Unit 2
ENGLISH VERB TENSES
General Purpose:
The students understand and apply the English verb tenses in Present, Past and
Future.
Specific Purpose:
After the learning process, the students are an enable to:
1. Understand and apply: simple present, continuous, perfect and perfect
continues tenses
2. Understand and apply: simple past, past continues, past perfect, and past
perfect continues
3. Understand and apply: simple future, future continues, future perfect and
future perfect continues.
This diagram will be used in describing the three formed of tenses in English:
Now
Past Future
The Changing of Verb in Sentenses
Present (Verb 1) Past Tense (Verb 2) Past Participle (Verb 3)
Go went Have/nas gone
Do Did Have/has Done
Start Started Have/has started
End Ended Have/has ended
Write Wrote Have/has Written
Work Worked Have/has Worked
The Simple Tenses
TENSE EXAMPLE MEANING
(a) It Snows in Alaska In general, the simple present expresses
SIMPLE PRESENT
(b) I watch television every events or situations that exist always,
day. usually, habitually; they exist now, have
existed in the past, and probably will
exist in the future
(c) It Snowed yesterday At one particular time in the past, this
SIMPLE PAST
(d) I watched television happened. It began and ended in the past.
last night.
(e) It will Snow tomorrow At one particular time in the future, this
SIMPLE FUTURE
(f) I will watch television will happen.
tonight.
1. The Progressive Tenses*
Form : be + -ing (present participle)
Meaning: The progressive tenses give the idea that an action is in progress during a
particular time. The tenses say that an action begins before, is in
progress during, and continues after another time or action
PRESENT (a) He is He went to sleep at 10:00 tonight. It
PROGRESSIVE sleeping is now 11:00 and he is still sleep. His
right now sleep began in the past, is
00-
10:
11:
in progress at the present time, and
00
probably will continue.
PAST PROGRESSIVE (b) He was He went to sleep at 10:00 last night. I
sleeping arrived at 11:00 . He was still sleep.
when I His sleep began before and was in
10:0
11:0
0
0
arrived. progress at particular time in the
past. It probably continued.
FUTURE (c) He will He will go to sleep at 10:00
PROGRESSIVE be tomorrow night. We will arrive at
sleeping 11:00. The action of sleeping will
10:00
11:00
when we begin before we arrive and it will be
arrive. in progressive at a particular time in
the future in the past.. It probably
continued
Exercise 1. Use either the simple present or the present progressive of the verbs in parentheses.
1. Kathy (sit, usually*) ………………….. in the front row during class, but today she
(sit) ……….. in the last row.
2. Diana can’t come to the phone because she (wash) …….. her heir.
3. Diana (wash) ………….. her heir every other day or so.
4. Please be quite, I (try) ……………… to concentrate.
5. (Lock, you, always) ………………… the door to your apartment when you leave?
6. Look!. It (snow) ……………….
7. Mika (go, not) …………… to school right now because it is summer. He (attend)
…….. college from September to May every year, but in the summers he (have,
usually) ……….. a job at the post office. In fact, he (work) ………… there this
summer. Right now I (look) ………… around the classroom. Ahmad (write)
…………. In his book. Carlos (bite) ………….
Exercise 2. Use the simple past or the past progressive in the following
1. I (read) …….. only two chapters last week.
2. I (read) ……. A book last night when you called.
3. I (call) ……… John at nine last night, he (be, not) ……… at home. He (study)
……….. at the library.
4. I (hear, not)……… the thunder during the storm last night because I (sleep)
……….
5. My brother and sister (argue)………………… about something when I (walk)
…….into the room.
6. When I (open) ………………. The package, I (find) …………… a surprise.
7. He (climb) ………………… the stairs when he (trip) …………. And (fall)
…….............. . Luckily, he (hurt, not) ………………… himself.
8. While I (read) ………………. The little boy a story, he (fall) ………………..
asleep, so I (close) ………………….. the book and quickly (tiptoe) ……………
out of the room.
In communication there are 3 altrnative statement
1. Impormative statatement : He goes to campus every day
2. Introgative statement : Does he go to Campus every day
3. Negative statement : He does not go to campus every day
Pattern in Present Tense sentenses
I Campus
You Go to
1 We
They
I go to
Do You go to
We go to
2 They go to Campus?
He go to
Does She go to
It go to
I
You do not go to
We
3 They Campus
He
She does not go to
It.
.
Pattern in Past Tense sentenses
I a report
You
1 We
They wrote
He
She last night
It
I write
you write
we write
Did they write
He write
2 She write
it write
I
You did not write last night
a report
We
3 They
He
She did not write last night
a report
It.
Ani
Pattern in Present Perfect Tense
I
You
1 We have written a report
I and you
They
I written
You written
Have We written
I and you written
they written
he written
2 Has she written Just now
it written
I
You
We have not written
3 I and you
They
He
She has not written
It
Ani
Pattern in Past Perfect Tense
I a report
You
1 We had written
I and you
They
I written
2 You written
Had We written
I and you written
They written
he written Just now
Had she written
it written
I
You
We
3 I and you
They had not written
He
She
It
Ani
Pattern in Futute Tense
I
You
1 We will
I and you
They
I
You
2 We
I and
Will you
They
he
she
it write a report tomorror
I
You
We
3 I and you will not
They
He
She
It
Ani
2. The Perfect Tenses
Form : have + -ed (past participle)
Meaning : The perfect tenses all give the idea that one thing happens before
another time or event.
PRESENT PERFECT (a) I have already I finished eating sometime
eaten before now. The exact time
now
eat
is not important
(time ?)
PAST PERFECT (b) I had already First I finished eating.
eaten when they Later they arrived. My
arriv
eat
arrived eating was completely
finished before another
time in the past
FUTURE PERFECT (c) I will already First I will finish eating.
have eaten when Later they will arrive. My
arri
ve
eat
they arrive eating will be completely
finished before another
time in the future
Exercise 3. Oral (books closed) Begin your response with “I have never ….”
Example: see that movie
Response: I’ve never seen that movie
1. Drive truck 14. have a car accident
2. Buy an airplane 15. speak to ( a local personage)
3. Read that book 16. steal anything
4. Break the window 17. fall off a mountain
5. Draw a picture of yourself 18. bring a friend to class
6. Ride a horse 19. hold a snake
7. Eat paper 20. feed a lion
8. Teach English 21. build a house
9. Catch a butterfly 22. forget your name
10. Win a million dollars 23. wear a kimono
11. Fly an airplane 24. drink Turkish coffee
12. Sleep past ten o’clock 25. understand theory of relativity
13. Lose your wallet 26. leave your umbrella at a restaurant
3. The Perfect Progressive Tenses
Form : have + been + (V1+ing)
Meaning: The perfect progressive tenses give the idea that one event is in progress immediately
before, up to, until another time or event. The tenses are used to express the
duration of the first event
(a) I have been studying for Event in progress:
PRESENT PERFECT
two hours Studying. When?
PROGRESSIVE
Before now, up to now.
How long? For two
hours
2 hrs
(b) I had been studying for Event in progress:
PAST PERFECT
two hours before my Studying. When?
PROGRESSIVE
friend came Before another event in
the past. How
2 hrs long? For two hours
FUTURE PERFECT (c) I will have been Event in progress:
PROGRESSIVE studying for two hours Studying. When?
by the time you arrive Before another
event in the future.
2 hrs How long? For two
Exercise 4. Use the present perfect or the present perfect progressive. In some sentences, either
tense may be used with little or no change in the meaning.
1. It (snow) ………. all day. I wonder when it will stop.
2. We (have) ………. three major snowstorms so far this winter. I wonder how many
more we will have.
3. It’s ten P.M. I (study) …… for two hours and probably won’t finish until midnight.
4. I (write) …….. them three times, but I still haven’t received a reply.
5. I (live) ……….. here since last March
6. The telephone (ring) ………… four times in the last hours, and each time it has
been for my roommate.
7. The telephone (ring) … for almost a minute. Why doesn’t someone answer?
8. The little boy is dirty head to foot because he (play) … in the mud.
Exercise 5. Written: Complete the following with your ideas (Perfect progressive):
1. …………………………… since 8 o’clock this morning.
2. ………………………………… since I came to ……….
3. …………………………………since 19.. (Year).
4. ……………………………since …………….. (month).
5. …………………………………since ……………..(day).
Exercise 6. Use the simple past or the past perfect. Are there some blanks where either
tense is possible?
1. He (be) ……………a newspaper reporter before he (become) ……….. a
businessman.
2. I was late, the teacher (give, already) ………. A quiz when I (get) ………… to
class.
3. The anthropologist (leave) …………. the village when she (collect) .. …. enough
data.
4. It was raining hard, but by the time class (be) …………. Over, the rain (stop)
……….. .
Exercise 7. Use the present perfect progressive or the past perfect progressive:
1. It is midnight. I (study) ……………… for five straight hours. No wonder I’m
getting tired.
2. It was midnight. I (study …………. For five straight hours. No wonder I was
getting tired.
3. Jack suddenly realized that the teacher was asking him a question. He couldn’t
answer because he (daydream) ………… for the last ten minutes
4. Wake up!. You (sleep) ………….long enough. It’s time to get up.
5. At least two hundred people were waiting in line to buy tickets to the game. Some
of them (stand) ……………in line for more than four hours. We decided not try to
get tickets for ourselves.
Exercise 8. Use the simple future/be going to* or the simple present.
1. I’m going to leave in half an hour. I (finish) will finish/am going to finish all of my
work before I (leave) leave.
2. I’m going to eat lunch at 12.30. After I (eat) …………. Lunch, I (take) ……….. a
nap.
3. I’ll get home around six. When I (get) …………home, I (Call) ………..Sharon.
4. I’m going to watch a TV program at nine. Before I (watch) ……….that program at
nine, I (write) ………..to my parents.
Exercise 9. Use the future progressive or simple present.
1. Right now I am attending class. Yesterday at this time, I was attending class.
Tomorrow at this time, I (attend) …………class.
2. Tomorrow I’m going leave for home. When I (arrive) ………..at airport, my
whole family (wait) ……………for me. Fast
3. When I (get) ……………. Up tomorrow morning, the sun (shine) ……………, the
birds (sing) ………………, at my roommate (lie, still)…………..in bed fast asleep.
Summary Chart of Verb Tenses
SIMPLE PRESENT PRESENT PROGRESSIVE
I am studyng right now.
The World is arround. He is studing right now.
I study every day. Is he sstudying right now?
She studies every day He is notstudying right now.
Does she study every day?
SIMPLE PAST PAST PROGRESSIVE
I studied last night
He studied last nigt I was studying when they came.
He did not study last night They were studying when they came
SIMPLE FUTURE
FUTURE PROGRESSIVE
I will study tomorrow
She will study tomorrow
I will be studyng when you come
PRESENT PERFECT PRESENT PERFECT PROGRESSIVE
I have alredy studied chapter one.
I have been studying for two hours
PAST PERFECT PAST PERFECT PROGRESSIVE
I had bee studying for two hours before my
I had already studied Chapter One
friends came.
before I began to study Chapter two.
FUTURE PERFECT FUTURE PERFECT PROGRESSIVE
I will already have studied Chapter I will have been studying for two hours by the
four befor I study Chapter five time you arrive.
