Tenses

Sentence

     The sentence is a set of words that completes in itself, typically containing a subject and predicate, conveying a statement, question or exclamation,...
Sentences can be seen in main two types in any language. i.e.
 1.    Action sentences .
 2.    Non action sentences.

              Non action sentences.

Any noun of a language is a sentence which can be categorized into non action sentence structure. Numbers of non action sentences can be seen in any language.
 Ex:- It is a bag.
        This is a boy.

            Action sentences.

Action sentences can be seen in main two types. i.e.
 1.    Active voice
 2.    Passive voice
The above two types of sentences can be seen in tens forms. As Present, past, future.

Active voice
  We can make sentences giving the priority to the actor of the sentence so the sentence is called as active voice. There are twelve sentences patterns in this category. i.e. follow the examples which are given below . All the sentences of active voice can be formed with using the following order….
Subject  +  Verb  + Object  + Rest   



Subject.
Subject is the person who does the verb also the actor of the sentence. Subject can be seen in two forms. i.e.
1.    Plural subjects.( I,We,You,They and more than one)
2.    Singular subjects.(He,She,It , only a one person )
Verb.
Verb is the vital part of the sentence which is the action of the actor. Verb can be seen in five forms. i.e. study the following grid

Infinitive verb form
Past verb form
Past participle verb form
Present participle
verb form
Present singular
verb form
Go
went
gone
going
goes
Play
Played
Played
Playing
Plays
Study
Studied
Studied
Studing
studies
Cut
Cut
Cut
Cutting
cuts

Object
Object is the person or the thing which is affected from the action which is done by the actor of the sentence. Follow the example.
                                                     Nimal hit the boy.
                                                     Nimal cut the tree.

Rest.
Rest is the 4th part of the sentence which explains the time or date about the happening of the action. study the following examples:
                                                 Nimal studies books every morning.
                                                 We study English now.


 The subject and the predicate of the sentence

The subject should agree to the predicate of the sentence.
·         If the subject is in plural form, verb can be used in plural form.
Ex:- We study English.
·         If the subject is in singular form , verb can be used in singular form.
Ex:- He studies English.  



  Tenses

The concept of time can be split into:

1.      The Present - What you are currently doing.   
I eat, I am eating       
                           
2.      The Past - What you did some time back.  
I ate, I was eating

3.      The Future - What you will do later.  
I will eat, I will be eating     
                                        
In the English language, tenses play an important role in sentence formation. 

        The tense of a verb shows the time of an event or action.

        There are four types of tenses. Simple, Perfect, Continuous and Present Perfect 

Continuous and each of these has a present, past and future form. 



                       **   The following note will help you to get a clear impression about the 

   tenses of the English language.



                                                             Use of the Tenses

Use of the Simple Present Tense.

  •  To express habitual action.

          (1)    I bush my teeth every day.

 

          (2)    We drinks milk every morning.

                     

          (3)    We usually get up at 5’o clock.

 

  • To express permanent action.

           (1)    They live in kandy.

                     

           (2)    His father works in the NSB.

                     

           (3)    I work in a manufacturing industry.

 

  • To express regular event.

           (1)    The kataragama express bus reaches Matara at 10.


           (2)    The fight from Dubai arrives of Katunayaka.

 

  • To express eternal truths.

(                           (1)    The sun rises in the east.


(                           (2)    Rivers flow down.


(                           (3)    The earth moves round the sun.

 

  • To express planned future.

                  (1)    The president leaves for Japan next week.

                         

                  (2)    The Pakistan cricket-team arrives in Sri Lanka tomorrow

 

  • To express information given in permanent records.

                  (1)    The Mahawansa says that Ruwanveliseya was built by King 

                         Dutugamunu. 

                                                     

 

Use of Present Continuous Tense.

  • Present Continuous is used for an action going on at movement (going on at the time of speaking).

                      (1) I am learning English.

 

  • This tense can be used for an action that is plan to take place in the near future.

                      (2) We are going to the cinema tonight.

 

 Use of Simple Present Perfect Tense.

  • Simple past tense is used express a completed action in the immediate past.(The finished action that are important now).

                       (1) I have leant English.


                       (2) I have been to Kandy.


                       (3) I have just come.

 

 Use of Simple Present Continuous Perfect Tense.

  • This tense is used indicated and action the began at some time in the past and is still continuing.

                         (1) I have been studying English.

 

Use of Past Tense.

  • This tense is used to show completed past action.


                         (1) We went to kandy.


  •          This tense is used for habitual past actions.


                        (1) Malhami always carried an umbrella. 

 

Use of past Continuous Tense.

  • This tense is used to show what was happening at a past time.

                       (1) It was getting dark.


                       (2) I was going to school.

 

Use of Past Perfect Tense.

  • This tense is used to show an action completed before a certain movement the past

                       (1) I had started a business.


  •  And Also this tense is used to show which of two past action happened past.

                      (1) I had written the letter before he arrived.

 

Use of Past Perfect Continuous Tense.

  • This tense is used for an action that began before a certain point in the past and up to that time.

                      (1) At that time he had been sleeping for 5 hours.


                      (2)  I had been studying English.

 

Use the Simple Future Tense.

  • Simple Future Tense is used for planned or unplanned future events. We can use this tense to  talk about what we think or believe will happen in the future.

                    (1) I will come to class tomorrow.


                    (2) They will go there.

 

Use of future Continuous Tense.

  • This tense can be used to indicate an action going to on at sometime in the future.

                     (1) They will be playing cricket.


                     (2) I will be singing a song.

 

Use of future Perfect Tense.

  • This tense is used to indicate the completion often action by a certain future time.

                         (1) You will have learnt English.


                         (2) We will have played cricket.


 

Use of Future Perfect Continuous Tense.

  • This tense is used for action which will be progress over a period of time that will end the future.


                         (1) I will have been painting arts.

PRESENT TENSES
01.     SIMPLE PRESENT TENSE
In Simple Present, the action is simply mentioned and there is nothing being said about its completeness.
1. I eat.
2. I sleep.
3. I play.

02.     PRESENT CONTINUOUS TENSE
In Present Continuous, the action is on-going/ still going on and hence continuous.
1. I am eating.
2. I am sleeping.
3.I am playing.

03.     PRESENT PERFECT TENSE
In Present Perfect, the action is complete or has ended and hence termed Perfect.
1. I have eaten.
2. I have slept.
3. I have played.

04.     PRESENT PERFECT CONTINUOUS TENSE
In Present Perfect Continuous, the action has been taking place for some time and is still ongoing.
1. I have been eating.
2. I have been sleeping.
3. I have been playing.

PAST TENSES

05.     SIMPLE PAST TENSE
In Simple Past, the action is simply mentioned and understood to have taken place in the past.
1. I ate.
2. I slept.
3. I played.

06.     PAST CONTINUOUS TENSE
In Past Continuous, the action was ongoing till a certain time in the past.
1. I was eating.
2. I was sleeping.
3. I was playing.


07.     PAST PERFECT TENSE
Past Perfect is used to express something that happened before another action in the past.
1. I had eaten.
2. I had slept.
3. I had played.

08.     PAST PERFECT CONTINUOUS TENSE
Past Perfect Continuous is used to express something that started in the past and continued until another time in the past.
1. I had been eating.
2. I had been sleeping.
3. I had been playing.

FUTURE TENSES

09.     SIMPLE FUTURE TENSE
Simple Future is used when we plan or make a decision to do something. Nothing is said about the time in the future.
1. I will eat.
2. I will sleep.
3. I will play.

10.     FUTURE CONTINUOUS TENSE
The future continuous tense is used to express action at a particular moment in the future. However, the action will not have finished at the moment.
1. I will be eating at 9 a.m.
2. I will be sleeping when you arrive.
3. I will be playing at 5 p.m.  
11.     FUTURE PERFECT TENSE
Future Perfect expresses action that will occur in the future before another action in the future.
1. I will have eaten before 10 a.m.
2. I will have slept before you arrive.
3. I will have played before 6 p.m.

12.     FUTURE PERFECT CONTINUOUS TENSE
Future Perfect Continuous is used to talk about an on-going action before some point in the future.
1. I will have been sleeping for two hours when you arrive.
2. I will have been playing for an hour when it is 5 p.m.
3. I will have been studing  English for 5 years.



Passive voice
         The passive voice sentences can be formed giving the priority to the object of the sentence. The following order can be used to make the all the eight sentences of the passive voice.
Object  +  Verb  +  Subject  +  Rest



Object.
Object of the passive voice is the passive part of the sentence. The effect of the verb influence to the object of the passive voice sentence.
E.g.: The dog is hit by the boy.
         The car is driven by the driver.
Verb.
Verb of the passive voice sentence should be used ….
·         Transitive form
Transitive verb can affect to an object only which can be used in passive sentences as well as in past participle verb form.
Ex : The dog is hit by the boy.
·         Be verb of the passive voice
        The passive object should follow a Be verb according to the tense.
       Ex :  The dog is hit by the boy. ( Tense ; simple present tense. )
      Ex : The dog was hit by the boy.  (Tense ; simple past tense. )
Subject
Subject is called as the agent the actor  of the passive voice sentence. Subject is usually used with a preposition ( by, with, in,…). The form of the subject can appear in plural or singular.
Ex: The kite is made by the child
Rest
Rest of the passive voice sentence represent the time or date when the action happens.
Ex: The car roads are reconstructed by the government these days .

Tenses in passive voice

            There are 8 sentences patterns in passive voice. The above structure is used to make the sentences in passive voice.
PRESENT TENSES IN PASSIVE VOICE.

13.     SIMPLE  PRESENT TENSE
In Simple Present, the action is simply mentioned and there is nothing being said about its completeness.
1.The car is driven.
2. The trees are cut.
3. The kite is made by the child.

14.     PRESENT  CONTINUOUS TENSE
In Present Continuous, the action is on-going/ still going on and hence continuous.
1.The car is being driven.
2.The trees are being cut.
3.The kite is being made by the child.

15.     PRESENT  PERFECT TENSE
In Present Perfect, the action is complete or has ended and hence termed Perfect.
1.The car has been driven.
2.The tree has been cut.
3.The kite has been made by the child.


PAST TENSES IN PASSIVE VOICE.

16.     SIMPLE PAST TENSE
In Simple Past, the action is simply mentioned and understood to have taken place in the past.
1.The building was repaired.
2.The plants were cultivated.
3. we were blamed.



17.     PAST CONTINUOUS TENSE
In Past Continuous, the action was ongoing till a certain time in the past.
1.The building was being repaired.
2.The plants were being cultivated.
3. We were being blamed.



18.     PAST PERFECT TENSE
Past Perfect is used to express something that happened before another action in the past.
1.The building had been repaired.
2. The plants had been cultivated.
3. we had been blamed.


FUTURE TENSES IN PASSIVE VOICE.

19.     SIMPLE FUTURE TENSE
Simple Future is used when we plan or make a decision to do something. Nothing is said about the time in the future.
1.The scholar ships will be awarded .
2.The road will be reconstructed..
3.The country will be developed by the government.

20.     FUTURE PERFECT TENSE
Future Perfect expresses action that will occur in the future before another action in the future.
1.The building will have been repaired.
2.The country will have been developed.
3.The tree will have been cut.

Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)