What is a Tense? Unit 3 – Presentation 1 “ a way people came up with in an effort to describe human experience through time in such a manner as to be

• What is a Tense?

Unit 3 – Presentation 1

“a way people came up with in an effort to describe human experience through time in such a manner as to be meaningful to the listener/ reader”• How many Tenses are there?

Strictly speaking, 2 (the Present Simple & the Past Simple) but we can form 10 more, which gives us the overall 12-tense system in English.

Tense Formation Rules

When you hear: it means there is:

Future will + infinitive

Perfect have + verb + ed

OR have + 3rd Col. Irr.

Continuous be + verb + ing

Notes on Tense Formation 1

Simple: habit, completion, a generally held fact, a permanent state, repetition

Notes on Tense Formation 2

Continuous: duration, incomplete-ness, changing or temporary situation, progress at or around the time of speaking

Notes on Tense Formation 3Present: helping verbs conjugated in the present tense

Past: helping verbs conjugated in the past tense

Perfect= “complete(d)”, therefore, simple perfect tenses describe actions finished at the time stated by the first constituent of their names

REMINDERS

• Simple & Continuous = opposite

• The Perfect Continuous tenses = the most difficult to grasp & use because Greek does not have counterparts • The Perfect tenses link time points and are therefore not on the time lines

PRESENT

PAST

FUTURE

FARPAST

SIMPLESIMPLE CONTINUOUSCONTINUOUS

Completion, repetition, habitual routine, statement of fact, permanent states

Completion, repetition, habitual routine, statement of fact, permanent states

Incomplete actions, progress, stressing duration, changing situations, temporary nature

Incomplete actions, progress, stressing duration, changing situations, temporary nature

Present Simple Present Continuous

Past Simple Past Continuous

Future Simple Future Continuous

Past Perfect Simple

Present Perfect Simple

Future Perfect Simple

Past Perfect Continuous

Present Perfect Continuous

Future Perfect Continuous

SIMPLE PRESENT PRESENT CONTINUOUS

1. Routines.

e.g. They have a picnic every Sunday. They usually have picnics in the local park.

1. One action in progress at the time of speaking.e.g. (Speaking on the phone:) Hi, dear. We’re having a picnic at the park.

2. Permanent states.e.g. I work as a radio producer only for 4 hours a day.

2. Temporary situations.e.g. This week I’m working double shift because a colleague is off sick.

3. Generally accepted facts/ natural phenomena.e.g. New, advanced motorways make it easier for people to travel more.

3. Changing situations.

e.g. Architecture is advancing at phenomenal rates.

The 2 Present Tenses (A)


4. Oral narrative/ historical present (jokes, personal stories, plots, sports commentaries, procedures, newspaper headlines, exclamations).e.g. Well, I’m at the office and there comes this gorgeous assistant and tells me he needs some guidance.

4. Oral narrative supplement, setting the scene and stressing duration.e.g. So, I’m sitting quietly at home, listening to music and thinking of what to wear to the party, when there’s a knock on the door and it’s the postman. He delivers an unsigned note and … guess what! It turns out it’s the letter …

5. Habitual actions (esp. with Frequency Adverbs).e.g. Kids like to act so we often stage plays at the school.

5. An irritating, interesting, unbearable, etc. habitual action, with always, forever, constantly, continually, continuously.e.g. She’s always acting! I can’t stand her.

The 2 Present Tenses (B)


6. Future Use: Actions programmed by an external authority (timetables). e.g. The fashion show opens tomorrow.

6. Future Use: Pre-arranged personal plan/ appointments (diary tense). e.g. I’m going to the fashion show tomorrow.

Time Expressions:

every …, on Mondays, etc., at weekends, Frequency Adverbs, hardly ever, three, … times/ once/ twice a week/ month/…, in winter, …, future time expressions.

Time Expressions:

(right) now, at the moment, at present, currently, nowadays, these days, still, this week/ month, …, future time expressions.

The 2 Present Tenses (C)

SIMPLE PAST PAST CONTINUOUS1. Routines/ Habitual actions in the past. (Imperfect use 1)e.g. When their son was young, they had a picnic every Sunday. They usually had picnics in the local park.

1. One action in progress at or around a certain point in the past.e.g. (Showing pictures to a friend:) And this is last Sunday’s. We were having a picnic in the park .

2. Permanent states in the past. (Imperfect use 2)e.g. I worked as a radio producer back then.

2. Temporary situations in the past.e.g. I was working rather too hard then because I needed the money.

3. An action completed at a specific time point in the past.e.g. Work on the new motorway finished last week.

3. An incomplete action that had a certain duration in the past.e.g. They were still working on the new skyscraper last week.

The 2 Past Tenses (A)

SIMPLE PAST PAST CONTINUOUS4. Formal narrative/ main events/ historical facts.e.g. And when night came, the spirit ventured out, true to its tradition. It was eerie as it simply hovered there for everyone to see.

4. Formal narrative supplement, setting the scene and stressing duration. (Temporal Frame)e.g. It was a sultry autumn evening. Nothing was moving and it felt as if the wind itself was standing still in anticipation of the sighting.

5. Complete, successive past actions.e.g. The teacher got in, took hold of her marker and started writing examples on the board.

5. Simultaneous progress for 2 or more past actions.e.g. While the teacher was writing examples, one of my classmates was sleeping.

The 2 Past Tenses (B)

SIMPLE PAST PAST CONTINUOUS6. Past for Present: when attempting to sound polite(r), ironic, etc.e.g. Excuse me, Miss, did you want to see me?

6. Past for Present: when attempting to sound polite(r), ironic, etc,e.g. I was wondering whether I could ask for a small favour.

Time Expressions:

yesterday, when, then, last …, years (in 2003), ago, as, every …, on Mondays, etc., at weekends, Frequency Adverbs, three, … times/ once/ twice a week/ month/…, in winter, …, just now.

Time Expressions:

still, at the time, then, ago, yesterday, last …, years (in 2003), when, while, as, all … .

The 2 Past Tenses (C)

PRESENT PERFECT SIMPLE

PRESENT PERFECT CONTINUOUS

1. State begun in the past and still going on (state verbs use).e.g. They have known each other for years. They’ve been together since primary school.

1. Action begun in the past and still going on (linking past to present – triple information).e.g. She has been sitting there, listening to music all morning.

2. Completed past action with obvious results now (interest in the result itself and/ or the quantity – how much/ how many times).e.g. They have bought lots of stuff for the party.

2. Long action which began in the past, has just finished and has obvious results now (interest in the action that produced the result and/ or the duration).e.g. I’ve been cooking all day but looking at this dish, it was definitely worth it.

The 2 Present Perfect Tenses (A)



3. Action completed in the past at an unspecified time point (recent indefinite) OR that has(n’t) happened throughout one’s lifetime (experience).e.g. I have found this old violin in the attic. I have never played the violin. Have you?

3.

X4.

X4. Stating annoyance, interest, complaint, puzzlement.e.g. I’ve been waiting for my order for 4 minutes!

The 2 Present Perfect Tenses (B)



6. NOTE ON THE PRESENT PERFECT SIMPLE: Use the Present Perfect Simple to announce a recent event and Past tenses to give the details.e.g. ‘Have you heard? Miriam has come into a neat sum’. ‘Really, how?’ ‘Well, she had that great uncle, who had no heirs, and she was living with him at the time of his death.’

6. NOTE ON THE PRESENT PERFECT CONTINUOUS: Use the Present Perfect Continuous rather than Present Tenses when the information extends into the past.e.g. (COMPARE:) He’s collecting rare coins these days. In fact, he’s been collecting them for quite some time.

Time Expressions: for, (ever) since, ever, never, always, yet, still (for emphasis), just, already, recently, lately, so far, how long, before

Time Expressions:

for, (ever) since, recently, lately, all …, how long

The 2 Present Perfect Tenses (C)

PAST PERFECT SIMPLE

PAST PERFECT CONTINUOUS

1. State begun in the far past (i.e. BEFORE sth else) and reaching the past (state verbs use).

e.g. We had known each other for years. If it hadn’t been for that ugly incident, we’d still be the best of friends.

1. Action that began in the far past (i.e. BEFORE sth else), had a certain duration and was still going on in the past (linking far past to past – triple information)

e.g. I dropped in to see her this morning and found her sitting in the garden. Apparently, she had been sitting there, listening to music for the better part of the morning.

The 2 Past Perfect Tenses (A)

PAST PERFECT SIMPLE


2. Action completed in the far past with obvious results in the past (interest in the result itself and/ or the quantity – how much/ how many times).

e.g. When I saw Willie, he was with his friend Tom. They’d been to the supermarket, had bought all the necessary supplies and were on their way home.

2. Long action which began in the far past, had just finished in the past and had obvious results then (interest in the action that produced the result and/ or the duration).e.g. She’d been cooking all day but when she served the dinner, we all felt it had been worthwhile.

The 2 Past Perfect Tenses (B)

PAST PERFECT SIMPLE

PAST PERFECT CONT.

3. In Reported Speech, replacing the Present Perfect or the Past Simple.e.g. ‘I’ve found this old violin in the attic,’ she said. She announced that she’d found an old violin in the attic.

3. In Reported Speech, replacing the Present Perfect or Past Continuous.e.g. Last Monday I heard on the news that fierce blizzards had been sweeping across the country since 10.00 am that day.

NOTE ON THE PAST PERFECT SIMPLE: In Greek, as in English, we tend to use the Simple Past rather than the Past Perfect when the order of events is clear from the time expressions used.e.g. He came before it was time to leave, so we didn’t have to wait for him.

NOTE ON THE PAST PERFECT CONTINUOUS: Past Perfect Cont. is translated with the Imperfect tense in Greek, like Past Cont. and Present Perfect Cont., so careful not to confuse them. e.g. When I arrived, they were still preparing lunch and had been doing so for 2 hours. I have been meaning to ask them who they thought they’d be lunching with!

The 2 Past Perfect Tenses (C)

PAST PERFECT SIMPLE


Time Expressions:

for, (ever) since, ever, never, always, yet, still (for emphasis), just, already, how long, before, after, when, by… .

Time Expressions:

for, (ever) since, all …, how long, before, when, by… .

The 2 Past Perfect Tenses (D)

1. Present Simplea) Timetables

b) In certain Clauses

2. Present Continuousa)Pre-arranged personal planb)In certain Clauses

3. Future Simplea)Personal Intention (on-the-spot decision) b)Prediction (unspecified–wishful thinking)c)Future as factd)Special uses of ‘will’

4. ‘Going to’ Futurea)Personal Intention (Pre-meditated)

b)Prediction (based on evidence)

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The 7 Future Tenses (A)

5. Future Continuous

a) Part of future plan

b) Sth that will happen as a matter of course

c) Action in progress at, or around, a future time point

d) Asking about sb’s future plans because we need a favour

6. Future Perfect Cont.a)Action in progress for some time before sth else in the future

7. Future Perfect Simplea) Action completed before sth else in the

future

The 7 Future Tenses (B)

• A tense that does not exist in English. It is rendered by 6 different tenses/ forms, under the following conditions:

1. Simple Past for routines, habitual, repeated actions or permanent past states.

2. Used to + infinitive for past habits or states that are no longer true.

3. Would + infinitive for an occasional past action/ habit (that the speaker now misses).

• These three ‘Imperfect tenses’ show repetition & habit & are used interchangeably except for ‘would’ that CANNOT be used for states!

I) The Greek ‘Imperfect’ Tense (A)

4. Past Continuous for a single action that was in progress at a specific time-point in the past or which had a certain duration.

5. Present Perfect Continuous for a long action which began in the past, has just finished and has obvious results now.

6. Past Perfect Continuous for a long action which began in the far past, had just finished in the past and had obvious results then.

• These three ‘Imperfect tenses’ are for a single action of duration, NOT for habits, routines, states!

I) The Greek ‘Imperfect’ Tense (B)

Present Perfect Continuous, Past Perfect Continuous & Future Perfect Continuous: the three singularly most difficult tenses to grasp and use because there are no equivalent tenses in Greek. Remember that all three express the same notion, which is:

there has been/ there had been/ there will be + such and such time + that sb has been/ had been/ will have

been doing sth(έχω/ είχα/ θα έχω + τόσον καιρό + που κάνω κτ)

IΙ) The 3 Perfect Continuous Tenses

The words that show how often something happens and are therefore only used with Simple Tenses (with exceptions!)

IΙI) Frequency Adverbs

ever/ never

rarely/

seldom/

hardly ever

occasionally/

sometimes

frequently/ often

normally/ usually

regularly

always

0% 25% 35% 50% 75% 85% 100%

Mid position, i.e. after the first auxiliary/ modal verb and before the main verb. EXCEPTIONS?

Verbs denoting states rather than processes or actions and lack the dynamic that would enable them to be used in Continuous tenses, which is why they are ONLY USED WITH SIMPLE TENSES.Normally they are categorised as follows:

•1) VERBS OF PERCEPTION (+ others with related meaning): see, hear, feel, smell, taste, notice, observe, look, seem, appear, overhear, sound.•2) VERBS OF POSSESSION: have, possess, own, belong, afford.•3) VERBS OF LIKE & DISLIKE: love, hate, like, dislike, enjoy, despise, adore, detest, fancy, loathe, prefer, can’t stand/ bear, (I don’t) mind.•4) VERBS OF DESIRE: desire, wish, want, hope, need.

IV) State Verbs (A)

• 5) COGNITIVE VERBS: remember, recall/ recollect, forget, regret, forgive, know, recognise, understand/ realise.

• 6) VERBS OF OPINION & CONVICTION: think, believe, reckon, agree, suppose, imagine, expect, doubt, mean, trust, refuse, consider/ regard, guess, suspect, fear.

• 7) MISCELLANEOUS: apply, be, fit, include, contain, matter, cost, owe, amount to, measure, weigh, find, depend (on), resemble, differ, consist (of), deserve, hold, accommodate.

Exceptions Sometimes, they are used as action verbs and then, if

necessary, they can be in Continuous forms. They also usually have a different meaning when this happens.

V) State Verbs (B)

Exceptions • You have been seeing a lot of Jack recently, haven’t

you? (meet, go out with/ συναντώ, βγαίνω με)• I’ve been hearing rumours about you two, you know. (learn/ μαθαίνω) • I could hear him as he was feeling his way through

the darkness. (search by touching/ ψηλαφίζω)• Look at the dog; what’s it smelling the air like that

for? (perceive by smell/ οσφραίνομαι, μυρίζω)• Our new chef is always tasting the dishes he

prepares. (sample/ γεύομαι, δοκιμάζω)• She’s appearing live tonight, I think. (make an

appearance/ εμφανίζομαι)

V) State Verbs (C) i

Exceptions (cont’d)• The school bus is here and the children are still

having breakfast. (take, eat/ παίρνω/ τρώω) • I can’t begin to tell you how I’m loving my stay here.

(coll.: greatly enjoy/ «τη βρίσκω με») • Are you enjoying the trip, kids? (experience pleasure/

χαίρομαι κτ, το διασκεδάζω) • She’s hoping for a quick closure. (depend on, expect/

βασίζομαι σε, περιμένω πως και πως)• I’m sorry but I’m forgetting your name. (slip one’s

mind/ μου διαφεύγει)• It’s a funny feeling to be realising your childhood

dreams. (make come true/ πραγματοποιώ)

V) State Verbs (C) ii

Exceptions (cont’d)• What are you thinking about? (consider, go through the

mind/ σκέφτομαι)

• We’ve been expecting you for hours! Where have you been? (wait for/ περιμένω)

• Are you doubting me by any chance? (to question sb‘s words]/ αμφισβητώ κπ/ τα λόγια κπ)

• It’s not as if we hadn’t been meaning to tell you. (intend/ σκοπεύω)

• They are considering relocating to bigger premises. (think about/ σκέφτομαι)

• Are you applying for the post then? (formally request/ αιτώ)

V) State Verbs (C) iii

Exceptions (cont’d)• Stop that! You are being impossible! (exhibit a

temporary attitude/ γίνομαι • They are fitting new locks tomorrow so make sure you

get a key. (equip, install/ εξοπλίζω, τοποθετώ)

• Are they measuring the floor today? Shall I move the furniture? (find out the exact size/ μετρώ)

• Oh, God! He’s weighing the dog again! (find out the exact weight/ ζυγίζω)

• You are depending on them for everything, aren’t you? (need, count on/ βασίζομαι)

• He was holding something red this morning but I didn’t pay attention. (have in my hands/ κρατώ)

V) State Verbs (C) iv

IN• TIME CLAUSES (when, while, as soon as, until, etc),• CONDITIONAL CLAUSES (if, unless, as/ so long as, etc),• RELATIVE CLAUSES (who, which, that, etc) &• INTENSIVE -EVER CLAUSES (whoever, whichever,

whatever, wherever, etc)

we don’t use will/ would. • Instead, we use Present Simple for future & Past

Simple for past reference. • Especially in Time Clauses, we can use Present & Past

Perfect respectively.

THIS RULE DOES NOT APPLY IN NOUN CLAUSES!

IV) When/ If/ Wh-Relatives & -ever Clauses

Apart from the seven future forms, there are certain set expressions with the verb ‘be’, and individual verbs that, though in the present or present perfect forms themselves, refer to future time.

•EXPRESSIONS WITH ‘BE’Be to = for arrangementsBe about to (do)Be on the point of (doing)Be due to Be set toBe likely that/ toBe possible that Be bound/ sure/ certain that/ to

VΙ) Other Ways to Express Future I

• INDIVIDUAL VERBSI’m planning to (do)/ on (doing) I’m thinking of/ considering (doing)I intend/ mean to (do)I have arranged to (do)I have decided to (do)

• OTHER CASESModal Verbs & other defective forms (like: had

better, would rather) • Shall is nowadays found only in the question forms:

shall I …? for offers & shall we …? for suggestions OR both to ask for suggestions/ instructions. In very formal writing (e.g. legal papers) also in the affirmative with other person references.

VΙ) Other Ways to Express Future II

• FUTURE IN THE PAST

The four mainstream Future Tenses change ‘will’ to ‘would’ (Conditional Future) while all expressions with ‘be’ become ‘was’/ ‘were’ + set expression. What they all have in common is uncertainty as to the result.

e.g. He was just about to leave the house when he noticed he wasn’t holding anything in his hands.

He was to pick me up at 7.00. I don’t know why he hasn’t shown up yet.

VΙ) Other Ways to Express Future III

• The Verb ‘Have been/ gone’ (to)i) Have been (to) = have visited (now I’m

back)

ii) Have gone (to) = have left (for) (I’m on the way there OR there already)

• It is/ has been + time phrase + since + S. Past

e.g. It’s three years since I saw my cousins ALSO

I haven’t seen my cousins for three years.

VII) Present Perfect Simple – Special Constructions

• After Superlativese.g. It’s the best meal I’ve had in years!

• After the phrase: it’s the first/ second/ etc time

e.g. It’s the second time I’ve driven a van. (switch!)

• Negatives with ‘yet’/ ‘still’e.g. We haven’t seen anyone yet. (‘yet’ normally

comes at the end of a negative ‘perfect’ sentence) BUT

- We’ve yet to see someone!- We still haven’t seen anyone! (Both emphatic)

VII) Present Perfect Simple – Special Constructions

Certain expressions are shared among tenses, e.g. ‘for’ is used with nearly all the tenses, except the Present. There are, however, certain time expressions that unmistakably point at particular tenses:

• ago = only Past • how long/ since = mainly with Perfect tenses• frequency adverbs = only Simple (exc.

‘always’)• all …/ this time … = only Continuous (exc.

with‘state verbs’)

VIII) Time Markers

Documents

What is a Tense? Unit 3 – Presentation 1 “ a way people came up with in an effort to describe human experience through time in such a manner as to be