TENSES OF VERBS AND THEIR USES

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TENSES – forms of verbs that show when an action or condition occurred

- Each tense has three forms: the basic forms, the progressive forms, and the emphatic forms

The basic forms of the six tenses

PRESENT Mother cooks our meals every day.

PAST Mother cooked us a feast last Christmas.
FUTURE Mother will cook my favorite dish on my next birthday.
PRESENT PERFECT Mother has cooked all of our meals for as long as I remember.
PAST PERFECT Mother had cooked breakfast before she went to church.
FUTURE PERFECT Mother will have cooked all the dishes before the guests arrive.

The progressive forms of the six tenses

PRESENT PROGRESSIVE Mother is cooking our meals.

PAST PROGRESSIVE Mother was cooking until late last night.

FUTURE PROGRESSIVE Mother will be cooking tonight too.

PRESENT PERFECT Mother has been cooking all day.

PROGRESSIVE
PAST PERFECT PROGRESSIVE Mother had been cooking breakfast when I went to church.

FUTURE PERFECT Mother will have been cooking for three days when the guests finally
PROGRESSIVE arrive.

The emphatic forms of the past and present

- The emphatic form is only used for present and past tense using do or does for the present tense and did
for the past tense.

- TAKE NOTE OF THE FORM: do/does/did + base form of the verb

PRESENT EMPHATIC Mother does cook a lot.

PAST EMPHATIC Mother did cook a great meal last night.

USES OF THE TENSES

A. USES OF THE PRESENT EMPHATIC – there are two main uses of the present emphatic:

1. Emphasize a statement We do believe that dolphins should be free to swim in the oceans and
not in pools, tanks, or aquariums.
2. Deny a contrary assertion Despite what some officials say, dolphins do suffer in captivity.

B. USES OF THE PAST EMPHATIC – there are two main uses of the past emphatic:

1. Emphasize a statement I did reach the summit of Mount Makiling last year.

2. Deny a contrary assertion Contrary to what critics say, he did deliver his promise.

C. USES OF THE SIMPLE TENSES

 The Simple Present Tense

ACTIVE Base or root form (with ‘s or ‘es for the third person)
PASSIVE am/is/are + past participle

- It expresses:

1. 1. Present action or condition Jonas has qualities that set him apart from other kids his age.

2. 2. Habitual actions or activities The Committee of Elders conducts the Ceremony of Twelve every December.

3. 3. General truths or facts The sun is the center of the solar system.

4. 4. Introduction to a quotation The wise man says, “Learn from your mistakes.”

5. 5. Future time when the sentence Pacquiao competes in another important match two months from now.
contains an adverb of phrase
indicating the future

- Some KEY WORDS: always, today, usually, yearly, monthly, every day, sometimes, etc.

The Simple Past Tense

ACTIVE Past form of the verb (regular and irregular form)

PASSIVE was/were + past participle of the verb

- It expresses action (true only in the past), event or condition (may include probable or supposed event)
that happened or was completed at a definite time in the past, and a past habitual action. It is also used to
complement other verbs that are used in the past tense in the sentence, and to show politeness.
- Some KERY WORDS: yesterday, before, in 2020, a while ago, last month, etc.

Examples:
- An unidentified aircraft flew over Jonas’s community a year ago.
- Asher received a smack with the discipline wand every time he failed to use precise language back at the Childcare
Center.

The Simple Future

ACTIVE will/shall/going to + base or root form

PASSIVE shall/will + be + past participle

Shows an action that will take place some time in the Jonas will learn more about the world in
future. the next chapters of the novel.

Soon, Jonas will discover the truth about “Release”.

- Some KEY WORDS: tomorrow, soon, next month, later, eventually, etc.
- Take note that “once” followed by verbs in present tense can be used to indicate a future condition.
(Example: Jonas will see his Assignment differently once he experiences pain.)

D. USES OF THE PERFECT TENSES

The Present Perfect Tense

 ACTIVE has/have + past participle
PASSIVE has/have + been + past participle

1. When indicating an action that started in The Committee of Elders has ruled over the community for a long
the past and continues up to the present. time.

Since her failure 10 years ago, nobody has ever seen the former
Receiver again.

2. When indicating an action performed For his training, Jonas has visited the current Receiver a number of
during a period that is not yet finished. times this week.

Asher has not made any verbal mistake this year.

3. When indicating an action that occurred at
an indefinite time or when it was just
completed in the recent past, expressed by
just.
Jonas has just become the new Receiver of Memory.
I have read The Giver several times.
Have you watched the movie version of “The Giver” already?

4.With the expressions “never,” and “ever,”, Have you ever thought of helping the needy before?
which means the action or condition has not
been done yet. I have never done such a thing.

- Some KEY WORDS: since, for, just, recently, already, never, ever, etc.

Quick Practice:

1. Jonas’s Ceremony of Twelve (happened, has happened) last month.

2. Jonas, Fiona, and Asher (were, have been) friends since they were little.
3. Jonas (just read, has just read) the specific instructions written on a piece of paper.

The Past Perfect Tense

ACTIVE had + past participle

PASSIVE had + been + past participle

Used when indicating an action that had occurred The current Receiver had observed Jonas for quite some
before another past action. time before he selected him to be the next Receiver.

In reported speech My mother said that Mother Teresa had earned awards
for promoting peace.
The conjunctions BEFORE & AFTER are used in Readers had encountered Larissa BEFORE they read about
sentences that use Past Perfect. the Chief Elder.

BEFORE and AFTER indicate which event happened Citizens received their Assignments AFTER they had
first. completed their Volunteer Hours.

 Past Perfect Tense + BEFORE + Simple Past (BEFORE + Simple Past, + Past Perfect Tense)
 Simple Past + AFTER + Past Perfect Tense (AFTER + Past Perfect Tense, + Simple Past)

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