Tense and its use
Tense comes from Latin word ‘tensus’ which means time or period. So tense means the action of verb.
Tenses are of three kinds:
- Present Tense
- Past Tense
- Future Tense Present Tense:
If the action happens in present period then it is called present tense.
As: He is a boy. They are poor. My father's name is Abdur Rob.
Past Tense:If the action happens in past period then it is called past tense.
As: I wrote a letter. He gave me some rice. I loved Mina. She also loved me.
Future Tense:If the action happens in future period of time then it is called future tense.
As: I shall go to school tomorrow. They will help me as I am honest.
In brief:
Tense | ||
Present | Past | Future |
Every Kind of Tense is of four kinds.
They are as follows:
Indefinite/ Simple Continuous Perfect / Perfect Simple Perfect Continuous Present Tense is of four Kinds:Present Tense | Present Indefinite /Simple |
Present Continuous /Progressive | |
Present Perfect or Perfect Simple | |
Present Perfect Continuous |
Present Indefinite/simple:If there happens any action generally in present time then it is called present simple.
As: My name is Karim. She dances well. I like her for her beauty and smartness.
More Use of Present simple or indefinite:- To express a universal or general truth: As: Honesty is the best policy. The earth moves round the sun. Oil floats on water. Rainbow has seven colours. Allah is unit or one. Man is mortal.
- To express a habitual or permanent action: As: My mother reads the holly Quran. My watch keeps right time. Cats drink milk. Dogs bark. He smokes. He always works at night.
- The simple present is often used with adverbs or adverb phrases such as : always, never, occasionally, often, sometimes, usually, every weak, on Monday, twice a year etc. As: How often do you wash your hair? I go to mosque on Fridays. It rains in rainy season.
- To set quotation from different books or notice: As: Shakespeare says, “Neither be a borrower nor a lender be.” John Keats says, “A thing of beauty is joy for ever. Heard melodies are sweet those unheard are sweeter.” Alexander Pope says, “To err is human.”
- It can be used in newspaper headlines: Mass Murderer Escapes. Peace talk fails. Bangladesh wins in play.
- To express a near future action: She comes tomorrow. The school opens next week.
- To express a Present action: He walks. He works. They walk. It rains.
- It is used in conditional sentence type one: If I see Salam, I’ll ask her. If Mina comes Hasina will go home.
- To express past events more lively: Taimur now attack s the enemy. Hymayun now ascends the throne. My grandfather lives happily with two children.
- It can be used for dramatic narration: When the curtain rises, Juliet is writing at her desk. Suddenly the window opens and a masked man enters.
- It can use for a planed future action or series of actions. Particularly when they refer to a journey. Travel agents use it a good deal. We leave Chittagong at ten next Monday and arrive in Dhaka at 14.00. We spend two hours in Dhaka and leave again at 17.00. We arrive in Comilla at 19.00 spend four hours in Comilla etc.
- It must be used in stead of present continuous form of perceptual verb e.g. love, see believe, smell etc. As: I lover her. I see a bird. I believe him.
- It uses in a time clauses: As soon as he earns more he spends it. She takes the boy to school before she goes to work.
- To do only one task: As: He is gone.
- To show politeness/decency would, could is used as present simple: Would you lend me your pencil, please? Could I speak to Mr. Delwar?
Present Continuous/ Progressive: If the action continues in present time then it is called present continuous tense. As: I am going to my home now. She is going to hospital. My mother is going to do the work herself.
More about Present Continuous / Progressive:
1. An action going on at present or now. As: I am doing the sum. She is writing a passage. It is raining.
2. An immediate future action: As: I’m coming next month. She is going to the next week. He is taking me to the theatre.
3. For an action happening about this time but not necessarily at the moment of speaking: As: I am reading a play by Shaw. He is teaching French and learning Greek.
4. With a point in time to indicate an action which begins before this point and probably continues after it: At five I am bathing the baby. They are flying the desert when one of the engines fails.
5. With always; for frequent repeated action: As: He is always losing his keys. Baby is always going away for weekends.
6. For an action which appears to be continuous: As: He’s always making that mistake.
7. Verbs not normally used in the continuous tenses when indicate more continue: As: I am seeing the bird (means I gaze he bird). I am looking at the picture (means looking and looking). I’m feeling her (means feeing and feeling).
8. In changing situations: As: The population of our country is increasing rapidly.
Use of Present Perfect Tense /Perfect Simple: 1. An action just finished: As: I have eaten rice. I have done my duty. He has written a letter. She has written a paragraph.2. An action incomplete period may be indicated by today/ or this morning / afternoon / evening / week/ month/ year/ century etc. As: Juthi has rung up three times this morning already (at 11 a. m.). I haven’t see Mina this afternoon (at 4 p.m.)
3. A past action the result of which is still going on: As: He has finished his work. I have done my duty.
4. A present perfect action preceded by when before, after, as soon as, etc.
As: I shall return when I have done my duty.
5. The present perfect used for recent action when the time is not mentioned. As: I have read the instruction but I don’t understand them. He has read the composition but he doesn’t understand it.
6. Recent actions in the present perfect often have results in the present. As: Ruma has had a bad bus crush (she’s probably still in hospital). The life has broken down (we have to use the stairs.)
7. It can also be used for the action which occur further back in the past, provided the connection with the present with it still maintained that is the action could be repeated in the present. As: I have seen monkey s in the forest. Rabindranath has written a number of short stories.
8. Lately, recently, used with the present perfect also indicate an incomplete period of time. As: He has been here recently. I have had a lot of bad luck lately.
9. The present can be used similarly with ever, never, always occasionally, often several times etc. and since +a point of time, since + clause or since, adverb. As: Have you ever heard the name of Kazi Nazrul Islam. I have heard occasionally / quite frequent. I have seen him since November.
10. The action usually begins in the past and continues past the time of speaking in the present. As: He has been in the army for two years (He is still in the army). I have drunk tea since I left school (I still drink). We have waited all day (we are still waiting). She has lived here all her life (she still lives here). He has always worked for us (he still works for us).
11. Sometimes, however, the action finishes at the time of speaking. As: I haven’t seen you for ages (but I see you now). This room has not been cleaned for months (but we are cleaning it now). It has been very cold lately it’s just beginning to get warmer.
12. Verbs of knowing, believing and understanding cannot be used in the present perfect except the action begins in the past and continues past the time of speaking present. As: I have known him for a long time. I have never believed their theories.
13. It can be used for think and wonder. As: I have sometimes thought that I should have emigrated. I have often wondered why he didn’t marry her.
14. The present perfect used with for and since: (For- indicates a period of time) As: We lived there for ten years (but we do not live there now). (For using with the present perfect denotes a period of time extending into the present). We have lived in London for ten years (and still live there). (For- can sometimes be omitted, especially after be, live and wait). We’ve been here an hour / two days. (for is not used before expressions beginning with all): They’ve worked all night. (Since is used with a point of time which means the time of speaking.) She has been here since six o’clock (and is still here). We’ve been friends since our schooldays. Since + clause is also possible: As: I’ve worked here since I left school. He had a bad fall last year and has been off work ever since. (ever since- adverb).
(It is + period + since + past or present perfect): As: It is three years since I have seen Lubna. It is two month since Seema has sung a song.
15. Present perfect is often used in newspapers and broadcasts to introduce an action which will then be described in the simple past tense. As: Two prisoners have escaped from jail. They used a ladder.
16. Present perfect is often used in letters: As: I am sorry I haven’t written before but I’ve been very busy lately as Bulbul has been away.
We carefully considered the report which you sent us on 26th April and have decided to take the following action.
Present Perfect Continuous: Form: Subject + Verb (to be) + the present participle + Extension.
As: I have been working for three days only.
01. This tense is used for an action which began in the past and still continuing: As: I’ve been waiting for an hour and he still hasn’t turned up.
02. Present perfect continuous is used for point of time and period of time: It has been raining for two days. I have been writing since morning.
03. An action which began in the past and is still continuing with certain verbs, be expressed by the present perfect continuous. Verbs which can be used in this way include expect , hope , learn , lie, live, look, rain , sleep, sit , snow , stand stay,. Study, teach, wait want work: As: How long have you been learning English? He has been sleeping for ten hours. It has been snowing for a long time.
04. A repeated action can sometimes be expressed as a present continuous action: As: I have been knocking the door for ten minutes. I have been writing letters since breakfast.
O5. There is, however, a difference between a single action in the simple present perfect and an action in the present perfect continuous. As: I have been polishing the car means that this job has been completed.
Past Tense:An action happened in the ancient time and result s not remaining in the present is called past Tense. As: Mina was drawing a picture. Rina had completed the task. She went to school.
Past Tense is of four Kinds:Past Tense | Past Indefinite /Simple |
Past Continuous /Progressive | |
Past Perfect or Perfect Simple | |
Past Perfect Continuous |
Use of Past Indefinite or simple:
01. To mean past habit: As: I used to go to market every morning. They used to study at night. She would scold him often. She would come here.
02. To mean single action of the past: As: He did it. We made him chairman. He died. They came yesterday.
03. Sometimes past continuous uses as past indefinite: As: While they danced we sang. While they read we slept. While they worked we passed time idly/ lazily.
04. To indicate fixed /definite time in the past: As: Azad died at two pm. She saw me long ago. She came here yesterday.
05. To make interrogative sentence ‘did’ places before subject: As: Where did she go? Did you go there? Did Galib to Barishal?
06. To use the sentences with would or used to (Irregular past habit): As Used I to live here? Would she help the poor?
07. To make negative sentence ‘did not’ is placed after the subject: As: Mina did not play. I did not do the sum. We did not do this.
08. In a sentence with ago and since: I met him long ago. He met me long since.
09. In an unreal past after – as if, as though, it is time, it is high time, if only, wishes, would sooner, would rather.
As: I wish I sang. It is high time we left the station. It is time we reached the station. It is high time she changed her bad habits. It is time the boy prepared themselves for exam. It is high time you saw your doctor. It is time I met with you. It is high time she realized her obstinacy. It is high time steps were taken to remove illiteracy. It is high time the miscreants were arrested. It is high time the bill was submitted. It is high time the guests were served. It is high time we reached in the decision.
10. To mean the action happening in the certain period. As: The bus was an hour late.
11. If the first part of since is present indefinite or perfect then in the next part. As: It is many years since I met with her. It was long since I had seen her last.
Past Continuous:Structure: Sub + was/ were + P-verb + ing +Extn.
Use of Past Continuous Tense:01.An action was going on in the past time. As: The boy was writing. The man was doing the work.
02.In two actions one was happening and the other was happened. The first one indicates past continuous. As: When she came to me I was reading a book attentively.
03. Past continuous is for the past two actions those were going on: As: While my mother was cooking, I was reading. I was gossiping while Mahboob was sleeping. My friends were playing cards while I was sleeping.
04. For the action continue frequently, with always, continually, for ever: As: He was always ringing me up.
05. To mean similar, continue and continual, with today, last night, in the morning, in the afternoon: As: Last night I was walking and singing myself. In the morning I was walking and brushing my teeth.
06.To mean gradual development in time expressionless sentence: As: The night was getting colder and colder. The day was getting hotter and hotter.
07. To describe anything about past: As: Yesterday I was walking through the village. Some boys were playing cricket and some people were looking at.
08. To mean definite future agreement: As: He was busy packing because he was leaving that night.
09. To mean a long action was going on for a while: As: Mina was learning French last year. It was raining all the night. She was writing letters all the afternoon.
Past perfect Tense:Structure: Subject + had + verb (past participle form) + Extn.
01. To mean more previous action of the past two actions: As: The patient had died before the doctor came. They had eaten rice before he reached.
02. Had uses previously of ‘before’ and later on of ‘after’: As I had eaten rice before you came. I ate rice after you had come.
03. ‘Had’ places before subject if Sentence begins with ‘No Sooner, Hardly, Scarcely’: As: No sooner had I reached the station than the train left. Scarcely had we started before it began to rain.
04. if two past actions connect with that then past perfect tense places after that. As: Kamal said that he had done the work.
05. To mean first one happened before the second ‘when’ is used. Past perfect places after ‘when’. : When she had sung her song, she stood up.
06. Sentence with ‘till, until, now that, as soon as.’: As: As soon as they had finished the work, they went out. He refused to help me till he had known me well.
07. Verbs of knowing, understanding etc are not normally used in the past perfect in time clauses. As: When she had known me for a year she invited me to tea.
Past Perfect Continuous: Def- The two past action happen in the past time.The previous one takes past perfect tense.
Use of Past Perfect Continuous:01.When the action began before the time of speaking in the past and continued up to that time or stopped just before it. We can use the following form. As: It was now six and he was tired because he had been working since dawn.
02. A repeated action in the past perfect can sometimes be expressed as a continuous action by the past perfect continuous. As: He had been trying to get her on the phone.
(He had tried five times)
03. To show previous activity whether not the job was completed: As: He had been repairing the engine.
04. An action n the past perfect may occur shortly before the time of speaking; but there could be quite a log interval between them. As: He had been painting the door.
Future Tense: The action which will happen afterwards is known as Future Tense. As: I shall do the work tomorrow. Mamun will have made the tower. Suman will be eating rice. Anne will be scolding her maternal grandfather. I shall be regretting for her. Anne will be repent for her grandfather. I shall remember him for ever. Sir; please you will take care of my grandchild. Pappu will shine in life.
Future tense is of four kinds.
Future Tense | Future Indefinite /Simple |
Future Continuous /Progressive | |
Future Perfect or Perfect Simple | |
Future Perfect Continuous |
Future Indefinite /Simple:An action will be held in future is known as Future Indefinite or Simple.
Structure: Sub. + shall / will + Verb – Past perfect + Extn.
As: I shall go to school tomorrow. She will help me in danger.
Use of Future Indefinite / Simple:01.Actions happen generally in future: As: She will repent for the present. I will help her in danger. Badan will be punished for this deed. Tomorrow will be Monday. My mother will be 81 in August.
02.Uses to influence future actions /clause/ condition: As: He will come if I give him money. We shall never finish the plan if you go forward slowly. I shall not go if it rains outside.
03. For irregular, objectionable future task: As: At times he will read for six or seven hours without stoppage. Masud will sit near the girl in the class for making fun.
04. ‘Going to’ from is used as future indefinite tense or chiefly in newspapers and news broadcasts. As: It is going to storm soon.(Future Possibility). The work is going to be more difficult. (Future possibility) He is going to spend his holydays at home.(Future will). Are you going to learn French? (Future will). He is going to tell me a story.(Relationless with external situation).She is going to have a baby. (relation with external situation). The fog will persist in all areas.
5. To express the speakers opinions, assumptions, speculations about the future. These may be introduced by verbs such as assume, be afraid, be / feel sure, believe, daresay, doubt, expect , hope ,know, suppose, think, wonder, or accompanied by adverbs such as perhaps, possibly, probably, surely, but can be used without them: As: (I’m sure (she’ll come back. (I suppose) they will sell the house. (Perhaps) we’ll find him at the hotel. They’ll (probably) wait for us.
O6. The Future simple is used for future habitual actions which we assume will place : As: Spring will come again. Birds will build nests. People will make plans. Other men will climb these stars and sit at my desk.
NB. Will be coming, building, making climbing sitting would also be possible.
07. The future simple is used where verbs are not normally used in the continuous tenses, e.g. auxiliary verbs, verbs of the senses, of emotion, thinking, possessing etc. As: He will be here at six. You’ll have time for tea. She’ll wonder where you are. They’ll know tonight.
08. Wont can be used to express negative intentions with all persons. As: He won’t pay can mean either.
Future Continuous:Def: The action will be being continued in the future time is known as future continuous tense. As: I shall be working. We’ll be working.
Structure: Sub + shall /will + be + verb +ing + extn.
NB. In modern Grammar will is mor frequent than shall in first person except in the interrogative. [Thomson and Martinet]
Use Of Future continuous:01.It can be used as an ordinary continuous tense: As: “On Friday there is no class. So on Friday they will not be sitting in the classroom. They will be doing other things. Manu will be playing badminton. Anne will be gossiping. Pappu will still be having breakfast.”
02. It can express a future without intention. As: “I will be helping Seema tomorrow.”
03. Future continuous can be used with or without a definite and for the near distant future. As: “I’ll be meeting him tomorrow. (without a time expression.”
04. A future action starts a definite or huge time, to mean so. As: “They will waiting for at the sea-port to greet us. In a few days’ time, I shall be enjoying myself at Cox’s Bazar.”
05. To me the action will be continuing of the whole of a period of time in future: As They will be traveling at night. I shall be playing Ha-du-du all afternoon.”
06. As the part of plan to happen possible incident. As: “I shall be seeing Badal this evening he will be coming to us again soon.”
Future perfect Tense:Two actions of the future that will happen before that is known as future perfect tense. As: “I shall have eaten rice at night. We shall have done the work.”
Structure: Sub + shall / will have + Verb (P.P) + Extn.
Use of Future Perfect: 01.To mean action happen in definite future time. As: “He will have done the work before I arrive. I shall have done the work before next Friday.”
02. To guess of future action: As: you will have heard the name of Haji Muhammad Mohsin. He will have done this work by this time.
O3.It is normally used with a time expression beginning with by: As: “By the end of the month he will have been here for ten years.”
04.It is used for an action which is given future time but would be held in past. As: “I will have this exam by then so I will be able to enjoy myself.”
Future perfect Continuous:In a definite future time, an action will be held but till this time a previous action will be going on. Then it is known as future perfect continuous tense. As; “I shall have been doing the sum before he comes/will come.”
Structure: Sub + Have /has been + verb + ing + Extn.
Use of Future Perfect Tense:O1.when the action is continuing in the future two tasks. As: “By the end of the month he will have been living / working / studying here for ten years.”
02. When the action s expressed as a continuous action. As: “By the end of the month he will have been training horses/ climbing mountains for ten years.
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