tenses in tables

7/28/2019 Tenses in Tables

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THE TENSES

I. PRESENT TENSE SIMPLE I. PRESENT TENSE CONTINUOUS

1. repeated habitual actionsadverbs of frequency :always, usually, often, sometimes, occasionally,

seldom, rarely, hardly ever, never, generally, every day/week/month/year,

once, twice, 3 times a day

2. natural, scientific, eternal truths

e.g. Birds fly.

3. afterHEREand THERE

e.g. Here he comes.

4. by radio commentators

e.g. Jones passes the ball to Hunter he shoots its a goal!

5. expresses a future action as part ofan official plan, of a fixed timetable or

programmee.g. The train leaves at 5:30.

We come back on the 6th of June.

6. expressesfuture in the constructions:

a) TO BE ABOUT TO = tre en train de/a fi pe punctul de a

e.g. I am about to leave for Paris.b) TO BE TO = devoir (instruction, order)

e.g. You are to go and see him now!

c) TO BE DUE TO = to be supposed to (see 5)e.g. The holidays are due to begin on the 15th of June.

7. it has a future meaning in a time clause and if clause

e.g. Ill be there when you arrive.

Ill buy that carifyou want me to.

1.action in progress at presentadverbs: now, just, at the moment

2. temporary habits which include the presentadverbs of indefinite time: this year, tonight, today, these days

e.g. He is writing another novel this year.

3. an action often repeated that it becomes irritable causing a strong feelingin the speaker

adverbs of frequency: always, continually, constantly, perpetually, for ever

e.g. They are always complaining.

4.Pre-arrangedfuture actions (less personal intention)adverbs expressing future: tomorrow, this week, in May.

e.g. He is taking his exam tomorrow.

5. expresses refusal

e.g. 1st person: I am not doing it again. (=I refuse to)2ne and 3rd person: Youre not using my pen again. (=I wont allow you to)

6. TO BE GOING TO

a)personal intention, usually premeditatede.g. I am going to buy a house. (=I intend to)

b) probability based on present evidence

e.g. Its cloudy. Its going to rain.adverbs:soon, right away, in just a minute

7. verbs that cannot be used in the continuous aspect

a) verbs of perception: notice, observe, recognise,

b) non-conclusive verbs: know, forget, suppose, care, seem, own, belong,


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understand, wish, want

8. verbs which can be used both in the continuous and simple aspect but assuming different meanings

SMELL, TASTE, FEEL

e.g. The flowersmells good. e.g. Im smelling the flower. (= Object)

SEEe.g. I see you very well. e.g. Im seeing my dentist tomorrow. (=meet, visit)

THINK

e.g. I thinkyoure right. (=opinion) e.g. Im thinking about my childhood. (=meditate)

EXPECT

e.g. She expects you to help her. e.g. Shes expecting a baby. (=to wait)

BE

e.g. He is a good person. e.g. Hes being silly today. (=temporary behaviour)

HEAR

e.g. She hears our conversation. e.g. The jury is hearing the witness.

HAVE

e.g. I have 2 brothers. (to possess) IDIOMS: have fun/a party/trouble/lunch/a good or a bad time

II. PRESENT PERFECT SIMPLE II. PRESENT PERFECT CONTINUOUS

1. Past finished action with no time definition or:

adverbs indefinite: already, just, yet, recently, lately, so far, this week, today

adverbs of frequency: ever, never, often, seldom, every day

e.g. Ive never seen such a beauty.

2. action begun in the past and continued up to the present

1. action begun in the past and still continuing in the present (since & for)

e.g. Ive been playing tennis for 2 hours.

2. a past action whose duration is stressed.e.g. Ive been cooking all morning today.


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SINCE: the point of time the action began: Since when?

FOR: the whole period of duration:How long?

e.g. Ive known himfor2 years.He has been illsince Monday.

3. past action with resultin the present

e.g. I cannot see well because Ive broken my glasses.4. an action which took place in the past but can be repeated in the

present (see III,5)

e.g. He has written many poems. (He still writes)

Ive met him twice. (I could meet him again)5. to open a conversation

e.g. Have you seen the film?

6. future perfect meaning in a time clause

e.g. Shell tell me the news afterIve finished dinner.

7. BE/ STAY/ LIVE + Present Perfect afterSINCE:

e.g. Its 2 years since Ive been married.

3. +Past Tense Simple

Present Perfect Simple in the subordinate clause after SINCE

e.g. We have been working hard since we came here. (punctual verb)we have been here. (durative verb)

III. PAST TENSE SIMPLE III. PAST TENSE CONTINUOUS

1. past finished actionadverbs definite: yesterday morning, last night, long ago

, then, at that time,

the day before yesterday, just now, on/before/after the 1stof March, at noon,

in spring

2. expresses consecutive past actions (tense of narration)

e.g. He went in and sat down next to me.

3. events that happen quickly one after the otheradverbs (order of actions):first, second, almost immediately, before, after,

then, next, finally

e.g. First he climbed the stairs then he opened the door.

1. an action in progress at a given past momente.g. She was watching TV at 4 oclock/ at this time yesterday.

2. an action going on at a time when something else happened

e.g. She was sleeping when I enteredthe room.

3. parallel actions (going on at the same time)

e.g. While I was crying she was laughing.

4. an action in progress filling up a whole period of time in the past

e.g. It was raining during the meeting./ all day yesterday.

5. (see I,3)


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4. expresses a period of time in the past, which began and ended in the

past (from to/ for)

e.g. It rained from Monday to Wednesday last week./ for three days lastweek.

5. an action which took place in the past but cannot be repeated (see

II,4)

e.g. He wrote many poems. (he doesnt write any more)

I met him twice this morning. (I couldnt meet him again)

6. a past habitual action: USED TO + durative verbs, WOULD +punctual verbs (in a succession of actions, a recurrent habit)

e.g. He used to play tennis when he was 10.

He would spend his holidays in the mountains, he would swim

, climb

the trees and sing.

e.g. She was always biting her nails as a child.

6. it is used in descriptions (=imparfait)e.g. The snow was falling over the city.

IV. PAST PERFECT SIMPLE IV. PAST PERFECT CONTINUOUS

1. a past action which took place before another past action

e.g. I was angry because she had left without a word.

adverbs indefinite: already, by that time, before

e.g. I read the book last week. I hadnt read it before.

Another action + :a) BY THE TIME

e.g. By the time mother arrived we had finished our homework.

b)AFTER/ AS SOON ASe.g. After I had finished lunch I went out.

I went out as soon as I had finished lunch.

c) WHENe.g. When they had arrived we sat down to lunch. (after completion of the

action)

When the

y arrived we had sat down to lunch. (already)

1. an action begun before a past moment and continuing in that past moment

adverbs and time clauses: by, for/since, how long, when, before, aftere.g. By the time I entered the classroom, she had been teaching for half an

hour.

2. a habitual action within a time periodadverbs of frequency: every 10 minutes, regularly

e.g. She had been praying every 5 minutes until I arrived.


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d)BEFORE

e.g. They arrived before we had sat down to lunch.

e) UNTIL

e.g. She didnt understand until I had explained.

f)HARDLY, SCARCELY, BARELY, NO SOONER, NOT UNTIL, ONLY

WHEN+ inversion; ONCE

e.g. Once he had left her, he came to me.

2. an action begun before a past moment and:

a)still continuing at that moment

e.g. He had been home for 2 hours when I entered.

b) continuing up to that moment

e.g. I had waited for her for 2 hours before she came.

3. indicates that an action has been prevented before it as completede.g. They returned before they had found the child.

4. when the narratorlooks back on earlier actions from a certain point in the

past


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V. FUTURE TENSE SIMPLE V. FUTURE TENSE CONTINUOUS

1. future fact or prediction

e.g. Youll make a very good teacher.adverbs definite: tomorrow morning, the day after tomorrow, next week,

then, soon, in a few minutes/2days time

2. sudden decisione.g. Mary is leaving now. So am I. Ill give her a lift home.

3. offer or request for action (see FTC,V,3)

e.g. Will you bring your boyfriend to the party?

Shall I give you a hand?

4. threat or promise

e.g. Next time you come here Ill set my dog on you! Ill keep in touch with you.

5. opinion, speculation, assumption about the future (THINK,

SUPPOSE, EXPECT, PROBABLY)

e.g. I doubt ifyoull be able to read this book.

6. strong probability (modal)

e.g. Have you seen him? Hell be home now. (= He must be home now)

7. habitual actions, universal truthse.g. Ill go to the library twice a week.

A flowerwill die without water.

1. an action in progress at a particular moment in the future

adverbs: at this time tomorrow/next week, in a month, at 10 oclock

e.g. This time next weekIll be lying on the beach in Italy.

2. an action filling up a whole period of time in the futuree.g. Well be sleeping all day tomorrow because were tired.

3. request for information (polite) (see FTS,V,3)

e.g. Will you be bringing your boyfriend to the party?

4. an anticipated action which will happen as a matter of course

e.g. The BBC will be showing highlights from the match this evening.

5. strong probability (modal)

e.g. What is she doing? Shell be doing her homework. (= She must be doingit)


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VI. FUTURE PERFECT SIMPLE VI. FUTURE PERFECT CONTINUOUS

1. an action already completed at a given future moment, it can be

limited by:

a) adverbs indefinite:by this time tomorrow, by then, a year from now

e.g. Youll have known the results by next month.

b) another action: when, before, by the time

e.g. Youll have finished your homeworkwhen Im back./before Im back.

Ill have been home for 3 hours by the time youre back.

1. an action begun before a future moment and still continuing into that

future moment2 time markers:for (duration) by (end point)

e.g. By next yearIll have been working here for three years.

tenses in tables

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