മത്സരത്തിലെ ഇംഗ്ലീഷ് 4

ചൂര്യയി ചന്ദ്രന്‍

Uses of Tense Forms

• The three main tenses are present, past and future.
• Each of these main tenses has 4 sub- division.

They are

1. The simple
2. The continuous
3. The perfect
4. The perfect continuous

Altogether we have 12 tense forms. They can be depicted in the following diagram.

Present                       Simple

Past                           Continuous

Future                        Perfect

Perfect continuous

	Simple Tense	Con. Tense	Perfect Tense	Per. Con. Tense
Present	Write Writes	is writing are writing am writing	has written have written	has been writing have been writing
Past	Wrote	Was writing Were writing	Had written	Had been writing
Future	Will write Shall write	Will be writing Shall be writing	Will have written Shall have written	Will have been writing Shall have been writing

 

He writes a story                                I have written a letter

They  write letters                               You have written a letter

We write letters.                                 He has written letters

He is writing a letter.                          They have written letters

They are writing letters.                     We have written letters

We are writing letters                        He has been writing letters

You are writing a letter                     They have been writing letters

I am writing a letter                           We have been writing letters

1. Present Simple Tense

 

Base form of the verb …….. Write/come -s form of the verb……… Writes / comes Base form ( plural)   -s form ( singular )

Uses of the Simple Present

1. Tells what actually happens at the time of speaking
   1. Now, they wash their clothes
   2. Their friend, Bobby practises
   3. I wait for my bus but my wife waits for her office vehicle
2. Tells a habitual action in the present

(ദിനചര്യ, നിത്യേനയുള്ള ശീലങ്ങള്‍, ആവര്‍ത്തന ജോലികള്‍ etc)

1. The clerb arrives at 9:30 am everyday
2. Our class begins with a prayer
3. The stop does not open on Sundays.
4. Mary goes for a walk every morning

3. Expresses some universal truth
   1. Water boils at 100°C.
   2. Heat expands metal
   3. The sun rises in the East
   4. All that glitters is not gold
4. To express planned future
   1. Schools reopen on 1^st
   2. The Chief minister visits our college on the next Monday
   3. We leave for Delhi tomorrow

Note: with simple present tense the following adverbials may come. Please note that they are hint words.

Always, annually, as a rule, commonly, daily, every, frequently, generally, habitually, monthly, never, normally, often, once, occasionally, rarely, seldom , sometimes, twice, thrice, usually, whenever, weekly, yearly.

2. Present Continuous

is/are/am + ing

is writing

is writing

are writing

am writing

Uses of the Present Continuous

1. To express what is happening at the present moment
   1. He is reading a book now (compare with the simple present)

He reads a book now (says what happens)

വായിക്കുന്നു (what happens)
വായിച്ചുകൊണ്ടിരിക്കുന്നു (what is happening)

1. They are watching the game.

2. To express near futurity when futurity is revealed from the context.
   1. They are coming next week
   2. I am going to Chennai on Sunday
   3. She is leaving for Delhi tomorrow.

Special Note: Following types of verbs are never used in the continuous tense. Instead we should use the simple present tense.

1. Verbs of perception: see, hear, smell, taste, notice, recognise etc.
2. Verbs expressing emotions: like, love, hate, feel, sympathize, pity etc.
3. Verbs expressing volition: want, wish, desire, refuse, prefer, agree, consent, permit
4. Verbs describing mental activities: think, believe, suppose, hope, trust, consider, remember, forget, know, understand, imagine, mean, mind etc.
5. Verbs of possession: own, possess, have, belong to , contain etc.
6. Verbs expressing the notion of inclusion : Comprise, be composed of, constitute, consists of
7. Verbs expressing the notion of seeming: appear, seem, look etc.

 

1. 1.He is seeming to be an honest man ×

He seems to be an honest man.        √

2. John is owning ten acres of land      ×

John owns ten acres of land.          √

3. Rosa is remembering everything    ×

Rosa remembers everything.        √

4. I am agreeing with her           ×

I agree with her                                  √

5. She is preferring tea to coffee  ×

She prefers tea to coffee.                  √

6. This bag is belonging James  ×

This bag belongs to James                √

7. She is having three brothers.  ×

She has three brothers.                  √

8. She is seeing a film . ×

She sees a film.                                    √

9. She is considering it a shame ×

She considers it a shame                  √

10. He is feeling the heat ×

He feels the heat                                √

• The following adverbials are the hint words in present continuous tense:

At present, at the moment, today, still, now, nowadays.

3. The Present Perfect

	Has/have + V3 V3 = past participle

 has sought

have sought

This tense is partly present and partly past. The action denoted is past.

In some cases its effect is still present

Uses of the present perfect:

1. To express an action just completed.
   1. They have already reached the spot.
   2. He has just completed his work.
   3. Have you ever been to Delhi ?
   4. I have had my dinner
   5. I have seen him
   6. I have lived in this house for ten years.

Compare with Simple Past

1. I met him ten years ago          √

I have met him ten years ago                        ×

2. He has taken a degree in 2010          ×

He has taken a degree                                    √

He took a degree in 2010                              √

3. I have met him yesterday        ×

I have met him                                              √

I met him yesterday                                      √

4.Tagore has won the Nobel prize in 1913               ×

Tagore has won the Nobel prize                  √

Tagore won the Nobel prize in 1913            √

Note:  Present Perfect and Past adverbial do not go together.

In example 1) ten years ago (past adverbial)

In example 2) in 2010 ( past adverbial)

In example 3) yesterday (past adverbial)

In example 4) in 1913 (past adverbial)

• The following words are the hint words that come with present perfect tense:

            Already, just, ever, for, since, yet, recently, lately.

4. The Present Perfect Continuous

has/ have + been + ing

has been going

have been going

An action started at some point of time in the past, and since then it has been going on, and is still continuing.

eg: 1) He has been living here since 2010  (since + point of time)

or

He has been living here for ten years  (for + duration of time)

2) It has been raining for half an hour

3) They have been playing since 4pm

4) I have been waiting for the bus for ten minutes.

5) We have been discussing the same topic for the last two hours.

Present Perfect Continuous and Present Continuous

Present continuous                  : Does not say anything about the starting time of the action.

Present Perfect Continuous    : Tell us that the action started at a point of time in the past.

Both Present Continuous and Present Perfect Continuous say that at the present moment the action is going on.

• The following adverbials come with present perfect continuous:

            Since, for,all the morning, all the evening, all the night.

5.  The Past Simple

	Past simple is the V2 form Wrote, broke, played, saw

 

    Uses of the Past Simple:

1. Expresses a past action or event
   1. He met me yesterday
   2. How did he solve the problems? (solved)
   3. India became independent in 1947
   4. The old man forgot his bag in the shop.
2. To narate an incident or story
   1. Once upon a time there lived a fox. The fox joined the company of some dogs
3. Expresses habitual action in the past.
   1. He always walked in the early morning.
   2. He usually took his lunch at 12.45
   3. She went to school by bus.
   4. They wore kakhi clothes

Note:  Instead of Simple Past, “used to” and ‘would’ are used to express habitual action in the past.

1. He used to walk early in the morning.

He would walk early in the morning.

2. He used to take his lunch at 12.45

He would take his lunch at 12.45

3. They used to wear kakhi clothes

They would wear kakhi clothes.

• The following hint words come with the simple past tense:

            Yesterday, last, ago, on Monday.

6. Past Continuous

Was/were + ing

was writing

were writing

Use of past continuous

The past continuous denote an action that was in progress which took place at a definite point of time in the past.

1. He was crossing the road when the accident recurred.
2. He was reading newspaper at 8am
3. When she came in, it was raining
4. The storm was brewing ( no time expression)
5. The Past Perfect

had +V3

had gone

had employed

Use of the Past Perfect

Two past actions occurred in the past, one earlier and the other later. Past Perfect represents the earlier action.

1. He had reached the place even before his friend’s arrival
2. They had started the meeting when he came in
3. I had informed him of the incident, before he started.
4. He had been to the Railway Station before 5 pm.
5. The football match had started, when we arrived at the stadium
6. The Past Perfect Continuous

had + been + ing.

    

had been living

had been sleeping

 

Use of the Past Perfect Continuous

1. To denote an action which began at a point of time in the past and continued up to a later point of time in the past.
   1. He had been working as a tuition master for four years before he became a teacher in a government school.
   2. He had been practising yoga until you came
   3. His friend came in when he had been reading a novel
2. The Future Simple

	Shall + base form Will + base form.

 

 

Shall wash

Will wash

Uses :

1. To indicate a future action
2. He will come here tomorrow
3. I shall return your book on Monday
4. I shall be sixty next November
5. You shall get your money tomorrow
6. To express the speaker’s opinions or assumptions about the future
7. I hope he will do better next time
8. They are examining the bridge. They will repair it
9. She will arrive at 8 am
10. To express habitual actions in the future
11. “Thulavarsham’ will come in October
12. Some birds will migrate in winter

Note :  (A)  To express Futurity :

First Person ( I / We ) takes    shall

Second & Third Person

(You/He/They/It)        takes    will

(B)  To indicate determination, promise, threat, warning etc.

First Person (I/We)      takes    will

• The following hint words come with the Simple Future :

Tomorrow, on Monday, next November, next time, in winter, next day, day after tomorrow, soon, following, within.

10. The Future Continuous

	Shall + be + -ing Will + be + -ing

 

will be reading

shall be reading

 

Use :

1. To express an action which will occur in the future as planned.
2. The Board Members will be meeting next week to discuss the problems
3. Will you be staying here for long ?
4. I will be sleeping at this time tomorrow.
5. The Future Perfect Tense

will/shall+have+V3

will have played

shall have played

Use of the Future Perfect Tense:

• It tells us that a certain action expected to be completed by a certain point of time in the future

1. By next month, he will have sold his car.
2. The carpenter will have finished his work before this evening
3. I shall have finished long before he returns
4. I hope it will have stopped raining by evening
5. Hari will have boarded the plane by this time tomorrow
6. They will have completed their training by December.

• The following hint words come with the future continuous tense:

Next week, for long, this time tomorrow.

12. The Future Perfect Continous

	will + have + been + -ing shall + have + been + -ing

 

 

will have been living

shall have been living

 

Use:

It expresses that an action will be in progress for sometime by a certain point in future.

1. He will have been working as a teacher for 25 years by the end of this March
2. By the end of December, we will have been living here for ten years.

• The following hint words can be used with the future perfect:

By next month, before this evening, long before, by evening, by this time tomorrow, by December, by the time you come back, by the end of this year

From Old Question Papers

1. She (walk) to her office every day
   1. Will walk
   2. Walks
   3. Walk
   4. Will be walking
2. Rajani _______(come ) to teach me dance every Sunday.
   1. Came
   2. Come
   3. Comes
   4. Coming

 

3. My parents _______ Paris last month.
   1. Have visited
   2. Will have Visited
   3. Visited
   4. Has visited
4. I ____ all of Hardy’s novelsby next year
   1. Shall be reading
   2. Will read
   3. Shall have read
   4. Shall have been reading.
5. We ____ in the town since 1955
   1. Have been living
   2. Had been living
   3. Has been living
   4. We’re living
6. A bird often _____ eggs and hatch the chicks
   1. Lies
   2. Lays
   3. Lies
   4. Lain
7. Seeta, Rema, and Seema ______ to the same school
   1. Went
   2. Gone
   3. Go
8. He _____ thirsty
   1. Looking
   2. Have looked
   3. Looks
   4. None of these
9. It has been raining_____ two days
   1. Since
   2. After
   3. From
   4. For
10. This car _____ to my brother
    1. Do not belong
    2. Belonging
    3. Belongs
    4. Has belonged
11. Find out the sentence in past perfect tense:
    1. When I arrived Raju has just left.
    2. When I arrived Raju had just left.
    3. When I arrived Raju was just left.
    4. When I arrived Raju was just leaving.
12. When I reached home, my father ______ to bed
    1. Went
    2. Had gone
    3. Gone
    4. Would have gone
13. I ____ you are wrong.
    1. Think
    2. Thinks
    3. Thought
    4. Are thinking
14. Raju looked at me without _____ a word
    1. Say
    2. Says
    3. Saying
    4. Before
15. He has been working here ____ 1990
    1. From
    2. Till
    3. Since
    4. Before
16. I ___ him seven years ago.
    1. Met
    2. Till
    3. Had met
    4. Have been met.
17. Elephants ______ eat flesh.
    1. Could not
    2. Never
    3. Did not.
    4. Have not
18. Sita ____ the letter yesterday
    1. Has written
    2. Wrote
    3. Had written
    4. Writes
19. Identify the correct sentence.
    1. They will visit Agra last month.
    2. They were visiting Agra last month
    3. They visit Agra last month
    4. They visited Agra last month
20. When I met my friend, John Varghese in 1995, he ____ a novel for three years.
    1. Has writing
    2. Has been writing
    3. Had been writing
    4. Has written.

Answers:

1. (b) habitual action in the present
2. (c)
3. (c)
4.  (c) next year ആകുമ്പോഴെക്ക് പൂര്‍ത്തീകരിക്കുന്ന ക്രിയ

5. (a) 1995 മുതല്‍ തുടര്‍ന്ന് വരുന്നത് pre. per. Con

6. (b) lie (കളവ് പറയുക) – lied – lied
lie (കിടക്കുക) – lay – lain
lay – (വെക്കുക/മുട്ടയിടുക/കല്ലിടുക) – laid – laid
7. (c)
8. (c)  looks = തോന്നുക എന്നര്‍ത്ഥം
9. (d) (two days – duration of time നെ കുറിക്കുന്നത് കൊണ്ട്)
10. (c) car (singular) – belongs ; do not belong പറ്റില്ല
11. (b) had left (later past) ; arrived (earlier past)
12. (b) reached എന്ന past ന് മുമ്പേ നടന്ന earliest past നെ കുറിക്കാന്‍ had gone എന്ന
past perfect
13. (a) I എന്ന first person നെ plural ആയി കണക്കാക്കുന്നു. Think (base form) plural
14. (c) looked എന്ന verb അവിടെ ഉണ്ട്. വീണ്ടും ഒരു verb വരേണ്ടതില്ല. say/says/said ഇവ
verb ആണ്. Saying, verb അല്ല gerund ആണ്.
15. (c) 1990 point of time ആണ്. അതിന്റെ മുമ്പില്‍ since വരണം. ഇപ്പോഴും തുടരുന്ന ക്രിയ
ആയതിനാല്‍ from പറ്റില്ല.
16. (a) met or had met ആണ് വേണ്ടത്. Past se ഒറ്റ ക്രിയ എന്ന നിലക്ക് simple past ആയ
met
17. (b) ‘തിന്നാറില്ല’ എന്ന പ്രസ്താവനയാണ് ശരി. തിന്നാന്‍ കഴിയില്ല എന്നല്ല
18. (b) yesterday ഉള്ളതിനാല്‍ has written പറ്റില്ല. simple past ആയ wrote.
19. (d) last month ന് അനുയോജ്യം visited
20. (c) 1995 ന് മുമ്പ് 3 വര്‍ഷമായി ചെയ്തുകൊണ്ട് വന്ന ജോലി.