Tense

Tense

In grammar, tense is a category that expresses time reference with reference to the moment of speaking. Verbs come in three tenses.

The tenses of verbs indicate two different things about the action concerned.

• The time of the action- present, past, future.
• The kind of action- single, repeated, continuous, completed, incomplete, etc.

	Present	Past	Future
Simple	He runs. We run	He ran. We ran.	He will run. We shall run.
Continuous	He is running. We are running.	He was running. We were running.	He will be running. We shall be running.
Perfect	He has run. He had run.	He had run. We had run.	He will run. He shall have run.
Perfect continuous	He has been running. We have been running.	He had been running. We had been running.	He will have been running. We shall have been running.

The Present Continuous Tense 

Structures:

• Affirmative:

Sub + is/am/are + v4 + obj

E.g. He is writing a letter.

• Negative:

Sub + id/am/are + not + v4 + obj

E.g. He is not writing a letter.

• Questions:

Is/am/are + sub + v4 + obj + ?

E.g. Is he writing a letter?

WH + is/am/are + sub + v4 + obj + ?

E.g. Why is he writing a letter?

• Active:

Sub + is/am/are + v4 + obj

E.g. He is writing a poem.

• Passive:

Obj + is/am/are + being + v4 + by + sub

A poem is being written by him.

Uses:

We use present continuous tense to show:

• Things that are happening now at the moment.

E.g. What are you doing?

She’s reading in the garden.

• Actions happening in a period around the present moment in time:

For E.g. Whose account are you working on?

She’s studying hard for her final exam.

• Future plans and arrangements:

E.g. They are coming to stay with us in September.

I’m going to give an interview on May 20.

• Gradual change:

E.g. The children are growing fast.

The price of things is going up.

The Present Perfect Tense

Structures:

• Affirmative:

Sub + has/have + v3 + obj

E.g. He has written a letter.

• Negative:

Sub + has not/have not + v3 + obj

E.g. He has not written a letter.

• Questions:

Has/have + sub + v3 + obj + ?

E.g. Has he written a letter?

WH + has/have + sub + v3 + obj + ?

E.g. Why has he written a letter?

• Active:

Sub + has/have + v3 + obj

E.g. He is written a letter.

• Passive:

Obj + has/have + been + v3 + by + sub

A letter is been written by him.

Uses:

We use the present perfect tense to talk about:

• Happenings in the past that affect or explain the present situation.

E.g. Diya looks upset. Has she failed the exam?

I can’t pay the bus fare. I’ve lost my purse.

• Our experiences

E.g. I have been to Pokhara.

I’ve never been to Dharan.