Chapter I Tenses LEARNING OUTCOMES By the end of this chapter, students are able to: identify verb forms accurately to express time demonstrate understanding of forms and functions of different tenses demonstrate ability to use tenses in different contexts explain the different uses of tenses Tense is defined as: a set of verb forms that indicates a particular time or period of time in the past, present or future. ‘These verb forms that belong to a particular tense such as the simple present or the simple past are marked by inflections to the base form of the verbs or by including the ‘modal auxiliaries or the ‘ be going to’ form in the verb phrase to refer to the future. Look at the sentences below: + Evelyn plays cards. (Present tense) » Evelyn played cards. (Past tense) + Evelyn will play cards tomorrow. (Future tense) + Evelyn is going to play cards tomorrow. (Future tense) Some verbs have irregular forms for past tenses, so we get verbs like: Gen GAVE, tAKEnnt0OK, eat.ute, g0...Went, teach...taught, break....broke For more information on how they are formed, see Chapter 10. ‘We use different tenses to talk about situations or actions that happen at different times. In the English Language, there are three basic tenses. They are: 1. The Present tense 2 The Past tense 3 The Future tense94 Hanginge Description 1 ‘Take a look at the chart below to get a better understanding of the various types of tenses that will be discussed in this chapter. In each basic tense type, we will be looking at two aspects of the tense: * structure, i.e,, how the tense is formed, and ‘* use, in other words, when and why we use the tense. PRESENT TENSE . ‘The present tense consists of simple present tense, present continous tense, present perfect tense and present perfect continuous tense. ple Present ‘The simple present tense is formed in this manner: subject + main verb (with or without ‘-s, depending on the subject) subject. + SUNT main verb (base form) Hone Afirmative 1, you, we, they drink wine, He, she, it drinks wine, Negatve you, we, they do rot dink wine He, she, it does not ‘drink wine. Question Do!/you/ we/ they. drink wine? Does he/she / it drink wine? ‘The Simple Present Tense does not normally refer to actions taking place at the moment as the sentence is spoken. We use this tense only when discussing existing situations or actions as shown Table 11.1. Cenc Etnies 1 describe things that are always true, or 1 The earth rotates on its axis. situations that exist now and, as faras we 2 Lions roar and elephants trumpet. know, will go on indefinitely 3. Kevin plays the guitar briliantly 2 talk about habits or things that happen on a1 We leave for school at 7.00 a.m. from regular basis: Monday to Friday. 2 Each winter, it always snows in the Alps, 3 The postman delivers letters and packages every weekday. 3 describe things which are true now but may 1. The Smiths live in Colorado. ‘not be true in the future 2 The Thai unit of currency isthe baht. 8 Louis is a medical student in the University of Nottingham.‘We use the simple present tense to 4 ive instructions, directions and orders 5 express opinions and feelings 6 report sports commentaries and demonstrations such as experiments or ‘cooking demonstrations, etc. at the time ‘they are happening 7 discuss what happens in a play, film or book 8 use with verbs that perform the actions they describe (Other verbs like these include accept, advise, apologise, deny, inform, predict, ‘fecommend, warn, assume, reject, promise, enclose, Such varbs are sometimes called performative verbs.) 9 express scheduled future actions 10 report newspaper headlines tenses | 95 4 Raise your hand if you know 2 Atthe end of the biock, turn lett. 3 Stay off the grass! 1 Simon doesn't read very well. 2 | think its difficult to play the violin, 3. Jean likes lemonade but her sister prefers orange juice. 1 Rooney passes the ball to Beckham outside the box. He shoots and scores! 2 | break five eggs and beat them until the ‘mixture tums white. ‘8 Heat the solution in the flask for two ‘minutes. Then turn off the flame. 1 Inthe movie, Daniel Radcliff plays the ‘central charactar of Harry Potter. 2 Incchapter 4, the protagonist pretends to {alll to avoid prosecution. 8 Our Constitution discriminates no one as al citizens of the nation have equal rights, 1 Irefuse to believe everything Sam had sald, (a refusal) 2 The suspect admits he has stolen the money. (an admission) ‘8 My parents suggest that we go out to eat tonight, (a suggestion) 41 The plane to Tokyo departs at 11.45 p.m. 2 The piano recital begins at half past elght. 1 Man pleads guilty of manslaughter. 2 Fiji gets a new President. Table 11.1 Simple Present Tense Most of the time, we do not need to use an adjunct of time or other time expression with present tense. However, we can add them in order to emphasize the immediate present or general present, or to contrast the present with the past or future. Look at the sentences below: + Don't worry, Sam, The children are currently in a safe place. . Tres students receive their allowances this. month. ‘© Nowadays, it is common to see people exercising at the park. Some common adjunct of time are: at present, at this moment, today, this year, presently, in this day and age, these days, now, etc.96 Itanguage Description 1 N.B: ‘Now’ and ‘today’ can also be used with other tenses like the present continuous. We can also use adverbs to reinforce or weaken a general truth statement or add adjuncts of frequency to be more specific about how often the actions occur. Look at the sentences below: + Cherry blossoms always bloom in early spring. + Terry never swims in the open sea. ‘+ The Brownies meet monthly. Some common adverbs are: often, usually, normally, generally, traditionally, mainly, etc. Other examples of adjunct of frequency are: from time to time, sometimes, constantly, all the time, a lot, frequently, hardly ever, periodically, occasionally, rarely, intermittently, continuously, ete. Present Continuous ‘The structure of the present continuous tense is: subject + auxiliary verb be + main verb (base form + ing Ipresent participle) Look at these exampl | esstm=ig | | ‘Affirmative 1 am Kicking the ball. Afterative wan are eating this burger. Meoaite fia fs not sleeping here, Negative They are not watching the movie. Question tsshe kiting in her room? ‘iheton AE travelling by train? ‘The Present Continuous form of the verb is used when we see the events as happening. within a limited period of time. The use of this form gives us some ideas of the duration and here time is an important factor. Look at Table 11.2. Talk about actions that have begun 1. They are participating in an essay-writing but have not ended atthe time of ‘competition. speaking 2 Rita Is doing her laundry inthe backyard. 3° Who are you trying to fool again?Tenses | 97 Describe repeated actions that are 1 am hearing alot of bad reports about your work: ‘happening at or around the time of fately. speaking 2 Why are you pacing up and down in the hall? 3 You are smoking too much these days. Indicate that a situation is or may be 1 Abby is spending winter in Melbourne. temporary 2 lam working as a cashier at Seven store. 3. Only one air-conditioning unit is functioning in the office. Talk about changes, progress, 1 Kenneth’s cooking skil is improving. developments and trends 2. The growing number of divers is damaging the coral reefs. 3. Unemployment rate Is increasing ata rate of 0.5% per year. Emphasise aotivities that are done 1. My neighbours are constantly quarreling repeatedly 2. That furniture store is always holding sales. (used with adverbs like always, 3. Ron is forever ineluding his younger brother in his constantly, continually, forever) crazy schemes. Talk about actions that are taking 1. Carolyn is reading a book by J. K. Rowling place currently but not necessarily at 2 Patty is writing a movie review for a news dally. the time of speaking 3. The workers are cleaning all the window panes in the building. Table 11.2 Present Continuous Tense Present Perfect ‘The structure of the present perfect tense is: auxiliary verb main verb subject have * (past participle form) Here are some examples of the present perfect tense: al Affirmative 1 have ‘my breakfast. Affirmative You have my favourite vase. Negative ‘She has the baby. ‘Negative We have not been ‘to Venice. ‘Question ‘Have you completed your work? Question Have they mopped the floor? ‘The present perfect tense is used when we want to mention something that happened in the past but the specific time is not stated.Look at Table 11.3. 11 Foractions that began in the past and 1 The Government has announced plans to continuing up to the present moment (and _transform our nation's economy. possibly nto the future) 2 have finished my work so | can help you = with yours. 3 Mrs Kiplard has lived in this mansion since 1980. 2. Foractions occurring at an unspecified time 1 Pandalela Renong has broken the Asian Game record 2 We have already read the book “To Kila Mockingbird” 3 J have complained about the noise to the authorities before, 3 For recently completed actions (usually 1 The directors have just walked out ofthe used with adverbs like just, recently) meeting room. 2 They have recently started to use the stairs instead of taking the elevator. 3 The baby has just finished drinking a big bottle of mik 4 For actions that are repeated or habitual 11_‘The Smiths have always spent Thanksgiving in Rome, 2 Kate has often wished she had learnt to play the violin 3. Have you ever eaten fried scorpions? Table 11.3 Prosent Perfect Tense Present Perfect Continuous ‘The structure of the present perfect continuous tense is: auxiliary verb auxiliary verb main verb subject + have + be + (base form + ing {present form — have/has) (been) / present participle) Here are some examples of the present perfect continuous tense: rere rm Crea) ey Forms ry Ce cesta) Affirmative |, You studying for two hours. Affirmative He, She = a shopping all day. Negative It has not been raining for weeks, Negative We have not been jogging around the neighbourhood. ‘Question Have you / they been spying behind my back? Question Has she been ‘leaning her room?Tenses | 99 Look at Table 11.4, 1 For actions that begin in the past ands 1 The men have been working on this project ‘continuing or has just finished for six months. 2 Rice production in Kedah has been decining. 3° Mary has been trying tor a baby for two years now, 2 To indicate the duration of an action 1 How long has the baby been crying ? 2. Nobody believes in what | have been fighting forall this while, 3. The patient has been waiting for the doctor since morning. Table 11.4 Present Porfect Continuous Tense Let us make a comparison between the use of the present perfect continuous and the present perfect: Present Perfect Continuous Present Perfect '» The guests have been arriving since this» All the guests have arrived, We can start the ‘morning. ‘ceremony. '* Sheela has been driving for 30 years. © Sheela has driven all the way here without ‘* The boy has been hitting the tennis ball stopping, against the wall all afternoon. ‘© The boy has hit the tennis ball against the wall, Both the tenses are used to talk about something that began in the past and affects the situation that exists now. The difference is that the present perfect continuous focuses on the activity or event which may or may not be finished. The present perfect, however, focuses on the effect of the activity or event, or the fact that something has been achieved. {A For each verb in parentheses, write the form that shows present time. 41 Calcium (build) strong bones and teeth. - 2. My grandmother (go) fine dancing two times a week — 3 The police (interrogate) the suspects for several hours. — 4 Dudley Brothers (own) 20 convenience stores in Shanghai. — 5 The contractors (write) their reports concerning the construction delay. 6 They are my two good friends who really (help) me in times of need. 7 Mrs Parker (listen) to what her children (have) to say — 8 lan’ staff (call) in from all parts of the country when they (work) inthe field,100 Language Description 1 9 He (recommend) that we (postpone the meeting to make way forthe EGM 10 The terrorist (threaten) to blow up the building if his demands (be) not met. 8 Complete these sentences with the verbs given. Use the simple present or the present ‘continuous. 1 Gabriel ____his family in Manchester most weekends. (see) 2 Airdsia______currently____ half-price tickets to Chennai, but for one week only. (offer) 3 Even though Sandra says she's feeling better, Ithinkshe __ stil weight. (ose) 41 Jack to be extremely efficient. This is my view. (consider) 5 A: “How are you getting on withthe book?” B: *Atthe moment |__ chapter six.” (read) 6 Since Sebastian won the Australian Idol, his telephone hasn't stopped ringing. People ‘0 ask how he's going to spend the money. (phone) 7 Whatl___isthatyou__wellinyourjob. Really! you the truth (say/dovtel) 8 Now thatthe rice you the yam and mushrooms and you them in a dish. (cook/chop up/put) 9 The banking unions with their employers for a pay rise. Ifthere is no agreement by next week, they to strike. (negotiate/threaten) 10 Kaka the ball to Cole who just over the bar. Arsenal . ‘much more in this second half. (pass/shooVattack) Choose a verb with the present perfect for the following sentences. agree reach stay regret solve produce show survive 1 Jolene __ to lend us her car 2 Research ________ that playing too much consoles games lead to obesity among the young. ‘3 With this promotion, Jim feels that he ________a turing point in his career. 4 There's so much to do, now that we ______the main problem. 5 That company __many setbacks in its 20-year history, but i is now flourishing. 6 We __in the house all day as it’s been so cold. 7 |_______ moving to Chicago from the day | arrived. I'd love to go back to Malaysia 8 The CEO of the company proudly announced at the press conference that the company anew drug to stop the spread of cancer ces in the body.onses | 101 PAST TENSE ‘The past tense consists of simple past tense, past continuous tense, past perfect tense and past perfect continuous tense, ple Past The simple past tense is formed in this manner: subject + main verb (past form) OR subject + auxiliary verb did + main verb (base form) Look at these examples: en ren) Main verbs | Main verbs at Roe) (base form) | (past form) ‘they Affirmative 1, you, we, walked to work. He, she, it enjoyed swimming. Negative |, you, we, they did not eat anything. Ho, she, it aid not break the glass. Question ‘Did 1/ you / we/ they open the sate? Did he / she /it Kick the ball? Let us take a look at some of the examples of the base form and past form for regular verbs and irregular verbs before we discuss how the simple past form of the verb is used to indicate events or to describe actions or states in the past. 7 7 v3, ase forms | pastforms | past participle forms regular verbs wait waited waited ‘The past form for all jump jumped jumped regular verbs ends in dance danced danced -ed. trick tricked tricked annoy annoyed annoyed irregular 90 went ‘gone The past form for verbs: eat ate eaten irregular verbs is break broke broken variable. You need to cut cut cut {earn it by heart. beat beat beaten N.B.: Most regular verbs have similar past form and past participle form. The past participle form is needed to make the perfect tense.102 fhanguage Description | When we speak or write about events, actions or states that happened in past time and when there is a focus on the time or a specific time is given, we use the Simple Past, form. The three basic functions to explain the usage of Simple Past tense are shown in Table 11.5. 1 For completed actions with or Lionel arrived at the train station at 8 o'clock this ‘without mentioning a specific time ‘morning. The burglars broke into several business premises, ‘We painted the walls in bright colours. ‘When | was younger, | ware braces. Gina's parents never allowed her to take the bus herselt She always tied her hair up. ‘3. For situations that existed for a ‘The last emperor ruled China for only a short period of time in the past, but not period of time, now Dennis used to play badminton for the national team in the 90s. ‘The Egyptians were the first to use perfume on their bodies. | wish | had many siblings. 2 The children's parents wish they had more money to spend on the family 3. The old man wishes he could lve for another six ‘months. 2 Toiindicate a past habit 4 Forstating a wish Table 11.5 Simple Past Tense When talking about the past, an adjunct of time or adverbials of time, frequency or duration can be added to sentences expressing past event to specify the time of the action, event or state. Look at the examples below: + Kelly planted some hibiscus shrubs in the garden last week, ‘© Professor Lincoln worked on his research continually for five yea ‘+ The players practised extremely hard every day for three hours. Past Continuous The structure of past continuous tense is: auxiliary verb be main verb (was/were) (base form + ing / present participle) er Cen) Co as ae (base form + ing) Affirmative | was washing the car. Affirmative You were hitting the cat, subject Look at these examples:wenses | 103, Red Cn) ona) fas Pon (base form + ing) was Negative He rot singing on the stage, Negative They were ‘not jogging inthe park, Question Was she mopping the floor? Question Were we repairing ‘the machine? “The Past Continuous form of the verb is used when we talk about continued states or repeated actions which happened over a period of time in the past. ‘The Past Continuous form performs the following functions as shown in Table 11.6. 4 For actions that were in progress at some time in the past ‘Last Sunday, Jenny was baking some cakes. ‘Were you frying fish just now? ‘The doctor was attending to the patients at midnight. 2. Foran action that was going on 1 Yvette was shaking with anger as she ran out the when a second one took place house. When Ravi realised that the police were looking for fim, he went into hiding. ‘Wendy dropped her purse while she was shoppin ‘the mal 3. To show two actions happening 1 Gabriel was watching the television while is wife was simultaneously in the past doing the dishes, | 2. My father was working in Saudi Arabia when | was still studying in college. 3 While the men were repaiing the cables, their supervisor was busy talking on the telephone, | 4 To indicate gradual development 1 Ken's teeth were aching, without a time expression 2 Itwas getting dark. a 1 Lightning was flashing in the sky. 5 To express a past habitual action 1 The old woman was always complaining about her with adverbs like always, offen, neighbours. constantly, et. 2. They were often working past midnight. 3. My daughter was constantly surfing the Internet. Table 11.6 Past Continuous Tense Past Perfect ‘The structure of the past perfect tense is: auxiliary verb main verb subject * have (had) (past participle form) Here are some examples of the past perfect tense:104 amuage Description coo had ons CES er) Afirmative t ‘swept the floor. Affirmative You had stolen my money. Negative She had. not fed her pets, Negative We had not visited Osaka. Question Had you bought the book? Question Had they prepared all the food? ‘The Past Perfect tense is sometimes called the Past in the Past. It is used when we want to refer to events or states that occurred at a time before a particular time in the past. For example, if we are speaking about something that happened last night, then. everything that happened before last night can be seen as happening at the time before the past time you are thinking about. Look at the sentence below: ‘+ When Peter had completed his manuscript, he went out and posted it to his publisher (Meaning: He completed the manuscript before posting it.) The Past Perfect form performs the following functions as shown in Table 11.7. 1 Totalk about past situations or Brian found out that his girriend had cheated on activities that had been finished by him, ‘certain time in the past Al the children had left wien we arrived at the pool ‘As Tracy shook Professor Patch Adam's hand, she realised she had met him before. 2 Toshowa sequence of events in 1 Atter Kevin had finished studying, he turned off the the past using a time expression light. (eg. after, as soon as, before, by 2 When the telephone rang, he had just stepped out the time, when) of the house, 3 By the time | arrived at the party, most of the guests, hnad already gone home. 3 Forunfutfled hopes and wishes ‘| had wanted to visit the stores at Akihabara shopping district before I eft Tokyo, but most of them were closed on Sundays, 2 Keith had hoped to earn his first million dollars before he reached 30, but it was never to be. 3 We had hoped that their marriage would last, but it did not. Table 11.7 Past Pertct Tense N.B.: The event that happened first is put in the past perfect, followed by the second event in the simple past tense. However, if we want to emphasize that the second event is the result of the first, then using the simple past tense is more appropriate as shown in the examples below:tenses | 105, ‘© The students stood up when the teacher came in. + Many of the judges of the American Idol became famous after they appeared on the TV programme. ‘The main purpose of the Past Perfect is to put events into a chronological order and to make it clear which event occurred first, Past Perfect Continuous ‘The structure of the past perfect continuous tense is: auxiliary verb auxiliary verb main verb subject + have + be + (base form + ing (past form — had) (been) / present participle) Here ate some examples of the past perfect continuous tense: Corns (base form + ing acho) Sentence ry a Cr So Ty Ponty Affirmative |,You had been sleeping fora long time. Afirmmative He, She had been working al day. Negative It had not been —_functioning well Negative We had not been playing squash, Question Had you / they been expecting me? Question Had she been reading? ‘The Past Perfect Continuous is used when we want to refer to events, habits or states a time before a particular time in the past and when we want to stress the duration. Hence, we often include a time expression with ‘for’ or ‘since’. ‘The past perfect continuous tense is like the past perfect tense, but it expresses longer actions in the past before another action in the past. Look at the example: ‘© Ram started working at 8.00 a.m. Joe arrived at 11.00 a.m. When Joe arrived, Ram had been working for three hours. Study Table 11.8. 4 Total about a situation or activity 1-‘The Masons had been expecting the news for that happened over a period uptoa sometime. particular past time, or until shortly 2 She had been wearing braces, and her teeth hurt. before it 3 Owen was arrested even though he had not been. doing anything illegal. 2 Totalk about how jong something 1 He had been working hard, so he deserved a year ‘went on up to a particular time ‘end bonus.106 fhanguage Desc 2 \had been driving non-stop for ten hours, so | would pull over at the next rest area 3) Lee had been saving since Christmas to buy anew cat. 3 To mark an event going on inthe 1_‘Mother had been baking in the kitchen wen the ast when a second one took piace power supply was cut 2 We had been watching football on TV when our ‘grandparents arrived 3 We had been painting the house since morning when it started to pour. Table 11.8 Past Perfect Continuous Tense N.B.: Some verbs that describe states are not often used with continuous tenses (already explained in Chapter 10), so we use the past perfect instead of the past perfect continuous even though we are talking about how long something went on up to a particular time. Look at the sentences below: * Paul had always believed that Jane would never leave him for another man. () + Paul had always been believing that Jane would never leave him for another man. (X) '» They had owned the Porsche for half a year before they realised the mechanism of the ‘power window was faulty. (7) ‘© They had been owning the Porsche for half a year before they realised that the mechanism of the power window was faulty. (X) To clear the confusion arising from the use of the past perfect continuous and the past perfect tenses, study the sentences belo a I + The plane had been fying from London to» The flown from London to Duba Dubai when it was averted ‘when it received the news of the bomb threat. + {had been sleeping in my room and didn’t» had slept soundly, so! did not hear the hear you coming in breakein + Shaun had been suffering from cancer for» Shaun had suffered from cancer when he was ‘some time when he appeared on TV. very young, We use the past perfect continuous when talking about the continuity or duration of a situation or activity, and the past perfect for talking about the completion of a situation or activity or its effects. Let us also compare the use of the past perfect continuous and the past continuous: ‘» When we met the Simpsons at the club, '* When we met the Simpsons at the club, they. they had been playing gol. (Meaning = we were playing gol. (Meaning = we met while met after they had finished) they were playing golf) + When | reached home, waterhad teen When | reached home, water was leaking leaking through the roof. (Meaning = it was through the roof. (Meaning = it was leaking ‘no longer leaking when ! reached home) when | reached home)Tenses | 107. Both the tenses are used to talk about something that happened over a period of time in the past and affected the situation then or after that. The difference is that the past perfect continuous focuses on the activity or event which had finished. The past continuous, however, focuses on the first action that was going on when a second one took place A PRACTICE 2 id Pld laa A For each verb in parentheses, write the form that shows past time. 1 The boys immediately (dive) into the paol to swim. 2 Several of our friends (suggest) going out for a pizza. 3 The speaker (pose) a hypothetical question to the audience. ‘4 The villager (dig) this well about 20 years ago. 5 My sister (grip) my hand so tightly that it (hurt). 6 | (return) the books to the library as soon as | (can). 7 Carol (throw) away most of her old books when she (move) house. 8 We (belong) to the football club in the city where we (use) to live in. B Complete the sentences using these pairs of verbs. Use the simple past or the past continuous where appropriate. order/vait shut/start —ge/go-—looW/slip-—_breakiski—_take/place 4 Just as |____into the bath, the fire alarm ___off. 2 Mary_____the windows as soon as it __to rain. ‘9 Helena______her leg while she __in Switzerland. 4 He_____the cake out of the oven and _it carefully on the table, 5 Theman______adrink while he _for his date to arrive. 6 When his father________in the other direction, Gavin __away quietly. © Choose the past perfect or past perfect continuous form of the verb in parentheses. 1 The Johnsons _____ for visas well before their departure date, but stil hadn't heard anything on the day they were due to leave for Japan. (apply) 2 When the plane was diverted, it____ from Singapore to Amsterdam. (fly) 3 Mybrother’scarwas once againinthe garage or repairs. Thiswasthethirdtime tt since he got it (break down)108 [Language Description 1 4 For yoars, my family about buying new sofa set, and last month my parents finally went out and ordered the set. (talk) BI the breathtaking view from the peak of the mountain many times before, but it never failed to impress me. (see) 6 Wendy {or the same accounting company since she qualified. (work) 7 Mr. Thomas died last week. He ________ from mutiple sclerosis for some time, (sutfer) 8 The principal called Megan into his office because she ___ classes. (not attend) FUTURE TENSE ‘The future tense consists of simple future tense, future continuous tense, future perfect tense and future perfect continuous tense. Simple Future ‘The Simple Future Tense is formed in this manner: subject. + modalauxiliary verb + —_ infinitive oR (will/shall) subject + auxiliary verbbe + ~—goingto.- + _ infinitive (am/is/are) Look at Table 11.9. So Ea ‘ shall / will oe am, are ingto “OH Affirmative 7 aa He, she, i wil ; re rink the juice. you, they is,are going to s shall / will we not touch anything. am, are ‘going to He, she, it, you tiey” Wl not run away. Shall/ Wil + Wwe sagt esp | going cl Am / Are + Wve ny, Question wits he/she /it/ you they aa 1s/Are+ he/she /it/you/ Goingto come arty? they. Table 11.9 Simple Future Tense109 ‘These two forms: ‘will + infinitive’ and ‘be going to + infinitive’ are commonly used to talk about the future, Sometimes the difference between them is very small. Look at the sentences below: + Calvin will meet us at the restaurant at 7 o'clock. ‘© Calvin is going to meet us at the restaurant at 7 o'clock + Will you return my computer tomorrow? Are you going to return my computer tomorrow? From the two sets of sentences, we can see very little difference in meaning. However, the ‘be going to’ form is preferred in informal or spoken English and ‘will’ is preferred in formal situations or in written English. Look at Table 11.10 as we focus on the use of both forms as there is a difference in meaning: will / shall + infinitive PT esa 1. Tomake a prediction based on our opinion ‘or our past experience. 2g. The dog will find its way back to its ‘owner. ‘Come over tonight. The children wilt enjoy seeing you again. 2 To talk about future events that have been previously arranged in some detail ina formal context. @.9. Refreshments will be served from 10.00 am. onwards. ‘The meeting will begin at 2 o'clock. 38 To state a decision made at the moment of speaking eg. Its getting late. | think I'll go to bed now. {s that the phone? Don't worry. il get it 4 Todescribe a future event that follows ‘another in an ‘i-sentenca’ (conditional ‘sentence) ‘249 If you look carefully, you'll find fine scratches on the surface. {they turn to their right, they will be able to see the twin towers. 1 Topredict that something will happen in the future eg. She looks pale | think she's going to faint. Fiona and George are going to get married next May. 2 Totalk about future actives and events that are intended or have already been arranged in a les formal context. 9, She's going to present a working paper ata conference next month, ‘We're going to do some shopping before flying home. 3 Totalk about intentions or decisions about the future that were made some time before ‘we report them 2.9. Wendy fs going to tidy her room this evening. ‘Tony told everyone he's going to move back to Canada, 4 Toreplace the present continuous tense eg. !amwatching a movie with my sister tonight. {am going to watch a movie with my sister tonight.110 Language Description 1 Rees rr eeu! 5 Tomake official newspaper and news broadcast, formal announcements of future plans and for weather forecasts 9, Our Prime Minister will open the MAHA International Fair tomorrow. The rain will clear by this evening. Table 1110 ‘Willshall + infinitive vs ‘be going to + infinitive! N.B.: We can use shall (or shan’t) instead of will (or won't) in statements about the future with the first person pronouns ‘I’ and ‘we’, although it is more common to use will / won't. In current English, we don’t use shall / shan’t with other pronouns (it, she, he, they) when we talk about the future. ‘© When I return home, shall /will cook something special for you. + The stronger we become, the more we shall / will be able to help others. ‘will’ and ‘shall’ have other uses other than being used to express future time as discussed earlier. Some uses of ‘will’ are expressing willingness, likelihood and certainty whereas ‘shall’ can be used to make an offer, ask for permission or instructions. For other uses of ‘will’ and ‘shall’, see Chapter 13. Future Continuous ‘The structure of the future continuous tense is: subject. + modal auxiliary verb + be + main verb (base form + ing (will/shail ) / present participle) Look at these examples: ao koe ee a an CCA (rue) ‘Affirmative 1, We shall will seeing Tony tomorrow. ‘Affirmative You will be starting ‘work soon, Negative He will not be performing atthe concer. Negative They will not be fishing in the pond. Question Won't she be cooking dinner tonight? Question Won't we be going out ater? ‘The Future Continuous form of the verb is used when we talk about the future and when we want to put the event or state into the continuous time frame. ‘The Future Continuous form performs the following functions as shown in Table 11.11.tenses | 114 a 1 Totalk about an activity or event 1 Next Saturday, our Prime Minister will be celebrating ‘going on ata particular time or a hundred days in power. over a particular period inthe 2 The professor will be discussing more about the topic future in his next lecture 3. After the operation, my father won't be doing any strenuous exercises for a while 2 Totalk about future activity Ryan will be taking up his place in college in June. cr event which is the result 2 The artiste will be performing every day until the end of a previous decision or of the month, arrangement or of a routine 3 We will be going over to my sister's place again for activity Thanksgiving 3. To express future without 1 |hhad better go home now; my mother will be looking intention for me. 2 We shall be seeing Neil tomorrow: we take the same course in college. ‘3 The children had better hurry as it will be getting dark soon. 4 Toask about someone's plan 1 Will you be starting work on the room today? You ina polite manner because you see, | hope to use it for a meeting tomorrow, want them to do something 2 What time will you be coming to baby-sit Emily? We unexpected or dificult have to be at the party by 8 o'clock. 3. Will you be using the computer much longer ? | need to.use it for my work. Table 11.11 Future Continuous Tense ‘We can often use either the future continuous or the present continuous when we talk about planned activities and events in the future as shown in the examples below: ‘+ We will be leaving for Tokyo at 11.45 p.m. tomorrow. ‘+ We are leaving for Tokyo at 11.45 p.m. tomorrow. + Dr. Rachel Adams will be giving a talk at the Kuala Lumpur Securities Hall. ‘+ Dr. Rachel Adams is giving a talk at the Kuala Lumpur Securities Hall. From the two sets of sentences above, we can clearly detect no difference in meaning. However, the continuous tense is the preferred choice when talking about surprising or unexpected activities or events: ‘© Have you heard the latest news? Our managing director is resigning! (This sounds better than ... Our managing director will be resigning.) In other instances when we use future continuous, we often refer simply to some future event or action that has been previously arranged. However, we use ‘will’, NOT the future continuous to talk about such things as decisions that people have made, willingness to do things, inviting, promising, etc. Look at the examples below: + Joseph will help us paint the mural. (Meaning = he is willing to help) * Joseph will be helping us paint the mural. (Meaning = a previous arrangement)112 ihangonge Description Will you attend my wedding party? (Meaning = an invitation) ‘+ Will you be attending my wedding party? (Meaning =asking about possible previous arrangement) Future Perfect ‘The future perfect tense is made up of: modal auxiliary verb auxiliary verb + main verb (will/shall) have (past participle form) ONS jorm) subject + Here are some examples of the future perfect tense: Trey auxiliary | m Pe verb have | pat ‘Affirmative 1, We will / shall have cleaned the house, Atimmative You will have spent all my money. Negative She will not have taken her meals, Negative We will /shall not have practised 0 hard. ‘The Future Perfect is used to express the idea that an action will be completed or a particular state will be reached by a specific time in the future, Look at the sentences below: + By next month, I will have started writing this book two years ago. ‘© When you get back, Simon will have finished painting the front door. ‘The Future Perfect form performs the following functions as shown in Table 11.12. 4 To say that something will be 11 When he is 40, he will have learnt Mandarin for ‘ended, completed or achieved bya _—_ten years. particular point inthe future 2 Before Pete gets home tonight, he will have eaten five bars of chocolate on the way home from. school 3. The voiceno will have stopped erupting before we arrive on the island. 2. Aliso used for predictions and often 1 If stop drinking now, in two months’ time | will used in ‘if-lause' (conditional hhave saved enough to buy @ new pair of shoes. clause) 2_ Ifthe Government continues with the economic, transformation plan, our nation will have reduces the unemployment rate by at least 5 % 3. Ifyou'd listened to your parents’ advice to sell the property earlier, you will have profited at least RM100,000. Table 11.12 Future Perfect TenseTenses | 113, Future Perfect Continuous ‘The structure of the future perfect continuous tense is: auxiliary verb rain verb ‘modal auxiliary verb + auxiliary verb ry (base form + ing subject + + be + (will / shall) have een) / present participle) Here are some examples of the future perfect continuous tense: Aa) err) ns verb be Ry (base form + ing/ | present participle) Affirmative |,We — will/ shall have been staying here for six months. Affirmative He, She will have been running forten minutes. Negative It will not have been operating well. Negative We will/shall not have been’ learning Japanese. ‘The Future Perfect Continuous can be used to show that an action or state will be completed by a certain time in the future if you want to emphasise the duration of the action or state. Look at the examples below: By the end of the year, the children will have been attending the KUMON class for eight months. ‘© On Monday, we will have been living in this house for 15 years. ‘+ Next year, Iwill have been working in this company for 25 years. ‘This form is rarely used even though it exists in English. It is an awkward construction and people usually find another way of expressing the idea rather than using this form. Examples: By the end of the year, it willbe eight months since the children started attending the KUMON class. On Monday, it will be 15 years since we live in this house. Next year, will have worked in this company for 25 years. N.B.: We don’t use the future perfect continuous tense with verbs deser explained earlier in Chapter 10. Examples: ‘Next March, Jim will have been knowing Sarah for 10 years. (%) Next March, Jim will have known Sarah for 10 years. (7) Other than the four ways of expressing future time in English as discussed earlier, itis only fair to mention that there are a number of other ways of indicating the future,114 We can use any of the following forms other than the four mentioned earlier: ‘+ Simple present form + Present continuous form * Be + about to + infinitive # Be + to + infinitive Table 11.13 discusses the functions played by each form with examples given: act eee CeeTroes Pee Gaus is infinitive is Totakabout 1 To suggest that Toindicatethe 1 ‘Torefertoa future when the something is very near future, future plan or events seen asa going to happen (Has almost programme. This definite fact just fairy soon, unless ilar meaning isa fairly formal asthe Simple there is atime as just going to’ way of expressing Present form is phrase that gives or ‘going toina the future and is used toexpressa a later time used more often factinthe present (Similar to in written than in time, “be going to'+ + infinitive form, spoken English, ma ite for) Risusea Otensedto : sually used in in informal, suggest fom informal speech colloquial English, requirement. 2 Thetlghttakes ot ANTIS MAS eo. at 21.15, ee 1 The show's about 1 Wearing of rear 3° The programme na. 10 begin. seat belts isto be Private Practice 09 2 Harrys about mandatory retuins at 8 1 Arsenal is paying toleaveforte The government d’clock on Manchester United airport. ‘are to make major Tuesday. next Friday 3 Myoureaboutto reshuffle tothe 2 They renaving -—‘buyanew house, cabinet. fish and chips for check with the | 3._‘The increase of lunch bank fist the postage stamp 3 Honda is opening Drioes isto be anew factory in enforced next Thaliand. month 4 We're getting marred in Ballin November 2 Toexpress future Reminder: cere” Again t sould be reminded that the conditional such con als Such Present Continuous form can only be eg. used to indicate the 1) What willhappen future wth events or ifther isa dynamic verbs, NOT tsunami? with stative verbs thatTenses | 118: ‘Simple Present | Present Continuous | Be + about to+ Form infinitive Deel init fhe comes home — cannot take the -ing Pe ene en brings some. flowers. 3 She alvays cooks for her family, unless she. 3 Toexpress future Another important ‘in sentences point to note is containing time ‘that the future ‘ ‘conjunction like arrangement or plan ‘when, as soon as, using the Present until, ete Continuous form Pr MUST involve human 1 ‘1 ill beings, willgveyoua Oa say ony of the report 4 its raining sso051 18h" Goro 2 Tmgoing to buid ? [Hanis a tree house when nests next week, | have more time, ‘However, with " 3 Helena Gon pat until he. which many people ag consider to have human qualites, we can use the Present Continuous form to Indicate the future. ea Fiona’s cat is having kittens next week. Table 11.13 Other Forms of Expressing Future Time A Choose ‘will’ or '(be) going to" form, whichever is correct or more likely with the verb in parentheses. Use contractions wherever possible. 1 Get out ofthe car! There's smoke coming out and it 2 Don't sit on the bench, | it. (paint) 3 A:*Ithink |____ home across the park.” (walk) B:"That’s a good idea.” (explode)116 Itanguage Description 1 4 Ityou're ready, | ‘how the projector operates. (explain) 5 If you want to leave this evening, my husband you to the airport. (drive) 6 | wouldn't walk across the old bridge if! were you. It looks like it (collapse) 7 More youngsters____the tournament as the prize money double. (enter) 8 Do you like my new hybrid car? Here, | Yyou how it works. (show) 9 The bus crash victims are seriously injured. It help does not come immediately, many of them . (die) 10 | read in the newspaper that they ________the price of sugar and cooking oil again, (increase) B Use the simple present form or ‘will + infinitive’ ofthe verb in parentheses to complete the following sentences. 1 both forms are possible, write them both. 1 Miss Saigon the musical ____ at the London Birmingham Theatre next Saturday. (open) 2 International Women's Day _on the 8th of March every year. (fll 3 After my grandfather comes out ofthe hospital, he________complete rest for another month. (need) 4 With more practice and determination, Saina__an excellent badminton player. (become) 5 By the time the book is released next week, no one will be interested in what scandalous ciaims it . (make) 6 Selina just phoned. She says that she __with us tonight. (be) C Complete the sentences with either the future perfect or the future perfect continuous for each situation. Example: Diana started to learn Mandarin when she was 15, She is still learning Mandarin. When she's 25, she wil have been learning Mandarin for 10 years. 1 Every evening, Lionel eats two doughnuts on the way home from work. Before he reaches home from work tonight, Lionel___two doughnuts, 2 | started writing this play a year ago next month. By next month, | this play fora year. 3 So many people join the Annual Star Run that the last runners start 20 minutes after the ones at ‘the front. By the time the last runners start the ones at the front______for 20 minutes. 4 ['m going to paint a mural in my daughter's room today. I'l finish it before you return home, Before you retun home, |___a mural in my daughter's room,Tenses | 117 5 PharmaLab Corporation spends millions on developing the vaccine before it goes on sale. By the time the vaccine goes on sale, PharmaLab Corporation __ millions on developing it. SUMMARY Now that we have come to the end of the chapter, let's have an overview of the four forms of the present, past and future tenses by studying the table below: ce amviis/are wastwere willishal be ‘cookicooks cooked willishall cook ‘amlisiare cooking —-—-was/were cooking will be cooking, hraveinas cooked hhad cooked ‘will have cooked Perfect Continuous forms havellas been cooking had been cooking will have been cooking Table 11.14 Overview of the Four Forms of the Present, Past and Future Tenses CONSOLIDATON EXERCISE ‘A. Study the underlined verbs and verb phrases in the excerpt below. Correct them if necessary ‘or puta (/) it itis correct. This (1) was the grand stair! | (2) thought and with the thought, a sudden angry courage (3) was coming into my heart. My uncle (4) have sent me here, certainly to run great risks, | peshaps to die. | (6) gotten down upon my hands and knees; and so slowly as a snail, feeling before me every inch, ad testing every stone, | (6) continued to climb the stair. The darkness, after the flash, (7) had appeared stil darker, nor (8) was that all, for my ears (9) had now troubled and my mind disordered by a great moving of bats in the top part ofthe tower, and the foul beasts, flying downwards, sometimes (10) beat about my face and body. Excerpt taken from Kidnapped by R.L. Stevenson118 |Language Description 1 were 10 B Which one of the verbs or verb phrases is correct or more appropriate? Underline one or both. 1 Tonight I'm going to check that my son does / will do his homework correctly 2 Janis an excelent linguist. He can speak / speaks five languages. 3am admitting / admit | can’t see as wel as | used to. ‘4 The Earth has been formed / was formed about 4,500 milion years ago. 55 Inhis thirties, Jimmy spent / has spent many years travelling around the world '6 The success of the feeder bus scheme has led / led to proposals for similar schemes in ‘other cities in Malaysia. 7 Wu Xian was winning / won the All England Championship three times before she retired, {8 Bulfighting has been going on /is going on in Spain for centuries. 9 Before Susan retrained as a computer analyst, she had been working / was working as an administrator. 10 We have a slight delay because of the poor weather, but we will be taking off wil take off as soon as possible, 11 The house looks so much bigger now that we painted / have painted the walls in brighter colours. 12 She could see thatthe child was jumping-off / was going to jump off the wall, but there was nothing she could do about it.