (1st
Person). He goes to school. (3rd Person)
Note:
If the subject is 3rd Person Singular Number, the verb takes ‘s/es’ after it.
For example,
I rise up from sleep at 6.30 am
everyday. He often meets me at school.
Note: There are some Time Adverbs
that we often use in Present Indefinite Tense. They are as following: Generally,
often, usually, frequently, normally, sometimes, occasionally, daily, everyday,
always, regularly,
Adding ‘s’/ ‘es’
Rule 1: If any verb ends with ch, ss, o, sh, x and z, we add ‘es’ with the verb.
For example,
Mr. John teaches me English. Alex possesses a car.
Borney goes to university everyday. My teacher often punishes me. He always foxes me easily.
Rule 2: If any verb ends with ‘y’ and the ‘y’ precedes a vowel (a, e, i, o, u), we add only ‘s’ with the verb.
For example,
The boy sometimes plays table tennis.
Rule 3: If any verb ends with ‘y’ and the ‘y’ precedes a consonant, we add ‘i’ in the place of ‘y’ and then we add ‘es’. (i + es)
For example,
The bird flies in the sky. (fly) Borney tries to help me. (try)
We use Present Indefinite Tense in the following
cases:
a) The universal truth: The earth moves round the
sun. The sun rises in the east.
b) The habitual fact: He takes tea three times a
day.
c) In the proverbs: As you sow, so you reap. It is
easy to say but difficult to do. Where there is a will, there is a way.
d) Quotation by poets / authors / novelists /
dramatists:
John Keats says, “Beauty is
truth, truth is beauty.
Francis Bacon says, “It is a prince’s
part to pardon.”
Soul Bellow says, “Past is no
good to us, future is full of anxiety and present is true, now seize the day.”
William Shakespeare says, “Life
is a tale told by an idiot.”
e) Factual truth / natural truth: Borney is his
sister. It is hot in the summer.
Interrogative Sentence
Rule: Do/does + Subject + verb + extension + Interrogation
mark (?)
For example,
Does he go to school regularly?
What do you want? Why do they often come here? Why do they
go there everyday?
Where does he work? Why do they swim? Why do we
eat?
Remember: If the subject is 1st Person/ 2nd Person/ 3rd
Person Plural, we use ‘do’ in an Interrogative
Sentence. Otherwise, we should use ‘does’.
So if the subject is 3rd Person Singular Number, it takes ‘does’ after it.
Negative
Sentence
Rule:
Subject + do/does + not + verb (present) + extension
For example,
I do not look down upon the poor. He does not go to
university regularly.
Note: If the subject is 3rd person, we use ‘does
not’ and in other cases, we use ‘do not’.
Present Continuous Tense
b) Present Continuous /
Progressive Tense: The action that is
progressing at this moment is called Present Continuous Tense. It is also
called Present Progressive Tense.
Affirmative Sentence
Rule:
Subject + am / is/ are (auxiliary) + verb + ing + extension
For example,
I am studying a novel now. He is teaching me English. You
are not doing well in your examinations. Sorna is reading a comic book now. I
am still living in Satkhira. At this moment, I am taking my meal. The company
is not doing well this year.
Note: The Time Adverbs
used in Present Continuous Tense: Now, still, at present, at this moment, this
year, this week,
For example,
These grapes are
tasting sour. (Wrong)
I am thinking
that the earth moves round the sun. (Wrong)
She is seeming
sad. (Wrong). I am seeing a helicopter. (Wrong)
Note: The
following verbs are not used in Continuous Tense rather used in Present Indefinite
Tense. They are: Like, love, hate, want, need, prefer, know, realise, suppose,
mean, understand, believe, remember, belong to, fit, contain, consist of, seem,
see, hear, smell, taste, look, feel, deem, possess, continue, notice,
recognise, appear, wish, desire, hope, refuse, prefer, think, suppose, agree,
forget, imagine, mind, trust, consider, have (possess), own, doubt, weigh,
cost, measure, equal, dislike,
For example,
I am going to the Ukraine tomorrow.
He is going to start an essay titled ‘Of Studies’ by
Francis Bacon.
Note: We
use Present Continuous Tense with near future. In this case, you are well
prepared to do it.
Rule: For temporary actions, we use the tense:
For example,
Borney is studying English. She is fishing now.
Negative
Sentence
Rule:
Subject + am / is / are + not + verb + ing + extension
For example,
He is not helping me. I am not watching television. They
are not cutting the trees.
Adding ‘ing’
Rule
1: If a verb ends a ‘consonant’ and
the ‘consonant’ precedes a ‘vowel’, we must double the ending
consonant.
For example,
He is swimming in the river. (Swim)
The thief is running away. (Run). He
is cancelling the items. (Cancel)
Rule
2: If a verb ends with ‘y’/ ‘w’, we
keep the ‘y’ / ‘w’ while adding ‘ing’.
For example,
Kona is trying to help me. He is studying
a poem titled “The Road Not Taken.”
Rule
3: If a verb ends with ‘e’,
we leave out the vowel while adding ‘ing’.
For example,
He is making a cup of
tea. (Make). They are taking her to prison for treason.
(Take)
Exceptional: Age – ageing,
singe – singeing, dye – dyeing
Exceptional:
A verb ending with the double ‘ee’
is not changed while adding ‘ing’.
Such as: agree – agreeing, see – seeing,
Interrogative
Sentence
Rule:
Am / is / are + subject + verb + ing + extension + ?
For example,
Are you learning English? What am I doing now? Where are
you going? Is she teaching you?
Modal
Auxiliary
Can, could, shall, should, will, would, may,
might, need, dare, ought to and the rest.
For example,
I could do it. He should
help the poor. Sabina would
go there. I ought to read Shakespeare.
Present Perfect Tense
c) Present Perfect Tense: An action that has taken place just before a while is
called Present Perfect Tense. There certainly be no mentioning of any time. If
any time is mentioned, the sentence will be a Past Tense.
Affirmative Sentence
Rule:
Subject + have / has + verb (past participle) + extension.
For example,
I have done better in the final examination. He has just taken his breakfast. I have already passed B.A. Honours. He has
been ill since last week. I have
known him for a long time.
Note: The Time Adverb used in this tense: just, just now,
recently, currently, yet already, lately, never, ever, so far, till now, today,
this week, this month, since, for, not yet,
Negative
Sentence
Rule:
subject + have / has + not + verb (past participle) + extension
For example,
I have never gone to China. He has not yet helped me.
Interrogative
Sentence
Rule:
Have / has + subject + verb (past participle) + extension + ?
For example,
Have you ever been to the Philippines? Has she fed her baby?
Note: The 3rd
Person Singular Number takes ‘has’ and the rest take ‘have’.
Present Perfect Continuous Tense
d)
Present Perfect Continuous Tense:
An action that started in the past and continues till now is called Present
Perfect Continuous Tense. Here we use ‘since’ and ‘for’.
Affirmative Sentence
Rule:
Subject + have / has + been + verb + ing + extension + since / for + time
expression
For example,
It has been raining since mid-night. They have been writing
down a note for three hours.
The use of ‘Since’
a) Since (the point of time): Morning, last
day, last Monday, last year, last night, year(1986), time (9.00 am), mid-night,
For example,
Borney has been studying at Dhaka University
since 2006. It has been raining since mid-night.
The use of ‘For’
b)
For (the period of time / duration
of an action / number): One second,
two minutes, three hours, four days, five months, six years, seven decades.
For example,
I have been learning English for eleven years.
Mr. David has been treating her for three months.
Negative
Sentence
Rule:
Subject + have / has + not + been + verb + ing + extension.
For example,
Nasim has not been listening to me for five minutes. They
have not been trying since 2011.
Interrogative
Sentence
Rule:
Have / has + subject + been + verb + ing + extension + ?
For example,
Have I been learning English since 2002?
Past Indefinite Tense
a)
Past Indefinite Tense: The action
that took place in the indefinite time of past is called Past Indefinite Tense.
Here we find the mention of time.
Affirmative Sentence
Rule:
Subject + verb (past form) + extension
For example,
Once upon a time there lived a king named Arthur in England.
I got myself admitted at Dhaka University
in 2006.
An angel came to me last
night. I saw a fairy in my flower garden yesterday.
Note: The Time
Adverbs used in Past Indefinite Tense are: Ago, long long
ago, long since, once upon a time, last, last year, yesterday, the previous
day, once year back, (1985), used to,
today, this afternoon, then.
Rule: Regular habitual action in the past is expressed through
the Past Indefinite Tense with ‘used to’.
For example,
He used to play chess when he was 15
years old.
Rule: Irregular habitual action in the past
is expressed with ‘would’
For example,
He would bathe in the river Hariabhanga / Meghna
every afternoon.
Rule: After the phrase ‘as if’ / ‘as though’ we use Past Indefinite Tense.
For example,
He behaves as if / as though he were mad.
Rule: If the Reported Speech is in Present
Indefinite Tense, in the Indirect Speech we use Past Indefinite Tense.
For example,
He said to me, “I see a movie titled ‘Devil’s Advocate’.”
He told me that he saw a movie titled ‘Devil’s Advocate’. (Past Indefinite Tense)
Negative
Sentence
Rule: Subject
+ did not + verb (present) + extension
For example,
I did not kill a snake. He did not eat a mango.
He did not give me a gift. They did not go to the cinema.
She did not write a letter to him. I did not make a
table. You did not answer correctly.
Interrogative
Sentence
Rule:
Did + subject + verb (present) + object + ?
For example,
Did he give me a gift yesterday? Did they go to the cinema
the previous day?
Did she write a letter to him? Did I make a table? Did you
answer correctly?
Past Continuous Tense
b) Past Continuous Tense: The action that was progressing in past but not completed is
called Past Continuous Tense.
Affirmative Sentence
Rule:
Subject + was / were (auxiliary) + verb + ing + extension
For
example,
They were laughing at the joker. He was taking examination.
While I was walking in the garden, I
saw a poisonous snake. You were waiting for him. She was
working in a factory. It was raining.
Negative
Sentence
Rule:
Subject + was / were (auxiliary) + not + verb + ing + extension
For
example,
They were
not laughing at the joker. He was not taking exam.
You were not waiting for him. She was not working in a factory.
You were not waiting for him. She was not working in a factory.
Interrogative
sentences
Rule:
Was / were (auxiliary) + subject + verb + ing + extension + ?
For
example,
Were they
laughing at the joker? Was he taking exam?
Were you waiting for him? Was she working in a factory? Was it raining?
Were you waiting for him? Was she working in a factory? Was it raining?
Past Perfect Tense
c) Past Perfect Tense: Past Perfect Tense describes an action completed before a
certain moment in the past. If two actions took place in the past, it is
necessary to show which action happened earlier than the other. The Past
Perfect Tense is mainly used in such situations. The Simple Past Tense is used
in one clause and the Past Perfect Tense in the other.
Affirmative Sentence
Rule:
Subject + had + verb (past participle) + extension + before / after + Past
Indefinite Tense.
For
example,
The doctor had come before the patient died. The
doctor came after the patient died. I had written the letter before
he arrived. No sooner had the thief seen me than he started running. Hardly had
I learnt English grammar when I could speak in English fluently.
Note: ‘Before’
_vK‡j Past
Perfect Tense Av‡M, Avi ‘After’ _vK‡j Past Perfect Tense c‡i e‡m| GKwU Past Perfect Tense n‡j, Ab¨wU Past Indefinite Tense n‡e| We should keep
in mind that the earlier action is in Past Perfect Tense and the latter one in
Past Indefinite Tense.
Past Perfect Continuous Tense
d)
Past Perfect Continuous Tense: This
tense is used for an action that began before a certain point in the past and
continued up to that time.
Affirmative Sentence
Rule:
Subject + had been + verb + ing + extension + since / for (time expression)
For example,
At that time he had been writing a novel for two months. When
Mr. Mofizzar Rahaman came to the school in 1995, Mr. Dipak Kumar had already
been teaching there for five years.
Future Indefinite Tense
a) Future Indefinite Tense: An action that has
not taken place yet rather will take place in future is called Future
Indefinite Tense.
Affirmative Sentence
Rule: Subject + shall / will + verb ( present
) + extension
For example,
I shall be 20 next Saturday.
It will be Ramadan in a week. We
will know our examination results in May.
Note: We use ‘shall’ with the 1st but ‘will’ with 2nd
Person and 3rd Person accordingly. But now in modern English we can
use ‘will’ with 1st, 2nd
and 3rd Person.
Negative
Sentence
Rule: subject + shall / will + not + verb
(present) + extension
For
example,
He will not start a business. She will not send me a
letter. They will not buy a new car. The pattern of exam will not change next
year. I will not give you a pen tomorrow. Students will not take exams at the
end of semester.
Interrogative Sentence
Rule: Shall / will + subject + verb (present)
+ extension + ?
For example,
Will he
start a business? Will she send me a letter? Will they buy a new car? Will the
Pattern of examination change next year? Shall I give you a pen tomorrow? Will
students take exams at the end of semester?
Future Continuous Tense
b)
Future Continuous Tense: We use the
tense when we talk about something that we have planned to do in the future. Here
in this tense, the action is thought to be going on in the future.
Affirmative Sentence
Rule: Subject + shall / will + be + verb +
ing + extension.
For example,
He will be catching fish.
I shall be swimming in the pond. I will be staying her till
Sunday.
Negative Sentence
Rule: Subject + shall / will + not + be +
verb + ing + extension.
For example,
I shall not be catching fish. Borney will not be studying
by day.
Interrogative Sentence
Rule: Shall / will + subject + be + verb +
ing + extension + ?
For example,
Will you be taking tea in the morning? Shall I be doing the
work?
Future Perfect Tense
c) Future Perfect Tense: It is used to express an action which will occur in future
and is thought to be completed in future. It expresses a sense of completion of
an action which will occur in future.
For example,
John will have gone tomorrow.
Note: It shows a sense
of completion of an action (go) which will occur in future (tomorrow).
Affirmative Sentence
Rules:
Subject + shall / will + have + verb ( past participle ) + extension.
Examples:
She will have finished the work by Wednesday. I will have left for home by the time he gets up. You will have started a job.
She will have finished the work by Wednesday. I will have left for home by the time he gets up. You will have started a job.
Negative Sentence
Rule: Subject + shall / will + not + have + verb ( past
participle ) + extension.
Examples:
She will not have finished the work by Wednesday. I will not have left for home by the time he gets up. You will not have started a job. By the end of the month, I will not have worked here.
She will not have finished the work by Wednesday. I will not have left for home by the time he gets up. You will not have started a job. By the end of the month, I will not have worked here.
Interrogative
Sentence
Rule:
Shall / will + Subject + have + verb ( past participle
) + extension + ?
Examples
Will she have finished the work by Wednesday? Will Borney
have come here by 2020? Shall I have finished the work by June?
Note: fwel¨‡Z GKwU Kv‡Ri Av‡M Avi GKwU KvR
n‡e eySv‡j, ‡h KvRwU Av‡M n‡e †mwU Future Perfect Tense Avi †h KvRwU c‡i n‡e †mwU Present Indefinite Tense or Future Indefinite Tense n‡e|
Example:
They will have
reached the station before the train leaves
/ the train will leave.
Future Perfect Continuous Tense
d) Future Perfect Continuous Tense: It is used to express a continued or ongoing action that
will start in future and is thought to be continued till sometime in future.
(Remember, an ongoing action in future which will continue till some time in
future). There will be a time reference, such as “since 1980, for three hours”
from which the action will start in future and will continue. A sense of time
reference is found which gives an idea that action will start at some time in
future and will continue for some time. Such time reference or sense of
time reference is the identity of Future perfect continuous tense because it
tells that action will start at a particular time in future.
Affirmative
Sentence
Rules:
Subject + shall have / will have + been + verb + ing + since/ for + extension +
time reference
Examples:
I will have been waiting for him for an hour. She will have been playing football since 2015.
For
example:
He will
have been studying in this school since 2005.
Note: So it means that he will start studying in this school in
2005 and will study in this school till sometime in future. Note:
If there is not time reference or sense of time reference then it is not Future
Perfect Continuous Tense because there is no hint about the time of action when
it will start in future and it seems just an ongoing action in future, which
resembles ‘Future Continuous Tense’.
So the reference of time differentiates between Future perfect continuous tense
between Future Continuous Tense.
Negative
Sentence
Rule: Subject + shall / will + not + have been + verb + ing + extension + time reference
Note: To make negative sentence, the
word “not” is added inside auxiliary
verb, so it becomes “will not have been”.
Examples: I will
not have been waiting for him for one hour. She will not have been playing
football since 2015.
Interrogative
Sentence
Rule: Will / shall + subject + have been + verb + ing + extension + time reference + ?
Rule: Will / shall + subject + have been + verb + ing + extension + time reference + ?
Examples:
Shall I have been waiting for him for one hour?
Will she have been playing football since 2015?
Note: ‡h KvRwU Av‡M NU‡e †mwU Future Perfect Continuous Tense n‡e,
Avi †h KvRwU c‡i NU‡e †mwU Present Indefinite Tense or Future Indefinite Tense n‡q _v‡K|
Example,
They will have been playing in the field for an hour.
He will have been doing the sum before he goes to school.
Structures
of Tense
Present Tense
1. Present Indefinite Tense: Subject + verb (present form) + extension
2. Present Continuous Tense: Subject + am/is/are + verb + ing + extension
3. Present Perfect Tense: Subject + have/ has + verb (past participle form) +
extension
4. Present Perfect Continuous
Tense: Subject + have been/ has been +
verb + ing + since/ for + extension
Past Tense
1. Past Indefinite Tense: Subject + verb (past form) + extension
2. Past Continuous Tense: Subject + was/were + verb + ing + extension
3. Past Perfect Tense: Subject + had + verb (past participle form) +
extension
4. Past Perfect Continuous
Tense: Subject + had been + verb + ing +
extension
Future Tense
1. Future Indefinite Tense: Subject + shall/will + verb (present form) + extension
2. Future Continuous Tense: Subject + shall be/ will be + verb + ing + extension
3. Future Perfect Tense: Subject + shall have/ will have + verb (past participle
form) + extension
4. Future Perfect Continuous
Tense: Subject + shall have been/ will
have been + verb + ing +
extension
Md. Saiful Alam
B. A. Honours and M. A. in English
Lecturer of English
Queen’s College, Dhaka
E-mail: suman64924@gmail.com
My affectionate Readers,
Please, never hesitate to comment and any correction or
suggestion regarding my writings will be largely appreciated and valued and you can ask me any grammatical questions regarding English.
I promise I would try my level best to assist you, all. Thank you very much.
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