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Tenses and Conjunctions in English.

Universidade Católica, Nampula October 14

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Tenses and Conjunctions in English.

First Fieldwork of English Subject to be

submitted in Computer course, Second
Year, Class B as part of evaluative
activities.
Lecturer: Marley Valgy Eustáquio

Universidade Católica, October 14

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Content page

Introduction............................................................................................................................4
Objectives...............................................................................................................................5
General objective....................................................................................................................5
Specific objectives..................................................................................................................5
Methodology...........................................................................................................................5
1. Tenses and Conjunctions in English...............................................................................6
1.1. Present Simple.............................................................................................................6
1.2. Past simple...................................................................................................................7
1.3. Present Perfect Tense..................................................................................................7
1.4. Simple Future Tense....................................................................................................7
2. Articles............................................................................................................................8
3. Relative clauses...............................................................................................................9
3.1. Defining relative clauses...........................................................................................10
3.1.1. Defining Relative Pronouns...................................................................................10
3.2. Non-defining relative clauses....................................................................................12
3.2.1. Non-Defining Relative Pronouns...........................................................................12
Conclusion............................................................................................................................15
References............................................................................................................................16

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Introduction

This essay unveils about tenses system. In addition, the present research holds on Present
Simple and Past Simple, Present Perfect Tense, Future Simple, Articles and lastly on
Relative Clauses. In addition, e tenses are the most important part of English Language. Taking
into account this point, the importance of aspect to an understanding of the English tense
system is underscored by the fact that, as we have seen, certain auxiliary ‐verb constructions
with tense‐like functions, for example, the perfect construction, also function as stabilizers. In
such constructions, the state denoted by the tensed auxiliary verb is ordered relative to the
event denoted by its complement in a way that resembles the ordering relations encoded by
tense, and for this reason type‐shifting constructions like the perfect aspect are often
functionally indistinguishable from tense constructions like the past tense.

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Objectives

General objective
The general objective of this research was:

Analyse the tense system and its usage in English language

Specific objectives
Identify the proposed tenses and conjunctions
Describe the tense system
Provide examples and exceptions on its usage

Methodology

In order to scrutinize this research and reach the objective as well as unveil a deeply and
conscious understanding on the given topics the research was based on bibliography
consultation as well as internet. This allowed the researcher to discuss the content in deep and
provide aligned details about the tagged topic.

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 1. Tenses and Conjunctions in English.

According to THOMSON (1986:45) tense of a sentence gives you an idea of the time when
the incident mentioned in a statement takes place. In addition, tense is grammatical category
that express time and state of being of action or event. The three main tenses in English –
past, present and future – which each have four different aspects.

For the purpose of this research the researcher will scrutinize past simple, present simple,
present perfect and future simple.

On the other hand, SWALES (1994:542) state that conjunction is word that connects
elements of a sentence, such as words, phrases, or clauses. The three types of conjunctions
are: subordinating conjunctions, coordinating conjunctions, and correlative conjunctions.

1.1. Present Simple

MURPHY (1994:253) says that a sentence is presented in simple present tense when it is
used to describe an action that's happening at present and does not indicate when the action is
expected to end. Simple present tense is used when:

 The action that is taking place in general.

 The action is not only occurring now; it repeats after regular intervals of time.
 To indicate facts those are generally true.
 The action for relating habits and routines that happen all the time, be it in the future,
past or present.
a) Structure

Verb "+s/es" form is used;

 If subject is 3rd person singular. The verb is used in its original form;
 If subject is 1st and/or 2nd person singular.
 If subject is 1st and/or 2nd person plural.
 If subject is 3rd person plural
Some Examples:

 The sun sets in the west.

 All the cars stop at this crossing.
 Michael teaches social studies in a school.
 That notice reads, “No parking”.
 Hanna leaves at seven in the morning.
 The teacher said if she works hard she will pass.
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  There goes the taxi.
 Do you play tennis?
 He does not go to the temple.
 Does he write novels?

1.2. Past simple

MURPHY (1994:255) unveils that Simple past tense is used to narrate an action of the past.
The verb in the past tense ends with an '-ed' and hence, there are seven ways of marking the
irregular verbs in the past tense. The most common being the change of the vowel as in

'drink' - 'drank'.

a) Structure

Subject + verb + Object

Examples:

 She died.
 Samora passed away in 1983.
 She kissed him yesterday.
 Last year, we travelled to Maputo.

1.3. Present Perfect Tense

COE (1996:65) argues that present perfect is probably the most used tense form in English
Grammar and is also considered difficult to understand. The Present Perfect Tense explains
the incident that has happened in the past and that continues until the present time.

Examples
 For almost five generations, my family members have been engineers.
 In order to avoid delays in my work, I have been doing it regularly.
 I have always wanted to ride on this vehicle.

1.4. Simple Future Tense

This tense is used for those sentences which refer to the actions which will occur later, in
future. This requires a future tense auxiliary verb even though the verb would be unmarked.
COE (1996).

Examples:

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  You will be done before me.
 She will not come tomorrow.
 Will you come to play with me after school?
 I will keep in touch with you.
 I will reach home by 7p.m.
 He will stay with us for 3 days.

2. Articles
The English language uses articles to identify nouns. HARRISON (1996:981) states that
articles act much like adjectives. Articles clarify whether a noun is specific or general,
singular or plural. An article appears before the noun it accompanies.

There are two types of articles

 Definite article: the
The definite article is used before singular and plural nouns when the noun is specific or particular.
“The” signals that the noun is definite, that it refers to a particular member of a group .
 Indefinite article: a, an
A/an" is used to refer to a non-specific or non-particular member of the group
2.1. General rules

Place the article before the noun.

e.g., the house the cat a dog a book
Place the article before the adjective when the noun is modified by an adjective.
e.g., the purple house the black cat a white dog an open book < Correct the house purple or a
dog white < Incorrect
Do not add an article when the noun has a possessive pronoun (my, his, her, our,
their) or a demonstrative pronoun (this, that).
e.g., my house her book that house this book < Correct the my house or the this book <
Incorrect.

a) Definite article: the

Use the to identify specific or definite nouns: nouns that represent things, places,
ideas, or persons that can be identified specifically.
Use the with both singular and plural definite nouns.
e.g., the house the houses the business the businesses

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 Use the to identify things, places, ideas, or persons that represent a specific or definite
group or category.

e.g., The students in Professor Smith’s class should study harder.

The automobile revolutionized travel and industry.
(The automobile identifies a specific category of transportation)
b) Indefinite article: a or an

Use a or an to identify nouns that are not definite and not specific.
- Think of a and an as meaning any or one among many.
e.g., a book (any book) a dog (any dog) a cat (one cat) a house (one among many houses)
Use a or an only for singular nouns.
Do not use an article for a plural, indefinite noun.
- Think of a plural, indefinite noun as meaning all.
e.g., Students should study hard. (All students should study hard.)

i. When to use a and when to use an

Choose when to use a or an according to the sound of the noun that follows it.
Use a before consonant sounds.
e.g., a book, a dog
Use a before a sounded h, a long u, and o with the sound of w.
e.g., a hat a house a union a uniform a one-hour appointment
Use an before vowel sounds (except long u).
e.g., an asset an essay an index an onion an umbrella
Use an when h is not sounded.
e.g., an honor, an hour

3. Relative clauses
According to FERNÁNDEZ (2000:87) Relative clauses are also sometimes called adjectives
clauses, since they identify or unveil additional information about the subject of the
independent clause they relate to. Like adjectives, these clauses in some way describe that
subject.

There are two types of relative clauses:

Defining relative clauses
Non-defining relative clauses

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 3.1. Defining relative clauses
These describe the preceding noun in such a way to distinguish it from other nouns of the
same class. A clause of this kind is essential to clear understanding of the noun.
FERNÁNDEZ (2000)
Example: The boy who was playing is my brother

3.1.1. Defining Relative Pronouns

SUBJECT OBJECT POSSESSIVE
For people Who Whom/Who Whose
That That
For things Which Which Whose
That That Of Which
Source: FERNÁNDEZ (2000)

a) Defining Relative Clauses: people

I. Subject: who or that
Who is normally used:
The man who robbed you has been arrested.
The girls who serve in the shop are the owner’s daughters.
But that is a possible alternative after all, everyone, everybody, no one, nobody and those:
Everyone who/that knew him liked him.
Nobody who/that watched the match will ever forget it.

II. Object of a verb: whom, who or that

The object form is whom, but it is considered very formal. In spoken English we normally
use who or that (that being more usual than who), and it is still more common to omit the
object pronoun altogether:
The man whom I saw told me to come back today.
The man who I saw told me to come back today.
The man that I saw told me to come back today.
The man I saw told me to come back today.

III. With a preposition: whom or that

In formal English the preposition is placed before the relative pronoun, which must then be
put into the form whom:
The man to whom I spoke…
In informal speech, however, it is more usual to move the preposition to the end of the clause.
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Whom then is often replaced by that, but it is still more common to omit the relative
altogether:
The man who/whom I spoke to…
The man that I spoke to…
The man I spoke to…

IV. Possessive
Whose is the only possible form:
People whose rents have been raised can appeal.
The film is about a spy whose wife betrays him.

b) Defining Relative Clauses: things

I. Subject
Either which or that. Which is more formal.
This is the picture which/that caused such a sensation.
The stairs which/that lead to the cellar are rather slippery.
II. Object of a verb
Which or that or no relative at all.
The car which/that I hired broke down.
The car I hired broke down.
Which is hardly ever used after all, everything, little, much, none, no and compounds of
no, or after superlatives. Instead we use that, or omit the relative altogether, if it is the object
of a verb:
All the apples that fall are eaten by the pigs.
This is the best hotel (that) I know.
III. Object of a preposition
The formal construction is preposition + which, but it is more usual to move the preposition
to the end of the clause, using which or that or omitting the relative altogether:
The ladder on which I was standing began to slip.
The ladder which/that I was standing on began to slip.
The ladder I was standing on began to slip.
IV. Possessive
Whose + a clause is possible but with + a phrase is more usual:
A house whose walls were made of glass
A house with glass walls

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 V. Relative adverbs: when, where, why
Note that when can replace in/on which (used of time):
the year when (= in which) he was born
the day when (= in which) they arrived

Where can replace in/at which (used of place):

the hotel where (= in/at which) they were staying
Why can replace for which:
the reason why he refused is…
When, where and why used in this way are called relative adverbs.

3.2. Non-defining relative clauses

FERNÁNDEZ (2000:102) argues that, non-defining relative clauses are placed after nouns
which are definite already. They do not therefore define the noun. But merely add something
to it by giving some more information about it. They are not essential in the sentence and can
be omitted without causing confusion. They are separated from their noun by commas. The
pronoun can never be omitted in a non-defining relative clause.

Example: The boy who was playing is my brother.

3.2.1. Non-Defining Relative Pronouns

SUBJECT OBJECT POSSESSIVE
For people Who Whom/Who Whose
For thing Which Which Whose Of Which
Source: FERNÁNDEZ (2000)

a) Non-Defining Relative Clauses: people

I. Subject: who
No other pronoun is possible. Note the commas:
My neighbour, who is very pessimistic, says there will be no apples this year.
Peter, who had been driving all day, suggested stopping at the next town.
II. Object: whom, who
The pronoun cannot be omitted. Whom is the correct form, though who is sometimes used in
conversation:
Peter, whom everyone suspected, turned out to be innocent..
III. Object of a preposition: whom
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The pronoun cannot be omitted. The preposition is normally placed before whom:
Mr Jones, for whom I was working, was very generous about overtime
payments.
It is however possible to move the preposition to the end of the clause. This is commonly
done in conversation, and who then usually takes the place of whom:
Mr Jones, who I was working for, was very generous about overtime
payments.
If the clause contains an expression of time or place, this will remain at the end:
Peter, with whom I played tennis on Sundays, was fitter than me.
Could become:
Peter, who/whom I played tennis with on Sundays, was fitter than me.
IV. Possessive: whose
Ann, whose children are at school all day, is trying to get a job.
This is George, whose class you will be taking.

b) Non-Defining Relative Clauses: things

I. Subject: which
That is not used here:
That block, which cost £5 million to build, has been empty for years.
The 8.15 train, which is usually very punctual, was late today.
II. Object: which
That is not used here, and the which can never be omitted.
She gave me this jumper, which she had knitted herself.
These books, which you can get at any bookshop, will give you all the information you
need.
III. Object of a preposition
The preposition comes before which, or (more informally) at the end of the clause:
Ashdown Forest, through which we’ll be driving, isn’t a forest any longer.
Ashdown Forest, which we’ll be driving through, isn’t a forest any longer.
His house, for which he paid £10,000, is now worth £50,000.
His house, which he paid £10,000 for, is now worth £50,000.

IV. Possessive: whose or of which

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Whose is generally used both for animals and things. Of which is possible for things, but it is
unusual except in very formal English.
His house, whose windows are all broken, was a depressing sight.
The car, whose handbrake wasn’t very reliable, began to slide backwards.

Conclusion

As conclusion, it is important to stress that tenses and conjunctions are critical to sensible and
flawless language. They help you convey your ideas clearly by way of words. They help

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indicate the time of the statement and provide the reader with a crystal-clear picture of
incidents. In short, this research was a way to improve the tenses and conjunctions usage in
English language as well as way to depict profoundly how to convey meaning, ideas
following the tense system rules.

References

COE, N., Grammar Spectrum 3, Oxford University Press, 1996

FERNÁNDEZ, R. English Grammar… with exercises, Longman, 2000
HARRISON, M., Grammar Spectrum 2, Oxford University Press, 1996
MURPHY, R. Essential Grammar in Use, Cambridge University Press 1994
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MASTER, PA, Science, medicine and technology: English grammar and technical writing,
Prentice-Hall, New Jersey. 1986
SWALES, JM & FEAK, CB, Academic writing for graduate students, University of
Michigan Press, Ann Arbor, Michigan. 1994
THOMSON, A. J. and Martinet, A.V., A Practical English Grammar, Oxford University
Press, 1986

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