CHAPTER 2

PRESENT AND PAST, SIMPLE AND

PROGRESSIVE
Eddiyanto, Ph.D

Chemistry Department
Matematics and Natural Sciences Faculty
STATE UNIVERSITY OF MEDAN
2012
THE SIMPLE TENSES
SIMPLE PRESENT
Says something was true in the past,
is true in the present, and will be true in
the future.
X XXXXX XXXXXX Expresses general statement of fact
and timeless truths.
used to express habitual or everyday
activities.

expresses an activity that is in

progress at the moment of speaking.
is a temporary activity that began in
start now finish the past, is continuing at present, and
x x will probably end at some point in the
future.
in progress Often the activity is of a general
nature: something generally in progress
this week, this month, this year.
STATIVE VERB
 Some English verbs have stative meaning, describe
states: condition or situations that exist.
 Yum! This food tastes good.
 I like it very much.
 A verb such as taste has a stative meaning, but also
a progressive meaning.
 The chef is in his kitchen. He is tasting the sauce.
 A verb such as like has a stative meaning. It is
rarely, if ever, used in progressive tenses.
 AM/IS/ARE BEING + ADJECTIVE
 Be + Adj. Usually expresses a stative meaning
 Alex is nervous about the exam.
 Sometimes main verb be + an adjective Is used in
the progressive when it describes temporary, in-
progress behavior.
 Jack doesn’t feel well, but he refuses to see a doctor.
He is being foolish.
REGULAR AND IRREGULAR
VERBS
 English verbs have four principal parts namely
simple form, simple past, past participle, and
present participle
 REGULAR VERBS: The simple past and past
participle end in –ed.
 Exp: hope-hoped-hoped-hoping
 IRREGULAR VERBS: The simple past and past
participle do not end in –ed.
 Exp: break-broke-broken-breaking
REGULAR VERBS: PRONUNCIATION
OF –ED ENDINGS
 Final –ed has three different pronunciations:
/t/, /d/, and /əd/.
 Final –ed is pronounced /t/ after voiceless
sounds (“k,” “s,” “ch,” “sh,” “f”)
 looked → look/t/
 Final –ed is pronounced /d/ after voiced
sounds (“l,” “v,” “n,” “b,” and all vowel sounds)
 saved→ save/d/
 Final –ed is pronounced /əd/ after “t” and “d”
sounds.
 wanted→ want/əd/
TROUBLESOME VERB: RAISE/RISE,
SET/SIT, LAY/LIE
 Raise, set, and lay are transitive verb: they are
followed by an object.
 Raise, raised, raised → Tom raised his hand.
 Set, set, set → I will set the book on the desk
 Lay, laid, laid → I am laying the book on the desk
 Rise, sit, and lie are intransitive; i.e., they are NOT
followed by an object.
 Rise, rose, risen → The sun rises in the east
 Sit, sat, sat → I sit in the front row
 Lie, lay, lain → He is lying on his bed
SIMPLE PAST
indicates that an activity or
situation began and ended
at a particular time in the
past
If a sentence contains
when and has the simple
past in both clauses, the
action in the when clause
happens first.
I bought a new car three
days ago.
John lived in Paris for ten
years, but now he lives in
Rome.
Rita stood under a tree
when it began to rain.
When Mrs. Chu heard a
strange noise, she got up to
investigate.
PAST PROGRESSIVE

x x

I was walking down Both actions occurred at the same

the street when it time, but one action began earlier
began to rain. and was in progress when the other
action occurred.
1st: I was walking down the street.
2nd: It began to rain.
While I was studying Sometimes the past progressive is
in one room of our used in both parts of a sentence
apartment, my when two actions are in progress
roommate was having simultaneously.
a party in the other
room.
USING PROGRESSIVE VERBS WITH ALWAYS
TO COMPLAIN
 In special circumstances, a speaker may use the present
progressive and past progressive with always to complain.
 Mary is always leaving her dirty socks on the floor for me to pick
up! Who does she think I am? Her maid?
 In addition to always, the words forever and constantly are
also used with the present progressive to express annoyance.
 I am always/forever/constantly picking up Mary’s dirty socks!
 Always in present/past progressive express annoyance, while
in simple present shows a fact (annoyance may be shown by
speaker’s tone of voice)
USING EXPRESSIONS OF PLACE WITH
PROGRESSIVE VERBS
 An expression of place can sometimes come
between the auxiliary be and the –ing verb in a
progressive tense.
 –What is Kay doing?
–She’s studying in her room. (focus on activity in
progress)
 –Where’s Kay?
–She’s in her room studying (focus on place)
“Anyone who stops learning is old, whether at twenty
or eighty. Anyone who keeps learning stays young. The
greatest thing in life is to keep your mind young.”

- Henry Ford