TIME AND TENSE WITH MOOD

 

TIME AND TENSE WITH MOOD

What is Tense?

Tense denotes the time of verb or an action or state. [The word tense comes from the Latin tempus or time]

TENSE = TIME OF ACTION or STATE

Action	He does his homework.	Action of present time.
	He did his homework.	Action of past time.
	He will do his homework.	Action of future time.
State	He is very idle.	State of present time.
	He was very idle in his boyhood.	State of past time.
	He will be idle in his old age.	He will be idle in his old age.

We can organize an action or state mainly in three parts of time:

There are four different forms of each of the three main divisions:

(i)            Indefinite,     (ii) Continuous,     (iii) Perfect,       (iv) Perfect Continuous

Difference of ‘is to’ and ‘has to / have to’:

It is wrong to suppose that ‘is to’ and ‘has to / have to’ mean the same thing.

‘Is to’ means ‘it is settled’ and ‘has to / have to ‘means ‘it is obligatory’.

He is to go there (= it is settled that he will go.)

He has to go there. (= It is obligatory for him to go)

We have to keep a record of the expenses. (Obligation)

Different Forms of Simple Present:

Affirmative	Question	Negative
I write. We write. You write. He writes. She writes. They write.	Do I write? Do we write? Do you write? Does he write? Does she write? Do they write?	I don`t write. We don`t write. You don`t write. He does n`t write. She does n`t write. They don`t write.

PRESENT CONTINUOUS (PRESENT PROGRESSIVE)

Present Continuous Tense is used when an action is continued or going to be continued in near future:

Subject   +   am / is / are   + (verb +ing)

I am reading a book.

We are reading a book.

You are reading a book.

He is reading a book.

She is reading a book.

It is raining outside.

They are reading books.

Near Future:

My uncle is arriving here tomorrow.

Are you coming to the meeting this afternoon?

‘Going to ‘for near future:

We are going to leave for Italy today. (Near future)

I am going to Lahore tonight. (Near future)

These verbs are not normally used in the Continuous form:

(1)   Verbs of perception, e.g. see, hear, smell, notice, recognize.  

(2)   Verbs of appearing e.g. appear, look, red.

(3)    Verbs of emotion, e.g. want, wish, desire, feel, like, love, hate, hope refuse.

(4)   Verbs of thinking, e.g. think, suppose, believe, agree, consider, trust, prefer, remember, forget, know, imagine, mean, mind, understand

(5)   Have (= possess), own, posses, belong to, contain, consist of be (except when used in the passive).           

So we must say “I see an aeroplane”. (Not “I am seeing an aeroplane.”)

“What do you think of him?” (Not “What are you thinking of him?”

“How do you feel now?”  (Not, “How are you feeling now?”)

“I feel quite well / rather tired / dizzy” etc. (Not “I am feeling quite well”)

“I feel her pulse.” (Not, “I am feeling her pulse.”)

These Verbs may be used in the Continuous Tense with a change of meaning:

I am seeing him tomorrow. (= I have an appointment with him.)

I am thinking of (= considering the idea of) going to Saudi Arabia.

Mr. Tariq is minding (= looking after) the baby as his wife is not at home.

Are you feeling better now? (Comparison)

Different Forms of Present Continuous (Progressive)

Affirmative	Question	Negative
I am writing. We are writing. You are writing. He is writing. She is writing. They are writing.	Am I writing? Are we writing? Are you writing? Is he writing? Is she writing? Are they writing?	I am not writing. We are not writing. You are not writing. He is not writing. She is not writing. They are not writing.

PRESENT PERFECT TENSE

Present Perfect Tense is used when the work has been done but its effect lasts.

Subject   +   has / have   +   (Past Participle of Verb)

I have done the work.

We have done the work.

You have done the work.

He has done the work.

She has done the work.

They have done the work.

He has studied for hours.

We have discussed this proposal in detail. I have followed their discussion with great interest.

Just, already, since, for, yet are generally used with the Present Perfect

They have just come here.

He has already finished his homework.

I have often wished to learn music.

Note: Present Perfect Tense is never used with adverbs of past time, as such;

We should not say, for example, “He has gone to Lahore yesterday” in such cases the Simple Past Tense should be used:

He went to Lahore yesterday.

I received your letter yesterday. [Not] I have received your letter yesterday.

He came here last Sunday. [Not] He has come here last Sunday.

Note: Sometimes Present Perfect Tense is used with ‘after / when’ with the function of predicting a cause and effect sequence of events in the Simple Future Tense:

(a)    After he has finished writing the letter, he will post it.

(b)   When she has got the house painted, it will look nice.

Different Forms of Present Perfect

Affirmative	Question	Negative
I have written. We have written. You have written. He has written. She has written. They have written.	Have I written? Have we written? Have you written? Has he written? Has she written? Have they written?	I haven`t written. We haven`t written. You haven`t written. He hasn`t written. She hasn`t written. They haven`t written.

Modals + Perfective

Could / may / might + Perfective [to indicate a past possibly]

It may / might have rained last night.

The cause of death could have been bacteria.

Should + Perfective [to indicate an obligation that did not occur]

The grass is wet.

It must have rained last night.

PRESENT PERFECT CONTINUOUS TENSE

The Present Perfect Continuous Tense is used for an action which began at some time in the past and is still continuing:

Subject   +   has been / have been + (Verb + ing)

I have been doing this work for two days.

We have been living her for five years.

He has been reading in this school for three years.

Sofia has been waiting for you for a long time.

Neal am has been suffering fever since (from) Sunday last.

It has been raining from (since) Monday last.

For, since and from: “Both (since and from) denotes a point of time, not a space or period. But ‘since’ is preceded by a verb in some perfect tense, while ‘from’ can be used with any form of tense. Another difference is that ‘since’ can be used only in reference to past time, whereas ‘from’ can be used for present and future tense.

Different Forms of Present Perfect Continuous

Affirmative	Question	Negative
I have been working. We have been working. You have been working. He has been working. She has been working. They have been working.	Have I been working? Have we been working? Have you been working? Has he been working? Has she been working? Have they been working?	I have not been working. We have not been working. You have not been working. He has not been working. She has not been working. They have not been working.

 PAST INDEFINITE TENSE

 Past Indefinite Tense is used to denote an action completed in the past  or a past habit

Subject   +    Past form of Verb

 I / we / you / he / she did the work.

They did the work. 

He spent his boyhood in Lahore. 

She began learning English since (from) the age of ten.

Would / used to (For habitual past or past habit):

He would (used to) bath in the river everyday.

Ali would (used to) play cricket every afternoon. 

Difference between 'used to' and 'would': 

The servant used to tell them stories.

He would sit by the window and watch people at the pond. 

The verbs in sentence 1 and 2 tell us about past habits

But the first one is often used writing and the second in speech.

Moreover these verbs express a discontinued habit:

 "I used to ride a lot" means that "I rode a lot at one period of my life but that I do not ride a lot now"

However, in a given context would / used to may not be repeated and simple past may also be used to denote past habits:

"He used to sit there and look out at the little pond. He watched the people come to bathe in the pond"

Simple past may also be used with 'often', 'always', 'usually', 'regularly', etc. to denotes past habits:

the servants usually looked after him. 

He watered the plants.regularly. 

Different Forms of Simple Past

Affirmative	Question	Negative
I had opened. We had opened. You had opened. He had opened. She had opened.	Had I opened? Had we opened? Had you opened? Had he opened? Had she opened? Had they opened?	I had not opened. We had not opened. You had not opened. He had not opened. She had not opened.

 

PAST CONTINUOUS (PAST PROGRESSSIVE)

Past Continuous Tense is used when the action was continued for some time in the past:

I was playing football.

We were playing football.

You were playing football.

He was playing football.

She was playing football.

They were playing football.

What was she doing last evening?

Note: Past Progressive is often used together with a Simple Past when two clauses in the Past Tense are joined with ‘when’ or ‘while’;

I saw you while you were playing in the field.

It was raining when I reached home.

When he was having his breakfast, I want to see him.

Different Forms of Past Continuous

Affirmative	Question	Negative
I was playing. We were playing. You were playing. He was playing. She was playing. They were playing.	Was I playing? Were we playing? Were you playing? Was he playing? Was she playing? Were they playing?	I was not playing. We were not playing. You were not playing. He was not playing. She was not playing. They were not playing.

 PAST CONTINUOUS (PAST PROGRESSIVE)

Past Continuous Tense is used when the action was continued for some time in the past:

I was playing football.

We were playing football.

You were playing football.

He was playing football.

She was playing football.

They were playing football.

What was she doing last evening?

Note: Past Progressive is often used together with a Simple Past when two clauses in the Past Tense are joined with ‘when’ or ‘while’;

I saw you while you were playing in the field.

It was raining when I reached home.

When he was having his breakfast, I want to see him.

Different Forms of Past Continuous

Affirmative	Question	Negative
I was playing. We were playing. You were playing. He was playing. She was playing. They were playing.	Was I playing? Were we playing? Were you playing? Was he playing? Was she playing? Were they playing?	I was not playing. We were not playing. You were not playing. He was not playing. She was not playing. They were not playing.

 PAST PERFECT TENSE

 Past Perfect Tense is used in the former action between two completed action of the past. Simple Past is used in the later action.

Subject   +   had   +   (Past Participle of Verb)

 Javed had gone before Nasir came home.

She played her violin before the key-show started.

The train had started before I reached the station. 

They had reached the school before the bell rang.

I had shut the door before I got into bed.

The patient had died before the doctor came.

or 

The doctor came after the patient had died.

The doctor had come before the patient died.

or The patient died after the doctor had come.

Past Perfect with 'when':

I had done my exercise when Ahmad came to see me.

Past Perfect with 'Hardly / Scarcely':

In such case 'had' is placed just after 'Hardly / Scarcely'. 

Hardly / Scarcely had we started when it began to rain.

or 

We had hardly started when it began to rain. 

Past Perfect with 'No sooner....than':

In such case 'had' is placed just after 'No sooner'.

or Simple Past ----'No sooner did ....than')

No sooner had we left the house than it began to rain.

or 

No sooner did we leave the house than it began to rain.

Different Forms of Past Perfect

Affirmative	Question	Negative
I shall do. We shall do. You will do. He will do. She will do. They will do.	Shall I do? Shall We do? Will You do? Will He do? Will she do? Will They do?	I shall not do. We shall not do. You will not do. He will not do. She will not do. They will not do.

FUTURE CONTINUOUS TENSE

Future Continuous Tense is used when an action is thought to be going on in the future.

Subject   shall be / will be + (verb +ing)

I shall be doing the work.

We shall be doing the work.

You will be doing the work.

He will be doing the work.

She will be doing the work.

I shall be reading the book when father comes. [Future Continuous Tense with Simple Present]

Different Forms of Future Time

Affirmative	Question	Negative
I shall be doing. We shall be doing. You will be doing. He will be doing. She will be doing. They will be doing.	Will I be doing? Shall We be doing? You will be doing? Will He be doing? Will She be doing? They will be doing.	I shall not be doing. We shall not be doing. You will not be doing. He will not be doing. She will not be doing. They will not be doing.